Haunted Wizard
Christopher Stasheff
CHAPTER 1
The moon rose high over the low hill at the edge of the plain, and over the cluster of rocks at its foot. Within that rough ring half a dozen men in white robes stood chanting, hoods covering their heads, gilded sickles at their belts, chanting a petition to a forgotten god.
“Why have you turned away from us, O Toutatis?” the leader called, and the others answered, “Because our fathers’ fathers turned away from you.”
“Remember us, Toutatis!” the leader cried, and the others chanted, “Toutatis, remember.”
“Our ancestors built great stone rings in which to worship you, Toutatis, but we must hide in these circles you have given us by the mountains.”
“We must hide in the mountains,” the watchers chorused.
“For we who remember you are few, and weak thereby, Toutatis!”
“We are few and weak,” the watchers agreed.
“We pray you, give us strength, Toutatis, that we may increase!”
“That we may increase!”
“That we may regain our dominion, and worship you openly in the great stone rings!” the leader cried.
“In the great stone rings,” the watchers echoed.
“We shall serve you as well as we may, Toutatis!”
“As well as we may,” the followers echoed.
“We shall give you our richest gift, Toutatis!”
“Our richest gift” Eyes glistened; one or two of the men moistened their lips and swallowed thickly.
“A virgin!” the leader cried. “A fine girl, not yet eighteen, preserved from man’s touch for you!”
“And because her father’s an ogre,” one of the men muttered.
“Be still!” his neighbor hissed.
“Do you suppose this is really how the old druids did it?”
“Of course it is! Niobhyte has read all the old books of runes they left! Now be silent, before he hears you!”
“Bring forth the virgin!” Niobhyte the leader commanded.
“The virgin comes,” cried a voice from beyond the rocks.
“The virgin comes,” the other men chorused. All eyes turned toward the source of the voice.
A high-pitched drum began to beat, and three figures came into the rock circle, all in white cowled robes, but the one in the center wore a much finer cloth. The man to the left kept a firm hold on the arm of the central figure; the man to the right beat slowly on a small, flat drum. The central figure seemed to be wading through an invisible stream, stumbling now and again, but steadied by the hand on the arm. As the drum tapped out a solemn measure, the three came to the low, flat rock in front of Niobhyte and stopped a little to one side, facing both him and the small congregation.
“Unveil the sacrifice!” Niobhyte commanded.
The guard stepped behind the central figure and drew the hood back, revealing a heart-shaped face with huge eyes, retrousse nose, and full lips. A wealth of blond hair tumbled out.
The watchers caught their breath at her beauty. They had all seen her before, of course, seen and yearned, but by moonlight she seemed even more lovely than ever, with an almost supernatural quality. Now, though, her eyes were dim, unfocused, and she wore a bemused, faintly puzzled expression.
“See how Toutatis enhances the beauty of she who goes to him!” Niobhyte intoned. “Unveil her, unveil her!”
Slowly, the guard drew the robe down to reveal smooth shoulders, so pale in the moonlight, then further to expose a wealth of swelling curves and expanses of pale skin, on down to small, bare, dainty feet.
The men caught their breath; the youngest groaned. His mates silenced him with furious hisses. He wondered how Niobhyte had seduced her into slipping out of her father’s house—with promises of a handsome prince awaiting her, or of wealth and power? No matter—once out, he had given her drugged wine, and his henchmen had borne her away to this ring.
“Lay her down on her nuptial bed,” Niobhyte intoned.
The girl stumbled as they turned her about, then blinked, confused, as they laid her down. Several of the men moaned, looking at the moon-glowing body stretched out on the stone table. The girl looked about her, puzzled; then the drug-haze cleared for a second and alarm filled her face, but Niobhyte stepped forward to touch her forehead with a forefinger, venting a phrase none of the men could understand, and her eyes dulled again, her body relaxed.
“Toutatis, we send you this gift!” Niobhyte swung the knife high.
The youngest watcher cried out and leaped to protect the woman. His companions, ready for it, caught and held him.
But they couldn’t catch the peasants who leaped down from the tops of the rocks, howling in anger. More of them came pelting between boulders and into the circle, and a huge, brawny, grizzle-haired man caught Niobhyte’s wrist and twisted. The knife fell and Niobhyte cried out in pain— but the cry changed to a staccato chant as his left hand came up, and light exploded from his palm.
The peasants shouted in pain, covering their eyes. The older man threw himself across his daughter, blinded and in panic. He heard the leader shout a command, but didn’t dare rise to try to catch the scoundrel, blind as he was.
Then the green afterimage circle that filled his vision faded, and he could see the rock circle again—with peasants looking about in astonishment. Some began to mutter in fear.
But the father’s fear was all for his daughter. Looking down, he saw with relief that she was alive and untouched, though still dull-eyed. He caught up the white robe to cover her and lifted her in his arms. “She is saved! I thank you all, neighbors, for helping me, for my daughter is unharmed, and only frightened!”
“By what magic did they all disappear?” one of the neighbors quavered.
“You know that mushroom that flares so brightly when you dry it and throw it into the fire? That’s all he needed, in the dark like this, and he and his men ran away while we were blinded. Come on, let’s take this poor child home!” The father headed out of the circle, cradling his daughter in his arms, and the others followed, but with many fearful glances back over their shoulders. Mushroom or not, they feared magic, and considering what the white-robed murderer had been trying to do, they feared it was magic of the worst kind.
In a grove of young firs higher up on the mountain, the youngest acolyte stumbled in and collapsed on the floor, panting. The others scarcely noticed; they were too busy trembling and wiping away sweat. One older acolyte did pay attention, though, and helped the lad up. “It’s all right, now. They won’t think to look for us here, if we’re quiet”
“We will not always have to be silent!”
The worshipers all looked up in surprise. Their chief sat, hood pulled forward over his face, but a stray moonbeam showed burning eyes and bristling beard.
“Our day will come,” he told them. “Our cries and prayers shall waken the old gods, and they shall come roaring into the sky against this meek milksop who let mere mortals hang him on a cross!”
The acolytes gasped at the blasphemy and huddled in on themselves. Some of them glanced at the sky as though expecting lightning to strike them dead even for hearing such words.
“Oh, a brave gaggle of Celts are you!” the leader said, with curled lip. “How staunchly you worship Toutatis, when you recoil in horror at the slightest word against the Lord of the priests’ book! Do you not wish Toutatis to rise again, and all the old gods of the druids with him? To rise, and raise you to power and wealth? The finest garments shall be yours, the squires’ houses, the most beautiful maidens!”
Avarice and lust overcame fear. Several of the acolytes licked their lips, trying to pluck up courage, but two or three took fire, crying, “Aye, we wish it!” with burning eyes.