Rich Boy: Growing Pains - 15. Chapter 15

Was this what Jamie went through every time he looked Carl in the eye?

Worthington wondered as he broke eye contact with Jeremiah Francis. The mercenary soldier showed no reaction at all, but the brief eye contact had been enough for Worthington to read everything that had happened to him since the man had left the camp over a week ago. The government mages had not been gentle with him, had almost done permanent damage to his mind, but in the end, they had accepted he was still usable in their service and set new blocks on his mind.

Those blocks meant nothing to Worthington after what he had done to the man, and he knew that no matter what they had done, he still had an agent in their midst. He also knew some of what had gone on behind the scenes since de la Plane had ended the siege of the camp, and he knew that there was a good likelihood that the negotiations being continued by Huntington and Elizabeth were genuine. The government really did intend to honor the agreements being made, or at least that is what they were telling their loyal mages.

"I think there is definite room for us to continue these discussions at a later date," Elizabeth said after they had finished haggling over the concept of how the constitutional guarantee of a trial by a jury of your peers applied to the trial of a mage for the misuse of magic. Huntington had started arguing a court should be blind to whether the jury was mage or non-mage, but Elizabeth had argued her around, at least when the charge involved the misuse of magic, that it should truly be mages sitting in judgment.

Both of them had agreed that the regular courts best-handled trials involving non-magical misconduct.

"You have proposed an interim agreement be reached now, with further discussion in two months." Huntington retorted. "I believe we can agree to the terms of those agreements as already laid out at this time."

"As can we." Stacy nodded.

"I understand that this place, you have called it Clairville, correct?" Huntington asked, and Worthington nodded. "Technically it is owned by Mr. Sinclair, and he has leased its property to the dwarves. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," Lokar rumbled. "We sub-lease parts of it to the other races that choose to move here, as it is completed."

"The federal government will agree to recognize this land as neutral territory for the present," Huntington stated. "You have to understand, that further recognition will require some act by Congress, which will need to be the focus of future discussions."

"We understand that," Kelvren stated.

"For the present, this land will be considered in the same category as a foreign embassy," she said. "Will that suffice?"

"Yes," Worthington added.

"Now there is the matter of the assistance you have agreed to provide the government in the recovery of our lost personnel." Huntington continued, and now her steely gaze was focused solely on Worthington and his brother Jamie. "Both of you young men are minors, and it is not legally possible for you to enter into binding contracts without the approval of your legal guardians."

"Who are both present in this room," Stacy said with a nod towards Elizabeth.

"This is a perfect example of the differences between magic and the mundane world," Elizabeth said with a smile. "By the terms of magic, they are both adults. They have reached a stage in their training where they are able to operate without supervision, are able to make rational decisions and to exercise their abilities just like any adult. Their actions are legally binding on themselves within the realm of magic. In this case, where the two worlds overlap, Stacy and I will act merely as advisors and sign whatever agreement they make. It is their responsibility to decide to accept a contract, or to even heed our advice."

"I see." Huntington frowned as she spoke, but she turned back to Worthington and Jamie.

"The actions of the demons in taking your people have created a threat to the people of the Valley of the Sun," Jamie said to her, speaking up for the first time. "We are sworn to protect the people of the Valley from all threats, including demons. When we kicked the demons out, we expected it to be years before they reached a level where they could threaten us again, but from what they accomplished against your facilities and your mages, they could be a threat to us within a few weeks."

"That is unacceptable to us, and so we will agree to provide assistance to your mages," Worthington added. "This is separate from, and not dependent on any negotiations we might be conducting with the government on other matters. Although, in complete honesty, I believe what we do on this matter might provide some framework for those discussions in how the mundane and magical worlds can coexist without too much conflict. I have had my attorneys create a newly limited liability corporation, Bradwell-Sinclair Consulting."

"This corporation specializes in the advising and training of mages in defense against demons and other magical beings." Jamie continued. "Its directors include our legal guardians as well as ourselves, and several other mages who have experience in these areas. We are prepared to offer a contract to the government for services relating to the training of your mages and soldiers in how to find and fight demons."

