Invoking the Fallout

By Shane W Walley

Having discovered he has the gift of magic, young Steiger must now figure out what that means for him in a world that has outlawed its use and embraced science. He is now strong enough to defeat his enemies, but is that enough for him, or will he choose to do more with it? Its effects on his life and the life of his sister Grae and his friends Dinny and Zoe will be far-reaching in ways that none of them can yet imagine. One thing is sure: their previous lives are no more, and they must make their way the best that they can in this exciting and frightening new world that they have started.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shane W Walley
• Release date: Jan 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310828232

Shane W Walley

Hello all! My name is Shane, so glad to meet everyone! I'm 41, a father of 3 amazing children, and now an author. I've been reading since I was 3, and the minute I found fantasy I knew that I had found home. I love writing, but never considered doing it until I took a couple of writing classes in high school and had my teacher tell me that I had a unique voice. Well, as most of you have experienced, life gets in the way and I put writing on the back burner until I took a few classes at the local community college and realized that this was what I was missing in my life. When I'm not writing, reading, or being a dad, I like to adventure through Azeroth (World of Warcraft), the Galaxy (Star Wars: The Old Republic) or Nexus (Wildstar), and I also Dungeonmaster my D&D campaign with my friends.

Book preview

Chapter One

As he slowly returned to consciousness, Steiger felt like he was emerging from the dark of night to the early morning dawn. Coming to, he realized he was tucked in his bed in the tower. The last memories he had started to seep back into his awareness: he had been unable to stop the power he was channeling, which was shaking the tower apart; both Zoe and Grae had been nearly knocked over from it pulsing out in waves; and only Dinny had been able –and brave enough- to get close to him. Her whispering in his ear that she believed in him had snapped him out of his anger and fear, and allowed him to exert control over the magic once again.

Granted, it had drained him so much that he must have passed out right after that, but still he didn’t destroy the tower and that was all that truly mattered. Sitting up in bed, the young arcanist realized that neither of the girls was strong enough to get him up two flights of stairs, so Zoe must’ve been the one to carry him here, and since he was in his small clothes he assumed it had been his sister taking care of him. At least he hoped it had just been her, as blush crept up his rapidly heating cheeks.

What was it that caused me to wake up? Steiger wondered out loud as he found his clothes and got dressed. They weren’t clean, per se, but they had been folded up nicely and put on the only chair in the room, another clue that it was his sister that tucked him in and not Dinny. From what he remembered of her room –which he had only seen once and her father was home at the time, so no hanky-panky and by the Steam he couldn’t stop blushing!- his girlfriend just threw her clothes all around the room and didn’t seem to have anything put away. Just then, he heard Dinny scream out his name from the main floor and concluded that it had been her calling for him that awakened him. Even though he was still a little groggy, the young arcanist managed to hustle down the two floors as fast as he could safely go. She never screamed out like that, so whatever it was must be pretty important.

Jumping down the last few steps to land at the bottom, Steiger quickly took in that Dinny and Zoe had the door to the tower closed and were braced against it, like they were prepared to hold something back; yet they also were very afraid, with wide eyes and beads of sweat (at least on Dinny) indicating their level of terror. There was only one thing he could think of that would elicit that kind of response: Myst is outside, isn’t it? he asked them, already knowing the answer. They both nodded affirmatively.

Scowling, he then swore before gesturing them to lift the bar and get out of the way. Their fear was completely understandable, just like their knowledge that this door wouldn’t do any good against the thing that was approaching the tower. After his friends cleared a path, the young arcanist took a deep breath, centered himself, then opened the door and stepped outside. Even though he knew he didn’t need to speak out loud for Myst to hear him, it would help the others keep abreast of what was going on. The sentient Fallout was slowly creeping across the cavern floor, probably to heighten our sense of terror Steiger rationalized. He knew he should be furious, but his centering techniques were working and so he remained calm and focused. You can stop with the theatrics, Myst, we don’t appreciate it! he raised his voice for Dinny and Zoe’s benefit.

