Quest for the Blue Crystal

By W. D. County

Centuries ago in a parallel world called Salmineria, magic was made "safe" with the creation of the Strictures, seven limitations on magic enforced by the Blue Crystal. But now that safety is threatened by Kratia, a sociopathic female wizard, who transports a ninja (Billy Takashema) and a mercenary (Michael Drake) from Earth to carry out her plan to alter the Strictures and to conquer the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. D. County
• Release date: Sep 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301682850

W. D. County

W. D. County (“Dave”) has a passion for writing, especially horror and science fiction. His short stories have appeared in Spinetingler ezine, and in various anthologies including Pulp Ink 2 and Speedloader. Dave is currently working on several techno-thrillers. When not writing, he loves to speed along country roads in his Miata convertible. Dave resides in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Book preview

Introduction

Although this novel fits within the fantasy genre, I have endeavored to make it as realistic as possible, so in many respects it resembles science fiction as much as it does fantasy.

For the person who wants a bit more knowledge on Salmineria, I’ve provided some general information here, and even more in the Appendices. Given the epic scope of this novel, the appendices help by including a cast of characters and other tools for knowing who’s who and what’s what.

Language:

Most words in this novel are pronounced as expected from the normal rules of the English language. The exceptions are easily noted, such as the use of a few Elvish words, for which I have tried to follow the rules of Quenya or Sindarin as established by J.R.R Tolkien. My thanks for the wealth of Elvish language resources on the web.

When a word ends in tia, the pronunciation is sha, as in militia or inertia. Thus, Kratia is pronounced Kra – sha. Some nouns exhibit a gender suffix, for example Esaf (which means ‘eternally living king’), for which the matching female word Esafi (eternally living queen).

Economy:

Of what intrinsic value is cash, or gold, or jewels in a world where a wizard can conjure up such things at a whim? There needs to be a stable medium of exchange not affected by magic. In Salmineria, that medium of exchange is energy. It takes energy to power spells, and the amount of energy is proportional to the effects created by the spell. Which means that a unit of energy, say a kilowatt-hour, is an effective and stable commodity, whose intrinsic value is unaffected by magic. Like money, energy can be gained, lost, used, or saved.

Every government needs a measure of control over its economy; in Salmineria the governments have a monopoly on electric power stations (revenue generators), and in addition, enforce strict oversight of banks.

Magic:

Whatever a wizard can imagine, if physically possible, can be done—if the wizard has sufficient energy, focus, and knowledge of what and is being created or altered. Once the spell if over, the affected object(s) must conform to all natural laws, or else it disappears.

Also, a spell cannot violate any of the Strictures, or violate any higher level spell. The level of a spell refers to how many wizards merged their mind and power to create the spell.

The majority of the populace have no magic abilities. Those who do have various levels of ability, and are generally trained at the Wizards Guild.

Politics:

Salmineria has several nations, the two largest being Mileu and Condeu. Each of these nations are ruled by an essentially immortal dictator, titled the Esaf. Smaller nations, such as Purgatorius, have other governmental structures.

The northern plains and subarctic regions are dominated by nomadic warrior tribes, collectively called Rauders.

Map of Salmineria

For a full-color version of this map, visit the author’s website.

Part 1

Salmineria

Chapter 1

The ninja regained consciousness to the murmur of strange voices. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing regular as he assessed his situation. He lay on a cool, hard, flat surface. Probably marble. Light filtered through his eyelids, and the stirring of a breeze carried the faint scent of salt air. Where was he? Who was with him? He counted at least five speakers, one of them female. He did not recognize the language.

He tensed and relaxed muscles without moving, confirming that he wasn’t injured. How long he had been unconscious? His last memory was of leaving the Ginovinchi estate after successfully killing the drug lord of the midwest. He was totally familiar with the estate, and this place didn’t match any of it.  It had been nearly midnight; his feet had just touched the grass on the manicured lawn of the multi-million dollar estate in Lake Forest, Illinois. The air had smelled of fresh cut grass, not salt water.

He considered the possibility that he had been hit by a fast acting sleep dart, but Ginovinchi’s guards used only hard calibers and always shot to kill. At the very least he should be tied up. But his legs and arms were free. Amazingly, he still had his weapons. He felt his dagger and shurikens in his pockets.

He opened his eyes, only as far as narrow slits.

Hello, Billy Takashema, said the female voice.

Billy opened his eyes fully. From his position on the floor, he first saw a pair of small white feet with painted toenails in leather sandals about two feet in front of him. The feet connected to the curves of a young woman’s bare calves. His eyes followed the curves upward, and along the way discovered this was the most stunningly beautiful woman he had ever seen. A cut up the side of her red sequined robe revealed unblemished skin of well-toned thighs. Her full, unpainted lips curved in a wry smile as her eyes of cobalt blue locked onto him.

