Myrkron (Volume Two of The Chronicles of the Myrkron)

by Woods, Timothy

  "These are mine…now. I can’t explain it to you, I don’t understand myself."

  "Where did you get such an outfit?" Snapping out of his surprise at actually seeing Michael, Merric grabbed him by the shoulders. "Michael, are you alright? We know you were taken to Gratton. You’re not hurt are you?"

  Michael turned his head away and looked up at the brightening sky. "Not on the outside. Listen, Merric, I have something to tell you, and it's not going to be easy to hear," Michael replied, bringing his eyes back to Merric’s.

  "I think I know what you want to tell me, Michael and I already know," Merric said softly, dropping his hands from Michael’s shoulders. "Mieka is with Mortow. I think she has been from the beginning. I just refused to see it."

  "Merric, I am sorry. As betrayed as I feel right now, I cannot even imagine how you must feel. She is his. She took me to Mortow. I should have known a woman like that could never have been interested in me. I thought maybe I had gotten lucky twice in one life time. Now I realize she was only interested in what Mortow could gain from me. I have been so appallingly blind that it embarrasses me."

  Merric studied Michael’s face for a bit, noticing the pain evident in every line. "Michael, you should never be embarrassed by someone else’s duplicity; angry and hurt, yes, but never embarrassed. We cannot know what truly lies in another’s heart and mind. All we can do is hope that what we see is real. She fooled me too, Michael, and for much longer than you. That is twice now that someone close to me has been other than what they appeared. Fooled once and learn, fooled twice and become a fool. I of all people should have known better."

  Michael gazed at Merric. Seeing his slumped shoulders and hanging head, Michael reached out and clasped Merric’s arm. "I know he is your son, Merric. He told me as much. But, as you say, if someone should not feel embarrassment for another’s duplicity, then also one should not feel responsible for another’s crimes."

  "How so, Michael? I brought him into this world. I trained him. I am responsible for him as I am now responsible for you. If you had been hurt or killed in Gratton, it would have been my fault for not seeing Mieka for what she truly was, a spy."

  "I am an adult, Merric, as are Mortow and Mieka. I am responsible for my own actions, as are they. I do not need your conscious nagging me as well. You have no more control over them than you do me. We make our own decisions, Merric. You did not tell Mortow to conquer the world. You did not tell Mieka to choose his side, and you did not tell me to go with Mieka to Gratton. Your responsibility ends where our decisions begin. All you can do is guide and hope that we are smart enough to make the correct decisions. Unfortunately, that is not always the case."

  "Maybe you should be Headmaster, Michael. You are far wiser than I," Merric said with a ghost of a smile.

  Michael made a snorting sound. "That is not wisdom, it is merely common sense. I am no leader, Merric, and I make bad choices," Michael looked up behind Merric and saw Branik and Reek stalking toward them. "And here come the consequences of those choices."

  Merric turned to see the two Avari approaching.

  Michael walked around him and stood in their path. He hitched up his robe slightly and went to one knee before them, bowing his head and remained that way.

  Merric saw that Reek’s face was expressionless when he stopped before Michael. Branik’s face, however, was a storm of anger.

  "Does your word mean nothing to you, Michael?" Branik asked, his voice held firmly in check.

  "It means everything," Michael replied not raising his head.

  "Then why did you break it?" Branik retorted hotly.

  "Have you never made a mistake, Branik; a mistake that left you feeling empty inside? You are Avari. I am not. I am simply Michael, a human, and I make mistakes. I apologize for leaving you two behind. I cannot, in truth, say it will never happen again. All I can say is that I’m sorry, and I will try my best to make those times as few as possible," Michael said sincerely.

  "That is not good enough, Michael! I require your oath that you will go nowhere without us," Branik said flatly.

  Michael raised his head and looked Branik in the eyes. "That, I cannot give. There may be places I have to go that you will not be able to accompany me. All I can do is tell you before I have to leave."

  Branik lurched forward and grabbed Michael by the collar of his robe. He lifted him off the ground and brought Michael’s face close to his own. "You are to go absolutely nowhere without us. Is that understood?" Branik said in a barely restrained rage.

  Michael sighed and placed his right hand on Branik’s chest. "That will not be possible, Branik. You will have to trust me on this. Now please, put me down. This robe is very old and I do not want it damaged."

  Branik’s face twisted with anger and he brought Michael in closer.

  Michael said quietly, "Pulsus," and Branik went sliding back several feet, releasing Michael as he struggled for balance. Michael landed on his feet and straightened his robe, never taking his eyes from Branik.

  Reek looked at Michael in astonishment, as Branik recovered and launched himself at Michael.

  Michael held his hand up palm facing out and said, "Retineo."

  Branik froze in mid-stride and could not, move no matter how hard he tried.

  Michael continued to regard Branik for several seconds then turned to Reek. "I have told you how things must be going forward. I suggest you speak with Branik and convince him against his present course of action. I will not harm him, but if he does not calm down, I will return him to the Avari Isle and leave him there. I do not wish for things to be this way. I value your instructions and the company of you both. I will understand if neither of you wish to continue our lessons in light of what has happened. I will speak to Micah about replacing both of you, if that is what you both decide."

