Hard Magic

Chapter 23

We've been warned about magic since the days of Adam. Wizards from Canaan and Babylon were always there to lead man astray. Why should now be any different? What if what we're seeing in these times is a quickening of mankind, tempting us to stray one last time before the last days? This is nothing new. The serpent has just got himself a fancy new suit. Join with me, brethren, and demand that Washington round up these heathen wizards once and for all!

– D.W. Griffith

At the first screening of his blockbuster film

The Death of a Nation, 1918 UBF Tempest Lance joined Faye on the observation bubble at the top of the airship. She'd been up here for hours, watching the distant angry clouds and now enjoying the orange sunset. This was the first time she'd ever flown and the first time she'd ever been over the ocean. She liked the view, and she didn't really feel like being around the others. For the first time in a very long time, she just wanted to be all alone.

"Hey, kid," Lance said as he limped over and leaned on the rail next to her. Faye was leaning way forward, with her forehead against the cold glass, so it felt more like she was outside, flying… Flying. Now that would be a neat magic to have. She wondered if anybody could fly?

"Hi, Lance. Do you know anyone who can fly?"

"We're in an airship right now…"

"No, silly, I mean, like a magic bird."

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, I sorta do, when I put part of my consciousness inside a bird. It's overrated. Lots of flapping… I came to ask you a favor, a real hard favor, and I won't blame you if you say no."

She figured she already knew what it would be. Faye might have been young, but she wasn't stupid. The Tempest was going to try and sneak up in the dark on the Tokugawa. If they were spotted, they'd get shot down. There was only one of them who could go over there and find Jane without having to actually make the ships touch. "Get me close enough and I'll get her."

Lance nodded thoughtfully. "I knew you would. You're a brave girl… but don't tell Francis, it'll scare him to death, and the poor lad's already a little addled, and especially don't tell Dan."

She hadn't spoken to Mr. Garrett on the trip. For someone whose Power was based on words, he sure seemed to be saving his up. "He wants to go get her himself."

"Yep. Can't say I rightly blame him," Lance said thoughtfully. "You still got your Grandpa's ring?" Faye pulled it out of her pocket and showed him. It was too big and kept slipping off her fingers, but she'd never lose it. "Put it on," Lance said gruffly. She complied. "Right hand, I'm making you a knight, not proposing, damn it."

"Really?" She put the ring on her right hand.

"Yeah, really." He looked at her for a long time. "John figured you were too young and that you hadn't been taught near enough, but I figure you're gonna need all the help you can get. John's gonna kill me." He cleared his throat. "Do you, Sally Faye Vierra, agree to take the oath of the Grimnoir knight-"

"Sure," she answered. "Is that it?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "No, that ain't it. Christ almighty… where was I? That you will swear before your God that you will stay true to that which is right and good, that your magic will be used to protect, never to enslave, that your strength and wisdom will be used to shield the innocent, that you will fight always for liberty even though it may cost your life, that the Society will become your blood and its knights your kin, and that you will heed the wisdom of the elders' council."

Technically, it seemed like they were violating the heck out of that last one, since they'd left Mr. Rawls and Mr. Harkeness in San Francisco, but she supposed that the other part about the knights being your family came first and Jane was in danger. "Okay."

"Do you willingly pledge your magic, your knowledge, your resources, and your life to these things?"

She had plenty of magic, so much that she was starting to think that maybe she had more than anybody else, but not nearly so much knowledge, and no resources to speak of, but she didn't really mind risking her life. It was actually kind of fun. So it probably balanced out. "I do!"

Lance took his thumb and pressed it against her forehead. He pushed hard, leaving a pink indention in her skin, making a simple design. She felt her Power perk up, almost like it was excited, and then the feeling was gone.

"Sally Faye Vierra, you are now a knight of the Grimnoir Society… On a personal note, don't screw it up."

Grandpa's ring shrunk just enough to fit her finger perfectly. Imperium flagship Tokugawa Madi was so excited he could barely contain himself. The Kaga, first of the Imperium's super warships, had just maneuvered alongside and the docking had been perfect. Ropes had been launched across and tethered between the two giants, and the canvas and silk covered bridge had been rolled across and unfurled. The Weathermen were burning Power to keep the air perfectly calm as the Chairman strolled across.

