“Not Gideon?”
“He either ignores me or uses seer spells that cannot be stopped.”
“All these people cast spells at you? That is all the wizards here save Tovrik and myself. How is it you are so harried?”
“Well, they have their reasons, in fairness, and it doesn’t happen every day. Diarmund only hexes me when I take something from the garden without asking. Mabon only does it when I borrow coin or something without asking. Vaughn does it when I’ve missed a lesson with him. I’m not sure why Gideon does it but he does it least of all.”
“Well, they should not, any of them.” Aethelbald shrugged indifferently. “In any case, you should be used to people casting spells at you. So what do you do?”
“I usually run or hide behind something. My luck charm helps greatly and now, I have a lucky charm too so that should help even more” He said brandishing a gold chain with a horseshoe emblem. “I got Bryn to make it for me. I thought we could make coin from them selling them at markets and such but Master Tovrik said no.”
“For what reason?”
“Well, it turns out that charms and amulets and rings and everything else that contains a spell, save wands and staffs and the like, loses the spell once it has been used and unless the person knows how to cast the spell again it becomes useless. So my lucky charms would only be good for people once. I still think that should be worth a fair lot of coin but...”
“Tovrik said it would reveal to everyone what we do at Elevered?”
“Yes. Anyway, I still have one and if I use my luck spell as well most of those hexes will probably miss.”
“Do not rely on that Aethelbald.” Caleigh warned. “You should attend your lessons with Vaughn as well.”
“I do, well, I have been doing so much more than before. Now we have a proper Enchanter to learn from.” Aethelbald grinned in Caleigh’s direction. “But you might want to consider getting some kind of charm or ring or something. Put a protective spell in that and you will be much safer.” Caleigh looked at the boy thoughtfully, for all his laziness he did make a good case. Seemingly Caleigh was not the only one who’d had the idea to double dose.
“Yes, it could be done.” Bryn assessed having heard Caleigh’s proposition. “For an item that holds a spell a precious stone or metal is best, mind.”
“I have a stone of amber.”
“That’d work no problem. How big is it?” Caleigh made a plum sized oval shape with her hands.
“Thus.”
“That could hold more than one spell, I’d say. Only one problem.”
“Which is?”
“I don’t have the materials to make it into an amulet. We could go visit Master Aldred when you have time though.”
“I’d love to. I’ll let you know when we can go.”
To her surprise Gideon told her at lunch that he had decided to postpone their practice until later at night. “How much later?” She asked.
“After Tovrik has finished with you, at some juncture after midnight I should expect.” Several questions occurred at this point. However, Caleigh knew that she’d be directing them at the wrong person. Unfortunately, the right person wasn’t currently present. With no practise session in the afternoon she decided to spend the time with Dana rather than holed up in the library again. Dana was to be found in the garden selecting choice lilies and roses for a wreath arrangement a task in which Caleigh was happy to assist.
“You are wondering why we are picking funeral flowers, no doubt.”
“Yes, I’m concerned that someone has passed without my knowing. We can get quite removed from real life up in the towers.”
“You needn’t worry on any account. Your concern is sweet but misplaced. You could be everyone’s sympathetic ear in Connlad but now you have far more important tasks. I shall be very disappointed if the horned one is walking amongst us because you spent too much time listening to everyone’s little stories. You are part of a bigger story now. That said, tonight can be an exception to that and that’s the other reason why your concern is misplaced.”
“What is tonight?”
“Tonight is all hallow’s eve. It used to be a gathering for all gifted folk but since the fall it has been a fearful night as it was on this night that those witches murdered Albion’s son, his wife and child. Ever since that day things have been worse for the gifted. That is why we have the wreath.” Hearing this Caleigh suspected there was some personal significance also for Caerddyn but she did not share her thoughts. “Still, for all of it being a fearful day Tovrik has turned it into something quite noble.”
“How so?”
“Well, the worst of that murder in the past was that they killed the child as well. So on this day anyone who lives in the village, inside or outside of the grounds can bring their children inside the castle walls where they will be protected until the morn. There will be quite a feast, I think.”
“It sounds wonderful.” Caleigh pondered momentarily. “Perhaps this is why Tovrik wants to see me at midnight.”
“I should think so. There’s likely something special about the witching hour on the witches day.”
“Maybe.”
“How are things going up in the towers, as you call it?”
“It is hard work. Learning control seems to be particularly difficult for me.”
“Did you find out what is happening between Ellie and Penric?”
“Oh yes, nothing is ill. They like each other but they do not seek to wed so do not bind to each other.”
“Lucky for my remedy that there are no children then.”
“Yes, I know not how they can do it. Ellie I can understand but it does not seem like Penric.”
“Heartbreak can change a man. An easy partnership was probably the best thing for him.”
“I am thankful he has had that. I envy it in a way for I do not feel that free. This is something I do not understand, Dana. I am so oft told I need to learn control yet also that I should give my affections freely and without concern. I know my power grows when I let my inhibitions go but my lack of control may harm me in the end.”
“I am not sure you do lack control.”
“It is true. Even when I learn to control spells it doesn’t stop the cravings overtaking me.”
