dimensions | original

Pearls

"I..." Once again, Luma had nothing to say. She barely finished speaking when a terrible pounding headache rattled her brain. "I'm sorry, I have no idea."

Kinglyn smiled, a hesitant half smile. "Well, I guess there's no need for a test." Again, Emersyn was lost. She inwardly cursed Asha, trying to ignore the hurt inside herself. Why don't you tell me anything?

Luma blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I was going to test you for magic abilities, originally. I just was going to check the databases for Asha's theory first." Again, Emersyn felt hurt. What theory? "But one thing leads to another, and my job is already done. Although I will test you just to be sure." he hastily added.

"But... I'm not."

Emersyn tilted her head. "What?"

"I'm not magic."

"But you must be!" Kinglyn exclaimed. "How else would you know this highly confidential insignificant prophecy that really no one has looked at?"

"I'm just a human!"
"Even the occasional human is magic." Emersyn reminded her. "You're just a product of the system, a catastrophe." She had never understood the magic cycles until Carressa Copper, her fellow mechanic, showed her how was like some big neverending machine. Pure humans with magic were like a system flaw- nothing but a walking mistake. But Emersyn didn't tell Luma this- somehow she felt like it might be a tad depressing.

"But what do you mean by magic?" asked Luma anxiously, her hands fiddling together.

Kinglyn took a deep breath. "A prophet. Prophetess if you must." And prophets with the ability to know other people's prophecies as well as their own are often the most dangerous, he worried to himself. I hope she'll forgive our treatment of her and Mark.

Luma blinked, thinking to herself. What was it called again? she mused to herself. Oh, channeling. It seemed like so long ago that she and Mark had landed in Lalaland and he had mentioned channeling, even trying to teach the skill to Luma.

"Is channeling magic?" Luma inquired.

Kinglyn gave her an odd look. "Yes."

Luma frowned. "What about seeing things through Dimensions?" she asked, referring to when she saw the city of steel and shadows in Lalaland's Underneath, years before she had gone there.

"Yes." Kinglyn frowned. "You don't mean to tell me you can do this?"

"I think so." Luma answered uncertainly.

"I guess it's time to do that test." he said, looking Luma over with a critical eye, as though he could see the magic in her.

"Yep." Emersyn said awkwardly. Kinglyn looked at her with surprise, as though he couldn't believe she was still there.

"Emersyn, everything you just heard is highly confidential. Do you understand?"

Emersyn bit her lip. "Yes. I understand."

"Excellent." Kinglyn's face softened. "You realize I have to do that, right?"

"Yes." Emersyn said softly. But she also knew that he didn't have to, technically- she was part of the mission, just a minor helping.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Kinglyn said. "Emersyn- can you message Asha, and tell her to meet me in the testing room?" Emersyn nodded. "Luma- you will come with me." Luma nodded as well, noticing that he was implying that she had to come with him. Well, she reassured herself, at least I'm not chained. I can try and make a run for it. Luma's story-loving sister Cassidie had once told her about a 15 year old boy who escaped from a high security prison. Of course, it was only a book, but naive Luma tried to convince herself she could manage it if absolutely necessary.