“I understand. Thank you for reminding me of that lesson. Please, tell us what you can about this. I won't interrupt again.”
“Good,” said the Wise One. “As for the how, I would have thought that was obvious. You know that elves live far longer than humans, so…”
“So likewise, the Faerie live far longer than elves,” Eilidh concluded, nodding in understanding. “Elves are to Faerie as mayflies are to humans,” the Wise One explained, settling back with his tea. The leather-bound chair creaked and groaned as it enveloped him. Candles flickered at the slightest movement, every breath causing shadows to act out great epics on the walls of the hut.
Eilidh couldn't help but wonder how this room could possibly fit inside the small hut they had entered. Indeed, she wasn't entirely convinced that the dark walls she could see were, in fact, solid. Part of her would not have been surprised to find them just insubstantial curtains of shadow with space leading beyond.
Yet, at the same time, the entire room was taken up by their chairs and the table at which they sat - just barely large enough to seat four people. Otherwise, the only feature of the Wise One's home was the red curtain leading, apparently, to his own private quarters at the back. The two perceptions of the Wise One's hut were at odds, but she couldn't say that either was inaccurate.
Interrupting her thoughts, Toli asked, “Do you think we should maybe ask Jayne to come in? It looks like we could be here for some time yet.”
“Not bloody likely,” Granite grumbled. “I still donnae trust her.”
“Whyever not?” Toli wondered. “We trusted Loric and this girl is some kind of fighter protégé of his.”
“She claims,” Granite huffed.
“She knew things about Loric that seem to ring true,” Toli pointed out. “And she managed to identify us from that story of yours...”
* * * * * Before setting off to visit the Wise One, there had been a feast at Shakaran Castle to celebrate the return of the Lavender Rose. Prince Garald invited members of the wider city community to join in, which was in keeping with Shakaran culture, and a monarchy that prided itself on being in touch with the people. It also served to make sure that Eilidh and Tolbrietta would not look suspicious or out of place. A bard, of course, never looked suspicious or out of place. Bards were an essential part of any celebration and Granite fulfilled his commission to compose a ballad of Princess Mystaya's rescue, though names and some of the details were changed or omitted to protect the vital secrecy of their true mission. Granite had been convinced that no-one could possibly identify the three of them as characters in his story. Nevertheless, almost before the final chords had shimmered into silence, a half-orc approached Eilidh, introduced herself as Jayne and asked straight out if Loric was with them.
By way of explanation, she said that she could recognise Loric's `heroics` in the bard's story because she was the Black Dragon's warrior student - a long story of her own that she insisted was entirely beside the point. “Master Loric,” she spoke in a very strong city dialect, “’e’s got a sort o’ special auror about ‘im, Miss Eilidh, and it’s got a way o’ rubbin’ off an’ markin’ those who fight wiv ‘im. That’s ‘ow I knew you were ‘is friends.”
Eilidh had to force herself to really listen so she could understand her, almost translate it in her own mind. Not that it was a problem. No, her problem was more to do with the way girl's eyes shone with such complete devotion as to turn Eilidh's stomach. That blind faith, coupled with the total absence of anything resembling intelligence made her absolutely terrified. The only reason the Catalyst had asked her to join the much reduced party, was that she shuddered to think what trouble Jayne might cause if they let her stay behind out of their sight. Still, Eilidh certainly did not trust Jayne enough to let her in on the exact nature of their quest. If only they could have confirmation from Loric himself; if only he could have been there to vouch for her. But he wasn't with them. He was off on some dragon-type quest of his own, and no amount of `if onlys` were going to change that.
As she had said to Jayne, however, “He's found us twice already - I daresay he'll find us again when he's ready.”
Jayne considered that to be the height of wisdom. When all this started, Master Gamaliel had told her that the members of her party must follow her of their own free will. Eilidh had decided to interpret that to mean that if they freely chose to join, they could also freely choose to leave at any time. Mind you, she wasn't above a certain degree of manipulation when she felt it necessary. She had done it with Phaer when he spoke of leaving when they first got to Shakaran after he had saved their lives. That was the first time he saved them - or at least Eilidh herself. Her manipulation had proved justified when he saved them a second time, in Avidon, and once again in the mine at Marina Fells. The latter, of course, had been thanks also to the timely appearance of that aquatic bronze dragon...what was her full name again? Katakaran - that was it. She had been with them so briefly and during a very heated time in their rescue mission, so she barely knew a thing about her, beyond Artisho’s casual claim that she was a princess of the aquatic kingdoms. She doubted if even the more social members of her group had learned much more.
First there was Kismet, then the ridiculous old man Artisho, and then Taka. Eilidh supposed Jayne was simply one mysterious stranger too many, and while the others had proved more-or-less benevolent, she wasn't about to push her luck. No, for now Miss Jayne Corr would stay where she was. On the outside.
Coughing now apparently abated, the Wise One continued his history lesson, backtracking in the narrative to cover a period he had previously skipped over to answer their impatience. “For a time, all was peaceful in the New World. Old feuds became meaningless in the face of seemingly limitless magical possibilities. But those possibilities raised a debate: How should the magic be used? What was the true place of magic in the New World?
