The hall was the only place still maintained in the old house. It was subdivided into two parts: one served as a living and dining room for guests who occasionally stayed here, while the second smaller one housed two beds, an old wooden closet, and several large chests. Both parts shared one hearth, with a small kitchen table next to it. Various household instruments were hanging on the walls, while the farther side of the room was crowded with wicker baskets and vases that seemed to be here for many years.
When Belgian and Lauro came in after brother Masho, Gerome was busy at the kitchen table. He wasn’t cooking but preparing his alchemy ingredients. To the right of him stood five bottles of different sizes, all filled with liquids. To the left were a handbag, a mortar with pestle, and a small plate. On the plate lay a parchment with a small black thing that might be mistaken for a chunk of coal if not for a thin dark cloud hanging above. Belrigan recognized in it a small shard of moon wolf’s body, solidified by the light.
Viraz was resting in a half-sitting position on one of the beds. It looked like he was taking a nap.
”Sit, boys,” Masho pointed to the bench near the hearth.
Gerome gave them a quick look and cleared his throat:
”Ahem… the extract from the moon owl feathers and the windflower pollen is ready. I only need to grind the moon wolf’s claw and add the payr.”
“Very good. Please proceed, then,” nodded Masho. ”I will explain Belrigan about the payr.”
“Sure.”
Despite the bright flame of the hearth, the hall was drowning in the dark shadows. There was a strange feeling as if all the household items and other things standing at the edge of the light were closely watching the guests of their house. The remnants of someone’s life, the ghost of the past—what secrets did they know? What could they tell about their deceased owners? Or maybe they were more eager to lister someone’s else story? The dark and mysterious tale of magic.
“Is Gerome preparing the evocation potion for Belrigan, master?” the moody atmosphere was broken by Lauro’s sudden question.
”Yes,” answered Masho absently, ”that’s correct.”
“Shall I help you, brother Gerome?” Lauro’s voice trembled when he suggested this.
“No need, my boy. This is a delicate matter, and I prefer to finish it myself”.
Using the mortar and pestle, Gerome started grinding the moon wolf’s claw, and instantly the air began smelling of death and decay.
”Belrigan…” said Masho, ”we must find the moon mages, and as I said, we need your help. We know only two things: mages live in Surram Dahla and hide among villagers. We don’t know if this is the right place, but brother Viraz feels that there is something special about this village. Either moon creatures are lurking around, or there is some source of magical power. It can be a key to our quest, and we need your unique senses, Belrigan, to find it out. The time has come for you to drink the evocation potion and awaken your full potential.”
Belrigan had been waiting for it long ago. Nevertheless, his heart started to race at the thought that he would soon be able to use magic at his own will. Suddenly he felt himself not at all ready for this big step.
”We were preparing for this day since you received your graft of a moon wolf’s shard,” continued Masho. “The evocation potion will dissolve the shard and initiate a binding between you and the magical energy. The magic will run through your veins together with blood. You must treat that seriously, yet I’m sure you are ready to contain it and embrace all the responsibility. The first days after drinking the evocation potion are usually the hardest. You shall exercise the utmost caution and not succumb to becoming a beast yourself. Different ideas and visions might come to you, but you must not believe them. Don’t be afraid; your brothers are here to help you overcome all the difficulties.”
”Master,” again Lauro intervened unexpectedly, ”but is it safe?”
Masho looked at him with surprise.
”What do you mean, Lauro? I drank the same potion. Gerome and Viraz did too. All the elder brothers, who have a bond with magical energy, went through the evocation.”
“Yes, but I mean… is it safe for Belrigan to drink it now? We are far away from home, in the wild mountains… isn’t it risky?”
“This is not a moment for doubts, Lauro,” said Gerome with reproof. “Belrigan’s abilities are important to our mission, and your master made his decision.”
Contradicting Gerome’s words, and now to everyone’s surprise, Masho said softly:
” Lauro, you are right. We should have done it before the expedition. It’s entirely my fault that we didn’t. However, I believe in Belrigan, and I’m confident he can control the magical energy. I also believe in Gerome: he can prepare the pure and safe potion anytime, anywhere. And as well shall you believe in and trust your brothers, Lauro.”
“I trust you, master, but we had no one with a graft of a moon wolf before.”
“Lauro!” Viraz’s voice came like a sudden burst of thunder. It turned out that he was not asleep at all. “How dare you speak like this to your master? How dare you doubt his decision?”
