Page 31 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy
Luther leans in and whispers, and the soldier goes rigid again. He stares at me, then bows. “The Jade Lion,” he says.
I exchange a confused glance with Seb, then follow after Luther. “He’s excited to see you. We all are.” Luther turns around, walks backward, and continues talking, “So many thought you were just a legend. But when I sensed your arcana in Cosmo, I had a hunch you were someone important. I had to investigate.”
I nod as wizards mull about the open area. “Why were we stopped? I thought the Union was open to all wizards?” I ask.
“And what are all these people in line for?” Seb asks.
“Ah,” Luther says. “The answer to both of those questions is right this way.” We walk down a corridor past where the bulk of the folks are lined up. Luther waves, and the guards nod in reverence. Our trio walks down a staircase, passes another set of heavily guarded doors, and finally ends up in the basement. The sight before us makes me catch my breath.
Through a thin glass wall stands what appears to be a giant glowing rock, a small mountain of some sort. The colors pulsing on the surface range from red to green, and it has the distinct aura of arcana. The rock is almost diamond-shaped, has a jagged edge, one long spiky point at the top, and is deeply embedded in the earth. It must be at least thirty feet in diameter and several yards tall. Given its apparent longevity, I suspect the Union building was built around it.
Several wizards in uniform meticulously carve out pieces from it.
“What…what is this?” I ask.
“This…is geo arcanum,” Luther replies with a smile.
I exchange a concerned look with Seb, and we both turn to Luther. He taps the glass and says, “Every wizard has a role in protecting sorcery. Many are officers. Others act as teachers, training younger wizards. And there is the maintenance crew, of course. In exchange, we grant all adults access to a monthly supply of geo arcanum. It’s an asset used for mysticalaugmentation and magical storage. We’re able to track its usage, so if a wizard tries to commit crimes, we’re alerted to them going over into the dark side.” He raises up the gem in his pocket; it’s a red shard of rock that fits into the palm of his hand. “High-ranking agents like yours truly get a little more a month…for missions and such.”
Seb frowns. “Why do you need this? I thought you wizards pull from the Sun.”
“Yes, but this augments our power. The sun isn’t shining all the time, though it happens to be a nice day here in Scotland.”
Seb and I gaze around. I see—we have been teleported to an obscure plain here in Scotland.
“So, you just have this incredible resource amongst yourselves?” Seb asks.
Luther nods. “A wizard coven found this rock, the prime geo arcanum, centuries ago. History tells that when certainpowerfulwizards began to disappear, the magical community was afraid.”
“You mean me?” I ask.
Luther gives an apologetic look, then continues, “Um, the ones who owned this giant chunk of rock you see started the Union to not only uplift and protect wizards, but to create a system to regulate and share the geo arcanum.”
“You use your abilities in public on unsuspecting mortals?” I ask.
“Cauldrons, no,” Luther says with a chortle. “That’s Magic 101, the nonmagical people can never know, family notwithstanding.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Seb remarks. “But why do you need extra magic at all? Just to build your super-special clubhouse?” I laugh softly, and Seb continues, “You claim to be protecting sorcery?but from what?”
Luther nods. “I am so happy you asked. Follow me, please.”
We walk quickly down several corridors until we’re outside. The sea breeze kisses our faces as we amble down a grassy knoll. The ocean in the distance shows that we’re on a cliff, and we walk toward it for several meters. Peering around, it is evident that they have their own foggy barrier to prevent mortals from accessing the Union. However, what we see in front of us once again has me shocked.
Several wizards stand on the edge of the grassy cliff staring out at the sunset sky. There’s a crack resembling broken glass floating right above them.
“What is this?” Seb asks.
“It’s a break in reality,” I reply, breathlessly.
Luther gives me an affirming point. “I needed to show you a truth you may not have believed.” We walk further down, getting closer to the rift. Yellow light peers through, threatening to pour out. My heart rate picks up as I remember seeing these rifts in my time.
When Luther stops, I stand next to him, with Seb to my right, and we stare up at the massive, horrifying sight. “I know you didn’t trust me when you met me, but you pulled the truth out of me, so you have to understand my intentions. All of reality, mortals and magical folk, are threatened by this.”
“What…what am I looking at?” Seb asks.
“We call it the Other Side. A dark, distorted dimension, like a chaotic mirror of our realm,” Luther says in a grave tone. “There are no permanent closures of these rifts. Only monitoring and preparing ourselves for what might come out.”
“What comes out?” Seb asks.
