Fallout (Tales of the Other Universe Book 2) Read online

  As a mage, her magic teacher was one of the most important people in her life. What’s more, her own master was someone of personal significance to her. When he left her village, she had every reason to find him and bring him home safely. After it looked like she was running out of options, she had the excellent fortune of coming into the service of the Creator of the Other Universe. In exchange for her loyal service, he would tell her where her master had gone. That arrangement was made two years ago, and between a year serving the Creator, helping Adam during the ordeal in Kyoto, and spending time with him at Magid Palace for the last nine months, she had lost focus on why she had left home in the first place. As summer came to an end, she found herself facing a new dilemma: she wasn’t sure she even wanted to leave Magid anymore.

  The thought of giving up on her master made Dee feel like the worst kind of person. She had made such a big deal before she left about bringing him back and had told everyone she met from that point onward how important it was that she found him, yet for the last two years she had been living a life of luxury as the Creator’s aide and as a house guest at the palace. It was not that she wanted to stop looking. It was just a necessary step that was supposed to lead to her being reunited with her master in the end. However with the Creator’s departure, she had realized too late that her end of the bargain would not be met until he returned. It was true that she enjoyed serving the Creator, and she would not feel comfortable asking to leave his service to find her master. Then there was Adam, who had also become an important person to her and, as she had come to realize, had been the cause of many tender feelings in her. No matter what choice she would make, Dee would be turning her back on someone important to her. It was the pressure of that decision that often drove her out to walk in the courtyard to clear her head, but lately she found it was doing little to help.

  As the wind started to pick up again, Dee realized she wasn’t going to last much longer outside and decided to go back to her guestroom. On the opposite side of the palace, Adam was busy dealing with his own problems. He sat hunched over in his desk chair, staring at the steam rising up from his tea. More stacks of paperwork had piled up during his brief trip to Cadbur, but right now he was ignoring them all. His vision was relaxed as he let himself drift off in deep thought. There were pressing matters to deal with detailed in those papers, but at the moment he didn’t consider any of them. For now, his mind was stuck on a single thought: The Baggins had been murdered.

  Even before meeting him face to face in Kyoto, Adam had heard the legends surrounding the man during his travels through Carvon, where The Baggins had started his global war over a millennium ago. He had heard firsthand accounts from the Creator and from Cody Moon, who both demonized The Baggins’ actions while describing the kind of terrible power he was able to wield with only his mind. Even with his powers reduced following that war, he was still an extraordinary man who had singlehandedly dispatched of most of the enemies that Adam and the others encountered in Kyoto. Now he was dead, felled by a sword. It was that fact that bothered Adam most of all.

  In the countless centuries he wandered the Other Universe, Adam had developed considerable skills with a sword. He had met only a handful of swordsman capable of matching him, but he doubted that even he would be able to inflict a fatal wound on The Baggins without putting up the fight of his life. Yet someone else had, someone whom he had never seen and didn’t recognize as a Legend. There had to be more to the killer than met the eye, he thought. With any luck the autopsy would reveal something he couldn’t see with his own eyes.

  Now that left the question of why the duel had taken place at all. The odds that the incident was some sort of botched robbery or just some random act of violence were slim to none. The killer had to have known who The Baggins was and must have been prepared in some way to fight against his unique style of combat. Adam remembered that it had taken Cody Moon several days of mental and physical preparation before his fight with The Baggins, and even then he was bested. The swordsman had to have been just as extraordinary as The Baggins, which went back to the question of why he was intent on killing him.

  All of the thinking was giving Adam a headache. He knew that there was little he could do with the evidence available to understand how and why the killing occurred. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was much more behind the incident than was revealed, that it was a sign of things to come. If there were people like the killer who were capable of ending the life of The Baggins running around Magid unchecked, he was going to have much more than an economic crisis or tribal feuding to worry about in the days to come.

  A shrill ring snapped Adam out of his thought and almost made him spill his tea all over the desk. He recognized the sound of the rotary telephone going off on his desk, a piece of technology he tended to avoid using. As far as he was concerned, anyone he needed to reach within the palace was no more than a five minute walk away from his office. He tended to leave it disconnected to avoid interruptions, but had left the cord plugged in so that he might hear news from the autopsy. He scanned his desk to find the phone, but all of the papers blocked his view. He poked his head around as the phone continued to ring, finally finding it on the edge and bringing the receiver to his ear.

  “Yes, hello?”

  “Hello, sire,” a delicate voice answered. It was not the coroner, but he recognized the soft female voice as belonging to Miko.

  “Miko, why are you using the phone to reach me? I’m only one floor up from where you are.”

  “I figured you’d want to hear about this sooner than later. If you’ve got a radio in your office, you may want to turn it on to the Central News Station. I think you’ll want to hear this.”

