Published: 17 Oct 2019

Gates

Rudy’s reunion the next day with Andy is happy, but muted. They had been best friends in another life; both had found love in this life. When Andy learns that Rudy and Alexis are forever-companions, he is happy for them both.

Ethan is the greeter when Sam arrives the third morning. “Rudy’s back!” Ethan says. “How did you know?”

“The messenger Master Criticus sent,” Sam says. “Where is Rudy? When may I see him? Is he in class?”

“I think he and Alexis are in Marty and Chandler’s laboratory. They’re talking about something secret. I’ll send a message,” Ethan says, and then pulls the signal rope.

Rudy and Sam hug. “Something’s changed,” Sam says. “You were gone for only a month, but you’ve changed.”

“I’m remembering more, Sam,” Rudy says. “I’m remembering so much more and…” The boy starts to cry. “Sam, I don’t want to hurt you!” Rudy presses his cheek to Sam’s chest and hugs him tightly.

Alexis takes Sam’s hand and then Rudy’s, and says what the boy cannot say. “Sam, Rudy and I have formed a bond, a strong, eternal bond. It does not lessen the bond you and he have, but…”

Sam nods. “I knew this would happen. I knew if Rudy were to enter the college and live outside the close family of the farm, he would meet people like those we met on our travels, he would find someone. Love shared is love multiplied. I taught him that, and I believe it.”

“Provost. From the Old Elvish, praepositus meaning head or chief. Obviously something was lost in translation, since you are the head of the college.” Alexis and Rudy are in Master Criticus’s laboratory. Marty and Chandler face Alexis across the workbench. Petrus quietly sits in a corner, hoping not to draw attention to himself. He learns so much when his master allows him to listen. Of course, he cannot on his oath tell anyone what he hears, but he might learn something useful.

“Further,” Alexis continues, “Your commission to me is very broad. I hope it means you will trust me to find a balance. Actually, several balances. I’ve long believed in one of the precepts of the Thieves Guild – that it is often better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. I think this precept is designed to challenge as much as restrict, and the boys who press the rules, who test them, who learn what the real limits are and why there are real limits, will be the most successful boys. I think this applies here, as well as in the Thieves Guild.

“I also believe suppressing boys’ natural spirit of adventure is harmful. I believe to inculcate rules based on superstition and illogic is not only harmful, it is Evil.” Alexis pauses.

Criticus gestures to Petrus. “There is a scroll in the library that is very ancient. It holds only 37 words; however, it is perhaps the most important lesson we teach. Petrus, tell him the First Lesson.”

Petrus recites the first lesson, the one that precedes even the precepts: “Doubt; question everything. Doubt leads to questioning; questioning leads to truth. Distinguish rational proof from propaganda or persuasion. Be precise with words and demand precision of others. Be wary of error, even in the most ancient texts.”

“My master told me those words,” Alexis says. “I think Master Criticus and I have an understanding that neither Petrus, Marty, nor Rudy may take advantage of – the boys are free to explore, as long as they don’t hurt anyone or cause damage that can’t be repaired.”

Master Criticus looks sternly at Petrus and then Rudy. “The boys will, of course, not reveal what we have said; however, they will be free as the other boys to test the limits of the rules – and of you.

“You say you would lead by precept and example. I will be most interested in seeing you succeed.”

Chandler laughs. “Alexis, you are, indeed, a lawyer, and I’m glad you’re on our side.”

Master Criticus teaches no classes; nor do any of the Masters. The apprentices and journeymen are free to explore magic in its many forms: alchemy, physics, healing, creating, and destroying. Every master stands ready to be a teacher and a mentor; yet, none of them force or offer themselves to the youngsters. It is up to the students to ask, to seek, to want to learn.

It is not long before Rudy understands this. Perhaps he knows it from a previous apprenticeship; perhaps he recognizes despite his ancient heritage and memories, that others have something to teach him. Rudy and Alexis are frequent visitors in the laboratory of Marty and Chandler, far underground, where light comes from myriad tiny points in the ceiling.

There are no formal lesson plans; nor are Marty and Chandler always the instructors. On this day, Alexis begins the session.

“Rudy,” Alexis says. “You said you tried to create gates several times before you succeeded. Do you remember the failures well enough to describe them?” Alexis knows Rudy is remembering his past lives much sooner than usual; he suspects that Rudy’s presence in the college is awakening more of these memories.

“The first time was here,” Rudy says. “After the war, after Marty and Chandler disappeared – everyone else says died, but I knew better – after I became a Master and after Master Fitzgerald died, I took over this laboratory. The first time I tried was here. I remember burning the herbs and reading the chant.”

Rudy pauses. He looks at the floor and furrows his brow. “There’s something I can’t quite remember – wait! Yes, there was power, I felt it, I saw it. The lights – the lasers – they flickered. Something happened, but no gate opened.”

