Part 17 (1/2)
Mary winked. ”I would rather you like me for my wit, not just my bosom.” She held out her hand and allowed Fisgig to return to his perch.
Brayson took a moment to enjoy her confidence. ”To answer your question, the Source guards the Eye from all beings. In order for a being to look into the Eye, he must prove himself worthy to venture beyond the dragon. If deemed worthy, the Eye will invite this aspiring mage to look into it. Many beings have been swallowed by the Eye and lost forever. Their souls are spit into the darkness beyond our worlds and left to find their way to the G.o.ds.”
”That's horrible,” Mary responded. ”Why would someone want to look into the Eye if they could perish? Is that much power truly worth the risk, and are males the only beings who are allowed to look into the Eye? What about females? You have constantly said he. Do you not consider women good enough?” She put her hands on her hips and waited for the answer.
Brayson took note of Mary's body language. ”Power is considered worth the risk.” The Head Master removed Fisgig from his perch and set the bird on his shoulder. ”To answer your question regarding females ... I've never met a female who has been ready to meet the Source. I have nothing against women seeking power. In fact, I'd welcome the Peak when this happens. Until then, I can only speak of what has transpired.”
Mary pondered his answer. ”I'm glad you're open to the idea. I admire strong women. I hope to know a woman like that some Peak.”
”As do I.” Brayson found Mary's eyes and held her hands in his. ”I see much strength in you, Mary. I also see a delightful wit and an ardent mind that has the ability to enjoy the moment. I watched from the bar inside Kebble's Kettle as you and your daughters made your family laugh.”
Mary slapped Brayson's arm. ”You mean to tell me you were at the inn and never said h.e.l.lo? Why?”
”I had to work up the nerve. I needed to figure out how to approach you. The dresses were intended to buy me the moments necessary to accomplish this.” Brayson bowed. ”Please forgive me.”
Mary giggled. ”There's no forgiveness necessary. I find your vulnerability flattering.” After giving another wink, she changed the subject. ”You were going to tell me about the men who seek the power of the Eye.”
Brayson smiled. ”Many men seek power, but this search causes doubt. A man may succeed and convince the Source he's worthy to pa.s.s, but it's not the dragon a man should fear. In fact, the Source has been known to allow a man to pa.s.s without questioning him.
”It's the Eye that all beings should be afraid of. When a man is invited by the Eye to look into it, it sees doubt. It hates doubt. It devours this weakness by swallowing the being's soul.
”Only those who believe they are ready to receive the Eye's gift survive. These men are granted power far beyond their comprehension. They spend the rest of their lives as scholars of the arts trying to understand how to evoke this power. They strive to become immortal ... G.o.d-like ... but to my knowledge, no one has managed to attain this level of glory prior to pa.s.sing.”
Mary's brow furrowed. ”Is this your goal? Do you wish to become a G.o.d? Do you desire to have so much power that you would forget to live your life in search of it?”
Brayson smiled. ”I do enjoy your directness. I have no desire to become an exalted being. Furthermore, I enjoy living life to its fullest. If I had been so focused on attaining greater power, I would not have noticed you, now would I?”
Again, Mary slapped his arm, but now there was a satisfied twinkle in her eyes. ”Good answer, Mr. Id. There just might be hope for you and me.” Taking his hand, she gave it a squeeze. ”Tell me more about you.”
Brayson cleared his throat. ”I'm the last man to look into the Eye and survive. Before me, it was my father. Both my brothers were turned away by the Source, and they were not allowed to look into the Eye. That said, my father was 1,200 seasons when he pa.s.sed.”
Removing Fisgig from his shoulder, Brayson returned the phoenix to his perch before he continued. ”Twelve men over the last 10,000 seasons have pa.s.sed this ultimate test while 7,432 beings were turned away by the Source. Sadly, 2,764 beings have tried and lost their souls.”
Brayson could see the look of shock on Mary's face. ”Are you okay? You look as if you have concerns.”
