‘Stop that Miranda.’ said Featherdown but she didn’t. Suddenlythere was a mental attack. She stopped singing and fought againstit. Granddad saw the attack coming and attacked Featherdown’s mind.A cockroach ran out of Granddad’s gown across the floor and up theback of Featherdown’s chair. A word of stunning was spoken andFeatherdown slumped forward then came back to hissenses.
‘Get it off me!’ he shouted and Miranda ran around behind himand felt just below his neck and peeled off Slivver.
‘I hope you didn’t kill it. I want that satisfaction. I’mgoing to make it suffer.’ he said with vengeance in hisvoice.
‘I’m sorry but you can’t hurt it.’ replied Miranda cupping itin her hand.
‘It’s a friend of mine.’
‘You’re responsible for inflicting it on me?’ he askedsounding a little confused.
‘No of course not! Lord Borse probably did.’ repliedMiranda.
‘What’s going on!’ demanded the king.
‘There may be more.’ said Helix to all of them and he flewonto the King. They heard another word of stunning and the Kingslumped forward. Miranda rushed over to the king and checked hisneck. There’s none here.
Heteronymousreturned to his senses then slapped his chest.
‘It’s in here. In my lungs I think. Hold on!’ and he moved outof his chair and changed shape into an air elemental and it fell toground. He changed back to his newman form and gleefully trod on itmaking sure it was thoroughly squashed.’
‘You can’t imagine how long I’ve wanted to do that! Check theothers.’ He shouted and Helix flew onto each person checked themand declared them free of parasites.
Quab sat thereamazed.
‘Do you mean to tell me that you two have been controlled byleaches?’
‘Not leaches, Quab!’ said Granddad. ‘Psychic parasites alsocalled puppeteers. Really nasty little critters! You should kill itYour Highness.’
‘Nope sorry! It stays alive. Now put it on me and wake it.’said Miranda.
‘You can’t be serious.’ replied Featherdown. ‘It’ll controlyou.’
‘Perhaps not!’ suggested Helix using mindspeak to all ofthem.
‘Would you mind introducing yourself cockroach.’ askedMiranda.
An illusoryimage of an elderly man with a long white beard appeared beside theKing.
‘Miranda, Your Highness, let me present Lord Helix, Ambassadorof the Inter-World Alliance. He is a friend of mine.’ saidGranddad.
‘I am told he was instrumental in helping us defeat thePanmagicans at the battle at the Druid Enclave.’
The illusoryimage of Helix bowed to Miranda.
‘It is most pleasant to finally meet you Your Highness. Youshould know that I am a good friend and have been a tutor of Roband his father. I certainly believe that his father was not awareof what would happen when he joined spirits with Aquitain’s mother.He has also honoured his agreement for release and has felt andbeen made to feel guilty all Rob’s life. Now that we are aloneperhaps we can proceed to find out what our little spy as got tosay.’
Miranda liftedher hair and placed Slivver on her neck and Helix awoke on him.
A minute laterSlivver awoke and began a mindspeak conversation with Miranda thatonly she could hear. The others waited patiently watching for anysigns that she might be being manipulated by the creature.
‘You trusted me. M’Lady. Thank you’ he saidhappily.
‘Yes. I trust you, my little friend.’ she replied. ‘Tell mewhat’s happened.’
‘Well we were together when you and Aquitain visited yourmother at the nymph camp. Somehow Adonis realized that someone waslooking at his spirit and he thought that it must somehow be you.So he stunned your mind and I fell off. When I woke you andAquitain were gone. I was found by Adonis and questioned by him.I’m afraid I told him where you were. He then took me somewherewhere I was questioned by Lord Borse. and I told him everything.Then Lord Borse had me delivered to the Chancellor’s clone body andwhen he died and took up residence in his clone I was there to lookafter him.’
‘Really!’ said Miranda and looked at Featherdown.
‘When did you die and transfer to your clone body.’
‘What!’ said both Quab and Heteronymous totally surprised.‘You died. When?’
‘Hmm … this is most embarrassing but I suppose you shouldknow. I was very arrogant and suffered for it. I died trying to getthe Panmagicans army to retreat. I thought I had a deal withArchwizard Firestorm then one of the High Priest Kelnor’s religiousfanatics called my bluff and we all died as I was holding a glassbulb of a particularly lethal poisonous gas. My spirit wastransported to my clone body and that creature which has beenworking me to death ambushed me. The rules and titles are all itsdoing.’
‘Not mine.’ said Slivver to Miranda. ‘Lord Borse told me thathe likes a tidy ship and told me to do it.’
‘The new titles seem to me to be a good idea.’ stated the newKing.
‘The titles and rules were all instituted by Lord Borse.’ saidMiranda and it makes perfect sense. It is exactly like whathappened on Moonmist. The Queen was possessed and controlled by aMentarin spirit. She ran her kingdom for decades and no one knewshe was a slave to the Mentarin. If the Chancellor and the King hadpuppeteers then it seems like the Mentarin were trying to controlMudrun as well.’
‘Wait a minute.’ said Featherdown you mentioned a Lord Borse.‘I seem to recall a wizard by the name of Borse was the founder ofthe Mentarin and died hundreds of years ago.’
‘That is correct.’ replied Helix.
‘An Arch mind wizard by the name of Borse was one of theleaders of the Mentarin movement over a thousand years ago. Theywere a society of mind wizards dedicated to researching advancedmagic and I’m told methods of achieving longevity. I suppose thatit is possible that he discovered a way to keep alive and if so hemay have ascended to a lower level of divinity.’
‘By the Lady, this is disturbing.’ said Quab. ‘Who did youreport to Lord Chancellor?’
‘I don’t know but I had to send a dream sending each nightwith the day’s progress. It could have been Borse Iguess.’
‘So the King and the Lord Chancellor are both lackeys ofexternal Powers or organizations. I trusted you both. I thought wecould fight whatever was causing the troubles in Mudrun. Now I knowwe are all just puppets. We’re nothing. We can’t