“Be fair on yourself Caleigh that is far from true. If that were so you’d be lying with every man in this place.”
“Well...I have not been so restrained. Vaughn and Gideon...” Caleigh screwed up her face. “They are friends and I’ve lain with both of them.”
“Did either of them begrudge you for that? Be grateful that neither of them is the kind of man to scratch at your door every night after you’ve lain with them one time. That is rarer than you might think.” Caleigh laughed.
“Dana, never let me go long without talking to you.”
Everything was opened up that evening. Around the main hall tables were set up in the corridors and concourses lit with lines of burning lamps hanging from the walls and decorating the archways and pillars. All the wizards were on duty, which meant displaying their cloaks and dressing in long robes with their staffs and wands in plain view. Vaughn sat on the edge of a table peopled by the older children and teens telling a bawdy story as once was his trade. Mabon and Rosamund put on a light show of competing illusions. Diarmund and Rhiannon stood at a stall making cider and mead that frothed different colours and caused the drinkers to belch like frogs or bulls for the amusement of their fellows. Gideon stood in front of the doors with Sir Edgar and Tamric while Penric and the other knights conspicuously moved back and forth showing that there was an armed presence ready to leap to the defence of those inside. Tovrik oversaw all as the most reassuring presence in the whole castle. Even the gold plated eagle that normally adorned Tovrik’s outer door had moved to the bottom of the banister turning its shiny beak this way and that in vigilance.
Caleigh positioned herself amongst a group of younger children in one of the outermost tables facing the main doors. “Are you a
wizard?” The boy sitting to her left asked.
“Yes I am.”
“She’s a pretty wizard.” A dark haired girl across from her remarked.
“Thank you, that’s very kind.”
“Are you the best wizard?” The boy asked.
“No, you see the old man over there.”
“Yeah.” Agreed several children.
“He’s the best wizard.”
“Could he kill a troll?”
“With the click of his fingers.”
“Could he kill a giant?”
“Oh yes, with the clap of his hands.”
“Could he kill a...a..a dragon!?”
“No, he could not.” Caleigh conceded. The children moaned with disappointment.
“But dragons are too big nobody could kill a dragon.” Ventured one child.
“Yes they could, a great knight could kill a dragon!”
“But do you know why Tovrik couldn’t kill a dragon?” Caleigh asked them. The children shook their heads. “Because if a dragon came in here I would walk up to it and say ‘hello dragon, you can see we are good people here’.”
“Would you be scared?”
“No, do you know why?” Again the children shook their heads. “Because the dragon would say ‘yes, I can see you are good people here and I am a noble dragon. Dear lady, can I be your friend?’ What should I say to this noble dragon?”
“Yeah, be friends!”
“Then I would say ‘yes, dragon we can be friends’ and the dragon would then live on top of the castle and protect it from all the nasty trolls and giants who want to get inside.”
“Yeah!”
As the evening wore on thick strips of soft fluffy carpet were rolled out and the children were given blankets to huddle together under. Those who wished to carry on drinking were directed out into the soldiers’ quarters and when all was quiet Tovrik nodded to Gideon who smiled wearily in response. There was a thunderous boom against the castle doors. All the children sat up with a start. Another boom rocked the woodwork and shook the hinges displacing trails of dust onto the floor. The knights stood back and formed defensive poses around the children while every wizard readies their wand. Caleigh followed suit not sensing any trepidation from them despite the furious attack. A third boom crashed against the doors splitting them apart in a great hole and from the wreckage emerged a huge green skinned monster holding an enormous club. “It’s a troll!” Screamed one of the children.
“Everyone stay still!” Tovrik commanded to dramatic effect. The troll lumbered forward and was hit by a hail of crackling white sparks that made it twitch terribly and rock back. Caleigh saw the surprise on the faces of the crowd and realised they hadn’t seen the sparks but only the effect. At a nod from Mabon, Rosamund pointed her wand and a flash of lightning exploded in front of the troll. The troll staggered seeming blinded by the attack. This time everybody saw and seemed cheered. Vaughn went next picking up an apple from the table then sending it as a burning ball of fire into the troll’s chest. It moaned with pain and fell against the unbroken part of the doors shaking them loudly. Mabon then stood forth and shot a streaming trail of stardust that exploded multiple times in flashes of yellow and blue on the hide of the troll. Caleigh looked round to see who would go next and noticed Gideon looking at her with his eyebrows raised.
In her rush to act she didn’t think to make the spell visible and simply shouted “bedazzle” as she shot forth her charm. Fortunately for the audience the troll went very obviously vacant and its tongue drooped out of its mouth as it swayed on the spot. Some of the children began to laugh. The troll suddenly flipped upside down and began to rise up high. Now the children were cheering ‘drop him’. Gideon obliged sending the troll downward on its head with a stone shattering thud. Caleigh watched the next part with as much intrigue as the children knowing it was the turn of Caerddyn, no longer limited by Tovrik the jester. A pit opened below the troll and huge tongues of fire emerged from it charring the beast as it slipped below into the crack that sealed behind it. With a clap it was gone and the broken door was repaired. Everyone was well aware now that they had witnessed an illusion, nonetheless the message still worked. They had nothing to fear with all these great wizards to protect them.
