Tales by Logan Mizar

Epilogue

2009-09-30T18:44:00.001-07:00

EPILOGUE

They were all gathered at the glade. Nikki seemed to be a mixture of sadness and resoluteness. Gage was also moody and that made times difficult for his apprentice. Crystal was the only saving grace. Her presence and her attention to the elven mage probably saved Dylan from unjust treatment on several occasions.

Even Crystal's parents had come. The strange High Priest, Sam and his wife Calista would not be put off. This parting was much too important.

Coran, still partly in a state of shock at learning of his true heritage, was only a little less moody. The tall, dark man had suddenly found a passion for learning the legends of the Blackheart Dynasty, however terrible and dark it may be. He was determined to make up for the deeds of his ancestors, and given that he had been raised by Avery and Nikki, his outlook on life was certainly more benevolent than that of his ancestors.

Dylan and Cindy sat by the fire holding hands. They listened to their benefactors speaking of old times and things that had happened long ago. Cindy whispered that she felt really sorry for Nikki. Crystal, who sat nearby tried to explain that the culture of elves was much different to that of men. Once the children had been raised and went out on their own, the father and mother often would separate and were free to choose new mates. It was a tradition that reflected the long lives of the elves. She seemed pretty sure that Gage would not leave her, but then again, she felt pretty sure that he would live for hundreds of years after she had died an old woman, and then he might seek another mate. But while she was still alive, Gage would stay with her.

The crackling of the fire and the cups of wine eventually put both youths into a stupor. Dylan did not remember nodding off, nor did he remember being put to bed. He woke the next morning and dressed quickly. His first thought was, of course to find Cindy, then to attend to his master.

He found both in the main lodge eating breakfast.

"Ah, Dylan," Gage beamed. "Come on in, my boy."

"Can I get you something, master?

"No need," Gage answered. The truth was that as long as they were in his mother's house, she would not allow the apprentice to be a servant, and if he tried, Nikki would very likely take a switch to the mage.

Armegon and Ultrecht were both at the table as well. They watched Dylan approach with approval in their faces. "My uncles and I have been discussing you," Gage told his ward. "You have performed exemplarily on this journey and you have proven yourself beyond your years. I do not know if it is your quick mind or my teaching or what, but I am very proud of you." Gage sighed.

"Before we leave," Armegon added, "we wanted to thank you for all your help."

"And we wanted to let you know that we are very impressed with you," Ultrecht added. "I foresee a bright future on the horizon for you."

"They have also urged me to do something that is very unusual. Your time as my apprentice has been very short—only a year and a half--but you have shown skill at casting spells and calm under stress." Gage smiled and placed a hand on Dylan's shoulder. "And even though it is normally beyond the years of one such as you, my uncles have suggested that I petition the guild to advance you to the rank of Journeyman. Even though I normally would not expect it of someone so young, I am inclined to agree. If the guild accepts the petition, you will be tested, and if you perform adequately, you will be given the black robe and white sash of a journeyman. You will still serve me, but that will allow you to study and work with all spells and not just the few that I have taught you in defiance of the common practice regarding apprentices."

There was a twinkle in the elf's eye as he placed a hand on his charge's shoulder. "I know that you and Cindy have become fond of each other and I encourage your relationship, but I must ask you to postpone any permanent plans for at least a year. Then when you are seventeen years old, I will be honored to provide you both with a home and money to begin your lives together."

Dylan was awestruck. He did not know how to respond, but Cindy saved him from an awkward silence with a hug and a squeal of excitement. Then Dylan managed to stammer some form of acceptance and thanks.

"Ahem." Avery stood in the doorway. "I know that it's a difficult thing to do," he said, "but the alignments are approaching and if we are going to do this, then we have to do it soon."

"Right," Armegon agreed. "The opportunity to do this will not happen again for a long time, so let's take advantage of it."

Ultrecht and Armegon stood and walked to the door. Everyone followed them. In the center of the glade, near the fountain, an arrangement of stones and marks had been arranged in the form of a triangle. Within the triangle was a circle large enough for several people to stand in comfortably. Already in the circle were three packs, two small trunks and a few bags.

"I've packed enough for us to live on for a few weeks if necessary," Avery explained as he led them to the circle. "With luck, we will find ourselves close to our old homes and there will be no need for this stuff, but it pays to be prepared."

Ultrecht nodded. Then he turned and gave Nikki a quick kiss on the cheek as well as Crystal and Calista. He knelt and gave Cindy a big, warm hug and then proceeded to shake the hands of Rathe, Gage, Coran and Dylan.

Armegon hugged all the women and also shook the hands of the men. His farewell to the High Priest, Sam, was very long and tender in the form of an embrace and a kiss on the cheek, which made Sam blush.

Avery and Nikki held hands for what seemed like an hour, just gazing into each other's eyes. It seemed as if words were not necessary, and Dylan had to remind himself that it was the way of the elves to part company in this way. He certainly did not think he could do it, and when it came to Cindy, he was sure he never would.

Finally, Avery released Nikki and embraced his two sons together. "I was born in another reality," he told them, "and that is where we are trying to return to. I want you both to know that you are my sons and you are the greatest things that I have ever been a part of." There seemed to be a moisture in the ranger's eyes. "This is your world. We leave it in your capable hands. You have my blessing and my everlasting love."

"Avery," Ultrecht called. "It's time."

The ranger disengaged from his family and stepped into the circle. He stood next to Armegon, and the two halfelves faced the friends that were remaining behind. Behind Armegon and Avery, Ultrecht stood. He placed one hand of each of his companions' shoulder. "Brothers we were before this chapter began, and brothers we are as we turn the next page," he waxed philosophically.

Bowing his head and muttering words that Dylan barely could catch, Ultrecht began to weave a very powerful spell. The lines of the magic circle flared brilliantly and there was no doubt that the very fabric of space and time and the planes themselves was being warped.

When the light became too bright to look at, Dylan closed his eyes and turned his head. He squinted and could see his master covering his own eyes with a hand. Crystal was there too and she had bowed her head to avoid the light.

After a few moments, there was a loud thunderous crack and suddenly the light was gone. Turning back to where the circle had been there was only scorched ground left.

"Well, I guess it did allow him to go," Coran observed.

"What?" Crystal asked.

"Father's sword, Liberator," Coran explained. "We wondered if it would allow him to leave since he was bound to it."

"But the sword isn't here," Calista observed.

"Liberator is not exclusive to our universe," Sam advised them. "It travels to where it is needed. I would not be surprised if they do not arrive at where they wanted to go, but went to where they were needed."

"So they may never get back to their homeworld?" Crystal asked.

"Perhaps they will. After all, they do not age. Given long enough, they may eventually return home, or perhaps, their home was where they were needed most."

"Imagine," Coran softly offered, "an eternity of traveling from universe to universe going where they are needed most."

"There are worse fates," Gage noted.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Nikki added, "but none more noble."

Gage sighed, and reached into his robe. He pulled forth a scroll case. "What is that?" Nikki asked as she leaned against her son.

"I am not really sure," Gage told her. "Uncle Ultrecht gave it to me and told me to keep it sealed closed until all hope was lost."

"Do you think it's a spell?" Crystal asked.

"Most assuredly," Gage answered. "But I do not know what it does or how it works."

"Will you ever open it to find out?"

"I doubt it," Gage answered. "I do not think there will ever come a time when there is no hope."

###

Chapter 23

2009-09-30T18:43:00.001-07:00

CONFRONTATION

The sensation was much different. It happened much more quickly and with much less discomfort. In only a second, a familiar glade came into focus. Dylan found that comparatively, the plane shifting spell was much more convenient, faster and comfortable than the natural conduit. Its only disadvantage was that it could be traced and sensed too easily.

Algol had been snoozing in the shade near Nikki's cabin. When they materialized, he lifted his head and sniffed the air, then he calmly stood and padded over to where they were gathered. He went straight to Crystal who greeted him fondly.

Dylan and Cindy were wrapped in each other's arms and seemed reluctant to separate. It was not until Nikki, herself approached, barely as tall as Dylan, himself, and urged everyone to wash up for supper. She said it with such calm, that it was as if they had been there all along and had not just returned from a mission to the lowest of the Nine Hells.

Gage urged Dylan to follow Crystal, Rathe and Coran to clean up and change clothes. "I must contact father and tell them that we are back," he said.

Dylan and Cindy, hand in hand, went to where fresh clothing had been hung out on a string to dry in the wind. They selected some that would fit them. Then Cindy went with Crystal into the small shack to clean up while the men did so out by a flowing stream that flowed behind the shack.

Gage closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He used the same spell he had used before to contact one of his uncles. He could have contacted his father, but the magic to do that was a more draining spell and he was already drained from what they had just gone through.

He bent over the fountains and cast his spell. The reflection in the water wavered then changed to show Ultrecht with Avery off in the distance behind him. Avery stood hundreds of feet tall and was swinging the massive sword and cutting through whole armies of devils like a scythe through grass.

"Gage?" Ultrecht asked. He did not seem hurt, but there was a sensation of fatigue in his voice. "Are you back?"

"We are, uncle. We got it all, the girl and the staff. We are back at mother's place. Please hurry, I think we will be followed. We only barely got away. As soon as they know where we went they will..." Gage's sentence was cut off by a flash of light and the young elf mage was thrown across the compound. The spell broke and the vision faded.

Gage lay against the cabin wall. He knew that he had at least one broken arm and possibly more damage. He could see three creatures emerging from warped air next to the fountain. Two were the Arch Devils Geryon and Asmodeus. He had seen drawings of them before and knew their descriptions from the lore he had read before at the Academy. The third figure was waiting behind the still expanding gateway. What ever it was, it was big.

"It appears we are not expected," Asmodeus said with a silky voice. He was handsome. His hair was dark and well groomed. He possessed horns, but they were very small and black and blended in with his hair. His skin was pale and his body was that of a healthy man. Only his red eyes and his height gave him away as being something other than what he was. He must have stood over a dozen feet tall.

The other devil was definitely inhuman. His head was human and his torso was that of a gorilla with bat wings, but from the waist down he appeared serpent-like and about thirty feet long. He held forth a hand and a scroll appeared in it with a puff of smoke. The arch devil then read the scroll aloud. Instantly, at least a hundred lesser devils appeared.

Gage sat stunned. He was vaguely aware that Rathe and Coran had joined him. "I must admit that the ploy was very good," Asmodeus offered as he approached the downed mage. "Your friends had me completely distracted." He laughed and the sound had a calming effect on Gage. The mage shook it off. He knew Asmodeus had the ability to charm and beguile even him if he was not on guard. He feared that his brother and the others would not be able to resist.

"I should have been more suspicious when they were beaten back so easily. He turned his full gaze on Gage. The mage felt his heart go cold and knew that he could not withstand the spell for long.

"Now, mage," the arch devil addressed him. "Where is the staff? It is my property. You may keep the girl child, but the staff I want back."

"That you will not have," a familiar voice said from the fountain.

The gate that had delivered Asmodeus and Geryon was still there, but it shimmered in a silvery light and had ceased to grow. The monster trying to get through was blocked.
Armegon stood next to the gate. He flowed like a living flame into incandescence. Slowly walking towards them was Ultrecht. His face was grim and his hands were clenched.
Without a sound, Avery appeared beside Gage and Rathe. The healer touched his son gently and immediately Gage felt his body mended and his strength return.

"Ah, Ultrecht," Asmodeus crooned. He took two steps forward and bowed with a hand extended in greeting. "How good it is to see you again."

"What?" Ultrecht asked, "no high speech? Have you finally gotten rid of all the 'thee's and 'thou's?"

"You are not a god or noble. Let's dispense with the formalities and get down to business. As I recall that's the way you like to do things."

"Fine," Ultrecht agreed. "Let's begin by stating what we both know." He let his arm sweep around the compound at all the devils that were awaiting orders from their lords. "We both know that a fight here and now would kill most of everyone in sight with the exception of you, Geryon and we three."

Ultrecht gestured at Gage and Rathe and Coran. "You know that the death of our children and friends is unacceptable to us, and you also know that if you did kill them, we would tear Nessus apart stone by stone until we found you and then Avery would put The Godslayer through your neck and give you a permanent haircut." For emphasis, Avery drew Liberator. The proximity of such evil made it very difficult for the ranger to control the weapon. "You know who forged that sword and that its power supersedes even yours." Ultrecht took the offered hand and shook it. "Instead of that kind of nasty business, what do you say we make a deal?"

"You want to deal with this?"! Armegon asked incredulously. He was fit to be tied and filled with rage. "I say we start with Avernus and that multi headed freak pet of his."

Asmodeus glanced back at the gate. "Yes, she will be most displeased that she is unable to join us. But that is beside the point. Ultrecht is right. You do not wish your friends to die and I do not wish to die either. Perhaps some sort of agreement can be made. Come, let us discuss it."

Asmodeus and Ultrecht walked away for a bit. Armegon, seething in fury was joined by Avery, who made great efforts to calm the sorcerer down.

"I knew that Ultrecht was acquainted with Asmodeus, but I didn't know they were friends," Avery commented.

"I didn't know they had ever met," Armegon growled. "Consorting with devils? What else has he been up to?"

"Calm down. If you think about it, his philosophy is much closer to theirs than you can imagine. You know how he likes bureaucracy."

"But these are the Dukes of Hell!"

"They aren't the same Dukes of Hell we fought those many years ago. They are different. Give them a chance."

"You like them?"

"No. I can respect their belief in law and order, but their disdain for life and freedom makes me ill. I would just as soon destroy them, but look at what such a fight would cost us." Avery indicated where Gage, Crystal, Dylan and the other stood. "Not to mention that they would be able to flood the southlands with their kind because of those idiotic Chira."

Armegon had calmed to the point he was no longer glowing. He still fumed and his face was flushed red, but he had to admit that what Avery had told him was true. He did not want to see Coran and Gage harmed, or any of the others for that matter.

After a few more moments, Asmodeus and Ultrecht concluded their discussions and returned. "A bargain has been made," Asmodeus announced. "We will withdraw," he told his allies. He nodded at Ultrecht who removed the barrier to the gate. The devils began to march through the gate led by Geryon.

Asmodeus remained behind briefly. "You will keep your word," he questioned.

"I will," Ultrecht answered. "And so will you."

Asmodeus bowed. "Then I wish you a good journey and goodbye." Then he turned and passed though the gate. The warp dissipated immediately.

"So what happened," Armegon demanded. "Did you just make a deal with the devil?"

"Yes," Ultrecht explained. "The staff is ours to keep and Asmodeus will not make another attack on the realm of men for one thousand years." He turned to Gage and Coran. "You have that long to figure out how to destroy the staff. By the terms of our agreement, we are forbidden to tell you how."

"In a thousand years, we can be ready for their attack," Armegon was confident.

"Perhaps, but we won't be here," Ultrecht answered.

"What do you mean," Avery interrupted.

"Part of the deal is that we three have to leave this world. The devils want a fair chance to conquer the mortal realm. They can't get that as long as we are defending it."

"Who says that they should get a fair chance at all?" Avery argued.

"It's either this way or they launch an all out attack against us now from all of the Nine Hells at once. They will, no doubt, try to recover the staff, and even we three can't safeguard the lives of those we love against that much force unless we are reunited by the Tome of Creation, and we already decided that we couldn't do that."

"And how do you propose we leave this world? The Well of Time?"

"No. After our victory at Gly-ou-vogue, The Creator gave each of us a gift. Mine was the knowledge of how to travel to different worlds."

"So do you think you can take us home again?" Armegon asked, his anger all but gone.

"I think so. I'm curious to see how much interest my accounts have earned."

"How can you think of money at a time like this," Avery scolded. "You want us to leave our families and friends defenseless against the Dukes of Hell."

"No, I want to buy them a thousand years to destroy that staff."

"I bet you didn't tell that to the devil," Armegon scoffed.

"Of course not. I only said that WE would not try to destroy it."

"The devils are immortal and a thousand years to them would be nothing. I think I can see why they took the deal," Avery posed.

"Assuming, of course, that they keep their word," Armegon countered.

"Oh they'll keep it," Ultrecht answered. "I made it plain that we would leave Gage and Coran the means to summon us back, should they not keep it, and our first action on returning would be to destroy the staff."

Ultrecht stared pointedly at Avery. "I'm sorry. I know that this is going to hurt you more than any other. But it was the only way out of the mess."

Avery nodded. His eyes found the eyes of his mate. She had been standing nearby listening and her hands had gone to her mouth as tears welled up. She knew what was about to happen. To save the lives of her and her children, her heart had to break.

"Come," Avery urged everyone. "Let's go inside. We'll cook and talk more. But for the moment I want to go home. This home."

Inside the cabin, Nikki served up the stew and bread. Then when her guests were all eating happily, she took Avery by the hand and led him outside.

Ultrecht was explaining to Armegon and Gage how the alignments of planets could be used to create warps that passed not only between planes, but between universes. "There is a random factor involved," Ultrecht concluded, "But the odds are we will get where we want to go."

Dylan and Cindy and Crystal sat with Coran and Rathe. The staff lay on the table and Coran caressed its surface in wonder. He could feel the power of the thing and he knew that it was within his ability to take the staff up and command an army of the dead. But the very nature of the staff was evil and the thought of doing something like that sickened him. He knew that the staff had to be destroyed. Yet there was something alluring about it; something that had to do with his blood and that of the older man who had been a prisoner in the Tower of Solitude.

Coran had asked his parents before if he was adopted, and they assured him that he was Gage's twin brother, even though they did not even closely resemble each other. His father had told him that there was an unusual event that happened during his mother's pregnancy and that it had to do with the Renegade House Blackheart, but that was long past and they were all thought to be dead.

Now Coran suspected that it was not true and that he, himself was the last of that line. If that was true, then he was of noble blood and that meant he had responsibilities to that blood. A whole new world of possibilities and opportunities were unfolding before him. The final words of the older man played on his thoughts and he was resolved to right the past wrongs, and if he was of noble blood, he would find his kingdom and rule with compassion and justice.

It seemed as if there was a passing of the torch in progress. His father and uncles had protected the whole world out of anonymity for years after they had delivered the people from the yoke of the gods. Now they were preparing to leave after saving them from the Dukes of Hell. The mantle was falling to Gage, and himself and their friends to guard their world going forward. At least they were not alone. Over the years they had made numerous friends and Sam, the wise high priest would be able to guide them when they needed direction.

Who knew? There may come a day when the young Dylan, Cindy and Coran's own child would go off and save the world from some terrible fate. Who knew from where tomorrow's heroes would come?

Chapter 22 Part 2

2009-09-30T18:42:00.001-07:00

There, in the corner of the small room was Dylan's heart's desire. She was curled up in a small helpless ball trying not to look at them.

Dylan ran across the room and knelt next to Cindy. He reached out and touched her arm.
"Cindy," he called to her softly.

With a start, she turned toward him, eyes wide and trembling. "No more, please. I want to wake up. Don't torture me like this."

"No Cindy," Crystal added as she too knelt next to Dylan. "It's not a dream. We're here to take you home."

"No," she shook her head. It was plain she wanted desperately to believe her eyes, but dared not or risk her sanity. "It’s another trick."

"You don't believe your eyes," Dylan said gently, then he took her face in his hands. "Then believe your heart," he gave her a long and tender kiss.

At first she tried to withdraw from him, but as the kiss lingered and he poured all his heart into it, he felt her reach out to him and hold him close to her with the strength of desperation.

"That's enough kids," Crystal interrupted. Dylan pulled back and Cindy's eyes were fastened on him filled with adoration and hope.

"You came for me," she wept.

"Of course I did," Dylan told her. "I would have come, even if I had had to do it alone, but as you can see, he nodded to Crystal, who was standing and walking to the door, I didn't have to. Coran, Rathe and Master Gage are here too."

Dylan helped Cindy to her feet and out of her cell. Coran came trotting over to them. "Are you okay, Little Bit?"

Cindy clung to Dylan like a drowning child to a bit of driftwood. "I think so," she answered. "Just get me out of here and home."

"Well we can't leave just yet," Coran broke the news to her. "We still have to find that staff or things back home are going to get worse and we will all wind up back here again."

Cindy looked as if she were about to cry. Crystal put a hand on the girl's shoulder in comfort. "Gage, can't we send her and Dylan back ahead of time?"

"We could, but that would alert the greater devils that we are here. They would come after the rest of us and they could follow the spell to attack Dylan and Cindy unarmed back home. Believe it or not, until we all can travel together, they are safer here with us."

"Why do you have to stay?" Cindy was on the verge of tears and begging.

"We have to get the Ebony Staff. The devils are using that to control all the undead back home. Someone named Miguel Blackheart is a slave here and is using it."

"I've seen him," Cindy told them. "They keep him in this tower at the very top. I saw him when I was first brought here, and he had a black staff. At first I thought it was Coran, but much older. I think it must have been the dark hair and eyes."

"To the top of the tower then," Coran urged. He led them back to the stairs and he and Rathe performed the same routine on three floors before they had the first hint of trouble. On the fifth level, there were three devils on guard, instead of the usual two. One of the guards managed to get off a cry of alarm before Rathe killed him too.

"That cuts it," Rathe swore. "The fat's in the fire now."

Coran turned to Crystal and Dylan. "Set all the prisoners on this floor free, quickly."
Dylan ran. He unbolted a door and opened it then ran to the next door. By the time he had gotten to the end of the curving corridor, he had opened nine cells. He ran back to the landing, dodging stunned prisoners as they stumbled out of their cells. Then they rushed up the stairs. At the next landing, they rushed the devils again, but this time they were expected.

Rathe managed to kill the lesser devil with his axe, but Coran's attack was thwarted when he suddenly fell to the ground entangled in thick webbing. The other devil was beginning another spell when nine jolts of light slammed into its chest from Gage's fingers. The devil staggered and fell to its knees. Then Rathe's axe finished the job.

Again, Crystal and Dylan rushed down the corridor turning the prisoners loose. He almost hated to do it. At first he had not understood why they were freeing the prisoners when they had not before, but as he thought on it he understood that Coran was using the former prisoners as fodder to slow attacks from below. It seemed wrong to throw those lives away like that, but in a way, at least they were being given the chance to die free and to have purpose.

As they approached the next level, their approach was observed and the devil guards charged down the stairs to in attack. Gage loosed a blast of flames which sent the minor devils flying in all directions. The other devils countered with flames of their own, but Gage had been ready for that, and threw up a wall of ice to block the flames. Then after the flames had passed, Gage followed the wall with a ram of pure force turning the shards of ice into daggers that inflicted massive damage to the enemy.

They won the next landing and again released all the prisoners. As they again took to the stairs, they could hear scuffling below and yells of pain and anguish mixed with cries of rage.

"We don't have a lot of time," Coran warned as he ran up the stairs two at a time. Rathe and Gage were hot on his heels with Crystal, Dylan and Cindy following.

When they got to the last landing, it was empty of devils. Coran drew to a stop and cautiously rounded the corner. There was a blast of flame and Dylan saw Coran flung backwards against the wall and fall in a heap.

Rathe charged and Gage paused only long enough to pull a glass rod from his shoulder bag. Then he too ran around the corner. Crystal stopped at the corner and did not allow Dylan or Cindy to follow until she had peeked around to see what waited.

There before them was a greater devil. It was huge, no less than twice the size of Rathe. The space was plenty large enough for it to spread its wings if it was so inclined. They were at the top of the tower and there was no roof.

Gage loosed a bolt of lighting and the monstrosity waved irritably and sent the energy flying into the rock walls, gouging a deep furrow. With the backswing of its hand, the creature creamed Rathe along the side and slammed him into the opposite wall.

Gage took a step backwards as Crystal grabbed Coran's dropped sword and rushed forward to stand by Gage. Dylan then was able to watch the scene from the corner.
He saw Gage rummaging frantically in his shoulder pack as the devil stepped in towards him and swiped at him also.

The nimble elf dodged the attack, but in doing so, fell backwards, the contents of his shoulder pack spilling out. A scroll tube rolled all the way back to the corner where Dylan reached out and grabbed it.

Desperate for a way to help, Dylan opened the case and pulled the scroll from inside. It was sealed with a wax spell-bond. Dylan knew enough about those to know that whatever spell the scroll contained, anyone could cast it, even a child. It required only breaking the seal.

Dylan turned the scroll over and saw the writing on the outside. He read the spell name and description. It was labeled as a frost hammer. Dylan did not know if it would help, but his master was in dire need of even a distraction.

Stepping around the corner, Dylan raised the scroll and broke the seal. The scroll unrolled itself and burst into flame. The flames clung to Dulan's hand, but did not burn him. Instinctively, he knew what to do and he thrust his hand out with his fingers pointed at the devil.

The flames shot forth and froze in mid-flight into a long pole of solid ice shooting like an arrow through the air. The pole entered the chest of the devil and then skewered the creature. The devil looked shocked as it fell over backwards.

Coran groaned and Cindy helped him to his feet. Crystal and Gage ran to assist Rathe. Dylan grabbed the fallen packs and ran to join his master.

"That was good thinking," Gage told his student as he retrieved the shoulder bag. "It is not what I had in mind, but it did quite well."

Across the opening, beyond the fallen body of the devil, there were two doors. One was open and the room was empty. The other was closed and locked. A barred window near the top showed a dim light within.

Peeking though the window, Crystal saw an older man sitting in a chair. The prison cell was much larger than the ones on the lower level, and was almost luxurious. The furniture was cushioned and clean and there was a variety of food on the table as well as a bottle of wine. The old man was facing away from them, but lying on a table near the door was a staff made of black wood. She could only assume that it was the Ebony Staff.

Crystal was gently, but forcefully pushed aside. A brief glance in the window and then Rathe stepped back and brandished his full weight and strength against the door in a hearty slam. The wood shattered around the lock and the door fell inward. The Minotaan ducked through the doorway and stepped into the cell to allow the others in.

"You are wasting your time," the man in the chair called over his shoulder. He stood and turned to face them. He was handsomely tall with black hair and black eyes. "Only one of my blood can take the staff."

Rathe was still in front of all the others so his was the first reaction. His bovine eyes went wide and there was a grunt in his chest. Finally he answered the old man. "I think we have just that," he said as he stepped aside.

Coran was immediately behind Rathe and when the Minotaan stepped to the side, Coran found himself staring at what might be a mirror. The man before him looked almost exactly like him except for the age. It was amazing.

Miguel Blackheart stared back at the young man he suddenly found himself confronting. "Who are you?" he asked incredulously.

"I am Coran," Son of Avery, who some call The Forester, and Nikki the Druid of the Northern Great Deep.

There was a smirk on the face of the older man. "So the line had not ended after all," he muttered quietly. "Oh how it will infuriate them." He appeared thoughtful for a moment. “You are the Light of Yesteryear.” Finally the older man gestured to the table where the staff lay. "Go ahead. Take it. Your blood will protect you."

"You don't want it?"

"No," Miguel answered. "It has kept me a slave as much as has Asmodeus. With that damned staff gone, they will most likely kill me. At least my torment will be ended."

"You could come back with us," Gage offered.

"No. I am a slave here. I entered slavery willingly in return for my life long ago. I am bound to Nessus now, until I am put to death, a pleasant prospect for one in my position."

Coran wanted to know more. "Why do we look so much alike? Are we related?"

"Yes, and no," Miguel answered. "It is a long story and you do not have time. Perhaps you can ask your father and mother. They can probably tell you more. I admit I very much would like to get to know you, but there is no more time. They are coming."

Shouts could be heard from the stairs, indicating the approach of the guards and probably even greater devils. Miguel placed a hand on Coran's chest. "I am no longer the man I once was. I have changed much and now I have one last duty to perform before I pass on. I charge you live your life as you have been raised. Do not succumb to the passions of power and greed. When you know the truth of your blood, you will know what you must do. Now go." Miguel stepped back and away from them

Gage instructed everyone to gather around as Coran took the staff from the table. It was not made of black wood as it first seemed, but it seemed to be forged from pure shadow. It grew warm in his hand and there was a tingling in his arms.

Gage opened another scroll and began to read from the page. Coran watched Miguel fade away.

Chapter 22 Part 1

2009-09-30T18:40:00.001-07:00

ASSAULT

"By all that's holy tell you're kidding," Rathe gasped. The very thought of walking up to the gate and knocking was insane at best.

"I am not kidding, but perhaps I had better explain further," Gage replied.

"Oh, do tell," Coran urged. "Tell me, brother dear, how you plan to do that."

"Our friend who keeps visiting us every two hours is going to provide us an escort."
In the dim light of the Citadel, Dylan could see his master grinning, and then a smirk appeared on his brother's own face. "That's dangerous, and father would not approve."

"Father is not here, and Uncle Armegon would love it."

"What are you two talking about," demanded an agitated Crystal.

"He wants us to sneak in under the guise of slaves," Coran told her. "Remember the story father used to tell us about the straw golem and the tin golem and the lion who could talk? Remember how they got into that castle? Well it's similar," Coran explained.

"And how are we going to get the devil to cooperate?" Crystal asked skeptically.

"I am going to dominate him," Gage answered.

"Whoa, fellow," Crystal was very upset. "That's not a walk in the park and you know what happens if you fail?"

"I know all too well, but he is a minor devil and I will have the advantage. So I do not think I will fail."

Crystal went silent, but Dylan could stand it no longer. They had been talking around something and he wanted to know. "Master, what are you going to do?"

Gage sat his charge down and knelt in front of him. "I am going to try to subdue the devil who is on lookout. It is a form of mental combat. If I win, then the devil must do what I say until I release him. It is the law that they live by."

"But if he looses, then he'll wind up like those slaves out there," Crystal cut in, "and so will we."

There was a hint of irritation in Gage's voice. "Do you have a better idea?" he asked. I do not know how long Cindy will be safe in there. I think we need to take some risks."

Crystal was clearly unhappy, but she bit her lip and turned away. "We are going to have a long talk about this later," she said over her shoulder.

Dylan had never heard Crystal so angry and he had never seen his master so hurt by her words.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked Gage.

"No," his master told him. "But if something happens, if something goes wrong stay with Coran. He will protect you." It dawned on Dylan just how dangerous the plan his master was proposing was going to be.

Give me a moment to get ready, he told Coran as he removed his cloak and robe. He wore a pair of shorts and ankle high boots. Then he took some dirt and rubbed it on his skin, making him look as if he had been dressed like that for some time. He mussed his hair and spat on his hands and rubbed them against the rocks to get them dirty.

"Okay here is what will happen," he said. "I will go and lay out in the open where the devil will see me. He will think that I am a slave trying to escape. He will try to dominate me and when he does, I will turn it against him. He will think I have a broken will and no strength, so when I hit him with my will, he should not be expecting it. The battle should be quick."

"'Should', being the operative word," Crystal muttered, but after a pleading glance from Gage, she went quiet.

"I'll be nearby watching," Coran interrupted. "If it looks like it's going badly, I can kill the devil, or at the very least distract it until Gage can disengage."

Gage took Crystal's hand in his own for a few moments, neither saying a word, but a whole conversation passed in just that touch. Then Gage left the hidden pavilion with Coran close behind him.

That was the worst part. The wait was nearly unbearable. They knew from earlier observation that the sentry could take as much as two hours to arrive, so there was no telling how long they would have to wait before they could find out if Gage and Coran had been successful.

A thousand notions passed through Dylan's mind. He thought of all the many things that could go wrong. It occurred to him that Gage was the only one who could perform the necessary spell to get them out of Nessus, and only Gage or Coran could summon one of the archmages. If they both were killed, they would be stranded in the lowest plane of the Nine Hells. Their food and water was already more than half gone. At what point would starvation force them to surrender or die?

That thought led to a curious question, and partly out of desperation to occupy his mind, Dylan posed a question. "The whole time we have been here, I haven't seen any sign of farming or anything. How do the devils feed themselves?"

Crystal looked up from where she had been rummaging through a pack. "Devils are not alive in the sense that we think of life," she told him. "They are a different form of life. They do not eat food. They feed off emotions of sorrow and fear and other negative feelings. That is why they are always trying to get the souls of those whose lives are full of darkness down here."

"That is why evil people come here when they die?"

"Essentially. A soul burdened by evil naturally gravitates to these lower planes. The devils reside here for that reason."

Dylan nodded and tried to pass the time by thinking about what she had told him and focused on his studies. Of course she would know, he reminded himself. She was the daughter of a high priest.

Crystal was darning the knee of her spare trousers. It was obvious that the action was being done to take her mind off what was going on. She kept glancing out the front of the pavilion, and twice she had to stop her sewing and rip out the misaligned seams and start over.

Rathe sat with his back to the others. He sat with his battle axe across his lap making long strokes with a sharpening stone. The stone mad a whispering hiss as it passed across the blade.

Dylan kept watch. It was not really necessary as everyone was awake and alert. The day had not been difficult and no one was really tired. Some of them had taken naps while they had watched the Citadel during the day.

Dylan maintained his vigil for at least an hour before he heard a noise. He strained his eyes, but the light coming from the Citadel was not enough for him to see what was happening. The noise did not sound like a fight or struggle, but like small pebbles falling down the side slope from above. He hoped that a large rock did not fall onto their pavilion as the canopy would never hold it up.

A few minutes later, a figure emerged from the dark. As it drew closer, Dylan could make out the figure of Coran. He had a smile on his face and he was soon followed by Gage and the devil that they had seen earlier. Gage pointed to a place outside the pavilion and the devil obediently sat on the ground, it's eyes wide and staring. Those eyes were not mindless, but burned with hatred. Those eyes followed Gage wherever he went.

"That was not as hard as I expected," Gage told them as he sat down. There was a huge welt across his back. "He was totally unprepared for my attack."

"I thought you were going to lose it when he used that whip on you," Coran added.

"It did shock me," Gage admitted, "but it also infuriated me. I think I could have made a fair sorcerer if I had chosen to go that path."

Crystal had abandoned her sewing immediately upon seeing them arrive. She quickly attended to Gage's back with a salve and fussed over his injury quietly.

Rathe stood at the entrance to the pavilion looking down at the devil. "He is under your control?" Rathe asked, fingering his newly sharpened axe.

"Yes," Gage answered. "Every now and then he tries to fight back, but I have sufficient strength to hold him until we are done."

"So now what do we do?" Rathe asked.

"I want to take some time to pump this guy for information," Coran suggested. "We might be able to get something useful."