Hello, miss…

Kratia. Lord Kratia, she said.

You look more like a lady than a lord, Billy said.

Kratia’s smile broadened. In this case ‘Lord’ is a gender neutral term. It is a title bestowed upon the members of this council.

Billy forced his gaze away, stood and looked around.

The room was almost entirely white. White floor, white ceiling, white columns. The room was circular about sixty feet in diameter. Instead of an outer wall, nine stone columns supported the domed ceiling along most of its perimeter. A short wall consisting primarily of a massive double door, took up the remaining arc. Two heavily muscled men dressed in brown leather jerkins and armed with swords and crossbows stood by the closed door. Four additional guards were positioned along the perimeter of the room. A few other people stood in a rough circle around Kratia.

Within the floor was embedded an intricate tracery of gold lines that formed an enneagon—a nine-sided polygon—with every vertex connected to every other vertex. The enneagon was twenty feet wide. The crossing of the long diagonals formed a smaller enneagon at the center. Kratia stood within that smaller polygon. People in similar attire to her stood at each of the nine vertices of the larger enneagon. Eight men, one woman. Each wore robes of various styles and colors. One of the older men had a crow perched on his shoulder. Everyone, including the crow, stared at Billy.

On the floor behind Kratia lay an unconscious man dressed in desert camouflage combat fatigues. Billy noted the man’s armaments: an MP-5 sub machine gun, a 9MM Colt pistol, and a large knife. Bulges in the uniform suggested he carried other weapons as well.

Where am I?" asked Billy.

You are in the Circle Chambers of Minas Nimgul, the tower of white magic, answered Kratia. Which is part of the Wizards Guild building, in the city of Guildtown, the country of Mileu, in the world of Salmineria.

You’re joking.

We brought you here from Earth using magic.

Right. Where are we, really? Billy looked around the room again, this time paying attention to what was beyond its walls. The columns sliced the panoramic view into discrete sections, each with its own attraction. To the right of the doors, in what he thought of as frame 1, Billy saw a river winding like a blue-gray ribbon, tapering to a thin string on the horizon. Further right, in frame two, green fields of young grain stretched far and away to touch the feet of a mountain range many leagues distant. In frame three the pale greens and yellows of a grassy savannah melded into the light brown dunes of a desert. His sharp eyes could just make out a shimmering column of rising hot air. Frame four showed the deep blue of an ocean, punctuated by sparkling lights of waves in the rays of the afternoon sun. Further right stood the double doors, completing the circle. Above the land in every direction, the azure sky was unblemished and serene.

Judging from the views, Billy estimated the room must be several hundred feet above ground level. He had to admit nothing looked familiar. But an entirely different world?

A warning tingle ran down his spine as the camouflaged man lurched to his feet, waving his submachine gun. Billy palmed a shuriken, but Kratia now blocked a clear throw.

Jees, muttered the man. What the hell’s going on here? Woman! What tricks are you playing here? Talk!

Billy noticed movement from the corner of his eyes, and stole a quick glance. Three of the six guards had a clear shot at the soldier and had brought their crossbows to bear on him. The other three guards moved stealthily to positions where they, too, would have clear shots. Billy figured that six crossbow bolts cocked and aimed outnumbered one man, even one with an MP-5. Even if he wore Kevlar, it wouldn’t help against a head shot. The man was either oblivious to the threat, overly brave, or a fool. Perhaps all three.

Kratia was certainly aware of the threat; she gave an almost casual wave to the guards, and they lowered their bows, although each remained tensely alert.

Kratia turned her smile on the man. Michael Drake, your weapon is neither necessary nor appropriate within this chamber. Give it to me until you need it.

Drake showed no sign of understanding, for he continued to train the gun on her body. He repeated his demand for information in Spanish, then German, Russian, and another language that Billy didn’t recognize. With each different language the man’s voice grew louder and shriller.

His mind is closed as a rock, said one of the robed people. Kratia nodded, then repeated her reply exactly as before. This time Drake reacted.

Like hell I will, he spat, tightening his grip on the gun. Just tell me what’s going on, in simple straight English, and nobody will get hurt.

You are in Salmineria, Michael Drake. A world where magic is one of the fundamental forces of nature. I have used a simple spell to help you understand our language.

Bullshit, said Drake.

Kratia sighed. Perhaps a demonstration would be more effective than explanation. From a pocket in her dress she pulled out a small white wand with gold caps at both ends. She clutched it and pointed to an empty spot on the floor. Then the spot wasn’t empty anymore. Drake’s gun, extra clips, grenades and knife were there. Along with Billy’s sword, dagger, rope, smoke bombs shurikens and other weapons.

Drake cursed at his empty hands. Billy’s palm was empty as well, and a quick check of his pockets verified that he had been effectively disarmed.

Who are you people? asked Drake. And what do you want from us?

