Cici watched the elevator out of the corner of her eye until Hai was safely removed from the workshop. She nodded and grabbed a folding chair from the corner, snapped it open, and sat on it the wrong way with her arms resting on the ‘back’ of the chair.
“So… how’s the search going?” Ricky asked sarcastically.
“Quiet, you. It’s going exactly how you know it's going. Hai’s dad’s gonna show up sooner or later, and we’re gonna have to be ready for that.” Cici shifted slightly and pulled a laminated card out of her pocket. She flipped it so it was facing Ricky, then smirked. “So how’re we going to deal with him? Give him a trail of breadcrumbs to follow that’ll lead him away from us? Or does he have a few too many competent people on his payroll for that?”
Ricky shrugged as he studied the card. “Hell if I know. I’m holding off on any serious espionage until the story goes public, since I’ll have a real reason to look into the guy. You know, I’m starting to wonder if this is actually the right thing to do. Hai’s got blood relations with the guy, so that’s got to mean something, right?”
Cici stared at Ricky for a few quiet moments. “...You do remember what he was like in highschool, right? And what he was like in college? AND what he was like when we worked together for two years before we specifically bought this place to get away from his overbearing ass? You want to send Hai–the little bundle of curiosity and newly-repressed trauma–into that guy’s clutches?”
“Whoah, it was just a suggestion.” Ricky held up his hands defensively. “I don’t want to send him away either, but it’s happening sooner or later. We don’t have any familial ties to him or even a claim to some sort of guardianship. Mary wasn’t officially on our payroll, remember?”
Cici leaned in a little further.
“On her specific request. Because of her ex-husband.” She said sharply. “She was looking out for us–her friends. Even if we never met Hai before this, we know more about the kid from her stories and two weeks of putting his damned body back together than that deadbeat rich prick ever did. I’m not giving Hai up just so Cillian can ruin his life.”
“...Yeah. I know.” Ricky said quietly. He glanced over at the canister he’d shown Hai as a fond smile curled his lips. “Alright, you’ve got my entire support. Operation ‘keep Hai safe and happy’ is a go. First thing’s first–we need to get him enrolled in some local-ish school so people don’t start asking questions. Doc can easily build him a fake I.D. as one of our many nephews, but we’ll have to make it under a fake name so Cillian doesn’t just look through a database and find out that Hai’s still alive.”
“Why, Ricky, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’ve been working on this for more than two minutes.” Cici laughed and stood, folding her chair along with the motion. “I’ll talk to Kira and get the I.D. stuff rolling, but that’ll take at least a month to get it untraceably legit. Cillian’s probably on standby until he gets the all-clear to go into the rupture zone, and it’ll take another few months for him to look through all the evidence and realize there’s a chance Hai isn’t dead.”
“Unless he’s gotten another huge promotion while we weren’t looking.” Ricky grumbled. “The guy always had a talent for ass-kissing. And a talent for piloting.”
Cici flicked the card to Ricky, who easily caught it in between two fingers. “Cillian’s only two talents. You work on keeping Hai occupied and his mind away from the rupture. Kid’s definitely still in shock, and we owe it to Mary to be his safe space.”
With the press of a button, Cici called the elevator once more. Ricky watched for a moment before turning away, holding the laminated card a few feet away from his face with a pensive frown. On it were two things; Hai’s new photograph and the results of a D.N.A. test Doc had finished earlier that day.
“All blank.” Ricky said to himself as his frown stretched into a ferocious grin. “Looks like that one horrible side effect of Spire radiation might actually be good for us.”
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Hai let out his held breath and slowly lowered his arms. Just holding them up for a dozen seconds was too much exertion, and he tried to cover his labored breathing and overly sweaty chest by pulling his shirt down and coughing at the same time.
Dr. Reiss returned a borrowed stethoscope to the wall, then turned back to Hai with a kind smile.
