Thomas Elliot paced back and forth in his luxurious cabin on the train heading north to Harper Valley. While he would’ve preferred to fly, the amount of equipment, funds, and manpower made the train less expensive and more efficient. It was that manpower that bothered him.
He wasn’t the type of person to dwell on guilt, or look backwards. Oh sure, he was excellent at looking back and picking apart everything he experienced. His magic lended itself to that. But Thomas had no use for lingering in the past. Not when the future was so damned interesting, and right within his grasp. All he had to do was be of value to the most naive wizard in existence.
Oh, Thomas liked Wil. Who wouldn’t? He was like a puppy, enthusiastic and innocent. Even after everything that had happened. At first it had seemed an act, and he resented Wil for it. When he came to realize it was just how the illusionist was, it made him want to protect and arm him against a cruel world.
Wil was one of those people that proved how unfair and uneven life was. He had more power than brains, and he held himself back all the time. He blundered into a life changing discovery and thought he’d be able to do it all on his own. All while the jackals at Cloverton waited to pick apart and take what they could for themselves.
Of course, that included him, but it was different. Thomas actually cared, and wouldn’t rob Wil. He’d latch on to his rising star and make sure he didn’t make any stupid mistakes that would ruin himself or his research. There would be no theft or taking credit. No matter what his master said.
Thomas sat down on the bench seating and breathed, letting the smooth rocking of the train soothe away some of the stress. He needed a clear head to do the next spell. From the top of the desk he retrieved a small book and a pen. He opened up to the first blank page and ripped a sheet out. On its cover he scratched out a series of runes in a simple circle array. Then he set it on the ground and gently let himself be a conduit for the magic script.
Grandmaster Ferrovani appeared in his cabin. He was a short, older Ramenian man with sharp, dark features. His black eyebrows stood out in stark contrast from his white hair and beard. He wore a permanent scowl, aimed directly at him.
Thomas crouched and turned the paper around, and the image of his master turned with it. The spell took some time to compile, and part of the difficulty was including himself instead of having it be from his point of view. Then he had to account for the actual time he was using as he peered into a pocket of the past, and extraneous noise and details. Divination wasn’t easy, but he had a knack.
A copy of himself appeared in front of Ferrovani. Thomas grabbed his forgotten coffee from the desk and settled in as the spell continually drew small amounts of power, swirling in the center of the room. Sound came in last as the scene started.
“What’s the problem?” Ferrovani demanded, talking extensively with his hands. “You told me you were this kid’s only friend. Surely you’ve managed to ingratiate yourself to him at this point. I know you’re too logical to be having second thoughts about this.”
“I am,” said the specter of Thomas. “It’s fine. I don’t have any problem getting close and making the work mine. It will be mine, I assume. No changing your mind and deciding for one last glorious achievement before you retire.”
Ferrovani sneered. “My name is already eternal. I don’t need this. I’m doing this as a favor to all my worthy apprentices. One last boost for all of you. Some will succeed and may be nearly as legendary as I was…And others will fail and get nothing.”
“I’m going to succeed,” said the specter insistently. “None of the others have put in the work I have.”
“Work. Feh.” Ferrovani spat on the ground. “Work means nothing if you don’t know how to direct it. You’ve always been more of a follower, Elliot. What makes you think you’ve got what it takes?”
Thomas took a deep breath as he watched, mentally pausing the playback of the scene. The question haunted him. Ferrovani had never been an especially encouraging master, but he did have a way of getting under his skin.
“I’ve got what it takes because I know how to spot opportunity and how to work on a team, you arrogant son of a bitch,” Thomas whispered. He wished dearly he had had the guts to say it in the moment. The playback continued.
“Give me time and I’ll show you,” said the Thomas from a few days ago. “My discovery will --”
“Your discovery,” Ferrovani scoffed, pausing to cough wetly into his hand. “You mean this McKenzie boy’s discovery. This simple farmboy who’s accidentally contributed more than you ever have. Get it done, Elliot, if you want to win it all.” And like that, he turned from Thomas and walked off.
The image of past Thomas glowered after the old man, lips twitching slightly. Thomas felt the same rage from the past renewed, sharpened by the clarity of time.
“No doubt you’re giving everyone the same kick in the ass,” Thomas said to the image. “But no one has the vision I do. I’ll make it happen.”
A knock at the door disturbed him from his thoughts. He stomped the piece of paper and the spell ended. Just in time, as two men and a woman entered. “What is it?” He asked impatiently. “I told you not to bother me.”
“We’re almost there,” said the earth wizard Gayle, a stony expression on her face. “We thought you’d want to know and see if there was anything you wanted to discuss before we pull into town.”
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Thomas took a deep breath. “You have your orders,” he said. “I thought I went over them. But,” he added, letting the breath out, “this is a perfect time for reminders. Firstly, just to make sure you’ve been listening, do not ever talk to me in public when we’re there. When I’m ready to make contact, I’ll come late at night to you. As far as the subject is concerned, you are a rival team and have nothing to do with me.”
“Obviously,” said McGinnis, the surly mage they brought for security and dirty work, if it was necessary. It wouldn’t be, but they would be prepared for anything. “We’re not stupid, Master Elliot.”
“Everyone’s stupid compared to the great Master Elliot,” said the final member of their party, a balding man with a gray goatee and an enchanted monocle over his left eye. “Didn’t you know?” Mark scoffed, staring uncomfortably into the diviner.
