Authors: Andrew Ball
watching with them.
"Ladies and gentlemen. People of the
United States. People of all nations on this
Earth. We are at war." The press room on the
TV bustled with whispers. Daniel clenched
his jaw. The president looked down at the
podium, then continued. "Our enemies are
not terrorists, or another nation, or even
other humans. This attack is from outside the
Earth. This is an attack upon humanity as a
whole, from another race entirely. They are
called the Vorid. We face the reality of an
alien invasion."
There was dead silence. No one moved.
Daniel crushed Rachel’s hand in his grip.
She crushed his right back.
"We have allies, and hope, in this fight,"
the president said. "We have the means to
combat them. We have been fighting them for
almost a year." The press burst into murmurs.
Cameras flashed. The president raised a
hand. "Let me be clear. The ongoing attacks
have been intentionally concealed. These
decisions were made by me, and others
amongst the highest levels of our
government, and other governments and
international organizations, to protect the
welfare and peace of the international
community. This latest strike has proven too
blatant to hide. I must urge you to remain
calm. We have stood against them
successfully, and we will continue to do so.
In fact, the black pillars are the remnants of
their last assault, which we have
successfully repelled.
"What you are about to learn may shock
or confuse you. It may frighten you. But it is
this administration’s decision—my decision
—to now disclose the truth in full. I believe
that the American people are strong enough
to stand against it with dignity, and courage.
To borrow the words of a great man: we
have nothing to fear but fear itself."
The president paused a moment and
shifted his notes. The rustle of paper was
clear over the speakers. Not a reporter
budged. Everyone was waiting.
"The Vorid are not another species from
our galaxy, or even our universe. They come
from another universe altogether. The
specifics are complex, and discussing them
isn’t the purpose of this conference, so I will
be brief. They use a special type of
technology to fight us which renders normal
weapons ineffective." The president cleared
his throat. "However, for many years,
throughout all our history, we have cultivated
our own version of this technology. It is
something that has been hidden not by me, the
government, or any government, but by the
ones who practice its use—men and women
who refer to themselves as magicians. As
extraordinary and unbelievable as it may
seem, it is magical folk who have defended
us in our time of need."
"You’ve got to be fucking shitting me!"
Mark shouted.
"You want proof?" Daniel asked.
Everyone looked at him. "Look outside. That
pillar isn’t natural. Why would the president
make this shit up on live television?"
Mark just turned back to the screen.
Everyone settled as the president started
speaking again. "To help explain the
situation, I have brought our ally and friend,
President Henry Astor, to this conference.
President Astor is the leader of an
organization of American magicians called
the Ivory Dawn. They have been
coordinating our defense efforts thus far, and
their actions have saved millions of lives at
a great cost they have borne in silence. They
have decided that the time has come to
reveal themselves. For the moment, I give
you to him."
Henry came in from the side and shook
hands with the president. Cameras blinked
like strobe lights. His grey-speckled beard,
combined with a long white cloak, made him
look like the head of the Illuminati. Which, in
a way, he was. He settled himself in front of
the podium and spent a moment looking over
the crowd.
The air in the dorm, though, had turned
to ice. Everyone had heard that last name.
Eleanor stood as if nothing had happened.
Daniel didn’t think he’d be able to
handle the looks everyone was giving her.
She was made of strong stuff. She glanced at
him out of the corner of her eye; they looked
at each other for a moment, then turned back
to the TV.
"I am a magician," Henry began, "and,
as incredible as it may seem, am capable of
magic. Not tricks, or slight of hand, but real
magic. A physical manipulation of the
universe." He gestured across the podium.
"Magic appears in our stories and legends in
many varieties and many forms. These are
mostly just that—stories, exaggerated by
time and retelling. They are based, however,
in fact, from a time when we did not conceal
ourselves.
"It was decided, long ago, that our
presence in the world created more
problems than it solved, and so we
withdrew. Our efforts to maintain
clandestine have wavered over the centuries,
but, beyond what we need to keep up
appearances, we never interfere with the
normal world. We have kept to ourselves.
That state of affairs must now change,
because if we do not cooperate, we may lose
everything."
Henry peered at the camera. "When I say
we, I do not mean magicians. I do not mean
America. By we, I’m referring to every
single human on this planet. The Vorid are a
terrible enemy. They are looters, raiders,
bandits come to take everything we have.
Their dark magic is powered by the very
force that keeps you alive—your soul. Your
life. They have little interest in our physical
resources, or our land. It is us ourselves they
are after.
"To that end, they will not stop until they
have destroyed us all. We cannot reason with
them. They do not share our moral scale.
From their perspective, we are crops to be
harvested. They cannot relate to the human
condition because they are not human at all.
"To all people, of all cultures, and all
religions, I say this: we can, and we will
prevail." President Astor smiled. It was the
kindly smile of a grandfather. For all that
Daniel was feeling, it made him feel better to
see that look on his face. "We have had our
difficulties. And our differences. But always,
forever, we have stood. And though we’ve
fallen many times, we’ve picked ourselves
up. And because I believe in our capacity to
survive, and to thrive, no matter what the
odds, I will not lie to you. Today, this very
moment, we face our greatest threat. This is a
war that will be fought on every continent,
and in every country. It is a war in which we
will all share." He took a breath. "But for every threat we’ve faced, we’ve succeeded.
