CHAPTER IX
"Greetings, Firemane." I found myself floating in a vast, black
emptiness, facing a bearded old man in voluminous blue robes.
He was fairly tall, standing only a few inches below the level
of my eyes, with white hair that wreathed his face almost the same way
my mane wreathed my own. From within what little of his face showed
through his beard, two eyes of withered blue seemed to drink in every
detail of my features, as though I were being evaluated in some manner.
He didn't seem afraid of me, rather, he seemed confident of himself, and
like Mikhal, he gave the impression that though many years had left their
mark, they had hardened him, not bent him.
"Who are you?" The feeling of standing on solid nothing was more
than a bit disconcerting. It must have shown on my face, because the old
man gestured, and a room wavered into existance around us.
"Is that better?" He asked, and I nodded. "There is a friend here
who wants to meet you." Another form came into being beside him, and in
a moment, resolved into a spectral image of Mikhal.
"Mikhal! I thought you were dead!" My friend laughed.
"Hells, son, it takes more'n angry mob to kill old Mikhal! But
what about you? The wizard said some strange things about what you've
been up to lately."
"You mean Diana."
"Aye, lad. I guess I shouda warned ya about those redheads!" We
shared a laugh, but the robed one cleared his throat meaningfully. "Oh,
right. I've found me way to this feller's tower, and he agreed to send
this... whatdyacallit?"
"A dream projection." The wizard supplied.
"Right. Well, I'm here with him, and if you'll come a'callin, we
can find somewhere to settle again. I've been thinking about showin' ya how
to fish."
"That's nice, but what about..."
"Hells, son, of course she can come too. In fact, you'll need her
to find your way here. You have her sniff out this tower, and you'll be
here in no time. The bloody place must reek of magic!" I had quite a few
questions I wanted to ask, but Mikhal vanished before I got the chance.
"Wha...?" I looked to the wizard for explanation.
"Bringing him into your dreams is very exhausting. But there will
be plenty of time to speak once you get here. Sleep well."
I told Diana about the dream the next day, and she seemed less than
happy to hear about it. I asked why she was so unenthusiastic.
"Firemane, my sister was a sorceress. Trust me, Mikhal doesn't
have to be alive for someone to send you an image of him. For one thing,
how did he know about me, and the fact that I can smell magic?" I realized
that she was right, and my feelings must have shown on my face, judging from
how she continued, "I'm not trying to kill your hope, but just don't rush
into his headlong. It could easily be a trap, and we just got out of one
cage!" Unfortunately, she made some good points, and I was forced to
review the vision I'd recieved.
"You know, there was something odd about Mikhal... He didn't sound
quite like himself. Even the way he talked was a little off, now that I
think about it." Diana nodded.
"Definately sounds like a trap."
"If you want, you can stay behind," I offered, "This is my friend, after
all, and I'm pretty sure I can handle anything that comes up." She just
laughed.
"Don't be silly, of course I'm coming. If it's a trap, I don't want to
miss out on the fun. If it isn't, I'd like to meet your friend. In any
case, how do you plan to find this place without me? Since when can you
smell magic?" Again, I was forced to admit that she had a point. "Come to
think of it, how am I going to find it? It's not like tracking a person,
since you can't just look at where it's been. This could be harder than...
ugh!" Her forepaws went up to cover her nose. "Never mind," she said, "I
think I've got it. Great Gaia, but that stinks! The breeze that's carrying
it is coming from the East." We both set off in that direction, and covered
quite a distance before Diana suddenly stopped.
"Firemane, doesn't this seem just a little bit too convenient? I mean,
I mention that I might have a hard time finding it, and suddenly a breeze
comes up, which just happens to carry the scent?"
"Well... perhaps you're right. Could it be that the wizard is helping
us?"
"Yes, but why not just take us there? If the wizard is really that
powerful, then teleportation should be fairly simple."
"I wouldn't know, I'm afraid. I haven't had much experience with magic,
you know."
"Well, you can take my word for it, because I've had more experience
with magic then I've wanted."
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"What else? Keep going, and keep on your toes." I laughed at her joke.
The way our legs were built, we both stood with all of our weight balanced
forward on our feet, so that our stance somewhat resembled a human standing
on tip-toes.
I continued to follow her as she followed the scent. Eventually we
passed near a village, and at one point we came out into a large meadow.
Children from the village were playing in the field, kicking a large red
ball back and forth. When the spotted us they turned and fled, their
shrieks of joy replaced with terror. Diana and I were in a more melancholy
mood after that. It hurts in a way I can't quite describe when children
run in fear of you. We moved on quickly after that, to avoid meeting the
children's parents, who might be inclined more to anger than fear.
Diana was convinced that we were getting closer, and from the
distasteful look on her face, I'd have to agree with her. I remain
grateful that I cannot smell magic as she can, although the ability has
come in handy on many occasions since. From what she tells me, magic
generally doesn't smell good.
After a week of traveling, we came to the edge of the forest. Before
us was the great Eastern Plain. Neither of us had considered that we would
have to leave the forest, and we were both uneasy about it. The forest had
provided shelter and solace for us, hiding us and feeding us. We hesitantly
left the forest, walking out into the bright afternoon sunlight.
The plains were a beautiful sight. Waist high grasses waved and
rippled in the wind as far as the eye could see, in an ocean of gold. Once
I got used to being out of the forest, I quickly grew to like the plains.
