Excantation Read online

  “Reagan, you’ve landed?”

  “Literally just now. Where do things stand?”

  “It’s reported we have over 77,000 ignition points for the fires. There’s literally no way to contain it.”

  I swore as creatively as I could in Russian. That was Not Good.

  “Those who can are helping to put out the fires and make safe pathways to the platform. Well, they’re trying. The smoke is so thick here it’s deadly. We’ve lost some already to smoke inhalation. We have to get people out of here before I lose anyone else. I need you at the platform in Macapá. I can send the refugees there at least temporarily, but someone needs to put up a glamour there so they can at least sit and wait until we can figure out what to do.”

  “Absolutely, on it. We’ll get over there as fast as we can.” I looked at Zoya, found her listening in, and knew I didn’t have to repeat it for her sake. “Give us a guesstimate of how many to expect.”

  “I’ve got hundreds over here. Good news is, Jackson’s already on his way to the other platform on the map, the one northeast of Belo Horizonte. It’s further south of us, and we think it’s where the clan is. At least, according to witness statements, the platform had been built near the clan as a point of contact, so odds are good that’s still the case. He thinks he’s close, but he’s having a hard time maintaining cell signal, so I’m not sure where he stands at the moment.”

  Well, yeah, he was out in the boonies. I was surprised he had signal at all. I suspected Imagineer finagling on his end. “Let’s hope he can get that platform up. That’ll be a safer place to send people than a public beach.”

  “Tell me about it,” Thais sighed, aggravated. “Alright, I need to go. Tell me the instant you’ve got your platform operational.”

  “You bet.” I hung up and pocketed the phone while standing awkwardly at an angle, trying to keep my head from banging into the overhead bins. “Ciarán, catch all that?”

  “Most of it. We need to leave as soon as we’re out, I take it.”

  “Yeah, sooner the better. Should we just leave luggage here, come back for it later?”

  “Yes,” Zoya said firmly. “We don’t have time to wait on it.”

  Truth.

  Fortunately, we didn’t have far to go once we landed. The Macapá Airport was international, so we’d flown into it. From the airport to the portal in question was only about fifteen minutes, and even that felt like another mini eternity. I’d caught some sleep on the flight here, but not much. I was too wired for my brain to shut off, which made anything more than a doze impossible. The anxiety was worse because I could see what Thais meant about the sky. I couldn’t see much of it from here, as of course we were on the opposite side of the country, but the horizon was nothing more than a black line. Being able to see it from here was alarming. What must it be like in the Amazon itself?

  The beach was clear, no one on it or in sight of it. Zoya and I didn’t really even have to plan much. We just divided out duties—I’d tackle getting the platform running, she’d prep the area with glamours and barriers. We played to our strengths. Assuming I knew enough at this point to figure out what the issue was. The platforms weren’t that complicated in design, which I hoped meant there were only so many possibilities for what was wrong. I was anxious to dive in, figure it out. When Ciarán finally pulled up to the beach, I almost leapt free before the car could come to a complete stop.

  I had a few glass vials from the other platform in India, the one I’d shut down. And a picture of both sigils for reference. I figured spare parts couldn’t hurt, just in case something here wasn’t operational. The last time we’d tried to connect to the platform here in Macapá, it had shut down rather firmly, so something had to be wrong. I just hoped whatever I needed, I had, or could create in a pinch.

  The platform stood right next to a cute little white hut with a red roof, and beyond it was nothing but beach and sea. It didn’t look all that pretty under the circumstances, and I didn’t spare it much attention. I just ran for the platform, my feet sinking and skittering from side to side in the loose sand. Really, stupidly hard to run in sand.

  As I ran, I tried to take in the platform all at once. It looked okay—for something that had been out in the weather on a beach for over a hundred years, that is. In truth, it looked worn around the edges, none of the edges sharp anymore. The four columns on all sides still stood, at least, and the base panels were in place.

