Shape of Things to come

Shape of Things to Come

Part 3:Seeds of Time

Chapter 41

‘All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts'
...William Shakespeare. As You Like It

In his small isolated cottage, hidden away on the Yorkshire moors, the Guardian/sage/scribe Therold was working busily on a score of documents spread out on his desk, while two cats lay purring contentedly on his knee. As orbs formed in his living room, his expression was not exactly suspicious but just a little concerned. His most usual orbing visitor was the Guardian guide Francesca, and as all the Guardians, he loved and respected her but her appearances often heralded events that were less than pleasant. Additionally, over his long life of service Therold had come to regard with some misgiving the occasional appearance of higher beings of light whose visits, were sometimes in conflict with the role of Guardians interpretation of lore.

However, when Therold realised his visitor, despite the lockdown ‘up there’ was the whitelighter Mark, his expression changed to one of pleasure “Dear boy, dear boy” he kept saying, rubbing his hands together. “Such a pleasure, such a pleasure and so unexpected.” Then the Guardian’s expression became severe “I was not expecting any of your ilk. Not in these dangerous times. Should you risk travelling in open realms, pleasant though it is to see you?”

Mark came across to shake Therold’s hand “Are there others of my ilk who visit here,” he asked cheekily “besides Francesca? Or shouldn’t I ask?”

“Naughty boy. You should not ask” Therold scolded. “But you should not have come.”

“I have come from one protected place to your…hideaway which I am assuming is also well protected” Mark explained. “Because I need some guidance, about lore and history.”

“I will guide you…where I can” Therold responded “Tea? Definitely?” he asked as Mark nodded, resigned. “And as a special treat I have just bought some Fat Rascals. Have you ever had them?”

“Ah well I was experimenting just yesterday with a tea blend that goes ideally with nutmeg and cinnamon and then today, I thought Fat Rascals were exactly the cake to go with it. So pleasant to be able to share the delicacies of one’s own habitat with a friend” Therold smiled rubbing his hands together.

“Very pleasant” Mark agreed. He picked a large grey and white cat up from one of the lounge chairs, taking the time to stroke it and was rewarded with a purr before putting it down on a sofa. Mark then picked up an old illustrated tome that was beside the chair and was carefully admiring the illustrations when Therold returned carrying a beautifully arranged tray with teapot and cup and a plate of what to Mark’s relief looked like a cross between rock cakes and fruit scones.

Therold noted the book “Beautiful thing isn’t it?” he commented. “But even more importantly it contains some of the first Power of Three witch legends.”

Therold half turned up his nose and then wagged his finger “Very little is actual real coincidence” he said, then turned his back returning with his own tray of tea and cakes. He sat at his desk turning so he was not hidden behind his laptop and the books surrounding “Now dear boy what is it that I can help you with?” he asked.

Mark laughed. “I don’t understand the lore of it. And there is an archivist, who keeps the records of Good but she had limits in what she will tell me” he confessed to Therold.

“As it should be for one trusted with the secrets of the balance of the magic world” Therold told him primly.

Mark nodded in agreement. “I understand but I was concerned because when the girls had a fight with demon grunts at the university of San Francisco’s HR, and then another one when my colleague Caleb was killed, one of the main actions of the demons seemed to be chanting and throwing some potion. I think they were after the Power of Three.” Mark explained cautiously.

“Until fifteen years ago demons never stopped being after the Power of Three” Therold observed. “Then Tempus realised he was…just wasting efforts. Wisely left them alone until he could find a way to nullify them, that did not destroy him.”

“He might have found that way” Mark suggested. “First time did not work because the idiot demons attacked the wrong witch, Charlie Simpson was with two of the Charmed Ones and it wasn’t Power of Three. Second time, I think the Simpson girls fell for a setup to get the Charmed Ones involved. Spell and potion seemed to fracture the Power of Three with the girls. It reconstituted and they’re okay now but it…worries me.”