“For the first time since arriving here, Merlyn called all mages together to discuss this issue. There were, it seemed, three main factions: The first insisted that magic should be used only to help people. No magic should be used that did not directly bring good to the people. The second faction argued that the power of magic in this world was too important to be constrained in that way. Magic, they said, was the tool by which mages should rule the people and there should be no limits placed on the use of magic. The third faction believed that both of the other philosophies had merit, but knowledge, not power, was the key to determining the best use for magic. All three factions shared a single, overwhelming belief, however: above all, the magic must be protected. Any threat to magic itself must be met with deadly force. Majaos was alive with magic. This world needed magic to survive, so a threat to magic's existence was a threat to all life.
“Therefore, the Council of Magic became an official body, charged primarily with the defence of magic itself. The three factions became the White, Red and Black divisions, in line with the pre-existing religious factions of Mythallen. Unlike the clerics, however, mages of all three divisions would meet on peaceful terms to discuss matters of magic that transcended their differences. Magical laws were developed and order established. Then came the baby: She changed everything.
“Niltsiar was extraordinarily talented,” the Wise One explained to his guests. “He r rapid grasp of all things magical was at once exciting and frightening. From the dawn of her adolescence, she began to question the order that her parents had worked so hard to establish. In later years, some of her ideas and magical practices became dangerous. She was not blind to the danger, but rather she embraced it as an essential part of her vision.”
“What was so dangerous about the magic she practised?” Eilidh wanted to know. “Ah now, that is a good question.” The Wise One approved. “Well, of cou rse, magic in its raw state is dangerous by its very nature. It is harmful, corrosive and in all ways damaging to living creatures, but the way magic was used in pre-Ancient times led to very few problems. The indigenous sentient races would spend generati
ons on magical projects. Their relative longevity gave them patience. There were many magical wonders in pre-Ancient times that had been developed over many years, decades, even centuries. In the two centuries before humans, however, the pace of change had slowed to a virtual standstill. For humans, that would never do.
“It is human nature to fight those things that stand in the way of their ambitions. These were powerful and resourceful mages who were not to be put off by the volatile nature of magic in this world. They studied long and hard to find some means of safely harnessing the incredible powers that surrounded them.”
“Catalysts,” Granite offered.
“No,” said the Wise One. “What?!” The trio shouted in unison. “No,” the sage repeated. “Catalysts c ame later. No, the Ancients found their first solution by observing nature. There are many magical species on Majaos both animals and plants.” He held up his drink for emphasis. “The Kij vine for one.” He took a sip and pulled his face. “I'm enjoying providing your education so much, I'm letting my tea get cold. It doesn't do any good unless it's hot.”
“Please, allow me,” Toli offered. She cast and held a small Fireflash spell over the cup. With some concentration, she kept the flame hovering in place long enough for the Wise One's tea start to bubble and steam. Then she put the fire out.
Eilidh Granted Life to the magician, more for the magical exercise than any real need. After all, the Life cost of a single Fireflash spell was minimal to a mage of Toli's growing power and expertise and her Life Store would soon regenerate once they were out in the sun.
The Wise One took a sip of his reheated tea and sighed contentedly. “Ah, that's much better. Thank you my dear hobbit. Are you sure you won't have some? How about you, Granite? Eilidh? It's very good,” he assured them.
The companions declined. “Very well. As I was saying, there were many magical species on Majaos, not least the dragons, that seemed to use raw magic without any ill effects. However, studies showed that they did not, strictly speaking, use raw magic, but rather converted it into a safe form. Magical creatures produced an excess of this safe magic, which dispersed on the wind and flowed across the world. It coated and protected all the non-sentient creatures of the world, so that all were touched by magic, yet protected from its ravages. Some higher animals have barely enough for that protection, and slight breaks in their magical coating are the cause of a number of magical diseases. The same protection worked for sentient beings, but there was simply insufficient for their needs, especially with the arrival of humans. The solution, therefore, was to use the natural abilities of living magical creatures to harness and increase the magic conversion process. This is one reason why the safe form of magic came to be known as Life. Mages took to the habit of keeping small magical animals as pets and training them to Grant Life as needed. Ultimately, the majority found this to be the most convenient method.”
“Familiars!” Toli gasped in understanding. “That's what you're talking about, isn't it? Wow, familiars. Even today some mages keep familiars, though they're not necessarily magical creatures they could be any animal, really. Small animals, mostly, though I did once hear about an old white wizard who kept a unicorn as a familiar. I don't think anybody has any clue of the origins of this tradition...it's just a tradition...and I can't imagine it would even occur to anyone to use them in the fashion you describe...why bother when we have...Catalysts...oh my...”
As Granite latched onto Tolbrietta's line of thought, his face - at least as much of it as was visible under his thick facial hair - turned a deep shade of red. Jumping to his feet and shaking his clenched fists, he demanded, “Are ye tryin' tae say that we Catalysts are nothin' more than familiars?” His voice rumbled like thunder. “Just animals - pets - that mages keep around because it's convenient?! How dare ye? I dinnae plan tae stay around here bein' insulted!” With that, the volatile dwarf stormed out of the hut.
