Rise of Shadows (27 page)

“Darius, your story is definitely interesting, but how did you know my name?” I asked.

“This is the Dust Dragon. You launched with a crew of wizards a few weeks ago. I assume this is Spectra, but I do not know the good doctor,” he said.

“That does not answer my question,” I said.

“No, I guess not; but it is not as if you have kept quiet out here. Everyone is talking about your mission. Captain Kerid was hoping to meet up with you at some point,” he said.

“
That’s why we are out here, after all,”
sent Flame.

“I suppose we have not exactly been quiet,” I said, then an idea hit me. “Come with me to the bridge. I want to get your thoughts on something we are monitoring.”

“My pleasure,” he said as he followed me out. Spectra fell in line a few paces behind him. I suspected she did that so that if he caused a problem he could not get at both of us at once.

Once we were on the bridge, I gestured to the screen and asked, “What do you see?”

He gasped, turned white, stumbled for balance and then said, “It can’t be!”

“Yeah, that's what we thought, too,” said Phoenix.

“For twenty years I have searched for proof, and there it is,” he said.

“Proof of what?” I asked.

“The last Great War,” he said.

“You were in the Great War, why do you need proof?” I asked.

“No, not that one. The one ten thousand years ago,” he said. “It’s all true! I can hardly believe it, but it’s true!”

“Please, sit down and fill us in,” I said, helping him to a seat. He was still weak, and this was proving a bit overwhelming for him.

“Sorry, but right there is the proof I’ve been searching for since the day I left the Navy,” he said.

“You just said twenty years, but you left the Navy long before that,” commented Phoenix.

“Yes, yes, but it has only been twenty years that I have known about the Great War,” he said.

“Okay, tell us what you discovered so we can all be on the same page here,” I said.

“Well, as you know I have been researching myths, legends, and stories of old, looking for something to explain how we got to where we are today with wizards and sorcerers fighting for dominance. I am still missing a lot of information, but the one thing that spurred me on was a comment from the logs on the Dragon Claw. The captain’s informant told him they would find the secret to the powers of old on Arken IV, but at the time no one could explain what that meant, and it was forgotten. Well, whoever the captain’s informant was, he was on to something all right; because this is not the first time magic has been in this realm, nor the first time wizards and sorcerers have done battle here,” he said.

I would have to discuss with him later how he got access to that log, which I was sure was classified and secure at the time, but for now I was far more interested in his story.

“Basically, about ten thousand years ago there was one last massive war between wizards and sorcerers. It threatened to destroy all life on Terra Prime, when the wizards discovered a way to fight back that had grave repercussions. They found a way to remove all creatures’ ability to use magic itself, but they had no idea of what the cost would be. They thought they were merely wiping out the sorcerers’ source of power, but it went beyond that to an unimaginable level. They tore reality itself, which sucked all magic everywhere out of the realm. Lesser wizards and sorcerers were left weak and feeble, and the greater magi were destroyed. No one knows what happened to the masters of either side, as their bodies were never found, but from that point on life in the universe had to start over, this time without magic.”

“Wow,” was all I could respond.

“That tear right there is one of five wounds in reality that I expected to find, based on the stories,” he said.

“Why five?” asked Spectra.

“Each represents a master wizard who took part in the spell, and two of them refused, fearing a bad outcome,” he said. “To be clear, I do not know for sure, but I assume there must be five.”

“It seems they were right about the bad outcome,” commented Flame.

“Then how come magic works now?” I asked.

“Reality has been slowly healing, and it’s finally healed enough for magic to work again,” he said.

“And the ghosts?” I asked.

“As reality heals, more stuff of legend will return,” he said.

“This tear, then - can we close it?” I asked.

“I don’t know; maybe,” he said. He stood and approached the view screen and then asked, “Those ships out there, are they friendly?”

“They are all ghost ships,” I said.

“All of them?” he gasped.

“Yes,” I said.

