The Ways of Mages: Starfire

by Catherine Beery

  “The country is named after the reigning king. Which, by the way is the tallest man when the old one dies.”He told her.

  “I thought kingdoms were passed to the child of the ruler.”

  “For we humans, maybe. But Molecis have to be different. They like their king tall.”

  Terana snorted.“So, if Zeeve is king, why does he seem to avoid this place?”

  “Ah, that would because he is running from custom.”Kadrean told her with a smile. Amusement danced in his eyes.

  “What custom?”

  “Zeeve is unmarried right now. So his people want him to choose his queen.”

  “Okay….”

  “That is why they hold these feasts. The women compete to satisfy the king’s stomach. The dish that he likes the best is the winner. He will find himself dragged to the alter by that dish’s creator.”

  “That’s…ridiculous.”Terana said very quietly.

  Liam chuckled.“That’s one way to do it.”

  “It is. And every woman competes.”

  “Every woman?”Terana asked.“Even those already married?”

  Kadrean put a bite of food in his mouth and nodded.

  “That’s…”Terana didn’t know how to finish. How could she say anything when some of those women were coming back with more food. She might insult someone.

  The three companions nodded their thanks before Kadrean continued.“So Zeeve visits for only a short time. If you haven’t noticed yet, he loves food. So he enjoys the food and the respect he is given. Then, when he can’t stand it he leaves.”

  “That seems really…”

  “It is, but no one here seems to mind. Molecis are a simple people. They love food and family. The only ones with ambition are the women who rule the place. Though, as molecies, that isn't saying much. It's not a cutthroat society. The women only wish to have the title and Zeeve as their partner in life. Yes, the women do rule the house, but that is only because of their skills in the kitchen. It is just that Zeeve is far too restless to fall in line with another. I think that is why Zeeve hasn’t married yet. He is the only man who isn’t ruled by a wife.”

  “Those men over there don’t seem to mind.”Terana said indicating a group of men and their wives laughing joyfully with each other.

  “No, Zeeve just hasn’t figured that out yet.”

  A group of women approached the companions. They were dressed in modest ground length dresses of blue, white, and green. Aprons covered the fronts of their skirts. They twittered among themselves as they stopped before Kadrean. One of the women stepped forward. “Excuse me, Kadrean Giant. Would you please give us some feathers?”

  Kadrean blinked.“I don’t have any feathers.”

  The women giggled. The spokeswoman shook her finger at him.“You do in cooing shape.”She said. The women behind her flapped their arms like wings.

  “Um…”Kadrean looked uncomfortable.

  “Oh please! Please!” the women went to their knees. Their eyes became big puppy eyes. Terana and Liam tried really hard not to laugh out loud. Their antics were working. One could tell, Kadrean was visibly melting. There was a shimmer of purple light that enfolded him and shrank in size. When it faded there was a gray and white pigeon. Terana stared in shock. She didn’t know Kadrean could do that. She glanced at Liam who had both brows raised. All the woman in the area descended upon Kadrean. There was a squawk. The woman left with feathers held above their heads. Triumphant smiles on their faces.

  Kadrean looked like a plucked chicken. He shifted back into a very embarrassed human.“I should have known…”He muttered to himself.

  “I didn’t know that you could become a bird.”Liam remarked.

  “Yeah, a pigeon. Not glamorous, but it lets me get around quickly. When I absolutely have to get around quickly. I don’t like changing into it.”

  “Why?”Terana asked.“You can become a bird. You can fly.”

  Kadrean glanced at her with a thoughtful look, but didn’t reply.

  The food kept coming till the three humans had to wave it away. Terana was so full; she didn’t think that she could ever get up again. Terana heard one of the squirrel riders dragging the bowl away tell his companion that the giants lacked a healthy appetite. Terana laughed and the two men grinned at her.“At least they have a sense of humor.”The companion remarked.

  The feast lasted for three days. Terana was surprised that the food never seemed to run out. There were events and competitions. There were squirrel races and Dew Drop Berry bobbing. There were even pigeon races. By the look that Zeeve gave Kadrean, Terana knew it was an ongoing joke. Kadrean could only give Zeeve a raised eye brow. The moleci women waved their ill-gotten pigeon feathers as they cheered the men on.

