Mirror Bound Pt. 02

We were just planning to intervene, for news had reached us that talented children were disappearing from all over the country, but it was difficult to infiltrate the building, and we have to operate as secretly as you do, for if we are found out, our heads will roll as easily as yours.

When I felt an overdose of magical energy coming from the factory site I got the watch and went there, expecting to find the black mage active.

Instead he was dead and the children freed, our first task already accomplished by an as yet unknown mage. George here quickly enlightened us to what had happened, and I was surprised to learn you were living in the area itself.

We had plans ready for when the black mage would be out of action, and we'd like to have your support to implement them.

The wool factory is profitable, even with better working conditions for the labourers, so we plan to sell it, clean up the wasteland and build a school there.

The school is to be a boarding school for children from all over the country who have special abilities but are from lower classes. They would develop these talents, say mathematical genius, healing skills, mundane talents that can be developed by proper schooling.

Among these children would be talented youths in need of training, going to school like the other kids and getting special classes in magic besides the normal program. After basic training they would be ready for an apprenticeship with a mage from a particular discipline. Mr Kenwick, would you be prepared to assist us in realizing this project?'

Paul was clearly puzzled: 'What would you expect me to contribute, Mr Telling? I have no fortune, I'm only a youngest son, I work for a living.'

Mr Telling replied: 'George has told me, and it is not what we hope to gain from you. We know you are a guardian, and this terrain is within your quarter, so we had hoped you would be willing to protect these talented children from being found out, and from parasites attracted to their budding power.

Also, you might teach some classes yourself, and be a person they can talk to and confide in, since they will spend a lot of time doing things they need to keep a secret.

You might also play a role in the rest of our plans for that land: we want housing for factory workers built there, with modern conveniences like efficient heating. We would hire your firm to provide the innovation.'

Now I could see Paul understood much better, and he said: 'Thank you for the explanation, now I see a possible role for me in these plans. I am certainly interested.

Where will you find the funds to realize all this?'

'We already have a possible investor in George, he is interested in buying the factory and exploiting it, and he wants a share in the school.

Other wealthy magic users want to buy an interest in the school as well, and the city council can spend a bit of money on the project,' was Mr Telling's reply.

'I'm certainly interested in being involved in the project,' Paul said, 'but I have a few questions.'

Mr Telling replied: 'By all means, please let me hear them.'

Paul did: 'What about the children who were saved, will the city take care of the ones who cannot go back to their parents? And how will you clear up the pollution?

And will you take a personal interest in this school, Mr Telling? Will you be teaching some classes yourself, or take an apprentice with lower class origins?'

I was clearly an engaged woman, because a feeling of pride in my intended husband rose in my breast.

He had faced the black mage, had nearly gotten himself killed in a duel, and now he dared ask some really poignant questions of a very powerful person, his superior both in magics and in stature.

This man could make him or break him, but Paul bluntly asked him if he would take his own responsibility as well as delegate to Paul.

His facial expression left no doubt in my mind that the council member was surprised by Paul's questions. But he stood the test and replied sincerely: 'As to the first question: I frankly haven't thought of those poor children as anything but proof that my theories were right, and that your action in the factory was legitimate.

It never occurred to me that they were someone's children, that they were people in their own right. I'm single you know, I must admit children are strange creatures to me.

Will it please you if I promise to visit George's manor to meet them? Then I'll have a clearer image of what their needs will be. I suppose you're spending a lot of money on food and clothing at this very moment, George?'

George suppressed a smile at his fellow noble's sudden realization and said: 'I am, Tristan, and on messengers to warn the parents, travelling fees for those who cannot afford it, extra staff to wash and clean.

Frances and I had the same abstract image of lower class people, until we met those children and decided it was time we did our share.

Which I might say Paul here discovered a lot earlier in life.'

'When I've visited and met them myself I'll see what I can do within the council,' Mr Telling said, 'as to your second question, I had hoped to share ideas among us to find the best possible way to drain that node.'

