6 – Stargazing
Ward looked around the little clearing, a space of soft, new grass surrounded by tall, slender saplings, and nodded. “Yeah, this should do.”
“Get yourself a good night’s sleep, and we’ll keep hiking tomorrow.” Seemingly following her own advice, Grace delicately settled down on the grassy loam and curled up on her side, eyes closed.
“Hey!” Ward shrugged out of the sweaty straps and set the heavy backpack down by his feet. “Don’t go to sleep yet; you owe me some more answers.”
“Oh, brother.” Grace yawned, stretching in a manner reminiscent of a cat. She opened her eyes to bare slits, revealing smoldering flames, as she peered through the shadows at Ward. “Can’t it wait for morning? I’ll talk all you want while we hike.”
“Nah.” Ward unfastened the pack and pulled out the heavy, ash-stained woolen blanket he’d stuffed near the bottom. It was clearly something the dead scav had used as a sleeping mat. As he shook it out, he continued, “You keep saying that, but you’re always hiking ahead, or something comes up, and my questions never get fully answered. We’re gonna talk a bit before I sleep.”
“Oh! The assertive Ward has made an appearance.” Grace sat up and smiled. “Okay, I’ll indulge you. What’s on your mind?”
Ward spread the thick blanket on the grass and sat atop it. “Let’s start with this mana BS. I guess I passed your tests, but what’s the point? You said my eyes are glowing.” He held up his hand. “Excuse me, shining. What does that mean?”
“It means you managed to absorb some natural mana. Congratulations, you’re a wizard, Ward.”
“Huh?”
Grace laughed and shook her head. “Not really. Well, people who can use mana have gone by all sorts of names—witch, wizard, warlock, magician, magi, sorcerer. Around here, they might go by a different name. I don’t know. Anyway, you get the idea, right? You don’t have enough to do much, and I think you’d kill yourself trying to use the words, but your body will probably make use of the bit you managed to absorb. You might be a little faster or stronger. Maybe you’ll heal better or notice things you couldn’t before. Everyone’s different.”
“Is that what that line on the, uh, hemograph was about? The ‘accumulated mana’ line? It said ‘h plus two percent’ before, and now it says ‘h plus five percent.’ Yeah, I think . . .” Ward lifted out the tablet, but the screen had gone blank again.
“The ‘h’ likely represents an ‘average’ human amount. But, Ward, who knows how they got that value. The percentage numbers, I guess, represent how much mana you’ve gathered into your body. Two percent was from your life on Earth and your short time here, where the ambient mana is much richer. When you absorbed that mana from the dead scav, I suppose that added to that number, but it should also have gone into a sort of mana battery that you can—”
“Mana well!”
“Ah, it displayed that?”
“Yeah, it said it was ‘tin plus one-point-one.’”
“You have to understand, Ward, the only vitalscope I ever saw was on Earth, and it didn’t function. They require ambient mana for the glyphs to operate, and Earth didn’t have enough. Whoever made this one used a standard for measurement that I’m unfamiliar with. I think tin is low only because you have another stat that says ‘bronze,’ right?”
“Yeah, my, uh, ‘mana sensitivity.’ So you think the ‘tin plus one-point-one’ is indicating—”
“That you’re moving beyond ‘tin’ to whatever comes next. Maybe it’s bronze, or there are stages between tin and bronze. Let’s focus on your accumulated mana stat, however. I think that ‘h plus a percentage’ value means that you’re building up mana in your body that will be absorbed and used to improve your vessel. All those ‘vessel’ stats can slowly be improved by continuing to absorb mana. If you rely on natural absorption of ambient mana, you’ll be an old man before your body evolves enough to make a difference. If you keep doing what we did tonight at that scav’s grave . . . Well, you might really start to become something special.”
“And you think this thing’s wrong about the, uh, nonexistence of my anima?”
“Like I said, Ward—” Grace yawned, turning away from him. “I’m not an expert on those things, but I doubt it’s very accurate. I’m sure there are better ones to be had in this system.”
Ward frowned but put the hemograph away. Instead, he turned his attention back to what Grace was saying earlier. “You said I’d kill myself trying to use the ‘words.’ What did you mean by ‘words?’”
“The words of power. It’s like a language people have figured out that manipulates the mana inside them and gets it to do things. However, you must have a strong vessel—er, body—to do much of that. It creates a lot of stress and strain. I doubt your tongue could even shape the right sounds.”
“So . . .”
“So, we need to find some workarounds. As I told you earlier, you need to get some infusions and hope your body responds well. There are other routes we can take, too. I’ve heard stories of people replacing body parts with artifacts infused with mana and carved with the words.”
“Stories?”
“Well, I know it’s hard to fathom, but I’m not as old and wise as I seem. For my kind, I’m pretty young; I haven’t seen much beyond Earth, but I’ve read a lot, and my elders filled me with tales—”
“Your elders?”
“Come on, Ward. Keep up! Others of my kind? Older than me? That’s the definition of an elder, right?”
