Saga of the Storm Wizard Book 1: Stranded (Chapters 3 + 4)
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: https://www.reddit.com/r/dbfassbinder/comments/pkibvb/saga_of_the_storm_wizard_book_1_stranded_prologue/
Chapter 3
A few days later, Soren, Yukiko Sato, and I made our way through the bustling Haneda airport in Tokyo. Mr. Maki had advised us to come wearing our dress uniforms, and he had been right on the money. We had been waved through security without a second look once we’d flashed our IDs, bypassing lines of hundreds of travelers. There were advantages to being a Wizard Corpsman.
Haneda had been in the top five most travelled airports in the world before the Horde’s invasion, and it had become number one once the others were wiped out. There were throngs of people everywhere I could see. I was amazed at how clean everything was; I didn’t want to be whoever had to climb up and clean off the hundreds of skylights above us. We strolled through a shopping center with everything you could need for a flight, and the air was full of delicious smells from a dozen small restaurants.
I couldn’t enjoy the scents, though; I felt guilty all the while, making my stomach sore. I hated lying to Soren and Yukiko. God, maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a spy? I preferred to spread secrets around, not keep them.
“What a rip-off,” said Soren. He stopped his ranting as an older man rushed between the three of us, shouting something about being late. “Rose gets to go to the beach, and I’m off to bloody Iceland for the winter!”
I made a comforting sound, though I’m not sure he could hear it over the dull roar of a thousand conversations in a hundred languages all around us. “Iceland has plenty of beaches,” said Yukiko Sato, sounding like a know-it-all, like always.
“Yes, but who’s going to use it when there’s more night than day this time of year?” demanded Soren. His wheeled suitcase hit a divot in the concrete, nearly causing it to tumble over. A red aura surrounded the black case, steadying before it had the chance.
“You aren’t wrong,” replied Yukiko, the source of the gravity magic that saved Soren’s luggage, “but the beach is technically there.”
Soren rolled his eyes. “Rose, help me talk some sense into Yukiko.”
“O-oh, right,” I said. “I’ll make sure to send pictures of Java.” That wouldn’t be a problem, would it? I hoped not; O’Connor had promised me some downtime, and I’d never been further south than England or Japan before. I wanted to enjoy myself.
“Are you okay, Rose?” asked Yukiko. I had to look down to meet the petite woman’s gaze, and her eyes shone with concern.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, a little too quickly.
“You are being unusually quiet,” she replied. Her English was a little stilted, but I chalked that up to her refined upbringing. She came off as aloof in her native Japanese, too.
Even after half a year, it still felt weird hanging out with the daughter of the Hitori Sato, the richest man in the world. Half of everything I owned, from my phone to my GoSato console, and even my running outfits, was made by SatoCorp. Yet, there was the CEO’s daughter, shooting the breeze with peasants like us. I wondered if I could get a friends and family discount from her, but I was always too embarrassed to ask. I didn’t want to seem like I only hung out with her for her money; it was a bit of a sore spot for her.
“I’m just a little nervous,” I said.
Soren laughed. “I’m the one who’s afraid of flying! What do you have to be nervous about?”
What didn’t I have to be nervous about? Since I had met O’Connor, everything I’d said or left unsaid with my friends had been a lie. A day after my meeting with the Lieutenant, Mr. Maki had summoned the three of us to his temporary office in the admin building.
“The structural damage to the school is going to take longer to repair than we had hoped,” he explained. “Headmaster Tachibana has arranged for you students to be paired with a unit for special training until it’s safe again. Think of it as a work-study.” He held up a tablet, squinting in a way that made me wonder if he needed glasses. “Mr. Marlowe, you’re bound for Iceland.”
Soren’s face sank. “Iceland? Isn’t there any—”
Without missing a beat, he turned to Yukiko. “Ms. Sato, your father wants you as close to home as possible.”
“I’m sure used his sway with the Corps to see to it?” Yukiko’s scowl made me flinch, and it wasn’t even directed at me. “When do I leave for Tokyo?”
