The City under the Sky of Stone Part Three - Original fiction

by Michael Warner Molema

The machines that pumped the clean air throughout the City of Illumination drowned out all of the noise I made, if I made any. The duct that I found myself in was too small for a grown man, and just too small for a child. Luckily, I was no ordinary man. As a Magician, I was capable of many amazing things; for instance, my infiltration of the city was through the use of a False Face, a wooden mask that can be enchanted to change the face of the one wearing it. But, the magic that allowed me to fit inside duct, did not require any tools.

I was a Mammalian Magician, this meant I could change my form into a mammal, but like all Magicians, I could only change into one animal. My animal form is that of a rat, a grey rat with white paws. Thus, I could fit with the industrial ducts of the Strauss Air Filtration industrial complex.

I followed my small pink nose as it lead me through the complex to the central yard the joined Strauss Air Filtration, Strauss Industries, and Strauss Offices. The glass roofed yard was full with trees. The duct had come out beside the “sun-light” rail, a light that imitated the sun and moved east to west on a daily rhythm. Being a small rodent, I leapt onto the rail of the “sun-light” and began to make my way across to the Strauss Offices building.

Below me there were workers on break, smoking. “Lucky for the trees,” I say in the ultra-sonic voice of a rat, which only other rats could hear. I slip into the Offices’ duct and follow my nose up to the office of Nathan Strauss. Upon
finding the air ducts to Strauss’ office were covered in a tight wire mesh, I made my way to a duct exit in one of the public ablution chambers.

I slipped out into the Men’s room and into an empty stall. In a small billow of flame, ember, and ash, I stepped out of the stall. I studied myself in the mirror.

Within I saw the face of Nathanial Jade, a man with dark hair and dark blue eyes. I wore a white shirt under a brown waist coat covered in pockets. My trousers were a lighter brown over my black boots. Over it all I wore a large grey coat that ended just below my knees.

I pulled out my iron cored wand from its scabbard with my right hand, which was adorned with a bronze ring that carried an iron stud. “Time to go to work…”

I exited the ablution chamber and made my way to the Office door of Nathan Strauss. I reached out my hand and touched its surface. I muttered something in the magic tongue and then pulled my hand away.

I placed the tip of my wand on the lock and whispered the words, suddenly glowing translucent rings appeared around my wand. “Six tumblers and a basic latch…”

I spun the rings around, adjusting their position until the door latch clicked. I slipped my wand back into its scabbard and slunk through the now open door.

An hour later I sat in the duck looking into the office, I watched as Nathan Strauss and Venessa Mire entered the room and found my message. “Nathan,” Venessa cried, “Dear, what should we do?”

Strauss replied, looking up at the duck, “Venessa, the man is kind enough to give us a warning. Let’s wait to see how things end.”

I turned in the duct and was gone, my soft rat feet barely making a sound.