The Wizard of Time (Book 1) (21 page)

“Did everything go as planned?” Ling asked, looking at Akikane, Ohin, and Gabriel.

“For once,” Rajan said.

“Everything has been set right,” Ohin said. “The alternate branch will never be.”

“But you will,” Akikane said, eyes twinkling peacefully. “You will.”

“I think we should celebrate over dinner,” Rajan said.

“How surprising,” Teresa said, “Rajan wants to eat.”

“And wine,” Marcus said. “I know the perfect bottle to open for a celebration.”

“And Marcus wants to drink,” Sema said. “Again, how surprising.”

“That is a good idea,” Ohin said. “We need to discuss the next steps and the next mission.”

“We need to find the place where Apollyon is making his copies,” Gabriel said, assuming that was the next step.

“Yes, yes,” Akikane said, beaming as he walked toward the Waterloo Chamber across the castle grounds in the state apartments. “And to do that, we will need to find Nefferati.”

  The statement left Gabriel so stunned he stood rooted to the spot while the others walked away. Ling gave him a push in the middle of the back. He stumbled forward to catch up with the group, Ling at his side.

“Nefferati?” Gabriel asked, not knowing what else to say.

“Ohin says she is the only one with enough experience to locate the place in time that Apollyon is using to make his duplicates,” Ling said. “It will be hidden with powerful magic.”

“Right,” Gabriel said, wondering just how powerful Nefferati was if True Mages like Akikane and Elizabeth could not find the spot in time where Apollyon was hiding his illicit activities. They walked on in silence behind the others for a moment. Then Ling rustled his hair and laughed.

“What?” Gabriel said, wondering at the source of her amusement.

“It’s funny,” Ling said. “When I first met you, I figured you’d be a troublemaker. From further up the timeline than nearly everyone. An annoying know-it-all making my life difficult.”

“I wonder who you could be talking about,” Gabriel said, looking ahead to see that Teresa was too far away to hear their conversation.

“Exactly,” Ling said, following his line of sight. “She’s like a daughter in that way. I had two daughters back before all this, as well as my son. She’s like a combination of both of them in one. They never listened to me, either. But you. You listen to everything everyone says, you’re sweet and polite, and even manage to be modest about being the fulfillment of the prophecy. Humble about being the Seventh True Mage. And yet you cause more trouble than anyone!” Ling laughed again and slugged him in the arm as they walked. From her, this was like being showered with hugs and kisses, and Gabriel felt his cheeks grow hot as he smiled back.

Chapter 16: The Best Laid Plans

Dinner that night was the usual affair: scrumptious food, plenty of wine, at least for the adults, boisterous banter from Marcus, Teresa, and Rajan, and cordial conversation among Sema, Ling, and Ohin. Gabriel felt happy for the first time in days. He noticed the rabbit’s foot switch hands between Teresa and Rajan again and asked a question that he had been wondering about for some time.

“What happens if you lose a bet and you don’t have the rabbit’s foot to hand over?”

“Why don’t you make a bet and find out?” Teresa said with a look of innocence.

“Don’t take the bait, Lad,” Marcus said.

“I think I’ll pass,” Gabriel said.

“Not a betting man?” Rajan asked.

“I think I’ve gambled enough lately,” Gabriel said, and the others laughed.

After dinner, Gabriel took a nighttime walk with Ling and Sema through the castle grounds. They walked several paces behind him, talking between themselves. Gabriel had wanted some time alone to think things through and clear his head, but Sema and Ling had volunteered to go with him. When he had suggested he might want to be by himself, they had seemed oddly deaf. Apparently he was to have bodyguards even within the castle walls. At least for the time being. Until it was known who the spy was. Or spies.

He was desperate to try more magic, to practice with Fire Magic or Wind Magic, but he had been cautioned not to try any magic that might reveal his status as a True Mage until it was known by everyone in the castle.

He walked through the grounds, staring up at the stars in the sky above, wondering what his future would hold. He seemed to spend a lot of time doing that lately. Wondering what would come next. Stopping Apollyon from making more copies of himself was the first mission, but what would come after that?  Would he even be allowed on any missions?  Councilwoman Elizabeth had been of the opinion that he should not be risking his life even on the mission to find Apollyon’s secret branch of time where he copied himself. She felt that he was too valuable to jeopardize in such an endeavor.

