Widderkin - 37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37.

"My Opal is a gift from Woorawa’s people. Ranevargar looked at it closely and he says it’s partly like a Realm Stone but a whole lot of mystery.”

"Woorawa’s people?"

When images of the gifting ceremony at the Valley of the Eagles transferred, Maurice's realisation that this was outside the Realms prompted a series of questions that had to be cut off.

"Tell me about your other companions."

"We’ll talk later. We need to wake your body."

Kieran laughed and enveloped Maurice with a spectacular field of glowing Opal energy. He watched Maurice’s first tendrils of control reach eagerly to channel every last portion internally ... and more questions rising. Kieran laughed again and made the Opal flow constant.

"What’s funny, Kieran? Is Maurice making you laugh?"

It was definitely time to update everyone.

"He likes talking even more than Ranevargar, Rhys, but it’s mostly relief that the challenge is all over, and he’s friendly and curious."

Rhys's glance went to the nearby gigantic claws.

"Friendly? He gives me the heebie-jeebies and he’s still frozen. I nearly wet myself when he made me bow."

Kieran paused to increase the energy flow.

"He’s as friendly as Krol, Rhys. He’s concentrating like crazy while he wakes his body but he’ll talk to everyone when he's ready."

"He can talk?"

"Greetings, Rhys."

Rhys jumped with surprise then recovered enough to reply.

"Greetings, Maurice."

Kieran laughed again and increased the energy flow. Rhys turned to everyone.

"He spoke in my head just like Ranevargar does ... Kieran, I’m worried about Krol. It sounds like it’s getting worse out there."

"Krol?"

"Krol is Ranevargar's Guardian. He’s blocked from being with us by a barrier and stuck in the storm."

Maurice examined Kieran's mental image and his energy uptake paused for all of ten seconds.

"Call him to shelter, Kieran. My barrier held the annoying plague of pests at bay."

Kieran sent his thanks, called Krol, and once again increased the flow of energy.

"The barrier’s gone. Let's go to the entrance to meet Krol."

"Don't you have to be here with Maurice?"

"It’s just around the corner, Woorawa, and we’ll be back in a few minutes."

Rhys charged off with Woorawa just behind him, rounded the bend and halted abruptly when a startling flash of light was followed by a nerve freezing thunderclap. Twenty metres ahead the cavern entrance was a curtain of water flickering in and out of view with each random lightning flash. Everyone caught up and stared.

"Can he find the way, Kieran? It must be like walking through a waterfall."

Kieran reached, fixed Krol's slight confusion with a touch of direction sense, then quickly moved the group to one side.

"Stand back! He’s coming with a rush."

Coinciding with a blast of light, Krol's form bounded from the downpour, halted with a scrawk of relief, then sprayed everyone with a prolonged effort to shake his drenched body free of water. When the startled yells of protest and amusement ended, Rhys rushed to reassure Krol and Woorawa moved to the very entrance.

"When the storm stops the monsters will be a problem again, Kieran."

"That's not for a while, Tan, and they’ll have to come through the entrance so Krol will manage easily."

Tan nodded and brushed a smear of water from his hair.

"It’s real water this time isn't it?"

"Yes. Ranevargar didn't mention it but Maurice kind of said the storm’s a side effect of us using so much power."

Another flash of light silhouetted Woorawa against the silver curtain of rain and Mr B winced at the following crack of thunder.

"He calls that a side effect?"

Maurice suddenly drained every bit of power being fed to him.

"Something’s happened, Mr B. Maurice wants more energy."

"A lot more, Kieran. A prolonged flow if you can manage it."

Kieran was already close to the limits Ranevargar had thought he’d need so more was going to be interesting. He grasped the Opal for the extra feeling of connection physical contact always gave and examined the existing flow.

Whoo! It was at a total maximum, surpassing the earlier flow from the Grove and straining his controls to the limit. Any more and the control would shatter, releasing wild energy.

Too dangerous. Maurice would have to accept the current level.

