Wizards and Wanderers - Book 3 in the Sojourn Chronicles

Wizards and Wanderers Book Three in the Sojourn Chronicles

Crystalwizard

This book is a work of fiction. Places, events, and situations in this story are purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is coincidental. Š 2007 Crystalwizard.

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by Ancient Tomes Pres ISBN: 978-0-9795788-3-0 Library of Congress Control Number: 2004195427 Printed in the United States of America

Credits: Proofreading: Jeff Vian Proofreading, editing and helpful comments: Linda Notridge Special Thanks: The members of The Writing-Well Google group Melanie Mather Sarek Mather Heather Michaels Rob Sapwell

Books in the series: Book one Book two Book three Book four Book five Book six

Wizard's Bane Villenspell: City of Wizards Wizards and Wanderers Army of Misfits The Lost Lands World’s End

Table of Contents Chapter One

1

0H

45H

Chapter Two

8

1H

46H

Chapter Three

14

2H

47H

Chapter Four

21

3H

48H

Chapter Five

31

4H

49H

Chapter Six

38

5H

50H

Chapter Seven

44

6H

51H

Chapter Eight

56

7H

52H

Chapter Nine

66

8H

53H

Chapter Ten

71

9H

54H

Chapter Eleven

79

10H

55H

Chapter Twelve

88

11H

56H

Chapter Thirteen

94

12H

Chapter Fourteen

13H

Chapter Fifteen

14H

Chapter Sixteen

15H

Chapter Seventeen

16H

Chapter Eighteen

17H

Chapter Nineteen

18H

Chapter Twenty

19H

Chapter Twenty-One

20H

Chapter Twenty-Two

21H

Chapter Twenty-Three

22H

Chapter Twenty-Four

23H

57H

101

58H

106

59H

113

60H

121

61H

128

62H

139

63H

144

64H

153

65H

161

66H

173

67H

179

68H

Chapter Twenty-Five

24H

Chapter Twenty-Six

25H

Chapter Twenty-Seven

26H

Chapter Twenty-Eight

27H

Chapter Twenty-Nine

28H

Chapter Thirty

29H

Chapter Thirty-One

30H

Interlude

31H

Chapter Thirty-Two

32H

Chapter Thirty-Three

33H

Chapter Thirty-Four

34H

Chapter Thirty-Five

35H

Chapter Thirty-Six

36H

Chapter Thirty-Seven

37H

Chapter Thirty-Eight

38H

Chapter Thirty-Nine

39H

Chapter Forty

40H

Chapter Forty-One

41H

Chapter Forty-Two

42H

Chapter Forty-Three

43H

Chapter Forty-Four

44H

192

69H

198

70H

203

71H

209

72H

219

73H

225

74H

234

75H

242

76H

244

77H

252

78H

258

79H

266

80H

274

81H

278

82H

282

83H

291

84H

304

85H

314

86H

320

87H

329

88H

335

89H

Chapter One The sun shone through the translucent leaves of the trees, washing the glade with silver and gold. Faran opened one eye and sat up. Bleh, he thought as he rubbed away sleep. I really hate mornings. He reached over and poked Rik in the ribs, provoking a grunt. “Get up, lazy.” Faran commanded, poking Rik again.

“I ain’t lazy,” Rik grumbled, struggling to sit up.

“I’m not lazy,” Faran corrected.

“Yeah you are,” Rik grinned and ducked out of the way of Faran’s swipe. He stood up and stretched.

Faran rolled up his blanket and rose to his feet.

“At least the ground’s not quite as hard with these mats Aeri bought.”

“How come you complain all the time?” Rik asked as he walked over to the table.

Faran tied his bedroll securely, dropped it beside his backpack and joined Rik at the table. “I don’t complain all the time.” He slid onto the bench and reached for a basket of breadsticks.

“Yeah you do,” Rik pulled one of the fruit bowls over and started searching through it. “Foods too hot, too cold, wrong kind, ground’s hard, it’s wet, it’s hot, it’s cold... ” He looked at Faran and shook his head. “You ain’t got nuttin’ to gripe about, you jest think you do.”

Faran’s face clouded and he pulled his hand back from the basket.

“You spend a couple years,” Rik said as he pulled an apple from the bowl and rubbed it on his shirt.

“Eatin’ one meal every couple days an’ sleeping in fits cause yer too scared to sleep at all.” He locked eyes 1

with Faran. “Then you got a reason to gripe.” He bit into the apple and started chewing.

Faran picked an orange out of the fruit bowl and looked at it. “I couldn’t do that, I get too hungry.” He peeled a strip of rind from the orange and dropped it on the grass.

Rik picked a bit of apple skin from between his teeth and nodded. “I did too, only…” he took another bite out of the apple. “Ya can’t eat if there ain’t no food and yer locked in yer room with no way out.” He looked at Faran for a moment and turned away. “You ain’t got nothin’ to complain about.”

Faran stared at Rik, and his thoughts went back to the castle where he’d lived most of his life.

“Please your lordship,” a quaking servant begged. “The bath is just as you ordered. The girls worked all day picking the finest petals off of daisies to float on the water. It will be cold if you don’t come now.”

Faran flew into a rage. “You imbicile! I said Marigolds! Not Daisies! If I wanted Daisies, I’d have said Daisies!” He backhanded the servant and flung open his chamber door. “Guards!” He whirled around, snatched a heavy vase from a nearby stand and flung it at the servant. The servant ducked and the vase shattered against the wall as the guards dashed into the room. Faran rounded on them and pointed at the servant. “Take this idiot, and the three in the bathroom, to the dungeons! And next time, move faster when I call!”

The guards dragged the whimpering servant away and Faran snatched up another vase and sent it crashing through a full length mirror. “I will not be disobeyed! This castle is full of imbeciles and miscreants! I will have every single one of their heads!”

2

Faran stared at the table, his cheeks burning in shame and shook his head. “I don’t know if I can ever face anyone back home again,” he muttered. “How could I have acted like that? No wonder everyone despised me.”

“My Lord, please!” A young servant begged, falling to his knees. “I meant no disrespect. Please, Lord; I only brought you the food you commanded!”

Faran glared at a tray laden with fancy delicacies that had been placed before him on the table.

Delicacies he had demanded, prepared exactly the way he had ordered. He swept the tray off of the table and sent it crashing to the floor, stood, and slapped the servant across the face. “It’s wrong! You set it on the table upside down!” He snatched a cane from the stand by the door and began pummeling the servant with it while the man cowered before him.

Faran dropped his head in his hands as memories played out in his mind. “You’re right,” he said and wiped tears from his face. “I’ve never had anything to complain about. I just did. All the time.”

He got up without waiting for Rik’s response and walked away from the table. He strode across the glade and stood looking into Bethraven’s fountain at his reflection. Someone should have slapped me years ago, he thought. Why did they let me act like that?

Because, his wiser-self whispered, you’re the Baron’s son and they didn’t have the right to tell you how to act.

He stared down into the fountain for a long time, then turned and looked around the glade.

Everyone else was up and engaged in various activities.

He walked over to where Dale was standing and waited silently to be noticed.

Dale ignored Faran for a few seconds, then glanced around at him. “Yes?” Faran dropped to one 3

knee and put his head down, ashamed of himself and unable to voice it. Dale blinked and put his hand on Faran’s shoulder. “Faran? What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” Faran’s voice cracked and he shook his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and fought with the flood of tears that suddenly threatened to break free.

Dale looked down at Faran, confused. “What for?”

“Everything.” Faran stared at the ground and shook his head. “Everything I’ve ever done. I can’t…I can’t ever go home. I can’t ever make up for what I’ve done to all the people back there.”

