The Solitary Astrologer

Professor Jonesbarry turned back to me, his violet eyes looking just as desolate as the desert behind him.

He was neither dwarf nor Ashryan, having features that were a cross between the two. His curly hair was a strange purplish brown mixture that was neither dwarven nor Ashryan.

There was also the matter of his height.

Professor Jonesbarry was too tall to be a dwarf, but too short to be an Ashryan. At his full height of 5' 2", Professor Jonesbarry was barely taller than me and just as rail thin.

I briefly wondered if he was one of those misfits like me who did not conform to any standard anywhere.

"I've been wandering through Topaz Academy all day today. It is sparse but there are still people on campus." I reminded him.

"Yes. Those are the ones whose homes are within school grounds. When we tell people to 'go home', they have nowhere else to go so they just go to their dorms if they are students or their lofts within school grounds if they work here."

"Why aren't you home?"

He turned to face me. "My home is here within this astrolab. There is nowhere else for me to go." His lips stretched into a smile that did not reach his lavender eyes.

I looked around the office.

As if understanding my train of thought, Professor Jonesbarry flicked a quick finger and a tiny bolt of energy hit the door at the far side.

I hadn't noticed it upon entry because it was in the shadows, recessed behind a large screen filled with a painting of the Topazian night sky filled with all the familiar constellations.

The door opened to reveal a full-sized bedroom, filled with various magikal artifacts and amulets hung on the walls and shelves.

"This is the reason why Blackstone dumps all the administrative work on me. I cannot escape this place to go 'home'. I'm home already."

I nodded sympathetically. "I was chatting with Alan Cherone this morning. He said Daniel has not been home much lately due to all the extra work that he has been doing at the astrolab."

"Guilty as charged," Professor Jonesbarry laughed. "I've been making all my students and staff members calculate deeply into different star groupings hoping for a different answer to the situation, but all answers converge onto one point."

"I don't understand Professor."

"There are many dimensions to our existences. Some existences wink out. Some continue onward into the distant future."

"To find out long term trends, we follow the threads of our existences until they hit a node and either split off on a different tangent, continue along on the same route, or terminate at the node."

I nodded. This was basic astrology that every student learned in first year astrology class.

"The problem I'm facing right now is that every single dimensional thread I traced forward terminates at a certain event. I'm going to call this event 'A'."

"What do you mean 'terminate'?"

"When I say 'terminate', I mean that the probability of our dimensional line's continued existence drops to almost zero."

My eyes widened with shock. "You mean we cease to exist?"

"Not all of us, but the vast majority of us on Topaz will face certain devastation."

"Is there anything we can do? Any way to change enough of it to make a difference?"

"There are some events that belong on minor wheels. We can effect certain changes for those minor wheel events. But this one. This one belongs on one of the largest wheels. It affects every dimension, across the board."

He pointed to one of the hands that was swinging on the large clock behind him. It was a fat red hand that looked as out of place as an octopus on a weathervane.

"You see this red hand on the clock?"

I nodded.

"When it hits the number 12, it will have completed one very large revolution. It then begins the junction whereby some major occurrences will happen."

I squinted at the large clock. It looked as if the red hand was skirting the edge of the number 12. Whatever Professor Jonesbarry was alluding to was about to occur.

Professor Jonesbarry rubbed his eyes. "Every dimension I check breaks apart at this one junction. I throw in variables of different magnitudes from large to small to see if anything changes."

He shook his head. "Unfortunately, very little changes—with the exception of event 'B'."

"What is event 'B'"

"Event 'B' is an external influence that is beyond our capacity to understand. It is akin to a deity reaching in and rearranging the deck chairs, so to speak. It is a very tiny off-chance that will throw a monkey wrench into the works."

"Monkey wrench…"

"Yes. It is what is called Chaos Theory. It is the mathematical astrological computation from which we can use to predict important societal developments at the population level…"

I stood there looking as if I understood all of what he was trying to tell me, but the more he explained, the less I understood.

This man was an astro-mathematician and I was a disabled gopher. Why was he even trying to explain all this high level theoretical astrology to me?

"What about Magus Asada? She's an Augurer." I ventured. "Does she have anything to say about it?"

Professor Jonesbarry shook his head. "She is an even better mathematician than I am and she is of the opinion that the more we meddle into the large cycles, the worse it gets for us. Her 'que sera sera' attitude really grinds me, but what can I do?"

"Were you the one who sent all the notices out for the reservists to show up for duty?"

"Yes." His fingers shook. "This was something that the Head of House Blackstone was supposed to do, but guess who's the Head of House Blackstone?"

I laughed sadly. Professor Blackstone had been MIA for quite some time now.

Professor Jonesbarry stepped over to one of the bookcases and pulled out a slim volume.

"This is a list of all the reservists in and around Topaz." He opened up the book.

"I tried for days to reach Dean Blackstone but he was never available. I even tried coming to a consensus with the other Heads of Houses and Disciplines but we kept hitting stalemate because of Mage Elite stranglehold over many of the Heads."

"So you made the executive decision…"

"Yes. I bit the bullet and sent a reserves announcement to every single person in this book, hoping to be able to stave off some of the worst things that are slated to occur."

"Like what?"

"We have every reason to believe that the life-support structures for Topaz is in serious danger. I cast out the net far and wide and called everyone who was still on the side of the Council of Mages to step in and maintain the energy grid for Topaz."

