Chapter 2

Characters introduced in this chapter:

The Wizard

Master Wizard of Leinster House, a tall older man of indeterminate age with a beard going gray.

We were up early the next morning, and dressed for a day touring the city. We didn't wear anything too formal like a suit, or anything too sloppy like ragged jeans. Slacks and sports shirts along with comfortable pairs of athletic walking shoes completed our outfit. We left the backpacks in the room and returned our suits from last night to our closets at home. We also checked our wards around the room before we left. No one had attempted to get into the room, or interfere with the wards. Like they could!?

After a satisfying breakfast, we set off to see the city. We had read several tourists books and our Parents and Grandparents had recommended a number of places for us to visit.

While we were impressed with a number of sites, especially the Cathedrals, Trinity College, Dublin Castle, and the tour of the Guinness Brewery, as they were all very nice, much of the rest of the city was unimpressive. It was too much like those areas near our home now. Access by the public to what remained of Georgian Dublin was very restricted with a few exceptions. To say that we were NOT impressed with modern day Dublin would be putting it mildly. It was too much like the rest of the modern 2070's world to suit us.

"Have you had enough of modern Dublin?" Kell asked me later that evening.

"Yes! I believe that we can leave in the morning," I told him. We were so unimpressed that we returned to the hostel after a fine dinner in one of the better restaurants in Dublin. We weren't interested in touring any of the Pubs or clubs.

Wednesday morning, the 4th of June, we were up early, washed up and showered down the hall in the communal bath. We returned all of our 21st century clothing home except for what we would be wearing for breakfast and on the way to the park. We removed our wards from the room, turned in our key, and had breakfast in a cafe next to the hostel.

After breakfast we retraced our route of two days ago to Phoenix Park and strolled through the main entrance and up the road until we came to the turn off that led to the tree covered area where the Band Stand was located. We turned in there, and under the secluded trees near the Band Stand we changed into our Apprentice robes and sandals. Our other clothes were stashed in the now partly empty backpacks before starting the spell and its glyph to transfer us from Dublin in this Reality to the Dublin in the Other Reality. We were just finishing the powerful spell when one of the Park's employees came through to check the area.

"Here now! What are you doing here?" he demanded indignantly from some fifty feet away. Kell and I both smiled at him and added the accumulated Magic that we held in our left hands to the glyphs held by the fingers of our right hands and vanished from his ken.

The Dublin of 2170 AC (After Cingetorix, see Magic Ink III, chapter 3) in the Other Reality was quite different from the Dublin in our Reality. It more closely resembled the Dublin of the early to mid 17th century in our Reality, as it was still a small walled town.

The area around Dublin in both Realities had seen settlers and farmers for a considerable time before the coming of the Vikings to establish a town, Dyflin, from the Gaelic Dubh Linn or Black Pool, on the south bank of the Liffey River. There was already a Gaelic settlement, Ath Cliath (Ford of Hurdles) located in the immediate area.

The new town of Dyflin was soon fortified with a ditch and an earth rampart with a wooden palisade on top of it. It wasn't until the 12th century in both Realities that stone walls appeared around most of Dublin. The Norsemen also erected an artificial hill or knoll where their Thing met to make laws and try cases. The Thingmote, or hill rose 40 feet high and had a circumference of 240 feet, or was about 76 feet in diameter.

The Daner or Vikings ruled Dublin for almost three centuries, though there were many wars between the Irish and the Vikings during that time, and Dublin was sacked several times. The Vikings eventually became a minor political force in Ireland, opting instead to concentrate on the commercial trade. Their rule of Dublin ended in 1271 AC when the King of Leinster, Darmot Mac Murrough, captured the city. Hasculf Thorgillsson, the last Viking King of Dublin, attempted to retake the city, but the attempt failed and he was killed.

The Irish had always fought among themselves and without the influence of Christianity and a strong Catholic Church to calm their hearts, they were still at it in 2170 AC. Dublin, however, was considered neutral ground because of its influential trade relations. The city had been devastated by fire (always a hazard where most structures were built of wood) and plague several times, but had always been rebuilt and repopulated. Eventually more structures were built of stone or brick, and sanitation was improved somewhat.

Magic had of course had an important part in all of this, as both those engaged in the fighting and the trading had made use of it for their own purposes. At the present time, the Irish held the south bank of the Liffey and the descendants of the Vikings populated the north bank.

Without the problems caused by the Norman conquest and English rule, the Irish had continued to develop in ways not seen in our Reality, but at a very much slower pace.

We instantly reappeared in the Dublin of 2170 AC. There was no Phoenix Park here, and we were now out in a field a fair distance from the city proper. We set out for the nearest part of the city through the knee high grass.

