AUTHORS NOTE: Hello folks, me again.  With what I hope is the last of the Galen/Dureena stuff.  Unless someone comes up with an idea I can run with that is <g> This story is a little different in that I have taken Galen away from his own universe and brought him into contact with real magic.  Add to that a tragedy in his personal life, conflict, and a near death experience, and you can see our beloved mage is in trouble.  Some knowledge of the first Technomage book is necessary to follow parts of my story.  I have yet to read the Centauri ones, so if I go astray, forgive me.  My most devout thanks to the two Sharon's, who gave me hints, and picked up all the mistakes -- hugs to both of you.

I would really appreciate hearing what you think of this, and the other stories in the series.  Feel free to e-mail at [email protected] any time.

Now Do You Believe

© 2001, Jo Taylor

Control.  He had to regain control.  Within his body, power surged and retreated in a rhythm he seemed unable to stop.  The music that echoed around the room chanted equation after equation.  He listened intently, tuning his thoughts to the complicated sequences.  It was a trick that Elric had taught him in his youth to settle his doubts and focus his mind.  By now he should have conquered the need for outside help.  His pride rose and he ordered the music to cease.

Galen heard the soft sound of her foot falls echoing down the spiral staircase to the lab.  His gut tightened at the coming confrontation.  Her grief and pain had been his constant companion for the past month; no let up, no respite, no time to hide himself from his own anguish.  Their world was falling apart, piece by piece, and he was powerless to stop it.  There were times when he had found himself at the flyer's door, and he could not remember how he had reached it.  It was frightening, that loss of cognisance.  Control of his emotions had become of paramount importance as the wild energy of his power surged through him.

Even as she moved toward him, he felt himself withdraw a little bit further.  Though he loved her more now than he could have possibly imagined, there were times when he needed solitude.  Times, as now, when he did not want to pull himself back from his self-imposed isolation.

His life had been full of conflict and sorrows; he had lost too many people that were special to him.  Each time he had retreated a little further behind the barriers he had erected -- and then Dureena had walked into his life and smashed straight through them, leaving him vulnerable in ways he had never imagined.

Dureena's hands were on him now, pulling him closer.  Her lips assaulting his even as her tongue plundered his mouth.  He did not want to do this, did not want to repeat the act she had demanded of him so many times these last few days.  Yet he knew she was trying desperately to feel something other than the pain that devoured them both.  At least this was better than the desperate numbness that had consumed her after the incident.

Determined hands moved aside his clothing, searching and finding, insistent, needy.  Galen's body responded to his commands, and he rose to meet her, thrusting deep and hard, carrying her tight against him until she came to a shuddering climax.  But even that did not satisfy her.  She moved against him, demanding more, and he obliged her, again and again -- because he loved her -- until she fell against him exhausted.

Dureena's whole body shook.  Tears held back for so long flowed from her as he held her tight.  Their link open wide, he felt everything she felt and found it mirrored by his own heart.  She lay against him for a minute, then her crying stopped and she slipped out of his embrace.

"Dureena."  He tried to hold on to her, but her slim wrist twisted out of his gentle grasp.  She ran from him, eyes averted, and he felt her shame wash over him.

***

Pale moonlight filtered through the scattered clouds speeding over the ring of stones, casting huge shadows against the washed-out landscape.  In the very centre of the circle a tiny pinpoint of light flickered briefly, then, as the moments passed, it steadied itself, settling into a solid bright blue.

Day followed night, yet no-one came close to the henge, no-one saw the blue disc growing ever bigger as the hours passed, no-one heard the soft sweet sound of music swelling in time with the mystical emanation.

The moon was half way across the sky when the music finally ceased.  In the centre of the circle the shimmering disc buckled and swayed then, with a small 'pop', a man stepped through the centre and stood gazing around him, a smile on his face.