“Chandler insisted that the lasers be spaced evenly so their magic wouldn’t interfere with spells. Do you suppose that happened, anyway?” Marty asks.

“It’s a good hypothesis,” Chandler says.

“What about the next time?” Alexis prompts.

“I remember going away from the college looking for a place with no interference. I went west. I stopped at the top of the hill just outside the town and looked back. I could see the college. It glowed, but the glow was pulsing. That was an indication of interference. So, I traveled west for several days.”

“Go on,” Alexis encourages.

“There is an inn. I took a room. An apprentice was with me. I remember … no, I don’t remember his name. We walked from the inn to a hill. The hill is a locus, but the magic there is … smooth? Calm? I could use the magic, but it wouldn’t interfere with a spell. At least, that’s what I thought.

“We tried … we tried several times. I felt the power, but nothing happened.”

“Do you think you could find this hill, again?” Alexis asks.

“Um, it’s been, how many thousand years?” Marty asks.

“Arthur and George found you and Chandler 6,000 years after you disappeared,” Alexis says. “And, if this hill was a place of power, it probably still is. That should help us find it.”

Alexis explains the mission to Master Criticus, who agrees the boys might look for the hill. “Please do not try to open a gate,” he says. “Not until we have more time to understand this.”

“This must be the inn,” Rudy says. “Because that,” he points to a monadnock that rises from the forest north of the inn. “That’s the hill. I’ll never forget its shape. We climbed to the top, and that’s where we tried to make a gate, but nothing happened.”

“Actually,” Alexis says. “I think something did happen … but it happened several thousand years later. That’s Glabber.”

Marty and Chandler exchange looks. “It’s where we disappeared and reappeared in this time,” Marty says.

“I think,” Alexis tells Rudy, “that you created the gate that brought Marty and Chandler to this time.”

Marty and Rudy both look askance at Alexis, as if they think he is nuts; however, Chandler agrees. “That’s very logical,” he says. “Someone had to create the gate. It wasn’t a deus ex machina. I refuse to believe that. It wasn’t just the random thoughts of Good people. I cannot believe that, either. It had to have been an act of volition. Who, besides Rudy, could have done it?”

Rudy shakes his head. “When you say it that way, it makes sense, but…”

“Next question,” Alexis asks. “Where were you just before the gate took you to Mark and Kevin’s world?”

“At the college, of course,” Rudy says. “I said that.”

“But where, exactly?”

“He was supposed to be in our laboratory,” Chandler begins. “Marty and I were—”

“I was!” Rudy interrupts. “I was running down the stairs and had almost reached the door. Oh! I made that gate, too? Is that what you think?”

“Once more,” Alexis says. “It’s a very good hypothesis.”

The boys climb to the top of Glabber. “I want to try one thing before we go back to the college,” Alexis says.

“But Master Criticus said not to open a gate!” Rudy says.

“Not that. Rudy, do you remember seeing the Ley Lines on Earth?” The boy nods. “Then, please look, and tell me what you see.”

Alexis unrolls a map and with Rudy guiding him, draws the four Ley Lines that intersect at Glabber in an eight-pointed star. “It’s a new kind of magic, I think,” Chandler says after Rudy took his hand and showed him the lines. “This is dangerous knowledge!

“Like all untrained mages and unknown magic, it can be dangerous. It could be even more dangerous if it were to become known to the Dark,” Alexis says. “On your oaths to the Light and to the college, I charge you not to speak of this to anyone except the four of us and Master Criticus.”

“You can’t tell us what to do,” Marty begins, but Chandler shushes him.

“Yes, he can, and we will obey. Remember, we swore oaths not to Master Fitzgerald but to the Master of the College. That’s Master Criticus, now. He put Alexis in a position of power over all the boys and tweens. Alexis speaks with the master’s authority.

“How can you balance this?” Chandler asks Alexis. “You’re technically not even an apprentice, but you have authority over me, and I’m a master, and a lot older than you.”

“Your question holds the answer,” Alexis says. “Balance. Stability.

“There are natural laws that govern everything in World that does not have volition. Laws that govern the interaction of elements; laws that govern the attraction one thing has for another. “We do not question these laws. Even if we did, I’m not sure we’d get answers.

“Power over a master such as yourself? Your great power must be balanced with restraint; perhaps, there is room for someone to guide you? And for someone to guide me.”

Chandler is quiet for a long time. The other boys look from him to Alexis, waiting for one of the tweens to speak. Finally, Chandler does.

“You are right. I remember so many times I was afraid to use my power; I remember times when I hated myself for using it, even though I knew I was using it for Good.”

Chandler pauses. He seems to dive deeply inside himself. He speaks, quietly but firmly.

