Origin Scroll

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “But that is not a great feat for you, Sarac. I have seen you perform much harder spells.”

  “Yes, of course, but that is me. How many magicians do you know that could accomplish what she is doing? And she is so young and innocent looking. I must have her! I must control her!”

  Sarac stood by the window and transformed himself into a great raven.

  Jenneva looked down at the destruction and was pleased. Now she had to prolong winter. Again, she issued an incantation. Freezing winds blew from the north. Snow and ice began falling from the sky. She watched the little figures below her running in all directions.

  She sensed the Vibrations coming closer. So, he was on his way. Good. It was time they met. The raven came closer and swooped down on the peak. Sarac transformed himself and spoke. “How dare you play with my toys?”

  Jenneva laughed wickedly. “Your toys wanted to play. If you wish to keep your toys, you should present them with better manners. I don’t take kindly to animals that accost me.”

  Sarac waved his hand over the valley. “You did this because some goblins had problems with your genteel personage?”

  “Oh, you think an apology would have been sufficient? Of what significance are these creatures?”

  Sarac laughed. He liked her style. “I thought perhaps you might be here to preserve the Kingdom.”

  “The Kingdom?” she laughed. “Now you’re beginning to sound like that old fool, Egam. Him and his precious Targa . . . pitiful.”

  Sarac was curious. “Are you telling me that you studied under Egam? Surely you didn’t learn that spell from him?”

  “From him? You can’t be serious. Oh, he’s been trying to comprehend the Dark Side all right, but that’s like one of your creatures down there learning to fly. No, Egam is not that powerful. I could crush him whenever I want. His books are powerful. That’s what I need to get.”

  Sarac was skeptical. He didn’t like Egam, but he had always respected his ability. This woman was arrogant, or a farce, and he intended to find out which. “Come with me. Let us get out of this foul weather and talk. I think we may be able to help each other.”

  It was Jenneva’s turn to be skeptical. Was Sarac this gullible or so taken by a woman’s charm, that he would invite her into his lair? She really didn’t have much choice. She would do what she needed to do. She was still heady from her use of the Dark Side spells. She hoped Habas was wrong about the Dark Side taking over. “Okay, Magician, lead the way.”

  Sarac once again transformed into a great raven and took to the sky. Jenneva became a great eagle and followed. Kirsta had been correct. Sarac still maintained the same castle. The castle was well fortified with goblin archers and swordsmen. They landed in the laboratory and Mordac rose from his seat and backed away from the crystal ball.

  “Now, for introductions. I am Sarac and this is my assistant, Mordac.”

  “I am called Jenneva. You have a very nice castle here, Sarac. Mordac, how about some refreshments for your Master’s guest.”

  Mordac was affronted to be considered a servant. Sarac laughed deeply. “Yes, Mordac, that would be an excellent idea. Then join us for the discussion.”

  Jenneva looked around the laboratory. There were a great deal of books here, but Jenneva noticed another room across the corridor with even more. Sarac followed her gaze. Jenneva walked over and peered into the crystal ball, concentrating on the goblins. She smirked as she watched the aftermath of her destructive spells.

  “It used to be Egam’s ball,” Sarac said. “The only one there is. I imagine he was quite angry about losing it. I see you have a great interest in my books. Would you care to read them?”

  “A foolish question, Sarac. We live by what we read and it is very nice of you to offer the use of your library. I heartily accept.”

  “It’s not quite that easy, Jenneva. I didn’t offer. I asked and you answered. I don’t go around letting people read my books any more than Egam does. To gain access to my books you will have to be my student.”

  Jenneva pondered the potential results of her decision. In thirty-five years Sarac had amassed a tremendous library. The knowledge in these two rooms was immense. She could become the world’s greatest magician by possessing his library as well as Egam’s. “Then I will have to become your student.”

  “Perhaps, but I only accept students who I am sure share my view of the universe. You surely would want Egam’s library for your own. Why don’t you have it?”

  “Egam has a ward upon it. I cannot pierce it. It is the only reason that he still lives.”

