Wordscapist: The Myth (The Way of the Word Book 1)

by Arpan Panicker

  “Thank you, Dew.” Zauberin vaguely waved the girl away and turned to the boy. The girl looked worried though, as if wondering whether she had condemned the cipher with her words. I realised that she had been trying to help the boy by trying to remove the suspicion that he was lying. She didn’t realise she had actually condemned him. She moved to a corner of the tent, trying to be unobtrusive, her hands twisting the ends of a scarf as she looked on fearfully.

  “Wordsmiths,” Zauberin called out to the others in the room, “Yesterday, AJ Silvus organised a group scape…the Wordscapist scape. I already sent you a missive with the essential details. He succeeded in creating the essence of the legend but could not control it. It broke free, and ended up elsewhere, inside a norm’s head,” she turned to give the boy a nasty look, “this norm’s head.”

  She turned to look at the wordsmiths again, “The Wordscapist lives in this boy’s head. Or he might be a Guild spy, an adept that Silvus has been hiding from us. Simple, innocent cipher he most definitely isn’t. There is no way an uninitiated cipher could have accomplished what he did. It is either extensive training or the gift of the Wordscapist. We need to know for sure whatever it is. And considering that he is definitely a hostile, whatever we find I propose a mindscape on this boy.”

  “No!” I heard the girl let out an anguished whisper. I could not help recoiling myself. A mindscape would destroy the boy! It was a terminal interrogation strategy, used only in the most extreme circumstances, a scape that helped a wordsmith scan another’s memories. It was used only on dying or condemned wordsmiths. I could see Lonigan and Necros exchange another look. I wondered what that meant. Zauberin chose to ignore the reactions around the room, and continued, “Gaia, you are the specialist. Please initiate one right away. Healer, please assist her.”

  Necros raised his staff, asking permission to speak. Zauberin nodded. “Isn’t that a bit extreme?” Necros queried in a strangely vibrant voice, “Close observation and some interrogation over a couple of days could get us the same information without destroying his mind.”

  I could see the look of terror on the boy’s face at Necros’s words. He had not known what a mindscape would do to him. What surprised me was Necros objecting to the idea. I might have expected one of the others (except Lonigan perhaps) to reject the terminal solution, but Necros would definitely have been my last guess. I would have imagined him to be delighted at the idea of a fresh body to work with.

  “I do not have time for soft methods, Necros. Sign has warned me not to use my gift for any other purpose. We have things to do. We shall find out right now what he is, and if he is the Wordscapist I will have completed my mission. I can then get on with helping you all start what will be the end of the Guild’s rule.”

  “Zauberin, he might prove to be useful. What Dew said; it would take a powerful wordsmith to just conjure up an aos sí from nowhere, without using any presets defined by the Way. What if he is not the Wordscapist? You might be losing a potential recruit.”

  “I’ll take that risk, Necros. Your protest has been noted. But then, you’re not the one with Sign watching your every move. Let Gaia start the scape. You will have a fresh soul to add to your kitty when she is done, probably two; one of them the Wordscapist.”

  “That was in bad taste, Zauberin. You should know more than anyone else that I do not use my gift with such careless abandon. I can clearly say nothing to change your mind. Your ways have always been a bit too bloodthirsty for my liking. And I am sure Mother Gaia will be glad to oblige.” He moved back, his expression neutral, but his heavily made-up eyes glowed with emotion.

  “It is strange that one who celebrates death should object to the taking of a life, Necros,” Gaia said, as she came forward. She made his name sound like something disgusting. But Necros was right. She did look completely unperturbed, and even cheerful, about the idea of the mindscape. Necros did not react to her words and merely looked on.

