The President's Wizard Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  The Train from Springfield

  The Battle Of the B&O Railroad

  Wages of Failure

  Presidential Orders

  Spell Dire

  Selecting the Sanctum

  Assignment: Washington DC

  Where Is the first point

  Cage de Vampires

  Hunting vsmpires

  The Concilium

  Miner's Rest

  The Giant headache

  I Lich You

  Why does it have to be stone

  I am Taured of Minos

  I don't knows it was Greek to me

  Minotaur

  Eldura

  Ny Beautiful Balloon

  Like the Book?

  About the Author

  The President’s Wizard

  Clay Moore

  Copyright © 2018 Clay Moore

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN:

  ISBN-13:

  For Pam, sorry about the mess

  J

 

  The Train from Springfield

  Captain William Hazard, United States Army was only an hour into his new job and already he hated it. He was now going to spend the next several days in a first-class compartment aboard the train heading for Washington DC by the roundabout route. Hazard was told by the Pinkerton agents, surrounding the President-elect, not to wear the uniform. William did not think much of that. He wore a black frock coat and slacks. He had on a red and black damask silk vest. He wore civilian riding boots.

  Another thing he wore was a Colt Army revolver tucked in his trousers. It was nothing much, just a thirty-eight caliber cap and ball revolver. It was under his suit coat hiding it from view. He wore a flat-brimmed black hat with a flat top. Hazard looked like a man who needed to ride first class. He looked like a man of substance.

  The other man he was escorting was nothing like him. While Captain Hazard was forthright and rather charming, the other man was dour and self-effacing. You would be surprised to know that the other man had been elected President of the United States. All the gentleman could think about was the possibility of the split of the Union along geographical and moral lines. It was true that the man won his presidency by the merest of margins, but he did win.

  Now Captain Hazard was charged with the protection of Abraham Lincoln, assigned by General Scott himself. Once he had seen his charge ensconced in Washington DC, he would be reassigned and probably promoted. As a major, he would be assigned to a brigade of one of the newly formed regiments. Captain Hazard could smell the conflict arriving.

  He was a mere second Lieutenant in the United States cavalry when the trouble with Mexico arrived. He was assigned a small platoon of cavalry in Lieutenant Arthur Conan’s cavalry troop. It was a long hard fight in the heat of the arid country, but they had come away victorious. Towards the of the campaign now First Lieutenant Hazard was assigned to protect the life of the Grand Wizard of the United States. He had been taken away from his command and told to defend the presence of a flaming wizard! It seemed the world changed the moment that man started to use steam to power his machinery. He did not know if he believed in magic. The Grand Wizard had sensed this doubt within his protection. It seemed to amuse him. In a train much like the one he was riding now the Grand Wizard suddenly grasped his hand for a moment. Then First Lieutenant Hazard could see through the eyes of the wizard. For a brief moment, he saw colors surrounding people. For the first time, he understood what it meant to see the aura of people and know whether they were right or evil.

  A low laugh came from the Grand Wizard. “For a man who doesn’t believe in magic you are going to be involved in it, up to your neck. The next great struggle will require your services to protect one of us.”

  Hazard wondered what the grand wizard meant by that. It was true that he was now protecting the President. He rather doubted that Abraham Lincoln was a wizard, whatever that said. Ever since they had revealed themselves, Mages were the “in” thing among the rich and famous. Captain Hazard was neither rich nor famous. Yet he had not seen any wizards doing any kind of “magic.” He knew that put him in the ranks of doubting Thomases in the books of the wizards.

  Captain Hazard walked to the window and watched the night darkened trees pass by. He heard a sound behind him. Startled, he turned around and drew his revolver from his pants. Instinct made him cock the pistol. He was stayed from discharging his weapon by the upraised hand from Lincoln.

  “I know this man, Will,” said Lincoln.

  Hazard nodded at Lincoln. He released the hammer on his pistol and allowed it to rest on the cylinder. He did not, however, slide the revolver back into his pants.

  The man that suddenly appeared in the first class compartment with them was somewhat unusual. He wore a brown frock coat, brown slacks, a white shirt underneath the wildest brown pattern of a damasked silk vest. The man wore a brown top hat; on the top hat he wore a pair of goggles with dark lenses; he carried a carpet bag and a walking stick. The man was about to say something but stopped when he noticed the shimmering emanating from the crystal on the walking stick.

  “Interesting,” said the man raising his walking stick to show everyone the ever-increasing glow coming from the crystal surmounting it.

  “I hate when you do that Thomas,” said Lincoln. “Captain William Hazard, I am honored to introduce Doctor Thomas Derek. Would you care to explain that crystal.”

  “I apologize, Mister President. I just had a flashback to something my master said before he passed into the void. He told me that I would meet a wizard who had not been trained. When one who has the power is not trained to use it, that power can be internalized. It can manifest in several different ways. It can appear to be extreme intelligence or extreme physical skills. We call these people physical adepts. It’s just a little bit stunning to actually meet a physical adept in the same car as the President-elect.”