“In two months, when the Work Study is over. You’re going to Melbourne,” he replied, grinning cheekily. “I don’t care how much money Hitori donates to the League, I’m not going to let him stifle my ace student. Be ready for hard work; I recommended you personally, and I won’t have you making me look bad.”
Yukiko’s smiles were normally subtle, but she wore a toothy grin. “Thank you, Sir.”
“Of course. Now for you, Ms. Cooper,” Mr. Maki continued. “You’re going off to Java.”
“No, I have to…” I trailed off. “Oh, Java? I misheard you. That sounds great!”
“Well isn’t that lovely for you,” muttered Soren.
The two men must have been in on it together, since I swear Mr. Maki had winked at me. I wasn’t quite sure where I was off to; to obscure my real destination, I was bound for a small airport in Saga Prefecture where I would rendezvous with Lieutenant O’Connor for a chartered flight.
“Rose? You’re going quiet again,” said Soren.
“Oh, sorry,” I said. “I’m not worried about myself, it’s you. What will you do without me to look after you?”
“I am sure Mr. Marlowe will do just fine,” said Yukiko. “Mr. Maki will be there with him.”
Soren groaned, massaging his temples with his free hand. “Yes, because I want the Divine Blade looking over my shoulder the whole bloody time I’m on this work-study. I thought the whole point was to learn on our own.”
“You have to admit, Soren, that you are a bit of a special case,” said Yukiko. “You do not have the best track record.”
I could tell Soren wanted to disagree, but a former demonkin turned Holy Brother didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. “It’s not like I’m planning to make the same mistakes again.”
“Magpie, that sort of talk worries me,” I said. “Not planning to? That makes it sound like there’s a chance.”
“Believe me, you-know-who wouldn’t want me again, even if I didn’t despise them.”
We exited the shopping area and came across a fork in the road. I stopped, seeing that we were going different ways. I was nearly run over by a rushing woman when I suddenly stopped, and I got an earful in what I thought sounded like Polish.
“Hold on, guys,” I shouted to Yukiko and Soren up ahead, who hadn’t noticed I had stopped. “This is where I get off!”
Soren turned and nodded to the side. The other travelers around us didn’t appreciate us holding up traffic, but we just had enough time for a proper goodbye.
We made our way to a small coffee shop off the main walkway, the only place where we could grab a seat. We selected a raised table with spindly-looking stools. Seeing a sign that the café’s seats were only for customers, I ordered a bottle of water. I figured it was all I could keep down.
“Rose, Yukiko, it’s been… That is, I’m…” Poor Soren. I could tell he was struggling to come up with the right words.
Hating the silence, I took his hands in mine. “This isn’t goodbye forever, Magpie. Next year, we’ll all be back at Nagoya and everything will be back to normal.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” said Yukiko, taking a genteel sip from a cup of tea. “They might decide to send us to a local school, instead of hauling us back to Japan.”
“I’ll miss your optimism, Ms. Sato,” said Soren reflexively. He shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. This isn’t the time for sarcasm. Look, you two are… I don’t have many friends in this world, and you both are two of that small club. It’s going to be strange not seeing you every day.”
Yukiko nodded, absentmindedly glancing at her watch. I swear, the girl was ruled by her calendar. “You put that well, Mr. Marlowe. We had some… rough spots early on, but I appreciate that you both found it in yourselves to welcome me back.”
“I wasn’t always the best to either of you,” I said. Yukiko particularly; I had taken months to get over how she’d treated me during our War Games. She’d shoved a handkerchief in my mouth to shut me up after I’d been knocked out of battle. I could still taste the cotton and what I hoped was my own sweat. “I’ll miss you both terribly. I promise, I’ll call you every day, and send pictures!”
“Don’t promise anything you can’t deliver,” said Yukiko. “I don’t think you’re lying, but we’ll be serving with military units. We might be out in the field for days on end.”