"Are we missing that many people needed to protect the vulnerable areas?"

He nodded. "We are undermanned because so many have defected and have gone over to the side of the Mage Elites."

"Like my parents," I clenched my teeth.

"Do not judge them too harshly," Professor Jonesbarry ran his fingers through his curly brown hair. "Your father is a first rate healer mage. His only concern is saving as many people as possible."

He gave her a bleak look. "In this situation, they were overtaken in a hostile situation and his final concern was to save you." He sighed. "I can't say I blame him. If you were my daughter, I'd do the same."

"He tried to foist me on Marcus Mocchus," I gave a shudder of disgust.

"Believe it or not, being with the Mocchus boy would have been the best option for you."

"No thank you. I was very disappointed that my father actually handed the Imara House seal over to him. I told him if the head of Imara House was going to be Marcus Mocchus, then they could count me out. I disowned them."

"I heard about that unfortunate incident. Unfortunately, House Imara had already been taken over by the Mocchus family by that point." Professor Jonesbarry sighed.

"The only bargaining chip your father asked for was your safety. Once you rejected that offer, House Imara was forfeited without any restitution."

"Marcus Mocchus did try twice after that day to convince me to leave with him." I gave the Professor a baleful look.

"You turned him down, I gather."

I grimaced. "The first time was at my parents' house when we had dinner with Marcus and his mother. Second time was when Professor Quimby arranged for us to meet alone."

"He got turned down twice eh?"

"Three times." I laughed grimly.

At his surprised look, I elaborated. "The third time, we accidentally met at the dining hall. He was with a group of those Mage Elites in black suits and I was with the Osiris twins."

"What happened then?"

"The twins told him if he did not leave me alone, they would break his arms off."

Professor Jonesbarry laughed. This time his purple eyes shone with mirth.

"You kids give me so much hope. If anyone can survive this, it would be you three. The Osiris boys are top notch wizards, and I don't say that lightly. After all, they have an amazing mother."

Professor Jonesbarry shook his head. "I feel so sorry for Tangerine Osiris. House Osiris has been a staunch support throughout this entire crisis, even from day one."

"I saw Tangerine Osiris heading the Council of Mages when we were onstage voting." I laughed remembering her bouncy red hair and vivacious green eyes.

"Dean Blackstone barely does any of the administrative work for the Academy so it has fallen on my shoulders. He hasn't been doing anything for the Council of Mages either so Tangerine had to take over the daily details."

"She seems to have a lot of weight with the Houses and the Discipline Heads."

"Yes. Let me tell you a little secret. Of all the houses, the Osiris House has the most direct ties to royalty."

"But I thought it was House Montaceto that had royal ties."

Professor Jonesbarry shook his head.

You mean…"

"Yes." Professor Jonesbarry nodded conspiratorially. "The Osiris are directly related to the King of the Southern Realm."

"King Horacio Zaravan?"

"Yes. King Horacio Zaravan is Cobalt Osiris' first cousin."

"How is the King dealing with all of this?"

"He is too far above us for any of this to reach him. The only person who could probably reach him is Cobalt Osiris," Professor Jonesbarry shook his head.

"Except that man is too busy with all his far-flung endeavors. He's hardly ever home. His wife runs around and does everything for the House Osiris. It's almost heartbreaking to see." He placed a hand over his heart.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" The words slipped out before I could contain it.

"What? No!" Professor Jonesbarry's eyes widened. "No. I was just—I just thought that with everything she had to do, and with him hardly ever around, it was such a sad state…"

I stared at him.

He sighed and nodded. "She is a beautiful woman and I've had a crush on her ever since she first step foot into my class room as a first year astrology student."

His eyes misted. "She was barely sixteen at the time. Of course, being her teacher, there was no way I could say anything about it to her."

I nodded.

Professor Jonesbarry sighed. "Once she finished her graduate studies, she was twenty-two and I could legitimately pursue her…but—"

"By the time I had a chance, she and Cobalt Osiris had begun dating." He looked down at his thin short body. "As you can see, I'm a half-dwarf."

He closed his eyes. "And Cobalt—Cobalt is a tall strong demi-god who is cousin to a king which technically makes him a prince. I can't compete with that."

"Professor Jonesbarry, you are Head of the Astrology Discipline. That is a position that most people cannot even aspire to."

"Yes but look at how I live. I don't even have a wife or children."

He suddenly looked up with excitement. Turning quickly, he went back to his desk and retrieved a round crystal ball the size of a walnut. It was a deep flawless claret in color.

"But I do have this. When you go, take this with you."

"What is this?"

"It is my life's work. Take it with you so that it has a chance to survive this catastrophe."

I reached out to touch it. It was warm and pulsated weakly, like a little bird's heart. It almost felt alive.

"Are you sure you want to give your life's work to me? I'm just a…"

"Hush. You are far more than you realize. Take it and protect it for me. That would be more than I could ever hope for."

Professor Jonesbarry rummaged around until he found a small cushioned box.

"Keep it in here so it won't get damaged." He took the crystal and wedged it into the cushion, closing the lid with a snap.

I nodded and placed the box inside my little messenger bag. It seemed to make Professor Jonesbarry much happier than when I had arrived.

As I left the astrolab, I suddenly realized that whatever job the Professor had asked me to come by to do, he had never told me.

The only job I had been given was to take care of the little red orb and that job had been a spur-of-the-last-moment idea.