He moved to the door of the study and opened it, hurrying down the stairs of the tower. He pushed open the lower door and almost knocked over a young student whose eyes widened. ‘Master Pug!’ he exclaimed.
Pug and Miranda ignored the startled student and moved toward the main entrance to the Academy. As they passed, students and teachers both turned to stare, and by the time they reached the main entrance to Stardock, the calling of his name had almost become a chant: ‘Pug! Pug!’
Pug was breathless from excitement. ‘I can feel him! He’s close by.’
Miranda said, ‘I can, too.’
They went outside and looked around. Pug pointed. ‘There!’
At the edge of the lake a knot of excited students had gathered, and Pug could hear Nakor’s voice shouting, ‘Stand back!’
A man hung in the air, and Pug could sense the energies that danced around him. He was a beggar by his look, filthy, wearing only a dirty loincloth, his hair and beard a dirty mat, but he exuded power. The air sparkled as he seemed to be drawn up in the air, along the thread of energy that Pug had followed from the Celestial City.
Pug and Miranda hurried to where the students were assembled, and Pug ordered, ‘Stand aside.’
One looked over his shoulder. ‘Master Pug!’ At the sound of his name, others backed away.
Sitting at the edge of the water were Nakor and Sho Pi, watching in rapt attention as the man hovered in the air.
‘Do you see?’ said Nakor as Pug came up to him. ‘He attempts to rise, but that other force, that thing in the air, it’s falling back here, toward the water.’
If Nakor felt any surprise at Pug’s appearance at Stardock, he did not show it. ‘Something marvelous has happened,’ said Nakor, ‘and soon we shall know a truth.’ He glanced at Pug. ‘Or maybe you know it already.’
The beggar floated down into the water, where he sat, waist deep. Pug watched as the thread of energy coiled down from the sky and at last seemed to vanish into the water around the man. He was weeping.
Pug moved into the water and knelt next to the man. ‘Macros?’
After a moment, the slender man turned to regard Pug. In a hoarse whisper he said, ‘Do you know what you’ve done? I was on the verge of godhood.’ He closed his eyes for a moment and a sob shook his shoulders. Then he took a deep breath. ‘The knowledge, the understanding - it’s leaving, like water spilling from a vessel too shallow to hold it.’ He pointed to his own head and closed his eyes, as if trying to hold onto some image. At last he went on, ‘It’s as if I saw the universe in its entirety, but was looking through a hole in a fence, and as you pull me back from the fence I see less and less by the second . . . Moments ago I could have told you the secrets of the universe! Now, even as I try to remember, concepts fall away from me and all I’m left with is the knowledge of what I’ve lost! Years of work undone.’
‘We had need,’ said Pug softly.
‘My time here was done!’ insisted Macros, standing and looking at his successor. His knees were wobbly. ‘It was not your place to call me back. My next mission was beyond your understanding.’
‘Obviously not,’ said Miranda.
Macros looked to the woman without recognition. Then his eyes narrowed. ‘Miranda?’
‘Hello, Daddy,’ said the young woman. ‘It’s been a while.’
Pug turned, his face showing surprise.
Nakor laughed as he said, ‘ “Daddy”?’
Macros the Black, sorcerer of legend, glanced from Pug to Miranda and said, ‘We need to talk.’ He took a deep breath and said, ‘I think I’ve regained my composure.’
‘Good,’ said Miranda, ‘because we’re about to hand you another shock.’
Macros paused and seemed to brace himself. ‘All right, what is it?’
‘It’s Mother,’ answered Miranda. ‘She’s trying to destroy the world.’
Even Nakor could barely contain his astonishment at that remark. Finally Macros said, ‘I need a drink.’
Miranda wrinkled her nose. ‘First you need a bath.’
While Macros bathed, Miranda, Pug, and Nakor sat in Pug’s study. Sho Pi was attending the needs of the sorcerer, and Pug was opening a bottle of particularly good wine from Darkmoor.
‘You need to share something with me,’ said Miranda.
Pug looked at his lover and said, ‘Seems we both need to do some sharing. “Daddy”?’
Nakor grinned. ‘I think that would make me your stepfather, except I was Jorna’s first husband, and Macros her second.’
‘She called herself Jania when I was born,’ said Miranda. She seemed oblivious to the little man’s delight in all this, and instead revealed what looked to be barely controlled fury. To Pug she said, ‘That stunt of yours in the Celestial City, when you removed Macros from the consciousness of Sarig-’
‘What!’ said Nakor, his eyes wide. ‘I must hear of this.’
‘What about it?’ said Pug.
‘I could feel what you were doing.’
‘And?’