It felt as if I were meant for the terrain.
Following instinct, I crouched down, and bounded away through the
grasses. I turned and watched Diana. She had turned away to look back at
the forest, and had missed seeing me hide. When she turned back around,
she did something I didn't expect. She screamed. She started trembling and
she fell to a crouch, crying. I jumped up and ran back as fast as I could
to see what was the matter. For all her crying, she was not pleased to see
me.
"Diana, what's wrong?"
"What the Hells did you think you were doing?" She cried. "You scared
the blasted life out of me, that's what's wrong! I thought you had left me,
or... or..." I licked her nose so she didn't have to finish.
"Diana, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be that upset, or even that
you wouldn't be able to see me. I acted without thinking, and I apologize."
She was still trembling, so I knelt down and held her until she stopped
crying. I felt horrible for frightening her.
"I'm sorry too, Firemane. I overreacted. It's just that I was alone
for so long before I met you, and I don't think I could ever live like that
again." We both sat there for a while, and the sun moved lower in the sky.
Diana finally brushed the last traces of tears from her eyes, and we started
following the scent again. We stopped again for the night when the sun
started to sink below the horizon. We lay in the tall grass, watching the
sky above us explode with purple, pink, and orange hues as the sun set. It
was one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen, excluding the one laying
beside me, of course. I looked at Diana and told her as much. She brushed
her face across mine in a gesture we found to be much more intimate, and
practical, than trying to kiss. We fell asleep together, hidden in the deep
grass.
The next day I woke up to the feeling of Diana's sun-warmed fur next to
me. I looked over at her, and was struck again by the exotic beauty of my
companion. Sadly, we needed to get moving, so I gently nudged her to wake
her up. She yawned and stretched, and promptly buried her face in my chest-
fur and tried to go back to sleep. She looked so perfectly content that I
didn't have the heart to try to wake her again, so I just lay there while
she slept. She finally stirred to wakefulness and blinked sleepily in the
late morning light. I chuckled, and she asked what was so funny.
"You are, silly. You look so cute when you wake up."
"Cute?" She didn't remember me trying to wake her the first time, so
I filled her in. She looked slightly embarrassed. "I thought the ground
was a little too warm and soft. You make a great pillow," She teased. I
brushed faces with her, and she pushed me away. "We do need to get moving,
I take it? Then stop trying to get side-tracked!" We both laughed, and
started toward the tower again.
After a few more days of this, we came to a hill, which stood out from
the otherwise flat landscape, and we decided to bed down there for the
night. I stood on the top of the hill, and found that I could see for
amazing distances all around. I could see the forest behind us, now far
in the distance. I could also see something else, to the east. A large
herd of animals was heading slowly toward us. I figured this could take
care of our food needs for a while. I pointed them out to Diana, and she
noticed something else. Not far from the herd there was a group of
smaller creatures. This group seemed to be heading for the herd. I
shrugged, and said that I guessed there were enough of the animals to go
around. Diana agreed, and we curled up together and fell asleep for the
night.
The next day we were awakened by a sound like thunder. Unlike the
previous mornings, Diana was wide awake and alert almost instantly. We
looked to the sky, prepared to get soaked by a storm, but the sky was clear.
Confused, we looked around for the source of the sound.
"Sweet Shani!" I exclaimed when I finally located the noise. The slow
moving animals we'd seen before were running straight for us. In the
distance behind them, the other group was feasting on several of the beasts
that they had killed or had been trampled by the others. We prepared to
defend ourselves as best we could, but fortunately the creatures parted
around the hill we were on. Up close they were quite ugly beasts, and they
had a foul, stale odor about them. I counted us lucky that we hadn't had to
deal with them up close, because although they looked like fairly dumb
herd animals, they had nasty looking horns. In fact, they resembled
oversized, shaggy bulls. As slow as the herd had been moving the day
before, it took only a few minutes for them to rush past us now. When the
dust finally settled behind them, we decided to move on, but be more
cautious.
I lamented that we couldn't have caught the herd before it decided to
run like that, since hunting for a decent meal among the grasses was
difficult, considering the size of the game.
After we had been traveling for a few more hours, Diana pointed out
that the other group of animals was moving toward us. I had noticed that
too, but I didn t see what we could do about it. It's not like we could
hide from them in the open plain, or find anywhere to run to. All we could
do is meet them head-on and hope that they were either reasonable or sated
from their earlier feast.
As we drew closer, we finally got a good look at what we were up
against, and this time it was something we both recognized. Lycanthropes,
a whole pack of them. Two or three of them seemed to be in their light
phase, almost human, but most of them were either half-phase or in full
phase, which meant that this could be trouble. A were-wolf in its full
phase of the moon was not a good thing to tangle with. However,
Lycanthropes can usually go a few days without a meal, and this group had
just gorged itself, so I was hopeful that we could come away from this
without bloodshed. When the sun was a bit farther along in its path, we
came close enough to talk. We stood apart for a moment, each side sizing
up the other. I decided to start the conversation.
"Hello, I'm Firemane and this is Diana. We are on our way through
the plains and have no quarrel with you." Their leader, who must have been
nearly full phase, listened and grinned. I saw that it was going to be one
of those days again.
"I am Rr'ral. You are prey." And with that simple pronouncement,
they rushed forward. They took us by surprise, and Diana and I were
separated. They maneuvered us apart, and then encircled me.
