Date: Fri, 12 May 2023 23:15:42 -0700 From: Juxepe Albi Subject: The Grand Foaglarte Chapter 1-3 Some of the alphabetical characters and words will be unfamiliar to the casual reader; and to simplify matters, I have added phonetic approximations of their pronunciation the first time they are encountered--something I have frequently wished for in other peoples' writings. - t/t The Grand Fóäglæte Book I Chapter 1 - The Story of Conler I was an army brat; at least, that was what my Mum always told me. My Pop was an officer in the Folk Army of Garralæ [GAHR-ah-lay]. He was the bravest man alive, according to her; that's why he kept getting promotions. He kept getting promotions; and we kept having to move from one base to another. The Nerèfa'äts [neh-REF-ah-ahts] had conquered our homeland----and, indeed, the rest of our world; my family was forced to leave their ancestral home in Capital City; leaving behind that, and everything else they ever had known. Our country, Garralæ, was famous for its mines. We had mines for just about everything, it seemed. We had coal for fuel, sulphur for gunpowder, natron, to mix with sapindary berries for making soap, and a variety of precious metals: gold, silver, platinum, among other things, that we traded between neighboring groups for food and other necessities. We also had caves, not little hole-in-the-ground caves, but enormous, cavernous caves filled with stalactites and stalagmites; and that's where our people now lived. The Nerèfa'äts were vicious and cruel; but they never ventured into caves. That seemed to be their only weakness. They came in stolen starships that they didn't build, and didn't have the technology to repair. They had conquered our world with their weapons----but they were afraid of caves. My name is Conler Treadwell, and I was born at our home in a residence in one of those caverns. My grandfather had owned several of these cavern properties, which had been converted into somewhat grand domiciles; and my mother and her half-brother, Dewi, had inherited one of the nicest ones from their mother's family. Their parents had perished in an explosion on their way here from Capital City, where they lived in the warmer months of the year. My uncle, Dewi Febland-Nithercott, his wife Gruffudda, and his two sons, Dewi and Emris, were living in military housing at the far-off place across the sea to the northeast, where he was stationed. We were very lucky that there was a large settlement of an indigenous people called the Túath Dé there, as we had no doctors in our entire group; and my Mum had what she had called a "difficult pregnancy." The Túath Dé had healers, if only a very few; and Mum did not hesitate to ask for their help. My Pop had been sent to a military installation thousands of kilometers away on a `temporary' assignment, when I decided to be born; and a Túath Dé couple came to our home to help my mother with my birthing. Ever heard of Fóäglætion [FOE-ah-GLY-shun]? That's what they called it. The Túath Dé couple "laid hands" on my tiny body, saying I was too small, and born too early to survive without it. Fóäglætion was a granting of powers that I would need, they told Mum, in order for me to survive. While they were at it, they performed the Greater Rituals of Æsclepian Ápokátástasis and of Pherecydean Metempsúkhōsis, and the Spell of Telectovitis, or Funnel of Telectovital Manipulation for good measure. We will go into those later. [ess-CLAY-pee-ahn AH-po-KAH-TAHSS-tah-siss, fer-eh-SIH-dee-ahn me-temp-SOOK-oh-siss, teh-LEK-toe-VY-tahl. See Glossary]. And survive, I did--and how! The old couple called themselves my Granáthair [grandfather] and Granmáthair [gran-MAH-thair]. I didn't have any living grandparents, or grandsires, as the Túath Dé called them; but I did have a Granáthair and a Granmáthair. Chapter 2 - Granáthair and Granmáthair The Túath Dé are a Magickal race living underground in our country and in other countries of our world. Goibniu ní Boudicca [GOV-nu nee buh-DEE-kah] was the name of my Granáthair; a goldsmith, working with the precious metals from the mines--also a powerful Mage, and Tribal Chief of the Garralæ Settlement. He had encountered my Pop during one of the army's practice "field operations" in a large cavern; and his wife, Moné [moh-NAY], had helped when three of Pop's men were badly injured, far down in the cavern's depths. Moné was a powerful sorceress and teacher; but even with her lovely modest, grandmotherly manner, she was Monédæn dí Boudicca d'Iceni [moh-NAY-dahn dee buh-DEE-kah dee-SAY-nee], Crown-Princess of all the Túath Dé, and the descendant of Béothach, son of Iarbonel. A list of names thoroughly foreign to me, even now. [BAY-oh-tahk, YAR-bo-nell] They referred to us as Humans, and called themselves the Túath Dé. There didn't seem to be any difference that I could tell between us; but Mum said they were another race. They spoke with a strange accent that didn't sound like other people we knew; but they looked almost the same, except their clothes were different, too. When they were really dressed up, they wore robes