"We are also prepared to offer referrals to vendors capable of providing arms and ammunition that is capable of allowing mundane soldiers to be effective against demons," Worthington added without looking at Lokar who was most pleased by that little tidbit. He would not make the offer directly to the government but would use Worthington as a middleman, for a generous cut of the profits. "Even the most powerful of your small arms will fail to penetrate demon hide or the protective skins of most of the beasts they commonly use for protection."

"You have asked for ten million dollars a year in base consulting fees with a minimum of one year contracted services," Huntington said. "The government expects this demon problem to be taken care of well before a year is out. What will you do to further earn your fees?"

"Demons are not the only threats out there," Worthington said. "We also offer general mage training as well as training services in areas other than demons that might be beneficial to your mages."

"You are only agreeing to help train, then?" de la Plane asked with a frown. "I thought you were agreeing to do more the last time we spoke."

"We also agree to advise you on active operations," Worthington said. "You should understand that we will not field a team of mages to fight demons for you. However, we will send one, maybe two mages into the field with your teams and advise them on operations against demons in that environment. If they are attacked by demons in that situation, they will naturally defend themselves, but will not take direct offensive steps against the demons."

"I see," Huntington said shrewdly. "Who do you think will be on this team of advisors?"

"I will go myself," Worthington said. "One other will go to support me."

"Make it five million, and you have a contract." Huntington offered.

"Nine million." Worthington retorted. "I'm sorry, but I do have to consider that I have people to support. Mages do not come cheap and expect compensation for their services. Over the years, my family has spent as much as this contract for my training, and I am just one person. You are expecting us to train nearly fifty people or more. By any mage standards, you are getting a bargain at ten."

"Fine, nine million it is." Huntington sighed. "We should take a break while my staff makes the final changes to the documents."

"I have had refreshments prepared if you would like." Worthington smiled. "I believe you will quite enjoy sampling some of the dwarven delicacies my Housemistress has prepared. You should be careful though, dwarves love caffeine, and most of their food and drink contain enough of it to keep you awake for days."

"I think our military might like to have a few words with their chefs." Huntington joked as she stood and Worthington relaxed. This could have gone a lot worse.

"Mr. De la Plane, you look tired," Worthington said to the government mage as they sipped some dwarven coffee and nibbled on a pastry.

"My superiors are quite anxious about this situation." The man answered with a heavy sigh before blinking tiredly. "Please, we're going to be working together now. Call me Marcus."

"Only if you call me Worthington," Worthington replied with a smile.

"You seem to think things are less serious," Marcus said as he took a sip of his drink and smiled into the cup. "This is quite good."

"It is," Worthington agreed. "As for the situation, there is time. I think the other Adepts are starting to realize that this is not the isolated case of demon summoning that they originally thought when we had the fight in Phoenix. Eventually, they will see that the demons pose as significant a threat as they did during the Demon Wars. During those days, it took all the mages banding together to end the demon threat, and it will require something like that again."

"You don't think we'll be able to find them and destroy them quickly?" Marcus frowned again.

"If we are lucky, that could happen," Worthington said. "Certainly we have advantages that did not exist centuries ago. As you can tell though, some of those technological advances aren't quite as advantageous as you would expect. You're not going to find them by your satellites or your aerial photography. However, trained mages knowing what to look for, flying around in helicopters might be able to detect them."

"On our way in here, it was true that we could not penetrate the illusions on this place," Marcus said with a slight smile. "What you don't know is that we have detectors that could detect the magic of the illusions, and they were pegged off the end of the scale as we got close."

"That is interesting, and might very well be useful," Worthington said as he suppressed a shudder. The idea of devices being able to detect magic made him sick to his stomach. "I have to admit your scramblers gave me quite a fright the first time I ran into them."

"But you overcame them when we thought that was impossible," Marcus said.

"Your approach to magic leaves much to be desired," Worthington told the older man.

"I am beginning to see that." Marcus allowed.

Huntington and her four suits left a few hours later on one of the two helicopters. Marcus de la Plane was staying though, as were all of the mercenary soldiers. Nick Wooten and Dakota Ungashick were kept busy arranging quarters for all of them on the third floor, and dinner was held in the Main Hall with a fairly crowded room after the arrival of seven members of MR. Worthington retired to his room late that night, after watching a movie with their ‘guests,' and was regretfully alone in his large bed.

