Elementary, p.1
Elementary, page 1
Elementary
By Niall Teasdale
Copyright 2023 Niall Teasdale
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Contents
Part One: Elements
Part Two: Hero of the People
Part Three: A Plague Upon Your House
Part Four: Village of the Dead
Part Five: Elemental
Epilogue
About the Author
Part One: Elements
Lorentine, Capital of Maritania, 8 Earth 2189.
Calista opened her eyes and spent several seconds wondering how.
The last thing she remembered clearly was being told to assume a braced posture. There had been noise. There had been a lot of noise, some of it crying. Had she been crying? That… seemed likely. After that… Everything was a bit of a blur after that. She could not remember anything clearly, but just that last bit of clarity suggested that she had probably been about to become a statistic in someone’s crash report and maybe headline news on various news channels. It had been a sucky way to start a holiday. Had she somehow survived?
If she had, she was in the weirdest hospital she had ever heard of. Her bed had posts at the corners and drapes all around. There was not too much light, but she could tell that the posts were carved wood. Various forms of imaginary beasts curled around the thick columns, and they were holding up a wooden canopy. The drapes looked like they were red. Some sort of brocade? There was a pattern woven in which was difficult to work out since she was looking at the back of it. You just did not get beds like that in hospitals, and where were all the machines with beeping noises and graphs of her vital functions?
Something caught her eye, up in one corner of the canopy. It was small and indistinct, more of a distortion in the air than an object. As she saw it, it moved. The drapes at the foot of the bed moved and it was gone. Intending to follow, Calista pulled aside the heavy blankets. Then she came to a dead stop.
‘These aren’t my legs.’ Thick, black hair fell forward over her face, and she struggled to push it back. Wait… ‘This isn’t my hair!’ She realised that she was starting to panic. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. ‘Fuck! These aren’t my tits!’
The drapes on her left side were pulled open and a woman was standing there. ‘Please, madam, remain calm.’ She was…
‘Calm! What’ve you done to me?! Where am I? What’s going on?’
‘Everything will be explained. You’re the last to wake up. As soon as you’re dressed, I’ll take you to–’
‘Tell me now!’
The woman took a deep breath. ‘Madam, you were brought here to save the world.’
Calista stared at her. This had to be a joke, but the woman in the maid-like outfit appeared quite serious. ‘The fuck?’
~~~
Calista was led through corridors which suggested that she was in a medieval castle. But not if you looked beyond the superficial. The walls were stone, frequently covered over with tapestries which looked old and expensive. The doors she passed were wooden and solid-looking with arched tops. So far, so fantasy castle. But the lighting did not seem right. There were sconces on the walls – there had been several in the room she had woken up in – with screened lights mounted on them. The shield which prevented you from seeing the light source could have been paper or bone. However, the light within was steady and white. Calista wanted to stop and take one apart to see whether there was a bulb inside it, but she had somewhere to be, so she kept walking.
Coming to a door guarded by two men in some sort of military uniform, the maid knocked, opened the door, and ushered Calista through, not following herself. The guards, Calista noticed, were wearing swords, which further suggested a medieval society, except that the blue-and-white tunics looked like they might have been made from a synthetic fabric. The emblem on the left breast of each tunic featured a sailing ship with three masts and full sails picked out in gold embroidery. A maritime nation then?
Six pairs of eyes turned to look at Calista as she entered. She pulled the rather thin robe she had been given around her and frowned. There were five men and one woman in the group, and they seemed to fall into two groups. Two of the men and the woman were also wearing robes, though Calista felt theirs looked thicker. The other three men were in suits with something of a Victorian bent to them, though there were no ties in evidence, whether straight or bow. Maybe a fashion statement, or maybe this place did not have ties. That could only be a plus point.
The room itself was clearly set up for meetings. There was a conference table of reddish wood in the middle, surrounded by ten chairs. The walls had been rendered over and then papered with something like a flock wallpaper. This was dark blue with a repeating ship design in gold, like the emblems the guards were wearing. Everyone else was sitting. Well, everyone except for a very large man who looked kind of ridiculous in a white robe.
One of the suited men got to his feet. ‘Now that we are all here, I believe some formal introductions are in order.’ He was probably in his early- to mid-thirties, moderately good-looking with fine, blonde hair and clear blue eyes. His nose was strong and straight, but his jawline was a little weak and there was little chance that he got regular exercise. ‘My name is David Aritza. For my sins, I’m the current monarch of Maritania, which is the name of the country you find yourselves in.’
‘You’re a king?’ the other woman in the room asked.
He shrugged. ‘While true, Maritania is a democratic monarchy. I’m the head of state, but this gentleman holds the real power.’
The gentleman in question was tall and thin. Thin body, thin face, and a pinched, rather long, nose. He was also blonde, though his hair was thicker and shorter than the king’s. His green eyes suggested intelligence, or maybe shrewdness. Calista suspected that he was a politician, even without the introduction. He was probably a decade older than the king but ageing well; a few more wrinkles, especially on his brow and around his eyes, gave his age away. He stood up and bowed from the waist. ‘Geoffroy Abarca, Prime Minister of Maritania. Welcome to our world.’