  “Are you talking about Mister Hazard?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m glad to see him here. He can help me in your defense.” Thomas set his carpet bag on one of the padded benches in the compartment.

  He opened a rather intricate looking lock. He then reached into the bag and pulled out a new leather belt. As Thomas unwound the belt from a central point, William could see that it was actually a different looking gun belt. The leather was stained black, but the appointments on the leather belt were in bright silver. The gun in the holster on this gun belt also was brightly polished. It did not have the bluing that William had on his army revolver. The nickel plated gun in the holster looked a little bit like his Colt Army revolver, except that there were no nipples for the caps and no lever to tamp down the ball and charge. This was one of those new revolvers that used cartridge ammunition.

  “When they called Colt the wizard of guns, they are really describing his true nature. Cartridges are the wave of the future. Colt made this one especially for me when Colt found out that I was charged with President Lincoln’s protection. I just can’t do this by myself, so I give this to you, Captain Hazard.”

  The man handed Hazard the gun belt. Reflexively Hazard took the leather. He did not strap it on immediately. It took a simple gesture from the wizard to make Hazard put on the gun belt. He had to take the Colt Army revolver out of his pants and set it on the seat next to the carpet bag.

  As Hazard strapped on the gun belt, he noticed a few things. The first thing he noticed was that the gun belt was built for a right-handed individual. Hazard was quite sure that William had not met Doctor Derek before today. The second thing that he noticed was that the pistol was locked into the holster by a piece of leather that went over the hammer. The final thing that William noticed was that
there were about twenty rounds of cartridge ammunition pushed into loops on the back of the gun belt. He had no doubt that if he pulled the pistol out there would be six rounds already in the cylinder.

  The final thing he did before considering himself armed was he used the leather thong at the tip of the bottom of the gun holster to prevent the holster from flapping on his leg. President Lincoln stood up and walked around Hazard. He was followed by Doctor Derek doing the same appraisal.

  “It is a beauteous thing,” said Lincoln. “Might I handle your pistol?”

  “This is not my pistol, Mister Lincoln. This is a loan from Doctor Derek.”

  “The thing about magic weapons,” said Doctor Derek in his most declarative mode, “is that they are usually made for a particular person. No one else is quite able to use that magic weapon with the same efficiency as the actual owner. When I told Doctor Colt that I needed a weapon for my protector, he started manufacturing this weapon for you. The Crystal verified that you are to be my protector and in so doing you are also the protector for the President-Elect. How does that make you feel?”

  Hazard did not know how to answer that. He was charged with protecting the President, not the President’s wizard. He slowly removed the leather thong that held his revolver in the holster. He pulled out the pistol. He gave it a few spins on his finger.

  The weapon felt alive in his hand. He suddenly stopped, cocked the gun, and pointed it at a spot on the carriage wall. The pistol felt like an extension of his hand, arm, and body. Skillfully he uncocked the weapon and put it back into his holster.

  The President gave Doctor Derek a knowing look. “Doctor Colt did this without having Mister Hazard present?”

  “It doesn’t usually require the presence of the subject to tune the weapon. We can use some other piece of William. I was able to get a lock of his hair from a brush in a hotel in New York City. It was a simple matter to get that hair to Doctor Colt in New Jersey for the attunement.

  “There is something that you must do when you are using this weapon. You must think that the gun will kill whoever you pointed it at. You have to think it with all of your heart and mind. This is so that the magic will work properly.”

  “The sudden appearance of wizards everywhere had me a little scared,” said William. “No one has ever given me a satisfactory answer for what is magic?”

  “In physics, we talked about two forms of energy, potential energy, and kinetic energy. There is another form of energy that’s called magic. Potential energy and kinetic energy can be manipulated by the use of machinery. Magic is energy manipulated completely by the strength of one’s mind.”

  “What can you do with that energy?”

  “I can do anything with it that I can conceive. The only true limit is how much power can I channel through my body to accomplish the task. If I channel too much power through my body, I risk death. That is why true wizards have an assortment of trinkets about their person.”

  Derek showed his left fist which contained a ring on each finger. Each circle had a different massive stone in it. “These were made for me by my master when I was made a Doctor.” He raised the walking stick. “I found the wood for the stick when a branch hit me in the shins during a walk in the woods near the Chicago Institute of Technology and Magic. Things do not happen to wizards by accident. I found this crystal deep in a cavern in Texas. It was a matter of matching the wood with the crystal. When I did that this stick turned into one of my most powerful items. I can channel an unlimited amount of power through the crystal and the stick. That is why wizards are always portrayed in any picture as having a staff or a walking stick.”

  “I always thought,” said Lincoln, “that you all had to wear those ridiculous silk robes that you see in those pictures.”

  “The clothing has nothing to do with channeling power. Those robes are simply bad choices of clothing. There is a method of using something that badly designed. It is a warning. The coral snake is brightly colored to warn people and other animals that it was not to be trifled with. Brightly colored silk robes with weird symbols on them did the same trick in the early days of this cycle of magic..”