"Cowards!" I spat. "Rr'ral!" I called out as they rushed toward me,
"Are you brave enough to face me without a mob at your back?" They all
stopped, and froze. Then Rr'ral broke the stillness, and howled.
They didn't attack, but waited for Rr'ral to come into the circle. The
others moved back, making a wide ring. I began to understand. Rr'ral and I
would fight alone first. I guessed it was some sort of territorial
tradition. I quickly glanced around, and saw Diana standing outside the
ring, wondering what to do. I motioned for her to stay still for the moment,
and see how things went. I had a strange feeling of having done this
before.
Rr'ral began moving to the left in a slow arc, and I had to move with
him, to keep him in front of me. We both made small feints and jabs,
testing each other's defenses. After a few minutes of this, he snarled and
leapt forward, and the fight began for real. He was strong, fast and
vicious, and he had no compunctions about trying to bite. However, he tried
that tactic less frequently after I started slashed his muzzle open. The
third time he snapped at me, I opened a large gash across his nose, and saw
his eyes begin to water from the pain. He tried a different approach,
slamming into me and knocking me down.
I was back up instantly, and we grappled hand to hand. I noticed that
when I'd gone down, the circle had started to close in. I got the impression
that if I fell and didn't get back up, the entire pack would lay into me.
That was not a pretty image. Going hand-to-hand was a mistake on Rr'ral's
part, since I had a greater arm-strength. His only advantage was that his
hands were more human-like, and had a better grip. I managed to twist my
right arm out of his hold. There was no way for him to defend against my
next attack, since I was already inside his guard, and I drew a deep, long
slash across his chest. He literally howled with pain, and lunged toward
my throat with his jaws, intent on ripping out my throat. Fortunately,
having seen Diana fight, I was expecting him to try this, so I ducked under
his snapping teeth, and slammed upward, pouncing into his chest, knocking
him onto his back, with me on top of him. The Pack started closing in,
and from the waves of fear I could smell from Rr'ral, this time they
weren't after me. Crouched on all fours on my prey's chest I raised my
head and ROARED my victory, the fury of battle rousing my instincts. The
Pack howled in response, and dove in to finish Rr'ral off.
"NO!" I blazed, barely understandable through my bared teeth, "HE'S
MINE!" I saw something, just before I would have begun savaging my fallen
foe, that brought me back from the edge. Diana was standing there, just
looking at me. Everything seemed to freeze, so that we were the only people
still moving, and she just slowly shook her head. I looked down at Rr'ral,
lying helpless beneath me, and I was suddenly ashamed. I'd almost let
myself become the animal others accused me of being. I climbed off of
Rr'ral, thinking to show him mercy, and the Pack suddenly rushed in, intent
on killing their fallen comrade.
"Stop!" I yelled, not expecting them to listen. Much to my surprise,
they did. They formed into a circle around me, and bowed. "What's going
on?" I demanded. One of them spoke.
"You have bested the Alpha in a challenge. That makes you
the new Alpha. We follow you now." This was slightly more than I'd
bargained for.
"I don't want to lead your pack! I just wish to pass on my way!" The
whole Pack began muttering and growling softly in confusion. I guessed that
this sort of thing had never come up before. The one who spoke earlier led
them away to discuss the matter, leaving Rr'ral lying battered on the ground.
This gave Diana a chance to question me.
"Firemane, what happened to you? Even when you were fighting Shaloc,
you never acted like that."
"I... don't honestly know, Diana. Maybe I'm just sick of being
attacked for no reason, and I got caught in the Pack's frenzy." I brushed
my face against hers, and drew her into my arms, "Thank you for stopping me.
I would have regretted killing him."
"Just please try not to do that again. You frightened me." We sat to
wait for the Pack's decision as the sun sank into an explosion of light.
Amazing, that one could grow accustomed to such beauty so quickly. The
stars were just beginning to emerge when the Pack returned.
"We have decided that this shall be as a fight in which both challengers
die. You are a friend of our Pack, and if ever you require our assistance,
it will be yours. Rr'ral will be left where he is. Do not try to help him.
If he survives on his own, he may rejoin the Pack. If he accepts your help,
he is an outcast forever. Fare well, Pack-friend." They turned as one to
leave. I called to them to wait.
"Rr'ral said that we were the ones you were looking for. Why were you
looking for us?" The one who had acted as speaker for the Pack began to
answer, but a snarl from within the crowd stopped him. He made submissive
gestures to the one who had growled, and let him answer me.
"The Pack's concern is hunting. Often, we hunt not only for food but
for coin. Rr'ral was offered a reward to find you and bring you to a place."
"What place? Who offered?"
"That is not for us to know. The Alpha knew, and we followed. Now he
has fallen, and a new Alpha must arise. Now we will leave." They turned
again and loped off, some upright and some on all fours.
"Great," I muttered to Diana, "We know someone wants us dead, and I
just knocked the only one who knows who unconscious."
"Well, why don't you ask him when he wakes up?"
"You mean if he survives."
"I'm sure he'll wake up eventually, with a little..."
"Diana, you remember what they said." I warned, "If we help him in any
way, he's an outcast. I wouldn't do that to him."
"He's going to die, Firemane! I can't just stand here and watch him
die, can I?" I looked at her, and saw that she had the answer already
decided, and was being rhetorical.
"You don't know that he's going to die. I have a few scratches that
say he's tougher than you think. Besides, he's a lycanthrope. As he nears
his full phase, he heals much more rapidly." She just stared back at me.