“Did you enjoy our performance?” Tovrik asked when they were alone next to the god’s eye.
“Some warning might have improved my contribution.”
“Oh, I thought it worked rather well. I have to confess it is a tradition not to tell a new wizard about the all hallow’s eve surprise. Seeing how they react is rather instructive.”
“Is it always a troll?”
“It would be a poor surprise if it were the same every year.” Tovrik chuckled lightly. “Vaughn was half-worried that you might try to blast it with a fire charm.”
“He thinks I could do that?”
“Can you not?”
“I’ve never tried to blast anything with it. Besides, I’m having trouble with that spell of late.”
“No doubt it will return to you soon enough. Magic is not easy, it is testament to your blessing and natural talent that you have come this far before reaching any difficulties. Ahh, to be a spellsinger. I am allowing myself to be distracted here. Can you guess why we are here?”
“Is it something to do with witching hour?”
“Yes, something to do with it. Tonight is an important night for wizardkind and particularly our enemies in the Coven. It is when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest.”
“What are those flashes of green.” Caleigh said pointing out twinkling points on the night scene of the god’s eye.
“Ah, it appears you have revealed something.” The lights moved along straight lines then appeared as a flash somewhere new. “These are ley lines and what you can see is someone using them to travel across the land.”
“How can they do that?”
“Our world links to the otherworld where distance does not apply. The otherworld is forever moving. Our world is the only world that is stable. Therefore any point in the otherworld could correspond to any point where it is connected to ours. A journey of a few feet on the other side might be many hundreds of miles here.”
“Have you ever travelled to the otherworld?”
“I have travelled through, never to. Have you ever wondered all those standing stones are for?”
“Not as such.” Caleigh answered honestly.
“Well, they are anchors between this side and the otherworld. A wizard can travel along ley lines connecting these anchors together without truly entering the otherworld. Likewise, the standing stones were enchanted long ages ago, thousands of years even before Loreliath, to stop the worst creatures from the other side wandering across. That is why we have henges like the great henge and at Stonecairn. It is said that to this day no evil or any unbidden creature from the otherworld may pass inside a stone circle.”
“Is it true?”
“It is hard to know as only one with the powers of a Summoner could test it.” Tovrik turned to Caleigh who was staring intently at the god’s eye. “What are you thinking?”
“This light I have been watching, moving between Stonecairn and somewhere near here, cannot be one of the Coven.”
“I am intrigued, please explain.”
“This is a wizard using a ley line.”
“Yes...”
“If he were a member of the Coven he could pass through anywhere he chose, could he not?”
“Why do you say that?”
“The Coven serve Argahan, who by his possession of one part of Xyraxis would have some of his powers. So he would be able to open the otherworld to them anywhere.”
“A quite brilliant theory and one that would explain a great many things.” Tovrik marvelled. “How did you come to it?”
“Well, we saw the Oracle pass through merely by stepping into the sacred spring at Minerva. Further, if the stone circles can keep out evil and otherworldly travellers then the ley lines
would be closed to them.” Caleigh moved over the god’eye and pointed to a thickly wooded area more than a hundred miles northeast of Elevered. “What is here?”
“That is the wychwood.”
“This is where they are.”
“Can you see them? If we can know their faces it will aid us greatly. Tonight may be our only chance.” Caleigh shut her eyes and tried to picture the scene. You are gathering, how do you feel? Are you nervous? Are you glad to see each other? Her eyelids remained black and her mind blank and then she smiled. No, you are not glad; you are frustrated, you are angry. Tonight was your night for indulgence and you have been summoned from your play by your master. Shadows moved in the darkness of the trees coming into a clearing that was surrounded by water on three sides. Moonlight briefly glinted on silvery hair at the head of the group and silhouetted a pair of outlandish horned headpieces before the entire group passed into the still water and sank below its surface. Caleigh opened her eyes and saw her vision fade and the god’s eye return to showing the trees from above.
“How many did you count?”
“Thirteen.”
“Alas, they have reached a full compliment.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, hmm, the Coven, unlike our enemies in the Society of Shadows whose numbers we can only guess at, have strict limitations on their membership. Their inner council can never exceed thirteen and each council member will have a smaller coven of three. At most they can only ever number thirty-nine. If they have a council of thirteen once more then we can assume thirty-nine is their number at present.”
“Thirty-nine is many more than we have wizards in Elevered.”
“Thirty-nine followers does not equate to thirty-nine wizards. Yet you are right to be concerned. Each council member will be a wizard and we may assume that at least some have apprentices.” Tovrik sighed. “At least we know that they are causing no ill tonight. The witching hour has now passed. Thank you Caleigh, if for nothing else than for putting my mind at ease.” Tovrik paused seeing the sudden look of excitement on Caleigh’s face.
“I can do it, Caerddyn! With your help I can find every wizard!” Tovrik worked his power over the god’s eye once more and Caleigh closed her eyes and concentrated. The witching hour is passed and all is safe. I share your relief.
Enchantress Awakening: Part One of the Book of Water (The Elemental Cycle 1) Page 28