by Philip Blood
“It is power,” Myrka burst out.
“Remember, it’s my turn, Sweetheart,” Hydan stated.
Myrka scowled again, “I am not…”
“I know, it was a joke, dearest, and calling you ‘dearest’ is another joke.”
“I do not like jokes,” she answered.
Hydan put a hand on his chest and with a shocked face exclaimed, “No, tell me it’s not true!”
“It is!” she exclaimed, missing his theatrical sarcasm completely.
Hydan turned back to me with a grin and spoke conversationally, “She’s right, the Derkaz is a power, an insidious power.”
Myrka started to speak again, but Hydan held up a finger, and she stopped, but she said, “I am going to kill you someday.”
“Yes,” he answered, “I’m sure you’ll try, but not right now.” Then he continued speaking to me, “Derkaz is insidious because once you let it in, it is like a bad houseguest who won’t leave. It seemed like fun when they first got there, but now... Anyway, the Derkaz will attach itself and become a part of you, like some parasite. Getting rid of it is damn near impossible.”
“All right, I get that, but if it is just some kind of power, what’s the problem?”
Myrka exclaimed, “Exactly, there is no problem!”
I continued, “Is the Derkaz sentient, does it have some secret plan?”
Hydan shook his head, “No, not that we can discern. It is just out there, sitting between the stars, a dark force, a power.”
“I don’t understand; if it’s not sentient, then why can’t you use it?” I asked. “People think nuclear power is evil, but it is just power.”
Hydan thought for a moment and then said, “Well, a demonstration then… Myrka, do you see the Velcat, the little furry one, there, on the side of the road ahead?”
“I see it,” Myrka answered dubiously.
“It might get in our way going down the road, though it is harmless enough.”
Myrka immediately raised her hand and muttered some kind of chant, and then a lance of bright light exited her palm, striking the little Velcat, which exploded in fur, blood and other bits of creature.
I jumped back, “What the hell!”
“It was in our way, he said so,” Myrka noted, and started walking again.
Hydan gestured to the remains of the small creature, “The problem is once you start using the Derkaz you get more and more casual about destruction. It’s not that it is evil, but it tends to lead a person down the path to evil. It’s hard to explain.”
“Why do you think removing a threat is evil?” Myrka demanded.
Hydan countered with, “Why do you think the Velcat was a threat?”
“Because you said the creature might get in our way.”
“Yes, like a stone in the road, something we would have to go around,” Hydan answered, “I did not say it was a threat.”
“It should know better than to get in the way of a Tarvos sorceress,” Myrka stated.
Hydan turned to me and said, “And that is what using the Derkaz does to you, it makes you arrogant, destructive, careless, and cold.”
“Which are all things we prize on Annwn,” Myrka stated, “We strive to be sure of ourselves, strong of power, without emotional attachments, and logical, which is another way of saying what he claimed.”
Hydan spoke softly, “Your race wasn’t always this way, back before you all embraced the Derkaz Ether.”
“No, once we were weak, but our race is strong now, and our Archimage will be the one who Ascends to the Silent Mother’s throne!”
“I certainly hope not,” Hydan said with a sigh.
“I should kill you for that,” Myrka said coldly.
I broke in at this point, “Hey, didn’t we discuss that you are not to kill Hydan?”
“You said, “’For now’, is it time yet?” she asked hopefully.
“No, and that part about ‘for now’ was a joke.”
She shrugged, “I don’t…”
“Joke,” I added for her, “We got it.”
I wanted to know more about Abal, so I turned back to Hydan, “OK, so some Sivaeral mages started playing with this power, this Derkaz.”
“Yes, and once in, the Derkaz took up residence in their minds; they started doing and making things… dangerous things. Suddenly the peace which had existed on this planet for thousands of years was disrupted as strange new monsters appeared, created by the mages using the Derkaz power.”
Myrka spoke up with conviction, “Just as the Silent Mother wanted. The Sivaeral line was growing weak, but now their mages battled each other, and the strong prevail!”
Hydan shrugged, “True enough, though we do not believe the Derkaz was intended by the Silent Mother.”
“Well, we do. And now you have admitted embracing the Derkaz is the way to strength!” she exclaimed.
“No, it is a power, but not one worth the price,” Hydan answered.
Myrka was confused, “But it is the logical conclusion to your statement.”
“But not the right one,” he replied.
I broke in, “Hey, back on subject.”
Hydan nodded, “One wizard grew particularly strong using Derkaz, a Second of the Sivaeral line, Medrod. There was a massive Civil War across most of this planet. On the one side was Medrod, son of the Archimage, and he took up the Derkaz Ether. He convinced others to do so as well, and eventually Sivaeral mage fought Sivaeral mage in a bloody Civil War. In the end, the Archimage of Abal had to end his son’s line.”
“He killed his child?” I asked.
“It is the mage way, the strong survive, even of their own House,” Myrka noted.
I let that go.
Hydan nodded sadly, “Yes, it happens.”
I pondered this and then said, “So, with his rebellious descendant out of the way, why haven’t things gone back to normal?
