Martuk awoke once again to the sound of rain, this time beating violently against the broad windows of the room he was in. He had no idea where he was but violent storms such as this had been an almost daily occurrence for the several days since he'd first awoken, spiritless, armless and legless in this room. His many wounds had been well healed... even the very old injuries because he was scar free and he could see properly again.

Many people had come and gone over those days, Nurses, Doctors, Mages and even what he'd assumed was a Shaman of some sort but his magic was still gone and the spirits were utterly silent. What was stranger and disturbing those people had been utterly silent too, not a word had been spoken in the days he'd been here.

Hearing the door open he turned his head and saw Jerri standing there with a very grave expression. The neatly suited man smiled sadly and said, “Well my friend, it is a poor situation you find yourself in. I would venture even worse than in Gremant. I cannot help but feel the continual worsening of your situation is entirely my fault and I cannot ever repay the debt I owe you but I will do everything in my considerable power to attempt to do so. You have questions for me I am sure, you have only to ask and I will answer.”

“Where am I?” Martuk was surprised to hear his own voice, he'd almost expected the sniggering tones of the creature and he shuddered.

“You are in Feradine, Capital of the Empire. I am so very very sorry. I sent a car for you and you would have been brought here when you left the Internment facility but it was delayed by traffic and those dammed Coalition deserters got their hands on you instead. Two of the soldiers you confronted that night at the Grand Square along with a Necromancer they'd hired. They deserted rather than suffer the punishment attacking a Kalstrasian citizen would bring and blamed you for their predicament as spineless cowards always tend to do. But while I am in truth a citizen... they were partially correct in their labelling of me as a spy, as our presence in the Capital of the Empire should inform. But I was not spying on the country of Kalstrasia I was there to make dammed sure nothing of the God Emperor ever crawled it's way out of those jungles! The people of this Empire, my people, suffered under him so terribly!” Jerri had become very animated as he continued to speak until he was almost shrieking his hatred at the end, he visibly calmed himself and said, “Sorry the abuses of the God Emperor on my people... they still pain me. Your next question?”

His voice wary and weary Martuk said, “My magic is blocked, the spirits are silent and I can see or feel nothing of the spirit realm, why?”

A look of profound sadness settled onto Jerri's face, “You cannot be allowed your magic or the touch of the spirit realm, ever again. You are now a beacon with your doorway frozen open and no defence possible. In the spirit realm close by there are potent entities that cannot be allowed into this or any Realm, just waiting for their chance. I have Shaman, Mediums and Spirit-Walkers guarding this room to drive those entities off before they can posses you and I will continue to do so for as long as is necessary. But, sooner or later something must slip through. I have been consulting with experts to try to find some permanent solution but the news so far has all been very grim.”

“And it will continue to be. Generations of Oruc Shaman have known that there is no coming back for those who make this call.”

“I refuse to accept that. You saved me at this cost, I will discover a way to save you. My debt to you requires this and more, past that you are a man of integrity and honour.... which is rare and must be conserved when discovered.”

“Even if you do save me I have no arms and no legs and that is my next question... why am I healed but still limbless?”

Jerri made an irritable gesture and sighed, “They will be regrown. I know it is a form of imprisonment and a particularly vile one but it was decided that it was better for you to not have the capability of movement or manipulation in case of possession. I wanted to have them regrown when the rest was healed but I was overruled and my superior, probably correctly, listened to the practitioners advice instead.”

Martuk growled but then sighed and said, “I'm not going to say I'm very happy about it but... I can understand the reasoning. Thankfully that creature was extremely unusual so there's no real fear of me suddenly sprouting new ones again,” Martuk shook his head, “I have never in all my centuries, never heard before of a spirit that could do such things. Perhaps... there is hope in that case, generations of Oruc Shaman also had no idea such a spirit was possible.”

Jerri smiled and nodded, “That is the attitude to take, my friend. We will keep searching and we will find a way to save you. Now, if you have no more questions I must leave, my duties call me away. You have only to ask and anything you desire will be provided.”

“No more questions at the moment but since I can exercise nothing but my mind in this state, books, many books and some way to read them would be my fondest wish. We had very few books on the Plateau and the wealth of knowledge this Realm's people take for granted...” He shook his head in exasperated wonder.

Jerri smiled again, “Of course, I will arrange something for you.”

*****

Days turned to tendays, tendays to months, months to seasons and close to the anniversary of his stay at the hospital Jerri entered the room particularly agitated on the third of the tri-weekly visits he'd taken to making. Martuk looked up form the textbook he was reading with the help of an eye-motion controlled stand and said, “What's happened?”

Excitedly Jerri said, “We've finally found a way... unfortunately it is extremely likely not a way you may wish. It will permanently remove your access to magic but the entities will be blocked. It may close your awareness of the Astral permanently as well, we don't know, spirit-sight and spirit-handling skills do not rely on magic after all.”

His voice slightly panicky Martuk almost squeaked as he said, “Lose my magic? You don't know what you ask, even lamed as I was, even now blocked as I am, my magic was and is still there and when circumstances change I can feel it's touch again.”