We had no trouble gaining access to the city. With our Apprentice robes, red hair, and freckles, we fit right in. We came to a scattering of houses on the outskirts of the city on the north bank and just walked right into town. From there a street led south to a bridge that crossed the Liffey. It was the sole bridge crossing the river at Dublin at present in this Reality. We did receive some hard looks from the guards at the gate tower, as we entered the city but that was all.

This Dublin was still a walled city with multiple gates and towers. There was also the Castle of the King of Dublin, or the representative of the High King at other times, depending on how the political winds were blowing.

We quickly discovered that even though there was no Christian community of the Catholic Church here, the places where there had been large or even medium size churches in our Reality were the locations of the fortified houses of the wealthy and powerful. They could belong to either Irish royalty or rich merchant families - some Irish and some Dane or Viking.

We quickly headed for one of these houses. It was the one located where St. Patrick's Cathedral was located in our Reality. It was a large and impressive building of stone, and was actually located south of the main walls of the city, but still within the secondary walls. It was surely as strong as Dublin Castle if not as large.

Arriving there we asked for instruction from the resident Wizard. We were admitted and shown to a small side room where we were instructed to wait. While we waited, we checked the entire Dublin area for the presence of those with Talents. Dublin itself had a considerable background signature of Magic use. The signature came from all parts of the city in a constant barrage to those who could sense it. Our arrival would hardly be noticed in the general background signature.

Of more concern to us, however, was the fact that there were few really strong Talents that we detected. One was coming from this building. Several lesser ones were coming from the other such buildings in the city. We soon detected the strongest Talent coming in our direction. A tall older man in the robes of a Master Wizard, with a beard that was going gray, soon entered the room that we were waiting in. We had risen in respect to greet him.

"So two more Apprentices," he said on entering the room. "Why have you come to Leinster House?" he demanded in a strong voice.

"We seek instruction in Magic, Master, and you are known to be a powerful Wizard who could teach us much," I told him. I thought that Kell might laugh out loud at what I had said, but his face remained quiet and intent.

"And get some nice hot meals and a warm, dry place to sleep no doubt," the Wizard replied. Kell cracked just the barest of smiles at this.

"You could have gone to The Colledges for instruction. Have you tried there?" he demanded.

"No, Master. We have not," Kell answered.

"I see. Just how long have you been in Dublin?" he demanded next.

"We arrived today, Master," I told him.

"Today!! And you came here immediately?" he demanded in a rage.

"Leinster House is well known for the power of its resident Wizard," Kell answered.

"And just where is it so well known?" the Wizard demanded next.

"In the village of Rath Lurie in County Cork," I answered. The Master's face brightened for an instant before a frown took its place.

"That is rather far to the south of here for anyone to have heard of the Wizard of Leinster House," he said.

"Our Mothers were both very vocal in their praise of you," Kell replied.

"So you're not twins then?" the Wizard asked.

"No, Master. Our Mothers are twins, and our Fathers are first cousins," I replied.

"That could account for the close resemblance that you bear to each other," he said before changing the subject.

"How long have you been studying Magic?" he asked next.

"Since we were six," Kell replied.

"Six!?" was the startled reply.

"Yes, our Fathers are Wizards of some little Talent," I told him, but was worried about that infectious grin of Kell's.

"Still the Guild would take a very dim view of that," the Master replied.

"Not much is seen of the Guild where we live, Master," Kell replied with that grin of his.

"Not much seen?" came the reply.

"Our village is far out in the country," Kell told him.

"Still, there should be a representative near there."

"There is one, Master, but he is a very old man and doesn't leave his village or even his house much," I told him.

"We can leave that aside for now," the Master told us with a wave of his hand. "I believe that we need a demonstration of what you have learned already, but make it something that doesn't require a lot of preparation. We'll begin with ... what are your names?" he asked.

"I am Kennard Curran O'Connell," I told him with a short bow. "I'm called Ken," I added.

"I am Kellen Conroy O'Connell. I'm called Kell," Kell told him, also with a bow.

"Ken and Kell! Very interesting," the Master said, but did not give us his name, as knowing his name could give us power over him if we were powerful enough. He didn't know that we were powerful enough to do whatever we wished without his name ... not yet he didn't.

"You may proceed ... Ken," he said next.

The room instantly turned ice cold. I had cast the spell and its glyph while Kell and the Master were speaking and just added the Magic to the glyph when he said to proceed. The Master's jaw instantly dropped in surprise, as the chill penetrated into his clothing. I had tapped into arctic winter air to do the cooling.

"How... ?" the Master started, regaining his senses. Just as he was turning toward me, he was hit by a searing gust of blast furnace heat as Kell changed the air again for air coming from the smelting furnaces of Mother Petra's clan. The Master turned back toward him again, but couldn't say anything in the scalding heat. We both then changed the air in the room several times for the more normal air of Dublin this time of year. The Master stood there saying nothing for a short time while he recovered.