by Vance Huxley
“No but he’s not the one from Elmwood Park, Elrond. I’m on the production line but I asked a few of the office types, casually, about strangers working on the stock. He also comes in to fit the logos on a few other items we put together, top of the range stuff. Other parts arrive with the logo fitted, but those don’t have magic in them.” Abel nodded, he’d already worked out only expensive brands paid to have their products protected from gremlins. “He has to be a warlock or possibly a sorcerer and comes from Sheffield twice a month.” Shawn hesitated. “I’d approach him, but I want backup first. That sorceress who attacked you three worries me.”
“Would something like that provide a decent income?” Shannon looked puzzled. “It seems really inefficient as well, someone travelling around like that.”
“Maybe it’s tradition, from when they came by horseback to visit village craftsmen.” The young man with a big grin suddenly sobered. “Actually that might be true. Pendragon does sound like a traditional sort of person.”
“Sheffield is thirty miles away from Stourton, a hell of a trip to stick a label on. It must pay enough to be worthwhile. Maybe he visits several places, makes a day of it?” Abel asked Ferryl her opinion via spooky-phone.
She answered aloud. “He has to be a sorcerer, or maybe an apprentice.” Ferryl/Claris noticed the curious looks, realising as a newcomer she shouldn’t be so sure. “I’m going by what I’ve been told. Abel has explained some of this while I’ve been recuperating.” She preened just a little. “He gave me some tuition which is why I’ve managed to flutter a leaf so quickly.” A big smile lit her face. “I’m a real believer now, and want to be able to fry the next slimy little blood-bag.” The suspicion turned to enthusiastic agreement on that part.
“Don’t tell Kieran that. He’ll be after some private lessons from Robin D’Ritche or Petra the cat-sorceress now he’s met them.” Eric, the nineteen-year-old introduced to the game and magic by his younger brother, didn’t let teasing side-track him for long. “I agree that Shawn shouldn’t brace him alone, or maybe not at all.”
“I suggest we watch him, when someone has time, and maybe follow him to see if Pendragon has an office in town. It would be handy if we want to talk to a sorcerer in a hurry sometime. He’s not that nice, but in an emergency he’s the only one we know.” Shannon looked around the room. “Better yet, if he gives us trouble, we can find him to return the favour. There’s enough of us in the holidays to switch the watchers around so he doesn’t notice, though we’ll have to be careful.”
When asked, Ferryl couldn’t provide any sort of magical tracker glyph, which left hiding as the best idea. “Just remember, he’ll be able to see creatures avoiding you. Stay behind other people if possible.”
“Back to the lawnmowers. Why do some items have magic added?” Shannon looked over at Abel. “You know why, don’t you? You nodded when Shawn said some were delivered without.” Abel realised it just hadn’t come up before. He explained about logos on expensive items having magic, so they deterred gremlins and ran better, but this time there were questions. Experimentation in Frederick’s house soon showed that although a few cheaper logos accepted magic, others simply wouldn’t so they’d never been designed as hexes. All the Taverners decided to test every logo they came across and make a list of the ones they could just active. The rest would still need drawn Tavern hexes to protect them.
“But that’s just testing old hexes. Today we’ve brought news of a new glyph.” Kelis beamed back at all the excited smiles. “None of us have enough control to use it, but we can start learning what we’ll need when we get to that stage.”
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The announcement that the new glyph would help them heal themselves took everyone’s mind off other sorcerers and really set the place buzzing. They weren’t told it could prolong life but Abel had been adamant when discussing it with Ferryl. If healing took a long time to learn, everyone should start as soon as possible. Kelis, Rob, and Abel explained that trainees would only be taught the glyph once they could create a seeming, a bandage that looked like skin to hide tattoos. By then each of them would have made mistakes and wrecked the cloth, a graphic warning of what might happen to flesh. For now all three stressed that every trainee should study medical books while getting to that level, to help them later. The news that being alive to magic helped everyone to heal anyway took away some of the disappointment at the delay.
