Wizard Rebellion (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 5) Read online

  “Mother made me join the fencing team at school as well,” said Matthew. “I got pretty good. I even won a few trophies. I always thought it was a waste of time. Now I suppose I’m going to get a chance to put those skills to good use. I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

  Before Richard could say anything, Myers shot down Matthew’s hopes before they got off the ground. “We’re going to drop you two off at the first safe spot we can find. I’m not risking your lives by taking you into some medieval battle and having your heads cut off.” Myers looked directly at Matthew. “I promised your mother I’d keep you safe.”

  Matthew drew in a deep breath. His face took on a defiant look. Before the teenager could start an argument, Richard intervened.

  “Bad idea,” Richard told Myers. “We were close together when we teleported here as a group. When our mission is complete, we may need to be teleported back as a group. I think it’s best if we stay close to each other. If Matt and Tia are a couple of hundred kilometers away, they may be left behind. They’d be trapped in the past, and there wouldn’t be a thing we could do about it.”

  Myers didn’t look convinced.

  Richard had a feeling his brother needed a solid example. “My niece and nephew have been trapped in the past for the last couple of years. I’ve tried everything I know how to do, and I still haven’t been able to rescue them.” Richard looked at the teenagers. “As long as I’m in charge, the two of you are going to stay close to us. That’s just the way it’s going to be.”

  Matthew nodded his head gratefully. He sent a ‘so there’ smile in Myers’s direction. Richard’s brother looked none too happy.

  Too bad, Richard thought. Life sucks. Get used to it.

  Chapter 21 – Unexpected Side Trip

  _____________________

  Colonel Dandridge and Emerald pushed them hard all day. Richard spent his time in the saddle analyzing and placing traps on Trinity’s link to her Power reserve. Although far from perfect, by the time they made camp for the night, he felt confident even a skilled mage would require at least a minute to bypass her link’s security. He told Trinity as much.

  “Thanks,” said Trinity as she dismounted her horse. “I owe you.”

  “No problem. I’ll tighten it up some more tomorrow.”

  Trinity nodded her head before walking over to join Jerad. The two tethered their horses together and brushed them down. After they finished, Richard noticed them walking hand-in-hand into the woods. He assumed they wanted to be alone for a while. He didn’t blame them. The previous night was supposed to have been their wedding night after all.

  Richard sensed a presence nearby and turned around to find Telsa watching him. “You’re getting very good at stealth shields,” he told her. “I didn’t even sense you.”

  Telsa smiled. “I had a good teacher. Besides, I’m cheating a little. Since my Power reserve is full, I’ve switched back to my best stealth shield. I figured why not?”

  “Well, it’s a good shield,” Richard said.

  As he spoke to Telsa, he continued to monitor his passive scan. He noticed the two Power readings for Trinity and Jerad disappear.

  Telsa must have noticed their disappearance as well. “I guess they don’t want anyone trying to follow them. Not that anyone would.”

  Richard nodded in agreement. “At least not anyone who wanted to keep their head on their shoulders.”

  Telsa tilted her head in the direction of the camp. Colonel Dandridge’s scouts were already laying out their gear and assigning guard posts. Some blackened pots hung over two very small fires. Richard thought he smelled some kind of stew in the air.

  “Shall we join the others?” asked Telsa. “Gaston and that blonde girl said they’d show us how to use these swords. Plus, you promised to teach us that drilling trick of yours, remember?”

  “So I did,” Richard said as he followed his friend to the center of the camp.

  Myers and Chancee were already working with Tam, Tia, and Matthew on some simple sword moves. Telsa joined them. Richard watched them for a few minutes. He had to admit Myers was a patient teacher when he wanted to be. His brother spent a considerable amount of time demonstrating sword moves to Matthew and Tia. Somehow, his brother was able to take their previous fencing experience and convert it into useful attacks and parries with a longsword.

  As Richard watched, Myers had Matthew make a series of attacks while his ex-TAC officer defended. The teenager made several swings, which Myers easily deflected. Suddenly, Matthew lunged forward with his arm outstretched. The tip of his longsword passed over Myers’s counterstroke and plunged deep into the chest of Richard’s brother.