We’ve united. We’ve stood shoulder-to-
shoulder. All we have to do is do it again.
"I realize that information on the current
situation is at a premium," Henry added.
"Rest assured, all your questions will be
answered. The national guard will assist in
guiding things on the ground. It is critical that
you follow their directions carefully and
quickly. For more on that, I will return you to
the good hands of our president."
The president came back on and began
to explain the plan in greater detail. The
national guard, and Homeland Security, was
mobilizing all over the United States. They
were activating a contingency to ferry
everyone to the major cities. Refugees would
pass through designated checkpoints to be
inspected by magicians for dark magic, and
then given food and temporary housing.
Suddenly, the FEMA camps that were only a
vapid conspiracy were all-too real.
Everyone was encouraged to remain
where they were and wait for instructions. If
the roads were congested, there would just
be more problems in the long run. Daniel
assumed they had something else to take care
of farms. Even if they had everyone in one
place, safe from spawn, they’d still need
food.
He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of
gathering everyone together. It made a big
target for the Vorid. At the same time, the
magicians probably couldn’t afford to be
spread out over the entire breadth of the
country. They had to create a defensible
position. It was their only option.
Rachel and Eleanor exchanged a glance.
Rachel nodded to her, then led Daniel back
to his room, presumably to explain the
situation. They sat down and held each other.
Daniel called his father. He’d heard the
news. Police had already come by their
house; they were being shuttled to Cleveland
along with the rest of the neighborhood in
two days. Daniel promised to stay in touch.
James passed the phone to Felix. His
brother’s voice was light and tinny through
the speaker. "Hey Danny."
"Hey Felix. How’s it going?"
"I’m ok, but I guess things are kinda bad
now, right? At least we get to go to
Cleveland. Maybe we can see the Browns
while we’re there."
"Sounds fun. Get tickets. Maybe I’ll be
able to come by then."
"You’re not coming now?"
Daniel’s lips tightened. "They’re
probably going to want me to stay in Boston.
I’ll ask and see if I can go."
"Ok. Hey, I got an A on my last math
test!"
"Good job."
"Mostly because you helped me some
when we talked."
Daniel smiled. "Hey, you’re the one that
got the A."
"Yeah."
"Take care of dad, ok?"
"Ok. I’ll call when we get on the buses."
"Sounds good," Daniel said.
"I love you."
"Love you too, Felix. Bye."
"Bye-bye!"
Felix hung up. Daniel lowered his head.
Rachel rubbed his back. He leaned into her,
focusing on the warmth of her hands.
"There’s been a change," Rachel said.
"Several," Daniel mumbled. "Which one
is relevant to my life?"
"We’re getting recalled to New York
City. Henry wants to keep us close. I think he
was trying to give us a little normality with
the whole college thing." Rachel sighed. "He doesn’t want to risk it anymore. This was a
pretty big escalation."
"Where does that leave us?"
"I want you to stay here," Rachel said.
"Why?"
"Because you’ll try something if New
York is attacked, you stupid liar."
"Sorry." He hugged her. "I was scrying, and I was worried. Turned out it was a good
thing I broke my promise though, huh?"
Her hands clenched fistfuls of his shirt.
"…I don’t want you to get hurt. I wish I was
normal. I want to stay with you. I don’t want
—I -" Her voice caught. She coughed. "You
need to stay here where it’s safe."
Daniel brought his hand to her face. He
wiped the tears off her cheeks. He brushed
her long red hair behind her ears. "I want to
go with you, Rachel."
"New York is the headquarters of the
Ivory Dawn," Rachel said. "It’s too risky.
You’re strong. You’re really, really strong.
But if enough mages ganged up on you, it
wouldn’t make a difference. Eleanor and I
aren’t that experienced. We aren’t much
compared to some of the magicians that will
be there. And there’s other things."
"Like what?"
"I’m not supposed to talk about it."
Daniel gave her a look.
"Alright, alright," Rachel said. "We’ve had news from the Klide ambassador."
"Xik?" Rachel nodded. "Ok. So what’s
the news?"
"…a Vorid lord is going to land on
earth, probably just over a week from now.
He’s the one in charge of the entire invasion.
We’ve killed one too many overseers.
They’re giving us a second glance."
"…shit."
"The likeliest spot is New York City,"
Rachel said. "The cultural and economic
heart of the strongest country. Now that they
care, they want us to panic and scatter. That
makes for easier hunting."
"How strong is a lord?"
"Strong enough to be the reason we’re
concentrating our entire eastern force,"
Rachel said. "We’re leaving in five hours."
"You and Eleanor? Tonight?"
"Yeah."
Daniel ground his teeth in the back of his
jaw. "Stay with me. Until then."
Rachel’s smile was sad and beautiful
under her puffy eyes. "I’ve got a busy
schedule, but I might be able to pencil you
in."
"I’ll have my people call your people."
He drew her back onto his bed. He
breathed deep, feeling the weight of her head
on his chest, the way her hair smelled.
"Somehow, it all feels more real," she
said. "Seeing everyone acknowledge it
drives it home. It’s not some game I play on
weekends. It’s a war."