  The others did not offer any reactions. Dew started to say something, but changed her mind. She looked close to tears. Akto put a hand on her shoulder and whispered something, his expression stern. The Healer looked questioningly at Gaia, telepathically exchanging notes on what kind of help she would need. Gaia started muttering the beginning of the dreaded mindscape. I looked at the subject of the situation, the boy. He had closed his eyes and looked spaced out. I wondered if the scape had already taken hold. Gaia frowned as her words became more intense, her eyebrows knitted in effort. I could catch a few words, but Gaia was careful not to reveal all the words of her special scape. I could have checked the transcriber, but right then, I was frozen into immobility by what I witnessing. The boy was clueless to the proceedings, lost somewhere in his head. That is when I noticed his lips moving, ever so slightly. Could the boy be weaving a defence!

  Gaia seemed to realise this at the same time, and with a look to the Healer, moved closer to the boy. The Healer frowned and gestured with his hands as he upped the ante on what he was weaving. I saw the air around the boy warping as the conflict grew more intense. I could see Zauberin’s brows knit in concern at this turn of events. Lonigan had a faintly amused look as he leaned back and watched. Necros and the others looked curious. I could also sense worry in them at the growing power of the scape. This was bound to be close to the CCC limits. There was a sudden stillness in the air. With a rush the space-warp around the boy swooped into him. Just as I was wondering if Gaia had managed to get through to him, the boy opened his eyes and looked Gaia in her eyes. All the fear had gone. This was another person altogether. His hazel eyes glowed with a power and rage that seemed misplaced in one so young. I could only wonder at the transformation!

  “Stop,” he said; his voice deep and powerful. Gaia froze, her lips parted, her words stuck in her throat. And right there, in the midst of a warren of wordsmiths, he wove freely, the words coming out in an otherworldly rhythm…

  “I return your gift to you, mother

  Here comes your cruel scape

  Back to you in all its glory

  Let it wreak the havoc you had intended

  Within you”

  With those words, he breathed an inaudible word. Gaia screamed. I could see the Healer wince as whatever entered Gaia’s mind sped its way across the mental link they had set up. He instinctively raised his hands, screaming out aloud, no doubt summoning the energy shield he constantly sustained around himself. For a long moment, everyone stood frozen at what had just happened. And then, slowly, Gaia collapsed right where she stood. That was the cue for the others as well.

  Zauberin rushed to Gaia, quickly weaving up what looked like a protection scape. I noticed that she took the long way around the boy, doing her best to keep her distance from him. Isis and Wind however, were not so circumspect. They rushed towards him. Chains stood back, furiously weaving something up, muttering under his breath. Lonigan and Necros just stood and watched, Lonigan amused and Necros satisfied and vindicated.

  The boy was ready. He quickly took stock of the situation and figured that Chains was the most dangerous. Chains was ready now, stepping forward to unleash whatever he had cooked up. The space warp looked pretty nasty, twisting and turning to form something that looked like a coil of live barbed wire. I saw Necros move as if to stop him, but someone else reached Chains first. “No!” The girl let out a scream and struck out at Chains. The delicate looking man collapsed in a heap as her fist connected with his jaw. Akto looked shocked at the girl’s rebellion. The boy turned around and took the sight in, and then gestured to Isis and Wind, who were almost upon him by now, his voice clearly weaving, but the words, unusual and unorthodox;

  “To a time and place in my head,

  You will retreat,

  Go!

  Now!”

  His words were calm, and the effect was electrifying. There was a huge crack that left my ears ringing, and Isis and Wind disappeared. “But he did not specify where!” The thought came to me as I wondered how someone could just port others
around him; accomplished wordsmiths at that!

  Akto, had been shocked by the boy summarily dispatching senior wordsmiths. But seeing the girl attack one of their own startled him into action. He yelled at the girl, grabbing her and shoving her aside. He moved fast for his bulk, flicking out a huge knife, lunging for the boy. There was murder in his eyes.

  This was insane! For some reason I did not really understand, I wanted the boy to win. I could not bear the thought of harm coming to him. And while I doubt I could have done anything at all against an armed and crazy gypsy, I blindly stepped forward. Luckily, before I could get involved in the proceedings, someone else jumped in. It was Necros this time. The leather-clad wordsmith brought his heavy ram-topped staff down sharply on the norm’s head – Akto fell heavily, his knife clattering to the floor.

