King Edward, Part VAnonymoushistoryghostsèÒ) ±1Ô @º ß#ùýKing Edward, Part Vù Chap 5: In the Crystal Tower Inside the Tower, Edward's first impression was of whiteness.Floors, walls, ceiling, all were white and radiated light.Their footsteps made soft crunching noises on the rough floorsurface. Except for that, it was very still ... withoccasional soft, unrecognizable far-off sounds. Moraelyn moved confidently through winding halls and long rooms. Heseemed very black in all that white. They passed long poolsof water with fountains that sparkled in the light. "Where is everyone?" Edward whispered. "At table, I hope. I'm hungry. Aren't you?" "No." Abruptly a big, broad ugly shape appeared in frontöof them and roared a challenge. Edward grabbed forMoraelyn's arm with both hands. Moraelyn shook him offirritably. "Gods, boy, don't grab my sword arm if ever you dospot a monster. Stay clear!" But Moraelyn didn't reach forhis blade. He stood still while the monster wrapped its longarms around him and pounded on his back, still roaring.Moraelyn roared back and pounded on the monster's chest. Thenhe introduced Edward to the Captain of the Archmagister'sguard. "Don't hug him," Moraelyn warned the troll, who grinned atEdward showing pointy teeth. "He'll break." "I thought trolls were dangerous!" Edward gasped as theyascended a long winding stairway. "They are. I'll have bruises for a fortnight. I'd haveshielded, but I didn't like to hurt his feelings." "He likes you?!" "Oh, aye, it can be done, you see." "Why does the Archmagister keep troll guards?" "They keep the rats down." More trolls, but these paid them little heed. Another longstairway. More corridors. A sort of guardroom where threetrolls appeared to be gaming with bones. One of them shambledto his feet and led them down a shadowy passage. A row of cagesöwith huge rats, then some with small odd creatures that lookedrather like elves seen in a badly distorted mirror (thoughEdward kept this observation to himself). They gobbled andsqueaked as the elf and boy paced quickly by. "Goblins," Moraelyn said with distaste. They turned a cornerand went past two cages that held only large stone statues.There seemed to be more cages off down other hallways. Thetroll unlocked a huge black metal door. It clanged shut behindthem. A very large green and yellow hooved creature satman-like in one corner. Its unwinking eyes didn't flicker asthey passed quickly and climbed still another stair. Morewhite halls. These were patrolled by huge black dogs thatsniffed at them as they passed. Edward stretched a hand to petone, but it snarled at him. "I wouldn't." Moraelyn said. "Yes Sir." They came to another massive black metal door. A voicesounded. "What is black and white, has one body, two heads,four arms, four legs, two red eyes and two brown?" "That's disgusting!" Moraelyn yelled at the door, hands onhips. "You are correct, mortal. You may pass." The door swungslowly open, creaking. There was no one behind it, just aönarrow stairway that wound sharply. It seemed dark above.Moraelyn raced up the stairs, leaving Edward clinging to thebottom rail, shaking. There was not a thing to do butfollow. "Welcome, Edward." The Archmagister stood white and gold inthe center of a large dim room. Huge windows looked out on thepurple twilit sea below. "Come here, child. Give me yourhands." Edward put his hands in the Archmagister's who smiled down athim. Edward's fatigue and fear vanished instantly. He smiledback at the Archmagister, who said softly. "It is well. Youmay go," to the furious dark elf who stood glowering to oneside. Edward was barely aware of him, his whole attentionoccupied by the Archmagister. "Goodbye, Edward." "'Bye." Edward didn't take his eyes off the Archmagister. Fromfar away he heard the dark elf go down the stairs. "He calls you son," the Archmagister said. "Yes sir. I asked him if I might call him father." "But you are not entirely comfortable about it." Edward sighed. "No sir." "That may be as well. You will return to Daggerfall oneday. And then you must be Corcyr's son. So let the claim be onöMoraelyn's side." The Archmagister moved companionably tothe windows with him. The dusk was fast gathering as Edwardstared out over the hill through which they'd journeyed. A darkfigure appeared below and strode swiftly off into the night. "That's Moraelyn! I thought he was going to stay the night.It's dangerous out there alone in the dark. There are evilthings out there. Can't you--" "Dangerous for any evil that meets Moraelyn in his presentmood. He will go safely, I promise you." "Oh. But I haven't thanked him. He's been very kind, really. Whywas he so angry about the door? It was just a silly question.The answer was him and my mother, when they're asleep and I'mnot there. How do you make a door talk? Is it an illusion?" "That's three questions. Which of them do you want answered?Aren't you hungry? Would you like a bowl of stew?" "Yes, please. I'd like to hear about the door, please." "Ah. You think the talking door may prove more comprehensiblethan a surly dark elf? More interesting? Or safer?" TheArchmagister's large golden eyes regarded the boythoughtfully. "I don't know if I, uh, like him. Sometimes I think I ... andthen other times I ... do you understand about liking? He saidhe didn't."