  Adam heard the other line disconnect as he tried to put together what Miko had meant. He put the receiver down and walked over to the wooden radio box set up on near the wall of his office. Another seldom used piece of technology that he was actually familiar with, it spent most of its time collecting dust in the corner. Adam turned the device on and adjusted the knobs, filtering through the whine and crackling of static before reaching the frequency of the Central News Station. The CNS provided most of Takuda Central with the current events of the city as well as some national news. As Adam listened to the broadcast, it became clear why Miko was so intent on him tuning in.

  “Reports are still unclear at this point as to the identities of the men found dead in the wooded area one hundred miles northeast of Breakwood Village. There has been no official disclosure from Magid Palace as to the scope of the incident. Local officials are citing the killing as an isolated incident with no connection to the unrest that has been building in western Magid since late spring, but not all are willing to accept that fact. Several political groups, particularly the Western Liberty Movement, are accusing the government of attempting to cover up information regarding the incident. The group claims that this was not a random attack, but part of a strategy of the Woodland Clan to oust the Ironbearer Communion from their historic territory. What’s more, they cite that Magid Palace was aware of the impending attack days ahead of time and allowed the killing to take place to give support to the Woodland Clan in the area.”

  Adam clenched his fist. The thought that he was aware of the planning behind this death was preposterous, as was the claim that there was a political motivation behind it. The Baggins was not affiliated with any political movement in Magid and remained in the shadows to avoid confrontation with the rest of the population. If anyone was using the incident to advance their agenda, it was this Western Liberty Movement that was spreading false information.

  “The Ironbearer Communion has joined the Western Liberty Movement with demanding an official statement to be released by King Evans, as well as for an investigation and full disclosure of the identities of the two found dead. According to witnesses who discovered the remains, one of the bodies had the overall appearance of a human being but lacked defined facial structure and was encased completely
in some sort of mask. The Cadbur Police Department, where the body was taken, has yet to release the official cause of death for either man or any information on exactly who or what the so called ‘faceless man’ is. While it remains a mystery for now, some top members in the Western Liberty Movement are making claims. The following is a recording from a party rally held earlier today.”

  The broadcast shifted from the reporter to the hushed clamoring of a crowd. A smooth, confident voice spoke up over them, assisted by a microphone.

  “What we have, my friends, is a failure of policy. A corrupt leader, two faced and deliberate in his lies. We are not likely to hear much from him as he’ll be taking time to come up with more excuses. He’ll say that this wasn’t a planned attack, even though conflict between these two clans has been building for months and it was only a matter of time before the dam burst. He’ll say he wasn’t involved, that he doesn’t know anything about the two found dead. I assure you, my friends, that not only does he know what this monster was, but he has allowed him to walk among us for the entirety of his reign.

  “The man without a face may seem to be an enigma, but we all know what he was. We just fail to piece it together, because we refuse to accept the possibility. We refuse to accept the possibility that maybe, somehow, the myths and legends we are told as children as cautionary tales may be more than just stories. There are gods walking among us, we know that to be true, so why don’t we accept these ancient myths as they are? Because we refuse to accept that possibility. Because it frightens us to think that an ancient evil capable of waging a global war may have actually existed, and had existed up until now.”

  Adam’s eyes widened and he took hold of the radio. It couldn’t be possible. How could they know?

  “That’s right, my friends. As hard as it may be to believe, the evidence is insurmountable. The man lying in the Cadbur morgue is no mere man. He is the man of myths, The Baggins! And our king not only knew that he was real and alive these twelve hundred years after the war that he waged on the planet Carvon, but he allowed him sanctuary here in Magid! This is unacceptable, that we allow such a king to govern us. I urge you all to consider the consequences of allowing such a man to have control over you and your family’s safety and future. While as citizens our lives have improved since the cruel dictatorship of Klauss, do not assume that we are better off under the rule of King Evans. I, for one, think that we can all do better.”

  Adam was perplexed. It was one thing to criticize him for his decisions, but to generate such untrue, inciting remarks was borderline treason. While it was true that it was The Baggins who was found dead, neither Adam nor his administration knew about his existence in Magid until nine months prior. Even then, because of his passive behavior since his exile, he was not considered a threat. Still, if anyone believed the inflammatory remarks, it would be dangerous for Adam, especially if it were ever confirmed to the public that it really was The Baggins lying in the morgue.

  “Following the rally, demands to see the body of the ‘faceless man’ became more aggressive,” the original reporter said as the broadcast changed back. “Although there was no response from Magid Palace, we were surprised and honored to receive communication from the Creator Most High, who appeared in Magid to address the rumors.”

  “I would ask all of you who are gathered in Cadbur to return home to your families and to be at peace,” came the Creator’s beguiling voice. “I assure you that the remarks made by representatives of the Western Liberty Movement are misinformed, and while I understand their desire to ensure the safety of their loved ones and their country, I guarantee that no one has anything to worry about in the scope of this issue. The Baggins does not now, nor has he ever, existed outside of myth. The so called ‘faceless man’ is nothing more than a deformed spellcaster and anything else being said about him is empty gossip. I urge you all to trust your leaders and to follow me in working towards a more peaceful society.”