The crew had assembled and stood in perfect formation. They snapped to even tighter as the personal bodyguard walked from the bridge onto the Tokugawa's deck. The soldiers were dressed in black with the traditional red shoulder sash and belt. They formed two lines, and at a command, lifted their Arisaka rifles as one, creating a roof of bayonets for the Chairman to walk under. They stomped their feet in unison. "Strength forever! Imperium forever!"

He could tell that the Chairman was eager by how he was walking with a purpose, though as usual his face betrayed none of that. The man never seemed to hurry. Everything was always done in the proper time, but even he had to be a little excited to fire up the Geo-Tel. The last message they'd received had said that the Shadow Guard sub had recovered the final piece, and that they'd used a magic portal, just as he and Yutaka had done, to send it directly the Chairman.

Okubo Tokugawa paused at the end of the ramp and took in the assembled men and the lofty hangar. He breathed in deeply, smelling the recent construction. "I like it," he said simply, and the men were happy. The Chairman was followed by several men in long black coats, Unit 731 Cogs, and they were carrying the pieces of the Tesla device. Behind them came another two hundred men to supplement the Tokugawa's crew, handpicked from the finest in the Imperium navy.

Madi barely moved as the Chairman stopped right in front of him. Madi seldom wore an Iron Guard uniform, but this was a special occasion. His chest was covered in medals and commendations, and he'd even kept the stupid little one the AEF had given him, only it was below all the Imperium honors. Is my uniform perfect? I should have ironed it better. Damn it. He couldn't help but be nervous. The Emperor was supposed to be a god, but Madi had seen him. He was just some pathetic Normal, a figurehead. The real leader of the most powerful nation in the world was right here, close enough to smell his breath.

The Chairman looked over at the Healer standing at his side. The blonde had her head down, afraid to look at him. "What is this?" he asked.

"A gift. She is a Healer, captured from the Grimnoir. I thought you could find a use for her."

He studied her for a moment, sticking a finger under her chin and lifting her face. She didn't speak Japanese, but she understood what was happening. "Yes. She will do." He returned his attention to his Iron Guard. "Madi, I am sorry for the loss of Yutaka. You worked well together for many years."

"He was strong," Madi replied, "and his death was avenged."

The Chairman nodded. "Excellent work, my son. Intelligence shows that your operation has inflamed the American public. Their government is in an uproar. There has already been violence against Actives."

"Thank you, Chairman."

"You have shown great initiative. Some doubted your loyalty, but I never did. I saw in you a heart that was pure. You took the life of your own flesh and blood in my service. I am pleased. From this point forward, you are to be First amongst the Iron Guard until you perish or I discover someone stronger."

He'd never been so humbled. Madi dropped to his knees and bowed clear to the floor. This was the greatest moment of his life.

"Rise, First Iron Guard. We have much work to do." Madi rose quickly. "Keep our heading toward Edo. The Kaga will accompany us." The Chairman turned to one of the Cogs. Madi recognized the little man as the 731 officer who had given him his first kanji. "Shiro, take your men and prepare the device. I want it ready to fire immediately. I do not wish to step foot on the soil of my home until I can do so as the conqueror of the world. Is that understood?"

His initial thoughts had been right. The Chairman had been waiting for this since 1908. He would waste no time. The targeting marks that had been carved in America were still there, undiscovered all this time. He'd checked them himself on one of his early assignments. They were intricate designs carved right into the bedrock beneath a New York subway. The Geo-Tel would provoke the Power, and it would be drawn toward the Tesla-designed geometries. Their greatest threat would be crippled in one strike. Every other country in the world would fall right into line or risk having a spy scratch a mark under one of their cities. The war would be over before it had even been declared.

It didn't matter where the device itself was located. It was truly a global super-weapon. The initial test-firing had been from Tesla's lab, but the Power had risen up and burned a thousand miles around where Imperium scouts had put the targeting mark in Siberia. If it hadn't been for those damn Grimnoir, the device would have been in the Chairman's hands decades ago.

In a shallow, selfish way, Madi was thankful for those Grimnoir who'd captured the device. He'd only been ten in '08, and he'd been living in the area that would have been immolated. He would have died along with everybody else and never had the opportunity to become an Iron Guard. Fate had smiled on him, and since it spared his life by thwarting the Chairman then, it was only right for him to help put history right now.

