Chapter 8 – A Time for Healing

“David… David, please… don’t die…” Maddie whimpered, crying into her husband’s chest as he lay on the ground.

“Calm yourself, Madeleine!” Nimue snapped. “I shall keep him stable. You just get that gate open.”

“Gate? What gate?”

All of a sudden, Maddie’s senses returned to her at hearing Nimue’s order. Looking around, she saw that they were in an unfamiliar countryside, though she was uncertain where it might be. Ahead of them stood a large temple or monastery of some sort, blocked by an enormous set of doors.

“Nimue… where are we?” Maddie asked with unease.

“Japan,” she replied, still focusing her attentions on Dave. “Okinawa, to be exact. This was the safest place I could think to bring him; this place is home to the most powerful healers in the world. Now, get that gate open!”

Wasting no time, Maddie rushed up to the doors and found a large bell. Taking hold of the rope holding the hammer, she pulled back and swung it into the bell’s surface, unleashing a deep and resonant bong. She did so once more before dashing to the doors and banging furiously on them.

“Please, help us! My husband is dying!” Maddie screamed in desperation.

After a moment, the doors creaked open and revealed a young man dressed in a traditional Karate gi. He bowed and spoke a greeting in Japanese.

“Yōkoso. Watashi wa dōsureba anata o tasukete kureru no?”

Falling to her knees from exhaustion and hysteria, Maddie pleaded, “Please, help my husband…”

The young man was confused at first by the language barrier, but soon looked past Maddie and saw Dave lying on the ground. The wound on his back was obvious, as it still smoked a bit from the electrical discharge and the scent of burning flesh filled the surrounding air. At this, the young man understood and turned to call for his master.

“SENSEI!” he shouted.

A few seconds later, an older gentleman of about seventy came jogging out. He tall and somewhat rotund, yet he appeared to be a man of great strength as well. His weight was distributed as such that it would give him power in any confrontation, rather than holding him back. His clean-shaven face was soft and warm, and his silver hair projected an image of great wisdom and experience. After a brief exchange with the young man, he turned to examine Dave, but was first taken aback at the woman cradling him in her arms.

“Nimue?! Is that you?!” the man asked in shock.

“Hello, Sato,” Nimue replied. “I apologize for arriving like this, but our time is short and this young man needs immediate healing.”

“Of course,” Sato replied with a slight bow. After another exchange with the young man, he continued, “This is my grandson, Riku. He will take the young man to our healing chambers. You may go with him, young lady,” he said to Maddie. “Nimue, if you’ll come with me to help with preparations.”

Maddie looked uncertain at this prospect, but Nimue nodded to her. “Go with him. It will all be fine. These people are friends.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Maddie followed behind Riku. She managed to contain her surprise when the young man lifted Dave’s body into the air with a levitation spell, revealing that he was also a sorcerer. Riku lead the way through the gates and across a courtyard to a small building on the other side. As they walked, he surprised Maddie once again by speaking to her.

“You are an English-speaker, yes?”

“Oh! Y-Yes, I am. I apologize, I did not realize you spoke my tongue,” she replied.

“I do not,” Riku grinned, “but this is a spell that allows one to become fluent in a foreign language in an instant.”

“Incredible…”

“This man is your husband?”

“Yes. We were on our honeymoon when… when…”

“Don’t worry,” Riku assured her. “Sensei is a remarkable healer. He will restore your husband back to his old self. You’ll see.”

By that time, they had arrived in a small darkened room with a circular stone pedestal about ten feet in diameter in the middle. Riku floated Dave onto the pedestal with care, and Maddie took Dave’s hand in the hopes it might help with whatever was about to happen. She now saw that the pedestal seemed to have tiny carvings all over it, appearing to be channels of some sort. A moment later, Nimue and Sato arrived, each with a large jar of water floating in front of them. They poured the water into two pools on either side of the room before taking their places at the pedestal, Nimue at Dave’s feet and Sato at his head.

Maddie watched with baited breath as Nimue began to influence the two pools of water, causing them to flow down a pair of channels and up into the pedestal. The water soon filled each of the smaller carvings within the stone, dampening Dave’s body from head to toe. At that point, Nimue held firm to keep the water flow at a consistent speed, allowing Sato to begin his work. Summoning his aura, he directed his energy into the water itself, which started to glow with an ethereal light. Soon, that light began to envelop Dave’s body and the streams of water wrapped around him like vines. Sato then laid hands on Dave’s forehead, slipping into a trance.