I am Kratia, a member of the Circle of Lords, the governing body for wizards. I normally don’t stand at the center; the particular spell that brought you here required that I be center for its duration. Our actual center is Lord Icon. She turned to point to a white haired wizard with a neatly trimmed beard, wearing a white flowing robe.

Icon nodded to Billy and Drake. Welcome to Salmineria, he said.

Kratia introduced each of the other Lords of the Circle. Kristianus…Rankor…Osiri…Feindre…Mordac…Nasan…Tanas…and Nexus. Nexus was the blind one with the crow on his shoulder.

Does your bird have a name, Nexus? asked Billy.

The old wizard turned his milk white eyes to the ninja and scowled. His name is Crow.

And there is Dacsinj, the head of our Library, said Kratia, pointing to a tall man in black robes standing next to the double doors. His hooked nose and thick dark eyebrows gave him a natural scowl. Kratia declined to introduce or acknowledge the other people in the room.

As to what we want, she said, the two of you are killers for hire, and we have a job that we want you to perform.

Drake started laughing. You’re a bunch of magicians; you can just zap anyone you want. You don’t need us.

The assembled Lords looked uneasy.

There are some rather serious limitations on magic, said Icon. These limits are specified in the Strictures. Magic can’t function in the presence of fear or pain. Nor can it forcibly alter another being’s mind. There are other limits as well, but those are enough for you to understand that we can’t easily use magic to kill things.

Who do you want killed? asked Billy.

Kratia pursed her lips. It’s not a who. It’s a what.

Okay, what do you want killed?

There is a species commonly called ‘Reps’. They make nests in caves, sleep during the day in large groups. They hunt in small groups at night. They are called Reps because they look reptilian. They have scales and a tail. They also have wings and can fly or glide for hours. Each Rep weighs about fifty pounds. They have curved talons two to three inches long. They do not have a mouth. Instead, they have a proboscis several inches long that they stab into their prey. Through it they inject a powerful acid that dissolves the internal organs, then they suck up the slurry.

Sounds nasty, said Drake.

Lately the Reps have begun attacking people. In fact, they now seem to prefer people to their normal diet of deer, horses, cattle and similar mammals. Several dozen people have died over the past few months. I want them stopped. Permanently.

How many Reps are there? asked Drake.

We know of at least four nests. Each nest has one hundred to two hundred Reps. And one queen, said Kratia.

Like bees, said Drake.

Kratia nodded. The ninja can kill the queen, and you can wipe out the rest.

Drake nodded. How much will I get paid?

Kratia smiled. We can give you the equivalent of ten million dollars in gemstones. That will make it easy for you to carry when you return to your world.

How do I know the gems won’t turn to dust? After all, you guys are magicians. It’d be easy to fake a payment.

Drake, when you learn a bit more about our world, you’ll understand that turning gems to dust would not be worth the effort.

What if I say no? asked Billy. What if I want you to send me back home now?

Silence stretched on for several seconds before Icon spoke. Refusal is not an option, Billy.

Refusal is always an option, he replied.

No it isn’t, said Nexus abruptly, interrupting Icon and startling Crow into a loud ‘Caw!’ Lord Kratia had to make a prophecy concerning the two of you, and now we’re stuck with it. The power of prophecy cannot be denied. Refuse this task and the Blue Crystal could turn you into mindless zombie and force you to kill the Reps, and you would be helpless to resist.

And if we were to try assisting you in avoiding the prophesy, said Icon, the Crystal could turn on us as well. We dare not let you avoid this, Billy. Icon shook his head slowly, shoulders slumped.

Great, said Billy as he picked up his weapons and stuffed them back into hidden pockets. Take us to the Reps. The sooner it’s done, the sooner we return home. He sensed their tension rise.

Right? he asked.

No, said Nexus. You and Drake need to learn more about our world before we let you loose in it. Magic and ignorance makes for disaster.

I agree, said Kratia.

I will see to their training at once… both Nexus and Kratia said in unison.

Kratia’s eyes blazed. They are mine. I found them, I brought them here, and I will train them. I know best what they will need to know. I have studied the Reps; they attack Condeu ten times more often than Mileu. I have the need, not you, Nexus.

Kratia, said Icon in a soothing tone. Control yourself. This matter—

Must be carefully considered by the full Circle, interrupted Nexus. There is the matter of putting too much power in too few hands.

You would accuse me of misuse of these men and their weapons? Kratia said.

I accuse you of nothing, said Nexus. It is a simple precaution that I would insist upon for anyone involved in this type of situation. There needs to be checks and balances on power.

Nexus is correct in his caution, said Icon. There were a few murmurs of agreement. Naturally your needs and desires will be considered in this matter, but these two warriors represent a very large investment by the Circle. Your spell cost us a fortune. We all need to be assured of their optimal utilization.