The Cog bowed and scurried away with the others. The wizards still made Madi uncomfortable, but they had their uses, just like the Iron Guard, or even that madman Tesla. Everything was falling into place, all for the Chairman's inevitable reign, and Madi would be at his side until the end. FS Bulldog Marauder The sky was black with rain. Clouds roiled and lightning crashed. The winds were blowing at terrible velocities, but Southunder's magic was cushioning them from the very worst.

"I think we've lost them," Barns said.

Sullivan was standing at the very front of the glass bubble, watching the energy. "We have to go after it."

"We don't even know where it is," Southunder said. He was sitting in his captain's chair, rubbing his eyes with his palm.

"They'll take it right to the Chairman, and one minute after he puts it together, America is gone… We need to at least warn them."

Barns turned around from his console. "Who'd believe you? I don't believe you, and I'm sitting right here."

Southunder rose. "I can at least alert the Grimnoir. They know people. Maybe they can… hell, I don't know, start evacuating… I still remember the spell, I just haven't done it for so long. Damn Pershing's orders! I never spoke to anyone, just in the off chance that the Imperium would find it." He went to the wall and pulled down a small round mirror. "Mr. Parker, go to the galley and get me some sea salt… It's been a long time, hiding, all for Black Jack, and all for nothing."

"We'll make it right." Sullivan vowed, even though he had no idea how. UBF Tempest Francis was biting his nails. The sun was down. They were on the outer edges of a bad storm. The teleradioscope was still getting a return telling them the approximate location of the Tokugawa. It was moving west again, heading for Japan. This was their last chance. They were moving along at full speed to intercept.

The boarding party was below. He wished he had more time, then he'd personally speak to every one of them, knight, mercenary, and other. The Tempest wasn't designed for such things, but Lance had told him that they'd land right on top of the giant Tokugawa, lower the ramp, and it would be just like parking at an airport. He had a sneaky feeling it wouldn't be that easy, and suspected that Lance concurred. Either way, he'd be joining them at the last minute.

Faye had joined them in the cockpit and was wandering around, looking at all the flashing lights, remarking on how pretty they were, and he felt a little nervous that she might start pushing buttons just to see what would happen. She was geared up for battle, armed with a short Auto-5 shotgun and wearing crisscrossed bandoleers of brass buckshot shells. Her hair was tied up, and Francis realized that he was staring at her, so he went back to trying to be a leader for the UBF men. He didn't like the idea of her going in with the boarding party one bit, but Lance had been adamant, they needed every warm body they could get.

Pain shot through his ring finger, as if it had gone molten. Lance had been talking to the navigator, and he jerked as his ring ignited too. He'd never felt one burn so hot. It was like a knight was trying to contact everyone. The signal was so strong that all the Grimnoir in the world had to be feeling it. He shouted at the nearest crew member. "Get me some salt!" Lance started clearing maps from the navigator's table.

"I don't think I would have took the oath if I knew it was gonna try and cook my fingers off," Faye said as she watched them make the circle. Dan Garrett had come running. The stubby man was so weighed down with extra ammo that he had a hard time climbing up the ladder. Heinrich Faded through the wall and took his place off to the side. Francis could see that Heinrich's wrist was still bruised and discolored from where Delilah's magically enhanced grip had crushed it in the morgue.

A minute later the circle was complete, and light from the shining disk filled the little room.

He did not recognize the Grimnoir in the circle. He was older, weathered, totally bald, with wrinkles around his eyes that suggested he was a man who spent a lot of time laughing and smiling, except those eyes were hard now and there wasn't an ounce of laughter left in him. "Attention all Grimnoir knights. This is Robert M. Southunder, once of the knights of New York."

"Former knight," came another voice with a French accent, and the circle suddenly shifted to another man that Francis had never seen. "A disgraced knight, turned to brigandry."

"The vagabond returns," said a grey-haired woman. She sounded English. Francis had never seen so many people communicating through a magic circle before. The background noises told him that there had to be many others listening as well. The Power drain to the creator had to be enormous.

"Stick it, Harriet," Southunder said as the circle flew back to focus on his face. "There's no time for your politics. The Chairman has the Geo-Tel."

There were collective gasps from every corner of the world.

