I sipped the hot beverage. “What happens during the ceremony?”
“Ooh, it will be amazing. There are two platforms. You and Ealdred each lie on one. Then the transfer happens and you’ll receive all the knowledge of Ealdred and all those before him.”
I wanted to ask what would happen to Ealdred, but for some reason when I opened my mouth, nothing came up.
“When it is over,” Cleland continued, “you will be the new wizard and Ealdred will be no more.”
Again, I tried to speak, but was unable. Was it the tea?
“Come,” Cleland said, “you must get dressed.”
With Cleland’s help I dressed in the garbs he created for me.
After dressing, Cleland led me back to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. There were two platforms, one three feet higher than the other. Ealdred and I stood side-by-side in front of the king. He handed a silver cup to Ealdred, who drank the contents in one long guzzle. Then the king handed a silver cup to me.
I struggled not to drink, still unable to speak. I wanted to yell, to scream, to somehow let everyone know that something was wrong. Instead, my hands took the cup and placed it to my lips. I drank the contents. It tasted like chalky orange juice.
Below, in the courtyard, a swarm of people looked up at us. My father stood right in front. He had sloughed off farm work for the day and joined the festivities. He looked up at me and he seemed pleased. Maybe even proud.
Tears came to my eyes.
The king addressed the crowd. “Today, we celebrate the transfer of wizard knowledge from Ealdred the Wise to Tayte, son of Barwick.”
An attendant approached Ealdred and me. He held a golden rope before him. My arm shot out of its own accord. What the hell? The attendant wrapped the rope around Ealdred’s and my arm, binding us together.
Then the attendant helped me to the platform. I lay on the top one and Ealdred on the lower, my arm dangling down and bound to Ealdred. The attendant tied me to the bed.
Reality seemed to move away from me. Clouds swirled in my mind. I felt needles in my skull and then a whooshing noise.
My body convulsed, my muscles repeatedly contracting. Finally, after jerking around for what seemed like hours, my body relaxed.
In my mind I felt a foreign presence—Ealdred.
Ealdred was in my head, more than that, he was in control. It was as if I were an observer, the invading mind, not him. I tried to open my eyes, they fluttered, opened for a second and snapped shut.
I heard Ealdred’s smooth voice from inside my head as clear as if he spoke it aloud. “Do not try to control me, boy.”
My eyes open, not because I willed it because Ealdred did. I looked around; a strange sensation. Normally, when you look at something you don’t think about it. You look and see what you’re looking at. Now that Ealdred controlled me I only saw what he wanted to see.
“Release me,” Ealdred said aloud in my voice.
The attendant rushed over and untied the rope and Ealdred sat me up and raised my arm.
The crowd cheered.
Ealdred caused me to look at his old body lying on the platform. It did not move. My eyes focused on Ealdred’s chest long enough to determine it did not breathe.
My arm was still held in the air and I tried to force it down. It came part way down and stopped. Ealdred willed my arm up while I willed it down.
“I can make a potion that will kill your mind,” Ealdred said in my head. “Fight me and I will do it. Don’t fight and you will have a long life, see wonderful things, and accomplish amazing feats.”
He spoke the truth. I knew the exact potion he spoke of. All knowledge Ealdred and past wizards knew—the wisdom of dozens of wizards over almost two thousand years—I now possessed. I relented and my arm shot back up.
But if he used the potion to kill me it would wreck my body and take months to recover. Was it worth it to him?
The crowd cheered again.
My body climbed from the platform and stood beside the king.
Scanning my new shared memories I realized my name hadn’t been picked during the lottery, Gytha’s had. Ealdred had magicked the parchments to only reveal boy’s names. He did not want to possess a woman’s body for the next hundred years. Gytha should be the new wizard, not me.
The tea I had earlier had allowed Ealdred to control me.
