Read Online Path of the Magi (Tales of Tiberius) by Richard J Stuart - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Richard J Stuart
Ads: Link
your mind gains discipline, you become more resistant to the simple glamour spells of the wood folk. Pastor Adams has started you on the apologetics, hasn’t he?”
“Apologetics? Oh, you mean Chesterton, George MacDonald, and the like.”
“The Christian writers, yes. Your mind gains strength and you see what’s been hidden before,” Mr. Okubo explained.
“You can see him all the time. Is he always about?” Tiberius pondered.
“He pops in now and then to keep an eye on things. He’s a spy for the elf king,” the sensei explained.
“A spy? Why don’t we arrest him?” Tiberius asked.
Mr. Okubo just laughed. “You’ve much to learn of spycraft, Master Fuller. If we arrest him, the elf king will think we’re up to something. Better to let him fall into a routine. If we decide to do something, we know where he is and we can pull the wool over his eyes.”
“Are we up to something?” Tiberius asked.
“No, at least nothing the elf king would disapprove of, so let him watch,” Mr. Okubo said, smiling. He went over to where his wife and infant daughter had been watching. He took his daughter into his arms and turned so she could face the elf leaning against a tree in the distance.
“See the nice elf lord, Maci?” he said. She gave a big smile and waved. Gillyian smiled and strummed his lyre, but he did not wave back.
After the lesson Tiberius noted Gillyian was still there camped in the forest. He made a sudden decision. Turning to the woods, he boldly walked right up to the elf lord. Gillyian raised an eyebrow at his approach, but otherwise simply sat by the tree strumming his lyre.
“Why are you always watching me?” Tiberius said when he was close enough.
Gillyian gave him a quizzical look.
“What makes you think the Alfara have any interest in a Son of Adam?”
“My dad says that when elves want to lie or not answer a question, they’ll ask another question,” Tiberius said.
“Your father is a wise man,” Gillyian said, smiling.
“So why are you watching me? Why is there an elf hiding in the shadows every time I turn around,” Tiberius asked.
“Oh it isn’t so often as that; you aren’t that interesting,” Gillyian replied.
Tiberius just answered with a stare.
At last Gillyian put down the lyre and looked up at Tiberius. “I suppose as your eyes are opening, I had better give you an answer. It’s not you, you know; it’s your name.”
“My name? Fuller? Is this something to do with my father?”
Gillyian shook his head. “No. Our soothsayers foresaw that a great human wizard would be born with the name of Tiberius. And then a great human hero goes and names his son Tiberius. Interesting, no?”
Tiberius laughed. “You’ve got the wrong man. I won’t have anything to do with the black arts.”
“I said a wizard, not the black arts. English is such a poor language for discussing what you call magic. You’ve so few words to master such subtle interactions with the spirit realm,” Gillyian said, idly strumming a few more notes.
“I still say you’ve got the wrong man. I’m confirmed in the Church and a servant of Christ,” Tiberius protested indignantly.
“Funny, Dallen says that about himself too,” the elf calmly observed. Tiberius was plainly irritated, but none of it was perturbing the elf in the slightest. “You could be right, though. We aren’t sure. That’s why were keeping an eye out on you. Just in case you do anything interesting. But I’ve been watching you for a while and I think it is you. Just looking at you I can see you’ve got a lot of … what’s the human word? Chi? Personal energy? You’ve been well-raised and have wisdom for your age. That you’re a member of the church and study the ancient truths is in no way against your gaining a greater knowledge of the spirit world. Then there
“Apologetics? Oh, you mean Chesterton, George MacDonald, and the like.”
“The Christian writers, yes. Your mind gains strength and you see what’s been hidden before,” Mr. Okubo explained.
“You can see him all the time. Is he always about?” Tiberius pondered.
“He pops in now and then to keep an eye on things. He’s a spy for the elf king,” the sensei explained.
“A spy? Why don’t we arrest him?” Tiberius asked.
Mr. Okubo just laughed. “You’ve much to learn of spycraft, Master Fuller. If we arrest him, the elf king will think we’re up to something. Better to let him fall into a routine. If we decide to do something, we know where he is and we can pull the wool over his eyes.”
“Are we up to something?” Tiberius asked.
“No, at least nothing the elf king would disapprove of, so let him watch,” Mr. Okubo said, smiling. He went over to where his wife and infant daughter had been watching. He took his daughter into his arms and turned so she could face the elf leaning against a tree in the distance.
“See the nice elf lord, Maci?” he said. She gave a big smile and waved. Gillyian smiled and strummed his lyre, but he did not wave back.
After the lesson Tiberius noted Gillyian was still there camped in the forest. He made a sudden decision. Turning to the woods, he boldly walked right up to the elf lord. Gillyian raised an eyebrow at his approach, but otherwise simply sat by the tree strumming his lyre.
“Why are you always watching me?” Tiberius said when he was close enough.
Gillyian gave him a quizzical look.
“What makes you think the Alfara have any interest in a Son of Adam?”
“My dad says that when elves want to lie or not answer a question, they’ll ask another question,” Tiberius said.
“Your father is a wise man,” Gillyian said, smiling.
“So why are you watching me? Why is there an elf hiding in the shadows every time I turn around,” Tiberius asked.
“Oh it isn’t so often as that; you aren’t that interesting,” Gillyian replied.
Tiberius just answered with a stare.
At last Gillyian put down the lyre and looked up at Tiberius. “I suppose as your eyes are opening, I had better give you an answer. It’s not you, you know; it’s your name.”
“My name? Fuller? Is this something to do with my father?”
Gillyian shook his head. “No. Our soothsayers foresaw that a great human wizard would be born with the name of Tiberius. And then a great human hero goes and names his son Tiberius. Interesting, no?”
Tiberius laughed. “You’ve got the wrong man. I won’t have anything to do with the black arts.”
“I said a wizard, not the black arts. English is such a poor language for discussing what you call magic. You’ve so few words to master such subtle interactions with the spirit realm,” Gillyian said, idly strumming a few more notes.
“I still say you’ve got the wrong man. I’m confirmed in the Church and a servant of Christ,” Tiberius protested indignantly.
“Funny, Dallen says that about himself too,” the elf calmly observed. Tiberius was plainly irritated, but none of it was perturbing the elf in the slightest. “You could be right, though. We aren’t sure. That’s why were keeping an eye out on you. Just in case you do anything interesting. But I’ve been watching you for a while and I think it is you. Just looking at you I can see you’ve got a lot of … what’s the human word? Chi? Personal energy? You’ve been well-raised and have wisdom for your age. That you’re a member of the church and study the ancient truths is in no way against your gaining a greater knowledge of the spirit world. Then there
Similar Books