Some color drained from his face again, but once he regained his composure he asked, “You rescued me from a ghost ship, so that means you have a way to fight them. Do you think we could get control of any of those ships?”

“The smaller ships, sure, but we lack the numbers to control most of those ships,” I said.

“Well, I don’t mean full control; we would just need some time in their engine room,” he said.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“We create bubbles in space-time all the time with our jump drives. Perhaps if we created a big enough bubble it would press against that tear and force it closed,” he said.

“Like some kind of cosmic tourniquet?” asked Phoenix.

“Yes, exactly,” he said.

“Interesting idea, but one additional problem we face is that someone is controlling those ghosts, so the moment we close the tear and cut off the ghosts’ route we could have trouble on our hands,” I said.

“Whoever is controlling those ghosts would have to get here, and I suspect if the tear is closed, it will cut them off too,” said Spectra.

We talked for a while longer about the plan and the possibility of actually pulling it off. After a while it was decided to trust Darius and try it, primarily because we had no other options on the table. He was still weak from his ordeal, so I decided we would wait another day before making our move.

The next morning I met Darius for breakfast and asked, “Darius, with your knowledge of history, I wonder if you could help me figure something out that has been puzzling me for a while?”

“Of course, Master Shadow,” he said.

I thought about correcting him on the ‘Master’ title, since we had not been using it, but I began to wonder if that was a bad idea. The titles helped instill an environment of discipline that we needed out here. We had not had any problems yet, but it might just be a matter of time. “You said that magic was wiped out ten thousand years ago and that reality has been slowly healing, which is why wizards were able to return. Correct?”

“That is correct, Master,” he said.

“That seems to make sense, but it does not fit with what happened. A century or so ago the Black Adders were rounded up and put on Arken IV to study the powers they had, which means magic started to return at least a century, possibly two centuries ago. Then, a year before the Great War, Grandmaster Vydor and six other wizards learned what they were. Over that following year, they skyrocketed in power and eventually defeated the most powerful of all sorcerers in battle. Since then magi have slowly been trickling into the Academy, and even after many decades of real training, no one is remotely close to the level of the masters. That leaves me wondering: if your theory is true, how did their power grow so fast?” I asked.

“Astute observation, Master. I do not know for certain, but I have thought on that extensively and I have a theory. It seems to me that everything in nature has a state of equilibrium that it strives to reach. The coffee in your cup, for example: no matter how much you tip or jar the cup, the liquid will always try to return to a level, calm state. I suspect that the same holds true for magic. When the sorcerers came into this realm, bringing the power and training they had from elsewhere, magic was tipped out of balance and fought to restore that balance by dumping power into Grandmaster Vydor and the others,” he said.

“But to be a great wizard takes more than just power, it takes decades of training,” I said.

“Yes, Master, but blowing things up does not take much skill, just a lot of raw power. Think about the stories of their fights: were they raw power, or intricate skill?” he asked.

“With the exception of Andreya’s illusions, I guess there was not much in the way of skill,” I said.

“Yes, Master. It is like this ship. To kill your enemies you just need to put her guns on max and fire. Tremendous power, but no skill involved. Now, as you train and refine your skills you can better direct and control that power, but you do not really need that to get started.” He paused and then said, “Andreya’s illusions are a bit of an anomaly in this theory. All I can point out is that she was one of the first of the Black Adders put in that prison colony, so she had at least fifty years to practice before she met Grandmaster Vydor.”

“That seems to make sense, but that implies that sorcerers are being created in our realm to balance us,” I said.

“Maybe, Master, but isn’t it Grandmaster Vydor who famously said, ‘We only pushed back the darkness for a while, it is not defeated’?” he asked.

“Something like that,” I said. “Then when we seal this hole, will the amount of magic in the universe increase?”

“Yes, Master. That might allow more magic to flow back into the universe, which could mean more magi, magical creatures, and phenomena,” he said.

“So this realm will look more like the Korshalemian Realm?” I asked.