Dale patted Faran on the shoulder. “Faran, look at me.”

Faran looked up, wiping the water from his eyes.

“What brought this on?”

“Rik. He asked me why I was always complaining about everything this morning. I started thinking. I hate myself!”

Dale searched Faran’s expression for a moment then nodded. “Stand up. Let’s take a walk.”

Faran rose to his feet and followed Dale through the trees. They walked in silence until the land began to slope downward and the trees came to an end. Below them, they could see a shining lake and beyond it stretching away into the distance, the gray-green vegetation of the swamps. “Everyone,” Dale said as he gazed out over the valley, “does things that they later regret, acts foolishly and misbehaves. Some of us don’t know any better. Some do. In your case you thought you should behave as you did. Now,” Dale turned and looked into Faran’s eyes, “you realize that what you did was wrong. That’s good. That shows you’ve learned and are changing.” He dropped a gentle hand on Faran’s shoulder. “It takes more courage to admit 4

you’ve done wrong, face someone you’ve hurt and work to make things right, than it does to swing your sword and mow down a charging dragon. Especially if you are the one in charge, but a true leader puts his people ahead of himself and if an apology is necessary, he makes it rather than give in to pride.”

“But I’m not a leader.”

“Yes, you are. Even if you never take your father’s throne, you are a leader. That’s evident in how you handle yourself with Rik. It won’t be easy to go home, but you’re still young and have a lot of growing up to do, first. The fact you feel remorse over your actions shows you’ve taken a large step in that direction. I’m proud of you.”

Faran nodded and took a deep breath. “Thank you,” he replied. “That means a lot.”

-+Bethraven was waiting by the fountain when they returned and smiled in greeting. “Your journey is still long,” she said, gazing around at the company scattered about the glade, “but mayhap it will be easy for yet a few weeks. From here you must take the road to the lake, then curve north around its banks. Do not follow it all the way to the swamp. Instead, you will come to a second road that leaves the lake and runs toward the distant mountains. Follow that and it will lead you to the ocean in the west, but be warned -- the way is long and fraught with danger. You will be fortunate to see the waves err this year is over many months from now.”

“Thank you,” Dale said and gave Bethraven a short bow. “Your hospitality has been most appreciated.

Is there anything you would have us do, to repay you?”

Bethraven shook her head and smiled. “I thank you for your offer,” she said as she faded from view, 5

“but there is nothing that I need. Safe journey and may the moon smile upon your destination.”

Dale stood motionless for several seconds after she vanished then went to his horse and opened the saddlebags. He pulled out a small, cloth covered object and walked over to the table with it. “Everyone come here please.” He sat down on the bench, pulled the cloth off of the globe Rommalt had given him, held it up and waited as the others gathered around the table.

“What’s that?” Kheri asked.

“It’s a globe.”

Faran moved to stand behind Dale and peered over his shoulder. “A what?”

“A globe. A small version of the world we’re riding across.”

Kheri leaned across the table to get a closer look. “That’s what the world looks like?”

“Yes. And this little red spot is where we are now.” Dale pointed to a small glowing dot on the globe.

He turned the globe around and pointed at a large, roughly circular area of white bordered by a brown ring, “This is the land where King Yaybar is. To get there,” he rotated the globe and pointed out various features as he talked. “We have to cross this desert, which should be on the other side of the mountains Bethraven just mentioned. Then we have to get past this second set of mountains and sail over this.”

“What’s that?” Rik asked, pointing at the large, blue area which covered most of the globe.

“Water.” Dale held the globe out so Rik could get a closer look. “That’s the ocean.”

“Don’t look wet.”

“It’s not. This isn’t the real world, it’s just a map.”

“Oh.” Rik sat down on the bench and tried not to look confused.

6

Dale grinned at him and continued the explanation. “It should take us a couple of weeks or so to travel from here to the first set of mountains. After that, we’ll see. Hopefully it won’t take too long before we reach the ocean, regardless of what Bethraven just said.” He wrapped the globe in the cloth and rose from the table. “If nothing goes wrong, I’m hoping to reach Yaybar’s land in a few months.”

“If the Gorg don’t figure out how to sink the ship,” Jarl muttered as he walked over to his horse. “Or something else doesn’t come along.”

Dale made a face in Jarl’s direction and swung into the saddle. The company followed suit and set off through the trees, leaving the fountain bubbling softly behind them on the empty lawn.

7

Chapter Two The company rode out from under the trees and began the descent down a small rise toward a deep blue lake shimmering in the sun. The road curved gently around the edge of the lake past cattails growing in the shallows and lily pads floating on its surface. Fish could be seen every now and again, darting just below the surface or leaping for flies, and the scent of moss hung in the air. The company followed the road for several hours until it forked, turned left onto the western road and left the lake behind, urging the horses to a gallop toward the distant mountains.

The valley plain was pleasant, covered with thick blue-green grass waving in the soft breezes, splattered with color from patches of pink, blue and yellow wildflowers and dotted with closely packed stands of fir trees. Birds filled the sky during the day and the sound of crickets serenaded the night. The mountains drew steadily closer, looming over the landscape, and Bethraven’s glade became a pale memory from a distant past.

The company entered the rocky foothills at the beginning of the fourth week and began to climb toward jagged peaks that jutted into the sky at odd, sharp angles like broken teeth made of obsidian. As the sun set and the shadow of the mountain fell across the road, Rik felt a shiver run down his spine and shuddered. “Summin’ bad’s gonna happen’,” he muttered. “That mountain’s evil.”

Dale reined his horse a short time later and led the company off the road into a small hollow. The sun fled from the sky a short while later and stars began to twinkle. Dinner was over, the pans stowed away and Rik was sitting on a rock not far from the fire, staring 8

up at the deep black shadow the mountain had become.

He sat for a while, then got up and walked over to Faran. “I gotta talk to you.” He plopped down on Faran’s blanket and sat picking at a fingernail.

Faran put down his whetstone and laid his sword to the side. “What’s wrong?”

“That mountain,” Rik pointed up into the darkness. “We go up there an’ someone’s gonna die.”

“We don’t have a choice. That’s where the road goes.” Faran picked his whetstone back up. “No one’s gonna die.”

“Yeah they are.”

Faran paused as he reached for his sword and peered at Rik. Rik look sideways at Faran. “I seen the skull.”

“What skull?”

Rik turned his head and locked gazes with Faran. “The floatin’ skull. With burnin’ eyes.”

Rik’s voice made Faran’s hair stand on end. He put the whetstone back down and stood. “Come on,” he said and picked his sword up. “You need to tell this to Dale.”

-+The boys found Dale and Aerline sitting on a boulder not far from camp. Faran walked around in front of them and pointed at Rik. “Dale, can you talk to Rik? Please?”

Dale nodded and looked over at Rik. “What’s wrong?”

Rik shrugged and scuffed a toe against the ground. He looked around at the mountain, shrugged again and mumbled something. Dale slid off the boulder and helped Aerline down. She smiled at him and put her hand on Faran’s arm. “Come on Faran, walk back to camp with me.” Faran glanced up at Dale, then reluctantly accompanied Aerline back to camp.

9

Dale waited until they were out of earshot and turned to Rik. “What’s going on?”

Rik tossed another look over his shoulder at the darkness. “Can’t we go ‘round the mountain?”

“Not really. Why?” “Cause if we go up there, someone’s gonna die.”

Dale’s eyebrows rose and he folded his arms.

“Explain.”

“I seen the skull. I don’t see it ‘cept when someone’s gonna die.”

“What skull is this?”

