Maverick

by Curtis, Greg

  Something was happening he realised, something different from before and more powerful, far more powerful, as unbidden, working on instincts he wasn’t even sure were completely his own, he fell to one knee. Essaline beside him, and behind them the dryads were already doing the same and the masters didn’t look so steady on their feet either. That had not happened before, not in any of the blessings he’d been to, not in any of the others either. The only two unbowed by what was happening were the masters, but even they seemed somewhat unsure of what was happening as they gazed at the rest of the party on their knees, confused, not something that powerful wizards ever should be.

  Behind them the dryads, still on their knees and still chanting, burst into a strange tongue that Marjan had never heard before, and then uttered the words that were never theirs to speak, or actually just the one word. But then he wasn’t really sure it was they who were speaking them. They were servants simply carrying out the Lady’s bidding. He just wished he knew what that bidding was.

  “Ephesus.” They spoke the Lord of Magic’s name on to the wind, calling him as Marjan knew they couldn’t. He wasn’t their lord. But he realised quickly enough, it wasn’t them calling the Lord of Magic, the Goddess was calling him, acting through her servants, and making her voice heard in the world as never before. What that meant, why she wanted him Marjan didn’t know, but he could hear the power of her voice as clearly as a bell. So could everyone else. For leagues around it seemed the sky shook with his calling, echoing like gentle thunder rolling in the distant mountains, ominous and everywhere. Whatever they were doing Marjan realised, it was big.

  “Ephesus.” The dryads called his name a second time, and this time the thunder was no longer gentle as it raged across the skies, echoing from one realm to the next, shaking the ground, and running straight through their flesh. All around him he could hear the sounds of the world responding to the call, see the wizards spinning around in shock as they tried to work out what was happening, why the dryads were summoning the Lord of Magic instead of their Lady, and even feel the creatures of the land all around, looking up, scenting the air, as they knew something was happening. Essaline too looked confused, but unlike the Masters there was no fear in her eyes, only faith, and that gave him courage as the land continued to shake, as did the warmth as she took his hand in hers and smiled. She might not know what was happening, but she knew enough not to fear it.

  The dryads were too caught up in their own prayers to notice anything else like a pair of upset and even somewhat frightened wizards, and they completely ignored the two of them as they started asking questions hurriedly. Marjan knew that his companions would have stopped them if they could have. But they couldn’t for the same reason he couldn’t stop them either had he wanted too, their lord bound them to his service and he wasn’t upset by being called, and eventually they too had to fall to their knees, shocked and scared, not understanding what was happening, but unable to do anything about it.

  “Ephesus.” Finally the dryads called the Lord of Magic for the third and last time, and this time the sky lit up with lightning as well as thunder, the ground shook under their feet as it too echoed the call across all the realms, and in the distance he could somehow feel even the mighty oceans trembling with awe as they too called their master.

  And then it was done. In the blink of an eye their Lord was with them, awake and watching, knowing and feeling, and Marjan and every other magical being in surely the entire world could feel him. It was like a spark in their blood that had suddenly become hotter, a distant sound that was suddenly a rhythmic heartbeat in their chests, a light in the sky that was now bathing the entire world. Ephesus was with them in the here and now. Great and terrible he lived among them, and all his servants feared him even as they loved him, but that was his nature, power, beautiful and frightening.

  In time the dryads and the wizards slowly picked themselves up off the ground, the masters apparently unaware that they’d even fallen, and all of them looked shocked and confused. But then that was only to be expected. All of them were magical beings whether they served the Goddess or worshipped the Lord of Magic, and his presence as he too returned to the world in a way he hadn’t been there in thousands maybe tens of thousands of years, was overwhelming. It was like standing beside a huge bonfire on a cold night, his presence, his wondrous magic warming them through but also threatening to burn them if they moved even a hairs breadth closer. Marjan just sat where he’d fallen, simply letting the new magical strength flow through him, enjoying it.

  “What have you done?” First to his feet the sylph started screaming at the dryads, anger and fear in his voice though Marjan could hardly hear him over the ringing in his ears. But he knew what he was saying. He would have known even if he had been completely deaf. He could feel the power of the Lord of Magic still resonating all around him, a siren call of danger and desire, singing in his blood. A siren call that had to be answered, but never as any spellcaster had ever understood before.

