Dream Drive Ch. 04

"She's..." Jackson tried, but he couldn't reduce Chaki to words. He wasn't good at that to start with. "She's great."

"Do you mean to marry her?"

"...yeah," Jackson said. "It's...kinda crazy. In my world, we're a lot more, uh, free with affection, I guess, but people still court each other for a long time before committing to marriage. Months, at the least. Some go for years. Several winters, I mean."

"I would say that several seasons of courting is not unusual," Shaka said. "Sometimes as little as a cycle of the moon. But you did meet under extreme circumstances. Such things have a way of bringing people together. She sees you as a savior, Tatanka Ska. You will have to live up to those expectations."

"...I think you just put into words what I've been so afraid of." He looked up at her. "What if I can't? She seems so confident. She makes me feel like I can do it, but...I'm not the right guy for this. For all of this." Jackson gestured at his arm. "This is serious shit. I'm glad I'm here, but...it's too real. I'm glad, but only because it's not home, not because I signed up for a suicide mission. I wanted to play a game, not - I don't even know yet. I don't even know what's going on."

"You say so much, and yet so little," Shaka said. "A confused heart makes for a confused mouth."

"You can say that again."

Shaka spent a moment interpreting his saying. "Tatanka Ska. You are making your life too complicated. Stop thinking."

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Here are your goals," Shaka said. "Serve Shakhan. Stay strong. Make Chaki happy. There. Now your life is simple."

"Oh, gee, thanks."

Shaka's wrinkled lips curled up. "You're welcome."

Jackson couldn't help but return the smile. Maybe...Shaka was right. Maybe he was just overanalyzing the situation. That could help him figure out the game, but it was counterproductive in terms of relationships.

Jackson slapped his knees. "Shaka, I can't promise that I'm perfect, or that Chaki and I are supposed to be together. I've known her two days and some change. I'm not a social person. I've met more people since I've come here than I have in the last few years put together back in my world. But I'll do my best."

Shaka reached out and poked him in the forehead. Jackson blinked and rubbed the spot where her finger touched. "Your thinking is a great strength," she said. "But remember what drew her to you. Ultimately, you must act. Thinking forever will only hurt you. Do not linger on 'ifs' and 'might-have-beens'. Think carefully, then decide, and move forward."

If Chaki could be said to be as solid as a stone, then Shaka was wrought granite. Jackson felt himself smiling. "Thanks, Shaka."

"You are very welcome," she said. "It is good to listen to advice. It is better to take it seriously. Do not forget my words."

"I won't."

"Why is it that you find what others say so hard to believe?" Shaka said. "Do you not trust what Chaki has told you about her feelings? Yes, I spoke of passion - but I see how you look upon each other. There are real feelings beneath your veneer of heat. I just wanted to remind you of your position. I would not have encouraged the relationship between you two in the first place if I did not think it a good thing. You seemed very sure, earlier, but when the actual situation finally grew certain you appear to think yourself on shaky ground."

"I get uncomfortable when things go too well," Jackson said.

"Why?"

"Reasons."

"Tell me, Jackson."

"Because I - hey. You called me Jackson."

She waved a hand at him. "We are in private. You still think of yourself as Jackson, besides."

"Look, what does it matter?" Jackson said. "I get what you said about me and Chaki. I'll try not to get stuck in my head too much. Can we move on?"

"I would like to linger."

"Why do you care so much?"

"Jackson." She placed a bony hand on his knee. Her skin was leathery, but warm. "I care because I care about you. You are strong, but you are just a young man. You need guidance. This is my role in life, for you, for the tribe as a whole. A spirit guide is not just a conduit to Shakhan, not just a repository of runes. She heals and soothes her people. When members of the tribe feel as though they have lost their place, I restore it. When relationships have run dry, I lead wives and husbands back to the creek. I sense discord within you. I am bothered by it. So." She spread her hands. "What we say is between us, and us alone. Please. Share yourself with me."

Jackson hesitated for a long moment.

"...it's my own business," he said.

Shaka looked at him a little longer, then nodded. "Then it is time for you to learn runes."

Jackson made a half-frown. He hadn't expected her to let it go like that, let alone turn around and start handing out magic. "You're still going to teach me?"

