"So, like, what do you want to do with this weather machine thing?"
Betsy looked around the room expectantly. I was at a loss - we'd talked over the possibilities of what we were going to do with the thing when (or if, I reminded myself) we actually obtained it, but we'd never discussed bringing these gothpunks into the game plan. I looked at Renee, who shrugged and looked over at Daedelus. He cleared his throat and said, "Uh, we'd talked about a couple of possibilities, but we're not sure yet. How about you?"
Betsy glanced at Ogre, then shrugged and said, "I dunno. We've talked to some folks. Some really weird guys came by here a few days ago. All black trenchcoats and sunglasses."
I leaned forward. "Mirrored sunglasses, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah, that's them. Creepy dudes, too. Like they're not really there when you talk to 'em, even though you can see 'em. They said they wanted the weather machine, too, and that they'd be at the party."
Oh, hell. This was just great. All this and the Men in Black on our tails, too. Betsy continued, "Oh yeah, they wanted us to give them the weather machine, but I don't know - they creep me out too much, y'know? But I'll tell you what: we've got the inside track on a cool deal, that we might let you guys in on." She looked around the room, waiting to see if we were interested.
Eric took the bait. "We might be interested. What do you have?"
Betsy snorted. "Man, we seem to be supplying all of the info here. Well, we've got a line on this guy who'll give us ten big ones for the weather thing. We'll cut you guys in for half of that if you give us a hand."
I didn't like this at all. I asked, "Who's this guy with all the money to throw around?" If the weather machine was as big a deal as I thought it was, he was ripping them off. Ten thousand? I'd think ten million would be more like it.
"He's this big hairy dude. He told us he'd know where to find us when we got the weather machine."
We hemmed and hawed for a few minutes, trying to figure out who to give the weather machine to. Finally, Daedelus stood up and started pacing restlessly. "Look," he said with exasperation, "It's obvious we're not getting anywhere here. Why don't we just agree to bring the weather machine back here once we have it, then we'll figure out what to do with it." Bleah. Not much of an alternative - once we got our hands on that thing, everyone and their brother was coming after it. I agreed, though - we'd work this out better once we got back to the chantry.
So it was agreed - the party started at 11 PM, so we'd meet at the Bell Tower on the North Carolina State University campus at 10. Ogre would grab the weather machine, step sideways, and bring it back to the mall. I would accompany him in the Umbra. Having hashed that out, we took our leave of their little goth den and headed back to the chantry.
***
We got back to the chantry around 10:30 PM. I grabbed a Coke from the kitchen. Dog and Mary were watching TV in my room as usual, so I sat down on the big green leather chair in the living room and leafed through the latest issue of the Independent, noting that they still hoped Gantt would beat Helms. It would be nice, but I doubted it would happen. Hell, it's too bad I couldn't vote for Jolene Strickland for governor, though.
I glanced up to see that bit by bit, the others had assembled in the living room as well. Renee was talking intently with John (hmmm - not an unusual occurrence, that. I wonder…), Cab was reading one of the books from the library on life magic, and Eric, Daedelus, and Kasee were talking about paradox and its effects. I put down the newspaper and went to the kitchen to refresh my drink. As I walked back into the room, Eric cleared his throat.
"Well," he said, "I suppose now is as good a time as any. What do we do with the weather machine?"
I was glad he had baldly stated what everyone else had been wondering. The other conversations stopped as everyone pulled a chair into a rough circle and looked around, waiting for suggestions. I held my peace, waiting to see what the others thought.
Daedelus took off his mirrorshades (for a change) and turned them over in his hands. "Well, the way I see it, we have four options: this hairy guy that Betsy mentioned, the Men in Black she spoke to, Mister Forteau, or Master Porthos." It was pretty much agreed that the Men in Black were bad juju, and that we just didn't know enough about the hairy dude to give it to him. Which left us, once again, with Forteau or Porthos.