Gage had finished dressing again. He and Coran went over to where the devil sat. Gage and the creature stared at each other intensely. Sweat broke out on the mage's forehead, then the devil looked down and bowed its head. "He will answer your questions," Gage told his brother. "He will speak the truth, but beware, he may try to leave things out and use only half truths."

Coran nodded then addressed the devil. "What is the cause of lights we have seen in the distance at night?"

The devil, eyes still boring into Gage, turned its head only slightly. It's breath stank of rotted meat and its voice reminded Dylan of grain pouring from a sack. "The three who are one have invaded from the realm of men. My Lord Asmodeus has rallied the armies of Nessus to repel them."

"How does the battle go?" Coran pressed further.

"The three have withdrawn, but still remain in Nessus."

"What does your lord plan to do next?"

"I am not privy to my lord's plans."

"What do the other Dukes of Hell do?"

"I do not know."

"What do you think they will do?"

"I think they will watch for an opportunity to overthrow my lord, or they will watch for an opportunity to save my lord and gain his favor."

"Ask him where Cindy is," Crystal demanded. Her impatience was understandable as Cindy was her responsibility.

Coran nodded and again addressed the devil.

"Do you know who Cindy is?"

"No," it answered.

"Are there mortal hostages in the Citadel?"

"Yes."

"We seek a young mortal woman of about 15 or 16 years in age. She was brought here only recently. Do you know of her?"

"I do not."

"Where do they keep such hostages?"

"In the Tower of Solitude," the devil struggled visibly and Gage, jaw tight reasserted his will on the creature. Dylan felt a tightening behind his eyes.

"If you do that again," Gage informed the devil harshly, "I will crush you like an insect."

"What did he do?" Crystal asked.

"He tried to dominate or possess Dylan to hold as a hostage and gain his own release."
Crystal put an arm around Dylan and pulled him closer to her as if she could protect him.

"You have him under control?" Coran asked.

"Yes," Gage answered. "You may continue."

"How do I get to the Tower of Solitude?" Coran asked.

The devil began to give directions, but it quickly became apparent that without a map or knowledge of the interior of the Citadel, that those directions were useless.

"Can you lead us to the Tower of Solitude?"

"Yes," the devil answered, a bit too quickly for comfort.

"How is the Tower of Solitude defended?"

"There are two guards at the entrance to the tower and one guard on each level."
Coran considered this then asked a final question. "Will any of the guards know where Cindy is?"

"If she is there, they will know," the devil answered.

"Do you know of the Ebony Staff?"

"I know of it."

"Do you know where it is?"

"I have no direct knowledge on that matter."

"Explain that answer." Coran seemed a bit agitated.

"The staff can only be wielded by a mortal hand, and at present that is the hand of Miguel of the House of Blackheart, a slave."

"Where is this Miguel?" Coran asked.

"In the Tower of Solitude with the other prisoners," the devil answered.

Coran left the devil and returned to the pavilion. "I think this will actually work," he told them. "The only problem we will have is in monitoring what the thing says to other devils. They don't use common tongue with each other."

"I can tell," Gage answered. "It will require a spell and the spell only lasts for about two hours, but I will be able to understand what it is saying."

"So we get it to lead us into the Citadel as slaves, then to the Tower of Solitude. Once we get in there, we can attack and dominate one of the other devils and learn where Cindy is, get her and then get out of here and back home," Coran added.

"Can you dominate another devil and keep this one under control at the same time?" Rathe asked Gage.

"I do not know," Gage admitted. "If I did not have to do anything else, I believe I could, but if something comes up and I need to concentrate on a spell or something, I think they would both try to break free of my control and I would not be able to stop them."

"We can't risk that," Crystal insisted. "We can't just let this one go when we're done with him. He'll either attack us or alert the others."

Rathe had the answer. With his back to the devil, he drew a single finger across his throat. "Problem solved," the huge Minotaan said.

"We'll have to leave a lot of our stuff behind," Coran decided. "We can drag some of it lashed to our backs like pack mules, but we can't wear anything other than what the slaves are wearing."

"Once we get inside, our devil will escort us to the tower as if we were new prisoners. Once we are in the tower and in control of another devil, there will be no need to try to hide our true identity." Gage added.

"Then let's get ready," Crystal urged. "Cindy's suffered long enough." She began disrobing. Dylan turned his back and also began to strip down to his loincloth. He felt very conspicuous.

Coran took down the pavilion and cut the tarp into rough squares and made ponchos for each of them. They tied the ponchos with rope and used the rest of the tarp and rope to make baggage packs. Then they strapped the packs onto each other. Rathe carried the bulk of the load including armor and weapons. The food and water and spare clothing they abandoned. With any luck they would no longer need those things. They did make use of the water, however to make mud which they applied liberally to hide the good condition of their foot wrappings and the boots underneath also to hide the good condition of their exposed flesh and hair.

Gage was speaking to the devil. Dylan only heard some of what was being said, but it was enough that he could tell that Gage was instructing the devil in detail what was expected of it, and what it was to do.

"You will not seek to escape, you will not attempt to warn the other or reveal my control over you. I can speak your tongue and will know if you do," the mage warned his servant. "You will act as a slave driver and we will act as the slaves. Once we are inside, you will lead us to the Tower of Solitude under the guise that we are delivering supplies and that we are prisoners to be locked away."

Dylan was unable to hear any more because the devil and Gage began to converse in a series of hisses, snarls and grunts, that Dylan assumed to be the devil's language.
When they were ready, the last of the rope was used to tie them together in the form of a pack train of slaves. The devil had his whip and cracked it in the air as Gage instructed.
They walked boldly across the packed ground to the end of the causeway. Then they followed the causeway through the marsh toward the outer gate of the Citadel of Despair.

The ploy worked surprisingly well. Apparently the devils did not even remotely expect such a guise and when the doors to the Citadel opened, there were only a few words and mutterings exchanged between the devils manning the gate and the one they had enslaved. The devils that handled such menial labor and duties were of the lowest caste.

Dylan saw many more of different types of devils as they went deeper into the dark corridors of the Citadel. Occasionally they would pass a higher ranking devil and he would force them to pause as he passed. On occasion a ranking devil would inspect Crystal with lusty eyes, but eventually would move on.

The interior of the Citadel was like a tunnel of sorrow and sadness. The halls were like a tomb or ancient crypt. The smell of brimstone was everywhere and it made Dylan's eyes sting. They had been walking for an hour and even Rathe was showing signs of tiring from the burden of the heavy pack.

They had passed numerous passages all marked in a sharp and angular lettering when finally the devil driving them indicated one passage in particular. They turned down that path and passed into a large open courtyard. The place was littered with bones and several huge devils, monsters from the darkest of dreams were feeding on some poor creature and barely even noticed them pass, which was fortunate, because the sheer presence of the horrors made Dylan's knees go weak.

It was another half hour when finally they turned down a smaller corridor that ended at a set of doors that were closed. Two devils that resembled more of what Dylan pictured devils to appear as stood there. They had the lower legs of goats and horns on bald heads with a flesh tone not too unlike Rathe. They also possessed tails and carried spears.

The devil driving them spoke harshly and the two guards looked at each other for half a moment before one shrugged and opened the door to let them inside. The door closed behind them as they filed into the building and faced another devil seated at a desk. The devil at the desk looked over them critically and stood. He appeared more human. His eyes were red and he sported a head of slicked back black hair and a goatee. There were horns on his head also, and when he opened his mouth, his breath smelled of sour milk and his teeth were jagged.

Their slave told the story of how they were servants delivering supplies and were to be locked away as prisoners. This brought a frown to the face of the higher ranking devil. He was more suspicious of things out of the ordinary and their plan was in jeopardy.

Suddenly there was a shuffle behind them and Dylan felt a hard tug on the rope knocking him off balance and sending him to the floor. From his place on the floor, Dylan saw Rathe reach out with a huge hand and grab the devil by the head. He twisted sharply and there was an audible snapping sound, then Rathe lifted the devil off the ground and slammed him violently against one wall.

"Sorry," the Minotaan offered as they all untied themselves. "He wasn't buying into our ploy."

"You did just fine," Gage answered. Now if you can take care of our other problem, we can move forward with finding Cindy and that staff.

Dylan turned his head. He did not want to witness what happened next. Just as he was averting his gaze, he saw the eyes of the devil that they had enslaved. It knew it was about to die, but could not break free of Gage's domination. What a terrible way to die.

Rathe was much more quiet the second time, and soon they were dressed again and armed. "We go up the stairs and find someone who can lead us to Cindy and the staff," Gage ordered.

Coran and Rathe took the lead. They moved as quietly as possible. Rathe had elected not to carry his metal armor and instead wore only leather. Coran's armor, though still mostly metal was sewn to a leather base garment so the metal plates did not normally touch.
Gage had one hand in his spell bag and Crystal and Dylan brought up the rear, Crystal keeping a constant eye behind them for signs of pursuit.

The stairs to the first landing were not long and they soon against a wall near a corner. Around the corner, they could hear sounds of movement and some quiet speech. They waited a few moments, but to wait too long invited the risk of discovery. "Remember," Gage told them, "we need one alive. The rest need to be dispatched as quickly as possible."

Rathe nodded then took a deep breath and with battle axe in one hand, he turned and ran around the corner with Coran right behind him. Gage also rushed forth and then Dylan and Crystal followed.

By the time Dylan and Crystal rounded the corner, the battle was over. One devil, one of the minor caste devils, had been cloven in two by the battle axe and another devil, one like the one they had encountered at the bottom of the stairs stood against a wall with Coran's sword point at its throat.

Gage stood before the devil. "You know what I am," he said in common speech. The devil's eyes narrowed as he nodded. "Good, do not make this any harder than it is. Do as you are told and you will be set free. Try deception or disobey and you will end up like all the others who have opposed us. Is that clear?"

"It is," the devil answered.

"Good. We seek two things. First we seek a mortal girl of age fifteen or sixteen. She was brought in a few days ago."

"I know of whom you speak. She is in this tower, three doors down. She is unharmed and unspoiled."

Crystal and Dylan both ran down the hallway counting doors. Dylan's heart was pounding violently as he came to the door and yanked it open.

Chapter 21 Part 2

2009-09-30T18:37:00.001-07:00

The night that followed was as sleepless as any Dylan had ever remembered. There were periods in which he was fitful and drifted in and out of sleep to the point that he was no longer certain what was real and what was dreamt. He remembered bits and pieces of conversation between his companions, and other bits and pieces that, once he was again fully awake, realized were not real, though they had seemed so at the time.

Dylan pulled watch with Rathe again during the night. The intensity of the explosions and diversion that Armegon, Ultrecht and Avery were making were not as prominent. Dylan secretly wondered if that was because the battle was moving further away or because they had grown tired and returned to the realm of men and elves, the prime plane.

He wondered those thoughts aloud in the darkness, and Rathe laughed. He suspected, though the Minotaan could not be sure, that Armegon and company were holding back so as to keep from completely routing the devils' army. He reminded Dylan that the diversion was to draw attention away from them and the Citadel.

"I think that it most likely that Gage and Coran's father and the two archmages thrust deeply into the heart of Nessus and then began a fighting withdrawal. That would keep the devils' occupied, and make it appear as if our people were being driven back." Rathe seemed pretty confident. "Remind me after all this is over and I'll tell you some more of the stories my father told me. I know that it sounds improbable that three lone individuals could launch an attack on the Nine Hells, but you must remember that it was these same three who took on all the gods and the Godking, all those many years ago."

Dylan had to agree that it was difficult to imagine. There was the wise enigmatic Ultrecht who had long ago given him his first lesson in the thoughts of women when he was in the academy. There was the strange and, yet jolly Armegon, who Coran had once described as a tantrum in a robe. And there was his master's father, who seemed so peaceful at times, and yet carried the legendary Sword of Justice. They seemed to be content to let the world carry on and yet had the power to make wondrous changes.

Dylan contemplated those thoughts well into the night when Coran finally relieved them of watch. Then Dylan tried, with little success, to go back to sleep.

Though he did not get much in the way of good sleep, at least he was well rested when the morning arrived. He still felt as if he could sleep another night, but that may have been due to the fact that the temperatures had returned to a moderate, and even comfortable level. There was no telling how long that would last, and Crystal said so fervently as she urged them to hurry and get underway while the weather held.

As they resumed their voyage, they made their way down the side of the ridgeline towards the vast expanse below. It took them at the very least an hour to get to the bottom. They were lucky in that no one was injured at one point when the gravel underfoot became loose and some sliding was involved. But eventually, they stood where the slope played out in a broad plain of dry rock and sand.

Crystal did not like the look of what she was about to walk upon, and insisted that they all tie each other off with rope. She admitted that she could not put her fear into words except to say that it looked too easy. Nevertheless, her instincts were heeded and Crystal and Coran were tied off at the front while Gage and Rathe were tied at the rear. Dylan was tied in the middle.

They began across the open area with some apprehension. They had not seen any flying devils in many hours, and hoped that they would not see any more at all, since there was no way to hide out in the open like they were. They were exposed to any who flew by and would be impossible to miss.

Crystal reminded them that they estimated about two days of marching to get to their destination. They would march until it became dark, then they would sleep and wait for the next day. Then they would have to negotiate the river which they had seen from the ridge, and then they would have to approach the Citadel without being seen. Gage was still unsure how to do that. He could cast a spell of invisibility, but such a spell was primary and illusion and he did not know how well it would work in Nessus or how long it would last.

For the first hour the ground was a packed layer of crushed rock and sand. The footing was easy except for the occasional pebble that, if stepped on wrong, tried to twist an ankle or two. At lest they were not climbing uphill or wading a swamp, Coran remarked at one point.

After an hour had passed, Dylan noticed a strange smell. It reminded him of sewage and rotten eggs. At first he did not say anything, but as the odor grew stronger, he spotted Rathe tie a rag across his large nostrils.

"What's that smell?" he finally asked.

"Brimstone and filth," Gage told him. "It is coming from ahead of us. We will have to make our way through a maze of marsh or something as we get deeper into the wasteland. We will try to avoid going through the muck. It is filled with disease and some of the foulest stuff in all the cosmos."

After a couple of hours had passed, the packed gravel gave way to bare rock again. The rock was not flat, though. It was pocked with shallow depressions that seethed with liquid clay or mud as near as Dylan could tell. As he passed one by, a bubble slowly surfaced and popped assaulting his senses with an almost overpowering reek.

"Well I suppose I was wrong," Gage confessed with a cough. "I had read that there was a marsh near the river that was filled with sewage, but it seems the text was wrong. This is where the smell is coming from."

"Well let's dot stop to idvestigate," Coran urged holding his nose closed.

"Agreed," Gage said as he rummaged through his shoulder bag. "But I must get a sample of this. There is no telling what latent powers it may contain."

"You mean other than repellant?" Rathe asked.

Gage carefully knelt by one of the mud pots and filled his flask with the noxious substance. When it was in the glass bottle, he stoppered it and held it up to look more closely.

"Come on Gage," Crystal urged. The mage put the bottle away and rejoined them.

"Can you get us through the area?" Gage asked.

"I think so," Crystal answered. "There's plenty of space between the muck pools."

"Then by all means lead on," urged Rathe. "I don't want to have to camp out with this smell around."

Crystal nodded and began leading them around and about the mud pools. She seemed to be looking to skirt around the larger ones as far as possible staying closer to the small ones and only then if it was necessary.

At first, Dylan thought it was because the smell was stronger near the larger ones, and he could tell that it certainly was, but as he walked along, his feet occasionally made a sound like stepping in water. He then noted that the ground near the larger mud pools seemed moist and covered in dirt. It was just dawning on him why Crystal was avoiding the larger pools when off in the distance, he saw one of the pools erupt sending mud everywhere.

"I was afraid of that," Gage muttered as he began rummaging through his shoulder bag. He extracted a glass ball about the size of an orange. "It's an emergency shield," he explained to his apprentice. "The spell is encased in the glass. If I smash the glass, the spell will activate."

"How does that work, master?"

"What, the spell?"

"No, the glass ball," Dylan asked.

"Well, to answer your question," Gage explained nervously, "time is suspended within the sphere and the spell that stops time is dependent on the integrity of the glass sphere. When the sphere breaks, the time spell fails and the spell within will activate."

Dylan understood and reflected on the clever application. His master interrupted him, though. "But I do not want you to concern yourself with this kind of magic. Learn spell casting first. Then you can learn enchantments."

"Who made that?" Rathe asked out of curiosity.

"Uncle Ultrecht," Gage answered. "It is a very powerful half shield spell. It will last for a long time, it will move with us, but it won't protect us from magic, heat, cold or lighting. It will only protect us from projectiles such as flying mud or water or whatever."

"You could have used that before on that terrible rain, couldn’t you?" Rathe asked.

"Yes, but then I would no longer have this. It is for emergencies only. Once it is used, it is gone."

Crystal led them along for another two hours. Several more mud pools erupted, most of them farther away, but the deeper into the wasteland they went, the more frequently the pools erupted, and the closer together the larger pools occurred. Fewer and fewer of the small pools were to be found and reluctantly, Crystal was cautiously approaching a pool and then running past it when it began to bubble violently. She urged everyone to run hard, and they only barely missed being covered in the foul stinking sludge.

They paused briefly to catch their breath. "Well it was bound to happen sooner or later," she told them. "But at least now we know that there's a bit of a warning before they blow up."

Crystal pressed onward, she approached each pool quietly and observed the bubbles then would hurry past it. On two occasions, the bubbles were too frequent for her comfort and she chose another route.

The frequency of the eruptions around them became more and more alarming, but Crystal seemed to know what she was doing.

Dylan casually watched one of the nearer pools erupt as they passed safely out of its range. For a brief moment he thought he saw something rising amidst the fountains of mud, but when he looked back at what he thought he saw, there was nothing there but cascading mud. He was sure that it was just his mind playing tricks on him and he held his tongue. A moment later another eruption occurred nearby and he watched closely to see if there was anything in the mud, but saw nothing.

The day was wearing long, and Dylan had no more desire to camp in the stinking area than did Rathe, but there did not seem to be an end to the mud pools. He silently wondered to himself if Gage's powerful shield spell that they had used several times before could keep out the stench, but then he remembered the horrible rain and the smell that they had had to suffer with in spite of the shield. He knew, then that unless they managed to get away from the horrible mud, then they were doomed to smell its reek all night long.

Dylan's thoughts were interrupted as one of the closer pools erupted. The column of mud rose above them with startling speed. Gage instantly threw the crystal sphere to the ground shattering it and releasing the powerful spell within. A shimmering appeared in the air about them and Dylan fully expected to see the rain of mud bounce off the shield, but it did not.

The mud did not cascade down on them like a fountain as it had been doing all day. Instead, the mud seemed to take on a solid form and bent back on itself. It was soon apparent that what they had witnessed was not an eruption of mud, but a huge tentacle had emerged from the pool. It was pure luck that the tentacle was solid enough that the shield repelled it as it attacked. There was, however, a flare of light as the appendage came in contact with the shield.

They were watching the tentacle feel around the boundary of the shield, a spark of light flaring every time it touched the invisible barrier, when another spark flashed behind them. As one they all turned with a start to find two other tentacles feeling out the barrier behind them.

"We need to get out of here," Rathe urged tightly gripping his battle axe.

"No kidding," Crystal swore. She uttered a few choice words that made Dylan's ears ring. Such language from a lady!

Gage knelt to the ground and gathered the broken shards of the glass. "Everyone stay close," he urged. "Take us straight out of here as fast as you can, Crystal. Do not worry about the eruptions now. The shield will protect us."

Crystal trotted forward hurriedly. She only avoided walking through the pools. She no longer made any effort to keep her distance.

Dylan glanced behind them to see the tentacles withdraw into the pools and then emerge again to their sides. "They're more of them," Rathe warned.

"No," Dylan disagreed. "It's the same one. It's following us underground."

"Gage, how long with that spell last?" Coran asked.

"Several hours, I think," the mage answered. "It is one of Ultrecht's. It will not time out for a long while."

"Let's hope it lasts long enough to get out of these blasted pools or else we're going to have to fight that thing," Coran warned.

"Let us hope that that is all we have to fight," Gage answered. "Let us hope that this is some mindless beast that is hungry for a meal and not a sentinel to inform the devils where we are."

No longer walking or trotting. They ran as fast as they could. Crystal set a blistering pace and Dylan was hard pressed to keep up. He was still a growing boy and his legs were not as long as the men. Crystal had a constitution hardened by her many travels in the wilderness. Tall Coran had long legs and was able to keep up as was Rathe. Gage, the elf was light on his feet and was also able to keep up. But inevitably, Dylan began to get winded as he was having to take almost twice the number of steps as Rathe or Coran.

His chest hurt and he was wheezing when he felt himself grabbed from behind and raised into the air. He almost cried out until he realized that it was a pair of Minotaan hands that had picked him up.

"Don't fear kid," the huge warrior grunted to him. "You're not heavy and I'm not even trying hard to keep up. I can carry you." Though he was grateful for the relief, Dylan felt a bit ashamed and the ride was not comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. Still without him to slow them down, they did seem to pick up the pace, and the pools passed by more rapidly.

For many long moments, Dylan watched until it began to occur to him that the pools seemed to be getting farther apart. He held his breath in hope and began to count the number of strides between pools. He almost cried aloud when his suspicion turned out to be true. That meant that they had passed the midpoint and were on the way out and away from the pools.

Crystal led them at the blistering pace and began to zigzag somewhat drawing them farther from the larger pools. It was a tactic that seemed to be working as the tentacles suddenly could not find them and they managed to put a little more distance between them and the mud colored appendages.

After about an hour, it was apparent that they had lost the tentacles. It was also apparent that they were approaching the boundary of the pools as they were much farther apart and in the distance there appeared to be a collection of rocks. They were not big enough to hide among, but it did indicate a change of terrain.

Finally as they seemed to pass the last of the mud pools, Rathe put Dylan down. They all paused for a few moments to catch their breath, in spite of the smell.

"There's not much daylight left," Crystal warned. "Unless we want to sleep with this smell, we need to keep moving." She started walking, but at a much slower and more relaxed pace, and though no one said anything, they were all glad of it.

Dylan was not sure how much longer they had walked when he noticed the sky getting darker. Night was approaching and they were still out in the open, but thankfully the smell was so weak that he could only just make it out in the air.

"This is a good a place as we are going to find," Coran announced as he urged Crystal to stop. "Let's use what light we have left to pitch a tent or something."

They used the blankets and a canvas covering to make a large cover that was held about four feet off the ground on one end by stacked packs. That was the best that they could do and so they all crawled under the cover and started to make themselves comfortable.

"We still need to keep watch," Gage warned. "The spell will function for many more hours, but that will not protect us from everything."

"I'll take first watch," Coran volunteered. It was quickly growing dark and there were no stars or moons to provide light, so Dylan had to wonder aloud how Coran was going to keep watch.

"With his ears and nose," Crystal answered with a yawn, "but after that bog, I'm not sure how effective his nose will be."

Gage sat next to his pupil under the canvas. "Your next lesson will be a speed spell," he told his apprentice. "Do not be distraught. You still have some growing to do and you have spent more time studying than working, so you do not have a great deal of stamina and strength. I plan to remedy that as well, but starting with the next opportunity, you will begin to learn how to speed your body up."

"How does the spell work?" Dylan asked.

"It increases your natural frequency," Gage told him.

"My natural frequency," Dylan asked.

"Yes, each person has a natural frequency. It governs how quickly they can do things. For example, clap your hands as fast as you can." Dylan did as he was told making the clapping sound in the darkness.

"Very good," Gage continued. "Now shake your head as fast as you can."

Dylan did so again. And though Gage could not see or hear the shaking of the head, he asked. "Did you notice that you shook your head at the same speed that you clapped your hands? That is your natural frequency. You would find the same speed for pumping your arm or beating your chest or anything of that nature. It also governs how fast you can move your legs and your feet. If we speed up your natural frequency, say to twice the speed..."

"I can run twice as fast?"

"Exactly," Gage confirmed. "It can be a handy spell, but it has a drawback. It will make you very tired and very hungry. It will drain your energy temporarily, so do not use it unless you need to." Dylan thought about the spell he was going to learn. Of course in the dark, that was all he could do, until he finally nodded off to sleep.

Just like with the previous nights, Dylan woke in the darkness. This time it was Crystal who was awake and on watch. Dylan could tell be cause she was humming a merry tune. He crept past his sleeping master and the light snores of Rathe and homed in on Crystal.

"Hello Dylan," she said as he approached.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I heard you stirring, and I felt your body heat getting close."

"Oh." Dylan sat next to the huntress. "How long until daylight?"

"I'm not really sure. About two hours I think. You slept pretty long tonight."

"Have there been any explosions like the other night?"

"No. I think that the battle, if it is still going on, has moved farther away."

"I just want to get going again. I'm worried about Cindy. I miss her."

"No doubt you do. I know that she misses you too." Crystal chuckled. "Do you know when she first realized she was falling for you?"

"No, when?"

"At the Academy," Crystal told him. "But she would never let you know it. She was the one who pressured her master into apprenticing her out to me just so she could be with you."

"Why didn't she just tell me," he asked. "I'm sure Master Gage would have found some work for her with him."

"It doesn't work like that for women," Crystal explained. "We can't tell the men we love that we love them until they tell us that they love us first."

"Is that written down somewhere?" Dylan laughed at the silliness.

"Sport," she laughed with him, "that has been written in the annals of mankind since the dawn of time."

"So how did you get Master Gage to admit it to you?"

"I can't tell you that now," Crystal replied quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because your master is awake and listening."

At that, the elven mage spoke up. "Go to sleep, Dylan. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day."

Dylan sighed and lay back down. He had difficulty getting to sleep for well over an hour. Typically, he finally fell asleep with only about half an hour left before daylight.

When Dylan was finally awakened, the camp was mostly packed and ready to move on. He was pushed, none too gently in his opinion, when the canvas was taken down and folded. He quickly got up and pulled on his boots. Then he drew his cloak about him to ward off the slight chill in the air.

Once everyone was prepared and packed, Crystal started off in the same direction that she had been leading them all along. Off in the distance they could see nothing but flat plain. On the horizon, there was a haze that might be rock or mountains, and to the rear was a smog that hovered above the mud pools.

After three hours of walking, there appeared a dark line on the horizon, and after another hour, they had finally reached the river. They stood on a bluff overlooking the outer bank of a bend. Across the river, perhaps a quarter of a mile was a wide sandbar.

"So this is the River Styx," Gage announced. "Do not touch the water."

"Where does the water come from and where does it go?" Rathe asked. Dylan was glad, because he had been thinking the exact same question.

"No one really knows," Gage answered, "or if they do, they do not share the knowledge. Some say that the river comes from the elemental plane of water and passes through the outer planes before going to the prime material and ending at the Well of Time. But that is just speculation."

"Uh-huh," Coran added looking over the edge. "So how do we get across?"

"We fly," Gage told his brother.

"Fly?" Rathe's voice trembled slightly. "Minotaans don't fly."

"This one will, or else he will have to find a way home on his own," Gage told him. "Do not worry. The spell is simple enough and will last more than long enough for you to get across the river."

The mage rummaged through his shoulder bag and pulled out the components. Dylan, dutifully attendant, helped with the casting and first Rathe, then Crystal and Coran drifted slightly off the ground.

Gage gave each of them a hefty shove which sent them floating in the air across the quietly flowing water. Then he turned to his apprentice.

"Okay, Dylan, it is your turn. You have seen me cast this spell three times. Do you want to try it yourself?"

"Yes, master, but do you think I should? The price of failure here is high."

"A wise caution," Gage commended his pupil, "but I am confident you can handle this spell."

"Thank you, sir." Dylan read the words out of the book Gage held open for him and he took the feather from the spell bag that Gage carried. He summoned the power with the preamble. He gave the power direction and magnitude and applied the function with the feather. Then he set the completion parameters and closed the spell to balance the magic.
Instantly, Dylan felt himself grow lighter. He raised up on the tips of his toes with no effort at all. Then he lifted his feet and found that he did not fall. He just hovered.

"Master, this seems more like a levitation spell than a flying spell."

"That is very perceptive of you, Dylan," Gage agreed. "They are very similar. When this journey is over, we will go over the two spells in detail and I will show you the differences." With that Gage gave his student a hearty push and Dylan drifted out across the river. He looked back over his shoulder and saw his master casting the spell yet again, only this time there was a slight variation and Gage really did fly. He left the ground and lay his body out in the wind. Soon he had caught up with Dylan and using his hands, pushed the apprentice along before him. In no time, they had caught and passed the others. Then they reached the other shore of the river where Gage guided Dylan to the ground and nullified the spells. Then, as the others arrived he did the same to them. Before long, they were all on the ground.

"That was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be," Coran said with a grin.

"So far everything has been pretty easy. It is getting into the Citadel that is going to be hard," Gage warned.

"Any idea how we're going to do that?" Rathe asked.

"Actually, I was thinking we would hike over to that ridge line," Gage pointed at another rising of rock, "and hug the base of the line around that bend. The Citadel is on the other side. The rock will give us some cover. Then we can scope out the setting and make a plan for getting inside."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Coran admitted. "At least it sounds better than just marching up to the front gate and knocking."

"That will be our backup plan," Gage joked.

They marched on with an elevated sense of confidence. It seemed that having passed through the mud flats and crossing the river, the ridge would be a little more comfortable because of the cover it could provide. Still when they finally got there, they discovered that the amount of cover was much less than they hoped. There were no loose boulders or recesses that had been present on the other ridge.

Gage speculated that since the Citadel was eons old, and the Dukes of Hell had always been in conflict with each other, anything that could offer an enemy cover or protection had long been removed. The ridge, prevent them from being seen by the inhabitants of the Citadel, though and that was something to be thankful for.

It took most of the rest of the day, but finally they rounded a jutting outcropping of rock and saw the Citadel of Despair. The place was immense and ancient. It was a collection of towers and spires surrounded by arches and thick walls. There was a wide spread of marsh land surrounding the walls like a moat. The size of the place became truly apparent when one considered that it was still at least thee miles away from them and encompassed their entire view.

"How are we going to find Cindy in there?" Dylan wondered aloud.

"Shhhh!" Crystal urged. "Try not to be so loud. They could have sentries."

"Okay, brother dear," Coran whispered, "as father would say: 'How now brown cow?'"
Dylan and Rathe looked at each other, confused, then they looked at Crystal who just rolled her eyes and shook her head indicating that they should ignore it.

"Well, I guess it is pretty obvious that..." Gage suddenly went still and silent. The others saw his expression change and they turned and followed his gaze.

Slowly walking along the edge of the rocks, only slightly above them and perhaps no more than two hundred feet away was a minor devil. Dylan knew it was a minor devil as it had no wings, but carried a long three pronged fork. It stood upright on two clawed feet and wore no clothing other than a loincloth. Its eyes were set deeply in its skull and it had a mouth filled with jagged teeth. Its head was bald and featureless except for a snout of a nose and a pointed chin.

They each held their breath so as not to alert the creature of their presence. It proved to be a wise precaution and was successful as after a few moments the monster turned and walked away.

"A sentry," Coran advised. "He is probably walking a route. He'll be back after a while."

"We need to find someplace else to stay," Gage replied, though it probably did not need to be said.

Crystal led them around another bend to where they were surrounded on three sides by rocks high enough to hide behind. Then per Gage's instructions, they pitched the canvas canopy and Gage used a cantrip to change the canopy's color to match the surrounding rock all while Coran climbed up the side of the ridge a bit to see if the devil was anywhere near.

When Coran returned he assured them that the canopy was almost invisible from above. They watched very carefully after that. The devil did eventually return about two hours later and only remained on location for a few moments before leaving again. Once more Coran climbed up to spy on him.

"He isn't one of the more intelligent ones," Coran told them when he returned. "He's definitely a sentry, but he has no clue we're here."

"That suggests that the thing we met in the mud flats was just a monster and not a devil," Gage sighed with relief.

"They watched the Citadel's outer boundaries for the rest of the day. At one point, a caravan of slaves appeared in the distance and walked along what must have been a causeway to the main gate. The slaves were all lashed together and driven by a devil with a whip. He used the whip liberally, but the slaves showed very little reaction to it.

"Their minds are gone," Gage told his pupil. "This is what happens to the people who try to summon a devil and fail to keep it under control. Those poor souls are damned for all time. The devils will never let them go and even if they could, their bodies back home have probably died and rotted."

"You mean those are not real people?" Dylan asked.

"Oh no, they are real. They exist here on this plane the same way a devil can exist on our plane. But unlike the devils on our planes, when one of those poor people were forced here by a devil, his body was possessed and probably destroyed when its use was over. They have no body to return to. Now they are slaves here."

"Are our bodies still back home?" Dylan asked.

"No, we shifted here of our own volition using a gate. We are completely here. The disadvantage to that versus a summoning is that if we die here, we really do die. If one of us had been summoned by a minor devil and then killed here, we would simply revert back to our real body, just very weak and injured, but not dead."

They watched on until night fell. This time, however, there were lights from the Citadel and torches were lit along the causeway. It became pretty clear that approaching the gate under cover of dark was not going to keep them from being seen.

"What about crossing the marsh," Rathe offered at one point.

"We may have to. We can try the flying spell again, but I really do not wish to be over such as that marsh. I do not know why but something about it disturbs me," Gage answered.

He was right. Dylan could feel it too. Something about the marsh bothered him greatly.
The sentry continued to pay regular visits to the same location, or another sentry which looked the same did. Fortunately their camp remained hidden and they were never spotted.

During the night, another troop of slaves approached the Citadel. One or two of the slave seemed to have some life left in them as they struggled against the bonds between them. At one point, one of them actually broke free and tried to run. The two devils behind him cut off any hope of retreat and with whips drove him towards the Citadel's gates.

The devils at the gate laughed and raised their own whips. The poor slave was being beaten savagely until in desperation he ran frantically out in to the marsh. He got no more than three hundred feet before several large hairy legs like those of a giant spider rose from the marsh and grabbed him.

Dylan could not tell much more about the legs due to the dark, but the back light from the Citadel did show what they did. They pulled in opposite directions and easily tore him limb from limb. The legs then searched around for the bits and pieces of gore and dragged them down under the water.

"So much for crossing the marsh," Rathe muttered. "Now what?"

"We go to the backup plan," Gage answered smugly.

