Free A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) by Brian Wilkerson

like?”
     Eric's face was on fire. “Uh um . . .I uhh . . ..what is
the magic word?” Sure, it was a lousy cover, but he needed one.
    “Oh that? It's really simple: 'please.'” Eric slapped his
forehead. “You must be the Otherworlder.”
    “ You've heard of me?”
    “Of course,” Zaticana replied with a touch of pride. “In
addition to being the goddess of language, I'm also the goddess of gossip .
No news can spread without my knowledge.” She cupped Eric's face with both
hands, setting his cheeks further aflame. “Now about your blessing. . .” She
kissed him full on the mouth. Eric's eyes shot open and he promptly fainted.
    Vesta’s sweat dropped. “Zaticana, was that necessary?”
    “Of course!” She set Eric down on the floor. “He looks like
such a shy thing. I thought he could use some lovin'.”  
    When Eric woke up, the first thing he said was, “Speaking
comes from the mouth, so does connecting mouths somehow transfer knowledge of
words? Or does it—”
    “That's the first thing you say after being kissed?!”
Zaticana demanded; her brow was furrowed and her voice was harsh.
    I made a god angry! I'm gonna die! His fears were
eased when Zaticana laughed. “Somewhat true, but I didn't need to kiss
you . . .” Eric blushed deeply. “. . .I was just having fun.” Eric’s happy
feeling was replaced by a funk.
    “It was Zaticana that taught sapients spoken languages,”
Vesta said proudly. “With her gift, social grouping became possible.”
    “Why'd she teach so many different ones?” Eric asked. “Wouldn't
that be confusing?”
    “Yes, that idea is very common, but language is an essential
part of any culture; its most distinguishing trait. Zaticana's blessing allowed
for the earliest development of distinct cultures and for greater group unity
than would otherwise be possible.”
    “Actually,” Zaticana said. “I just thought it would be funny
to watch them talk with each other.”
    The priestess suddenly had a coughing fit. “(cough)Yes that
is(cough) true.(cough).”
    “You're a trickster, aren't you?” Eric asked Zaticana. “Like
Tasio.”
    The Goddess of Language shook her head. “No, not like Tasio,
but I am a trickster. You must be that new friend he's been talking about.”
    “We're . . . hardly friends,” Eric replied.
    “Yes, yes, we tricksters get that a lot,” Zaticana said,
nodding. “I hope he wasn't too rough bringing you here.”
    “Of course not,” Eric said dryly. “Just got to watch that
first step, or pull.”
    Zaticana giggled. “Well, Eric Watley, it was wonderful
meeting you.” She winked and Eric's ears burned. She giggled once more before
disappearing.
     

Chapter 3 Friends
     
    For the next nine days, Eric roamed the city library. It was
a brand new world and there was so much to learn. The librarian somehow knew he
was the Otherworlder and recommended his first book: The World is My Domain by
“The Silver Dragon.” The same one as the dorms?
    It was the autobiography of one of the oldest authors in the
world, two thousand twenty-five years old and counting. That explains it: a
legacy title. They talked about their travels and the infinite different
places to go and things to learn and how this infinite was multiplied by itself
after every hundred years or so. “It was like going there for the first time
and visiting a familiar place all at once.”
    These reflections were accompanied by references to the
Eternal Renewer, Lady Chaos, and the Eternal Sustainer, Order. Together they
blended the familiar and the exotic in ways only an immortal like her could
truly appreciate. The author often mentioned her immortality and always as a
boast. The book sleeve at the end confirmed this: it claimed the Silver Dragon
was older than the calendar system. It's gotta be a hoax. Regardless,
the book piqued his interest, so he asked the librarian for more books about “chaos
and order” and was handed a children's fairytale.
    The Birth of Noitaerc , he