Hmm! Interesting. A trickle was reaching him through the channel from the Grove ... Good grief! Make a new channel. Such a simple solution.

A second channel, complete and independent, formed and Kieran, very pleased with this simple but effective achievement, made a new call for power.

The Opal responded with a call of its own, a call unavailable and unused for a long, long time.

Beyond the Realm Boundary, beneath the structure of the attendant High Castle, the engine of power sustaining the Faerie Realms recognised a signature missing for millennia. Power flows adjusted automatically and the Nexus hummed with the restoration of proper balance and harmony.

The High Castle defences wavered, dissolved momentarily to nothing, then rebuilt.

Lord Maynor watched, unbelieving, as a significant portion of the free Nexus energy was wrenched from his iron control.

Dangerous monsters, a symptom of a Realm in disorder, dissolved to nothing as order returned.

Energy flowed abundantly through the newly formed channel, so abundantly it outpaced the ability of the great construct to take it in.

"Kieran, what have you done?"

"I made a new power channel, Maurice. The first one couldn't carry any more ... What do you mean?"

Maurice’s great puzzlement registered.

"Examine your Opal and the Realm around us. I sense enormous change.

"My Opal? It's working flat out, Maurice, sending you twice as much energy."

"Examine the new flow, Kieran."

***

Uirebon abandoned his activities in the Great Hall, rushed worriedly to Aglaron's sanctum, then, recognising the withdrawal of deep concentration, held his press of concerns and tried to assess the High King’s well-being. A long minute passed before Aglaron stirred and focused on his immediate surroundings.

"Uirebon, ease the furrow on your brow. We still stand."

"My Lord, what was your purpose? When the Wards fell we feared that Maynor would take control, but then you raised them again."

"The purpose was not mine and the control was beyond anything Maynor could manage."

Uirebon strained for understanding.

"... Narello then? Surely that is not possible?"

"Forget Lady Narello. She is Maynor's pawn. Uirebon, my friend, the Realms are changed. Our Wards wavered while the Nexus restructured itself. Maynor's control of the free energy has been reduced, giving us a temporary respite while he tries to assess what happened."

"The Nexus? Restructured? I don't understand."

"Neither do I, Uirebon, but something in the Unordered Realm has changed the power balances flowing from the Nexus. Observe."

Without hesitation Uirebon accepted this invitation to see, from the unique perspective of the only mind directly linked to them, the patterns of energy flowing throughout the Realms. Awestruck he took in the Nexus, its close proximity a looming presence.

"... My Lord. The pattern is beautiful beyond belief."

"Indeed, Uirebon, balanced and splendid as we have never seen, but look to the Lost Realm. Order has returned."

Awe vanished and Uirebon's mind struggled to even accept what was being presented.

"Is it Maynor redirecting all his stored Ruby power?"

"Look closely, Uirebon. There are two distinct channels of power, one flowing cleanly from the Nexus and the other sourced at the very centre of that power sink."

The close look pushed Uirebon's incredulity to a new level. By virtue of Aglaron's perception the channels of power were clear to see, but what were they doing?

"I have never seen or heard of power produced like that, My Lord, but it all disappears. Can you see where it goes?"

"Not at all, and I sense it would be unwise to intrude."

"A far-seeing?"

"Into that vortex of power? No, Uirebon, the seeker’s mind could be torn apart, and we must conserve all our resources for defence."

Uirebon returned to immediate concerns.

"You think Maynor will resume his assault?"

"We must assume so because when the last three War Masters arrive his power will reach its peak. Are all our triads ready?"

"Yes, gathered in the Great Hall along with all the High Court."

Aglaron showed his appreciation then turned to access his Gateway Realm for power sources of last resort.

***

Kieran looked closely, Maurice's exhortation was practically a command, and saw straight away that his Opal was sourcing the new channel of power from elsewhere then, according to his will, directing it to Maurice.

"It’s not Opal power, Maurice. It’s from somewhere else."