Chapter 21 Part 1

2009-09-30T18:36:00.002-07:00

THE CITADEL OF DESPAIR

Dylan drifted up from a fitful sleep. His mind became awake before his body roused. It was one of those in-between times where he could actually acknowledge within his dream that he was asleep and needed to wake up because something was wrong.

Struggling to open his eyes, Dylan could see light coming from around the curtain. His books lay next to him where he had placed them when he had become tired. He had worked on his lesson and studied for about five hours before going back to sleep. He could tell that it was daylight again, and he wondered why he had not been awakened and they were not marching on.

Stretching, Dylan noted with a start that he was soaked in sweat. The air around him was horribly warm and humid. That in itself was uncomfortable, but at least the stench of the previous day seemed much less. He could still smell the decay as it was embedded in his clothing, but the air itself seemed fresher. Dylan got up and pushed his way through the curtain. All of the others were there at the mouth of the shallow cave looking out over the wasteland of Nessus. It was raining again, but this time it was not blood.

"Good morning," Crystal greeted him as he approached.

"It's raining," Dylan observed.

"See?" Crystal nudged Gage. "I told you he was smart."

"Yes," Gage confirmed to his ward, "but do not go out into the water. It is very hot and you would be burned badly if not boiled alive."

"So we can't leave yet?"

"Not until these rains pass."

"What about your shield spell?" Crystal asked the mage.

"It isn't mobile," Dylan blurted out without thinking. Then seeing his master give him a long look, he apologized. "Sorry, master."

"It is quite alright," the mage nodded. "At least I know you are learning." Gage elaborated to Crystal. "The shield spell strong enough to withstand this rain is cast on a location, not an object, so it would not move with us."

Dylan sat with the others as they watched the rains continue to fall. The sheets of scalding water beat down steadily and as the hours passed, the temperature became unbearable. They were all seating profusely and becoming irritable. Even the normally good natured Rathe snapped at Crystal on one occasion. He immediately apologized, and Dylan reflected on how intimidating a Minotaan can be when he is angry.

The rains finally let up after another hour or so. And to their dismay, the sudden cessation of the rain was almost immediately followed by a rapid change in temperature. The air grew cold and a breeze blew into the cave sending them all scurrying behind the curtain. They were covered in sweat drenched clothing and the cold wind had a dramatic affect.

Crystal instructed everyone to change into dry clothing as she pulled another blanket from her own pack and placed it over her for modesty's sake and proceeded to change her own clothing. When they were in new clothing, they remained in the cave only long enough to bundle up and prepare to continue the trek.

Crystal left them momentarily and then returned explaining that some of the puddles of water were still quite warm, and it was too good an opportunity to wash their clothing of the stench that had built up over the last two days since the foul rain of blood.

Although they would rather have moved on immediately, the need to wash was not solely a cosmetic one. Body odor and sweat carried on the wind and they would be more easily detectable by passing creatures. It was for that reason alone that Gage relented to the delay. None of them wanted to waste time. Every minute reminded them of the danger that Cindy was in.

Dylan paced the cave while the clothes dried out. When they were marching, he could be patient because they were doing the best that they could to help his lifelong friend. But when they stayed still, it became difficult to bear. At least when he was asleep, he was able to deal with it.

Gage took note of his charge's growing irritability and sense of helplessness. He too wanted to keep moving, but Crystal had been right. It was better to take extra time immediately and eliminate the danger that they might alert every enemy who stood downwind of them of their coming.

The mage decided to try to harness Dylan's nervous energy with a lesson. He called his apprentice to his side. "I want you to dry these clothes more quickly," he told the boy. "I'm going to show you a cantrip that can be quite useful. You've already used it in one way, to heat water, all I want you to do now is use it more intensely and heat the clothes until they are dry. The cantrip has a very low magical flux and that is why apprentices are allowed to use it, but it also will not draw attention to those who can sense the use of magic.

Gage instructed the boy on how to adapt the cantrip that he had learned so long ago to heat the water out of the freshly washed clothes. Dylan worked quickly. It not only gave him something to occupy his energies and his mind, but it also lessened the amount of time they would be waiting around. Rathe came in behind the blanket. In spite of the clothes that they were wearing, the cold that blew in when the blankets were pushed back sent chills through all of them.

"It's really getting cold out there," the Minotaan complained. "The puddles have frozen solid."

"What a mad climate," Coran swore wrapping a cloth around his left hand.

"What did you expect from one of the Nine Hells?" Gage asked. "We knew it would not be hospitable."

"Can we travel in this weather?" Coran asked.

"Yes," Crystal answered. "It will be slow going, but as long as we don't start suffering injuries from the cold, we can keep moving. The moving, itself, will help us to stay warm. Just be sure to wear plenty of clothing in layers."

"You sure know a lot about survival," Rathe commended the young woman. "We've traveled together a lot, but I never asked, who taught you all that stuff?"

"My mother taught me. She was a huntress before my brothers and I came along, and she had the best teacher in the world."

"Avery?" Rathe asked.

"Yes. You've heard the story about my parents. Armegon raised my father and he married my mother when they were very young."

"And your father's mind was stolen and your mother followed Armegon, Ultrecht and Avery on a quest to break the spell," Rathe finished.

"Yes, I heard the story from my own father. He was with them."

"I haven't," Dylan lied. Actually he had heard the story, or at least some parts of it, but he was always interested in hearing it again or at least a different version.

"I'll tell you someday," Crystal promised, "when we have time for the leisure, but it looks like the clothes are almost dry, and if they are, then I'd say let's get back on the trail."

Gage performed a small bit of magic before they left the cave. "This cantrip will take the bite out of the wind," he told them. It won't protect you from the temperature, but it will protect you from wind chill. It will last a few hours. Hopefully by then the weather will change a little bit."

The cold was terrible. Dylan had a basic understanding of temperature and how it affected different things. He knew that water would freeze before flesh, and the puddles were indeed frozen, but there was no other indicator of how cold it was. Crystal had been right about one thing. Walking helped him say warmer than standing still did. But even walking could not keep his nose warm or his fingers or toes.

Periodically, Crystal inspected everyone's fingers. She was on guard for signs of frostbite, a condition Dylan had read about at one time or another. The most irritating part of the cold, was the fact that even protected from the wind, when Dylan would inhale, the cold air would make the moisture in his mouth or nose freeze and he kept sneezing small crystals of ice. The fireworks that they had seen the night before were invisible in the day because the clouds that had brought the scalding rain were still overhead, but on occasion, they could all hear a distant rumble or feel a tremor in the ground.

They had been walking in the cold for almost two hours when the first snowflake fell. Dylan was mildly amused and tried to catch one. A searing pain erupted in the palm of his hand where the flake landed, causing him to cry out. Falling to his knees on the hard stone he quickly was surrounded by his companions; who instantly took in the bloody gash in the apprentice's hand. After a quick look, at what had happened, Gage rushed them off the ridge near a cluster of twisted and long dead trees. There he quickly erected the shield spell while Crystal attended to Dylan's injury.

"The snowflakes are like razors," Gage advised them. They are solid and sharp. We don't have a choice but to try to wait out this downfall."

"I can see why no one wants to live in Nessus," Rathe stated. "It's a wonder that any devils dwell here at all."

"Most of them live in caverns and stone structures. They are used to the climate and I dare say they have ways to predict it," Gage offered.

They sat for another hour as the killer snow fell. The flakes began to pile up and Coran finally put to words what all of them had been thinking. "How are we going to walk through a blanket of ankle high razor blades?"

Crystal finished sewing the gash in Dylan's hand closed. The pain of the stitching had been dulled by a healing salve that she had applied as soon as they were safely under the shield spell. "If we have to wait for it to melt, we could be here a very long time," she added. Gage did not have an answer. He just shrugged and suggested: "let us not worry about that until the time comes." He sat next to his apprentice. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, master," Dylan answered obediently. "It hurt, but it was more surprise than pain, I think."

"I imagine so," Gage agreed. "I never would have suspected that either, so do not feel bad."

"The wound wasn't too deep," Crystal assured them. "It looked far worse than it was." She wrapped a bandage around his hand and tied it around his wrist. "Try not to use this hand too much for the next day or so. The poultice will accelerate the healing and you should be good as new in a couple of days, but not if you keep reopening the wound by using that hand too much," she advised him.

They sat for two more hours until the deadly snow ended. Then the clouds parted and the day began to grow warm. Coran remarked that they had finally caught a break and that the heat would melt the snow. Sure enough, after yet another hour, the snow had mostly melted, turning the rocky ground slippery.

Finally Gage lowered his shield and they resumed their trek. They walked for another four hours when Crystal came to the end of the ridge that they had been following. She sighed and pointed down and ahead of them. "I guess that's where we have to go," she announced with a voice filled with discouragement.

As the others joined her, they looked out over a large expanse where the ground sloped downward and away from them for miles until it reached what appeared to be a broad flat plane. A multitude of craters, some as large as a pond, bubbled a sickening smell of brimstone and sewage. Other craters were smaller and gushed a black fluid high into the air. Still other places were remarkably flat and bland with the exception of the river which cut a meandering path through the whole mess. Far in the distance, a dark structure could be seen, though the haze from the rancid land below made it difficult to make out any details.

"Two days march," Coran estimated. "Assuming we have favorable weather and go unmolested."

"There won't be a lot of cover out there," Rathe warned.

"You're right," Crystal added. "I think if we are going to have to cross that wasteland, we'd be best to do it on a good night of sleep."

"You are right," Gage agreed. "We have been out and about for many hours. Night should be falling very soon." They searched for almost an hour before finding a suitable place to rest. It was a cluster of rocks, not unlike the ones they had taken shelter in the first night.

Chapter 20 Part 2

2009-09-30T18:36:00.001-07:00

"Dylan."

Dylan opened his eyes. It was daylight again. "Come on, kid," Rathe urged. "It's time to go."

Gage and Coran were talking. "I would figure about fifteen to sixteen hours of night. I can not be sure, though."

"How much longer would your spell have held?"

"Oh it would have held much longer, so we are in good shape," Gage answered his brother's question. "That particular spell is controlled by time instead of concentration. It is much stronger than the other spell and will last a very long time. The drawback is that it takes a lot of power to cast and protects one area and can not move. The thought controlled version is not as strong, easier to cast and is centered on me and goes wherever I go."

Since they had not set up a real camp, the ground being too unsteady and rocky for tents and no place to put a fire, they were back on the march in a matter of minutes. It took a little time for Dylan to work the kinks out of his left foot which had fallen asleep and was cramped up.

Dylan walked along and was in mid yawn when he felt himself being yanked from behind. When he regained his balance and ended his yawn, Rathe leaned close and whispered for him to mind his step. The Minotaan pointed at a pool of yellowish liquid that very closely matched the color of the ground.

A few moments later, Crystal came to a stop. "I'm not sure what that is," she warned Gage. Dylan was close enough to hear what she was saying, even though he could not see what she was talking about.

"We will not take any chances," Gage decided. "I hate to use the shielding spell out in the open like this, but in this realm it is best to take nothing for granted, and there is no way we will be able to outrun it."

"Everyone follow Crystal," Gage called out urgently. As he half turned, Dylan could see past his mentor and spied what appeared to be a large billowing brown cloud drifting towards them in the rust tinted sky.

"What is it?" Rathe asked.

"Some kind of strange weather," Crystal answered as she turned aside and scrambled towards a rock grouping. "And in Nessus, it's a good bet that we won't be seeing your normal rain."

When they got to the rocks, Crystal directed everyone to gather close near the rocks. The rocks would act partly as shelter. Gage then erected a magic field to protect them against some of the other possible dangers.

They watched with growing dread as the brown storm cloud drew nearer, green bolts of fire streaking across the sky and to the ground. Thunder could be heard as the cloud drew near, but it was oddly subdued. A warm, breeze washed over them, a welcome change from what had been a very cold night before, but the smell on the breeze was a sickly sweet smell that reminded Dylan of root cellar filled with ice and meat. It brought back memories of his childhood on the plantation. He had occasionally seen livestock butchered and stored in the underground cellar. It was a smell very similar.

The front edge of the cloud passed over and something warm and red hit Dylan on the hand. He looked and saw that his hand was covered in blood. Another drop and another bloody mess appeared on his arm.

Gage quickly chanted and incantation to change his shielding spell somewhat and the rain stopped hitting them. The drops splattered as if they had hit a glass ceiling, spreading red gore all around them.

"I never would have guessed it would rain blood on us," Rathe inspected the palm of one hand. It was crimson in color as was a patch on his cheek where he had been hit with another drop of the foul rain.

Gage passed a water skin and urged them to wash any of the blood off them. They did as he asked and then they all sat around waiting for the strange storm to pass.

"At least no one's going to be flying about in this weather," Coran observed with false bravado.

They were there for almost three hours waiting for the pouring bloody rain to pass. By sheer luck, just as the rain ended, another wave of flames washed through the area, vaporizing the blood from the bare stone. Some puddles of red still remained, but they stood out from the ground fairly well and could be easily avoided.

When at last Gage dropped his protective shield, they were struck with the reek of rotting meat and sweltering heat. In less than a few breaths, Dylan fell to his knees and emptied his stomach. He was only marginally happy to hear someone else retching too. At least he was not the only one.

Dylan was so busy trying to evict his stomach from his body in dry heaves, that he really did not notice that someone had smeared something across the skin under his nose. It had a piercing strong odor, that would normally be unpleasant, but by comparison to the stench of the rotted blood, Dylan was glad of it. As he caught his breath and was able to stand again, he saw Crystal putting the lid back on a small ointment jar. He looked at his companions and almost laughed at the comical appearances as each and every one of them was sporting what looked like a white mustache.

The journey resumed and it was while walking for what must have been at least six more hours that Dylan's stomach growled loudly enough that everyone heard. Embarrassed, the apprentice coughed in an attempt to cover the sound. In truth, he was famished but did not want to complain. No one else was.

Fortunately, the sound set off similar sounds from those around him. Rathe, being much larger and needing more energy on a daily basis, was apparently not too proud to ask the question most of them were thinking.

"Not meaning to be a fuss, but does anyone want to decide on when we get to stop for a rest and eat?"

Coran paused and stretched his arms out with a light yawn. "I really wanted to keep going as long as there's daylight, but I suppose it'd be better if we stopped and ate while we could still see the food."

Crystal selected a spot off the ridge line, amidst a cluster of rocks to hide them as much as possible. They sat in the crevasse and unpacked dry rations of jerked and salted meat, corn pones and water. It was not what one might want if one had a choice, but on the trail it was as good as any hot meal served in any tavern. Still, the rancid smell of the decaying blood puddles made it difficult to eat.

"Any idea how much longer until dark?" Coran asked.

"A few hours to be sure," Gage answered. "It is certainly more difficult to tell the time without a sun to go by.

Dylan leaned back against a stone trying to get as much rest before they had to go again. His feet ached terribly and he suspected that if he took his shoes off, his feet would swell and he would not be able to get them back on again. It was listening to Gage talk about the sun which first prompted Dylan to look at the sky. Rolling clouds of purple and red seemed to swirl together and yet did not mix. The scholar within him immediately recalled lessons about some things such as oil and water that did not mix, and he pondered deeper into the question before it dawned on him that he was seeing something else as well.

"Master," Dylan warned as he realized that he was seeing a living creature flying through the air, "something is flying this way."

"Everyone hide," Gage snapped. Coran and Rathe pulled a grey blanket from one pack and spread it across them. The idea was that the blanket was a similar color as the rocks. It was not exact, but it was pretty close.

"He's not looking for anything," Crystal observed. "And there are three more coming this way too. They seem to be in a hurry."

About that time, there was a low rumbling that came from the direction that the devils were flying. Then a multitude of thumping sounds could be heard behind them. Peeking from beneath the canopy, they saw literally hundreds of devils running past their place of concealment.

They quietly waited for what must have been an hour when the last of the minor devils scampered past. No one spoke for many long moments. "It's just a guess," Rathe chortled softly, "but I'd say that whatever diversion your father and his friends were planning, it seems to have certainly gotten someone's attention."

"Perhaps," Gage muttered with a sense of irritation, "but they were supposed to do it far enough away that we would not encounter things like this."

"I wonder how far away they are?" Crystal added. "I mean we all heard that rumble, but that could have been anything or anyone."

"Who knows?" Gage admitted. He began gathering the cover so that it could be repacked. "We can talk about it tonight. And that may not be far away. Let us get as much distance as we can before then."

Coran and Crystal led the way. Rathe and Gage brought up the rear, making repeated checks behind them for another army of devils to run by.

It was not much longer before Coran pointed off to one side of the ridge at what appeared to be a recess in the rock. "That would be a perfect place to camp for the night," he offered. "It's sheltered and defensible."

"Might as well," Gage agreed reluctantly. It was plain that he wanted to keep going as much as possible, but secrecy was more important than speed at the moment.

They climbed down to the recessed rocks and unloaded their packs. When in the shallow cave, they could easily see out across the horizon, but only a creature standing in front of the entrance would be able to see them.

Rathe used the large blanket to create a lighting shield and they were able to build a fire with the aide of some magic, an oil flask and wick. It was not a fire that would warm them, but it would allow them to cook small things one at a time. Crystal cooked sausages and with a warm meal in his belly, Dylan quickly fell asleep.

Just as before, Dylan really had no idea how long he had been asleep when he woke, well rested. He stood and stretched. The lamp was still lighted, but there was a lot less oil in the flask. He noted that Rathe was not in the cave. Dylan pulled the blanket aside and caught site of Rathe in the light.

"Close the blanket," Rathe urged. "We don't want anyone to see the light."

Dylan stepped forward and let the blanket close behind him. He could still see a small amount of glow near the edges of the covering, but it was not enough that it could be seen from more than a few dozen paces away. "Are you on watch?" he asked Rathe.

"Yes. I've been at it for a while, but I'm not tired."

"Have any more of the devils gone by?"

"I think so. I hear movement on the ridge and an occasional flapping of wings every now and then. Whatever Armegon and Ultrecht are doing, they certainly have the attention of the beasts."

"Any more thunder?"

"Yes," Rathe chuckled, "and lightning too."

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked, and no sooner were the words out of his mouth than the horizon flared brilliantly as if the sun were rising. The whole of the sky was lighted as if it were midday.

"That would be Armegon again," Rathe posed.

"That was Armegon?!"

"Armegon likes big explosions," Rathe explained. "Avery says that Armegon is trying to compensate for something, but I don't really understand what he means by that. I don't think anyone does, except Ultrecht and Armegon. Ultrecht keeps laughing about it though, so it must be funny."

The flare of light faded, and the ground rumbled slightly. It was soon followed by a roll of thunder and finally a strong breeze.

"I've never even read about a spell that can do anything like that. How far away was it?"

"Gage says that it's about fifty miles or more. It's actually much brighter and violent. We can't see it directly because of the canyon wall on the other side of the river. That's the fourth one tonight though, so whatever they're doing, they don't seem to be holding back.

"When did Master Gage go to sleep?" Dylan asked.

"Not long after you did," Rathe told him. The big Monotaan placed a skillet sized hand on the boy's shoulder. "Your master is very fond of you, you know. He may scold you on occasion, but when you are asleep, he has nothing but praise for you. He is convinced that you are going to pass on to journeyman long before anyone else your age."

"I want to please him." Dylan stated sincerely. "I feel so bad when he gets annoyed with me."

"Don't let it worry you too much," Rathe suggested. "Gage was a boy once too. He and Coran got into a lot more trouble than you could ever imagine. So Gage isn't going to turn you into a toad or anything. He might threaten to do it, but he won't."

A streak of light shot from the horizon into the sky. "Don't look at it," Rathe urged quickly and stood in front of Dylan with his back to the light.

This time the flash of light was so bright that Dylan had to shield his eyes. He imagined he could feel heat from the brilliant blue light. The light lingered for long moments. Eventually Rathe stepped aside and Dylan could see a great glowing circle in the sky. It slowly expanded and faded, but for almost ten minutes, it was light enough outside that Dylan could see dozens of flying devils armed with all manner of weapons, all speeding towards the light.

"That one was Ultrecht."

"I wonder what kind of spell that was?"

"I don't know," Rathe confessed. "I'm not to up on the magical stuff. I think it was one of the spells that they call a Siege-Spell."

"I've never heard of that spell," Dylan stated flatly. "But I sure want to learn about it."

"Just remember what you saw," Rathe warned. "Those spells have a lot of power."

"I really didn't see anything," Dylan reminded his companion. "You were in the way."

"Well, from what Gage told me," Rathe explained, "if you look directly at the source of the light when if first appears, it will make you go blind. I think there is a curse involved or something."

There was some sounds behind them and the curtain opened briefly. Though he could only see a silhouette, Dylan instantly knew his master had arrived.

"Did you get plenty of sleep Dylan?" Gage asked.

"Yes sir. I've only been awake for a short while."

"He's been watching the fireworks with me," Rathe added. "The young fellow hasn't been any trouble."

"The ground shook sharply and overhead clouds arced with dozens of bolts of lighting. In the light of the lightning, a squall line of turbulent weather could be seen converging on the far away battle.

"It would seem that even father is not above showing some muscle," Gage posed. He noted Dylan gazing at the storm with wonder. It was interesting to be sure, but he did not want his ward getting too interested in spells of such magnitude. The boy was human and would most likely never live long enough to wield that kind of power. Even Ultrecht needed the help of immortality to amass the power he possessed.

"Dylan, the lamp is still lighted, and we are not even half way through the night. If you are not sleepy, I suggest you take the time to do some lessons. If you work hard, I will show you a new spell soon.

Dylan sighed. He knew his master's voice and there was no bargaining to be done. With some level of disappointment, he went back behind the curtain and sat next to the lamp. Some corn pones had been laid out and he took a few moments to warm one of them up. Then he ate quietly and washed the food down with water before digging his books out of his pack.

Chapter 20 Part 1

2009-09-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

UNDERWORLD

The land was flat and open. Prairie grass blew idly in the morning breeze. The sky was clear and deep blue with only a few scattered clouds on the horizon.

Gage took note that they had materialized in the center of a circle of upright stones. There were dozens of the monoliths, each weighing several tons.

"Where are we?" Crystal asked.

"This is the Stone Circle," Avery told her. "We don't know if it has another name or what it was originally used for, but we do know that it is a natural portal to the outer planes."

"It is probably a relic left from an ancient time and a long dead mage. It will allow you to pass to the Nine Hells without the use of a spell."

"Prepare yourselves," Avery urged. "Rest and eat. Make sure your packs. I'll conjure water and food for your provisions. You are about to take a trip to a very inhospitable place."

"But we still don't know where we are going," Coran protested. "We can't take the time to search out the whole of all nine planes. That would take hundreds of years."

"I'll attend to that," Ultrecht said and he turned and walked away from them for a bit and began going through his shoulder bag. While Avery and Armegon helped the younger adults prepare for the journey, Ultrecht turned his attention to the task at hand. It was a distasteful thing to do, but he was far more able to deal with it than Armegon or Avery.

Ultrecht took the components from his bag. He used his foot to clear away some debris and using powdered silver, he drew a circle on the ground and added a few controlling symbols to the structure. Then he places a few other spell components at the ready in case they were needed. Finally he began his incantation. The spell was not overly difficult for him, but it was tricky and in the hands of an amateur or even a veteran of magic who was not familiar with the spell, it could be deadly.

The gate opened. It was as if a hole in the ground opened and flames shot dozens of feet into the air. Ultrecht reached his hand out and felt for what he was looking for in the empty space. When he found what he wanted, he clenched his fist and yanked hard. The flames died down to only a few feet and in their midst stood a devil. Ultrecht had searched this one out in particular. He knew it and he knew it's name.

"Why hast thou summoned me Elementalist?"

"Ah, Gelaviniya," Ultrecht whispered quietly. The devil shuddered at the mention of its name. "I need information," Ultrecht continued more loudly.

The devil looked at Ultrecht with a mixture of fear and hatred. It feared Ultrecht, because the archmage knew its name. With that knowledge, Ultrecht could force it do do whatever he wished and he could also destroy the devil completely.

"Thou hast enslaved me far too often," the devil objected. "By the knowledge that thou hast in thy possession I am bound to serve. But know that the ancient law which binds me may soon be undone."

Ultrecht understood. If the devils conquered the realm of men and it became the tenth hell, then mages would lose the ability to summon and control devils, and the knowledge of its name would become useless.

"I am not interested in such matters," Ultrecht lied. "A human woman child was taken from us only a few hours ago. Where is she?"

"How should I know? Am I privy to what others do?"

Ultrecht tightened his fist. The sympathetic magic constricted the spell holding the devil, causing discomfort. "You are one of the Hellbarons," Ultrecht answered, "a lieutenant of Geryon. I swear on my own secret name that if you do not tell me what I want to know, I'll incant your name backwards and erase you from existence!"

The devil glared at Ultrecht, trying to divine if the archmage was serious in his threat. After a moment the devil conceded. "I submit to thy will. I shall return in but moments."

There was a puff of air and the devil was gone. The flames remained, though. Ultrecht considered for a moment that the devil may intentionally delay the task letting the gate spell drain Ultrecht to weakness so that he might break the spells wards and attack, but with Avery and Armegon close by, it was not a likely to happen.

Peripherally, Ultrecht was aware that Armegon stood next to him. The sorcerer did not interrupt the spell. That would be dangerous. He simply held a cup of water to Ultrecht's lips and allowed the elementalist to drink, then he was gone.

Ultrecht held the gate open for almost an hour before the devil reappeared. There was a moment of struggle as the creature tested the wards of the gate, but Ultrecht was far too strong, even after an hour of effort.

"Speak," he commanded the devil.

"Thy command hath been fulfilled," the devil growled. "The woman child hath been taken to Nessus, to the Citadel of Despair itself. She is held, unspoiled against thy interference. It was Asmodeus who commanded it."

"How did the Duke of Nessus know she was of interest to us?"

The devil smiled broadly. "I told him. Thou placed no onus upon me to withhold such information."

Ultrecht cursed softly. "Who holds the Ebony Staff?"

"The seed of Blackheart," the devil answered obediently.

"Of his own free will?" Ultrecht asked.

"No, the seed of Blackheart is enslaved."

Ultrecht nodded. "Your task is fulfilled. I charge you to reveal no more of this summoning than you already have. Begone!"

There was another pop in the air and the devil and flames were gone.

Ultrecht sank to the ground and sat. The spell was very draining, and he needed to rest for a few moments.

"Well?" Armegon asked as he knelt next to Ultrecht with another cup of water.

"I know roughly where she is. Of course, they know we are looking for her. That is a mixed blessing."

"It is?"

"She is being held hostage to make sure we don't get in their way. As long as we don't get too close to victory, she won't be harmed."

"So where is she?"

"Nessus," Ultrecht answered, "in the Citadel of Despair."

“Storming the palace of the most powerful of the Dukes of Hell," Armegon posed, "and we thought this would be too easy."

"That's not all," Ultrecht continued. “Asmodeus has the Ebony Staff and he has the son of Blackpuss enslaved to wield it. We have a chance to kill two birds with one stone. We can save the girl and take the staff. Without the staff, Asmodeus will lose his advantage over the other Dukes and they will turn against him.”

"How do you know that?" Coran asked.

"It's in their nature. But even if they don't, their power over the undead will be broken and without guidance, the undead will be nothing more than small pockets of trouble that can be easily put down with local militia."

"Okay, so how do we get there?"

"That is why we are here," Armegon answered. "A natural conduit to the outer planes is here. You will be able to go straight to Nessus, but you must be careful. It may be quite a voyage to reach the Citadel and you do not want to attract attention. The Citadel is at the bottom of a massive chasm. Once there, you will have to find the girl and if possible the Ebony Staff."

"Don't pick a fight," Avery cut in. "Asmodeus is an arch devil, one of the Dukes of Hell; perhaps the most powerful of the lot. Avoid any altercation with him."

"Suppose we can't avoid it?" Rathe spoke up. He had been quietly listening until that moment. "I mean it's easy enough to say don't tangle with him, but he may take a fancy to tangle with us."

"We'll give you a couple of days once you get to Nessus before we pay a little visit to some of the other Hells and maybe even a corner of Nessus itself. We'll raise enough of a ruckus that the Dukes will know we are around. That will help get Asmodeus' attention, but if he does take note of you, try to get away. If you can't, then call us. We can come to you the hard way," Armegon urged.

"I've met Asmodeus," Ultrecht told them. "He is very powerful and wise. Don't underestimate him."

"You met him?" Coran asked incredulously. "When, why?"

"It was business," Ultrecht answered shortly. It was apparent he did not want to take it further. "Suffice it to say that even though they are extremely evil, devils are very efficient and thorough."

"I think the time has come to start," Avery interrupted with a venomous glare at the elementalist. He certainly did not approve of fraternization with the devils.

"We go to Nessus and make our way to the Citadel as quietly as possible," Gage reviewed. "We infiltrate the Citadel and find Cindy and the Ebony staff. If we run into trouble, we call you."

Armegon nodded. "Once you have what you went for, just plane shift back to our world. They won't be able to follow you, and the faster you get back the better. And then contact us so we can beat feet out of there."

Gage sighed. He let his eyes fall guiltily on his apprentice. He really was loathe to take the boy to such a place and expose him to such dangers, but Dylan was his pupil and his ward. He could not up and leave the boy.

"So let us get underway, then" Gage decided. Who is going and who is staying?"

"I am going," Coran stepped forth, with Rathe right behind him.

"So am I," Dylan took a place at the giant's side. Crystal put a hand on his shoulder and she stepped forward.

"It is with great regret that I can not participate," Velar informed them. "My powers are tied to this realm. Should I venture forth to wicked Nessus, I could not conceal my true self. Such would prove detrimental to our cause. Mayhap I can assist in another capacity?"

"We would be honored to have you with us," Ultrecht laughed. "The sight of you would at the very least assist in grabbing the attention of a good number of the lesser devils we will face."

"We understand," Coran assured his friend. "But if we survive, you must purchase the next round at the pub."

Velar laughed lightly. Then he stepped back away from those who were gathered for the journey.

"Are you ready?" Ultrecht asked as he and the others stood clear of Gage and his entourage.

Dylan felt his stomach turning over. There was a knot of cold in his gut as what he was about to do truly washed over him. He was nauseous, but he fought down the urge to retch and instead focused on the mental image of Cindy. He had to remind himself of why he was about follow his master into the very depths of the Ninth Hell, Nessus.

Avery, Armegon and Ultrecht backed away and left the circle of stones, Velar followed. Then those who were staying behind began walking around the circle in opposite directions, striking each stone as they passed. When struck, the stone rang out with a reverberating tone that lingered and blended with the tones of the other stones that were struck.

One after another, each stone rang out. Then when the final stone was struck, all of the stones went silent. Dylan watched as the landscape faded from view. He had a brief vision of being surrounded by stars and then he was standing on a rocky and ugly crag. To his left, no more than twenty feet away, a cleanly lined cliff dropped off in a smooth incline down and away. Overhead was a sunless sky deep red in color with violently churning clouds. It looked almost artificial.

"Dylan, come here quickly," Gage called urgently.

Dylan obeyed, joining the others and Gage quickly cast a spell. A few seconds later, a wave of flame washed over and around them. The spell protected them from injury and death. They watched, transfixed, as the wave of fire passed them by and moved onward.

"There are some very inhospitable things in this realm," Gage cautioned. "Stay close. There is no telling how much time I will have to erect another shield. Be wary of where you step."

"Do you know which way we should go?" Rathe asked. He hefted his axe and looked about.

"I think so," Crystal answered. "While Ultrecht was finding out where Cindy was, Avery gave me a map of Nessus. He said he had never been here, but got the map from the Archives in Tycho." She unrolled a piece of parchment.

Looking around critically, she compared the diagrams on the map with what she could see. "The first step is to find out which direction we need to go. This chasm is fairly deep, but I'm sure it's not the right one. The Citadel is at the bottom of the deepest rift. Each rift gets deeper as you get loser to the center of Nessus. All we have to do is determine if the next rift in that direction," she pointed to a point about a mile away, "is deeper than this one. If it is, then that is the right direction. If it isn't then we go the other way."

"How do we measure the depth," Rathe asked.

"Simple," Gage explained. "We just time how long it takes a pebble to reach the bottom when thrown over the edge." He picked up a small rock, cast a small cantrip to make the rock glow and tossed it over the side. They all silently counted to themselves. When the stone hit the bottom, Gage nodded. "I counted fifteen seconds."

"That's about right," Coran agreed. "Now let's go and find out about the next one." He led the way and they all followed.

Gage walked next to his apprentice. "Can you tell me how deep that chasm was?" he asked the boy.

"Fifteen seconds," Dylan replied.

"No," Gage elaborated, "I mean how many feet."

Dylan took on a puzzled look. Then he admitted, "I'm sorry. I can't remember the formula for that kind of calculation. Is it important?"

Gage's expression was unreadable. "No," he told his pupil. "The amount of time will be good enough as long as the gravity does not change. Do not let it concern you. I do not expect you to memorize everything." He reached into his shoulder bag and pulled forth Dylan's spellbook. "You still have not displayed responsibility enough to have this again, but considering the danger we will be in for the time being, I think it is best if you have it." He fixed the apprentice with a serious eye. "I do not need to remind you how dangerous this journey is. I will not tolerate any disobedience or carelessness. A misstep at this time could cost your life or the life of a friend. Are we clear on this?"

"Yes master," Dylan answered stiffly.

"Watch your step" Coran called over his shoulder. He changed direction slightly to walk around a small fire that was creeping across the stone like a living creature.

"That's weird," Rathe observed.

"This is a realm of Hell," Gage explained. "Fire runs rampant here. It burns without consuming. It will still kill, though."

"Gage," Coran called to his brother. "Another wave of flames is coming.

"Everyone gather close," Gage ordered. Again they all did as the mage bade them and again his magic protected them as a wall of searing flames washed over and past them.

"How often does that happen?" Crystal asked.

"It is probably random," Gage answered. "Let us hope it does not happen too often. Each time we do that I will lose a little more strength. It is not a difficult spell, but if I have to cast the spell every ten minutes, I will be worn out in short order."

"Is there another spell you can use?"

"Yes, but it requires much more energy. The control is time instead of thought. I would rather save that for when we stop to rest. That way I can get some sleep while the spell is active."

It took almost half an hour for them to cross to the other side of the ridge. Then again they were looking down into a chasm. At the bottom Dylan could see a vast river with what appeared to be floating plates of ice, even though it did not seem cold to him.

