Looking tired, Nicole sat down on one of the couches near the entrance and the teleporter they’d just arrived through, which was little more than a metal platform set in the corner, by the coat closet, with a control panel mounted on the wall. Like blasters, teleporters were another example of a magi-tech device, combining magic and technology to achieve something neither could do, alone.
Ustrina hopped down from her perch on Nicole's shoulder and curled up next to her. Once she was comfortable, the little dragon rested her head on Nicole’s thigh.
The main room of the house spanned three distinct areas, with three doors to bedrooms, two on the left and one on the right. The first was the sitting area, which also served as the living room, including a rather large computer screen that was most often used for entertainment. The second was the dining area, with a table and chair set large enough for a family and guests to gather around, able to seat eight. Finally, the last was the kitchen, which was separated from the dining area by a counter, complete with a few stools. The floor, walls and ceiling were all varnished wood, with a dark color for the floor, a cream color for the ceiling and the walls were a shade halfway between.
The first door on the left led to her birth father’s childhood bedroom, which was currently bare, and the second led to the master bedroom, which Lyra used. The door on the opposite side led to the guest room, which had been Nicole’s bedroom for the past two years.
After a few minutes spent taking things from her pockets, Lyra spoke aloud, “Hrm. Since you can’t rely on your magic with that nullifier on your head, I’ve got a couple of old heirlooms that might be useful.”
“Oh?” Nicole raised her head.
Lyra nodded, then walked into her bedroom. When she returned, she was carrying a gun-belt with two pistols. She dropped it in Nicole’s lap, who found it surprisingly heavy, though she’d never picked up a gun before, because she’d instead trained with swords and magic.
“They’re your grandfather’s old, custom blasters, which he passed down to Levi, to keep him safe, since in those days he wasn’t quick with magic. He mostly stopped wearing them once he finally got a handle on his magic. They’ve been collecting dust for quite a long time.”
Nicole sat up and Ustrina moved to keep her head on Nicole’s thigh as she pulled one of the blasters from its holster. Each Jacobs Special, as history had named the pistols, weighed about three and a quarter pounds and resembled a revolver, due to the fact that it had six chambers for pistol power cells on a pop-out, rotating drum, which made up the bulk of the weapon’s weight. She found the little display toward the back of the barrel quite intuitive and the little control switch for the safety was clearly labeled. There was also a set of buttons for controlling the weapon’s functions that were easily accessible with a thumb. As she scrolled through the list of available software for spells the blaster could cast, she was surprised by how long it was.
Finding the default settings of the blaster strange, Nicole asked, “What’s this weird setting labeled, ‘FCB’, which seems to be on, by default?”
“That’s what makes them special.” Lyra chuckled, “Your grandfather saw a lot of action in his days, so he designed his personal pistols to use the full energy load of a pistol cell for a single shot. Unless you change the settings, the first five shots will drain a cell and the next twelve will come from the last cell, at a more normal power level.”
“That’s an evil little design! I like it!” Nicole laughed, out loud, “Thank you.”
Lyra offered, “Now, if you’d like, I could call Maeldoon and make arrangements for you to meet him.”
“Thanks. Please do.”
As Nicole laid back and started to doze, Lyra pulled a mobile phone from her pocket and aimlessly wandered around as she spoke with someone on the other end. Nicole half-listened to Lyra’s voice.
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“Hi!” Lyra paused while the woman on the other end spoke, then answered, “Lyra Jacobs. I’d like to speak with Maeldoon.” There was another pause as the other woman spoke, at length, then Lyra responded, “That’s fine, whenever you see him next, let him know.” Lyra listened, then asked, “Just now? That’s good.” A question was asked and Lyra sounded thoughtful, “Now? I suppose that-”
Pop! – Nicole fully woke to the loud sound of a teleport spell displacing the air of the room and her eyes snapped open, allowing her to take in the sight of an old, gray-bearded, curly-haired wizard in a blue, pointed hat and matching robes, standing near the dinner table. He looked every inch the typical wizard, as though he’d studied and mimicked the stereotype as a stylistic choice, with a beard roughly a foot long, but the cheerful grin on his face seemed very out of place for the persona his clothes hinted at.