“He clings to life… but just barely,” Sato said. “You arrived not a moment too soon.”

“Please… save him,” Maddie pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Sato now gathered the glowing water into a concentrated cluster and focused on the wound on Dave’s back. The light began to grow in intensity, blinding Riku and Maddie for a few moments. The last thing Maddie saw before having to look away was a column of light piercing Dave’s chest. Soon the light vanished, allowing her to again gaze upon her husband. At that moment, Dave’s eyes popped open and he sat straight up in a reflexive jerk.

“GAH! What? Wha…”

“Dave! Oh, you’re alive!” Maddie cried, rushing forward to hug him.

“Maddie? What… oh, shit… my chest hurts…”

“You are fortunate that is all that hurts,” Nimue giggled.

Now realizing that there were others around him, Dave asked, “Wait… Nimue? Is that you? How did you get here?” Seeing Sato and Riku, he continued, “For that matter… where exactly is here?”

“Easy, young man,” Sato chimed in. “Your body is still in shock. You need to rest before anything else happens. Come, to the recovery room.”

Sato and Riku helped Dave to his feet, walking him one step at a time to the next room and laying him down upon a simple yet comfortable-looking bed. Dave tried his best to move on his own, but his body was still weak and recovering from his near-death experience. Maddie sat next to him on the bed and pulled the sheets over him.

“It will be better if he rests alone,” Sato said, placing a gentle hand on Maddie’s shoulder.

“With respect, I’m not leaving my husband’s side,” Maddie replied with resolve.

Sato was about to protest, but one look at Nimue and Maddie told him it would be a futile effort. “Very well. When next he wakes, just ring the small bell at the door.” Turning to Nimue, he continued, “My thanks for your assistance. The aid of a water nymph always makes healing far easier.”

“It was my pleasure,” she replied with a smile. “Dave is a good man; I would do anything to help him.”

“I am glad to know this. Oh, I do not mean to be rude, but I fear that your, erm, radiant beauty may be a distraction to the students here.”

Realizing Sato was referring to her nudity, Nimue replied, “Of course! I apologize; I often forget the customs of modesty in the mortal realm.” With a wave of her hand, she was dressed in a silk kimono with an elegant waterfall pattern. “I believe this attire is acceptable in your culture, yes?”

“It is. Thank you,” Sato said, following Nimue out of the room.

Though his body was tired, Dave’s mind was still racing. “Maddie, seriously, what’s going on here?”

“Hush, my love,” Maddie cooed, spooning herself against Dave’s back and wrapping her arms around him. “Sleep. When you wake, everything will be explained.”

Much as he wanted to argue, Dave was powerless to do so. With Maddie’s soft lips kissing his shoulder and her fingers running through his hair, he felt compelled to listen to her. After a few minutes, they were both sound asleep.

*****

“What the hell were you thinking, Iger?!”

“Mr. Secretary, if I may-”

“Shut up! I gave you explicit instructions not to engage them! Do you really have so little respect for my authority that you would disobey a direct order so willfully?”

“These are not normal circumstances, Mr. Secretary! I had no choice!”

“I don’t want to hear it! You took an illegal and unconstitutional action against an American citizen, Iger! Worse, you did it on foreign sovereign soil! Now, I have British authorities asking me who sanctioned a mission like this one on their turf without first consulting with them! What would you like me to tell them?”

Sighing, Mark replied, “I do not regret my decision, but I am sorry for the trouble and headache it has caused you. I take responsibility for the fallout from this.”

“Responsibility… that’s hilarious. Even if your fears about David Brighton were correct, your actions today have driven him into hiding. Now, I’ve got to find a way to track him down and smooth things over.”

“Smooth things over? What do you mean, Mr. Secretary?”

“Dr. Iger, by our estimates, David Brighton is an immensely powerful sorcerer, and I’d be willing to bet he has yet to reach his full potential. If he finds out that you’re connected to a larger organization, he will likely view that entire entity as a threat to his safety, as well as to his wife. He may well decide to retaliate against us to make sure we don’t come after him again, and I’m not so certain we would win that confrontation. We may have numbers, but I’d rather not find out. No, I need to find him and try to make peace with him. Maybe in doing this, I’ll find out the whole story behind his wife.”