I sighed loudly. "No, I suppose you can't just watch him suffer. And as
long as you're going to help him, I might as well help too. Just don't be
surprised if he doesn't thank you for it." She just looked at me strangely,
and I saw that she still didn't understand. "I hate to disillusion you,
dearest, but he may not want to live, not without the Pack. Remember how
lonely you were when you were alone, the only one of your kind?" She
frowned, but nodded. "Well imagine if instead you had a small group of
people like you, but they refused to have anything to do with you, and all
because someone helped you. Imagine how much worse that could feel." I saw
that she was beginning to see my point, but she still felt she had to help.
"I understand that, Firemane, really I do, but I just can't leave him
like this. I just can't!"
"I know you can't, Diana, and I love you for it. I realized that from
the start. I'm just trying to keep you from being hurt when he turns on you.
But, so be it. Let's see what we can do." She nodded, and perked up, and we
did what little we could for Rr'ral.
"I still don't understand the way the lycanthopes acted, though," I
commented as we worked.
"What do you mean?"
"That business with the circle, and killing their fallen leader. It
doesn't make any sense." Diana shrugged.
"They're like wolves that way, I guess. Just like I'm a fox and you're
a lion."
"But normal wolves don't act like that." I protested, "They're acting
the way humans assume wolves behave... the way the Wolf acts in all the
children's stories Mikhal used to tell me."
"I always thought wolves DID act like that." Diana replied, "When did
you become an expert on wolf behavior?" I shook my head, puzzled.
"I don't know. Now that I think about it, I don't know that I've ever
actually seen a wolf. Maybe you're right."
Despite our best efforts, and the natural healing abilities of a
lycanthrope, he was still unconcious when night fell. Diana and I decided
to take turns at sleeping, to make sure he didn't wake up while we slept
and kill us in our sleep. I took the first watch, then woke Diana when the
night seemed about half over. It didn't take me long to get to sleep.
********************************************************
R'rall stood before me, broad shouldered and proud, defying me.
The rest of the pack stood behind him, laughing, mocking my authority. I
strode forward, looking for a sign of submission.
I found none.
"We will not yield to you, Stormsinger." The wolf spoke, and I knew
then that this was not R'rall. "We are wolves, proud and free. My men obey
me, for I am the Alpha. And I don't obey anyone." My hand shot out, as if
by its own will, and I lifted him off the ground. My hand twisted, and I
heard a sickening crack as the wolf I held went limp. I released him, and
he crumpled to the ground. Throughout the pack, silence reigned.
"I am Alpha." I declared, and none dared to contradict me. "You will
obey me, or you will die." I felt their eyes on me, their fear, their
unwilling respect. A part of me was sickened by what I'd just done.
The rest of me wanted more.
********************************************************
Diana shook me awake, and nodded to where R'rall was beginning to
move again. Shaking away the last of my nightmare, I stood and joined her
as the werewolf opened his eyes. He saw us standing above him, and he
jumped up to attack us. His knees gave way beneath him, and he hit the
ground again. He snarled at us, and we respectfully kept our distance. He
noticed that his wounds had been licked clean. He growled, saliva dripping
from his jaws, and demanded to know what had happened.
"I won."
"Then why aren't you with the Pack?"
"I have no desire to lead the Pack. I just wanted you to leave me the
Hells alone, but you couldn't do that, could you?" He ignored that.
"If you aren't with the Pack, who is Alpha?"
"They are choosing a new leader, and they consider us both to have
fallen."
"Then... My cuts, you cleaned them?"
"Yes." He sank back to the ground, a look of anguish crossing his face.
"Beating me wasn't enough?!? You had to dishonor me, exile me, as
well? Damn you!" Diana stepped forward in my defense. I tried to stop her,
but she was already speaking.
"I cleaned your wounds. Firemane only helped me after I'd already
begun. If you need someone to be angry with, let it be me." Hearing this,
he jumped back to his feet.
"I'll kill you, then, and to Hells with the wizard's payment. This is
a matter of honor.." He broke off as he struck the ground, with me on top
of him, claws already extended into his throat.
"You'll do no such thing!" I roared, "If I ever so much as smell your
shaggy hide near her, I'll rip you open, and you'll wish I'd let the Pack
kill you! I don't know about your honor, which didn't stop you from trying
to kill us, but I do know that thanks to her, you live. Now if you have a
death-wish, I'll oblige you. Otherwise, you had better...not...ever...touch
her!" I punctuated the last five words by smacking his head against the
ground.
I retracted my claws from his flesh, and jumped lightly off of him,
allowing him to stand. He felt his neck, where he was bleeding from small
punctures. He growled softly at me, and I growled back. We locked gazes,
and after several minutes, he glanced away. Diana cleared her throat loudly,
sounding thoroughly disgusted with our posturing.
"If you two are finished with the male territorial thing, Firemane, we
really should find out why he was looking for us. Unless, of course, the
two of you need to sniff each other, or mark trees or something." She
looked at me and rolled her eyes in exasperation. I realized she was right,
and reluctantly nodded.
"All right, then, why were you looking for us? We already know you were
hired as mercenaries to kill us, but who hired you, and why?" I saw that
Rr'ral wasn't going to be cooperative. I was going to force him to answer,
but Diana intervened.
"No, Firemane, don't. This has gone far enough. You," she nodded to
Rr'ral, "Go. Don't bother us again, or I won't stand in his way next time.
