Unmasked Magic – #atozchallenge

Unmasked Magic

“I want to hold it!” Tory shouted as he grabbed for the device.

“No! I found it! It’s mine and mine alone!” Jammer argued as he held the device high above his head and turned around in a circle.

Mitty, Crank and Mouse stood off to the side and laughed at their two friends. Finally, Mitty took charge of the situation by walking over and snatching the device from Jammer’s hands. He stood a good two feet taller than Jammer.

“I don’t think this is a toy, guys,” Mitty said as he turned it over and over in his hands. The glass surface felt cold to the touch, but a bright fire burned within.

Mouse stood transfixed gazing into it. “What do you think it is?” he asked in a soft voice.

Mitty took the device and placed it in the center of the room. In a flash, his body reflected off of every metal, glass and water surface in the large warehouse they called home.

“Holy cow!” Crank yelled as he twisted his small body around. “You are everywhere, Mitty!”

Mitty picked it up again and the images disappeared. “Where did you say you found this, Jammer?”

“Out at the old tower. It was just sitting pretty as you please on top of it.”

Mitty walked over to a table and picked up a laser gun and shot it across the room. The beam reflected off of the same surfaces and he appeared in each spot until the beam disappeared. They’d been playing tag games with that thing for years. It was old tech too, but they couldn’t afford the newer models.

“You know who owns that tower, don’t you boys?” Mitty asked as he studied the device more closely.

The boys fell silent and bowed their heads.

“You’ve put us in a heapin’ of trouble, Jammer.”

“But it just looks like a mirror, Mitty. It was just sitting there! I didn’t see the harm.”

“The Wizards might not be too happy, Jammer. I can’t believe they’ve been using this old tech. I always wondered how they seemed to appear everywhere at once. Damn smart of ’em!”

“I thought it was magic,” Mouse muttered.

“No such thing!” Crank exclaimed.

Mitty chuckled at the two boys for a moment and then his face grew serious. “Enough antics. We need to get this thing back where you found, Jammer.”

“Awww, Mitty! Can’t we just play tag first?” Jammer begged.

Mitty ignored Jammer’s pleas and placed the device into a sack. He gathered his laser gun and motioned to the boys. “Come along, lads. It will be light soon. We’d better get movin’ on.”

The five boys set off across the village which once housed a huge city, but that was long ago. Now all that was left were ruins of buildings, old warehouses, and a ship yard. The Tower was all that remained of a large military complex. Since the Wizards took control, very little improved. Mitty always thought there was something strange about them Wizards. He’d found old decks of cards with wizards on them and these dudes looked nothing like that. They wore long coats and many of them were old, but no pointy hats and no long robes. And no magic as far as Mitty could tell. Just that illusion trick that he now understood.

The tower loomed large before them, and the sun rose on the other horizon. Soon it would illuminate the tower. Mitty felt a heaviness in the pit of his stomach. As he trudged along ahead of the younger boys, he watched the light slowly ascend the metallic building. They were so close. He ran ahead and reached the entrance to the tower just as the sun neared the top. He threw open the large metal door and bolted up the winding staircase.

Once Mitty reached the top of the stairs, he pushed up the heavy circular door with his shoulder that led to the roof. It fell to the side with a large ringing thud. He poked his head out to look around and a laser beam flashed past his head. He was too late. The Wizards had arrived and they were definitely not happy. Mitty ducked into the staircase. The other boys finally caught up with him and he held them back with his shoulder.

“The Wizards are up there,” he told them in a hushed voice.

“What are we gonna do?” Jammer asked.

“What we always do, boys! Fight!”

They grasped their laser guns and turned them on. With a nod of their heads, they jumped out of the circular ring, guns blazing.

©2016 Lori Carlson. All rights reserved.

(772 Words)

---

The Prompt via Mandy Wallace: Five intrepid teens discover that the wizard class who rule the country are really just masters of a minor technology that one of the boys has accidentally stolen.

Each day for the A to Z Challenge I will be writing a 500-1000 word Science Fiction story. I hope you will enjoy them.

---

This will become a much larger story. I am just not sure when I will have time to work on it. Here is a snippet of what’s to come:

Devlin woke with a start, reached for his laser pistol, but a light blinded him. He covered his face with his forearm and squinted his eyes. He barely made out the form of a woman in a flowing white gown.

“I am sorry to awaken you this way, Devlin, son of Chadwich, but your assistance is needed,” a voice echoed softly through the room.

Devlin recognized the voice immediately. He slid from his bed and knelt before her with his head bowed. “My Lady Asriala, how may I be of service to the Oracle?”

The light dimmed and the full figure of Lady Asriala came into focus. “Rise, Devlin,” she whispered.

Devlin did as she asked. He’d only gazed upon the Oracle a few times in his lifetime many ages ago, but she hadn’t change one bit. Her long black hair still cascaded down her back, tucked behind two slim earlobes. Her radiant violet eyes sparkled even in the darkened room. Not a single blemish or wrinkle appeared upon her pure white skin. She still had the same allure and beauty. A slim, elegant hand slid toward him and he took it in his own leathery brown hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it before releasing it.

Lady Asriala smiled warmly at Deviln. “My servant, somewhere in the village five young lads have come upon an ancient technology. They do not know what they’ve discovered. Somewhere in the mountains, the Wizards are stirring. They will come to reclaim their stolen device. You must warn these boys, Devlin. Help them, if you are able.”

Devlin bowed his head again, “As you wish, my Lady.”

A soft hand cupped Devlin’s chin and lifted it. “Be careful, my dear friend.”

“I will, my Lady.” Devlin assured her with a crooked smile.

In a flash of light, she disappeared. Devlin sighed. Her beauty never ceased to amaze him. He couldn’t imagine what these five lads had discovered. An ancient technology? He gathered his pistols, his leather wide-brimmed hat and long black leather coat and left his room at the hostel. As he wandered down the hall, he knocked on several doors, alerting his men that it was time to ride.