Chapter 11

The following characters return from the previous Magic Ink stories:

Brian

Chief Druid, older man, tall, somewhat thin with a long white beard and hair

Etain

Sorcerers and priestess, older woman, tall, still with a nice shape, not too thin, long brown hair with silver highlights

We transferred to the O’Connell Realm arriving there at noon on Thursday, the 9th of June. We had quite a lot of baggage with us. The Twins had their wedding dresses, and I had brought a conservative suit to be married in. Additionally there were the robes for taking the test in, clothes for relaxing, and our sleeping clothes. We would all be taking the the Master’s Level exam during the day on the 10th before being married that evening.

We would need to begin the tests early in the morning to finish all three of us before the wedding. To accomplish this, we would transfer to Castlebaldwin on the 9th. Gus had arranged for hotel rooms for us back in February to be sure of getting rooms.

I hadn’t informed him that the three of us would be taking the Master’s Level test until early April. Apparently, this had created quite a controversy with the Masters and Senior Masters in the Otherworld. We could therefore expect to receive a rather stormy welcome. We had decided to have the Sisters go first to be examined since they were likely to take longer to finish. Having been a Third Level for a number of years, I expected to be able to finish in a shorter time.

The O’Connells were there to greet us when we arrived in the Glen of the Eternal Flame. We would only be here for a short time because of the difference in time between Georgia and Ireland. We all transferred to Gus’s house for our stay here.

Naturally, Annie and Sara had to see the twins’ wedding dresses, and they all went upstairs to help them don them and see what they looked like, leaving me with Gus and Sean.

“Are they really ready for the Master’s exam?” Gus asked in an earnest voice as soon as we were alone.

“They think that they are!” I told him with concern in my own voice.

“It’s only been five months since they started studying for it,” Sean said as a reminder.

“I know! I have only been studying seriously for a bit longer. I was surprised at how quickly I picked things up myself,” I told them.

“Well, we’ll find out tomorrow,” Gus said with an air of acceptance. The women returned soon after that, laughing and giggling. Gus was looking at his watch.

“We’ll need to be leaving by 3:00 because of the time difference,” he reminded the three of us.

“You should eat first,” Annie insisted. “That way you won’t need to look for dinner there.”

“You will need to be up before 6:00 in the morning. The hotel serves a light breakfast. I will pick you up just before 7:00, and we will transfer to the caves at Kesh Corran for your tests,” Gus continued.

“We’ll all join you tomorrow afternoon. You’ll need to transfer back to the hotel for your wedding dresses and suit. The wedding will take place on top of Kesh Corran. Sunset will be just before 9:00 that evening,” Sara told us.

“Yes, and there is a full moon tomorrow night!” Lesia told her excitedly before we all went to have lunch or dinner, depending on whose time you were using. The children were very quiet at lunch, but kept looking at me, as if expecting me to do something. They left quickly when we finished. Apparently they had something to do this afternoon.

Shortly before 3:00, we gathered our things and transferred back to the Glen of the Eternal Flame. Annie gave Gus a short kiss before he had us all join hands, and he started the transfer spell. We disappeared from the O’Connell Realm and instantly reappeared near a small hotel in what Gus assured us was Castlebaldwin in County Sligo, Ireland where it was just before 8:00 in the evening.

Inside the hotel, Gus handled the arrangements. We weren’t asked for passports or other ID. There were two rooms reserved in our names. We would have one, and Gus would use the other. I paid cash for the rooms for the two nights that we would have them.

The room that we had was a decent size with a large bed. There was a clothes closet with a sliding door for hanging clothing in and some drawers in a counter along the same wall as the closet. There was no television or refrigerator like in the States, but we didn’t need them. There was also a small – a very small – bathroom.

The twins hung their wedding dresses in the closet and I added my suit after I cast our wards in the floor, walls, and ceiling of the room. Having checked everything out, I brought up the main subject on my mind.

“I’m still hungry,” I told the twins.

“There is meat in the luggage,” Lesia reminded me.

“I need a snack for tonight,” I told her.

“I’ve seen your snacks. You think two pounds of meat is just right. We will need it during the test tomorrow,” Laura told me, but removed a piece of meat from a suitcase, and then removed the preservation spell on it, and the wrapper before heating it up with a spell. The smell was divine, but the meat didn’t last long with the three of us to devour it.

After cleaning up and brushing our teeth, one at a time in the really small bathroom, we were all in bed, but only to sleep tonight. We would need to be up early in the morning.

We awoke shortly before 6:00 the next morning to find the sun already well up above the horizon. The Sisters heated more of the meat while I shaved and took care of my morning business. They took care of theirs while I ate after dressing. We had decided to wear the Wizard’s robes that we used for Council meetings for the examination. Gus had told us that in the Otherworld, they wore simple robes most of the time, so we thought it appropriate.

We went down to check out the breakfast that the hotel provided at about 6:30, and met Gus there. The breakfast was a bit of a disappointment as it lacked meat, but we ate what was provided just to fill us up. Gus transferred us to the caves on Kesh Corran shortly before 7:00, since we had finished the skimpy breakfast quickly.