They repeated the experiment with the pebble and determined that the new rift was indeed much deeper than the previous one. According to what they had been told and the description on the map, they were headed in the right direction.

"Is the Citadel down there?" Dylan asked. He peered over the edge.

"No," Crystal answered. "That's either the Lethe or the Styx. Both rivers run through this realm of Hell. We need to avoid any contact with the water. If the water touches you, you'll lose your memory."

"The Citadel is near a delta where the Styx empties into a lake," she continued, "so, we can follow this river to that lake. But if this isn't the Styx, we'll eventually have to cross to the other side."

"Watch for unusual things," Gage added.

"Everything here is unusual," Coran advised. "I think you'd better be a bit more clear on what you mean."

Gage shot a look of irritability at his sibling. "You have seen the waves of fire. Watch out for other things like that. The clouds are deadly. There are pockets drifting around where the temperatures swing wildly back and forth from freezing to burning. So watch for frost or smoking ground."

Crystal and Coran led. Dylan followed with Gage and Rathe bringing up the rear. Crystal had the map. She had been trained in maps and terrain following. Coran was with her for vanguard protection. Dylan realized that he was in the middle for his own protection.

They followed the ridge line for a couple of hours. Dylan wished they had horses or at least a wagon so that the walking would not be so tiring, but horses were not to be found, and considering where he was, he was not sure that he would trust one if he found it.

At one point, they were passing an outcropping of hard rock when Crystal urged them all to take cover. No one needed telling twice. They hid among the rocks and became silent. A moment later a horrible creature flew overhead. It was easily three times the size of Rathe with deep maroon colored flesh and huge black bat-like wings. It had a long tail which looked like a snake as it whipped around in the air. It was naked over most of its body except around its waist, where it wore thick fur. Its hands were clawed and its face jagged with teeth and horns. Two long tentacles hung from its forehead. The thing was, to say the least, ugly.

"What was that?" Coran asked quietly as the thing passed, unaware of their presence.

"A sentry," Gage guessed.

"No, I mean what was it?"

"A minor devil I would say," Gage answered. "I am not familiar with the lower forms."

"Could you have beaten it?" Rathe asked. There was some worry. If Gage could not handle a minor devil, then what would happen if he fought a greater devil.

"Maybe, maybe not," the mage answered. "I would not know until I tried."

"Can you handle a major devil?" Rathe asked the question, though others were thinking it.

"I hope. But there is a difference with fighting a devil here and one back home."

"And that is?" Coran invited his brother to continue.

"Devils we fight back home are more aggressive and less cautious, because if they are killed, then their souls come back here and are reconstituted and reborn. But if they fight here and die here, they are forever dead. So they tend to be a little more cowardly here."

"What if we die," Rathe asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if we die, do our souls go back home and we get reborn?"

"No. If you die here, your soul goes on to the afterlife."

It was a sobering thing to be speaking so matter-of-factly about their deaths. Dylan was really beginning to wonder if coming along had been the right thing to do. But then he thought of Cindy and how terrified she must be. He put those worries and wonderings behind him. He had a responsibility to her and his own heart.

"That devil is flying in the direction we are headed. That's a pretty good indication that we are going the right way," Crystal told them as she emerged from the rocks. "Let's get on with it. I want to try to find a nice place before it gets dark."

"Master," Dylan asked.

"Yes?"

"There's no sun; how can it be light and then dark?"

"That's a good question," Coran added. "Do we know if it will turn dark?"

"There is dark," Gage informed them. I've read about it. I confess that I do not know what makes it happen, or the light for that matter. I know that the days and nights are very long though."

"So how do we know when it will get dark?" Rathe wondered aloud. "There's no sun to watch."

"We'll just have to deal with that when it happens," Gage offered. "We can not just sit around and wait for dark to arrive. Let us hope that there will be some kind of warning."

Crystal led them for another hour. They had to stop twice to ride out passing waves of flame. Dylan almost stepped into a pool of what looked like red water before Rathe could point it out to him. It might have been harmless, but in Nessus, who wanted to take the chance?

Night did come. It was not an immediate change, but a gradual darkening. To find shelter out of the open, they descended about fifty feet down the side of a rocky slope and holed up among a set of very large boulders.

Then the temperature dropped. It went from comfortably warm to seeing each other's breath in the space of a few heartbeats. Before long they were huddled together in blankets and almost climbing on top of each other. Gage had to work hard to prepare the wards and spells that would protect them from the waves of fire and poison clouds. His fingers were losing their feeling as he cast the spell. It was fortunate that the spell protected them from the extreme cold. It was still cold in the protected area, but not as bad as it was outside.

Dylan had trouble falling to sleep at first. It was uncomfortably cold and it was not until he was seated comfortably between Crystal and Rathe that he felt warm enough to nod off.
When he woke, it was still dark. He was not tired in the least and looked around. It was too dark to see anything, so instead he listened. Rathe was breathing very slow and steady. Crystal, to his astonishment, was snoring.

"Is anyone awake?" he whispered.

"I am," Coran's voice sounded behind him.

Reflexively Dylan turned even though he could not see anything. "How long have we been here?"

"Can't be sure," Coran answered. "No sun, and no stars. I'd guess that we've been here for about ten hours. Rathe took the first watch and Gage took the second."

"Well, I've had all the sleep I can stand for a while," Dylan said. "I'll take watch if you want to catch some sleep."

"Thanks," Coran told the boy. "Good night."

Dylan felt a certain pride that Coran trusted him enough to let him keep watch. He was resolved to keep watch well.

Coran relaxed. He was not really all that tired. Before Gage had waken him, he had slept what he estimated was about eight hours. He decided to let the boy take the watch, but he too would sit awake. It would do the boy good to take an active part in the responsibility."

Dylan spent the time in the darkness thinking of songs and meditating on his spells. He lost all track of time and was really not sure how long he had been awake when he felt Crystal stirring.

"I'd like to say 'good morning'," he told her, "but I really don't know what time it is."

"Dylan?" Crystal yawned. "How long have you been up?"

"I really don't know. I took over the watch from Coran and he took over from Gage and Gage took over from Rathe."

"You're really beginning to pull your weight, aren't you?" Crystal praised. She felt the top of the boy's head and scrubbed his hair playfully.

"I'm just trying to do my part."

"Well it sounds like you're doing your part pretty well," she praised. "If you want to get some more rest, I'll take over."

"Okay," Dylan agreed. He did not know how long he had been awake, but the long hours in the darkness had worn him quite a bit, and he was actually quite fatigued. It did not take long before he was asleep again.

Chapter 19 Part 2

2009-09-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Perhaps half an hour later there was an azure flicker of light against the green of the surrounding brush. It looked almost as if a hole had opened in mid air and through the hole stepped forth on ivory hooves one of the most majestic sights Dylan had ever seen. It was a unicorn whose hide and mane were shades of blue and the single spiracle horn appeared as a deadly but priceless dark blue sapphire. On the awesome beast's back sat Ultrecht.

A second and even a third flash of light brought forth two more of the wondrous creatures and Dylan recognized Gage's father and the Arch Mage, Armegon. The three rode forth at a trot and passed easily through the wards that Gage had erected. Dylan knew enough about magic to know that the spell from the scroll must have been cast by one of the three riders.

Coran stepped forth and greeted the three arrivals. He reverently stroked the long nose of each of the unicorns and they, in turn nuzzled familiarly back at the strong featured swordsman.

Ultrecht, Armegon and Avery dismounted. The strange eyed Forrester spoke with the three unicorns in a musical language that left a look of wonder on those who had never heard it before. Then the three mounts turned and bounded off into the forest.

"I asked them to check out the area," Avery told Ultrecht and Armegon. "They aren't in any real danger. They're much too quick and alert to be caught unawares."

"When will they come back?" Armegon asked.

"When I call them," Avery assured him.

Crystal rushed past Coran and threw herself into Avery's arms. She buried her face against his broad chest and sobbed noisily. Dylan did not need to be able to hear to know what she was saying.

"Crystal," Avery clamed her with a whispered word, "show me what happened. Try to remember everything about how she appeared just before she vanished." Crystal closed her eyes and straightened her face. Her brows furrowed slightly, then she relaxed.

"There is no immediate danger," Avery said after a moment. "She seems to be a simple hostage at this time. That may change soon, though. I'm afraid that she has been taken to a stronghold. I can’t quite visualize where. But I can find out."

"Wherever it is, then that’s where I’ll go," Crystal whimpered, her gaze resolved and iron. "She is my responsibility and I'll do whatever I have to to bring her back."

"Of course," Armegon agreed. "We will all do whatever we can to help."

Ultrecht approached and pushed past the two halfelves. "Let's get to the business at hand," he urged. "That damn staff could land this whole world right back the way we found it only a thousand times worse."

"Uncle," Gage greeted Ultrecht when the tall man joined them. "Thank you for coming. I know that you had pressing business."

"No business is so pressing that it couldn’t be put aside for this," Ultrecht answered. "It seems that you kids have come across the source of this whole mess. We knew that the Chira dabbled in summoning minor devils, and we knew that the realms of Hell were powerful, but up until now they have more or less been in disarray. There are nine kingdoms of Hell, and each is ruled by a devil of great power. They are called the Dukes of Hell, although whether or not they are all male is sheer speculation."

"The point is," Armegon cut in, "that they have never trusted each other or been very cooperative. Their history is nothing but war and subversion as they all try to plot and overthrow each other. That is the main thing that has kept their power in check."

"But now it seems that one of them has gained the Ebony Staff," Ultrecht continued. "I ran across its listing in a manifest of relics and artifacts some time ago. It was last known to be in the possession of House Blackheart, just before the fall of the gods."

"What does it do?" Gage asked. Without realizing it, he had placed a comforting arm around Crystal's shoulders and was holding her protectively.

Ultrecht answered. "The Ebony Staff was forged from pure shadow. It's not made of wood or any other substance. It is solid darkness, as if you could travel to the ultimate sink of life, energy and magic and bring some of the stuff back. Then form it into an object that could be wielded. The staff, among other things, seems to have the ability to create, and bestow absolute control over all forms of undead. It is a thoroughly despicable and abominable device."

“We should have locked it away long ago,” Avery muttered, “but until now, we didn’t know if it even existed, much less know where it was.”

"It was on our list of things to do," Armegon mused. "Unfortunately, it did not turn up when we ransacked Aspberg."

"Nor did the heir to the Blackheart throne," Avery added. "We had always thought that he had perished, but it's beginning to look otherwise."

"There were rumors that Blackheart had made alliances with the Dukes of Hell," Armegon continued. "They may have granted him sanctuary after the destruction of the gods. He probably took the staff with him."

"I doubt that he was allowed to retain his sovereignty," Avery offered. "Devils aren't hospitable. They wouldn't just let him into their realm out of the kindness of their hearts, despite any alliances."

"Maybe the staff was his payment," Ultrecht finally offered. "In any event, how it got there matters not so much, as the fact that it is there."

"The Dukes of Hell are too powerful as it is," Armegon cursed. "We really need to get that thing away from them."

"Oh, and your going to tell us how to do that?" Avery asked curiously. "This I’ve got to hear!"

"We can't do it," Ultrecht interrupted. "Ever since the destruction of the gods, we three have been watched by the powers of every realm in this universe. We didn't exactly pull off a minor coup. We took an active part in eliminating every god in this world, something none of them had been able to do."

"So if we were to travel to Hell to capture the staff, we would have to face everything that they could throw at us," Armegon perceived. "And this time we don't have the Tome of Creation to help us.

“We don’t even know if that is where the staff is,” Ultrecht reminded.

There was a moment of silence before Avery spoke. "Classic divide and conquer? We could act as a diversion."

"And send the children in?" Armegon asked, unsure.

"Who else?"

"Where shall we go?" Gage asked his father. "The Nine Hells are enormous. We can not just blindly wander through nine planes hoping to find Cindy."

"I'll locate her, my son," Avery explained. "But because of whom we are, neither your uncles nor I can get close to her. We will all assault the Nine Hells, but where we go there will be battle and all the attention of the Dukes of Hell."

"So when we have their attention," Armegon interrupted, "you and the others will have a better chance to infiltrate and rescue the girl."

Gage sighed. He knew that the plan was probably the only way to save Cindy. He knew his family and the power that his father and uncles could bring to bear. He almost wanted to believe that they had a chance. But even though they had defeated the gods, they had had the help of the Tome of Creation, and they had not really taken the gods on head to head.

Did they really think that they could assault the Dukes of Hell and come out alive? Were his uncles and father willing to risk their lives for the sake of a single person?

Granted it was his former initiate, but that was a responsibility long fulfilled. Only Dylan was his true responsibility now, and he was loathe to take the boy into such a dangerous quest.

No, even Gage could read the signs that had been showing through for weeks. Dylan had fallen in love with his former classmate and friend. The apprentice would find a way to go after Cindy no matter what Gage did to try to stop him. The only thing the master could do now was to help as best as he could.

Even if Cindy had not been precious to his own heart as a former student, Gage knew that for Dylan's sake, he would take the risk. And his family were not the kind to sit idly by while someone they knew and cared for was in such danger. His father and his uncles were the three most powerful beings in the entire universe save the Creator, Himself. They would be okay, even if the full weight of the Nine Hells were thrown against them in fury.

Ultrecht was muttering to Armegon and Avery under his breath. The conversation was something argumentative, and some of the words interrupted Gage's reflections. "We know where it is. We can get it. It may have a spell that can help us assault the Nine Hells. For pity's sake, we should consider it."

"We must not," Armegon countered. "I have no doubt that the Overlord could take on the whole of the Nine Hells and emerge victorious, but it's just too dangerous. We can't take the chance it will fall into the wrong hands. Look what Morteous did with it. No, we must leave the Tome of Creation where it is."

"I must agree," Avery added. "Even if I thought going to the Nine Hells was suicide, I would embrace that fate rather than use the Tome again." He fixed Ultrecht with a steady gaze. "Are you sure your desire to retrieve it is a noble one or do you yearn to read its secrets again?"

Ultrecht looked offended. "You know better than ask that."

"I only wanted to remind you of why we agreed to place it where it is. Not even one of us can retrieve it alone. Our greatest task is resisting the temptation to embrace knowledge best left to the Creator. We agreed to this."

"I remember," Ultrecht shot back irritably. "But we never thought this kind of situation would ever arise."

"If we give in to temptation for this, who is to say what we will decide the next time we are faced with difficulty," Avery held his ground. "Eventually we would establish a policy of fetching the most powerful magic book in all the Multiverse just to cure a hangnail. We would become atrophied in our ability to solve our own problems and we would subject ourselves to corruption with ultimate power in our hands. Eventually we would turn against each other."

Ultrecht sighed. "You're right. But we had to consider it."

"That's true. This has been the first real test of our resolve regarding the power of the Tome of Creation," Armegon said comfortingly. "And you are both correct. We had to consider it, and we had to reject it."

Gage had listened to the conversation only vaguely understanding the whole of what they were talking about. He knew of the Tome of Creation, the great spellbook that was used in creating the universe. And he knew that his father and uncles had used it to defeat the gods. He also knew that they had placed it someplace special so that it would never again fall into mortal hands, but he did not know that the three of them actually had the power to go and get it again.

"Father," Gage interrupted. "I know the spell to shift to other planes, but I also know that such magic does not go unnoticed by the inhabitants of the Hells. Even the weakest of devils will know the moment we shift to their realm."

Avery turned to his son. For a moment he just gazed with expressionless amber eyes, but the features of his face and posture was that of a loving father. It was heart wrenching to send his own son into such danger. "Don't worry, son," he assured the young mage. "There are natural conduits and ways to get to the Nine Hells that do not involve the use of magic spells. They will never know you are among them until the girl is recovered."

"And by then, we plan to have them totally preoccupied," Armegon added.

"Then we should get started," Gage urged. "I can not bear to think of the horrors Cindy is going through with every passing moment."

"Of course," Ultrecht agreed and drew himself to his full height. He was actually a very tall man when he stood straight upright. "Gather close."

Gage and the others drew close to the Elemental Archmage. "The Stone Circle?" he asked with a questioning glance to Avery. Gage's father nodded agreement and Ultrecht began to cast his spell.

Dylan had never traveled by mass teleportation before. It was very unusual, and if it were not for the circumstances weighing on his mind and in his heart, he might have taken a greater interest in the spell and its effect, but as it were all he could think of was his poor Cindy in pain and agony. The last vision of her under the hand of the possessed Thomas was intertwined with the horrible scene that they had witnessed together when they had seen Thomas become possessed.

Gage watched the familiar scene of his surroundings fading from sight and then blur into a new scene. In a matter of seconds it was over.

Chapter 19 Part 1

2009-09-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

AMBUSH

The night had been very nervous for Dylan. Gage’s speech had been impassioned and cut to the quick of the apprentice's soul. He had been accused of disobedience to his master and selfishness in not thinking of how his actions would affect his guardians. But the one that really hurt was when Gage had told him that he had been irresponsible and foolish in exposing Cindy to such danger. Occasionally, his master would spout off a series of oaths and curses in elvish, and Dylan was hard pressed to follow what he was being told.

Finally the lecture ended and the elven mage concluded his dressing down of his apprentice with a very serious punishment. He confiscated the apprentice’s spellbook and indicated that Dylan would get it back only when he displayed the kind of responsibility that such a possession required. Then Gage gave the boy an assignment and left the apartment, pausing only long enough to remind Dylan that he was very disappointed and ashamed of his apprentice’s actions.

The assignment that Dylan had been given concerned a spell that Gage wanted him to understand. It was a geas, a bonding spell that set up a magical condition within the target to drive them to perform a function or prevent them from committing an act.

That night as Dylan studied the spell parameters and incantations, it dawned on him that Master Tesron had placed the spell on him when he had first been taken to the Academy. He was not sure what Tesron’s spell had done, but he doubted that it was anything bad. It probably was some form of programming to prevent him from running away.

It also occurred to Dylan that Gage was subtly threatening to place a geas on him if he remained disobedient. He felt pretty sure that Gage would never do him any harm, but he would rather not have such a spell placed on him in any event.

Gage returned several hours later and gave Dylan permission to stop long enough to eat. Reluctantly, the young man accompanied his master down to the common area of the tavern. There he was ushered to a seat at a separate table. His sat facing a blank wall with all the others to his back. It was very unsettling, but Dylan was not about to make things worse by complaining about the harshness of his punishment.

A servant gave a bowl of broth and bread to him, and Dylan tasted the bland food with some apprehension. It was obviously not the best in the house, and it was not overly warm either. It seemed that the punishments were going to drag out at least for the rest of the night.

Dylan was halfway through the bowl of broth when Cindy took a seat beside him. Her face showed smears where she had been weeping. Apparently Crystal’s tongue lashing had been every bit as severe as Gage’s.

“Well at least we’re still alive,” Dylan offered as he used a clean napkin to brush at Cindy’s face.

“I think I would rather she have beaten me,” Cindy answered back. “I’m so sorry I dragged you out there with me.”

“You didn’t force me to come,” Dylan objected.

“No, but it was my idea. And I’m the one who distracted Rathe.”

“I’d have followed anyway,” Dylan told her. “Haven’t you figured out that I’ll follow you for the rest of our lives?”

Cindy smiled and reached out and touched his hand. “You know that makes this a whole lot easier to endure,” she told him.

“There was one good thing that came out of this,” Dylan agreed. “I would gladly sit through a hundred scoldings to find your heart again.”

Cindy smiled warmly. Then without warning, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said. “And when we’re alone, I’ll give you a more proper kiss.”

“Hey,” there was a nudge on his shoulder. “You two are supposed to be punished, not playing smackey mouth.” It was Coran. His black eyes were hard, but there was a hint of laughter on the corner of his mouth, as if he did not really think their transgression was that serious, or perhaps he found Cindy’s kiss amusing.

“I don’t want to see you enjoying yourselves,” he chastised. Then in a much quieter voice he added, “at least not until tomorrow.”

Dylan and Cindy both turned back to face the wall. Dylan smiled inwardly. Coran had covertly reassured him that though they were upset with the two apprentices' actions, the punishment would not last long.

In spite of the punishment, Dylan took pleasure in Cindy’s closeness and they spoke in hushed whispers through the rest of the meal. Then Crystal ushered Cindy back upstairs.
Not long after, Gage pointedly reminded Dylan that he had lessons to attend to, and indicated that the boy was no longer welcome in the commons hall.

Dylan retired to his books. He could tell that Gage was still very sore at him, but it seemed that some of the others had managed to smooth things over a bit. He hoped his master forgave him. He and Cindy had not intended to cause so much trouble.

The master mage entered the room many hours later. His apprentice sat at the table, his candle burned down to a nub and his head resting wearily on the book that he had been reading. Apparently Dylan had read until he could go no longer. It was just as well. The two kids had had a big day and night before.

Gage was not so angry at his student’s disobedience as he was at having been frightened to the end of his wits by the boy’s disappearance. What could they have been thinking? To run off into unknown territory with devils roaming about was madness.

Gage waved a hand and cast a spell. Dylan gently floated out of his chair and over to the bunk that he slept in. Then Gage let the boy settle down. The mage sighed. Casting the spell took a bit out of him, but the wave of fatigue would also help him sleep. Gage spread a blanket across his pupil and then retired to his own bed.

The next morning, Gage woke Dylan and urged the boy to join them for breakfast as soon as he was cleaned up and dressed. Dylan jumped out of his bed. The sun was just rising and Dylan quickly washed himself off at the basin and rummaged through his pack for some clean clothes to wear. He then smoothed down a cow lick on the side of his head and clumsily made his way down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

When Dylan approached the table, Gage directed him to a chair across from the rest of them. Cindy was already seated there and it appeared that the two youthful adventurers were in for another lecture.

“Well,” Gage began when Dylan was seated. “Before breakfast arrives, and since these two little vagabonds have had a good night’s rest, I think it is time that they tell us what they found out in their little misadventure.”

Cindy began. She told about following the two girls to the glade where the Chira ritual had been held. She mentioned hiding in the bushes and watching the dancing and chanting and the old witch. But at the point where the devil emerged from the fire and smoke, Cindy faltered. Her eyes teared up and she hid her face in her hands.

Dylan took over there. He repeated what he could remember of the conversation and tried to explain the actual possession of Thomas as best he could without having to remember it too much. Unlike Cindy, Dylan managed to keep his composure, but just barely.

It sounds as if you two came dangerously close to some serious trouble,” Crystal observed. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that you’ll both have to live with the memory of what you witnessed. That in itself is going to be a never ending punishment. But maybe now you can understand why we were so worried. And maybe now you understand why we didn’t want you to go out at all.”

“I think they get the idea,” Coran agreed. “I suspect they’ll both be less inclined to run off when they’ve been told to stay at home again.”

“The sleep spell proved useful once again,” Gage nodded with a hint of approval. “But the witch was too strong for it. I can imagine, though that the light caught her off guard. That was quick thinking. As for why the spell she cast against you failed, I am at a loss.”
Dylan blushed. He decided not to admit that blinding the witch with the light had been an accident.

“So what do we do now?” Coran wondered. “We know that the Chira have stirred up a pot that was best left in the cellar, but now it’s too late. The devils are in this realm by choice now, and that means that there will soon be no stopping them.”

Gage stroked his chin thoughtfully. “They are using the undead as an advanced army. But once they have enough possessed people under their control, they will begin bring their brethren over in their natural form. When that happens, all the armies in the world will be useless.”

“What was it you said,” Coran turned to Dylan again, “that they claimed to have? Some kind of staff?”

“He called it the Ebony Staff,” Dylan recalled. “The devil seemed to think it was very important.”

“Do you know what it is?” Coran asked Gage.

“I think I have heard the name before,” Gage admitted, “but I never heard any specifics about it nor do I know what it does.”

“Perhaps Ultrecht or Armegon?” Rathe suggested. “They may know what it is.”

“Truly, mages of their caliber would be a wealth of knowledge,” Velar agreed. “We would do well to seek their counsel.”

"I suppose you are right,” Gage consented. He looked at his brother. “Do you want to call them or should I?”

“You do it,” Coran told him. “I’m not used to that kind of thing and it always tires me out.”

“After breakfast then,” Gage decided. “I get the feeling that after this I am going to need a nap.”

They ate quietly. Some polite conversations passed among them, and for the most part it seemed that Dylan and Cindy’s transgressions had been largely forgotten. When the meal was finished, Gage and Coran led them all back to their lodgings where Gage sat at a table and took a few things from his bag.

Dylan recognized a few of the components and their typical uses. He also recognized many of the parts of the spell that Gage began to incant as those around waited nervously. In the mirror above the wash basin, a cloudy image began to form. The misty image swirled as the spell continued and then finally coalesced into the form of Ultrecht.

“I am sorry if we caught you at a bad time, uncle,” Gage apologized.

“It’s not really a bother,” Ultrecht answered with a slight smile. “All I was doing was investigating a plot by your father and Armegon. They’re trying to pull a prank on me. I haven’t got the full story of it, yet, but when I do, I’ll turn it all around and put it back on them.”

“They still haven’t gotten you back yet?” Coran asked with a laugh. “But that was ten years ago wasn’t it?”

“Armegon’s vengeful, and your father’s not above holding a grudge. Although I think Avery’s more into it for the fun of watching Armegon scheme and plot.”

“I am sure that you will be able to turn the tables on them,” Gage praised.

“Don’t patronize me, Gage,” Ultrecht warned. “I know that you were involved in their last attempt. The djinn that was in that lamp must have weighed a quarter of a ton easily, and I still haven’t figured out what kind of love potion that was you mixed up and gave her, but it took me almost a year to get away from her. You really have no idea how determined a woman with those kind of powers can be."

"She came out of that lamp and the first thing she saw was me.” The image in the mirror shuddered at the thought. “She had very serious plans for the rest of her life and those plans involved me. And djinns live thousands of years.”

“How did you get out of that?” Coran wondered aloud.

“I’m not telling. I may need to use a similar trick again soon enough.”

Rathe chuckled and exchanged a glance with Crystal. “My father mentioned something about this once,” he whispered. “Wasn’t your mother the one who saved him?”

“Hey!” Ultrecht interrupted. “No giving away of secrets,” he warned the Minotaan and young woman. Then with a more serious note in his voice he turned back to Gage. “So other than a friendly call to say ‘hello’,” Ultrecht changed the subject, “what’s on your mind?”

“Hopefully nothing,” Gage started. He told Ultrecht that they had found out that the Chira were raising devils and allowing their own people to volunteer to be possessed in return for protection and dominance. “But the thing that we wanted to talk to you about is this item that the devil bragged about possessing. Have you ever heard of the Ebony Staff?”

The image of Ultrecht went pale. There was a long moment of silence and even Dylan could tell that something was dreadfully wrong. “Then it’s worse than we feared,” Ultrecht finally sighed with resignation. “We’d hoped that it was something else, or that the Ebony Staff was in the hands of some mortal necromancer, but for that powerful a device to be in the hands of the Dukes of Hell is a serious matter.”

The Elementalist Arch Mage thought for a moment, then he addressed Gage again. “I want you and Coran to get yourselves and everyone with you out of that village. Go out into the middle of the forest somewhere and set up a camp and a secure perimeter. Use the scroll that Armegon gave you for the wards. I’ll be there later with help. We’ll have to decide how to act. Then we’ll pray that we’re right.”

When the image faded, Rathe whistled a low note. “He seemed a bit worried,” the giant muttered.

“If Ultrecht is worried, then I am double worried,” Crystal added. “I mean my father warned me that something bad could be brewing, but he didn’t mention anything about a magical relic.”

Rathe stood and stretched out to work the kinks from his back and knees. His hands easily reached the ceiling. “Well,” he yawned, “I suppose we should get going.”

“Get going?” Cindy asked.

“You heard Ultrecht. He told us to get out of town and to a safe place. Now I don’t know about any of you, but if only one tenth of what my father said about Ultrecht is true, then I’m going to take that order as if it came from the Almighty, Himself.”

“You’re right,” Crystal agreed. “I’ll go and pack my stuff and we’ll meet you down here in an hour.” She nudged her apprentice. “Come on Cindy.”

The women left and Gage spoke briefly with Coran before urging Dylan to accompany him upstairs as well. “Coran will square our lodgings with the innkeeper,” Gage told him. “Velar and Rathe will get the rest of the stuff. Pack quickly and do not bring anything that you do not need. Do not tell anyone else what you saw that night. Keep quiet and hurry.”

Dylan did as he was told. He soon joined Rathe and Coran at the front of the tavern where the wagon was being loaded. Most passers by paid them no heed, but a few observed them with knowing looks. Dylan hoped that it was just his imagination, but it seemed that some of them recognized him from the other night.

The other soon followed them down. Coran loaded the wagon with deceptive casualness. It was hard to tell from the tall dark man that there was any sense of urgency at all. Only the nearness of his sheathed sword and shield indicated any level of alertness.

When they were all gathered and the wagon was ready, Gage took the driver’s seat and urged the horses into motion. Coran and Velar rode their mounts ahead and Rathe walked behind, his long legs easily keeping up with the horses’ pace.

Dylan and Cindy sat in the back of the wagon, their mentors both occupied the riding bench. They watched nervously as the buildings passed and they made their way to the edge of the village.

Cindy inhaled sharply at one point, and Dylan instinctively turned. She was staring with wide eyes to one side, and when Dylan reflexively followed her gaze, he felt his own breath seize up. It was Thomas. The possessed boy was there in the town. He watched them and when their eyes met, Dylan knew that not only was there no humanity left in that body, but that the devil within recognized him.

Cindy nudged him urgently. Dylan broke his lock with Thomas’ eyes and followed Cindy’s gesture farther back behind them. A crowd of villagers had formed in the street and were all watching them. Among the villagers was the witch.

“Master,” Dylan urgently whispered to the mage.

“We know,” Gage answered quietly. “Do not do anything sudden. Just keep quiet and calm. I do not think that they will attack us in town.”

“They know that Gage is a wizard,” Crystal added. “The witch doesn’t want to take him on out here in the open.”

“The devils will not be so cautious,” Gage did not sound so sure.

“Methinks that the newly possessed body does not wear well,” Velar suggested. “Yon miscreant may not yet be ready to try his mettle against us.”

“The devil isn’t likely to attack us right now,” Coran agreed. He glanced briefly at Velar. “It’ll be more cautious. Devils are not like demons. Devils are cold and calculating as well as evil. They don’t just act out of passion. The devil will plan out his attack to catch us at our weakest.”

“Once we get out in the wilderness, we can set up our camp. I have some wards that will protect us.” Gage assured them.

The wagon passed the last cottage and rumbled down the packed road with agonizing slowness. The village and its mob of Chira citizenry faded from sight eventually and Dylan breathed a little easier. But a nagging feeling lingered. It was all too apparent that the Chira were not happy about what they had done, and he just could not see the villagers letting them go unmolested.

Many long moments passed and they put about half a league behind them when Crystal started at a flock of birds taking flight from some tall grass to their right. The huntress quickly reached for her bow and Coran drew his sword with a steely hiss.

To the left a thick growth of bamboo erupted and exploded towards them. The thin bamboo bent low as a large, black reptilian head wove outward. The head was followed by a long serpentine neck which in turn was followed by a large quadruped body complete with an equally long whip-like tail.

“Black Dragon!” Rathe yelled as he rushed forward, his axe in hand. “Beware if its spittle!”

“Arrrh!” Velar vaulted from his mount and ran headlong towards the great beast. And even though Dylan knew Velar’s secret, he was still surprised when the strange man ballooned in size and shape right before his very eyes in broad daylight. Velar assumed his true form and attacked the intruder, dragon to dragon.

Dylan had seen Velar in his dragon form before, but it had been at night. In the broad light of the day, the massive form seemed even more impressive. Dylan was marginally in awe of the great beasts. Even more so were Cindy and the others who had not been privy to the secret. Even his master was staring, his mouth hung open in disbelief.

“I thought I recognized his speech dialogue,” someone said quietly as Velar and the black dragon clashed. Both of the great beasts tumbled back into the brush. Whole trees were sheared as the massive bodies slammed and rolled in a furious mortal combat.

At one point a great mass of greenish mucus arched skyward and landed across the road from their wagon. The stuff splattered against the trunk of a tree and began eating away at the wood viciously. In less than three breaths, the trunk had dissolve enough that the weight of the tree caused it to collapse. The falling tree narrowly missed Rathe, and the Minotaan had to step quickly to get out of the way.

“Some dragons breathe fire,” Gage announced as he pulled the wagon off the road. “Others breathe lightning, frost or poison gas, but black dragons spit acid. Be careful of his spittle.”

“But Velar!” Dylan cried in earnest. “We should help him.”

“Don’t worry about him,” Coran responded as he reined Dylan in. The boy had taken a couple of steps towards the savagely swaying trees that heralded the massive melee beyond. “Velar can take a measly black. He might have trouble with a great green or a blue or red, but he is in no real danger from blacks or whites.”

There was a great roar from beyond the trees and a strangled cry erupted in answer. Everyone stared fearfully toward the place where the dragons had last been seen.
Then, barely perceptible, a tiny yelp was heard from behind them. Dylan and Crystal seemed to be the only ones who had heard the sound, and when they turned as one, they both beheld a sight that none of them had expected, and yet all of them had feared within the darkest shadows of their hearts.

The devil and its henchmen had slipped up behind them during the diversion. The old witch stood not far away, and two burly men had seized Cindy from the rear of the wagon while they had watched Velar attack the black dragon. The captive girl had managed only the slightest of squeals out of desperation as she had been turned over to the monster inhabiting the body of Thomas.

With Crystal and Dylan as the only witness, the devil laid one of Thomas’ hands on the girls head and then turned to smile wickedly at the onlookers. Then a cloud of smoke erupted from his mouth and enveloped both of them. When the smoke cleared, Thomas and Cindy were both gone.

“Cindy!” Dylan cried desperately vaulting from the wagon and charging the witch and her henchmen. He had no weapon, but blindly ran, fists raised, intent on doing whatever he possibly could.

Dylan’s actions were unnecessary. Crystal shouted at the same time, and Gage, alarmed into action turned and loosed the magic of an emergency-attacking spell. Eight bolts of light jumped from the mage’s fingers and slammed into the witch, the fury of the attack tore her apart leaving her shoes on the ground dozens of feet from her singed head. The two larger men fared no better. Coran ran one of them through with his sword, while Rathe cut the other completely in half with one mighty blow of the great double bladed axe.