From his features the stranger seemed human.  Standing around five nine or ten, slim of build and plain featured, he would not stand out in a crowd.  Sandy hair topped a bland, freckled face, its only redeeming feature being a pair of sparkling green eyes that looked around with unquenchable curiosity.  The soft grey tunic hung loosely on him; reaching down to his mid thigh it topped a pair of lurid yellow trousers that, even in the darkness, seemed to glow with colour.

"How very interesting," the man murmured, his eyes scanning the stones that surrounded him.  "Now why here?"

He looked up at the unfamiliar pattern of stars, and the true nature of his mission hit him full force.  He swallowed, hard, then pulled himself together.  His mission could not fail, he would not let it; nor would he let the alienness of his surroundings put fear into his heart.

The night was cold, a bitter wind raced across the barren land cutting through his meagre clothing.  He shivered, turned to the disc and closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment.  As he opened them, the disc faded slowly, bright blue washed down to a pale grey, then vanished altogether.  Reaching out a hand, he felt the resistance press gently against his fingers -- the portal remained, it was just hidden from prying eyes.

The cold was beginning to affect him now, and he turned slowly, letting his senses drift out, seeking warmth.  Slim arms slapped against his rapidly cooling body, as booted feet stamped against the hard ground.  The wind confused his senses, yet he knew that somewhere on this planet was the man, or woman, he needed.  The council was rarely wrong.  There, a faint breath of warm air, the merest hint of grass carried in its wake.

"Damn, but they had better be right.  If I end up frozen on this inhospitable lump of rock Sharree will never forgive me."

Dark eyes seemed to loom before him, "I heard that, Merrin.  And yes, you had better not get yourself killed.  I do not want to come looking for you."

He grinned, blew a kiss at the hidden circle and headed out across the icy rocks, a passing comment floating behind him.  "Better disconnect for now, my sweet.  Don't know who might be listening."  Her humph of annoyance reached him as he drew level with the stones, and he stopped briefly until he was sure the connection had been severed.

Merrin laid a hand against a large upright block, feeling the echoes of power that lingered within it.  "This is definitely the right place," he murmured, then strode quickly off into the night.

***

Galen knew where she would be.  Where she always ran to.  But he did a quick check of the perimeter anyway.  Since the violation of his home he had taken extra precautions, setting alarms and surveillance all around his valley and beyond.  The planet was barren outside his small domain; the settlers who had lived here centuries before had packed up and left when a meteor had all but destroyed the weather patterns.  A huge crater, two miles across, the only remnant of the disaster.  A massive tidal wave had swept away villages and towns, a whole civilisation obliterated in moments.  Only those lucky enough to have transportation had survived, never to return.  But Galen had hidden his valley from prying eyes, his shields showed passing vessels an inhospitable conformity.  There was little danger of discovery.

With the sun just coming up over the mountains, Galen's probes finally tracked her down.  Dureena was at the waterfall as he had expected.  As though aware of his scrutiny, Dureena turned away from the small globe hidden high in the trees.  The defeated slump of her shoulders made the breath catch in his throat.

He wanted nothing more than to hold her close, to give what comfort he could and receive it in return, but he could not.  For all his skill, for all the knowledge that he possessed, he had failed her.  She could not forgive him, he knew that.  As much as he could not forgive himself for what had happened.  Not that it was really anyone's fault, just God being cruel -- if you believed in God that is, which he could not.  Isabelle had tried, many years ago, to assure him of God's good intentions, but how could he reconcile what he knew, what he had witnessed first hand, with an all-powerful benign being?

Galen's eyes closed as he tried to chase away the images that sprang to mind.  The child, his son, limp and unresponsive in her arms, Dureena's frantic cries for his help, and he...

Only the ragged sound of his breathing broke the utter quiet of the lab, and then a faint ping alerted all his senses.  An intruder in the mountains behind the waterfall!  Calling up the monitors for that area, he skimmed quickly from one to another, further and further out, until he spotted the man trudging wearily through the bleak pass.