“It floats,” Rik said with a shudder, “and its eyes burn. An’ then someone dies.” He hugged his arms across his chest and stared down at the ground. “I seen it when Gramp’s died years back,” he whispered.

“Seen it ag’in a couple years ago and Murch took a sword through ‘is gut. Seen it tonight…lookin’ down at me from the top of a tree…” Rik screamed, flung his arms over his head and dropped to the ground, shaking in terror.

Dale hit his force field, activated his sensors and scanned the mountain. Strange, arcane energies painted red swirls across the display. A dark red whirlpool swirled directly above Rik. Dale deactivated the sensors, reached his hand into the whirlpool and froze, staring open mouthed at a huge floating skull, with flaming eyes and an open mouth full of pointed teeth, that had materialized in the air above Rik. Flames shot out of its eye-sockets and it snapped its jaw closed and vanished. Dale flinched and jerked his hand back. He shivered, glanced up at the mountain, and reached for Rik’s arm. “Get up, Rik.” “I seen it comin’ right at me!” Rik’s voice shook. He rose to his feet with Dale’s assistance.

“I know. I saw it. It’s gone now.”

10

“It ain’t gone!” Rik shook his head. “It’s up there…waitin’.” He turned and stared up at the dreadful mountain. “It’s waitin’ for me…”

Faran walked back to camp with Aerline, his face set in a worried frown. She stepped into the firelight, turned to face him and put her hands on her hips. “What exactly is going on?”

“Rik thinks that if we go up the mountain someone’s gonna get killed,” Faran said. He looked over his shoulder into the woods toward the boulder.

“What in the world makes him think that?”

“I don’t know. He told me he saw a floating skull, but I didn’t see anything.”

Kas looked up, distracted by the discussion. The fire he was molding flared as his attention slipped and splattered his face. He howled and fell over backward, thrashing about on the ground. Jarl sprang to his feet, grabbed a blanket and ran to Kas. He dropped the blanket over Kas’ head and smothered the fire then pulled the blanket away. “Don’t move!” he commanded and ran to the horses.

“Jarl?” Aerline looked around from her conversation with Faran. “What’s wrong?”

Jarl ignored her and dug frantically through the tack.

Aerline frowned at Jarl’s back, then noticed Kas curled on the ground. She ran to Kas’ side and dropped to her knees. As she placed her hand on Kas’ arm, Bethraven’s face appeared -- her gentle smile filling Aerline’s mind. Softly spoken words drifted through Aerline’s thoughts and she relaxed. Holding her hands out above Kas, she began whispering, repeating the words as Bethraven spoke. Her hands began to sparkle and glow with a soft, silvery radiance. The light spread quickly from her finger tips and the angry red welts covering Kas’ face vanished; Aerline spoke the last 11

word, opened her eyes and smiled gently down at her patient.

Kas looked up at her in wonder. “You were glowing,” he whispered. “Like those trees by the fountain.”

Aerline sat back on her heels and rested her hands on her knees. “Do you still hurt anywhere?”

“No.” Kas shook his head and sat up. “I’m fine.

Jarl sighed in relief as Kas sat up, walked over and frowned down at his bondsman. “What happened a few minutes ago?”

Kas winced and looked up at Jarl. “I got distracted and the fire exploded.”

The frown deepened. “From now on, until you master that stuff, you don’t even think about messing with it unless I’m watching. Hear me?”

Kas nodded quickly. “Yes sir.”

-+Kaowin looked down from the top of a nearby tree and watched as Aerline healed Kas, then leaned against the trunk and gazed up at the stars. An owl sailed past and Kaowin sucked in a startled breath, then lost himself in its flight, oblivious to the rest of the world. Dale and Rik rejoined the group a few moments later and Dale walked over to Kaowin’s tree. “Down Kao,” he called, looking up into the branches. “I need to talk to everyone.”

“I’m right here,” Kaowin’s voice said from behind Dale.

Dale turned his head and peered at a grinning Kaowin. “You weren’t. Where’s Kheri?”

Kaowin pointed into the darkness. “In the bushes. Watering the grass.”

“Hurry it up Kheri,” Dale called, “I need to talk to you. Now.” 12

“I’m hurrying!” Kheri’s voice responded from somewhere nearby. “Give me a second.”

Dale walked over to the campfire and stared into it, thinking. He waited for Kheri, then turned to regard the company. “There is something evil on that mountain, however we cannot go back to Villenspell and try to find another route, so we will have to traverse the pass. If you see so much as a shadow that looks out of place, tell me, tell Jarl and be ready for an attack.”

“Just because Rik thought he saw a floating skull?” Faran exclaimed.

“Yes.” Dale held his hand up and turned it around so everyone could see the back. A line of red dots traveled from one side to the other. “A floating skull with sharp, pointed teeth that bit me.”

Faran stared at Dale’s hand and shuddered, then turned to Rik. “Sorry Rik, I should’ve believed you. I thought you were seeing things.”

“Never had nobody believe me before,” Rik shrugged. “Weren’t surprised you didn’t.”

-+The company settled down for the night and fell into an uneasy slumber. The moon rose several hours later and shone down upon the mountain, its light glancing off of the rocks and weather worn crags.

Something stirred as the moonlight touched its home.

Something so old that it no longer remembered the name men had once whispered in terror. It stepped from a crack and gazed up at the moon, then turned to stare down at the forest below. An evil leer crawled across its face and it cackled, then turned and vanished into the darkness.

13

Chapter Three Dale watched dawn coloring the sky with delicate pastels and stretched, tired from standing the last watch of the night. What doesn’t kill you, he thought. And all that rot. What doesn’t kill you, doesn’t always make you stronger, sometimes it leaves you a shivering puddle of goo on the floor. He scowled up at the mountain. Why can’t you just leave us alone? He thought at the world in general. We’re trying to save your sorry self and you keep trying to destroy us! I should just let the Gorg have you! He closed his eyes and counted to twenty in an attempt to diffuse his anger. I don’t want to explain to Sssversth why I couldn’t stop this invasion, he thought with a shudder, then walked over and shook Jarl awake. “Come on. It’s morning and we need to get underway. Get the others up.”

Jarl yawned, threw his blanket off and stood up.

“If you’d let me teleport,” he grumbled, “We could go to Yaybar’s castle right now.”

“You’d miss and we’d wind up in the sun or something.”

“I would not.”

Dale crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“As I recall, the last time you teleported anywhere a wizard got a hold of you.”

“I was random porting on purpose!”

“And what about that group of tourists you accidentally dumped into the war room of fleet central?”

“Well…”

“And the fiasco with the mall. Remember? You ‘ported a charging bull elephant into the middle of the food court?”

14

“Err…” Jarl replied, turning red with embarrassment.

“Face it, Jarl. Your teleport is not all that accurate. Have you ever landed where you intended to?”

“I usually get close.”

“Close in inches or close in galactic standard miles?”

“Alright, already,” Jarl growled. “You’ve made your point. I just thought it would save us some time.”

“It would, but I don’t want to deal with the extra trouble that it could cause.”

“I said alright!” Jarl turned his back and stalked across the camp to Kas. “Get up!” he snarled, yanking the blanket off his bondsman and kicking him in the leg.

Kas started awake and sat up, rubbing his leg.

“What’d I do?”

“Nothing! Get up and put stuff away so we can get going.”

The mountain’s silent threat hung over the company and everyone’s temper was short. Dale put his foot down when Faran backhanded Rik for glaring at him. “Enough!” he barked, his voice cutting sharply through the morning air. “Everyone sit down and close your eyes for sixty seconds, then remember that the enemy is up there,” he pointed at the mountain. “Not down here! Am I clear?” The company settled down reluctantly and finished preparations in silence for the morning’s ride. The mountain grinned at them from high above and a feeling of certain doom filled the air.