  “What had to be done. It is the reason that we were called to this place. Why Marjan was called here long ago. It is what the Goddess demanded of us. And what must be if we are to survive.” Fira, the leader of the dryads, a woman of advancing years and profound peace took it upon herself to answer the sylph, though she surely guessed he was in no mood to listen. Her answer of course made no sense to the sylph, how could it, he hadn’t been shown, but it still stopped him in his tracks, and his anger slowly disappeared to be replaced with simple worry. After all, what was done was done. It was too late to stop it. Besides, already he could probably feel the Lord of Magic guiding his magic, preventing him from doing anything nasty to anyone, just as Marjan could feel the same. Yet that was wrong. Ephesus did not prevent his children from doing anything, they themselves limited their actions. Ephesus had only one command, use his magic well. His was power and magic and fire, and his only wish that the magic never be extinguished.

  When the wizards had so long ago formed their great pact, become the guild, Ephesus broadly supported it, but not because of mortal notions of right and wrong, he was beyond such things. He welcomed the pact simply because war meant the magic being used to destroy other magic, and that he would not abide. The war had already killed far too many of his servants. Peace meant the spreading of his might, so that was his way.

  Now something had changed, something serious, and Marjan knew it was going to rock the entire world. It already had. Ephesus was imposing commands upon the magical, the new price of his gift. There was law coming to the wizards, divine law.

  “How?” Essaline was suddenly in front of them, confusion written across her beautiful face, even as she helped him to his feet and then steadied him on his trembling legs. Having the least magic of them all she was the one least affected by the summoning. But in her glorious green eyes he could see the beginning of understanding growing as she felt the will of the Goddess moving through her, through them all. She just didn’t understand it yet. Neither did he, but as he looked at her, saw the Goddess moving within her, he understood one thing more, the law that was being given them by their lord, was the Goddess’ law.

  “The Goddess. She chose us for this. She called us to this place. And when she had the presence here she used us to call her ally to battle. This is her will. Ask her.” Marjan held her hands tight as she stared at the dryads and then into his own confused eyes, and it seemed that she saw the truth in them. Then she did as the dryad asked, and seconds later he knew that she knew the truth as did he. She might not have powerful magic, but her link with the Goddess was undeniable and profound, more so than he’d ever realised, and he could see the wonder and understanding growing in her eyes, in her smile.

  All around he could see the same understanding growing in the hearts of the other dryads. They had been used by the Goddess, but they found no reason for concern or question in the matter. What had been done was her will, and that was as much as they needed to know.

  Of course th
e wizards weren’t so fortunate and the fear that they knew as they felt their lord walking among them was overwhelming. Yet with that fear was desire, as it was for all the magical. Power, strength and magic, it was for all of them like walking a tightrope to paradise, terrible falls lay all around and yet they still had to walk it. For the magical it wasn’t a choice. Now, thanks to the Goddess, that tightrope was even thinner, higher off the ground and yet paradise was even closer. It was going to be a difficult time ahead, except that Marjan somehow knew, he was being told as a mother comforts a child, that everything was going to be alright. Her law would act as a guide rope to help them walk in safety.

  As awesome, terrifying and wondrous as Ephesus was, he had been called and somehow bound to the Goddess, and with that binding his servants had become hers. Magic was first of life and now that bond was being made manifest. That was not going to be well received by many when they found out, least of all by the master wizards and the sylph, a couple of whom were still staring around them as if the world was about to explode.

  Marjan though was in a slightly better place than them, he had felt the Goddess in his life for many years now, even if he hadn’t acknowledged her, and so had a foot in both realms. He too was now bound, but he didn’t find his strictures too tight. Master Argus and Master Silas as yet had no true understanding of how they had been bound, or of what the Lady’s commands might be. All they yet knew was that there were suddenly limits placed upon them, things that they could and could not do. Marjan at least knew that whatever they were, they would be right.

  “Master Argus, Master Silas, there will need to be a third convocation.” The two of them stared at the dryad, wondering by the looks of things if she was about to bite, or perhaps whether they could kill her, but in the end all either of them did was to nod slightly. They both knew the truth, at least as much of it as the simple spellcasters could know, and soon the rest of the magical would have to know it too. In truth they surely already knew their Lord was among them once more. Now they would have to learn his law, in truth the Goddess’ law, which had become his. They would have to make it their own.

  “Beloved, your eyes.” Essaline was looking at him, worried a little and perhaps with reason, but also quizzically and he had to ask even as he really wanted to just fall down with exhaustion and shock, and just soak up the new magic beating within him.

  “Yes my love?”

