On Being a New Wizard in Arcadia--XVI

    The rest of the week passed in a hazy sort of dream. Christian had barely blinked, or so it felt, and it was Friday afternoon, and Professor Ohda was merrily shooing them out of his classroom. His lecture had been on images of love and love iconography, and he had been full of good humor and jokes. Christian and Rei were among the last to leave, Rei reddening as Professor Ohda said something to him in Japanese as they walked past. Christian was opening his mouth to ask Rei what was going on when a large, heavy hand fell on his shoulder. Badly startled, he spun around. Samir had been lurking outside the classroom, obviously waiting for him. Rei stopped, puzzled.

    "Go on, Rei." Christian held up his hand in a half-hearted wave. "Good luck with Zoe this weekend." Rei frowned slightly, but nodded and went on his way. Trying not to sound as cross as he felt, Christian looked up at Samir. "You do realize that Sebastian is waiting for me?"

    "And I'm not going to keep you long, but walk with me." Samir started down the hall. "Emmerich is keeping him busy for the moment, but it's not going to take long for Sebastian to get annoyed and tell him to sod off." Christian was almost trotting to keep up with Samir's long strides. "Emmerich said you saw something on the night of that bad blizzard, when the power went out?" Samir looked grim, blue eyes blazing with fury.

    "What? Oh yes." He wondered why Samir was so angry at him. "I thought that my R.A. Scott had no aura." He briefly explained the circumstances under which he had found Scott. "I'm pretty sure I was seeing things. When I saw Scott the next day, he was perfectly fine, aura and all. King Dork of the Nerdiverse and all that sort of thing. He's been fine ever since too. His aura has the same crap that's there all the time. Nothing new or exciting." He decided to risk it and ask. "Did I make a major screw-up?"

    "You?" Samir sounded surprised. "No, not you. You wouldn't know any better, after all. No, I'm pissed at Emmerich for not telling me this sooner. If it is something sinister," and he held up a cautioning hand, "then the sooner I know about it, the sooner that we can do something about it. It could be nothing, of course, but it usually takes a pretty significant warp in the fabric of reality to cause a power surge like that. Enough to blow out the power and cause a freak blizzard? We're not talking about some candle-magic or things like that. I don't look down on the casual practitioners the way Emmerich does. They are quite capable of accidentally rippling the surface. This, though, this was a tsunami." Samir grabbed Christian's arm and looked seriously into his eyes. "You and Sebastian, go to a hotel for the weekend. I need to do some investigating, and I need as little static as possible." He grinned ruefully. "No offense, mate, but you are like a solar flare around here, magically-speaking. Ah, here comes Em and Sebastian now." Sebastian was marching across the yard, looking as angry as Christian had ever seen him. Samir hailed him. "I'm glad to see you! I was trying to cajole Christian here into taking this off my hands." He pulled a keycard out of his coat pocket. "I was going to take my girl for a romantic weekend at Grand Archer, but she broke it off at the last minute. A pity, I've already paid for it and checked in. Then I thought, poor Christian's been stuck here on campus since his illness, and hey, he has a devoted boyfriend who would probably be keen on having a weekend away with him."

    "What?" Sebastian looked a little unfocused and confused. Christian had a sneaking feeling that Samir was exerting a bit of psychic persuasion. "Well, yeah. I tried to get him to go to my parents' for the weekend, and he shot it down."

    "Brilliant. This is a much better option," Samir assured him. "No family pressures or responsibilities, and you can order in room service. Consider it my treat." He pressed the keycard into Sebastian's hand. "Room 617, and do have fun this weekend."

    "Thank you, we will," Christian said, a little annoyed at being shooed away. "I'll see you Monday then." How on earth was he supposed to learn anything if he kept getting sheltered from it?

    "I'm planning on it," replied Samir.


    Christian got back to Clarke Hall late on Sunday. He was eager for a quiet night in his own bed, which was not to say he had not thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. Yawning, he opened his door. Rei sat slumped at his desk, the portrait of absolute misery. He turned to look at his roommate, such a look of abject suffering on his face that Christian was alarmed.

    "She said no," Rei's voice was ragged. "I had everything perfect, and she said no and to not ask her again." He gestured to the small velvet-covered box on his desk.

