Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (11 page)

“I recognize that I’m the king, but I’m offering my help and friendship to you. The cost of this is that you will commit to the principle of honesty among friends. I won’t use my position to force information out of you, and if you must keep some piece of information to yourself, then so be it.”

“No, I can’t do that.” King Thalassa scowled. Myles hurriedly continued. “I do agree to answer any questions you have. However, I need to be able to share what you reveal to me with my friend Omar. He is from Earth too, even though he won’t look like it when you see him. But he’s my partner. We must include him in our pact.”

Very well then, we’re agreed.” Settling himself in a nearby chair, the king began. “I’ll ask the first question. What happened with the Kalat?” It was obvious that how to beat a Kalat was high on many people's priorities lists.

“Well, here’s what I remember. My friend Omar and I had arrived here by working our way through that numerical maze. We came to a sort of art gallery. Omar realized that one of the paintings, showing a large red dragon fighting an army, was a portal, so we entered through it. See, seven was the next number in the puzzle and the dragon had seven horns. I touched the painting and it rippled, so Omar and I stepped through it.

“That portal changed Omar into an Akana, for a reason that I’m still trying to figure out. On the other side we ended up in a room that had a hallway with a square opening in the floor. When I looked through the hole, I saw an entire city a hundred feet below us. Omar and I watched for several hours. We tried to prepare to go down, and to identify the various kinds of beings going about their business in the town square. We saw a café and observed quite a variety of creatures, including the purple guy, Sebastian, and the ugly guy, the Kalat.

“That night, while Omar was sleeping, I saw a brawl between the Kalat and Sebastian. I could tell that the Kalat was playing dirty so I climbed down a rope into the city to see if I could help. I got his attention with three of my throwing knives, but they didn’t seem to hurt him as much as I’d hoped. He started to fight with me instead, and told me I’d earned my way onto his menu as an 'Adam Special'. That’s when he crushed my leg. Omar arrived, shot him with a flare gun, and killed him. That woke up the entire city, and we were about to be hammered with questions that we didn’t want to answer, so I shifted all my weight onto my crushed leg, screamed, and passed out.”

King Thalassa twirled his beard as he considered what Myles had told him. “What’s a flare gun?”

Myles laughed aloud.
After everything he’d just said, that was the thing he wanted most to ask me about?
“It’s basically a kind of small, handheld machine that shoots a burning projectile, but it's not really intended as a weapon. On Earth it's used when you’re lost. You shoot a flare into the air and it lights up the sky to show people where you are. Omar improvised to rescue me.”

“I can only imagine what something like that would do to a Kalat. They are sensitive to light.”

Myles took out his notepad and jotted down that information. “My turn. What do you know about the thirteen Adam? I mean, where on Earth did they come from? And how did they get here?”

King struggled to remember what Nekar had told him. “Nekar told me that they were living in a place where a cruel lunatic named Hitler had become ruler of a land called Germany. A group of soldiers devoted to this ruler, called the Nazis, were slaughtering those of Nekar’s ancestry -- he called them Jews -- in an attempt to 'purify' the Adam. He told me with great sorrow that many children had been rounded up and taken to a barn where they were to be burned to death.

“Nekar was one of the younger ones. He discovered a piece of loose tile under some hay in the barn. He pulled it away and found a tunnel beneath. They all escaped through that hole before the barn was lit afire. This tunnel became a portal that led them to the maze of Musterion."

“Do you mean to tell me that those people escaped the Holocaust? Wow! That’s wonderful."

"They followed the maze as you did until they reached the gallery where you found yourself. There they entered through a different painting—a fallen and rotted tree.”

“Yeah, we saw that one. It was still there in the room!”

“I do not know about this Holocaust you mentioned, but this story is similar to many other stories that have come from Soterion. There is always someone in distress looking for a place to hide or there is someone who is in a desperate situation. Then, just at their most desperate moment, they are suddenly drawn into Musterion.”

Myles nodded. "I can relate to that story. I was trying to escape a deadly threat when I fell into the tunnel.”

King Thalassa gave Myles a serious look, but continued speaking. “Many years after Nekar had been abandoned by the other twelve Adam, he wandered into the city above us and sat down at the fountain for a short time. He left behind what we later learned was a book called a Bible written in the German language. The Akana were eventually able to give a translation to our Council of Thirteen, the government we had at that time.