“Thank you, Hai. Your breathing hasn’t quite healed enough for new exercises, so keep doing the ones I showed you and we’ll check again at your next appointment in two days.” She pulled a notebook out of her coat pocket and jotted something down. “Is there anything worrying you, or any new developments with your condition that you think I should know about?”
“The ringing in my ears is completely gone. And I’m… um…” Hai fidgeted in shame. “Nevermind, it’s nothing. There’s nothing new going on with me. Nothing at all.”
“Alrighty, then. Well, if there ever is anything wrong, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’m here for your health and comfort, and that’s it.” Dr. Reiss snapped her notebook closed and stood. “Do you want me to tell Cici about what we’ve talked about, or do you want to keep it between us?”
“You can do that?”
“Of course I can. I take doctor-patient confidentiality very seriously.”
Hai wanted to tell the doctor that he hadn’t been sleeping very well. Well, he was napping just fine at completely random times during the day, but when it was quiet and calm… he just couldn’t fall asleep. He found himself humming or tapping his fingers on the bed frame, his mind working a little too hard to both bring forth horrible thoughts and memories and fight them back.
“Can you just not tell Cici a… little part of the appointment?” Hai asked. “I want her to know that I’m getting better, and that I won’t be a burden for any longer than I have to, but… I don’t want her to know the thing I haven’t told you yet.”
Dr Reiss stuck her neck out into the workshop, then pulled the door shut with a click. She twisted the lock, then took a seat on the stool she’d just stood up from.
“Whatever you say to me from now until when I leave this room stays between you and me.” She assured him. “I won’t laugh at you, I won’t give you advice if you don’t want it, and I won’t judge you for absolutely anything. You are a growing boy, after all.”
“No! It’s not that!” Hai said quickly as his face flushed red. “I can’t even–no no nope, not saying that. I’m… having trouble sleeping. At night, I mean. I get hyperactive, and I just can’t keep my eyes closed for long enough to fall asleep. Is there something you can do for that?”
“Definitely, yes. There are a lot of sleep aides that I could either prescribe to you or that are over the counter.” Dr. Reiss confirmed. “How bad is it? Do you toss and turn for hours before finally getting to sleep, are you too sensitive to noises, or anything else along those lines?”
“I don’t know. I just can’t fall asleep. Sorry.” Hai looked down at his hands, which he couldn’t even ball into fists in a timely manner. His fingers still moved like frozen slugs being pushed through molasses. “If I could tell you more, I would. But you have pills that can force me to fall asleep, right? Even if my brain won’t shut off long enough?”
“There is a medicine for almost everything. The one I’ll prescribe you is a mild sedative that I know doesn’t interfere with any of the other drugs we’ve got you on, and it should dull your thoughts enough for your brain to let you drift off to sleep. If Cici asks about the new pills, I’ll tell her I decided to prescribe it to you since you looked so tired, which will put it on me instead of you. Does that sound alright?”
Hai nodded absentmindedly. It felt like a huge weight was just lifted from his chest. Even more so was the fact that Dr. Reiss actually seemed to care about him, which was a stark comparison to the dismissive doctors he’d had that always pushed away his problems with a ‘you’re still growing’. He trusted her. Far more than he’d expected to.
Cici caught Dr. Riess as she was leaving the room. “How’s he doing? Anything getting better or worse?”
“I’m not sure how he could’ve gotten much worse than when you first brought me here.” Dr. Reiss laughed. “So no–nothing worse. He’s slowly but surely getting better every day, and by the end of the year I’m confident he’ll be able to walk without anything assisting him. Oh, and his prescription refills should arrive at the end of the week. Don’t forget to take them from Asdra.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“I won’t.” Cici grabbed Dr. Riess on the shoulder as she tried to walk by. “Seriously, thank you, Kira. I know this is busy season at the clinic, and you don’t have to come see Hai as much as you do.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” Dr. Riess said with a smile and a wave back at Hai. “Yet here I am, and I’ll be here again for his next appointment. Guess I’m just that much of a bleeding heart.”
