Catching a Dewdrop (Closed for GypsyGirl84)

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason had just arrived back from work and was looking forward to some lunch. He had showered and changed into some jeans and an old comfortable T-Shirt. Following Cornflower's advice he had visited a couple of farms around the area and had secured a few items. A sack of hand ground flour, a crate of non pasteurized milk and two jars of pure honey from a local beekeeper who did everything naturally. He had promised work in return and would be busy for the next fortnight, but it was worth it.

Now he was just sitting down to lunch and there was a knock. Grumbling he went to open it. As he got closer though he could sense the power of the person behind it. He immediately activated every protection charm in his house and the three on his person and then calmly opened the door.

He looked at the woman standing outside. She looked Native American, a very beautiful Native American woman in her late Twenties perhaps with beautiful straight black hair, dressed in jeans, a lumber jacket top, hiking boots a straw hat and carrying a large walking stick. The problem was Jason was sure that she was not what she seemed. A twenty year old would not have the power he felt oosing of her.

"Hello, can I help you?" He asked politely.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Invite me in. Offer me a seat and something to drink. And stand up straight." There was an odd, almost musical inflection to Donna Redwoman's voice. Her voice was at a pleasant midpoint between an alto and soprano, but its tone said the owner would brook no nonsense. "You're a half foot taller than me. Look it. And after we go over the Laws, we'll work on your wards. I have an apprentice back in Knoxville who would bowl you over with a sneeze. And look past me. You don't want me looking into your soul and you don't want to look into mine," Donna Redwoman added as she leaned a little more on her staff.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason found himself instantly obeying this woman. His back straightened and now he looked down upon her and fixed his gaze on the top of her head, right at her forehead actually. He actually couldn't look past her, a fact of his upbringing, but he hoped this would be good enough.

"Won't you come in please," he said moving to the side to let her pass, and then closing the door behind her. He led her into his lounge room and showed her to his most comfortable chair and made sure she was seated comfortably, before he went into the kitchen and got her a large glass of cold water and placed it beside her.

"Would you like anything else, Something to eat or a different type of drink?"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Sit down and stop hovering. And call me Ms. Redwoman or ma'am,"she added, taking a sip from her glass. She studied Jason for a minute before demanding, "Tell me how far it is from your house to Knoxville, Tennessee."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

"Well we are in Missouri ma'am. If I remember my geography correctly we are about 600 miles away or so. If you are suggesting I go there then it is going to take me at least half a day to get there by car, and that is the only way I would be able to get there. I don't have enough money saved to be able to fly."

He sat down across from her and continued to stare at her forehead. It was awkward but she had told him not to stare into her eyes, so he guessed she was used to people looking at her in funny ways.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Six hundred miles as the crow flies," Donna laughed, though it wasn't necessarily a pleasant laugh. Donna rotated her shoulders as if to relieve the tightness of the muscles. "And carrying your library, even if it was shrunk down for the flight. You stay right here, boy. I can work from here as well as anywhere. Anyway, you're going to learn not to trust cars and such the more adept you become. Technology doesn't like our kind, because we were here first, and we'll be here afterwards."

Donna took another drink from her glass before continuing. "The first thing you need to learn, boy, is not to look into a wizard's eyes. And make no mistake, whatever cultural reference you care to use, I am a full blown wizard. As such, if you look into my eyes, you open your soul up to me, and get to stare down into mine. And an innocent like you probably wouldn't be able to do that for more than a minute without screaming and passing out."

Donna dumped three old, leather bound books from out of her saddlebag and on to the table. "Theoretical nature of magic and the different types, wards, and some simpler cantrips and potions, just for practicing," Donna explained, tapping each one of the books in succession. "Go fetch me the books you've been using, so I know what I have to work with, and what I have to fix."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason nodded his understanding, then hurried into his room returning with both the diary and the magic book. "I found these in an old chest and have pieced together what I know from them. The book seems to go from very basic to very advanced, but I have not even attempted anything past the very basic. The hardest spell I have done was a trap for a fairy and according to Miss Cornflower it was done poorly. I seem to have not known the basic Laws and so I was not prepared properly."

He placed the books in front of her and sat back down across from her looking at her forehead once again, wondering if he would ever get to the stage of emenating so much power as her without even doing anything. Just what would she be like if she was casting a spell of ny power he wondered.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"Harry Dresden," Donna Redwoman murmured, with just a hint of a smile as she flipped through the pages. "This has been missing for some years. It'll be going back with me," Donna said, stuffing the books Jason had given her into her saddlebag.

