King Edward, Part V                                             Anonymous                                                                                                                                                          )	 $  j      Z  o     W        4   #  9'      King Edward, Part V       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 floor surface. Except for that, it was very still ... with occasional soft, unrecognizable far-off sounds. Moraelyn  moved confidently through winding halls and long rooms. He seemed very black in all that white. They passed long pools of 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 front of them and roared a challenge. Edward grabbed for Moraelyn's arm with both hands. Moraelyn shook him off irritably. "Gods, boy, don't grab my sword arm if ever you do spot a monster. Stay clear!" But Moraelyn didn't reach for his blade. He stood still while the monster wrapped its long arms around him  and pounded on his back, still roaring. Moraelyn roared back and pounded on the monster's chest. Then he introduced Edward to the Captain of the Archmagister's guard.   "Don't hug him," Moraelyn warned the troll, who grinned at Edward showing pointy teeth. "He'll break."   "I thought trolls were dangerous!" Edward gasped as they ascended a long winding stairway.   "They are. I'll have bruises for a fortnight. I'd have shielded, 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 long stairway. More corridors. A sort of guardroom where three trolls appeared to be gaming  with bones. One of them shambled to his feet and led them down a shadowy passage. A row of cages with huge rats, then some with small odd creatures that looked rather like elves seen in a badly distorted mirror (though Edward kept this observation to himself). They gobbled and squeaked as the elf and boy paced quickly by.   "Goblins," Moraelyn said with distaste. They turned a corner and went past two cages that held only large stone statues. There seemed to be more cages off down other hallways. The troll unlocked a huge black metal door. It clanged shut behind them. A very large green and yellow hooved creature sat man-like in one corner. Its unwinking eyes didn't flicker as they passed quickly and climbed still another stair. More white halls. These were patrolled by huge black dogs that sniffed at them as they passed. Edward stretched a hand to pet one, but it snarled at him.   "I wouldn't." Moraelyn said.   "Yes Sir."   They came to another massive black metal door. A voice sounded. "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 on hips.    "You are correct, mortal. You may pass." The door swung slowly open, creaking. There was no one behind it, just a narrow stairway that wound sharply. It seemed dark above. Moraelyn raced up the stairs, leaving Edward clinging to the bottom rail, shaking. There was not a thing to do  but follow.   "Welcome, Edward." The Archmagister stood white and gold in the center of a large dim room. Huge windows looked out on the purple twilit sea below. "Come here, child. Give me your hands."   Edward put his hands in the Archmagister's who smiled down at him. Edward's fatigue and fear vanished instantly. He smiled back at the Archmagister, who  said softly. "It is well. You may go," to the furious dark elf who stood glowering to one side. Edward was barely aware of him, his whole attention occupied by the Archmagister.   "Goodbye, Edward."   "'Bye." Edward didn't take his eyes off the Archmagister. From far 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 one day. And then you must be Corcyr's son. So let the claim be on Moraelyn's side." The Archmagister moved companionably to the windows with him. The dusk was fast gathering as Edward stared out over the hill through which they'd journeyed. A dark figure 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 evil things out there. Can't you--"   "Dangerous for any evil that meets Moraelyn in his present mood. He will go safely, I promise you."   "Oh. But I haven't thanked him. He's been very kind, really. Why was 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'm not 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 comprehensible than a surly dark elf? More interesting? Or safer?" The Archmagister's large golden eyes regarded the boy thoughtfully.   "I don't know if I, uh, like him. Sometimes I think I ...  and then other times I ... do you understand about liking? He said he didn't."   "You would be more comfortable if you felt the same way about 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 when we rode the dragon."   The Archmagister laughed aloud. His laughter reminded Edward of chimes. "Yes, yes. I find comfort myself in having Moraelyn near at hand when dragons are about."   A young high elf brought in a bowl of stew and set it down on the table. Edward felt a bit disappointed that the stew had come in such an ordinary way. Until he remembered that the Archmagister hadn't sent for the stew.   "The priest at home in Daggerfall said it was a mark of evil things, that they cannot bear the light," Edward said between mouthfuls. "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 on purpose, then I guess he'd have done an evil thing ... but maybe he wouldn't be altogether evil. Maybe he was just angry about something."   "Or perhaps the sort of person who is pleased by spoiling others' pleasure?"   "I guess that'd make my little brothers evil. They sure like to spoil my fun."   "And you?"   Edward felt his face redden. "I don't take any notice of them," he said quickly. The Archmagister's large golden eyes regarded him steadily. To his own dismay, Edward began to cry. He bawled like a baby. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he gasped. "I never cry, really, I don't -- hardly ever --"   "Why ever not?" Edward looked up. His tears had blurred his sight, but there seemed to be tears on the Archmagister's face. His hand reached up to feel the wetness. "You have been very alone, 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 was wonderful.    "We summoned the unicorn, Moraelyn and the dragon and I and others. It's a great magic and one no single man or woman may command. But don't trouble yourself overmuch with judging good and evil. That's a human notion. Life  is complex; I know of nothing that is wholly good or wholly evil. Not even the unicorn."   Edward's time in the Tower passed quickly. There were few other novices and the youngest of these was several years older than Edward. The boy spent several hours each day with the Archmagister. He learned to cast a few  spells and to open his mind so that he could renew his magicka quickly while he slept. But often they just talked. Sometimes Edward was given a book to read. Other times he was allowed to choose one from the thousands in the library. He usually tired of them quickly. He didn't read Elvish script easily; his tutor had taught him the letters, but their few books were in Bretic.   Spellcasting was more fun. Fire spells came easily to him and he learned to shield himself readily, but to his chagrin, he couldn't Heal at all. He invariably made things worse for the unlucky rats he was allowed to practice on.    "I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" Edward cried out in frustration. He sent a dart of fire at the writhing rat and it turned into a charred corpse.    "Edward, it will be well if you let the Heal spells wait awhile yet."   "Moraelyn said Light Heal is the first spell anybody learns," Edward said sulkily.   "Did he? Well, he is a practitioner of magic, not a theorist. Even I would hesitate to say what a Breton might or might not learn, and when he might learn it. You are the first of your people with whom I have worked. Certainly Moraelyn has had no experience with your race, except for your mother, of course."   "My mother can't do magic."   "No, but we think the ability lies within her. She has not been able to learn to master it, possibly because she was too old when she first tried. If you want my opinion it is your thoughts and not your hands which are causing your difficulty. Weeping might help."   "I don't feel like crying," Edward said rather sullenly. He felt more like kicking something, although incinerating the rat had helped relieve some of that.   "Meditation might help, then."   