Hai didn’t know if he should be insulted or happy. He settled for being pleasantly confused. Cici escorted Dr. Reiss outside, chatted with her for a few minutes just far enough away that Hai couldn’t make out what they were saying, then came back with a contemplative expression.
“Cici?”
She shook her head. “This face doesn’t have anything to do with you, Hai. Kira–er, Dr. Reiss–just reminded me that I have a pretty important job coming up in a few months. I know Ricky’s just starting you off with spells, but I’m going to need an assistant to come with me for it. Think you’d be willing to apprentice to me once you’re he’s drilled the basics into you?”
Hai brightened, then frowned. “Dr. Reiss said I’d be able to walk in a year. That’s before your thing.”
“You don’t need to be able to walk on your own for my thing.” Cici took a seat at Hai’s bedside and tousled his extremely short hair. “I’ll need your brain, your eyes, and your ears. As long as we can get those up and working, I’d love to have you along.”
“Then yes.” Hai said before Cici could change her mind. “Can you tell me what the job is? Ooh, or maybe it's some huge secret that nobody else can know about?”
“Would that make you want to know more, or less?”
“More. Definitely.”
Cici clicked her tongue and shook her head with a small smirk. “Too bad for you–it's a routine thing. Once spring comes around we’re hosting a pilot admission exam, and that takes a pretty advanced course and simulator to work. Unfortunately for our sanctuary, it’s managed by braindead morons who sold the old one to some private corporation.”
Hai watched Cici pause dramatically. She wanted him to ask a follow-up question. If he’d been any less curious or excited, he wouldn’t have given in to her prodding.
“Why can’t they use that one? Or at least rent it?”
“Well, they might’ve been able to. Except it got airlifted off to some other spire less than five months after they sold it.” Cici sighed theatrically. “Now the good citizens of our sanctuary have to pay for another course, which will end up costing way more than the old one was sold for. And some buzzards are circling the wreckage of this little screw-up with hungry eyes.”
Cici tapped Hai on the arm with a wicked grin. “For no reason whatsoever, if you were a bird, what kind would you be?”
“Probably a buzzard like you.” Hai replied smoothly.
“Good kid!” Cici laughed. “Looks like your brain’s already on the way to being good enough. Keep up with Ricky’s lessons and I might even think about paying you fairly for your work.”
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“...and that’s how you properly preserve soft flesh in bitterblossom resin so you don’t have to use it right away.” Ricky finished proudly and tapped the newly hardened chunk on his workbench. “When you want to dissolve it and use the thing inside for a spell, all you need to do is dunk it in sugar water, let it soak for fifteen minutes, and pry away the softened resin like unfired clay.”
Hai stuck the tip of his tongue out of his mouth as he struggled to write down Ricky’s lesson. His hands still struggled with any movements that were too precise or too grand–which were most of the ones he wanted to do–but he could easily pick up a pencil or grab a door handle now. A month of progress for next to nothing.
He wasn’t letting it get him down. It was impossibly frustrating and annoying, though, now that his mind was clear enough to understand how messed up he was.
“Done.” He said with one final dotted period. He set his pencil down and apologetically looked up at Ricky. “Sorry for making you wait. Things just don’t really stick anymore if I don’t write them down.”
Ricky offered an understanding smile. “Temporary brain damage–I’ve been there. As long as you’ve got Doc working on you, she’ll make sure your greymatter is great-matter. Heh.”
Hai groaned and rolled his eyes. “That might’ve been your worst one yet.”
“Really? That one?” Ricky scratched his chin ponderously. “I could’ve sworn I’ve told you worse. I’ll have to consult the archives for more material.”