  “Then why should I not fear a similar fate from you?”

  “You are a true mage, Sarac. You don’t shy away from the Dark Side. If Egam allowed me complete access to his library, I would have no ill will towards him. I feel confident that if I became your student, you would not place ridiculous restrictions on my use of your library. We could accomplish many things together, Sarac.”

  “Then you will have no problem telling me where Egam is hiding out?"

  “I will do better than that. When you have accepted me as your student and given me complete access to your library, we will go together to Egam’s hideout and retrieve his library to combine with yours.”

  “There are several problems with that, Jenneva. Neither one of us has been able to break his ward and Egam won’t stand idly by and let us take it.”

  “They are not problems, Sarac. They are challenges. I will deal with Egam personally and once we have his library here all of your students can help work on the ward.”

  “A very interesting solution, but I also have a grudge against Egam. Why should you have the pleasure of dispensing with him?”

  “Because you have had thirty-five years to deal with your grudge against him and you have not. Now it is my turn and it is a condition of our bargain.”

  Sarac was impressed with Jenneva, but he did not trust her. She was aggressive. Most of the time he enjoyed that in a woman, but not when it could be aimed at him. Kirsta had shown him the duplicity of women and he would not be tricked again. “If I agree to accept you as a student, I will accede to that one demand, but I am not convinced of your sincerity. I need some proof that this is not one of Egam’s tricks.”

  “My, aren’t we afraid of an old, useless man,” she laughed. “Well, Great Master, I’ll leave your determination of my worthiness in your hands. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll wait in your library while you ponder the consequences of an old man tricking you. Maybe your servant, Mordac, here can help you figure it out.”

  Mordac was livid. He started to rise and Sarac placed his hand on Mordac’s shoulder. “An excellent idea, Jenneva. I value Mordac’s input. Perhaps he has some special way for you to prove yourself.”

  Jenneva shivered. She had thoroughly alienated Mordac and he would approach this task with great zeal. She walked into Sarac’s library and perused the volumes.

  “Why do you allow her to talk to you that way, Master?” spat Mordac.

  “Mordac, do not take things so personally. She was intentionally trying to ruffle your feathers and I think she succeeded,” chuckled Sarac. “She’s clever, all right. Maybe too clever. She was intimidating you because she knows that you are my most trusted ally. That is a position she seeks for herself. This is actually promising. If she is trying to get rid of you, it stands to reason that she is not planning on getting rid of me. At least, not yet.”

  Sarac glanced into the crystal ball that was still focused on the goblin campgrounds and thought. “Hmmm. She seemed to feel no mercy destroying the goblin encampments, but if she was still allied with Egam, that should come as no surprise. Where is that village that caused the goblins so much trouble last fall, Mordac?”

  Mordac smiled. “Lavinda! Here it is. All of those women and children running around, it’s disgusting. The goblin commander in charge of that raid should have been killed.”

  “He was, Mordac, he was. Yes, this is an excellent choice and so outrageous th
at our old friend, Egam, may even show up to deal with her. That is a battle I should enjoy watching.” Sarac called Jenneva into the laboratory.

  Jenneva came into the room and glanced at the crystal ball and mumbled.

  “Jenneva, Mordac here has come up with an appropriate test of your skill. The village you see in the ball is called Lavinda. Your test will be to destroy it dramatically. Total annihilation with spectacular devastation. You must also deal with whatever response occurs.”

  Jenneva shuddered. This was Alex’s village. She had never even had the chance to visit and now she was to destroy it. No doubt Egam would appear and that was what Sarac was expecting, as well. She had to proceed with the plan or she would not attain what she desired most. “Very well, Sarac, I will deal with Egam when he shows up. Might as well get it out of the way now.”

  Sarac laughed. She was clever. She knew that Egam would appear. That showed a certain understanding that Mordac lacked. Perhaps she would make an excellent replacement for Mordac after all.

