Flamethroat (21 page)

Once at the top of the stairs another pair of guards opened the oak doors to allow us entrance. They nodded to Jack as he passed and sneered at me as I hobbled along behind him. I avoided their gaze and looked at my filthy feet.

As we stepped into the entrance hall of
T
he Realm Headquarters, I could not help but look around in awe. The entrance was bathed in sunlight from the domed glass ceiling, the whole entrance was several stories high. An enormous spiral staircase followed the circumference of the round room. On each level I could see many important people gliding about in red robes. I quickly dropped my gaze to the marble floor and hurried to keep up with Jack who was halfway towards the reception desk.

A pale Mage with red eyes stood behind a podium and watched as we approached. I thought I played my part well, cowering behind Jack as he approached her. She too wore a blood-red cloak that matched her eyes.

‘
Welcome to
T
he Realm of Mages, how may I help you today?
’
Her voice was bland, as though this place had drained all of the life from her. She stared, unblinkingly at Jack, as though she soulless.

‘
Good morning,
’
Jack said,
‘
I-I wish to register my Human.
’

‘
The Human Registration Office can be found on the third floor. Please take the stairs to your right,
’
she said.

‘
Th-thank you,
’
Jack stammered.
‘
Uh, come along, girl.
’

I quickly followed, glancing up at the girl behind the podium. I thought I saw her eyes flicker for a moment, as though she was not really there at all.

Jack and I ascended the winding staircase, passing levels one and two along the way, catching glimpses of the inner workings.

We reached level three, which had a large sign indicating that it was indeed the level for the Human Registration Office, among other things. Instantly I knew that this was the department that made the flyers that plastered the town red. A young Mage at a desk was producing these flyers at an alarming rate. Her hands moved so fast, I knew that Speed must be her Power.

‘
Stay close,
’
Jack muttered from the corner of his mouth.
‘
Let me do the talking.
’

Jack had read my mind. At that moment I had been contemplating something rather silly. It took all of my willpower not to march up to the counter and demand to know where my family was. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, before nodding.

Jack approached the counter and blanched. The same red-eyed girl stood there, shuffling through papers on her desk.

‘
Hello again,
’
said Jack, looking over his shoulder. There was no way she could have beaten us here.

‘
Good morning, sir, how may I help you?
’

‘
Uh … I would like to register my Human,
’
said Jack, rather confused.

‘
Of course, sir.
’
She stacked her paperwork neatly and stood.
‘
Please follow me.
’

She led us down a handsome hallway, her red cloak billowing behind her.

‘
So, was that your twin downstairs?
’
Jack asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

‘
No, sir. I am able to project multiple images of myself at once, in various places. You will find my likeness on all floors, helping as many visitors as possible.
’

‘
Wow. And you can concentrate on all of these projections at once?
’
Jack asked.

‘
I have been gifted with the Power to concentrate on hundreds of things at once, sir.
’

‘
Do you make mistakes often?
’
Jack wondered aloud. I wished he would stop asking questions.

‘
I do not make mistakes, sir.
’

‘
Are you an image now?
’
Jack asked with raised eyebrows.

‘
Yes sir.
’

With a sideways glance at me, Jack quickly poked the red-eyed girl in the back, but his hand went straight through her. She was indeed an image.

‘
Please refrain from touching the projections,
’
said the girl, without a backwards glance.

‘
Right. Sorry,
’
Jack muttered.
‘
So, where are you now? I mean, the real you?
’

‘
My physical form is currently located on level 5 of
T
he Realm Headquarters, in a stasis chamber for maximum efficiency.
’

‘
Sounds like a tough job. I hope they pay all of your projections individually.
’
He gave a laugh. I had to stop myself from smiling. The red-eyed girl did not bat an eyelid.

Clearing his throat nervously, Jack continued.
‘
So, uh, what
’
s your name, anyway?
’

The projection stopped and turned to look at Jack. Her piercing eyes were round.
‘
No visitor has asked my name before.
’

‘
Oh,
’
said Jack, almost walking through her.
‘
Sorry.
’

She stared.
‘
I am Xara Swanson, Sir.
’

It seemed Jack wasn
’
t sure what to say, so he just smiled instead. This seemed sufficient enough because Xara Swanson turned back around and continued leading us towards the Human Registration Office.

She took us into a large room with no windows, the room was dark and grimy. Candles flickered in brackets on the wall and there was a long metal table in the centre of the room. Two people stood beside this workbench. They must have been chatting, for they stopped and looked up as Xara, Jack and I entered the room.