Thomas frowned. “All you need to know is that I’ll be reporting on our experiments. Every major update, every trick we try, it’ll all get passed to me and Master Marfolk here for dissection and discussion. Then he and Gayle will work on prototypes. You should expect to see me once a week or so.”
McGinnis grunted. “It feels stupid to ask, given this is a backwards farming town, but is there anything we need to watch out for or be careful of? Or should I focus on securing the house and tapping McKenzies’ place?”
“Not stupid, actually. For one, do not tap McKenzies’ place until I have a chance to examine it myself. For another, avoid his pet cat.”
“Aw,” said Gayle with a wry smile, “is his cat protective?”
“Yes. And also seven feet long, hundreds of pounds of teeth and claws, and it can read minds. Take this seriously. We’ll have a better idea of where we’ll be in a couple of weeks of experimentation and study.”
Mark snorted. “And our supplies?”
“It’s taken care of,” said Thomas. “I’m handling all the requisitions and the pay sheets. If he asks or pokes around, it’ll be easy enough to convince him that it’s a list of all agents out here and their costs. He will know you’re here and I will talk and complain about you, no doubt, but he shouldn’t suspect anything. Anything else? No? Shoo.”
The three wizards had no love for him, and that was fine. He didn’t even want them on the mission. Thomas knew he could handle this his way, without having to be as crooked or shady about the matter. McKenzie trusted him, and so long as Thomas didn’t do anything stupid, it would be fine.
More than anything, the goal was to do it right. Not because Thomas had any sentimental need to do things the right way. It was pure ego. Thomas was as much a researcher and engineer as any of them. Wil may have been a good guy, but he wasn’t a real academic. He was a talent who needed guidance. It was a symbiotic relationship, the way things were meant to be.
An hour later, the train pulled into the Harper Valley station. Thomas calmly collected his luggage and loaded it onto a frame with wheels he’d built and enchanted. It rolled along behind him weightlessly as he exited the train.
Harper Valley was about what he expected. A bright, green, luscious place with people who looked stuck in the last century, living alongside a few pockets of modern sensibility. There were more people than Thomas expected, but then, it was a booming town now.
Wil and what had to be his friends waited for him at the train station. Wil waved and motioned him over, a floating sign with his name flashing blue and silver hovered above him. Thomas chuckled and made his way over there, extending his hand.
“McKenzie you sentimental bastard. What are we, in school?” Thomas laughed. No, he wouldn’t screw him over if he could avoid it. It would be like kicking a puppy.
Wil took his hand and pulled him in for a one armed hug. “Always. School never ends, if you’re doing it right. Thomas, allow me to introduce my best friend Bram, and my girlfriend Darlene.”
Thomas looked past them. Bram was huge and had a wide, nervous, insecure smile on his face. Darlene looked tired and grumpy, as did most pregnant women in his experience. “A pleasure to meet you both. Wil’s told me so much about you. But he left out something kind of big, I think.”
Darlene shot Wil a look, making him cringe. “Yeah,” she said. “He didn’t know. And now he does and if he ever leaves town again, I’m taking his house permanently.”
“You already moved most of your stuff in there anyway,” Wil protested half heartedly.
Bram eagerly offered his massive hand. “Wil’s been telling us about you. Enchanting is the other major craft, right? I’ve been huge on potions and want to do advanced alchemy, but…”
“Ah, yeah, a bit tricky with no magic,” Thomas clicked his tongue sympathetically. “But I’m sure you do well enough. Potions were never my interest. I’m all about enchanting. Which reminds me, Wil. I managed to requisition a couple of cars to tinker with.”
“We get to tinker with a car?” Bram let out a squeal that shouldn’t have come from someone his size.
Thomas pursed his lips. “Yes, but we must be very careful. We’ve got one of each type, and I don’t think they’ll be happy to give us a third one too soon if we muck it up.”
Bram straightened his glasses and drew himself up. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading on intersecting runic configurations and I’d love to see what makes a car go.”
“Wil, tell him about the development,” Darlene said, still looking hard his way. “Your achievement yesterday.”
That made everyone perk up. “I managed to recreate things,” said Wil, in a hushed tone, as if they were being listened to. “I went to the original leyline and managed to make it budge. I think we can do this.”
“You’re kidding! After only a week?” Thomas didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. One week and he’d managed to start things off right. He was either the luckiest man on earth, or else had more going on under the surface. Thomas hated that he couldn’t tell which.
“Yeah! So once you’re settled in, we’ll start playing around with the leyline on Bram’s farm.”
Thomas looked between the three of them. He didn’t know why Wil needed his obviously jealous friend and pregnant girlfriend to function, but he wasn’t going to question it. Things were already more promising than he hoped. He’d prove to Ferrovani that he had what it took to be the next great in the field.
“That sounds great,” said Thomas. “But that can wait until tomorrow. Why don’t you show me your favorite places around town? I’d love to hear more about your favorite potions, Bram!”
The big guy lit up. “Oh, I’ve been working on perfecting a potion for grief, one without dependency issues, right, and…”
Thomas didn’t care. About Bram, or Darlene, or Harper Valley. But for a little while he could fake it and work. It was his greatest strength, being able to blend in and be part of any team. And he’d use every advantage he could. He threw an arm around Wil and let his new best friend lead him into town.