In fact, I'll probably help him. And if you meet the man who hired you,
tell him we're coming." Rr'ral seemed confused, but realized that he was
outnumbered and probably out-classed. He ran off, without a backward
glance.
"Firemane," Diana began. I held my paw to her lips to stop her.
"I know, I keep acting strange. I honestly don't know why, but R'ral
puts me on edge. I did warn you, didn't I, that he wouldn't be happy?" It
was her turn to sigh.
"You did, yes, and you were right. But, as I said..."
"You had to do something, I know. I understand, and believe me, I do
love you for it, but I doubt Rr'ral feels the same way. Why, for gods'
sakes, did you let him go?"
"Because I already know who most likely sent him."
"Who? Not Shaloc again, I hope!" She smiled at that, and shook her
head.
"No, not Shaloc. Like I said before, he has enough problems without
worrying about us. Aside from the two of us, who knows where we are going,
or why, or that we even exist?" Feeling rather dense, I had to admit that I
couldn't think of anyone. "Well, where are we heading?"
"To see Mikhal, at the wizard's tow... Oh." She licked my nose and
brushed faces with me to make me feel better.
"You were a little too caught up in yelling at Rr'ral to notice, lover,
but he mentioned getting paid by a wizard." I nodded.
"I was a little too caught up in yelling, period. When he threatened
you, I got angry... I know you can take care of yourself, of course, but..."
I stopped, because I didn't know how to explain, and the look on her face
said that no explanation was needed.
"Remember when Shaloc had you, and I had to wade through half his
people to get to you?" I nodded. "Well, I told you I 'sorta lost it'. I've
never felt quite like that ever before, and I never want to feel like that
again. I frightened myself almost as much as I did them, and I was afraid
for a minute that I wouldn't be able to stop, that I'd have to keep on
killing, and killing, and killing..." she shuddered, and I hugged her to
give her comfort. "Ever since I've been worried, worried that, even though
we aren't beasts, perhaps we could be. Perhaps we're already on our way
there."
"Darling one, I wish I could say you were wrong. It's true, though,
that I've been acting without thinking lately, just going on instinct. Ever
since we got on these damned plains, come to think of it." She pulled back
from my embrace, and looked up at me.
"Lions do often live in the plains... perhaps this, and not the forest,
is you natural setting. Maybe you are simply remembering things from...
before."
"Much as I'd like to believe that, I can't see why I'd start remembering
things now. However, you may be right, this place does seem very natural to
me. Even my fur blends in." She dropped the subject and we continued for a
couple of hours before finally lying down for what remained of the night.
*******************
I lay low against the ground, letting the tall grasses hide me from
view. I could see my prey in front of me, one of the large striped horses,
caught away from the herd. Not the best taste, but it was all I could find,
and at least it was warm and on the hoof. I crept slowly forward, pausing
occasionally as the prey looked up. I finally got close enough, I was about
to pounce, and then it jerked its head around, and I could see that it
smelled me. Strange, I was downwind, and he shouldn't be able to. Not that
it mattered, I was ready for it anyway. I leapt out of hiding, and slammed
into the side of the beast. It was fairly sturdy, since it wobbled yet
stayed upright. I realized I was going to have to do this the hard way, so
I latched on with my claws and began trying to knock it down.
Suddenly the entire situation felt strange... why not simply stand up
and attack it that way?... but then it passed, and I was left with the task
at paw. It might have escaped, if unexpected help had not arrived. A young
lioness ran out from grasses on the other side of the animal, which explained
what it had scented earlier. Of course, now was not the time to chide her
for being a sloppy huntress. Together, we easily took down the striped
beast, and we eagerly began eating. While we ate, I was thinking. A female
implied a pride nearby... which was just what I was looking for... wasn't it?
I shook my head to clear it, and the entire landscape took on a surreal cast.
*************************
I jerked awake. It was mid-morning, and Diana was asleep beside me.
I looked over at my drowsing beloved and found myself ashamed for dreaming
of another female. I then stood and stretched to clear the haze from my
brain. Another female? That was a lioness, a honest-to-gods lioness, not
a woman! At any rate, the dream was strange enough without worrying about
things like that. Still, I found myself both glad and slightly let-down
that the dream had ended so soon. Instantly, I chided myself for being
unfaithful, even in my strangest dreams.
My self-beratement ended as Diana rolled over to wrap me around her
for warmth, and didn't find me there. She glanced around, squinting, with
her fur rumpled and in disarray. I quickly forgot all about wayward
lionesses and sat down next to her with a soft chuckle. I expected her to
put her head in my lap and fall immediately back to sleep, as usual. This
time, however, she stayed awake and pulled herself into my lap, and we
sat there for some time, just enjoying each other's presence, while I
groomed her touseled fur. Finally she got up and we made our way once more
toward the tower.
After a few weeks of uneventful travel, the plains gradually
gave way to wooded hills and some small habitations. Again we
passed near a village, and some playing children caught sight of
us. They stopped their game and ran, all except one boy. We saw
the children running back to the village, probably to summon
their parents, but I couldn't resist. I walked a few steps
closer to the boy, waved, and wished him a good afternoon. His
jaw dropped considerably, and then he heard someone from the
village call him, and he too ran, although perhaps not in fear.
We quickly continued on our way.
