Enter the Sorcerer

The Burnt Rocks mark the southern boundary of the Northlands. The pass of Almira is open to travelers during the warmer months of the year, but in winter and for most of the spring it is snowbound to a depth of three fathoms or more. It was nigh on summer when Danan told the boy to break camp and took his farewell of the nomadic Henren.

He did this very carefully, inviting the chieftain and his family to a great feast of roasted mutton and rice, borrowing the chieftain’s hospitality platter from his steward. For his part the chieftain was careful not to notice whose tray he was served upon. Manners were very important among the Henren.

“We go now to the south, to Orvma. Great stones buildings have they there, and I would see them with my own eyes,” said Danan after tea had been served.

“My daughter Pelena is High Queen in Orvma,” said Golmak, the Henren chieftain. “Tell her…no, I will give my message in private.”

The boy Clee bowed under Golmak’s glare and hastened to leave the tent. Danan spoke then, “ Clee is my apprentice now. Tell us your message and it will surely cross the pass.”

“Tell my daughter that the Xee are swarming this year,” said Golmak. “They bring new queens to the surface to air their wings. This means war. Warn her to return to me here. No kingdom can withstand the swarm.”

“Orvma will mean to try,” said Danan.

“Then Orvma will fall. Fifteen queens were seen to air their wings. Fifteen! And a thousand Xee for every queen. We ourselves fall back to the far North. We cannot trust the Burnt Rocks to shield us from such a swarm. “

“I will give your message as you gave it, Golmak.” Danan drained his bowl of tea, held it out for Clee to refill.

Clee did not mind doing the menial chores of the camp. He had become used to the life of a camp follower since he was orphaned at the age of three. It is hard to be without family among the Henren. It was his fortune that the sorcerer Danan had chosen him for apprentice, whatever that would mean.

Golmak belched, three times as politeness required. “Before you go, Danan, I would have you summon the demon Gathrak. I would have rich grasses for our herds this spring.”

“I will summon him,” said Danan, “but whether he will answer I cannot say. Even Gathrak cannot be in more than one place at once.”

“Before you leave, you will summon Gathrak,” said the chieftain, wiping his beard on the doorflap of the tent. “Or you will not leave us, sorcerer.”

“There you have the life of a sorcerer, boy,” said Danan sadly. “Half my wealth on a feast and a threat at the end of it! But I suppose I should be glad to be alive at all.”

“Will you summon Gathrak?” asked Clee.

“No. You try summoning him. Gathrak has a sense of humor.”

“What’s the joke?”

“Never mind. We’ll try it tomorrow. Now help with the washing up and be very careful with that tray. It’s the only one in five hundred miles.”

*************************************************************************************

The next day Clee tried his first summoning.

Danan led him a half mile out of camp, around a rise in the steppe, and saw to it they were not followed.

“Build a fire,” commanded Danan. Clee went through the usual motions, but Danan stopped him. “You can use a burning coal from the kitchen, boy. Don’t wait to start tinder.”

Clee ran back to the cooking tent, ran back with a fiery coal in tongs, and set it to the kindling.

“What do we burn?”

“We don’t. Stare at the fire. Clear your mind of all thoughts and images. See the fire as it burns. Watch it dance. Concentrate your whole mind on the flames.”

Clee tried hard for a minute, then said, “Now what?”

“Oh shut up, boy! Shut up and just watch me do it then. But that’s what I’m doing, hey? Watching the fire, and thinking of nothing.”

The old man stared at the flame, then said in a low growl, “Gathrak, I summon thee, I Danan, conjurer of Eden, son of Adam, bid thee, come! And coming, obey!”

Nothing happened.

The old man murmured the incantation again.

Nothing happened.

Danan sighed, and began drawing a circle in the dust. He then drew a six-pointed star in the dust, and then drew five-pointed stars around the six-pointed star. Then he stood in the circle and repeated his incantation.

A deep bass voice behind Clee said, “That’s better. But next time let the boy try.”

“It’s childish to make me use the symbols, Gathrak,” said Danan.

Clee whirled to see a giant nine-foot leathery demon floating behind him. He yelped and ran to stand with Danan in the circle.

“Get away,” said Danan, shoving him back.

“I want the protection of the circle!”

“Oh, there is no protection. Gathrak wants to make this as complicated as possible for his own amusement. I told you he had a sense of humor. It’s childish, Gathrak.”

“From our point of view the whole proceeding is childish,” said Gathrak. “Summoning us out of our plane to do favors for mortals is downright silly. What is it you wish of me this time?”

“I, Danan, son of Adam—“

“Yes yes. Take it as read. What would you of Gathrak the demon?”

“Golmak the chieftain of the Henren asks for rich grasses this season.”

“Huh. Golmak the chieftain? Father of Pelena the High Queen of Orvma?”

“The same,” said Danan.

“Well, that is a connection worth savoring. Why is your boy cowering? Doesn’t he know it’s safe?”