  “They’ve changed colour. The steel blue is gone, now they are verdant green with gold flecks, almost shining with their own light.” For a moment he was shocked by what she told him, but a heartbeat later he realised it made sense, in an unexpected way. Elves and dryads had verdant green eyes, as they served the Goddess, and the most powerful of spellcasters eyes slowly turned gold, as they served Ephesus. His own eyes, once bright blue had been slowly turning steel blue as he grew in his magic. Now however, he had just acquired two masters, and both were demanding his service. The only thing that was unexpected was that he was too young for his eyes to have turned gold, and as he wasn’t a servant of the Goddess his eyes should never have turned green. But that was a minor thing.

  He said as much to Essaline as the others started staring into his eyes, seeing the same thing and whispering amongst themselves. The dryads smiled, clearly thinking it was a good thing, while the Masters did not look so pleased, even though he could see the same flecks of green shining in their gold eyes as well. He guessed the same would be true for the rest of the spellcasters, all of them. The Goddess did not do things by halves. But he wasn’t game to tell them that. They would find it out for themselves soon enough.

  On the other hand the dryads were looking completely happy as they bathed in the Goddess’ love anew and no doubt saw deeper into her wonder. In some way, Marjan couldn’t help but wonder, if they had guessed that this was coming long before it had happened. Their knowledge of the Goddess through their connection with the land, was profound.

  “We had best head back. There will surely be many confused and worried spellcasters who will need to be told what has happened.” Yet even as he said it, Marjan knew things weren’t as bad as he thought. Though they probably did not yet understand what had happened, all the spellcasters would have already had the instructions of the Goddess laid upon their souls, and even if their will was to strike out, they would find themselves unable to.

  Of course they might not be happy about that.

  ****************

  Chapter Twenty-One.

  It was a cool evening as Marjan sat by the fire, letting his dinner cook on a flat stone on top of it, and looking forwards to the meal, if he was allowed to eat it. Bearabus was lying on her side in front of the fire, stretched out like a cat basking in the sun, and pretending to be asleep, but he wasn’t fooled. When it was cooked she would magically return to life, begging for a bite or two of his rabbit thigh and roast vegetables, and if he wasn’t careful, she’d eat the lot before he got the chance. Though she was growing more slowly than he’d expected, and should probably have been hibernating long since, for some reason she simply didn’t seem to want to do that, she was still a walking appetite. But a cute one.

  “It went well?” Marjan smiled as Essaline’s words came floating to him across the night air, stood up from his crude seat by the fire, and then he smiled some more as he watched her walk across the grass to him, a vision in white, even in these most difficult of times. So beautiful and graceful, and somehow she liked him too. That was perhaps the true miracle.

  He stood to greet her, welcomed her with his arms and his heart, kissed her as was their custom, and then though it was the last thing either of them wanted to do, guided her to the seat beside him, actually just a piece of a branch which he’d smoothed out with his magic, and then placed in front of the fire. It wasn’t much as seats went, far too crude for a lady, and yet she looked so natural sitting there, the firelight casting its glorious radiance on her face, that he could imagine no more perfect scene.

  “It went as well as could be expected.” Which was to say that they had obtained the agreements they needed, that which the Goddess demanded of her new servants, all of them, not that there was any choice. It also meant that he was now probably the most hated spellcaster in history, after the dryads of course. After all he had brought them all to the glade, his glade, where everything as they saw it had all gone wrong, and then he had made the mistake of defending the dryads’ actions after. He should have kept silent.

  The other spellcasters, they now had little choice in what they did, that had been spelled out for them as the magic which flowed through all their veins carried the Lady’s commands, and for the most part they had already known or guessed the same before the convocation, but that didn’t mean they were happy about it, and after the dryads had left for their copse having told the assembled spellcasters what they needed to, their anger had only one visible target remaining, him.

  In time he hoped their anger would die, as would their pride, which naturally lay at the heart of their anger. It wasn’t easy for someone used to so much power to find themselves as little more than servants, even when they had been granted greater power in the same deal, but it also wasn’t a choice. The Lady had need of them, the Lord of Magic obeyed her, and all of them, one way or another, were simply attendants in their court. At least one of her new commands was that the magical should not do each other harm.

  “The dryads explained the Lady’s will, and everyone heard it.”

  “But did they listen?” Essaline had the right of it, she understood the pride and self importance of the Masters only too well, and the fact that they would rather have cut off their arms than be beholding to another, even a goddess.

  “They didn’t have a choice.” Marjan smiled as he said it, amused by the understanding even as he was still profoundly shocked by what had happened. “That too was very clear.” And it was. Through the dryads they had all heard the Lady’s will, and discovered that her will was theirs. That had not come easil
y to most.

  “And you beloved?” She grabbed his hand and looked him in the eyes, concerned as she had been for the entire three days since the Lord of Magic had arrived among them. But she had no reason to be.