Lauro swallowed a tough lump in his throat. Being reprimanded by brother Viraz wasn’t a new thing for him. However, Viraz didn’t stop at that:
”I feel not only weakness and discredit coming from you but also evil, selfish thoughts,” said he with a menacing voice, ”don’t let your master down, Lauro, or you will regret it dearly. Masho saved your skin more than once. By the will of the Five, you remained alive and are now serving the Brotherhood. Shall you leave the faithful path—only demise awaits you beyond. You're a smart boy, and you know that!”
Lauro’s face turned red and then, immediately, pale as if the lump in his throat suddenly turned into a hedgehog. Could Viraz see his intentions? Did he already know that Lauro planned to flee?
”There is no need for such harsh words, brother,” Masho came to the defense of his disciple. “Lauro only worries about Belrigan.”
“Let’s hope you're right.”
Belrigan took Lauro’s hand and held it firm.
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“Thanks, brother, but there is no need to worry; I will manage.”
“Let’s get back to the point,” suggested Gerome while still working with a pestle. ”Belrigan, do you know what payr is?”
Belrigan considered his answer for a few moments, but nothing came to his mind.
“Once or twice I heard it accidentally when elder brothers were speaking,” he admitted.
”Payr is pure magical energy, but in a liquid form,” continued Gerome in a versed manner. “That’s something only Libra knows how to produce, and with the help of payr, they been doing their magic for long.”
“Let me continue from this point,” suggested Masho gently.
“Sure.”
“Thank you, brother,” Masho stood by the fire, looking at the flames. “As Gerome said, payr is an elemental energy condensed into a liquid. No one indeed knows how to make it except Libra. And we didn’t even hear about payr before Libra refugees came to us searching for shelter.”
Masho made a long pause, thinking. Viraz kept silent, and Gerome too—he finished grinding the moon wolf claw and carefully poured the resulting black powder into the potion bottle. In a few seconds, the solution darkened, and then a bottle emitted a large black cloud of fume. The air in the room became thick and sinister. Viraz coughed badly and then ordered with his eyes still closed:
”Lauro, open the door and windows!”
Soon the fresh and cool air came in.
”What is magic?” continued Masho thoughtfully after Lauro returned. ”It is the manifestation of gods’ will, the force that makes all things alive and governs the order of being in a subtle, invisible way. We always thought that magic was taken away from humans due to some mistakes of the past due to our sins. Many doubted magic was real and not just a metaphor. Yet it turned out to be more than real. So real that you can hold a bottle of it in your hand… I was about your age, Belrigan when the magical creatures appeared, but I very well remember all the fear and, at the same time, the excitement that reigned the ranks of our elder brothers. That was the time when we did our first experiments. The old and thought-to-be useless books were found in the library’s basement, and we were working hard to bring magic to life… but to no avail. And at the same time, we saw these weird creatures possessing the abilities described in the holly books, but why? Why did the Gods send the offspring of doom to the world? Did they decide to obliterate us, their unfaithful children who forgot about their sacred purpose? We caught many creatures and soon discovered that if a part of a beast was grafted to a human body, it gave the host some of its energy—that was the only thing from the old books that worked out. A few brothers died in experiments, but the right way was eventually developed. Still, even when grafted, we could not use the magic the same way as the creatures. The truth is, we only got access to the true magic when we learned about Libra. It was when your parents came to us, Belrigan, and all the others who decided to leave that evil order. They brought payr with them and, with its help, we were able to make things happen,” Masho sighted. “Yes, thanks to your parents, Belrigan, we obtained payr. And thanks to payr, we made powerful potions, including the evocation potion that creates a bond between a human and an elemental energy. But even your parents didn’t know how to produce payr. Since then, we have had a limited stock of it and used it only for evocation potions. The potion, of course, allows you to use magic without payr anytime, anywhere. After the first brothers drank it, we finally understood why the Gods sent magical creatures to the world. That was the only way to bring down Libra, who controlled magic for ages, and the only way to give magic back to humans. This is the real purpose of these wired creatures. And, of course, this is the main reason for us to be here, far away from home—to find a way to bring down what remains of Libra and revive the magic. Your parents were part of that order, not because of their own will. No. They were forced into Libra ranks. And when the fighting within the order started, they quickly left it because they believed that the magic should not be restricted to a small group of chosen people. They believed that it should serve the greater good of everyone. We failed to protect them… but thanks to the Five, you were saved, and the brotherhood survived. You can continue their path; you will help bring the magic back to this world.”