    "Oh, Rei," Christian said, full of sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

    "Ohda-san warned me," Rei croaked. "He said she was not ready to commit, he had heard her talking to Audrey about turning me down, he said I was too eager." He pushed at the rose-colored box with one finger. "She said she would not say yes to me even if I asked a million times." He ran his hands through his hair. "She does not love someone else. How can she not want to marry me?"

    "She may not be the marrying type," Christian reassured him. "Her parents went through a pretty awful divorce, right? She may not ever want to risk getting hurt that way." Christian started putting his things away quietly. "Maybe she doesn't want to commit to someone with Audrey being the way she is. Twins are close, and Audrey needs minding at times."

    "I would not care if Audrey lived with us always," Rei stated firmly. "I care for her like she was my own sister. I treat her better than Zoe does most days. Audrey is always welcome in my home."

    "But Zoe might not feel that way. I'm not saying she's right, but she may be ready to have her own life, free of her sister." Christian felt sick that he had stumbled upon this realization. He could not fathom a life without his siblings, but he knew that circumstances had shaped them into a very tight trio. "You have a kind heart, Rei, no one doubts that. But it is possible that maybe Zoe has her own reasons to refuse you, ones that have nothing to do with you."

    "Maybe," Rei conceded, still looking miserable. "I maybe should let it go for now."

    "That would probably be for the best," Christian agreed. He shuffled through the mail on his desk, then paused. He didn't recognize the handwriting, but it was addressed to him. He tore open the envelope and pulled out a note.

   There is something odd happening in Arcadia. We need to talk.

    It was signed with a ward symbol.

    Christian frowned. He was tired and ready to call it a night, but this had the feel of something that probably shouldn't be put off until tomorrow. He wasn't even sure who had left it for him, though he had a feeling it was Sean. The handwriting had a hard, old-fashioned, definitely masculine edge to it, but there was only one way to be certain. He glanced over at Rei, who was absorbed in the letter he was writing. Satisfied, Christian sat down at his own desk and pulled out a pen and paper. First, the ward of undoing, an easy enough task. He winced a little as the cacophony of emotion and thought hit him at a rush. He had not realized quite how effective he had become at setting that ward. Next, a neat little ward that would offer a brief glimpse into an item's history. It should be enough to lead him to the writer, he believed.

    Running his fingertips across the ink and paper confirmed that Sean had in fact written the note, a look of deep concern on his face as he made the ward symbol for secrecy under the one-line message. The image faded, and Christian was left staring at the paper through half-lidded eyes. There was not a sense of impending disaster, but certainly a sense of urgency. Christian sat back and stretched until his back popped. There was nothing for it. He stood up and pulled on his coat and took his scarf and gloves off his dresser. Rei gave a quick look in his direction, then went back to writing in frenetic kanji.

    He didn't bother to reset the ward of holding. He wanted to be able to see and hear everything around him tonight. It was easy enough to let the psychic noise slip into the background, and it faded the further he got from the dormitories and campus. A cold, bright moon hung in the night sky, reflecting off the deep snow and casting strange shadows. The orange streetlamps did nothing to ground the dreamscape around him. He felt like the only human creature outside in the world at that moment. Shivering, he moved more quickly toward Red House.

    The cafe was already closed for the night, the lights off and the door locked. Christian wasn't sure how he was supposed to alert Sean to his presence. Checking to see that no one was around to see, he slid down the narrow alley between the cafe and its neighbor to explore the back of the building. It was as deserted as the front, and with no clear access to the second floor. There was a fire ladder, but it was of the retractable variety and the lowest rung was still several feet too high for Christian to reach. The windows were probably his only chance, and he was playing a risky game if he screwed up on this. He dropped to his knees and traced a ward of hiding on the crumbling bricks and slushy snow. Each symbol blazed a little brighter as he reached the end of the ward before they all faded, victims of their own purpose. Taking a deep breath, Christian drew forth magefire and willed it upward. It bobbled and flickered as it drifted toward the second-floor windows. Trying to maintain calmness, Christian tapped the glowing ball against the pane. Almost immediately, Sean threw open the window, thumbing the safety back into place on the handcannon he was carrying.