  Matthew let go of the handle of his sword and gasped, “No!”

  Myers stood there with the sword sticking out of his chest.

  “By the Creator,” said Chancee who’d been sparring with Telsa. “You’ve killed him.”

  Richard knew better. He’d sensed a line of Power from Myers wrap around the blade of Matthew’s sword and make it shimmer before it plunged into his chest.

  He’s a shifter, Richard thought.

  Obviously, Myers had allowed Matthew’s attack to get through his defenses on purpose, Richard just wasn’t sure why. That Myers could cause objects to shift into the void confused him. His brother was a diviner. He hadn’t known his ex-TAC officer had more than one specialty.

  Matthew stood there white-faced as Myers slowly went through the motions of pulling the teenager’s sword out of his body. Once it was out, he handed the weapon back to the boy. Richard noticed the blade was clean with nary a drop of blood. He’d expected no less.

  “You let go of your sword, Matt,” said Myers to the still ashen-faced teenager. “You should never stop fighting until you’re certain your foe is dead.”

  When Matthew struggled to find words, Richard came to his rescue. “Myers pulled a fast one on you, Matt. He shifted your sword blade into the void. It’s the same technique I used when I shifted your mother and you into the elevator shaft. Remember that?”

  The teenager nodded his head.

  Richard knew he’d remember. An assassin had shot Matthew’s mother. He had been forced to shift both Matthew and his mother into the void to save their lives. “Well, then you can understand that your sword never really penetrated Myers’s body. I suspect he used telekinesis to give the sword some back pressure to make it feel like you’d hit flesh.”

  Turning to Myers, Richard said, “That was an expensive trick. It would’ve used less Power to just deflect his sword blade to the side. Weren’t you always lecturing us to conserve Power when we were at the Academy?”

  Myers glared at Richard as he opened his mouth to speak, then stopped himself before the words escaped. As if unwilling to address Richard directly, Myers turned to Tam and Telsa.

  “Sometimes showmanship is worth the Power cost. I could’ve used telekinesis to stop Matt’s blow, but by shifting the blade into the void, I shocked him enough to make him let go of his sword. If he’d been with a group, they might have all turned and run.”

  Tam nodded her head as if agreeing.

  Telsa didn’t seem as convinced. “That’s all well and good, but unfortunately, I’m not a shifter. I can’t do that little trick.”

  Myers didn’t seem to take offense at Telsa’s remarks. “It’s the showmanship that’s important, not the actual act. Wizard scouts have lots of techniques at their disposal.”

  “You mean like when you used telekinesis to freeze those crossbow bolts in the air at the tavern?” asked Telsa.

  Myers nodded. “It did the trick. I’m sure you noticed the soldiers stopped dead in their tracks. By using the extra Power to freeze the bolts in the air, it saved us from having to kill some of those men.”

  “I didn’t know you were a shifter,” Richard said with an edge to his voice, but he didn’t care. His brother’s actions always seemed to rub him the wrong way.

  “Then I guess there’s some things you don’t know
about me,” replied Myers. “Imagine that.”

  The animal which was Richard’s temper rattled its cage. With great effort, he held it in check. He was all too aware now was neither the time nor place to have it out with his brother.

  “Well,” Richard said trying to change the subject and avoid an argument, “if you’re done here, I need to show you how to attack and defend Power links. You’re the only other diviner here. We’ll need to watch out for the others. Only diviners can manipulate links.”

  “Later,” snapped Myers. “I need to finish my training with Matt first.”

  Richard was almost ready to start an argument when he heard shouts coming from the other side of camp. He recognized the voices as those of Colonel Dandridge and the dwarf.

  “Fine,” Richard told Myers. “I’ll get with you later.”

  “You do that,” said Myers as he turned his back in apparent dismissal.

  Richard was tempted to jerk Myers around and shove his arrogant brother’s attitude down his throat. More shouting from the other side of camp told him he was needed there. He swallowed his pride and headed in the direction of the colonel and Emerald.