“Every member of the council read this Bible from cover to cover, and that’s when it split into the Council of Six and the Council of Seven. Now every Musterling must choose between following the Council of Seven, who believe the words of the Bible, and the Council of Six who don’t believe the Bible.” The king paced away from Myles, and abruptly faced him again, a dark, serious expression clouding his features. “Myles, hear me carefully! I need you to decide which council you will follow. Do you believe the words of the Bible?”

Myles started, then hesitated for a minute, trying to process this challenge. “Wow, you just dropped a load on me! You’re saying that there’s a Bible here…in this dimension? And you’re telling me that some of the people took it to heart and believed in it as truth?” Myles chattered to delay his answer. He knew what the king had said. He just didn’t like having to commit to something. That really hadn’t been his nature up till now.

Falling back on his con man skills, he put on an innocent look. “Which category do you fall into, Your Majesty?”

“I am a member of the Council of Seven! I believe that the Bible is true.”

“I knew you were going to say that. To tell you the truth, I was raised on the Bible. My grandmother used to read it to me when I was little. Unfortunately, on Earth there aren’t many real Christians so I had little other influence to live a Christian life. I didn’t even bother trying, you’re Majesty. But my grandmother was a wonderful Christian. And you, sir…you are also a Christian. I can tell.”

Myles grew more comfortable with making a choice, but his newfound effort toward honesty wouldn’t let him con the king. He took a deep breath. “So here it is as honestly as I can say it. I believe the Bible, but I’m not a Christian. I just can’t live that lifestyle.”

The king's clouded expression softened. “Little Christ, I like that term. And thank you, it’s good that you can tell that I follow the Master. So, will you follow the Council of Seven?”

Why did he say little Christ? Myles had to think back to some of the lessons he’d learned in Sunday school. Then he realized that the Musterlings must speak Greek. Myles had used the word Christian, which he figured in Greek must mean “little Christ.” The auto-audio translator must have translated his word “Christian” as “little Christ”. So when he had said, “I’m not a Christian,” it didn’t sound to the King like he was refusing to believe. It sounded like he was just being humble and saying that he was not yet a “little Christ.” That was pretty much the truth. So now he just had to choose which council to follow. Hmm…join the Christians, he pondered, or join the non-Christians… It didn’t seem like a hard choice.

“I’m not what you would call a Christian. I just don’t think I can live that way. But I will follow the Council of Seven, because you are on it, and because I do believe the Bible is the truth.” What was odd to Myles at that moment was how good it made him feel to make that choice.

The king was obviously pleased with his decision. Myles wondered what would happen now, but it didn’t worry him. It was more his adventurous, risk-taking style than anything else that motivated him. He knew that there was so much to see and learn and experience here. He just wondered what would come next.

Myles wasn’t sure but he almost felt like the king was going to ask him more questions. They’d become partners in a pact, and more questions would lead to more information that he could share with Omar. Maybe he could even uncover something that would tell them why they were here—definitely something that Myles wanted to know more about.

“Myles, despite your cooperation and your honesty, it seems like there’s something missing from your story. I wonder if—” He hesitated. “First, let me ask you this. Do you gamble?”

“Uh, yeah, I do. Why do you ask?”

The king just nodded. “Did a woman come with you from Earth?”

Myles grew more intrigued with each question. “No, it was just me and Omar. Why?”

The king waved his question off. “One more question. Do you or Omar have a sword with you?”

“No, but I have a few knives. Why all these strange questions, your Majesty? Are you in trouble and looking for weapons?”

“No, Myles, it’s nothing like that. I’m wondering if your presence here has anything to do with something that Nekar told me about the future. He warned me once about a sword that would be taken from Musterion to Soterion for a powerful battle, and he warned that a scientist, a gambler, and a woman would be involved somehow. Now you’ve come.”

“Well, yeah, that’s me, I’m a gambler. And Omar is a scientist. But there’s no woman with us, and there’s definitely no sword. Nekar didn’t happen to say the name ‘Misaki,’ did he?”

The king just shook his head and then sighed.