  "We do not wish to be replaced, Michael. I will speak with him. Will you not release him?" Reek said calmly.

  "As he is still struggling against me, no, I will not. Merric and I are going to return to Kantwell. I will release him after we have left." Michael lowered his voice so only Reek could hear him. "I do not want you two replaced. Please talk to him. Convince him that I do not do this out of spite nor disrespect, but out of necessity."

  "I will, Michael."

  Still speaking only for Reek, Michael continued. "I will release him about five minutes after I leave. You have until then to persuade him. If he is not calm by the time he returns to Kantwell, I will return him to the isle and, though he may run all the way back here, I will simply take him back again and again, as many times as is needed."

  "I understand, Michael, but his anger is not what it appears. There are matters involved of which you are unaware. Just as there may be places to which we may not accompany you, there are things which we may not tell you. His anger takes root in those very things. The anger you see is born of fear. Not fear for himself but fear for others. It is important that we be near you to keep you safe."

  Michael looked at Branik again, still struggling to move, and nodded. "I can appreciate what you say, but I am not the same as when I left. Things have changed, and I find that intimidation angers me." Michael walked up to Branik and looked up into his eyes. He could see that Reek spoke the truth. Branik was afraid, and Michael was sure it was not because he could not escape his present situation. "Branik, please stop struggling. I have no wish to continue this confrontation with you."

  Branik’s low rumbling growl made Michael sigh.

  "I am going to return to Kantwell with Merric. You are going to be stuck to this very spot until you settle down and cool off, even if that takes a week. Just remember, if you wish to be near me to protect me then you must be free to move. The longer you continue this, the longer we will be separated; and I can hold you this way indefinitely." Michael leaned close and lowered his voice. "Not even Micah can free you from this spell if I do not permit it. I do not want to be at odds with you, Branik, but you are giving me little choice in the matter."
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  Branik continued to strain against the spell for a few seconds more, then looking into Michaels’ eyes he straightened and visibly relaxed. "You do not understand what is at stake, Michael. You do not comprehend what your actions cost."

  "I have an idea and, though Reek told me that he could not provide me the details, I know you are afraid of something. That alone gives me some idea of the gravity of your situation. I will make you a deal, Branik. I will release you and take you and Reek to Kantwell with Merric and myself. I will do everything possible to make sure I take you with me everywhere I go unless it is forbidden to me. And, for your part, I would like you to keep training me, both of you. Truth be told, I feel safer when you two are by my side. As I said before, I am human. I make mistakes. I act before I think sometimes. With your help, maybe I can change that. What do you say? Can we put this behind us? Will you forgive me for causing you this anguish?"

  Branik’s face cooled and he nodded once curtly. "I will hold you to this deal, Michael. While we are in Kantwell, I will expect you in the rock garden in the mornings for training and meditation."

  "I will do my best."

  Merric cleared his throat to get Michael’s attention. "Michael, there is still the problem of getting more men to the Slot. Mathis and I took as many as we could, but they still need more. I do believe you promised Commander Salic you would bring him reinforcements."

  "Oh, I forgot about that. Yes. I need to go to the King." Michael waved his hand at Branik and the big man was able to move again.

  "Feel like taking a trip?" Michael asked him.

  Reek walked around Michael to stand beside Branik. "We are ready."

  "Merric, I could use you, if you have time. I don’t know the King, and you do. It would expedite matters considerably if you were with me," Michael stated, turning to face Merric.

  "Of course. After we are finished with this business, there are some questions I would like to ask you," Merric pointed out, eyeing Michael’s robe again.

  "I will tell you what I can. Are we ready?"

  At their nods, Michael spoke the words of transport that would take them to Castle Brannin.

  Collapsing into the chair in front of Merric’s desk, Michael sighed and slouched down. He was tired but, once seated, a lethargy came over him like a warm cascade of water. He yawned and blinked his eyes trying to clear them. "I think I could sleep for a week."

  "With all you’ve been through these last two days, I could well imagine," Merric replied with a slight frown from behind his desk.

  "You had better ask your questions fast. I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake," Michael said, yawning so wide his jaw popped.

  "Ok, what’s with the robe and sash? You are a wizard not a traveling noble."

  "They were given to me by someone who saved my life yesterday. They are the outward symbol of what I am. I am no longer a wizard, Merric, I am something else entirely. I am a Myrkron."

  "What is a Myrkron, Michael? I have never before heard of such a thing," Merric said, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes.

  "I am not surprised. I am the first one in twenty thousand years. A Myrkron is what one is called when their powers exceed that of a wizard. I was told that only one is born every ten thousand years and that the one before me never came to be."

  "Who told you these things?"

  "His name was Mason. He was the last Myrkron. It was he who saved my life in Gratton and gave me this robe and sash. The robe belonged to his predecessor, a man by the name of Miron. The sash has been handed down from Myrkron to Myrkron throughout the ages."

  "Michael, if another exists like you, that is good news. To have two with such power as you have would be of immense help to our cause. The man must be like Micah if he is truly as old as you say. I wonder why he never made himself known to us," Merric mused.