Kratia gazed around the chamber. Billy followed her gaze, and it seemed to him that she lacked support. She turned to Icon and smiled. Of course, Icon. I grew somewhat possessive due to the urgent need of their help. And I am so tired after the transport spell; it’s left me rather irritable. Forgive me. As for the education of the mercenaries, it doesn’t matter who does their training, as long as it is done quickly; a few days of orientation at most. After all, we all agreed to minimize their time in our world. She turned to Nexus. I suggest that Nexus take one of the mercenaries, and I take the other. I will take Takashema.

Wait, said Nexus. The gathered Lords looked at him, but Nexus paused as his crow stared at Billy with an almost frightening intensity. Then Crow turned its gaze on Drake for a few seconds. The old wizard drew a deep breath.

I will train Billy Takashema, he finally said. As Kratia is already most familiar with the particulars of their backgrounds, she is better suited to care for the one who appears to be the most disruptive.

Kratia began to object, but Icon overruled her.

One more thing, said Nexus. We had agreed to continue the limitations on the weapons. I suggest we confirm that the tenth level spell prohibiting explosive reactions is still in place.

Billy saw Kratia stiffen, and heard the sudden intake of breath from many of the wizards. Was this an insult, or some kind of challenge? Billy noticed that Tanas was smiling, and two of the Lords had raised eyebrows. Not too serious, then.

Kratia said coldly, By all means, confirm the continued efficacy of the spell, Nexus. Or Icon. Or Tanas. Any of you. You trusted me as the Center for my spell; if that trust was misplaced as Nexus suggests then you certainly have the right to know.

Nexus closed his blind eyes, held up a hand, and in a few seconds let it drop, and announced that the prohibitions were still in place.

Kratia glared briefly at the old mage, but evidently knew the futility of glaring at a blind man. With disconcerting suddenness the glare became a radiant smile as she walked around the chamber thanking each of her fellow Lords for their support. She even thanked Nexus.

Chapter 2

Two muscular guards prodded Billy towards Nexus, who was walking towards the door. The guards were large men, but moved with an easy grace that bespoke of speed and skill. Billy felt confident in his abilities to handle them should the need arise, but in this strange land how could he recognize when need had come? This was no dream; he felt acutely conscious, and his senses registered a vibrant reality of sights, sounds, and smells. Whether the world was an elaborate hoax or a real magic kingdom, his best option for getting home was to play along.

The lean, black crow perched on the old man’s left shoulder turned its head around to face Billy, and then leaned pecked gently at Nexus’s ear.

Oh, I’m sure you could overpower these men, Billy, said the old man without turning. But what would that accomplish? You are impossibly far away from your home, trapped in an strange land where you know neither the players nor the rules of the game that you find yourself playing. And the stakes are high enough that you certainly don’t want to make a wrong move.

Billy sensed an almost imperceptible stiffening of his guards as they mentally disputed the Lord’s assessment of their relative abilities. Nonetheless, it produced a subtle increased wariness in their movements. It would not be at all easy if he needed to fight them now. But what bothered Billy more was how a blind man could offer such an accurate reading of his thoughts. Telepathy?

The rules seem clear enough, Billy said. You have a few monsters that need to be eliminated. The soldier and I are needed to get the dirty work done.

Nexus shook his head negatively, as the crow stepped further out on the shoulder to avoid the turning head. Your analysis is superficial. You assume that your current mission can be understood in terms of your past missions. But this is not like your world.

Killing is killing, Billy responded, irritated at being lectured about his profession and at the nudging of the guards to hurry him ahead.

The ‘enemies’ that need to be eradicated are not human, nor even humanoid. In fact, the species did not originate on Earth and shares no genetic linkages. Perhaps they originated on the Rauder home world. Or the Elves’. Perhaps some dark wizard created them eons ago. The Circle has been unable to determine their origin, so we are limited to what we know about them currently. In appearance they are vaguely reptilian, hence the name Reps. The Reps are flying creatures, weighing approximately fifty pounds when hungry. Most of that weight is in claws, a proboscis, and an acid bladder...

I heard all that earlier, Nexus, said Billy. What you need an exterminator, not a ninja. Besides, with all you wizards here, I’m sure there is some way to zap them with a spell.

Nexus grunted. I thought you said you were listening before. Didn’t you hear Icon tell you about the limitations of magic.

Billy declined to answer. They passed through the doorway, and Nexus turned left and took the first few steps down the stairs without pausing. Magic has some limits, he said, his voice becoming muffled as he rounded the bend on the steep spiral. Billy hurried to catch up, the guards close behind.

Some rather significant limits, Nexus stated as he continued down the steps. Your first task will be to memorize the Strictures.

The Strictures?

The seven limitations on magic that are permanently embedded in the Crystal.

What’s the Crystal?