“Master, I do not know. My studies have been focused on this realm only,” he said.

“I see.” I sat for a moment, studying him. He was much older than anyone else on board, probably at least two centuries old, but years of living in poverty had aged him much beyond that. He had the look of a seasoned warrior who was well past his prime. I knew from reading his memories that I could trust him to tell me what he thought was the truth, but I wondered how much of what he told me was reliable.

“I have to ask: how much do you trust your interpretation of history?” I asked.

“Master, I can’t claim perfection, but I believe I have at least the bulk of it nailed down correctly now,” he said.

“What are your plans now?” I asked.

“To help you close this hole, Master,” he said.

“I mean beyond that,” I said.

“Master, all I have done since the war is run, and I think it’s time to stop, but I do not have any place to go,” he said.

“Ever consider applying to Alpha Academy?” I asked.

“Master, with all due respect, I have no interest in spending my days sitting in classrooms rotting away,” he said.

“Do we look like we are sitting in classrooms rotting away?” I asked.

He chuckled at that and said, “No, I guess not, Master.”

“You have told me a lot of your secrets, so here is one in return. You and I are the only ones on this ship that have any combat experience longer than a couple of weeks. The Dust Dragon is a new wing of the school, as we are experimenting with a more vocational means of training wizards. I am teaching the others how to fight a war and helping them study their own powers,” I said.

“Master, you have accomplished some very impressive feats with such an inexperienced crew,” he said in astonishment.

“Thank you; they are hard-working and dedicated. I tell you this partly because if you did want to join Alpha Academy, I could use an experienced engineer,” I said.

He looked surprised at that comment and seemed to sit and think about it for a while. While I was waiting to hear from him I sent, “
Bridge, any change?”

“
Nope, all seems the same. Random ghosts doing random things is all I can see,
” replied Phoenix.

“Master, what would that entail?” Darius asked.

“The main thing would be swearing lifetime allegiance to the Council of Wizards and the cause of light, the second biggest thing will be getting approval from that council, which will probably require some kind of telepathic testing,” I said. “The rest is the normal kind of thing you would find in any military outfit.”

“Master, when would this test be?” he asked.

“I do not dare send a message till we are clear of all these ghosts, but I suspect it would be shortly after that,” I said.

“
Shadow, are you sure about this? He has a poor track record for sticking with anything,
” sent Spectra.

“
No, I am not, but we cannot have random magi wandering the realm, so if this works out it is better for all,
” I sent.

“Master, it sounds good, but I need to think about it,” he said.

“Absolutely, but for now can I have your pledge as engineer, at least while we are in our current situation?” I asked.

“Yes, Master,” he said.

“Excellent, now one last question: when do you think you will be ready to implement your plan?” I asked.

“Master, most likely by early afternoon,” he said.

“Then right after lunch check in with Doctor Leslie, and if she gives the okay we will execute the plan shortly after that,” I said.

Doctor Leslie did not release Darius for duty until almost suppertime the next day. While we waited for Darius to be ready, the doctor had many questions about Alpha Academy and what it would mean to join. For the most part, I let Flame talk with her and answer her questions. Leslie and Flame seemed to hit it off well, and that relationship would be helpful to Leslie as she began to heal emotionally from her ordeal.

When we were finally ready to execute the plan, I gathered everyone on the bridge and said, “To review: Spectra, you will need to keep tabs on us and pull us out if anything goes wrong. Flame, be ready to jump out of here, and Phoenix, stay on top of the shields. We do not want to pick up any more guests right now. Darius and I will gate directly from ship to ship until everything is set, then return here to start up the jump drives remotely. Any last-minute questions?” I asked.

When everyone indicated that they had none, I pulled on my helmet and gestured for Darius to do the same. I was not sure if we would need them because we could not tell from here if life support was still in operation on the ghost ships. With one last smile to Flame, I weaved a door into jump space, and soon we were wrapped in the pure azure power of the weave. Once I had located our destination, I weaved another door to it, and we charged through.