  I dropped to my knees in front of the first one, checked the interior, but all looked sound. A good dusting of sand covered the sigil on the base. I wasn’t sure if that would interfere with the signal or not, so I hastily swept it clean with my hand. Replacing the panel, I went to the next one, saw it was in the same condition, and swept it clean too. Still, both of the boxes contained all three glass tubes, so what was the problem?

  Ciarán caught up with me at that point and demanded, “What can I do?”

  “Check the other side,” I ordered, pointing to the far one. “Check to see if the glass tubes are there and damaged. If there’s sand covering the sigil on the bottom, clean it off.”

  He nodded and sprinted for the other side, far easier than I could. Pookas, man. They could run on any surface.

  I got to the third panel, popped it off, and barely got a look inside when I realized the issue. Without thinking, a MythBusters saying popped out of my mouth. “Well, there’s your problem.”

  From the opposite side, Ciarán called out, “ONE OF THE TUBES IS FILLED WITH SAND!”

  I nodded, though he couldn’t see. That was the same trouble I had here. The tubes had sand in them. I imagined it was like putting sand inside an engine—it would clog all sorts of things it shouldn’t. It was really a miracle the platform had worked at all, those brief times we’d tested it. I didn’t think any power was running through it, but I had already been shocked once for assuming something. I created a rubber glove, just in case, and slid it promptly on. Reaching in, I carefully removed each tube, shook out the sand, blew on it a few times to get it clean, then stuck them back in. I popped the panel back into place, then jogged to the other side to repeat the process, Ciarán hovering the whole time.

  In an instant, I could feel the difference. The platform went from this shuddering, chugging machinery to something that thrummed happily. Not actual thrumming, mind you, but the energy level changed from inert to alive and flowing. The aether flow kicked in immediately. I could feel and see the difference visibly as it wrapped its way around the platform. I still had to test it, but I was already confident we’d fixed the problem.

  Hopping up onto the platform, I ran along the top of it, sweeping the area with my eyes, making sure nothing on top was damaged. It all seemed fine, if worn by wind and water.

  Descending the short ramp on the other side, I went to the column with the three symbols in a line and tapped the ones for Thais’s platform. I fortunately knew which two I needed, as of course the old directory that told addresses to the platforms was long gone. Bless Jackson for texting me that earlier, as I would have totally been guessing otherwise. The symbols lit up instantly, the platform humming with power as it worked, a tunnel forming.

  Go, me.

  I paused and looked at the platform. It was no longer showing red around the sigils, so it had power, at least. It wasn’t fully green, though, kind of a green-in-transit. I took that to mean it was powering. It probably took the glass vials a while to fully charge. Right? I mean, they weren’t batteries, per se. They drew in aether, that’s what Jackson said. But I don’t think they stored it actively. Surely they needed time to draw power in. Time we didn’t have.

  I took fifteen precious seconds to really study the tunnel that was up, make sure it was stable. It didn’t flicker. The vials in the box glowed steadily too. Alright, as long as it was still charging while in use, we were okay. But I’d have to limit how many people came through at a time. Just as a precaution. I had no idea what would happen to people if this thing failed mid-
travel.

  I turned, catching my master’s eye and called, “I’m going through!”

  Zoya waved me on.

  I darted through, Ciarán following me, and it took five minutes to reach the portal on the other side. I arrived with a happy greeting on my lips that died unspoken.

  The world was burning.

  I looked around me at the devastation and felt like hurling. All I could really see was dark ash blowing through on the wind, with glimpses of the green forest and the river beyond. The air was thick with the scent of burning wood, to the point it was cloying and overpowering, making the air beyond hard to breathe. The scene was gut-wrenching, and I wanted nothing more than to fix it. Tears welled in my eyes just looking at the ruined landscape, and it wasn’t even my home. I couldn’t imagine what this experience was like for the people who lived here. Who had been here for decades, centuries.

  Ciarán’s hand landed on my shoulder and he gave me a single shake, snapping me out of it. Right. Right, I had a job to do. I could grieve later.