Everyone who thought they were good enough at casting glyphs came forward to be tested. Several of those who hadn’t bothered too much with the disguise glyph, because showing their tattoo didn’t matter, complained a little. Not too much, if they were adept enough then some serious practice would rectify that and the prize provided plenty of incentive. Only eight could cast a seeming on a bandage so it looked enough like their unblemished skin to satisfy Ferryl. Those were taken outside where nobody could overhear. Though before anyone learned, Zephyr connected and passed on Ferryl’s lecture about starting with grazes because she couldn’t heal them if they made a mistake.
After the healing lesson Abel looked around the small group. “Learning that will take lots of practice, years of it so it’s not much use right now. You’ll learn a second new glyph today, to practice when healing is boring you silly. This one is the next stage after air and fire and only you eight get to know yet.”
“Earth?” Petra looked down at the ground and smirked. “You’re going to make the earth move?”
“Water. It shouldn’t take long to perfect and then yes, you’ll get the other element.” Abel grinned because he’d had a real argument with Ferryl about the next bit. “You’ll also be learning the beginnings of the fourth while you practice water, but you don’t get the glyph to make it work. To earn that you have to control your own personal waterspout and also make a small cloud and produce rain, both without heat or wind.” Abel pointed at his shoulder. “Ferryl will decide when you are ready. Water is boring practice in a way, similar to wind, so we thought you’d want an incentive.”
Rob shook his head sadly. “I’ve scraped a pass, just. Kelis has aced it of course which means it’s a pity she’s not here. Abel will demonstrate to spare my blushes.” Several Taverners smiled as he added his usual rider. “Though I reckon Abel hasn’t actually learned any glyphs. Ferryl does it all for him.”
Zephyr connected to them all. “Not likely. I’ve no intention of riding about in an amateur, though I sometimes wonder if Kelis might have been a better choice. Now, if Rob has the water, Abel will demonstrate.”
Rob drew the basic water glyph and variations in the dust, and each student carefully copied them into little notebooks but with tiny breaks. When Abel actually used the glyphs on a dish of water to produce a waterspout, then created a tiny raincloud, everyone looked a lot more interested. Several made the leap to using steam or ice and wind in combinations without any prompting. A couple thought it could be handy in really hot, dry weather, a cloud of their own cool, moist air, or to make a sudden shower avoid them. After everyone had tried to make a dish of water react, eyes turned back to Abel.
“Right, I can practice that at home until my fingers go wrinkly from the wet.” Una’s eyes narrowed. “Now what did you mean by starting on an earth glyph, something to control the earth?”
“Just a little bit of it.” Abel glanced at Rob. This would be training towards making gold from bricks, a first baby step, but he wouldn’t tell anyone that part for a long time. “I’ll make a little bit of soft earth move, as Petra put it, but as a piece of rock.”
“Transformation? Is that possible?” Even as Warren asked, several people suddenly got a gleam in their eye.
“No, not transformation. Sorry to get your hopes up. You’ll see in a moment. Right, we want someone good with wind, and someone who prefers fire. The rest of you use glyphs to remove earth from there among the trees and make three small heaps on this flagstone.” Abel waited as the Taverners discussed who might be best at what. Soon the three heaps sat on the stone
, waiting.
“I’m the wind witch, or I am since Kelis isn’t here.” Petra looked at the nearest heap. “What shall I do with that?”
“Pick it up and crush it as hard as you can with wind, just wind, into a tight ball.” Abel pointed to the second. “Warren, you pick that up with wind but then burn it, try to bake it into a really small hard ball.”
“Warning, a watcher has arrived. It flew past a boundary post, so it has better protection.” Zephyr connected to Ferryl/Claris without being asked and her eyes sharpened.
“Wait a moment, we need a better place.” “Where is it?” Abel asked both Zephyr and Ferryl, but only Zephyr answered.
“The hawthorn by the garden wall, beyond Una’s left shoulder. It will be ready for me this time, so I need to be closer. Unless you want a kill?”
“I can’t see, not without turning which might warn it.” Ferryl sounded frustrated at the next part. “Even then, I can only use glyphs.”
