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called themselves mages.
There were four principal mages, called Tonn, Daedal, Manus and Aum, and their
power grew at the expense of all the others. They were too strong to really
desire war with each other but the lesser mages brought on the conflict
through their own ambitions. The war lasted for ages.
"It was not entirely a bad thing, that war. Nobody died& not forever. We were
like young gods then and injuries of combat, while distressing, were
remediable. But gradually we learned the desperate arts of tact, and lying,
and deceit, of gamesmanship and honour. Then we learned distrust and our,
magic grew stronger. The war became earnest. Enemies found it necessary to
either be polite or to attempt to destroy each other. There was no middle
ground. All the perverse pleasures of combat became engrained the pleasures
of triumph over another, of defeat at the hands of a stronger, of tragedy and
loss, contest and victory. These are strong discoveries, and run deep in our
blood even now."
Michael nodded, his eyes half-closed. He was awake, but he didn't need to see
Lin Piao to appreciate his story. "The other races what did Tonn turn them
into?"
"I am coming to that. Finally, it was discovered how to kill. To kill so that
the dead would never return to the Earth. All had immortal souls then, but we
were bound to the Earth with such desires that death was abhorrent. War became
serious indeed. Hate was a thing to be breathed, lived, wallowed in.
"There were winners and there were losers. The losers were treated badly. When
the humans under the mage Manus vanquished the Sidhe, they imposed the worst
punishment yet they stripped the Sidhe of their souls. And when the Sidhe
regained the upper hand, strengthened by the desperation of complete
extinction, the mage Tonn put an end to the war. The Sidhe did not have the
means to steal our immortality, but they could put us in more humble packages.
The Spryggla, followers of Daedal, had always been proud of the work they
could do with their hands, so Tonn took their hands away from them and put
them in a place where there was no need to build the sea. They became whales
and dolphins.
Humans were turned into tiny shrews, to exhibit their true character. Others
were turned into other beasts.
Some had their souls divided among millions, even billions of smaller forms,
like the Urges, who were all transformed into one of their own creations, the
cockroach. Aum's people, the Cledar, were music-
makers, and their art was stolen by the Sidhe, who called it their own. Then
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Aum and all his kind were turned into birds."
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Bear, Greg - Songs of Earth and Power Vol. 1 - The Infinity Concerto
Michael's eyes had closed, but he listened carefully to every word.
"Of all the races, the Sidhe preserved only a few of the Spryggla, that we
might build for them. They let us live in comfort, and in time we grew
accustomed to our fate. We were given work. They took my ancestors off to the
stars with them, and we built great things out there. They returned to the
Earth eventually, and I was born."
"How old are you?" Michael asked.
"I don't know," Lin Piao said. "How much time has passed on Earth?"
Michael opened his eyes. "How should I know?"
"Perhaps I will describe something for you, and then you can decide. When I
was last on Earth, the greatest human ruler of all time reigned." He spread
his hands, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm.
"Who was that?"
"He was a scion of Genghis Khan. His name was Kubla. From shore to shore of
the great lands, he demonstrated the new power of the humans, rising again
over the sad Sidhe."
"That was seven hundred years ago, I think," Michael said.
"Then I am three thousand and seven hundred years of age, by the time of
Earth. And how old are you?"
"Sixteen," Michael said. He started to laugh and choke at once. Lin Piao Tai
made a gesture of magnanimity.
"And yet here you are, traveling the Realm, free and independent. Marvelous.
You seem tired, my friend, and evening is coming. Perhaps you should rest."
"So soon?"
"Time in the Realm still surprises you? My servants will make up a
bedchamber."
"How did you come to the Realm? Why did you leave Earth?"
"Tomorrow," Lin Piao said. Michael followed as the Spryg-gla went to a wall
and pulled back a panel, revealing another dark corridor. In a small, sparsely
furnished room, a feather mattress rested on finely woven reed mats, while on
a nearby table a tall candle flickered in a glass dish beside a plate of cold
tea and crackers "For the night, should it last longer than expected and you
become hungry."
The accommodations were the most luxurious Michael had seen in the Realm. He
lay on the mattress, pulled the blanket around his chin and was asleep in
seconds.
Beware, beware, his
Shh! Hiss!
On a dreamless plain, voyagers
Voyage, their eyes shut tight; listen
To the dripping voices. Children
Grow, discard ashes, cinders.
Judas selves linger, ponder;
Judas others ponder, linger;
Rude as strange words in the not-dream
Ponder, linger, and always scheme&
Michael jerked awake, shivering. He felt in deep danger. His body was wet with
sweat; the mattress and blanket were soaked. The candle had burned halfway and
flickered with his sudden breath, making the close gray walls dance like
gelatin.
He turned his head to the other side of the room and saw one of the gold
servants standing a few feet away, its head in shadow. Michael reached out and
lifted the candle. The servant's face rearranged itself
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Bear, Greg - Songs of Earth and Power Vol. 1 - The Infinity Concerto in blocks
like a clockwork puzzle or toy. Suddenly all the pieces slid into place and
the face became a smoothly sculpted blank. It bowed to him, but remained where
it stood, as if posted to guard.
Michael felt under the covers and found the book, still in his pocket. He lay
back and tried to remember what had jerked him awake. Perhaps another brush
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