A Bitter Brew

by Greg Curtis

  “Alright then. It seems I cannot persuade you from this madness, so I'll leave you. But I am not happy about this. You should know that son.”

  With that she turned and left him, walking at a measured pace with her arms neatly folded behind her back, out of the garden and into the Temple. The children though couldn't seem to get out of her way fast enough. They were smart!

  Once she was gone and some peace returned, Hendrick did his best to concentrate on the warmth of the sun. But he couldn't. Not completely. Because there was truth in what she'd said, even if it wasn't a comfortable truth. As he continued down this path of acquiring more and more spells, his flesh would become more and more marked. He would stand out as even more afflicted than others. Some would fear him who hadn’t feared him before. Others might actually loathe him. This was not going to be an easy path to walk. But there was no easy path for the afflicted anyway.

  And yet for all that he thought, it was a path full of wonder. And the wonder for him was the third spell which he had not told his mother about The spell that allowed him to walk between worlds. He hadn't used it yet. He hadn't even mentioned it to any of the others. He suspected it would shock them. Even those who were afflicted themselves. Still, the ability to walk between worlds! It was something he hadn't even known was possible.

  It was a limited spell. He couldn't create a portal between worlds or a permanent bridge which anyone could use. In fact it would be only him who could cross the barrier between worlds – though maybe he would be able to take someone with him if they were close enough? But it was still a wonder.

  Where could he travel to? What places could he see? The possibilities were endless. For a man who'd spent most of his life up until recently in a single town of a few thousand people, it was exciting. And with the dimensional mirror spell he could see any part of any realm he wanted to see. If he liked what he saw he could use this world walking spell to take him there.

  He hadn't tried it yet because he was still too weak, and truthfully, still a little nervous. The spell only allowed him to see the part of the other world that he could travel to. It was like looking at the ground just in front of you as you walked. It couldn't tell him if the air was safe to breathe or what creatures might be there, unless they were right in the spot he was staring at. He had decided he would wait a little before he tried it.

  More than that though, travelling between worlds was supposed to be impossible. At least for mortals. You could summon creatures from other realms or speak with the denizens of other realms. His own experience told him that. There were also spells that could allow someone to banish people or creatures to other worlds. But without a portal, physically travelling to other realms was usually thought to be impossible for mortals like him.

  Every magic had its limitations. A healing spell could not heal someone from death. It was simply a step too far. A summoner could not summon a creature greater than himself. A man with dominion could not control a creature with a stronger will than his own. It took something greater than a man to do these things. Something like a behemoth.

  And yet he now had a spell that would allow him to simply wander between realms! And the magic wasn't even that demanding. He didn't understand why that was but he intended to use it. When he was stronger and once he had determined it was safe.

  “So, Mother's gone I see!”

  Hendrick looked up and saw Marnie standing in front of him, and instantly his heart sank. Why did she have to keep bothering him? Couldn't she find someone else to annoy? Still, he knew there was no point in antagonising her, so he held back the retort that raced to the tip of his tongue.

  “What do you want Marnie?” He managed to hold back his sigh as well. There had been too many of them lately.

  She was an unhappy woman, though why he didn't know. Was it because he and the others kept telling her that her dreams of a magic city were fanciful? Or because she wasn't happy with the new spells she had been given? They sounded like useful spells to him. The spell of nature's sight – the ability to see through the eyes of animals – would be valuable when it came to spying on enemies. And Arthritis would cripple an enemy, locking their arms and legs and making it impossible for them to march. Granted it might not work on their enemy, but no one knew that for sure.

  Then again, maybe she was just unhappy with him. She blamed him for limiting her to two spells. It wasn't his fault. He had fainted before she had picked up her third spell and the priests had called a halt to things. They’d then decided that from now on they would be limited to two spells each time.

  “To ask when we're next going to take some more spells from the barrels.”

  “I don't know. I thought I'd ask the others how they're feeling. Check with the priests to make sure everyone is well. Make sure everyone is reading up on the histories of their new spells and learning how to use them. Do some practising with them. After that I thought we should let people decide for themselves when they're ready.” The plan seemed sound to him but he noticed the disappointment in her face. “I take it you want to try again sooner?”

  “Yes.” She nodded quickly.

  “Then talk to the priests. Talk to the others. Learn everything you can about your new spells. I'm not in charge here. But I would ask that before you do decide to take on any more spells you wait a few days. If you were to get ill or worse that would be really bad. Not only for you but it would also discourage the others from trying again. And if word gets out that this is dangerous it might stop the newcomers from trying at all. One mistake could set everything back weeks or months.”

  Marnie stared at him silently for a moment after that. There was a look of curiosity on her face, as if she couldn't believe that Hendrick had just said what he had. And yet Hendrick thought what he'd suggested seemed like the wise thing to do.