Myst halted its advance, and began to swish back and forth from side to side. "We are glad to see that you haven’t expired on us yet, Arcanist. We have much pain to punish you for," it hissed vehemently into his mind. The sheer anger and hatred it poured into those thoughts made a part of him want to run and hide or just lay down and await his punishment. Thankfully, all the studying that Myst had forced the young arcanist to endure had prepared him for just such a mental attack, and his centering allowed him to block off that part of his mind from infecting the rest of his thoughts. The irony that Myst had helped Steiger get to the point in his training that he was able to resist Myst was not lost on him, he chuckled inwardly.

You know, Myst, it truly was an accident. However, you need to also admit that if you hadn’t kept pushing and pushing at me then I wouldn’t have lost control like that after being so flustered and frustrated. That statement alone took a lot of courage to say. I’m not saying it’s solely your fault, just asking that you recognize that you need to share in the blame. His voice didn’t tremble, his knees didn’t shake and his arms didn’t quiver as he folded them across his chest and gazed coolly across the cavern at Myst. I am not a gutter rat any more, Steiger thought proudly, I have earned the right to be called Arcanist and Steam damn anyone who thinks they can take this away from me!

Steiger could sense that Myst hesitated just a bit. Probably wasn’t expecting this amount of backbone in me, he sneered. When the sentient Fallout did finally respond, there was just a smidgen more respect in its words. "We can see why you would think that; after all, you are mortal. But if it helps your inferior mind feel better about hurting us, then yes we can admit that maybe we didn’t take into account your frailty when we were challenging you to go beyond your limits. There, does that help satisfy your small fragile ego?" The funny thing was, Steiger could see through all the posturing and the insults and knew a newly realized truth about Myst: it was slightly afraid of him.

Sighing, Steiger refolded his arms. If you came back to force me to do some more studying, I hate to disappoint you, but my friends and I were about to go off on a vacation. I think I have more than earned it, don’t you? he asked Myst rhetorically. And, he continued, If you actually came back expecting some weak frightened child that you could bully and hurt… the young arcanist paused while he focused on his palm and created a fireball floating in midair. This time it seemed that he was able to cajole the Fire fragments to group together much faster, and from the corner of his eye he could see Myst withdraw slightly when the fire came into existence. He grinned to himself while not letting it show on his face. Then I am afraid that that is no longer an option. You trained me a little too well, Myst.

The sentient Fallout hissed again in his mind. We want to remind you that you were just a no good worthless gutter rat before we found you. It is thanks to us that you now command such power, and you owe us for that! Unfortunately, Steiger had to concede the point on that one. We still want you to awaken the Dragon Kings from their slumber; however, if this ‘vacation’ would help you clear your mind and let you concentrate on the task at hand, then we can allow this amount of time to you. After all, time is something of a luxury to you mortals, isn’t it? The smugness in its voice in that last part made Steiger’s lips curl in a snarl. He had to remind himself that getting angry or upset was just what Myst wanted, and it was only by remaining calm and centered that he remained in control of this situation.

Taking a deep breath to help maintain his focus, Steiger smiled at Myst. Why yes it is, something I know an artificially created life form such as you wouldn’t understand. So, we’ll all go take our vacation and when we come back then I will go ahead and try to research how to wake up these Dragon Kings of yours, ok? He showed off a little bit by tossing the fireball back and forth between his hands like he was juggling. Without being able to see what Myst used for vision, he could still sense that it was watching the fire cautiously. Realizing that there was a fine line between irritating and angering (and not wanting to push Myst into doing something foolish they both would regret), the young arcanist concentrated again and asked the Fire embers to disperse, letting the fireball dissipate. Besides, all this concentrating and maintaining his composure was starting to give him a bit of a headache.

Somehow, Steiger could sense that Myst relaxed just a smidgen now that the fire was gone. And are we just supposed to accept your word as gospel, that you will have some honor and keep your promise? We have been in existence much longer than you, Arcanist, and we are not fools: we know mortals lie as easily as breathing. We need something to hold onto, some collateral, to ensure that you will be trustworthy. We will accept one of your companions to stay with us.