“I understand. I’ll do anything I can to assist.”

“You’ve done enough. Go home. You’re on mandatory vacation, and we’ll be watching your home in Tennessee, so don’t try anything cute.”

Swallowing hard, Mark asked, “For how long?”

“I don’t know. At least until I get this mess you’ve created sorted out. Dismissed.”

As Mark left, grumbling about the greater good as he went, the Secretary sat in contemplative silence for quite some time, trying to figure the best way to resolve the situation. Much as he wanted to end Mark’s career right out, he had to leave himself breathing room in the event Mark’s suppositions about the Brightons proved correct. Still, he had this nagging feeling that he was missing something. Besides, there was also the issue of this mystery woman that came to their rescue against Mark. Who could she be? British authorities had seemed as confused as he was on the subject. Sighing, he placed a hand on his Channel.

“Steven? It’s Ben. I’ve got a tough situation here. Yeah, that’s right… I’m going to need the rest of the Security Council.”

*****

By the time Dave woke up, it was ten o’clock the next morning. True to her word, Maddie had stayed right by his side the whole time, just happy to hold her husband in her arms. As he stirred, she slipped out of bed and rang the small bell as Sato had instructed. A few minutes later, Riku arrived with a tray of food for them. Now that the stress of yesterday had passed, Dave and Maddie could see that he was a rather compact and wiry young man, appearing about twenty years old. His black hair was buzzed short, but his serious face hid a more jovial disposition than one would expect from a serious student of karate.

“Good morning. I have your breakfast,” he said. “Steamed rice and grilled fish. I’m sure that is not what you English are accustomed to for breakfast, but we find it quite fulfilling, as well as conducive to training.”

“At this point, I’d eat chicken feed,” Dave joked, earning a small laugh from Riku. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure. Sensei will be here shortly; he’ll explain everything to you. Dave, Maddie, good morning.”

As soon as Riku left, Dave turned to his wife. “Ok, what the hell happened? The last thing I remember was hearing a voice whispering to me. ‘Beware’, that’s what it said. The next thing I know, I wake up here with a major pain in my chest!”

“Oh, Dave, it’s such a long story. It all began while you were kneeling down at the spot Merlin had been buried. All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning flew in and struck you in the back. I was distraught, as you can imagine, and turned to see where it had come from. To my surprise, I saw… Dr. Iger.”

“Mark Iger?!” Dave exclaimed.

“Yes. He… he’s a sorcerer, Dave.”

Dave sat there in silence for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what Maddie was telling him. “That can’t be. A sorcerer? Merlin said only those with genius-level intellect who could access the entirety of their brains could use sorcery! How the hell is Mark-fucking-Iger that brilliant?!”

“I don’t know, Dave,” Maddie said, trying to calm her husband. “I only know what I saw with my own eyes. I was confused at first, but he began talking about ‘saving the world from your foolish actions’ and that he had to eliminate both of us. It was then that he attacked me. I attempted to fight him off as best as I could, but… I panicked. I couldn’t focus my mind like I had been able to in practice. I think it was the fact that you were dying that distracted me…”

“I’m sure you were brilliant,” Dave reassured her.

“Anyway, he had beaten me and was about to strike the killing blow, but Nimue appeared at that moment and drove him off. That’s when she brought us here.”

Before Dave could inquire further, Sato and Nimue arrived through the door.

“Good morning, Dave. I trust you are feeling better?” Nimue asked.

“I am, thanks. Maddie was just filling me in on what happened yesterday.”

“Of course. Come, we have more comfortable quarters to discuss these things in,” Sato said.

Dave and Maddie followed the pair out of the building and into the courtyard of the monastery, where they were treated to a beautiful and serene greenspace. Several groups of youths and young adults were scattered throughout the area, practicing their martial arts. Some of the older ones sparred or worked with weapons such as staves and tonfa, while the younger students practiced their fundamentals, always under the watchful eye of an older student.

“Formal introductions. My name is Sato Yamamoto. This monastery serves as my own karate-do dojo,” Sato said as they walked. “I have studied the way of karate ever since I was a little boy, and it brings me such joy and pleasure to enrich the lives of others. To pay it forward, as it were.”

