The Next Dimension

Chapter 6

***

He ignored most of the rest of the meeting. They started talking about random political stuff after everything had completely settled down, leaving him to die quietly in the corner of boredom. The rest of the meeting lasted three hours. How they managed to talk about irrelevant stuff for that long, he had no idea. He had fallen asleep with his head tucked into his arms on the table and his hood pulled up.

Henrietta woke him up when it was all over by shaking his shoulder. He'd looked up to see the blue foot booby looking directly at him, with a tiny grin on her face that he didn't like. Miss blueberry had looked surprised at his outburst earlier, but then the slight smile on her face had been a permanent addition since then. It irritated him more than the mess he had gotten himself into. Like she knew something, just as he knew something about her. He didn't like it one bit.

"Come on, it's over. Lord Ethans wishes to speak with you about the tracking spell." He let out a sigh, then dragged himself to his feet.

"Fine, fine. I'm coming." He stretched his arms as they walked to the other side of the room, stopping in front of the Ethans, who were talking to each other in low voices. Their advisors had left the room already. "You wanted to talk to me?" He asked them, and Lady looked up sharply like she hadn't noticed him approach. Ethans gazed at him warily.

"Yes, about this spell. How soon can you do it? I want my boy found as soon as possible." Sagarus sighed. This was the question he was the most afraid of.

"A week or two? Maybe? It requires a lot of energy, which I don't have. I'll be honest and tell you that this world has so little magic in it that it's terribly difficult to gain enough to even do that silly twister again." Lady looked pale.

"Weeks!? Is there any way for you to regain energy faster?" She sounded horrified.

"Only if I find a ley line. They're like rivers of magic, and the only way to tell where they are without stepping directly in them is the increased magical activity that usually surrounds them. I need to find one regardless for later, so that is my first priority. I'll need help, though."

"Consider it done." Ethans said in his deep voice. "Whatever it takes, transportation, supplies, anything." Sagarus nodded.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if I need anything, but for now, I should be fine. I mostly just need to rest to regain the energy I need. I'll let you know when I am closer to performing the spell." They nodded and said their thank you's sincerely, then Henrietta guided him out of the building.

The young-old man was waiting for them at the curb, a nice-looking car with black tinted windows idling on the street waiting for him.

"Mr. Ayers, I-"

"Sagarus. None of this Mr. Ayers stuff, it makes me feel old." The young-old man looked irritated at being interrupted, but there was something else in his posture that had not been there before.

"Fine, Sagarus. I wanted you to know that I will help you with your forced endeavor, but there must be no more fooling around with your magic. Not in my nation. I'm placing you under supervision until you leave my country, is that clear?"

His voice was hard, and he didn't sound very pleased. Probably because Sagarus made a mini tornado in a very important meeting with powerful people watching.

"Excuse me? I wasn't fooling around. I have not done anything without good reason." He glared at the young-old man.

"My point is that I don't trust you, Mr. Ayers. You are something no one has ever seen before and you have been blabbering a ludicrous story that is hardly believable. If you can't deliver the boy the nations will go to war. Forgive me for wanting to know what you are getting up to here." They held gazes for a tense moment, then the young-old man turned to the car. "Get in, You're going to be staying somewhere else. Henrietta, in the front seat."