There was silence. Belrigan yearningly listened, hoping for brother Masho to continue and tell more about his past and his parents. But master stopped, and only the wood cracked softly in the hearth. Then, one of the bottles clinked in Gerome’s hand.
”Will I be able to transform like other brothers?” asked Belrigan.
”I don’t think you will be able to become a moon wolf. That’s something beyond the capabilities of a human body. Some brothers can change their form slightly, but any transformation is demanding and could result in undesirable effects or even death. Your graft wasn’t that strong… but it will surely make your senses and vision exceptionally good, and you will probably be able to use void-walking after some practice.”
”Just a moment left,” informed Gerome while whipping his teary eyes. ”I need to mix everything well before adding the payr.” He poured another powder into the bottle and started mixing slowly with a thin silver spatula.
Unexpectedly to everyone, Lauro spoke again:
”I’m confused, master,” he said with a very anxious voice. ”You say we look for moon mages, while brother Gerome calls them wolf mages, which is correct?”
A question sounded utterly out of line. Viraz coughed loudly again. However, Masho was the first to respond:
”A good question, my boy. The answer is… both of them and none.”
”This confuses me even more,” Lauro scratched the back of his head. His voice, however, became a little more confident as he was encouraged by Masho’s reply.
”You see, Lauro. We name these people in the most convenient way for us. Of course, we don’t know what they call themselves and even if they call themselves any particular name. But, among us, I consider the ‘moon mage’ a more appropriate term.”
”Arguably!” disagreed Gerome instantly.
”Of cause, it’s arguable. Maybe, Belrigan, you know why I prefer calling them like this?”
Belrigan could hardly think of anything else except what was awaiting him after drinking the evocation potion, yet he tried his best.
”You call them moon mages because… the moon is one of the core elements, and moon wolves are bound to it,” he answered.
”Exactly!” Masho was quite glad to hear that. ”There are five core elements as there are five gods. Auzarius is the god of sunlight and life. Taus reigns over the night sky and winds. His wife, Fel’ is the goddess of the ever-changing moon, beauty, and deception. The vast oceans and all travelers are cared for by Maevrus.
Last but not least goes Lleaia—the goddess of the mountain and hearth. The sun, the wind, the moon, and the water and the stone—that’s what makes our world. Everything here is bound to these elements, and magical creatures are no exception. For instance, there are now moon wolves and moon owls, akin to the forces of the night and deception. And thus, we must call the people who can control them—moon mages.”
”We don’t know if they can control moon owls or other moon creatures. We only know that one of them used wolves to attack the tsar’s men and the Libra mage at Phoenix Peak,” put Gerome. ”So we can as well call them wolf mages.”
“Please stop this theoretical dispute,” intervened Viraz ”concentrate on the potion, Gerome!”
“Yes, brother…”
Masho came closer to Belrigan and put both hands on his shoulders.
“My boy, the Five created Ereia and all beings, including people—their most beloved children, who are here to govern everything and shape the world on par with the gods. The path of magic is our path. It is a great honor but also a great responsibility. You must never abuse the power given to you, but you must not falter when the right time comes. I’m proud of you, Belrigan, and your parents would also be: you are one of the first free mages and will help the Gods build a new rightful order.”
”I’m mixing the payr now,” warned Gerome. He took a small flask with a golden cap and unscrewed it open.
He poured only a few drops of the magical substance into the potion bottle, and for a moment, nothing changed. There was no reaction, no fumes—nothing. But then, suddenly, the fire in the hearth flickered, and the room fell into complete darkness. It lasted only for a few seconds, but when the fire flared back again, Belrigan, to his astonishment, saw not one but two halls. Something strange happened to his eyes: one of them observed everything around in a warm yellowish tone; the room looked almost like moments ago: with flames burning bright in the hearth and brothers around. The left eye, meanwhile, saw a dark space full of gray shades and strange snake-like creatures moving around the walls. The flame of the hearth seemed purple to the left eye. Two pictures coexisted, hanging before his eyes as if someone suggested Belrigan chose one. The strange bifurcation continued until Gerome held out the potion to Masho, and he, in turn, handed it over to Belrigan.
“We are ready,” said Masho, and a strange distorted echo followed his words.