Unacceptable, Steiger refused Myst. The whole point of a vacation is that we all go away and relax. Think of something else.

Hmmm, Myst hummed inside his mind. Ah, we know! The female you desire to mate with, the one standing behind the door, send her out please. It seemed very pleased with itself.

Before he knew what he was doing, Steiger brought the fireball back into being in his palm and settled into a ready stance, ignoring the blush spreading on his cheeks. If you think I’m gonna just stand here and watch you hurt her, all of your many more centuries of existence were a waste of time! His subconscious must’ve picked up on the threat and acted without his conscious knowledge, something he would have to be wary of in the future.

Myst withdrew a little bit but started moving rapidly back and forth in agitation. We will not hurt her. What is the matter, Arcanist, don’t you trust us?

As far as I can throw you, Steiger answered. The tension hung thick in the air until the sound of the door opening broke the pregnant silence. Dinny stepped out, staring warily at Myst as she came down the steps to stand beside Steiger. What are you doing? he whispered angrily to her.

We could hear you talking in there, and Zoe thought that things were getting outta hand out here. Something about, ‘it’s a shame that this Myst being has no flesh, for the easiest way to solve this crisis would be if they both brought out their male organs and decided who’s was the bigger of them so they could stop all of this posturing,’ which I thought was hilarious, and after I got done giggling until I was crying I decided that I don’t like having anyone make decisions involving me for me, Dinny patted Steiger’s cheek in a slightly condescending manner while saying all of this, and now the blush in his cheeks wasn’t just from thinking about being intimate with her.

Smiling at him to take some of the sting out of her words, Dinny then turned towards Myst. OK, I’m here now. What do you want with me? And remember, I can’t understand you through this mind talk or whatever it is that you use to communicate, so you’ll have to relay to Orc-boy here what you want me to know or do.

Myst felt as content as the cat that ate the canary, and Steiger tried to contain the fear nibbling away at his self-control. We just wanted to read her mind, and the door was interfering with our ability to do so. Does her father look like this? It went on to describe Dinny’s father to a tee, and Steiger nodded his assent. Then tell your female that if you are all not back here within a week, we will go to this Undercity that you come from and we will find her father and we will strip the flesh from his bones. Are we clear? Steiger gulped audibly and nodded his assent, then repeated to Dinny what Myst had said and watched as all of the blood drained from her face.

We see that she understands; good. Now that there is nothing further to discuss, we will leave you to your vacation. Enjoy it well, Myst laughed menacingly as it drifted back across the cavern and up the walls until it disappeared into a large crack in the ceiling. Steiger could feel its laugh long after it had vanished from his sight. Sighing with relief once he could no longer hear the laughter, he turned to Dinny and tried to cheer her up somewhat.

Hey, it can’t get any worse, right? Steiger tried cracking a joke. Dinny looked at him for a second, and then burst into tears and rushed into his arms. The false smile slipped from his face as they stood there in the empty cavern. As he patted her back, the young arcanist wondered just what had happened while he was asleep, and knew that somehow he wasn’t going to like the answer.

Chapter Two

Steiger stood by Dinny as she sat down in one of the couches on the main floor and Zoe paced back and forth, wringing his hands. Whatever it was must be pretty bad, Steiger thought, because I’ve never seen Zoe wring his hands in nervousness and Dinny has never let me see her cry before. Well, except for that time that I took her stickball bat and broke it because she beat me when we were practicing. And even then, I didn’t really have time to notice her tears since she was kicking me so hard that I limped for a week! Shaking his head to clear the memory, he asked the question again. So, what is it you’re not telling me? It must be pretty bad, and it must have something to do with Grae, since I noticed that she’s not here and during all of that commotion with Myst she would’ve come out and looked at it, if only to satisfy her snooping…uh, I mean curiosity.