Across the path Galen's shield reflected back the barren landscape, effectively making the pass appear a dead end.  He watched as the stranger moved close to the shield, frowning.  A hand reached out to touch the image; pushing, feeling and Galen's eyes opened wider as he realised the man recognised the barrier for what it was.  Brilliant green eyes searched the area, passing over the tiny viewer that sat well hidden in the rocks.  Then the eyes were closed, a frown of concentration creased the forehead, and the man blinked out of existence.

***

Merrin held his breath, counted slowly to five, then released his spell.  He was pretty damn sure that the supposed rock fall ahead of him was an illusion.  Touching it, he had felt the rough stone against his fingertips but there had been the faintest of vibrations within that rock.  Illusions were nothing new to him, but this felt different.  There was more power in this image than he had imagined possible.  The wizard who had cast this spell was truly amazing, and he could not wait to meet him -- or her, he quickly amended.  Remembering his Sharree's very definite views.

He cautiously opened one eye, then the other, and let out a huge sigh of relief.  Ahead lay the trail, its unobstructed path ran straight and downward, at last.  Behind him a faint shimmer, uncluttered by the false imagery, showed where the barrier still stood.  Translocation was a tricky business when you were not sure what lay at the other end of your journey.  He had been lucky this time.

Merrin turned his face upwards and drank in the warmth from the sun just rising.  The trek up through the pass had been more than uncomfortable, even now his fingers and toes throbbed with pain as the chill seeped from his bones.  Stepping out briskly he headed down along the trail, a smile on his face and a tune faintly hummed on his breath.  Be grateful for everything, he told himself, even if it is just the warm sun on your back or the sound of water close to hand.  Thirst had become a problem a few hours back.  He had not expected his journey to take him into a wilderness.  The council had sent him to a place of power to find the answer; there had been no mention of freezing his balls off, or of letting him die of thirst or hunger he thought, as his stomach growled its unhappiness.

The rushing sound was closer now, and he could make out the swift run of water through the trees lining the path.  Turning from the trail he headed toward it, falling to his knees to scoop a handful of its refreshing load into his mouth.  Once he had drunk his fill he stood, eyes following the stream's course into the distance where it widened perceptibly, then abruptly fell away.  A mist of water hung at the edge, indicating the waterfall's final destination.  Letting his senses drift out around him, Merrin followed the stream, knowing that any sensible soul would build near water.  So far he had sensed only the faint tinge of power that sustained all that surrounded him, but no life forms, not even a bird, was anywhere close.

"Better get on with it", he thought, heading toward the edge and what looked like a place to descend.

***

Galen magnified the viewer's image, intent on the face it revealed.  Translocation was one of the most difficult incantations, the hardest to control and predict.  Only one mage had ever successfully achieved the perfect outcome, and he was long gone.  Others had tried, two had died; none of the mages currently within the society had the skill, as far as he knew.  The face before him was unfamiliar; he had not seen this man at any convocation he had attended.  Which meant that he was newly emerged, Galen had not attended the last meeting, or this was no mage -- a thought that he did not want to contemplate.

Quickly he composed a message to Dureena, warning her of the stranger's approach, then, gathering his staff, he made his way toward the waterfall.  The invisible platform of power skimmed him over the swaying grass as he sent the message again and again.

Dureena did not answer.

***

Dureena had climbed up the rocky slide that edged the waterfall; finally reaching the large stone that jutted out over the water.  It was here, so many years ago, that Galen had reached for her, and changed her life forever.  And now their lives were changing again.  She had seen the distant look in his eyes whenever she approached, felt the pain he suffered through the link the amulet provided.  Today, when she had used him so badly, taking from him that which he once would have willingly offered, she had felt his anger and pity.  And in her shame she had severed the mage link.  He had sent a message to her, a few minutes before, but she could not bear to read it, nor even acknowledge its presence.

Galen could never forgive her for what happened, never.  Though he remained with her physically, she had felt him move further away with each day.  If only she had awoken sooner.  If she had not spent half the night at her latest experiment, and subsequently overslept, maybe their son would be alive today.  So tiny, so fragile.  Dureena stifled the tears that threatened her sanity, surely by now she should be cried out.

