Лайон Спрэг Де Камп Array: The Green Magician

Shea said, «Honest, Belphebe, I.»

«Oh, spare me your plaints. I’m not the first wife to have a husband made of glass and breakable, nor will be the last. What is that you have on your arm?»

«Listen, Belphebe, if you’ll only let me tell you.»

A form stepped out of the shadows into moonlight which revealed it as Ollgaeth. «The hour is met if you would see the Hill of the Sidhe, Mac Shea,» he said.

«Want to come along, kid?» said Shea. «This might be useful for both of us.»

«Not I,» said Belphebe. «I’m for bed — geas and all.» She lifted a hand to stifle an imaginary yawn.

Shea said, «May I.» and stopped. He hated to leave Belphebe alone in her present mood, no matter how really unjustified it was. But it occurred to him that if he wanted to get any cooperation out of the vain druid, he would have to play along and butter him up. And it was distinctly important to learn about the system of magic here.

«All right,» he said. «See you later, dear.»

He turned to follow Ollgaeth through the dark streets. The guards at the gate were awake, a tribute to Maev’s management, but they passed the druid and his companion through readily enough. Ollgaeth, stumbling along the track, said, «The Sidhe, now, they have the four great treasures of Ireland — Dagda’s cauldron that will never let a man go foodless, the stone of Fal that strikes every man it is aimed at, Lugh’s spear and Nuada’s great manslaying sword that is death to all before it but protection to the bearer.»

«Indeed,» said Shea. «At the table you were saying.»

«Will you never let a man finish his tale?» said Ollgaeth. «The way of it is this: The Sidhethemselves may not use the treasures — there is a geas on them that they can be handled only by a man of Milesian blood. Nor will they give them up, for fear the treasures may be used against them. And all who come into their land, they use hardly.»

«I should think.» began Shea.

«I do call to mind there was a man named Goll tried it,» said Ollgaeth. «But the Sidhe cut off both his ears and fed them to the pigs, and he was never the same man after. Ah, it’s a queer race they are, and a good man one must be to sit at table with them»

The Hill of the Sidhe loomed in front of them.

«If you will look there carefully, handsome man,» said Ollgaeth, «to the left of that little tree, you will see a darkish patch in the rocks. Let us move a little closer now.» They climbed the base of the hill. «Now if you will be standing about here, watch the reflection of the moon on the spot there.»

Shea looked, moving his head from side to side, and made out a kind of reflection on the surface of the rock, notso definite and clear as it might be, more like that on a pond, wavering slightly with ripples. Clearly an area of high magical tension.

Ollgaeth said, «It is not to everyone I would be showing this or even telling it, but you will be going back to your America, and it is as well for you to know that because of the spells the Sidhe themselves place on these gates, they may be opened without the use of the ancient tongue. Watch how.»

He raised his arms and began to chant:

«The chiefs of the voyage over the sea

By which the sons of Mil came.

It was not very long, ending

«Who opens the gateway to Tir na n-Og?

Who butI, Ollgaeth the druid?»

He clapped his hands together sharply. The wavering reflection faded out and Shea saw nothing but blackness, as if he were looking into a tunnel in the side of the hill.

«Approach, approach,» said Ollgaeth, «If is not like that the Sidhe will be dangerous against a druid as powerful as myself.»

Shea went nearer. Sure enough, he was looking down a tunnel that stretched some distance into blackness, with a faint light beyond. He put out a hand; it went into the hole where solid rock had been without resistance, except for a slight tingly feeling.

Shea asked, «How long will it stay open?»

«Long enough for whatever passes to reach the other side.»

«Do you suppose I could open it, too?»

«Are you not a qualified magician, now? To be sure you could, if you will learn the spell. But you will give me something in exchange.»

«Certainly,» said Shea. He thought; there was the one he had used in Faerie. «How about a spell to change water into wine? I can teach it to you first thing in the morning.» If he did it himself, the result would probably be rum of an uncommonly potent brew, but qualitative control was this guy’s own business.

Ollgaeth’s eyes almost glittered in the moonlight. «That would be a thing to see, now. Raise your arms.»

He followed Ollgaeth through the spell a couple of times, then repeated it alone. The wavelike shimmering disappeared, and the tunnel came open.

«I am thinking,» said Ollgaeth, as they made their way back to the town, «that it would be as well not to come here again the night. The Sidhe will be noticing their gate clap open and shut and setting a guard over it, and though they are poor in arms, it’s a bad-tempered lot they are.»

«I’ll be careful,» said Shea.

Within, he tapped at the door of the guesthouse.

«Who’s there?» asked Belphebe’s voice.

«It’s me — Harold.»

The bolt slammed back, and the door opened to show her still fully dressed, a little line of worry in her forehead.

«My lord,» she said, «I do pray your pardon for my angers. I do see now ‘twas no more your fault than it was mine at Muirthemne. But we must be quick.»

«What do you mean?»

She was collecting their small amount of gear.

«Pete was here but now. We are in deadly danger, but more especiallyyourself. The Queen has given permission to this Lughaid who accosted you to take your head if he will.»

Shea put his hand on his sword. «I’d like to see him try it.»

«Foolish man!He is not coming alone, but with a band — six, half a score. Come.» She pulled him toward the door.

«But where’s Pete? We can’t go back without him.»

«Nor can we go back at all if we do not live out the night,» she said, leading out into the dark, silent street. «Pete is doing what he can to gain us time — his singing’s wholly caught them. Hurry!»

«I don’t see what good merely running away tonight will do us,» said Shea. «Wait a minute, though. I can get in touch with Ollgaeth. You’re right.»

There was only one guard at the gate, but he held his spear crosswise and said, «I cannot be letting you out again the night. The Queen has sent word.»

Belphebe gave a little cry. Shea half-turned to see sparks of light dancing, back among the houses. Torches. He swung round again, bringing his sword out with awheep, and without warning, drove a thrust at the guard’s neck. The soldier jerked up his buckler just in time to catch Shea’s point in the edge of the bronze decorations. Then he lowered his spear and drew it back for a jab.

Shea recovered, knocking the spear aside, but was unable to get around the shield for a return lunge.

He thrust twice, feinting with the intention of driving home into an opening, but each time a slight movement of the buckler showed it would be futile.

The soldier balanced, drew back for another thrust, and then swore as Belphebe, who had slipped past him, caught the butt end of the weapon.

He shouted, «Ho!An alarm!»

They would have to work fast. Shea aimed a cut at the man’s head, but he ducked, simultaneously releasing the spear into Belphebe’s hands, who went tumbling backward as the man did a quick side-step and whipped out his sword.

Shea made a lightning estimate; the guard’s face and neckwere too small a target and too well protected by the shield, and the torso was doubly protected by shield and mail. Down.