I wanted to disagree with her, but I had no idea what Lieutenant O’Connor wanted me for. “Then I promise I will when I can.”
Yukiko nodded. “That, I will agree with. Before you go, though, I have a gift for you both.” Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a pair of wooden cubes the size of a golf ball. I didn’t have the slightest idea what it was; the tiny runes seemed to be related to a spell for finding or tracking.
Recognition dawned in Soren’s eyes. “These are some of your Finding Devices, right?”
“That’s right,” said Yukiko.
“You really need a better name for these,” he said.
“It’s short and descriptive,” countered Yukiko.
“But it’s so plain! Rose, back me up.”
“Maybe a little bit,” I said, trying not to sound ungrateful for the gift. “Should I know what these are?”
“I forgot you weren’t there at the Serving Wizard’s House when the Holy Brotherhood attacked,” said Soren.
“That one weather wizard was disguised as Rose, so I see where you could slip up,” said Yukiko.
“They tried to frame me and they still thought I’d join the Brotherhood.” I crumpled the half-empty water bottle in my hand, and if I hadn’t drained my magic down to the bone before the long flight that morning, I might have caused an incident.
However, I had, so I didn’t. I was still peeved, though.
“These are trackers I designed,” said Yukiko. “Hiro, Mariko, and Kiyo all have them.” They had been Yukiko’s main friends before Soren arrived at Nagoya, and it had been a darn shame they had split us up when the school was suspended.
Soren winced at the mention of his ex, Kiyo. I didn’t blame him, but won’t go into it here; it’s complicated. Putting those thoughts aside, he continued his explanation. “They’re an efficient design. If you run magic into them, all of the others will light up and show where the others are, at any distance.”
I slowly nodded. “It uses that Magical Resonance thing they taught us about, right? Where two tuned fabricata can communicate at any distance?”
“That’s it exactly,” said Yukiko, looking extra-proud of herself, which is saying something. “If you run into trouble and your phone isn’t handy, activate it. I make one for all of my friends.”
“Then it’s a good thing you don’t have too many of those,” said Soren. “You’d never have time for anything but building these.”
Yukiko shook her head, chuckling all the while. “I cannot say I looked at it from that angle. I suppose being aloof is more efficient.” She glanced at her watch, frowning slightly. “It looks like our time is up; my flight starts boarding in a half hour.” She hopped out of her chair, not gaining much height after standing up, and gently placed a stack of yen bills on the table.
I thanked her for the drink and slipped the Finding Device into my purse. On a whim, I surprised her with a bear hug. I had to bend over with our height difference. “Even if we get reassigned, don’t be a stranger, okay?”
She froze a moment, before wrapping her arms back around me. “Of course not. I just finished breaking you in.”
“And I just finished teaching you manners,” I replied.
Soren coughed into his hand, blushing and looking away. Was he getting hot and bothered watching us hug? That was so… Soren. I stifled a sigh; why couldn’t I have normal friends?
I broke things off. “Soren, the same goes for you.”
“Of course, my dear,” he said, finally meeting my gaze. “You won’t be rid of me so easily.”
He looked so darned sad, like a lost puppy. Thinking of not seeing him every day, a wave of melancholy rolled over me. I couldn’t help it; I hugged him, too.
He laughed to himself. “You should be careful doing this in public, Ms. Cooper. Someone might get the wrong idea,” he said.
“But you won’t.”
“At least not that you’ll hear about,” he said. “Take care of yourself.”
“You, too.” I waved goodbye, running back into the sea of travelers. At least, I tried to; nobody would make an opening for me. I checked my own watch, and I panicked; how had twenty minutes passed? “Oh no, I’m going to be late!”
“Give ‘em Hell, Rose!” Soren shouted in my ear, half-deafening me and earning him dirty looks from a hundred people who stopped to stare. I wondered what he was thinking, when I realized he had created an opening for me in the tightly packed crowd.