Eric leaned back in his chair and said, "The way I see it, Master Porthos should get it. If anything goes wrong with it while he has it, he's in a forces realm, so any explosions or whatever will be contained." He made it sound so obvious. Damn, I don't trust him at all.
Daedelus nodded. "I see your point. And we just don't know enough about Forteau. His informing us that we are in his service just doesn't wash. The way I look at it, we don't owe him anything." But still, I wondered, what could Porthos do for us?
Dog wandered out of my room and lay down quietly outside the circle of chairs. *Interesting,* he noted, *Not as good as The Young and the Restless, but better than The X Files.* Great. Lots of help there.
I stood up and started to walk to the kitchen. "God damn it." I'd had it. I spun around to face the group and said with vehemence, "Look, we’ve been chased, arrested, shot at, and survived various car crashes. I'm tired of this shit. I say we give it to Forteau because we have a better idea of what he can do. When we get our hands on the weather machine, the world is going to come and try to stomp our heads. We need to give it to someone who can protect us, it's as simple as that. I'm out to save my skin here. And I think Forteau can give us the best protection."
I continued into the kitchen, hearing the stunned silence behind me, then conversation picked up again. As I replayed my last words in my head, I almost dropped my glass, and I felt the blood run out of my face. Oh, by all that's holy. What the hell have I been thinking? "I want to save my own skin?" That's not right, that's not me at all. That's the stupidest, most self-centered thing I've ever heard myself say.
I heard a tapping of claws on tile, and Dog walked into the kitchen. *What is it?*
"I can't believe these people, and I can't believe me. What the hell am I trying to do?"
*What's the worst that can happen?*
I stopped for a second. Once the whole deal with the weather machine was done and over with, and we had (hopefully) wrapped up the loose ends, what was I left with? Myself. And I had to live with myself.
"The worst that can happen? That I fail to remain true to myself."
Dog snorted quietly. *I think this is your chance to find out who you are.*
I walked slowly back into the living room, Dog following me and lying at my feet when I sat down again. As I scratched between his ears, I only half-heard the conversation that was going on around me. How could I have been so stupid and selfish? And if I don't know what I'm talking about, what right do I have to try to convince anyone else of anything?
Daedelus asked Eric some questions about Master Porthos, including what his history was, what he though Porthos could do, and what Porthos could do for us if we gave him the weather machine. I looked at my watch; it was 11:45. I stood up and said, "Look, I can't tell y'all what to do, OK? But I feel that we have given our word to Mr. Forteau, and we can't break it. We said we'd get the weather machine for him, and that's what we should do." I started toward my bedroom.
As the others broke into quiet conversations amongst themselves, Cab stopped me before I closed the door. "What will you do if we decide to give the weather machine to Porthos?"
I stopped for a moment and thought. I hadn't considered what I would do, actually. Finally, I said, "I'll go to Forteau, and tell him that I have not lived up to my responsibilities."
She mulled that over for a moment. "Will you go before or after we have the weather machine?"
"It depends on what we decide. Good night." And I shut the door. Mary was asleep on the sofa, so I turned off the TV and undressed for bed. As I lay down in the bed, Dog jumped up next to me and snuggled up to me. *Loyalty is an interesting emotion,* he said, turning around to face me. *Why do you feel this?*
"You have to understand this. If I cannot keep my word, I can't be true to others. And if I can't be true to others, then I can't be true to myself."
Dog rolled over and leaned back against me. *Hmmm.* Well, I felt a little bit better - I'd made my familiar think.
***
The next morning - Halloween morning - we got up and straggled in for breakfast. No one said anything to me, so I had no clue what they were thinking. Was I a traitor? I didn't care.
Eric started things off as we gathered once more in the living room after breakfast, around 9 AM. "I think we should give the weather machine to Master Porthos. I've given you my reasons, and I don't think there's much more to be said."
I leaned forward in my chair and said, "Look, you've heard me go on and on about this, so I'll spare you. I'll just say this: We told Mr. Forteau, implicitly or no, that we would get the weather machine for him. Therefore, that is who we should give it to." I looked at each member of the group as I said, "If you plan to give the weather machine to Master Porthos, I will have no part in the enterprise."