Knowing Ricky, that could have been stone-cold serious. The man had a strange sense of humour, and an even stranger sense of seriousness. Hai was thoroughly entertained, even if he had to keep a level outward expression so Ricky took him seriously. Which probably wasn’t necessary, but Hai wanted to get as much magical knowledge from him as possible. He wasn’t taking any chances.
“Can we get back to the parts of a spell now?”
“Patience, young one. But yeah, definitely. That’s the fun stuff.”
Ricky reached for the snake spell, which now had ‘failure’ stamped on it in bright red. Waxy liquid had dried in drips down the canister, making it look like it had been written by a murder victim with their last dying breaths. Blatantly over the top for absolutely no reason.
“A few lessons ago, I told you all about the canisters that we keep spells in. I don’t remember if I said that we need to keep them in canisters so we don’t expose anyone–or ourselves–to harmful mana, but that’s another reason we use them.” He shifted the canister so the red ‘failure’ wasn’t in the way of the thing inside, then moved it unnecessarily close to Hai’s face. “Second in importance to the canister is the thing inside of it. The catalyst, as most people call it, is a chunk of something magically reactive that can give mana a shape. You saw how this one made a snake, but that’s just the tip of the Spire.”
Another canister joined the snake, and with a slight twist, Ricky shifted it so the stuff inside could be seen. Chunks of black-veined crimson stuck to a piece of jagged grey bone like scraps of torn flesh, all of which seemed to vibrate inside of a slurry of thick bright red mana. Hai’s face flushed at the sight of it, and he felt his patience wearing thin even though there was nothing to be impatient about.
“This is a chunk of splatterhorn skull. It’s compatible with a mixture of kinetic and psychic mana that I call violence mana, and absolutely nothing else. It’s picky that way.” Ricky chuckled and pulled the spell canister back, taking with it the effect it had on Hai. “Each catalyst has one specific spell they create by pushing mana into them and causing a chain reaction that ends with your spellforms transmitting the mana-filled signal through your Cosu. It gets more complicated when you have more than one spell slotted in your Cosu, but we’ll touch on that later.”
“So the thing inside determines what spell it gives you. Could you use any other part of the splatterhorn and get the same spell as if you used the skull?”
“Good question. No, you can’t.” Ricky reached for a device that looked like a glove connected to a jewelry box by a thumb-thick tube. He flicked a latch open on the box and slid the spell in with a hiss, stuck his hand in the glove, and motioned for Hai to wheel back. “Splatterhorns in specific have four parts that can be made into spells–horns, hooves, skullcaps, and their weird whip-like tails. Anything else isn’t magically reactive.”
Ricky flexed his fingers, then patted the box. He flipped it over and prodded at a dial until the thing started to emit a low whine then flicked a switch that added a watery ‘whoosh’ to the sound. The tube began to fill with bright red mana that sparkled like champagne, and with it came a sense of discomfort.
Hai fidgeted in his chair and wheeled back another few feet. He’d seen people use spells without a Cosu before–Dr. Reiss and Cici did it all the time–but this felt different. Like all the other spells had been designed to be used that way, but this one definitely wasn’t.
Smoke rose from the box as if just to prove him right.
“Is this safe?” He asked worriedly.
“Definitely not. But the spell is self-contained, so even if it explodes, it won’t do that much damage.” Ricky said without a hint of worry, which only served to worry Hai even more. “Splatterhorn skull is one of many different spells that coats a Cosu in a specific type of mana, but in its case, it’s a little better than that. And a whole lot more expensive to get your hands on.”
The shimmering red mana seeped out of Ricky’s fingertips and slowly began to work its way down his hand. A candy apple sheen followed in its wake, which gave off a sense of extreme durability, but Ricky proved that not quite right by easily wiggling his fingers. He made a fist and nodded to himself, then reached for the snake spell.
When his fingers touched it, the coating trembled. Ricky leaned back and flicked another switch on the box. The coating stopped trembling and began traveling up the spell, encasing it in mana just as easily as it had Ricky’s hand. When it was fully closed in he turned the dial to zero, and the mana inside of the tube stopped flowing.
