“Right,” Gabriel said. “Avoid bifurcations. We should get t-shirts made.”
An instant later all was blackness then whiteness, then they stood on the balcony of the Clock Tower of Windsor Castle one hundred twenty-five million years in the past. Gabriel looked up at the clock and saw from the placement of the minute hand that they had been gone less than an hour.
“Excellent execution,” Ohin said. “You’ve done better than I could possibly have hoped. I have never heard of an apprentice Time Mage learning so quickly. I’m very proud of you.” Ohin ruffled Gabriel’s hair.
Gabriel wiped the last of the tears from his eyes. He made Ohin proud on the first lesson. If he could never make his parents proud of him again, and he couldn’t without creating a dangerous new branch of time, then making Ohin proud would do just fine.
The day was long. Filled with hour after hour of new and interesting things. Ohin and Gabriel returned in time to join the other members of the team for their morning training session. Ohin briefly described Gabriel’s amazing accomplishments to the others as they gathered on the grass of the Upper Ward. Gabriel felt the heat rising on his face while Ohin spoke.
“I guess you’re not the only prodigy,” Rajan said to Teresa.
“You’re a prodigy?” Gabriel asked.
“I have a knack for fire magic,” Teresa said, wrinkling her nose in embarrassment.
“And before she joined us here, she was a math prodigy,” Rajan said. “Already in her second year of a physics degree.”
“Math is harder than magic,” Teresa said. “But I’ve never done anything as impressive as making a time jump on my first try.” At Teresa’s sunny smile, Gabriel found himself experiencing an uncomfortable warmth all over again. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if it was from her words or her smile, which was enchanting as it lit up her face.
After being congratulated by the others, the training began. The entire day was a training session of one sort or another, but it always began with defensive arts lessons led by Marcus and Ling. Gabriel was surprised to find that Marcus turned out to have as innate a skill in combat as he did with healing. Just another irony of his life, as he said. Gabriel was not entirely surprised to find that Ling was even more formidable, at least with her bare hands. Gabriel wondered aloud how a fisherman’s wife had learned to hit so hard and so fast. She explained her father had been more than a fisherman. More than that, she didn’t explain.
The Council felt it was important for each member of a team to be able to defend themselves without the use of magic, in case they were trapped in a time and place where they had no access to an imbued artifact. The sessions began with unarmed combat taught by Ling and then moved to the use of different weapons throughout the history of the world, from knives and daggers, to swords and spears, and even to more modern weapons, as taught by Marcus. Magical training followed the defensive arts training.
For Gabriel’s first lesson, they learned to weave magic together and fight other mages in combat. One team would be pitted against another in the gardens beneath the North Terrace, just outside the castle walls proper. Gabriel learned how to accurately project himself and others through space so that he could his help fellow teammates when under attack. The team members practiced fighting one-on-one with magic, as well.
The power of the magical conjuring was reduced for safety’s sake, but Gabriel still ended up with singed eyebrows from dodging Teresa’s fireballs too slowly and bruises from failing to jump through space before Rajan rippled the lawn like a carpet, tossing Gabriel into the air to flail and fall on his backside. It didn’t help that he was still occasionally distracted by the sight of a gigantic, long-necked dinosaur in the distance. How were you supposed to concentrate with dinosaurs roaming around?
After a brief lunch, they spent the rest of the day studying in the library. History. Geographical history, biological history, cultures around the planet, languages, customs, cities, famous people, important battles and wars, significant works of art, architecture and literature. The Council liked the teams to have a background in the history of the places their missions took them to, but Ohin insisted that his team have a knowledge of every time and place, because one never knew what might go wrong and where they might end up.
They paid special attention to the dress and look of peoples from each place and time throughout the world. The magical amulets they all wore could only conceal them properly if they had a correct image of what to look like already in their minds. And even though the amulet would let them speak with anyone, what to say and how to phrase it was equally important. Gabriel began to suspect that he would need to study harder now that he was finally free from school than he ever had while he was in one.
