Chapter 13: Laying the Geas

I spent all evening working on the Geas that I was going to lay on Goodman McCarthy. This degree of care was needed to prevent any unwanted side effects. It is all too easy to overlook some point that will come back to bite you. Again I had to tailor the Geas to reflect the person receiving it. It's not believable if someone starts to behave in a way that would have been previously impossible. My problem was that the change I wished to make in Goodman McCarthy's behavior was almost incredible.

At last I was satisfied that my Geas was as foolproof as I could make it. I went downstairs to visit with the Jennings. It was good to relax for what was left of the evening. However, tomorrow was going to be a long and tiring day, so I made an early night of it.

The following morning saw me at Goodman McCarthy's office. I told his receptionist that I had some information that could help the Goodman in his political campaign. A few minutes later, I was shown into his office. He stood to greet me with a slightly puzzled look on his face.

"Goodman ... Goodman MacLeod, to what do I owe the honor?"

"I have to tell you, Sir, that your aspirations have been noted in Washington."

He straightened up and his chest expanded. He took my outstretched hand and shook it vigorously. I was glad that he did so because the handshake was my planned method of laying the prepared geas upon him.

"The reason that I was sent down here, is to tell you that your blackmail activities have to stop."

"You ... What?"

"Oh, yes. Your criminal activities have been noted, and they do not fit in with your ambitions. I have just laid a geas on on you, therefore. Henceforth, you will not be able to exercise your talent until you have recompensed your victims, and have gained their forgiveness. In so doing, you will have become a better person and more able to represent this community. In the end, you will be a far happier and better rounded individual. May I wish you a good day, Sir?"

I turned away to leave and felt his hand on my arm for just a moment. I turned to face him. He was holding his hand up in front of himself, staring at it as though it had been stung.

"What? That hurt. What happened?"

"You forgot the three-fold law. Do something uncalled for, and it will bite you back three times as hard."

"But I ... I didn't use my Talent. You said that I couldn't."

"You didn't lose your Talent. It just became unusable."

"You can't do that."

"Oh, but I can, you know. However, your Talent together with the three-fold law and my geas will act upon you as a conscience, with teeth. You'd better behave yourself, Sir. Fight it and be miserable, or improve yourself and be much happier. Good day to you, Sir."

I felt that an impressive departure was called for, so I teleported to my bedroom at the Jennings. I could hear Mistress Jennings singing to herself downstairs. I looked out of the window and selected an empty spot near the front of the house where I wouldn't be seen. I teleported again, and walked up to the front door.

Mistress Jennings answered the door to my knock and I entered.

In response to my request to use the teleson to call Washington, she said, "Use the one in the study, and if you speak to William, give him our love."

"I will," I replied. It took me a while to persuade the White House operator to connect me to the Governor-General. At last, I was able to speak to Baron Clinton.

"How have you got on?" he asked.

"I've met the blackmailer, and put a stop to his demands, but that is only half the job. If I leave it at that, he will just degenerate. To complete the job, I need to change his personality, and that could take some time. I feel that it would be very worth while, however, as he he could become a valuable asset to society."

"Well, there's nothing much going on here. Take your time and finish the job. I'll see you when you return. If anything urgent turns up, I'll contact you through the Jennings."

With the Governor-General's permission to carry on, I sought out Mistress Jennings, "I've told Baron Clinton, that I've put a stop to the blackmail, but that is only half the job. I would like to see if I can redeem the blackmailer. He said that if he needed to contact me, he would do so through you. Is that all right?"