The clatter of rocks kicked carelessly aside dragged her back to the present.  Someone was making his or her way down the almost sheer cliff behind her.  Standing quickly, Dureena reached for her knife.  She may be half way to being a Techno-mage, but she still took great comfort from the solid feel of its wickedly bladed weight.

Whoever it was, they were making no attempt to hide their passage.  Curses followed the next shower of loose chippings as they scattered past her.  She tuned in to the voice, listening for a familiar sound or tenor to it, anything to give her an advantage over the intruder.

"There must be an easier way than this... Bloody hell!" The muttering voice suddenly gave way to a cry of alarm, and Dureena caught sight of the intruder -- all flailing arms and legs -- as he careened past her, sliding at a tremendous pace toward the pool.  The glimpse she had showed a total stranger, sandy-haired, dressed apparently all by guess, and then he had vanished.  Securing her hold on the knife, Dureena quickly followed him down, hearing the splash of his body into the water, even as she started her descent.

***

Merrin felt the earth give way under him just as his senses finally locked onto another living being.  Cursing, the tenuous link vanished as he turned all his attention to self-preservation, spreading out his arms and legs in a vain attempt to slow the acceleration enough to survive the fall.  Of course, he could try to translocate, but at this speed, and with his head spinning the way it was, he would probably end up materialising within a rock, or worse, six feet under the ground.  No thank you!  Besides, that last spell had really depleted his energy levels, and it had taken all his strength just to climb down the cliff.  Okay, so he was getting down a little faster than he had intended but... He landed face first in the pool, sinking like a stone as the air was violently knocked from him.

Spluttering mightily, Merrin rose to the surface and dragged in a huge lung full of air.  "Refreshing", he thought, and began to swim slowly toward the bank.  Now he had his head on straight again, he relocated the presence he had felt earlier -- and it was heading straight for him.

She was stunning.  His eyes raked over her, cataloguing the tight clothing, the swell of breasts that heaved with the exertion of following him down.  The most compelling eyes that he had ever seen, tawny and almost feral, locked onto his.  But, what intrigued him the most was her aura.  It was his gift, or his curse, dependant on his mood, that he could see that faint unconscious image that each and every person emitted.  And from that he could gauge his response in any situation.

This lovely creature was surrounded by sadness and anger unlike any he had seen before.  The depth of her grief glowed around her like the sun's corona.  And under it all was something else, a tinge of the power he had felt all around him, glowing bright silver strands that laced through the red of her despair.  He had never seen silver before and it intrigued him intensely.

In the space of a heartbeat he found himself at the wrong end of a shiny, very sharp, blade.  The tip pressed firmly against his throat, it forced his head up until their eyes locked.

"You know, there really is no need for that," Merrin complained lightly.  "If you'd just like to give me a hand out?"  The woman uttered, what sounded to him, a most unladylike growl.

The knifepoint dug a little deeper and then it suddenly withdrew.  Merrin was aware of her suddenly stiffened body and he peered around her slim legs to see what had stopped her.  The man who skimmed so lightly across the ground was almost at the water's edge.  Levitation was also nothing new to Merrin but he had not felt a thing!  Surely with so much power he should have felt something?  And then his senses tuned into this man's aura and his eyes widened.  The same grief and anger that surrounded the woman echoed in the tall, dark garbed man standing inches from his face.  But the tendrils of silver that had appeared to delicately enfold the woman were a hundred times brighter and stronger around this man.  Bands, the thickness of his wrist, were wrapped around his form, emanating a light that almost blinded Merrin.

Merrin watched, fascinated, as the aura's merged, linking the two people together.  His gift was unique, his insight into someone's emotional state something he had been born with.  These two people were so closely entwined emotionally that their auras had begun to reach out to one another almost from the moment Galen had arrived -- a process that they did not outwardly acknowledge.  Could they really not know how inextricably they were linked?  He could almost feel the attraction between them.