By the end of the day, Gabriel was exhausted. And starving. Dinner couldn’t come fast enough. When it did, it was just as mouth-watering as the night before. And the conversation between his new friends just as lively.
“If it had been a snake, it would have bit him,” Ling said, referring to Rajan and an artifact that he had somehow misplaced.
“If it had been a snake, he would have eaten it,” Teresa added. “Rajan will eat anything.”
“What’s wrong with snake meat?” Rajan asked. “As long as you season it properly.”
“I can’t understand how a boy brought up in a culture of culinary delights such as India could have such an insensitive palate,” Marcus said.
“I can’t understand how an old man from England could claim to know anything about food at all,” Rajan retorted.
“Ah,” Marcus said in mock seriousness. “Point taken. Unless it’s fried.”
“I’ll grant you fish and chips,” Rajan said, “but that’s as far as it goes. If you want real fried food, you go to the South of the States.”
“I hardly think so,” Ling said. “The Chinese were frying food while the Europeans were still eating meat raw.”
“Ah, I love steak tartare,” Marcus said, licking his lips.
“With a raw egg and capers,” Rajan agreed.
“What is it?” Gabriel asked.
“Raw ground meat,” Teresa said.
“Barbaric,” Ling said with visible distaste.
“Raw meat with raw egg,” Gabriel said. “That’s gross.”
“One culture’s disgusting is another culture’s delectable,” Sema said.
“For an example of that, just look at Rajan,” Teresa said. “I hear that Medieval Germanic girl, Brigit, thinks he’s quite tasty.”
“People like sweet, not sour,” Rajan said, visibly embarrassed. “Or so I heard Lord Edward say the other day.” Now it was Teresa’s turn to be embarrassed. Gabriel didn’t know who Bridget or Lord Edward were, but had a pretty good idea of what Teresa and Rajan thought of them.
“I have something else for us to talk about,” Ohin said, speaking for the first time since finishing his meal. “Something we’re all hungry for.” A silence fell over the table as all eyes turned to Ohin.
“We have a new mission?” Teresa asked.
“Yes,” Ohin said.
“About bloody time,” Marcus said.
“What’s the mission?” Rajan asked.
“Am I included?” Gabriel asked.
“You are most definitely included,” Ohin said, settling his gaze on Gabriel. “This mission was chosen with you in mind. After the display of your talents this morning, the Council wants me to accelerate your training.”
“Is that wise?” Sema asked, glancing at Gabriel with a look of concern.
“We can only hope so,” Ohin said. “The operation is not particularly dangerous, but it will be educational for our young Time Mage.”
“What is the mission?” Rajan asked a second time, raising his voice a little.
“Severing the link to a crystal,” Ohin said. “Yesterday, Vladimir’s team salvaged a concatenate crystal from the Hiroshima outpost. It is the first of a linked chain, so we do not know how many more crystals it is connected to.
“However, when Vladimir severed the link between the first crystal and its tainted artifact, he was able to sense the time and location of the next artifact in the chain, linked through the second crystal.” Gabriel hadn’t realized that such a thing was possible and he suspected by the way Ohin was speaking in his direction that the information was being recited mostly for his own benefit. “Our mission will be to locate the second artifact and sever the link to its crystal. And if possible, determine what might be the next artifact in the chain.”
“What’s the artifact, and where are we going?” Ling asked.
“The artifact is an Aztec sacrificial dagger,” Ohin said. “While you were studying this afternoon, I spent some time with Chimalli and Vladimir trying to pinpoint where the dagger is. We suspect it is one of the daggers used during the reconsecration of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan in 1487.”
“That was before the Spanish Conquistadors, wasn’t it?” Teresa asked. “Does Manuel know anything about it?”
“Yes, it was,” Ohin said. “And Manuel knows a little from his time there later, but unfortunately Manuel is on a mission right now. However, Chimalli’s time period was also close to that of the dagger, so he will be helping us to prepare for the mission and will accompany us as a guide.”
“Who’s Chimalli?” Gabriel asked. “And who is Manuel?”
“Manuel is an Earth mage,” Sema said. “He was one of the Spanish soldiers who landed with Hernán Cortéz in 1519, and he witnessed some of the sacrifices.”