I didn't really expect that my participation or lack thereof to influence anyone's decision, but I would at least satisfy my own honor. There was a little more discussion, including Renee's revelation that she was certain that the sleepwalker in Cab's dream (who "places the ball in a safe with no door") was Forteau. I thought this might bolster the case for Forteau.
Finally, around 10:30, Eric called for a vote. He voted for Porthos, as did Daedelus and Renee. Kasee voted for Forteau, saying she figured she owed him something for providing food and shelter for the last month. John and Cab voted for Porthos. I sighed, got up, went to my room, and shut the door.
Dog, lying on the sofa, poked his head up. *So, Don Quixote, any more windmills?*
"Oh, don't you start."
Mary looked from me to Dog, then walked quietly into the living room, shutting the door behind her.
"Look, I said it last night: I have to honor my obligations."
*And thereby remain true to yourself? How do you know what standard you are conforming to? Is this some ideal you have, or is it really you?*
"Shit. Look, I can't deal with that right now. I'm going to Forteau's. You coming?"
*Why not?* He jumped off the bed, tail wagging, and scooped up his leash (which I used solely for show when we were out in public) in his mouth and waited by the door as I collected my bike and threw some clothes into my backpack. I smiled when I saw him looking very dog-like, and opened the door. He bounded out, heading for the front door.
As I walked my bike to the door, I spotted Eric coming out of his room. "Eric, watch Mary for me. I'm going to Forteau's." Not waiting for his reply, I walked out the door.
***
About an hour and a half later (damn, those Triangle Transit buses were slow), I pedaled up to Mr. Forteau's house, Dog meeting me at the driveway as usual. Things were quiet there, as usual. I knocked at the door - no answer. Hmm. Must be around back. I walked around to the back porch, but he wasn't back there, either. I knocked on the back door. "Hello? Mr. Forteau?" No answer there, either. Knowing it was useless, I tried the doorknob. To my surprise, it opened. I expected to see the stone golem, but there were no signs of life. "Hello? Anyone home?" My voice echoed through the empty rooms. All the furniture was as I remembered it, but slightly dusty, highly out of character for the normally fastidious Mr. Forteau.
I walked slowly back towards his office, not sure what to expect. Sure enough, there he was sitting at his desk. "Mr. Forteau! Hi, I…" The words died in my mouth as I realized he was staring at a point about three feet above my head. His stone golem was standing in front of his desk, crumbling slightly around the edges. "Oh, shit." I rushed over to his desk, and as I put my hand on his shoulder he started to topple forward. I caught him, noting that there was a light coating of dust on his face. He'd been here a while.
I picked up Forteau and carried him over to the sofa in his office. I checked his breathing - barely there, but there nonetheless. His pulse was slow, very slow. Comatose, then. I asked Dog, "What do you think? Any idea what's happening here?" I got the equivalent of a mental shrug as he padded off to explore the rest of the house.
Looking at the inert form of Forteau, I tried to think what could cause it. The lights were on, but nobody was home. And if they're not home, they're…Of course! I shifted my sight into the Umbra. Oddly, there was a prairie of blowing grasses there in place of the usual pine forest which usually occupies the Umbra in this area. Far off on the horizon, I saw two figures standing motionless, with crackles of energy flying between them. Oh hell, a duel arcane. I tried to see who they were, but couldn't make out their faces. I wish Forteau had filled me in more on this aspect of magic, but it was too late now.
I stopped for a moment in indecision - would the others still want to have any part of me or Forteau? I had no clue. Well, there's one way to find out. I picked up the phone and dialed the chantry. Kasee picked up the phone, and I asked to speak to Daedelus, since I thought he was the one with the best head on his shoulders. I briefly told him what I had seen, and he said he'd be right out.
Thirty minutes later, I heard the sound of a motorcycle in the driveway. I met Daedelus out there.
"Hi. Thanks for coming out."
