Spellshift Read online

  Chapter 5

  Garen felt himself dozing off as he leaned toward the small handwriting that filled each page. The soft, mid-morning sunlight through the window wasn’t helping. Heavy, fast steps from the hall startled him awake. A courier stepped into the library. Garen hoped for news regarding Tarn, but this seemed a little too urgently delivered for that.

  “A message from King Micah,” the boy announced. He read from a sheet of parchment in his hand. “We leave for Kalyx as quickly as you can assemble. Bring Belen with you and meet at the east gate.”

  Garen rushed back to his chambers. He wasn’t sure what to expect as he donned his jerkin and sword belt. Belen was ready and waiting when Garen arrived for him.

  “No training today. We’ve got a real assignment. Believe it or not, Micah wants you with us,” Garen said.

  Belen’s sullen eyes lit up. “Are we gonna rescue her?”

  “We’re going in that direction,” Garen tried to temper his expectations. “I don’t know what we’ll be able to do, but let’s go find out.”

  Micah was the last to arrive at the gate. He wasted no time briefing them. “Our trip today is part diplomatic and part information gathering. If one has to come at the expense of the other, choose diplomacy. However, we can’t afford to weather the storm coming with no idea what’s happening in the magic trade. If wide-spread slavery is in use, I want to know. Meanwhile, I’m relaying news to Sarkos that the Spellswords are journeying east. My hope is that the longer we stay in Kalyx, the more time we buy General Tragus to recruit his Centralians.”

  Garen groaned, and Micah took a deep breath before continuing. “I know not everyone sees eye to eye, but trust me that wars must be fought with soldiers, not Spellswords. Your services are much better spent doing as Garen suggested. Discover the extent of the guild’s crimes. Choose your opportunity wisely. Do not cause uproar in any part of the city. But if you can find and bring home this boy’s sister, I will have done my duty as their king today, and we’ll all sleep sounder for it.”

  Garen gave Belen a nudge and smiled. “Looks like we’ll get our chance.” Belen didn’t quite grin, but for once he didn’t seem like he wanted to punch someone.

  “How are we gonna get there?” Belen asked.

  “Hard to explain.” Garen replied. “Let’s just say, ‘fast.’”

  Drake gathered cords of wind and launched them into the sky. Garen and the others stayed upright, but Drake preferred to fly with his head forward, body horizontal, and arms back. The fastest levitrans in production couldn’t match Drake’s speed, even while he dragged six people through the air behind him. Garen contemplated how much control Drake possessed to move this quickly while shielding them from the air’s sting. It was the kind of absurd feat that only a Wind Spellsword could perform. For the other elements, Drake had to spend his depth like any other, but when controlling the wind, the spirit gave him an infinite supply.

  By mid-afternoon, Kalyx came into view. The city didn’t stretch any wider than Vikar-Tola. What blew his mind from the moment they laid eyes on it was the skyline. Garen had been to Kalyx once as a child, and he remembered some of the stone towers. Newer buildings had entered the heights with them, several built from glass and steel. It was far too sudden to be a necessity. These looked like part of their prideful games, and the person with the tallest tower wins.

  Garen saw more architectural marvels as they got closer. Kalyx was centered entirely on the River Rojand. The wide channel originally separated the northern from the southern districts, or so his brief attempt at reading told him. They’d constructed right over top of it. The river flowed under the thick sheets of stone that spanned it. Citizens confidently built homes and businesses along the paved connection, as if it were trustworthy as the ground itself.

  From the outskirts, Kalyx didn’t appear to have any slums. The image was intentional. There was no “bad side” of the river anymore. Everything was perfect. Safety and success through magic. If you didn’t like your station in life, you could always try your luck in Kalyx. Nobody lives better than they do.

  There were other sizable cities in the East. The funny thing was that some of them might actually deliver on the promise of a better life. The land was suitable for certain crops, and a few rich deposits of geonode ore along the Rojand’s delta were highly profitable. But there were no mining operations based out of Kalyx. Here, all eyes were set on the finished product. The overambitious skyline was evidence of that. And even if Kalyx was perfect, even if there was enough wealth and industry to keep food on the poorest table in the city, Garen knew someone would be smart enough to fix that. There was always a bigger guy, someone who could bend utopia to his whims. In his years as a thief, those had been the most satisfying marks to steal from. Never the safest, but always satisfying.

