by Des Pensable
‘However, my teacher was wise and taught me that prophesy are dreams of the powerful. A Prophesy only happen if we believe it and make it come true. So we must be very careful that we are not being deceived by some malevolent Power and find out what is truly causing this problem.’
‘Your words are wise, but how can we stop this madness Lord?’ asked Squalash.
‘I don’t know yet but I will try my very best to find out.’ replied Aquitain. ‘Can you take me there later. I have another task before I can go.’
‘Thank you Lord.’ said Squalash with a bow.
‘You should know Lord that there are no rock brothers left. They disappeared at the time of the Great Storm. I will await you here.’
‘Thank you Waverider,’ replied Aquitain suddenly feeling that he had the weight of Mudrun on his shoulders.
‘No rock elementals left on Mudrun. That’s curious! I wonder why?’ he thought.
‘By All the Gods, how are they changing the nature of magic?’ said Allalanllea fearfully.
‘Surely the creator would rebel at the very thought of it let alone allow them to do it.’
‘I agree.’ replied Aquitain as he logically considered what sort of ramifications it might have.
Magic was a basic building block of the universe. If you change the building block it must change the universe and any changes on such a scale would surely destroy the universe. He remembered the words of the prophecy.
‘In the final struggle the gods and all creatures would take sides and fight it out. The victors would inherit what remained.’
In truth if you change magic then nothing would remain, so it was unlikely that magic itself was being changed but more likely people’s perception of it was being changed. The conclusion was that something must be affecting peoples’ minds.
The thought crossed his mind that perhaps it was some type of mass illusion or mass suggestion that would cause mass hysteria.
‘Hmm. Miranda and I are not the only pawns in this game. I’ll bet there is another mind wizard out there somewhere right now intent on causing chaos.’
He turned to see Allalanllea gazing at him thoughtfully.
‘This is more serious than I could ever have imagined,’ she said. ‘Let’s see this creature then I must get to Moonmist as soon as possible regardless of the blockade. There is just too much at stake.’
‘Allalanllea let’s be careful how we interpret this information from Squalash. I am not yet convinced that the Time of Chaos is upon us. There is evidence that we are being fooled into believing the prophecy. I have worked with magic too long to believe its nature can be somehow changed. It is much more likely that some grand deception is at work. My grandfather had a saying.’
‘There is magic and there is deception, sometimes they are difficult to tell apart but both can be lethal.’
‘Okay. I’ll reserve my opinion about the prophecy until we know more.’ she replied not at all convinced. ‘However, we still need to get a move on. Let’s go and see this creature that was captured.’
‘Could we wait a while for Miranda to return?’ asked Aquitain. ‘She was pretty upset when she left. If she comes back and finds us gone she will be furious.’
Allalanllea chuckled.
‘I guess you’re right. I think I’ve already strained your relationship with her enough. We’ll wait.’
Thirty minutes later Miranda returned in Newman form with tears running down her face. She changed to a smallish Newman female form and ran over and hugged into Aquitain.
‘I’m sorry Tain. You and Allalanllea are right. If we are pledged together in our minds nothing else matters. It is our choice no one else’s. So many strange things are happening I’m getting scared. I need to know you’ll always love me no matter what happens.’
‘I’m glad you’re back, Mandy. I was really worried about you. I’m sorry I upset you.’ And he kneeled down in front of her and took her hands in his.
‘Mandy I’m not sure who or even what I really am right now. I know that there are many events coming that will test us to the extreme but I pledge now that I will love you, honour you and fight the gods to be with you for as long as you love me and my spirit exists. My heart, my mind and my body are yours. I will remove that tattoo and you will truly be my Queen. May the Lady be my witness.’
Miranda knelt facing him with tears in her eyes.
‘Tain I’m not sure who or what I really am yet either but I pledge now that I will love you, honour you and stand by your side as long as you love me and my spirit exists. My heart, my mind and my body are yours. I will gladly be your Queen and I’ll defy anyone who tries to part us. May the Lady be my witness.’
‘I am happy to witness your pledges and happy for you both but I must remind you they have no legal standing. Miranda you should not tempt fate. The Lady is a benevolent goddess but is unlikely to be happy about one of her priestesses stating they are willing to defy her.’ warned Allalanllea.
Miranda didn’t seem to be listening she was too busy kissing Aquitain with enough passion to stop his heart. Aquitain was ready for her. He created a Tower of Will and moved his mind into it to shield himself from the storm of psychic energy. Her body was electric against his. Her passion was like a volcano about to erupt.
He created a mind link and looked at her spirit aura, which was glowing like a small sun. He couldn’t believe how much magic she held. Her passion was feeding off some magic source. No wonder she had knocked him unconscious when she kissed him before. He was suddenly afraid she might get power narcosis again.
‘Control yourself Mandy! You’ll harm us.’ he said.
‘I don’t want to. I just want you!’ she replied dreamily.
‘Allalanllea, Miranda’s overloaded with magic essence. Why?’ yelled Aquitain.
‘Damn I should have guessed this might happen.’ she replied and she went behind Miranda placed her hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear and Miranda went to sleep.