Diana was certain that we were only a few days away from the
tower. Unfortunately, the scent was so overwhelming that she
could no longer tell which direction it was coming from. We
seemed to be at a standstill for the time being. Fortunately, I
came up with an idea, which, while dangerous, had a slim chance
of working. We only had to wait to find what I was looking for.
Finally, we passed a clothes line where a woman was hanging out
her laundry.
I gently approached her from behind as Diana walked out in
front of her. She started to scream, but I put my paw over her
mouth. She became very quiet very fast, although that may have
been more from the fact that she saw that my paw actually was a
paw, and quite furry. Diana began to talk to her in a calm,
perfectly reasonable voice.
"Good lady, we mean you no harm. We are in need of
assistance, and we thought that perhaps you could help us. If
you agree not to scream, my friend there will take his hand off
your mouth, all right?" She nodded, and I let go. She turned
and saw me, and I did my best to look friendly.
"Y..You aren't deamons?" she quavered.
"No," I answered, keeping my voice as low as possible. "We
are just people traveling through. We are looking for a wizard's
tower. It's possible that a friend of mine is there. Is there
such a tower nearby?" She nodded, and I tried to think of some
way to show my appreciation, but I couldn't think of any gestures
that wouldn't frighten her. "Can you please tell us where?" She
gave us general directions on how to get within visual distance of
the tower. She described what she knew of the tower, and I noticed
that if the tower were as tall as she described it, we should be
able to see it by now. I asked her about this.
"I know, you're right. None of us have ever been able to
figure it out either. Of course, he is a wizard!"
"He who? Do you know his name?"
"Well, maybe I should say was, you see his name is Jolan
Iccarus, or something like that, I'm horrible with names you see,
and nobody's seen or heard from him in months, ever since he left
to talk to his wizard friends. There are lots of rumors about
his tower now, but none that I'd trust, if you take my meaning."
We thanked her, and turned to leave.
"Wait!" she called out. We stopped to see what she wanted.
"You can't go about looking like that! You'll scare anyone who
sees you half to death!" We looked at each other. She waved her
hands at us as if we'd spoken, "No, I mean people who don't know
you, of course." We admitted she had a point, but we couldn't do
much about what we looked like. "Well, here, take these." She
ran into her house and came out with a bundle of cloth. "These
are our spare winter cloaks, my husband's and mine. They
probably won't fit right, but they should cover your heads and
most of your body, so people might not stare." Again we thanked
her.
"You are the only decent human being we've met so far,
excluding my friend Mikhal. It pleases me to know you." Unable
to find any other gesture of respect, I bowed. She laughed and
curtseyed back, and told us to get going.
We followed her directions, and were thankful for the
cloaks, since several times we were forced to pass human
travelers, which would have been... awkward otherwise. We
rounded a turn in the road, and suddenly a tower stood over us,
not too far distant, it's base lost in a thick grove of trees.
We exchanged puzzled glances, and backtracked a few steps. The
tower faded out of view. We stepped forward again, and the tower
re-appeared. We were so absorbed in our study of the mystery of
the tower that we didn't notice that we had company.
"You must be new here," he remarked, causing us to nearly
jump out of our furs, "You can always tell the new folks, 'cause
they always do what you just did. They see the tower pop up,
they back away, and they walk toward it again, just to see if it
would go away and come back. I say it's just a trick of the
light, but then, the guy that lives there is a wizard, right?"
We both nodded, and he continued his monologue. "You two sure
are a quiet couple. Not that I'm one to complain, mind you, I
like quiet folks well enough. Here, why don't you pull back your
hoods and let a fellow talk to your faces?" I looked over at
Diana, but thanks to her cloak I could see nothing of her
expression, so I decided to try the direct approach.
"Very well, good traveler, but remember that you asked." I
pulled back my hood, and he gasped. "You see, we have a reason
for wearing the cloaks."
"D-D-Deamons!" he stammered. Diana took offense, and tossed
back her hood.
"No, we aren't deamons, but we get that a lot. I am Diana,
and this is Firemane. We were on our way to see the wizard." He
calmed, and nodded, as if he were unsurprised by this further
revelation.
"If you aren't deamons, then you needin' to see Mister
Occarius is understandable. Which is it, you askin' him to put
you back the way you were, or you gonna fix him for putting you
like you are now?"
"Neither, I assure you." I replied, "We are merely meeting a
friend of mine at his tower. You wouldn't happen to know how you
get in, would you? I'm afraid I can't see an entrance from
here." He gave a short laugh, and nodded.
"That's because it's hidden, just like the tower was hidden.
You gotta get to the trees before you see it, but it's on this
side. Local legend has it that there's a test or somethin' that
you have to do before you get inside, but that's not from the
most solid sources, you understand." We thanked him, and put our
hoods back up. We waved to him, and then he rounded the bend in
the road, and was gone.
"Two humans who haven't tried to kill us in one day. Now
what are the odds on that, do you think?" Diana smiled.
"Probably a few million to one, but maybe our luck is
improving. I sure hope so, anyway!" I ran my hand lightly along
her jaw, and we walked paw-in-paw down the remaining stretch of
road, until the road turned away from the tower. Just as the
traveler had said, as soon as we entered the grove, a set of
large brass doors became visible. Not knowing what else to do, I
walked up and knocked lightly on the door. A beam of light burst
forth from a small silver skull set above the door, and Diana and
I were momentarily bathed in a soft, silver warmth. Then the
beam stopped just as suddenly as it began, and the doors swung
ponderously inward.