“It was worth a try.” The gambler and the sword had been part of the message that Misaki had given to Omar that fateful night. So what in the world did all this mean? Why did Nekar give this prophetic word to King Thalassa, and what were he and Omar supposed to do? Man I can't wait until Omar returns.

10

The Magi

Omar practically leaped out of the glass-encased cage when he arrived back in Takeleth. He had pressing matters to attend to. For one thing, he wanted much to explore this city and study its extravagance Ischus had heard his idea and told him it would probably work. That was encouraging to hear, coming from the Chairman of the Council of Seven. Now all he had to do was convince Myles of his plan and secure his co-operation. But to Omar, Myles was a wild card; unpredictable. That made Omar a little uneasy. As he walked along the hallway toward Myles’ room, he hoped that he wouldn’t have trouble persuading him. Myles opened the door with a grin and Omar stepped in.

“Myles, I need to talk to—” Omar choked and stared. Myles was
standing
and
walking
. He walked with a limp, but he was still walking.
This is impossible! How did he do that?
The battle in Omar’s mind between what he saw and what he knew to scientifically be possible was short. Science won the battle, and Omar decided he had to have proof.

“You’re standing? That’s impossible! How did they do that?” Omar pulled his special goggles from his pocket and began examining Myles’ leg in the X-Ray setting. The bone was whole—it was heavily damaged, but it was whole!

Myles laughed at Omar’s disbelief and started to dance around a little to amaze him even more. “Interesting thing about ’Am Mayim food. They discovered years ago that it causes rapid healing for an Adam. They told me that the scars will stay, and I will always have a bit of a limp, but at least I can walk. And look, they also made me a beautiful walking stick covered with black seashells. Omar, I’ve learned so much while you were gone! I got the king to tell me about all the races of Musterion. But there is so much more than that—”

Omar quickly recovered from his shock. “Myles! We need to go! I can explain everything on the way and your recovery plays well into what we need to do now. I’ve gotten some supplies from the bike that we’ll need.” He grabbed Myles by the shoulders. “My life may well be on the line, and everything that I’m about to try needs to happen perfectly in order for this to work. I really need your mastery of illusion. I’ll tell you what has to happen, and Sebastian will buy whatever supplies you need.”

Omar was anything but the cool, calculating scientist right now. Myles backed up. “Omar, what happened while you were gone? What kind of trouble are you in?”

Omar motioned for Myles to follow him and started out of the room. “Time is of the essence, so let’s walk and talk. We need to get back to Pneuma Karpos. Sebastian is waiting for us.”

As Omar and Myles were leaving the palace they passed Darius. “Hey Darius, can you let the King know I had to leave due to an urgent matter?”

Darius put his hand on Myles’ shoulder. He looked over at Omar and then back to Myles. “The King has been informed of Omar’s entrance and has already deduced that you would be leaving. As the King has pressing matters also, he sent me to bid you farewell. But I am sure we will see each other again.”

Myles bowed slightly, “Thank you Darius
.” I wish I would have had a chance to speak to that Am Mayim family. What was that child talking about?
Then he followed Omar’s rushed prompts to move along quickly out of the palace and through the city.

“It seems,” Omar explained as they headed back toward the glass lift, “that the two councils here are more religious than they are political. I have no real use for religion, and I doubt you do either. I’ve found a way for us to get out of joining either council.”

Myles stopped walking and chuckled as he dropped his bomb. “Sorry, old pal, but it’s too late for that.”

“What? You joined the Council of Six?”

Myles cracked an impish smile. “Nope, the Council of Seven.”

“The Council of Seven?” Omar shouted. “Why would a self-proclaimed criminal join the Council of Seven? Myles, you’re a con artist! How do you expect to make that work?”

“I was a con artist, Omar. I’m trying to change my ways. Plus, the Council of Seven only requires belief; they don’t mandate practice.” He could see the irritation on Omar’s face. “Do you really think that you can deny that there’s a God? Look around you, buddy. We’re walking through a city that’s submerged, contained in a giant air bubble, and that’s within a world that is made of one giant maze. And, oh, yeah, those tunnels move and shift on their own. How do you explain all that?”

Omar shook his head and stated with conviction, “I’m a man of science. I won’t argue faith with you. Faith can’t be scientifically analyzed and categorized, so I have no interest in it.”