“And the slaughters that came afterward,” Teresa added.
“Some of our hands are less clean from our previous lives than others,” Rajan said.
“Not mine,” Marcus said, raising his hands before him. “I have lily white hands and a heart pure as the driven snow.”
“Don’t look now, but a dog’s been lifting his leg on that snow,” Rajan said.
“Manuel, like many of us, did things before coming here that are regrettable,” Sema said. “He is a perfectly nice gentleman.”
“Exactly the point I was trying to make,” Marcus said.
“Chimalli is a Wind Mage,” Ohin said, steering the conversation back where he wanted it. “He was an Aztec laborer. He knows the city and the temple and will help us learn about the history and culture before we make the jump.”
“How much time do we have to prepare?” Ling asked.
“Not long,” Ohin said. “The Council wants to act quickly, before the Malignancy Mage with the third crystal in the chain learns what happened to the first crystal and can sever the link to the second crystal. If we are quick about it, we may be able to sever all the links in the chain before the Malignancy Mages notice anything. So, as much as I don’t relish the idea, we will make the jump tomorrow morning.”
“So soon?” asked Marcus, sounding slightly concerned. “We normally have a few days to prepare.”
“I know,” Ohin said, “But we must act quickly, and the Council feels that while we may be a little unprepared, we have the collective experience to make the operation a success without any significant risk.”
“We don’t all have the experience,” Gabriel said, noticing everyone was looking at him.
“And that’s why you are going along,” Ohin said. “The only way to learn how to sever the link between a tainted artifact and concatenate crystal is to see it done. I suggest you all stop by the library this evening and refresh yourselves on Aztec culture and history before getting to bed early. Tomorrow should not be a taxing day, but we all know how plans can change.”
“Truer words were never spoken,” Marcus said, almost sounding glum.
“Our plans never go the way they’re supposed to,” Teresa said to Gabriel with a chipper smile.
“But our missions always succeed,” Ling said, glowering at Teresa.
“And no other team can say the same,” Sema added with yet another look toward Gabriel.
“Yes,” Rajan said, “But not because of the plans.”
“There’s a bad omen for you,” Marcus said. “Teresa and Rajan agreeing on something.”
“I, for one, don’t believe in omens,” Ohin said, calling everyone’s attention to himself with the depth of his voice. “But, I do believe in all of you. However, Teresa and Rajan are correct; our plans always do seem to go astray, regardless of how well things end, so much so that I often wonder why we bother making a plan at all. However, since we do have a plan, we will stick to it until it seems wise not to. Besides, now that Gabriel is bringing his considerable talents to our fold, maybe our plans will go perfectly from now on.”
“A toast to Gabriel,” Marcus said, raising his glass. Marcus loved to toast at any possible provocation, but the smile on his face led Gabriel to suspect that his motivation for this toast was more genuine than usual. The others raised their glasses together, Gabriel bringing his up last to meet theirs. Then they drank in unison, Gabriel sipping his raspberry juice.
“May he bring us as much luck as he brings talent,” Ling said.
“Our very own good luck charm,” Teresa said with a laugh as she sipped from her glass.
“Does that mean I get the rabbit’s foot back?” Rajan asked.
“You know, you’re almost cute when you’re absurd like that,” Teresa said to Rajan.
Everyone laughed and Gabriel took a second small sip of his juice, wondering what tomorrow would be like and wondering if he would be able to sleep for thinking of it. Between the large meal, the extra-long day, and the two hours after dinner spent with the others in the library looking up books on the Aztec civilization, Gabriel had no trouble falling asleep that night.
Breakfast was short, but filling. Gabriel felt too nervous at first to do more than pick at his food, but under Sema’s continuous admonishments that a mission through time was no place for an empty stomach, he finally managed to eat a pancake and two large sausages. The others didn’t seem to be feeling any of the anxiety that was plaguing Gabriel’s stomach. He wondered if he would keep his breakfast down. He certainly hoped so. He couldn’t imagine anything more embarrassing than puking all over his companions on his first mission.