  Garen could see their enormous wall and the guard posts spread along top of it. The presence of a city wall wasn’t strange. Several cities after the Dawn of Magic had them. People suddenly had control of stone, and while they didn’t have much depth to work with, they had excitement and novelty fueling their pursuits. Small, shoddy walls built by hand were replaced by enormous barriers. It gave everyone a sense of control and safety from common threats of the wilderness.

  Garen hadn’t encountered any writing on the years that followed, but he could connect the dots well enough. The same magic that forges walls breaks through them. The optimism must have faded quickly, and people had to accept a world where physical barriers guaranteed nothing. Cities like the Western capital Nhilim let their walls crumble because they served no purpose. Vikar-Tola kept theirs in decent repair to funnel trade in lucrative directions. Kalyx was something different altogether.

  Their wall was a piece of art. This was not the plain sheet of stone raised by farming villages to keep foxes from the henhouse. This was their identity. There were erratic changes in color and shape. They came close enough to view the wall in its full majesty, even more than Garen recalled from his childhood visit. Drake slowed the currents that pulled them through the sky until they set foot in front of Kalyx’s main gate. Even with every levitrans zipping around the sky, it was considered rude to simply drop into the middle of the city. Or at least that’s what Micah insisted. Garen thought it was an enormous waste of time. Belen, on the other hand, seemed a bit overwhelmed.

  “Told you it’d be fast,” Garen said. If they boy had blinked once the entire trip, his eyes didn’t look it. “So, what do you think?”

  “She’s in…there?”

  Garen realized how different the world must seem through Belen’s eyes. Giant walls and towers weren’t showy spectacles for him. They were obstacles.

  “Welcome to Kalyx!” a cheerful voice called out. A middle-aged man dressed in a vibrant patchwork cloak waved and hurried toward them from the gate.

  “Here comes our babysitter,” Argus said.

  “Don’t be rude,” Micah leaned back to remind him. “Play along. You know your role in this.”

  “Argus is correct,” Drake whispered to Garen. “You and I will be monitored from the moment we enter. There are always more people watching than you know.”

  “Your Majesty! We’re elated with blissful merriment you could make the festival this year.” His hand gestures were as embellished as his words. “We were saddened when you first declined the invitation, but King Amiri was quite pleased that you changed your mind. He’ll be equally delighted to share our Prestige Week with your honored guests, so it seems.”

  “Wow,” Garen said, staring blankly at him.

  “A thrill, isn’t it? Wait until you see inside,” the exuberant man winked.

  “Yes, Garen is surprised,” Micah filled in, “that the Geonode Guild’s Floor Speaker would make himself available to our humble entourage. This is Master Googan.”

  “Oh, nonsense. The pleasure is entirely mine. I get to accompany King Micah and the legendary Spellswords into our home. Please, you can call me Googan.”

  “W
e are honored just the same,” Micah replied, his manners sharper than ever. It was hard to believe this was the same man who wasn’t afraid to put his fist to Garen’s jaw in the training room. “Drake Ambersong has been requested by his family. Amiri is waiting on my arrival as well, but you have the undivided attention of Garen, Argus, Naia, Morgan, and Belen.”

  Googan scanned over the group with a welcoming smile. He stopped briefly at Belen, squinting his eyes the tiniest bit. “Spellswords, your reputation precedes you. Do we have a young new recruit?” He walked up to Belen and hunched down to meet his eyes.

  They’d cleaned Belen up for the occasion, scrubbing years of dirt off his calloused skin. They trimmed his mop of brown hair to keep from covering his ears, but something about him still looked ragged. He gave no reply to the man inches from his face, just returned the smile with a twitchy stare.

  Argus spoke for him. “Boy’s my nephew. My sister’s having a prick of a month and we decided to educate the boy proper.”