  I looked around, trying to spot Thais in the crowd. The area was packed with every possible species I could think of, and quite a few I couldn’t. The ones closest to the platform stared up at me hopefully, seeing my presence as a good sign. For them, it was. I could at least get them out of this hellish environment now, even if it was only to a deserted beach. I finally caught sight of a familiar head of dark hair, and yelled over the crowd: “THAIS!”

  She twisted around, caught sight of me, and lit up in relief. “You’re through!”

  “It was just sand blocking the tubes!” I said at the top of my lungs. The roar of the distant fire made it hard to be heard. “It’s fully operational! I’ll lead the first group through, okay?!”

  Thais waved me on, and I could hear her as she turned away, urging people to get ready to move.

  To the ones standing at the base of the platform, I quickly explained, “We can’t overload the system. Twenty at a time, no more than that, okay?”

  Ciarán, bless him, repeated all this in Portuguese, and the ones who didn’t understand before nodded.

  I counted out twenty, then urged them through. Thais counted the second group, and I went with them. Zoya was the only one on the other side, and settling all these people would be too much for any single person. Thais had more help on her end; she’d manage.

  My five-minute run through the portal took ten minutes to walk, as of course several people were injured or weak. It felt like ages before I hit the beach again. Thank everything I could name we had glamours. The beach was right outside a city, and while not high-trafficked, it was still very visible to the road. Without glamours, we’d be screwed. And sun-shields. Because of course we had a few races out here sensitive to the sun, and they did not mix well with the beach. At least right now the sun was covered by the smoke.

  Parsed twenty at a time, it took a while for us to get people through, but everyone was super good about moving quickly. Some of them were hurt—burns, smoke inhalation, that sort of thing. Still, they moved as quickly as they were able, and I had no doubt Zoya would start healing people as soon as she could lay hands on them. I’d have to learn some tricks from her and do the same. Healing wasn’t something I had any experience in.

  I lost track of time, but it was probably close to two hours before I saw a noticeable difference in the crowd. People filled up the beach on Zoya’s side, probably a good three hundred. Thais had another hundred-and-something at least to go. I saw more still arriving, traveling by the river, as it was the only safe way to get to the platform.

  Stealing a minute, I darted to Thais’s side and demanded, “Sitrep?”

  “Jackson just called. He’s got the platform up on the other end,” Thais reported, beaming. She was dark with soot, soaked with sweat from standing out here in this blazing inferno, her hair a sticky mess on her taupe skin. Still, I’d never seen a woman happier than at that moment.

  For that matter, I couldn’t be happier. Having that platform up meant a safe place for people to go. I was mentally doing cartwheels of joy. “That fast?”

  “There’s an airport near the mountain where the clan is. He flew in, then drove up the rest of the distance. It didn’t take nearly as long as we feared, once he knew where they were.”

  Ah, got it. But then, that’s probably what kept the clan hemmed in, if they were that close to civilization. It wouldn’t be safe for them to leave clan territory without a lot of glamour spells involved. Which, not every clan was capable of.

  Thais urged, “I want to stop shuttling people to the beach and get them going to him now. When we’re clear here, we can move your people to him as well.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I almost asked what had been wrong, how Jackson had fixed the platform. Had it been with the lost clan after all? But we didn’t have time for that. I’d ask later.

  Since she needed the platform clear, I took the last group through, then shut it down on my end. Ciarán met me at the bottom of the ramp with a curious expression on his face that bordered on hopeful.

  “Progress?”

  “Yes,” I confirmed for him happily. “Translate for me? I’ll make the general announcement.”

  “Of course.” He followed me as I went back up the now-inert platform, as it gave me the highest vantage point in order to speak to everyone. I imagineered a cheap, plastic megaphone, something that wasn’t complicated but would boost my voice. I did not have the lungpower to reach everyone at once. Then I held it between me and Ciarán so we could both speak into it. “Hey, everyone. I’m Reagan, an Imagineer. You’ve already met my master, Zoya. The man at my side is Ciarán. We’re from Mononoke Clan, in the US. We’re here to pitch-hit and help you guys. I’ve got good news and bad news.”