“Clearly” observed Therold dryly, then he sipped his tea as he contemplated the question. “But then I’m sure you know Tempus has always known ways to fracture the Charmed Ones, just has not been willing to suffer the consequences.”

“I am sure you are aware that the demonic consequences of destroying the Power of Three. Tempus certainly does.” Therold asked conversationally.

Mark stared at Therold in surprise. “I didn’t…” then saw the expression on Therold’s face. It was both smug and sanctimonious.”

“I am certain you understood that” Therold repeated. “As the Charmed Ones guide it is worth knowing.”

Mark realised why Therold spoke, finally, and wryly nodded. “I don’t think Tempus has anything new on the Power of Three. That chant I heard was old. Ancient Latin.”

“Excellent” Therold nodded rubbing his hands together “Deep in whatever Tempus uses for a heart, he knows that avoiding the Charmed Ones in battle is not wisdom, it is fear. Demons must destroy what they fear . Tempus was the time lord and has merely allowed time, hoping it will destroy the Charmed Ones so he does not have to.”

“Letting the Charmed Ones mortality destroy the Power of Three” Therold explained. “Which I recently explained to Belthezor. I assume Tempus at this time has found a way he can hurry things up by letting someone else do it...and get destroyed. A very clever Evil” Therold added.

“Are we sure all the Charmed Ones are mortal?” Mark asked as Therold pursed his lips then smiled. “Anyway” he continued, “After watching those demons set up the Charmed Ones, I’ve been looking up the Warren witch inheritance. I know” he grinned “Its boring as hell being in lockdown with Elders.”

“Anyway,” Mark continued, “it seems to me the recorded history, at least the current history, of the Warren witches, began about a hundred years and fifty after the last eclipse”

Mark smiled. “The legend says Melinda Warren was mortal. I don’t think she was. I think the Warren witches story began a lot earlier. The …a Good.. archivist I spoke to told me magic is an inheritance, witches descend from magic creatures and mortals, so I was thinking the story of Melinda being mortal and a … the first Warren witch giving her the power in 1600’s doesn’t sound like a gift of Power, sounds more like an unbinding the power .” Mark looked at Therold inquiringly.

“So I think the Power of Three originated very much earlier” Mark explained. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the Latin chant, handing it to Therold. “This was the spell that was said when the girls power sort of fractured. I did not get the potion. The archivist said it was so Evil, she could not even tolerate to be in the same room as it.”

Therold examined it “Yes” he agreed “Earliest Latin, used early times before the Roman empire, even before the republic. If you want magic dates, that is probably about five Sources before Tempus”

“I know even if I asked you would not tell me if the thing can fracture the Power of Three” Mark mumbled awkwardly. “But…”

“I can tell you what I told Belthezor” Therold interrupted him “I can tell you what I already told you. The immortality of the Charmed Ones or the lack of it will fracture the Power of Three of the Warren witches.” He smiled superciliously “Didn’t you tell me the witches recovered from it? Clearly it did not fracture them irretrievably.”

“Can you tell me what that Latin is?” Mark asked “I tried translating but anything I used kind of got devoured that thing is so Evil.”

“Yes” agreed Therold. “It states that the Power of Three can be broken irretrievably and the witches nullified by connecting them to origins of Evil magic, through using chaos, to confront them in battle, wind, and tempest.”

“Does the girls magic originate from chaos, in battle, wind, and tempest?” Mark asked.

“Or more likely their powers nullify each of those aspects of Evil magic?” Mark queried.

“Both were pretty chaotic fights, although not that successful” Mark continued. He hesitated then asked “So now the Charmed Ones need to avoid confronting demons in wind and tempest?”

“And the Charmed Ones will not be able to use the Power of Three against chaos now” Mark asked awkwardly.

“You are a very intelligent young man” said Therold. “ But I cannot tell you about what is prophesied.”