  “How did you get to be so old? So cautious? Were you born that way?” She clearly didn't mean it as a compliment. “I mean Tyrollan is older than you, but compared to him you seem to already have one foot in the grave!”

  “I'm just trying to be sensible.”

  “Sensible?” She raised her voice, upsetting some of the others enjoying the garden's peace. “You're holding us back! We're at war. We need wizards! Not field mice!”

  “We're not wizards,” he told her tiredly. “We're not going to become them. Those are childhood stories like fairies and pixies. But we will be better able to fight this behemoth's servants. And in time, able to live better lives.”

  “You just have no courage, do you? None at all?” She stared at him with barely concealed disdain. “You are probably the most powerful among us, and at the first sign of trouble you want to hide away like a frightened child!”

  “You even decided to hide us in a temple whose priests are cowards by nature. When has the Temple of the Benevolent One ever stood up to protect people?! Never! It doesn't do that. And good deeds and kind words don’t protect anyone.”

  Had he not explained to her and the others about his reasons for using the Temple? He was sure he had. But he guessed she hadn't been listening. Or else she simply didn't care about politics. Or maybe she worshipped a different god. If she did he suspected it would be the Goat Footed one. She seemed to have a true gift for making trouble.

  “Fine! Do whatever you want and stop bothering me!” Hendrick gave up arguing. He was just too tired to care. Unfortunately that just seemed to make her more angry.

  “What do you mean bothering –.” Marnie started off on a fresh tirade.

  Hendrick suddenly couldn't take another round of abuse from her or anyone else. He was tired, his head hurt and all he wanted to do was rest. And in a heartbeat he knew what to do. Even as she was becoming more strident in her criticism he stood up, took a step to his side, and cast his newest spell.

  She vanished in the blink of an eye. So too did the world.

  In an instant there was no garden. No people tending to it. No temple. No city beyond. There was no blue sky or sun shining above. No
moon or stars either. No seat to sit on. No soft grass under his feet.

  Instead he found himself standing on a rocky plain filled with nothing. There were rocks all around for as far as the eye could see, and a twilight sky above. It was all there was on this world. A dead lava field much like those you found around volcanoes. It was also quite chilly. There wasn't any sort of sun in the sky. It was the most boring place he had ever seen save for the pale green tinge to the dark sky which was somewhat curious. And yet he realised, this was the most wondrous place he'd ever been!

  So much for taking his first step on a new world with care and only after he was fully recovered!

  It took a while for the fact that he was on another world to sink in. And yet the evidence was all around him. He could see the world. He could even see back to the temple garden where he had left Marnie, just as though it was another world. Because it was! She was still standing there, a shocked look on her face as she tried to work out what had happened. Somehow he doubted that she would guess the truth.

  But even as he looked back at the garden he was also able to look at other worlds. There were thousands of them. More. Worlds where he could see long grass, or water. Waves and oceans. Worlds where instead he was looking down at the ground from high above. Others where life seemed to live below the ground. All he had to do was focus his thoughts on one of them and he could see it. It was like staring at a dot on a painting. Concentrate on that single dot and it became clear while the rest of the painting went away. And all of those worlds had one thing in common. He could travel to them!

  Should he give this world a name? The question suddenly occurred to him. After all, this was a new world. A world he doubted that anyone from Styrion had ever visited. And he was an explorer. Explorers named the places they visited. That was the custom.

  But then, what did he call it? Hendrick's World? The Twilight Land?

  Laughter unexpectedly bubbled up and burst from his lips, and as he stood there he just let it grow and fill this brand new world. His brand new world! Certainly no one else seemed to be around. And he had no doubt that he would soon begin to explore this new world. This one and many others.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Marnie ran the material of the dress through her thumb and forefinger, feeling the quality of the linen, and checking the seams for any that were poorly sewn. There weren't any. The garment was well made she thought, and she liked the colour. Cream went well with her bronzed skin and dark hair. Meanwhile the merchant was sitting at his desk pretending to read a book, but watching her closely as he sensed a sale. She liked the dress. The only real problem with it was the cost. Six stynes for a dress?! Half a noble?! It was too much. But she guessed he would bargain. After all, he wasn't working out of a proper store but rather a wagon in the middle of the market.

  It was a good day to be out Marnie thought. The sun was shining, the streets were filled with people busy with their daily business, and few of them had bothered to look at her arm. But even if they had, she suspected it wouldn’t have bothered them as much as it once did. After all, Styrion Hold was slowly filling with afflicted. Over a hundred were now calling the Temple home and a few more trickled in every day for what they were calling training. And ever since they had defeated the beast's servant in front of the city walls, people had begun looking at them with new respect. Not a lot, but some.