-+The road climbed above the foothills and entered a series of sharp switch-backs. A feeling of watchfulness grew on the company as they neared the summit and after almost three hours of climbing, the 15

road rounded a large boulder and ran between two onyx cliffs. As they rode into the cut, the quiet plodding of the horses began to echo and a rumbling answered from above.

Dale glanced up and reined his horse around.

“Back! Fast!” The others turned their horses and urged them to a frantic retreat as rocks thundered down into the pass. They dashed out of the cut accompanied by a deadly spray of granite, reined their horses and turned around. Huge boulders filled the cut and blocked the way completely. Dale dismounted and motioned to Jarl.

“Come on, help me clear it.” Jarl grimaced, but swung down from his horse and obeyed.

The boulders were packed between the cliff walls and the two men strained for several seconds without result. Dale gave up and bent over, panting. “I swear it’s become part of the mountain again.”

Jarl stepped back and drew his blaster, adjusted the beam and fired at one of the boulders. He held the beam steady for a full ten seconds and watched as the rock glowed cherry-red, then lowered the blaster. The red vanished almost instantly. “Nothing! I hit it with enough fire power to blow a scout ship outta the sky!”

Dale caught his breath and straightened. “We’re up into the high voltage magic again, or had you forgotten what the tops of these mountains are made of?”

Jarl glared up at the rocks. “So now what do we do? We can’t move ‘em and we can’t blow ‘em up.”

“We have to find a way around,” Dale said as he turned and walked back to his horse. He reached into the saddle bags and pulled out the globe, turning it around in his hands. “I can’t tell,” he muttered after a few seconds and put the globe back into the saddle bags. “There was a small path that led off this main road before that last curve. We’ll go back there and see 16

where it leads.” He swung up onto his horse and led the company back down the road.

-+They reached the rocky path a few minutes later and turned up it, winding away from the cut as they climbed higher up the mountain. Ahead of them, two peaks stood like silent sentinels. Dale glanced around and frowned. Jarl, he thought. Did you see anything just now?

No, but I feel like something’s watching me.

I saw something, Kheri interrupted. Over there, behind that rock.

Dale halted the company and sat looking at the rocks. Nothing moved. He activated his sensors and scanned the mountain-side. It flared red and Dale winced and turned it off, then activated his force shield.

A second later, the mountainside exploded into activity as a horde of skeletons, armed with rusty swords and bent shields, rose from behind the rocks and advanced from all sides. Dale drew his blaster and fired. Faran swung down, drew his sword and charged at the undead. Rik followed closely behind, snatching up rocks and throwing them as he ran. Jarl vaulted from his horse, shouting for Kheri, and began firing into the undead closing on them from behind. The mountain swirled with movement as the army of skeletons clashed with the company, and the air vibrated with the sounds of battle.

-+Kaowin sat on his horse, confused and unsure what to do. As he watched, a skeleton ducked past Jarl and swung its sword toward Kheri’s head. “No!” Kaowin screamed and threw his arms apart. A wave of force whirled out from him in all directions, flattening everything in its path. Kheri hit the ground as it mowed 17

him over and lay there moaning. Kaowin swung down from his horse and ran to his brother. “Kheri!” he exclaimed, dropping down beside him. “Are you okay?”

Kheri pushed himself up on one arm and grimaced. “I think so,” he groaned. “What did you hit me with?”

Kaowin stood and helped Kheri to his feet. “I didn’t hit you. I hit the skeleton. It was trying to kill you.”

“You hit everything.” Kheri gestured around the mountainside. “Look.”

Fragments of bone littered the rocks. Broken swords and crumbled shields lay in disarray, a silent testimony to the power that had washed over them. “I did that?” Kaowin whispered, looking around.

“Wow…I was just trying to stop the skeleton that was on top of you.”

“You got the skeleton,” Kheri said, rubbing his arm where it had impacted with the ground. “Thanks.

I’ll take a sore arm over what could’ve happened.”

“That was pretty impressive,” Faran said as he walked up sheathing his sword. “How’d you do that?”

“I…” Kaowin wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “I’m not sure. I just didn’t want that thing to exist any more. Ever.”

Dale grinned and put his hand on Kaowin’s shoulder. “I think you accomplished that quite well.

Let’s get going, before the next round has a chance to materialize.”

The path was steep and the horses labored up it, picking their way carefully among the rocks. The day fled past and the sun started its descent into evening with the mountain still looming above them. As twilight fell, the path leveled off and ran across a gentle slope of land. The air was thin and chill, and the tops of the 18

peaks looked more like towers than mountain crags.

The company halted and sat looking at what could only be a ruined castle lying directly ahead of them. The walls had fallen in and lay in heaps of rubble, the one remaining tower jutted up out of the middle of the ruin, gesturing impolitely at the sky. Black vines covered with pure white flowers wound in tangles over the wreckage, a foul scent rising from them into the air.

Dale closed his eyes and dropped his head in his hands. Why do I get the feeling that I have just made the worst mistake of my life? He turned around in the saddle to look at the others. “We can’t risk riding over this mountain in the dark and it will be hours before the moon rises. We’ll camp here, but no one strays from the fire tonight or goes near those ruins until it is fully light tomorrow morning. Understand me?” The others nodded and swiftly set about making camp. Rik placed his mat right next to Faran’s and slid under his blanket and lay there shivering, staring up at the stars.

“You okay?” Faran asked, trying to see Rik’s face in the darkness.

Rik shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “I’m scared. I ain’t never been this scared before. Not even when my maw’d bring strangers into my room at night and make ‘em do things to me.”

Faran sat up and drew his sword. The runes carved along the blade glowed with a faint, golden light and he felt protected. He reached over and laid the sword across Rik’s blanket. “There. That’ll keep anything from getting to you tonight. Now go to sleep.

The sooner morning gets here, the faster we can get off this hellish mountain.”

-+Dale forced himself to pace, fighting the desire to doze. The night air whispered to him of dreams and he leaned against a rock and gazed at the ruins. The 19

flowers on the vines glowed with an eerie blue light and a mist swirled about the top of the ruined tower. Dale sat down on the rock, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

-+Rik lay motionless, staring up at the stars. He could feel the weight of Faran’s sword on top of his blanket but it did nothing to make him feel safe. He was wide awake and fear was growing in him, pushing at him to race screaming down the mountain. He fought for a while, then threw his blanket back and stood. His gaze fell upon the ruined tower and he stared at the glistening forms floating around it. He stood entranced as the ghostly figures drifted nearer, weaving silently about him in a soundless dance. A pale girl reached out a transparent hand and touched him on the face. His eyes rolled back in his head and he swayed, then followed blindly as the spirits led him to the ancient castle and down into its bowels.

20

Chapter Four Faran’s dreams were restless. He was running through winding corridors, and ruined tunnels, searching for something. He peeked through dark doorways and peered under rocks that leered at him with evil faces. A nameless fear gripped him and he whirled to see only the darkness. A wall loomed in front of him and he sought down its length for a door.

Skeletons popped into existence behind him and chased him through a winding hall as he fled into a dead-end.

He threw his arms over his head as the skeletons advanced, their swords glowing with a sickly green light. He backed away and bumped into the wall and it gave way and he fell, tumbling down a slope into thick mud while horrifying laughter echoed in his ears. He struggled to his knees and stared up at a monstrous skeleton reaching down for him, blood dripping off the tips of its claws. He screamed as its hand closed around him and thrashed wildly.

“Faran!”