The Blue Crystal. The source of all magic in Salmineria, said Nexus. Oh, there is so much you don’t know. So much you don’t know that you don’t know. Very dangerous. Kratia should never have brought you here.

I agree, said Billy.

They passed a landing, Nexus continuing down the steps. The tower of the guild building is six hundred feet high. It has sixty floors of about ten feet each. This level of the tower, level fifty-nine, is reserved for the offices and living quarters of the Center. Nexus gestured vaguely at the landing. But Icon prefers to spend most of his time at his house in Guildtown.

Nexus took another step, but his foot shot out from under him as he slipped on a wand left carelessly on the stairs. Billy lunged forward and down, catching the wizard.

Before Nexus could even shout, he had been lifted and steadied. Crow, who had flown off noisily during the lurch, returned to the Lord’s shoulder with a squawk.

I need a drink, Crow said. Nexus ignored the remark.

Billy bent over and picked up the wand. It was about a foot in length, and a half-inch in diameter. It was glistening white, with polished gold caps at each end. The white portion was smooth, like glass, and slightly warm to the touch. It made his fingers tingle. Billy held it out towards Nexus.

Looks like you slipped on a magic wand, mister Nexus.

Just Nexus. On formal occasions, Lord Nexus. The wizard hesitated a moment, then reached out unerringly to grasp the wand. There are no magic wands, Billy. Only power wands. Magic needs energy to function, and the wands provide a convenient medium for energy storage and exchange. Makes a damn good common medium of exchange for the entire Salminerian economy.

So people get paid in magic wands? said Billy doubtfully. I’d prefer something more substantial.

What, like gold and jewels? Or paper currency? You’re not thinking, Billy. This is not Earth. In a world where magic can create as much treasure as you can imagine, or duplicate perfectly any piece of paper—would an economy based on such things be stable?

Billy said nothing.

You don’t know. Of course you don’t know. You don’t know anything about Salmineria yet, Nexus muttered. By the Desolation, there’s so much you need to learn, and I’m getting too old to be a patient teacher.

Nexus started to take a step, then turned back to Billy again. The basic unit of economic exchange is the K; short for kilowatt-hour. Or the M, or ‘meg’, short for megawatt-hour. Large projects might be measured in Gs—gigawatt-hours. All are units of energy. He waved the wand in front of Billy’s face. This is a standard wand with a capacity of ten megs, but it’s only charged to about five megs: about two week’s pay for one of these guards.

Whose is it? asked Billy.

Yours, said Nexus, handing the wand back to Billy. I have neither the time nor inclination to run down the fool who dropped it, and I have plenty of my own. And you may want to buy a few things while you’re here.

I doubt it, said Billy. Until I understand this world better I trust that you will provide for my needs. He turned to the guards and handed the wand to the first. You two split this.

Billy heard the guard mutter something; just a couple syllables. The sounds didn’t hold any meaning for him, but Nexus gave an irritated scowl to the guards. Andros, Melandis, Nexus said curtly. Don’t get so excited by the foreigner’s generosity. Go spend your money. I will be taking the man with me. He is my charge, and I do not require nor desire further assistance.

The guards came to a stiff form of attention, saluted Nexus by placing their right fist over their heart, and turned back up the stairs. Billy stared after them. Neither had shown any surprise that Nexus had called them each by name.

Why do you need wands, Nexus? asked Billy. As you said, if there is anything you want, you can just conjure it up.

Nexus chuckled. It’s not quite that easy. Magic doesn’t happen for free. It takes energy to power a spell, as well as skill and ability by the speller. The amount of energy required depends on the nature of the spell, and especially on the pre-spell and post-spell energy levels of the system being affected.

I don’t understand.

Nexus pursed his lips, gathering his thoughts. It’s easier to understand once you begin casting spells for yourself. But for simplicity, you can assume that a magic spell can achieve the same results as any task that is performed without magic; and that the total energy required by the spell will be about the same as the total energy required to perform the task without magic.

Billy nodded. Then magic doesn’t really save you anything, except maybe time.

Now you’re getting closer, agreed Nexus. Don’t underestimate the importance of the time factor. The time element is often critical, and in fact many wealthy patrons hire magicians to build houses, pleasure boats, or designer clothes - with a substantial profit just because they want to have their toys immediately. Nexus paused, petting Crow before continuing. But magic can also do some things that are impractical or impossible for the current level of Salminerian technology. Like diagnosing and healing the sick.

Or plucking you from another dimension, crackled Crow, before being hushed by Nexus.

Your bird talks. Is it intelligent? asked Billy.

Just noisy, complained Nexus, tapping the crow on the head. He continued down the stairs.

Then magic can do anything if you have enough energy, stated Billy.