“Your home is so lovely,” Maddie remarked with a smile.

“Thank you. In truth, the monks made this place beautiful long before I arrived, but my students still aid them with upkeep. Come, in here is a sitting room.”

They followed Sato into the living quarters of the monastery and into a room off the main atrium. It was warmly decorated in earth tones and contained a few simple plants in the corners, creating a peaceful and calming atmosphere. A small rectangular table sat in the middle with cushions surrounding it. As Sato and Nimue took their seats at the head and foot of the table, Dave and Maddie filled the remaining two cushions.

“Dave, perhaps we should get the obvious questions out of the way first,” said Nimue.

“What exactly happened to me yesterday? Maddie said I was attacked by Mark Iger, the preacher at my family’s church, but that just sounds too unbelievable to be true.”

“You were attacked, Dave,” Nimue replied. “That man struck such a powerful blow that it managed to penetrate your passive aura defenses. In fact, those defenses were the only reason you weren’t vaporized in an instant. Madeleine did the best she could to fight him off, but his experience won out, and I had no choice but to intervene. I would have finished him off, but we had to get you to safety. That is why I brought you here to Okinawa. Sato here is not only a master of karate, but also an incredible sorcerer, probably the best healer in the world. It is thanks to his efforts that you are as strong now as you ever were.”

Turning to Sato, Dave said, “I’m in your debt, sir.”

“No debt is owed,” Sato chuckled, waving his hand. “Any friend to Nimue is a friend to me. I am happy to help.”

“What exactly was the healing technique you used on Dave yesterday?” Maddie asked.

“Ah, yes. It is a special technique that takes advantage of the natural healing properties of water to combat even the most terrible of injuries. The first step is to envelop the patient’s entire body in water, which gives me roughly the same information as a full-body CAT scan. From there, I concentrate the water around the areas that require the most healing, infusing the water with my aura to rebuild the cells of a person’s organs and tissue mass at an accelerated rate. Of course, the technique is useless if the patient has already passed away, but at any point before that, I have yet to encounter an injury that I cannot heal.”

“Wow… I guess that’s what someone can do with a lifetime of experience practicing sorcery,” Maddie mused.

“So, where do we go from here?” Dave wondered, his face turning serious. “It’s clear that Iger targeted us for some reason, but why?”

“I don’t know,” Nimue replied, “but I surmise he is in some way connected to the greater body of sorcerers in America.”

“Sorcerers? Plural?” Dave asked as his eyebrows shot up.

Nimue giggled. “Dave, did you really think sorcery died out over the last millennium? Today, I daresay it is more prevalent than ever, even if it is still practiced in secrecy. I do know that each country handles sorcery in its own way, but I am ignorant beyond that. As best as I can surmise, either he attacked you in a sanctioned strike or as a lone wolf. If the former, then you and Maddie are still in grave danger him, as well as his associates. But if the latter, it may be possible to handle things diplomatically, assuming you can contact the right sorcerer.”

Maddie then said, “In regards to why we were attacked, I may have a thought. There is still much we do not know, but from the things he said during our skirmish, it is clear that Dr. Iger somehow knows, or at least suspects that I am not of this time period. How he discovered this is a mystery to me.”

“So, if he knows you’re not of our time, he may have jumped to some dangerous conclusions. Shit, that explains why he’d try to kill us,” Dave surmised. Turning to Nimue, he asked, “Is it possible to contact whatever body governs American sorcery? I wonder if telling them the full story could smooth things over.”

“It might, especially if I am there to corroborate your story. After all, I am the one who thrust you back in time to begin with, and against your will, no less. Still, they may not believe you, Dave. Are you prepared for that possibility?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my wife.”

Nodding in understanding, Nimue said, “Sato, if you’ll make the call.”

“I will contact the Americans. My new friends, you are welcome to stay here as long as you wish. You will be treated well here, and you may even find that our practice of karate-do can enhance your capabilities to new heights. If you wish to train with us, we would consider it a great honor.”