The world shuddered and came apart. The first rays of the sun were streaming over the horizon and Dale was shaking him. Faran opened his eyes and threw his arms around Dale, clutching tightly as the dream faded into the night. He held on for almost a minute, then took a shaky breath and sat up. “I had a horrible dream,” he whispered. “I was trapped and there were skeletons after me.”

Dale took Faran gently by the shoulders. “You were screaming. I’ve been trying to wake you for ten minutes.”

Faran shuddered and hugged his arms across his chest. “It was so real. I couldn’t get away. I couldn’t get out.”

21

“It’s over now. Are you going to be alright?”

“I don’t know,” Faran replied, shaking his head.

“I think so.” He looked down at his mat and turned red.

“I think I need to wash my blankets.”

Dale grinned and stood. “We’ll worry about that later. Wake Rik and let’s get off this mountain as fast as we can.”

Faran nodded and stretched, then turned to the pile of blankets on Rik’s mat and shook it. A ghost shot up into the air with an evil cackle, then wailed and vanished as the sun struck it. Faran stared at the empty mat where Rik had gone to sleep. “Dale!” Faran shouted in panic, ripping the blanket off the mat.

Dale whirled and ran back to him. “What?”

“Rik’s gone,” Faran exclaimed, holding up the empty blanket. “There was a ghost, or something, in his bed! He’s gone!”

Dale stared at Rik’s empty mat, spun around and scowled at the ruined castle, a chill running through him. “Up,” he commanded Faran. “We have to go after him. I just hope it’s not too late.”

“No,” Jarl said as he buckled his dagger onto his belt and made ready to enter the ruins. “You are staying here with the horses. Someone has to and we need everyone else for this onslaught.”

“I’m not arguing,” Kas protested, “I just don’t know what good I’ll do against a ghost…or skeleton.”

“Kas, we need Faran with us. He’s the only one that can use that magical sword of his. We need Aerline, in case Rik’s hurt when we find him. I could leave the horses under Kheri’s guard, but Kao would insist on staying behind and that’s trouble whether the undead show up or not. That leaves me and Dale.

Which of us would you rather stayed here?”

22

Kas dropped his eyes and nodded. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “I’ll stay. Just don’t get killed in there.”

“I have no intention of getting killed in there,” Jarl promised. “Trust me.”

“I trust you…I just don’t trust that.” Kas threw a nervous glance at the ruins, turned the horses and began saddling them.

-+The company made their way cautiously toward the castle ruins. Dale growled as his force shield flickered and stopped functioning. Jarl, is your equipment working?

Jarl checked his sensors then shook his head.

No. Everything’s dead.

Dale narrowed his eyes, reattached his blaster to his belt and drew his sword.

Jarl followed suit, drawing one his knives. I have a very bad feeling about this.

You spend entirely too much time watching old movies, came Dale’s terse thought.

-+Aerline stopped as they neared the outer walls and shook her head. “We can’t go this way. The entrance is over there.” She pointed at the other side of the ruins. “We have to go in there.” She led the way to a large pile of rubble and pointed at it. “The entrance is under there.”

Dale looked at her, sheathed his sword and turned to Jarl. “Help me with this.” Jarl sighed, sheathed his dagger, and began moving stones out of the way.

They worked silently for several minutes and at last the entrance once more received the light of day.

Tightly closed bronze doors, set flush against jet black walls, blocked the entrance to the castle. Aerline stepped forward, grasped the large onyx knocker 23

attached to the right hand door, lifted it up and let it fall.

A deep booming sounded as the knocker crashed down, echoing away into the distance and the door swung open on silent hinges. Aerline took a deep breath, turned and faced the rest of the company. “Welcome,” she said, her voice tense, “to the home of Master Necromancer, L’yrthaivich. It appears he is expecting us.”

“Any idea what kind of reception this mage has waiting for us?” Jarl asked, looking past Aerline into the darkness of the ruined castle.

“All sorts of undead, I’m sure. He, and his castle,” Aerline gestured through the open door, “are legendary. We had an entire semester at college dealing with him. He was the terror of the darkness and he forced everyone within range to pay a terrible tax. Once a year, he demanded a young boy or girl from each village. If the village didn’t comply, he would send his armies of undead and take every person he could capture until everyone fled and the lands were left desolate. It would be wise if someone that could actually mount a defense against magic went first.”

“Faran,” Dale said as he stepped to the side.

“Take point. And be very careful.”

“Yes sir.” Faran tightened his grasp on his sword and moved to the front.

“Kao,” Dale continued, turning to face the twins. “You are rear-guard. Kindly do not flatten the rest of us with that magic of yours. Kheri stay with him and watch out for anything that he might overlook.

Aeri, Jarl and I will stay center,” Dale finished, tightening his grip on his sword. “Let’s go and everyone please remember; we are here to find Rik not rid the world of a necromancer. Our focus is to get in there, get him and get back out as fast as we possibly 24

can.” The company readied itself, stepped over the threshold and entered the Necromancer’s lair.

Darkness became gloom and they moved carefully down the ancient hallway. The castle had survived the ravages of time remarkably well. The outside walls had fallen, but inside everything was mostly intact and the furnishings still stood where they had been placed centuries before, covered by a thick layer of dust. Near the end of the hall, a clear set of footprints leading from a break in the wall to a closed door could be seen.

Faran glanced at the prints, strode to the door and opened it. A shriek echoed through the castle and several ghosts flew out into the hall, magic flashing through the air as they raised their arms. Faran reacted without thought and slashed his sword through the closest ghost. It wailed and dissipated as the blade severed its arcane bindings. Faran reversed the swing, slicing through the second ghost with his backstroke and shoved the point into the third.

“We’re going to need light,” Kheri said, peering through the opened doorway. “I can’t see anything in there.”

“Torches,” Dale reached for a sconce on the wall. “If they can still burn.” He grasped the torch nearest the door and tugged. With a grinding sound, the floor began to shift. It tilted rapidly to the side, and the company found themselves sliding down a steep incline. The floor become a wall and they were thrown off, falling into the darkness below.

-+Jarl’s reflexes took over and he teleported, dragging the company along in his wake. Stone materialized under them and they fell on top of each other in a tumbled heap.

25

I want light! Kaowin thought in panic as he sat up. With a sudden, blinding flare, the area within five feet of him was lit by a small ball of radiance floating a few feet over his head.

The others untangled themselves and sat up, rubbing places bruised by the abrupt landing.

“Where are we?” Faran asked, looking around.

“Not very far from where we were,” Jarl said as he stood and stared up into the darkness above them. “I don’t have any range and almost no power this close to the mountain’s summit. I just moved us straight down so we didn’t have to fall the full distance.”

“Couldn’t you have gone up instead?”

“And land on what?” Dale asked as he regained his feet. “The floor wasn’t there.”

“Oh yeah. Can you go up now?”

Jarl turned around and looked at Faran. “The floor still isn’t there and that took just about everything I had.”

Aerline stood and assisted Kheri to his feet. “If everyone’s ok, we should be looking for a way out. I can’t heal starvation.” The others readjusted their equipment and stood looking around at the darkness, which stretched away on all sides from the edge of Kaowin’s light.

“Listen!” Jarl hissed, holding up his hand.

The faint sounds of something shuffling could clearly be heard. Dale grabbed Aerline by the hand, put her behind him and readied his sword. Faran stepped to the side, dropping into guard stance. Jarl moved to stand on the other side of Aerline, gripping his dagger and trying to see into the darkness. Kheri took a deep breath and looked at Kaowin. His twin looked back at him and frowned.