'Frances says trees and grass can disperse magical energy quicker than anything, so she'd suggest making a nice little park at that very spot,' was George's comment here.

'I'll dive into my books,' Paul said, 'and maybe Melissa can come up with something, being an engineer.'

I nodded, thinking the three of us might think of a solution, and said: 'I'd have to see it from up close, maybe the structure can be unravelled'

Paul explained: 'Melissa can see through nearly everything.'

Now Mr Telling spoke again: 'That is a very useful talent. I'll be interested to hear what you find. And as to your final question, you caught me red-handed again, I did not consider taking any interest myself besides investing money.

Investing time was not on my priorities list. But you are right, it should be, and I will think of a possible practical role for myself in the school.

Not having a family of my own makes it even more important for me to stay in touch with society. I thank you for your observations.

Can we make an arrangement immediately for me to visit your place, George?'

'Why don't you come with us straight away?' George said, 'get it over with so to speak? I think we're all coming, if you feel up to it, Paul?'

Paul nodded, and said: 'I have promised Melissa to meet Jonathan, she thinks we have a lot in common. I think she wants me to take him on as apprentice as well. If my back starts to trouble me I'll lie in the grass, or beg a cup of your fabulous coffee from your charming wife.'

That did it, Mr Telling clearly had a weakness for good coffee, how else had such a big fish heard Mr Millner's gossip, and he couldn't resist the bait Paul had dangled before him.

'I think it is an excellent idea to come straight away, George, that way I can see them before they are healed of their trauma, it might do me good.'

I started to get some sympathy for this powerful man, I guessed he must be a bit lonely sometimes, working politics and magic all the time.

Chapter 41

And so it happened that we all went to the Nomes', Lukas offering to ride with Mr Telling in his carriage, and Paul and me in George's familiar one.

We hadn't even set off before George asked Paul: 'Are you two really getting married?'

Paul, pretending not to notice his almost accusing tone, replied quietly: 'We are, George. I asked Melissa to marry me and she accepted my proposal.'

Now George showed his real concern: 'Have you any idea what that will do to Lukas? He needs you, you cannot shut him out, it would kill him.'

I thought that was sweet, and Paul clearly thought so too, for he mildly observed: 'Your concern for Lukas moves me, George, but it is also because of him that I went on my knees with a fresh bullet-hole in my back. That wasn't easy, you know.' He winked at me and continued: 'Getting shot reminded me that if something were to happen to me, my family could claim the house and even the business we're planning to build up together.

I cannot let that happen, I have to provide for the two people I care about most in this world.' I added: 'Nothing will change for Lukas, we'll still love him as we do now. And he'll still have the freedom to love where he wants to.'

This seemed to appease George, and he said: 'I hadn't looked at it that way. Seen like that it is indeed the right thing to do. But please know you'll always have a home with us if anything happens to Paul.'

Of course I knew that, but that was not the way I wanted to live: 'I know we would, George, but I have never been dependent on anyone, and I'm sure Lukas prefers to take care of himself.

And I want to marry Paul for himself, I love him so much I cannot bear even thinking of losing him.'

Saying that of course I saw him fall again, right before my eyes, and I had to swallow hard a few times to force my tears back down.

Paul noticed, and he wrapped me in his arms, stroking my hair. Held against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent, I got hold of myself again quickly, but I liked it where I was so I stayed in his arms for the rest of the short trip.

As we turned into the park, George said: 'I'm sorry if I have upset you Melissa, I have come to care a lot about Lukas and I was worried for him. Of course I wish you all the very best, and I congratulate you on finding the person you love most in the world. Will you be having a large affair, with parents and a party?'

Paul replied: 'We would prefer to keep it small, a parish priest, our best friends, a small party.' 'Would you consider having a party in our garden?' George asked, 'I'm sure Frances would love to see you married in our garden, she thinks of you as a son as much as I do. She is very happy to see the two of you together.'

