Adelfried

  Minna swirled her drink looking down into the liquid. “Ever since you and the Root appeared. I have noticed too many coincidences. Nothing overt enough to suggest that a particular person was the mole, but I think it is safe to say it is someone trying to get the Root. That is why I put the barrier around it when I did. No matter what happened or who got it, it was secure.”

  Adelfried leaned back in his chair trying to make sense of this. “And so, are you assuming this is more treachery from Harold?”

  Minna tilted her head and cocked a half smirk. “Surprisingly no. There are more wizards in the world who could secretly covet such power. And anyone with the Root would immediately have the power of a wizard, but not the training or experience, and thus would pose an even bigger wild card than Harold. He made his play and failed.” Minna nodded to her father. “In no small part thanks to you and the Harpers' efforts.”

  The mere suggestion that the Harpers had helped filled him with unease, like she was trying to push him to her own ends. “So now I assume this is where you tell me I shouldn’t go try to rescue Kae and Evan?”

  Minna put her glass down clearly frustrated. “No. I am not saying that. I just want you to be aware of everything that I know. I am not trying to control you.” Irritation started to build in her voice. “I am trying to protect you and the whole damn world! Don’t you see? If I have a mole in my organization, they would know you are going to go down there, or know who you are, or there could be a trap set for you to get to me. You just have to be careful. You have to be prepared.”

  Adelfried took another slow drink from his beer to let it all sink in. He was going to have to get this recipe. No, he would have to brew a batch with Hugh. When would he even have time? Would he ever have time? This crazy world. She was right though. She wasn’t trying to control him, or at least not overtly. She was trying to protect him. “Fine. I should not assume.”

  Minna nodded visibly trying to calm herself. “Now, the biggest coincidence is how did anyone from the underworld know where the Harpers lived. The Sovs pieced it together through satellite imagery and capturing Ying. But the Spaders couldn’t have known unless someone told them. And who down there knew? Were they with the empire or independent? Their focus is finding ESH diamonds the size of powder buried in the soil. Even something as powerful as the Root wouldn’t trigger their sensors because they just aren’t looking for something like that. Especially not something enclosed in concrete like you had done.” Minna took another sip of her drink. “And the with Cuāuhtli you have to be very careful. Their leader, Tonatiuh, is an especially slippery customer who has no love for me and the Wrecht Order. So do not tell him you’re my dad or you will be hip deep in Jaguar Warriors trying to kill you. Not that you won’t be able to handle it, but it will make things more difficult. Which reminds me, your technique needs improvement, your skills are about a thousand years out of date. With your raw power you should be fine against most anyone, but if you are going to continue to cavort with Federico, have him show you the basics of battle. That shield you summoned in the basement would not hold up against an observant mage who knew what they were doing.”

  Minna gazed absently into the air and grimaced as if she were in pain. “And I suppose Jim should also learn magic.” She put her drink down and pointed at Adelfried. “But you tell him that if he so much as cast an ill light in my direction I will not hesitate to do what Ying did to me.”

  Adelfried waggled his half empty beer at Minna. “Stop. You should know by now he is a good man and has no ill intentions towards you. But you assault his family and he will act just as you did.”

  Minna harumphed and looked away.

  Hugh, who had been sitting quietly and not willing to jump in between them, finally spoke up. “He’s right you know. Jim did exactly as you would have. In fact, from what I understand of Jim and Ying, they have done nothing but act just as you might have, if you really look at it.”

  “And when will Ying be released?” Adelfried said.

  Minna took the last sip of her drink. “My doctors are reviewing her situation now. They will awaken her once they understand what she is and what she is capable of. Then she will need to answer questions. Once I am satisfied it is safe for her to leave…” Minna dragged it out still looking at some point far away across the room. “She will be free to go. I swear it. But it will take time. I cannot rush this. I don’t need another loose cannon wandering around in Spader Society, even if she is only motivated by saving her kids.”

  Adelfried brows furrowed. This could not go on forever on Minna’s whim.