The shuffling got louder and Kaowin found himself turning nervously around, franticly trying to see 26

what was behind him. The darkness seemed like something living, menacing him with its hidden terrors.

“Go away!” he yelled, flinging his arms over his head.

The darkness vanished as every surface within fifty feet of him erupted into brilliance. The mummies that had slowly been advancing on the company stopped, then began moving erratically.

Kheri’s mouth dropped open. “That was effective,” he said, blinking tears from his eyes. “But did you have to make it so bright?”

“Yes.” Kaowin crossed his arms and gave a firm nod of his head. “I don’t like it dark.”

-+Faran lowered his sword and stood watching the confused mummies. Two of them had bumped into each other and had their hands wrapped tightly around each other’s throat. Three more had run into walls and were walking in place, seemingly unaware that there was a solid surface in their way. The last mummy was wandering about the center of the room, stopping, backing up and turning invisible corners. Faran looked over at Dale who was watching the undead. “Should I go kill ‘em?”

Dale chuckled at the mummies and shook his head. “No. Let’s just get out of here.”

-+The room was almost fifty feet wide and forty feet long with a single door on one end. The company skirted the mummies and made their way toward the door. Dale motioned everyone to the side and turned Kheri. “See if you can find any reason not to open this.”

Kheri squatted down in front of the door and examined it. “There’s a wire. I can’t tell what it does, but it doesn’t look all that healthy.”

“Do you think you can disarm it?”

27

Kheri pulled a small, leather bundle out of his shirt. “I can try. Back up though, in case I miss.” He waited until everyone was out of the way and unwrapped the bundle. This is not going to be fun, he thought forcing himself to ignore the feeling of nervousness gnawing at his stomach. He selected a small tool and cautiously removed a pin near one of the hinges. Working carefully, he extracted several more pins along the other hinges, pulled a different tool out of the bundle and began detaching a fine wire that ran around the outside of the door frame. A click sounded as he pulled the wire loose and he flinched, but nothing happened. He dropped the wire on the floor and stepped back. “It’s disarmed. Still locked though and I don’t have the tools to open it. You’ll have to break it down.” He moved out of the way, leaned against the wall and put his tools away.

“Just what we needed,” Jarl grumbled, moving to stand in front of the door. “A nice, loud noise to warn everything that we’re here.”

“Everything already knows we’re here,” Dale said as he stepped next to his partner. They exchanged glances and hit the door in unison. The lock gave way with a loud crack, the hinges ripped free of the door frame and the door flew across the hall, smashed into the wall and crashed to the floor. Dale whirled and looked back at the mummies who were still wandering in oblivious confusion, while Jarl leapt into the hall and glanced around. Dale relaxed and stepped out into the hall beside Jarl. “Anything?”

“No, but I can’t tell how long this hall is. There could be something lurking down there.”

-+Faran took point once more and led the way down the hall. As he turned a final corner, he found himself looking at a familiar pile of rubble. He stopped 28

and peered into the darkness. “This is my dream,” he whispered and turned around to face Dale. “This is what I was dreaming about when you woke me up this morning. Rik’s lower and there’s a door at the end of this hall that you can’t see till you lean on it. There’s skeletons and stuff waiting down there too, but that’s where we gotta go.”

“I’m sure they know we’re here,” Jarl said as he stepped past Faran. “Let’s give ‘em a little surprise.”

He picked up a large rock from the rubble and sent it rolling down the hall into the darkness. There was a loud clattering crash then a thud as the rock collided with several unseen objects. He snatched up another large rock and threw it, then followed with several smaller rocks at full strength. There was a huge explosion as the last rock sailed into the darkness and the room shook.

“What did you throw?” Dale asked, looking at his partner in surprise.

“A rock,” Jarl said and stared at the rubble. “At least, I thought it was.”

The company picked their way across the fragments of bone littering the hall, testimony to Jarl’s well placed rocks. The end of the hall was now a gaping hole with shattered stone scattered across the floor and the hidden door hanging partially off its hinges. Faran looked through the opening and nodded. “It goes down, but in my dream it was a slope with mud at the bottom, not steps.”

Dale stepped past him and studied the stair case.

“It’s narrow and cracked in places. We go down, and we’ll have to do so single file. I can’t tell if there’s anything down there, but expect traps and probably a welcoming committee.” Faran nodded and cautiously set off down the stairs, testing each step with his sword 29

point before he committed himself to it. The others followed him warily, with Kaowin bringing up the rear.

30

Chapter Five The stairs were attached to the inside wall of a large, round shaft and spiraled as they descended into the depths. The company pressed against the wall, striving to stay as far away from the yawning hole in the middle as possible. Some of the stairs were missing large chunks and the stone glowed with a sickly-yellow light. Less than a minute after Faran set foot on the first step, a number of ghosts flew up from the darkness below, wailing mournfully. They hung in the air in the center of the shaft, reaching for the company and doing nothing else. They remained behind as the company continued to descend, floating in the air and moaning, still trying to reach targets which no longer existed.

Jarl glanced back over his shoulder at the ghosts and shook his head. “Why do I get the feeling that we’re stuck in some malfunctioning haunted house attraction?”

Dale grinned and tossed a look back up at the wailing apparitions. “A fatal attraction if any of the undead manages to get to us.”

Jarl made a face at him and grew serious once more. “Yeah maybe, but so far everything that’s come at us has acted like badly programmed robots.”

“So maybe the necromancer’s too busy to pay attention to what they’re doing.”

“I hate to think what he’s too busy doing, in that case,” Aerline said quietly. “I fear Rik will be eternally damned if we don’t find him soon.”

-+The stairs seemed to go on forever, but at last the company came to a landing and found themselves looking at a thick, wooden door. Red light spilled 31

through a small window covered with heavy bars, near the top. Dale peeked through the window. “I can’t see much, but there’s nowhere else to go. There’s a wall right across from the door. The light’s coming from somewhere beyond it.” He stepped back and motioned to Kheri.

Kheri stepped up to the door and examined it, then shook his head. “Nothing. If it’s trapped, it’s too well hidden for me to find.” He squatted down, pulled out the leather bundle of tools and set to work. There was a faint click a few seconds later and the door swung silently open.

Faran stepped through the door as soon as it was open, pressed against the far wall and quietly slid along it until he could see into the room beyond. He froze and looked around at Dale in fear. “I can see Rik,” he whispered. “He’s lying on a table, or something. And there’s a huge skeleton standing over him!” Dale stepped up beside him and looked around the corner of the wall.

-+The room was large and in the middle of it stood a stone altar. Black candles, flickering with red light, had been placed around the altar. Around the room on the walls more candles burned, casting strange shadows and dripping wax onto the skeletons seated on the floor beneath them. Rik was strapped to the top of the altar, his arms and legs pulled tightly down across the ends, struggling desperately to break free. A huge, eight-foot tall skeleton loomed over him, its hands holding a black candle which was not yet lit. Dale looked back at Jarl and motioned with his head. His partner stepped to the corner, took the room in with a glance and frowned.

“Where’s the mage?” he whispered.

“That is the mage,” Dale breathed, pointing at the huge skeleton. Jarl looked at Dale in disbelief and 32

shook his head. Dale nodded, then turned to the company. “Jarl, flank him with me. Faran, try to put that sword of yours through his spine. Kheri get Rik off that altar. Aeri wait here, please. Rik’ll need you, but not until we get him out of there.” Aerline nodded and stepped back while the others slipped around the corner into the room.

The skeletons seated under the candles around the walls looked up and stood, drawing weapons as they rose. Dale and Jarl dashed across the room, running to either side of the giant skeleton, dodging a hail of slingbullets from the advancing skeleton guards. Faran waited until they were half-way across then charged, screaming loudly. The necromancer stared and whirled around, his spell disrupted by the ensuing commotion.