Myles chuckled at him again continuing the argument, “Yes, I get it! You’re only religious about your science.”

Omar glared at him as he reacted, “I’ve heard this before. It’s a rote argument that evangelists teach each other. It holds no weight as far as I’m concerned so just drop it. Let’s move on to more pressing matters. We’ve got work to do and little time to get it done.”

Myles could see that the argument was going nowhere fast and arguing as a non-Christian in defense of Christianity felt pretty weird anyway. But Myles felt that he could see truth easily because he was such a skilled liar. He’d been raised in a Christian home, and it all made sense to him. He didn’t disagree with the truth of Christianity—he just couldn’t buy into the lifestyle. So he concluded that even though he knew the truth, this argument with Omar could only be made by a real Christian. He could see that Omar was emotionally tied to his science so anything he said to the contrary would only be viewed as insulting so he shut his mouth.

Omar explained his plan to Myles as they kept walking. “So what I’m suggesting is that you and I combine our talents to create an order of illusion-wielding scientists. With the combination of your sleight of hand and my science, we could use Clarke’s third law to make these people think that we have some great power. And this new order with all its magic would be neutral. It wouldn’t have any preference for either council.”

"What is Clarke’s Third Law again?”

Omar smiled. “Clarke’s Third Law states that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

“If the Council of Seven believes in the Bible, they won’t go along with that. Bible-believers frown on Magic.

"That's what makes it so perfect. We can deny that it’s magic, and Ischus knows that it’s not, and he’ll vouch for us with the Council of Seven. But the great thing is that as long as we deny that it’s magic but don’t explain it, the common people here will still think that it’s magic, giving us an edge. They’ll think twice before trying to harm either of us again.”

Myles reached over and slapped Omar on the back. “That is the most brilliant con that I’ve ever heard of. Omar, you have a great future as a con artist. We’re combining sleight-of-hand and science, and creating a sleight of science, right?”

Omar laughed. “I like that,” he said. “We can describe it that way for those we bring into the order. I’m planning on calling it The Order of the Magi. It’ll also attract attention. Instead of me having to look for Misaki, hopefully she’ll find me, if she’s here.”

They reached the glass cage that would return them to the surface. As it rose, Omar described his plan to Myles. “I’m game for this, Doc. Just remember, I’m staying with the Council of Seven.”

“That’s your choice, Myles. In fact it may work to our advantage to allow the recruits to align themselves. It’ll show that we’re not against the councils.”

“It’s a good plan, Doc. I know human nature, and if these people are anything like humans, they’re going to buy it hook, line, and sinker.”

“I hope so, my friend. Our lives may depend on it.”

“Wait, one last thing.”

“What’s that, Myles?”

“What are we going to call this order again?”

“The Order of the Magi.”

“I like it. It’s mysterious! We should have a sign made for the show that says, The Rise of the Magi.”

~*~

Ischus finally convinced the Council of Six to meet with the Council of Seven at the coliseum in Pneuma Karpos. Fortunately for Myles, he’d had two days to prepare the coliseum for all the illusions he planned to perform. Chairs and tables had been strategically staged in the middle of the arena for maximum effect. The coliseum was packed full of Musterlings, with twelve thousand present.

Myles and Omar wore grey wool cloaks over their regular clothing. They’d gone over everything until it all flowed well and they could do it without hesitation. Expecting their audience to be extremely critical, they knew that there could be no hesitation. Now it was time to see it through.

When they reached the center of the arena, they turned and looked toward the full council of thirteen. Except for the Adam, a representative of every race in Musterion sat waiting for Myles and Omar to begin. Ischus and King Thalassa had told them about each of the members of the two councils to help them prepare.

"There's Moluno," Omar murmured to Myles. Both Ischus and King Thalassa had warned them about this Kalat who led the Council of Six.

Myles barely nodded. "Arrogant, violent, and not to be trusted. I remember what they told us."

Moluno was taller than an average human. Beneath his purple cape rose bone shoulder guards. On his black breastplate the emblem of a dragon’s skull seemed to suck light away from around it so that it was always in a shadow. Cracked and veined patches marred his ghastly white arms and legs. Strips of grey leather studded with black metal hung from his belt over a loincloth. He had a long cleft chin, a beak-like nose, and tall, pointed ears. Green mist rose from his eyes. Wisps of black shadows trailed behind him as he moved.