Though her magic was currently being blocked, Nicole’s magical senses were still quite sharp. She quickly analyzed the traces of the wizard’s teleport spell and compared to the one used by the common teleporter. The wizard’s spell was significantly more refined and included several intuitive, subconscious effects designed to make the spell safer, whereas the teleporter’s spell had no safety mechanics and the safety features had all been built with sensors, electronics and software.
As she idly admired the spell’s design, which included a sensory effect to make sure the destination was safe, she saw several ways it could be improved with a little creativity. For example, the loud burst of air movement could be removed from the spell by enacting a bi-directional transfer, effectively exchanging the matter at either end, instead of leaving a vacuum at the origin and creating a displacement burst at the destination.
However, she knew better than to try teleporting herself; if she got even one small detail wrong, she could end up materializing inside a solid object, for a messy death.
Lyra finished her phone call, “He’s here now, thanks. We’ll talk again soon. Bye.”
Ustrina fussed and whined a little as Nicole pulled her leg out from under the dragon’s head, to stand and greet the wizard, but she stayed on the couch.
Nicole asked, “Are you Maeldoon?”
The wizard’s smile grew broader in a way that reminded her of an innocent, exuberant child, rather than the old man standing before her. He bowed low and his hat fell on the floor, revealing the entire top of his head was bare.
“I am.” He quickly put his hat back on and held his hand out, “I’m guessing you would be Nicole? Did you get the letter I sent you for your birthday, with your present in the envelope?”
Nicole shook his hand, “I’m Nicole, but no, I didn’t get a letter. I got an envelope with a hexagonal piece of metal inside.”
The wizard’s face shaded with embarrassment, “Oh, sorry. I guess I forgot to put it in.”
The old man rummaged around in the pockets of his robe, producing a lump of sulfur, a bundle of small, half-burned candles tied together with twine, a stick of charcoal that looked just the right size for drawing with, a live garden snake and then finally, a folded up sheet of paper.
He unfolded it, smiled and offered it, saying, “Here it is.”
Nicole took it and read:
Dear Nicole,
My name is Maeldoon. I taught both your father and grandfather magic. I’m sad they’re gone, because I learned so much from both of them. I wanted to pass this trinket on to your father before I die, but since he’s gone, I think he’d want you to have it.
I don’t actually know what it is and I only inherited it from my old master about fifteen years ago. I’ve studied its magic all that time, convinced I was about to crack its mysteries the entire time, but the sad truth is that my research has gone nowhere.
My master said the magic is ancient, which was quite a surprise to me, because I only learned enchanting techniques after your grandfather invented them. Before your grandfather, I’d never heard of anyone casting permanent spells of any kind, but that may be because most wizards are so secretive.
Anyway, your mother recently told me you possess unusual talents and great sensitivity to magic. I hope you’ll be able to unlock its secrets where I failed.
Sincerely,
Maeldoon
Nicole finished reading and asked, “You don’t know anything else about the hexagonal coin you sent me?”
“No.” Maeldoon shook his head, “I wanted to ask the rock people from the moon, since they use an ancient form of magic, but when I tried to get permission, the city council refused.”
Lyra explained, “After the Ulkun came down from the moon, they asked to be left alone and since they’re so dangerous, we’ve let them be, waiting on them to make contact. I know their leader, however. I had quite a few long, telepathic conversations with him when we drafted the peace treaty between our peoples and he trusts me. If I show up, he’ll talk with us.”
Feeling tired, Nicole sat back down, while Maeldoon and Lyra chatted. Lyra filled the wizard in on what was going on and his cheerful face creased with worry. At that point, he turned to Nicole, clearly intent on apologizing, but she was asleep on the couch.
No one noticed, but as she shifted in her sleep, the headband that blocked her magic slipped off.