Also, I discovered another of Ealdred’s deceptions. Past wizards faded to the background during the transfer ceremony, leaving the new wizard in charge, providing guidance for the new wizard. Ealdred had switch potions which allowed him to remain in control and forced me into the background.
This wasn’t right. Ealdred had duped everyone and now would live the next hundred years in my body.
Anger welled up from deep inside and I blurted out “Stop. A great injustice has occurred.” Ealdred took control of my mouth before I could say more.
“Fight me again,” he said, “and I will kill your father.”
“What injustice?” the king asked.
My body bowed low to the king. “Sorry, sir,” Ealdred said. “After the transfer there can be momentary confusion. All should be well in the next few hours.”
So began my life as a trapped observer. The injustice was maddening, but what could I do? I could not fight Ealdred. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill my father. Only a decisive win was worth the chance. My goal became to silently observe and wait for my opportunity.
The days became routine, morning counsel with the king, attending meetings and judgments, but most of my time was spent in the laboratory atop the castle. Shelves filled every wall of the laboratory. Two shelves were packed with substances ranging from centipede legs to common wheat flour, every possible ingredient required in potion making. Another wall contained nothing but books, ranging from ancient, thick tomes to single parchments. A window in the ceiling allowed sun and moon and, when needed, rain to come through to imbue concoctions with elemental forces.
I waited, convinced I had a only single chance for freedom, but not knowing when the chance would occur. Each day my hope dimmed.
Almost three weeks passed before the opportunity presented itself. The king requested a truth serum to help him interrogate a spy. I watched myself prepare the ingredients, Ealdred guiding my hands. Even though I had never prepared a single potion in my life, it felt as if I had created such concoctions thousands of times.
Once I completed the truth potion I took it to the interrogation chamber. The king and several guards stood around a naked man strapped in a chair. The man’s back was crisscrossed with bloody welts.
“Ah, Tayte,” the king said. “You have the serum?”
“Yes, my lord,” Ealdred answered.
I had a thought. Maybe, if I moved quickly enough I could surprise Ealdred. It was chancy though. Failure would mean the death of my father, but I couldn’t dwell on possible failure. I forced my will into the act of bringing the truth serum bottle to my lips and drinking it. My sudden action caught Ealdred off guard and I was able to swallow two big gulps before he struggled for control. This was only half of my plan.
I continued to struggle with the arm holding the bottle. A battle I knew I would lose, but which would distract Ealdred from my next attack. My arm jerked back and forth before finally dropping the bottle.
“Stupid boy, your father is as good as dead,” Ealdred said in my mind.
He turned my body to face the king. “Sorry, your majesty—”
“—Question me about the lottery,” I managed to gasp, tearing control of my voice from Ealdred.
The king’s face was redder than usual. His mouth agape.
Ealdred regained control. “Again, sorry your majesty. As I told you there is always a small period of adjustment following the transfer.”
“It’s been three weeks,” the king said.
I tried again to control my body, but Ealdred was too strong. We struggled, jerking my body in spasms. We fell onto my knees. The sharp pain from the stone floo
r jarred me. It must have interfered with Ealdred’s control for I was once again able to gasp, “Question me about the transfer.”
The king sprang to action. He pointed at me. “Guards, seize him.”
Guards grabbed my arms and raised me to my feet.
The king approached. “What happened at the lottery?”
Ealdred answered. “The new wizard was selected.”
“What is it you want to tell me?”
“Nothing, sir.” Ealdred tried to bow my body, but the guards held firm.
“What are you hiding about the lottery?” the king asked.
Ealdred bit my lip, bringing tears to my eyes.
“You must answer. What are you hiding?”
I tried answering and Ealdred did not prevent me. “Tayte was not selected, the name you picked was Gytha.”
“What?”
Ealdred seemed to have given up control. I told the king everything I could. “Sir, Ealdred switched the name because he didn’t want to be in a woman’s body. Then he switched the potion between me and him so he’d have control and I’d be forced to watch without doing anything. My strange behavior is not normal. I’ve been trying to regain control of my body.”
