‘She cannot dothis to me.’ said Miranda refusing to accept it.
‘I ... I willget a scribe to prepare a petition tomorrow.’
‘Mandy, I thinkAllalanllea has the right of it. We need only pledge to each otheras this only concerns us. The Lady is testing us. I have to earnthe right to remove your tattoo and I will then no one will be ableto dispute our right to be together.’
‘I can’tbelieve this. You are siding with her now. I damn well won’t listento either of you.’ and she slipped on a teleport ring anddisappeared.
‘Whoops. Ithink I’ve upset her now.’
‘Don’t worryAquitain.’ said Allalanllea. ‘I know her better than she knowsherself. She will be back. I talked with her a lot after she wassaved from the druid council. I know she loves you deeply, moredeeply than anything.’
‘You mustrealize that she has been a spoilt princess. She has been groomedfor greatness. She expects to get her own way. She has foughtendlessly with her mother, losing most fights but never everconceding defeat. She will be the jewel in the crown of the kingthat removes her tattoo. The question is, are you man enough to bethat king?’
‘Allalanllea mymother always told me I was bound for greatness. To be honest Inever believed her. When you’ve spent years slaving away in a magicworkshop making magic items for wealthy customers you neverconsider greatness as an option.’
‘In the lastfew weeks I’ve done things that I never dreamed I could or woulddo. I’m on an impossible quest where I seem to be a pawn in a gameplayed by great Powers and deities. At the moment anything ispossible. If Miranda is my reward then I will grab her with bothhands and defy the Gods to take her away from me. If it takes aking to remove that tattoo then I will be that king and no otherwill stand in my way.’
Allalanlleastared at him for a few seconds measuring him and then said.
‘Well saidyoung wizard! I can see why Miranda has chosen you. If your deedsmatch your words then you will be a Power to be reckoned with. Iwill watch with great interest and endeavour to help where I can.Don’t ever break her heart or I will be your worst enemy. Let’s goand have a look at this captive creature.’
Before theycould leave, a young water elemental came up to him and beckonedthem to follow it. They followed the elemental to the sandy beachand saw the elder elemental Squalash waiting for Aquitain. This isjust brilliant he thought. He couldn’t speak the water elementallanguage. Alpha had translated for him before when they had met andMiranda had translated for him when they had arrived this time.
He askedAllalanllea whether she could translate for him and she smiled andsaid
‘I have oftentranslated for the Queen. I have a special pair of ear rings thatwhen activated enable me to hear all languages.
‘Good but firstI’ll try Draconic. Whooshoo the elder air elemental spoke it and sodo the little people. Perhaps Squalash will understand it.
‘It is anhonour to meet you again Waverider Squalash. I have been told thatyou wished to talk to me.’ said Aquitain in low Draconic.
Squalash lookedat him uncertainly.
‘You lookdifferent to before and you speak the language of the Lordsnow?’
‘I am a shapeshifter. I have many forms Squalash.’ He replied then changed tohis Logicon form his Llanllean form, his little person form andfinally his child sized Newman form.
‘I have diedand been raised twice since we last met and now have a small form.I knew the language of the Lords when we last met but was not awarethat you knew it so I didn’t try to speak it. You may question meabout my actions last time I was here if you are in doubt.
‘That is notnecessary. It is my pleasure to have you and your friend in ourhumble cave once more. My water brothers and the herders have toldme of your exploits up north.’
‘I’m sure theyare greatly exaggerated. I was just a small part in a ceremony tohelp heal a great wound.’ replied Aquitain diplomatically.
‘Sometimes itis the little things that are greatly important in people’s lives.Love, respect and gratitude are not earned by great deeds but bysmall ones.’ said Squalash.
‘You havegained much respect in the north for helping the weak but that isnot what I wish to talk about. We have a problem that we cannotfathom and seek your help.’
‘I have justcome from a meeting with other elders from across the great sea.The magic essence that is our food is changing its taste there.Where it happens it causes division among our people. It is causingtrouble among our air brothers as well. Some of our younger waterkin are allying with like-minded air brothers and attacking ourfire brothers for no apparent reason. The elders are trying to stopit but it is getting worse. This has never happened before. We donot understand what is happening. You must help us Lord.’
Aquitain wasshocked. The flavour of magic had changed. Surely only the godscould do something like that. From what Squalash was saying it wascausing the normally neutral elementals to polarize into two camps,order or chaotic. All were generally neutral but they were beingforced to choose.
‘Why do youcall me Lord, Waverider?’ asked Aquitain.
‘I am no Lordto you. I am a mind wizard, a Wizard Captain of the Mudrun DefenceForce, nothing more.’
‘Your name issung on wind and wave, Lord. Did not The Omen recognize you andobey your commands. Did you not capture a Temple of the Elementsdesigned to ward off the gods. Did you not defeat the Cat of Chaosand send it back to its dark existence in the spirit world. TheHerders believe that you are the Fount who has come to reclaim thisworld as written in their texts Lord.’
‘That is true.I have read it myself. The prophecy spoke of a Fount that did notdie and would return. The Founts were mind wizards like you.’ saidAllalanllea.
Suddenly it allmade sense to Aquitain. There had been no mind wizards on Mudrunsince the Great Storm. He was the first. They all assumed