  When Richard arrived, the two were in the midst of a yelling match that made even Richard uncomfortable. Colonel Dandridge towered over the dwarf, but Emerald wasn’t intimidated. She just looked up at the larger man and gave him as much as she got.

  “And I tell you I don’t care what your orders are,” said Emerald. “I like your uncle, but he’s not my king. The others and I are going to see the Oracle first. You’re welcome to come along or go your own way. I could care less.”

  “You arrogant little…,” Colonel Dandridge caught himself before the words came out and composed himself before continuing. “The people of Cantonsburg are dying. My family may be dying. We need to get there as fast as possible. That Circle of yours may be their only hope.”

  At the mention of the colonel’s family, Emerald seemed to bite off her words. She took a couple of deep breaths. When she finally spoke, it was in a much calmer voice. “I can understand your concern, Colonel. I lost my family years ago, and it still hurts. I wish I could have helped them, but I couldn’t. Believe me when I say, the only chance to save your family may be for us to see the Oracle first.”

  Richard stepped closer to the two. “Why? Why’s seeing the Oracle so important?”

  Turning away from the colonel, Emerald faced Richard. “Ah, Rick. I didn’t see you.” The dwarf suddenly looked down and used her foot to nudge an ember back into the fire. “Well, to tell the truth, I may have forgotten to mention that I can’t form a Circle unless Gaston and you help me.”

  “Actually, you did mention it,” Richard said. He suspected trouble.

  “Oh…, did I? Well then, I might have forgotten to mention that the Oracle said he needed to see both of you first so you’d know how to help. He told me ‘The brothers need to learn to work together or all is lost.’ Jerad told me earlier today that Gaston and you are brothers. He also told me the two of you don’t get along so well. I think that may be the reason the Oracle wants to see both of you.”

  “I’ve been trying to tell this hard-headed dwarf we need to go directly to Cantonsburg,” said Colonel Dandridge.

  The look the colonel gave Richard made him think the officer was hoping he’d turn out to be an ally. Richard hated to disappoint him. “I’ve had dealings with the Oracle before. Sometimes his words aren’t all that clear, but to tell the truth, I’ve never had him steer me wrong.”

  Richard remembered a time in the Oracle’s stronghold when he’d been given a memory of the elf, Shandria. She’d told him he could always trust the Oracle just like he could trust her. Shandria had been his friend. After all these years, her words were still fresh in his mind.

  Richard took a step to stand beside Emerald. “If the Oracle says we need to see him first, then that’s where we need to go.”

  When the colonel started to open his mouth, Richard raised a hand. “It’ll do no good to reach your city if we’re not ready. As Emerald said, you’re welcome to come or stay. My friends and I are going with her.”

  There were a few more minutes of tense conversation, but in the end, the colonel agreed to accompany them. Richard knew it was really the only decision the officer could make. After all, even with ten heavily armed soldiers backing him up, he couldn’t force six wizard scouts to do anything they didn’t want to do.

  As Colonel Dandridge tromped off, Richard glanced down at Emerald. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “So do I, wizard scout. So do I.”

  Chapter 22 – A Cave of Gas

  ___________________________

  The home of the Oracle wasn’t what Richard expected. When he’d visited the Oracle in the past, it had always been in a palace dug into the side of a mountain. Depending on when in time his mission occurred, the Oracle’s abode was either a highly maintained and elaborate affair or an age-worn, dilapidated set of near ruins. During his most recent mission, which had been only 2,500 years in the past, the Oracle’s home hadn’t even had lights in a lot of the rooms or hallways.

  Richard stared at what was before him now. It wasn’t the location he’d previously visited. The place where the dwarf had led them was the entrance to a small, dark cave. In fact, the word cave was giving the hole in the side of the hill too much credit.

  “This is the home of the Oracle?” Richard asked.

  “Yes,” said Emerald. “What’d you expect, a palace made out of polished marble with servants at the Oracle’s beck and call? Why would the Oracle need those?”