The next morning, two vans arrived at the gates and were escorted inside by two more MRs on their motorcycles. Worthington dressed in his usual outfit of leather pants and tight armored shirt, this time in a light gray with sapphire highlights. Breakfast was served in the upstairs conference room in the suite of apartments he shared with Jamie and included his entire household including Colin and Matt Wilson.

"Sixteen government mages and eighteen mercenary soldiers have arrived today for training," Worthington said over properly cooked eggs and sausage.

"You can't possibly expect me to teach all of them." Matt Wilson snorted. "That was not in my contract, and I want nothing to do with government people. This goes against the Great Secret."

"You are free to break your contract and leave without penalty," Worthington told the man sharply. "If you stay, you will do what you are told."

"I'm just saying this is dangerous for all of us." The man grumbled.

"You are right, it is dangerous." Worthington agreed. "Letting demons establish a power base though is even more dangerous, and the fact is we can't just waltz in and erase the memories of everyone in government that knows about magic. The information is too firmly entrenched in government, and the Great Secret is no longer protection. We will need to form some new kind of protection, which is what we are doing. Cooperating with the government, for now, is our best option. If you disagree with this course of action, you can leave."

"I'll perform my duties in accordance with my contract." Matt Wilson grumbled.

"What about you two?" Worthington asked Nick and Dakota. He still had not gotten to know either of them fairly well.

"You gave us a place to belong when we needed it the most," Nick said with a shrug. "We're not going to run away just because things get scary."

"Thank you," Worthington said politely. "Most of these mages already have a firm, if odd grounding in the basics of magic. What they need to learn is the flexibility of combat magic the way it is learned in the Dark path, and to a certain extent in the Light path as well. Jamie will be handling that end of the training. All of you have become familiar with the forms of magic bolts that work best on demons, and the ways you must structure your shields to protect more effectively against demon magic, and their physical attacks. I will be working with their more powerful mages on demon detection, breaking the summoner, tracing the remnants of magic and similar magics that are a bit more advanced."

"Are we to share everything with them?" Wilson's lip was curled upward in distaste.

"When it comes to fighting or defending against demons, yes," Worthington said sharply. "As for other things, we are not contracted to teach them magic in general. If it is not related to dealing with demons, or other creatures from the demon-planes, you do not have to teach them anything."

"Fine." Wilson agreed with a sharp nod as he stabbed a piece of sausage. "At least you aren't giving them everything."

"No, I'm not." Worthington agreed.

"What about me?" Colin asked quietly.

"And me?" Rob said with a mouthful of food.

"Colin, you're going to be the cute kid hanging around taking your lessons with the rest of them," Worthington said with a smile. "Let them think you're just a naïve little boy."

"You want me to get them to adopt me as a kind of mascot?" Colin asked with a very slight smile on his face. "Do you think they'll relax around me and I'll find out things they won't share with you?"

"That's what I'm hoping." Worthington smiled. He was pleased Colin understood that and just hoped he wouldn't overact. Jamie had already talked to Carl about doing something similar, although Carl really was more innocent and naïve.

"I can do that." Colin beamed with pride at having been given the task. Whether he succeeded or failed was secondary to the reaction he was showing now.

"Good," Worthington said with approval in his voice. "As for you, Rob, you've actually fought demons before, and you're not Jamie or I. They're going to give more weight to what you say because of that. Be friendly with them, but not overly friendly – if you know what I mean."

"I've got someone now," Rob said with a frown. "He's not like full-blooded elves you know. He's already told me he's the jealous type and I've got a good enough thing with him I'm not going to risk it if I don't have to."

"That's fine," Worthington said with a little surprise. Then again, he knew almost nothing about half-elves. One thing he did know is that he liked the changes in Rob since he'd met the half-elf that he was now seeing and as far as he was concerned, he hoped the two of them stayed together for a long, long time. Rob was already a much better person and would likely continue to improve, the longer they were together.

"What about the soldiers?" Matt Wilson asked with another curl of his lip. "They're all mundanes, right?"

"Yes," Worthington said. "But, they're experienced in working with the government mages."

"Like the Mike's Riders," Rob said with a smile.

"Yes, we will be outfitting them with anklets like the MRs wear," Worthington noted with a nod to Rob. "The Riders will be conducting exercises with the soldiers to get them experienced in how the anklets work, and I'll be giving them a few demonstrations as well. Josh and Tom will be in charge of those working with the soldiers, and they will also be doing what they can to learn as much as they can from the soldiers."

