The sun had fallen behind the line of trees on the other side of the huge clearing, a random twinkle shining through the leaves as she kept walking. She’d believed Frazier’s report, but she still felt a thrill of shock at seeing it for herself.
The gap in the forest was at least a quarter-mile in diameter, almost perfectly circular. She saw no signs or tracks of heavy machinery that had mowed down hundreds of trees overnight. She saw only a few footprints, and they looked to be those of the hunters and Frazier’s investigating party.
Who did this? And how?
As she neared the center of the clearing, she tried to come up with possibilities. It certainly wasn’t a natural phenomenon—especially considering the felled tree trunks spelled out words in massive letters. From this low vantage point, she couldn’t make out the words, of course, only a general sense of the individual letters—even though they were almost too big to recognize. But she had no doubt as to what it said, trusting Frazier implicitly.
Mistress Jane, you are a coward. Come and find me.
She continued on, knowing exactly where she wanted to end up. The message had a hidden meaning, a literal clue. Come and find me. That’s exactly what she was doing, counting on her budding powers to help her if she ran into any trouble.
She made it to the other side of the clearing, her arms and legs weary from crossing over—and sometimes climbing over—the many logs. She could have levitated herself, flown to her destination without another thought, but she was enjoying the nostalgic effort of physical exertion. Finally, in the center of where she estimated the word “me” was spelled out, she stopped.
“Here I am,” she said, not stooping so low as to shout; she had her dignity to preserve. “We’re near enough to the old battleground and its thick Chi’karda. Wink in and be done with it.”
A few minutes passed in silence. Jane grew restless far quicker than she expected, and stilled herself to be sure her emotions didn’t show. She would not utter another word or move another muscle, no matter how long the mystery person made her wait.
Ten more minutes went by, the cloudless sky growing ever darker, a deep blue slowly bleeding to purple. Then, with no fanfare or smoke, a man appeared ten feet in front of her. Dressed in a pinstripe suit, he had dark hair and olive skin. He was tall and almost handsome, but not quite. His arms were clasped behind his back, perhaps holding something, hiding it from her. Though she’d never met him, she knew his name immediately. After all, just a few months ago she’d tried unsuccessfully to arrange a meeting with him.
Reginald Chu, perhaps the most dangerous man in the Realities.
But surely he couldn’t possibly know her powers in the Chi’karda were growing enough to match his technological gadgetry. Why is he here?
“Hello, Mistress Jane,” Chu said, mocking her title. “We finally meet, several months later than you had hoped.”
“You got my note, then?” she asked.
“I did.” He paused, not moving, staring at her. “I waited for you in the park, but you never showed up. You wasted time that was not yours to waste.”
It took every ounce of willpower for Jane to remain calm, to not lash out and whip this man with one of the fallen logs. She could do it, and the man spoke to her as if she were inferior. No, she told herself. He’s here for a reason.
“My apologies, Mister—”
“Call me Reginald,” he snapped. “Never call me Mr. Chu. Never.”
Jane bowed her head ever so slightly. “My apologies . . . Reginald. I had a proposition for you, a good one, but the Realitants stole my Wand, trapping me here. I’ll soon have another one built.”
Chu moved his arms from behind his back to reveal what he’d been hiding—a brand new Barrier Wand, its golden surface sparkling despite the diminishing light, seven dials and switches running along its length.
He hefted the three-foot-long device in his left hand, holding it out to her as a gift. Then he dropped one end of it toward the ground and leaned on it like a cane. “I’ve had spies here since the week you stood me up. I know a lot about you. I also know about this Reality and its twisted version of Chi’karda.”
It took considerable effort for Jane not to look at the Wand, staring Chu in the face instead. “I’m glad you know how to do your research.”
“That’s not all I found. You’re missing one of the metals. It’ll be months before you can extract enough from the ore you’ve discovered.” He nodded toward the Wand at his feet. “So I’ve brought you a new Wand to save you the trouble.”
Jane folded her arms. “At what price?”
Chu broke into a smile, something Jane would never have expected to see on such a man. “I can see you’re as wise as I hoped. Nothing, of course, is free. Especially in my Reality.”
“Tales of your business skills are widespread, I assure you.” She wanted to add, And your ruthlessness and greed are likewise well-known.
“That’s good to know.”
She expected him to say more, but he grew silent, keeping his gaze locked with hers. Oh, I do not like this man. “Your price?” she asked again.
“I’ve developed something that will completely change the Realities. It’s a new invention—”
“What is it?” Jane asked, trying to assert some authority, show her impatience.
Chu paused, his face pulling tight, his eyes narrowing. “Listen to me, Mistress. Never interrupt me. You will stand there and listen to my proposition and you will not utter a word until I am finished. Do you understand? Indicate with a nod of your head.”
Jane felt her face fill with blood, heat up, and burn. A small sound escaped from somewhere in the back of her throat, a mortifying squeak. At that moment, she swore to herself that when this man died, he would be looking at her smiling face. The only thing staying her hand from unleashing her powers was curiosity. Intense curiosity.
She nodded.
“Good.” He pulled up the Barrier Wand and held it in front of him, parallel to the ground. “My project is called Dark Infinity, a tool that artificially creates massive amounts of Chi’karda—far stronger than anything you’ve encountered here. It’s more powerful than all of my previous accomplishments combined. However, there is still one missing piece.”
Jane almost asked him what, but stopped just in time. Her curiosity burned like an itch.