“Noooo!” Dylan cried again. Desperately he ran to the scorched mark where the devil and Cindy had vanished mere seconds before. He fell to his knees sobbing over the loss of both friend and more.

“Damn!” Coran cursed aloud. “The whole thing was a ruse!”

“What?” Gage asked, not understanding.

“The devil knew what Velar’s true form was. It wasn’t willing to attack a mage and a steel dragon together, but the black dragon was a diversion, a lure to get Velar away. Now they have Cindy.”

“But why?” Dylan cried with his fists clenched.

“To scare us? To make us yield and leave them alone? Who knows?”

“We have to help her,” Crystal cried out. “We can’t let them do to her what they did to those others.”

“I do not think she is in any danger of that yet,” Gage answered. “Those others volunteered. She did not, and her mind is too strong for them to possess her easily. They will probably try to break her spirit first, and that could take a while.”

“Then we mustn’t wait,” Crystal argued. “We have to find her before they can do that.”

“Agreed,” Coran added. “But the best way for us to do that is to establish a camp as Utrecht told us, and then he can come. He’ll know what to do.”

The ground rumbled as a howl of triumph crackled through the air. A moment later Velar stepped through the thicket and back into the open. There was a large whelp on his neck, but otherwise, his form was no different than before the fight.

“My apologies, my fiends,” Velar addressed them. “An animosity from time immortal has existed between our peoples, and I could not withhold the burning of my blood.” The man paused and took in the scene. “I perceive that something is amiss?”

“A devil attacked while you were away,” Coran told him. “I think it was waiting for just that.”

Velar hung his head, abashed. “I had hoped that my true self had remained hidden from the diabolical miscreant as well as it had from many of you. I beg forgiveness for keeping such a secret, but I have found that it is best when dealing with mortals not to reveal myself too readily.”

“We need to go,” Coran reminded them. “I don’t think we are going to get attacked again, but we need to get a move on so that we can make a camp and get some real help here.”

Crystal and Dylan were reluctant to leave, but Gage and Coran reassured them that they were not about to abandon Cindy, and that they were taking the best action that they could to save her. Hurriedly they rode several more miles and then turned aside and followed a stream about half a mile off the road and set up camp on a sandbar.

They cleared out a perimeter and rounded up a sizable pile of firewood. Then Gage went through one of the small chests that he carried in the wagon and retrieved a scroll. He broke the seal and began to read the contents. When he reached the end of the scroll, the parchment flared in a flash and was gone. A faint wavering of light in the air spread out and surrounded the camp. It seemed like a distortion that could be seen near the horizon on a hot day.

“We are safe now,” Gage announced after a moment. “Those wards are practically impenetrable.”

“So how do we let Ultrecht know that we have established a camp?” Rathe asked.

“The same way we spoke to him earlier,” Gage answered. He made ready his spell components. There was no mirror for him to use, so instead, he filled a dark bowl with water and used the reflection as his means of communication.

When the spell took form, the vision of Ultrecht reappeared in the bowl. In the background, they could see that Ultrecht was outdoors and had his travel pack with him. It was apparent that he had been getting ready.

“We are camped,” Gage told him. “And the wards are up, you can come anytime you want, but we would rather you hurry. There has been some trouble.”

Ultrecht nodded and the image faded. “That’s it?” Crystal asked. “When will he get here?”

“I’m not sure,” Gage answered. “It depends on how they travel. They can’t teleport because they don’t know the destination, and the wards will prevent them from scrything the destination.

Many moments passed. Coran began a fire and Crystal spread out a blanket upon which she sat as she prepared to cook. It was pretty plain that her mind was elsewhere.

Chapter 18 Part 2

2009-09-30T18:26:00.001-07:00

They sat the rest of the night holding each other tightly, dreading every passing moment as if the unspeakable horror that they had seen would come after them. It was not until dawn lightened the sky that they took account of their surroundings and realized that they had no idea where they were or which way led back to the village.

The sun cleared the horizon and filtered in through the trees, and finally Dylan and Cindy disengaged from holding each other. “Where are we?” she whimpered.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “East of the village I think. I’m not sure.”

“Oh Blessed Creation, that was horrible. That thing took him. It consumed him.” Cindy broke down crying again. Dylan almost lost his own composure. But he had spent the last few hours employing mental exercises to calm himself and study his situation.

“That was a witch that summoned the devil,” he mused. “She tried to cast a spell at us, but something happened.”

“You cast a spell to stop those men,” Cindy reminded him as her sobbing waned. “I thought apprentices weren’t allowed to cast spells.

“That rule seems to be only enforced at the Academy,” Dylan told her. “I’ve actually cast several spells.”

“That one last night was a good one. Did you kill those men?”

“No,” He responded. “I just put them to sleep. The witch was too powerful for me to put to sleep though.”

“Yeah,” Cindy agreed. “She seemed pretty mad, too, and when you used that light, it really got her.”

“My master taught me the sleep spell and the light was something that Coran gave me. It was an accident that it blinded her like that. But the spell was something that I’m supposed to use only when I was in danger,”

“You can’t get in much more danger than last night,” Cindy told him. “I thought that monster was going to get us.”

“Me too. Maybe it was too tired from its effort,” he offered. “Either way,” I think we’re safe.

“I won’t feel safe until we’re back with Crystal and the others,” Cindy told him.

“We may not be too safe then either,” Dylan decided regretfully. “We weren’t supposed to come out last night. I’m sure Gage is going to turn me into a frog.”

Cindy took Dylan by the hand. “If I kiss you, will you turn into a handsome prince?”

Dylan laughed. It felt good to laugh after what they had just gone through. “That might make being turned into a frog worth it,” he told her.

Cindy just looked at him for a long moment. “It kinda creeps up on you without warning doesn’t it?” she asked.

“What does?”

“Love,” she told him. “I don’t know when it happened. And I don’t know about you, but I know how I feel.” She leaned against him and put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

“I love you Dylan. You’ve been my best friend, the person who I spend my younger years with, and now I know that I never want to be without you in my life again.”

Cindy put her cheek against his chest and held tightly to him. “I hope I didn’t scare you,” she told him.

Dylan returned the affection of the embrace. “No,” he told her. “You didn’t scare me, but I wasn’t expecting it.” He sighed deeply, the fragrance of her hair brought a smile to his face. “I suppose I love you too, I just never realized it until you said it.”

He was going to say more, but her kiss interrupted his thoughts. Unlike any kiss ever before from Cindy, that kiss was full of passion and longing and reminded him, for some reason, of haystacks.

The moment was frozen in their minds and hearts for an eternity. It was the first kiss of realized mutual love, and held all the promise of the first warm breeze of a spring day.

“That was more wonderful than any kiss anyone has ever given me,” Dylan gasped when
Cindy finally released him. “I hope it wasn’t the last one.”

“Oh no,” Cindy assured him. “There’ll be many more to come. And each one’ll be better than the last.”

Dylan smiled and hugged the girl closely. Without thought, he let his hands caress her back and hair. It was a moment he wanted to last, but like all good things, it had to end eventually, and when it was over, the world seemed to have changed.

“We have to get back, you know,” Dylan decided.

“We don’t know the way,” Cindy answered. She smiled at him shyly. “And when we do find the way back, what will we tell everyone.”

“I haven’t lied to my master before, and I’m not about to start. I’ll tell him we snuck out to see the ritual.”

“No, silly,” Cindy laughed as she held his hand tightly. “I mean what do we tell them about us?”

Dylan thought about that for a few minutes. “Do we have to tell them anything?”

“Why not? Are you ashamed of me?”

“No, but I just don’t see it as being anyone else’s business.”

“Well, you’re probably right, but I don’t want to hide my feelings.”

“Neither do I,” Dylan agreed. “Why don’t we just go along with what happens. If they ask, then we’ll tell.”

“Okay,” Cindy whispered and added another kiss to her growing tally.

“We still have to find a way back,” Cindy reminded him.

“Yeah,” Dylan laughed. “We seem to keep coming back to that problem don’t we?” He looked around at the sky, partially visible through the tall trees. “That way,” he pointed to his left, “is north. Telling the direction is easy enough, but I don’t know which way we ran last night. “We might need to go north, south, east or west.”

“Can we backtrack?”

“I don’t think so.” Dylan admitted. “The dirt’s too covered with brush and undergrowth. I don’t have the skill to spot our tracks.”

“Me neither,” Cindy agreed. “Crystal was going to teach me a little bit of tracking, but we never got around to it.”

“Let’s make sure that you get to learn that as soon as you can,” Dylan scolded playfully. “If we plan to run off in the woods every now and then to be alone, I’d rather we were able to find our way back.”

“Maybe I’ll lead us out into the woods and pretend that we’re lost so that I can keep you out there with me?”

Dylan chuckled. “We’re getting silly aren’t we?”

Cindy agreed. “Yes.”

“Well, we can’t just sit here,” he decided. “Let’s start walking. We’ll go that way,” he pointed to the left again. “After a while, if we don’t see any signs of civilization, we’ll come back to this spot and try another direction. At least we won’t get any more lost.”

It was a good strategy, but it proved fruitless. Half the day passed while they were out walking, to no avail. “My feet hurt,” Cindy finally announced as she sat on a fallen log. “And I’m hungry.”

Dylan stretched and yawned. “We’ve been going all morning. A little rest won’t hurt us.”

“We could use some food.”

“I don’t have any spells for that,” Dylan told her.

“How about some honey?” She pointed up above them. There in the cleft of a tree was a dark hollow. A light scattering of bees flew to and fro from that crevice indicating the presence of a hive.

“Let me guess. You want me to climb up that tree, and get you some honey?”

“Please?”

“Are you crazy? I’ll break my neck!”

Cindy went silent for a brief moment. Then with a twinkle in her eye, she assumed a champion grade pouting expression. “Don’t you love me?”

“Oh cut that out,” he sighed as he prepared himself for the ascent. The tree was not too difficult to climb. It was a seasonal hardwood with low branches, and Dylan had climbed many trees in his younger days.

As he grew near the hidden hive, he was buzzed more and more by the occasional bee. The insects were not oblivious to his presence, but they were not yet angry.

Dylan paused. How was he going to get to the honey? His only spell that he knew would work on the bees was the sleep spell, and he had not had time to prepare the spell again since he had used it.

“What’s taking so long?” Cindy called up.

“I’d rather not get stung,” Dylan answered smartly, “if it’s all the same to you.”

“So use some magic.”

“The only spell that I have that’d work was the one I used last night.”

“Well use it again,” she suggested.

“I can’t. It takes a bit to prepare the spell, and that would take at least an hour.” Though Cindy had attended the Academy, Dylan recalled that he, himself, had not learned very much about magic as an initiate, and Cindy had learned even less since she had not been an initiate of magic.

Dylan had an inspiration as he remembered a scene from the Academy he had seen the grounds keeper perform one summer day. He sat on a limb and reached into his shoulder bag and withdrew a piece of parchment. It was a blank piece that he would probably have used someday to copy a map or work out some notes on a spell, but at the moment it had a much more urgent use.

He rolled the parchment into a cone shape. Then he plucked a couple of hands full of leaves and moss and stuffed it into the cone. Then he cleared his mind and whispered a couple of words for the cantrip that he used to light candles and fires.

It was a simple piece of magic, and quite harmless under normal circumstances, but his master had been encouraging him to find ways to use magic other than what was intuitive. In this case, the cantrip was used to start a fire, but not for reading or cooking, but to ignite a torch. The paper burned well and the leaves produced a massive amount of smoke. The smoke was what he was after to begin with, for he knew that bees fled their hives when smoke was blown into it.

Dylan took a small branch that he had broken off a nearby limb and fanned the torch and the smoke, forcing the latter into the hive. Bees scattered without molesting him, and in a matter of minutes, he could see that it was safe enough for him to retrieve a comb of honey.

When Dylan got back to the ground with his prize, he dropped the torch and stomped it out. Then he broke the comb in half and shared it with Cindy. Both youngsters consumed the honey greedily. Then Cindy announced that she was thirsty. Dylan too felt the need to wash his makeshift meal down.

During their wandering, they had passed a small body of water, but it was slow moving and dark. Dylan was concerned about impurities. But Cindy assured him that it was okay. Crystal had told her that the blackwater rivers that flowed into the Grog were deceptively pure. The waters were very clear of impurities, even if they didn’t look it.

So they made their way back to the stream. Once again, Dylan had second thoughts about drinking, but Cindy didn’t hesitate. After a bit of contemplation, Dylan finally gave in to his thirst and lay down on his chest along the bank. He dipped his hand down into the water and drew a scoop of the tea colored liquid to his lips. There was no taste to the water, and it was very cool, an added comfort in the hot sticky afternoon. He soon found himself drinking deeply and repeatedly.

“Hey,” Cindy poked him with her foot. “Put a cork in it. If you keep drinking, you’ll wind up sloshing around all day.”

Dylan picked himself up after one last drought. He brushed the sand from his clothes. “So now what?”

“Well,” Cindy looked at the sky. “It’s getting late, and it’ll be dark soon.”

“I guess we should find a place to hold up,” Dylan sighed. “We can try to find our way home again tomorrow”

“This place is as good as any,” Cindy told him. “At least here we have water.”

“I’m okay with that,” he agreed. “Let’s find some wood, and we’ll build a fire before nightfall. At least we won’t have to sit in the dark. They used the last hour of daylight to scrounge up a respectable pile of deadwood. Then Dylan built a fire. They were not so much interested in a large fire, as they were interested in a comforting source of light and protection from animals.

They talked a little bit during the early evening, but after a while they simply settled for sitting quietly together staring at the fire. In the dim light of the dancing flames, they once more allowed their feelings to come out and were soon embraced tenderly. They allowed themselves to surrender to their passions only briefly with kiss and caress, but were interrupted by a rustling sound.

“What’s that?” Cindy gasped as she squirmed in Dylan’s arms.

“What was what?” he asked. He had not heard anything above his own heart pounding.
Cindy’s eyes darted wildly. The scene of the night, the woods and the fire were too reminiscent of the night before and the horror that it had revealed.

“There it is again,” she said as she turned quickly.

That time Dylan heard it too. I sounded like a large bird, and the fire wavered as a puff of air brushed across the campsite. On the edge of his vision, Dylan thought he saw something above them, but when he looked up, all he saw was the twinkling of stars.

“I don’t think it’s anything,” Dylan assured Cindy. He wasn’t sure if devils could fly. But if it was a wild creature, the fire might be their only means of protection. “Let’s stay close to the fire.” He added as he tossed more wood on the flames, urging them higher and bringing a little more comfort in their light.

Cindy leaned closer to him, her body trembled slightly at the memory of the night before. Dylan comforted her, holding her close and stroking her hair and arms. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “We’ll be okay.”

“I just want to be with you,” she whimpered quietly. Her small hands found themselves around his back and she hugged him tightly.

“Perhaps, I should leave you to your own devices,” a familiar voice called from the edge of their firelight. “For you truly seem to be in no danger other than to each other, and I suspect that that is a danger that you wish to embrace freely.”

“Velar!” Dylan called out in surprise. The man had appeared almost as if by magic. Dylan felt relief of being found mixed with the relief of suddenly understanding the flapping sound and the glimpse of something large overhead.

Cindy guiltily tore herself away from Dylan. “However did you find us?” Cindy asked as she blushed furiously.

“The fire, probably,” Dylan suggested.

“You are most perceptive,” Velar told him. “The fire is quite visible from afar, and there are many who are looking for you. I just happened to have a better vantage point.”

“Well, we’re glad to see you,” Dylan told him honestly. “We really got turned around last night, and didn’t know which way the village was.”

“I think you would have eventually found it,” Velar told them. “It is downstream from this waterway.” Velar reached down and took a small faggot of wood. He let it catch fire before kicking dirt on the rest of the fire to put it out.

“If you would but follow, I shall lead you back to the village and our companions therein. I fear that there will be quite the consequences for your adventure. You will most likely be taken to task most keenly for your masters are vexed to a kind.”

“We’re sorry,” Dylan began, but Velar cut him off.

“Tell me not, for it is not I who has been worried sick at your disappearance. Instead, save your apologies for Gage, Crystal and Rathe.”

“Rathe?”

“Aye,” Velar stated gravely. “Our large comrade took your disappearance most harshly since it was he who was supposed to be protecting you. Gage and Crystal both chastised him greatly, but his own heart has punished him even more.”

Velar turned and started back down the stream. “We were very concerned when we returned and found you two missing. We managed to spot the atrocity that took place last night, but were powerless to do anything about it at the time since the possession had already occurred when we arrived. There had been some commotion, and we were unsure about how to proceed. Then when we returned and found that you had left in disobedience, the cause of the disturbance became evident. We worried greatly that you had met with a demise that should not be wished on even the most foul villain.”

Velar led them back for about two hours before they arrived on the northern side of the village. Then he led them back to the inn where they returned to their rooms. The rooms were vacant, and Velar indicated that everyone was out looking for them.

“Pray, stay hither,” he told them. “I shall go forth and spread the news that you have been returned safely. If I were you, I should behave myself for the next few days.”

Velar left, and Dylan and Cindy sat at the table. They knew the storm was about to hit when the others returned, but in a way, Dylan was glad that it had happened, for in the weakness of their terror, Cindy and he had revealed their feelings for each other. Without a word, Dylan reached out and touched Cindy’s hand. She grasped his back and the mutual affection served to help them face that which was about to descend on them.

About an hour later, they could hear heavy footsteps approaching, then the door flew opened and Rathe charged in, eyes wild and chest heaving. The big Minotaan didn’t stop, but instead bore down on them as if he were going to trample them beneath his feet.
Then at the last moment he swept them up, one in each arm and hugged them both close and hard. Dylan suspected that at least one rib may have cracked.

“I’m so glad you two vagrants have made it back safely,” he muttered. “I was worried sick.”

“We’re sorry,” Dylan told him. “We didn’t mean to get you into any trouble.”

“It’s my own fault,” Rathe answered forgivingly. “I shouldn’t have let that little wench distract me.” He turned his long bullish face first from Dylan then to Cindy. “By the way, which one of you authored that little bit of subversion?”

Cindy blushed and Rathe laughed. “Only a woman would be that devious.” Then he planted a big bovine kiss on her cheek.

Rathe put them down then turned to leave. Dylan chuckled in spite of himself, but his humor died in his throat as Gage stepped through the door. His master’s eyes were stone cold and very hard.

“Cynthia,” the young mage growled, “Crystal has requested your presence in your rooms. And I need to speak with my apprentice at great length.”

Dylan groaned inwardly. It was going to be a very long night.

Chapter 18 Part 1

2009-09-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

HORRORS AND DREAMS

The horror of the thing was beyond sanity. It loomed over the entire clearing amidst the billowing smoke and flames. Then as it stepped forth, it planted its feet, testing on the solid ground. Its feet were short and stubby, and it seemed to be intent on walking on its toes, but as the smoke cleared, it became apparent that it was actually walking on cloven hooves, like that of a pig or goat. The ankles were very high and elongated making the leg appear as if it had backward knees.

The rest of the beast appeared more or less humanoid, but that its flesh was a deep brown and clothed in a woven mesh of fine golden chains. Its face was quite normal looking if not downright handsome, but the teeth were black and their shape could not be seen in the fire light. The head sported long white hair and the ears seemed to stick out from the side of its head with long fleshy lobes that drooped almost to its shoulders. Those ears were adorned with a multitude of decorations. The eyes glowed with a menacing reddish flare, and even those gathered around who had called the thing forth stepped back away from the fire as it emerged.

The old woman who had cast the summoning soon regained her composure, and stood straight and proud as she led Thomas, who was obviously having second thoughts in spite of whatever drug he had been given earlier, before her master.

“Great one,” she called forth drawing the creature’s attention. “We welcome our benefactors to this world and offer our finest as host to your soul.” She pushed Thomas forward, and the boy stumbled drunkenly. Then she whispered something in his ear, and Thomas sank to his knees before the devil.

“This is the best that you have?” the monster demanded in disgust. “Surely one of those with the tender flesh would have been more welcome to my attentions?”

“They have not yet reached the proper age, O most generous one.” The woman answered with a shaking voice. “The pact of our blood demands that the girls must be of the age of sixteen seasons before they can be delivered up to thy brethren.”

“Then this one will suffice,” the devil decided. “I prefer the tender flesh, but the pleasures of the men are not undesirable. And I shall partake of the soft flesh through this vessel regardless of the age. That does not violate the pact.”

“No, great one,” the woman answered. “But if you consume the virginity of all the girls, then there will be none available for thy brethren when they come of age.”

“Phagh! Virginity is not necessary. It is just a luxury. Let my brethren suffer disappointment as I have.”

“As you wish, great one.” The woman stepped away from Thomas. “In the name of the master we both serve, we give you this gift. His family will be rewarded for his sacrifice.”

“Indeed they shall,” the devil answered. “The realm of the Nine Hells has a King, and in his hands is the Ebony Staff, that most dreaded of magics. By his hand will this world be the Tenth Hell of Men and your people will be its highest held citizenry. You shall have dominion over all others, under me and my brethren and our master. Then shall those who have given up these gifts shall be rewarded.”

The devil stood as tall as Rathe and its gold chain clothing glittered in the fire light as it gloated. “Though it is not soft flesh, it is still a handsome gift, and in the name of my master, I accept this gift.”

The devil stomped around Thomas until it was behind him. The boy was terrified beyond reason, but the drug had bereft him of all will, and the old witch’s potion and spells had him trapped.

The look on Thomas’ face burned itself in Dylan’s mind. To the end of his days, he would never forget that look. For in the dim firelight, Thomas alone was looking away from the scene and it seemed as if he was looking straight at Dylan and Cindy. His eyes pleaded for help. His face twisted in terror and agony as the devil’s form melted and began to flow into his own body. The eyes passed visibly from fear to surprise, to terror and finally to insanity and hatred.

Dylan had watched the whole affair in stunned disbelief. He could feel Cindy trembling next to him. At any other time, her closeness would have been a welcome distraction, but the scene that was unfolding before them was absolutely riveting and Dylan did not think he could have moved if he had wanted to. Even though he was hidden, he was terrified, and his breathing was ragged from the tremble in his throat.

As the devil’s form vanished into Thomas, the boy’s features jerked and his chest convulsed violently. The arms thrashed as the boy’s ravaged soul fought for its very existence, trying vainly to avoid being consumed by the monstrosity that was feeding on its very substance. In a final dying gasp, Thomas lost the battle for his mind, body and soul with a life-shattering wail that pierced throughout the very rocks.

Cindy, who had been trembling and had retched at the site, could take no more and screamed at the terrible sight. She rocked back on her knees and hid her eyes, trying to keep from going mad herself.

The action was not missed, however. The witch caught the motion out of the corner of her eye. “Outsiders!” She shrieked. “Infidels, defiling our sacred rites. Seize them!”

In spite of the paralyzing fear, Dylan knew that the time had come to leave, post haste. He jumped up and grabbed Cindy’s hand, dragging her behind him as he ran blindly into the brush.

“Don’t let them escape,” the witch cried angrily.

Dylan ran. Cindy, once away from the view of the fire and the possessed boy, regained her senses enough to run on her own as well. In fact, he was hard put to keep up with the girl.

Such had been their confusion and terror, that they somehow missed the trail that led back to the village, and it dawned on Dylan that they had been running a long time before it even occurred to him to consider where they were going.

They ran until they came to a thicket that they could not get through. Without thinking they both turned to the side and started running again. Low hanging branches scratched at them and thistles and thorns tore at their clothes.

Then suddenly a large figure loomed ahead in the darkness. “There over here!” the figure shouted in the dark.

Dylan and Cindy wheeled and reversed direction as one. They had no idea which way they were running and were operating on instinct alone when they crashed madly through a thicket and drew up short.

The witch and two burly men, each as large as Coran, confronted them. The witch wasted no time and pointed at the two of them. She muttered a couple of phrases and Dylan saw the spark of fire in her hand only and instant before he felt the impact of the spell.

But something strange happened. He felt the spell hit him, but it did not seem to do anything to him. In fact if nothing else, he seemed to snap back to his senses completely. He saw even by the dim moonlight that the witch was surprised. She cursed and drew a wickedly curved knife. Then she motioned for her goons to attack.

Dylan really did not have a weapon, and all his hand found as he reached into his shoulder bag was his spell book and the scroll tube. With the large men bearing down on him, Dylan grew desperate and quickly cast his sleeping spell. Immediately, both of the men fell to the ground, but the witch remained standing.

“Magi,” she spat. “I’ll eat your liver for my breakfast,” she charged as she brandished her knife.

Dylan had not time to think or plan. He had used his only spell that could have stopped her, and it had only angered her. He grabbed the wooden scroll tube in his bag and pulled it out. It was a poor substitute for a shield, but if he could hit the witch over the head with it hard enough, he might be able to stun her long enough for Cindy and himself to escape.

The witch charged, and Dylan swung the tube poorly attempting to swat her wrist and knock the knife loose. Unexpectedly, the cap came off the tube, and the blazing brilliant light from within took the witch full in the face.

The witch had been hunting them in the faint moonlight, and her sight had adjusted to the darkness. When the light stabbed at her eyes, the old woman was immediately blinded. She missed her attack badly, and staggered around, unable to see anything at all.

The flash of the light surprised Dylan, but he was not blinded. He immediately understood what had happened and by the light of the tube, he saw an animal trail off to one side. He stopped only long enough to recover the cap for the tube and then he grabbed a still panicked Cindy and guided her away as fast as he could.

Dylan really had no idea where they were or where they were going. The only thing that he did know was that he needed to put distance between them and their hunters.
As they hurried through the dark, Dylan tightened his grip on the scroll tube, but he did not put the thing away. He knew that the same trick would work on anyone else that they came across in the dark, and at the moment it was his only means of defense since he had already used up his sleeping spell.

After about an hour, Dylan and Cindy stopped. Their feet hurt, their arms were scratched up and their lungs ached from the hard breathing. They paused quietly for a few moments to catch their breath. Then as the night grew quieter, they listened for signs of pursuit. They were relieved when all they could detect was the chirping of crickets and an occasional owl’s call.

Fatigue began to set in as they stood there, and Cindy sank to the ground to sit, curled up in a ball. Dylan too felt tired and sat next to her, putting a comforting hand around her shoulders.

The girl began weeping and Dylan choked back his own feelings as well. The night was still hot and sticky, yet both of the young apprentices felt as though they were deeply chilled. They trembled and clutched each other close for warmth and companionship.

Chapter 17

2009-09-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

THE CHIRA

The first thing that Dylan noticed about the land after they left Vermouth was that the soil was very sandy. In some small way it reminded him a little of home. The dirt of Sandy Cove was a course loam that was only a little different than what the wagon was presently rolling across. The terrain was very flat and the bushes were thick and deep green in color. The most intriguing feature was a variety of gargantuan pine tree with huge thick needles. Crystal called it the Arrow-leaf pine. She told them that some of the clannish tribes used the yard long pine needles as arrows. She said that they coat the needle in sap and when it hardens, it is as good as any arrow made anywhere.

Dylan thought that it was clever application for the unusual pine needles. The tree’s cones also amused him. Though the tree must have been two hundred feet tall, with needles the size of an arrow, the cone was so small that at first he thought it was an acorn.

Another thing that Crystal told them about was the canker that she had mentioned the day before. The host tree was a common form of birch and not really all that unusual. It was not the tree, rather the disease that had infested it that was the object of interest. A large bulbous swelling was growing at the junction of a limb and the trunk. Crystal proclaimed that particular canker unusable for her purposes, but she told them that if caught early enough, the thing could be cut out with a sword or axe. Not only would the removal of the mass help the tree, but the canker itself was made of a combination of concentrated sap and tar that burned very fast and hot. She told them that the thing could be set aflame and tossed at an enemy and it would explode on contact. It was quite popular with alchemists who extracted the volatile contents. She said that the king’s army of High Branch also bought them.

The canker she had shown them was too dangerous to harvest, and they would more likely start the woods afire if they didn’t kill themselves in the process. Left alone it would eventually kill the tree, but unless hit by lightning it would not do any more damage.
Dylan continued with his studies from the back of the wagon most of the day, but he occasionally would listen in on some of the things that Crystal was teaching Cindy. It began to occur to him just how much about the world that he was not learning anything about. There were many things that his lessons omitted simply because it had nothing to do with magic. One night, after they had eaten and most of the others had gone to bed, he asked his master about it.

“You are right,” Gage had answered. “I am afraid that those are the things that you will have to learn on your own. You did not think that your education would end when you became a journeyman did you?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Dylan admitted. “I guess in a way I did.”

“No,” his master told him. “All of us will always be working hard to learn new things. I still study and research. Even uncle Ultrecht is always trying to learn new things.”

“I would have thought that he knew everything.”

“Sometimes he thinks he does,” Gage laughed. “Then father and Armegon will go out of their way to remind him that he does not.”

The weather turned hot and sticky over the next couple of days. Dylan found it necessary to wear very loose clothing and as little of it as he could get away with. Rathe, wore only a loincloth and even Coran had shed most of his armor. Gage continued to wear his robe, but it was evident that he wore very little beneath it. Oddly enough, Velar had not changed his attire. But given his secret form, Dylan did not find that surprising. The women, Crystal and Cindy wore very loose fitting gowns made of a light fabric. All rules of modesty were met, and strangely, Dylan felt just a little bit disappointed. He knew that he should be ashamed of that feeling, but he could not help it.

“This is the region that the Chira inhabit,” Crystal told them as they stopped for lunch. She pointed out a cairn, a small stacking of stones. “That’s a marker. It means that the locals hold an allegiance with one of the more powerful devils, or so they claim, but I can’t read which one.”

“Are we likely to run into any of them?” Rathe asked. His voice betrayed no fear, but his eyes shifted to and fro nervously.

“Devils? No. They don’t normally appear unless summoned. This road leads to a village. It’s about another day away, and there’ll be plenty of the Chira there. They're friendly enough," she explained, "as long as you don’t plan to stay. I mean they like the money that passing pilgrims spend, but they don’t like strangers settling in their lands."

“When we get there, I think we can try to make out like we’re going to rest from a long trek before continuing,” Coran suggested. “That should let us stay for several days without any problems. Then we’ll have a little time to investigate and see if we can find out what’s going on down here.”

Gage slapped harshly at an insect on his arm. “That is the third time I have been bitten in as many minutes. What are these things?”

Crystal waved a hand at a couple of the bugs driving them away. “They’re just called yellow flies,” she told them. "They’re like mosquitoes, only bigger and more of a nuisance. They don’t like sunlight, so you can try riding out of the shade”

“Roast or be eaten,” Gage muttered. “Some choice.”

“You could use magic to drive them off couldn’t you?” Coran asked. He had been riding in the sun with most of the others, so he had not noticed the flies.

Gage nodded. “I hate to waste power on something so trivial, though,” he said irritably. “But if these things get any worse, I just may do it.”

It was later the next day when they finally reached the village of Sloam. It was a frontier town with a few inns and shops. The people watched them curiously, but made little effort to greet them or show disapproval at their presence.

Crystal and Gage obtained lodging and Dylan carried his master’s belongings up to their room while Rathe and Coran saw to the animals and wagon. Crystal and Cindy had Velar carry their things up and finally rejoined the rest of them in the main hall. There was a fire in the fireplace heating a kettle, and Dylan noted that none of the patrons were seated anywhere near the fire. It was just too hot inside the tavern to seek out extra heat.

“I told the innkeeper that we had been on the road for several weeks and needed to rest for a few days,” Gage informed them. “He seemed to be interested in which way we were going. When I mentioned west, he seemed to be a bit nervous. He tried to convince me that the flooding would make that way difficult, and he tried to suggest that we go south to the great south caravan route.”

“I didn’t even know there was a caravan route in the south,” Coran stated with some surprise.

“There is,” Rathe told him. “It’s fairly busy, but mostly with timber and goods of lesser value. There aren’t any large cities in the deep south other than Vermouth.”
“Isn’t Pak-D’Char near the caravan route?” Crystal asked.

“It’s not far. The route actually follows the southern coastal area for a bit then turns in towards the mountains. Pak-D’Char is on a chaparral near that spot.”

“I thought Pak-D’Char was nothing but a big ruin,” Coran interjected.

“It is,” Rathe told him. “Occasionally somebody goes there to try to find some treasure, but the place’s haunted, and few ever return. Nobody return unscathed.” The giant stretched his legs out and leaned back. The tiny chair was barely more than a low stool to him, and threatened to collapse under him.

“I shared a drink with a man who claimed to’ve been to those ruins once,” he continued. “I tried to get him to talk about it, but all he’d do was look at the stump of his left arm where he’d lost a hand and then he would order another drink. Whatever happened to him there, it must’ve been pretty bad.”

“That region really isn’t very far from here,” Crystal added. “I think it’s only about a week or so away. Beyond that, the hills flatten out and the Grog starts. That’s where you find the Keld.”

“There is still a good bit of light left,” Gage noted as he glanced briefly at the bright sun. “Let us get a feel for the town. I do not think that there will be a guild office here, but there might be some other merchants that will deal in magical paraphernalia.”

“Okay,” Coran agreed. “I’ll try a few places too. Crystal can come with me, I think I saw an apothecary as we entered the town.”

“I’ll see if there’s any gossip to be found at the bar,” Rathe added.

“What can we do?” Dylan asked.

“Study?” Gage suggested with a stern look.

“Please make no misunderstanding,” Velar interrupted, “but the youths may be able to glean knowledge from their own kind that would otherwise be veiled from adult inqueries. Mayhap they should seek out other youths. I pledge to see to their safety.”

“That’s a good idea,” Crystal agreed. "Dylan and Cindy might be able to get some information from other kids." Dylan balked involuntarily at being referred to as a kid, but he could not object to the chance to get out and see the town.

They left after a few moments of discussion. Velar followed them out and then stood near a corner of the inn. “I saw children of your ilk and age thither,” he told them as he gestured down a side street. “If you meander as you please down that way, I shall follow discretely and see that you are unmolested. Should you find other youths, feel free to engage them at your leisure and without fear of danger.”

Dylan nodded and beckoned for Cindy to follow. “He sure talks funny,” she said as they passed out of what she thought was earshot. Dylan was not fooled. He knew what Velar was and would not have been surprised if he could hear their words.”

“He’s an unusual person,” Dylan answered after a brief pause. “There’s more to him than anyone would expect. But Coran trusts him and he was sent on this journey by Gage’s father and uncles. That makes him above reproach, I guess.”