  Garen tried not to laugh. Googan stared for a moment longer and finally tousled Belen’s hair. “How delightfully gracious of you.” He turned to Argus. “And if your sister is half the stature you are, I’d say he’s got quite a bit of growing to do.”

  For all his goofiness, Garen could tell this was not a dumb man. But it seemed like he was willing to tolerate being lied to. That bode very well for their relationship.

  * * * * *

  A gorgeous green levitrans was waiting for them at the gate. It had twice the seats he’d ever seen in a transport, and it stretched back nearly twice as long. It took them toward the center of the city, passing everything from small artisan shops to enormous, noble estates along the way. They disembarked and joined the masses on foot. Garen quickly saw what they meant by Prestige Week. Googan led them down streets lined with varying colors of geonode lamps. The towers nearby were covered in flashing displays. A trio of street performers pounded on the drums and danced to the erratic rhythm they created.

  Geonode heaters were mounted on poles, keeping the autumn air cozy as a summer evening. Carts of geonode-based curios lined the sides of the road leading to the main square. The people had a little more color in their wardrobe than most Central citizens, but otherwise looked much the same. Their behavior was the striking difference. Merchants seemed content letting people wander into their space and browse. In Vikar-Tola, merchants would practically drag you over by the shoulder, beckoning at the top of their lungs what a deal they had for you.

  Garen hadn’t seen a levitrans near the ground at this part of the city, but he could still hear them whir by overhead. Along the street he saw geonodes capable of flight used as a toy. A group of girls a few years younger than him passed by on levipads hovering gently off the ground. A guard called for them to slow down, but they didn’t seem to listen. The people seemed genuinely happy. Spoiled, obviously, but happy.

  “Have you figured out why we celebrate Prestige Week yet?” Googan paused long enough after the question to draw Garen’s attention.

  “Seems like a pretty good chance to sell people more magic rocks,” Garen said.

  “That’s fair,” he replied, taking no visible offense. “Business follows the listless, so they say. But before the shops and stalls took over the city, we had a much more pressing reason to celebrate, and every year it grows stronger.”

  “Yer talking about the peace, ain’t ya?” Argus answered.

  “Correct, Master Ashling. Although, now I don’t get to give you my next hint.” Googan pointed to massive arch above them. Six words were engraved along the upper white stone. “Peace through Progress. Progress through Peace.” Beyond the arch, the crowd thickened.

  “We’re entering my favorite place in the city. The official name is Prosperity Square, but that’s a wasted opportunity.” Googan had a devious grin on his face, visibly excited to unveil his own cleverness. “I call it pros-square-ity,” he chuckled to himself while Morgan groaned.

  The surrounding towers did strike a prominent shape. Structures of glass and steel bordered the square. Wide stone steps led up to them. People stood in the recessed center or sat along the steps. They listened to a man standing on a platform at the far end. Much like Micah’s address a few days prior, geonode echoers allowed everyone to focus on one man.

  Googan continued his tour and took them closer. “The forum ahead has many uses throughout the year, but for Prestige Week we clear them all in order to show the people what exciting progress their peace has bought us. Members of my guild and many others will be presenting today. I think minds like yours will enjoy the demonstrations more than the pretty lights.”

  Garen could tell how Master Googan had earned his position as Floor Speaker. This man could divert and distract like none other. It was obvious he sought to keep them occupied rather than informed. That meant Garen would need to part ways rather than use him. It was probably too sudden to disappear now. But if today was the last day of Prestige Week, there might not be a better moment to lose their chaperone than in the crowd.

  They stepped under the arch and were immersed in the voice of a young speaker. The man wore opulent, gold-trimmed robes, but he spoke to the crowds like he was among his own kind.

  “…love travel as much as the next person, but I’ve got family in Kartik, and that’s not a cheap trip. I’m trying to make it through the next year without taking my levi in for reimbuement. My brothers at the guild didn’t want to have to choose between staying in touch with our families and emptying our savings. So, we spent our third journeyman year learning all we could about relay geonodes. We learned one thing immediately. If you’ve ever had someone try to sell you a relay that can work between cities, you’ve been swindled. Not unless that stone was twice the size of your head. How many of you have ever witnessed the geonodes used by the Trans-Empire Relay?”