Akikane had apparently been insistent that his new apprentice train to the fullest extent possible. Gabriel was thankful for that. He had no idea what dangers he might face, but being the Seventh True Mage probably meant he would face more than most, and it would be best to have as much training and experience as possible. It had helped that Akikane made it clear that he would personally accompany Gabriel on this mission.

Figuring that if he couldn’t practice magic out in the open, he could at least practice it in his room. Gabriel decided to say good night to Ling and Sema. They insisted on accompanying him to his quarters. As they bid him goodnight, Sema gave him a light kiss on the forehead and Ling gave him a wink and whack on the arm. In his room, alone for the first time in hours, Gabriel practiced making fireballs fly around his quarters, making several books that Ohin had brought him levitate at the same time, trying to swirl them around in a controlled dance of paper and light. When one of the books collided with one of the fireballs and burst into flame, Gabriel released his concentration. The burning book fell to the floor, along with the others, as the fireballs winked out of existence.

Staring at the book as it burned, Gabriel tried to think of what to do. How could he use magic to put the fire out?  The flame from the book grew larger and began to threaten the faded Persian rug. He was about to grab a glass of water from his dresser when something occurred to him.

Focusing his mind again, he concentrated on making the flame smaller and smaller until it finally flickered out. He picked up the book as he used magic to open the window and air out the room. Many of the pages at the beginning were beyond recovery, but most of the latter half of the book was still legible. He looked at the title.
Flames from Nowhere: An Apprentice Guide to Fire Magic
. Gabriel laughed as he went to bed. Maybe Teresa would tell him what the front of the book had said. At least the most interesting part, the advanced Fire Magic, was still readable.

Before breakfast the next morning, Gabriel met Ohin at a bench in the courtyard of the Upper Ward. Ohin had asked him to be there when the sun came up. Gabriel wasn’t sure why people who could control time needed to get up so early, but he didn’t complain. It had never done him any good to complain to his mother about what time he needed to get up, and he doubted that Ohin would be any more flexible than his mother had been.

Gabriel sat down next to Ohin.

“Morning,” Gabriel said.

“Good Morning,” Ohin said, handing Gabriel a small leather-bound book. For a second, Gabriel thought the book was a copy of the one he had burnt the night before and wondered how Ohin had known, and wondered even more so if he was in trouble for damaging a book from the castle library. Then he read the title.
A Time Traveler’s Pocket Guide to History, Third Edition
, edited by one William Mackel. Gabriel paged through the book. It had a detailed timeline in the front and sections with illustrated entries in chronological order, as well as a section at the back with names and places arranged alphabetically. It was small, but incredibly detailed. Idly, Gabriel realized there must be a printing press somewhere in the castle to be making all these specialized books.

“Thank you,” Gabriel said, looking from the book to Ohin.

“You’re welcome,” Ohin said. “I thought it might be helpful until your studies of history are complete. I kept it in my pocket for years while I was an apprentice.”

“I have trouble imagining you as an apprentice,” Gabriel said, flipping through the pages of the book again.

“I was an apprentice for a long time,” Ohin said with a sigh. “More than once. Before I was plucked from the timeline, I was a stonemason, and I apprenticed with my master for ten years. They were hard years, filled with long hours and backbreaking work, but good years, as well. He was a kind teacher, patient with a slow learner, and forgiving of mistakes. I was an orphan and he and his wife were like the family I had never known. She used to bake spiced-honey bread and serve it with fresh cream from goat’s milk. I miss the taste of that.

“It was a long apprenticeship, but not one where I learned to read. You are lucky to have been taken from a place and time when reading was common. I came from a land with a written language, but a long oral tradition. The written language was called Ge’ez, but an apprentice stonemason had little time for learning to read. It took a great deal of effort to learn English, which Councilwoman Elizabeth has established as the common language for the castle. At first, it was actually easier for me to memorize the book from someone reading it to me than to read it myself.”

