Paul

There was a certain something that could make them turn as one. It could make Kenta swear, and Paul knock over his chair standing. It could make Cassie fly in through an open window after going MIA for a week. It could make Wendi say, “Wow,” and Daniel, “No way.”

That something was the sight of thirty powerful auras exiting the Terminal. Paul felt as much as saw the rapid flaring of magic; a palpable rush of signatures in six distinct flavors. Mages.

Paul cursed to himself. They’d known this could happen. Like camping on the shore during hurricane season or building a house near a fault line, they’d gambled with disaster, and now they’d pay the price.

“It seems we lingered a day too long,” a familiar voice quipped.

Apparently, it could make Lea descend the stairs unaided with flawless composure as well.

“Lea, you’re back!” Cassie jumped with delight.

The five of them shifted from petrified shock to gape-mouthed surprise as they took in her wardrobe change. Lea wore a loose, off-shoulder floral print dress ending above the knee. She was sharp and beautiful, her short hair accentuating the breezy look. Best of all, though, was her confident smile.

“We should have left months ago,” Kenta said. The Kaminoke clicked his tongue as Big T, the Terminal’s monolith of a guardian, made no move to oppose the invaders. “Quick, douse the illusions.”

“I wouldn’t,” Rana said, following Lea into the lobby. Was it his imagination, or did she look tired? “Hiding would seem suspicious.”

Daniel frowned. “Can’t you Camouflage us?”

“My magic is weakest when someone is looking for me, and a failed attempt would reveal we’re Wildlings.”

“We can’t run; they’re too fast,” Cassie said.

“So…” Lea smiled. “We bluff.”

“Bluff?” asked Daniel. “Will they give us that chance?”

Rana scrunched her mouth to one side. “Depends. Mages usually fall into one of three types: weirdoes, psychos, and the nice ones.”

“You’re thinking these are the third kind?”

The frog girl smirked. “See any burning buildings?”

“Maybe they’re here for a reason…” Wendi shrugged.

“Besides the Terminal?” They pondered the idea. Daniel gave a thoughtful hum, “Why would mages come to Radio World? I doubt it’s for cultural appreciation.”

Kenta lost his patience. “Instead of doing something, you want us to wait here and hope—”

Three mages sped toward them at an alarming pace. The trio’s leader had an imposing viridian aura, a Wind mage on Big T’s level.

“—Remain calm. We aren’t Wildlings; we’re wandering mages,” Rana said. Her unconcerned tone made the nerve-wracking wait a bit easier. She donned the illusion of a hooded cloak, masking her face and body. The others copied her work.

In seconds, the fearsome trio crossed the city on bounding arcs of lightning, a rocket of flame, and a whirling dervish. They landed on a nearby rooftop, and the leader disappeared from their Second Sight. Several heart-pounding seconds later, they heard a knock on the door. Then a pause.

They waited, glancing at each other.

“Come in?” Daniel said, his lack of conviction sounding like a question with a strained half-smile.

The door burst open, and a smiling woman blew in. That is, her floating feet literally didn’t touch the ground. The accompanying breeze couldn’t have lifted her bodyweight… unless she was light as a feather. Her voice rang like wind chimes on a sunny day.

“Hello, thanks for the invitation. I’m popping by to introduce myself—all of us, actually.”

She wore bright green flowing silk with gold trim, secured at the waist by a sash with intricate golden spirals. More stylized whorls decorated her gloves, boots, leggings, and blouse, reminding Paul of racial emblems. Paul recognized these as Wind Runes.

Sharp eyes matched the viridian aura fading with her arrival, implying intrinsic levitation. A gorgeous wheatfield of billowing hair enveloped her in a corona. A white capelet draped across her shoulders, fastened at the neck with a Shew Stone clasp.

“I’m our spokesperson, but that’s just a formal term for ‘Group Handshaker.’” At that last word, Daniel broke into a sweat. Rana and Lea curtsied together as if on cue. The woman returned the gesture. “I can be polite too. How do you do, sir?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

She eyed Daniel as if she already suspected the truth.

The girls’ quick thinking saved the situation, and the rest of them struggled to play along with their bows and curtsies. Wendi and Cassie had better luck with the illusion than physically managing it. Paul thanked the gods that barging in waving a light gem wasn’t considered ‘polite.’

“My name is Goldie.” She was a rare beauty, perhaps twenty. She took an exaggerated breath and said, “I’m a Senior Image Manager under Archmage Haizea of the Living Dead Faction in the one true City! Phew, that’s a mouthful—please don’t make me say it again.” She grinned at them with two rows of little white pearls. Whether pausing for effect or awaiting a response, she let a moment of dead air hang. “If you don’t mind me asking, who are you?”

:No real names, but don’t let her catch you lying,: Rana sent. They introduced themselves with aliases.

Goldie kept a conversational tone while inspecting the building’s fine interior contrasted with its rundown exterior. “I’d guess you’ve been here a couple months; probably recovering from a hard time on the road. You’re in disguise, so you could be wizards or sorcerers. No, no, don’t say. We may be biased, but we’re not prejudiced. Our Faction has a standing policy, ‘Don’t Inquire, Don’t Perspire.’ In other words, we don’t sweat the small stuff. There’s even a ‘Miscellaneous’ subdivision for those who don’t wish to self-identify.”