Dinny just turned her head to the side and sniffled. Zoe finally stopped pacing and looked at him, though he did shuffle his feet from side to side. Hatch-friend Steiger, you are having the remembering of Alby, yes? And how his trail went down a cavern that we were unable to follow, seeing as how it was being crashed down around us in an attempt to be ending our life cycles?

Frowning, Steiger answered him. Yes, of course I do Zoe, but since his wounds were pretty severe and then the cave-in happened I assumed that he was dead.

In a low tone, Dinny broke in. Remember, if you assume you make an ass outta ‘U’ and me, and then she lapsed back into sniffling. Steiger watched her for a second, then turned back to Zoe and motioned for him to continue.

Sighing with regret, Zoe went on. Well, it turns out that those beings that are called Controllers took the man-being Alby, and turned him into one of their hybrid machine-people. He is very much alive, and still very much angry at your being, hatch-friend Steiger. Never in a million years could Steiger have imagined a scenario like this. So angry that he came here to be ending your existence; but since you were still passed out from your little display he settled on something that would be ensuring you would be pursuing him and giving him the fight he so badly is wanting. He and his Golem –who was female-being shaped and that is odd because I am not having the remembering of there ever being such a thing before- took Grae with them as their hostage and fled to the surface.

Moving around Dinny, Steiger flopped down next to her on the couch and stared blankly ahead. This was all a lot of information and none of it good in the slightest. The fact that Alby was alive was wonderful, insofar as Steiger hadn’t wanted him dead, no matter how much of an asshole he could be. But then the bastard went and did this, kidnapping Grae so Steiger would have to go chase him down and fight? By the Steam, one would think that after all they’ve been through Alby would leave this type of childish behavior behind; they weren’t two gutter rats anymore, squabbling over petty things. Steiger knew his legal age wasn’t what defined him as a man, but he certainly felt like one now.

Finally coming back to himself, he lifted his head to look at Zoe. The Kobold looked abashed at having to be the one to deliver the bad news, yet his face was set resolutely as if he expected Steiger to be angry with him for doing so. Thank you for telling me this Zoe, I’m sure it wasn’t easy. And don’t worry; I’m not mad at you for being the one who told me. The young arcanist smiled at his friend, which made Zoe blink in shock for a few seconds before he returned the grin.

Amongst Kobolds, hatch-friend Steiger, the one who has to tell someone bad news is by custom allowed to be beaten, yelled at, or anything else that the receiver of the bad news wants to do to them –apart from ending their life cycle, of course. I have no remembering of anyone ever taking it this well before, but then again you are a very special man-being, aren’t you? He stopped shuffling his feet and stood up a little straighter. Steiger nodded affectionately and winked at him. Zoe paused for a bit before he went on. Is there something wrong with your vision orb?

Steiger laughed, which earned him a shocked look from Dinny but felt good because it was an honest reaction. No no Zoe, that’s called a wink. It’s what we humans do as a gesture of camaraderie and affection. My eye is fine, thanks. His friend sniffed in disapproval, which only made Steiger laugh again, much to Zoe’s chagrin.

Dinny interrupted their mirth. I don’t see how you can laugh at a time like this, like there’s anything funny about a cyborg psychopath taking your sister to provoke a fight or a sociopathic intelligent mist vowing to kill my father unless we’re back here in a week…or have you forgotten all that? She had turned to face Steiger with her tear-streaked splotchy face while she gritted her teeth, as if she wanted nothing more than to bite him. Summoning the calm he needed at a time like this, the young arcanist just looked at his girlfriend with compassion in his eyes.

No, Dinny, I haven’t forgotten any of that. But laughter, honest genuine laughter, is sometimes needed to remind ourselves that it isn’t so bad. We will get through this, together, and you want to know why? It’s something your father told me once, and I’m sure that he’s told you this before also. ‘If we fall down, we don’t accomplish anything…’

’…unless we get back up and keep on trying,’ Dinny finished for him. She wiped her eyes on a blanket that was on the back of the couch. Dad was always saying stuff like that to me, to help keep me strong. What would he say if he could see me crying like this right now?