The view from the caves in the early morning light was spectacular. You could see the lake-dotted fertile plains of southern Sligo, east Mayo, and Rosecommon Counties. You could also see part of the Bricklieve Mountains and a portion of the Carrowkeel burial site. We bypassed the initial sixteen caves at the north end of the mountain and went up a slope to three other caves.

The entrance to the Otherworld, known locally as the Water Gallery, was just opening when we arrived, and a number of Masters and a few Senior Masters emerged to go to the regular testing stations set up some distance from the entrance in front of the other caves. Shortly, another group of five Senior Masters emerged. Four of them went to a series of chairs on the opposite side of the entrance to where the first group had gone. One older man approached Gus and us.

“Good morning, Master Brian,” Gus said with a bow, greeting him in Gaelic as the older man approached. Only Gaelic was spoken here, and a rather old dialect at that.

“Good morning, Gus. Are these the candidates for Master’s Level?” Brian asked looking at each of us in turn.

“Yes, they are, Master. This is Conrad Turner. He has been Third Level for a number of years. The ladies will be his Wives tonight. They are also here for the Master’s Level Examination,” Gus informed him pointing to each of us.

“You failed to mention the ladies Magic rank, but I can feel that their Talents are very strong. Do they believe that they are ready for the examination?” Brian asked.

“Yes, Master! We are prepared for the examination,” Laura told him with a smile.

“Who will be first then?” he asked.

“I will be first, Master,” Lesia answered in a soft voice.

“When signaled, approach the panel and stop on the flat stone in front of them,” Brian told her before returning to the others on the Examination Panel. Gus went with him as an observer of the proceedings. Laura and I sat on the ground some distance from the panel to also observe the proceedings. Master Brian soon signaled and Lesia approached the Panel and bowed. Gus had explained the procedure to us yesterday.

“How long have you been studying for the Master’s exam,” the first Master on the far left asked after Lesia had introduced herself.

“For a long time, Master. Since New Year’s,” she answered in a soft voice.

“That’s not much more than five months ago!” the second Master on the Panel commented in a harsh voice. “Hardly a long time. Many study for years to take this examination.”

“When did you start your study of Magic?” Brian, the next Master in line, asked to clarify things.

“We, my Sister and I, started our study of Magic in late September of last year, Master.”

“September!?” the forth Master in line demanded explosively. “And you started studying for the Master’s Exam on New Year’s?” he demanded.

“Yes, Master. The lower level books weren’t very interesting, but the ‘Book of Dreams’ insisted that we needed to study all of them. The Master’s Level books were much more interesting!” Lesia told him shyly.

“Interesting is not a word that we often hear in reference to the study for the Master’s Level. Hard, difficult, or drudgery are more often heard,” the fifth and last Master on the Panel stated. “What was this reference to the ‘Book of Dreams’ about?” he demanded. The others on the Panel had also noticed the reference.

“The ‘Book of Dreams’ started us on the study of Magic and aided us when we transformed,” Lesia told them. All five Masters looked decidedly uncomfortable at this last remark.

“What is it that you transform into?” Brian asked after several seconds of silence.

“A mountain lion, Master. Would you like to see me in my Were-form?” she asked eagerly.

“No, that won’t be necessary. We can take your word on that,” Brian assured her with a shiver.

The Panel then started on the Examination for Master. They were very thorough, but Lesia answered all of their questions quickly and with confidence, having no trouble with any of them much to the Masters’ amazement. After nearly four hours they were finished, and dismissed her. Laura was next.

“What is your relation to the first young lady?” Master number one asked Laura after she had introduced herself.

“She is my twin sister, Master.”

“And did you... (cough, cough) ... study together... (cough)?” the second Master asked with some difficulty.

“Yes, Master. We do everything together. Would you like a drink of water?” Laura asked with a smile, and a mug of water appeared in her hand, much to the Panels’ surprise. She handed it to the second Master.

“Where did you obtain that mug and the water?” Brian asked in surprise.

“From your station inside the cave, Master,” Laura answered.

“From inside... !!” the forth Master on the Panel asked doubtfully. “There are wards to prevent that from... !” he trailed off in amazement.

“Yes, they are O’Connell wards. The ‘Book of Dreams’ taught them to us,” Laura finished with a smile. Those on the Panel stared at her in absolute shock and horror for several seconds before panic arose to take its place.

“O’Connell, how did these ... creatures ... learn the wards around the Otherworld and how to pass through them?” Masters number one and five demanded in loud upset voices. Gus rose from his seat to answer them.

“The obvious answer is from the ‘Book of Dreams’. All of the O’Connells have learned our wards either directly from it, or learned how to create our own wards from it,” he told them.

“But they aren’t O’Connells! They are ... Weres!” Master number two said in an accusing voice along with a shudder.

“You are all Senior Masters. Why are you so afraid of Weres – Changelings?” Gus demanded.

“It’s because of what some of them can change into,” Brian answered more calmly. “In the past there were those who could change into nightmare creatures that our ancestors had no way of stopping.”

“But we aren’t like that,” Laura objected. “We and the others that we know change into animals that are well known – lions, tigers, bears, buffalo, wolves, and other animals. There are no devils or monsters,” Laura told them. I had moved up to her side during this discussion.

“Black Magic has been outlawed by the Eternal Flame. That may have been where your devils and other creatures came from,” I told them.