  Meanwhile the muck-spout in chief as she thought of Hendrick, was away exploring other worlds. Hunting for other peoples with powerful magic or technology or at least some knowledge. Looking for answers to their behemoth problem. She envied him his gift of world walking. But what she most loved was that it took him away so she didn't have to listen to his infuriating blather. It was always more peaceful when he was away. And maybe they could finally stop being so agonisingly cautious! Altanis was approaching. She could almost feel the dawn of the new city on the horizon. All his warnings and worry did was slow things down.

  Still she could live with the new regime. Two spells, every five days. Provided the priests were sure they were well, that was. It was sensible she supposed. Too cautious but sensible. And Tyrollan supported it so she really had no choice in the matter. But it also allowed the newcomers – the trainees for want of a better term – to be divided up into different days for their sessions in the garden. That way each time there might be twenty people going through the ceremony, followed by two days in the temple ward. There might be anything up to forty or so people sleeping as the new magic flowed through them, and sixty more awake and mastering their new spells and waiting for the next ceremony.

  Hendrick had come up with a clever idea. She had to give him praise for that, even though she didn’t like him. He was too damned cautious! No one had died. No one had even been hurt by the acquisition of the new spells. The worst anyone had experienced was a headache that lasted a day or two after waking up. Meanwhile they had enemies coming for them. This was not the time to be cautious. It was a time for action.

  But even taking it as slowly as they were, they were making progress. Marnie now had eight spells of Illuminium, and while none of them were true warspells, she had hope. Next time, she told herself. Next time she would pick up the spells she needed.

  And there would be others with her. More than anyone knew of. Some of the fragments kept going missing. Only a few at a time. But the priests said when they spotted those who were taking them, that they were afflicted. It seemed that some of the others had liked the muck-spouts' idea of secretly having a few more spells but not enlisting. And it seemed that one or two enterprising souls were running a business procuring the spells for them. She wondered how much the thieves were charging their customers.

  For the moment though, she had some free time and could spend it browsing the city markets. The traders would always accept her stynes. And thanks to the muck-spout's stepmother, she had some. They were all being paid as if they were soldiers. It was only a few stynes a week, but it was welcome. Even if she hated the thought that she was in the King's employ.

  “Miss Holdwright! Miss Holdwright!”

  Marnie turned as she heard someone calling for her, somewhat annoyed at being disturbed. It had been a long time since she'd actually been able to browse the markets, and she needed a new dress. Everything else she had was ripped or worn. Still, when she saw the man running toward her and shouting her name, she waited patiently for him. It might be important.

  “Yes?” She greeted the young man politely. She even recognised him as one of the new arrivals to the Temple. It was hard to keep track of them all, but she could see a tracery of sunshine yellow markings running up his neck. Luminite.

  “Master Dan asks you to return at once to the Temple.”

  Master Dan? It took her a moment to realise he meant Tyrollan. Until recently that was the only name she'd known him by. But the newer arrivals had started addressing those who had come from Styrion Might by their family names and using the titles of polite society. In actuality the messenger was much the same age as her, and the only difference between them was the number and type of spells they had. They weren't yet members of Hendrick's longed for guild, and none of them were particularly advanced in their craft – whatever their craft might be. They just had a few more spells. But she didn't correct him or ask him to call her Marnie. She knew he wouldn't do it.

  “Did he say why?”

  “No Miss.” The young man hung his head a little as if he'd done something wrong.

  “That's fine. Tell him I'm on my way.”

  No sooner had she told him that then the young man was off and running down the street, heading for the Temple. Marnie thought for a second or two about running after him, but then decided walking was more in order. It was too hot to run. So she said farewell to the dress she'd had her heart set on, and followed him at a respectable pace. Hopefully the dress would still be there when she returned – assuming she was able to.

  It was a long walk back to the temple. Styrion Hold was a very differe
nt city to Styrion Might. There everything had been laid out in terraces, and each terrace was like a small city in itself. You had open markets, stores, industrial and warehouse districts, and residential ones on each terrace so you never had to leave it to find what you wanted. She suspected that was something to do with the age of the city, and the way it had grown. Each terrace had been added on to the one before it, a bit like the creation of a new town, and then it had been allowed to grow before work commenced on the next terrace.

  The Hold though was simply one massive, sprawling collection of buildings and sections, haphazardly scattered together and surrounded by a massive set of walls. It had been built all at once and then people, shops, houses and industries had slowly moved in and filled it.

  Because of that, and because the city had grown but the walls hadn't grown with it, it was crowded. Too crowded. Buildings were squashed together and gardens were small for the most part. To make up for that a great many of the houses had roof top gardens. It was amazing how many buildings she could walk past and look up to see three stories of stone topped with fruit trees, their branches overhanging the street. Harvesting the fruit would be challenging she thought.