Masques (Sianim #1)(63)

"What are you going to do now that you've found it?" asked Myr.

Wolf took off his mask wearily. In the bright light of the winter sun, Aralorn noticed the strain he'd been under written into fine lines and dark shadows under the golden ambient eyes. "What else? I storm the Castle of the Master Magician and challenge him to a duel. Whereupon he engages me in best Aralorn-storytime fashion. Then either I win, and go down in history as the cruel villain who destroyed the good wizard, his father; or he wins." Wolf's voice was coolly ironic.

"If he wins, what happens?" Aralorn spoke from her prone position and showed no intention of moving. "I mean, what is he trying to do? Do you have any idea at all?"

Wolf played with a strand of hair that had worked its way out of her braid while he answered. "I've been thinking about that for a long time, trying to remember what it was that he wanted most. You asked me about that once before; I think I know the answer now.

"I thought at first that it was mere power he wanted. When I was his apprentice, that seemed to be it. He could link with me and use the power that I gathered for his own spells; much, I believe, in the same manner that he now uses the magic released by the death of the children he kills. But there was an incident that scared him," Briefly, Wolf explained his destruction of the tower for Myr's benefit.

Myr whistled. "That was you? I'd heard a story about that; I've forgotten who told me. They said that the tower looked like a candle that someone forgot to blow out. The very stone was melted."

Wolf nodded. "He started to try using control spells on me, but I left before he had much success. But what surprised me was that he continued to try to get me back under his control. He's been looking for me for a long time. If it were only power he wanted, then he's wasted a lot more of it trying to find me than he could ever get from me. I am more powerful than most magicians, but Lord Kisrah is very strong as well, and the ae'Magi never attempted to tap into his magic. The magic that he gets from one of the children he kills is probably more than he could get from me, because my defenses are stronger."

"Revenge, then?" suggested Myr. "Because he thought that he had you under his control and you escaped?"

"So I thought," answered Wolf, "until Aralorn told me that she thought that I was half shapeshifter and that some of the magic that I am using is green magic."

Myr started. "Are you? That's why you have so little trouble taking the shape of a wolf. I thought it was unusual."

Wolf nodded. "Most of the magic that I use is human magic. Since I found out that I could use it, I've been trying to work with the green magic. It is bound by much stronger rules than what I'm used to; so, except for shapeshifting. I find it much harder to work. Even so, it might give me an edge over the ae'Magi."

Wolf paused and then continued. "The question still remains, what does the ae'Magi want from me? He is a Darranian and while the animalism of having sex with a shapeshifter might appeal to him, I couldn't conceive that he would raise the resultant offspring as his own. Not until I realized that it was the green magic that he wanted. Green magic that I didn't use until I left his control."

"But why green magic?" asked Myr. "I can't imagine that he values shapeshifting that highly."

"Healing," said Aralorn softly, beginning to see where Wolf was headed.

Wolf nodded. "Exactly. As you told me, Aralorn, a shapeshifter can heal himself until he is virtually immortal. What the ae'Magi hopes to do is to reestablish the link that he had with me and use green magic to give himself immortality."

"No point in ruling the world unless you have time to do it in," offered Myr.

"Yes," agreed Wolf. "There was another clue as well. Neither of you were particularly well acquainted with Uriah as they were a few years ago. I was in the ae'Magi's castle when he created the first of his, using his own spell. The Uriah that I knew were barely able to function. They could not even understand speech as well as a dog can. Now, from what Aralorn says, he has some that even retain the memories of the person that they once were."

"The Uriah in the swamplands were created during the Wizard Wars; they are close to being immortal," commented Aralorn.

Wolf nodded. "They don't die unless they are killed. If he could get them just a bit more pretty, he'd probably turn himself into one."

Soberly, Myr said, "I don't think that he ever intended to turn himself into a Uriah. I've known him for a long time too. There is no way he would turn himself into something that by its very nature is a slave to its need for food - pretty or not. If a Uriah retains most of its personality, then it is possible that it also retains its ability to work magic. I would guess that he wants to kill you, Wolf, and turn you into one of his Uriah, obedient to his command, but just as powerful as you have always been."

Blank-faced, Wolf considered Myr's comment and said, "I hadn't thought of that. But I think that you are right. I'll have to make sure that it doesn't happen, hmm?"

There was a heavy silence and then Aralorn said in a bright tone, "Speaking of Uriah, do you realize what a mess we are going to have to clean up when the ae'Magi is dead and we have several hundred masterless Uriah roaming the countryside? Sianim is going to be making good money off this."