"I am. But before that, what of the symbol on Chaki's hand?"

Jackson shrugged. "We promised each other...each other. It just appeared there. She's gained my powers, and we're linked, somehow. We can feel how the other feels. I'm not exactly sure about all the details."

Shaka was quiet. She closed her eyes, nodded. She opened them and looked at Jackson. "I will leave matters of Shakhan to you. Be cautious."

"Yeah," Jackson said. "I'm trying to be. Anyway, Chaki was telling me about magic. Runes are used along with essence to persuade living things to do something different."

"A blunt but accurate statement," Shaka said. "The rune-maker is a director. A guide."

"What about non-living things? Like, say, my spear? Could I use magic on it?"

"I often embed runes into items that I craft," Shaka said. "I trade these with the members of the tribe in return for meat and hides, amongst other things. It is possible to strengthen items this way, though only so many runes can fit onto any object. Beads, for example, cannot carry complex sentences of runes, but only single words - luck. Wisdom. Strength. A shield could carry more."

"So, if you can use magic like that, why didn't you break out of the cage yourself?"

"Multiple reasons," Shaka said. "I wasn't sure if Chaki would survive her wounds without my essence to heal her. Weakening the wood with an enchantment to the point that we could break it open would have sapped a significant portion of what I had left. I was weakened from the infection in my ankle - Chaki and Palla were in enough of a state without knowing about that. And if we did break out of the cage, there was a lookout above the cave watching for trouble. A single rattok might have killed us, beaten and sick as we were. It was better to conserve energy and wait for a better opportunity."

"Oh," Jackson said. "I guess that makes sense."

"Of course, there's another problem with enchantments."

"What's that?"

"Only someone with the talent to push essence into the runes, and thereby activating their strength, is be able to use it," Shaka said. "The process drains essence quickly. So, creating and using an enchantment on the spot is very difficult. However, there are methods to store essence so that it can be used later."

Jackson was starting to think of enchantments as a possible liability, rather than any help, until he heard that last bit. He perked up. "How can I store essence?"

"Certain stones can store essence," she said, "though they are very rare. I only have a few remaining. Most of what I owned was on my person when I was captured, and they were stripped from me."

"What sort of stones?"

"Here." Shaka lifted the collar of her dress and drew out her necklace. There were three red gemstones strung along it. They looked like rubies, but they were uncut - raw little daggers of rock, rather than crafted stones. She untied it from her neck and offered it out. "Touch them. You'll see."

Jackson brushed the rubies with his fingers. Immediately, he could feel it - the same pressure in his gut, energy curled up, waiting to be pushed. A baying dog that needed someone to take the collar off. He drew his hand back. "Does that work with stuff other than rubies?"

Shaka nodded. "They are few and far between. I had several blue stones, and a few white ones. They are lost to me, now. I am only thankful I didn't wear everything together."

"So, you could drain your rubies to power an enchantment, but it would go fast," Jackson said. He had saw sudden image of his rusty iron spear jammed with rubies along the shaft. "Maybe I can find some myself. If you use runes to persuade things, though, how do you use them to enchant something?"

"Inanimate objects can't have a conversation," Shaka said. "Runes can imbue them with properties they might not otherwise have. If I inscribed strength upon a spear, for example, it would be much less likely to break, should I swing hard. If I inscribed sharpness upon an arrowhead, it would pierce deeper into the hide of a bison. Of course, you have to expend essence to gain these effects, and even then they are only active as essence is pushed into them."

"So, some gems can store essence," Jackson said. "Then what are essence crystals, exactly?"

"If you ever touch an empty gemstone, you'll sense the potential it has to store power," Shaka said. "Essence circulates around us. It's in the ground, the air we breathe, in the food we eat. It's part of life. Sometimes, it finds its way into the rocks, and is locked there, drawn in by that potential to store and hold. The crystals are natural deposits of essence." Shaka closed her eyes, thinking. "There is lore which says powerful creatures grow strong by taking crystals into themselves. It is said that the great plains golems are given life because of these crystals. They are much more delicate than my stones - not reusable."