“He’s still strange,” Cindy insisted.

“Yep,” Dylan agreed.

They rounded a gentle bend in the street and found themselves on the edge of the town. A large grassy field lay there. Several clusters of people were about. A father and his child were playing tug of war with a brown dog to one side, and a young pair of adults were courting near a shallow pond. Over near a large low hanging willow tree was a trio of younger people about their own age.

Cindy took the initiative and started over in that direction. Dylan followed quickly, and they approached unobserved for the most part. They got close enough for him to hear that there was a bit of an argument going on, before the three spotted them and went silent.

“Hi,” Cindy greeted them. She had such a bubbly lilt to her voice that Dylan almost did a double take, as if he was not sure if this was the same person he had known for the last few years.

“Hello,” a boy, a bit larger that Dylan and obviously feeling a bit belligerent, responded. The other two were both girls. One was standing on the opposite side of the boy and consoling the other girl, who was working hard to keep from crying about something.

“We just got into town,” Cindy explained, ignoring the emotional distress of the other girl.

“We thought you might have some ideas about what kind of entertainment there might be around here.”

“Are you newcomers?” the one girl, wearing a kerchief in her hair, asked as she rested a comforting hand on the crying girl’s shoulder.

“No,” Dylan answered quickly. “We’re just passing through. My master is on a sabbatical and we have been traveling for two weeks. We just wanted to stop and sleep in a proper bed and get some supplies.”

“What does your master do?” the boy asked suspiciously.

“He is a mage,” Cindy told them. “We’re just his vassals.”

“Are you mages too?” The girl who had been weeping asked in a small voice.

“No,” Dylan answered. “Maybe one day, but we are just servants right now.” He did not know why Cindy had wanted to hide his apprenticeship, but he decided to go along with it.

Cindy pretended to just notice the girl’s emotional state. “I’m sorry,” she said as she pushed by the boy. “Is something wrong? What are you upset about?”

The girls both glanced briefly at their male companion then the girl in the kerchief answered for both. “It’s nothing really,” she lied none too well. “A lover’s spat. That’s all”
The boy sighed and threw his hands up in despair. “Fine, tell everyone.” Then he stormed off towards the town.

“He seemed upset,” Dylan observed, detached.

“You too?” Cindy chastised him. “You unfeeling lump of coal, can’t you see she’s upset? Why don’t you go and sit over by the pond. If you don’t want to help, then get out of the way. Sometimes talking makes me feel better when I’m upset, so I’m going to listen to her. You go away.”

There was ice in Cindy’s voice, and it confused Dylan completely. He just wandered off dazed to sit alone at the edge of the pond. There, at a good distance, he watched as Cindy and the two girls huddled together, talking.

He sat there in befuddlement for almost an hour. The light was fading quickly and Dylan was tempted to go and interrupt Cindy so that they could return to the inn, but just as he was about to get up, the girls broke out in laughter and Cindy waved goodbye to them as she came towards him.

“Oh, you’re not going to believe this,” she said to him quietly as he met her. She took him by the hand and steered him towards the town

“What?” he asked curiously.

“I’ll tell you later. Right now you need to act as if you’re my lover. I had to tell them that.”

Dylan balked reflexively. “You told them what?””

Cindy gripped his arm tightly and pulled him close. Then she planted a long and lingering kiss on his lips. Dylan could not quite remember all that happened during those few seconds. His mind seemed to have shut down and it was not until they had separated that he realized that he had put his arms around her and had been holding her close with no lack of enthusiasm.

When they were parted, he simply stood looking at his pretend lover, feeling his body, heart and blood responding to the hormonal call of nature. The pounding in his chest seemed to drown out everything else.

“Are you listening?”

“Huh?” Dylan snapped back to consciousness.

“I said, ‘that was some pretty serious acting’,” she grinned at him mischievously.

“On whose part?” Dylan countered. He could not remember much of it, but it seemed to him that she seemed to be enjoying the game as much as he had.

Cindy smiled even more and took his hand, half dragging him back towards the town.
“So what did they tell you?” he asked finally. “And why’d you want them to believe that we were lovers?”

“I told them that so that they would think I understood how hard headed and cold hearted men could be,” she explained. “I needed to gain their confidence.”

“So what did you learn?”

“The girl who was crying is named Sarah. She’s in love with Thomas, the boy. And he claims to love her too, but he’s been selected to participate in some religious ritual that would make it impossible for them to marry.”

“What kind of religious ritual would do that?” Dylan wondered aloud.

“Cathy, the other girl, wouldn’t come right out and say it, but Sarah slipped up and mentioned that she didn’t want to be the wife of a devil, so I think that they were talking about a possession. Remember what Crystal said about the Chira and their worship of devils? Thomas had that tattoo on his wrist. I saw it when he waved his hands and left.

“Wow,” Dylan gasped. “He’s going to allow himself to be possessed on purpose?”

“That’s what it looks like,” Cindy answered. “Cathy said that his family was going to be honored for many years and they would get lots of money someday for his cooperation.”

“So she was trying to get him not to go through with it?” Dylan guessed.

“Yes. She wants to marry him and he wants to marry her too, but he thinks that it’s his duty to go through with this thing.”

"That’s too bad,” he shook his head. “She was a very cute girl.”

“Oh?”

Dylan had known Cindy long enough to hear the warning tone, and decided to shut up before he got himself into too much trouble.

Instead, they made their way back to the inn. Velar joined them when they turned up the street. They both came up short, having forgotten all about his presence. Dylan wondered if he saw the kiss.

Velar simply greeted them and urged their return to the inn, citing the approaching night as the reason for haste.

At the inn, they met in Gage’s room with the others. Cindy told them what she had learned, and it turned out to be the only information that any one of them had gotten. Velar had been right and the adults were much more skilled at keeping secrets than a heartbroken teenage girl.

“I do not suppose they told you when and where this was supposed to take place?” Gage asked. “I think I would like to see this ritual, if for no other reason than to see if this has anything to do with what we are investigating.”

“Cathy mentioned something about tonight,” Cindy answered. “But no one said where.”

“I think I might have to go out tonight,” Gage decided.

“I’ll join you,” Crystal added. “If this kind of thing is as bad as it sounds, my father’ll want to know about it.”

“I suppose I’d better go along too, then,” Coran sighed. “You’ll need a good sword arm if these folks discover an unwanted audience.”

“We still don’t know where, though,” Crystal pointed out.

Velar stood. “If it is of such significance, that you feel you must indulge your voyeuristic instincts, I shall divine the location you seek later. It will be no mean feat, but I shall require solitude.” He bowed slightly to the ladies. “To that effect, I shall repair to the countryside.”

“What can we do?” Dylan asked.

“Study?” Gage suggested. He saw the downcast look on his pupil’s face. “Do not feel left out,” he told the boy. “You and Cindy have provided vital information. There will be time aplenty for adventures when you reach journeyman rank.” Then as an afterthought he inquired, “What happens when a time suspension spell is cast within an area where time has been stopped by the same spell?”

Dylan was ready for the question, though. He had already read that one. “The time suspension within a pocket defined by the second spell is extended because the compounded affect is that the second spell freezes the function of the first spell. When the second spell reaches the fulfillment of its duration, then it closes and the first spell’s function resumes.”

Gage nodded quietly. “Very good. Continue with those studies. I think you will find that some spell combinations have very unusual effects.

Dylan felt dejected. Only the fact that Cindy would share in his being left behind made it at all bearable. He knew, even as he retired and was being sent to his room to study that Cindy was also feeling as he was.

In spite of the apparent need for caution, Dylan really wanted to go with his master. Coran was going to help protect them and Rathe was probably going to go as well. Velar, who could probably take on the whole Chira village if he needed to, was going to locate the site of the terrible ritual. It did not take much imagination to figure out how the disguised dragon was going to do that. That probably explained why he had wanted to do it in private.

“I wish they would get it through their heads that we aren’t children anymore,” Cindy muttered as she joined him in the main room of the apartment that Gage and Dylan shared. Dylan had been lighting a lamp and was about to settle down to read from one of the texts that Gage had laid out for him.

“No kidding,” Dylan agreed. “I’m tempted to march down there and follow them. Who would stop me?”

“Rathe,” Cindy told him. “That oversized bonehead is sitting down there drinking and has orders to keep us out of mischief.”

“Humph!” Dylan grunted. “If we could distract him for just a little bit, we could slip right past him.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Cindy grinned. “Do you have any money?”

“What?”

“I said, ‘do you have any money?’”

“I know what you said, but what do you want it for?”

“You really are turning into a mage,” Cindy told him. “Crystal says that all mages are frugal.”

Dylan looked hurt. “I’m not frugal, just curious.” He reached into his travel bag and took a small pouch out. He loosened the drawstrings and tumbled a few gold coins into his palm. “Is this enough?”

“It’ll be just right,” Cindy told him. “Now watch and learn.” She opened the door and stood there for a moment watching inn workers pass back and forth for a little bit. Then she summoned a young lady over to the door. From the looks of her burdens, she appeared to be a laundress. Cindy talked to her on brief low sentences that Dylan could not quite make out. Then he saw the gold exchange hands, and the laundress smiled. Cindy nodded at something the young woman said and then shut the door as the laundress left.

“Okay,” Dylan demanded, “give. What was that all about?”

“It was all about a distraction, my dear young mage’s apprentice. Gage has been teaching you so much about magic that he has neglected to teach you about life and people.”

“So what did you pay her to do?”

“I told her that Rathe was a traveling companion of ours and that he recently lost his wife to a fever. I asked her to flirt with him outrageously, to cheer him up, but I warned her not to mention his late wife.”

“Cindy!” Dylan was shocked at the subterfuge of his best friend.

“Trust me,” she laughed. “Our Minotaan companion is going to be very involved tonight.”

“You mean they are going to ...I mean she’s a ... Oh dear!”

Cindy touched Dylan’s cheek fondly. “Someday, you and I are going to have to have a little talk about your naivety.”

Dylan blushed furiously. “Well, I suppose I could put these studies aside for a few moments if you want to talk.”

“Oh no,” Cindy answered. “We’re going out tonight. Let’s give our little secret agent a little time to get Rathe’s attention completely, then we’ll sneak out.”

“How would we find the place,” Dylan objected. He was no longer sure it was a good idea. “We can’t well ask Velar.”

“Simplicity in itself,” Cindy answered. “We know what Cathy and Sarah and Thomas look like. Cathy said that they all had to be there.”

“So we just find Cathy and her friends and follow them?”

“Yep,” Cindy was way too smug about her plan. Dylan sensed that there was probably a flaw in it, but he could not put a finger on it. He just hoped that it would not prove fatal. He also hoped his master did not find out about their planned adventure.

Cindy left the room for a few minutes as Dylan put his spell book and a few odds and ends into his shoulder bag. He only knew a couple of spells, and he was not really supposed to use them unless his life was in danger. He just hoped they would not be needed. He was about to leave when a thought occurred to him. He went back to his luggage and rummaged through it. It did not take him long to find what he was looking for.
The scroll tube was very light and made of wood. He worked the top off and when he did so, a brilliant beam of light blasted forth lighting up the room and blinding him in the process.

Blinking mechanically, Dylan replaced the cap on the tube. Coran had called it a flash light, but had conceded that it was only a name given to the item by his master’s father and teachers. It was the only magical item that he owned, but since they were going to be in the dark, he decided that it just might come in handy.

Cindy returned after a moment and motioned Dylan to join her. Together they crept to the banister and looked down into the commons area of the tavern. Rathe was there with a bucket of ale on his table. On his knee was the young woman that Cindy had hired. The Minotaan giant was so much larger than the young woman that she appeared barely more than a child in his lap. It was almost comical, but Dylan could not help but feel a pang of guilt at the deception.

Cindy and Dylan made it outside unobserved with great ease. Cindy was actually giggling when they rounded a corner towards the place where they had met the youths earlier in the day. Cindy reasoned that the kids would not have gone far from home just to be together, so they had to live pretty close to that spot. Her logic was inescapable, and Dylan and Cindy had not been sitting near the tree that they had met the other three for very long when they spotted the two girls following a couple of other villagers down a well trodden side trail. None of them were taking pains to keep from being followed.

Cindy and Dylan waited for a few moments, to make sure no one else was close by, and then they too took to the trail. Only the dim light of the smaller moon cast its faint glow allowing them to keep their quarry in site.

The trail twisted and turned madly, but it had been traveled so often that even in almost total darkness, Dylan and Cindy could tell where it was. The ground beneath their feet was devoid of vegetation, and in some places gravel had been placed to cover ruts and holes. Cindy wore calf high boots with soft soles and could tell the trail by the feel of the ground beneath her.

Dylan wore hard soled shoes, and woolen breeches, but the shirt was light material and none too warm. They days had been hot and sticky, and he had selected the lighter fabric and color accordingly. Now the moonlight made his shirt stick out a little more than he liked.

Apparently it made little difference, though as no one seemed to notice either of the extra attendees as they passed through the woods. Perhaps the distant observer mistook them for other villagers and ignored them or perhaps everyone was so intent on what was to come that they simply were not watching.

Dylan and Cindy pulled up short as they rounded a curve in the trail. Some distance ahead of them was a bonfire. They both agreed without a word that they did not want to draw close to the fire while still in the open of the trail.

Instead, Dylan pulled Cindy off to one side of the trail. There in the thick underbrush they were much better concealed and it was a simple thing to close in on the bonfire from the bushes. Noise was not an issue as there was a soft beating of a muffled drum and a chanting sound coming from the clearing ahead of them.

The two young spies crawled closer until they had an almost unobstructed view of the proceedings going on in the clearing.

To one side of the fire, an older woman was seated with Thomas. While he was drinking from a cup, she was painting symbols on his skin and another woman was rubbing some form of oil on his head and hands. Dylan could not make all the symbols out completely, but he did recognize one. It was a cursing symbol used to weaken the mind and spirit of the wearer. He knew of it, because he knew that anyone who tried to open his master’s spell book without the proper charm of permission would receive such a mark as punishment. His master had explained it to him one afternoon when they were talking about spell books.

Thomas seemed to be swaying slightly to the rhythm of the beating of the drums. His eyelids seemed half closed, almost as if he were drugged or in a trance.

Dylan saw the two girls, Sarah and Cathy on the opposite side of the fire. Neither girls appeared too happy to be present, but instead were probably too afraid to protest or leave.

Cindy nudged Dylan and pointed to the far side of the clearing. In the firelight, a gathering of adults had stripped nude and were covering themselves in greenish brown clay. They smeared the muck all over themselves and drew more symbols in the grime on their flesh.
Finally, the old woman stood in the middle of the clearing. She reached into a pouch and withdrew a handful of powder. This she tossed into the fire and yelled a strange word. Dylan did not recognize the language, but for some reason the word made his ears burn and his skin crawl.

When the powder hit the fire, it blazed higher and took on a deep turquoise hue. Immediately, the drummers picked up their tempo and the mud-covered people began to dance a wildly gyrating and obscene dance.

The woman watched satisfied for many long moments, then she drew an ugly knife from her belt and drew the blade across her forearm. Even in the light of the fire and from a distance, Dylan could tell that those arms were covered in scars from similar uncounted actions.

She began to mutter and speak in a chanting gait. As her voice rose and fell in time with the drums, the dancers also pranced around in a circle making lewd gestures and joining in the overall mood of savagery and mindless obedience to some sick tradition.

The dancing continued and the woman’s chanting switched from what might have been some strange form of prayer in an unknown language to a series of words and phrases that Dylan knew all too well.

The woman was using power words. She was speaking bits and pieces of a preamble, but she was casting without direction, or conclusion. His studies told him that she was asking for big trouble. As long as she provided the spell with a closure, she would not get harmed by the backlash, but without the direction and conclusion, she would not be able to control what magic she had summoned. That in itself was enough to make Dylan consider leaving right then and there.

As the old woman continued her incantation, the color of the flame deepened to a violet shade. The dancers whirled and leapt madly across the fire pit. The drums increased in fervor and the other onlookers all moaned and swayed hypnotically.

Then Thomas stood and walked over to the old woman. She turned him to face the flames and then gently pushed him down to be seated before the fire.

“Lord below,” she bellowed triumphantly. “Thy servants call to thee. Lend us thy protection. Use this thy tool, and let thy dominion on this world begin.”

She followed her speech with a rapid succession of those terrible words that hurt Dylan’s ears.

There was a burst of flame as the fire blossomed in a bright scarlet color. Foul smelling smoke billowed forth and from its midst stepped a creature that Dylan had only seen in sketches, sketches that had raised horrible nightmares. It was a being from the nether world. It was a devil.

Chapter 16

2009-09-30T18:19:00.001-07:00

VERMOUTH

Vermouth was a different kind of city. They smelled it long before it came into view one afternoon. It was not a stench of sewage, but the smell of decaying vegetation and salt water marshes. Keron, the only other coastal city that Dylan had seen was a rocky place with a very small harbor nestled in the sound of the Caleko River.

They sailed up a channel where the Khotain River emptied into a large sound. The city was actually a bit up river, away from the marshes. Vermouth was something of a frontier city. There was no wall or barrier, but a simple guard posted on the docks who asked a few simple questions about where visitors had come from. There was the inevitable coinage that was passed from the captain to the guard, and then they were allowed to pass.

Coran squared their account with the captain and crew of the Caroli III and they retrieved their luggage at the gangway when the crew brought their bags down. Crystal announced that the first order of business was to acquire temporary lodging so that they could get a good night’s sleep in a stable bed and a hot meal that was a little less salted.

Gage admitted that he too felt like a good solid mattress would do his back some good, and endorsed Crystal’s recommendation. He and Coran managed to get some directions from a dock merchant and they made their way through the town towards the inland perimeter. There, they had been told, they would find the better lodgings.

Dylan noted from what he could see as they walked through the city streets that Vermouth was heavily into the furs trapping and lumber businesses. In addition to the stores and shops that were common to almost any city, there were a great number of smithies that specialized in traps, saws and axes.

The local people seemed to be unusually friendly and waved to them as they passed as if they were old comrades or family. When they arrived at the inn they had been referred to, the Black Bear, a smartly dressed gentleman was standing outside and greeted them handsomely.

He welcomed them and offered to take their luggage. Rathe and Coran were a bit reluctant to give up their belongings, but Gage assured them that it was normal practice in a higher class establishment. “You two are too cheap to stay at a nice place, so you have never seen this before.”

Crystal came to Coran and Rathe’s defense playfully poking at the young mage. “Well they don’t have the guild footing their bills,” she pointed out. “If you had to pay out of your own pocket, I wonder how many establishments like this you’d be sleeping in?”
Gage returned a hurt expression, but let the matter drop. He did, however surrender his own bags for the most part. He kept his shoulder bag, the one that held his spell book and components. That, he would surrender to no one.

After booking their lodging, Gage and Coran joined the others in the tavern. Although it was still daylight outside, they decided to have an early supper. Then, there was some minor shopping for supplies that needed to be done.

“So where do we go from here?” Rathe asked.

“I am not too sure,” Gage answered. “Up until now we have just concentrated on getting here. All the evidence pointed to the undead problem originating in this area.”

“I guess we’ll just have to do a bit of investigating,” Coran added. “The earliest reports came from this area. I think I’ll drop in at the city militia district and see what kind of scuttlebutt I can find.”

“I will go back by the guild tomorrow and try to see what I can find out,” Gage added.

“What are your plans, Crystal?”

“I’ll visit the temple,” she told them. “My father asked me to convey his greetings and blessings. Maybe they can help out. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“I’ll guard the tavern,” Rathe sighed. “I wouldn’t want it to get away from us.”

Coran laughed. “Who could argue with that kind of self sacrifice?”

“And what about you, Velar?” Gage asked.

“I shall appraise this fine city,” Velar answered. “It may be that I, left to my own devices, can gleam some obscure tidbit of vital information that, when added to the fruits of everyone else’s labors, will help to give us a better reckoning of what we need to do.”

They all just stared at Velar for a long moment. Then Rathe started chuckling. “Man, I just love the way he talks.”

“The dialect sounds familiar,” Gage muttered, “but I can not quite place it.”

Coran interrupted quickly. “Stop worrying about simple matters and let’s try to take care of the business we came down here to attend to.” His voice was quite firm. “We don’t make fun of the way you talk, brother mine.”

Gage frowned. “No offense was intended. And what is wrong with the way I talk?”

“Nothing,” Coran pointed out. “You’re just like all elves. You never use contractions. It isn’t wrong, it’s just different. But we don’t make an issue of it.”

“Please,” Velar interrupted the brewing argument. “Take not foul words against each other. No offense was intended, and none is taken. Let the matter drop, and let us not revisit it.”

“Good enough for me,” Coran lifted his cup and downed a swill of cool ale. “What’re we going to do with the kids,” he asked. He winked at Dylan and flashed a heart stopping smile at Cindy.

“They can stay here with Rathe,” Gage suggested. “It will give Dylan a chance to catch up on his studies. I have an exercise for him that will take a day or two, I suspect. He can work on that.”

“I need to take Cindy with me,” Crystal announced. “We need to stop and visit a few suppliers and customers.”

“It would appear that everyone has a plan for tomorrow then,” Rathe concluded. “So what about tonight?”

“Eat and relax,” Crystal decided. “My stomach hasn’t been very happy since we put to sea. It’ll be nice to have a good meal without having to worry if it’ll stay down.”

“Hear, hear,” Coran added. He raised his hand and waved for the attention of the server. A young man came over and they asked for a portion of the evening meal. They were promptly brought a large pot with a large roasted bird steeping in a thick, hot gravy. The smell set all their mouths to watering. All, that is, except for Rathe, who like most of his race was a vegetarian. But for him there was a dish of raisins and nuts that he found to be quite tasty.

After they finished the meal. Crystal and Cindy retired. The two young women had been without a bath for days and had expressed a desire to submerge themselves in hot water for a few hours.

Gage too announced that he was going up to his room. He mentioned that he wanted to do some reading on the area that they were in and some research on the creation and programming of undead creatures. Dylan was about to follow his master when Coran urged the boy to remain with them.

“You need some privacy,” he told his brother, “and the boy needs to let himself enjoy the night for a change.

Gage frowned briefly, but relented. “Stay and listen to the music if you want,” he told his apprentice. “But remember I have a lesson for you tomorrow. Do not stay up too late.”

Dylan eagerly pulled up a stool and sat next to Rathe. Across from him was Velar and Coran. In the center of the room a minstrel was softly playing a common tune that barely rose above the sound of clattering cups and plates as the evening mealtime drew in more and more patrons.

“I think I pulled a muscle in that fight with those pirates,” Rathe groaned and put a hand to his neck.”

Coran raised a hand and got a server’s attention. “Some medicinal brew for my large friend,” he ordered.

“’Medicinal brew’?” Dylan asked.

“Ale,” Rathe answered. “We don’t drink just to drink. There must always be a reason.”
“We drank to wash down the meal,” Coran instructed. “But now that the meal is over, Rathe will drink to dull the pain of his sore muscle.”

Dylan nodded. “And will you have sore muscles too?”

“Now that you mention it,” Coran rubbed his shoulder. “I do feel a little stiff.”

“Let me get you a cup,” Dylan offered, feeling helpful. “Master Gage gives me a small allowance, but I rarely have need to use it since he pays for all my expenses anyway.”

“Why that’s right nice of you,” Coran praised. “I’d be honored if you would buy me a drink. I must admit, that in a round about way, it’s really Gage who’s buying, and that thought appeals to me quite a bit.”

Dylan grinned and got up to fetch the drink. “Would you like one too?” he asked Velar.
“For certain,” Velar decided after a short pause. “I shall also sample the flavor of the hopps.”

“What a thoughtful boy,” Rathe commented when Dylan had left.

“As I understand it,” Coran added, “he was raised in the Teverak region, on one of those large plantations. They use a small scale communistic social structure. Everyone contributes and everyone shares to make the plantation successful. On a small scale, it seems to work out quite well. I suppose in that kind of environment, good manners and kindness is quite common.”

“The boy will make a good comrade,” Velar agreed.

“If he survives the upcoming trial, that is,” Coran added.

“Trial?” Rathe asked.

“Cindy,” Coran explained. “That little minx has plans for Dylan, if you haven’t noticed. That poor boy hasn’t got a clue as to what’s coming.”

“I haven’t noticed,” Rathe admitted. “But then again, I haven’t been watching.”

“The sweetness of the maiden is quite plain in her eyes,” Velar declared. “She seeks valiantly for any cause to touch his hand or stand at his side.”

“She’s a devious little devil,” Coran praised approvingly. “It makes me wish I was a few years younger.”

“More than just a few, I’d say,” Rathe jibed. “You’re almost old enough to be her father.”

Coran waved a hand dismissing the point and grinned as Dylan approached with four cups. He passed one each to Coran and Velar. “Here is the cup that you had ordered for Rathe too,” he said as he passed Rathe the third cup.

“Hmmm,” Coran mused idly. “I can count pretty good,” he bragged jovially, “and it seems that we have more than three cups here.”

“Well,” Dylan tried to explain as he set the last cup in front of his seat. “I thought about what you had all said. I didn’t want to seem prudish, and I didn’t want for anyone to see the three of you drinking and assume that you were poor hosts, so I thought that I had better get a drink to protect your image.”

“An excellent excuse,” Rathe approved. “The boy has potential.”

“I just hope that Gage doesn’t turn him into a boring drag of a wizard,” Coran warned.

“Or a sorcerer or elementalist,” Rathe added.

“Pray, what form of magic will you endeavor to master,” Velar asked Dylan. The man who was secretly a dragon swirled his drink, but as yet, Dylan had never seen him take a drink.
“I really haven’t decided what stagic to mudy.” He burped and looked embarrassed. “I mean what magic to study,” Dylan answered. He frowned and looked at his empty cup.

“Those cups empty awfully quickly, don’t they,” Rathe observed. He poured half the contents of his own cup into Dylan’s. Then he signaled a server for another round.
“I’m not really sure that you’re cut out for sorcery,” Coran advised. “Maybe you’d better stick to wizardry.”

“Whaddaya mean? Why don’t you think I could be a sorcerer?” Dylan could not help be a little insulted.

“You just don’t have the personality,” Coran told him. “Don’t let it get you down. Even my father couldn’t be a good sorcerer.”

“The Forester couldn’t be a sorcerer?” Dylan asked.

“Well, he could try to be one, but he wouldn’t be a good one. Neither would Ultrecht.”

“So what would I need to be a sorcerer?” Dylan asked.

“You can be a sorcerer as easily as anyone, but to be a good sorcerer, you need something else. It’s something that Uncle Ultrecht and my father say about sorcerers. They tease Uncle Armegon about it quite a bit.”

“Oh, you mean that bit about the bad temper and short fuse?” Dylan asked again.

“Oh, you’ve heard it?” Rathe laughed.

“I think so,” Dylan answered. He remembered hearing it, but he could not recall where it had been.

“Whoa!” Rathe called as he caught the youth listing strongly to one side. “I think you’ve had quite enough for tonight,” the Minotaan decided. “Maybe you should get a little water to drink next.”

Dylan yawned. For some reason he felt extremely tired. “No,” he decided, “I think I’ll go to bed.”

“I’d advise against that,” Coran cautioned.

“But I’m so tired,” Dylan insisted.

“Okay then,” his master’s brother relented. “But remember that you were warned.”

Dylan remembered. He didn’t remember much else the next morning, but he definitely remembered being advised to stay up and drink water before going to bed.

Gage, took in his student’s state the next morning with one whiff of the young man’s breath. “It would seem that you will be learning more than one lesson this morning,” he noted. “Still, I can not help to think that Coran and Rathe might have taken a few measures to discourage this. I think I might have to speak to them about it.” He sighed with a slight frown. “And I am a little disappointed that you seem to have forgotten what happened the last time you stayed up drinking with Coran.”

Dylan did not really hear the comment. He was too busy trying to die. His head must have been at least the size of a pumpkin, and he felt as if someone were cutting it open to clean out its innards. How was he supposed to study in such a condition?

Gage brought a pitcher of water and a glass from downstairs. Dylan had not even noticed that he had left the room. “Drink this,” the mage ordered as he poured a glass.

Dylan took the glass and sipped it. At least it was cool, and after a few moments he finally managed to get the contents into his throat. His stomach rebelled and threatened to return the favor at any moment.

“All of it,” Gage ordered, pointing at the pitcher. “It will help. Trust me.”

“Only if I stick my head inside and drown,” Dylan answered.

For a brief moment, Gage almost laughed, but he quickly regained his composure. “Drink all the water, then start your lessons. I have outlined what I want you to do in this letter,” Gage indicated a piece of paper on the table. “See to it that you are done when I return.”

Dylan did as he was told. The lesson was tedious and he struggled to maintain his concentration. He worked all morning, and finally finished the assignment. It occurred to him that he was very hungry, for he had skipped breakfast. He put his things away and left the room intent on going down the tavern to get something to eat. He stopped, however when he was passing the room that Cindy and Crystal shared. He could hear the two women talking within and he politely knocked on the door.

When Cindy answered the knock, Dylan stepped in and invited them to join him for lunch. Crystal looked thoughtfully at a collection of small bags and containers. Satisfied that the work could wait until after lunch, she agreed and joined Dylan and Cindy as they went down to the common room of the tavern.

The three of them ate in the quiet tavern. The main lunch hour was only just beginning and at the moment there were not very many patrons. A table of three men sat a little way across the room, and a lone individual sat next to the fireplace. The day was a bit cool and a small fire had been burning all morning. It was a sure sign that winter was not far away.

Crystal and Cindy talked absently about their morning’s work. They had visited several apothecaries and procured a few regional items that would be a more difficult to get in the northern cities. “If you were to buy enough of this stuff here at local prices, you could sell it for enough in Keron or Seron to make a meager living,” she said.

Dylan sighed as he finished his food. It was not that he found Cindy’s new profession boring or anything, but he was still felt a bit tender from his previous night’s activities. He left a coin by his dish and announced that he needed some air, and left the ladies to talk among themselves.

Outside the day was humid and overcast. There was a sense of oncoming chill in the breeze, even though it was not cold. Dylan turned from the door and wandered slowly down the street. He occasionally peered though a window or appraised a street vendor’s wares. No one paid him any more mind other than to decide if he was interested in making a purchase.

“Would you like to buy a charm?” a ragged old woman asked him as he almost walked over her. She had been sitting on the ground and his attention had been elsewhere. She held out a small bowl that contained a few coppers. She was obviously a beggar.

Dylan dug into his shoulder bag for a coin to give her, and pulled a silver piece out. He did not want to seem stingy, so instead of putting the silver piece back and trying to find copper, he instead put the silver piece in the old woman’s bowl. After all, it was only a piece of silver and was hardly a fraction of what Gage gave him for an allowance each week.

Dylan was about to move on when the old woman grabbed him by the wrist and thanked him with as much honesty as she could muster. “Here,” she told him as she pressed a small item into his hand. “It will keep the devils away.”

He nodded his thanks and absently put the item in his shoulder bag next to his spell book and purse. He did not really want it, but it was easier to get away by simply taking the object and leaving that to argue about it.

Dylan passed by several shops before stopping at the door of a woodcarver’s business. He turned and walked in more out of curiosity than anything else. Inside the store were an assortment of wooden handles, and tools. Everything from axe handles to wooden forks occupied one wall, and on a set of shelves were displayed delicate carvings and idols. Some were so intricately etched, that the maker must have taken months to complete each one.

“Can I help you?” a merchant inquired as he came through a curtain into the main part of the store.

“Maybe,” Dylan muttered as he closely examined a small figurine of a wolf. “I was thinking of a gift for my little sister. She has a thing for dogs.”

“That little item is quite popular. If you want, I can even carve your sister’s name on it.”

“How much would it cost?” he asked.

“The figure’s ten coppers, and the extra carving would be an additional copper for each letter. What’s your sister’s name?”

“Mari,” Dylan answered.

“That won’t be very expensive,” the merchant assured him. “I’ll tell you what. For one and a half silvers, I’ll give you the figure, carve the name, and wrap it up nice and pretty.”

Dylan thought about it for a few seconds. “How long will it take?” he asked. “I won’t be in town long.”

“I can do it while you wait if you want,” the merchant told him. “My apprentice has been a bit too idle today. I’ll put him to it immediately and he’ll be done in just a few moments.”

“That’s great,” Dylan decided. “I’ll take it.”

The merchant rang a small bell and when an older, stout boy came to the curtain, the merchant took the figurine and handed it to the boy. He instructed his apprentice to carve the name of Dylan’s sister on the underside of the figure, and then urged him to finish quickly.

“Are you from the Teverak area?” the shopkeeper asked after the apprentice went into the back room.

Dylan was a bit startled, but smiled politely. “What makes you think that?”

“Your sister’s name, Mari, is most common in that region. We don’t have a lot of women with that name here in these parts, and I haven’t heard that it’s very popular in the north either.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Dylan admitted. “But you’re right. I was raised at the Sandy Cove plantation.”

“Ah, a plantationer,” he crooned. “That explains the good manners.”

“I suppose. I’m sure that my master had something to do with that too,” Dylan laughed. He browsed causally about the shop and the owner set about dusting and taking care of minor chores.

After about half an hour, the young apprentice returned to the front of the store and presented his work to his master. The man looked at it critically and then nodded in satisfaction. He lay the figure on the counter for Dylan’s inspection. “One and half silvers,” he reminded.

Dylan fumbled in his purse for the coins. He grabbed a handful and drew them out. He counted the money out on the counter top.

“How long have you been here?” the store owner asked him curiously.

“A couple of days,” Dylan answered. “We sailed in from Keron earlier in the week.”
The man reached out and picked up the little charm that the beggar had given him.

“That’s a devil charm,” he showed Dylan. “It’s carried by Chira to protect them from unwanted spirits. I don’t think it really works, but the Chira have some strange ways about them.”

“Who are the Chira?” Dylan asked, interested.

“They’re a people who live a hundred or so leagues inland mostly. They travel a little bit so we see them here and there. They all carry one of these. They’re devil worshippers, you know. They’re normally indifferent to most people, but I wouldn’t advise being around them when they go to do their worshipping. They use witches and summon things up that are best left alone.”

“I didn’t know that,” Dylan stated with a shiver. The very idea that he was carrying something that was connected with those kinds of people bothered him.