that had gold rope sewn in designs on the cloth. Mum said it was real gold. When I was five years old, they took us to a grand auditorium and presented me to the other Túath Dé in a Welcoming Ceremony. I had to wear a robe that they had brought to me; and it had that fancy gold braid all over it, along with some colorfully bright jade cabochons----that's what they called them. They let me keep the robe, saying it would be made larger, when I was larger. Mum said they were talking about making it larger using Magick; and sure enough, when I was ten, and really quite unnaturally tall, strong, and mature for my age, they made the robe larger, much larger, so that I could wear it to my Second Presentation Ceremony, adding a gold pin with an insignia of some sort. They also gave me a heavy gold medallion on a gold chain, to wear around my neck. Moné, my Granmáthair, said that the ceremony made me an honorary Túath Dé, and recognized me as the first Human to be so honored in at least a millennium----a thousand years! I couldn't begin to comprehend how long that was. Later on, I learned that this particular ceremony was performed when the recipient had reached puberty. I didn't know how they had known; but they had. Chapter 3 - Discovered When Pop finally returned from the army, he was not the same man he had been when he left. The Nerèfa'äts had captured his entire patrol, and tortured all of them to death, except Pop, who somehow had managed to hang onto life. He had survived, true, but just barely; and only because he was discovered by a longtime friend, in a military hospital in far-distant Barrzuijk [BAHR-zwick, a country on the continent of Raýff [RAH-eef], on the opposite side of our world, would he ever have been able to come home again. His memory was gone--so bad were his injuries, physical and mental. It had taken a very long time for him to recover; and even now, he was not completely cured. Mum had warned me about Pop's superstitions and prejudices regarding Magick; and I was to display none of my "abilities" in front of him. When I said I had survived, it was an understatement. I had grown tall and muscular; with my almost white, blond hair and my intense blue eyes, it was almost impossible to believe that I had once been premature and sickly. I was only ten years old, but just under six feet tall, and had already entered an early puberty. Pop couldn't understand how I possibly could be his son. In his mind, he had been gone only a few months, although nearly eleven years had passed. When Pop accidentally came outside the cavern one morning, while I was training, he was seized with what had looked to me like a convulsion. I had been standing under an aspen, arms outspread, totally covered with bluebirds. One bluebird, in our part of the country, was a rarity; I had had over thirty of them perched on my head, hands, shoulders, and outstretched arms. I hadn't seen Pop right away, but turned at the strangling noises he was making before he collapsed. I rushed to him, with the birds following. When I placed my hand on his feverish head, I could feel the fierce turbulence swirling in his mind. I concentrated on the center of it, calming, soothing and smoothing the dark matter until I felt it it begin to disperse. This was something that was all new to me. I had never tried any curative or healing exercises; and I was really surprised when he opened his eyes and smiled at me. "Conler!" Mum called frantically, rushing toward us. "What happened?" "I'm not sure, Mum," I answered, although I knew full well what he had seen, and that it had disturbed him greatly. "Pádraic [PAD-rik]? Are you well?" she asked Pop. "I feel better than I have in months, my love," he answered, getting to his feet all by himself, and taking her hand. "That's wonderful, darling. I've been so worried about you," Mum said to him. She ushered him back into the cavern, but returned right away. "What happened, Conler?" she asked. "He saw me with the bluebirds!" I replied. "Oh, no!" she said, putting her hand on her mouth. "What happened?" "He had sort of a seizure, and fainted. I felt his forehead; it was hot. I soothed him," I replied. "You soothed him?" she asked. "Yes. I know I haven't done any of that yet; but it seemed to work. You heard what he said, about feeling better," I replied. "It certainly seems that he does feel better from it," she said. "I should talk to Moné. Maybe she could teach me more, and faster. I know she told me I would learn as I mature; but, if it would help Pop, I should do as much as I can, and as soon as possible," I replied. "I don't want you to bother her," Mum said. "Does someone need me?" Moné asked, coming out the main cavern entrance. "You could sense we were talking about you?" Mum asked, astounded. "Oh, yes!" Moné answered. "Every good granmáthair keeps track of her own. And, in as much as Conler is the only Grand Fóäglæte recipient in many generations, we tend to spend a lot of time watching over him. No one still living has had an opportunity to see the results of such a gifting. "I'm very proud of your healing of