"Preposterous!" bellowed someone else, a hundred other people started to talk and now the circle was spinning so fast that Francis thought he was going to be sick.

There was a brain piercing whistle. Faye pulled her fingers away from her lips. "Y'all shut up and let the man talk already, jeez-louise."

The circle returned to Southunder. "Thanks. I can't keep this up for long. The Chairman recovered the last piece. Did we ever find where they'd marked New York?" There was a spinning chorus of negative replies. "Then we've got to assume that he'll fire it at the same place as last time. We need to evacuate the Eastern Seaboard. Contact the President, the Army, do whatever you have to do."

"Things have changed since you left, Robert," the Frenchman said. "Actives have no favor in the halls of politics. They will not listen to us."

"Then get off your asses and do something," Southunder barked. "Live up to your damned oaths for once."

Lance cut in. "Where is the Chairman?" Everyone knew he'd want to be there when it was used.

"I don't know. The device was in the Northern Marianas," Southunder replied. There was another voice from behind him, a deep rumble, and a large, beard-stubbled face pushed past Southunder.

"Lance?" Sullivan asked.

"Yeah, we're not far from you. We're tailing the Imperial flagship now," Francis said.

"He'll fire it from his flagship, sure as hell," Sullivan said. "That's his style. Give us your coordinates."

Francis signaled for the navigator, who had recoiled in panic from the glowing, levitating, magic circle. He really had to remember that not very many people got to see stuff like this.

The next face that appeared in the circle was more recently familiar. It was Isaiah Rawls. "It looks like I'm the senior member of the council listening, so it falls on me to do this. Stand down, knights. That is an order. Do not, I repeat, do not attack the Tokugawa."

"Are you mad?" Dan shouted. His voice made Francis reel. Dan was under such stress that he could barely control his Power. The anger in there was palpable, and Dan's emotions made Francis want to pull his.45 and shoot Rawls right between the eyes. "You couldn't stop us when we were going to do it for one person, let alone ten million."

"Let them try, Isaiah," the English woman said. "We've nothing to lose at this point."

"We have everything to lose." Isaiah was furious. "You must let the flagship continue toward Japan. That is an order."

Sullivan's voice was utterly cold. "Captain Southunder, could you please ditch all these other bozos and just talk to my friends?"

"Gladly."

Isaiah began to scream. "No, you mus-"

The circle spun back around to the sweating Southunder. "That's much nicer… but I can't hold this much longer. Location of the flagship?"

The UBF navigator read off a bunch of what seemed like random numbers to Francis, but Southunder just nodded, doing the math in his head. "We can be there within an hour if I mangle the winds from here to Australia."

"Us too," Lance said. "See you there."

As the storm clouds parted, they spotted the Tokugawa before it spotted them, which was easy to do since it was the size of a skyscraper flipped on its side, and was running with all of its lights blazing. It was a thousand feet lower than they were, but only a mile ahead.

"Will you look at that…" Lance whistled. "It's huge."

"Forget that," Faye said "There's two of them."

Francis followed her pointing finger. Sure enough, there was another vessel ahead of the triangular Tokugawa. Once again her weird grey eyes proved superior to everyone else's. This craft was also wedge-shaped, but more bulbous. It was only running a few lights, so its overall size was hard to determine, but it had to be at least as big as the flagship. "What is that thing?"

Mr. Chandler, the accountant, had joined them in the control center. "I believe that is a Kaga-class superdreadnought."

"How do you know that?"

"Because UBF made a fortune selling the design to the Imperium," the accountant replied. "That's one of ours. I'm afraid your grandfather didn't really worry about the embargo."

"Weapons?" Lance asked hesitantly.

"Unknown. We just provided the basic hull, and they worked out the rest, but probably at least equivalent to a Great War battleship, and it has a hold that can fit, depending on the size, a whole bunch of planes."

Lance scratched his beard. "Define bunch, Mr. Chandler."

"Forty or fifty."

"That nice pirate captain has two," Faye pointed out. "Now, I'm not an expert or nothing, but that doesn't seem quite fair."

Francis bit his lip. If it had still just been a rescue mission, he would have called it off. It didn't make sense to trade a bunch of lives for one, even though they'd probably have to knock Dan out first and tie him down, but this was too big now. The Geo-Tel was on that thing. "Call the Marauder. Warn them and get their ETA. The battleship won't be able to shoot at us if we're tethered to the Tokugawa."

