The Book of Magic (9 page)

Brionna preferred to wear a loose-fitting robe woven from sturdy barkcloth, whose greenish brown color helped her blend into the forest. Often, she would sit or stand completely motionless, appreciating the many wonders of the woodland realm. In doing that, she found moments of great joy. Yet she also experienced times of great sorrow, and those memories sometimes felt even more painful than her wounds from a slave master's whip.

Catha

This silver-winged falcon is the
maryth
of the Drumadian priest
Lleu
, great-grandson of
Lleu of the One Ear
. Brave and bold, as well as intensely loyal, she is very similar in spirit to the hawk
Trouble
, who befriended
Merlin
ages ago. Appropriately, she is named for the famous warrior
Babd Catha
,
the Ogres' Bane
.

Ciann

A fire angel, Ciann belongs to the
Ayanowyn
people. But while he shares the same village with
Gwirion
, they have little else in common. Ciann may recall the glory of the fire angels' past and of their first great leader,
Ogallad the Worthy
, but he has forgotten the basic principles of his people. That is why he seeks power instead of redemption, ritual instead of meaning—which he shows when he tries to burn
Tamwyn
as a sacrifice on the clan's holy day.

Coerria (High Priestess Coerria)

Even as a young woman, Coerria struck the Drumadian Elders as wise beyond her years. Her serenity was such that her fellow priestesses dubbed her Quiet Island, since she held within herself a place of profound tranquillity. Now, at the age of nearly two hundred years, Coerria has grown frail in body, but that wisdom and serenity are as remarkable as ever.

As she strolls through the grounds and gardens of her beloved compound of the
Society of the Whole
, Coerria's long white hair is continuously straightened and braided by her
maryth
, a hive spirit named
Uzzzula
. As she moves, Coerria's elegant gown, woven of spider's silk, glistens, though not as brightly as her eyes. Those eyes are as blue as an alpine tarn. And they are no less observant for their years: Coerria is well aware of the personal ambitions of
Llynia
, just as she is quick to notice the potential of someone quite unusual—an apprentice third class named
Elliryanna
.

Cuttayka

To win the rank of first among the Clan Sentries, this burly eagleman with an angular jaw and sturdy wings had to prove his skills as a warrior. And he also needed to prove his loyalty to
Quenaykha
, the ruthless leader of the Bram Kaie clan of
Fireroot
. Cuttayka did both, many times over, as the battle scars on his chest proved. But as
Scree
discovered, Cuttayka gave his highest allegiance not to Quenaykha—but to the clan itself.

Deth Macoll

This master of disguise was
Avalon
’s most dangerous assassin—which is why the sorcerer
Kulwych
enlisted his services. Though human, Deth Macoll could alter his appearance almost as drastically as a changeling. He could appear, at one moment, as an elderly woman so hunched over that her head nearly touched her knees. Then, at the next moment, he could become a bumbling jester who wore tiny silver bells all over his clothes, so that he jingled whenever he moved. He could assume many other guises as well, although his true form was that of a bald man with a sallow face and flinty gray eyes.

More than the art of disguise, Deth Macoll enjoyed the sense of complete power he felt the instant before he killed someone. He savored that feeling, and often prolonged it by stretching out the death of his prey. As a youth, his parents disappeared just when his health deteriorated; during those years, what he most craved was a measure of control. Later in life, whenever he thrust his hidden blade into a new victim, he found exactly that.

Deth Macoll and Kulwych never enjoyed each other's company. But they did sometimes work together because it was mutually profitable. When Deth was hired to hunt down the young priestess
Elli
, however, the old relationship suddenly changed. For their goal was not just to eliminate someone, but to gain enormous power in the process—power they would be unlikely to share.

Doomraga

Deep in the darkest part of
Avalon
's most dreaded marsh, in a pit of rotting corpses, a terrible monster swelled in size—directly in proportion to the misery and suffering it had caused. Doomraga, surrounded by fearsome marsh ghouls, roared in rage as its body grew into a gigantic troll whose one red eye glowed ominously. For the arrival of its master,
Rhita Gawr
, was fast approaching, just as their long-awaited chance to conquer Avalon and crush the dragon
Basilgarrad
was also fast approaching.

