something of this magnitude. As to why, we have no idea.”
“Possibly to protect the past from something in the future,” Rajan suggested.
“Or to protect the future from us,” Ling said.
“How would it protect the future?” Gabriel asked even as the answer occurred to him. “Bifurcations! If the Great Barrier separated the past and future, no matter how many branches are created in the past, the future of the Primary Continuum after two thousand twelve will always be safe.”
“That is one of the theories about The Great Barrier,” Ohin said, looking Gabriel in the eyes with something the might have been pride. “And it is the one that most Time Mages subscribe to.”
“But then what are the Malignancy Mages fighting for?” Gabriel asked. “How do they hope to control the Primary Continuum?”
“Any object, or place, or even person, can carry the imprints of positive or negative actions associated with it,” Ling added. “And mages can draw power from those imprints just as they do with their personal talisman. All they need do is establish and maintain a connection with the object.”
“For instance,” Ohin said, “a battlefield can carry far more imprints, both negative and positive, than a sword or a dagger can. By establishing a connection to such a place or artifact, a mage can attain great power. Connections are made with magical artifacts called concatenate crystals.”
“Like Hiroshima,” Gabriel said. “That’s what the outpost was protecting against.”
“Exactly so,” Marcus said, raising his glass with a smile. “And speaking of the outpost, when do we return to the field? Not that I haven’t been enjoying our reprieve from the front lines, mind you.” For emphasis, he emptied his glass in a single swallow, grinning at Sema, whose face had become set in a frown.
“Soon,” Ohin said. “First, though, I want Gabriel to get a taste of time travel and at least a rudimentary feel for doing it himself.”
“Fitting him for his time-travel training wheels,” Teresa said, amused with her metaphor. No one but Gabriel seemed to get the joke. “Like on a bicycle,” she explained, with a sigh. Gabriel guessed that not all jokes translated through time, even with the help of the magical amulets around everyone’s neck. He had one on a silver chain around his own neck now. Sema had made it for him and given it to him. Gabriel pulled his mind away from the thoughts of the amulet and back to what Ohin was saying.
“Until we resume our missions,” Ohin said, “everyone will maintain their training and study regimen. Gabriel will join us as time permits.”
“Was that an intentional pun?” Teresa asked.
“What?” Ohin said.
“Oh, you’re all hopeless,” Teresa said, but she noticed Gabriel grinning at her and smiled back. Gabriel dug into the last piece of blueberry pie as the conversation continued to spin around him. He’d asked enough questions for one day and received far more answers than he really wanted. Answers that only led to more questions. Questions that he wasn’t sure he really wanted the answers to. He decided that the best thing he could do just then was to continue stuffing his face with pie. There would be time for more questions later. There would always be time, Gabriel thought with a grin as he bit into the pie.
Chapter 6: Reading the Stars
Later that night, Gabriel sat on a bench at the edge of the Upper Ward courtyard looking up at the stars and wondering about his future. Sitting in the far past wondering about the future that would be his personal past, a past that he could go and see from a distance, but never again be a part of. His personal future was in no particular time and place. Everything was different now. Even the stars in the past were different, the position of the constellations changed completely by the slow processional tilt of the planet. He could still make out the belt of Orion, although it was not where
“Possibly to protect the past from something in the future,” Rajan suggested.
“Or to protect the future from us,” Ling said.
“How would it protect the future?” Gabriel asked even as the answer occurred to him. “Bifurcations! If the Great Barrier separated the past and future, no matter how many branches are created in the past, the future of the Primary Continuum after two thousand twelve will always be safe.”
“That is one of the theories about The Great Barrier,” Ohin said, looking Gabriel in the eyes with something the might have been pride. “And it is the one that most Time Mages subscribe to.”
“But then what are the Malignancy Mages fighting for?” Gabriel asked. “How do they hope to control the Primary Continuum?”
“Any object, or place, or even person, can carry the imprints of positive or negative actions associated with it,” Ling added. “And mages can draw power from those imprints just as they do with their personal talisman. All they need do is establish and maintain a connection with the object.”
“For instance,” Ohin said, “a battlefield can carry far more imprints, both negative and positive, than a sword or a dagger can. By establishing a connection to such a place or artifact, a mage can attain great power. Connections are made with magical artifacts called concatenate crystals.”
“Like Hiroshima,” Gabriel said. “That’s what the outpost was protecting against.”
“Exactly so,” Marcus said, raising his glass with a smile. “And speaking of the outpost, when do we return to the field? Not that I haven’t been enjoying our reprieve from the front lines, mind you.” For emphasis, he emptied his glass in a single swallow, grinning at Sema, whose face had become set in a frown.
“Soon,” Ohin said. “First, though, I want Gabriel to get a taste of time travel and at least a rudimentary feel for doing it himself.”
“Fitting him for his time-travel training wheels,” Teresa said, amused with her metaphor. No one but Gabriel seemed to get the joke. “Like on a bicycle,” she explained, with a sigh. Gabriel guessed that not all jokes translated through time, even with the help of the magical amulets around everyone’s neck. He had one on a silver chain around his own neck now. Sema had made it for him and given it to him. Gabriel pulled his mind away from the thoughts of the amulet and back to what Ohin was saying.
“Until we resume our missions,” Ohin said, “everyone will maintain their training and study regimen. Gabriel will join us as time permits.”
“Was that an intentional pun?” Teresa asked.
“What?” Ohin said.
“Oh, you’re all hopeless,” Teresa said, but she noticed Gabriel grinning at her and smiled back. Gabriel dug into the last piece of blueberry pie as the conversation continued to spin around him. He’d asked enough questions for one day and received far more answers than he really wanted. Answers that only led to more questions. Questions that he wasn’t sure he really wanted the answers to. He decided that the best thing he could do just then was to continue stuffing his face with pie. There would be time for more questions later. There would always be time, Gabriel thought with a grin as he bit into the pie.
Chapter 6: Reading the Stars
Later that night, Gabriel sat on a bench at the edge of the Upper Ward courtyard looking up at the stars and wondering about his future. Sitting in the far past wondering about the future that would be his personal past, a past that he could go and see from a distance, but never again be a part of. His personal future was in no particular time and place. Everything was different now. Even the stars in the past were different, the position of the constellations changed completely by the slow processional tilt of the planet. He could still make out the belt of Orion, although it was not where
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