"Like what?" Dakota asked. "You mean, learning how to be a soldier?"

"Shooting skills, and fighting skills are what I'd like them to develop for the most part," Worthington said with a shrug. "More important will be developing friendships with the soldiers as much as possible, so that they can learn more about them and what's going on in their minds without us having to look."

"You sound like you've covered most of the bases so far." Matt Wilson gave his grudging approval. "This could still all blow up in your face, you know."

"I know," Worthington told the older man who shook his head before standing up.

"If I am to teach a bunch of ill-trained government types, I had best prepare myself." The man said as he turned and left the room.

"Well, this is not how I planned to spend my summer vacation." Jamie laughed as the man left.

"Me neither," Worthington admitted. "I was hoping we could go to Europe or something after that camp."

"What about when school starts?" Rob asked. "What are you going to do if this isn't all settled by then?"

"I don't know." Worthington frowned.

"Do we even need school now?" Rob asked with a glimmer of hope on his face.

"Yes, Rob, we do need to finish our educations," Jamie said with a laugh.

"Damn." Rob frowned.

"We will figure something out," Worthington assured him. "Jamie, how are the moms handling things?"

"They're doing okay, everything considered," Jamie said with a sigh. "They're worried, but that's natural. They think this idea of using the Valley as a test case, and an example of how letting mages govern their own affairs, for the most part, will work. We've got a pretty cohesive community forming here, and the people from Dark and Light paths are actually getting along for the most part. They think other mage communities will be resistant at first, but they'll probably agree after they realize it's this or the government's way and that would be much more dangerous for everyone."

"I hope it works," Worthington admitted. The idea had been mostly theirs, and he hoped it would succeed. If it did, it would be mostly because of their work. "It's probably about time for all of us to get started."

"Yes." Jamie agreed as he stood. Soon enough they were all in different parts of the castle doing different tasks. Jamie joined Matt Wilson and the others in the basement, beginning the training of the newly arrived mages. Today's lessons would start with basics, and were more focused on testing the new mages and how well they were trained and prepared for what they would be learning. Worthington found himself on the top floor of the tower on the north side of the castle, in the room he had appropriated as his personal workroom.

Sapha had already taken delivery of fifteen new silver anklets. Unlike the first batch he'd given his Riders, these were dwarven-made and of very high quality. He'd since replaced that first batch with new anklets for his mundane Riders, but these were going to be for the soldiers.

He ate lunch in the tower, barely taking a break from the spellwork the anklets required. Most of it was layering spell on top of spell, letting them bond to the framework of the metal. The dwarf-made anklets were perfect for spellwork and much better suited to this task. They could ‘hold' more layers of spell, and he was able to soak enough power into them that they would provide much more protection than that first batch he'd made.

The truth was he was also a better artificer than he'd been with that first batch. Like all things, the experience made him better at this task, and each anklet he finished was better than the last he'd made. Worthington was very much aware that Marcus would do his best to inspect these for hidden traps, so Worthington wove those very, very carefully into the spell framework. When he was done, not even he could tell that they were in there, and he smiled at his handiwork.

These anklets would detect a demon within two miles of the wearer, in any direction. Not only would they detect the demon, they would change in the intensity of coldness they projected based on proximity and the number of demons, and unlike any of the other anklets he'd made, they would also indicate direction in three dimensions by where the cold would manifest on the foot of the wearer. Also, they would protect the wearer from magic or demon physical attacks for longer thanks to their greater power reserves.

Then there were the special tricks that Worthington had put in them to protect himself and his brother. Only they would know about those, and would only use them in great need since once used, they would be known. Unlike the other anklets though, these could not be taken off unless they were ripped off by force, and that would likely take the ankle of the wearer with them.

By the late afternoon, he was tired enough that he finished up the eighth, and last anklet for the day. He took the eight, each wrapped in a small case, and left the tower. The only entrance to the tower was on the first floor of the castle, and so he had to climb down several floors before reaching the first floor of the castle, and then had to climb up more stairs. At least living here he'd not likely get too much out of shape.

"You are here," Worthington said with pleasant surprise as he entered the second-floor office that had been given to Marcus de la Plane for his use. The man was sitting at a desk, typing into a laptop.