Eilidh was torn. She needed to know more, yet leaving Granite alone with Jayne did not seem sensible. She could send Toli outside, but quite frankly she wanted her friend with her for personal reasons as well as the practical point that it made sense to have a second pair of ears listening to the Wise One. Then again, of course, time was marching onward while they were cocooned in here and she really ought to be doing something practical to work against Niltsiar. Doing nothing was ultimately no different to working for the enemy.
“O Great Wise Sage,” she began, “I'm afraid I really must get right to the point here: Can you tell me how to stop Niltsiar?”
“Ah, now that is a very different question to the one you asked before.”
“Excuse me?” “You came in here and said, `What can you tell me about Niltsiar`? That question is so broad, it would take me a great deal of time to answer you fully. Asking how you can stop her is a much more concise question and the answer a good deal shorter. Precision with words is a valuable lesson, young lady learn it well.”
“I take your point, sir,” Eilidh accepted, gracefully. “Now, to my new question: Can you tell me how to stop Niltsiar?” The Wise One leaned forward in his chair and motioned for the two friends to move in close. “I cannot guarantee success, you understand,” he whispered, “but there is one thing you could do, as a first step along that road. A task; a quest, if you like. Do not undertake this thing lightly, for it is fraught with danger, perhaps forcing you to confront your greatest fears. Choose wisely.”
“For myself,” Eilidh stated, “I choose the danger. Tolbrietta Hobbnobb must make her own decision.” Toli placed a small hand gently on Eilidh’s arm, and in full understanding of what she was risking, she pledged herself. “How many times must I tell you, my friend? I'm with you to the end. Where you go, I go; it's as simple as that.”
“Good,” the Wise One approved. “Now pay attention, both of you, and I will teach you what you must do.”
Chapter 7
Loric and Callie flew side by side in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, until Callie yelped as she slammed into a wall that wasn't there. The force would have been enough to knock most dragons out of the sky, but silvers were natural expert flyers, so she was able to catch the air currents a little under two dragon lengths from the ground. She hovered, trying to clear her head, and was astonished to see that Loric had flownon ahead unhindered. She wasn’t sure if it was just an effect of the collision, but to her eyes, he seemed to be sort of fading away. It wasn’t until she called out to him that he noticed Callie wasn't with him and turned around to return to her side. Once again, he passed right through the invisible barrier.
“Are you alright, Callie?” Loric asked, genuinely concerned.
“Yeah, more or less,” she replied. “Though I'll probably have a headache for a while,” she added with a smile.
“Yes,” Loric agreed, “I remember.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh of course, you weren't with us at the time, were you?” Loric realised.
He suggested they land and talk. He told the tale of how he was tricked by centaurs in the borderlands of Shakaran, and his frantic escape, only to crash-land in that mysterious glade. That, of course, was when he had first met Eilidh and her then small group of companions.
Not for the first time, he wondered how the Catalyst fared. He felt a little guilty about leaving her without his protection, but if he could gain the training of the Elder Dragons, his protection would be that much more effective. When he needed to find her, he would, he was sure of it. After all, he had done it before.
“If this shield is like the other one, you might be able to walk in without any problems.”
“Well, I'll give it a go, but if it's like the other one, how come you got through it so easily this time?”
“My guess is that it's got something to do with the Elder Dragon of Fire. We're close, I'm certain of it.” He shrugged and left the sentence at that. It didn’t turn out quite as Loric said. When Calandra first attempted to walk through the shield, she entered side by side with Lor
ic; yet when they got to the other side, they each discovered they were alone. They both instantly stepped back and were relieved to find each other again.
“Perhaps you should go on alone, child,” Calandra suggested. “It does seem as if you are invited while I clearly am not.”
“Out of the question!” Loric refused. “I'm not leaving you alone out here - not with some dragon predator lurking about.” “Don’t worry, I don't plan to sit here waiting to be attacked and I've got no desire to get into a head-on scrape with whatever-it-is. I'm a silver so I'll play to my strengths - I'll pick the shortest route between here and Shakaran and fly there as fast as I possibly can.”
“And what if this thing can fly, too?”
“I don't care what it can do,” Calandra said, indignantly, “Nothing out-flies a silver.”
“And what happens when I want to get back to human civilisation? I don’t wish to sound selfish, but if there is a monster out here, I might need your help.”
“Well, I-”
“Look, there must be a way to get you through this shield.”
“Why must there?” Calandra countered. “Isn't the whole point of a shield to stop people from entering a place uninvited?” “Yes, but surely somebody must have considered the possibility of an invited dragon having a friend along. Besides, what if this is some kind of test? Come on, let’s at least try a few things before we splitup, alright?”
Calandra considered that for a moment and then nodded. For over an hour, they flew around the circumference of the shield, periodically landing to try to find a ground level entry point. Each time gave the same result - while Callie could pass, she ended up in a different place to Loric. Or rather, Loric appeared in a different place while for Calandra the barren, featureless desert terrain simply continued unbroken. They flew to the very pinnacle of the shield, where they hovered and tried to gently lower themselves through the barrier. Still Calandra could not enter the secret place.
Consequences (Majaos Book 2) Page 7
