‘Everything,’ he answered with amusement.
They turned and regarded the other statue. The faint line that had been the spirit of Macros descended into the head of the statue. Miranda looked at the features of the statue and gasped. ‘Macros!’
‘No,’ answered Pug. ‘Look at the name across the foot of his statue.’
‘Sarig,’ she said. ‘Who is he?’
‘The not-quite-so-dead God of Magic’
‘That’s Macros the Black!’ she blurted, and for the first time since he had known her. Pug saw in Miranda’s visage true confusion and even a little fear. ‘Macros is a god?’ asked Miranda, and for the first time since he had met her. Pug sensed a genuine flash of concern in her voice. The mocking, dry humor was gone.
‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘and no.’
‘Which is it?’
‘We’ll know better when we talk to him,’ answered Pug. ‘I think I know the answer, but I want to hear it from him.’ Pug willed himself into the air, until he stood before the giant, immobile statue’s face. Loudly he called, ‘Macros!’
He was greeted by silence.
Miranda ‘moved’ to stand next to Pug, and said, ‘What now?’
‘He sleeps. He dreams.’
‘What is all this?’ she asked. ‘I still don’t understand.’
‘Macros the Black is attempting to rise to godhood,’ answered Pug. ‘He seeks to fill the void left by the departure of Sarig. Or Sarig created Macros the Black so that someday he would rise to replace him. Something like that.’ He pointed to the line of force. ‘That line still functions, and at the other end we’ll find the mortal body that we know as Macros, but the mind, the essence, the soul - that is here, within this being that is forming. They are one and yet different, connected yet apart.’
‘How long will it take, this rising to godhood?’ asked Miranda, not attempting to hide the awe in her voice.
‘Ages,’ answered Pug softly.
‘What do we do?’
‘We wake him up.’
The illusion that was Pug closed his eyes and focused his attentions within. Miranda felt energy building within the sorcerer and a mighty magic being forged. She waited, but when she expected some sort of release of energy, it continued to build. Soon she was in awe, for while she had thought she understood the magic arts and the limits of Pug’s talents, she saw she was wrong on both counts. After moments more, she became truly astonished, for while her own knowledge of magic was not inconsequential, this was a feat beyond her capacity.
Suddenly an explosion in the air rent the image before them. The sound of a thousand cymbals clashing rang in the air, deafening the senses. Light exploded outward, and Miranda saw something, for only an instant: the eyes of Macros opened, regarding them.
Into darkness they plunged, and the last thing she heard was a faint, plaintive ‘No!’
Pug’s mind reached out to touch her own. ‘This is difficult. I will attempt to follow him to where he flees. Our bodies will appear wherever we wish them to be, so follow me as I follow Macros.’
‘I know how,’ she answered, and sensed him leave.
Suddenly the blackness was everywhere, and for an instant Miranda felt fear, for she had no point of reference.
Then she opened her eyes.
She was cold. The stone floor of the room seemed to drain the warmth from her body, and she sat up, shivering. She was in Pug’s study at Stardock! She knew what the elven Spellweavers had told them, that their bodies would appear wherever they were needed when they returned from their spiritual journey, but she had expected to be still in Elvandar. Now she was hundreds of miles distant. Pug lay unconscious next to her, barely breathing. She had no idea how long they had been gone from Acaila and Tathar’s care, but it was clear to her that Pug was only minutes from death if he did not revive. Miranda tried to focus a spell of location to cast upon him; he might vanish at any second, and if she didn’t have the spell ready, finding him might be more difficult.
Forcing herself to clarity, she was about to chant the speD when Pug sat up. He took a gasping, painful breath and then another.
Aborting the spell, she said, ‘What?’
Pug blinked and took more deep breaths. ‘I don’t know. The line that bound Macros to Sarig was severed, and that which recoiled flew back toward Midkemia. I followed Macros’s mind and suddenly I was here.’
Miranda stood up, and Pug did likewise. Both of them were cold and stiff, and movement was difficult at first. Pug paced a little to restore circulation. ‘That’s the second time I’ve done this, and it was no more pleasant than the first.’
‘Where is Macros?’ asked Miranda.
‘He must be close by. That’s the only answer.’