"Trace it, Kieran. You have the skill."

Only because Ranevargar had pushed him. Wow! This was a beautiful clean flow reaching from a long way away.

"It’s coming from way past the Boundary. Something else is changed because that used to block my viewing."

New surprise blossomed in Kieran's mind with the realisation that the flow pattern was somehow familiar ... Where ... Oh my!

"This is too weird. It’s like the pattern of permanent power that Ranevargar distributes through his Pearl."

"Yes, you appear to be receiving energy from the Nexus itself, Kieran. Did Ranevargar instruct you in the technique to manage that?"

"He mentioned the Nexus but that's all. There were too many other things to do."

"This Realm is no longer dead. The pests have disappeared and the land cries for recovery."

"??"

Kieran had no idea what Maurice was talking about. The pests? That had been his earlier term for the Monsters so Kieran switched attention, reached, and turned to his companions with an excited yell.

"The Monsters are gone!"

"What do you mean? Has the storm frightened them so much they’ve gone somewhere else?"

"No, Rhys, I mean really gone. Maurice just told me and I can't see a single one."

Kieran laughed because all four weren't quite believing him, thinking the Monsters must be hiding or flown too far to sense.

"You’ll see for yourselves when we go outside."

Woorawa gestured at the constant flicker and rumble.

"We can’t go out there, Kieran, not till all that stops."

Kieran made a quick communication with Maurice.

"I’m giving Maurice twice as much power as Ranevargar suggested and his body will be awake in about twenty minutes. After that the storm will start to die down."

"Double? Wouldn't it be wiser to keep to Ranevargar's plan?"

"It worried me too, Tan, but Maurice was desperate for the extra. It has to be because he's got 600 years of growing that Ranevargar didn't count on."

Rhys moved and pressed experimentally against Maurice’s front leg.

"He still feels like solid rock. Does he come to life gradually or what?"

A sense of amusement, along with a message, came from Maurice.

"Maurice says you should stand right in front of him, Rhys."

"No way! What if his first reflex is for food? He hasn't eaten anything for 600 years."

"He eats power, not food, and he likes you ... He likes all of us."

"All right, but I bet he opens his mouth and breathes fire over my head or something."

Maurice's plan was to turn on a Dragon stare of friendship but Rhys's idea now took his fancy. Nothing happened for a few minutes, well nothing as far as Rhys was concerned. Kieran watched the two huge energy flows seized and directed through the great network of tissue, watched every tiny structure absorb the energy thirstily, and sensed the fire of life build in strength and meld with the still growing fire of mind. Rhys, emboldened by the lack of anything happening, moved to the end of Maurice’s fore paw and, with a, ‘hey look at this’, expression, circled his hands round one of the black shining talons. The talon twitched.

"Holy hell!"

Rhys whirled but forgot whatever it was he meant to say. Along with the already spectacular blue glow of Kieran's energy, Maurice’s head was now quivering and twitching in an eerie transition from dormancy to function. Everyone stared, mesmerised till the tremor quietened. Maurice’s first movement, somewhat unnatural looking because the rest of his body wasn't yet awake, was to incline his head towards Rhys. The mighty jaws parted, exactly as Rhys had suggested, and a fiery glow started deep in his throat. Kieran was as shocked as everyone then, seeing the reality, he sent a group assurance and a memory of Ranevargar's phantom fireside Griffin.

"It's not real. It won't hurt. He’s just being dramatic."

A roaring gout of flame enveloped Rhys, swirled impossibly, then leapt in four streams to surround the disbelieving onlookers.

The flame stopped and billows of imaginary smoke curled upwards.

Rhys involuntarily checked that his flesh hadn't been roasted and recovered his wits at a request for permission to come into his mind.

"Welcome, Rhys. I enjoyed your suggestion for an introduction."

"Welcome, yourself, you great lump! I didn't suggest making us all into roast dinners."

"Lump!"

Amusement loomed in Maurice's mind and was communicated so strongly that the roast dinners all had to smile.

