Mists of Everness (The War of the Dreaming)

by Wright, John C.

  The Titan spoke without looking away from his work, “Hello, Merlin. I was expecting you.” An alarm clock went off as he was speaking, and he reached over, and clumsily (for his fingers were too large for the switch) silenced the ringing bell.

  The Warlock said in voice of studied casualness. “I’ve come to talk …”

  Prometheus smiled disdainfully. “Is that the truth?” Now he turned and looked down at the Warlock, and the Warlock saw the perceptive humor twinkling in the Titan’s eye.

  The man once called Azreal looked down sullenly. “You know, then, Titan, how this conversation will spin itself out.”

  “Do I? You may surprise me.”

  “And if I do not? Come, tell me what I will say.”

  “I don’t know in detail. You, for a time, will talk of trivial things, mentioning how men now know of magic; and you will seek to know my mind in this, whether it is good or ill that the Paradise of Oberon has been denied to them. But you will try to discover my thoughts without asking me directly, for your fear will impede you.”

  “What fear?” he asked quietly.

  “You are afraid that, after all, you are not so much like me as you would like to be.”

  “And are we not?” asked the Warlock loudly, raising his chin, a sneer of pride on his face. “Have we not both stolen from heaven, and sought to render men superior to gods?”

  “You stole; I did not. One cannot steal one’s own property. Gods are younger than men by far, though they pretend otherwise. I deserved praise, yet was punished. You deserve punishment, child-killer, yet won the praises of a thousand generations.”

  The Warlock looked down, crossed his arms, and the lines around his mouth and eyes grew deeper as his face darkened. Eventually he said, “Do none revile you? Is it not a sign of greatness to be loathed?”

  Prometheus uttered a brief, deep laugh. “Peter Waylock, from your family, came by not long after the Sun was reborn. He complained quite a bit about how hard it was to get his wheelchair up the stairs. At one point he asked me, and quite bitterly, why I hadn’t made men out of something unbreakable, like iron or steel? Why were they so easy to break? And I told him that, of all my creations, only man has no cause to complain about his shape.”

  “Why?”

  “For I have made him out of clay, you see, and clay is malleable. And I never fired mankind in my kiln; instead I gave the fire to him. Are you discontent? Reshape your soul according to your own liking.”

  Merlin Waylock continued to stand with his gaze harsh, his arms folded. Eventually he said, “And to what shape should we mold ourselves, O Titan?”

  Prometheus smiled, “You might as well ask me, and what is goodness? What is virtue?”

  Merlin Waylock clasped his hands behind his back, and stared broodingly out the windows. Eventually the Warlock asked, “And how did your conversation with my descendant conclude itself?”

  “I told him there were no limits to what men might do to improve themselves. He seemed dissatisfied with the answer, and wheeled away.”

  The Warlock stood in a pose of black abstraction, and again he was silent for a time. He said sharply, “I saw the Sephiroth of Kether in the clouds over the right shoulder of Raven, son of Raven; nor is that his true name. Had I known his true name, he would not have so easily escaped this land’s jail. But I ask, O Titan, what this sign means.”

  “You know.”

  “Do I read the signs wrongly? The children of Raven will be kings of the Earth. How can this be, in this land where there are no kings?”

  “The estranged bloodlines of titans, gods, and men will be reunited in the children of Gwendolyn Pendrake and Raven Varovitch. Do you know your Scripture, wizard?”

  “I know it well, and know as well what hands wrote it; a fact long hidden from mankind.”

  “The sixth chapter of Genesis reports that there were giants on the Earth in those days, when the sons of god came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These same became mighty men, which were of old, men of renown.”

  “The heroes of ancient Greece, as well, had divine blood in them. What does this mean?”

  “You know what it means.”

  “Only those of immortal blood can command the Night World. Your grandchildren will be magicians and heroes.”

  “In ten generations, my bloodline will encompass the greater part of mankind. Once, only the spirits and fairies could command the powers of magic; that time is past. I have given my children a second type of divine fire, now.”

  Merlin Waylock showed no change of his hard expression; but his face grew pale. “Then all my efforts were but child’s play. You have more than accomplished everything I dreamed to do.”