  On the third day Zeeve came to them and begged to leave.

  “Why do you want to leave? We are having so much fun.”Kadrean replied with knowing obliviousness.

  “Kadrean, they want me to pick my queen. My wife.”

  “Most men enjoy settling down with a woman.”Liam remarked helpfully.

  “Do you know how bossy they get?”Zeeve demanded.“VERY. I won’t ever be able to get away!”

  “Zeeve, as king, don’t you have responsibilities?”Terana asked.

  Zeeve gave her a baleful look.“My responsibilities lie in finding those with magic.”

  “But, they are your people.”

  Zeeve shrugged.“I give them something to look forward to.”

  “We delayed long enough, anyway.”Kadrean announced.“Let’s go.”They left that morning with the molecis waving them good bye. All the women were dressed in black. Terana could see in their faces their disappointment that they were losing their chance once again to be queen. The men waved their king good bye and wished him safe journeys.

  Zeeveria, Terana decided, was a strange little country.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight -Secrets in the Mist

  Arathin- Northeast Marlhema

  Jewel, Grim, Jay Dee, and the two sailors, captain Willaim and crewman Jingles stopped their horses on the rise overlooking a vast lake. Jewel gathered her horse's reins and looked at the rest of the group. In her cloak's hood rested the ever adventurous white kitten, Sam-the-Unwise. She could hear him purring. Looking at her companions, Jewel found it quite easy to tell who had been around horses and those who had not. Those who had spent most of their life on the land rode as if born to the saddle; this being Grim and herself. Jay Dee also road well, but Jewel figured from what she had observed of the woman, this was because Jay Dee enjoyed the challenge of doing everything well. Jewel smiled to herself as she watched the man who was like a father to her with Jay Dee. Love shimmered between the two brightly enough that even the blind could see it.

  Jingles swore as his horse stepped strangely. Jewel glanced to the two sailors. To illustrate the difference between those who understood the land and those who didn’t, the sailors were not quite so sure of the four footed creatures who bore them. Willaim was much calmer than his fellow man of the sea, but one could see his unease. Jingles of no fancy last name looked decidedly uncomfortable. Jewel had heard him mutter often about how unnatural the land and its beasties were. Nothing moved right.

  Jingles had tried to walk instead in the beginning, but Jewel had told him that they would be traveling a long ways and his sea legs would hate him if he walked. After the last half week, Jingles had muttered that having blistered feet was preferable to blisters in more delicate areas. It made him cringe to have sores uncomfortably close to his man parts, as he called them... She could see his complaint in his eyes when he looked her way. But before he could voice said objection to horses, his gaze caught a movement in the direction of the lake.

  Mist rose in streamers out of the water despite the fact that it was late afternoon. Jewel turned back to the vast lake. So large was it, that one could just see the Nirami's Grave on its far shore. The wind moaned, yet the water did not stir. Not even a ripple. The others also watched the water. Jingles and Captain
Willaim, to an extent, were both superstitious. The still lake raised all sorts of uneasiness for them. Grim frowned at it. Jay Dee's horse pawed the ground. Jay Dee leaned around Grim to speak with Jewel.

  "What is this place?" The dark haired woman asked.

  "This," Jewel began, holding her horse's reins in one hand and sweeping her other hand in a grand gesture encompassing the lake's entirety, "is the body of water known as the Lake of Ghosts."

  "Ghosts?" Jingles squawked.

  Jewel nodded. "Yes, but don't worry, Jingles. They are not truly ghosts."

  "Then how do you explain the lake's ghostliness?" Jingles wanted to know.

  "Anything strange or mystical you see in these parts, are in fact, illusions. When Arathin fell, the magic here became unbalanced and started to do things unheard of in this age. You see the mountains before us? Those were torn up from the earth by the magic here. It ended the war, but the wild magic did not disperse. Instead, it bound itself to those mountains. Because of the lake's proximity, the magic also plays here." Jewel explained.