  Minna noticed his change of demeanor and waved him off. “A few days, maybe a couple weeks at most. Then you can visit, talk to her, stay with her, whatever you like.” She paused. “Yes, even Jim is welcome.”

  Adelfried nodded. “Good. Because as far as I am concerned, they are family, which brings me to the matter of why aren’t you sending people down after the Root and the Harpers? Your agent…Nina, I think. She’s down there too.”

  “It’s complicated.” Minna’s eyes looked to the sky. “If I send a team down, the kingdom will look at it as an act of war. I considered sending a covert team down, but if they are discovered it will be taken the wrong way and it will put an emphasis on how important the Root and the people are. I discussed it with my second in command, Karen, and we both agreed that Nina is capable enough that if she is still alive, she will be able to get them out. Plus, I have started urgent, but not too urgent, diplomatic talks with the empire to resolve the black out. I don’t want to tip my hand as to how important the people and contents of that house are. Once that is resolved we will be able to retrieve them.”

  Adelfried felt his face involuntarily frown.

  Minna said, “Don’t worry. If they survived, they will be found and not killed. Worse case they will put them to work for a little while until we can negotiate their release. They need our cooperation; we hold the all the cards. Plus, the Root itself is secure. It will look like giant ball of concrete with an enchantment. No one will know its true nature from just looking at it.”

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  Minna yawned. “Now, would you like to stay the night, or, I assume you want to be off to the underworld? Because if I have one more of these.” She shook her empty glass. “I’m not teleporting you anywhere. Never drink and teleport I always say.”

  After the goodbyes and promises to return to brew beer with Hugh, Minna delivered Adelfried back to Federico’s place in Spain. Jim and Federico stood opposing each other with arms held up in defensive postures.

  Federico dropped his stance and bowed graciously to Minna.

  Jim lowered his arms. “Well, it’s about time.”

  Minna nodded slightly to the pair before disappearing in a flash.

  Jim made a disgusted sound towards Minna’s disappearance. “Did you get to see Ying? Is she okay?”

  Adelfried shook his head. “No. But she gave me an assurance that she would be awakened within a few days to weeks and freed after that.”

  Jim’s face soured immediately.

  Adelfried waved his hand. “I know, but I believe her and besides, we have to go and get Kae and Evan. Oh and that Wrecht agent…Nina, who was with them.”

  Jim nodded. “If you believe that makes me a feel a little better.” He huffed and turned to Federico. “We were just reviewing the basic modes of magic.” He spun his hands in a circle and thrust his right hand towards Federico with all fingers pointing forward. A small wave of distorted air shot forth from his fingers and dissipated inches away from Federico.

  “Better,” Federico said. “Tighten your focus and aim for the head. It would be the equivalent of a punch to the face.”

  After Adelfried shared what he had learned from Minna the trio spent the rest of the day reviewing the basic modes of magic and strategies for attack and defense. The first dictum Federico drummed into them was to ensure your attack and defense fit your opponent and situation.

  “Adelfried,” Federico said having him stand several paces away. “Please put up a shield as if I were going to attack.”

  Adelfried envisioned a wall between them and felt as the magic flowed through him.

  “Good.” Federico sent a few bolts of ESH that sparked and fizzled as they hit the wall. “While that is an effective shield for a standard attack of just about anything. It does not protect your sides or your body. Now watch.” Federico did a small finger twirl and gust of hot air from Adelfried’s left tousled his hair. “See. You're exposed from your sides and back.”

  Adelfried nodded and envisioned a wall surrounding him like a turret on a castle.

  Federico tilted his head as if sensing the change. “Better, but this does not protect you from above or below. Not to mention an internal attack. Or as I like to call it the Darth attack.” Suddenly Adelfried couldn’t breathe. He grasped his neck trying to fight the sensation, but it was as if an invisible hand strangled him from the inside, and then it was gone.

  Adelfried gasped. “And I assume there is a counter for this.”

