7

An Utterance: to play upon the instrument of the name in order to open a door.

We use words that summon up the opening of a Pathway, a Passage, or a Power.

Book of Brightness.

Silver and gold shimmering code peaked out from beneath the surface of reality, but there was a lag. I was reading data but not fully processing it yet.

"Your nervous system is expanding to increase its capacity to hold your codes." Said Seth as I caught up. “Mine’s downgrading and yours is upgrading." He was sad. I wasn't good with people, but this much was obvious. “Our DNA is activated to enable certain skills or abilities that have remained dormant until needed.” He ran a hand through his dark hair and glanced up. His jawline, a shadow in the setting sun, affected me. I started multi-tasking. I revisited the code that caused the breeze and tried again, focusing on a spot ahead.

“Come on!” Said Will from somewhere in the foliage. “You're gonna miss it.”

I adjusted the code to shape a whirlwind. Leaves and light debris floated off the ground and swirled a few times, shaping the whirlwind perfectly. The whole lot landed back down on the ground gently. I was pleased.

“Noice,” said Seth, smiling. I think he was genuinely impressed.

We stood before a magnificent tree in full purple bloom. I surprised myself for at least the third time today and made it up the rope ladder with less effort than expected, but I was mildly annoyed to discover Seth had not deigned to use the ladder. He had ‘beamed’ himself up.

“How did you do that?” I asked, not hiding my annoyance.

He just winked, which did nothing to lessen my irritation.

The treehouse was much like the rest of the Peaceman home: eclectic. The structure was safe, but it felt like a nest: bits of flotsam and jetsam woven into the fabric of the walls. I will admit the design was clever. The walls were bamboo poles and fabric screens that you could move around to make spaces bigger or smaller. It was functional in its aesthetic. The platform of the floor extended around the circumference of the tree. The crows nest on a ship, from which to see as far as the eye could see. A beautiful and bejewelled dwelling in the sky, built by a family of wildlings. Who were these people?

I had never purposefully watched a sunset. The orange and red fire dispersed into the purple haze of the skyline. It was beautiful. Utterly beautiful.

“Did you know the sky is blue due to a phenomenon called Rayleigh Scattering? This scattering refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (of which light is a form) by particles of a much smaller wavelength. Sunlight scatters by the particles of the atmosphere. What comes through down to earth is called diffuse sky radiation. Though only about 1/3rd of light is scattered, the smallest wavelengths of light tend to scatter easier. These shorter wavelengths correspond to blue hues, hence why when we look at the sky. We see it as blue.”

“Dude.” Said Will. “Less yada yada, more Wow.”

It was Wow. Super wow. I wasn't used to this particular kind of wow. Nor was I used to the sudden pooling of tears in my eyes. I swept my tears away as Blue winked into existence, giving Will his latest near-death experience.

“Ah Young Will,” beamed Blue, “it is good to see you!”

Oh for crying in a bucket, said Will. Wait, he didn’t say it. He thought it, but I heard him. I paid closer attention. Wisps of words and fragments of images took shape around his head, like a speech bubble in a cartoon.

Secret Power loading? I thought.

Welcome to the Mind Reader's Club, said Seth.

I squinted up at him.

He grinned.

Do you have to keep doing that? I asked. His eyes twinkled. Blue and Seth smiled.

I often knew what people were thinking, but that was easy. I was deducing things based on a framework: a bunch of assumptions strung up on the habitual behaviour of the collective with statistically high probabilities of the outcomes. This was genuine telepathy.

When do I learn how to shield my thoughts? I asked.

A firewall is a firewall, smiled Seth.

Will eyed the three of us suspiciously. “Hey,” he said. “I may not be as smart or magical, but can you keep conversations in the open while I’m around?”

Maybe, Young Will did have some smarts?

“You are quite right, young Will,” said Blue. “Apologies.” Blue bowed to him and turned back to me. “Make it so,” Blue instructed.

I closed my eyes. An image of liquid fire, with petrol-blue streaks in it, poured into the crown of my head. It flowed radially, like hot magma, lining the inside of my skull, from the crown of my head to the nape of my neck. My skull felt icy cold for a moment.

“Now set it,” he said.

Stay, I thought.

“It will require some initial maintenance, but once your Assumption is over, it will maintain itself unless you remove it,” Blue said aloud.