  "He no longer exists. I thought as you do, that he must be like Micah, but he told me he was not. He only remained here until I came. Once he passed the sash to me, he just faded into nothingness. He said his oath had been fulfilled and that his time was finished. He told me a few things concerning my powers and hinted at others. Apparently, it falls to each Myrkron to figure certain matters out for themselves. As to why he never let himself be known, and why he was confined to a certain area; it was part of the deal he made for his living long enough to pass on what information he kept."

  "If it has been twenty thousand years since a Myrkron has been among us, then I can see why no one knows of their existence. The records here at Kantwell only go back about seven or eight thousand years. I have no idea what could have happened to the older records. I was never able to find out. No one knew, but it was obvious from reading the oldest tomes and scrolls that there were other manuscripts that predate the ones we have. There are references to other scrolls and prior events that we cannot find. I even spent some time in my youth searching for their possible location. Kantwell was not built yet, according to the oldest ones, so there must have been a former seat of magic, one that contained those earlier records."

  "So this castle is actually seven to eight thousand years old?" Michael asked amazed.

  "No," Merric said with a slight smile.

  "This castle has only been standing for about three thousand years. The old Kantwell was torn down about then and then rebuilt on the same site. The original castle was much smaller and, back then, they needed more space to accommodate all the magi training here. So the old school was torn down and a new one erected in its place." Merric sighed.

  "The way things are now, we could get by with a large manor house for the students, but we would need two more to house the wealth of books and scrolls. Kantwell is our home and, though much of it is empty, I could not leave. It is all I have known for over seventy years."

  "Still, three thousand years is a long time. The number alone is staggering to the mind. Where I come from, if a building has been standing for over a hundred years, it is considered very old and could even be named a historic site if something noteworthy happened there. To think this building dates back to before my religion was founded just blows my mind. Looking at it, you wouldn't think it could be nearly that old," Michael commented looking around the room.

  "We maintain the building and the grounds with magic. Kantwell will endure indefinitely as long as there are magi to care for it, which is by no means a certainty with the way things are going."

  "Speaking of which, you never answered my question earlier."

  "Oh and what was the question?" Merric asked puzzled.

  "Where is Micah? He was supposed to be at the elven encampment with you, but when I got there he was absent."

  "Ah, yes, I do remember you asking that. I’m afraid he received some disturbing news. Mortow has taken Joshua hostage."

  Michael sat upright in his chair, all traces of sleep gone from his face. "When did this happen?"

  "Just recently I suspect. One of Micah’s friends from your world came through the gateway last night, a Colonel Bastise. It seems he captured one of the Weres sent to abduct Joshua and managed to get quite a bit of information out of the fellow before he killed him."

  "I have only met Colonel Bastise once, but he is physically imposing to say the least. I would not have wanted to be the guy he caught. Bastise is here, in this world?"

  "Yes. He is here at Kantwell. Micah brought him here from the gateway. Poor fellow got an abrupt introduction to magical transport," Merric said with a faint grin.

  Michael grimaced. "I feel for him. It was not so long ago for me as to forget the stomach wrenching nausea it can cause. I would like to talk to him if I may."

  "Of course. He is housed on the first floor of the west wing with some of the Avari that remain here. I thought that a man such as he would feel more comfortable around other warriors. Now back to you."

  "Wise choice," Michael agreed."

  "What else can you tell me about these Myrkrons? Any information you can give me may be helpful in aiding you to disco
ver more. I have read every volume here in Kantwell and, though none have mentioned them by name, you never know what piece of knowledge can lead to other references."

  "Well, Mason told me that a wizard’s power comes from within; that is the reason for the rock garden. It shows the wizard the boundaries of his strength."

  "That is correct. I presume a Myrkron is different."

  "Aye, we draw our strength from external sources. We can still tire like a wizard, but our magical strength is linked with our physical endurance. Mason told me that I am a channel for magical energies. My strength is not limited like a wizard. I can draw from the very land and air around me. The more I channel, the more I will be able to channel. The more physical endurance I have, the longer I can channel the magical energies."

  "I see, well, actually I don’t see. That goes against everything I have read and been taught. You can actually pull magic from your surroundings? Is that how you were able to drain my attack against your shield?"

  "Probably. Mason did say that he could not have done that. He told me that was very likely a power unique to me, as was as being able to sense Mortow scrying on me and opening a return channel," Michael informed him.

  "So Myrkrons have varying degrees of power?"

  "Yes. Mason said that there has not been one of my power born in over forty thousand years."

  "Then how is a Myrkron’s power determined? I mean, with wizards, we see a number of doors. How is it with you?"

  "I see the same doors as you, plus the ninth. Beyond that, I may not reveal. It is one of the secrets with which I was entrusted." Seeing Merric’s frown, Michael continued. "I am sorry, Merric, but there were two things told to me that I cannot tell anyone; what lies beyond the ninth door and their names. I do not understand why they are to remain a secret, but they are. I can tell you that Mason told me I am now able to heal. I have not tried it, but it was something he could do, and said I could as well."

  "Healing, like what the dwarven healers can do?" Merric asked, his interest piqued.