  "She says 'play' like the darn magic be alive." Jingles muttered.

  Jewel took up her mare's reins and nudged the horse foreword. At the same time, she turned the horse's head to ride around the lake. Over her shoulder she called to the superstitious Jingles "that, Mr. Jingles would be because it is."

  Jay Dee grinned at Jingles's wide eyes before kicking her horse into a trot to catch up with Jewel. Grim followed after. Willaim and Jingles looked at each other before Willaim road ahead. Jingles sat where was for a moment. The moaning started again and shapes formed in the mist. Freaked out, he urged his plodding beast after the others. He bounced along, wincing at every jolt. "I'ma never riding a land beastie agin. I don't care if'n I fall behind. Iz never, never riding again." He said, knuckles white from holding onto the reins. The horse farted in response. Jingles grunted in disgust. The wind whispered over the water, twirling some of the mist into a funnel.

  Meanwhile, the rest of the group continued on ahead. Completely unaware of Jingles’s vow. "Is your friend somewhere near here?" Grim asked when he pulled up next to Jewel.

  Jewel nodded. "In the mountains.”

  Willaim glanced across the lake toward the mountains that Jewel had just told the origins of.“Wouldn’t living in those mountains be dangerous? What with all the imbalanced magic?”

  Jewel nodded. “Normally yes. But you see, my friend is one of the few who can live there. Her name is Arité. She is the last of the Varsrea Kings. I've known her since she was eight..." Jewel looked ahead, her mind focused on ancient memories. "She and I have been friends since I came here. I protected her during the Fall of Arathin. She taught me different ways of working magic. Arité is also very powerful in both sides of the magic."

  "Both sides?" Jay Dee asked, brow furrowed. She glanced at Grim. "I didn't know magic had sides."

  Grim frowned. "As far as I know, it doesn’t." The two looked at Jewel. Willaim and Jingles followed behind, their eyes flickering about as the eeriness of the place got to them.

  Jewel smiled, though her eyes held secrets that came with great age. It reminded Grim of Bendon, which unsettled him because this woman before him had once been the girl he had raised. Still was, though two thousand years had passed for her, a fact he still had trouble reconciling.

  Jewel sighed thinking about how to explain. "Magic here in Arathin is much like the magic found in Pershara. There is the associated pressure that comes from working magic and many of the spells are the same or similar to the ones found in Pershara. Though here, magic often shows itself with color. Each human has a unique color. It is what distinguishes a human mage from another species. Even so, magic can be recognized here as well as in Pershara using the same methods. After all, magic is magic. However," she said raising a finger, "there is a marked difference. For some reason, one that I have yet to figure out, magic in Arathin developed a branch not found in Pershara. It is subtle and often it goes unnoticed." Jewel glanced at the mist swirling over the lake. "It is known as telecy. People who know of it call it the 'mind magic' for it affects the mind; the magic of illusion, telepathy, telekinesis... Anything that deals with the mind, really.

  "It developed in Arité's people. I have seen it nowhere else. Arité's teachers had often described the two branches of their abilities as the light and darkness of the night sky."

  "Why?" Jay Dee inquired.

  "Perhaps because of its appearance. The Persharan-like magic appears as a silver-blue light. It is very reminiscent of starlight. There is also a soothing warmth that comes from it. A healing warmth. The other magic, telecy, is very hard to see. You can only truly see it if the caster wishes you too, or you have a strong enough mind. In that case, it is a fine, black mist. Usually, though, one only feels a cool breeze. That is all."

  "And the pressure as well." Captain Willaim stated, just to be sure. He tried to hide it from his fellow crewman, but something about this magic Jewel was describing made him very uneasy. It seemed far too dangerous, similar to man controlling the untamable sea... To the captain's disappointment, Jewel did not immediately nod in agreement.

  "That is the interesting thing about telecy, it has the capability to hide itself. Though it truly does depend upon the telecer working his or her power. The stronger willed and talented, the greater fineness one could work one's magic." Jewel glanced at her companions. "I'm sure that you could guess at the possible dangers of having access to a power that can affect another's mind. It is why Arité's people often taught their children that they stood on the point of balance between raw talent and discipline, self and selflessness."