your father this morning, Conler. It was masterful, especially for a first-time novice. It was absolutely remarkable!" "Thank you, Granmáthair Moné," I answered. "Call me Moné, Conler. I think you should come by the school for some exercises," she suggested. "Perhaps we will hurry along your progress; in as much as you seem to be doing so well on your own. We also have a new set of martial arts instructors. Even with Magick, it is a good idea to have your body as fit as your mind." "I will do as you say," I answered. I was anxious for her help to progress at a faster rate. The next day when I went outside, the bluebirds had gathered without my being there. They seemed agitated and four or five of them flew a short distance away from me before stopping. Another half-dozen flew to them, then another--I didn't know why; but it seemed they wanted me to follow them into the forest. When I started toward them, the remaining birds flew slightly farther, then farther. They stopped, forming a circle--in the center was one of their flock lying on the ground on its side. When they made way for me, I went to it and picked it up. Its tail-feathers were damaged and one leg seemed to be bent unnaturally--it was obviously broken. Holding the injured bird in my left hand, I straightened the leg, covered it with my right and concentrated, feeling the wrongness in its small body. There seemed to be no other damage, except for its leg, although some feathers were missing. After a few moments, it began to stir in my hand; and when I uncovered it, it struggled, then slowly rose and stood on my palm. The leg no longer was broken--somehow, I had healed the broken bone! I had no idea whatsoever how I had accomplished that. By that time, I was again covered with the entire flock of bluebirds. Two or three of them landed on my fingers and palm; and in only minutes, my former patient flew away with them. I couldn't wait to tell Moné. Meanwhile, the Febland-Nithercotts had returned, too--Uncle Dewi had been retired from the military and was somewhat disabled by injuries received during the war--nothing as serious as Pop had received. Technically, they owned half of our house, but Pop bought them a bit fancier place not too far away from ours; and they were happy to accept it in lieu of living with us. Technically, our house was large enough for both families; but Aunt Gruffudda, Pop's elder sister was too bossy, I heard Mum say to Pop. My cousin Dewi was a year older than I was, but I looked fifteen and he looked to be about six. His younger brother was nine, but he was a head taller--and I was a head taller yet. Both boys were what Mum called stand-offish. "Aunt Gruffy," as I called her behind her back, thought I was a smart-aleck upstart because my parents never treated me like a small unaware child, which was a perfect description of Dewi Owen and Emris Digory, which is how their mother addressed them. In our home, I was as much a part of the conversation as Mum and Pop. My aunt expected to be the conversation all by herself. She had no Magick, nor did anyone in her family--worse yet, she didn't have a clue that anyone else did either. It seemed to me that she still thought of Pop as being her kid brother. Their first Saturday morning at the Settlement, they arrived at our house unannounced, as always, and found me in the edge of our woods covered in over twenty bluebirds. I had my back to them; and it wouldn't have been all that serious except for the fact that I was floating about a meter off the ground. Auntie fainted and my two cousins were virtually hysterical--not with fright, but with envy. Pop was fishing at the river, so Mum had to endure Auntie's raving afterward she came back to herself. She would not be convinced that I had not, in some way, tricked her into thinking I was floating in the air. The boys had no trouble at all believing I was real, and I suddenly became their best buddy. I had them flying in the air with me as soon as Auntie disappeared into the house. "Can you teach us to do this?" Emris asked, who was younger, but wiser than his brother. "I don't know," I answered. "If you have any Magick ability, it's possible." But experiments with telepathy were mediocre with Emris and non-existent with Dewi. It seemed that concentration was virtually impossible for either of them. They couldn't be quiet long enough to allow me to try to speak mind-to-mind; although Emris got fragments of one of my Sendings--maybe with practice...maybe. Gradually, Emris' ability increased quite a bit. He worked very hard to achieve a reasonably functioning manna pool; but, unfortunately, very simple spells left him destitute. At this stage he simply could not actively replace his aythar [AYE-thahr] fast enough. I was not able to help him; which was frustrating for me. He did, however, teach me about the birds and bees, boy-wise. I had been unbelievably innocent before his tutelage, and thoroughly enjoyed the things he taught. Please consider supporting Nifty with your donation to https://donate.nifty.org/ Funds used to continue these free stories