Space-Time of Death: an Al Squires of the Protectorate Novel

Ch. 1.2: Three Classic Horror Tropes for the Price of One

When I turned around, Norah was looking at me with an odd look on her face. Not being in the poker game anymore, I no longer needed to inhibit myself by not using my abilities and powers; both magickal and technological. So, I quickly scanned her face for micro-expressions. From what I could gather, she looked like she wanted to tell me something; something that required us being alone, if I were to guess.

"Okay, what's with the face this time?" I said to her, calling her out on it.

She shook herself as if in a trance. "Nothing," she said after that. "It's just that there was something that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Well, I know that you're good at walking and talking," I said as I started walking slowly down the hall. "So, let do that, 'kay?"

Norah caught up with me a beat later. "It's just that," she said softly, "it's funny what-"

I suddenly stopped walking, making her stop as well "You can talk normally, you know," I said normally as I cut her off. "The apartments of the Mannimore are soundproof for privacy reasons, remember? They mentioned this when you first moved in here, didn't they?"

"Yes, sorry," in a normal, albeit slightly embarrassed, tone. "Force of habit, I suppose." She gestured for us to resume walking, and we did so. "Like I was saying, it's funny what Sylvie and the others said mentioned about you 'Lodestone-ing' things."

"Funny 'ha-ha,' or funny strange?" I asked, not sure that I liked where this was going.

"Actually, it's more 'coincidental' funny," she said with a small shrug. "Because I didn't just learn about Thropes in my last trip to the academy. I also learned some things about Lodestones, as well."

"Oh, yeah?" I asked, thinking that she has taken a roundabout interest in me. "I don't seem to recall that subject being taught at any of the classes there."

"There isn't," she replied. "I found out what I could about Lodestones from the Academy library during my spare time. However, there wasn't much there to begin with. Of course, you already knew that."

"I did," I said with a nod. "I did say that Lodestones were a rare multiversal phenomenon. About as rare as you Make-Believers, I'd wager; but so much older. So rare that the older ones have only been mentioned in the myths and legends of, oh say, maybe about five hundred worlds and Realms give or take. That might sound like a lot to you, but in the Grand Scale of the Multiverse, that's just a very small minority. That's one of reasons why you've probably never heard about Lodestones until after becoming In the Know; your Earth wouldn't be such a Blando-World, otherwise."

"Yeah, I kind of got that," she said as she rolled her eyes. "I learned about some of the more famous Lodestones, but it didn't give an exact number to how many are there."

I shrugged. "That's because nobody really knows. I'd hazard a guess at no more than ten Lodestones known to the Protectorate that were either discovered or created, but the number of undiscovered or lost Lodestones could be far greater. Plus, there's only three known sentient Lodestones, including yours truly." I smiled proudly, before adding, "Which makes me among the rarest of the rare."

She gave me the side-eye before continuing. "You know, speaking about you and the other two sentient Lodestones, I tried to read what they had on both you and them, but the information was redacted. Even the images were missing."

"Well, naturally," I replied with a small chuckle. "Being among the rarest of the rare calls for security of the highest order. That means having our identities kept under wraps from those who'd exploit them or worse. The only reason why everyone at the Division knows about it is because became a Lodestone just after I asked to be assigned to it. Given its reputation, I figured that it'd a good a place as any to test out my new condition." I tapped on the wrist where my emitter was located as I added, "As well as to test out my special force-field emitter when necessity later called for it."