‘You say that like it’s possible,’ Calista said. ‘How am I suddenly on a different world? And this isn’t my body. Hell, this isn’t even my voice!’
‘We found ourselves in need of some special people,’ Abarca said. ‘Heroes, if you will. As for how you were summoned here… Nereo?’
The third man-in-a-suit stepped up. He was the studious sort, though he lacked glasses and was fairly easy on the eye. Around the king’s age, perhaps a little older, he was a redhead, on the paler end of the spectrum which went with skin that suggested he rarely saw daylight. As thin as Abarca, he lacked his height which made him look better proportioned. His eyes were also green, and if Abarca’s were intelligent, this one had them beaten. This was a smart man. Maybe a nerd. ‘I’m Nereo Blanchet,’ he said, ‘assistant to– I mean I’m the Royal High Mage. You were brought here by a magic ritual, one discovered in documents dating back two thousand years and little understood.’
‘Someone must’ve understood it enough to–’ Calista stopped herself as what he had actually said hit her. ‘Wait. Magic?’
‘Uh, yes. Elemental magic.’
‘Magic is what we call things we don’t understand because we’re superstitious and know no better.’
‘We have a good understanding of the use of elemental magic. The system was formulated–’
‘Everyone knows about magic, woman,’ the biggest of the robed figures said.
‘Know it and hate it,’ the other woman muttered.
‘I have to agree with Miss…’ the second robed man began. He was tall and handsome, but not as big as the other one who was very big.
‘Calista. Calista Hogarth.’
‘Miss Hogarth.’ He smiled. There were a lot of very white teeth. ‘I agree with you.’ At least someone had a brain. ‘Magic is what we called psionic abilities prior to gaining an understanding of them.’
Calista’s sudden hope was dashed in an instant. ‘Psionic… So, the laws of physics aren’t the same where you’re from. We’re all from different dimensions. And movement between those dimensions should be impossible…’ Calista looked at Blanchet. ‘You performed this “ritual?”’
‘Ah. No.’
‘Then I’d like to talk to the person who did.’
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible,’ Aritza said. ‘Nereo’s appointment to the position of Royal High Mage is very recent. It happened today, in fact, because we needed someone to take on the role immediately. He was the old one’s assistant, but only Master Porcher knew how the ritual really worked… and he died performing it.’
‘Uh, High Savant Sastre helped Master Porcher with the preparations,’ Blanchet said. ‘He may–’
‘That is beside the point,’ Abarca said. ‘The four of you were brought here to resolve a situation we find ourselves in and are unable to solve ourselves.’
‘What makes you think we can?’ the smaller of the robed men asked.
‘Your summoning is supposed to have ensured it. You were each imbued with the abilities needed to meet our needs, or you had those abilities in your old lives.’
‘Well, I was a doctor. Uh, I’m Roman Stacy. I’m a doctor.’
‘And you were imbued with the Life element by your passage here,’ Blanchet said. ‘We’ll need to see what you can do, but I would expect that you can heal others.’ He turned his attention to the bigger man. ‘You, sir, have the Earth element, which likely explains your stature. You will probably be strong and resilient.’ The other woman was next. ‘You have the Light element. And I’m honestly not sure what that might mean, but we can find out.’ Calista figured she was next, but the mage did not even look at her.
‘Strong and resilient,’ the big man said. ‘That I like. Of course, I was both of those before I came here. My name is Wolfgang Reiner Manz. People call me Wolf.’
‘Nikole,’ the woman said. ‘My name is Nikole.’ She did not seem the type to share anything she did not have to.
‘What about my “element?”’ Calista asked.
Blanchet looked at her. ‘I… can’t sense anything about you. I’d have expected a powerful mage, but I can’t sense… anything. Nothing suggesting that you–’
‘I don’t believe in magic. How could I be a magician? I can’t see what help I’m going to be in this… What emergency are we supposed to rid you of?’
‘We… aren’t entirely sure.’
Calista dropped her head to the table. ‘I’m pretty sure I died to get here. I guess I should be grateful for the second chance, but frankly, could someone kill me now and put me out of my misery?’
~~~
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask your name. I’m Calista.’
The maid was walking Calista back to her room – rooms; there was a suite waiting for her – and conversation seemed like an idea. Besides, the anger had worn off and she was going to have to live in this place it seemed.
‘My name is Dalila,’ said the maid. ‘I will be looking after you, madam.’
‘Just you?’
‘I am your personal maid, madam.’
Calista winced. ‘I don’t think I need a personal maid. I mean, I can get dressed myself. Unless there are corsets. I hope there aren’t corsets.’
‘Corsets are not currently in fashion. His Majesty suggested that all of the heroes should have an attendant to help them adjust. I would imagine our culture is different from yours.’
‘Oh. Probably. You have magic, apparently. I don’t think I can imagine how that would change a culture. I used to read fantasy books, but I honestly don’t think many of them portrayed a realistic world with magic. It’s…’ Calista shook her head. ‘I don’t believe it.’