  The raven and the eagle flew through the snow filled sky and landed on the cliff overlooking Lavinda. Jenneva gazed down and watched the villagers. They were spotted and villagers were pointing up at them. She wondered what they were saying. She wondered what Alex would think if he could watch what she was about to do. No matter. She raised her hands high over her head and began to fulminate. Then she quickly brought them down again while muttering an incantation.

  The Gandy Valley erupted into one huge fireball! The trees in the forest fell like dominoes being pushed over by a cranky child. The cabins smashed against the canyon walls spilling their human contents throughout the valley. The tower collapsed and the barn exploded. The stream was vaporized and great clouds of mist and smoke spewed upward. Body parts were flying through the air mixed with pieces of wood and turf. In seconds it was over. A great cloud rose miles into the sky. It would be visible for hundreds of miles. Nothing remained of the village. The valley was just a crater with the water from the mountains trying to find a new path through it.

  An owl flew in and landed near Jenneva and Sarac. It transformed itself into Egam. “Jenneva, you are foul indeed. Worse than the disgusting company that I see you have acquired. I rue the day I accepted you as my student. Sarac I understood. He was obsessed with the Origin Scroll, but you! You do this for pleasure. You turn my stomach and make me wish I had burned my entire library. To think I allowed you its use so you could do this.”

  Jenneva’s laugh echoed off the valley walls. “Egam, you old fool. Didn’t your Master explain to you that magic is power and that power is to be savored? You sit in your cavern thinking the world is a wonderful place and you’re going to make it better. What have you done with your life? You have done nothing! You have learned and learned and yet you are ignorant. When you die, nobody will ever remember you. If I were to die this moment, I would be remembered through eternity. People would live in fear that Jenneva might return.”

  Sarac was enjoying the show immensely. This Jenneva was more than a magician. She was the woman he had hoped Kirsta would be. She reveled in destruction. She was delighted with power and she was vindictive.

  Egam was shaking. He raised his staff high, but before he could mutter more than a few syllables, Jenneva pointed her finger at him and he exploded like a crystal goblet with a Tree Mine inside of it. His pieces tinkled down the mountainside and clattered in the crater.

  Jenneva turned to Sarac and said, “Well, I’m pretty hungry. What have you got back at that palace of your that’s worth eating?”

  Sarac laughed all the way back to his castle. Mordac was waiting for them when they arrived. “Master, the crystal ball no longer works.”

  Sarac looked over at the crystal ball. It was a milky white, totally opaque. Jenneva came over and stood beside him. “It must have had a spell attached to it that was in sync with Egam’s lifeblood.”

  Sarac turned to Mordac. “Did you see everything that happened?”

  Mordac was white. He had expected Jenneva to fail or be exposed as an infiltrator. Now she was back and she wouldn’t appreciate Mordac’s chuckle over the choice of her test. She already didn’t like him for some reason. “I think so. I saw the valley destroyed and Egam arrive. The last thing I saw before the ball went blank was Egam exploding.”

  “And what a sight it was, too!” cackled Sarac. “Jenneva and I would like to dine alone this evening. Send up the finest meat we have available. Wine, too. You should take the night off, Mordac. You look terrible.”

  “That was splendid, Jenneva. I haven’t watched a show that entertaining in a long while. You have only one more step to take in becoming my student.”

  “And what is that, oh Great Master?” she quipped.

  “Something that will make you realize the correctness of your last statement. You will have to cast the spell of the Black Devil.”

  “The Black Devil? That’s one I haven’t run across before. What does it do?”

  “Well, you will have to cast it and find out.”

  “We have time before Mordac brings dinner,” she grinned.

  Sarac handed the scroll to Jenneva and she recited the incantation. She felt no difference and remarked to Sarac that nothing had happened. Sarac just smiled and returned to the table. “Well, I think first thing in the morning I will round up some help and we’ll be off to Egam’s hideout.”

  “I guess that means that I have unrestricted access to your library?”

  “Of course, my dear. Read anything you want, but I may have you do some traveling for me. I’m looking for a particular item and I expect to find a clue or its whereabouts in Egam’s books.”