*****

For the next few days, Dave and Maddie spent their time with Sato and his students, getting to know them and their ways. Dave did remember that they were still technically on their honeymoon, so he teleported back to their hotel in England to check out and collect their bags, bringing them back to Okinawa with him. As he began his studies of karate with Sato’s students, he developed a good relationship with Riku. The young man was Sato’s pride and joy, being both a highly advanced practitioner of karate and a powerful sorcerer.

“There are two specific styles of karate-do that we practice here,” Riku told Dave. “First is Shorin-ryu, which emphasizes breathing and natural stances more so than other martial arts. Shorin-ryu stances are high and relaxed, rather than the deep bended-knee stances you frequently see in films. Its movements are smooth and graceful, always flowing and never forced.”

“I get it,” Dave nodded. “Those high stances allow for a greater range of motion.”

“Correct. Shorin-ryu is not about direct confrontation or physical strength. It is about maintaining momentum and using a larger opponent’s size against him. In this way, a smaller combatant can best a physically superior foe.”

“Cool. What’s the other form of karate you practice?”

Continuing to work with Dave on a punching drill, Riku said, “The second style we practice is Shotokan, which is a slightly more modern form of karate-do. It was developed as a merger of several older Okinawan styles, including Shorin-ryu karate. Unlike Shorin-ryu, Shotokan does emphasize strength in its stances, trading the ease of motion for increased power to the user’s strikes. Sensei trained exclusively in Shorin-ryu as a boy, but then traveled to mainland Japan as a young adult to broaden his horizons, learning Shotokan in the process. As a result, our dojo is a perfect blending of these two styles.”

“And all this training helps with sorcery, too?”

“Of course!” Riku laughed. “Every karate student here is also an apprenticed sorcerer, but here in Japan, sorcerers often send their apprentices to one of the dojos dedicated to the art of sorcery as well. Once their students understand the basic principles of sorcery, a deep study of karate-do will enhance everything they are capable of tenfold.”

“I assume that sorcery is not widely known of outside the community of sorcerers?”

“Yes, as I believe it is in most countries around the world. Either the sorcerers have decided to remain underground so to not alarm the general public, or sorcery is not practiced at all. The latter of these is particularly common in lands ruled by dictators, such as North Korea or Venezuela.”

“Why is that?” Dave wondered. “I’m sure there are individuals intelligent enough to access their whole minds, right?”

“Oh, there are individuals in these lands with great magical potential, yes, but there is nobody to teach them or foster the traits necessary to make a great sorcerer. One must have a natural curiosity for the world around them, or at least a strong spiritual core. But a dictator wishes to quash these notions, as they distract his subjects’ attentions away from their leader. Anything that breeds hope of something greater in the world or a desire to learn of things different than what is familiar cannot be allowed in such countries. It is a sad truth…”

“Political oppression destroys so many opportunities,” Dave agreed.

“Indeed. Anyway, you seem to have an incredible innate knowledge of our art already, so let us try a kata. Katas are sequences of karate moves strung together to simulate some sort of combat situation. In essence, they are a controlled means of learning different combinations of moves.”

Dave followed along with Riku’s movements, stringing together kicks, punches, and blocks in an intricate dance. His stance and direction seemed to shift with every move he made, almost as if he really was surrounded by attackers, but this was not the point of the kata. Dave soon realized that the point was rather to build muscle memory, both in his body and mind, until the combinations became as second nature to him. All the while, Riku watched him out of the corner of his eye.

“Most impressive,” he said to Dave as they finished. “If I did not know better, I would ask if you had previously studied karate.”

“I haven’t,” Dave admitted. “But part of it may have been ingrained in me from my time as Merlin’s apprentice. He drilled me in magical combat, and even forced me to improvise self-defense strategies on the fly.”

Riku’s jaw dropped at this. “You were apprenticed to Merlin?! Sensei told me you and Maddie had some adventure in the past with Nimue, but to actually learn from the greatest sorcerer of all time?! That is truly amazing! You must tell me about him!”

Chuckling, Dave replied, “He was a tough old dude, to say the least. Intelligent, wise, but also a cutup whenever the chance presented itself. Damn, I still miss that smartass grin of his…”

“What happened to him?” Riku asked. “Nobody really knows how he died.”

“Are you familiar with Morgan le Fay?”

“Of course, the half-sister of King Arthur. She was a powerful sorceress in her own right, I believe.”