Once I had jammed my way through, I turned to wave again. Soren didn’t notice, since he was getting an earful from one of the baristas. I dashed towards my gate, smiling to myself. Bollocks to having normal friends; I liked my current set just fine.
Chapter 4
I hadn’t been on many airplane flights in my life, and it was my first time on a pre-Horde jet-liner. People from my parents’ generation wouldn’t have agreed, but I thought it was roomy. I had much more legroom than on the newer, trans-continental planes. Flying from the free parts of Europe to East Asia required going over the Arctic Circle, and everything was sacrificed for fuel efficiency and lift. Even better, O’Connor had sprung for first class. If he was trying to win me over, mission accomplished! The only trouble was, the seat was so comfortable I didn’t even get a chance to enjoy it. I settled in, closed my eyes, and suddenly a grinning flight attendant was nudging me awake in Saga.
The regional airport was much smaller and less ornate, and the conversations around me were mostly in Japanese. The travelers didn’t seem to pay me much mind, but some of the staff subtly followed me with their eyes as I made my way to the private part of the airfield, and they didn’t like what they saw. I didn’t care to imagine why.
I picked up the pace, and soon enough, I was out of sight and walking to one of the smaller covered hangars. There was a long-winged, propeller-driven plane with Anti-Demonic League Allied Air Force markings waiting there, but I didn’t see anybody around. Was I in the wrong place? I didn’t want to call the Lieutenant and admit I was lost, especially if I wasn’t.
A loud whistle pierced the air as somebody descended the plane’s airstairs. “Afternoon, Cadet,” said O’Connor, waving me over. I didn’t recognize him at first, since he was dressed more casually than before in a short-sleeved, button-up shirt and slacks. It made me feel overdressed in my uniform. “Anything the matter?”
“No, Sir,” I replied, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Good to hear,” he said, glancing down at my one suitcase. “You travel light.”
“I wasn’t sure what to pack, so Mum and Dad wired me some money so I could get some clothes in… wherever we’re going.”
O’Connor smirked at me. “Yeah, we should be able to get you something. Make sure you pick up some sunscreen while you’re at it; you’ll have plenty of time to work on your tan. This is going to be a cakewalk.”
“Huh? Cakewalk? You said you needed me and my talents or you were up… y’know.”
“Shit creek, yeah. I haven’t lied to you once, Rose,” he said, flashing me a self-satisfied smirk. “It’s just for me to know and you to find out when we get there.”
I wasn’t sure I liked the tone in his voice, but he turned and ascended the airstair again. He turned around when he was halfway up, raising an eyebrow. “Are you waiting for an invitation, Cadet?”
“No, sir,” I said, rushing after him. I reminded myself this was the same man who had put me through an extra week of interrogations just to feel me out; I would have to expect a few mind games. My brothers in the Wizard Corps had always told me to be wary of ‘spooks,’ and I was starting to see why.
I wondered if there was still room in Iceland.
No, Rose. You promised him your help. See it through.
“Pick any seat you like, Cadet,” said O’Connor. “I hope you can keep yourself amused; I have reports to go over.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem, sir.”
The small plane, a twenty-seater, was mostly empty. I definitely wasn’t in first class anymore. The cockpit was separated from the rest of the cabin by a narrow passage, and two men in pilot’s uniforms were going over charts and discussing the best route. The only other passengers were a napping old woman towards the back and a muscular, dark-skinned man who only looked a couple of years older than me. I couldn’t see his face, since he was nose-deep in a book, and he wore a military uniform I didn’t recognize. That surprised me; all four of my brothers and my father had been in the Wizard Corps, so I’d grown up with hours of war stories and photos. Must be from a national military? I thought the blue outfit looked vaguely naval.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw O’Connor slip on some headphones and go to work on a rugged-looking laptop in the back row. I decided to sit near the stranger, with an empty seat in between so I didn’t invade his space. He’d be the more interesting conversationalist.