“If he switched the potion wouldn’t you have went into his body?” the king asked.
“No,” I said. “The potion softens the spirit which travels to body closest to the heavens. We were bound with the golden cord, enabling the transfer, but my body was above his on the platform.”
As I talked, the guards loosened their grip on me. Slowly, my hands came toward each other, fingers contorted in a strange gesture. Ealdred was making a hand incantation, subtly so as to go unnoticed.
The moment my hands touched a white light spread out, hitting the king and two guards. Ealdred twisted my body around and the light hit the remaining guard before disappearing. The king and his guards fell down, instantly asleep.
“Stupid boy,” Ealdred said. “Did you really think you could outsmart me? What a mess you have caused.”
I fought for control, but Ealdred was expecting it and resisted. I backed off trying to control my whole body and instead attempted to bring my hands together as he had. I succeeded and focused the light upon myself.
Blackness surrounded me. I don’t remember hitting the floor.
I awoke strapped in a chair, both arms securely fastened, no way to touch my hands together. I was in the laboratory. Rain pattered on the sky window.
A guard stood either side of me. The king came into the laboratory followed by a bald man.
“You will instruct Lundren,” the king said. “He will make a batch of truth serum and the potions for the transfer ceremony.”
“As you wish, sire.” Ealdred replied.
“Don’t think of tricking me.” The king stormed out.
Ealdred gave the bald man instructions for creating the potions. He did it correctly, but slightly increased the amount of milkweed in the potion intended for me. This change would result in the background mind being more subdued than normal. It was a good thing for Gytha if Ealdred had less control, but why did he do it?
The next morning they took me to the balcony above the courtyard again. Guards held each of my arms, not allowing my hands to touch. The platforms were set up for the transfer ceremony. Gytha was already there. She wore a beautiful green gown—Cleland’s choice I’m sure. The crowd below seemed even larger than the crowd at the first transfer ceremony. All eyes were upon me and not a single person smiled.
I would not survive the transfer. Like the wizards before Ealdred, I would fade into the background, only my knowledge would remain. At least Ealdred’s crime would be set right.
I tried speaking and to my surprise Ealdred allowed me. “Gytha, please take care of my family.”
She nodded, tears flowing from her eyes.
Just before the transfer potions were given to Gytha and me, I began convulsing. I coughed and sputtered and fell forward, limp in the guards’ arms. Ealdred controlled my body and was having some sort of fit.
“Sire,” Ealdred gasped. “He has switched the potions again.”
The crowd gasped.
What? The potions weren’t switched. Ealdred was trying to trick the king and control Gytha’s body.
“I was afraid this would happen,” the king said.
Desperately, I tried to speak, to tell the king this was all a ruse, a final attempt of Ealdred’s to keep control. I couldn’t. Ealdred was too strong.
Lundren, the bald man, approached holding a cup.
“Drink,” the king said.
“But,” Ealdred said, “truth serum will interfere with the transfer potion.”
The king spoke in a booming voice. “We will postpone the ceremony if needed.”
The truth potion wouldn’t interfere, but I was unable to tell the king.
Lundren held the cup to my lips and my body swallowed the serum in large gulps.
The king walked close to me. “Tell me the truth. Are the transfer potions switched?”
Ealdred didn’t answer, I did. “No.”
“Will the truth potion interfere with the ceremony?”
“No,” I said.
“Continue,” the king said and walked back beside the queen.
The same attendant from the previous ceremony handed Gytha a silver cup. She drained the cup. Then the attendant held a cup to my lips. Ealdred jerked my head away. Two additional guards grabbed my head, held it still, and opened my mouth for the liquid. The potion went down, burning my throat as it went. I coughed, but most the potion had went down.
Guards moved me to the lower platform. They tied one of my arms to the platform before binding the other arm to Gytha’s with the golden cord.