“She was, and it was through her manipulations that the war between Arthur and Mordred happened. Problem is, Merlin eventually found out that Morgan had been possessed by her mother, Igraine. She was the real instigator for everything, trying to gain revenge on Arthur for the sins of his father, Uther Pendragon. Merlin and I managed to exorcise Igraine’s soul from Morgan’s body, but… Merlin was killed in the process. Shot in the back with a bolt of lightning, just like me. With him gone, it was only thanks to Nimue that I was able to return home to my proper time.”

“Amazing… I always knew Merlin would have died a heroic death,” Riku said.

“He did. He was a real hero, and the best teacher I could’ve ever had,” Dave agreed.

*****

The Secretary sat alone in his office, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the Security Council. He still had no clue as to what they were going to do about this David Brighton situation, but he hoped his colleagues might be of some help. He always valued their input in these types of situations, as they had a bevy of experiences that he had not yet encountered in his life. Surely, he thought, they would be able to come to a peaceful solution to this problem.

As he leaned back in his desk chair, he heard a distinct ringing sound approaching. He knew exactly what this meant: it was an incoming message from a foreign sorcerer. After securing his office, he sat up at his desk and gave a pulse of his aura to indicate he would accept the message. A point of blue light appeared on his desk, soon growing to form into an image of a person the size of an action figure.

“Greetings from Okinawa. My name is Sato Yamamoto, master sorcerer and member of the League of Japanese Sorcery. I have a message for you from Mr. David Brighton. As I am sure you are aware, he and his wife were attacked the other day by someone from your organization. This unprovoked act of aggression has made him very angry, but in spite of his anger, he wishes to meet with you. It is his hope that a peaceful resolution to whatever differences exist between you and him can still be found. If you are agreeable, please reply in kind. I await your response.”

He contemplated this message for a few moments. No new information had been divulged, other than David Brighton’s likely location at the moment. As he pondered the best way to reply to the message, a knock came at his office door.

“Mr. Secretary? The Security Council is ready for you.”

“Good timing, Dr. Chu. You’re not gonna believe this…”

*****

Maddie knocked softly on the door to Sato’s office.

“Come.”

“Mr. Yamamoto?” Maddie asked as she entered.

“Ah, Maddie. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you could teach me some of your healing techniques. Dave is quite a powerful sorcerer, but he and Merlin never got very far on medical abilities. I think it would be a good thing for at least one of us to become more adept in healing.”

The old man smiled at this. “I had hoped you would be interested in healing. I would be happy to give you a lesson.” He then led the way down a hallway. “Nimue tells me that you have great potential in your own right. I understand you have quiet the affinity for the element of water, yes?”

“That’s correct,” Maddie replied. “It is the element I seem to have taken to most easily.”

“This is most excellent. Water is the most conducive of the elements to healing; it has natural restorative properties, which are only enhanced by a sorcerer’s aura. Come.”

They arrived in a dimly lit room containing a shallow pool of water in the center. Around the pool sat a couple of cushions as well as a life-sized doll of a person. Following Sato, Maddie knelt on one of the cushions, ready to receive his lessons.

“There is a reason that water is the preferred element for healing,” Sato began. “Each of the other elements is ineffective for one reason or another. Both fire and lightning are, obviously, too destructive to be used as a conduit for healing purposes. Earth is not malleable enough to safely meld with the human body. Wind is malleable and not as destructive but is quite fickle and dependent upon constant motion. Water, on the other hand, does not require constant motion, is easily manipulated, and is readily accepted by the human body. After all, the body is more than two-thirds water.”

Sato now knelt over the human doll. Pulling a knife from his robe, he sliced a long gash in the doll’s forearm, showing it to be made of a rubbery material.

“I have used this test dummy for years,” he explained. “Though there is no substitute for real experience, I have found the material it is made of to be remarkably similar to human flesh. Maddie, your first task is to heal the cut I made into the arm.”

“How do I accomplish this?” she asked.

“First, gather the amount of water around your hands that you will need for the task and begin to pour your aura energy into it. This infusion of the element with your own power is crucial, as it is your aura that does the actual healing. The water is just a conduit to aid in the process. Next, spread the water across the afflicted area, maintaining contact with your own hands where possible. Take care not to do damage with your hands, of course, but this contact will allow you to see what your aura is detecting once it enters the patient’s body. Once you have analyzed the problem areas, you can concentrate your aura energy around those spots to begin rebuilding the damaged cells. Make sure you pay attention not only to the patient’s flesh, but also their organs, bones, nerve endings, and even the amount of blood in their body. Each of these things must remain in perfect balance, or you will end up doing more harm than good.”