Drumalings

Tamwyn
first encountered these strange, treelike creatures in
Merlin's Knothole
, and then later in the branch-realm of
Holosarr
. Standing twice a man's height, their woody skin is knobby and weathered, with grassy tufts sprouting from their many limbs. Their faces are found midway up their scraggly forms: Each has a ragged slit for a mouth, a double knob that might be a nose, and a lone, vertical eye that is as tall and narrow as a twig. The eyes never blink. Drumalings, as Tamwyn learned from
Ethaun
, think not with words, but with emotions. And Tamwyn also learned, to his detriment, that those emotions often veer toward violent rage.

Edan

This wood elf is known for his skill as a tracker through the forests of
El Urien
. He is also known, as
Brionna
learned early in her childhood, for his temper. (His name, in the elvish tongue, means
fiery moods.)
Even so—like Brionna,
Aileen
, and other elves—he would not go to war unless
Avalon
was truly threatened.

Élano

The essential life-giving sap that flows within the roots, trunk, and branches of the
Great Tree of Avalon
, élano is a source of tremendous power. First discovered by
Merlin
, it seemed to him "the sum of all magic," a substance that held both power and wisdom. His staff,
Ohnyalei
, contained much élano, as did the magical
portals
throughout Avalon.
Lleu of the One Ear
was the first person to write about its life-giving power in his masterwork,
Cyclo Avalon
.

Elements (Seven Sacred Elements)

The seven sacred Elements of
Avalon
constituted the philosophical core of the
Society of the Whole
. In the words of the Society's founder,
Elen
, they were "the seven sacred parts that together make the Whole." Each of the Elements—Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Life, LightDark, and Mystery—inspired many treatises, ballads, and meditations. Together, they produced the life-giving power of
élano
, which flowed through every part of the Great Tree of Avalon. Because of that power, the Secret Spring of
Halaad
could heal any wound;
portals
could carry travelers to distant realms; and
Ohnyalei
, the precious staff of
Merlin
, could radiate wisdom. As
Aelonnia of Isenwy
explained to
Tamwyn
, her people's ability to create new life sprang from combining the Elements of Avalon with the magic of Merlin.

Elliryanna Lailoken (Elli)

… Elli's laughter was always as lilting as the song of a meadowlark.

One year after the dreaded Year of Darkness, Elli was born in
Mudroot
. A playful and resourceful child, she roamed with her father, a Drumadian priest who played the harp, and her mother, an herbal healer with extensive knowledge of the plants in the jungles of Africqua. Then, just before her tenth birthday, her life was torn asunder: Gnomes murdered her parents and stole Elli to make her a slave. For six brutal years, she lived in the gnomes' dark underground caverns, keeping herself alive (as well as sane) by playing her father's harp. Finally, she managed to escape. Having heard about the
Society of the Whole
from her father, she went to the Drumadian compound to learn the ways of
Avalon
's founding spiritual guides,
Elen
and
Rhiannon
. By a mysterious coincidence, an ancient pinnacle sprite by the name of
Nuic
arrived at the compound simultaneously. Despite Elli's penchant for skipping her assigned duties, and her habit of missing formal prayers to meditate at the Great Temple whose origins dated back to the
Dance of the Giants
, she was made an apprentice third class priestess. Nuic became her loyal
maryth
, though he refused to reveal his own past.

Despite her childhood losses and the trauma of slavery, Elli's laughter was always as lilting as the song of a meadowlark. Her brown hair, with curls as thick as a
faery
's garden, surrounded her face, highlighting her hazel green eyes. While she had no idea that she would one day carry a gourd with magical healing water from the Secret Spring of
Halaad
, she had long carried something that was, to her, even more precious: her father's harp. The harp accompanied her everywhere—until the day she met
Tamwyn
.

