“No | cannot fly, that's not your concern, and both events are 
marked as sacred occasions. Laying an egg is considered an 
accomplishment of the mother, while hatching is the 
accomplishment of the hatchling,” he replied. 


“That’s so fascinating, plus you basically get double birthdays, 
though the first one kind of sounds more like Mother’s day. Oh, do 
your people hate cats, because | love puss -” 


“Lolly, behind me now!” Iris ordered. “Your Waywardness, | 
apologize for the impertinence of my associate.” 


“It is quite all right. She is not the first Bozomorph to cross my path. 
Her people are well known for their exuberance.” 


“ld say that’s racist, but everything I’ve said to you was racist so | 
guess we're cool,” Lolly said. 


Iris shot her an ominous glance, demanding her silence. 


“Great Wandsman, | have come to you on behalf of the Deathless 
Merchant of London so that we might exchange our equally 
priceless wares for our mutual benefit.” 


“On his behalf?” the Wandsman asked with a curious tilt of his head. 
“| can see your True Name in your aura. You are Dark.” 


“lam Iris Dark; proxy, apprentice, descendant and heir of Percival 
Darke.” 


“But Dark is his True Name, a True Name bound to him and him 
alone through unspeakable black magic, anchoring his essence to 
the Mortal Plane and affording him untold occult powers. How could 
there be another with the True Name Dark?” 


“He spells it with an ‘e’. | don't,” she replied nonchalantly. The 
Wandsman squinted at her, seemingly unconvinced. 


“| am...pleased to learn that there is another such as Darke,” he 
said, though the cawing sound he made sounded like it was a sign 
of distress. “And who is this mere mortal so brave or so foolish to 
enter the City of Kul-Manas?” 


“Victor Chan, pleased to make your acquaintance,” Victor said, 
shaking his hand. “I’m just here to carry stuff and fill out the 
paperwork.” 


“Now that we are formally introduced, may we please to be shown to 
the Guildhall of Gorok?” Iris asked. 


“Of course. | am happy and eager to serve as your guide during your 
visit. Please, follow me,” the Wandsman bowed, extending his hand 
towards a rickshaw. The driver, a shorter being with the head of a 
sparrow, opened the door and gestured for them to board. Once 
they were inside, the Sparrow lifted the rickshaw up by its hand- 
grips and hauled it through the twisting and winding streets of the 
ancient city. 


A city peopled by anthropomorphic birds was a curious sight, even 
to Lolly who had travelled extensively across worlds. Most of the 
common folk they saw bustling about were songbirds; sparrows, 
finches, warblers and the like, but there was the occasional more 
exotic avian. They spied a sensuous swan, a flamboyant flamingo, 
and even a preening peacock all proudly displaying their plumage as 
they strutted down the street. The lack of any obvious self- 
segregating among the many different species suggested that they 
viewed each other as a single kin. The sighting of a meadowlark and 
an oriole courting each other prompted the question of interspecies 


breeding, but that hardly seemed like an appropriate subject of 
conversation. 


“So how do your people have se -” 


“Hey, where exactly is Kul-Manas anyway?” Victor asked, cutting 
Lolly off. 


“As with all such Nexuses, we are everywhere and nowhere,” the 
Wandsman replied. “We are outside the continuum of time and 
space, and thus untethered by its laws. Wanderers from opposite 
ends of Creation could travel here with a single stride." 


"That enormous tree we came out of was quite extraordinary. What 
is it?" Iris asked. 


"It it nothing less than the World Tree itself," the Wandsman 
answered. "It was made incarnate here long ago by the spellcraft of 
our ancestors, and we have benefited greatly from its presence. 
Around its trunk we made our city, crafting our homes from the 
detritus it let fall. We drank its sacred sap and were granted both 
clairvoyance and gnosis. We carved Janus Doors into its bark, and 
with only the most basic of tools and methodologies we set out to 
explore the multiverse, just as the Pacific peoples of your world once 
sailed the vast ocean with only Stone Age technology." 


“Wow, you're a much better tour guide than | am. | need cue cards 
to stop from going off on tangents,” Lolly said. “Anyway, do your 
guys have penises, and if they do are they like those crazy 
corkscrew duck penises or do -” 


Lolly was quickly muffled by Iris’s cold, metallic left hand covering 
her mouth. 


“Lolly, that is not an appropriate question. When | take my hand 
away you are going to apologize to the Wandsman for your 
vulgarity. Is that understood?” she asked. Lolly nodded, and Iris 
lowered her hand. 


“Oh my god you have a robot hand!” Lolly squeed, examining it with 
glee. Iris squinted her eyes at her incredulously. 


“Did you seriously just now notice that?” 
“Uh-huh. My attention is kind of all over the place most of the time.” 
“So I’ve observed.” 


“It is an interesting prosthetic, if | may say so,” the Wandsman 
chirped. “Where did you acquire it?” 


“It's custom made,” she replied, her expression making it clear she 
wasn’t taking any follow-up questions. 