  Federic nodded. “Magic and ESH wielding at its core is about believing something can be done and visualizing it. Even after a thousand years of study we don’t quite understand exactly how the brain does it. We know that we are accessing powers that originate at the quantum level. And once we understand the brain and quantum physics, I am sure we will be able to figure this all out. But until then, we rely on our will and visualization to provide the brain a structure to take the ESH in our bodies and execute what we want to happen. It doesn’t always work exactly as we want to, of course. But that is where the practice comes in. Now where was I?”

  Jim had his arms folded. “Defending the Darth choke.”

  Federico smiled and pointed a finger at Adelfried. “So instead of creating a wall, visualize you are unbreakable. Indestructible. That will protect inside and out. One other point, don’t think of a material like steel or stone because then you brain will anchor on those materials, and we all know you can crush a stone with a hammer. Imagine nothing in the universe can hurt you. Now both of you try.”

  Adelfried focused. Nothing could hurt him. He was invincible. The tingle of ESH pulsed through him and suddenly he felt as if he was.

  Federico stood motionless as if considering their efforts. He walked over and physically touched him. Where his hands touched, Adelfried glowed sky blue.

  Federico nodded and went to Jim and pressed a hand on him. Faint white sparks and sputters emitted from his hand. “Excellent form Jim. But you of course lack any real power. But don’t worry that will come with time and more ESH exposure.”

  Jim let out a breath of air as if he had been holding it and the sparks disappeared. “Man, that is tough to maintain.”

  “Again, you have so little ESH that everything will be hard for you.”

  “Yeah, about that.” Jim pulled two diamond stud earrings from his pocket. “First of all, thanks, for loaning me these. But how come he has infinite power but hasn’t touched an ESH diamond in days.”

  Federico held his hand up. “The exact math is a complicated, but the short version is that humans are like giant ESH batteries. There is no known limit of the amount of ESH we can absorb. And when we consider the levels that Adelfried has absorbed from the Root, it’s unclear when he would run out. But needless to say, it won’t be anytime soon. Now if we were to be in constant battles for the next few days, he might see his power diminish. Which brings me back to the first dictum, which is?”

  Jim replied. “Fit your attack and defense to your opponent and situation.”

  Federico nodded. “Mages and wizards fight each other with pure ESH attacks. There is no saving energy when going to toe to toe at that level. But if I wanted to knock Jim out here, I’m not using an ESH attack. Just being in his presence, I can sense he is a charmer, and I would use a more efficient attack.”

  Adelfried tilted his head. “Charmer?”

  Jim raised his hand. “I got this. Levels one to three charmers. Four to six, and most law enforcement types we will face, including Jaguars, conjurers. Seven to nine, like Federico here once he gets his groove back, mages. Ten.” He gestured to Adelfried. “Wizard.”

  “Precisely,” Federico continued. “The simplest and most basic attack is a telekinetic strike. That is the act of affecting the physical world with your mind. It is much easier to use tightly packed punch of energy to the face or sling a rock like a bullet than to waste a full blast of ESH on your opponent. Of course, a mage with proper training wouldn’t even feel that kind of attack with a shield up. But if I threw a rock hard enough at Jim here, it would tear through any shield he could muster.”

  Jim tightened his lips and nodded with a grim approval.

  “Saving your ESH is critical in any confrontation. Adelfried, I have no doubt that your stores of ESH are extremely large, but you will still be tapping your blood sugar if you have to fight off multiple assailants. Since you probably haven’t learned to sense your opponent’s strength effectively, once your shield is up, I recommend you always start with a telekinetic attack and move to pure ESH as needed.”

  Federico turned to Jim. “For you, your best bet is just run and evade.” Federico smiled and patted him on the back. “And if that doesn’t work, throw rocks, with your hand.” Federico smiled. “After a few days of absorbing ESH, then you might consider a telekinetically thrown rock or even a focused strike at their face. But right now, it will just tire you out needlessly.”

  A sense of doom swallowed Jim’s face. “Anything I can do to speed this along?”

  Federico put an arm on Jim’s shoulder “Increased exposure is the only way.” He touched Jim’s earlobes. “And those are earrings, you know. So shall we get your ears pierced?”

  Jim grunted. “Really? That’s the only way?”