“He doesn’t really know anything yet,” said Danan.

“Ahh…an apprentice? I love to educate apprentices.”

Danan frowned. “Do you? Now what about the grasses?”

“See here boy,” said the demon, “I am Gathrak, a demon, one of 32 demons, and one of three to focus on the aspect of Life.”

"Who are the other two?" asked Clee.

The demon glared at Danan.  "He doesn't know," said Danan mildly.

“A demon’s name is a powerful secret, boy,” said the demon. “Now you know my name, and that means you can summon me as you choose. But I answer as I choose. And I don’t always obey even if I answer.

“Now if this were Danan asking for himself, why, I’d probably say no. But it is a favor to a chieftain of the Henren, and one whose daughter is High Queen of Orvma. That’s a powerful ally among humankind. So I will use the aspect of Life to make the grass grow for him, on condition that Danan doesn’t tell how I do it.

“And Danan meets that condition, to keep the business of sorcery mysterious and rare. That’s the tricks of the trade, boy. Always keep your secrets. And choose the right clientele.”

“Why are you helping me?” asked Clee.

“A bright question! Because it amuses me, and being the demon of the aspect of Life, my amusements are fairly harmless.”

“Entirely harmless,” said Danan.

“You’d better go without sleep for two days to teach you otherwise,” said Gathrak. “And for the boy’s sake. Demons are difficult playmates.” And with that he was gone.

“He left without making the grass grow!” yelled Clee.

“Not so loud, idiot! He didn’t. It’s done as he said. But for the sake of sorcery, for our own reputation, we’re going to sit out here for two days and nights without eating or drinking anything. It has to look like we struggled with the demon.”

“Who’s to know?”

“Gathrak might be watching,” said Danan sourly. “And I’m not getting any sleep the next two days anyhow. But it’s mainly the Henren watching us. A sorcerer has to preserve his reputation, Clee. It’s the only thing keeps us from getting our throats slit while we sleep. And even then, it doesn’t always work.”

It was three days later that Clee and Danan set out for the Almira Pass. The Henren gave them a pair of goats to take into town, and filled their packs with biltong and bricks of tea and salt.

“Generous people, when they decide to let you live,” said Danan.

“Why didn’t you make the grass grow yourself, Danan?” asked Clee. “You’re a sorceror.”

“I know the aspect of magic. It lets me summon demons, mostly. I don’t know the aspect of life itself. There’s other aspects, like death, destruction, creation, health, the four elements, mind, and we think, time. I’ve got to summon the right demon for the job to get things done.”

“What demons do you know?”

“Well now. I think that’s something you’ll learn in time. After all, you don’t know the first thing about behaving like a sorcerer. When you can hold down a real job, then, we’ll see.”

“Oh.”

“There’s thirty-two demons, that’s something we all know. I don’t know anybody knows all their names. And above the demons are the djinn, and there’s sixteen of them. And above them, are the dragons, and there’s eight of them. Now above them are the titans, and can you guess how many there are?”

“No.”

“Well it’s half as many, see, it’s four. And two devils. And one archangel, Lilith.”

“Can you summon any of the others?”

“No human can. At least, that I know of.”

“And how many sorcerers do you know?”

“That’s a secret.”

“Oh come on!”

“When you learn how to behave I’ll start teaching you secrets. You can start by learning to shut up for a while. Act like you know too much to tell.”

“Like you?”

“Yes.”

“I thought it was wind!”

***************************************************************************************

 That night in the Palace of Orvma the King held a council of war.

His captains sat in a circle on a bear rug on the floor and listened to him pace back and forth, saying nothing.

Finally King Jason said, “Men, are you loyal to me?”

“To the death, sire,” said his top captain, a man named Mark.

“The priests are not with us,” said the king.

“How do you mean, sire?”

Jason told them the lie worked out in advance. “The priests say we must lose half the valley before they will show themselves. They say we must march without the Church, that the Church must appear to rescue the army.”

“Surely, that is treason,” said a captain named Lucas.

“Ay, I consider it so,” said the King. “But what penalty this treason?”

“Sire,” said Mark, “the men will not march without the Church.”

“Is that your opinion of your men, Mark? What of the rest of you?” All the others nodded. The army of Orvma prided itself on being a holy army.

“Then, the Church must be made to march. Leave that to the Royal Guard. But muster your men and keep them in camp. I want no word of this spilled, on your lives. This matter must be handled properly.”

“Hail, King!” they shouted, and left.

Jason brooded for a time, looked up as Pelena joined him. “Well, are they loyal?”

“The army will not fight the Temple,” he said.

“And your Guard will stand with the army,” she said.

“Send for your kinsfolk,” he said. “Send for a gang of Henren. They’ll fight for you. Let the Henren take the Temple.”

“Too blatant. I’ve got something more subtle in mind for the Temple,” she said. “Someone important has been summoned.”