Free Ellen Under The Stairs by John Stockmyer

Head Second." Again, the
salute.
    "Thank you for your welcome. First, we
are in need of something to eat. Can you arrange that?"
    The Head Second snapping his fingers,
a soldier with a narrower chest band pulled a cord against one wall
-- the way to summon slaveys, John remembered, an old woman
appearing silently, head bowed.
    "Will you bring some food and drink?"
John asked, his wish a command. "We're not particular about what.
Speed, would be nice, however."
    And she was scurrying off at a
frightened pace.
    Crystal-Mages. Men to be feared by
high and low alike.
    "Anything else, sir?"
    "Yes. I've been gone
awhile."
    "Yes, sir. But have now returned at a
most fortunate time."
    "First, you seemed to know of my
coming?"
    "Yes sir. It was the old woman who
told me."
    "Old woman?"
    "The Weird of the castle,
sir."
    "Zwicia?"
    "I believe that is correct, sir.
Though a Malachite," a disgusted twist of the mouth, "at times,
useful."
    "She's here ... in the
castle?"
    "Yes sir. Never leaves her room." He
pointed down, as if stabbing into the bowels of the
building.
    "Are you saying she had a
Crystal-prediction that I was to return?"
    "I ... don't know. I stay away from
those kind of magic people -- pardon me," he finished blushing. "No
offense intended."
    "None taken."
    Zwicia in the castle. Crystal gazing.
Able to predict John's return.
    This was a sensitive topic. "The last
time I was here," -- John didn't want to emphasize that he'd been
run out by Pfnaravin -- "there was another Mage and, if I recall,
some of his soldiers."
    A wide grin. "Yes, sir."
    "Tell me what happened?"
    "Yes, sir."
    "By the way, you and your men can
relax. No need to stand at attention."
    "Thank you, sir." Deep sighs from the
soldiers. They were not going to be roasted alive where they stood,
apparently. (Not a stupid worry, given the tricky and violent
nature of Crystal Mages.)
    Holding up his hand to delay the
soldier's story, John motioned for Platinia to take Ellen to the
table; to get her seated so she could rest, Platinia understanding,
leading Ellen, the soldiers making a path for her to get to the
table by the shortest way.
    The women seated, John nodded to the
Head Second.
    "A slavey came to me in the night.
Said the old women -- a Weird -- wanted to see me.
    "I followed her to this ... room. And
there she was. Old. Wild looking, if that is not to give offense.
In purple. Before her on a table was a round piece of stone. A foot
across. She was ... petting it. It took a long time for her to even
know I was in the room, the old lady muttering to herself. But then
she looked up. Said that the Mage, John-Lyon, would soon come back.
That I was to make the castle safe for his -- your --
return."
    "Go on."
    "I knew what she meant, being here
when the other Mage -- of Malachite -- had ...." The man stuttered
to a stop. He didn't want to recall the time Pfnaravin had John in
an iron cage, either.
    "That was then. This is now," John
said, using what cops in the other world would call his "good cop"
voice.
    The soldier grinned. He had not
offended a man of power.
    "Well, as you know -- Mages knowing
all things -- the other Mage had not that many Malachites here in
the castle. Many more Stil-de-grain soldiers, only following his
orders because they must. So, by surprise, in the night, we
captured the Malachites."
    Of course in the night, magic
unavailable after dark, taking away a lot of Pfnaravin's
power.
    "Unfortunately, we were unable to
capture the other Mage." Not that they worked that hard at it,
would be John's guess, Mages frightening everyone.
    "We chained the Malachite soldiers in
the dungeon. The castle is entirely yours, great Mage!"
    "You have done well. All of you," John
said, including the Head Second's men -- high praise coming from
the Crystal Mage of Stil-de-grain!
    Crystal Mage -- without the Crystal
that gave him both authority and power. Fortunately, there were few
occasions when a Mage had to display his Crystal, allowing John to
pretend to