  Actually, Richard had been expecting a palace. After all, the Oracle’s a human. Surely he likes his creature comforts as much as the next person. One look at the dwarf’s questioning face convinced him to keep his opinion to himself. Still, he was puzzled.

  “Is everything okay, buddy?” asked Jerad, who was sitting on a horse next to Richard and must have seen the look on his face.

  “I suppose,” Richard said. “I guess I was expecting something different.”

  “Well, you said we weren’t even on the same continent as your previous missions. Things are bound to be different.”

  Richard nodded his head in reluctant agreement. He hated change. But it was what it was, so he decided to go with the flow. He dismounted his horse. The others followed suit.

  One of Colonel Dandridge’s scouts handed Emerald a torch and held a thin piece of wood to it. The soldier said a word Richard heard but quickly forgot. A flash of fire jumped from the piece of wood to the torch, which burst into flame.

  Emerald must have seen the quizzical look on Richard’s face. “It’s a match wand. Don’t you have them where you’re from? How else would you light a fire?”

  “We have our ways,” Richard said without trying to explain since he didn’t happen to have a lighter handy.

  Jerad had been eyeing the small cave opening. “Can we all fit?”

  Emerald laughed. “Not hardly. It’s pretty cramped in there. I think only the two brothers and I should go.”

  “We’re not brothers,” snarled Myers.

  Emerald looked questioningly at Richard.

  “Uh…, it’s hard to explain,” Richard told her. “We’ve got the same parents, but we were raised apart.”

  When Emerald hesitated as if waiting for further explanation, Myers grabbed the torch from her hand and entered the cave’s entrance. She quickly followed, and Richard brought up the rear. The entrance was low enough Richard had to duck his head to enter. Once inside, he realized the dwarf had been correct. The cave was very cramped. In fact, it consisted of a single room only five paces across. He saw no furniture, no lights, and no one. Only the rough-cut limestone of the floor and walls greeted him.

  Richard gazed around in the flickering torchlight. Without his battle helmet, he couldn’t see in the dark. From what he could see in the light of the torch, he had a feeling he wasn’t missing much.

  Myers
turned to face Emerald. “Is this your idea of a joke? The place is empty.”

  “Ah,” said a male voice that seemed to be more in their heads than an actual voice. “You’ve brought the brothers. Good.”

  Richard looked around the still empty room again.

  “We’re not brothers,” said Myers as much for his benefit as for the voice’s.

  “Hmm. Do you really believe that?” asked the voice. “You creatures of flesh and blood are so illogical at times. Facts are facts. I sense the similarities in your DNA. Words won’t change your common heritage.”

  “Where are you?” Richard asked. “Who are you? Show yourself.”

  “I’m the Oracle,” said the voice. “I’m all around you. I’m in the very air you are breathing. What did you expect?”

  “I’ve met the Oracle before,” Richard said. “The Oracle’s always been a human. Sometimes the Oracle has been a child, and sometimes an old man or woman. However, the Oracle’s always been a human.”

  “Really?” asked the Oracle. “Hmm. That’s actually a good idea. If I was in the form of a human, I calculate I would be accepted by others more easily. I’ll have to run some calculations to determine if it would improve my efficiency.”

  Richard let his mind roam through the cavern. He reduced the range of his passive scan until it extended no farther than the walls of the cave. He increased the sensitivity of his scan’s filter the way Trinity had shown him. He reduced the filter until he could sense a spider in its web in one of the corners. He didn’t sense the presence of any other life forms besides Emerald and Myers. Richard increased the sensitivity of his filter even more. Then he saw it.

  “You’re a gas,” Richard said.

  “Of course,” said the Oracle. “What else would I be? And you’re a carbon-based life form. Does it matter?”

  Things began to make sense in Richard’s mind. On occasion, he’d had to merge his thoughts with his battle computer’s to such an extent that he’d sensed ghosts of memories from his battle computer’s past. He knew the brerellium encased CPU chip comprising a battle computer’s primary CPU was filled with a type of living gas. He’d also begun to suspect the other free will parts of ‘the One’ were composed of a similar gas.