I took the chance while we were taxiing to text everyone that I had landed safely. Family first: Mum, Dad, Albert, Alfred, Steven, and Jack. Then, the extended family, all the cousins I was friendly with. Then came friends; Soren, Junko, Natalie, Yukiko, Hiro, Mariko, Kiyo, Rafal…
I lost signal right around my least favorite members of my old running club at the school I’d attended before the Nagoya Academy. Good; I only kept up with some of them out of habit. I’m pretty sure that Angela was spreading rumors I had an STD, just because I let slip that she’d skipped a club meeting to go on a date with her boyfriend. I hadn’t meant to!
Well, no more slipups, Rose. Soren’s counting on you to keep a secret for once.
I turned off my phone to save battery. I’d picked up a sports magazine at the airport in Saga, but I didn’t feel like reading. The small plane’s wings were perfect for soaring and sipping fuel, but we hit a patch of turbulence that made my empty stomach do flip flops. I glanced over my shoulder; O’Connor was still typing away, and the old woman dozed on.
“You seem distressed, Miss,” the uniformed man said, closing his book. Now that I could get a good look at him, I liked what I saw. He had a handsome square jaw, nicely framed with a neatly trimmed moustache. He also had kind, brown eyes.
“A little,” I said, deciding he looked trustworthy. “I don’t fly often, and I might be a little airsick.”
He winced sympathetically. “I can sympathize. They spent all that time giving me sea legs, and all I have done lately is fly all over the Pacific for the Rear Admiral. You do get used to it after a while.”
“You are a navy man, then? I thought so. Which country?”
“Malaysia,” he said. “You seem familiar.”
“I’m sure you say that to all the girls,” I said.
“Only the ones I actually know, or the ones I’d like to know,” he replied, smiling rakishly.
Why did my stupid instincts make me instantly like him more? Oh, well. We probably weren’t going to see each other again after this flight. What was the harm with a little flirting? I wasn’t completely chaste before my magic came in, and with my magic freshly drained, I was open to enjoying myself again.
“I don’t know where I’d have met a Malaysian naval officer before, but I regret I haven’t had the chance.” I looked at him curiously. “Did you spend some time in England? Your accent is flawless.”
“I grew up in London,” he said. “I decided to go to the home country for my mandatory service, for my mother’s sake. She was convinced England wasn’t safe.”
I leaned back in my seat with a sigh. “Isn’t it a bother how right mothers can be?”
“Absolutely,” he said, with a nod. “Then the Horde tried to take Sumatra a few months back and I was in the thick of it, so there you go. So, she can be wrong, too. But, where are my manners?” He reached out his hand. “Leftenan muda Zakariah bin Ibrahim, Royal Malaysian Navy.” I didn’t quite recognize the rank, but I assumed it was similar to a lieutenant. Months with Nagoya’s magical translators had made me lazy.
Zakariah bin Ibrahim… My jaw dropped. I didn’t let go of his hand right away. “Wait a minute… Zack?”
“Nobody’s called me that in years,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he gave me a second look. “Not since I left England. Hold on. Rose Cooper, is that you?”
I immediately shifted over right next to him. “I sure am! Sorry, Zack, I didn’t recognize you with that moustache.”
“And I didn’t recognize you in that Wizard Cadet uniform. You wear it well.”
“Still flattering me, huh?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you usually try to pick up cadets?”
“Only when they’re worth picking up.” I could see why he and Albert had always been close. “Though…” He looked me up and down with approval. “I still can’t believe it’s you. I see you finally got rid of those braces.”
“Years ago!” I decided it was only fair to tease him back. “Looks like navy life agrees with you; nobody’s going to call you the Scarecrow anymore.”
He winced. “Now there’s a nickname I didn’t miss. Goodness, how long has it been?”
I thought back on it. Zack had gone to school with Albert, so he would have been about twenty-one or twenty-two, which meant he would have shipped out for the navy when he was eighteen or nineteen. “Two years, maybe three?”
“God, how the time’s flown. How’s Albert? I haven’t heard from him in a while.”
“Really? You two were thick as thieves.”