Lance looked at him slyly. "You're sounding more like a captain already, kid. You want the hat back?"

"Not after it's been on your smelly head." FS Bulldog Marauder Captain Southunder put the mirror down. The news had been grim. In twenty minutes they'd break the edge of the storm. Sullivan held on to the wall of the stateroom as the dirigible was slammed back and forth by the wind. The creaking and flapping was making him nervous. It would really not be fair if they crashed before they even had the chance to get shot down.

"Two ships, which also means that the crew of the flagship will be reinforced with more men…" Southunder said slowly.

Not to mention Madi, who was probably capable of killing all of them by himself, but he didn't bring that up. Dealing with his brother was personal business. "What are you going to tell your crew?" Sullivan asked. They were pirates after all, and mutiny was a distinct possibility.

Southunder smiled. "Why, the truth, of course." He stood and walked from the room, not seeming to notice that the entire place was swaying violently back and forth and rattling like they were about to fly apart at any second. "Remember how I was talking about loyalty? Let's see if I was right, because I've already been wrong far too much for one day."

"I hope you ain't on a roll…" Sullivan muttered as he followed.

Most of the Marauder's crew had assembled in the little galley. They were a motley bunch of toughs, armed to the teeth, outside the law, perfectly adjusted to killing, and they were about to be asked to go on a deadly mission to help a bunch of folks who not only didn't care about them, didn't even know they existed.

Southunder stopped at the front of the room. Sullivan was expecting some big display, maybe a pep talk, like the kind General Roosevelt had given them before Second Somme. Fat lot of good that had done. Instead, Southunder sat on the end of a table and folded his arms. He didn't even raise his voice. "Well, boys, I've got bad news. We've got two Imperium ships. Both of them are bigger and have more guns than we do, with probably ten times the crew. There's probably going to be several Iron Guards on board, not to mention ninjas, and who knows what other kinds of terrible blood magic."

"What's the bad news?" Barns asked jokingly.

"One of the ships is a Kaga, which means that it is ringed in 37mm long-range cannons and a main ten inch gun. Rumor is that they might even have a Peace Ray. If that don't get us, the host of biplanes piloted by fanatics probably will. I won't lie. Our odds of survival are about none." He was completely honest.

"So we're running?" a muscular Polynesian with tattoos all over his face asked.

"No, Mr. Paonga, we're not. Because aboard one of those ships is a superweapon that is about to destroy a quarter of the United States, and once it falls, then the rest of the world will surrender. The Chairman will rule the world and everyone like us will be extinct within a year, tops. This job isn't about the loot, crew, I'm asking you to do this because it's the right thing to do. Stick with me and I'll do everything I can to make sure we make it through."

"This is madness," said the badly scarred Ken.

"I'd take volunteers, but we're either all in, or all out. There's no time to drop anyone off. We either fight together, or we run, and if we run, you'll have to kill me first. I can't promise we'll live, but we'll die free men, and our great-grandkids will tell stories about the bravery that goes on tonight."

There was a tiny voice from the back of the room. "I not have babies yet. Like to have babies someday." Lady Origami squeezed between the burly men. She had neatly folded a piece of rice paper into an intricate shape. She tossed it into the air, and the miniature blimp almost seemed like it would fly, but it burst into magical flame and was consumed instantly. "But only babies I make be from Imperium rapers if Chairman win. I fight with captain."

"I didn't join to prove I'm brave. I joined to make money…" Parker said, but then he smiled. "And to kill some Imperium. I'm in."

One by one the pirates added their assent. The last to speak was the young American, Barns. "Do I get to take a Raptor out and die in a glorious dogfight?"

"Yes," Southunder answered.

Barns grinned. "I wouldn't miss it."

Southunder nodded calmly. "Let's go murder some Imperium dogs then. Every. Last. One."

"EVERY LAST ONE!" All the pirates shouted together.

Sullivan followed Southunder back into the hall, figuring he could learn a thing or two about leadership from this man. "You didn't tell them that the Chairman himself would be on board…"

Southunder gave him a sad little smile. "They're brave, Sullivan, not suicidal."