The Steward and the Sorcerer by James Peart (small books to read .TXT) 📗

staring at the city beyond the walls of the Elephant and Castle, lost in his own private world.

“Whatever situation you found yourself in in the past, that is over now.  The fact is that you are both trapped here and may be so for some time.  I do not know for how long but I know I will try to return you to your land when the opportunity presents itself, and I have never failed yet in delivering on my promises.  In the meantime, I need your help, so let me explain why.”

Simon flinched from Daaynan’s gaze, unwilling to look at the ferocity he encountered there.  Instead, with a slight unconscious movement of his head, he gave him a sign to continue.

“In my land, my world, there is a man, the same one I spoke of earlier in our acquaintance.  His name is Karsin Longfellow and before I started my training as a Druid he was of no account to anyone.  Years later, upon my receiving my final instruction as sorcerer in a place called Fein Mor, he became the ruling master of the citadel of Brinemore, the largest and most prosperous city in all the Northern Earth.

“He hunts me in that world, just as this Iridis hunts us here, and to rid myself of the threat that he presents I must confront and destroy him.  To do this I shall need all the help I can get.  I understand that you don’t want to fight, and your friend Christopher, he seems not to want much of anything, so I shall return you to your time and place as soon as we leave here...”

“Why don’t we leave now?”

“Because I have an idea.”

Simon tried to wrest himself free of the other’s grip.  “I don’t want to hear it.”

“You must!  I can see now that it was a mistake coming into the temple.  There is another way to confront the steward of Brinemore.  It is within my powers to create life, or at least an adequate version of living matter.  I have not attempted it before and I am not sure what results my magic will bring, but it is worth an attempt.

“However, I may not need to do this.  Look outside.  What do you see?”

Simon turned, frowning.  “A city that doesn’t exist.”

“Oh, but it does!  It is a functional city with living, breathing people.  I told you it has been created from the memory of each of us- not imagination, I believe, but memory.”

“So?”

“So, it will house, along with parts of your London, the smaller citadel in which the steward resides.  It will show us where in this citadel the steward is to be found, and what his routine is, amongst other information I can use.”

“Do you know the steward by sight, or the inside of his citadel?”

“I do not.”

“Then your memory won’t be any good, will it?”  He shrugged free of the bigger man, steeling himself to look in Daaynan’s eyes.

“Do you know much of the detail of the part of London that you see here?” came the Druid’s answer.

“No.”  Simon began to rub his shoulder where the other man had held him.

“I think this place borrows detail from our greater minds to complete what we are seeing.  Our minds have been expanded here to some degree.  What we are not aware of on the surface we know at a much deeper level.”

“Our subconscious?”

“A good word to describe it, better than any I have heard.”

“I don’t know.  Why don’t you get an army of followers from here to help you as you wanted us to, confront the steward that way?”

“Because the temple will only let me draw one person back from each world.”

“But you drew both me and Christopher.”

“That was using my magic and I told you it has been weakened.  For the same reason I cannot conjure followers of my own making and bring them through.”

“So, we’re stuck with your plan.”

“If you put it like that, yes.”

Simon shrugged, turned to his friend.  “What about Christopher?”

“We’ll have to take him with us.”

“Why?  He’s not about to go anywhere.”

“This place is too unreliable.  By the time we return these surroundings could well have changed.  Also, his mind is not right with itself.  Who knows what he could summon from the depths of his greater memory?”

Simon moved toward Christopher.  “No!  I’ll risk this trip myself but I won’t put Christopher in harm’s way.  That’s not happening!”

“He will be in danger if he stays here, I’ll set my word and warrant on it.  Do you remember what happened when Iridis approached me while you were in the temple?”

“I was half asleep, of course I don’t remember.”

“Let me tell you then.  Knowing he could not approach me directly, he reached for both of you instead. He possesses a kind of magic that works by contact.  One touch from that hand could have rendered you his puppet, your will made over to his, perhaps forever.  Had I not intervened with what little power remained to me neither of you would be here now.  What do you think he is doing now?  He is trying to find a way into this world to confront us again.  He is wary of my magic but not to the extent that he would choose to leave us alone altogether.  We need to keep your friend with us.  What do you think he will do if he sees him defenceless and alone?”

“It’s easy for you to say we’re at risk from him when you can’t prove it.”

The Druid’s face softened a little, responding to the despair in Simon’s tone.  “I set my warrant on it, Englishman,” he answered quietly.

“Kennedy made promises too and look what happened to him.”  Simon was close to tears.

Daaynan said nothing.  He was not about to get drawn into a debate filled with references he didn’t understand.  Just as well, Simon thought.  He stared at him for a long moment which seemed to him to stretch out into eternity.

Finally, he said “Ok.  We’ll go.”

9.

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