  “Well done,” Lonigan applauded the move, clapping his hands gently, hugely amused by the proceedings, “I never approved of mindscapes. Direct methods are so much more fun!”

  The boy looked around, nodding at Necros and Lonigan in acknowledgment of their help. His eyes then flicked over me, nodding once again, as he saw I meant him no harm. There was something in those eyes that was scary and hypnotic. At the same time, I saw something that made me want to follow him, recording every move of his with all my historian capabilities. Here was a boy who would do big things. I did not know what yet, but I was sure I would hear about them. The boy turned to the girl who was staring alternately at Chains and her hand, a trickle of blood running down her knuckles.

  “We should leave,” the boy told the girl. The girl was close to hysteria at what she had done. He gently took her hand and closed his eyes. They disappeared with that unnerving port noise.

  I looked around. Chains was coming to his senses, gingerly rubbing his jaw. Necros picked up his staff and walked out calmly, with Lonigan ambling out next, like they had just finished seeing a movie that had come to a satisfying climax. Zauberin was muttering furiously, battling with the scape set loose in Gaia’s mind. Gaia herself was unconscious. The Healer looked stunned and half scared to death, but it looked like he had managed to repulse the scape before it had reached him. Isis and Wind were nowhere to be seen. I wondered where they had ended up.

  I turned to my equipment, mechanically checking everything. I was in shock myself. I had been watching the boy closely when he had teleported with that girl. He did not have a rune with him and neither had he said a single word. He had still managed to teleport, and also had taken another person with him. I checked the video records again for good measure. His lips had not moved. A thoughtsmith! I checked the CM. 153. Too much, by far, for one wordsmith. There was no doubt now. He was the Wordscapist!

  CHAPTER 11

  Freefall

  Think…when something must be reasoned out

  Feel…when the emotion comes

  Act…when it is time to do what must be done

  Let go…when in doubt

  And freefall

  Slick

  I opened my eyes and was instantly hit by the intense, debilitating pain. I let go of Dew’s hand and staggered a couple of steps before I keeled over and collapsed on to the ground. I curled up into a foetal ball, gasping as waves of agony washed over me. In the typical primal response to such pain, I shut out the world and tried to scream, but there was no breath left in me.

  “No words left”, De Vorto came through the haze of pain, biting and completely unsympathetic, “go on and rip out reality with a few more heroics. You will rip yourself out, that’s what you’ll do!” I did not understand. I did not care. I just wanted to die really soon so that the pain would stop.

  I rocked a bit, and tried to roll some, seeing if a change in position would help. It did not. The pain was not in any specific place. It was everywhere simultaneously. My entire being was in pain, and despite the lack of physical wounds it did not ease the sheer intensity of the agony. Just as I was about to give up and pass out, the pain slowly receded. Too slow for comfort, but definitely receding. I still did not dare try and move, but I could attempt something less adventurous. I let my eyes open from screwed up prunes to hostile slits, taking a gradual interest in where I was. That’s when I knew that I had managed to get it right. I had one thought in my mind when I had taken Dew’s hand and done it…done what?

  “Teleport”, De Vorto obligingly prompted, again, heavy with sarcasm.

  Yes, that sounded right. That’s what I had done. At first, I had teleported two of those wordsmiths away to Leh, a remote spot in the Himalayas (I could not think of anywhere further away), and then I had transported Dew and my own threatened self here. Here was a place from my memory; a place that was safe and that had memories of happier times, peaceful memories. It was lush green as always. I was lying curled up on the grass and moss that grew on the underground water tank, set in a hill in the middle of a jungle. My teleporting accuracy was bang on target, first shot. Well, second at least. I had no idea whether the wordsmiths had reached Leh alright. I did not remember Leh as well as I remembered this place.

  The pain had by now settled into a gentle ache that gave me enough courage to move and look around. I had tried to come here with Dew. I was looking for her. She was on her knees, staring into space, a few feet away from me. She was in some kind of shock. I was not up to picking myself up yet. So I let her be.