He shrugged. “We’ve both been busy.”
“Not that busy; Albert’s back in the hospital again. Friendly fire.”
“I see he hasn’t changed,” said Zack, rolling his eyes. “Remember that time he broke his nose on that elevator door?”
I felt bad for laughing, but I still did it. “Good thing Jack had picked up some healing magic at the Merlin Academy.”
“I swear he didn’t put it back totally straight,” replied Zack.
“It wasn’t totally straight to start with,” I said. “Oh, Zack, I can’t tell you how much of a relief this is. I was sure you were… after the Horde invaded. There are so many people I’ve lost contact with.”
“Same. You almost don’t want to look too closely or…” He trailed off, both knowing what the other was thinking, but not wanting to say it out loud.
I broke the silence first. “So, a Leftenan? That’s like a Lieutenant, right? That’s amazing at your age!”
“Leftenan muda,” he corrected. “Lowest rank enlisted officer. It isn’t as impressive as you think; they fast-tracked me because I’m a native English speaker and I’m halfway-decent at Japanese. I’ve been an errand boy since I got out of training, except when they needed all hands on deck during that mess in Sumatra.”
“I’m so glad you made it out of that okay.”
“It was close.” He abruptly changed subjects. “So, you’re a wizard? That’s a shocker; we thought you were going to be normal, the last I heard. I bet that’s why I didn’t recognize you in that uniform.”
“Things would be easier if I was,” I said, leaning back in the seat. “I don’t have the best control all the time.”
“Yeah, but wizards saved my arse a dozen times in the fighting,” he said. “Where did you go to school? The Merlin Academy, like your brothers?”
I shook my head. “I was too late to attend there. I ended up at the school in Nagoya. They put me in the class for special cases. I’ll still make a storm when I’m upset sometimes.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re my old mate’s sister.” He held up his hand like he was taking a vow. “I promise to be on good behavior.”
“Maybe not too good? I’m not a child anymore.” There was something about a man in uniform, after all, and it wasn’t like he was a stranger. He had always been one of the only friends my brothers brought over who would tolerate my presence. “Maybe you can show me around when we land.”
“Albert’d kill me if he found out,” he said, his wry grin giving the lie to his words.
“Then let’s make sure he doesn’t find out.”
“It’s a date.” He nodded. “I still can’t believe that little Rose Cooper is on the same plane as me.”
“It sure is a small world.”
Zack shook his head, looking at me thoughtfully. “If this was a regular flight, yeah, but on a military plane like this, with four passengers? This can’t be a coincidence. Aha!” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “You’re the asset!”
I cocked my head at him. “The what?”
He put his hands together, looking apologetic. “Sorry, Rose, I can’t say anything more. Top secret, and there’s a chance you aren’t what I think you are. You’ll hear when we get there.”
More secrets. Oh, well. I decided to change the subject. “What were you reading before?”
“Oh, this?” He held up the paperback with a cover showing a patrol boat wrapped up by one of the Horde’s sea serpents. “I’m rereading The Spratly Island Wars. There used to be a lot of action out there before the Horde stopped trying for them, and the League decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Uncle Ahmad wrote these as a memoir. They’re still best sellers.”
“Are they any good?”
“Not really,” he said, chuckling to himself. “He was trained as a captain, not a novelist, and I don’t know what monkey they hired to do this Japanese translation.”
“Japanese? What did he write it in?”
“Malaysian, but it’s good practice since I know the story. You want to try it out?”
Zack was smooth, I had to give him that. Before I could respond, he shifted over a seat. He opened the book so we both could read, while slinging an arm over my shoulder.
Nope, definitely not the Scarecrow anymore. The navy had been good for him, errand boy or no. I settled in, glad to see a familiar face. Suddenly the mystery of the trip didn’t seem quite so bad.
The translation was complete rubbish, though. We took turns reading to each other, and it took twice as long as it should have.
Oh, well. Good company can make a bad book seem like Shakespeare.
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