Red flames burned in the empty eye sockets of his skull and he snarled and pointed a long, bony finger in Faran’s direction. Black fire shot out of the finger and Faran grasped his sword with both hands and held it pointed toward the fire. The gout of flame splattered against the point, and split into two streams, flaring to the sides around him. It washed over the skeletons advancing on him from behind and turned them instantly to ash.

Kheri waited until the necromancer’s attention was on the warriors, then sprinted quickly across to the altar and began sawing through the straps binding Rik to the surface.

“Get me outta here!” Rik begged, turning an ashen face toward Kheri as he reached the altar.

“We’re trying Rik,” Kheri said, his attention focused on the straps binding Rik’s arms. “These straps aren’t real easy to cut through. Stop struggling!”

As the necromancer turned and pointed at Faran, Dale swung his sword and the blade impacted against the skeleton’s pelvic bone. The mage stumbled forward, 33

knocked off balance by the force of Dale’s swing. Jarl grabbed a skeletal arm with both hands as the necromancer bent forward and yanked, pulling him away from the altar. The skeleton stumbled forward again, spun and reached for Jarl with his free hand.

Faran stepped toward the mage, swung his sword in an arc and hit the middle of the necromancer’s spine. His blade sliced through it, breaking magical bindings and shattering bone. The skeleton crumbled to dust, the skull hit the floor and bounced into the air, spun around and shot streams of flame out of its eyes.

Dale smacked the skull with the flat of his blade and sent it flying into a nearby wall. It bounced off, spun around again and came hurtling back across the room toward the altar.

The skeletons around the walls were still advancing, their swords gleaming in the red light. Kheri growled, and sawed harder on the strap binding Rik’s wrists to the altar. It gave way suddenly, snapping out of his hand. He dropped his knife as the strap whipped up, striking him on the arm. The skull whirled around to face him. Kheri snatched up the ceremonial dagger lying on the altar next to Rik and tossed.

The dagger flew through the air, guided by nothing more than Kheri’s sheer panic, and buried itself point first in the center of one of the eye sockets. The skull shuddered and exploded violently, raining bits of flaming bone around the room.

The advancing skeletons crumbled, their bones disintegrating into a fine powder which drifted down to the stone floor. A loud wailing began as ghosts and wraiths fled the material plane in droves.

Dale ran to the altar and ripped the rest of the straps loose, picked Rik up off of it and set him on his feet. “Run! Up the stairs as fast as you can!”

34

The company dashed from the room and began a desperate climb up the stairs which were coming apart beneath them. Stones crashed down the central core as high above, the roof began to collapse. The company climbed in panic, reached the top of the stairs amid thunderous explosions and fled down the hall. Dale skidded to a halt, whirled around and looked at Jarl.

“Get us out of here and don’t miss!”

Jarl nodded and closed his eyes, picturing Kas sitting beside the horses not far away. “I can’t,” he exclaimed, looking back at Dale. “My range is too short!”

“You’ve got permission for whatever range you need!” Dale said and ducked a falling stone. “Just get us out of here!” Jarl closed his eyes again. Reality shivered and moved aside as he teleported them out of the tomb, which the castle had become.

Kas jumped as the company materialized several feet in front of him, then dodged the falling rocks which Jarl had accidentally carried along. Jarl fell to his knees, panting heavily. A loud roaring sounded a moment later as the entire castle collapsed into the ground. A cloud of dust exploded up into the sky, billowing out in rolling waves across the mountainside and the company ducked, holding their breath and covering their faces until it was past.

Jarl rose to his feet, walked to the crater and looked down into it. Dale joined him and together they watched the dust still swirling up from inside it. “Can I please,” Jarl asked, turning to Dale, “keep the range on my teleport?”

“I guess,” Dale agreed reluctantly. “You didn’t do too badly getting us back here.”

“Can I…” “No. Teleporting us a hundred or so feet to a place where we just spent the night is a far cry from 35

teleporting us across the ocean to another continent which you have never seen before. I’m not ready to take that chance.”

Jarl nodded in resignation. “All right. I still think I’d get us there in one piece.”

“If my own powers were functioning and I could get us out of whatever you accidentally landed us in, I’d let you try. They aren’t, and I can’t, and that’s final. End of discussion.” Jarl pouted for a second, then nodded and walked over to help Kas get the horses calmed down.

Rik walked up to Dale a few seconds later.

“Thanks. I ain’t never been that scared. I thought I was done for.”

Dale smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t thank me. Faran’s the one who saved you, we just came along and helped.”

Rik glanced over at Faran who was now sitting on the ground, carefully drawing a stone over the edge of his sword and nodded. “I know and I hope I never see that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“That skull thing! It blew up and I hope it stays gone!”

“I expect it will Rik,” Dale said, patting him on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Let’s go!” Jarl called from the top of his horse.

“The day’s not getting any younger!”

-+The company mounted and made their way past the smoking crater. The path descended for a short stretch then rose again, winding around a narrow outcropping of rock. As it passed the outcropping, it dropped sharply and ran down to the cut on the other side of the avalanche. They dismounted and led their horses down the slope, then rode as rapidly as possibly 36

away from the nightmare and started the descent down the other side of the mountain.

37

Chapter Six The company rode through the cut for several hours, past sheer walls of glassy, black rock that slowly grew shorter until the tops of the cliffs were only a few feet above their heads. Before them, they could see the end of the pass and beyond it a thick pine forest with trees covered in deep green needles. A blue jay called from somewhere not too far away and the rapping of a woodpecker hunting bugs echoed through the forest. A short time later, they came to a clearing and Dale called a halt.

Faran walked over to a small stream at the edge of the clearing and watched the sun’s reflection on the water. Rik joined him and knelt down to fill the water bags. I should have listened to him, Faran thought. Dale said the thing was real and I ignored him too. Rik nearly died and it’s all my fault! He kicked a stone off the bank into the water. “I need to talk to you,” he said, as Rik finished with the last of the bags.

Rik capped the bag and stood. “What’d I do now?”

“Nothing. I owe you an apology. I didn’t listen to you and you almost died because of me. Plus I let my temper get the better of me and ended up slapping you around the other day. I’m sorry.”

Rik blinked and looked at Faran, confused.

“Ain’t your fault. We was under a spell or summin.

Ain’t no cause for you to be sorry. You got me outta there, that’s all I care about.”

“I still feel like it was my fault.”

Rik looked at him silently for a moment, then held his hand out. “It’s over. Still friends?”

38

Faran clasped Rik’s hand and broke into a grin.

“Yeah. I’ll do a better job of keeping my temper under control too.”

Rik returned the grin and picked up the rest of the water bags. “Don’t bother me none,” he said as they walked back over to the horses, “I jest figure you ain’t havin’ a good day and try ta stay outta yer way for a while.”

“I never learned how to behave,” Faran said, scuffing his feet into small rocks which bounced away.

“I could do anything I wanted, treat anyone however I felt, and no one stopped me. I’m still gettin’ the hang of things. I am sorry though. You didn’t deserve me slapping you around and I’ll try real hard not to do that again.”

“Okay.” Rik hung the water bags back on the horse’s saddles. “’pology ‘cepted. Let’s go see if we kin get Dale ta turn loose ‘a summin’ ta snack on.”