"We'll go over your spells in a second," she continued. "A Dewdrop fairy isn't exactly the best teacher on mortal magic you could have. Not that your Cornflower is a normal Dewdrop fairy, but we'll talk about that in a minute, too. boy --Dammit, I can't keep calling you boy. Tell me you're full name," she barked.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason didn't even think twice about giving this woman his name or making up a false one.

"My name is Jason Masters Ma'am. Pleased to meet you. Sorry I should have introduced myself when you did. My mum brought me up better than that and she would be giving me a slap behind the ear if she was here right now the way my manners have been. Speaking of which, would you like a refill on that water?"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"In a second," Donna answered. "Give me your hand first. Your right hand, palm up. And you're middle name. Assuming you have one?" she asked, eyebrow arched.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason stood up and stepped over to the woman. He held his hand out to her and then looked straight at it eager to see what she was going to look at.

"I don't have a middle name Ma'am. My parents didn't believe in 'That nonsense' as they put it. They said two good strong names were all that a person required."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"It's there, though," Donna murmured. She gently traced a few lines on Jason's hands. "Palmistry is just a scam, you know. Big lines move, and people get caught in them, but you can't see your future in the lines of your hand. But those lines still talk." Donna took Jason's hand in a steely grip. "Jason, I'm going to teach you the ways of white wizardry. You can follow me willingly, or go your own way, and I won't stop you, but now's the time to make that decision."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason did not have to think very long about his decision. He knew this was someone who was very powerful and had been brought to him by Cornflower. He might not entirely trust either of them, but they were both people of honor he knew that.

He also knew he wanted to learn magic desperately. He had learned just enough to know he wanted to learn all that he could.

"I would be honored to learn from you Miss Redwoman. I believe I will learn a lot from you."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Donna Redwoman looked up at Jason and smiled, looking at a point not quite into his eyes. She said his full name then, both his first and last, and something in between that sounded like laughter in caves and farmers working in the field.

"Your true name, Jason," she explained to him. "If I whispered it, you might feel as if you had a hunch to go somewhere. If I shouted it out with power, it would wake you from a dead sleep. Guard it well. A person or being who possesses your True Name doesn't possess complete power over you, as legend has suggested, but it's still something you don't want others to have, if you can help it. I possess it because I'm your teacher. The Fourth Law of Magic forbids me to use it against you."

"By the same token, you may come into the possession of the true names of other beings and persons, and it will have a different effect on each of them, depending on their nature. Reality as we know can be divided into three parts: the mortal world we see around us, the NeverNever from which your friend Cornflower and the other Dewdrop Fairies came from, and the Outside. And that is the seventh and final law. You are forbidden with trafficking with Outsiders."

Donna gave Jason a wan smile. "Bet you didn't think how big a can of worms you were going to open when you started flirting with a Dewdrop Princess, did you?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason blushed a little. He opened his mouth to protest his innocence but then shut it again. He supposed he had been flirting a little bit with Cornflower. She had been very beautiful and he had never really spoken to a beautiful girl before so perhaps that had been one of the reasons. Still he knew nothing could come of it, after all he was human and she was a fairy. It would be a physical impossibility for them to get up to anything.

"I guess I didn't know how much was involved. I only wanted to know how to cast some more powerful spells, but now I know it is more complicated than that. Still I am eager to learn and also to learn just what it was you said just now. If that was my true name I liked the sound of it but I wouldn't know how to say it."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"After I leave," Donna instructed, "Close your eyes and listen for my voice in your memories. You'll be able to repeat it. But before I start your education, let us discuss how magic is ordered. In the mortal world, there are wizards, and we are bound together in a organization called the White Council. This is different than the Courts and other things that govern those from the NeverNever, which we'll discuss in a little bit. The White Council is made up of every living wizard in the world, which might include you one day, assuming you're head isn't too thick to learn."

Donna finished her glass of water, and held it up for Jason to get her another.

"Seven laws the Council has for anyone mortal who practices magic, regardless of what and how much they know," Donna continued, waiting for her water. "And it's usually a death sentence to break any of those seven laws. Ignorance of the law is no defense."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason quickly took her glass and walked back into the kitchen. He realized this may be a long discussion and that Donna may need more than one refill. He quickly filled up a large jug with iced water and threw in some ice to keep it cool, and then filled up the cup he was carrying and brought it all back to where she was sitting. He placed the jug on the table and handed the glass to her.

