Chapter 8

As soon as I got back home, I called my attorney and informed him of the appearance of Mathew... who had turned out to be alive, well, and visiting some friends. I explained I had gone back to Wyoming, and he really gave me hell for that, but he did say he would contact the police to see what they had. After I hung up, I realized I was out ten thousand dollars for my attorney already, and I still had no clue as to why it had happened. The police hadn't bothered to tell me. Someone owed me for the costs I had incurred as far as I was concerned.

In the meantime, I returned to my work. It took me a while to get back into the swing of things, but Mathew only called once, and I had told him I was thinking about something and not to bother me. He actually left me alone.

I was considering the possibility of either shielding the things that went bad when it encountered the magic field, or maybe releasing only a little magic and keeping it at low levels, so both magic and science could co-exist.

I had no idea how much magic it took to affect the components that it did, so this would call for some experimentation. This might take a while. It was the only way I could see bringing magic back into the world. Too many people would die if magic was released powerfully or suddenly. The sudden failure of machinery would be catastrophic. Hell, maybe if it were done slowly, the electronic components wouldn't fry or stop working like they now did. That would be ok, too.

Two weeks later I called Mathew.

"First, I want to know how you are doing, then I have a few things I want to run by you," I said when he answered.

"Well boy, I am doing fine. A little angry of course, but I am sure we can work something out to our mutual benefit," he responded in a booming voice.

Hmm, he seemed to be taking this to well, almost too well. My suspicions were raised right away.

"I have an idea or two," I said, and explained my ideas to him. I finally came to the end of my ideas and there was a lengthy pause. I was about to ask him if he was still there when he responded.

"You know, I have never considered it from that approach. Also, while I was visiting that world you took me too, I discovered a substance that is very resistant to magic and its affects.

"If we could bring enough over to sheath the machinery now in place, or start making our components with this stuff, that would probably work as well," he said with rising excitement.

"Really? You discovered something in that short time you were there that is resistant to magic? I asked incredulously.

"Well, I didn't discover it as in the properties. It is used extensively in places and seems to be readily available to the people of the land we were in. I saw several examples of it, including safe rooms sheathed with this stuff to keep magic out," he said thoughtfully.

We spent an hour talking about various ways to bring magic to the land that was acceptable to me. He understood my reluctance to hurt people needlessly, and said he was willing to try it my way.

"I really want to bring in one or two others of my brethren from the days of magic. There are several others in North America, and a person in Central America that could be useful to us," he said after a short pause.

We finally hung up, with me cautioning him not to reveal to any of the others who I was or where I lived. He didn't answer me directly when I told him that. I was hoping to keep a bit of secrecy concerning me, but was not totally sure I could. After all, I had just been through a short but highly publicized accusation of murder, well, I was the primary suspect anyway.

I did finally find out whom it was that brought the police in. It was someone in that damned town that Mathew lived close too. She had appointed herself town and area busybody, and when Mathew turned up missing so soon after my visit, two and two added up to foul play, in her book. Damn busybodies! It had never occurred to her that Mathew or I could have gone visiting. No, I must have murdered him. God save me from dogooders. I sent her an itemized bill for my attorney, and associated costs from this case. I asked if she would kindly reimburse me the costs, but have yet to hear from her.

After I turned in one job to a publisher, I decided to start experimenting with that substance that Mathew told me about. If we were going to bring back magic to the land, then we had some studying and experimenting to do.

The problem was, Mathew had reminded me there was a time schedule, as the latest site to suffer a weakness in the spell was already starting to self-correct or repair the problem. Who ever cast those spells sure knew what he, she, or they was doing. I had already told Mathew that I had no intention of trying to create a pipeline, and that we should look at alternatives first.

I don't think he believed me about that, and for some reason, I was hesitant about confronting him over this. I had already told him and if he did not get it, well, that was his problem. I would not condemn millions of people to death so he and a few others could enjoy basking in a magic field.

After clearing my schedule, I got into contact with Garretti and told him about Mathew's new plan. He was thoughtful and nodded.

"It's a mineral that we have in abundance here. It can be refined into a useful ore, or crushed and used as a paint," he told me.

Ah ha! Paint. We could more easily coat existing machinery with this instead of making components out of it. Painting the outer surface of the electronics should be possible, or treating them anyway.

"Can you get me some of this substance to experiment with?" I asked him.

"Of course. As a matter of fact, the kingdom here has an abundance of the stuff already mined for use. Perhaps an arrangement can be made for a trade or an agreement entered into? Garretti said with narrowing eyes.

I grinned at him. What do you know? A business entrepreneur. He grinned back, and told me it would take him a day or so to gather a good enough quantity for me to experiment with, but that he already had some in the form of a powder for paint.

Several days later, I took a trip to that world. The entire world was called Vorden, and of course there were kingdoms and principalities all over the place. There was a small empire, but it bothered no one as it was so far away and did not have the military might to harm anyone this far north. While the empire's fleet was big, it was mostly trade vessels and it only maintained enough of an army and navy to maintain its borders.