“The Source of the time it was written came from the Romano tradition” Therold answered. “Merely coincidence of history … from the state of the realms at the start of the Roman literacy, that Latin is used for the most Evil, universal lore. Could have just as easily been Chinese characters if the battle of the Sources at that time had had a different outcome.”

“Would you tell me where I could find out what that spell is to break the Power of Three and how it works?” Mark asked.

“No, I would not” Therold answered regretfully. “Because after all what I know is only my interpretation of what I have read. To find knowledge you need to learn to ask the right questions.”

“Would you tell me where I could commence my search to find the answers I need”? Mark asked carefully.

“Of course, dear boy of course. But be warned” Therold replied. “that Tempus sent the scribe who found that spell to the pits, so my brother Guardian Proctor advises me and Tempus is not a fool. He had a reason for not wanting to … risk the full consequences of that spell.”

Mark looked sharply at Therold “You knew Tempus was coming after the Charmed Ones…now” he almost accused the Guardian.”

Therold smiled, as he often smiled at the limits of Good’s understanding “I know many things and I did not say it was Tempus coming after the Charmed Ones. I said that Tempus has reason to keep the spell around but stop its full … consequences. I can tell you this. You have wisdom not to look to the future in this case. Understanding the past can be just as much a predictor as prophecy.”

Mark nodded “I do have a question about the past. In the last epoch, before Melinda Warren came to her powers when witches were subject to such…infamy, why was the Power of Three not called to help them.”

“What makes you think, the Power of Three was not called” Therold shook his head sadly at the limits of Good’s understanding.

“If at the time, the Warren line was hidden to protect it because its powers were …limited against the Evil of the time. If there was another Power of Three that had more suitable powers” Mark suggested. “Was the other Power of Three also hidden when its work was complete.”

“You are a clever young man” Therold smiled. “Or a very imaginative one” he added slyly.

“You can ask” Therold replied with a smug smile. “Whether I can answer depends on the question.”

“Much of it got around in the last eclipse epoch. Prophesies about Charmed Ones and other stuff and all the bureaucrats of magic nodded wisely about how the prophecies came true. At least I hear.”

“Well, you collect the.. what is written, but it is all supposed to be secret, yet some of it got out last time.” Mark swallowed awkwardly. “Why do you tell some prophesies and not others?” Mark asked bluntly.

Therold carefully considered his answer. He turned away, walked to view the cold dark moors from his window then turned back to Mark. “I don’t tell them necessarily” Therold explained. “And I don’t know they are prophesies for real until after they happen. As you say I do tell some of the lore I collect when I deem it appropriate or it protects the balance for someone to know. People, creatures who had the vision sometimes tell…others. These stories are recorded by scribes Good and bad. I know where to find these recordings but not all, not even most of what is told to me can be verified until it has happened. I can tell you that most things happen as recorded but not as described. Everything written is out of context. So is what I record magic prophesy or merely disjointed hallucinations someone recorded.”

“Being out of context is everything” Therold continued seriously “I could tell you of a great war between Good and Evil in four hundred years. If you knew where to look, you could validate that someone, some creature somewhere had a vision during the eclipse but what would you really know. How do you know that it is a great war because it is only a description of one creature’s future, does that creature even have a perspective of what a great war is?”

“And” Therold pressed. “These prophesies are of course affected by the mortality of those who had the visions. So much of anything that happens or may happen in the near-earth realms is not independent of the perceptions of mortals. The visions of the future that I record are the visions of those who live now, yet many of the creatures, magic and mortal who live now will have passed on or over or even in some cases been obliterated before the event of their vision happens.”

Therold stop talking, picked up his cup and finished his tea, while Mark, recognising the wisdom being shared began to profusely thank Therold for his time, and knowledge .

With an almost smug expression, Therold held up his hand to stop him speaking. “Not at all dear boy. Not at all. After all, one good turn deserves another. Please allow me to make some more tea, and then you can tell me all about your visit to the archives of Good.”