  Prometheus uttered a bass laugh. “You have accomplished precisely what you set out to do! You thought to use the force of Acheron to seize the Key of Everness, and then to use the Key to betray the forces of Darkness, and prevent the rise of Acheron. All this, allegedly, to aid the return of the Pendragon. Now behold! Acheron was unleashed; the Acheron was halted; thousands died; Everness was destroyed; the Pendragon has returned to restore the land. And you, who sought to use treachery for your ends, you have become a traitor. All is accomplished. How can you doubt the power of men to mold of themselves into what they will? You are exactly the type of … thing … you set out to make yourself into.”

  Merlin Waylock turned, without a word of farewell or departure, and began to walk away across the echoing, vast concrete floor.

  When he came to the huge garage door, which was open to the heat and sunlight, he stiffened, looking down at something just outside the door.

  Prometheus, bent over his machinery, pretending to be occupied, smiling to himself.

  Merlin Waylock turned. “I shall go to the Pendragon before his hunters find me. It would, after all, only be a matter of time until the planetarium of Everness is restored. I have no doubt he will send me back to Tirion; no prison of earth can hold me against my will …”

  His voice trailed into silence. Then he drew a breath, gathered his courage, and spoke.

  “Titan! What was it you thought, all those years as you hung in chains on the mountainside? What was it that sustained your courage to endure?”

  Prometheus spoke without looking up from his busy hands, “Me? I never think much about my present circumstance; I always look ahead. But, if I had to name one thought, it was the one I told to you. That even suffering can be used for the improvement of one’s state. Men can change their lives for the better, even those who are very much afraid to change.”

  “I wish to see Peter before I go. Where is he now?”

  Prometheus looked thoughtful. “You will find him in a ski chalet in the Catskills, where interstate highway 287 meets the … ah. Excuse me. Look to sea where the ley-line from the old Indian burial grounds overlaps the way of air used by the swan-maidens. He will be dancing with girls far too young for him, and waiting for the slopes to open.”

  Merlin Waylock stepped out the door and jumped the little way to the ground. In the weeds in the ditch by the roadside, he saw the crumpled heap of a wheelchair, flattened as if by a hammer blow. Leading away were a few footprints in the dirt, unsteady at first, and then lengthening in stride, as if the feet had been running and running.

  The magician drew on a heavy leather gauntlet, put out his hand, and called out his name. There was a scream from the sky near the sun, and a small, fierce bird of prey fell down from heaven, landed. His sharp talons cut into the leather glove, and he cocked his head, looking up at the wizard with eyes as proud and predatory as his own.

  “I go to do penance for my crimes. I will be caged again, I fear, in Tirion. I will release you to fly the airs alone.”

  The bird cocked his head the other way, and opened his sharp, cruel beak. “No! I shall not leave you. You shall not go alone this time to your torment.”

  “I thank you; you cause me joy. And perhaps the sentence will be lighter to bear for your com
pany. Come! I will see my family once more before I return to the world of dreams.”

  The two of them began to walk down the road, the Warlock carrying the merlin proudly on his fist.

  TOR BOOKS BY JOHN C. WRIGHT

  CHRONICLES OF EVERNESS

  The Last Guardian of Everness

  Mists of Everness

  THE GOLDEN AGE

  The Golden Age

  The Phoenix Exultant

  The Golden Transcendence

  Orphans of Chaos

  Praise for John C. Wright and the War of the Dreaming Series

  “Already regarded as one of the best science fiction writers of the last decade for his stirring Golden Age trilogy, John C. Wright proves he has the right stuff to write exciting modern day epic fantasy with the terrific The Last Guardian of Everness.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “The Last Guardian of Everness is the first part of the War of the Dreaming and looks to be a wonderful epic fantasy. Unlike other epic fantasies, Wright blends the very real world of today with his rich dream world, the two meeting in the myths of central Europe. The background of the dream world unfolds intriguingly, with a wealth of characters and settings. For fans of fantasy who enjoy a rich and textured story that unfolds in twists and turns, The Last Guardian of Everness will be a wonderful read.”

  —SFRevu

  “Mists of Everness rips along at the same manic pace as the first half, veering between high-toned mysticism and farce, lashings of derring-do and moments of hilarious absurdity … . Wright gives us adults permission to sit back and let that inner child behave badly and bravely by turns, while speaking in tongues and remembering forgotten mythologies.”

  —Locus

  “The second volume of Wright’s War of the Dreaming series dives headlong into the action that ended the first … . Wright blends our everyday world with the dark world of nightmares.”