  "What was that!?" Jingles suddenly cried out.

  The others pulled up. Jingles was staring into the mists over the lake. Mists that had thickened while they had talked. Jewel focused on her senses, trying to read what was going on.

  "Is this magic?" Willaim asked.

  "There is no pressure, though." Jay Dee pointed out.

  "There doesn't need to be here. As I said, telecy can hide itself. Especially here." The last Jewel said quietly. Biting her lip she looked at Jingles. "What did you see?"

  "A face. At least I think it 'twas a face..."

  "The mist is getting thicker." Thomas observed, his hand moving to the sword that the King of Grinley had given him and that had managed to survive the storm at sea. The companions watched the sea of mist about them. It swirled in ribbons of silver and gray. Watching the ever moving motes tricked the eye. People and creatures could be imagined peering at them. How much of this was imagination and how much was due to illusion, no one could tell. Not even Jewel.

  In the back of Jewel's hood, Sam-the-Unwise began to struggle. In an effort to ease the kitten, Jewel reached back. Softly she crooned. The kit would notbe soothed. A rather pathetic sounding snarl emanated from Jewel’s hood. Pathetic because of his size which made it not as intimidating as Sam had probably wanted it to sound. But where the snarl failed, eight needle-sharp claws did not. Jewel yelped and yanked her hand away. She gazed at the ruby droplets oozing from her hand. She glanced over her shoulder. The kitten was still crying in her hood.

  "What is wrong with him?" Jay Dee asked.

  "I...I think we have more of a problem then mist and illusions." Jewel whispered softly. Illusions could terrify and trick. But the harm was only in how much the person truly believed in what they were seeing. She knew that animals were unaffected by illusions. So the kitten was picking up on something real... And by Sam's reaction, something not good.

  "What is that supposed to mean?" Jingles demanded. His gaze flew to the whispering mist. He did not like the fact that he could not see whatever it was that was not an illusion. Or mist...

  A deep, low rumble shook the shore. The horses reared and Sam made a sound that Jewel had never heard a cat make before. Considering she had been around cats for more than two thousand years, that was saying something. Jingle's horse threw him, his sailor's lexicon was run through i
ts paces. Willaim managed to cling to his horse, but barely. Grim drew his sword, keeping his seat. Jay Dee swore colorfully, using some of the words she had learned from Jingles.

  Jewel spoke a word and a wind swept away the concealing shroud. The companions froze. This wasn't going to be easy.

  "Dare I ask what those things are?" Jay Dee asked. Her voice, though soft, was like someone throwing marbles on thin ice.

  Jewel eyed the army of metallic gray creatures around them grimly. They resembled an arachnidphobe's nightmare. The creatures were a combination of a spider and a preying mantis: spider legs to scuttle around on with a body that rose above with razor sharp, hooking arms. The mouth was where spider's would have been. Their bodies were covered with a metallic gray shell. The spider-like creatures were three feet at their highest point. "I have no name for them, but what I can tell you is that these are the result of an ancient spell that has never died. They respond to blood..."

  "AND ANGER." A voice that came from many mouths said.

  The horse that had thrown Jingles panicked. Before anyone could do anything, it ran away. With a beautiful jump it leapt into the rows of creatures. There had been too many of the things for the horse to leap over all of them. So it landed in their midst. Most things would have run to avoid being trampled by a horse, but these monsters did not. Their shells proved to be very sharp and very hard. Jingles blanched as he saw his horse become something similar to hamburger. There was no love lost between Jingles and the beast, but nothing deserved to die that way. The others were sickened by the fate of the horse. Even more so when more of the creatures appeared,

  Those still on their horses prepared to fight their way free. Grim brandished his sword, Jay Dee pulled some of her poisoned darts free of her hair piece. Willaim drew his cutlass. Jingles drew his long knife. Jewel whispered words that added pressure to the others necks. With a flinging gesture she released her spell. Golden light fell about the creatures. They writhed, but instead of disintegrating like Jewel had intended, they increased in number.