THE WIZARD: INTERLUDE ONE
"But you're not..." Rebecca stopped in mid-sentence as the man opposite made a small gesture and there appeared around the neck of both her sister and the black woman, Sugar, a silvery metal circle. Each had the name they were known by engraved on it in large, deep letters.
"It's not convenient for outsiders to know what my relationship is to my girls. So the collars are only visible to them and to me, normally. A minor effect but useful."
Rebecca sat there for a while, thinking about what her sister had said and when she spoke her voice was surprisingly calm.
"Might I have some fresh tea?"
"But of course."
She drank it thirstily. Her mouth had grown dry during her sister's narrative and she had to take deep breaths to force her heart to beat more slowly. But she still wasn't calm when she looked at him and at her sister kneeling by him. She felt the emotion she was suppressing, trembling under her heart. It was anger.
"Why? Why all... this?"
"I'm sorry? I don't understand the question?"
"Why are you wasting your time, the knowledge you have on this sort of self-indulgent, gross, ludicrous...."
"Now, remember what I said, dear lady..."
"The hell with what you said!" She stood and stalked about the room. "You could be ending wars, curing diseases, feeding the hungry...."
"And instead I'm playing games? Is that how you see it?"
"Yes!"
"Well, there are three things I have to say to that. Sit down, young lady, I don't care to crick my neck looking up at you." Still seething she sat again. "Firstly, how do you know I'm not using my abilities? Quietly, behind the scenes, subtly."
"You are?"
"The world is not quite such an alarming place as it was a few years ago. There are fewer nuclear weapons, fewer dictatorships. Things are slowly improving."
"People still die. People still kill people. You could..."
"Ah,, and here we come to the second reason. I find that just like God, I can't use my full powers and still let mere humans have lives that mean something. I have to give you the chance to do things yourself, make choices that mean something. If I give you everything you want you will have nothing to achieve for yourselves."
"Well then, why not let people know what you know? Give your magic to the world. Make everyone a wizard."
"And there is my third reason. The day is coming when someone will duplicate my research. And I believe, taking the human race on average, they will not be as restrained as I have been. The world will be divided into haves and have-nots, as it always is. But the haves will be able to make themselves gods. And the have-nots will just have to bow down and worship, no matter what sort of gods they are. Gods perhaps who don't care if their worshippers give them devotion freely, as I do with mine." And his hands lightly touched Sugar and Jane's heads as they knelt there, either side of him.
Rebecca found herself trembling.
"What are you doing about this?"
"Doing my best to ensure that when the breakthrough comes, I will be in a position to impose some sort of order on things. I very much hope I will be successful."
"And in the meantime you make women into your toys. That doesn't make me very happy at the prospect of you as the next Odin or Zeus."
"No, no, you don't understand at all!" Surprisingly, it was the black woman Sugar who spoke. Both Rebecca and Mayne looked down at her in surprise. She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry, Master. I spoke out of turn."
"Not at all, my sweet Sugar. I always value your insight. Suppose you tell us what you feel is going on."
"What is going on, Ms Freeman, is that he gives a few lucky people the chance to get their heart's desire. And at the same time teaches them a valuable lesson."
"Which is?"
"That everything, even your heart's desire, has a price tag on it. Master is not some Genie giving out wishes for no reason. He expects us to work for our happiness. It is sweeter for that."
"Tell our guest how you came to join my family, Sugar. I think she would find it enlightening."
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