ö "You would be more comfortable if you felt the same wayabout him at all times, yet you do not." "Yes, that's it, exactly. You do understand." "Moraelyn is not a comfortable man." "Well, I don't mean that exactly. Sometimes he is. Like whenwe rode the dragon." The Archmagister laughed aloud. His laughter reminded Edwardof chimes. "Yes, yes. I find comfort myself in havingMoraelyn near at hand when dragons are about." A young high elf brought in a bowl of stew and set it down onthe table. Edward felt a bit disappointed that the stew hadcome in such an ordinary way. Until he remembered that theArchmagister hadn't sent for the stew. "The priest at home in Daggerfall said it was a mark of evilthings, that they cannot bear the light," Edward said betweenmouthfuls. "Moraelyn doesn't like sunlight. And he's black." "I see. Do you know what evil is?" "Um, well, if you do bad things, then you're evil?" "I see. If the cook had burnt the stew, would he then be evil?" Edward grinned. "No, just a bad cook. But if he did it onpurpose, then I guess he'd have done an evil thing ... butmaybe he wouldn't be altogether evil. Maybe he was justangry about something."ö "Or perhaps the sort of person who is pleased by spoilingothers' pleasure?" "I guess that'd make my little brothers evil. They sure like tospoil my fun." "And you?" Edward felt his face redden. "I don't take any notice ofthem," he said quickly. The Archmagister's large golden eyesregarded him steadily. To his own dismay, Edward began tocry. He bawled like a baby. "I don't know what's wrong withme," he gasped. "I never cry, really, I don't -- hardly ever--" "Why ever not?" Edward looked up. His tears had blurred hissight, but there seemed to be tears on the Archmagister's face.His hand reached up to feel the wetness. "You have been veryalone, have you not?" the Archmagister said. "Yes. Until you brought the unicorn for me, I was all alone.They endure no evil," Edward sighed with satisfaction,feeling relaxed and comfortable. The Archmagister waswonderful. "We summoned the unicorn, Moraelyn and the dragon and I andothers. It's a great magic and one no single man or woman maycommand. But don't trouble yourself overmuch with judginggood and evil. That's a human notion. Life is complex; Iöknow of nothing that is wholly good or wholly evil. Not eventhe unicorn." Edward's time in the Tower passed quickly. There were few othernovices and the youngest of these was several years older thanEdward. The boy spent several hours each day with theArchmagister. He learned to cast a few spells and to open hismind so that he could renew his magicka quickly while he slept.But often they just talked. Sometimes Edward was given a bookto read. Other times he was allowed to choose one from thethousands in the library. He usually tired of them quickly. Hedidn't read Elvish script easily; his tutor had taught him theletters, but their few books were in Bretic. Spellcasting was more fun. Fire spells came easily to himand he learned to shield himself readily, but to his chagrin,he couldn't Heal at all. He invariably made things worse forthe unlucky rats he was allowed to practice on. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" Edward cried out infrustration. He sent a dart of fire at the writhing rat and itturned into a charred corpse. "Edward, it will be well if you let the Heal spells waitawhile yet." "Moraelyn said Light Heal is the first spell anybodylearns," Edward said sulkily.ö "Did he? Well, he is a practitioner of magic, not a theorist.Even I would hesitate to say what a Breton might or might notlearn, and when he might learn it. You are the first of yourpeople with whom I have worked. Certainly Moraelyn has had noexperience with your race, except for your mother, ofcourse." "My mother can't do magic." "No, but we think the ability lies within her. She has not beenable to learn to master it, possibly because she was too oldwhen she first tried. If you want my opinion it is yourthoughts and not your hands which are causing yourdifficulty. Weeping might help." "I don't feel like crying," Edward said rather sullenly. Hefelt more like kicking something, although incinerating the rathad helped relieve some of that. "Meditation might help, then." ö