“Almost… there, done!” Maddie grinned.

Sato inspected the dummy’s arm for a moment. “Impressive. A clean healing without any scarring whatsoever. I cannot tell that there was ever a cut. Well done, Maddie.”

They continued to work for an hour or more. Sato kept throwing different scenarios at Maddie, but she always seemed to pick up on what needed to be done. After a while, Sato began to insert tiny nails into the dummy to simulate serious nerve damage. This took Maddie a few tries to figure out the best way to combat, but she soon developed a steady rhythm. Though he maintained his usual stone-faced expression, Sato was elated at finding young woman with as much capability with healing as he.

“Sensei, there is something I was wondering about,” Maddie said, interrupting his thoughts.

“Of course.”

“How did you and Nimue meet? I’m certain she has told you of our adventures with her, but Dave and I didn’t even realize she was still around in this time until she saved me.”

Sato grinned. “It was about fifty years ago. I was a young man at the time, as proud and confident in myself as one would expect. After all, I had just earned my black belt in Shotokan over on the main island and had graduated from my apprenticeship in sorcery. I was, as you might say, on top of the world. As such, my former master felt it important for me to explore the world outside of Japan to broaden my horizons. I knew so much already, but I needed to understand how little I actually knew.

“I traveled to the United Kingdom with the intent of tracing my lineage back to Merlin, as so many sorcerers do. A pilgrimage to where Camelot once stood is a traditional rite of passage for many a young sorcerer, but my journey was more perilous than I ever imagined it would be. As the year was 1965, the Japanese people were looked upon with great distrust by Westerners. Not only were the wounds from the Japanese government’s actions in World War II still raw, but there was also a great amount of general unrest in Asia at that time. Singapore had just declared its independence from Malaysia, Korea had been divided in half, and the Vietnam War had just begun. Thus, my appearance in the United Kingdom was not a welcome sight for the locals.

“I did meet with a contingent of British sorcerers, hoping for a warmer welcome from them, but it was not to be. In spite of the agreement between the sorcerers of all nations not to get involved in World War II, I was still looked upon with distrust and suspicion. I, being the brash young hothead that I was back then, took great offense to this and proceeded to berate the British sorcerers to their faces. My brother and traveling companion, Chozen, did his best to calm me and make peace with the men I had insulted, but the damage was done. Incensed, I retreated out to the countryside with Chozen to reflect upon these things. It was there that the course of my life changed forever.

“One of the men I had insulted was a man of great influence in the sorcery community of the United Kingdom. To him, a slight by a foreigner was unacceptable and had to be met with a swift and decisive response. Thus, he decided to hire an outlaw sorcerer to attack me out in the countryside. He was nowhere as powerful as was I, but he had the element of surprise. When he struck, I defended myself with ease, but Chozen was hit and mortally wounded. After I killed the outlaw in a fit of anger and grief, I knelt over my brother, depressed beyond belief. In that moment, I realized that it was my own anger and inability to control myself that had brought this upon Chozen. I cried out in anguish, unable to help him in any way, as healing spells in that time were an area of sorcery only to be learned by those who wished to specialize in it. As I screamed to the universe for some way to save my brother, my prayers were answered.

“Nimue heard my emotional pleas and was moved to intervene. With Chozen clinging to life, she taught me how to use healing magic, and we together restored my brother’s health. When Chosen rose, stronger than he ever had been in his life, I threw myself at Nimue’s feet, pledging myself as her servant for saving him. I would gladly have enslaved myself to her as repayment for her kindness. Nimue replied by asking me what sort of sorcerer I wished to become. I, of course, said that I wished to become a powerful warrior, one that would be feared and respected throughout the world. She told me that I must repay her kindness by abandoning this goal and instead devoting my life to healing and teaching. I agreed and spent the next six months under her tutelage, learning the art of healing through sorcery. We parted as true friends, and I have returned to England from time to time since then to renew our friendship.”