Hydan shrugged, “Medrod was not the only mage to embrace the Derkaz, though he was the strongest. What really made Medrod dangerous was his mate, a Dokkalfar sorceress named Morgain. I believe she is the one who introduced Medrod to the Derkaz Ether. Together they created much which is evil, and a lot of what they created is still out there, including many strange and evil creatures. When I was here last I had a run in with that Dokkalfar sorceresses, and she was strong in the Derkaz. She was the reason I decided to leave Abal.”
“She was pretty nasty, I take it?”
“The worst, she was very adamant about roasting me on a spit, I believe. It was as good a reason as any to visit Earth.”
I looked at Hydan, “Yet you came back to Abal with me anyway?”
“I couldn't bear to miss the fun!” he said with a grin.
Myrka was thinking, and then said, “Why hasn’t the Archimage of this world hunted down these remaining rivals if they don’t bow to his will? Is he weak?”
Hydan laughed, “No, I would not call the First Wizard of Abal weak. The problem is there aren’t a lot of Sivaeral mages left. Many used the Derkaz, and eventually joined Medrod. During those battles, some of the Sivaeral mages, still loyal to the Archimage, embraced Derkaz in a misguided attempt to win battles, which, in the end, brought some of them over to Medrod’s side.”
“The Derkaz made them change allegiance?” I asked.
He nodded, and then continued, “This is a Civil War, a mage Civil War, and many have died on both sides, taking out entire lines of Sivaeral mages. Truthfully, there are few Sivaeral mages left. The Sivaeral Archimage is going to be quite pleased to find a Hidden Soul Third of the Sivaeral line if we can find him.”
This caught my attention, I knew I needed to find my Archimage so I could offer to deliver my information if he could help me retrieve my memories. I asked Hydan a question, “What did you mean, ‘If we can find him’?”
“No one has seen the Sivaeral Archimage in some time, he is in hiding. His House is weakened by the loss of so many Sivaeral mages, and therefore, he could be vulnerable to an attack
by another House. I tried to locate him, but he was well glamoured. I felt no sense of him anywhere.”
That was going to make finding my Archimage problematical, but I asked, “So do all the other Houses know about this civil war on Abal?”
“I’m sure they do, it has been going on for hundreds of years. As for the disappearance of the Archimage here, I already reported that to my House, and everyone will know, soon enough, but like I said, some of this is very recent. Abal has become a very dangerous place for any mage of any House. I assume the Archimage here is taking extreme measures to stop Abal becoming a place like Earth, where mages from all Houses come to do battle.”
I thought about that, and then asked, “What do you mean by ‘extreme measures’?”
Myrka answered instead, “I would guess he is killing any foreign mages on Abal who were not invited.”
“Aren’t you two foreign mages?”
Hydan laughed.
I scowled at him and said, “Then why did you come here with me?”
Myrka answered, “I came because of my oath.”
And Hydan said, “And I came because it sounded like fun. Besides, you need my help; I couldn’t leave you to the tender mercies of a Derkaz crazed girl, on a world bent on killing mages, when you have not yet relearned your wizard skills.”
Myrka snarled at Hydan, but let it go.
Hydan gave her a raised brow fin, but then continued speaking, “Besides, this is the only place where you can learn about your parents, so here we are.”
“Do not fear, it was the logical choice,” Myrka said, and then looked at Hydan, “Which is rather odd when you consider who it was that made a decision based on logic.”
We walked for another mile, going down three switchbacks, and then I said, “Hey, why aren’t we Five Point traveling instead of walking?”
“We can’t, or shouldn’t, not here on Abal,” Hydan explained. “The mage war here has made certain uses of magic a problem; they attract unwanted attention, and we could even be hijacked, possibly.”
“Hijacked?”
“If there aren’t too many Stars being used, they could possibly zero in on an active one and divert our destination. We could end up somewhere other than where we expected to go. No, we’ll have to walk, or ride, if we want to get somewhere without an arcane battle. At this stage, I’m not sure that both sides won’t attack us.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“First off, as you mentioned, either side might want to kill us just because we are foreign mages, assuming they discover we are here. He cocked a thumb at Myrka, “Then there is the fact she is pretty heavy into Derkaz power, so the Archimage’s side might take affront while the other side might not like you or me since we haven’t delved into the Derkaz.”
“So what should we do?” I asked.
“We don’t tell anyone we are mages, and this includes hiding our powers,” he gave Myrka a hard look for a moment, to which she returned a blank stare.”
“And then what?” I prompted.
“Then, we go for a drink!” he said exuberantly.
Myrka started to complain, but Hydan added, “With a friend of mine, who can help us with what we need, for a price.”
“And where is this friend?” I asked.
He pointed out in a general direction, “In the capital city of Poseidon, out that way, a couple hundred mectors or so.”
“Mectors?” I asked.
“Uh, about a mile and a half, approximately, per mector,” he said, doing some quick math.
“Wouldn’t the Archimage of Abal reside at the capital?” I asked, I mean, I was interested in finding my parents, sure, but I really needed to get my memories back. And if I had been working for him, well, it was time we had a chat.
Hydan pondered, “Normally, yes, though I don’t know if he is there.”
“Good enough, though I hope we aren’t walking three hundred miles just for a drink!”