We had now arrived at the house, and Paul replied: 'We'd love that, George, a small party among friends, in a lovely garden, that is everything we could wish for. Thank you so much for the offer. You'll see that Lukas doesn't mind the idea of us marrying at all.'

Then we got out of the carriage, and met up with the others. Together we walked around the house and met the rest of the family in the garden.

Frances didn't spend much time on introductions, she delegated George and Paul to receiving parents coming to pick up their sons and daughters, and quickly abducted Lukas and me to a healing session.

Mr Telling seemed a bit lost with so much bustle around him, until Lukas laid a hand on his shoulder, inviting him along with our party. I thought that he was as committed to making him aware of the lower classes as Paul, only a lot more subtly.

'Where are we going, Frances?' Lukas asked. She replied: 'I thought we'd go to the greenhouse, the garden there is quiet and friendly, perfect for reliving and conquering nasty memories.' When we got there, Jonathan was already present with Laura, and one of the other children, a boy of around twelve.

They had a sheet of paper and a pencil, ready to write down addresses, names and any other particulars Lukas would find out.

Lukas told Mr Telling: 'Mr Telling, I'm going to treat this boy to see if I can fade his traumatic memories of the last year or so a little, and when that is done I'll try to remove the blockade on his older memories.

Then I'll try to find out his name and address, and the name of his parents, so we can send a message to them that their child is still alive and staying here until they pick it up.

After that, it will take weeks for him to get all those regained memories in order, realize they're his own past. Some need a second treatment to help process the memories.'

The council member nodded, and asked: 'Is it all right if I watch?'

Of course that was Lukas' intent, so he replied: 'You are welcome to watch. It may take a while so it is best if you make yourself comfortable.

Please meet Jonathan and Laura, Jonathan has lived in that wasteland for two years, he was the first victim and helped all the others survive. He was their father, providing food, shelter, clothing, and comfort if they were sad. Laura helped him with everything.

And remember, all this time they did not even know their own names or where they grew up, how they got there. They just survived, without hope of things ever getting better, the group of dependent children growing by the month as another catatonic child was dumped on their terrain to live or die.'

I could see this affected Mr Telling, seeing the children in real life did make an impression on him. Jonathan was very good-looking cleaned up and without the burden of responsibility weighing him down. I winked at him, then sat down next to Lukas and got hold of a ley-line.

I saw Mr Telling's eyes widen but I hardly registered his surprise, I was already at work, inviting Lukas to connect our minds, which he did with a sweet smile.

Jonathan led the boy to us, and Lukas invited him to sit with us, which the boy did, a bit apprehensively. Jonathan sat down with us as well, to quiet the boy, who was soon to have his name back.

Lukas now carefully touched him and I felt his talent jump to life. The boy had about half a year's worth of memories, and they were not very traumatic. He remembered little of being dumped, and felt very safe with the little group. Lukas had little stress and fear to wear down, so he soon started to look for the memory barrier.

It was clearly there, and it wasn't very strong, this was a rather placid child who took life as it was, and his memories were freed within seconds. Now Lukas was assaulted by fear, excruciating pain and loneliness, a gaping hole where the parents' love had been. This boy had had a very close bond to his parents, and being deprived of that love had hurt him most of all.

Memories flooded in once more, his name was William, his family name Frost, he was from the city, the only reason he could stand to go to the school was that he was promised visits in the weekend. This must have been one of the missing children whose parents had alerted the council. Lukas found a memory of his address, said it aloud for Jonathan to write down, and then he went ahead to the cells beneath the wool factory.

It was cruel to pull the boy from eating an ice-cream with his parents into a cell where his magical talent was ripped out of him in agonizing pain, but it had to be done, the memories would return as lively as this if not treated. They needed to be worn down.

Which Lukas did, time and time again, until they felt a lot more vague and in the past. Then he broke the contact, and as Jonathan and Laura listened to the boy telling them his name, and that his parents lived very close, in the city, I caught Lukas as he toppled with weariness.