“Jesus, are you always this acerbic?”
“Acerbic! What a doozy! No, not always. I was feeling positively sweet after I saw you pull that mana into yourself earlier.” She leaned closer and smiled—an overtly seductive leer that shifted toward demure as she looked up at him through her lashes. “Why? You want me to be sweeter?”
“Not a chance.” Ward snorted and lay back, away from her, leaning on one elbow as he grinned. “Think I want a girlfriend who can read my thoughts? Sounds like a nightmare.”
“Who said anything about a girlfriend, killer?” She leaned forward as though to crawl toward him, and Ward held up a foot threateningly.
“Uh-uh. Back off, lady.”
Some long strands of white-blond hair had fallen in front of her eyes, and she blew them aside with a huff, then reclined in the grass on her side, mimicking his posture, facing him from a few feet away. “Fine. Doubt I’d enjoy it, anyway. You know I can’t really read your mind, right? I just notice your loudest, most intrusive thoughts, but only if I’m paying attention. Like right now, you’re wondering, really loudly, if you shouldn’t have rejected me!” She grinned, her white teeth reflecting the moonlight, and Ward snorted.
“Okay, so what’s the deal with that scav with no mana? You said he traded it away?”
“He gave up bits of his anima here and there, or all of it at once, I’d guess. If you don’t have any anima, you lose your ability to accumulate natural mana.”
“When you say accumulate, you don’t mean what I did, right?”
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“Right. You were gathering it. Most living things accumulate mana naturally, gathering it very slowly over the course of their lifetime to shore up their vessel and improve their anima. If a person never trades it away, their anima does something to send their ‘soul’ elsewhere when they die. I don’t know where, so don’t bother asking. Choose your preferred religion, I guess. Anyway, that expenditure of anima rips a hole in the veil of the universe, allowing their soul to escape. The spent anima drifts out of their bodies as mana.”
“Like with Lizzy’s brother.”
“If you say so.”
“So, someone like you must have taken that other one’s anima?”
“Someone like me? I doubt it. There are many, many strange beings in the universe, Ward.” She frowned and plucked a blade of grass, holding it up before her orange-lit eye. “You have to be careful now that you’re away from Earth, in a place where mana flows freely. There are people and entities in this part of the universe who could really mess you up, my friend. Not just in this life, but the next.”
“But you don’t know exactly what you mean by ‘the next,’ huh?”
“I don’t. There are mysteries aplenty left, even for me.”
“So, did you screw me over? Am I damaged goods now that you took some of my anima?”
“I don’t think so. I just took a little. Besides, if you listen to me and improve enough, you can replace it.”
“How?”
“Well, I’m not sure, but I know there are ways. When I was small and still in my nest—er, my home—I learned that some powerful individuals who carried one of my kind were able to provide a steady supply of anima, for which they received regular boons. The host and the . . . being like me reached a kind of symbiosis. That wouldn’t happen if anima weren’t replenishable, right?”
“I hope not.” Ward shifted, leaning back so he could look up at the wild starscape, amazed by the clarity of the giant moon’s surface. He was pretty sure he could see the edges of craters. “Anyway, I guess I’d be dead meat if you hadn’t stepped in, so I can’t find it in me to be too pissed about it. By the way, back when you first described yourself to me, wasn’t it odd that your first choice was ‘devil.’”
“Well, I’m sorry, but that’s what a lot of species call us! I’m not like your biblical devil, though, Ward. I promise.”
“Hah, sounds like something the Devil would say.”
“I’m a devil, Ward! Not like that!” she growled.
“Well, let’s see.” Ward began ticking things off on his fingers. “You already told me you ‘don’t feel sympathy,’ you struck a bargain for some of my ‘soul,’ you tried to get me to murder Lizzy, and you’ve admitted that your people are called ‘devils’ by many species. Yeah, I’m gonna have to keep my guard up for now, Grace.” He chuckled and rolled onto his side, resting his head on his arm. “Oh! And you’re currently possessing me, and you just tried to seduce me.”
Grace huffed and flopped onto her back, arms folded on her chest. Ward grinned, rather enjoying needling the bossy, strange woman. Despite everything, he felt pretty good, especially physically. If he were honest, he felt better than he could remember feeling since he was a kid. Not a single muscle ached, his head was clear, and, for the first time in a while, he didn’t have any acid reflux while trying to fall asleep. More than that, the air was cool and refreshing, and he was exceedingly comfortable as he lay there in his raincoat on the woolen blanket.
He mimicked Grace and shifted to lay flat his back, continuing to soak in the brilliant expanse of moons, planets, and stars. He’d never seen anything like it, that was for sure. Not even when he was a kid, and he’d been out camping. The Milky Way was something else, but this view, with the moons and nearby planets, couldn’t be topped. He watched the blue-green orb of the planet Grace had called Oceana, wondering how far away it was and, if she weren’t lying, how many people were walking around on it right now. As he thought about the people, Ward asked, “Grace?”
“What?” He could tell she wanted to snap at him, but her tone didn’t sound all that irritated.
