A Tale of Two Realms: Written in the Hand of your Servant. Part 2:

Kalagarr the Magus - Frisian/Scainborough Border.

The Magus was in his memory palace in the Realm, his body half-conscious, as he tilted in his saddle. He was practicing a new casting power for Ethereal control. Wondering if he could fully enter the Realm of Spirits without losing power over his body, and leaving it exposed. Or if he could use all the energy he had stored in his memory palace and use it all in the world.

Fool. It will never work. I am not strong enough to do that, and I can't tap directly into the Two Suns.

Kalagarr was from Blintnadd, in the Kingdom of Skaalar. Every Sage from Skaalar tapped into the Two Suns for Power using their Gift, through the medium of the wind. Those from Scainborough used the ice, and from Frisia, the earth. Few Sages ever tapped into the Two Suns directly, and those that did seldom retained their sanity.

The Two Suns were pedestals which the Sages from the Tridom looked for to use their Gift. The Two Suns were a source for Healing and Ethereal sorcery. Then there were the Four Moons. The Four Moons were the source for Violence and Tactical sorcery. One moon for offence, and one for defense, respectively.

Many a wizard and magus debated on which of the four points of the Gift was the strongest. Many agreed that it was Violence. The King's Magus knew it to be Ethereal. For without the power to enter the Realm of Spirits - without seeking aid - rendered you a weak Sage. The Realm was where the real magic and work began.

He cleared his mind and tried again. He entered back into his body without a single spasm. He was used to such things now. Gathering power from the wind, he tried to enter the Realm and stay conscious. Failed.

Tried again. Failed.

Casting power like this drained him. Easily enough, he could have reached out and sucked in power from nearby life forces, or from his guards, but he did not care for that now. He detested subsuming others, even though he once did it himself. He closed his eyes and he was in his mansion again. She looked at him with passive eyes. Mary. His one true love.

Once upon a time.

'You know it won't work, why try again?' she inquired.

'I must know,' he replied. 'I've been working on this casting for months. It must work. I've imbued my spirit with magic. I need to know, and it has been gnawing at me since the start. How am I to help my King if I do not know all the answers to the explanation of the Gift?'

'Stubborn fool. Vile knave. That's like asking why was the Gift ever given to us in the first place? There is not a way, at all, to explain why you cannot cast a spell in the Realm and remain conscious, save for one fact.'

'And that is?' He paced around his palace, and sat down in one of his chairs. Here, in his memory, he was young again, and very muscular. Very much in sharp contrast to himself in the world, where he is old, withered - How old am I again? he thought. She was very beautiful though, exactly how he remembered her. A shame she had to die so young, but he thanked her everyday for giving him her powers.

'You are not strong enough, and never will be, without some help. You cannot tap into the Two Suns, nor the Four Moons directly. Until you do that, there will always be someone better than you, and I think they've already been born. I can feel raw power screaming from Fjordrin. The boy, Kal. You must teach the boy when he is older, so he can teach you. Link with him when you reach him, and aid him. He will help you better yourself.'

He looked confused. 'I don't understand-'

'You don't need to,' she smirked. 'The knowledge will come manifest itself in front of you in due course. For now, you must wait.' She paused. 'Come, embrace me like we used to. Like how when we were both young and alive, and we had not a care in the world. When you were the New King's Magus, and I was pregnant with your son. How I wanted that son, my sweet. But we were both taken from you, and that makes me most sad. But fret not, I gave myself and my Gift up to you willingly enough when you subsumed me. I knew you could not let me go. Our link has transcended death. Be proud of that, Kalagarr. That was all you.'

He smiled, felt proud, embraced her, kissed her, and forgot all about his worries.

He awoke in the saddle some time later. Dazed, but happy. He also found his hose to be soaked by a semi-liquid material. He motioned his guards to set camp, and dismounted. He walked Honour, his brown destrier, to the picket lines with all the other horses and tied him up. It was near nightfall, and the area was easily guarded. He changed his hose to a crisp new grey linen one. He adored grey.

He lay down and tried to sleep for a while, but it would not come easy. Whilst talking to Mary the party had travelled around fifteen miles after rocky terrain. They were in Scainborough, at last. He reminisced about his time under the tutelage of Haldon, the Old King's Magus. Or as Kalagarr knew him, the Sleepy Magus. And fell asleep.

Dawn came and they struck camp.

He wondered where Mykel Barnsley was. He was told in the hand of William Barnsley, by way of a raven, that Mykel's company would accompany him the rest of the way to Fjordrin. But he was nowhere to be seen.

He opened his palm and scanned the area, searching for power. And found nothing.

The party continued upwards into some mountains, and came down the other side. He went into the Realm. 'Where are they?' he shouted aloud in his head. His voice in the Realm, however, came out at a normal conversational tone, as it always did.

'I see them not, either, Magus. Perhaps they missed you? Wait .... do you hear that?' She walked over to the door in his memory palace. There was a sharp knock. 'Who  is it?' They both waited in anticipation.

'Mykel Barnsley.' She opened the door, and Mykel walked inside. 'Forgive me, Herr Magus, I have used an aura of concealment to protect my men, for there are bandits in the forthcoming woods and forests. My men will be upon yours shortly, but I fear for your small party. I suggest you return to your body and assume command. Time is of the essence,' he urged.

'Time in the Realm matters little to outside matters,' Kalagarr said. 'Tell me what you know about these lands, young one.' He smiled to take out any sting that his response might have added. 'I need to know. To protect my men.'

Mykel beamed. 'Very well. Take your men north-east and due north from here on. You will find a dry river bed. It used to branch out to the GreatRiver until a meander further upstream collapsed and fed no more water this way. There you can conceal your party of ten easily enough from the western side where the bandits would surely come. We shall see you from the other side, and hit the bandits with arrows, with a little help from you, please, as our arrows won't reach them.'

'Done.' He turned to Mary. 'Back later, my sweet.' He entered his body, opened his eyes-