‘What do you know about sorcerers Aquitain?’ asked Allalanllea.
‘The ones I have met have been arrogant and temperamental; they have few powers, usually elemental which they often get spontaneously. The powers they have are variable and often very powerful. They seem to absorb magic essence freely from the environment and they generally die young as they can’t control their magic?’
‘That is a reasonable summary however what you call temperament can also be called passion. Sorcerers use passion to force magic to their wills in a similar way that you use your mind. Their spirits soak up magic essence like a sponge soaks water so they can be a danger to themselves as well as others.’
‘Do you know most Llanlleans are sorcerers? When Miranda was young we discovered she had the abilities to be a powerful sorcerer but Snowbelle hates all wizards and sorcerers and refused to let her daughter be a sorcerer. She forced her instead to be a druid. Miranda’s spirit still soaks up magic essence even though she has little use for it as she uses divine powers derived from the Lady.’
‘One of the functions of her magic tattoo was to burn excess magic limiting her uptake of magic essence. When she became a priestess of the Lady the tattoo was modified by the Lady and it was her passion for the Lady that allowed her a measure of control. I suspect that her passion for you and the fact that we are in a magic node has clearly upset the balance.’
‘She loves you dearly but is terrified that if the tattoo is removed she will harm you. Should you remove the tattoo you will need to continually bleed off her power as it could become dangerous to both of you. The problem has kept me awake for countless nights. Perhaps your knowledge of magic items might allow you to fashion an item that she could wear that would safely limit her uptake. Perhaps you know of another way to solve the problem. She has chosen you and you her. It is now your problem.’
‘Hmm. Thank you Allalanllea that explains an awful lot, I will look after her,’ replied Aquitain as he created a power link to her mind and began bleeding o
ff her excess power into his source and when it was full to overflowing he created an air shield in the shape of a couch and laid her upon it then woke her.
‘What happened, Tain?’ she asked groggily.
‘We pledged to each other then you kissed me and fainted. I think this magic node overloaded your body with excess magic. I’ve bled it off. You should be okay now.’
Miranda looked at Allalanllea.
‘You told him?’
‘Yes he needed to know my child. He is your chosen now. There should be no secrets between you.’
‘I’m so sorry Tain. I wanted to tell you but I was afraid you wouldn’t love me anymore.’ she cried.
‘Mandy, if having too much power is your worst problem, then we will have no worries together. I’ve spent most of my life with too little power. I’m sure that we can find plenty of ways to use it. Also, given a bit of time and the right equipment I’m sure that I can make an amulet that will solve the problem. In the mean time we’ll just have to bleed off your power a little before we kiss as they’re rather potent.’
She smiled radiantly and whispered adoringly ‘You’re so wonderful.’
‘Just for you Mandy.’ he whispered back, kissed her and then continued in a more serious tone.
‘We’ve got some serious decisions to make. The question is what do we do from now on? There are a lot of crazy things happening on Mudrun at present. Whether we like it or not it’s unlikely to stop so we need to find out who and what’s behind it. We need to find my father, as he may know what is happening. We need to find Zephira, Alpha and your father. Neither of us has a job with the Druid’s Council anymore so we are free to follow any lead.’
‘The most likely lead is the Moonmist champion’s sceptre that has been stolen. The indication is that it was stolen by someone from Moonmist and may be heading back there. However, to get there they’ll need to go through the southern gateway or possibly through this new gateway found by the Wolf people.’
‘To complicate the issue, I talked with Squalash while you were away. He told me he came from a meeting with others of his kind on the other continent. He said the magic tastes different over there. They think it is causing the normally neutral elementals to become chaotic or lawful and fight amongst each other.’
‘This would be a handy chance to find out exactly who, or what, is causing some of the problems, as I’m obviously not the cause of the trouble over there. Do we run and hide or try to help Featherdown unravel whether the Time of Chaos is really upon us or whether there is some great deception being fed to the people?’
Miranda sat thinking for a minute then spoke with a cultured accent.
‘Mother told me that a Queen should always look after her people. If I am to be your Queen then I guess we gain no advantage by running and hiding. It is a large world and if we keep on the move then it will be hard to track us down. If we try to solve a few of their problems then we will have the backing of the people.’
In High Galactic Command speech she said.
‘I will go to the Wolf people and find out about their mysterious gateway. You will find out about the creature that Granwell has caught then go with Squalash and solve his problem. You will rejoin me here in a couple of days when your mission is complete. Perhaps then Lord Featherdown will have a clearer idea what is happening and Senior Druid Quab will report what has happened at the Druid’s Council. Is that clear?’
‘Yes my Queen.’ replied Aquitain standing and saluting almost involuntarily forced by the immense power in her words.
‘See I can be regal and bossy if I want to be!’ she said proudly.
‘Wow! That is really impressive. I haven’t heard that speech used for years.’ he replied. ‘It’s derived from high Draconic and used by royalty and military officers on some of the worlds I’m told.’
‘She was a royal pain when she learnt it too!’ quipped Allalanllea with a grin and they all chuckled.