"Steady, Rhys."

Dragon eyes turned.

"Greetings, Mr B. I see you are a thoughtful balance for the unit. Have no concern.

Greetings, Tan. I look forward to many interesting conversations with you.

Greetings, Woorawa. The mysterious power of your song helped dispel my stupor."

A new burst of quivering, major this time, started in the rest of Maurice’s body.

"Move in front of me everyone. There will be some reflexive wing movement while my body returns to full life."

Woorawa led the quick change of position and Rhys made a comment about swapping the frying pan for the fire.

The trembling increased and became alarming till, slowly and unsteadily, both wings stretched as far as the cavern walls allowed. At the same time the rest of Maurice’s body gradually became mobile. The great shoulders arched upwards then relaxed. One massive foreleg and then the other, lifted, extended shakily toward the companions, then returned to the cavern floor.

"Are you all right, Maurice? That looks painful."

"Thank you, Rhys, but I don't feel anything. The involuntary muscle movements cause slight damage so I’m waiting for the process to settle before I restore feeling."

"You can control whether your nerves work?"

"To a degree, Rhys. The recovery is inevitable but the process lets me make a delay."

Faster than they extended, the wings retracted and both front legs moved rather awkwardly from their resting position to become vertical pillars lifting Maurice's head and neck almost to the ceiling.

"Gods, Kieran! Is he too big to fit through the entrance?"

That was a startling thought but once again amusement entered everyone's minds.

"That is no problem, Rhys. When I am ready to move, my talons will easily claw a way if need be."

"Through rock?"

"Yes, Mr B, as long as I have power to assist me."

Rhys examined the talons with renewed interest.

"They must be harder than diamonds."

The whole length of Maurice’s back arched with a mind blowing wave action, his tail made a slow motion swish and attention switched.

***

"Tell me, Ranevargar, do you know of any way to alter the Nexus?"

"That knowledge was lost with the adepts, and I warn you to curb your ambition, Maynor. Any attempt at such an interference would endanger the Realms."

"The High King has lessened the flow of free energy and reduced my Realm allowance."

"I don't believe you. This is another deceit. As well as being beyond his ability it would dishonour his integrity as steward of the Nexus."

"It is no deceit. I would have agreed with you, but those changes happened, as I describe, just half an hour ago. When I become High King all such knowledge and secrets of the position will be mine. When the last two Power Masters arrive the High Castle defences will crumble and my attention will turn to you.

Work with me now. Spare your Grove, keep your Realm and your Pearl, and hold an important place in the new order."

"You bind my body without compunction, Maynor, and I sense you will do the same with my mind if it furthers your purposes. I may be helpless but while these shields protect me I will remain myself and wait for the High King’s intervention."

Maynor shrugged dismissively.

"Wait in vain, Ranevargar. Aglaron's last resources are almost consumed and the High Castle defences have no chance against my accumulated Ruby power."

"Maybe not, but consider your position, Lord Maynor. If, as you believe, the High King can alter the Nexus then he can divert the very power that sustains your Realm to defense of the High Castle. A full assault could well lead to the desolation of your Realm."

Maynor stiffened with the shock of understanding.

"Never! A High King is bound to care for the Realms."

Ranevargar couldn't help but laugh.

"Threatening to destroy my Central Grove and diminishing my Realm by taking my Pearl can hardly be termed as care."

"In the long-term, yes it can. My chosen replacements will restore and reinvigorate every Realm."

"Precisely the logic the High King can use for his own defence."

Maynor was silent for a moment while he considered this.

"You have a devious and complicated mind, Ranevargar. Our next confrontation will be lengthy and interesting."

Ranevargar, pleased that he'd disconcerted his captor, couldn't resist a parting shot.

"Maybe more interesting than you count on, Lord Maynor. There are forces in play you haven't considered properly."

Maynor hesitated then hurried to depart. Ranevargar extended his puzzling to this news of a change to the Nexus. If true, as Maynor appeared to believe, it couldn’t be the High King. So who could it be?