“Alexis, please watch me. Please make sure I never, never turn to the Dark. Please do whatever you must to make sure of this.”

Both Alexis and Marty gasp. “Chandler!” Marty cries. “You’re asking him…”

“I know what I’m asking, Marty,” Chandler says. He takes Marty’s hand. “And you know it’s right.”

“I, too, know what you’re asking,” Alexis says. “And I will accept. On one condition. That you watch over me, as well, and do whatever you must to make sure I do not turn to the Darkness.”

Chandler nods his agreement. All the boys understand. Two powerful mages had pledged themselves to the Light, giving the other the power to destroy them – the ultimate death of the soul – should they turn to the Dark. Rudy and Marty clasp hands and look into the other’s eyes. After a moment, they nod. Rudy speaks for them both.

“We know what you did,” he says. “We will not allow this to happen, for we will always be with you, and we will never, never allow you to turn to the Darkness.”

On the road back to the college, Marty and Chandler joke about camping out, wishing for marshmallows and something called s’mores. “ Is it really true,” Alexis asks, “you didn’t go with Arthur and his companions because you didn’t want to live on the road?”

“There is some of that, but mostly, I think, we hoped that we’d see some of our friends – in their new lives – in Barrone. Except for Rudy, though, this hasn’t happened.”

Alexis and Chandler pin a large map of Arcadia to a table in the library. On top of it, they pin the map they’d made at Glabber. Marty and Rudy watch as Alexis and Chandler stretch strings across the maps, carefully lining them up with the Ley Lines drawn across Glabber, and then pin the strings to the table.

“Do we need to worry about accuracy? ” Marty asks. “The map, itself, is probably more notional than exact.”

“That may not be,” Chandler says. “Some of the best maps are created by scryers, and are thought to be quite accurate. This is one such, which is why I selected it.”

“Now,” Alexis says. “Do you have the list of gates from The Book of Heroes?” Creating a list of all gates mentioned and their locations, had been Rudy and Marty’s task.

“First: Arthur bringing George here from Earth.” Rudy says. “They appeared about a day west of Ulan Woods in Elvenhold. This line goes near there.”

“Second: Argon to Earth. Coming back doesn’t count, since we know who opened that gate.”

“Yes,” Kevin says. “But the shaman said, afterwards, that something on the other side had helped.”

“I didn’t write that.” Rudy says. “Wait a minute! How could Phillip know what happened after he left Earth?”

“It is in my copy of the book.” Alexis says.

“Will you tell us the story?” Marty asks.

“Can you tell us?” Rudy and Chandler ask.

“Tonight,” Alexis says. “I will read it to you. But it’s going to cost you.”

“Huh?” Rudy raises his eyebrows.

“Cuddles, Rudy, lots of cuddles,” Alexis says.

“Hey! Me too!” Marty says.

Chandler agrees. “This could be fun.”

“Guaranteed!” Alexis says. “But, the map. Who is next?”

“Paul and Larry to World. They appeared west of Carter. The line that runs near Ulan Woods is close. But the monastery is not on the map.”

“May be too small; may not exist,” Alexis says. “Paul and Larry arrived maybe 65,000 years ago. Even on World, that’s a long time.”

“Anyway, didn’t they say they were pulled here by a story, and the magic of the boys who heard the story?” Marty asks.

“True. But I’m starting to think Rudy may have set up the gates, but perhaps something else contributed power to them, perhaps triggered them,” Chandler says.

Alexis nods. “Makes a lot of sense. Next?”

“Jon and Tyler. Within a day or so of Bow.”

“There’s no town of that name. When did they arrive?”

“Maybe 40,000 years ago? No town on this map, but look: an oxbow lake and an unnamed village at the north end, and near a Ley Line.”

“This is where Chandler and I came out. We walked east, right?” Marty asks, pointing to the map.

“Yes, and about 20 miles. That would put us right here.” Chandler puts his finger on a string.

“And this line goes to where I appeared in the middle of a pond,” Rudy says, and giggles. “I was half-naked, washing mud out of my pants when Alexis found me.”

“Yep,” Alexis says. He puts his arms around Rudy and pulls him into a hug. “Out in the middle of nowhere. Half naked. You are so beautiful – the most beautiful boy in any world—”

“Get a room, guys!” Marty says. He giggles.

“No, Marty,” Chandler says. “I know just what Alexis means. I told you the first time I saw you in homeroom I wanted to kiss you? That is because you are the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen. I’ve learned a lot more reasons to love you since then, but I still think you’re the most beautiful boy in World – in any world.”

This book wraps up many of the stories of World, though we hope it is not the last from the fertile mind of David. Let David know you are reading: David dot McLeod at CastleRoland dot net. He deserves your feedback.

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