Cure for a Nation

Chapter Nineteen

Claire's jaw dropped as what Joan said registered.
"Ma-Magisters?" She stammered.
Joan nodded.
"But how?" Claire asked, bewildered.
"You must be the descendant of one of the Magisters and the daughter of one of the last. Tell me, how well do you know your parents?" Joan asked in return.
Claire shifted uneasily in her seat. She almost dismissed the question but remembered that she wasn't being asked under normal circumstances.
"I barely know either of them. My father abandoned us when I was young and my mother would disappear for months or years at a time. During those periods, I lived with my uncle. I rarely saw her as a child and even less as a teenager. But then she came home and told the village how the last soldier of the Imperium had been laid to rest. After then, I lived with her and my uncle, her brother."
Joan raised an eyebrow at the mention of the Imperium.
"An odd way to phrase that," she commented.
"Well i discovered recently that she meant it literally," Claire explained, "she was the one who kept Daniel alive. She charged his suit with enough power to keep him alive for seven years until I found him just as he woke from a coma."
Joan was on the edge of her seat, watching Claire intently.
"So you mean.." she started.
"My mother was the last Tech Warrior to fight the Imperium. She used her magic to preserve Daniel," Claire finished.
Joan jumped up and pumped her fist in the air.
"Yes!" She shouted.
Claire jumped in her seat and watched as Joan celebrated the news. She was confused.
"So you are one of the next Magisters!" Joan declared loudly, "do you know what this means?!"
Claire looked down at her folded hands. That I owe Daniel an apology, Claire thought, I hope he's still here somewhere.
"It means we can take the Magister's place!" Joan shouted. "We can free the Warriors! We can rebuild Aurora!
Claire got to her feet and distanced herself from the overjoyed woman.
"Whoa now," Claire said uneasily, "I don't know about that. I just need to find a way to cure the plague and go back home. This magister thing..I'm no Warrior. I don't have those abilities."
"I can show you," Joan said excitedly, "I can teach you the ways! Then together we'll have he strength to dethrone the Magister."
Claire took another step back.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I can't help you. I need to get out of here if the cure isn't here. The plague is my first priority."
Joan's smile faded.
"Oh," she said dejectedly, "I just thought you would help now that you know the truth about the Warriors."
"I'm sorry. Good luck," Claire repeated as she began to take steps to the door. She turned her back on Joan and took steady strides.
"Claire..wait," Joan choked out. Claire paused. She could feel something strange in the air. She couldn't hear or see anything out of the ordinary but she felt something was wrong. She blinked and saw shadows slip through the curtains over the door. Something Joan said came to mind then. Something about Warriors disappearing from view. She heard Joan gasp and Claire turned slowly. All around Joan were shadows of men and women in robes that slowly materialized into people. A particularly large Warrior in salvaged armor painted orange held Joan in a choke hold with a glowing hand over her neck.
"You won't be going anywhere. You belong to the Magister now," the Warrior growled.