“Splatterhorn skull makes a spell called ‘embrace’. Well, it’s technically ‘violent embrace’, but most people don’t put the qualifier on there. Even if I told you that before.” Ricky grabbed the snake spell with his non-protected hand and twirled it like a huge pencil. “It creates a protective shell of mana, and it can spread from whatever it's on to anything it touches. Great for boosting your defenses or protecting your hands when you want to punch something without worrying what it’ll do to your hand.”
Ricky lifted the snake spell for emphasis, then spiked it into the ground.
Hai yelped and almost fell out of his chair. The mana around the spell shattered into large chunks the second it touched the ground and fell away, revealing a perfectly intact snake spell inside. Unharmed and unblemished in any way at all.
His heart raced as Ricky bent down to pick it up. “Warn a guy next time! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Doc would’ve fixed you up.” Ricky said easily. He studied the spell for a second, then held it up like a trophy. “See? Completely fine. The spell shattered because the mana was all used up protecting the snake spell, but if I’d been holding it, I could’ve fed it more mana instead. Other spells like embrace don’t transfer from your Cosu to anything, so this one’s really sought after. Would’ve cost me fifty thousand coins to get one someone else made, but the materials only cost me twenty grand.”
Ricky smiled with self-satisfaction. “I’m a real savvy shopper.”
Adrenaline stuck to Hai like oil stains on work gloves. He tried to calm himself with deep breaths, then sighed and consigned himself to the feeling of being on edge. The side effects of Spire radiation and mana poisoning were a lot weirder than he’d thought.
“How does it all work?” He asked a little too quickly.
“That’s what you’d need a masters to understand. It’s a whole lot of complicated magical science that boils down to ‘magical things are magical even if they’re dead’, and ‘mana is way weirder than you think’.” Ricky pulled off his glove and removed the spell from the box. “You’ll see what I mean when you start making your own spells. Or if you decide to go to university for spellcrafting. Wouldn’t recommend it–huge waste of six years just to open my own shop and have people treat me like a moron.”
Ricky glanced over at a framed piece of paper. Hai squinted to get a better look at it, but the glass over the paper was so smudged with oil and… other stuff… that he couldn’t make out what it said.
“Is that your degree?”
“I’m pretty sure it is. Or that’s my first order, and that one over there is my degree.” Ricky pointed at another dirty frame hung close to the elevator. “I should really clean them at some point. Maybe later.”
Hai frowned as his roaring blood quieted enough for him to think. “Wait–why wouldn’t I go to school for spellcrafting? It’s pretty much the only thing I want to do.”
“That's all I want to do, too. But what I don’t want to do is work in some sterile lab researching the perfectly optimal way to make an easily mass-manufacturable spell a little bit stronger.” Ricky shuddered as he got a faraway look in his eyes. “Turns out you don’t get to work with all the expensive stuff when you’re just a trainee. Or when you’re a full-time worker. Or when you’re a… well, you get the point.”
Hai didn’t really understand, but he nodded anyway. This felt like hour-long tangent territory if he pushed a little harder, and he didn’t want to wait another month to learn about the other parts of a spell.
“How about the mana the spells use? How’s that work?”
“Getting impatient, huh? Guess I did make you wait a month for this one, so I can’t blame you.” Ricky opened a new drawer on his desk and pulled out a bucket wrapped in so much cream-coloured caution tape it looked mummified.
It gave off an uncanny sensation of chaos. Like the stuff inside didn’t have a set form, and was constantly shifting through different types of mana. The last time Hai had felt mana this raw was when a pilot had brought some in for a school presentation, and even then, it had only been about a pill bottle’s worth. It had been wrapped in so much protective material, taken out of a protective safe, and transported by three other pilots in heavily armored Cosu. This much raw mana had to be worth a fortune.
Ricky kept it in a bucket.