This was it, my final moment. I tried not to cry but couldn’t help it.
My body began to convulse. Darkness surrounded me, coming in from the edge of my vision until I could see nothing. Then I could feel nothing. Then I knew nothing.
It seemed only a moment later I was blinking my eyes. I could see, but my vision was still dark. Blurry dark images moved around darker images. Somebody hovered over me.
My vision cleared. It was Gytha who bent over me. I was in a dark, candle-lit room. I saw stars through a window in the roof above me. I was in the wizard laboratory.
I struggled to sit up.
“Lay still,” Gytha said. “It will take a few moments for your strength to return.”
“What happened?”
The king came into my vision. “Gytha the Wise happened. After the ceremony she sprang into action. She said she could save you. Your dead body was brought here and somehow she returned your mind to your body.”
Was this possible? I searched my memory, the knowledge of past wizards was gone.
I sat up and breathed deep. I held out my arm and made a fist, slowly closing my fingers and opening them. Complete control, no Ealdred.
“Your mother is in the castle,” Gytha said. “Her illness is easily remedied, but it will take a few weeks.”
I stood, my legs shook but it felt great to be on my own feet.
“Tayte, come before me,” the king said.
I stepped to the king and he pulled out his sword.
“Kneel,” he said.
My throat was tight. I knelt before the king and tried to gulp.
The king held his sword over my head. “For putting the welfare of others before your own.” He tapped my right shoulder with the sword. “And for fighting for truth.” He tapped my left shoulder. “I dub you Tayte the Righteous.” He tapped me head. “Now stand.”
Shaking, I struggled to my feet.
The applause surprised me. I looked around. A dozen or more people stood along the edge of the room. My father was one of them. He rushed to me and threw his arms around me. Gytha joined the hug.
“Three cheers for Tayte the Righteous,” the king said.
Together, everyone yelled “Hurrah. Hurrah. Hurrah.”
Voice Mai
l
"You have one new message.
"First message left Monday 2:12pm"
“Mr. Gardner, this is the Department of Licensing Automated Renewal System. Our records indicate your driver’s license expires tomorrow. Please contact our local office at 555-4149 or visit us at http://www.dolars.gov to renew your license at your earliest convenience. Thank you and have a nice day.”
"End of new messages"
"You have two new messages and one saved message.
"First message left Tuesday 12:23pm"
“This is City Library Procurement Services. Your copy of ‘Government Conspiracies: Past, Present and Future’ is available for pick up at the west-side branch. We will hold your copy for up to five days. Thank you.”
"Next message left Tuesday 2:11pm"
“Mr. Gardner, Department of Licensing Automated Renewal System here. This is your second courtesy reminder for your driver’s license. It expires today. Please renew at your earliest convenience. You may renew online at http://www.dolars.gov. Have a nice day.”
"End of new messages."
"You have one new message and three saved messages.
"First message left Wednesday 9:06am"
“Comprehensive Wellness Incorporated calling for Alex Gardner. It’s time for your annual physical. Please call our office at 555-8241 to schedule your appointment. Thank you.”
"End of new messages."
"You have two new messages and four saved messages."
"First message left Thursday 2:13pm"
“Mr. Gardner, this is the Department of Licensing Automated Renewal System again. Perhaps you are unaware that driving with an expired license is a class two misdemeanor with maximum jail time of six months. Our Breeze-E Pass records show you passing two different toll booths today. Please contact your local Department of Licensing office at 555-4149 immediately. Have a nice day.”
"Next message left Thursday 8:53pm"
“Hey Al, it’s Jimbo! Get your butt over to O’Hanley’s. We’re arguing over one of your theories. The one about fluoride. Does it dumb us down or make us docile like sheep? I can’t remember. Get over here and I’ll buy you a cold one. I know it’s a Thursday night but, hey, it’s not like you have to be at work tomorrow, is it?”
Strange Perceptions Page 5