He spoke eloquently, but it seemed more as if he tried to seduce his listeners. When he stood the tension in the coliseum rose and it didn't even seem as if anyone was breathing.

“I agreed to this meeting.” His voice penetrated without seeming loud. “But I do not understand your purpose in assembling both councils and this crowd.”

Ischus cleared his throat and stood. “For many years, as you well know, the councils have struggled to live together in peace despite our religious, legal, and political differences. We are here today to address the unfortunate incident in the town square in as civil a manner as possible. It is true that Omar Metzger does not believe the words of the Book, and would therefore fall under your jurisdiction. But Myles Callahan does believe the words of the Book and would fall into our jurisdiction. Both were involved, as was Sebastian, my personal assistant.

"Omar has informed us that he declines to join either council. This proceeding will allow him to explain why we should not compel him to choose a council alignment.”

Almost immediately there was a reaction from Asah Towb, who was of the Daqad race. Although he only stood about 4 feet in height, he was tall for a Daqad and had a full, foot-long beard. Clusters of small granite-like rock formations took the place of eyebrows. Similar formations grew from his elbows like small mountain peaks. Smaller mineral deposits formed his knuckles.

Asah lurched up and slammed his rock-like fist onto the table. His voice echoed, vast and cavern-like. “It was agreed long ago that all Musterlings must choose a council according to their belief or their lack of belief in the Book. We have made no exceptions to this in our history, and there is nothing that will change my mind on this matter!”

Ischus nodded. “Normally, I would agree with you, Asah. You have always been the most moral and just of your brethren, and your judgment would normally have strong influence. Still, we should hear the strangers out.”

Moluno scowled at Ischus. “We’re not here to see which council these two will or will not join. We’re here to try these criminals for murdering one of my people on the streets of this city. Phoneus was my cousin, and my brethren and I demand to know what transpired there. Move on!”

A female Kalat in the crowd chose that moment to jump over the barrier between the crowd and the councils. She walked toward them with a casual, cocky attitude. She was of medium height and wore dark, silken, oriental-style clothing. Omar and Myles hadn’t seen this kind of clothing on any of the other Musterlings, so they wondered who she might be. She walked with confidence and a knowing smile as she approached the table.

“Come on Moluno,” she grinned. “You and I both know that our cousin was an idiot.”

Moluno narrowed his eyes. “Why, dear sister, Ragal, it’s so good to see you, but unless you’ve been voted into the council without my knowledge, I’d suggest you sit down and shut your mouth before you stir up more trouble than you can handle.”

Ragal’s smile grew teasing. “Oh, dear brother, I can handle more trouble than you can imagine.” Her eyes were expressive, almost attractive. Myles could remember his younger sister giving him that same look on many occasions. But Ragal wasn’t done taunting her brother.

She planted both feet, demonstrating her disregard for his command. “I think I’ll stand here and observe as these two strangers make a fool of you. I think Phoneus deserved what he got. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

A female Nepsah of the Council of Seven flew up out of her seat. “Could the two of you keep your domestic squabbles at home? I really would like to hear what happened and how this Akana believes he can get away with not choosing a council.” She looked at Omar. “Please ignore them and make your presentation.”

Omar cleared his throat and glanced over at Myles for confidence. “Thank you all for giving us this opportunity to explain what happened the other night. I am Omar Metzger, founder of the Order of the Magi. I’ve come to Musterion in search of intelligent individuals who are worthy of joining our Order. Upon our arrival here, we were unfortunately drawn into an event which is being greatly misrepresented. Myles and I will reenact this incident for you. We will also take this opportunity to show you what Magi are capable of.” Omar took a couple of steps away from Myles.

“Myles arrived in Musterion from the tunnels and observed Sebastian and Phoneus in the alley behind the café. Myles saw that Phoneus was not only beating Sebastian, but he had a knife hidden behind his back. Myles intervened, but Phoneus overpowered Myles. I came upon the scene as Phoneus was crushing Myles’ leg and threatening to kill him. In defense of my friend's life I shot Phoneus with a ball of fire, like this.”