"Yes, the bosses back east want detailed reports of what is happening here every day," Marcus answered. "They don't quite believe you that this is better than being out there hunting demons."

"Hopefully after today, you can tell them that going and hunting demons without proper preparation would be akin to handing the demons more power to use," Worthington said as he sat the boxes down on the man's desk.

"That is pretty much exactly what I am writing." Marcus chuckled as he stopped typing and picked up a box. "Are these them?"

"Yes," Worthington said. "I managed to get eight done today. Once you've looked them over and given them your approval, I'll give them to the first eight soldiers and start working with them and my Riders to familiarize themselves with how they work."

"That will be good." Marcus chuckled again. "Captain Bearand commented today that they were already getting restless. Do you think the locals will mind the soldiers going for runs in full gear every morning?"

"No." Worthington shook his head, and he chuckled. "Actually I've been thinking of getting back into an exercise routine. I'm starting to get fat."

"That's hard to believe." Marcus laughed. "You're far more physically fit than any of our people. I always imagined mages were supposed to be physically weak."

"A physically fit mage is a stronger mage," Worthington said as he quoted one of his first lessons in magic. "Two qualities will help a mage weaker in power to defeat a stronger mage. First of these is the sharpness of the mind. A sharp mind will always overcome a weak mind. Second is the quality of physical fitness. The mage whose body and mind are sharp and strong will always overcome a dull-witted and slow mage. Now granted, before I came out here to Phoenix my body wasn't as toned as it was now, but I was always fairly physically fit, even if I didn't look it."

"I see," Marcus said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should institute a physical training program for all of our mages. It is not something we ever considered, but I do seem to think that if what I'm remembering is any guide, your statements do have some merit."

"You could," Worthington shrugged. "I doubt it would be very successful though unless the mages wanted it badly. It would probably be better to just encourage it and let the results speak for themselves. When a mage sees another mage able to cast more spells or hold out longer in a fight because they've been exercising, it will motivate them to do the same. If they don't, well they just aren't that good of a mage, and you will know that. Then you can spend less effort trying to teach them the more advanced magics."

"That is an interesting approach," Marcus said with a shake of his head. "Can I talk to you, mage to mage?"

"Mage to mage?" Worthington asked with a raised eyebrow.

"After what I've been through today, I don't think I will be tempted to call it psionics again," Marcus said with a rueful chuckle. "We always tried to approach things from a scientific standpoint when it came to magic, and today I learned just how wrong that was."

"You still accomplished a great many things," Worthington said gently as he took a seat on the other side of the man's desk. "As someone who has faced off against you, I can honestly say you have not produced incompetent mages, and some of the devices you've developed are truly astounding. At the very least, you have shown significant advantages to combining magic and science in ways that we have never considered before."

"Yes, well there is that." Marcus smiled slightly. "One thing that is bugging me though is this talk of Light and Dark as if they are real things instead of just abstract concepts. You people talk about them as if they are real."

"In a way, they are very real," Worthington said as he leaned back in his chair and smiled at the man. "I won't go so far as to say that they were real before mages thought up the concept of them, but the fact remains they are real now. They are not real sentient beings as we might think of them, nor are they what we might consider gods or the like."

"Then what are they?" Marcus asked with exasperation.

"Think of them as manifestations of the magic and the expectations of the mages practicing that magic," Worthington said carefully. "Those who follow the Light believe in self-sacrifice. Over the years, their beliefs have shaped the Light, giving it form and substance by their belief and their power. The Light itself is the manifestation of that belief and power commingled over time. The Dark is the same."

"Are they in conflict with one another?" Marcus asked.

"Only when their mages fight each other." Worthington laughed.

"So what then is this Gray path you spoke of earlier?" Marcus asked.

"Jamie and I wanted something else, something more than the two options afforded to us," Worthington explained carefully. "The Light rejected Jamie because of a sacrifice he had to make to save me, but neither of us are fully comfortable with the tenets of the Dark path."

"Why not?" Marcus asked with a furrowed expression.