The Wandsman cleared his throat and awkwardly ruffled his 
feathers. 


“Ah, we’re here: The Great Gilded Guildhall of Gorok, headquarters 
of the Merchant's Guild of Kul-Manas,” he said as they rolled in front 
a squat spire, woven from branches that had been gilded in 24 carat 
gold leaf. Strange runes (that could both insultingly and accurately 
be described as chicken scratch) encircled the structure, and by the 
entrance was a marble fountain depicting a humanoid seagull 
regurgitating food into the mouths of its chicks, which was 
presumably meant to be symbolic of prosperity...or something. 


There was a gentle thud as the driver set the rickshaw down and 
hurried around to open the door for them. 


“Guildmaster Vixis and his council patiently await your arrival, Ms. 
Dark.” 


“Kindly lead the way,” Iris said. “Victor, by my side. Lolly, behind me 
and quiet. | mean it.” 


Lolly nodded and mimed zipping her mouth shut and tossing away 
the key, unaware that a passerby passerine would later recover the 
imaginary item and use it to unlock a Way leading to a plane 
comprised solely of thought-forms. 


The Wandsman led the way into the hall, followed by Iris, Victor and 
Lolly. The interior of the hall was also gilded, as well as being 
decorated with velvet rugs, jade statues and enormous portraits. 
Lighting came from the same smokeless spectral flames the 


Percival Darke used in his sanctum. 


The Guildmaster and his council sat on a dais that elevated them a 
full fathom off the ground and forced whoever was before them into 
the submissive position of staring up at them. The Guildmaster 
himself looked to be a kingfisher of some kind, with the other 
councillors consisting of an ibis, a blue heron, a white crane, a 
cassowary, a barn owl, and a kiwi. 


“Ickis, you honour us with your presence yet again,” the Guildmaster 
declared, his deep voice resonating throughout the hall. “And once 
again you delight us by bringing more Wanderers with you to trade. 
The Deathless Merchant of London said his proxy was one who 
bore his name, and yet even now | hesitate to believe my own eyes. 
Nonetheless, we are happy to receive you, Dark, as well as your 
guests. I'd introduce the council but if you are anything like your 
namesake | assume you wish to get straight to business.” 


“You would be correct Guildmaster,” Iris nodded. She snapped at 
Victor to open the carrying case and take out her merchandise. “As 
discussed in your correspondence with Esquire Darke, | present to 
you three-dimensional wards, designed by both Esquire Darke and 
myself. Using common holography, we have created talismans 
inscribed with wards drawn in three dimensions, allowing them to be 
six times more complex than traditional wards without taking up any 
additional space. There are seven talismans, one for each of you, 
and each talisman contains two wards, one on each side.” 


Victor stepped up to the dais and handed a talisman to each 
councillor so that they could inspect them. 


“If you are satisfied with the quality of those samples, we are willing 
to sell you more at a price 1 kg of Morgana Silver per talisman. 
Those fourteen wards are the only ones designed at the moment, 
however we are willing to take custom orders for double the price. 
All payment must be upfront, no refunds, and before we go any 
further | will require proof that you actually possess Morgana Silver 
so that | know you're not wasting my time.” 


The ibis nodded and tossed her a coin purse. She poured the 
contents into her hands, revealing bright silver coins depicting a fairy 


queen on one side and a seven-pointed star encircled by runes on 
the other. 


“What are those?” Lolly asked, before quickly re-zipping her mouth 
and pocketing the key (much to the council’s disappointment). 


“It’s yttrium silver from the Fey city of Fata Morgana,” Iris replied. 
She squeezed them in her right palm and smiled as she felt the EVE 
flow through them. “For all intents and purposes, it’s mithril. It’s 
thaumically conductive, and if we can get a steady supply of it we 
can use it in all kinds of paratech. 

“Gentlemen and/or Ladies, | am satisfied with the quality of your 
product as | hope you are satisfied with mine. Shall we discuss bulk 
discounts?” 


The Guildmaster chuckled cruelly, and would have sneered if he had 
lips. 


“| have a better idea,” he snapped his talons and metal grates 
clamped down on every exit. 


“Vixis, what in the name of Xitheus are you doing?” the Wandsman 
demanded, the rest of the council squawking in agreement. 


“I’m stopping us from being robbed blind is what I’m doing,” the 
Guildmaster replied. “I was none too pleased when | received a 
letter from the Deathless Merchant of London, making us an offer 
we couldn't refuse. A kilo of the most valuable thaumic alloy in the 
known worlds in exchange for these cracker jack toys!” 


He threw his talisman straight at Iris, only for her to catch it 
effortlessly. 