  Very few hands rose. The man carried on as if everyone knew what he was talking about. “Massive, right? Well, when Emperor Tibalt Jundux built those, he had every resource in the world available to him. That included the Wind Spellsword Elic Ambersong. He filled those stones to the brim. But I’m no king. I can’t tell anyone to sit in a box all day and pass messages for me. We wanted a simple solution that lets average people like you and me talk to our loved ones, no matter where they are. Would you believe me if I told you that my brothers and I are one step closer to bringing that kind of deep magic to your homes?”

  The crowds cheered, but in their proper, civilized manner. This was nowhere near chaotic enough to disappear unnoticed. Googan was probably the only native not enthralled by the presentation. He kept his eyes peeled on everything going around. He glanced from the main stage to the smaller demonstration tables scattered along the perimeter and back to their group. Garen took a step closer to Naia.

  “This guy’s watching us like a hawk. I want to get out of here with Belen soon,” Garen whispered.

  “So go for it. We’ve all watched you disappear before,” she said, her tone apathetic.

  Garen wanted to ask her what she meant, but Googan feigned interest in something their direction to step closer to their conversation.

  The voice boomed from the stage again. “We’re going to put our spellcraft to the test today. I need a volunteer who’s done some wayfaring outside Kalyx to help me with that.”

  Garen didn’t have a plan yet, but he could have a little fun until one emerged. He pushed Naia’s elbow forward. She begrudgingly played along with her hand raised, but not without giving Garen a questioning look. That was the easy part. Now, he had to get her picked.

  The speaker was too far away to create any fine-tuned illusions, but Garen could blur his vision of everywhere but Naia. If Garen’s luck held out, the man wouldn’t freak out or collapse. Garen had to hope that this presenter’s commitment to showmanship would keep the demonstration going. Garen waited until he turned their direction. He blurred all of the man’s peripheral vision. Only one person stayed in focus.

 
The presenter blinked quite a bit and wobbled on the stage for a second.

  “Yes, let’s get someone from the back. Girl in the vest, come on up here.” Garen was worried their leather jerkins might be off-putting in the crowd, but no one had given them a second look so far. The only person who seemed worried was Googan, whose focus was now split in two directions.

  The presenter welcomed Naia onto the platform with him. “Well, you seem equipped for some traveling. Can you tell the audience your name?”

  “Naia Talia?” she said, sounding uncertain. She was probably worried about what schemes Garen had in mind. To the crowd, it sounded like she wasn’t sure of her own name.

  “I’ll take your word on it,” the presenter mocked her with a fake grin and the audience laughed. Naia’s squinting confusion hardened into a glare at the crowd. Garen tried not to think about how she might pay him back later. Instead, he rejoiced that people this far east weren’t familiar with the Spellswords by name.

  Garen’s instinct was to cause a scene on the stage. He could create something blinding or make this poor fellow’s device start spewing flames. But disappearing at those exact moments felt even more suspicious. Garen had to settle for mundane and believable. Micah would certainly prefer him to skip the excitement and make Googan think he’d lost them in the crowd. Garen pushed his way back to Belen’s side and whispered, “Stay perfectly still.” Belen nodded.

  Master Googan wasn’t a particularly tall man. He stayed next to the Spellswords, but he struggled to find a place in the crowd that had a clear view of the stage as well. Garen seized his moment of distraction.

  “Belen and I are going to check this out,” Garen rushed the words intentionally. It took Googan an extra second to process.

  “Oh, I think it would be best if we stayed together to watch N…” Googan turned and saw empty space where Garen and Belen stood. He spun around, hoping to catch their movement through the crowd. He cursed under his breath, assuming they had already run out of view. It didn’t cross his mind that Garen would be hiding right beside him for the moment. He raised a bracelet with a blue stone to his mouth. “I’ve lost sight of the two boys. Can you spot them from up there?”