”Of course she does,” Fisgig responded. ”You would, too.” The phoenix redirected his gaze. ”It's alright, Mary. Ask anything you wish.”
”I have so many questions, I'm not sure where to start.” She paused in thought. ”Is George going to look into the Eye?”
Brayson answered. ”If the Peak comes when he's ready, I'll tell you. But for now, how would you like to meet your first dragon?”
Mary's eyes widened. ”Dragon? Me ... meet a dragon?”
Brayson's Desk Inside the Book of Bonding George sat in frustration, careful to avoid the water that surrounded his dry spot at the bottom of the hole. Trying to figure a way out was exhausting. Payne had made an attempt to fly to the surface of the shaft, but some unseen force did not let him pa.s.s.
”I don't know what to do!” George barked as he threw a small stone against the wall of the shaft. ”This place is p.i.s.sing me off!” George looked at a skull that was partially covered by water. ”I don't want to end up like that poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
Payne tilted his head. ”What 'b.a.s.t.a.r.d' mean?”
”Just forget about it!” George stood and adjusted his tunic. ”I feel filthy, and I need a d.a.m.n bath.” His ragged appearance was a far cry from his Gucci persona he sported on Earth.
Again, Payne tilted his head. ”What 'bath' mean?”
George glared at Payne. ”Shut up! Don't say anything else. I need to figure out how to get out of here.”
Payne growled, ”Ebbish nay!” The fairy-demon flew up and sat on a heavy root that protruded from the wall. ”Payne, no like Master.”
”Blah, blah, blah! Whatever!”
Many moments pa.s.sed before George refocused on the task at hand. ”Payne, get down here. We must be missing something. I wonder what Brayson would do in a situation like this?”
”Sleep,” Payne responded as he hovered next to George.
”Sleep? What the h.e.l.l are you talking about? Brayson wouldn't do that. Are you even paying attention? What does sleep have to do with what I asked?”
”Master tired. Master sleep. Sleep make Master think gooder.”
”I don't need to sleep. I need to find a way out of here, or we'll starve to death. We've got to focus. There's got to be a way out.”
George thought long and hard as he scanned his surroundings. ”Didn't Brayson say he had a phoenix? Doesn't a phoenix use fire? At least they did in the movies I've seen. Perhaps fire would work on these roots.”
”What 'movies' mean?”
George rolled his eyes. ”You're killing me. You know that, right?”
”Ebbish nay! Master grouchy to Payne.”
The mage shook his head and then took another look around. His eyes settled on a gathering of thick roots that protruded from the base of the wall. ”I wonder how they managed to grow this deep?” He walked over, grabbed the roots and pulled, but they wouldn't budge. ”Screw me sideways!”
Payne flew over and sat on the roots above George's head. ”What 'screw' mean?”
”Nothing, and don't repeat that in front of Athena. She doesn't like it when we talk that way, so forget I said anything.”
George backed up and rubbed his chin. ”Those tulips freaked out when you pulled one of them out of the ground. Perhaps the plants connected to these roots will freak out and pull their roots to the surface. Perhaps they'll-” He stopped. ”Payne, get behind me.”
Once the fairy-demon was out of the way, the mage lifted his hands. A wave of fire torched the area. The roots retracted, and as they did, a small crack appeared in the wall near the floor.
George boasted. ”I knew there had to be a way out!”
”Again!” Payne shouted. ”Again, Master!”
George did, and the crack widened further. George put his hands on his hips. ”This looks promising. Payne, take a look at this. There's a cave on the other side, but the crack is still too small to fit through. Stand back, let me do it again.”
George kept at it until the hole was large enough for them to pa.s.s through it. Satisfied with his results, he commanded, ”Payne, get through before it closes.”
Payne did as he was told. Once George was through, the wall shut behind them. A long, well-lit cave stretched into the distance with no end in sight. The light seemed to come from within the walls. They were glowing.
George took a deep breath. ”This is freaking eerie. I don't like this one bit. Something tells me we're not out of trouble. I have a bad feeling about this joint.”
”What 'freaking' mean?”