I held him in my lap, cradling him like a newborn, stroking his curls. I checked his energy level and topped it to its original state, then continued to caress Lukas until he came to, quietly watching the scene in front of him from my arms, the child he had helped sharing his happy memories with his friends, Laura listening patiently but with a sadness still about her, Jonathan aware of that sadness, addressing it by caressing her whilst listening to the boy's happy chatter and commenting on his memories.

The boy's happiness was scant payment for Lukas, living all those memories with him, time and time again, and after him another child and another child.

Was it too much to ask of a young man, or was he ideally suited to this, because of his rakish character, able to spring back into cheerfulness after feeling so much misery? I didn't know, but I was sure I would ask him, tonight, or the next time we were alone or with Paul.

I was shaken from my worried reverie by Frances' cheerful voice calling us: 'Lukas, Melissa, I've coffee and cakes for you! Can I offer you some too, sir?'

This at the council member. The council member! I had totally forgotten him in the intensity of the procedure, but it appeared Lukas hadn't.

He looked up from my shoulder at Mr Telling, smiled at him amiably and said: 'Now you're going to get a totally new experience Mr Telling, Frances' coffee is, well, I lack the language skills to describe it, so I'll just call it special.'

Following Lukas' line of sight, I saw an expression closest to awe on Mr Telling's face, and I was sure it wasn't the expectation of Frances' coffee that put it there. This might be the most powerful man in the city, and he looked at Lukas in incredulous awe.

When he was able to speak again he said: 'Please call me Tristan, Lukas, may I call you Lukas? And you too, Melissa, please?

I can't be Mr Telling to you anymore, apprentices yet, who put my commitment and magic skills to shame. I have never seen anything like that in my life, that boy was not really in this world with us, and watching him I saw him come alive, then all kinds of emotions, agonizing ones, but happy ones as well, played across his face, until you broke the contact and he was an ordinary boy.

And the cost to yourself, are you sure it is safe to go so deeply?'

Without realizing it, Tristan was giving Lukas exactly what he needed, love. Not physical love of course, but this kind of deep appreciation, and the realization that lower class children were worth loving too, those were powerful emotions that clearly fed Lukas' need to be loved.

Though I felt Tristan's eyes on me, I continued to hold and caress Lukas, he needed that and I was my own person, had never bowed to propriety.

Let him think what he will, it was a private matter anyway. But Tristan was soon to be distracted, for Frances handed him a cup of her extraordinary coffee, and he sipped it absently.

Poor, poor man, he was destined to have his feelings shaken up that day, and this was only occasion number three, counting Paul's confronting questions.

The taste of the coffee hit him like a board, and his broad face was a study in expressions of surprise and delight.

I felt Lukas squeeze me lightly, he was enjoying himself hugely, the strain of the healing almost forgotten. Tristan complimented his hostess on her excellent coffee of course, and they exchanged some coffee talk.

Lukas and I both took our own coffee and the accompanying cakes, and the caffeine and sugar revived Lukas enough for him to get up and join the three children he had helped.

They welcomed him with a hug and a cheerful greeting, as I prepared to answer some personal questions from Tristan, I could see them rise to the surface as soon as Lukas removed his presence.

And to be sure, he did ask them, though clearly embarrassed: 'I thought you were engaged to Mr Kenwick, but you seemed rather intimate with Lukas just now. And how come you can use ley-lines, Mr Kenwick told me you're his apprentice?'

Suppressing my urge to tell him it was none of his business, I answered him patiently: 'As to the ley-lines, one day I reached for Paul's energy to make a fire-ball, on his request I might add, he did teach me mage-etiquette.

And I got hold of another source of power without intending to, shaping a fireball out of it. We discussed it with George and Frances, and they said if I could control it just to use it, but to stay away from the node.

As to your other question, I feel that whom I am intimate with or not is between me and my intended, but since we're on first-name basis now, I might as well tell you.'

I am happy to say that our new acquaintance looked rather ashamed now at his blunt question, but I took pity on him and sent him a dazzling smile, then said: 'Lukas has told you about him being from a different dimension.'