We stepped into the dark portal, and found ourselves in a
large torchlit foyer. At the far end of the foyer was a
stairwell, and doors led off to either side. We decided to
explore the floor we were on as well as possible before
ascending, just to be cautious. Making a random decision, we
decided to open the right-side door first.
Inside, we found a dining room, with places set for nine.
In front of each chair, we found a placard bearing a name. The
head of the table was reserved for a Master Jolan Occarius, and
to the left and right of that seat, respectively, Diana and I had
seats assigned to us. We glanced over the other placards, but,
as expected, we found none that we recognized.
"Well, my dear, it seems that we are expected. Perhaps
Rr'ral beat us here?" I said to my beautiful companion.
"Not likely, loved one, but possible. More likely, though,
that the Wizard either left this table like this awaiting our
arrival, or that he simply detected us earlier. As people around
here are fond of pointing out, he is a wizard." As usual, I
conceded that she had a point, and we left to check the door on
the left.
Inside we found Nothing. What we had assumed to be a dark
room was simply non-existent. I stuck my arm into the pitch-
black doorway, and we had to jerk it back out quickly, as the
darkness eagerly began to suck me into itself. We closed that
door, and decided that we should probably explore elsewhere. We
entered the stairwell, and discovered that we were not on the
lowest floor, which gave us an interesting dilemma. Should we
proceed up, or down? We decided to climb up, since we really
didn't relish finding what our erstwhile host might have in his
basement. We climbed the stairs until we found a heavy wooden
door mounted in the wall. It had no lock, and we soon found
ourselves in a large hallway, with a row of doors on both sides.
A quick but cautious inspection revealed that the rooms were
bedrooms and closets of a very mundane nature. It seems that our
host had luxuriant tastes, to judge from some of his linens and
the massive canopy bed he had. Pleased to find nothing perilous
on this floor, we returned to the stairs and climbed to the next
level up.
On this floor, too, we found a heavy door which led to a
hallway, with rows of doors on either side. We opened a few of
the doors to discover that this floor was quite different from
the one below it. Each door opened on a different landscape.
The first revealed a mountainside view, but from above the
mountain. While I am not, by nature, afraid of heights, I found
it extremely unpleasant to see a vast gap between the floor of
the hallway and the mountainsides. Closing that door, and
opening another, we found ourselves staring at a forest meadow.
Another door led to a pitch-black cavern, from which we could
hear the flapping of leathery wings and the dripping of water.
Yet another door showed the bottom of a lake, gloomy and dark,
which was quite interesting, as it appeared that we were facing a
wall of water, held rigidly in place. Leaving that floor, and
climbing upwards again, we came to another floor so identical to
it that we thought we had been transported backward by some
magic. However, upon opening the doors, we found different
landscapes than before, this time a castle, the plains we had
just crossed, a smithy, and a busy marketplace in a large city.
Not quite daring to step through any of these doorways,
especially following our experience on the ground level, we
climbed for a final time to the top level of the tower. At
least, we assumed it to be the top level, since the stairs met
the ceiling a few meters farther up.
Inside, we were momentarily blinded, as the room was filled
with warm, bright afternoon sunlight. When our eyes adjusted, we
saw a man in blue robes reclining in a chair in the middle of
the room. He noticed our arrival, and welcomed us.
"Ah, there you are at last! I have been waiting for you.
We shall embark on a grand journey, we three." I didn't like the
way this was starting out.
"Where is Mikhal? Is he here?" I demanded. He looked
surprised and taken aback for a moment, but then a look of
understanding dawned on his face.
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot I sent that. Sorry, a minor
deception, but I had to get you here somehow! Anyway, that's not
important now, and... what's that sound?" He finally noticed
that I was growling. At least this time, I was able to restrain
myself from rushing forward. "Oh, I see. You're upset. Perhaps
I should explain?"
"You'd bloody well better explain!" Diana snapped, before I
could reply. "Do you have any idea what we've been through to
get here? Do you know just how putrid this place smells?"
"Smells? Oh, yes, I forgot... wait, let me get out of this
light." He walked out through a small door set in the wall
behind him. We followed, determined not to let him out of sight.
"There now." He continued, noticeably more coherent, "As to the
smell, I can fix that." He spoke a few words and gestured in
Diana's direction.
"What was that?" Diana asked, sneezing heavily.
"That was me removing the magical trail that led you here.
I must apologize, I was in the middle of something when you arrived,
so I was slightly unfocused. Now that we have left the Solarium, I
can concentrate more on conversation. If you didn't already
know, I am Jolan Occarius." I grew more than a little bit
impatient.
"Where is Mikhal?" I practically snarled.
"Hmmm? Oh, yes, that. As I said before, a necessary
deception. Your friend Mikhal isn't really here." He must have
realized that I was about to turn vicious on him, because he
hastily added, "He is alive! I know where he is. That's one of
the reasons I brought you here. I had to see if you were as
powerful as I believed you to be." Diana broke in again.
"Then you did send Rr'ral after us?" He nodded.
"I'm afraid that worked out very differently from what I
expected." He turned to me. "Whatever possessed you to
challenge him to personal combat?"
"Well, truth be told, that wasn't my intention. I just
wanted to point out that one against twenty wasn't exactly an
honorable fight."
"Yes, well, I had hoped that having them overwhealm you
would give me another chance to observe your latent abilities."
