milliways_bar | (no subject)

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halloween

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Childermass steps through the door and his appearance almost instantly changes. He knows it, too, by the sudden unobstructed breeze on his neck, and heads for the nearest mirror to find his hair much shorter and his clothes transformed to a plain brown tunic.

"...well, I suppose it could be worse."

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"Every place I have been, it has been the same, though I have grown more used to it as I spend time here."

"That means every last corner of this place is pervaded by the same magic," Teja says, "at least for your perception."

Pause.

He opens his belt pouch and takes out a silver arm-ring, shaped like a snake.

"Can you feel any difference in that?"

Childermass looks at it critically, then holds out a hand.

"May I?"

Teja puts it in his hand.

"It feels like flowing water", he says quietly after a moment's concentration. "The magic of this place is like the air, all around and sometimes pressing in, but not this. Who made it?"

"A goddess named Sirona, in gratitude for my saving a machine of hers," Teja says. "It is the key, you might say, that opens the world of my people to me -- if I wear it, I may open the door to Gotland. And indeed, she is a goddess of hot springs and healing, so that may be the water that you feel."

"You repaired it in your forge?" he guesses. "It must have been worth a great deal to her."

"Yes, I did," Teja says, "and yes, it was. So her magic feels different, which is good to know. Would you test another thing for me? That one may be rather strong."

Childermass is never afraid of an experiment. He hands back the arm ring, and distinctly fails to mention that Teja's 'rather strong' second thing might just knock him down.

"Yes."

Putting away the silver arm-ring, Teja next brings out a cuff made of beaten white gold, with a large, irregular amethyst set into it. It seems at once quite rough, and very elegant, balanced, and futuristic.

"This," he says, and puts it into Childermass' hand.

He can feel the magic on it even before it touches him, giving him time to brace himself against the nearest solid object and thus not fall over. His face shows the dizziness, though.

"What does that do?"

"That strong? I am sorry," Teja says, holding out his hand for it again. "It is what the magic of that world calls a life-stone: it extends my lifespan outside the door to the double, while I wear it. It was enchanted for me by a god of magic, the very same who founded the magic library upstairs, with the rune-magic of his people."

"To extend life, it would have to be strong." He hands it back, not so quickly as to betray relief. "There is a god of magic here?"

"No longer," Teja says. "He left for a new world to live in five or six years ago."

He puts the cuff away again.

"But now we know you can tell these things apart. I am truly sorry, though, that the life-stone almost overwhelmed you."

"I recover quickly." If not as quickly as he usually makes the world believe. "It is a long time since I felt any magic but my master's, before here."

Now, finally, the rats arrive with their wine; apparently, they think it safe now.

"Have something to fortify you," Teja says. "This place will often make you stagger, in the next few years."

"My mother always said I was sensitive", he says with a wry half-smile. "Nobody ever knew what she meant, seeing as I was a little scrapper."

"You are sensitive to powers that others cannot see," Teja nods.

"Aye. Though how she knew it... perhaps something happened when I was very small."

"She must have observed you well, and seen that you felt things others did not," Teja says.

"A street magician, maybe, if we happened on one with real talent. I do not remember."

"It is a good talent, to have, in any case," Teja says, picking up his wine and drinking. "Especially here."

Childermass nods. "Perhaps it may be to my advantage."

"I shall drink to that," Teja says, and does.

Edited 2015-11-03 23:23 (UTC)

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