Abel pointed at the three heaps first and then halfway along the path, speaking aloud. “Petra, Una, Warren, please move the earth over here where we can’t be seen from the house. We don’t want the beginners trying this.” “Zephyr, when you are sure, capture it alive. Get close enough to be sure it doesn’t die. I want Pendragon to understand how vulnerable those birds are.”
As the small group moved several chattered about what Abel might be going to demonstrate, while Abel made no attempt to hurry them. He didn’t even glance at the bush, nor did Rob who had now been warned. Abel felt Zephyr’s interest sharpen, and then she went! The rest stopped, exclaiming as Zephyr came back a little slower but carrying something. Not for the first time Abel reflected that Zephyr on the link acted like a big frog’s tongue. Zoom, splat, and back came the target.
“Aw, why did you do that Ferryl? It’s only a bird.” Petra looked closer at the sparrow. “It’s still alive!” Several others asked Ferryl to let it go, worried the bird might die of fright.
“Not just a bird I reckon.” Shawn scowled around in general. “That’s a spy, isn’t it, like the one in the park? Where’s the sorcerer or that snotty apprentice?”
“A long way away from a crowd like us.” Eric sneered. “He wouldn’t want to get himself snared the same way.”
“What do we do with it? It looks so helpless.” Ferryl/Claris put out a hand to touch the sparrow for a moment. It blinked.
“I’m not sure.” Abel wanted the sorcerer to stop spying but wasn’t sure how to persuade him. He couldn’t break a link like Creepio did. “I’d rather not kill it.”
“Saw it! A link like the last one. I can only see it when the sorcerer or the bird use it.” Zephyr sounded triumphant.
Ferryl’s ‘voice’ sounded thoughtful. “Yes, and this time I can inspect it properly because he won’t see me as a threat. I’m a newcomer so a complete amateur. Talk to the sorcerer through the bird, Abel, but don’t try to get near or touch. It will have passed information about being captured, and he will want to listen to whatever you say.”
Abel looked straight into the sparrow’s eye as Zephyr held it suspended in a ball of rippling air. “Pendragon I assume, unless you gave Elrond another pet. We talked about this, about being left alone. You stay clear of us, we don’t poach.” The bird blinked again, curiously unafraid or rigidly controlled by the link.
“Yes! Again!” Zephyr beat Ferryl to it, just.
“Talk again, Abel. I want to understand the link, so we can either follow or break it.” Aloud Ferryl/Claris spoke to the sparrow, putting a finger through the rippling air to gently stroke the bird again. “It’s all right little birdy. Nobody wants to hurt you.”
“She’s right, Pendragon. We don’t want to hurt your watchers so I’m going to send this one back alive. Strengthening them against the barrier won’t work again, because I will set alarms. The next one will be caught and set free.” Abel paused for effect. “Or did you think the one by Brinsford just wandered off?” He hoped Creepio really had freed it.
“Keep going.”
“It didn’t die. It’s flying around the countryside being a bird again. Though it is a real pain breaking the links without killing them, and uses up magic, so I’ll be annoyed if another one turns up.” Abel gestured behind him to the house. “You’ve seen how many of us there are. I’ll send those people out across Stourton and the countryside nearby, and they’ll wipe out all your watchers. Then they’ll do it again, and again.” Abel paused again.
“Got it. It will take time to work out how to manipulate the link, but I understand the flows now. Release or kill the bird.”
“I have been reading the flows as well. I can help. Shall I kill it?”
Abel shook his head, he couldn’t kill a slave though Zephyr would without a thought. “Remember Pendragon, every time you make another one to send you will have wasted time and magic. Let it go, hunter. If it comes near again, kill it.” The bird, suddenly released, flapped madly and then darted away over the wall. Abel raised his hand against the avalanche of questions. Eventually everyone understood, he didn’t want to kill the bird so he’d bluffed. The sorcerer had no idea a sorceress lived in Abel’s tattoo, only that she was a hunter and could detect his spies. “Well spotted Zephyr. It’s a good job you saw it.”
“I am guard as well as hunter. I always watch over you. The wind never sleeps.” That sounded a bit creepy, but very reassuring.