Aquitain felt immensely proud of her and even a little awed. She had broken away from her mother. Now it was time to make her mark on the world. It was time to fight for what she wanted and to help him solve the riddles about their fathers and the strange things happening around the world.
He gave her another teleport ring and after a lingering hug and power packed kiss, Miranda teleported away.
Chapter 7 The Wolf People
Miranda reappeared at a marker a league from the Southern Gateway and then flew off in her sea eagle form in the direction of the Loopis the Wolf peoples’ village set in the mountains. Just on dawn, she arrived at the edge of the village and landed in a bent old tree near the shaman’s hut. She looked around and seeing no one watching, flew to the ground and shape shifted to the shape of a wolf. She howled loudly to announce her presence and proudly padded into the village towards the shaman’s hut.
Buluk, the white-scaled shaman, who was sitting meditating, heard the howl. He looked at his apprentice who was half asleep and day dreaming about one of the village girls and said,
‘Our guest is arriving. We must be welcoming her.’
He jumped up and with an agility that seemed to defy his age, ran outside followed by a much younger and slower apprentice. Buluk saw the wolf as soon as he came out his door and went down to his knees.
‘I am Buluk. We are being honoured that you are answering our call. On behalf of my village, I am wishing to welcome you. May Loopis be giving you cunning, Jacintra giving you courage and the light of The Lady of the Jungle is being always falling upon you.’
The Wolf villagers also heard the howl and dropped what they were doing and came running from everywhere to shaman’s hut to watch. When most of the villagers were present, Miranda shape-shifted into her Newman form. Buluk presented her a loose brown native style robe, emblazoned with a bear motif across the front to wear.
‘I am Miranda, Priestess of the Lady and the first favourite of Aquitain, Hero of the little people. May the light of the Lady always fall upon you!’
‘Aquitain has heard your message for assistance and asked me to come here. Much has happened in the last few days that you may not be aware of. May I speak with your village council?’
‘We are being most honoured that Aquitain the Spirit Bear, has chosen the wise and gracious Miranda of the druids to be helping us in our time of need.’ replied Buluk a little worried about the sense of urgency in her words.
‘This is being strange news. If you will be following me I will be introducing you to our village council.’
Miranda followed Buluk to the centre of the Loopis village where the village headman, Toka and the six members of the village council were waiting. Each came before her in turn, bowed and welcomed her, and then a small banquet of food was brought for her to eat.
Miranda felt a little self-conscious as the whole village watched her eat. This was unusual; druids were not usually treated like this in the Wolf village. According to her mother they weren’t all that friendly. She knew that the village protocol demanded that she had to eat heartily, as the Wolf people would then feel that they could ask for her help.
She noticed the children were excited and couldn’t stop talking. After sampling bits and pieces from each of the proffered dishes, she indicated that she was quite full and suggested that she would like to hear any of the latest news from the village. Toka, the headman told her of various bits of local news then asked apprehensively about her news.
‘I will not hide the truth. You should know that there is much trouble in the world. There are many strange happenings. There are Yith lizard people here causing problems. There is talk of the beginning of a Time of Chaos. The druids have elected a new leader who is causing division among the people. Aquitain the spirit bear is no more. He was foully killed by druids who lost their way with the Lady but was graciously reincarnated by the Lady as a Llanllean brown scaled little person.’ He is presently helping our water brothers with a problem.’
‘I no longer represent the Druid Council but
continue as a servant of the Lady and the first favourite of Aquitain. It is no longer my duty to help you but in the name of friendship I freely offer it.’
She told them of some of the things that had happened and they asked her lots of questions. After considerable worried talk amongst the council and the villagers Toka eventually called for silence.
‘You are being honest with us. For that we are being thankful. We have been hearing of strange happenings and hoping that they might be untrue. It is being possible that many problems may be coming. We are knowing that you are having no duties to be helping us and we are most thankful to you for your offering. I will be telling you of our problem but knowing that you are not being committed in any way to be helping us.’
‘Two moons ago, three of our young hunters were traveling to one of our favourite hunting areas about three leagues to the east of here. We have not been seeing them again. We decided to be sending two searching parties of experiences hunters.’
‘They were finding no traces of the missing young hunters and also few large animals there. At the time we were thinking it strange but in the jungle we have often been seeing strange things. Just after the last full moon we were having some hunters traveling two leagues to the north and they were searching for two days and also seeing almost no large animals there.’
‘A few suns ago, a group of our hunters was looking for game to the northeast and came upon an interesting finding. There was being a campsite and signs that it was being used in the previous couple of weeks. On further searching around they came upon a knife belonging to one of the missing young hunters and discovered some mystical symbols carved on two large rocks near there. I decided to be asking for help from K’wala’s spirit brother as he was being in the area so I asked our Shaman Buluk to be sending a message to him.’
‘We are being greatly concerned that bad spirits are loose in the area. There have been stories from the past that bad spirits have been seen in the area after a full moon. We are asking you as being a friend of the Wolf people could you please be helping us get rid of these bad spirits before we are losing more young people from the village.’