    "Are you insane?" he barked down to Christian in a half-whisper. "I was ready to blow your damned head clear of your neck!"

    "If memory serves, you yourself told me that the universe would bend around save me from mortal harm." Christian sounded much calmer than  he actually felt. He couldn't stop staring at the size of that gun. "You wanted to see me?"

    "I did. Hold on, I'll let you in." Sean closed the window. A minute later, an obscured door in the wall swung open. Sean waved Christian inside, then shut the door and set a ward. "Where have you been? I sent you that note Friday."

    "I was out of town with Sebastian. I'm a wizard, not a monk. It was Valentine's Day, and we wanted some time to ourselves." Christian wondered if this was going to be the story of his life from now until the end of time, that he would be lectured every single time he took time for himself. He had an overwhelming urge to kick Sean's bony backside as they went down the hall to the stairs. He had a feeling that would result in getting the gun fired in his direction, so he refrained. "It has been a stressful few weeks for him."

    "I suppose it has been," Sean relented a bit. "His love for you cannot be questioned. Come inside, there have been strange things happening."


    If by strange things happening Sean meant that all the contents of two of the other rooms had been dragged into the living room, then that was in evidence. Christian carefully picked his way around stacks of books, boxes, a rack of clothes on hangers, and sundry tools. Sean didn't seem to notice Christian's confusion, but sat down in one of the chairs. Christian found an empty spot on the sofa and edged into it. In the brighter light of the apartment, it was clear that Sean had not been sleeping well. His skin had a slightly grayish tinge to it, and there was a bruise-like shadow around his eye. He noticed Christian appraising the disarray around the room, and cleared his throat.

    "I've been setting wards. I can't be too careful at this point. Things have been strange for a few weeks, since that blizzard and power outage. That broke several of my wards, and that makes my hair stand on end." He rubbed his temples in exhaustion. "Then this past weekend, something was poking around Arcadia and broke all the wards I set. That happened Friday, and I've been remaking the wards ever since, and new ones."

    "Something?" Christian asked, his heart thumping. He had been dreading this, he realized. He had been dreading the discovery that he had done something to destroy the safety and security of this world. He had thrown open the gates of Hell or worse in his ignorance, and the things that lurked on the edge of all that what was wakeful and sane were free to wreak havoc upon those things he held dear. "Do you know what kind of something?"

    "It's not human, I don't think, but beyond that I do not know." Sean tugged at his beard, anxious. "There are plenty of non-human creatures who do not mean any malice, though they may not particularly like humans. I wanted you here so we could determine what it was."

    "Would a djinni have the sort of power to break the wards?" Christian asked. Sean gave him a pointed look. "I'm not going to set you on each other. I've kept you a secret from them, and I'm keeping their secrets from you. However, I do know a djinni and I do know that he was going to be investigating what has been happening this weekend. He's the one who sent me out of town, if you must know."

    "Ah." Sean dropped back into the chair like a huge strain had been eased. "Yes, a djinni would have the ability to break most wards, especially if he or she was well-trained or powerful. I also do understand why he sent you away. You set off every single early warning system by your mere existence here. I had to stop using those wards entirely. I don't like feeling that exposed, but I haven't discovered a way to work around it. Did your acquaintance find anything untoward?"

    "I don't know. I came to see you first."

    "Ah." Sean steepled his fingers above his chest and against his lips. He fell into a reverie. Christian had just decided that he had fallen asleep when Sean stirred and straightened. "You'll see him tomorrow, I assume."

    "Most likely. Probably after classes end for the day, but I can't be certain." Christian fiddled with his ring. "I'll come here as soon as I find out what he knows."

    "Thank you," Sean said. He got up and went to the window. "I am sure this absurd to someone like you, for someone with the barest knowledge to be so wary and watchful, but I don't know. I have spent a very long time on this earth, and I know there are more things spinning at the edges and fringes and in the deep places of the earth than we will ever comprehend, and as much as I hate my cursed existence, I do love this world. I will stand guardian as best I can with my feeble ability, and protect this world from those things that would gut it."

    "I don't think it's absurd," Christian replied quietly. "I think it might be the bravest thing I have ever heard in my life."  In the glare of the security light through the window, he thought he could see the hint of a smile crease the corner of Sean's mouth.