"The Light is about self-sacrifice for power," Worthington explained. "The Dark is about making others pay the price for power at little or no cost to yourself. Jamie was raised to think as part of the Light, I was raised to think as part of the Dark. When we merged, both of us were changed slightly, and you might say our different morals rubbed off on each other. Jamie will never be totally comfortable making others pay the price of magic, while I will never be comfortable with the concept of sacrificing myself all the time. Yet, at the same time, I no longer am willing to always make others pay the price, and there are times I am unwilling to extract the price from others at all. Therefore, we needed something else, something more."

"So you created this Gray path," Marcus said. "What is it about, exactly?"

"The Gray path is about paying the price necessary for magic from the source best able to meet the price." Worthington summarized some of the discussions he'd had with Jamie in the days since they had first started down this road. "Sometimes that price will best be paid with self-sacrifice, and other times it will be paid through others. One thing that is different though is that the goal of the Gray mage is not necessarily to serve just themselves, or a limited group of people. It is to defend all people, to meet the needs of everyone, from whatever source is the best suited to the task at hand. If Light magic is best, we will use that. If Dark is best, we will use that."

"Won't they mind?" Marcus asked with a frown. "I mean, you said the Light and Dark are manifestations of the beliefs of those who practice it, so won't they resist being used?"

"No," Worthington said with certainty. "Some things the Light won't give us, and in others, it will demand a price. I used a Light spell to defeat the Demon Lord in Phoenix, and the price of that was going to that summer camp for two weeks."

"That doesn't seem like a big price to pay." Marcus frowned.

"A rich kid like me spending two weeks with under-privileged inner-city youths in a camp set back in the mountains, run by wacko environmentalists who think my family is part of the problem of evil capitalists who rape the environment?" Worthington laughed. "Even without your lot showing up, it wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. It was passable though, and enjoyable in its own way, but I'd much rather have been here, in Scottsdale riding my bike, swimming every day and having a good time."

"I hadn't thought of it like that." Marcus laughed. "When you say the Gray is about serving ‘all,' do you mean mage and non-mage alike?"

"Yes," Worthington said immediately.

"I think I would be most comfortable with that path," Marcus said softly.

"You do not have to choose a path," Worthington said gently. "You've been doing fairly well on your own with your scientific approach."

"I want something more than that," Marcus said passionately as he leaned forward. "You have no idea what it was like. Do you have any idea how jealous I am of you?"

"Jealous of me?" Worthington asked.

"I'm not talking about your money either, or how much power you have," Marcus said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You grew up knowing about magic, being trained in magic, knowing what you were and that there was a whole world out there of people like you."

"You wouldn't be quite so jealous if you knew about my childhood." Worthington laughed softly at the thought. "Now Jamie, you should be jealous of him. I know I am. He had a real childhood filled with magic, and I'm not just talking about the magic we fling around. I'm talking the magic of love, which came from his mothers. Me, the best thing that ever happened to me was my Uncle trying to kill me, and managing to kill most of my family."

"That sounds…wrong." Marcus frowned slightly.

"Believe me, it was the best thing that ever happened to me," Worthington said as he looked at the man's desk. "Anyway, you should take your time about figuring out what path suits you best. You have a world of options opened to you now and should choose what fits you best. When you have a chance, examine those anklets and let me know if you approve their use."

"Why don't you just go ahead and take them?" Marcus said as he waved a hand over them with a very slight smile on his face. "To be honest, I doubt I'd find anything even if you did do something to them. Part of me says you did something to Francis when you had him, but we could find nothing beyond you stripping all of our blocks and controls out of him."

"I had no need for him." Worthington shrugged as he gathered up the boxes. If the man didn't want to look at them, that was all to the good. He'd still keep his little tricks hidden in them just in case, but now he just hoped he never had to use them. That way, Marcus would continue to trust him. Also, he would never tell the man exactly what he had done to Jeremiah Francis.

"Sometimes I am amazed at just how ruthless you can be." Marcus shook his head. "I need to finish up this report, but thanks for taking the time to talk with me. What should I tell the bosses back east about your expectations regarding how much time this training is going to take?"

"Give it thirty days," Worthington suggested. "By then there'll be enough anklets for all your mercenaries that will be going into the field with you, and your mages will have some good experience behind them. Plus, that gives us a great deal more time to provide the demon-piercing bullets your soldiers will need to be more than demon fodder."

"Got it, and thanks again," Marcus said with a smile as Worthington nodded at him before heading out.

Things could be a lot worse.