“What was the deal with those scavs? Lizzy? Is that what the people on this planet look like?”
“I don’t know. I’m operating on stories and texts I’ve read. I don’t think so, but it’s possible. It doesn’t matter, anyway, because people from all kinds of worlds will be here. At least, that’s what I’m betting.”
“Did you ever go anywhere other than Earth?”
“Only my home.” She sighed, and her words were soft and quiet as she continued. “I was pretty young when I got my first contract. An Englishman named Hamlin managed to muster up the mana required to make contact. He wanted to make a bargain with one of my kind and offered up a piece of his anima. Of course, I never saw any of it. My . . . uncle, I guess, is the best way to describe him—he took the anima and made me fulfill the bargain. I didn’t want to go ‘cause I knew I’d be stuck on Earth for at least as long Hamlin lived there. Back then, I didn’t know how to open portals, and even if I did, Hamlin gave up most of his anima in the bargain. Anyway, I was chosen, and I couldn’t say no—didn’t have the clout, so to speak.”
“That sounds like a raw deal.”
“It was, but I’m stronger now. I’ve learned a lot. Since then, I’ve had five hosts, not including you, and some of them gained access to very interesting texts. I took my due in anima from most of them, though never as much as Hamlin gave up to my . . . uncle.”
“Your hosts all died?”
“Yes, though I’ll have you know it wasn’t because of my failings. Hamlin died in a duel, Verity of heart failure, Thurstan, Royce, and Philippe all died in wars, and, well, you know what happened to Christina.”
“Christina? That’s the woman Lafferty had tied up? She didn’t die, right?”
“No, she’s alive, though probably furious to find me gone.”
“Does it hurt?”
“What?” She finally turned to face him again, her bright eyes shining in the darkness.
“Losing a host. I know you told me you don’t feel sympathy for—”
“I should never have said that! You’ll forever hold it over my head, won’t you?” Again, she sighed heavily. “I never liked Hamlin. He was a vile man who did vile things, and I was forced into my contract with him. I celebrated when he died.”
She grew quiet for a moment, but her eyes still faced him, still smoldered in the shadows where she lay on the grass. “I was bodiless for a long time after he died. Few people on Earth know how to reach out to form contracts with those like me. Fewer now than ever despite the massive increase in population. Anyway, some tried, but I rejected them. I didn’t want to ride another monster like Hamlin. Then Verity came along, and, well, she was an altogether different type of person. I mourned her death, Ward.”
“What—”
“I don’t want to talk about my hosts anymore. Not tonight.”
“Fair enough.” Ward was about to broach a new subject when he saw, on the distant horizon, a slow, smoldering ember lift from the planet’s surface and streak upward, almost like it was flying straight toward the moon. He watched it, breathless for a long moment, then said, “Is that a goddamn spaceship?”
Grace rolled to her other side so she could see what he was talking about, and then he heard her quiet reply, “A living ship. See the way the flames are tinted magenta? The gas they expel from their bladders burns that color.”
“Living ship?”
“I’ve heard about them. They use mana to bridge interstellar space, tunneling through it, almost like a portal.”
“But they’re ships?”
“Well, not naturally.” Grace turned back to him as the ship’s fiery glow grew smaller and smaller, just a tiny spark now. “They’re animals, or beings, maybe. I don’t know how intelligent they are. They can be tamed or befriended or something like that, and then people can kind of build a ship around them. Like, imagine a gondola on an elephant or a boat cabin atop a whale.”
“Crazy.”
“The wider universe is full of wonder. It’s one of the reasons I took a gamble and jumped out of Christina to save your life.”
“Well, that, and you tricked me out of a piece of my soul.” Ward chuckled, folding his hands under his head as he savored the fresh, cool air and stared into the blue light of the biggest moon.
Grace’s voice was small when she said, “I hadn’t had any anima for nearly three decades. Christina barely gave me any when we struck our bargain; she . . . was damaged and cast off by another, older one of my kind. Before her, I hadn’t had any since I tried to save Royce in Vietnam—”
“The war?” Ward interrupted, shifting to look at Grace more closely. “Damn, how old are you, anyway?”
“Centuries! But time is different for me when I’m not in a host. It doesn’t feel like I’m that old.”
“Well, you sure don’t look old.”
“Oh, brother. Get with it, Ward! I’m not a physical being! Hah! Do you think they had hairstyles like this in the tenth century? Suits like this? I look how I want to look.”
“Tenth—”
“That’s when I was forced into the bargain with Hamlin.” She flopped back and groaned. “Ugh! I didn’t want to get into all this with you. I think your anima is affecting me. They say it can do that. I swear, I never talked this much with my other hosts. Well, that’s not true. Verity and I spoke for hours and hours.” Her voice had grown wistful. Ward watched her for a minute, then turned to his side and closed his eyes. He wasn’t trying to sleep, just rest his eyes and take a minute to think about everything he’d learned, but sleep had other plans, and it grabbed him, pulling him down into a deep, dream-filled slumber.