From the first moment she encountered
High Priestess Coerria
, Elli revered the elder woman. Coerria's spirit seemed every bit as lovely, graceful, and unique as the shimmering gown of spider's silk that she wore. Secretly, Elli admired the gown, which was made by the famous
Grand Elusa
of
Lost Fincayra
. But she was certain that she herself would never deserve to wear something of such beauty and heritage. Perhaps that was why she was so surprised when Coerria predicted that Elli would play a truly remarkable role in the future of the Society, as well as Avalon.

Ethaun

This brawny blacksmith looks more like a bear standing upright than a man. His muscular arms are as knotted as tree roots from working the bellows and forging tools; his chest is broad and powerful. Yet despite Ethaun's fearsome size, the gap-toothed grin within his gray beard reveals a friendly disposition. He is partial to expressions such as "tickle me toenails," and enjoys puffing on his pipe as he trades stories.

And he does have some intriguing stories to tell. As
Tamwyn
discovers when he meets Ethaun in
Merlin's Knothole
, high on the trunk of the
Great Tree
, the blacksmith actually traveled with
Krystallus Eopia
, Tamwyn's father, on the fateful expedition to the stars. As Ethaun explains, he learned a great deal about the famous explorer on that journey. But did he learn the secret of the magical torch? Or what ultimately happened to Krystallus? The answers to those questions may be surprising, as well as painful.

Fairies

Throughout
Avalon
, travelers hear the melodious hum of faeries' wings. It is a distinctive sound, common to all faeries. But to determine which variety of these creatures is making the sound, a closer look is required. Why? Because the types of faery folk are as varied as their habitats.

Water faeries
have luminous blue wings, as lovely as translucent sapphires. They commonly wear silvery blue tunics, dewdrop-shaped shoes, and belts of dried berries. Parents will often carry their small children in backpacks made from periwinkle shells.

Mist faeries
also wear blue garb—not tunics, but robes, jerkins, stockings, and sashes. Their clothing is a lighter shade of blue, tinted to match their wings, which are always a blur of motion. Their most recognizable feature, however, is the tiny silver bell that adorns each of their antennae.

Hedge faeries,
by contrast, can be any variety of green and are covered with prickly fur. These faeries are famous for telling tall tales (and for stealing food from other people's gardens).

Star
fl
ower faeries
have buttery yellow wings. Known for their artistic impulses, they often leave wreaths of brightly colored berries on tree roots and fern fronds. So it is not surprising that the greatest of all faery artisans,
Thule Ultima
, was a starflower faery.

Catnip faeries
are recognized not by their coloring or clothing, but by their behavior: They are crazily wild. Watching them buzz about erratically, it is easy to understand the origin of the old saying "crazier than a clan of catnip faeries."

Mite faeries
are found mainly in
Stoneroot
and are very small, even for faeries. A whole village of mite faeries could fit on
Tamwyn
's thumbnail.

Dog faeries
are obedient and hardworking. Some have walnut brown fur, white wings, and dangling pink tongues. (A team of eight of them is trained to pull the rope to ring the Buckle Bell at the Drumadian compound.)

Moss faeries
look like tiny green humans with translucent wings. They enjoy tending moss, in gardens or in forests, and are often seen carrying water in hollow acorns.

Spray faeries,
though smaller than most, are easily noticed because of their bright silver wings. These faeries love to congregate at waterfalls or fast-moving streams, glittering like liquid stars on the surface of the water. When they fly away in unison, it looks as if raindrops are rising off the water, raining upward into the sky.

Fairlyn

This tree spirit left her host tree, a lilac elm in the Forest Fairlyn, in order to become the
maryth
of
Llynia
. That constituted an act of great love, because it meant leaving behind her cherished homeland, a forest famed throughout
Woodroot
for its wondrous aromas. Fairlyn's boughs have no leaves, only rows of small, purple buds. But those buds produce a variety of fragrances, depending on her mood: If she smells like freshly picked rose petals, all is well; if she smells like freshly crushed bones, beware.