“Even when I’m sleeping?”

“Even when you are sleeping,” he confirmed. I sent my feelers out towards Blue’s mind. I was not surprised to find a firewall barring my entry. He sensed my attempted intrusion and raised a blue eyebrow, and grinned. We were both pleased.

“I have intel,” Seth said, resting his hands on his hips in a way that made me feel things. “The Scarab is planning a mass bio-attack at an event called Rage.”

“I know Rage.”

“You should.” Said Seth.

Having read his mind, I answered before Will could ask, “It's a big gaming and tech expo." I explained. “It’s a big deal, and millions of people attend virtually too.”

“They are literally sitting ducks,” added Seth.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Will caught my eye. He knew what I was thinking and smiled. We had an inside joke. It was nice.

“Random violence is increasing,” said Seth gravely. “Not to mention all the trolling. Exchanges are happening on socials that are ending in violence."

“For the sake of it,” I said gravely. Will's eyes met mine again. I pulled my new brain shield up, and a ripple of code trickled down the nape of my neck and across my shoulders.

Excellent Regan said Blue. Seth nodded in acknowledgement before carrying on, “Weird weather too. Snowstorms, tsunamis, the Phusis are not happy.”

“Phusis are nature spirits,” explained Blue.

“My dad is a climatologist,” Seth said. “He’s been watching things escalate, especially things not on mainstream media.”

“I noticed,” I agreed, referring to my sojourn through the news last night.

Will began to pace, alternating between a resting-confused face and a resting-panicked face. I sensed the fear in him. Was that a new ability too? Nah, I always knew when people were afraid of me.

“Anyway,” I said, leaning against the tree and crossing my arms. “Rage is the setting for major gaming compos like Pride and Glory. There are millions in prize money. I've thought about entering, but I haven’t for various reasons, most notably that I’m underage.”

“That’s never stopped you before,” said Seth. He grinned and said, “My team is in the semi-finals.”

“What’s the game plan?” Asked Will, surprising me. “I may not be a pro gamer like you, but I am the captain of a team. I know what a game plan is.”

Blue beamed again.

“You know I’m a pro?”

“You’re not the only one with the internet, Regan.”

“Stop the Scarab from releasing the virus,” said Seth.

“So we have no plan.” Said Will. He paced some more and folded his arms across his chest.

We? I thought. I was pretty sure that Will was an accident, and while we were getting on better, I wasn't sure how he could help me save the world from an evil villain.

“I will need to get back online, Blue,” I said.

“Are you going to keep letting her call you that?” asked Will.

“There is power in a name,” said Blue. “For instance, yours, William, means 'determined protector'.”

Will reddened and inspected something fascinating on the floor. It just so happened there was something fascinating on the floor. Or underneath it rather.

“Aaah Amber, right on time,” chuckled Blue.

Amber’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as Blue offered her a hand up. She hesitated, dubious of the hue of his skin, but smiling accepted it.

“Thanks… Blue, was it?”

“Oh great!” Will threw his hands up in exasperation. “This, I need like a hole in the head! Why are you sneaking around and spying on me?' Will berated his sister. Will's thoughts bustled around his head. His concern for Amber came out as anger.

Might I suggest reigning in your curiosity in some areas? Blue, said telepathically with kind eyes.

Will’s thoughts? I asked. Blue, dipped his chin in subtle affirmation. My cheeks reddened, and I knew he was right.

“OMG, Will, calm down.” Amber leaned against the tree. She was here to stay.

“To answer your question, Will,” said Blue, ending the sibling edition of War of the Worlds. “The Game Changer has the power to Imbue. In other words, she gives qualities to things, people, or places, simply with a word or thought. This is an ‘Utterance’.”

“Like a spell?” Asked Amber as if she had been here the whole time. Technically, she had.

“Indeed, Amber, like a spell.” Affirmed Blue.

“Why are you letting me call you Blue?” I asked. I glanced over at Will.

Blue beamed again. He exuded a strange and unwarranted pleasure or pride in all of us. As if we had won an award just for showing up. He directed that affection towards me now.

“Since you Imbued me with the name Blue, it has taken shape in me.” He tried the name on like it was a new suite. A suit that he liked and agonised over buying because it was expensive but utterly beautiful. Wait. I hate shopping. A little string of Amber’s thoughts, her metaphor, had drifted into my field. I shook my head and galvanised my firewall.