Dylan concluded his business and took his purchase with him. He turned and headed back up the street towards the inn. He wondered if he should throw the charm away or if he should keep it as a curiosity or maybe show it to his master.

The tavern was beginning to show some activity for lunchtime, and Dylan realized that he had been out a little longer than he had intended. It was not too late, and because he had had a late breakfast, he was not really hungry, so he went upstairs to the room. It was time to review his lessons.

It was getting close to dark when Cindy came to the room. Dylan had lost track of time with an experiment, and was a little startled when she knocked. But upon seeing who it was, he was suddenly happy for the company and an excuse to stop working.

“You really are turning into a bookworm,” she accused playfully. “You’ve been up here all afternoon. Now you need to come down and be sociable.”

Dylan sighed. He wordlessly put his things away and picked up his shoulder bag and put on his shoes. Then when he was ready, Cindy led him back down the stairs.

“You worked late,” Coran hailed as the two youngest members of their party approached the table. Everyone else was there. Dylan’s master slowly sipped from a cup and nodded at his approach indicating that he should take a seat.

“Did your studies go well?” the master asked his charge.

“Mostly,” the apprentice answered dutifully. “I had a bit of trouble with one part, but I think I’m close to solving it.”

Gage nodded again. “We will go over it together after supper,” he promised. “Do not be afraid to ask for help. You are but an apprentice. No one expects you to know everything.”

“Yet,” added Coran. “But like most master mages, you’ll one day think you do,” he laughed.

Gage shot a cold gaze across the table and after a few moments, he simply said, “Do you mind?”

“What in particular did you have a question about?” the master asked.

“Kirpov’s third law,” Dylan answered. “I understand what it says, and I understand what it means, but there’s something that bothers me about it.”

“Really?” Gage appeared puzzled. “It is not that ambiguous. What is it that bothers you?”

“The law states that undirected energies result in negative random affects on the spell caster and his immediate environment,” Dylan recalled. “And for the most part that’s understandable. If I summon energy with the power words of a spells preamble, but don’t provide direction function conclusion and closure, then the energies will seek the easiest means of dispersal toward a negative energy sink.”

“That is correct,” Gage confirmed.

“And I understand that if the energies are allowed to do that, then there will be random magical affects within the energy range of affect,” Dylan continued. “But what I don’t understand is why do they have to be negative affects? There are no axioms and no math to justify that conclusion that I can see.”

Gage smiled. “You are right,” he agreed. “There is no need to wait until later to solve this problem. The answer is a bit unorthodox, but otherwise simple.” He took a sip from his glass. “There is no calculation or law of magic that requires that it should have a negative affect. That part of the law is purely philosophical.”

“How so?” Dylan asked. As he had been talking with his master, food had arrived and he absently tasted the bowl of stew. It was very spicy and made his tongue tingle, but was otherwise good.

“The law speaks of relative conditions,” Gage answered. “In your present state, you are the best you can be. You have worked all your life to reach this point, and though you will some day be better, at this moment, you are in your best possible state. Anything that changes that state is a negative affect. So, any magical affect is a negative one.”

“What if a random affect gave me the ability to fly?” Dylan challenged, unconvinced.

“Without the lifetime of experience to teach you how to fly safely, the sudden ability to fly could put your life in great danger, no?” The master responded. “Even if you were to be healed of a dreadful disease, it would have denied your body the ability to defend itself against a recurrence. This too would be considered a negative affect.”

Dylan appeared thoughtful. He considered what his master had said and he could at last see the point that was being made. Finally he relented his prejudice and indicated that he understood. That pleased his master and Gage rewarded him with a pat on the shoulder.
“You are doing very well, Dylan,” the mage told him. "You are well ahead of the learning rate for apprentices. I think you will be wearing a black robe before too long.”

“I’ve tried to study hard, master,” Dylan replied in thanks.

“You have done a good job. I think that you are already capable of casting any spell assigned to you with the proper supervision. You understand the mechanics and the equations very well. The next phase of your instruction will be easy, but very tedious and long.”

“What is it, if you don’t mind my asking.” Dylan was blushing at the praise, but was also curious.

“We will discuss that later,” Gage told him. “For now let us finish our supper. Besides, I want to find out what the others learned during their outings today.”

Coran was talking. He had simply stated that his inquiries with the city militia had revealed that they had had numerous encounters with weaker undead, and an occasional encounter with some of the more powerful vampires, specters and liches, but with the help of the Temple and the Mage’s Guild, they had managed to defeat those creatures.

Crystal told them that she had learned from the high priest that a minor devil had been exorcised from a young man three weeks earlier. She mentioned that a tribe of people called the Chira were known for devil worshipping and witchcraft. “They all wear a tattoo or carry some kind of icon with a diagram on it,” she explained. “The priests described it to me, but they don’t have a drawing or anything because it is considered a blasphemous icon.”

Dylan suddenly remembered the thing that he had gotten from the beggar and he reached in his bag to find it. He held it out and dropped it on the table. “Is this it?” he asked.

“Well, now,” Coran began as he scooped the small tile up. “Where did you get this?”

“A beggar,” Dylan answered. “I gave her a couple of coins and she insisted I take this.”

“That looks like a Chira spirit mark,” Crystal announced as she leaned over close to Coran. “At least it matches the description.”

“I saw one of those marks today,” Rathe announced. “I didn’t know what it was, though. A dock hand had it drawn on his back. I really didn’t give it any more than idle curiosity.”

“A merchant told me that the Chira use witches to summon things,” Dylan added.

“That sort of agrees with some of the things that I have heard my father talk about,” Crystal noted. “He suspected that the Chira might be involved in what has been going on.”

“How do we find out for sure?” Gage wondered aloud. “I suppose we have to go to their lands and snoop around.”

“That is a bit inland,” Coran told them. “I had a little chat with some guards. They were complaining about the Chira. Apparently they’re not too well liked. Most of them are beggars and thieves.”

“They really don’t look any different than most people,” Crystal added. “I’ve met one or two. They sometimes have a little bit of a lilt in their speech, but that’s about the only way to tell them apart. The only other thing is that their whole race is in a sort of perpetual conflict with the Keld.”

“That doesn’t sound too healthy,” Coran commented with a chuckle.

“Who are the Keld?” Cindy asked.

“They’re a people who inhabit the great swamplands,” Coran explained. “They’re very clannish and cunning warriors. The only thing that keeps them in check is the inhospitable area where they live is full of creatures that find people quite tasty. It is a very harsh place to dwell, and it makes them very tough. They’ve never really been known to exist in large numbers, though.”

“It’s a good thing too,” Rathe added. “They fight like mad men and are ferocious. An army of Keld could ravage the countryside. The king may rule their lands, but it’s only on paper. If they wanted to rise up in rebellion and leave the kingdom, it would be very costly to put them down. I’ve met one or two along the southern coastal areas. They can fight as well empty handed as with a sword, and they seem to be immune to alcohol. I had one drink me under the table one night.”

“I have heard whispered respect of the Keld,” Velar added. “Though we should not find them dangerous in casual passing, we would be well advised not to offend them lest we find ourselves at odds with a worthy foe.”

“I suggest we first investigate the Chira,” Gage offered. “We know that they deal with devils, and the menions of hell are often behind undead.”

“I thought that the undead were always possessed by devils,” Dylan interrupted. He recalled the death of Kraal and the things he had been told at that time.

“Not always,” Gage told him. “It is often enough true, but sometimes the undead are possessed by demons.”

“Demons? What is the difference?”

“A great deal of difference to them,” Gage answered patiently. He had not intended to instruct his apprentice on this yet, but the opportunity had arisen and there might come a time in the near future that the boy may need the knowledge. “To us they generally seem to be the same. Evil is evil regardless, but there are some subtle differences. For one thing, demons do not come from the realm of the Nine Hells, but from the Abyss. They are not as cunning or organized as the Dukes of Hell and their minions, but they are every bit as evil and in many cases even more so. You can reason with a devil, because a devil has goals and wants. Demons are almost mindless and completely consumed by darkness.”

“The Demon Princes are trouble, too,” Coran added.

“True,” Gage agreed. “While most demons are mindless and attack randomly, the Demon Princes are very smart and can control all the lesser demons. They have but one goal and that is to destroy all living things. The Dukes of Hell don’t really want to destroy all living things, they just want to rule over all living things. They want us as slaves.”

“So how do we tell the difference?” Dylan asked.

“Well, for one thing,” Gage explained, “devils tend to look somewhat like people. They may be a funny color, or they may have the head of an animal, or they may have horns or something odd, but in general, they have arms and legs and a head and a body,” he paused then glanced sidelong at Rathe. “No offense.” Then he continued. “Demons are often shapeless or look like some kind of nightmarish thing. They may have long tentacles instead of arms, or a couple of heads or something really way out. Of course you have to be careful about that. Either one, devil or demon can project an illusion to disguise itself. And if it is inside a possessed person, you really can’t tell at all.”

“Some undead are also more often demons than devils,” Crystal added. “My father has done some research on the subject. Ghasts and ghouls are an example.”

“That is a good point,” Gage agreed.

“So we go inland and sorta take a look at the Chira,” Coran announced. “If we find that they’re the cause of the trouble, then what?”

“Then we have to determine what they are doing, why and how. And we need to determine if they are bringing devils or demons onto our plane. If they are doing that, then things could get very ugly.”

“Does anyone know the layout of this area?” Gage asked.

“A little,” Crystal answered. “Blue pines grow here as do some cypress trees. I occasionally try to find a few cankers that I can harvest. They are worth quite a bit if I can get some good ones.”

“What are cankers?” Cindy asked.

“I’ll show you,” the older woman answered. “We should see some of them.”

Gage and Dylan finished their meal and retired reluctantly. Dylan half hoped to be invited to stay behind again as he had been the night before, but Gage adamantly implied that he was to accompany him to their room. When they settled down in their room, Gage called Dylan over to the table where the youth had been studying all day.

“Now we start the most difficult part of learning spells. It is not complex or challenging, just very tedious and boring. And that is what will be the hardest part for you. You will be tempted to ignore its importance, but you must not.”

“Yes master,” Dylan acquiesced dutifully.

“Okay,” Gage opened a book and started his instruction.

“Spell interactions can be both tricky and dangerous. You can calculate and predict most of the things that will happen when two spells interact, but there are some that you would be well advised to memorize.” Gage turned to a page with some diagrams on it. Dylan recognized the Magic Houses diagram, he had been studying it for many months.

“It is inherently instinctive to even the least experienced apprentice what will happen if two spells from opposite domains interact. They will generally cancel each other out, but not always. For example if you were to cast a Fireball spell while underwater, what do you think would happen?”

“Water and Fire are in different houses of magic and are diametrically opposed, so I would think that the water would cancel the fire out,” Dylan guessed. He suspected it was wrong, but it was the most intuitive answer, and Gage was trying to teach him something so he had to go ahead and get the obvious out of the way.

“A water spell combined with an ice spell cast against a fire spell might do that, but water alone will not. While it is true that water cancels out fire normally, in the case of normal water and magical fire, what you would wind up with would be a very intense cloud of steam. The water would absorb the heat and take on a gaseous form. It would require the additional spell of a cold air based spell to completely cancel the fire out. So if you were to cast a Fireball under water, you would find yourself at the center of a steam pocket, and you, yourself would be the spell’s victim.”

“I think I understand,” Dylan agreed.

“Similarly, a ranged attack spell such as Lightning Bolt, when cast underwater, suddenly acts very similar to a Fireball would act normally. Lightning Bolt is a ranged attack against a single target, but when cast underwater, it travels outward from the caster in a single direction covering an expanding cone shaped area as it goes, but also getting weaker.”

Dylan nodded his understanding. “I think I see what you’re saying,” he told his master. “At least I can see the reason why I might need to know how some spells act under adverse conditions.”

“Good,” Gage approved. I have in this book a great many spells that you are already familiar with, and how those spells may be adversely affected. I want you to read each one, make notes in your own book about spell limitations, and be able to recall those limitations from memory. That is your primary mode of study until I tell you otherwise.”

“Yes sir,” the apprentice obediently answered. He took the book and pushed it aside. Then he took his own book and began his work.

The master observed his student critically for a few moments to ensure that the boy understood the instruction correctly. Then he retrieved a thin research booklet he had picked up at the guild from his bag and sat across the table from Dylan.

Chapter 15 Part 2

2009-09-06T14:32:00.001-07:00

Dylan woke. Outside the cabin there was yelling and people were running. His master had gotten up and was hurriedly putting on his shoes.

“Master, is something wrong?”

Gage paused only long enough to look up briefly. “I hope not,” he answered. “From what I can tell, the storm may have damaged the ship. I am going up to take a look. You stay here and try to get back to sleep.”

The young mage knew that that was a futile order. With all the excitement going on, the boy could not possibly sleep. He would be lucky if his student stayed in the room and kept out of the way.

Gage left the cabin carefully. There was a lot of movement in the hallway and he did not want to get run over by a hurrying sailor. At the end of the hall, he saw the stairs leading up into the dark night. There were flashes of lightning that briefly lit the hatchway from above. Two sailors came hurrying around him headed towards the deck. They carried ropes and a block and tackle. Gage anxiously allowed them to pass then followed quickly on their heels.

When Gage made his way up the steps, he saw half the crew gathered near the rear of the ship. Rathe was there as was Coran and Velar. Mindful of the exaggerated swaying of the ship, he hurried and joined his brother and companions.

“Part of the mizzenmast fell,” Coran told him. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the waves and wind. “The wind sheared the top section off, and it fell on the pilot house. The helmsman was killed and the compass was smashed.”

Gage saw the captain barking orders and the first mate echoed them to the crew. The captain stood near the remains of the helm. Part of the large wheel that controlled the rudder had been broken, but it was still workable, and the second mate was struggling to keep the ship on course.

Parts of the crew were clearing away the debris, and many others were aloft furling the sails to get them out of the wind. “Is it serious?” Gage asked in reply.

“It’s not too good,” Coran answered. “Without the compass, we don’t have any way of knowing which way we’re headed. When the helmsman was killed, the ship changed directions and we don’t know how much. The wind is pushing us along and there’s no telling how far off course we’re going to be when this thing is over.”

“Are we in any danger of sinking?”

“No. The ship isn’t really damaged that badly. It was our steering and navigation that got fouled up.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Coran shrugged. “Not right now. Maybe when the storm abates, you might be able to help them find our way back on course. Until then, though, there really isn’t much you can do.”
Gage watched for a few more moments. There was nothing he could really help with, and otherwise if he remained he would just get in the way for he was unskilled as a seaman. So he reasoned that the best thing he could do to help was to go back to his cabin and stay out of the way.

Predictably, his young charge was nervously awake when he entered the cabin. “A piece of the mast sheared off and fell,” he told Dylan. Gage purposely left out the details. There was no reason to worry the boy, and there was nothing that either of them could do at the moment. “So go on back to sleep,” he urged as he sat and began removing his shoes.

Dylan tried to go back to sleep, but it was difficult. He lay awake thinking about the wind and the storm for at least half an hour before he was able to shut his eyes and drift off.
When he finally woke from his sleep again, the room was otherwise vacant. His master had left, but the candle was still burning. So Dylan climbed out of the hammock and used a sponge to clean himself up. Then he went up to the main deck to see what was happening.

The sun had come up, but the overcast sky kept it hidden. The winds were still blowing, but it was nothing dangerous. The main part of the storm had passed in the night. Now they were simply in a steady drizzle under a thick canopy of clouds.

Cindy was over at the hatch leading down into the galley. She waved at him urging him to join her, and the growling in his stomach suggested that breakfast was very good idea.
Breakfast was a thick stew of vegetables and meat that tasted like mutton. Whatever it was, Dylan decided that it was good and he quickly finished his serving.

“Crystal told me that we’re lost,” Cindy said between spoonfuls. The compass was damaged last night, and the winds drove us off course. With no sun or stars to navigate by, we don’t know where we are or which direction we’re headed.”

“What are they gonna do?” Dylan asked as he poured a refill of water.

“I don’t know,” Cindy answered. “Crystal’s a bit worried though. Getting lost on the sea is a bad thing. Sooner or later we’ll run out of water.”

Dylan looked reflexively at his cup. It had not occurred to him, but Cindy was absolutely right.

Dylan and Cindy finished their morning meal and went back up on deck. The captain of the ship was talking to Coran and Rathe while others listened in. The youngsters approached and heard the master of the vessel’s grim voice.

“The weather might break soon, or it might not. Until it does, though, we’d best not move at all. We don’t know how turned around we got last night. If we’d start sailing, we could be sailing farther out to sea without knowing it.”

“Isn’t there a way to repair the compass, or maybe you have a spare?” Coran asked.

“It can’t be repaired,” the captain told them. “It was damaged beyond repair. And I ain’t got no spare. I had to sell it to pay my crew. Business hasn’t been too good.”

“How long will the water hold out?” Rathe asked grimly.

“We still have plenty of water, so I really wouldn’t worry too much,” the captain answered. We should be able to stand here for about a week if we need to. Then things might get a bit worried.”

“Then I’d suggest we do as the captain says,” Rathe offered. “It may be our charter, but it’s his vessel. He isn’t going to deliberately put us in danger.”

“Couldn’t you navigate for us?” Crystal asked Rathe.

The large creature sighed. “It’s not really allowed,” he answered. “The rules of our brotherhood are very strict. Let’s hope it isn’t necessary, because I would have to face the Tribunal of Elders if I were to use the art in view of those not a part of our sect.”

“Why?” Dylan asked inadvertently. He had not intended to interrupt the discussion, but the question just slipped out. Rathe, however, treated him with complete respect and answered the question.

“The seas around Minota are pretty darn treacherous,” he began. “There are natural reefs and breakers that make up a strange pattern under the waves. It’s almost like maze. So our ancestors built jetties and some other underwater barriers to add to what was already there to make it even more treacherous and complex. Now there’s a great maze just beneath the waterline. And depending on the tides and winds, Minota can only be safely approached by someone who knows how to navigate those waters.

That’s our homeland’s primary defense. Because of it, Minota has never been conquered. And so our people became obsessed with super accurate navigational techniques. The Tribunal of Elders is the head of the Navigator’s Guild, and they have the final say on who’s trained as a navigator, and how those skills are used. Because my father was something of a hero, I was trained at his request. But because I didn’t enter the Navigator’s Guild, I’m forbidden to use those skills. If I do so, I’ll be taken before the Tribunal and tried.”

“How would they know?” Cindy asked. It was a fascinating story. She just could not understand why they would be so harsh.

“Our art of navigation makes use of some magic. It’s unique enough that if I used it, they’d know about it. Then I couldn’t ever go home without being brought up on charges. Even if I never went home again, they’d approach my father because he was the one who vouched for me. It’d be a disgrace to my family.”

“We certainly wouldn’t want that,” Coran decided. “We should be okay. We’ve got plenty of water and food.”

The conversation was cut short by a cry from above. One of the crew in the rigging was pointing off to the east and calling out. “Sail Ho!”

They all rushed to the railing. Off in the distance, a ship was visible. It was headed under full sail in their general direction. “What’re her colors?” the captain yelled to his lookouts high in the rigging. There was a sense of nervousness among the crew and they moved about with urgency as they prepared to unfurl the sails and get underway.

“Can’t make it out,” came the reply. The captain cursed and the first mate barked an order to the crew. Those that were not in the rigging quickly rushed to the main hatchway where weapons were being passed out.

“What is going on?” Gage asked worriedly.

“Ships at sea should always give each other a wide berth unless one signals for help. We didn’t signal,” Rathe answered, “so the captain’s worried that those might be privateers closing in on us. It’s not unheard of. Following a strong blow is a common habit of theirs. They let the storm weaken the prey, then they close in and attack the helpless.”

“We are not helpless,” Gage countered angrily.

“I’m sure you’ll educate them,” Coran teased his brother. “Maybe you should’ve studied sorcery instead of wizardry.”

Dylan frowned. He did not understand that last statement, and he decided that he would ask about it later. His studies did not indicate any real differences between sorcery and wizardry.

Many long minutes followed with growing tenseness. As the other ship drew closer, the crew became more alert and excited. And when the lookout finally announced that the other ship flew the colors of Vermouth, it gave some of the crew a chance to express some relief. Vermouth was a southern city and was the port to which they were headed. It was one of the larger southern cities sometimes called Khotain after the count who had founded the town.

“They’re signaling,” the first mate announced as he peered out over the waters to the oncoming vessel.

“A red pennant,” the captain announced as he joined them. “They are asking for assistance of some kind.”

“That isn’t too unthinkable,” Rathe offered. “We could use a little help ourselves. Maybe they have a spare compass.”

The captain stepped back a few paces and addressed the crewman manning what was left of the helm. “Come to port,” he told the man. The crewman struggled to manipulate the makeshift rudder control that they had rigged. “Let’s see if we can do some trading for repairs,” the captain decided. “But be ready for anything,” he warned. “Meeting another friendly ship this far out ain’t unheard of, but it’s rare enough to be suspicious.”

“The ships drew closer together, swaying with the ever rolling waves. Dylan stood near the huge Minotaan, mostly out of curiosity than to keep from getting in the way as the crew went about their business.

“Coran,” Rathe calmly inquired in a low voice, “do you have your sword with you?”

Coran involuntarily placed his hand on the pommel of his weapon. “Yes,” he told his dark companion. “Why?”

“Because there are a lot fewer sailors on that other ship than there were when we first spotted them.”

“So?”

“They are all hiding behind the near railing,” Rathe told him.

“Maybe they went below?” Coran offered even as he loosened the leather strap that held the sword secure in the scabbard.

“No,” Rathe answered. He didn’t have his own weapon, but instead casually reached down and retrieved a large stout cudgel, the remnant of a hasty repair that had been made after the storm. “When two ships approach, half the crew doesn’t go down into the hold. They’re hiding to get ready for an ambush.”

“Should we tell the captain?” Dylan asked.

“I don’t think it’ll be necessary,” Rathe replied with a quick glance over his shoulder. “He already knows.”

Dylan looked around and he could see that the crew were all very wary of the situation. Some of them had cutlasses or daggers and others had seized belaying pins.

“Dylan,” Gage called to him, “go below with Cindy and Crystal.”

Dylan wanted to object, but a sharp look from his master overruled him before he could say anything. Dejected, the apprentice retreated to the stairs and descended into the hold.
Gage backed away from the railing and moved back towards the stern. There he loosened the flap on his spell pouch. He had to be careful. On wooden ships in the middle of the ocean, was a bad place to start tossing flame-based spells around.

The fact that the crew of the Caroli III suspected what was coming made little difference in the initial attack. As the ships drew close, a quartet of brigands on the other ship stepped into the open from behind the masts and fired heavy grapples across the water to become tangled in the rigging or embedded in the wooden hull. Then with the opposite ends tied off, the other crew hauled the ships closer while raining occasional arrows upon the Caroli’s crew.

Coran ducked as a curse escaped his lips. They had no archers of their own except, possibly for Crystal, who was below the deck. But she was just one, and there were easily half a dozen on the other ship. Already he saw three downed sailors squirming in agony as arrows drained their life’s blood on the deck. The rest of the crew were scrambling for cover.

A smell of charged air and the sense of crawling skin on his back made Coran turn on one knee to see his brother loose a quick series of light bursts from his hand toward the other ship. He breathed in relief. Gage’s magic would offset the bowmen of the other craft so long as they didn’t kill him before he could neutralize them. It was a possibility, but Coran need not have worried. At one point he saw an arrow come up short and bounce just inches from Gage’s chest.

Coran also saw that Velar had crouched low and moved around to the entrance to the lower decks. He had taken up a defensive position there with a sword in his own hand. Coran knew that the dragon could probably have totally devastated the other ship with little effort, but that would also reveal his true nature and for reasons known only to Velar, his anonymity was far too important for him to do that. Still, Velar would make certain that no one from the other ship penetrated to the Caroli’s lower levels. The battle’s outcome was certain, the question was just who would die in the fighting and who would survive.

After a second volley of magic missiles from Gage, the arrows from the other ship ceased, and Coran risked a glance over the side of the deck. The other ship was very close, and the pirates were reaching across the way with grapples to haul the ships closer. A few were already swinging from one ship to the other on ropes tied to the yard arms.

The battle actually was not very intense. No matter what the frame of mind the pirates may have had initially, being confronted by a mage had dampened their spirits somewhat, and then to see Rathe wading through their midst, swinging that huge timber back and forth, mowing them down like so much wheat was totally demoralizing.

After a few moments, it was apparent that many of them were more interested in getting back to their own ship than the potential profit they might make in gaining the Caroli. They scrambled over each other in their hasty retreat, but escape was no longer possible.

In short order, the other crew cut the lines freeing their ship and came about intending to beat a hasty retreat. The few pirates that had failed to make it back to the other ship dove into the water headfirst. Apparently anything was better than being captured.

Coran wiped his sword clean on the rags of the pirate he had killed. The man had been pitifully unskilled with the rapier he had used, and Coran had made quick work of him.
Gage stepped alongside his brother and regarded the ship that was pulling away from them. “Should I sink them?” he asked.

“No,” The captain interjected as he joined them. “We’d just have to rescue them and we don’t have food or water enough for all them and us too.”

“How ironic,” Gage noted.

“Thank you, mage,” the captain offered. “If you hadn’t been with us, it woulda turned out a lot worse.”

Gage nodded absently. “Would you look at that,” he said as he kicked at the body on the deck. “See the cuffs of those trousers? They were made to fit into snow boots.”

“So?” Coran asked. “I’ve seen those almost all my life.”

“How cold does it get in Vermouth?” Gaga asked.

“It doesn’t,” the captain told them. “Vermouth is never cold.”

“Then I hardly think this guy was from Vermouth. This is the kind of pants one wears in places like Freon.”

“Mayhap they flew the colors of Vermouth as a ruse?” Velar suggested as he joined them. “It can be assumed that pirates would not reveal themselves readily, and the colors of a friendly port would make attractive bait.”

With the commotion over, Crystal led the two apprentices back to the upper deck. The crew were cleaning up the mess. They were tossing bodies overboard and scrubbing up the blood. Of their own numbers only eight had been killed.

The excitement was still in the air and the crew was still a bit tense, but as the hours passed things calmed down much more. Then their luck improved yet again as the clouds broke and the stars came out. From that the captain was able to re orient his ship and they put out their sails to continue their voyage.

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully, and the peace was broke only by the singing of the crew and the lessons that Gage and Crystal put to their students.

Chapter 15 Part 1

2009-09-06T14:31:00.001-07:00

THE HIGH SEAS

Dylan’s studies continued as usual. Gage saw to that. And after a day or two, the excitement of the voyage wore off, leaving the monotony of life on the sea. Dylan quickly discovered that when at sea, a sailor’s life revolved around routine and boredom. In his opinion, there was no question as to why sailors were famous for revelry when in port. There was a lot of pent up energy to dispense.

Dylan made a few notes in his spell book. He had quickly learned that the book was not meant to hold only spells, but also several other types of information. Gage had taught him a new power word to use in spell preambles, and he was recording the word, its characteristics, and the mage script character that represented the power.

Crystal and Cindy had set up shop near the bow. They spent hours each day talking about Crystal’s craft. Dylan sat nearby one afternoon and listened in as he pretended to read a text. Crystal’s lectures revolved around the alchemical properties of various plants, animal parts and minerals. Her occupation in acquisition of such items made it necessary for her to know where they could be obtained.

“Youse a learning letters?” the boson asked him one afternoon as he was looking through a book. Gage had given him a research assignment.

Dylan wasn’t so sure that he really liked the boson. The man was very crass and his speech was atrocious. He seemed honest and fair, though. Dylan tried not to let first impressions make him biased, but it was a difficult task. “Yes sir,” he answered. “It’s necessary for my education and training.”

“I ‘magine so,” the mad agreed. “D’you know the Minotaan?”

Dylan involuntarily looked up from his book and spotted Rathe standing by the helm of the ship. He was not interfering, but he did seem to be interested in what was taking place. “Yes, I know him. He’s in my master’s service as well.”

The boson nodded. “If’n you wants to get a useful education and you plans to be at sea often, I suggest you get him to teach you to navigate. The Minotaans are the best.”

It was not the first time that Dylan had heard some reference to Minotaan Navigation. And as the boson made some off color remarks about useful things to know, Dylan decided to take up the man’s recommendation. But first he would have to speak with his master. After all, he was supposed to be studying, not socializing.

Dylan politely pretended to listen to the Boson’s oration until a deck hand’s slipshod performance caught the old sailor’s eye and he went off to reeducate the worker in high seas fashion, which consisted of loud meaningless words and a lot of browbeating. Then Dylan closed his book and walked the length of the ship to the stairs leading downward. He found his master sitting in the galley, also reading a book and making notes.

“Good morning,” Gage greeted his pupil as the young man approached. “How have your studies been going?”

“Well, sir,” Dylan answered. “But I’ve got a question.”

Gage nodded and closed his book. He pushed his work aside and gave his student his full attention. “You were reviewing those new power symbols,” he recalled. “What is your question?”

“Oh, master, it’s not the magic, but something the boson said that I want to ask about.”
Gage’s eyebrow rose sharply, something that Dylan had long learned meant that Gage was curios and puzzled. “Oh?” the mage asked. “What would that be?”

“On several occasions, I’ve heard people make reference to Minotaans and their skill at navigation. If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Rathe about it and try to learn some things.”

The elf smiled sympathetically. “I am sorry Dylan, but that would be a waste of time,” he told the youth. “Rathe will not tell you any more than I can. The Minotaan Navigators are very secretive about their art.”

“Are they really that good?”

“Absolutely,” Gage answered. “They use a limited form of magic. It is a simple spell that allows them to locate an object that they know very well. The Minotaan Navigators have a series of enchanted items that they have buried along the coast lines and anchored at the bottom of the seas throughout the world. They can use their skills to measure the distance to these items very accurately. From that they can determine their position very precisely. The practice is not secret, but the identity of the enchanted items is. They only tell those who join their ranks.”

“Do humans ever learn the art?”

“Not really,” Gage told him, “It has happened but it is extremely rare. For the most part only Minotaans are allowed to learn their art. They do not trust many people.”

“I guess it wouldn’t do to ask him to teach me,” Dylan supposed.

“You can ask, and he might tell you some useful things, but he will not tell you the secret of the Sea Markers.”

“’Sea Markers?’”

“That is what the Minotaans call the magical items that they have placed all over the world and they use to navigate from. But you have my permission to take some time to ask him more about it, provided you do not neglect your studies for too long. I want those characters recorded in your spell book by the end of the day.”

“Thank’s master,” Dylan grinned and then fled the galley. He ran upstairs looking for Rathe. He found the deep red skinned giant talking with Coran near the helm. Dylan approached and stood nearby respectfully awaiting a chance to speak.

It did not take long as Coran and his huge companion were only engaged in small talk. “And here is Gage’s prodigy,” Coran announced when it became apparent that Dylan was not just walking about. “How are your studies?”

“They’re doing well enough,” Dylan answered politely. He could see Velar standing near the stern of the ship. He was still a bit uneasy around the disguised dragon even though he knew that Velar had sworn, and had proven capable of seeing to his welfare.

“Actually, I was wanting to ask Rathe some questions about navigation,” Dylan added. “Many of the crew seem to hold a reverence for Minotaan Navigators.”

“Reverence?” Coran choked. “Respect I can see, but ‘reverence’ might be a little too strong.”

“Leave the boy be,” Rathe gruffed. He knelt to one knee before Dylan. Even so, he towered above Dylan. “What is it you’d like to know, kid?”

“How is it that your people are so well known for navigation?” Dylan decided to play innocent and not reveal what his master had told him. Maybe Rathe would offer up more than expected.

Rathe studied Dylan for a few moments. “Hmmm,” he began. “Well, I guess I can tell you a few things that you might be able to grasp. But I’m afraid that the art is forbidden to outsiders. You might be able to learn it, but only if you spend a year or so on Minota as a student, and only then if the elders find you worthy. I’m sorry about that.”

“I understand,” Dylan admitted. He had not really expected Rathe to tell him the secret. “Then what can you tell me?”

“Well, I’ll tell you what. Let me think about it and I’ll decide what I can tell you without violating my oath of secrecy. Ask me again in a few days, okay?”

Dylan nodded. “Thanks Rathe,” he exclaimed and then went back to the front of the ship to work on his studies. He spent the rest of the afternoon working, and it wasn’t until Velar interrupted him later that he realized how much time had passed.

“Perchance are you hungry?” Velar asked as he knelt on the deck where Dylan was seated. “Your master has tasked me to inquire if you would join them for supper. What shall I reply?”

“Huh?” Dylan asked reflexively. Then as he took in his surroundings and the apparent time of the day, he answered: “Oh, thanks Velar. I suppose it’s about that time.”

Velar nodded his agreement. “Sup will wait for a brief interval,” he said shortly. “I have a question. Do you fear me?”

Dylan was not going to lie. “Yes,” he said hanging his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.”
Velar sighed and nodded his understanding. “It is of little consequence,” he decided. “Be at peace, boy, for I will neither harm you nor let serious harm come to you. I assume the form before your eyes for just such a motive. I do not wish to frighten people. In fact, I very much like people.”

“For supper?” Dylan asked, with a hint of humor.

Velar roared a totally human sounding laugh. “I like you Dylan,” he told the apprentice. “You have heart and spirit, and a fine head on your shoulders. Let us hope that that does not change anytime too soon.”

Velar helped the boy to his feet. “No, I have never consumed by mouth a man or woman. It is against my people’s code to eat sentient beings.”

“I’ve heard stories of dragons that eat people,” Dylan argued.

“Ah, but my people those are not. I herald from the family of dragons hailed as the Luster. We are loyally subordinate to a great dragon whose name must be kept secret. But when he is in his natural form, his scales glimmer like polished platinum in the noon sun. The leader of my own clan has scales of gold and my father possessed scales of bright bronze. Mine are steel, for that is how I was born into this world. It is a two edged sword. For though I will never rule or rise to a position of power among my people, I enjoy more freedom than most dragons. I entertain the luxury to come and go among men as I see fit.”

“So who eats people?”

“Alas, those are the Chromatics. They are a family that is totally devoid of scruples. And while it is true that my people have at times slain men who have threatened our lives or holdings, we have a proud tradition of never eating their flesh. The Chromatics are a different tale altogether. They will eat whatever they take a fancy to, which includes, unfortunately, men.”