"Yes Cornflower mentioned the seven laws and so have you. I know one of them is that no being should ever be compelled against their wishes. However I admit to being totally ignorant of the others but I would say they would be along the same lines of not doing anything foolish with magic. Am I right?"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Donna took the glass of water with a nod of thanks.

"The White Council was formed more or less to keep the Human Race safe from magic and everyone and everything that practices it, including you and me, and your little pal Cornflower. It's run by people, so of course it's not perfect, but all things considered, it doesn't do a bad job. It set down Seven Laws of Magic to help do this. And then the Senior Council, which is the seven most Senior Wizards on the White Council, has a Legion of Wardens to help enforce those Laws. Think of the Wardens as the "Proper Federal Authorities" who can ride in on your reservation anytime they see the need to." The last sentence was said with a certain amount of bitterness, though whether the bitterness was directed at the Wardens or the "Proper Federal Authorities", there was no telling.

"Now, you can break one of these laws if there is extenuating circumstances, like defending your life, or someone else's, but that's still not a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. You're still going to have to explain yourself to the White Council, and if the vote is against you, there is no appeal, and chances are you won't get a second chance. Not in this lifetime, anyway. Any questions before I do down the list of the Seven Deadly Magical Sins?"

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason was a bit put out. So there were seven people he had never met before, that were going to govern his way of magic use, and no matter what he did, even if it was in the best interests of his friends, people or the world, if he broke a law he could, if he had interpreted Donna's wording right, die.

"I'm a bit put out about this council business, but I guess I will have to live with it. So What are these Laws I will be living with for the rest of my life?"

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"You'll be meeting them in time," Donna said. "Or you could just stop practicing magic, but denying your own nature has a nasty way of catching up with you."

"The first law is simple enough. Don't use magic to kill another human being. And just like the law against mundane murder, there are exceptions allowed. Self-defense, protection of others, exceptions allowed by the Council," Donna ticked off. "Just be sure you have an explanation ready, when the time comes."

"Law number two---Don't transform another person. So if you have an idea of someone you want to transform into a frog, waiting for a princess to come along---Don't!" There was actually a hint of a smirk on Donna's lip as she stated this one.

"Law number three is no mind games. Literally, no mind games. A lot of people have a natural ability toward empathy and telepathy. No problem there. It's like being able to look just beneath the surface of a pond. Kind of rude at times, but not a problem. Going in and changing someone's mental housekeeping, that's a problem. Forcing your way into somebody's mind and trying to pull out information against their will, that's a problem. Mental mind control, that's a problem. Which leads us to Law number four." Donna paused and took a drink of water before proceeding

"Law number four forbids the binding of any being against its will. The games we play with the Dewdrop fairies is one thing. It's a choreographed trade of goods for services. Your ancestors were leaving out treats for the brownies to make sure no harm came to livestock and land. But if you summoned up a being from beyond the pale, and used its true name and other methods to bend it to your will---I believe the phrase your generation would use is 'That's the Line.'"

"Law number five," Donna continued, "Involves the dead. Human dead. They're supposed to stay that way. Don't try to raise the dead, speak with the dead, invoke the dead. No theory, no practice."

"Law number six deals with time travel. Something happened in the past, let it stay in the past. Something happens in the future, use trends and flows and whatever the stockbrokers use to pick the next coming thing. Leave the spellbook at home. Me," Donna added, leaning back and stroking her chin, "I think it's like Shakespeare said, about there being a Destiny to things, rough hew it as much as we do. Or something. My personal opinion is that once we do something, no matter how many times we theoretically go to the past, something will happen to make it happen the way it did the first time. But time travel scares the piss out of some of my colleagues...your future colleagues...so don't put your hand to it."

"Law number Seven is H.P.Lovecraft territory," Donna said with a frown. "So let me take a step off my stump and let you ask your questions before we cover that."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason had listened very closely to the rules and had noticed a few things, there were gaps. All the laws dealt specifically with other people and not oneself so you could pretty much do whatever you wanted to yourself without breaking any laws. He also had to clear up something about this killing law, and the dead.

"I get all those laws and they're good, but there seem to be loopholes or vague areas. I mean with law one, what if while doing something, say defending someone from an attack by something. Yes I know that's vague but I don't have a good example. Anyway so while doing this a stray spell goes off or one is deflected and hits an object causing it to fall killing someone. Are you responsible? And if it was your adversaries and you deflected it would you be the one responsible?"

He paused then took a breath, "Then there is the one about the dead. It only mentions humans. So if someone raises a lot of animals, technically they would be fine because they would not be breaking the law. Yet most people and I mean me too would find that truly wrong and abhorrent."