  Adam scoffed. It bothered him how easily the Creator could lie to millions of people. It was something he apparently had no problem doing and he had been doing it for a long time. Even Dee, an innocent who put all of her faith in the Creator’s benevolence, was not immune from his deceit.

  Having heard enough, Adam clicked the radio off and sighed. He hoped that the Creator’s words, as false as they were, would create a sense of security among the population and stem the dissent being spread by the Western Liberty Movement. He had enough to deal with in trying to pull Magid back together without the added stress of an opposition force undermining him and threatening his rule. They would likely not be a group he could ignore, and if he was going to fix the nation’s problems he would need to settle things with them as well as with the population. It was time to make a public statement that was apparently already late to be made.

  As he turned around to face his desk, Adam realized he was no longer alone in his office. In front of him was his double, staring back with a displeased look and focused eyes.

  “Hello, Iilil-ja,” said the Creator. “I think you and I should sit and talk for a while.”

  Chapter 4

  Hard Goodbyes

  Adam wasn’t surprised that the Creator had come to see him. In fact, he had been anticipating it, though he didn’t expect such a sudden appearance. Typically it was the Creator’s modus operandi to make an elaborate entrance, calling on fanfare and crowds to gather and bow before him as he honored them with his presence. Then would come exaltations of adoration and glorification of his most holy name, all while he smiled and pretended to be humbled by the grand showing. This time all of that was skipped and the Creator had gone straight to Adam, which meant what he intended to say was indeed of the most dire nature. Not wanting to waste any time, Adam took his seat at the desk. The Creator stepped to the other side and sat down onto empty space that was replaced with a posh throne as he sat. The Creator pushed the stacks of paper in front of him aside, leaning in and interlocking his fingers.

  “I take it that you’re well aware of the details by now,” said the Creator. “You’ve seen him, haven’t you?”

  “Just this afternoon,” Adam replied. “I couldn’t accept the rumors at first, but there’s no doubt that it was him. I’m sure you must be pleased.”

  “What makes you say that, Iilil-ja?”

  “I know you despised him. Cursing him and making him wander around this world forever while sharing his body was a cruel punishment, for both of them. And after Kyoto, I’m sure your sentiments towards both of them were made worse.”

  The Creator turned his head to the side, unconsciously hiding the faint scar on his right cheek that had not healed.

  “Even as a punishment to him, I still don’t see why you went to the trouble of making him immortal,” said Adam. “Given the trouble he was sure to cause you. You could have just let him die and have that been the end of it.”

  “Whether or not I placed that seal on him wouldn’t have mattered as far as him being a proverbial thorn in my side,” said the Creator. He shifted his gaze just to Adam’s right, staring at the sky outside of the window. “Do you know how a man becomes immortal? By having people remember him. As long as people still carry on the memory of a person and what he did in life, he will remain in this world, whether that is a good thing or not. Let me ask you: do you think he deserved immortality, in any sense of the word? I do not. That was why, even though he still lived on, I sought to wipe the very memory of the man from history. I may have failed to do that, but that doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

  Adam had no response to the rhetorical question as the Creator returned his focus to Adam.

  “I won’t lie. I’m glad he’s gone,” the Creator said. “The man was a monster, and his other half betrayed all of us. They were dangerous, but it seems that someone even more dangerous finally caught up with him.”

  “Do you know who his killer was?” asked Adam.

  “I looked into it,” the Creator began. “The swordsman was human,
born here in Magid. When he was a boy, his village was attacked by bandits and his family murdered. His life was spared when a passing stranger killed the bandits. He took pity on the boy and adopted him, taking him in as somewhat of an apprentice.”

  “An apprentice of what?”

  “It seems that this boy, although human, was very special. Whether he was born with his powers or they developed from the trauma of his village’s destruction, the boy had a powerful form of telekinesis and matter manipulation.”

  Adam blinked. “Do you mean to tell me that the stranger who saved him was The Baggins?”

  “Ironic, isn’t it?” the Creator said with a quick smile. “At any rate, the boy one day grew discontent with the limitations that The Baggins set for him. The Baggins abandoned him and left him to die.”

  “So what became of him?” Adam asked.

  The Creator closed his eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t completely answer that.”

  “Well why not?”

  “Because, Iilil-ja, I don’t know,” the Creator said. “After that moment, his history becomes, for lack of a better word, jumpy. I couldn’t get a clear picture from the body. It’s like whole years of his life didn’t happen at all. But they clearly did happen, because he continued to live and age. I saw glimpses, brief as they were, as this swordsman carried out many terrible acts. It culminated with his duel against The Baggins, when they both killed each other.”

  “Hold on a minute,” Adam interjected. “Are you saying you weren’t able to see all of his history? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”