  Thomas took William’s old Colt Army revolver and handed it to the president. “You may need this for any mundane attackers. You do know how to use one of these?”

  “My family started out in Kentucky before we ended up in Illinois. I had to know how to shoot to fill the pot at night. Yes, I know that I can shoot Captain Hazard’s revolver without any problem. I know the captain is one that keeps his weapon in tip-top condition.”

  “Excellent. Gentlemen the reason I am here is that it has come to the attention of the Northern Wizard’s Congress that the Grand Wizard Of The Concilium in Virginia intends to assassinate the President on his trip to Washington. I’m here to prevent that.

  “The Grand Wizard can use several techniques. The easiest would be to place four or five men on this train armed with guns. The next thing would be to place four or five wizards on this train armed with their power. The third method would be to assault the train utilizing shadows and the limited ability of shadows to kill.”

  “I think that they would probably use the easiest way. Put four or five men on this train with revolvers and shotguns. They could storm this carriage and blast the president.”

  “You would be correct in thinking that is the easiest way. It is also the easiest way to defend. All we needed to have done was put a platoon of soldiers on this train, and that threat would come to an end. They would never also use the physical bodies of wizards to do a job that they could easily do from their sanctums in Richmond. No, I think that they might take a two-pronged approach. I believe that they have been on this train. I had begged the Pinkertons to put you both on a special, and you overrode me, Mister President.”

  “You overrode Doctor Derek? He gives you good advice.”

  “I did not want to go skulking into Washington. So I booked passage on the train. It’s going to take me on a little excursion where I will have a chance to stop and talk to the people.”

  William fell into one of the padded seats in the compartment. He looked uncomprehendingly at the President-Elect. “We are trying to keep you alive, Mister President. If you make it so hard for us to do that, we might as well not be trying to protect you.”

  “Don’t try to make him see sense, William. I have tried to make him understand. He just keeps talking about needing to show the people that he is alive and that he is going to take up the burden of office. It is going to be our job to keep him alive on this trip.”

  “I think, Doctor Derek —“

  “Thomas please, or Tom, or even Tommy. If you call me Tommy, I will call you Willie.”

  In spite of himself, Hazard chuckled. The first fruits of a beautiful friendship had just begun. “I will Thomas.”

  “A lot of what you can do in magic depends on where you wish the effect to occur. If you’re trying to do something on land owned by an opposing faction, it is going to be hard and require much more power. I don’t think we have much to worry about until the train goes through Maryland to reach Washington DC. Even though Maryland has pretty much-declared neutrality, she is still a southern state at heart. That stands to reason with Virginia sharing a border with her. I expect the consortium to try and keep this under wraps. That means performing any light magic on Southern soil.”

  “How can you tell which faction controls a particular area?” William wanted to know.

  “Ahhh, I was wondering when that question would be asked. It has everything to do with The Sight.”

  High pitched laughter came from Lincoln. After a few seconds, the laughter’s tone came down a few octaves. “I think this is going to get you, Captain Hazard.”

  “Mister President, I wish you wouldn’t try to scare my protection. The sight, William, is a view into the alternate reality that is around us. There are things on this earth that you have never seen just because you can only see them if you have the sight. Every
wizard has the view. The sight is one way of determining whether or not you are a wizard. We have found that physical adepts can use the sight.

  “When I teach you to use the sight, you will find that some of us have existed in both the alternate reality as well as the current reality. Most people think that this is the real reality, but in fact, the alternate reality influences this reality as much as it does the alternative.”

  “At West Point, I was a middling student of philosophy. You might want to explain that a little better.”

  “Did you know that West Point has a track for wizards who wish to join the Army?”

  “They never approached me about that.”

  “Remember William, you are a physical adept. If you are not using your abilities, you look as normal to any wizard’s eyes as a regular human being. When you start using your physicality and some of the other powers that you might have, that is when you will start being seen by those who have the sight.”

  “Do you have any idea when we will be attacked?”

  In answer, Thomas reached into his carpetbag one more time. This time he reached all the way into the bag up to his shoulder. There was no way that he could do that because the carpet bag was only about a foot and a half tall. William decided to put away his immediate reaction to say that things were impossible. It looks like he was getting into a situation where the improbable would be done every day and the impossible done once a month.

  Thomas withdrew a scroll of parchment. He unrolled the decoration on the secretary in Lincolns’ room. William and Lincoln huddled around Thomas as he un-scrolled the parchment. On the paper was drawn a map. Currently, the map was showing the path that Lincoln was taking with the train. He was making whistle stops all along the trip. He probably was not going to do a whistle stop at Baltimore. Elemental binders, the people who believed that they had a right to bind elementals, had a large gathering in Baltimore. The Pinkertons told Lincoln that the train will not make a stop at Baltimore, or if need be, the train will make only a watering stop. Thomas put his finger on Springfield, Illinois.