***

Understanding what was meant to happen wasn't a preparation for the actuality of Maurice’s awakening and everyone watched, incredulous, while the torrents of power from Kieran invested his body with life. The last few minutes, when he'd restored feeling to his nerves, had been frightening. The unfettered dragon roars of pain, amplified by the confines of the cavern, had held the group huddled reassuringly close through every excruciating blast of sound.

"My apologies, everyone, but expression is more helpful than repression. The storm of pain has passed and I am fully awake."

"Thank God! That was the scariest sound I ever heard."

"I am thankful too, Rhys. My larger throat can produce more volume than I care to hear."

"You can say that again!"

"?? … For what purpose?"

"Rhys is just agreeing with you, Maurice. How long before we can leave to rescue Ranevargar?"

"My body is awake, Kieran, but it will be several days before I am able to fly."

"Days? ... We have to leave now ... As soon as the storm dies down. Ranevargar is worried there’s big trouble looming."

"You speak with him?"

"Not exactly. He trusted me with his memories so Maynor wouldn't be able to find us and stop us from waking you up, but I have got a link through his Pearl which lets me see what he sees and know his thoughts."

"Who is Maynor?"

"I told you. He’s a Realm Lord who’s keeping Ranevargar paralysed in his Castle."

A wash of Maurice's anger jolted everyone.

"I recall your image of the Maker bound and helpless, Kieran. Explain please."

Kieran did so, mind to mind for greater speed and nuance of detail.

"Kieran, I am not yet able to take you to Ranevargar but haste is definitely needed. Can you take me through your secret link?"

Kieran was completely startled and he turned to Mr B.

"Maurice wants me to take him through the link to Ranevargar, but that might warn Maynor."

Mr B nodded.

"I’m hearing Maurice's questions, Kieran. I think we all are. Take him. If he can't fly he might be able to help Ranevargar somehow while we wait till he can."

"I am certain I can help, Kieran."

Mr B continued.

"We know Maynor can't get through the shields, and the persuasion techniques Ranevargar was so worried about haven't worked either. It’s too late for Maynor to stop Maurice being woken, so I think it’s time to give Ranevargar back his memories."

"I’m not so sure, Mr B. If Maynor finds out where we are and comes for us we couldn't stop him."

"You must be kidding, Kieran. If he comes here Maurice can eat him."

This typical Rhys comment made Woorawa and Tan splutter with laughter.

"Ranevargar couldn't stop him, Rhys."

"The Maker was unprepared, Kieran, and the paralysis you all experienced would have no effect on my body. An ordinary Realm Lord is of little concern to me. I am equipped to rule and, if necessary, defend this Realm."

"Can you protect someone else from the paralysis? If Ranevargar was free he could take off that helmet thing and look after himself."

Tan spoke up.

"When Maynor’s not watching, give Ranevargar his memories back and ask him what to do. He knows more than everyone, even Maurice I suppose, and if it's too dangerous to keep his memories he'll tell you to look after them again."

"Hey! You’re a brainiac, Tan."

Kieran agreed along with everyone else and Tan became the centre of approval and admiration.

"It will be a big relief to talk to Ranevargar rather than just watch and listen. Maurice, I think I know how to take you through the link but I’ll see what Ranevargar says first."

"Certainly, Kieran, mind riding is not a skill I have practised ... You can close one of the power channels if it suits."

"No, I’ll keep it going in case Ranevargar wants it."

"You'll have to ask him first, Kieran. You've been worried about tiny trickles of power and that’s an unbelievable amount. When can we expect you back?"

Kieran gave Rhys a curious look.

"What do you mean?"

"You’ll be concentrating so hard you wouldn't even notice if Maurice laid an egg."

"??"

"Oh! Yes. The memory bit’s just a few minutes, but then there’ll be a lot to talk about ... And then I expect I’ll be taking Maurice through the link."

***