"No problem," He said, getting off the bike and taking off his helmet. "I didn't quite understand what's going on from what you said on the phone, though."
"It's like this: I think Forteau is involved in some duel of magic in the Umbra…"
"Umbra - that's like the spirit world you and Kasee and Cab keep talking about?"
"Yeah, that's it. Anyway, I need to make sure that it's Forteau that we're looking at, and if so, what we can do to help. He's been locked in this battle for a good three or four days, at least."
Daedelus whistled. "Damn. What do you propose?"
"I want to try to get closer to the fight. From where we stand here at the house, the duel is taking place at the horizon. I want to take your bike and get closer. You drive, and I'll keep looking in the Umbra and direct you."
We set off down the driveway, as I shifted my sight sideways. The prairie flew past us as we drove down the driveway towards the road, paralleling the horizon where the figures stood. As we turned onto the road toward the duel, suddenly we were in a dense pine woods!
"Stop!" I yelled. Daedelus braked hard, almost dumping us both off the bike.
"What? What is it?"
"This is screwy. The landscape I saw before is gone - now I'm looking at something else. It seems to be connected with Forteau's property. Drive back toward the house."
Sure enough, once we were back on Forteau's property, the blowing grasses surrounded us again. I shifted my sight back to reality and sat down on the porch.
Daedelus got off the bike and stopped for a moment, staring off into space. "You know, I just thought of something. In the Web, it's possible to set up an observation area when a duel like you describe takes place - the spectators can see what's going on, but can't interfere. Do you think that's what you're seeing?"
"I can't say for sure - I just don't know what kind of parallels there are between the Digital Web and the spirit world."
"Well, it's a thought. I'm afraid this isn't my strong suit, and my contacts don't have much useful info. Anyone else you can ask?"
I drew a blank, then said, "Wait a minute! Yes, yes there is. Dog!" Dog came padding out of the house and sat down next to me. I glanced at Daedelus, then said to Dog silently, *Let's step sideways and see if we can get to Mr. Forteau.* He agreed. I stood up, and Dog and I stepped sideways - into pine woods. "Damn!"
*What is it?* Dog said, *This is the way the Umbra usually is around here.* I explained to him that we should be standing in the middle of a prairie. He shrugged again, and we stepped back into reality. Daedelus' jaw hit the ground.
"Where the hell did you go, and why did your dog go with you?"
"Later, OK? Listen, I still can't get close to the duel, and I can't see who they are. It looks like your speculation might be right - we can watch, but we can't actually go there. Hmmm. Can you get Kasee out here? Her sight is far better than mine and she should be able to pick out who they are."
Daedelus agreed, and an hour later, the two of them pulled up on his bike. She hopped off and I explained what she was supposed to look for. Standing on the porch, she shifted her sight sideways, and said, "Oh! It's all grassy. OK, there they are, um, one of them is…Forteau. The other…I can barely make his face out…it's Forteau, too!"
This was all I needed. "Oh, fuck me!" Dog turned to me suddenly, tail wagging. "Not now!" I stormed back into the house, as Daedelus said, "Now wait just a minute here…"
I went into Forteau's office, and damning the paradox, took a deep look at his life patterns. They looked pretty normal - if you happen to be in a coma. I shifted to look at the other patterns and was startled to see that all of the quintessence in the place - and Forteau's house was a medium-sized node, so that's a lot of quintessence - was flowing into Forteau's body. That was an insane amount of magic being used in that fight, and I couldn't do a thing about it.
I went back out to the porch to find Kasee still staring off into the Umbra, and Daedelus looking oddly at Dog, who was calmly scratching behind his ear. "Look, there's nothing y'all can do here, and you've got a big night tonight. I'll keep an eye on things here, and you can head on home. Good luck." I shook his hand, and he and Kasee took off on his motorcycle back to Raleigh.
I sighed. "Damn. This just keeps getting stranger and stranger." I collected Dog and we went off into Forteau's library to look up duels arcane and what could be done to stop it.
© 1996 by Tom Brady