Smiling sadly and nodding Jerri said, “You are correct, my friend. I am no practitioner and will never know but the reports from my spirit handling workers say you are now the locus of a spirit Maelstrom. The entities are warring on each other in their attempts to get close to you. The effects of that are being felt not just in the Astral it is spilling over into our Realm, the neighbourhoods around this hospital are now uninhabited and you are the only patient left in the facility. OddBoid, the head Spirit-Walker, says the sheer number of spirits here is actually warping the Astral itself making his Methods extremely difficult and unreliable. Franis, the Shaman lead, is extremely worried the Spirit Lords will soon notice and intervene. I assume you would know why that's bad? Because I truly have no idea. I'm not telling you this to force your decision I am telling you so you know the seriousness of the situation developing around you, I will continue the search if that is what you choose.”

“I... I... I had no idea it was that bad, why didn't you tell me?”

“While we had no other option I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily but now there is some hope, a less-than-ideal choice surely but better than the none we had. The decision is yours my friend, my superior told me to push you but I told my brother that the choice was yours. He was not happy and threatened to charge me with treason to the crown... but he's threatened that regularly ever since he became Emperor.”

Shaking his head Martuk said, “I am not worth this much trouble. It would be far better I should die even rather than cause so much misery and disruption to others. Let alone the Spirit Lords notice. Of course I accept.”

Jerri nodded gravely, “It will be done but indulge me a moment who are the Spirit Lords and why are they worrying, I have never heard of such beings.”

“There is an unpopulated region of the Fae Realm called the Tarmin Desert. Until a spirit-raising working taking place there offended the Spirit Lords it was called the Matartmin Empire and had a population in the hundreds of thousands. That is why they are worrying.”

Jerri's naturally tan skin greyed as he blanched, “Oh, well, yes. Doctor Yon and Archmagus Terribilis will be by soon to explain exactly what will happen and what is needed.”

Martuk nodded, “Thank you, for everything.”

“No my friend, thank you. You paid a price most would shirk to save my life, the life of an almost stranger. You are worth far more than the cost I have paid so far for you are a good man.” A calculating look entered his eye and he quirked an eyebrow, “You are not worth the Empire itself though, I really must go have a quick word with Franis about full disclosure of potential issues.”

Hurrying slightly he left the room.

*******

Two months later Martuk stood at the window of the same room, gazing at today's torrential downpour. His arms and legs had a silvery sheen where they showed past his hospital issue t-shirt and shorts. He was disturbed just how easily he'd acclimatised to these strange new limbs, rather than being regrown they'd been replaced outright. Some of his internal organs had also been replaced as had his eyes, his ears, even parts of his brain and nervous system. Replaced with magically animated metal and crystal, each item increased the potential severity of corruption tenfold for any magical working he undertook but more than that each item blocked part of the gateway. For him now the increase in corruption was a moot point, with so much Mesiwaark in him he may as well have not been born with the touch at all. He had no magic left.

But it served it's purpose. His spirit door was still wide open but like his gateway it was now blocked by the metal, he was safe from possession and only time could tell if this cost had been worth it.

He heard the door of his room open. Turning he expected to see Jerri but instead it was a slightly younger looking version of Jerri's dark and severe features he was looking at... under a plain circlet of gold set with small brilliant rubies and flanked by two heavily armed guards anonymous in full body armour.

Without preamble the man spoke, “Congratulations. Jerri tells me the procedures were a complete success, that you are no longer a beacon and therefore no longer a threat to the safety of my Empire. He also tells me you're a good man, a man of honour and wisdom. Empires need good men to advise those that rule them because Empires are not good and those that rule them shouldn't be good men either. At Jerri’s insistence I'm offering you a position as an Adviser to the Crown, you would report to him, who reports to me. You would be the eyes of the crown in matters that we may not see as clearly as an outsider would, be aware your advice may not always been taken but it would always be heard.”

The neatly suited man shook his head ruefully, “My older brother was always the more intelligent of us two and turned the weight of this thing down when it was offered to him. He knew as he is a very good man he was not suited to rule. The people of my Empire should be extremely thankful for him because I am suited to rule... but I listen to him. Think on it, take as long as you need but please consider it carefully. I absolutely trust my brother, his hunches backed by his steady judgement brought us to where we are now and he says we need you.”

Speech finished he nodded, turned, and left the room before the shock which had frozen Martuk's voice faded.

As the door clicked closed behind the Emperor and with a suddenness that sent him reeling the whispers of the spirits flooded the previously silent vaults of his mind, he'd heard nothing of them since the procedure and had thought them gone forever. As always they were gibberish, a mishmash of broken thoughts, emotions, words and feelings and as always it was also up to the Shaman to interpret their meaning. But this was one of the easier times to discern their meaning, they almost universally shouted a single overwhelming concept, accept.

The spirits wanted him to take the offer. Why he could not know, but as he always had been and always would be he was a true servant of the spirits so he would do as instructed. Turning back to the window he gazed out over the rain slashed city of millions, he had no idea what the spirits wanted but it would be very interesting to find out he was sure.