The conversation made Dylan a little more at ease around Velar. He still held a deep rooted respect borne partly out of fear for the disguised dragon, but Velar had made it quite clear that he held no ill will towards any of them and Dylan still kept in mind that Velar had volunteered to be his protector. Who could have asked for better?

Later that night, Dylan and Gage were reviewing his lessons. Gage seemed quite satisfied with the young man’s work, and told him so quite bluntly. The spells were correct, the book was in order, and Dylan had quickly grasped the basis for each spell, the command words and had accurately balanced the power equations.

“To be honest, my boy,” Gage praised, “your work is as good as many journeymen are. Your apprenticeship may not last as long as you think.” Dylan had been studying as an apprentice for over a year. Most apprentices study for up to four years before becoming journeymen. Some, usually the brighter ones, make it in three years. By Gage’s reckoning, Dylan would probably be ready for the tests in his third year. But he saw no reason to tell the boy that. He did not want to raise false expectations.

They ate together after the lesson review and then Dylan and Cindy returned to the upper deck. Some of the hands were trimming the sails, and several large lanterns had been mounted on the lower booms of the masts. That was necessary to provide light, because the moons were not visible due to the cloudy skies. A breeze had kicked up and Dylan and Cindy stood at the railing near the bow as they gazed into the darkness at the distant horizon. Flashes of lightning far ahead of them periodically illuminated the point where the sea met the sky.

“It looks like the weather’s gonna get a bit bad, tonight,” Cindy suggested. “I hope the water isn’t too rough. It’s hard enough to sleep when the boat’s moving around, but if the water gets rough, it might be impossible.”

Dylan and Cindy stood quietly watching the remote lighting. A warm breeze blew against them and in the half light, Cindy grasped Dylan’s hand. It was not the first time that they had shared unspoken feelings, but this time, she also leaned close to him and lay her head against his shoulder. Dylan had grown quite a bit of late and was half a head taller than his childhood companion. Almost instinctively he leaned back against her, feeling the warmth of her body. He felt his own breath getting short and was more than a little disappointed when Crystal called to them from the main hatchway. Cindy’s teacher urged them to go below and try to get some sleep. She said that sleep may get difficult later, echoing Cindy’s fears.

Reluctantly, Dylan released Cindy’s hand and they both turned to go, but at the last moment the girl, threw her arms around his neck and drew herself up on her toes to plant a hard kiss to his lips. There was a bit of fire in that kiss and Dylan fell into a long embrace with her.

The kiss may have only lasted a few seconds, but a world of conversation took place on a nonverbal level. Cindy let him know in no uncertain terms that she was more than the girl he had befriended, and her womanhood was in full bloom. Dylan also noted that his own body had responded in spite of his bashfulness. He felt sure that Cindy took notice as well.

When the embrace ended, both adolescents stood there holding hands and gazing at each other with adoration and abandonment. They remained so for many long moments until Crystal again returned to the deck and came forward to reign in her charge. Then she sent Dylan to his own quarters.

The huntress made a mental note to have a talk with Gage the next day. The two youths were growing up fast and some ground rules might be in order before things got out of hand.

Dylan woke sometime during the night. The ship was tossing and heaving quite dramatically. He felt himself being rolled up against the side of the ship where his cot was mounted with one swell, and then rolled to the other side of the cot with a threat to fall onto the floor when the swell passed.

The lamp in the room was on and swinging from its hook on the wall. Gage was sitting beneath and to one side trying to mend an article of clothing. The mage looked up when Dylan sat up.

“It is difficult to sleep in these conditions is it not?” his master offered in greeting.

“Is it the storm that we saw earlier?” Dylan asked. He rubbed his eyes. It was going to be more than difficult to sleep, it was going to be impossible.

“Yes,” Gage told him. The mage tossed what appeared to be a sheet to him. “The captain issued these hammocks. They are old and torn, but if we repair them, we can sleep in them. They will stay pretty stable while the boat rocks. It should help.”

Dylan spread the sheet out on his knees. There was a big rip in the center, and the thing was quite old and threadbare. “Master, I’m not sure this can be fixed, and even if it is, it’s pretty thin.”

“Yes, it is thin,” Gage agreed, “but it should do, at least for a while, and as for repairing it, that you can do with a needle and thread.”

Dylan rustled through the sheet hopelessly. “I don’t suppose there’s an easier way to do this is there?”

Gage put his sewing down and studied his student. “What do you suggest?”

Dylan shrugged. “I suppose I’m suggesting that there might be some magic that you
could do.”

“I am sorry, Dylan,” Gage apologized, “but I am not aware of any sewing spells.”

“Well, I don’t mean that,” Dylan tried to explain. “I mean that surely there are some spells that we could alter to do the job. I mean the function is very similar to some other spells.”

Gage put his sewing aside, and picked up Dylan’s spell book that had been placed on the counter while they slept. He passed the book to Dylan. “Okay,” he urged. “You put the spell together and we will consider it.”

Dylan took his book and yawned. More work was not what he had had in mind when he had suggested using magic to mend the hammock. But now that Gage had made the assignment official, he was duty bound to comply.

Dylan took some parchment and sat at the counter. He found that the charcoal stick that he used for writing was far better than a quill and inkwell on a tossing ship. And while Gage continued his meager chore, Dylan started to work on the spell.

As he had said, the function for the spell he needed was pretty much the same as for several other spells he had been shown. One of those spells was an entanglement spell that was on a scroll in his pack. His master had given it to him to be used in self-defense. The spell was supposed to entangle enemies in vines, ropes, wire, cloth or whatever was handy. All he had to do was make some slight alterations to the function, recalculate its value, and alter the preamble, direction, closure and conclusion to accommodate the changes. After about three hours, he had a balanced equation and he proudly held up the parchment for his master’s approval.

When Dylan turned to announce his success, he found Gage swinging from his hammock quietly watching him. “And that,” the mage said softly, “is yet another lesson. Sometimes it is better to do things by hand than by magic. It took me less than half the time to mend this as it took you to derive that spell. Magic is not always the best way to do things.”

Dylan felt a bit sheepish. He was glad of the spell he had derived, but the purpose of the lesson had a greater impact on him. His master was absolutely right. If he had taken up a thread and needle, he could have been sleeping almost two hours ago.

Briefly, Dylan thought that his master was going to make him sew anyway. But as Dylan pricked a finger trying to thread a needle, Gage took pity on the boy and with a wave of his hand he sealed the hammock’s rip closed.

Dylan was not so taken aback that he missed a very important detail. His master hand not even looked at the spell he had derived. “Master,” he asked a bit upset, “what spell was that?”

“It was not a spell,” Gage informed his pupil. “It was a simple binding cantrip that I taught you several months ago. I wanted to see if you would think of using it. You have disappointed me, but not too terribly. I am pleased at how you adapted the entangle spell, I just wish you had given more thought to making use of what you have before going to look for things you do not have.”

Dylan hung his head. “I’m sorry master. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Gage nodded. “Very well,” he said. “I also want to make sure that you are clear in one thing more. You did very well in that spell derivation, but that is not a license to manufacture spells on your own. And there is to be no unauthorized spell casting. Is that clear?”

“Yes, master,” Dylan agreed as he hung the repaired hammock between to columns. He had a little difficulty getting into the hammock. Every time he tried to climb into it, he would lose his balance and fall out again. The thing would not remain steady and the best he could do was to drape his body across the hammock and try to spread it out beneath him without flopping over. He almost succeeded too, and he probably would have conquered the darn thing except that a large swell rocked the boat at a crucial moment and sent him tumbling to the deck.

His pride was hurt, but that was all. And when he stood, he spied his master laying back watching him. Dylan sighed, “it’s not as easy as it looks is it?”

"It would be if you would use your balancing cantrip,” Gage answered. “You are beginning to worry me, son. You understand the theory, but your ability to apply it is slow in developing. Try it again.”

Dylan paused, and tried to concentrate on the balancing cantrip that he had been taught. He had some difficulty. The rebuke that his master had just given him had crushed his confidence and he could even feel tears welling up in his eyes.

Gage observed his student struggling and realized that the minor criticism may have hit his apprentice a little harder than intended. “It is nothing to be upset about,” he told the young man. “You are only human, and I suppose that it was about time for you to be less than perfect. Do not worry. As you learn, you will overcome this little fault.”

Dylan nodded, and prepared once again to cast the cantrip, but before he could, he felt himself being lifted up from the floor and gently lowered onto the hammock. When he was comfortably situated, Gage explained. “I decided that if I was going to get any sleep, I had better take a little action.”

“Levitation?” Dylan asked.

“No,” the master answered. “Telekinesis. It is draining and difficult, but I thought we could spare the power.”

“What’s the difference,” Dylan asked. “I’ve seen both spells, and they seem to be almost the same.”

“They pretty much are. The difference is simply a point of reference. Levitation is a reflexive spell that affects the caster only. Telekinesis affects something other than the caster.”

The conversation ended soon after that. Dylan finally managed to drift off to sleep in spite of the tossing and rolling of the vessel.

His dreams were troubled. They drifted from scenes of Sandy Cove to his old room at the academy. From there, he seemed to be riding down endless stretches of road though forests.

At one point in the dream, he heard people yelling and there were rushed rumbling sounds. He seemed to hear people calling in panic as he rode in the wagon with his master.

Chapter 14

2009-09-06T14:26:00.001-07:00

THE CAROLI III

The reunion had been a joyous occasion. Crystal’s father, the enigmatic high priest, had a magnificent memory and remembered Dylan and Cindy both. His mysterious insight clearly saw the joy in her return to the company and in response; he ordered a private, but jovial feast for the extended family.

“We are gathered tonight,” Crystal’s father announced at the head of the large table they were seated around, “to welcome Cindy, our wandering daughter back into the fold of our family.” He raised a glass and looked skyward. “Great all-knowing and all seeing Creator, Father of every rock, leaf and creature, we ask thy blessings and grace upon our friends, our family, and all those who are true to thee. We ask that thou wouldst visit upon thy enemies the vision that they should see the error of their ways and return to the fold. We ask in thy divine protection against the powers that work against thee. And in time of trial, help us to remember the victory of thy champion, the Overlord, and may the memory of his perseverance against the overwhelming evil that is no more move us to fight with equal heart. By thy will may the blessings be bestowed.

The priest then passed the crystal glass to Cindy who sat at his left. Calista, the priest’s wife had warned the girl of what to expect and to do. On cue, Cindy stood and took a sip from the glass and then passed it to the next guest, who was Gage.

When the glass arrived at his seat, Dylan also stood and sipped the contents before passing it to Crystal. The liquid was sweet, like honey and was a golden color. As soon as it had touched his tongue, he felt a warm glow of peace and contentment wash over him.
The meal was delicious, even though there were many things that he normally didn’t like. All around the table the gathered guests were strangely quiet even though a marvelous form of communication was taking place. Dylan looked at each of his companions and received a mixed but positive range of emotions that seemed to be emanating from them. From Crystal he received a feeling of protectiveness and mild amusement. From Rathe, a brief glimpse of wondrous and mischief seemed to appear before his mind’s eye. And across the table, sat a young woman his own age who he had long known and developed certain feelings of friendship for. To his surprise, however, the feelings he had gotten back were a bit more than friendship, and deep in his heart, Dylan met with a seed that had been planted long ago that was only just beginning to blossom.

After a moment, the wave of emotions passed and Dylan was left feeling warm, content and happy. He continued the meal listening distantly to some of the minor conversations
When the food was gone, and their host had thanked them for breaking bread with him, Gage stood and indicated that Dylan should accompany him. Crystal likewise ushered Cindy away from the table and they retired to another room where they sat in chairs around a central fireplace. Gage sipped on a goblet of wine as Crystal and he talked quietly about travel arrangements and plans.

Cindy and Dylan talked among themselves as they caught up on what had been happening with their lives. Dylan told Cindy about all that had happened since he had become Gage’s apprentice, and in turn learned that Cindy had worked with her father quite a bit, but a troublesome turn of events caused the business to fail. Still, her father had wanted her to learn the trade, so he had arranged for her to apprentice with a friend of the family. She had been only been in Keron for a short time.

Cindy and Dylan took great pleasure in each other’s company. She showed much interest when he demonstrated some of the cantrips that he had been taught and she in turn told him about several alchemical processes that she was studying. It was late into the night when Gage interrupted their company and announced that they should get to sleep.

“You have duties and studies to resume tomorrow,” he told his apprentice, “and Crystal will have things for Cindy to do as well. Be diligent, for tomorrow is the last day we will be here. We must continue on with our quest, and the day after tomorrow we will set sail with the turn of the tide. Rathe has already made the arrangements.”

Dylan and Gage bade Cindy a good night and left the girl in Crystal’s care. They returned to their own quarters where Dylan drew his master’s bath while Gage reviewed some of Dylan’s research. “Your work is very good,” Gage told him. “There is only a minor error, here in the range calculation. You must remember that the use of certain power words can change the magnitude of the spell ranges. In this case, the resultant of this spell will not reach a distance of twenty feet, but twenty yards. If you had taken the time to check, you would have seen that although the equation is balanced in the values, you had to use a coefficient multiplier to make the balance occur. That should clue you in that there is something wrong. The spell will not backfire or misfire, but it will have some unexpected results.”

The master appraised his student. “It would seem that your attention was not entirely on your work this evening,” he chuckled. “But I suppose the cause was understandable.”

“I’m sorry, master,” Dylan apologized. “I don’t know what got me so distracted.”

Gage laughed. I do,” he answered, “and I feel pretty sure that you noticed the changes in her every bit as she noticed the changes in you.”

Dylan blinked and stared blankly back at his master. Gage smiled briefly then passed the apprentice’s work papers back to him. “Keep after it, Dylan. You are doing very well.” The master then turned and left Dylan to puzzle out what he had just been taught.

The lesson was all but forgotten. Inadvertently, Gage had diverted Dylan’s attention from his studies to his childhood friend. With it spelled out in front of him, Dylan recollected just how much Cindy had changed. She was not only a lot taller than he remembered, but her body had changed a great deal and it was not a change for the worse. It made him a little uncomfortable, just like Sharon had under the haystack, but Cindy was something entirely different.

The memories of their years together came flooding back. He remembered being thrown from the rocks out of her jealous rage and he remembered how she kept using innocent conversation to bring her still unblossomed charms to his attentions. The deviousness of the girl’s ways were apparent to him at last. Dylan mused at his own imperceptive naivety. As dense as he was, she would someday need to take a brick and write her intentions on it. Then she would have to hit him over the head with it if she wanted him to ever get the hint.

The next morning, Dylan was surprised when Gage took him aside and began the daily lesson very early. He was even more surprised when the lesson had absolutely nothing to do with magic, but with morality and ethics when it came to human reproduction. In a small way, Dylan was offended. He had long been taught about biology and sex. Adam had been his instructor at the academy on the subject, and he, himself had absolutely no intentions of getting too involved with the sport of procreation, so he could not help but feel a little hurt that his master had found it necessary to have “The Talk” with him.

On the other hand, Gage was very honest, and did not talk down at him. The mage expressed his level of confidence and trust in Dylan and went out of his way to say simply that in the youth of adolescence, the power of hormones was very strong, and in some cases, he might not think reasonably.

Dylan thought about it for a moment and he vaguely recalled how he felt when he was under that haystack with Sharon. He remembered that he had not really been himself. It had been almost as if he had been under the girl’s control.

When the morning’s rather odd lesson had been completed, Dylan accompanied Gage to the dining area to get something to eat. There they found Crystal and Cindy. Dylan waved somewhat sheepishly as they approached and Cindy smiled back with an almost imperceptibly bashful blush.

Dylan and Cindy came together and began talking about the previous day as they both prepared themselves something to eat, oblivious to the older mentors who were quietly eating as well. Though neither said a word, a conversation passed between Crystal and Gage as they sat and took in the meal with their charges.

The afternoon returned to the regular routine of magic studies for Dylan. Crystal and Cindy, however, visited the merchant area of Keron and returned late that afternoon with an assortment of various things that Crystal used in her trade. A variety of bags, bladders, jars and boxes were delivered to the private quarters of the temple where Crystal lived. Gage and Dylan were seated at a table in the great room discussing Dylan’s latest formulations when the women returned.

Much to his dismay, Rathe had been commandeered by the two females and the big Minotaan put on a great show of having to carry the extraordinarily heavy crates that Crystal’s purchases were packed in.

Dylan suspected that the crates were not that heavy to the huge creature, but after a few months, he knew Rathe enough to know that the giant had a mischievous streak to him and would not miss an opportunity to tease Crystal a little bit.

Coran, who had been sitting on the opposite side of the room polishing his breastplate, took one look at the load that Rathe had lugged into the room and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. The tall dark man tried vainly to sneak out of the room without the little woman’s notice. He failed miserably.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Crystal’s voice rose at the end of her question indicating that she was not in a mood to be played with. “There are more crates outside and I want them put under a roof until tomorrow morning if you please.”

Coran sighed and turned to join the big Minotaan. “I’m glad I’m not married,” he muttered to the huge creature.

The comment didn’t escape Crystal’s hearing and she gingerly reached out and tagged Coran on the upper arm none too gently. “And we can also do without the commentary from the snide and sinister Tycarian Guard.”

Rathe lowered his burden to the floor with a ridiculously false grunt. “If you think that’s bad, you should have two, or even worse, four. Haven’t you ever wondered why my people take to the sea and stay away from home?”

“And you, you big oaf!” Crystal fussed as she shook her finger up at Rathe. “Quit loafing. I know those crates aren’t that heavy. I’ve carried them myself on occasion.”

The two men acquiesced and ducked back out of the room, to fetch another load. Dylan almost laughed out loud when Crystal’s roving eye spied the master and apprentice. Gage turned his face toward his pupil and held up the book as if showing Dylan something.

“Act busy or we will both be carrying boxes,” the mage whispered as he pointed to the book.

Dylan responded by picking up his piece of chalk and made some marks onto the dark slate. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Crystal. She narrowed her eyes and frowned at both Dylan and his master. Beyond, Dylan could see Cindy laughing silently. When she caught him looking at her, she blushed again and waved shyly.

By some miracle, Dylan and Gage managed to avoid any of the work that day. And when evening arrived, Velar returned from his peculiar absence. He had disappeared a few hours before sunrise leaving Coran to explain his absence as simply taking care of business. But when he finally returned, he claimed to have procured passage on a schooner for the seven of them.

They retired that night after sharing one final meal with Crystal’s parents. Her father, the priest, invoked a blessing upon them all and wished them a safe journey. He spoke privately with Gage, Coran and Crystal afterward, and when asked, Gage revealed that Crystal’s father had given them some instructions that might prove useful if they encountered outwordly enemies--“outwardly” being an entity from the nether regions.

The next morning, Gage and Dylan woke early and packed their things. They then joined Crystal, Cindy, Coran, Velar and Rathe in the great room. They had morning tea and ate warm cakes for about half an hour, and then Velar led the way out the door and towards the shipyards. Rathe pulled a two wheeled cart containing their luggage along behind them.

The way through the early morning city was quiet. Various street vendors were only just starting to set up their stands and let them pass unmolested by heckle or enticement.
The walk was brisk in the morning air, and the prospect of taking to sea actually had Dylan quite excited. He and Cindy walked closely together and she too seemed to carry an air of anticipation. They had both seen the vessels come and go, but neither of them had ever boarded one of the larger ocean going ships.

As Coran led them along the wharf, they passed several ships of considerable size and noted that many of the ship hands were out and about. The sailor’s life at the shore did not revolve around the rising or setting of the sun, Coran had told Dylan earlier. Instead it revolved around the ebb and flow of the tides.

In the case of that morning, the crews of ships that were departing were preparing for the turn of the tide. Then when the waters began to flow out, the ships would depart riding the strong current as well as the winds.

Finally Coran and Velar stopped their progress, and Dylan found himself looking at a huge four-masted schooner. Velar spoke briefly with a tall and rough looking sailor, who in turn scowled at the group in general. When the sailor spotted the giant Rathe, however, his expression softened to one that Dylan almost took for respect.

The sailor approached Rathe and politely inquired of him. “Would ye by any chance be a nav’gator?” he asked.

Rathe nodded slightly. “I do know the art,” he answered. “But I’m not a practicing member of the sect.”

The sailor nodded his head respectfully. “That bein’ the case, it’s still an honor to have ye ‘board.” He turned to Velar. “Youse all can board and you’re all welcome aboard the Caroli III.” The sailor whistled and three hands descended the boarding plank to the dock.

“If youse’ll leave yore bags here, m’crew’ll take care o them directly.”

Dylan followed Velar’s lead and removed his master’s bags from the cart as well as his own and piled them on a tarp that the sailor had ordered spread out on the ground. Crystal, and Cindy also unloaded their belongings and placed them on the tarp
The sailor, with whom Velar had spoken, led them up the plank onto the main deck of the ship. Dylan was impressed with its size. The main deck was a broad slightly curved surface and was almost featureless. Except for the four huge masts, there was a wheel house near the rear and a low transom with steps going down to either side.

“I be Mister Hardee, the boson on this vessel,” the sailor told them when they were assembled on deck. “If’n you has any problems or needs, come to see me.” He strode to a side rail and opened a locker. Then he drew out what looked like a leather coat. He passed it to Velar and then took another from the locker. He passed these garments out until each of them had one. Dylan examined the one that had been given to him. It was not leather, but wool and had a thick coating of tar on the exterior. It was a tarred coat, a common enough tool for those who sailed the high seas. The outer tarred covering repelled water keeping the inside warm and dry.

The boson barked a few gruff commands and Dylan saw their luggage being hauled onto the deck by a hand-to-hand chain of sailors in relay fashion. They handled the bags a bit less than gently in his opinion. The boson urged them to claim their belongings and follow him. Dylan struggled to carry his bag as well as that of his master when Gage came to his rescue and took part of his load. “Do not get used to this,” was all the elven mage would say.

They were led to a stateroom that was quite cramped, but otherwise clean. It was also apparently beneath the waterline, a fortuitous circumstance they would discover, that kept the room quite cool during the warmer parts of the day.

Gage and Dylan shared a room with Coran and Velar. Dylan was assigned the bunk above Gage and Velar was assigned the bunk above Coran. The quarters were cramped when they all were present, but otherwise it was livable. The consensus was that they would not be in the quarters much except to sleep anyway.

After depositing their belongings, they returned to the upper deck where a few moments later Crystal and Cindy joined them. Rathe followed a bit later, disclosing that he had been billeted in the hold due to his size. He felt that it was not unreasonable and that he would not mind, as the hold had plenty of space.

Gage studied his student briefly. “You may have this day to your own devices,” he finally told the boy. “I suggest you use the time to learn about the vessel and how the crew operates. Such knowledge may someday be helpful.”

Velar, who had been standing off to one side nodded his agreement. “Verily, it can be said that he who sails knows no bounds.”

Rathe chuckled. “You’re familiar with Minotaan prayers?”

“Aye,” Velar replied. He then turned and walked quietly toward the bow of the ship. Dylan watched as the man passed. He had not forgotten Velar’s secret, and though it seemed to be lost in the fog of a memory, Dylan still felt a twinge of fear towards the man.

“I like the way he talks,” Cindy said as she joined Dylan. “Do you know where he’s from?”

“I think he lives in Tycho,” Dylan answered. “At least that’s where he came from. He’s a friend of Coran.” It was not a lie, but Dylan could hardly tell Cindy the amazing truth about Velar. The apprentice wondered how the girls would react if she knew that the man was actually a dragon in disguise.

Cindy and Dylan sat near the bow of the ship. The crew worked around and about. Dylan watched, as his master had suggested. He was intrigued at the cooperation, and intense finesse that the men used to coax the incredibly complex web of lines and sail.

The men raised a series of jibs and a single sail on the main mast. This provided enough power to ease the great ship out of the dock and into the harbor. Then when they were well into the waters, the other masts’ sails were erected. After about two hours, they were well under way at full sail. The bow of the ship plowing through the water rose and fell gently as it passed from swell to swell.

Dylan had heard of seasickness, but had likened it to being in a wagon on a rough road, or on a rough river barge. He had never gotten sick before, so he was taken quite by surprise when his stomach heaved without warning. Dylan hurried to the side of the vessel and hung his head over the low railing.

The sailors laughed at his discomfort, but at the moment, Dylan was beyond caring. In his misery, he strongly considered the positive aspects of dying. As far as he was concerned, anything was better than the way he felt.

The sickness wouldn’t have been so bad, except that it didn’t seem to affect Cindy and she made no effort to be consoling. Inevitability did, however take pity on him. Once his stomach was empty, the sickness faded and Dylan finally was able to return his attentions to the present.

He staggered against the rolling gait of the ship to the base of the fore mast. There he sat next to Cindy and joined in as she watched the sailors trim the sails and go through their routines.

After a few hours, Rathe came forward and found the two. “How goes it?” the giant asked. He spared a critical glance upward at the rigging. “Have you enjoyed the trip so far?”

“I have,” Cindy answered quickly, “but I’m not sure that Dylan has. He seems to be a little sick.”

“How’s your stomach?” Rathe asked the boy.

“My stomach and I aren’t on speaking terms,” Dylan answered. “Did my master send for me?”

“No,” Rathe told him. “They’re back under the spanker. I only came to see where the two of you had gotten off to?”

“What’s a spanker,” Cindy asked. It was her first ocean voyage too, and both she and Dylan were unfamiliar with maritime terminology.

The Minotaan chuckled a deep throaty laugh. There was a twinkle in his eye, and he helped each of the youngsters to their feet. “Come on,” he told them. “I’ll show you. If you plan to sail, you’d best know your way around the ship.”

“This is the fore mast,” Rathe told them. “All the sails and lines on this mast have ‘fore’ in their names. The jib extends out front of the ship, and those sails are the jib sails.” Rathe pointed in various directions as he spoke, he instructed the young adolescents on the names of the masts, sails and decks. By the time they completed their impromptu tour of the ship, they had arrived at the rear of the vessel, what Dylan learned was referred to as the stern.

Gage and Coran were quietly talking with Crystal near the stern of the ship when Rathe and the kids approached. Gage had asked Rathe to make sure that Dylan was not getting underfoot of the crew. The stranger, Velar had accepted the task of protector for his charge, and had already proven himself quite capable of the responsibility, but Gage would have felt better if the big Minotaan had been nominated instead.

Velar was Coran’s friend, and Coran seemed to know something about the stranger that was being kept from everyone else. Gage felt left out of the loop, and Dylan was his apprentice. He suspected that his father and probably both of his uncles had figured out what the secret was, but none of them had seen fit to clue him in on it. That bothered him. With Dylan’s safety in question, if anyone should know Velar’s secret, it should be him. But the only clue that he had was the dialect and accent, and though they were strange, Gage could not place them. It was familiar though.

Gage dismissed the thought. If his uncles, his father, and Coran all had that much faith that Velar was a good choice as Dylan’s protector, then he had to accept that. Still, if Rathe was the boy’s guardian, then Dylan would probably be in much less danger. Who would molest the boy with a ten foot, half ton, axe-wielding giant hovering over him?

“So have you enjoyed the trip so far?” Coran asked the two youngest members of their party as they approached.

“I have,” Cindy exclaimed excitedly. She smirked and added, “but Dylan’s been sick, so I don’t think he has.”

“Oh?” Gage asked. “Are you ill?” he asked his apprentice.

“I don’t think so,” Dylan answered dutifully. “I think it’s just seasickness.”

“Seasickness?” Crystal asked puzzled. “Didn’t the tonic help?”

“What tonic?”

Crystal’s confusion turned to disapproval and she redirected her attention to her own charge.

“Cindy!”

The girl put her hand to her mouth defensively and whimpered an embarrassed sound. “Oh, I forgot all about it,” she admitted. She reached into a soft leather shoulder bag that she had been carrying and withdrew a small vial. Sheepishly she passed it to Crystal.

Crystal gave the girl a hard stare then passed the vial to Dylan. “Drink this,” she instructed him. “It’ll ease the nausea.” Then to Cindy she added. “We’ll talk about this a little bit later,” she rebuked.

Dylan pulled the cork and drank the vial’s contents. Immediately his stomach began to feel better. He glanced sideways at Cindy. The impish grin that she had displayed most of the morning began to come back to him. Surely she had not intentionally withheld the potion from him just to observe his discomfort. Or had she? Just how many times had she pushed him into the pool at the academy?

Rathe patted Dylan on the shoulder and winked at him when the boy turned. “Even without the potion, if you feel like you’re getting sick again, I suggest you stare at the horizon. I think you’ll be surprised how much better you’ll feel.”

Crystal took Cindy by the hand and the two of them walked off together, evidently to discuss Cindy’s rather suspicious loss of memory. At the same time Velar, Coran and Rathe walked the other way to the ship’s helm.

Gage and Dylan stood near the stern railing and the mage appraised his student. There was some disapproval in his own face.

“Why did you get sick?” Gage asked.

“I guess I’m not used to being on a ship,” Dylan answered. “With the exception of the rides across the lake and down the river, I haven’t really been on boats very much.”

“No, I mean what caused the sickness?” Gage was trying to get to a point, and was trying to steer his pupil to the discovery on his own.

“The motion of the ship?” Dylan asked.

“Right, there is an internal conflict in your mind. Your eyes see everything around you standing still, but your balance knows that the boat is moving. This is what makes you sick.”

“So that’s why Rathe suggested watching the horizon?”

“Partly. Watching the horizon will allow your eyes to see what your balance already knows. It will make you feel much better, but you already had a good cure if you had thought about using it.”

“I did?”

“Remember walking on the wagon wheel?”

“The balance cantrip?”

“Precisely,” Gage told him. “If you had used that cantrip, it would have helped you overcome the sensation of imbalance. I must admit that I am a bit disappointed that you did not think about that, but then again you did not know what the cause of the seasickness was to begin with.” The mage put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Call this a lesson in the value of experience. You had the ability, but did not know to use it.”

Gage studied the sun for a moment. “That potion is an alchemical formula and will last most of the day. When you are asleep you will not feel the seasickness, but when you wake up in the morning, I do not want you to use any more potion. If you start to feel sick, try the cantrip. It will help you to get in some practice. Then tomorrow afternoon, the studies will resume.”

Dylan did as he was told. His stomach did not give him any more problems for the rest of the day. Instead, he spent the time exploring various parts of the ship. He noted that the crew all had quarters in the deepest part of the ship, just above an area where a lot of filthy water was held. He was told that that was called the bilge and helped to keep the ship balanced.

The galley, he discovered was near the rear of the ship and beneath the helm. It was quiet and deserted when he looked in, and when he emerged, he saw Crystal coming up from the lower deck. “Where did Cindy go?” he asked.

“Cindy has some lessons to study alone in her cabin,” Crystal told him. “She’s being punished for withholding that potion from you.”

“Maybe she just forgot,” Dylan offered in his friend’s defense. He did not believe it himself, but in his opinion, it was between Cindy and him. He did not want her to be punished by anyone.

“No, it was intentional,” Crystal smiled back at him. Apparently she knew something beyond what he and the others did. “And you’ll figure it out soon enough, I think.”

“When’ll she be allowed to come back out?”

Crystal smirked. “Soon enough. Why don’t you go and talk to her for a minute. I think she wants to apologize. But remember that she’s being punished, so don’t stay long.”

Dylan thanked Crystal and headed for the cabins. He knocked quietly on the room that Crystal and Cindy were sharing. There was a murmur from behind the door that sounded like an invitation, so he cautiously entered.

The room was a bit smaller than the one that he shared with the other men. It was fairly dark as well. Only the flame of a single lamp burned and in its light, there was a frantic rustle which drew his attention.

Cindy was wrapped in a blanket. The room was a bit chilled because it was below the waterline. The girl had kicked off her ankle high leather shoes, and was sitting across the room from the lamp. Dylan felt sure that there was no way the girl could read in that kind of light.

“I didn’t expect it to be you,” she said meekly when Dylan stepped inside and closed the door.

“I just passed Crystal. I wanted to know when you could come back out. It’s boring without you.”

Cindy smiled shyly. “You miss me?”

“Of course I do,” Dylan answered back.

Cindy patted the cot next to where she was sitting invitingly. Dylan thought nothing of it as sitting together and talking was something that they had been doing for years. He sat down on the cot and sighed. “I’m sorry you’re in trouble,” he began.

“No, I’m sorry for making you suffer,” Cindy interrupted. “It was wrong, and Crystal was very angry.”

“No,” Dylan continued, “It was really my own fault. Gage’s disappointed in me because I could’ve used a cantrip to cure the sickness on my own.”

“You mean that you could’ve cured yourself with magic?”

“Sort of,” Dylan answered. “Actually a cantrip’s not a real spell. All it would’ve done was help my balance. Master Gage says that the sickness is caused by poor balance anyway. All I had to do was use the cantrip and I wouldn’t have gotten sick in the first place.”

“I still should’ve offered the potion to you,” Cindy told him. She leaned close and kissed him on the lips. It was not like all the other times she had kissed him. There seemed to be a bit more to it. It was warm, and in a funny way Dylan sensed a hint of urgency. For a moment, Dylan felt the rush of his breathing and his heart the way he had back at home with the girl in the haystack. What was her name? Then Cindy broke the contact and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m really sorry for making you feel bad,” she told him.

Dylan seemed stuck in time. For what felt like an eternity, his memory flittered through thoughts and images of a skinny little girl in a white initiate’s tunic and sandals through various stages of growth, mischief and maturity until now in the dark, Dylan had unconsciously placed his arms around a young woman that held as deep feelings for him as he had held for her. It was a magic all of its own, and he was taken aback. Even though it seemed that he had always known it would eventually turn out that way, there was no doubt in his mind that Dylan would belong to Cindy heart and soul.

But being still a very young and inexperienced man, Dylan felt a bit of panic set in as he tenderly broke the embrace. “I need to get back upstairs,” he told Cindy. “And you need to do your assignment.” He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Don’t take too long. I really do miss you when you aren’t around.”

In the dark, Dylan couldn’t tell if the young woman was smiling or crying or what. He simply made good his escape and closed the door behind him. Then he leaned heavily on the wall and tried to catch his breath. His heart was racing, his blood was pounding in his ears, and he didn’t have a clue as to what to do next.

In a state of total confusion, Dylan made his way back up to the main deck. There he found a place to sit among several coils of rope. There were a lot of things to sort out in his mind, and he needed a little peace and quiet to do that.