“You memorized this whole book?” Gabriel said, his eyes widening.

“That and many others,” Ohin said. “It’s not that hard once you learn how. People in your time had gotten lazy about using their memory, but for a time traveler, it is essential to have a powerful recall. While that little book will slip in your pocket, you cannot hope to carry all the books with all the knowledge you are likely to need.”

“I have a pretty good memory for names and dates,” Gabriel said, sliding the book into one of the deep pockets on the side of his pants. It was a perfect fit.

“I’m sure you do,” Ohin said. “And I’ll help you to improve it. I have something else for you.” Ohin handed Gabriel a small piece of amber. Gabriel held it up to the light and could see a beetle suspended in the orange-brown fossilized tree resin. “This relic is yours to keep. It will allow you to make your way back to the castle in the event of an emergency. I want you to keep it on you at all times.”

“Thanks,” Gabriel said. It felt like someone had given him a key to the castle.

“Follow me,” Ohin said as he stood.

“Where to?” Gabriel asked, sliding the amber-encrusted beetle into his pocket as he stood.

“To see about finding Nefferati,” Ohin said.

Gabriel followed Ohin through the grounds to the state apartments and a large wooden door that led to what used to be called the King’s Drawing Room. Ohin knocked and Gabriel heard Councilwoman Elizabeth’s voice beckon them to enter.

Councilwoman Elizabeth’s office was decorated much the way Gabriel had imagined. It looked like the sitting room of British royalty. A white marble fireplace sat behind a large gilded desk of elm in the middle of the room, a large oriental carpet covered the wooden floor, and paintings by Peter Paul Rubens decorated the walls. Ling had mentioned the painting of
St. George and the Dragon
as being one of her favorites in the castle. Now that he could see it, Gabriel understood why she liked it. It exuded an extremely attractive sense of power and purpose. Several large leather chairs surrounded a low, ornately carved wooden table. A silver tea service sat on the table with four delicately made china teacups. Elizabeth and Akikane sat in two of the leather chairs.

“Thank you for joining us,” Elizabeth said, pouring tea into two of the empty cups.

“Thank you for inviting us,” Ohin said as he made a slight bow and took a seat. Not knowing what was expected of him, Gabriel imitated Ohin’s bow and sat next to him. Akikane gave Gabriel one of his characteristically beatific smiles. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile back.

“After some considerable effort,” Elizabeth said, “Akikane and I have been able to locate the time and place of Nefferati’s retreat.” She held up a stone arrowhead. “She left me this to find her in the event she was needed.”

“Without Nefferati, we have little hope of finding where Apollyon is making his bifurcations to twin himself,” Ohin said

“The magic that cloaks the branches is too strong,” Elizabeth said.

“Even for us,” Akikane said. “Even for us.”

“But we believe Nefferati may be able to sense where the branches are being made,” Elizabeth said. “A Time Mage, or a True Mage, can use a relic to scan through history and sense disturbances in the Primary Continuum. In a similar way, we used this arrowhead to discover where Nefferati has sequestered herself.”

“Where is she?” Gabriel asked.

“Neolithic China,” Ohin said.

“Which is where you will be going,” Elizabeth added.

 “I will accompany you,” Akikane said.

“You aren’t going?” Gabriel asked Elizabeth, surprised that she would not want to see her old teacher.

“That might prove to be unhelpful,” Elizabeth said.

“Most unhelpful, most unhelpful,” Akikane said.

“When Nefferati departed the castle,” Elizabeth said, seeming to choose her words carefully, “we were not on the best of terms.” Ohin made a noise that sounded like an abortive snort of laugher. Elizabeth shot him a glance, and he cleared his throat.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Gabriel said, “why did Nefferati leave?”

“That is Councilwomen Nefferati to you,” Elizabeth said. “The boy sits quiet like a mouse and only opens his mouth to ask the one question I don’t want to answer,” she continued, speaking to no one in particular.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel said. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s not rude at all,” Elizabeth said. “If you’re going to meet her, you should understand why she left. And sending you will be our best hope of ensuring her cooperation.”

“Why wouldn’t she want to help?” Gabriel asked.