‘Don’t believe what, madam?’ Dalila asked.
‘I don’t believe in magic. I’m a scientist. Magic is… It’s just the exact opposite of what I see as the truth.’
The blonde maid frowned. Her brow barely wrinkled in the process. ‘That is going to make life here hard, madam. Elemental magic is the cornerstone of our world. Society relies upon it, but it is also the very basis of our existence.’
‘People in my world felt the same until we discovered the truth.’
‘Hm. Perhaps a light supper, followed by some rest. In the morning, you can see more of this world and, perhaps, come to a different conclusion.’
‘Well, the food sounds good. Just don’t hold your breath about the revelation tomorrow.’
9 Earth.
Dalila walked into Calista’s bedroom with a tray. Upon the tray was a teapot and a cup on a saucer. There was also a small plate with biscuits on it. What caught Calista’s attention, however, was the blurry shape which followed behind the maid.
While it was blurry, the thing kind of looked like a small tornado, a swirl of air which grew from a narrow base at ground level. The top bent back inward to form a smaller funnel. It was there, and it was moving, and it seemed as though Dalila was ignoring it. Could she not see it?
‘I thought you might like some tea,’ Dalila said before Calista could mention the thing following her.
‘Sure.’
‘If you don’t mind, I’ll do some dusting.’ Dalila poured something which looked pretty much like tea into the cup. There was no milk or sugar available, but Calista took neither. ‘We had little time to prepare rooms for you and the others, so the job was not thoroughly done.’
‘Be my guest. Dalila–’
A gesture from the maid cut Calista off and sent the little tornado off toward the fireplace. The room had a bed, a large wardrobe, a small table with two chairs, which Calista was currently sitting at, and a stone fireplace with a marble lintel. The tornado lifted into the air and began working its way over the marble. Dust lifted up to form a ball within the upper trunk of the thing.
‘Okay,’ Calista said, ‘what is that?’
‘It’s an Air elemental. I summoned it a few minutes ago and tasked it with cleaning for me.’
‘I’d have liked to have seen this summoning.’
‘I assure you that you would not, madam. I’m not a very good magician. It takes time to perform the ritual, and all you would see is me concentrating very hard for several minutes while repeating some words I’ve memorised.’
‘Chanting? No dancing or impressive gestures? I thought magic would need impressive gestures.’
‘Perhaps in your world. Here, it just takes a lot of concentration. There are words, but I’m told they just focus your mind in the right way. I don’t even understand them. You need to visualise what you want to happen very precisely.’
‘There has to be…’ Calista shook her head and, to give herself something else to think about, sipped her tea. It tasted more or less like tea, albeit the kind you could stand a spoon up in. She grabbed a biscuit to ease the bitterness. ‘Do they all look like small tornadoes?’
‘I… You can see the elemental? Not just the dust?’
‘I can see a shape, a bit blurry but sort of like a twisting column of air. A tornado.’
‘Most people can’t see them.’
Calista shrugged. ‘Your Royal High Mage said he couldn’t “sense” anything different about me, but maybe just being from another world lets me see them.’
‘Perhaps. Air elementals look like that, the smaller ones anyway. Larger elementals tend to take on a form like a human. Smaller ones have a form related to their element. You’re going to see a lot of them around the palace.’
That got a grin. ‘Not if I never leave this room.’
‘You should, I think, try to leave your bedroom at some point. A tailor will be here after lunch to take your measurements. You’ll have clothes soon. Then–’
‘Then I might make it out into the lounge.’ The biscuits were a very sweet counterpoint to the tea. The one she was eating reminded her of the Jammie Dodgers from back home, soft biscuit with a fruit syrup in the centre. ‘I’m making no promises.’
‘Madam…’
‘I’m still trying to process what happened, Dalila. I died. I can’t stress this enough. I died. My death was pretty traumatic, even if I don’t remember exactly what happened. I was in a plane crash. That probably means being crushed, smashed to pieces, or burned. I don’t remember it, but I can’t stop thinking about it. I haven’t even got to the point where I can process waking up on a different planet!’ The little tornado was now sweeping over the top of the wardrobe. Calista gestured to it. ‘What happens when the bag’s full?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘What do you do when it’s collected a lot of dust?’
‘Oh, I’ll open a window and it will expel what it’s collected.’
‘Huh. So mundane, considering the thing that’s doing it.’
Dalila gave a small shrug. ‘Madam, this is mundane to me and most of the people of Ar.’
‘Ar?’
‘That is what we call our world.’
‘Right. Ar. My world now… Nope, still can’t get my head around it. And I’m staying right here until I have.’
10 Earth.
Dalila stepped into Calista’s bedroom with the intention of waking her charge, only to discover that she was too late. ‘Madam?’
Calista was standing in front of a full-length mirror, which was fixed to the inside of the wardrobe door, staring at her naked body. She glanced at Dalila briefly, and then she went back to her staring. ‘I’m trying to memorise myself.’