Steiger cupped her chin and looked deep into her shimmering eyes. He would just hug you and let you get it all out of your system, and then he would remind you that bellyaching never solved anything. He grinned at Dinny, and she gave a little giggle. Before he could think about it, he leaned in and gently kissed her, not passionately but softly, as if to say that it all was going to be ok. She kissed him back just as softly, then reluctantly disengaged and stood up. Holding out her hand to him, Steiger let Dinny help pull him up and then they hugged each other tightly for a minute or so.

When Steiger turned back to Zoe, he was looking quite upset. One day, hatch-friend Steiger, you will have to be explaining to me the significance of swapping saliva with another Human, he shuddered in revulsion. I am having no remembering of anything like this being done amongst my people, and for that I am being very glad. I have heard it is a sign of affection, but for the life of my being I can’t be understanding why that is so!

Steiger laughed and put his arm around Dinny’s shoulders. C’mon, Zoe! You can’t expect me to believe that Kobolds don’t show each other affection physically at all!

Zoe sniffed. When one Kobold finds another Kobold attractive, and it is known that the other also returns the feeling, then we may sometimes rub snouts together. His scales darkened slightly, and Steiger realized that it was the Kobold version of blushing. Not that it is being any of your business if I have or haven’t rubbed snouts with someone, or how many, or…what are you grinning at? Close your foolish face-hole, please! He snorted angrily, and Steiger did his best not to laugh at the irritated Kobold while struggling to keep his face straight. Next to him, Dinny turned and buried her face in his shirt; he could feel her body jiggling slightly as the shirt muffled her giggles. Zoe snorted again in frustration, and it was all that Steiger could do to maintain control and not burst out in laughter.

Once he felt he wasn’t going to guffaw and embarrass Zoe, Steiger reluctantly let go of Dinny and went over to where his belongings for the trip were packed. Okay, nothing has changed much from what I had initially been going to do; just the way we do it will. We still need to head up to the surface and go rescue my sister from that asshole Alby, and then we need to head back down here and stop Myst from going after your father. Piece of cake, right?

Going over to where her stuff was stored, Dinny picked up her gear. Oh sure, and while we’re at it let’s just steal the Crown Jewels and bring magic back into the world and have the sun rise at night, the sarcasm dripped from her voice. Might as well wish for the Gnomes and the Halflings to come back to life as well, since we’re dreaming of impossible things! She angrily put her backpack on and buckled on her weapons tightly.

Sighing, Steiger walked over to her but she turned her back towards him. He put his hand on her left shoulder and rubbed it anyway. I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy Din, but I gotta try. That’s all any of us can truly do, right? So, have a little faith in all of us and let’s get going, okay? Some of the tension had left her, but she just gave a curt nod that she had heard and agreed with him. Steiger sighed again. I can’t ask for more than she’s willing to give, he thought glumly. Turning to face Zoe, the young arcanist was relieved to see that at least his friend seemed to believe in him, as all of Zoe’s gear was stowed away and he was ready to go.

Making sure that he didn’t leave anything lit where it could burn the books or shelves if left unattended, Steiger led the three of them out the door into the cavern. Keeping her tone clipped, Dinny asked him, How are you going to make sure that no one else comes in and does anything to your books? After all, Drakkor and his men are still searching for us.

Steiger spun to face her. What do you mean, ‘us’?! When did you meet that madman?

Dinny sniffed haughtily, and Steiger briefly marveled at the way that females of all ages seemed to convey so much disapproval into one little sound. When Grae and I came down to look for you, one of his patrols stumbled upon us and tried to capture us. I killed two of the guards before they overpowered us and took us in. She said it as nonchalantly as someone would describe what they had to eat the night before. We met Drakkor; I’ll be honest and unashamed to admit that he frightens me. It is scary how much hatred he has for you. Luckily, we were able to escape and that’s when we ran into Zoe. She smiled at Zoe, who returned it. Steiger just sat down forcefully and stared at his girlfriend as if he didn’t know her.