He smiled and looked at her forehead again. "Of course it is not all bad. I totally agree with you on the time travel one. I am a bit of a Fantasy Nerd and have always thought that. The universe wants something to happen it will, no matter what the beings in it do. The circumstances may change but the result will be the same. Go back and kill Hitler and maybe Mussolini will be the one who rises up. Who knows. I would also like to clarify something about Law two. You are not allowed to transform another person, but how about yourself, or someone that is willing?"

Jason had talked a lot and he hoped that Donna was not offended, but he wanted to learn as much as he could and make sure he knew all about the laws so he didn't break them accidentally.

 

[GypsyGirl84]

"You're not the first one to notice the loophole about dead nonhumans," Donna noted, lifting up the diary of Harry Dresden from his boyhood. "Technically, you haven't run afoul of Law Number Five. But you'll have made other people fairly unhappy. So it's one of those things that you shouldn't do unless circumstances don't give you a choice."

"As you can imagine, Jason, magic has the ability to make the lives of other humans miserable, which is why the original White Council laid down the Seven Laws. They've been in effect, in one form or another, since the days of Pythagoras. If you're looking for clear cut, black and white regulations, you're out of luck. The only thing that you can do is do your best, and hope your arguments sway the rest of your peers when they hear your case." Donna shrugged. "You've probably heard the truism about life not being fair. All you can do is live with it the best you can."

Donna tapped her upper lip with her forefinger for a minute before continuing. "The reason there's a law against transforming the unwilling is that long term transformation can mentally unbalance most humans. Not the Fae, but they operate under different physical laws, for lack of a better phrase, than we do. So even on yourself, or another human being who is willing, it's something to use cautiously. Some people have an innate ability to do so, that they just have to tap into. We'll see somewhere down the road what your bailiwick is."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason nodded. He thought it would be something like that. The laws were set down, and it was up to the person themselves to follow them. If they were truly good they would follow them almost to the letter sticking to the true meaning of the law. If they were bad they wouldn't give a toss about the laws anyway and that would be the time to call in the warden's.

It was a pretty good system, however he could see a few problems. There always was that little grey area that was bound to turn up. It happened everywhere and in everything. He had been part of it for most of his life. Bad people had tormented him, but so had good, just so they would not be tormented themselves. So who was truly bad and who was not? Would the same rules apply to those that were trying to save themselves or just the ones who did the horrendous acts.

Still Donna had said there would be trials and he would have to trust her about that, even though he truly had no wish to use his skills for any evil purposes. He just had a feeling he was going to be one of those people living on the edge.

"Well I get the general idea of the laws. Follow them as best you can and use your conscience to guide you," he smiled. "However you mentioned something else before, Law seven. That sounds pretty bad. I have read some of H.P's works so if it's that bad it must involve some pretty weird things."

 

[GypsyGirl84]

Donna's face hardened with a grimace, as she sat in silence for a minute.

"Reality can be divided into three sections: Mortal, Nonmortal, and Outside. Mortal is everything you see around you. Nonmortal...everything from your friend Cornflower, to Vampires and Demons, to Shakespearian Fae, all can be found in the Nonmortal Realm. The NeverNever, you'll hear it called, though it has other names. And then there is Outside. If there are such things as Tentacled Ancient Beings waiting to awaken, they'll be in the Outside. And they want inside." Donna visibly shuddered. "I've been to the Winter Court and the Gate at the Edge of the Universe. The Gatekeeper's task is not one I would curse on anyone."

"So the Seventh Law is simple. You don't research the Outside. You don't try to contact the Outside. You don't traffick with anyone from the Outside," Donna emphatically concluded. "And you'll know if it's something from the Outside trying to talk to you."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Jason shuddered. "You mean there are such beings as Cthullu, the Undying ones and all the rest just trying to break into our world.Why would anyone want to make a deal with them? You just know they would never keep their word."

Jason tried to think of the enormity of the situation then drove it from his mind. That way would lead to madness. Better to leave that law right alone until something cropped up if it ever did and then deal with it.

"Okay so that's the laws dealt with and I am sure I can live with all of them. They are pretty sensible ones and really until I get any real power I don't think I will be breaking any of them any time soon anyway," he smiled. "What I really want to know now is how I go about training myself to achieve the goal of attaining that power. Don't get me wrong, I don't want it so I can go off and rule the world. I plan on following the rules for the rest of my life. However I have read that spell book and let's just say I have had a taste of what magic can do and I would like to someday be able to cast the spells in the back of it."