Chapter

At his Prime

“It’s part of the magic of this reality. The Market of Dreams allows you to present yourself as you truly are. Helsket is at his prime, probably beyond it honestly; and I,” Telgil touched his chest and laughed, “Well, that body you saw in our world, that’s… A conceit I adopted many years ago to avoid trouble.”

“What trouble is that?”

He smiled thinly before answering, “I’m what you call… A Sustainer. I was born with an inherent magical gift that allows me to sustain and heal myself indefinitely. If I’m careful, I never age and I never get sick. Short of having my head chopped off I’ll live forever. It’s a wonderful power and I’m thankful I was born to it.”

“But… not thankful enough to showcase it?” Mikel asked, possibilities rebounding in his head as the reality of the situation he was in continued to evolve.

“I can see that look in your eye,” Telgil said with a hard grin, “You’re already asking yourself if you could use my abilities to save your father.”

Mikel’s planning screeched to a halt and he sat back in his chair, confused.

“How did you know I was thinking of that?”

“Everyone thinks of it once they find out what I am.”

“But you just said that you can only do that for yourself - it doesn’t do much good for other people, does it?”

“And therein lies the rub,” Telgil said, “Even though I just stated an explicit fact about my gift, that fact didn’t stop you from thinking how you could exploit it for your gain.”

“It’s not my gain,” Mikel protested, “It’s for my -”

“Your father, I know,” Telgil said with a thin smile, “It’s rarely ever for something for themselves that people set out on adventures for. All the same, my gift won’t work on anyone but me. How do you think that would make you feel if you were a bit more powerful? Maybe the son of, or the Emperor himself who knew me, knew by gift but couldn’t exploit it?”

Mikel considered for a moment, “Angry. Resentful - probably violent.”

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Telgil nodded, “Not as dumb as you look,” He said in a playful tone, “That’s exactly it. Now, you’re a noble, so you’d know better than me - what happens when most nobles don't or can’t get what they want?”

“They get violent,” Mikel said, realization dawning, “They get violent, angry and will do whatever they think they can to achieve their goal or wreck as many things as possible in the process so that no one else can use the thing they’re after.”

“Precisely,” Telgil said, “And well said too. So, you can imagine how much… Negative attention I’ve attracted over the years just for being who I am. The only solace I’ve found is with disguise and discretion. I took up the hammer and became a blacksmith - one able to hone his craft for decades while others’ hammers fell still after only fifty or sixty years - I have eternity.”

The enormity of Telgil’s situation settled over Mikel and he nodded in agreement - once for the wonder of the whole thing, and for the extensive steps Telgil had taken to ensure his safety.

“So you look like that with… Magic?”

Telgil snorted, “Of a sort. I had to piss off a witch before she did that to me. I tried to deal squarely with her, but it took putting her in a black rage for her to reduce me to such straits. The body I inhabit there is cramped and partially crippled thanks to her, but in The Market of Dreams, where I spend most of my time I can be myself. No evil can transgress the border between this world and ours, and it’s none too uncommon to see craftsmen live for centuries here as the time-warping magic of this place seeps into their bones. In time, someone will find me out, but that, hopefully, will be centuries away. Where normal men have to parcel out their time here or risk losing all they love in the other world, I never have to leave. Years ago I concluded that I walk a long, long, lonely path. My friends will all die before I visibly age - any family I might make would do the same. This place allows me to feel a bit more normal.”

The Jewel around his neck shivered again, delivering a dose of fathomless cold to his body.

He caught himself before he jolted and grinned sheepishly at Telgil.

“Just nervous. This whole thing has… set me off.”

It was all he could do to not grab at the hidden Jewel. Mikel had a suspicion he was safer here than most areas on The Continent, but still, the fright Helsket had instilled in him had run deep. He didn’t want to take any undue risks.

Mikel turned to Helsket whose eyes were locked on the Jewel concealed under his shirt. The giant man’s eyes drifted to Mikel’s own with a clear warning.

Not here.

Mikel cleared his throat and turned back to Telgil who, if he had detected the subtle interplay between his two companions, didn’t mention it. Mikel picked up where the conversation had left off.

“And… Helsket? Did a witch curse you as well?”

“Bah, nothing so base,” Helsket barked, pivoting from the moment like an old hand, “I just got old and fat. It’s a fun reprieve to come here and feel my old strength again, but only as a reprieve and not as a cure. I like being in my younger body, but it also brings back memories of just how idiotic I was in my youth - things I’d rather forget.”

“Suddenly, I don’t want to get old,” Mikel said dryly as he sipped his beer.

Both older men laughed before following Mikels’ lead and drank before they continued the conversation.

“Let’s get our assessment on the road then, since I seem to have exhausted every route of inquiry I can that you’ll elaborate on,” Telgil said, “I just need to ask you some basics to feel you out. Helsket mentioned you’d told him you rarely left your family's estate, but you appear fairly well adjusted if that’s the case.”

Mikel shrugged, “I read a lot. It helped me cope.”

“Perfect,” Telgil said, “Now, let’s put that learning to the test - shall we?”