The rest was brief and the company was back on the road in less than an hour. The air was cool under the trees and filled with the scent of green, growing things. The road curved gently through the forest and ran out from under the pines, then turned sharply and ran around the top edge of a wide valley full of trees covered with red leaves, disappearing into a tunnel on the other side. The trek around the valley rim was treacherous and the company was forced several times to spend hours seeking a way around avalanches and other roadblocks. Days turned into weeks, weeks slid slowly past and after almost a month they reached the far side of the valley and the mouth of the tunnel.

-+The tunnel slithered through the mountain in a series of gentle, sloping curves past crystalline shapes which protruded from the walls and hung from the ceiling, glowing with shades of blues and green. It took 39

almost an hour before they reached the end of the tunnel, turned a corner around a large outcropping of rock and halted, staring out at a wide flat basin covered with sagebrush, cactus, creosote bushes and other desert plants. Far in the distance they could make out a tall range of dark purple mountains, with peaks reminiscent of the pipes of an organ.

“Look!” Jarl pointed at the distant mountain range. “If you start with that part there and follow the ridge it looks like a woman on her back, with her hair hanging down to the ground. See it?”

Dale studied the mountains for a few seconds and nodded. “Yes, and I also see that the sun’s going to be setting soon. I’d like to get off this mountain before that happens, if possible.”

“You take everything far too seriously,” Jarl complained with a frown.

“I do not. I just want to get off this mountain, all right?”

“Lead the way then,” Jarl said, slightly put out.

“You’re the one that stopped to sight-see.”

The road was in good condition and the company reached the desert floor as the sun touched the distant peaks. All around them stood plants with long spiky leaves, a tall stem topped with a cluster of white flowers sticking up from the center of each. Scattered across the desert were thick clumps of brush with wiry thorns and small groups of dense bushes covered with tiny gray green leaves and yellow flowers. Several varieties of cacti covered with sharp needles and large blooms of red or yellow were also visible in the dusk.

The road cut straight across the basin toward the distant mountains and the company followed it for a short distance. The sun dipped below the horizon, setting the peaks of the distant mountains on fire as the sky blazed with glory which faded rapidly from sight.

40

Glittering stars appeared overhead as the light vanished.

The company found a place to camp not long afterward and had a small fire going before the night was far along.

Dale walked to the edge of the camp and looked out into the desert, listening to the night. The faint chirps of crickets and the distant, mournful howls of coyotes floated toward him. He listened for a while until the howls faded, then walked over to the camp fire and sat down. Aerline settled down next to him, cuddling a small animal. “Look what I found.”

Dale glanced down at her lap and pulled away.

“That’s a wolverine!”

“Yes,” Aerline giggled, “isn’t it cute? It’s a baby.”

“Aeri,” Dale warned, watching the animal warily, “those things are the most foul tempered creatures…”

“Dale, it’s a baby. I can’t just leave it here to starve. Besides,” she looked down at the sleeping pile of fur in her lap and went on petting it. “It likes me. It won’t bother anyone. I already told it who everyone is and it knows it’s safe. It’ll only get irritable with strangers.”

Dale stared at the wolverine, closed his eyes and tried to steady his nerves. Visions of his small apartment at fleet central, overflowing with every imaginable type of creature, ran through his mind and he sighed. “Aeri, you can’t rescue every helpless orphan…”

Aerline looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. “Why not?”

“Because…you just can’t.”

“Sure I can,” Aerline giggled. “You just don’t want me to.” She grinned at him as he frowned in 41

consternation. “I’m not going to rescue every orphaned creature we come across,” she promised, snuggling up next to Dale. “Just the ones that really need me. Like this little guy. Besides,” she went on, scratching the wolverine baby under the chin. “He’ll make a really great watchdog when he’s older, don’t you think?”

Dale sighed in resignation and nodded his head.

“Yeah. We can sic him on salesmen. Alright, you can keep it, but you keep a good eye on it.”

“I will,” Aerline promised and kissed him on the cheek. “I knew you wouldn’t object. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Dale replied, wondering what he had just gotten himself into. “Find it a place to sleep and let’s get to bed.” The baby protested with a grunt as Aerline stood, snuggled down into her hands and went back to sleep. She placed it gently on the ground next to her sleeping mat and slid under the blanket. It blinked, got up and curled up on top of her. Dale started to put his arm over her and stopped. “It does not sleep in bed with us! Get that through its little brain or get rid of it.”

“Calm down.” Aerline picked the baby up, whispered to it for several seconds and set it back down on the ground. It yawned sleepily, padded around to Dale’s side of the mat and curled up next to him instead.

“Aeri,” Dale said as he felt the animal settle down next to his legs. “Do something a little more effective, please.”

Aerline giggled, reached over and picked the baby up. She held it up in front of her face and whispered to it for several more seconds, then set it back down on the ground beside her. It yawned, licked its nose and wandered off under a nearby cactus.

“Thank you,” Dale said as he pulled the blankets up over both of them. “I hope I don’t wind up regretting 42

this.� Aerline snuggled next to him and wiped his worries away with a long, tender embrace.

43

Chapter Seven The sun peeked over the tips of the distant mountains several hours later and tiptoed into the sky.

Its soft, warm rays brought comfort to small creatures that were thankful to have survived another stretch of darkness and sent the denizens of the night seeking their lairs. Faran opened his eyes as the light seeped into them and sat up. “Dale!” he hollered frantically, trying not to move.

Dale sat up, took one look at Faran’s bedding, reached over and pulled the covers off of Aerline.

“Wake up!”

She opened one eye and sat up sleepily. “What’s wrong?”

“Your friends have paid us a visit,” Dale said and pointed at Faran. Aerline looked over at the other side of the campfire and started laughing.

A large jackrabbit was nibbling on some grass next to the head of Faran’s sleeping mat and a fat porcupine was curled up on top of his legs. “Those aren’t mine,” Aerline protested. “Oh, look at the bunnies!” She pointed at two smaller rabbits that had just hopped up onto Faran’s lap, then gasped as a large snake which had been coiled below Faran’s feet stretched its neck up and flicked out its tongue. She closed her eyes and sought the snake’s mind, whispering urgently for several seconds. The snake lowered its neck and slithered away to seek shelter beneath a rock.

Faran breathed a sigh of relief, then froze again as the porcupine shook itself awake. He sat unmoving, watching as the porcupine stood up and waddled off into the desert, then put the bunnies on the ground next to the jackrabbit.

44

“If they weren’t yours,” Dale asked once the crises was averted, “then why were they here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they thought Faran was a nice, hot water-bottle or something.”

Dale looked at her and crossed his arms. “From now on, before we go to sleep at night, you inform the natives not to come calling. All right?”

Aerline giggled again and nodded her head. “I will.” She kissed Dale on the nose, stood and picked up her blanket to fold it.

The wolverine kit had disappeared in the night and Aerline reluctantly agreed to leave it behind. The company got back on the road under a washed-out, pale blue sky bereft of clouds and listened to the distant sounds of hawks high above, hunting for an early breakfast. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the heat increased and a breeze sent small whirl-winds of dust dancing across the desert. Old thorn vines tangled into lumpy balls bounced across the road, scattering seeds as they rolled. Short wiry grasses dotted the landscape in clumps under the creosote bushes and tiny lizards could be seen perched on rocks hunting for flies. A roadrunner dashed out of the underbrush as the company rode past, startling the horses and tearing off across the road to disappear from sight again.

“I don’t like this place,” Kheri muttered. “I feel like something’s watching me.”

Kaowin pulled his attention down from a highflying hawk and looked around. “There’s lots of things watching us. Lizards, snakes, those birds up there…”

“Very funny,” Kheri grumbled and glanced over his shoulder.

Kaowin shrugged. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Well I do,” Kheri snapped, feeling very out of sorts and far too much like an easy target. “There’s no 45