Jackson stuck his tongue out, thinking. He'd found an essence crystal after killing that one rattok - the big one. Maybe it was a rattok that had eaten a crystal, or been affected by it, somehow. He might have to go big game hunting to find out.

"Do you know what Words are?" he asked.

"Words?" Shaka gave him an odd look. "We use them to speak to one another."

"...so you don't know what Words are," Jackson said.

"I think I'm missing something."

"Shakhan's sign told me there is more to magic than runes," Jackson said. "There's a side that doesn't persuade - it compels. I think it has to do with magic that's spoken rather than written."

Shaka slowly nodded. "There are reports passed amongst the tribes that say the land of the iron men is ruled by those who command powerful magics. It is said they can make the earth shiver, and the skies tremble. Perhaps their Words do such things, for my runes cannot. And I am glad for it."

"Glad?" Jackson said. "If you had those abilities, you wouldn't have been captured."

"Power is dangerous," Shaka said. "I am strong, Jackson, and I have magic, but I am just a woman. It does me well to remember this fact. There are several in the tribe to whom I could teach runes, several I can sense that have talent. Chaki has the greatest potential, true, but magic should not be used frivolously, and certainly not as a tool to rule over others. With all my efforts focused on Chaki, I can be certain that this wisdom is passed to her."

"What if you died?"

"On that occasion, the spirit guide of the other branch of our tribe would take her in and finish her education, before restoring her to us. We would do as we could without a spirit guide in the interim." She smiled at him. "Does that answer all your questions?"

"For now."

"You're an inquisitive sort."

"You get that way when you have access to the internet," Jackson said.

"I'm not going to ask," Shaka said. "I have decided that I will leave your world to you."

Jackson felt relief that he didn't have to explain the internet to someone who didn't even know that the earth was round. "Fine by me."

"Now then." Shaka began to draw on the ground. "Runes are different than what we speak. They are nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The verbs do not change. So, for example, I would tell you that an arrow flies quickly. In runes, it would be thus."

Shaka drew three shapes. One was a straight line with two marks for feathers; the likeness of an arrow. The next rune Jackson didn't quite get until she was finished - it was a wing, with three lines drawn under it. The last rune was a simple triangle, but she underlined it two times. Shaka pointed to each symbol in turn. "Arrow. Fly. Fast."

"So...no conjugation?"

"Essentially," Shaka said. "There are some modifications. For example, if I wanted to say arrow fly very fast..." She brushed the dirt of the floor to clear it, then drew the triangle rune again. This time, she made it smaller, and drew two copies of it. "This would read as arrow fly fast fast."

"Seems easy enough."

Shaka grinned. "Remembering thousands of words will tax your memory indeed, Jackson."

"How do I write like you two did?" Jackson asked. "With white lines?"

"Reach within yourself for essence," Shaka said. "Grasp it. When you write the runes, they will shine with your inner light. Your soul will convey your intent. Just let it happen."

Jackson did as she said. His essence was still there, resting inside of him. He put a mental hand on it, and drew in the air.

A grey line followed his finger. It was...slow. He'd draw in the air, and the line would appear a few moments after; there seemed to be some sort of lag time. "Huh."

"Practice will increase the speed," Shaka said.

Jackson drew the shape of the arrow, and as he completed the rune, the line stopped, detaching from him as if it knew his intention was complete. Maybe it did. He drew the last two runes, and the same thing happened.

Jackson kept an eye on his essence counter. It didn't go down - holding his essence let him draw the runes, but didn't deplete it. He peered at the symbols he'd made in the air. Grey wasn't the right word. It was somewhat reflective, burnished, like iron that had been scratched clean with a wire brush.

"Why do mine look different?"

"They reflect the soul," Shaka said. "Chaki and I are similar. We are people under the mountain. You are different. Your runes might change as you do."

Jackson felt something else. A pulse, like a heartbeat. It thrummed in his chest. It was close. He frowned, and looked at Shaka. "...do you feel that?"

She smiled. "That is me. You have a similar pulse, though it is quite weak. You have less potential than Chaki, but I suspect your blessing might make up for that."

Jackson frowned. Weak? That wasn't good.