Maddie was amazed by the man’s tale. “That is a truly incredible story.”

“Indeed, and it is all true,” Sato said.

“If I may ask, what became of Chozen?”

“As you can imagine, that day also had a profound impact upon my brother. He began to consider what was truly important to him in life. Up until that point, he had been rather aimless, always avoiding decisions or responsibility, simply following his big brother around as his aide. But his near-death experience showed him what he really wanted from life: love. He never desired power or title, only the love of a beautiful woman and the blessing of children. Chozen returned home to our village in Okinawa, married his childhood sweetheart, and they together raised eight strong sons and five beautiful daughters.”

“Thirteen children?!” Maddie gasped. “For a man who tended to avoid responsibility, that is more responsibility than most ever see in a lifetime!”

“Ironic, isn’t it?” Sato said with a grin. A moment later, Sato’s ears perked up at hearing a familiar ringing sound approaching. “Ah, but it is late. Maddie, if you would return to your room with your husband; please inform him I will be by later tonight to discuss something with you both.”

“Of course. Good night, Sensei.”

Once Maddie had left, Sato gave a pulse from his aura to accept the incoming message for him. He saw right away that it was from America, as he had suspected. Quieting his mind, he began to listen to the message.

*****

Dave studied himself in the mirror, adjusting his suit and tie with care. Sato had spoken with him last night and informed him that a contingent of American sorcerers was on their way to meet with him this morning. Dave had no idea what to expect from this meeting, but he wanted to ensure he was taken seriously by these people, whoever they were. He had chosen his standard black suit that he wore for interviews, along with a tie displaying the Brighton family coat of arms. Soon, Maddie joined him, dressed in her black pencil skirt and white blouse, a perfect complement to him.

“Are you ready?” she asked, kissing him on the cheek.

“As I’ll ever be…”

“Dave, no matter what happens today, I know we shall never be separated. I would go to the ends of the earth to be with you, so do not fear. You and I are a team, a united front. That is what these sorcerers must understand.”

Kissing his wife on the lips, Dave replied, “You’re kind of the best. You know that?”

“You’ve mentioned that once or twice,” Maddie giggled. Hearing a soft knock at the door, Maddie went to answer it. “Ah, good morning, Nimue.”

“Good morning,” she said, stepping into their room. “How are you feeling, Dave?”

“Nervous,” he admitted. Looking over at Nimue, he was surprised to see her clad in a modern navy-blue sheathe dress. “I guess you ought to take the lead when we meet these people? I mean, you are the immortal among us.”

Nimue smiled. “That is kind and gracious of you, but no. You were the one that was attacked, Dave. You should take the lead. As you Americans might say, this is your rodeo, cowboy. I am here in support of you, no matter what.”

“As am I,” Maddie agreed, linking her arm in Dave’s.

Getting a clever idea of how to project a powerful image for these sorcerers, Nimue approached Dave and linked her arm in his, just as Maddie had done. “Would it be acceptable for me to do this? I feel it will communicate both that we are a unified force and that Dave is in charge, though I do not wish to offend you as his wife.”

“No offense taken,” Maddie grinned. “I love it.”

Now flanked by the most gorgeous blonde and redhead in the world, Dave’s confidence began to swell. He didn’t know what was to come from today, but with these two by his side, he felt ready for anything. The trio made their way down the hallway to the designated meeting room, finding Sato waiting for them at the large doors guarding the entrance.

“Good morning, my friends. The American sorcerers await your arrival. Are you ready?”

“I think so. You’re sure there’s no danger in this meeting?” Dave asked.

“None. My best guards are here to ensure a peaceful gathering,” Sato assured him, gesturing to the two burly men flanking him.

Taking a deep breath, Dave replied, “Let’s do this.”

Sato opened the doors and stood aside, allowing the three to enter, followed by the two guards. Dave didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a literal who’s who of American political figures. To Maddie’s right was former Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who Dave remembered from his graduation ceremony. Opposite Dr. Chu were two women that Dave immediately recognized as former State Secretaries Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice. Finally, standing across from Dave was the current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson. Dave was, understandably, speechless as it dawned upon him that each of these powerful and intelligent individuals was also a sorcerer.

“The famous David Brighton, we meet at last,” Ben said with a grin. “Take a seat, young man. We have a lot to talk about.”