No! said Nexus harshly as he suddenly stopped. No, no, no. He pointed to his blind eyes. Remember the Strictures. And beneath them, there are several permanent tenth level spells that the Circle has enacted to provide for additional safety. There are many limits on magic, Billy. Limits and rules that cannot be altered or evaded. Once, long ago, before the Crystal, magic was freer, more capable. More pure. Elemental. But it also had a greater potential to be used for evil. And fools sought to set limits upon magic to prevent such evil, and in so doing created a potential for even greater disaster.

Billy had backed away a step as Nexus became impassioned, his face dark and angry. Billy felt the hairs on his arms rise as an unseen power began to build around the old man. Then Nexus took a deep breath and gave a long sigh. The storm dissipated, and his face softened.

Magic has other unique shortcomings, Nexus said as he resumed descending the stairs. You’ll be learning them. They are vital information for people that deal with wizards or that dabble in magic themselves. Nexus turned his head and smiled at Billy. Perhaps you’ll even be able to learn a simple spell or two; I think you have the gift.

Billy laughed. Me, a magician.

They reached the second landing and passed quickly into an open passageway. Billy hesitated, looking down the corridor.

Come on, man, complained Nexus. Stay close to me until you learn the layout of the Guild.

I still don’t see my usefulness in this affair. I’m an assassin, not a pest exterminator, Billy complained as he followed Nexus down the short hallway.

Kratia is of the opinion that the Reps have a social structure oriented like an insect hive, with a central queen providing guidance for the Reps in her nest. Kratia is the world’s foremost authority on the Reps, and no one can dispute the evidence that she has amassed to support her theory. She has suggested that killing the queen might result in a period of disorientation for the Reps, allowing conventional weapons to be deployed effectively by the armies of the Esaf.

Esaf? asked Billy.

Nexus scratched his head. The word doesn’t translate very well, he muttered. Emperor-for-Eternity is close, he said after a moment of concentration. The two Esafs were created by the Elves and the Circle a very long time ago, to help in the war against demons. Each man will rule until he dies, which could be a very long time, considering that they are immortal. Their bodies stay young, their minds stay alert, and they are continually growing in experience and power. Nexus paused. Those particular biological spells are no longer available. So they have no rivals. He sighed. "No one knows what will happen to their governments if one of them really does die. I doubt it will be in our lifetime.

But I digress; you and that soldier Kratia picked are needed to make the trips into each of the known Rep nests, and kill the queen and whatever Reps in the hive come to her defense. The regular army will then consent to polish off the remaining creatures.

Why doesn’t the army just go in and kill them all? Why waste time on the queens? Billy asked.

The hallway ended at an intersection with a circular passageway. Nexus turned left, walking clockwise for a few yards. The Reps are very well organized, and have effectively repulsed previous attempts. In fact, there have been no survivors of the previous two attempts to raid a nest. Billy heard a note of sadness in his voice. I knew one of the brave souls in those attempts. She did not have a pleasant death.

They passed one unmarked door in silence, and had just reached a second door when Nexus suddenly stopped, opened it and entered. Billy followed and found himself inside a large but sparsely furnished apartment. He looked around the main room for several seconds before continuing the conversation.

Why the fuss? Just what is it that the Reps do that mandates their destruction?

Nexus turned to face Billy, his white eyes and the crow’s black eyes meeting the ninja’s deep brown. Do you remember I told you that the Reps weigh about fifty pounds hungry? After a large feeding they may weigh more than eighty pounds. That’s thirty pounds of dissolved body organs. Have you ever seen someone who died from having their internals dissolved and sucked out? Of course not. You can’t even imagine it. In the past, any reasonably large animal was fair game for the Reps. Their normal diet was deer, wolves, bear, and such creatures that one finds in the wild. They had an aversion to towns and cities. But over the last few months the Reps have become bold, actually raiding towns during the night. They have changed from being a rare night terror of unwary travelers to a recurrent nightmare of everyone in Condeu.

Billy paused to study the layout of the apartment. Four wooden chairs stood around a small table, a bowl of fruit sat alone on the tabletop. A cluttered desk sat against one wall, a clear crystal sphere poking up from scattered papers, jars, boxes, and dimly glowing white wands. Waning light squeezed into the room from a single small window set in the wall at right angles to the desk, casting ominous shadows from the desk to bed along the opposite wall. The walls were clean, but lacked any adornment. Not really surprising for the apartment of a blind man, thought Billy.

Condeu? I thought this is Salmineria? asked Billy, resuming the conversation.

A single comfortable chair was directly behind Nexus. The old wizard sat on it with a relaxed sigh.

This planet is Salmineria. Condeu is one of the major nations. It is just on the other side of the Jastic Mountains. Don’t worry, I’ll show you a map later. Nexus waved his arms casually around the room. Welcome to my home, Billy Takashema. Get used to it; it’s your home too for the next few days.

Chapter 3

Kratia turned to one of the chamber guards. You. Escort this man, here she nodded to the still angry and bewildered Drake, to the back entrance. One of my men will be there to take custody.