She took in their bewildered silence. “Oh, look at me jumping the gun; Marius will write me up for sure.” She tsked, tsked herself. “If you think I’m strong-arming you into anything, you’re dead wrong. I simply noticed you weren’t registered Citizens—you didn’t get my sending—and I assumed you were on your way to the City. (Don’t get me started on assumptions.)”

Goldie chuckled. “It just so happens we’re headed that way after this, and we’d be happy to help you along. Walk you right up to the registry if you’d like. Heck, I’ll even help you fill out the paperwork! Although,” she hastened to add, “You’re not obligated to join our Faction. Or come with us at all.”

When they didn’t jump at the chance, she sighed. Her hands and smile fell as she shook her weary head and said, tone flat and stern, “Look, this is in your best interest—okay, I admit, we don’t want those god-cursed Nephilim grabbing you. If you think Wildlings are the only ones getting snatched on the stray, you’ve got another thing coming. Unregistered mages caught in the open are what they call Dead to Rights.”

She snapped her fingers, and a man entered bearing an odd, lanternlike contraption. He wore a tailored red suit with gold trim. It would’ve been garish if not for his handsome severity—in this case, the man made the suit—though the black leather belt seemed an odd choice lacking synergy. The other parts of the suit bore burning sun Fire Runes. He had an exact copy of Goldie’s white capelet.

The scarlet aura mage tossed a steel trap that hit the ground and popped open. A healing coin’s pulsing aura emanated from a concealed lower chamber. Above sat a hollow sphere, handle on top, and a gaping latch door on the front.

:Screams!: Cassie sent, frantic, :It echoes with screams!:

Goldie planted a foot atop the object and bared her teeth. “This is a Head Case. Now, traditionally, they’re for transporting fugitives… but these days, all sorts of people end up in them. See, any mage worth their salt has the raw power to regenerate a body from nothing if the brain hasn’t necrotized. If we were bad guys, the seven of you would find yourselves conveniently packaged and on your way to the Auction House before you could whistle. We’d sort out what you are later.

“So, when I say, ‘You have a choice,’ I’m not screwing with you. Coming with us is the smart move.” At a wave of her hand, the scarlet man stored the Head Case and left. “You won’t get a better offer but do talk it over.”

The seven of them turned to each other. Rana began, :She’s right. We’re not getting a better chance at Citizenship than under their protection. If we join their Faction, we’ll have to work for them, but we can choose our Missions and stay together.:

:Should we vote on it?: Paul wondered. :I say we follow them.:

Kenta shook his head, :My answer is the same as always. I’ll go by myself if I have to.:

:I think we should go with her,: Cassie said, surprising the rest after how scared she’d been earlier.

:Sorry if this sounds stupid, but shouldn’t you three be on Kenta’s side—considering you have living relatives with the T.O.?: Wendi’s voice felt odd for most of them to hear in the discussion, and she highlighted the fact by then sending, :See, Danny, I paid attention.:

That made Paul uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his uncle again; he didn’t want to have to start lying about directions. :We’ve been over this. Lumière, Bufo, and Nyctea can take care of themselves.:

:Shouldn’t this be the leader’s choice?: Cassie sent.

They all turned to Lea, who had gone through so much, yet recovered who-knew-how overnight. She lifted her chin. :I am your leader no more. My failure proved me unfit for the position. My conduct was disgraceful, and I do not expect your forgiveness.: Before they could rush to contradict her, she continued, :Our rightful leader is now Daniel. He showed himself capable, strategic, and a quick thinker. I shall abide by his decision, use my abilities to support our cause, and advise the rest of you to do the same.:

The spotlight shifted.

Daniel searched himself. :I’ve been thinking a lot about this. The decision depended on how well we could recover.: He looked from the glint in Lea’s eye to the comprehension in Wendi’s, to whatever he thought he saw in Paul’s. :Seeing how that turned out makes this easier. It seems obvious, but it took some hands-on experience for me to appreciate. Brothers, sisters, uncles, parents—Guardians—will do what’s best for their wards.

:Following mages to the City may be safest, but if it were the best, we’d be there! Our guardians would’ve found us a way in, but they didn’t. They made the T.O.! They created a place for misfits to band together. Even if we can’t find the others, let’s make our own group to honor them. Giving that up for ‘safety’ under servitude would throw away what they risked their lives to protect—our best chance.

:Together we can predict, avoid, outrun, and hide better than most. If we can get our heads on straight, we’ll make it. We are ready to take on the Wilderness, and that’s why we’re not going with her.:

It was settled. Between Kenta’s stubbornness and Daniel’s optimism, they had a way forward. If Paul or anyone else had doubts, none were voiced.

Daniel addressed Goldie, “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, but we have greater concerns than our own safety. The path we tread leads elsewhere.”

She made a show of shrugging her shoulders and lifting her hands in resignation. “If you put it like that, I can’t exactly hold it against you. I’ll still call you naïve, though. There’s a saying in the City, ‘Intelligence and prudence are the same virtue.’ The human equivalent is, ‘There’s no cure for stupidity.’ The road you’re on is doomed for a quick and painful end. With that in mind, I insist you at least come to the Barbeque.”

““Barbeque?”” they said in unison.