  “Well, I see some problems here, Sarac.”

  Sarac was immediately on guard. Was this witch trying to change their agreement? “What do you mean, problems? There are no problems, we have an agreement.”

  “Now, Sarac, you know I wouldn’t try to betray my Master. We do have problems with your plan, though. We don’t want anybody other than you and I to know the location of Egam’s chamber. Think about it. He successfully hid there for over twenty-five years. There may come a time when we need that type of solitude.”

  Sarac was beginning to relax. “Yes, I see what you mean. I sometimes wonder where your cleverness comes from. You do seem to look at things differently than most people.”

  “Different than Mordac, you mean,” she grinned. “There is also another problem. Egam’s library will not give you any clues as to the whereabouts of the Origin Scroll. I know, I’ve read his entire library.”

  “You’ve read Egam’s entire library? You must have spent many years with Egam. No wonder you have such skills. And you know of my search for the Origin Scroll. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at that. It must have been the reason for Egam dipping into the Dark Side. Well, if you’ve read it all, you must have some idea where the scroll can be found.”

  “Certainly, I do. Kirsta had it.”

  “You’ve met Kirsta? When?”

  “Fairly recently. I spent a month with her. She has a pitifully small library. Any more than a month would have been very boring. The only thing she wouldn’t let me read was that damn Origin Scroll. That didn’t bother me, though. I have no need to create universes. I just want to rule this one. With you, of course, Sarac.”

  “So, she did find the scroll after all. I figured that was why she dropped out of sight. Well, I’ll give her a surprise or two. I need to speak with her. Set it up for me.”

  “You don’t want me to do that, Sarac.”

  “That was not a request, Jenneva. I want to talk with her and you will set it up.”

  “No, I won’t. I have need of you myself and I’m not ready to give you up just yet,” quipped Jenneva.

  “Jenneva, I tire of your sense of humor. You don’t own me. Actually, the situation is quite the opposite. Why won’t you set this meeting up?"

  “Dear Master, if you truly want to be with Kirsta, I would have to kill you. She’s
dead.”

  “Dead? You said you just spent a month with her and now you tell me she’s dead. How did she die?”

  “I killed her. Actually, you killed her. Oh, this is really pretty complicated. She was living in Lavinda. You do remember that village that we just obliterated, don’t you?”

  Sarac was frustrated. In the span of the last fifteen minutes he had his hands on the Origin Scroll and then he didn’t, then he did again, now he didn’t. “Where is the Origin Scroll, Jenneva?” he demanded.

  “When I left Lavinda, Kirsta had it with her. I assume it left Lavinda with her. And she did leave in a hurry, didn’t she?” sneered Jenneva.

  The wine glass shattered sending slivers of glass flying across the room. Sarac picked up a napkin and wrapped it around his bleeding fingers. Gone? Could the Origin Scroll really be gone? Destroyed by his own stupidity? “Jenneva, how could you be so power hungry and allow the Origin Scroll to be destroyed? This makes no sense. That was the most powerful spell in the universe.”

  Jenneva knew she might have pushed him too far. If he thought that all was lost, there was no telling what Sarac might do. She needed to channel his energies on something until she could read enough of his library to be able to defeat him. “Sarac,” she smiled, “The Origin Scroll was not the most important spell in the universe. The Origin Scroll was merely one of the scrolls that are found in the Book of the Beginning. It was not an original; it was a copy directly from this book. It is the Book of the Beginning that we need to search for.”

  Sarac leaned forward in his chair. “I thought the Book of the Beginning was a historical account of the creation of the gods. Are you saying that it is more than that?”

  “Historical account?” she chuckled. “That is the type of definition that would be given by someone who had no concept of magic. No, Sarac, the Book of the Beginning contains the spells that created the gods. If we find that book, we will be gods.”

  “Jenneva, I may yet bless the day I met you. What are you waiting for? You’re done eating. Get into that library and start reading. We have to find the Book of the Beginning.”