‘
Another Human for the Register, my lord and lady
’
Xara said as she bowed herself from the room, with one last look at Jack and then she was gone.

‘
Ah, excellent,
’
said the man. He was short and
greying
, with a pointy little beard. The woman on the other hand was young, with ginger hair that was plastered back into a tight bun. She had a severe face, with a strong jaw.

‘
How are you good sir?
’
said the pointy-bearded man, striding forwards and taking Jack
’
s hand.
‘
My name is Alastor Newman. At last, another Mage that has come to his senses. Thank you, thank you.
’

‘
Not at all,
’
said Jack with wide eyes.

‘
Serious business, I
’
m afraid. All for the good of Mage-Kind of course.
’

‘
Indeed,
’
Jack agreed, then turning to the severe woman he said,
‘
And what might I call you?
’

‘
Korra Waterson,
’
she said, in a strangely feminine voice,
‘
Head of the Human Registration.
’

I saw Jack
’
s pupils dilate visibly as he realised who this woman was.
‘
I … I am Adam Deacon.
’

Jack and I had invented this alias that very morning. We felt a fictional name would be best.

‘
Well, Mr. Deacon, we are very glad you have volunteered your property for our cause,
’
Ms. Waterson said graciously.

‘
Whatever it takes,
’
Jack waved a hand dismissively.
‘
Put the girl on your register.
’

‘
Of course,
’
Mr. Newman gave a small bow.
‘
If you could stand her over here please Mr. Deacon.
’

Jack, with an apologetic look in his eyes, grabbed me by the arm and shoved me in the direction of
T
he Realm officials.

‘
Stay,
’
He ordered sharply.

I stood before the two officials, my heart racing and my eyes glued to the floor.

Korra Waterson took out a sheaf of parchment, a quill and began to jot things down as Alastor Newman spoke.

‘
How old is this one?
’
Mr. Newman asked, pulling back my eyelids and staring at the whites of my eyes.

‘
Uh, eighteen,
’
Jack said quickly.
‘
I bought her only a year ago. Deceased estate.
’

Alastor pulled back my lips to inspect my teeth.

‘
She is in good health,
’
Alastor Newman said as he looked down my throat.
‘
Did you know her previous owners?

‘
No,
’
said Jack.

‘
Hm.
’
Alastor seemed to be lost in thought.

‘
How tall is she?
’
asked Korra.

Alastor whipped out a measuring tape.

‘
Five foot, two inches,
’
he told Korra, who began to scribble upon her parchment.
‘
Blue eyes. Black hair. One hundred and ten pounds.
’

Alastor pulled out a small pin and grabbed my wrist. He brought the pin to my finger and jabbed me. I gasped and snatched my hand away.

‘
What are you doing?
’
Jack said quickly.

‘
We need to take a blood sample,
’
Alastor said.
‘
It is necessary.
’

Once again, Alastor grabbed me by the wrist and let a droplet of my blood fall onto a piece of glass.

‘
Your Human is quite tame,
’
Korra noted.
‘
Many turn violent during the process or urinate themselves.
’

‘
She knows to behave,
’
Jack said with the appropriate amount of maliciousness in his voice.
‘
So, you
’
ve registered a few Humans then?
’

‘
Hundreds,
’
Alastor said, listening to my heartbeat.

Jack licked his lips nervously.
‘
I noticed the rather large mob outside.
’

Korra sighed,
‘
Yes, there are some Human lovers out there, believe it or not.
’

Jack forced a laugh.
‘
Ridiculous,
’
he said.
‘
Many of them seemed to think you had taken their families. Strange, huh?
’

Alastor laughed.
‘
Families
. What a load of nonsense. They are enraged because we have confiscated their Humans. A Mage can not be related to a Human.
’

‘
It
’
s impossible for a Mage to produce a Human child?
’
Jack asked cautiously.

‘
Of course it is impossible Mr. Deacon! They are an entirely different species. It would be like a Mage giving birth to a monkey.
’

I felt my rage growing every second.
Liars
, I thought to myself.
They know damn well that they have taken the children of those people outside.

‘
So why did you confiscate their Humans?
’
Jack asked.

‘
It is illegal to teach Humans
the English language
. It is illegal to conceal a Human under the identity of a Mage. The Realm did what was necessary to protect society,
’
Alastor said.
‘
We tracked down all educated Humans and arrested those responsible for the felony.
’