The guard narrowed his eyes at Kratia, then looked at Icon. Icon shrugged in acquiescence and the guard moved to escort Drake away from the Circle’s Chamber of Lords. Kratia leaned over and placed a delaying hand on Drake’s shoulder.

You will be meeting General Messick, who is in charge of my security guards. At this point they are not particularly effective, but I am sure that you will be able to remedy that. Do not be afraid to ask Messick questions; I expect you to be familiar with all aspects of the current situation by the time you arrive at my castle.

I’d rather travel with you, complained Drake. I don’t know jack shit about this place, but from what I can tell, you are the one with the answers.

I have other urgent matters that require my presence. Messick is capable of giving you a proper briefing over the next few hours. She raised her hands to his face, and pulled him to her for an unexpected kiss. Her mouth moved to his ear. She whispered, Be careful, Michael. I need you.

She drew back and Drake thought he saw a strange, tight smile on her face, but the guard nudged him around towards the open doorway, where the guy in the ninja costume had just left with the old man and two guards.

The stairs were long and the guards uncommunicative as they descended. On and on they descended, seemingly for eternity, passing so many landings that Drake stopped counting. Finally they reached the bottom and went through a large double door and into a curved passageway. At the end of the passage were three doors: left, right and center. They went through the left door, and through what appeared to be a guard station, then into a barracks, and then through a door on the right and into a long, narrow corridor with no windows or doors, until they reached the end about 40 feet later. Then through a door and left into a much larger, well lit corridor that was very long and had many doors on both sides.

They marched the entire length of this great hall, at least 200 feet, then into a mess hall, then the kitchen, a food pantry, and past another guard station. At the far wall was a heavy door with a large locking crossbar, which the guards lifted. They swung open the door. Bright sunlight spilled in, making Drake squint. The guards pushed him out, and the door swung shut. A dull thud signaled that the bar had been lowered back into place.

Long walk and a frigging rude goodbye, cursed Drake.

Standing beside him was a short pudgy man in a shiny dark blue uniform that displayed as much silver braid and gold medals as it did of rich satin. A bushy mustache stretched across most of his face, and bobbed up and down as he talked.

Mister Drake! Good to meet you, sir. Kratia told me to greet you personally, and so I have, yes. The little man extended his hand, and Drake shook it, smiling. I’m General Messick, commander of the Personal Guard of Lord Kratia. I’m to take you to Krashbrinae, I mean, Minas Palanar, so I suppose we’d better be going. We want to make it before nightfall, right?

Messick waddled over to a triangular three-seat vehicle with wide, deeply treaded tires. There was no top to the vehicle, and for lack of better nomenclature Drake thought of it as a jeep. A driver was behind the single front seat. Drake was surprised to see a horizontal lever instead of a steering wheel, and the dash layout was sparse and alien.

Messick climbed in quickly over the top - there was no door - and into one of the back seats. He looked expectantly at Drake. Drake noticed the running board and put one foot on it, then let his body swing around to lean against the side of the jeep. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his tin of chew. He pushed a large wad into his mouth and began to chew slowly.

Okay, General, Drake drawled. Before I go anywhere, I want to know where I’m going and why. Right now, I ain’t got much of a notion of neither one. He spat on the shiny metal side of the vehicle, and watched the brown stain run down and drip to the ground. He liked the familiar color, odor, and texture of the tobacco.

Mr. Drake, the general implored. Kratia said you were to come with me to her castle. That’s reason enough. Besides, it’s over two hundred miles from here. Even traveling over roads, we’ll be lucky to make it in under five hours. That puts our arrival at dusk. We don’t want to be traveling after dark. He paused as if his statement were self-explanatory.

Drake stared at the man. Obviously scared, but probably more frightened of Kratia than of whatever danger hid in the dark. To Messick’s consternation, he slowly looked around and surveyed his immediate surroundings.

He had just emerged from a huge building – he faced a rectangular wall at least a hundred yards long and fifty feet high. Though he could not see the roof, a tall cylindrical tower stabbed at the sky, easily over five hundred feet high. There were openings up here, on the top, like some fancy top of the world restaurant, and he guessed that was where he had started this weird dream. The building at first appeared to be made of a light gray stone, but that was misleading. A coat of dust covered most of the building, but where it hadn’t settled the stone was an almost iridescent white.

Drake turned his head to look away from the building, aware of the general’s sigh of exasperation. There were several other buildings, all smaller than this, in fairly close proximity. He could make out about a dozen people milling about in the narrow streets. A very small town, or maybe an out of the way resort? There were almost no cars, and no smog. Beyond the buildings flat grasslands stretched into the distance. The horizon seemed strange. It was too close for level ground, but Drake had seen some mighty strange visual tricks of the atmosphere on his tours of duty. Still, this place looked different. It felt different, too. Really different.