  The curious faces looking at me were grim, not that anyone could blame them. Their homes were already burned to the ground. They sported injuries. What could be worse news than that?

  “Good news is, we’ve made contact with one of the lost tribes. The Bandeira Clan, you know them?” I got some nods, and a few people turned their faces hopefully up to mine. “Yeah, cool. Our other Imagineer, Jackson, he went down and found them. Got their platform there working. They’ve offered sanctuary to anyone who needs it. So, good news is, we’ve got a safe place to send you, and friends waiting to help.”

  A ragged, tired cheer went up. They were happy to have a place to go, and more than a few tears of relief were shed, but they were too heart-sore to be truly joyous about anything. I wanted to hug every single person. I might yet.

  The cheer died down and I continued, pausing after every sentence to give Ciarán a chance to translate. “Now, bad news is, I can’t send you guys through immediately. Our first priority is getting everyone on the river out first. I’m sure you guys understand that? Cool. It might mean you waiting here for several hours, and I promise you, we’ll get you off this beach as quickly as we can. But for now, we’ll come through and give you as much treatment as possible, okay?”

  I got nods, a few called out thank yous, and I figured my speech was over. I set the mic off to the side and hopped down, half-jogging to Zoya. She met me halfway with a delighted smile.

  “Jackson really got there?” she demanded incredulously.

  “Yup. Thais talked to him herself.” I really wanted to know just what kind of phone modifications he did to get signal. I’d have to pick his brain later. “There’s about a hundred and fifty on her side, I would guess, but more were coming in as I was leaving. I don’t know how long it will take to get them all through.”

  “They definitely take priority,” Zoya agreed. “We’ll call in an hour and check in with her, assuming she doesn’t call first.”

  I agreed, but that wasn’t my focus just then. I looked around, saw the injuries, and asked Zoya helplessly, “What can I do?”

  “I don’t think your first healing lesson should be now,” Zoya said with a judicious look at me. “Erect shelters—I know it’s a long s
hot, but we’ve got species here that don’t do well with sun. If that black cover over our heads falters at all, they’ll be in trouble. Then make up some water bottles and start passing them out. Everyone’s seriously dehydrated, and the water will be good for their throats.”

  Now that I could do.

  It was past nightfall before we got the last of our beach group through. I went with them, just to check on people, although I intended to return to civilization. We had to collect bags from the airport, settle into a hotel, and all that fun stuff. I was starving, so dinner was definitely a priority, but I wanted a shower and to be horizontal for a while like I wanted my next breath. The jet lag was no joke. I’d gone from Brazil to India and back to Brazil. What day was it, even? My body was all sorts of confused on this point.

  And I really needed a few minutes (hours, days, preferably weeks) to just sit and process. I’d had an emotional bombshell handed to me by having my father find out about me. About the magical world. Of not needing to hide from him. I was reeling from the emotions of that, the possibilities of it, but had no time to even really think about it. I was too busy trying to save everyone else.

  Not that I was complaining about it. I mean, how could I? These people had just lost a lot. Some of them had lost everything, and it was heartbreaking. Sometimes I wanted to hug them, share in their tears, because it was devastating, even for me. I couldn’t imagine what they were going through.

  It was, in a word overwhelming. And I really wanted to sleep on things for a few days until I could get a handle on life. But I was not done just yet. While we had gotten everyone safe from the fire, I didn’t feel any closure yet. I wanted to see them safe with the other clan. Then I’d rest.

  It was a relief, too, to see with my own eyes that the Bandeira clan was alright. In this area, volcanoes, landslides, and forest fires were all a real threat. We had no way of knowing what had happened to them. When all communication had died out, we’d all assumed the worst, I think. And with them hemmed into the southern section of the country with lots of cities and human settlements on all sides, traveling out would have been incredibly difficult for them. Perhaps impossible. We weren’t sure if the communication breakdown was because of something serious or not. As it turned out, they’d just lost their communication grid to a landslide. No one had even been hurt, just unable to talk to the outside world.