But he had found the person he sought.  "You are the one we've been looking for," he stated.  Holding out a hand, he asked, " Can you give me a hand out?  It's bloody freezing in here."

***

Galen felt the air rushing past him, and he increased his speed until it became dangerous to go any faster.  Already his feet were being pushed and pulled by the current, his balance precarious.  He had had no need for this form of transport since... well for a very long time.  He preferred to walk, to feel the earth under his feet.  This mode of transport reminded him too much of Isabelle and his initiation.

Why wasn't Dureena answering him?  Icy fingers clutched at his stomach.  It could not happen again; not now, after all they had been through.  And then he was under the trees and flying dangerously close to the ground.

Dureena had the stranger at knifepoint, his body half in, half out of the pool.  As he approached, Galen could see the man's eyes flickering over her body, could see the way those green orbs rested on her exposed bosom, and his anger swelled into rage.

Then those eyes turned to him and he saw, at least he thought he saw, shock and recognition show fleetingly on the unremarkable face.  Before he could utter a word, the stranger held out a hand and begged for help.

Galen's eyes half closed as he fought back the incantation that was forming in his mind.  He wanted to obliterate the face that stared up into his, and it took all his self-control to stop that from happening.

"You know, it really is getting a little nippy in here, and I'm not really thawed out from the trip over.  And, you know, if you are going to do something nasty to me, would you just get it over and done with?"

The red mist that had threatened Galen's control began to subside, and he could see the man's lips were beginning to turn blue.

"Move back, Dureena," Galen ordered.  Ignoring her quick intake of breath, he pushed her aside and leant down a hand.  If the stranger were dangerous he would deal with him.  He would not put her in danger, even though she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

"Much obliged."  Merrin stood upright, trying to wring some of the water out of his clothes, finally giving up.

"I should introduce myself, Merrin is my name, and you are the person who will save my world."  The statement, bald and uncompromising, meant little to Galen.  Except that the man, Merrin, had more than his fair share of cheek.

Galen felt Dureena move behind him.  She was leaving, turning her back on them both.  Ignoring his uninvited guest for an instant he turned to call to her.

"Dureena, wait.  We need to talk.  Dureena..."  His voice found empty air as she ran from the clearing.

Merrin watched as the aura's fought to stay together, stretching tighter and tighter until they snapped.  "I don't think the lady took too kindly to being ordered about.  Now, if you'll take my advice..."

"I'll take the head from your shoulders if you mention her one more time."  The words, enunciated clear and cool, held a barely suppressed menace.

Merrin's hands went up, placatingly.  "Okay, I was just going to say... I'm mute, I won't say another word," he added hastily, as Galen's cold eyes flashed a warning.

Galen glared at him; then, grabbing him by the wrist, he escorted Merrin through the valley.  In silence the two men walked quickly back to Galen's home, Merrin looking about him curiously.

***

Galen had hoped to pass Dureena on the trip back, his eyes scanned the area even as his senses locked onto the various monitoring systems.  She was nowhere in sight.  She knew enough about his defences to avoid detection if she wished, but he kept scanning anyway.

By the time the two men reached the house, Merrin was shivering in earnest.  The cold walk, the energy-draining spell added to his unceremonious dunking, was finally taking its toll.  Only Galen's rigid arm kept him upright, and it was with an effort that he walked into the welcoming room and sunk into the huge leather chair set before an unlit fire.

Galen, seeing his captive was genuinely incapacitated, laid more wood on the fire and lit it with a word.  "Don't move from here," he ordered, as he left to find a blanket and towels.

Merrin was too grateful to argue that he couldn't even if he wanted to, instead he leaned forward, holding out his hands to the flickering flames.  The heat wasn't enough, although the flames licked hungrily at the wood they had yet to take a good hold, and his body was craving its heat with an intensity that threatened his good manners.

Merrin gathered his strength, concentrated on the flames and released the spell, watching with satisfaction as the fire suddenly grew, throwing out the much-needed warmth.

He did not hear Galen's return.

Continued

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