  —Romantic Times Bookclub

  “Making appearances in no particular order of appearance are figures out of Greek and Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, Masonic iconography, American history, Shakespeare, children’s parables, J. M. Barrie, nuclear physics, the classic movie Casablanca, and a sex scene in the White House … Just enjoy it.”

  —Sfsite.com

  “Engrossing fantasy fueled with high imagination and memorable action sequences … You really get the sense that Everness and the land of dreaming are magical places … . Throughout the whole book, Wright’s writing style is clear, descriptive, engrossing and sometimes lyrical.”

  —SFSignal.com

  Appendix The List of the Wardens

  The Ancient

  and Honorable Order of

  the Watchmen of the Tower

  of Time Unchanging,

  Called Everness

  This is the traditional list as memorized by the librarians of Everness, and memorialized within the ornaments and images of their archives. Recent scholarship has shown that the list is questionable concerning certain dates and events, and that the Order springs from roots different and older than what is given here:

  YEAR WARDEN

  1. 500 MERLIN

  2. 523 DONBLEYS LE FAY, his student

  3. 546 ALFCYNNIG

  4. 550 LOHORT

  5. 574 NENNING

  6. 575 NIMBLING

  7. 599 CORBENEC OF CARABAS

  Glastonbury Line

  8. 625 MORS OF YNYS WITRIN. First War den of the Glastonbury Line.

  9. 640 BERTILAK THE GREEN. Declares the Wardenship to be hereditary.

  10. 674 ST. CYNWULF. End of Glastonbury Line. First Northumbrian Warden.

  Northumbrian Line

  11. 684 UTHLAC I. At this time, certain paths and sections of the Forest of Brocillinde are enchanted, and removed from the limits of time and space in order to preserve the corpse of the First Warden from despoliation.

  12. 701 CAEDMON OF FAY LAKE

  13. 723 NENNIUS THE DECEIVER. Warden is replaced by a selkie, and does much harm before being slain by Adlhelm.

  14. 724 ADLHELM THE ACCURSED

  15. 730 ANDREAS I

  16. 780 UTHLAC II

  17. 798 ANDREAS II

  18. 813 CYNNINGALF I. End of the Northumbrian Line. Start of the Anglo-Saxon line.

  Anglo-Saxon Line Wardens of Wessex

  19. 827 CYNNINGBERT THE DRUNKARD

  20. 839 CYNNINGALF II

  21. 857 CWENOBALD

  22. 860 CYNNINGALF III

  23. 866 CYNNINGRED I

  24. 871 ALFWISE THE GREAT

  25. 899 ALFWARD THE ELDER

  26. 925 ATHELSTONE

  27. 940 EDMUND

  28. 946 ADRED

  29. 955 ADWY

  30. 959 ADGAR

  31. 975 ALFWARD THE FOULLY SLAIN. First Selkie irruption.

  32. 978 CYNNINGRED II

  33. 1016 ALFWARD COLD IRON

  Danish Captivity Wyrdabrunnr

  34. 1017 BEORN OF WYRDABRUNNR

  35. 1035 AEGIRBEORN THE NAVIGATOR. Discovers the Americas in a dream. Begins the carving of the Great Globe.

  36. 1040 ODBEORN WYRDABRUNNR

  Saxon Line Doomsmere

  37. 1042 EDWARD THE UNWISE. Pays the Necromancer to trouble him no longer.

  38. 1071 MANDRAGORE THE BLACK. Continues the Dreamgeld payments; eventually bows to and serves the Necromancer.

  Norman Line Whitingwell

  39. 1079 WILLIAM WHITINGWELL. He is granted the Guardianship after the Guardian of Tirion hales Mandragore to Wailing Blood.

  40. 1087 WILLIAM II

  41. 1100 HENRY WHITINGWELL

  42. 1135 SYLVESTER TOURDEFAUX. Erects an image of the Tower of the Tor while the true Tower is occupied by plagues.

  First English Line Wyrdloch

  43. 1154 ALBERIC THE WISE. Wrote “De Insomniis” part of the larger Oneiro critica.

  44. 1189 ARCHIMAGO. Hinders the ambitiontary of the Elfinqueen.

  45. 1199 MALAGAUNT. Establishes the plane motions. Travels in astral body to Malacand and Perelend.