“I would, for the right drink, but in this case, I shouldn’t have to. There should be quite a few good watering holes along the way, so have no fear!” Hydan exclaimed.
“When he becomes severely inebriated, it will be easier to kill him,” Myrka noted gleefully.
Hydan chortled at that.
Chapter Six
Saved in the nick in time.
-AC/DC
We reached the lowlands and picked up a road going through a forest which covered the gently rolling hills. Hydan took a good look at me, and I turned to say, “What? Do I have some strange bug on my head?”
“No, but it’s time you learned to fit into Abal.”
I laughed, “I don’t fit in anywhere. Or a better way of saying it is: I don’t know where I should fit in!”
“Well, this is your World, so you better start by figuring out how to blend in here properly,” he said.
“And how do I do that? Are you going to buy me some new clothes?”
He smiled, “No, though I could. I’m going to teach you how to start using your wizard powers.”
“Oh really, magic?” I scoffed.
“Yes, magic,” he replied.
I spoke sarcastically, “Do I get a wand? Shall I cast a clothing spell, ‘Silliouspantus!’” I called out, waving my hand in a circle above my head.
Hydan smiled, “We don’t need to create a spell to change local reality. What do you think your hand waving was going to do, besides scare some birds?”
“I don’t know, dress me in pantaloons or something,” I replied.
He nodded, “You could have those if you wish, or something more like this,” and suddenly his simple shirt and pants changed instantly to some kind of scale armor, it was gorgeous. The scales were highly polished silver, with black leather joints.
I did a double take, “You… you really can just whip up clothing!”
“Or armor,” he noted.
“How did you do that?” I asked incredulously.
He grinned, “I changed what I had into a different reality. You can’t make something from nothing, but you can change what exists into something else.”
“How?” I exclaimed.
Hydan explained, “By knowing what it is you are wearing and making this the reality around you.”
“Hell, that’s easy!”
He looked surprised, “Well, it is, if you are a mage, I’m just surprised you figured it out so swiftly.”
I turned to Myrka, who was silently watching this exchange, and said, “That was sarcasm, a joke. You would think he would get that.”
“What is sarcasm?” she asked blankly.
In answer, I said, “I see you are wise and all knowing.”
“That is true,” she replied. “but what has this to do with sarcasm?”
“Everything.”
Hydan smiled, but said, “Joke or not, it is actually easy, as long as a few things are true. First, you have to really believe you know what you are wearing, doubt will screw you like a two-bit...”
“Thanks, got it,” I interrupted, “What else?”
“Well, you have to be a mage, and the distance you can affect things is directly proportional to your belief and heritage.”
“Bite me, Hydan,” I said, vehemently.
“Bite you… where?” he asked.
“It’s an Earth expression, it simply means, piss off.”
“Piss off? Onto what?” he also asked.
“Never mind. The point is this makes no sense to me.”
Hydan nodded, “Ah.”
Myrka broke in, “You shape the reality around you by what you believe is real. The further away reality is, the less you can affect it.”
“So, just because Hydan believes he is wearing that armor, it exists?”
“Not exactly,” Hydan answered, “It’s more like because I know my shirt is made of metal scale and leather, it is. Here, look,” he said, stepping right up next to me. Suddenly my cotton shirt was scale mail, just like his.
He stepped away, “Do you be
lieve you were wearing scale mail? Or do you really think you were wearing that cotton shirt?”
“I’m wearing a cotton shirt; this is some kind of…”
Right, then my shirt changed to white cotton.
“…trick,” I said, faltering.
“I believed your shirt was armor, but you changed it back because you believe it is a shirt,” Hydan explained.
“Bull shit,” I exclaimed.
“Don’t you trust your own eyes?” Hydan asked.
“No, not these days,” I replied belligerently.
He just watched me.
“OK,” I said, “suppose, for just a moment, I don’t think you are a nut case, or what you are telling me is a joke.”
“All right,” Hydan replied.
“Are you saying I can keep changing my clothes into whatever I want, as long as I believe that is what I’m wearing?”
“Absolutely, up to a point.”
“A point?”
He nodded, “That point being one of two things, the first being you have sufficient power available. It isn’t endless, and the higher your tier, the more you have available. As a Third, you can do a lot, but the supply isn’t endless.”
“What if I run out?”
“It is difficult to do that; you have to really push beyond a natural limit which will make you feel tired. This is your body’s way of warning you to stop, but if you don’t, if you use up all of your magic, you could die. However, as I said, you will feel when you are getting low, and then you can just stop. Your power will then slowly replenish.”
I considered for a moment, and then said, “And the other thing?”
Hydan smiled, “The other thing which will keep you from changing reality is if there is an opposing mage who is seeing reality differently than you. If that mage has more power they will win, and reality will shape itself to their desire.”
“I see, is this why Fiona couldn’t stop that big necrosoul back in the pub?”
He nodded, “Yes, there was a necromancer who was controlling those necrosouls, and he was countering Fiona’s vision of reality, and doing it without being in the room! That would take a lot of power, the kind of power The Dragon can wield. Very few mages could do that to a Second sorceress from that kind of distance.”