He really didn’t have any idea of where he was; no place he had ever seen or heard of even remotely resembled this. He spit out the chew. Best to play along until he knew more.

Okay. Let’s go! he shouted as he jumped into the remaining seat. The jeep surged ahead silently, surprising Drake who expected the roar of a powerful engine. Electric? he asked.

The general looked at him oddly. Of course. Did you expect horses? Better to save them for combat.

Drake laughed, but the quizzical expression on the general’s face told him he hadn’t been joking. Drake looked around; they must be going at least 40 miles per hour already. He hadn’t thought electric cars possessed decent acceleration. No, I didn’t expect horses. I expected a standard gasoline engine, though I can see some obvious advantages in having a fast silent jeep.

The general arched his eyebrows. But there are no advantages; in combat you have to use horses. Otherwise you get stranded by spells.

And horses aren’t? Drake shot back sarcastically.

Of course not, the general replied patiently. Kratia had warned him the guy would be painfully ignorant of the most basic facts. Animals have a very real advantage over mechanical devices. The general paused. Like people, animals can feel fear and pain. I heard that long ago, before the Blue Crystal, magic could affect living things without restriction; wizards were doubtless more deadly then. Messick suppressed a shudder. Though they are certainly powerful enough now, I assure you.

Not so powerful, if they can’t force their spells on people, Drake commented.

Messick stared hard at Drake. I strongly suggest that you curb such talk before you get to castle Krashbrinae. Wizards are the real upper class in this world; even more so than the Esafs and their court—though you didn’t hear me say that. Kratia is a full Lord—a member of the Circle itself. And she fully expects the respect due her station.

Drake wasn’t impressed. Yea, I met her upstairs. Seems like a bitch to me. He enjoyed watching mister pudgy squirm. Man, why was he so afraid of that piece of fluff?

Anyway, I your point is that magic can’t do shit against living things, Drake said. And your army’s no better, running around with bows and arrows playing Cowboys and Indians. That’s why you need me. Somebody who knows how to kill something.

There’s plenty of killing in Salmineria, Drake. But I suppose you are correct in your analysis, since soldiers haven’t been able to kill the Rep nests, nor protect citizens from the Rep attacks. But don’t underestimate the Esafs. They are able to enforce their will throughout their countries, even on the Lords of the Circle. Ever since the end of the Demon War.

Drake’s leaned forward, interested. There was a war here?

A couple. But the most recent was decades ago, Drake. Ancient history. The Demon War started way back in 4729, ended in 4742 if I got my ancient history right. The wizards were getting their asses kicked by the demons until the Elves and the Rauder and Esafs came to help. Then things were pretty stable and peaceful. The Golden Years, some call them. Until the Wizard War, when the dark Lord went crazy. That was in 6907. That was a bad war. Ten bloody years. Ended in 6917. That’s only thirty-two years ago, but still before I was in the military. From what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen in the historical sensiballs, the wizards lost a lot of respect and political clout and social standing from that war, even though they helped to win it.

If the wizards lost, then why is a general working for a wizard?

The general squirmed in his seat and looked away. Drake sat quietly. He expected an answer eventually, and he was willing to wait for it. Meanwhile he enjoyed the wind blowing in his face and savored the faint scent of unknown flowers and trees that flashed by. It was growing noticeably hotter as they drove southeast. That is, he assumed it was southeast, assuming that the setting sun was west of them.

The general gazed toward the driver, and suddenly stiffened. Corporal! That wand is less than half charged. he shouted angrily, pointing to the wand that glowed a bright red. I told you to have it charged at the bank while I consulted with Kratia.

Sir, the driver responded. I did go to the bank. This one’s having a bit of trouble holding a charge. They would have exchanged it, but I didn’t want to wait. But I did get a charged spare. The driver opened up a small compartment in the dash. A glowing white wand laid inside. Figured this’d be even better, sir.

Messick was quiet for a few minutes afterward, both relieved and chagrined. He looked back at Drake. Kratia is not like the other wizards, General Messick said slowly. She is so intelligent, so ambitious, so beautiful, so absolutely perfect that men will follow her willingly wherever she leads; even to their doom. I know I would. She is the greatest leader this world will ever know. I, on the other hand, am scarcely a general. There are less than two hundred troops in my command. A rather paltry army compared to Esaf Condeu, but larger than any other wizard can boast.

The general was turning morose and Drake decided to just stay quiet for a while, and think about his situation. But Messick shook himself out of the dumps and wanted to assert himself again. At least I have some real combat experience. Not many on Salmineria can say that. The Esafs keep peace well between themselves, and the wizards are still gun shy from the past.

What combat did you see? asked Drake, his interest perking again.

The northern border of Condeu, up near Purgatorius, the general replied proudly. "The Rauders had been making raids on the border settlements, and