Journal 2
Journal – Marcus Cole
May 15, 2001
Ever since returning from The Tower in the Argent, I decided to keep a journal. I haven’t had much of anything interesting to add, until now.
Several days ago I was working on welding a new storage facility for the town, when one of the griffins flew in. A few people freaked; I was used to seeing them. It took a moment to calm them down. Jake, my younger brother found one and has bonded to it. I have my suspicions about that happening by accident, but that’s just me. I held out my arm for it to climb on. Meeting its gaze, it touched my mind a relayed a message. Marcus I need you in the Argent woods immediately. It was in Ian’s voice. Well I agreed to help him whenever he needed it.
I let everyone know that the Wizard Argent needed me. They were only too happy to let me go. I went home a let Ma know that I had business to do for Argent. She have me a hung and kiss and told me to go. She still hasn’t grasped the reality of my change fully, but she’s working on it. As I was leaving, the griffin came back carrying a ring. “Put it on,” it said. No sooner was the ring on my hand then there was a flash of light and I was standing in a forest. Looking at the mix of pine and leafed trees, I figured that I was back in The Argent Wood.
“Well that was sooner than I expected.” I turned around and was facing a clearing. Ian was attending what looked like a fire pit, but it was filled with stones, herb bundles and other materials. He still was dressed in his black and grays, but for the first time he was in work clothes, gray t-shirt and black jeans. He winked and smiled. “Even wizards have to work sometimes.”
Surrounding the pit on the bare earth were designs. Shapes, runes and pictures surrounded filled the area. These were drawn with colored sand and powdered silver.
“Soooo, what are you doing here?” I asked.
“Well that’s an involved question. The final results I am looking for is to expand and protect the forest.” He said.
“So, why don’t you do your voodoo and enchant the woods. I don’t think the trees will mind.”
“If I would I could, but I don’t have a green thumb. So I need to get a hold of others who are much better at it. In essence I’m subcontracting.”
I watched him and smiled. He never did anything for just one reason. “And the other reasons….”
Ian smiled and studied me for a moment. “Alright. If I have someone else do this, then their focus will be the woods and protecting it instead of me doing it directly. Besides this world could do with having little more magic in it.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon finishing setting up the conjuration. My main job was going to be setting the contents of the fire pit ablaze at the proper time during the ritual. The materials must all ignite at the same time. Since most of his energies would be directed into controlling the magic, I would be essential.
The sun was setting when the ritual started. Both Ian and I had our own circles within the design to stand in. Shortly after it began my left arm began to throb where the tattoo was. The hair on my back stood as I could feel power rising all around me. It was then that I realized that I was more of an essential part of the ritual than I realized. I had become another focus but wasn’t sure as to my exact purpose. Magic surged around and through me. The Ian’s voice grew as twilight approached. His mind touched mine and I trigged my power. Normally I can sense my power reaching out to the fire, but this time I felt it and the magic rushing through me as the fire exploded into life.
Twilight fell and the fire roared. Shapes and images danced within the flame. The whole mass seemed to pulse and dance in cadence to the wizard’s words. Suddenly the flames died and left the pit full of a glowing light. It was a green color, like sunlight falling through leaves and rippled like water.
At a word and a gesture from Ian the light surged into the air creating a kind of an arch. He began to speak word of imploring. The night was completely silent except for the wind through the trees. All of the sudden the wind picked up, blowing harder and harder, seeming to circle around the arch. It roared to a crescendo and stopped. A moment later someone stepped through the arch, then another and another. They were all women.
I don’t remember a lot after that. I was kind of lost watching them. Ian must have introduced me to them but I don’t remember much about them except they were completely naked. They smiled coyly and whispered to me, causing my head to swim like I had too much to drink.
Ian seemed to eventually realize this, sent the ladies away and said he would ‘walk me home”. We were walking through the woods and suddenly we were in front of my house. I turned to thank him, but he was gone. That night I had some really weird dreams that I am NOT writing about here.
I haven’t had a chance to write for a day or so, but I have heard from one or our riders that it appears that the forests of Bastrop and Buscher parks are beginning to grow. Though there appears to be no new growth, the groups of trees appear to be expanding outwards and towards each other at an exceptional rate. Within the month the two woods may become one…
Things are likely to get reeaaally interesting from here on in.
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2001 by Michael Liebhart, and may not be
-- reprinted without permission.
-- Otherverse as an apocalyptical setting is an original creation of Dylan Clearbrook
-- Some characters in Otherverse stories are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook,
-- Jason Froikin, Michael Liebhart, Jason Gasper, or Eddie Cunningham and may not
-- be used without express permission of the respective author
-- Supergirl and some other characters are property of D.C. Comics
-- Dr. Doom and some other characters are property of Marvel Comics