“Now we haven’t got a watcher, will Petra and Warren do their thing with that earth please?” All the speculation stopped as two heaps of earth levitated. One became a ball, uneven but then smoother and smaller before Petra lowered it gently. The other glowed with heat before contracting.
“Best I can do.”
“And me.” Warren’s blackened ball still smoked as it settled.
“First off, I’m sorry about this but it’s a part of the lesson. Rob, stomp on them please.” Rob stamped twice and both balls were crushed. “Those were hard enough to hurt if they hit you, but a long way from a rock. Here’s the trick. Rock is earth with the spaces removed.” A wind glyph collected the last heap and held it above Abel’s hand. The earth shifted, rippling a little in the air as Abel tried to do what Ferryl told him, move the pieces about until there were no softer materials. He also had to remove the gaps in the remainder until the whole lot packed together as a solid.
The little bits seemed to wriggle in his magical grip as he tried to read them, control them, and tease out the not-dirt bits. He separated some bits and closed the gaps, maybe, then everything slid out of place again. “I see it! I know how! You use magic differently to me. Can I help, please?” Abel wasn’t getting near enough success for the original scheme to work so Zephyr’s voice came as a big relief. Performing in public had ruined his concentration.
“Go on. Should I let go?”
“No, keep trying. It is right, but not controlled enough because you are not reading the differences properly. If you let me I can do that and alter your flows, just a little. Your glyphs and magic are stronger than mine, surer. You understand it better, what the dirt should be, but I can see what it is now.” As Zephyr spoke Abel could feel her, a sort of tickling in his palm where the magic flowed. A twisting followed and a tweaking that he could almost follow, then he lost track. Abel stuck to doing what he knew, leaving the rest to Zephyr, and the earth began to contract faster. Suddenly, with a last tiny puff of dust, a rough stone hovered over Abel’s hand! He quickly formed the locking glyph and fed it magic.
Ferryl/Claris squeezed his hand. “How did you do that?” Abel understood the surprise. He’d planned on making a solid shape, the best he could though still as fragile as those crushed under Rob’s heel. When he gave it to Ferryl/Claris to pass round she’d finish the job, unseen in her hand.
While Zephyr explained Abel passed Ferryl/Claris the stone, definitely a stone. She held it between thumb and forefinger in clear sight and passed it to Una. “I think Abel wants it stomped, but it feels like a rock to me so be careful.”
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Una stamped, gently then a little harder. Several others tried, their smiles growing as even when the stone split in half the material didn’t crumble. Eric’s had a definite edge of excitement. “All the space between? Do you mean down to the atoms?” His eyes narrowed. “How long did it take you to learn that?”
“I haven’t.” Abel laughed. “I got started then Ferryl finished it.” The tattoo on his arm took a bow as the audience applauded. Several people had a closer look at the small stone. “This is the first stage in learning to manipulate solids.” Abel explained about recognising the individual components and removing the air or softer materials, but without mentioning altering anything. Everyone seemed really excited about working down to atomic level, maybe atomic because Abel couldn’t confirm that. As he pointed out, he wasn’t actually sure and Ferryl didn’t know what atoms were. He finished with a final warning. “Remember, not a word to beginners. You don’t want them turning something or even someone to dust because it went the wrong way.”
“The crumble-wall glyph. Handy if a door won’t open.” Eric grinned, he’d been the one asked about getting restraints. “Or handcuffs.”
“Dryad! Just the eyes.” Ferryl/Claris opened her mouth to say more but just pointed at a nearby tree. “It opened its eyes to see. I was about to order it to come out, but that might raise a few eyebrows.”
“Zephyr, be ready.” Abel pointed at the tree. “Dryad, you are in Frederick’s garden, so it would be polite to talk.” He waited patiently for a while. “There are enough magic-users here to insist.” Something creaked. “An attack would be hot and fatal for your tree.”
“We were here before the human.” Only two eyes and a rent appeared, though Abel wasn’t sure if it spoke through the rent or used it for effect.
“But not before humans, not in an orchard. He has not disturbed your trees.”