  I slowly raised myself on one elbow. My friend had a cabin nearby that our gang had visited. This was the place I came to, with its trees and lush undergrowth; a haven that was always peaceful, no matter how disturbed a state I was in. I looked at Dew but she was still in shock.

  It was then that it struck me. I was alive! I had just survived another attempt on my life, and I had repulsed some very powerful people. I raised my hands and took several deep breaths, just exulting in the feeling of being alive, having fought and won for my right to live. The sheer beauty of the place added to the joy.

  “Don’t get cocky, boy,” De Vorto’s voice sounded extremely pissed, “You got extremely lucky. You’re a novice. You need to respect the ether. You try too much and your body will dissolve into it, leaving nothing behind. I suggested teleporting for you, not for half of the Free Word!”

  I decided to ignore him for the moment. I still thought I had pulled off something incredibly cool! I spent a couple of minutes giving the place the consideration it deserved. The night rendered the thousand shades of green into a kaleidoscope of silver and black. The crickets added a peaceful buzz to the scene. I had gone to sleep in this place on lazy afternoons, surrounded by the fragrance of nature at its most vibrant. I had never imagined that I would come back here in these circumstances. But the sheer comfort of coming to a place I knew and loved helped me relax.

  I finally acknowledged to myself that I had been avoiding approaching Dew. I did not really know what to tell her or how to go about making her feel any better. I did not understand my life and the choices I had been making. In such a state talking to someone else was a little difficult. But then words were what I specialised in. I could do this. I braced myself and walked towards her. I decided what I would talk about and knelt in front of her, putting on my most empathetic expression.

  “Don’t even try it, Slick,” Dew said, her hand right in front of my face, stopping me from speaking or coming closer, “I have had enough of your bullshit. I will talk to you when I am ready, and you have some serious answering to do. Right now, I need some time to figure out what the hell I have done with my life and where it stands. Until I have done that, I would appreciate it if you would just leave me alone.”

  She said the words in a monotone, but it was obvious that she meant every word of it. I nodded once, and got up and walked off, trying to build up a huff. I couldn’t. What she had said made perfect sense. I couldn’t really argue.

  “You’re pretty stupid, trying charm scapes on a wordsmith.”

  I do not know how a voice in the head can smirk, but De Vorto managed to do just that. More words that described wha
t I did; charm scape. And when I most wanted it to work, I had run up against a wordsmith; someone who instinctively knew what I was trying. Irony! At times it tends to clean you out!

  I dug into my pocket and managed to retrieve a crumpled pack of cigarettes. I did not remember the last time I had smoked. All the adrenaline had completely taken away the urge. And to be fair I had not exactly been in the kind of situations where I could coolly light up. I was not really the type who could pull off that kind of thing when faced with people trying to carve me up or weave my mind into a puddle of goo.

  I made myself comfortable on a flat patch of grass and lay back, giving myself up to the pleasure of an indulgent and leisurely smoke. I could see stars and moonlight peeping through the numerous branches and leaves that formed an almost impenetrable canopy over the place. I could feel a strange fatigue in me; the kind that had nothing to do with muscles. I felt tired in places I did not know I could feel tired in. I had been using parts of me that I had never consciously used before. I had been using the gift. I decided that I was not going to stress about it. First, I would give myself up to the smoke. If by the end of that, Miss Know-It-All had not recovered from her nerves, I was going to take a nap. I did not know what I would do after the nap and did not really care either.

  The ability to sleep is a gift I’ve always had. A few minutes after cheating certain death I was fast asleep. I did not know how long I was out, but eventually I was shaken awake. I felt completely fuzzy and stoned as I slowly allowed myself to come to. I finally opened my eyes to the insistent shaking and calling of my voice. A pretty girl’s face was right over mine. I wondered who she was. The name slowly came to me; Dew. Of course! This was the girl I had shared two consecutive life-threatening situations with. How could I forget her! But I still did not appreciate her waking me up so rudely. I could sense that I had been pulled out of very deep sleep indeed, given how woozy and disoriented I was feeling. “What?” I managed to mutter as I raised a hand to acknowledge that I was awake.