What do you mean, you killed two guards? And you escaped from being taken prisoner and an armed guard facility? I mean, who are you? How did you learn to do all of that? He knew his voice sounded incredulous, but Steiger really didn’t care. It was like he was seeing her for the first time. She flushed a little, but stared straight into his eyes and didn’t look away. As she opened her mouth to give what was probably an angry retort, Zoe’s shout of alarm stopped her words. They both turned to him, and he was pointing across the cavern frantically. Looking to see what had upset their friend so, Steiger and Dinny spotted a patrol of guards marching across the cavern, pulling out weapons and preparing for battle. Their black uniforms made it seem as if a bit of darkness had come to life and was about to overcome them. Well damn, Steiger swore while Dinny muttered something that almost seemed more profane under her breath.

Name bad luck and you invite it to your doorstep, Dinny spoke up. I hope you know how to use that magic of yours well enough, Orc-boy, cuz I’m pretty sure that they ain’t gonna take us in for tea and cookies. They’ll probably kill us all.

Shaking his head, Steiger tried to center himself before he answered her. Maybe they’ll try and kill you and Zoe, but I’m sure that they have orders to bring me back alive. Drakkor once told me that he was going to keep me around for a very long time, to prolong my misery. He swallowed whatever else he had been going to say, for at that moment the guards let out a roar and charged the rest of the way across the cavern. The young arcanist had to prepare for the battle, and he hoped that all of his learning and minimal practical experience was up to the task.

Intermission One

Grae was dreaming that she was back in her bed in her small room; unlike Steiger she had worked hard to decorate the room with lots of paintings and little knick-knacks on her dresser to help express her individuality. All of that had lost its meaning, however, the day that she felt the Call. That was the only way she could describe it; in that instant, all of the things that had mattered to her more than life itself just faded into the background. I think I must be reliving that day, she mused to herself with that clarity that sometimes people achieve when they know that they are in fact dreaming. The young priestess knew that if she wanted, she could probably change the dream to something else…but since she enjoyed this memory so much she would just surrender to it and experience it again.

In the memory, Grae recalled how it had been the morning of her sixteenth Naming Day and she had been sleeping in just a bit. Her bosses at the I.E. had given her the day off, and her mom was helping to prepare breakfast. She remembered how her stepdad had grumbled about letting her slack off. Smiling fondly, she also remembered how Eleanor had told him off, saying Grae was only sixteen once and to just let it go, it was only for one day. It was one of the few times that her mom had defied Noel - most of the time, she caved in to whatever desires he had. Sadly, their mom had never stuck up like that for Steiger, which may be why he was even more disrespectful to both of them. Grae had never really resented either of them. She pitied them, trapped as they were in circumstances beyond their control, but thankfully they had always treated her if not nicely at least fairly. Steiger was a different story; it seemed like they both took out their frustration on him and it had caused him to become the young man he was today.

The voice had been what dragged her from her slumber back then, probably deep in dreaming of some stupid boy or another. It made Grae cringe with regret that back then she had been so boy crazy that nothing else really seemed to matter. Even her job at the I.E. was in part so she could go to many different places and see many different people, especially young men. Thankfully, the voice that she had heard helped wake her up, in every sense of the word, and set her on a more mature path.

Grae, the voice had called her name, softly yet insistently, a polite intruder but an intruder nonetheless. Grae, I have need of you. Please, come to me. The voice was feminine but strong, silk covering iron. At first she had tried to ignore it but it just kept repeating itself, so finally with a groan the young woman sat up and looked around, trying to push her hair out of her eyes and rubbing them tiredly while smacking her lips because of how dry her mouth was. No one was there, and since the voice didn’t sound like any of her friends she had shrugged it off. She had thought it was the aftereffects of the wine her friends had stolen for her, to help celebrate her birthday early the night before. Grae had attempted to lay back down, but the voice called for her again.

"Abigail, Danielle, Lyra? Come on, whoever this is just leave me