“| found the Merchant’s tone to be less than respectful, how he took 

it for granted that | would not dare to refuse his offer. Well, | dare. In 

fact, I’ve decided it’s time to let the Merchant know exactly where we 
stand. Darke may be top chicken in his backwater reality, but he has 
no power over us! We are the Ascendant Avians of Kul-Manas! The 

blood of Dinosaurs flows through our veins. Dinosaurs | tell you! The 
Merchant was a fool to send you Dark, and you were a fool to come. 
A partner of the most powerful anomalous firm on your Earth, their 


chief paratechnologist, and Darke’s own blood no less? To say you 
were worth a King’s ransom would be a monstrous understatement. 
“The Clown and the salesman are free to go, just be sure you deliver 
my message to Darke; Kul-Manas is an unassailable fortress, he 
cannot touch us here! If he ever wants this little tinkerer of his back | 
will accept nothing less than majority control of his fancy little flea 
market. Until then Dark, you will have the privilege of being my 
prisoner.” 


The Guildmaster glared down mockingly at her, expecting the young 
woman to be trembling in fear. 


Instead, she just looked annoyed. 


“Alright then. | wasn’t planning on adding ‘killed a giant kookaburra’ 
to my CV, but why the hell not?” she asked rhetorically. 


Taking a deep breath and sharpening her will, she focused the 
Mekhane part of her being into her metal hand while channelling the 
Yaldabaoth portions into her flesh hand. She raised each hand up 
and then dragged them downwards, producing two twin serpents as 
she did so; one of quicksilver ichor, the other of jaundiced miasma. 
The two Dragons immediately attacked each other, twisting around 
one another in a double helix, each consuming the other's tail in a 
type of Ouroboros. Each Serpent feeding off the other, the 
Ouroboros grew in size and rose to the ceiling of the Guildhall, 
creating a vortex that pinned the council to the floor, unable to 
escape as it slowly descended towards them. 


The Wandsman squawked in horror and leapt to the dais. He held 
up his great staff and began shouting incantations at the 
abomination. It held it back, but only just, and it was still growing 
stronger. 


” 


“Well, we got some Morgana Silver, so this wasn’t a complete bust, 
Iris said as she casually pocketed the coin purse. “If we’re lucky we 
could figure out how to transmute it from other metals. Lolly, would 
you be so kind as to open a Door back to your Circus please?” 


Lolly didn’t respond immediately, being transfixed by the sight of a 
bird wizard battling self-cannibalizing ethereal snakes. 


“Iris, you can’t kill them,” she objected vehemently. 


“| beg your pardon? I’m in charge here, /ittle lollipop, and | don’t 
much care for someone trying to take me hostage. Now make a 
Door out of here before those two Dragons get so big they devour 
the whole guildhall.” 


Lolly furrowed her brow resolutely and leapt up onto the dais. 
“Lolly! What the hell are you doing?” 


She grabbed hold of the Wandsman staff and channelled her own 
magic into it, strengthening his counterspell and pushing the 
Serpents back ever so slightly. 


“Lolly get down here this instant!” 

“Undo this!” 

“| will leave you to die if you do not immediately come back here!” 
“If | die, Icky will never let you use the Kaleidoscope again!” 


lris's face contorted in rage. Knowing Lolly was right, she climbed up 
onto the dais and snatched the staff away from them. Pointing it at 
her creation, she screamed something in the Chaos Tongue. Two 
bolts of lightning, one silver and one yellow, shot forth from the staff 
and struck the opposite coloured Dragon, reducing each of them to 
mist in a spectacular but ultimately harmless explosion. 


“Thank you,” the Wandsman whispered to Lolly. Iris pulled Lolly off 
the ground and slammed her up against the wall. 


“Never again, do you hear me? You are a goddamn circus act! You 
do not command me, you do not undermine me, you do not disobey 
me! You pull a stunt like this again | swear | will conjure a beast that 
will make that Ouroboros look like a garden snake, do you 
understand me?” 


A short chuckle escaped from Lolly’s lips. 


“You know, | see it now.” 


“See what?” 
“The resemblance to Fuller.” 


After having managed to recover, five of the councillors rose to their 
feet and gathered around the Guildmaster, who was still cowering 
on the floor. 


“Guildmaster Vixis, not only have you once again acted unilaterally 
and broken our laws by threatening a foreign emissary, but you 
endangered this council and possibly all of Kul-Manas by committing 
an act of war against no one less than the Deathless Merchant of 
London!” the barn owl screeched at him, the outrage in her voice 
barely contained. “For these unforgivable crimes, the council 
condemns you to death.” 


The other four councillors savagely and repeatedly impaled the 
Guildmaster with their long beaks, tearing off flesh and organs as he 
screamed for mercy. 


Lolly covered her eyes and turned away, while lris just curiously 
arched an eyebrow. 


“No trial or due process? Efficient,” she commented. The ibis 
councillor approached her, his head bowed in humility. 


“Dark, | beg you to believe me when | tell you that none of us knew 
what Vixis was planning,” he said, his voice heavy with fear and 
contrition. “If you could bring yourself to overlook his treachery, Kul- 
Manas will gladly still do business with you. As a show of good faith, 
we will purchase your entire current stock of three-dimensional 
wards and happily pay double, triple -” 


“Tenfold, plus some of that sacred sap | heard mentioned earlier,” 
she replied.