Craig wanted to moan in terror, to yell a warning, to scream, but he
couldn’t get his breath to do any of it. All he could do was stare at the
half-seen creature and cling to Mikey’s hands for dear life.
“Who are you?” Mikey finally got out.
We are what was and what might be. The voice filled Craig’s head like
ringing thunder until he wanted to clap his hands to his ears to shut it
out. We are what will be again. The voice pressed on. We are the dawn and
nightfall and deepest night. We are . . . Ur-elves.
“We, ah, we weren’t expecting this.”
We know, the voice came again and there was amusement in the rolling
words. But you called and we answered.
“Why did you bring us here?”
To serve.
“Then you want to make a deal, right?” Mikey said, the words low and fast,
as if he was desperate.
We have a bargain, the voice thundered inexorably. Sealed in blood. Craig
thought of his finger, still throbbing where Mikey had pricked it, and
moaned aloud.
Your talents will serve us. Your magic will be the spearhead of our power.
You will bring down those who stand between us and our fulfillment and lay
waste to their world.
Craig closed his eyes tightly and moaned again. The thing and its words
were awful and terrifying and . . .
Attractive.
Nine: WORLDS’ MEETING
Come closer, the thing said. Come closer and watch.
As if moving through a zoom lens Craig and Mikey were sped to the side of
the Ur-elf. Craig still couldn’t form a clear impression of what it looked
like and for that he was just as glad.
Craig had the impression of two huge, shaggy hands cupped before him,
hands with claws for nails. There was something glowing in the hollow,
like a living coal. The radiance expanded and grew brighter until his face
was bathed with yellow light. The light turned cloudy. Then it cleared and
they were looking down on a world held in the Ur-elf’s palms.
There was deep blue ocean and spotted through it were islands. As Craig
watched the islands formed as faceted images, then smoothed and took on
color and texture. Vaguely he sensed that one end of this place connected
to his own world and the other end to the world of magic.
Again the zooming effect and they were falling toward a large island in
the center of the ocean. The place was long and narrow, with reddish brown
desert shading from mountains at one end down through brown-yellow plains
in the center to lush gray-green at the other end.
Faster and faster they fell, closer and closer to the mountains at the
desert end. Craig sucked in his breath as the mountain peaks rushed up
toward them.
Then suddenly they were standing on the tallest peak of all, looking out
over the mountains and desert.
In this place the magic of both worlds works, the voice inside their heads
told them. It is yours for now. Make good use of it.
And then they were alone on the crag.
Craig tasted bile on his tongue. His head hurt with a roaring, throbbing
ache that threatened to take the top of his skull off with every beat of
his hammering heart. Mikey didn’t look too much better.
The two looked at each other for a long moment while the chill mountain
wind whipped around them and tugged at their clothing.
“Come on,” Mikey said at last. “Let’s get to work.”
The amazing thing was, Craig realized, he already knew this stuff. He
didn’t have to think about how to do it, he could already make magic.
Working alongside Mikey, he sketched out the form of their new home, the
citadel and fortress which would be their base for the attack into the new
world.
Shadowy cloud forms hovered around the peak as the pair pushed and shaped
the outlines of their castle. It would be small at first, covering no more
than the top of the peak. But already Craig could visualize its spread as
a great stronghold and arsenal to pour forth the sinews of conquest.