  46. 1216 SIMONUS; called Simon Victor. Coquers Nastrond, drives the Kelpie out of Uhnuman. This is the first extradimensional conquest by human kind into the dream-lands.

  47. 1272 MANFRED THE MAGICIAN. Expands the human-controlled dream-lands. Titans bow to him.

  48. 1307 MALAGIGUS. Human colonies established at Dylath-Leen and Ulthar in the dream-lands.

  49. 1327 SIMONDEMAGUS. Humans establish the great city of Bahama on the Is land of Oreb.

  50. 1377 MERUNDORE. Slain by the gods while attempting to scale the dreaming mountain of Hathegkla. Oberon the Faery King holds the Wardenship during the Rising of the Mist. Dream-lands cut off from Waking world. The Mountains of Oreb destroy the human city: the cats of Ulthar wipe out those humans who treat them with less than perfect esteem. Oberon invests the Wardenship to the Wyscraft of Gaunt.

  Second English Line Wayscraft

  51. 1399 WYSCRAFT CADELLIN. Slain in his sleep by Turkish Wizards.

  52. 1413 WYSCRAFT EMRYS. Slain in his sleep by Turkish Wizards.

  53. 1422 WYSCRAEFT CENNETH. Discovers a second Tower of Time in Byzantium. Marries Irene the Blessed, founds Greek Line.

  Greek Line Thyrewaylock

  54. 1461 CONSTANTINE THYREROS

  55. 1483 BELISARIUS THYREROS

  56. 1483 PHORCUS GRAEAE THIREWAYLOCK

  First Younger Line De Gray

  57. 1485 WILLIAM DE GRAY

  58. 1509 MARGARET THE MAIDEN DE GRAY, First Wardeness

  59. 1547 Louis DE GRAY. Resurrects the Founder from the Dead that he might avenge the rape of Margaret de Gray by Selkie. Azrael takes the surname de Gray.

  60. 1553 JOHN DE GRAY; also known as John Dee. Azrael is captured and reimprisoned.

  61. 1558 SYLVANIUS WAYLOCK. Everness removed to the Americas.

  New World Line Waylock

  62. 1603 SYLVIE WAYLOCK, Second Wardeness

  63. 1625 MELPOMIDES WAYLOCK. Introduced the cryptic symbolism int
o the House, built the portico.

  64. 1649 JEREMIAH WAYLOCK THE RESTORER. Tore down the portico, built the Old Wing. Second Selkie irruption.

  65. 1658 VIRGILLUS MAGUS: Virgil the Magician is recalled from Celebradon to stand the Watch. Virgil creates the Talking Stones of Everness, to warn of coming dangers.

  66. 1660 ARCHIMEDES WAYLOCK. Built the Planetarium, restored the Icons. Archimedes does not die, but is taken alive to a realm by one of the Pleiades.

  67. 1685 AESCHYLUS WAYLOCK. Restored the lost wing of Melpomides.

  68. 1689 PENTHEUS WAYLOCK. Organized the Library.

  69. 1689 ARTIMESIA WAYLOCK. Third Wardeness. Married Robin Quicksilver of Elfhome.

  70. 1702 CALIBAN WAYLOCK THE BLENTLING. Dies without issue.

  Reid Family Red (Reid) Branch

  71. 1714 ORESTES WAYLOCK. Descended from the youngest sister of Pentheus, Britomart Reid nee Waylock.

  72. 1727 ORPHEUS WAYLOCK

  73. 1760 ALBERTUS WAYLOCK

  74. 1820 LAZARUS WAYLOCK

  75. 1830 CADELLIN II WAYLOCK. Builds and restores the House and the Tower to its current form.

  76. 1837 MINERVA WAYLOCK. Fourth Wardeness. Completed the building of the High House, established the Wards of the Earth, abolished the Theosophists, drove the Edgewood-wives into fairy-land. Dies without issue. Titiania the Elfinqueen searches for the lost cousin of the Gordon family, Jason. His son Jeremiah marries Beth, daughter of Cadellin II, and takes her name.

  Gordon Family Gold (Gordon) Branch

  77. 1901 RODERICK GORDON WAYLOCK

  78. 1910 WILBUR WAYLOCK

  79. 1936 PHINEAS WARLOCK

  80. 1966 ANDREW WAYLOCK

  81. 1972 LEMUEL WARLOCK

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.