Chapter XXXIX: Return to Azurat (Cont.)
“Though you don’t know since you are not from Azurat, my father was Noel Simon, one of the finer senators of Azurat city. I never wanted anything when I was young, having been brought up with a fortune that could ransom the king with ease. I was immediately fascinated with the sciences, technology, and magic. My father was only partially interested in such things, but was the kind of man who didn’t mind letting his son take off into an industry that he believed could be the future. He paid for all the little kits that I used to assemble and use to make devices and test the influences of magic. Of course, with the amount of money that he spent, I was almost forced into the profession for I had so much at my disposal I couldn’t help becoming experienced with designing devices and knowing the limits of magic. At the age of seventeen, I was sent off to the Academy of Magics, one of the lesser wizard schools, though it suited my tastes just fine. It really is a long story from there, but since we have a great deal of walking to do, I might as well digress from the succinct summary I’ve been giving.”
“At the Academy of Magics, I began to focus my studies on the effect of thauma in the environment and the harnessing and control of thauma through technology. It was basically an uncharted field I was entering and many of the wizards were against my studies altogether. Despite their constant hurdles, I continued to move along in my projects, pleasing my head advisor and the one professor among the wizards who really encouraged me. His name really isn’t important now that he is dead, and he wouldn’t probably care to be acknowledged in the long run anyway. As I was saying, he encouraged me and even supplied me with the supplies I needed to keep me working and charting new territory. By my junior year, I had discovered a way to actually have the natural thauma that is present in every atom of life actually materialize. These conductors had to be specially housed, though they weren’t all that massive in size. These conductors couldn’t do anything with the thauma besides spend it immediately in discharges, but it was a first step. Anyway, I continued on with my studies until I was able to make a thauma conductor, that glass orb that was the center of the Orbitall. With the manual rotation, I could create a build up of thauma within the center of the orb due to the wiring and conductors I had within the pole attached to the orb. Finally, I could allow and control the discharge. It was a great step in the history of magic and technology. Anyway, several of the wizards, including your old friend and the librarian banded together and said that what I was doing was endangering the lives of the scientists and wizards of the university. I was kicked out and given my books and diagrams, though they kept my devices which they then began to study themselves! Anyway, my father, knowing the brilliance of the track I was following, spent a large sum of money on the Dome where I did my research and cut myself off from the outside world for years and years. My only companions were my assistants and Bunt….” he sighed. “I designed Bunt to be the perfect help, and he was. He died serving me.” Thyrus kicked a stone across the wastes, “Oh well. Can’t dwell can I?”
Samden patted Thyrus on the shoulder, “It’s all right Thyrus.”
Laura glanced back at the wizard, “Thyrus, that was an awfully short story to detail your entire life.”
Thyrus glanced up, “Well, yes, I know my life isn’t all that exciting. There really isn’t much to say when one thinks about it, is there? Think, how much can you say about your life that’s really significant. Oh, we can tallk about the fact that when we were twelve we met our first crush or such things, but if nothing comes of it, why even bother?”
“Why is it that you don’t have a wife, Thyrus?” Laura thought better of herself, “Is that too forward to ask?”
Thyrus shook his head, “Oh no….not really. I don’t know. I never really was one who attracted women. Oh, they were sometimes fascinated by my banter and carefree attitude and they would always come to me if they had problems, but once I moved off to the Academy, there weren’t many women that I even saw. I suppose I just never thought about settling down, it would probably restrict me from making the world better for other people.”
“What about your own world?”
“We all live in the same one, Ms. Ryhart.”
Blackheart smiled at the comment as he walked, glancing out at the wastes. “How long do you think before Baen reaches Cion Sky?”
Adelia glanced over at him, “I’m not sure. But something seems wrong. I can feel him in my mind even now, trying to figure out where we’re headed. It’s as if he doesn’t know where Cion Sky is, but when I follow him back into his mind, I can see the location as plain as day. Why would he want to know where we were if he didn’t need us to lead him?”
“Wouldn’t you want to know where your sworn enemies are and where they were headed?” West puffed on his cigarette as he marched briskly across the wastes, examining his pistol.
“No….it’s something….different.” Adelia glanced out at the horizon and continued walking, trying to figure out what it was that she was missing. Everything was drawing so near to a close, despite the anti-climactic feelings currently washing over the party. It was as if they had already fought the battle and were marching home to victory. “We should really pick up the pace.”