Oh. Wait. He hadn't put any points into Spirit. Of course he felt weaker. His advantage was that he could make himself stronger, not that he started out as a god.

His mind turned to practical considerations. "Is there a way to hide my pulse?"

"Of course," she said. "Stop touching your essence. Your magical pulse will cease, but then it becomes impossible for you to detect my own pulse. You must emit a pulse to detect one. However, if someone uses strong magic nearby, you wouldn't need to hold your essence to sense them."

"Tricky," Jackson said. He licked his lips. Magic was getting more and more complicated. "Let me go write these runes down, then I'll come back for more."

"I will prepare more for you. How many do you think you can memorize at once?"

"Game menu." Jackson flicked through the screens with his finger to the log out button. He glanced at Shaka. "Um...probably six or seven."

"Then you have many trips to make. Go with haste."

Jackson hit the button. Usually, a prompt asking him if he was sure would pop up, but this time, there was a different inquiry.

Would you like to take any of your Bonded with you?

Yes

No

"...whoa."

"What is it?"

"...it's asking me if I want to take Chaki back with me," Jackson said. "I can take her back into my world."

"I would speak with her about that before acting," Shaka said. "And certainly not until you are married. I assume the process is harmless?"

"Yeah. I just wake up back where I left there."

"Alright. Leave it alone for now."

Jackson reached up and tapped the 'no' button. Shaka was right - that was a complication he didn't want to worry about right now.

Jackson's world went black, as black as if he'd worn a blindfold and shut his eyes - and then he was back in his room. He lifted his Dream Drive off his head and sat down at his computer. It was still a sprawling mess. He hadn't exactly prioritized organizing it into something he screw a case around.

He moused on one of his monitors. The clock told him it was past 7pm. His window was pink with the sliver of sun that fell through the alley outside his apartment block. It was still morning back in Isis - that confirmed the 12-hour time difference.

Notifications popped up in front of him as he opened his internet connection. His calendar chimed to remind him that school started in four more days. A little video started to play.

"This is a message from the Interscholastic Council of New Boston!" said a cheery voice. "We hope your summer assignments have proceeded successfully. This mandatory five-video series will prepare you for your final year of -"

Jackson clicked a button in the corner of his desktop. A little app sprung to life and closed the video for him. Government-sponsored announcements normally froze a computer until they'd finished delivering their message. Jackson had workarounds.

Almost immediately, another video started playing. This one was propaganda. They released a newsreel on the state of the war every day. The reel was sent to everyone on the government's mailing list.

Everyone was on the government's mailing list. Everything they sent was mandatory viewing. Jackson did not particularly like the government.

The videos were split into three parts. The first segment always showed whatever the recent victory was, or soldiers preparing for victory, victory parades, proclamations of imminent victory by one or more political leaders or generals, or, if there was absolutely nothing going on, a montage of past victories. The second part demonized the Sino-Russian Bloc and showed how they were on the brink of falling apart before the unstoppable forces of the GAU. Jackson regarded this information in particular with a touch of skepticism, because if you believed the newsreels, they'd been on the verge of collapse for over 14 years.

And then the last segment. It was the part Jackson hated most - the reminder that every citizen of the Greater Atlantic Union had to do their part to ensure victory. It was usually a clip of some person shown doing something that benefited the state, followed by them giving an impassioned personal interview of how honored they were to be selected and how you, too, could make a difference!

Jackson didn't have to deal with that anymore. The most popular program to get around the videos had been deep web freeware for some time. It simply closed the video while mimicking the response information that told the government you'd watched the whole thing.

The first version had long been ousted and replaced with a dummy sting program to sucker people in and get them some jail time. Like so many things the government did on the internet, their efforts were counterproductive. With the main source of liberation vanquished, thousands of variations on the theme immediately sprung to life like so many cockroaches. Jackson himself had modified his copy to avoid the government's claws, creating his own unique version. He followed public security updates on one of his deep net feeds to stay a few steps ahead of changing protocols. It was a simple program, anyway - he wasn't a total pro wit software, but he was good enough for that.

Something more important beeped at him next - an email. Jackson used an aggregation program to collect email from the dozens of addresses he'd created over the years. This one was sent to an address he no longer used. He double clicked it.