“Now you mention it.” Said Seth. “You are a deeper shade of blue, less silvery.” Everyone considered the glowing blue man and tried the word out in their mouths.

“You are very Blue,” agreed Amber, thoroughly enjoying herself. Mulling it over, we bounced and rolled the word from lips, teeth, and tongues and finally into the atmosphere.

“Blue.” Said Blue, lifting his chin and letting the name settle onto him, like a mantle. “Blue.” He said again. “Can you believe no one has ever thought of it? In Millenia?” He looked deeply into my eyes and said, “Such imagination. Such potential. Such power.”

“I'm still here you know… ” said Seth.

“Does someone have a bruised ego?” asked Amber as she strode over to me and inspected the pulsing code on my skin. “Mom says young white males are prone to sensitive egos.” I let her inspect my arm, and as she did, I thought about what Blue had said: Imagination, potential and power. I knew those things about myself, but they made people want to punch me in the face for having them. Blue, smiled, and I knew he had seen everything in my heart.

“You are the first Arche to present with code,” said Seth as Amber pored over my forearm. All eyes were on me again. “Utterances appear on our bodies,” explained Seth, drawing back his chainmail sleeve, exposing his markings, which Amber immediately strode over to inspect.

“A cheat sheet,” I said. Seth frowned, and Will whistled. “Easy tiger.” He said.

“I wouldn’t put it like that,” Seth said.

“But you are not the author? The source code is somewhere else?” I asked.

“Your body is a grimoire, a walking book of spells!” Amber bubbled over with excitement.

“Yeah, a bit more like that,” said Seth, not breaking eye contact.

“How old are you?” asked Amber, taking the five-clock shadow, the depth of his voice, and the darkness in his eyes into account. She appraised him like she was shopping. Had she seen something that I had not?

“Turning twenty-one,” said Seth. I took my gaze from Amber back to the writhing tattoos on his brown skin. Could he make nature move, I wondered.

No, I can’t. You want to reinforce that firewall, he added, grinning again.

“But time doesn’t work the same for us,” I stated, trying to regain my footing.

“Yes, we are genetically predisposed to operate outside conventional time.” He winked at Amber.

“Because we operate on a quantum level and live inter-dimensionally,” I added.

“She is a fast learner.” He said, glancing at Blue. “To be clear, while we are outside the perceived construct of time, we age. Parents? Still a thing. Pimples? Still a thing. The opposite sex?” He ran his hands through his dark hair and smiled. "Still a thing.”

“I think dinner is ready,” I said.

“Will, Amber!” Mrs Peaceman’s voice and the tinkling of a dinner bell carried through the trees. "Dinner!" All eyes were on me. Amber nearly bubbled over.

“Did you know that was about to happen?” She asked, tracing her fingers on my buzzing code.

“Excuse me,” I said, pulling my arm away from her. “I think you may have overstepped a social boundary,” I tried to smile politely.

“You're right.” She said. “A person shouldn't go around touching another person without consent. Sorry. I couldn't help myself. It's so pretty.” I felt a warmth spread across my cheeks. Seth’s dark eyes glittered. He smiled. My blush deepened, and I felt all eyes on me.

“You were saying, Seth?” Said Will. “Scarab. Rage. Death?” My human shield for the win. “These two have the attention span of a gnat.” He said, but I felt energy reaching out from him to me. I heard that pulse from when my code manifested, that snatch of rhythm. There was an exchange of some kind. He smiled warmly. No mind-reading. I was aware of the information, but I was not able to fully process it.

I came back to the present problem. “Biohacking and nano-tech have been around for a while,” I said. “It was only a matter of time before some terrorist got hold of it, surely?”

“Sure,” said Seth. “It just happens to be an inter-dimensional terrorist, and the entire fabric of existence is at risk.”

Darkness threatened to settle around the treehouse. I looked down at my faintly shining code, a soft luminescent silver. Amber was fascinated and engulfed by a cloud of thought, a thousand questions firing per second.

“With your Internet, you offer yourselves up like an amuse-bouche.” Said Blue.

“What’s Ana Mooz Boosh?” Asked Amber.

“A starter before the main course.” Said Seth, suddenly angry.”

“William and Amber Peaceman!” Mrs Peaceman's voice cut through the night.