"My what?" He looked sidelong at me, and smirked.
"How do you think you escaped from that cage?"
"I assumed it was struck by lightning," I answered, "At
least, it seemed that way."
"Well, in a way it was, except that the lightning didn't
come from the sky. It came from inside you."
"What?" Diana and I exclaimed at the same time.
"You have a latent magical ability, which for some reason is
suppressed except in extreme situations. This means that you
build up an amazing amount of raw Power, and then release it in a
large burst, hence the appearance of a lightning strike." Diana
was looking at me oddly.
"Then Firemane is a.. a Magus?" Jolan laughed.
"Hardly that. His power is similar in nature to yours, in
that it isn't a voluntary thing. Just as you can smell magic, he
stores and releases it." She still looked puzzled.
"Then why couldn't I smell his magic use?" I answered this
one.
"Because the burst of power burned my fur, and because you
weren't in the most attentive state at the time, remember?" She
accepted this, and our host attempted to turn the conversation to
other matters.
"I believe you've explored downstairs?" We nodded, and he
continued, "Then you've seen the dining hall arrangements, and
you know that I expect a few more people to show up. As I said
before, we are to embark on a quest of great importance, but we
must wait on the others. Until then, consider yourselves my
guests." We gave him minimal attention as we whispered to each
other. When he finished, I signaled Diana that I was ready, and
I picked Jolan up by his throat, keeping my claws retracted.
Jolan closed his eyes for a moment, and Diana snorted. I half-
extended my claws, just enough for the Mage to feel them.
"None of that, Magus." I growled, "Now that you've finished
your little speech, we'd like a few real answers. Don't try
anything, because, as you are well aware, Diana can smell your
magic. Her nose so much as twitches and you get a few new ways
to breath, do you understand?" He nodded, quite painfully, I
would imagine, and I lowered him slowly to the ground. As soon
as his feet were on the ground, he began trying to surreptitiously
gesture with his fingers, mumbling as softly as possible the words
of a spell. Even if Diana hadn't sneezed, I would have guessed he
was trying something, so I gave him a light swat on his shoulders,
not even hard enough to knock him over.
"I said none of that, Wizard! Now, you said Mikhal lives,
and you know the place. Tell us!" Jolan shrugged.
"Certainly. You merely had to ask. Your friend is being
held in one of the dungeons of the Thenic Republic, far to the
south-west of here."
"How in all Hells did he get there?"
"He was tried and convicted of consorting with deamons." The
look he gave me was the most sardonic I'd ever seen. "I'm sure
you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"How did he get to the Thenic Republic? That's far to the
south of his village."
"Well that's the funny thing about that border. It has a
habit of moving wherever it pleases. He and several other refugees
from the fire were picked up by a scouting party, who took them
captive as spies."
"Spies in their own land?"
"Well, the Republic is that kind of place. Now," he
motioned to my paws, which were still loosely wrapped around his
neck, "If you would be so kind as to remove those, I'll tell you
what I had in mind for rescuing him." Reluctantly, I released
him. After making such a journey following a false trail, I
really wanted to hurt something. Preferably him. "Thank you,"
he said, after rubbing his neck. "Now, the problem here is that
the Republic is very sensitive about people using magic inside
it's borders. Magi in the area tend to vanish in the night.
For that reason, I'm a little hesitant to go and get your friend
myself. However, since he's your friend, I thought that maybe
you could help him. Here's the deal. Since I brought you here
under false pretenses, I feel somewhat obligated..."
"Somewhat obligated?" Diana mocked in disbelief.
"Yes, well, I feel obligated to help you. I hope that,
afterward, when the time is right, you will be amenable to an
exchange of services."
"What kind of services?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nothing you haven't done before." He assured, "There is
someone I wish to assist, and the two of you would make a
most valuable addition to that effort. In return, I could give
you something that you want."
"What?" I prompted. I must admit, I was very intrigued.
"That is a matter for later, I'm afraid, and don't bother
trying to beat the answer out of me. You took me by surprise
once, but I wouldn't count on you doing it again."
"How can we trust you?" I asked, "You've already dragged us
halfway across the continent chasing shadows, what's to say this
isn't more of the same?" He shrugged.
"I can offer you no real assurances. However, I will tell
you that there are easier ways for me to get what I want. With
the magic I possess I could simply enslave you to my will, more
powerfully and effectively than any paltry Sorcerer, simply by
using a Pleasure spell." He turned to Diana, "You of all people
should understand the addictive quality of some Pleasures, I
would think." I saw Diana's face contort at the memory. He
went too far with that snide comment, and I jumped at him, intent
on teaching him a degree of respect for her. I was caught by a
blast of wind and held in mid-leap. Jolan hadn't even broken
into a sweat.
"Ah, I see a brief demonstration is in order. I won't use
Pleasure, since I find that a bit... distasteful, but here's
something else within your comprehension; Agony." He mumbled a
few arcane words and made a few gestures, and suddenly my body
felt as though my skin had been peeled back and someone was
dragging a coarse cloth along the raw, exposed nerves. The pain
increased, until my vision was blotted out with tears, and my
hearing diminished to a dull whine. Just when the Agony became
unbearable, it stopped completely, and I fell to the ground. I
heard soft padding footsteps, and then felt Diana doing what she
could to stop my shaking. When I could finally open my eyes, I
saw her looking down worriedly at me. I smiled to show her that
I was fine, and soon her warmth had dispelled the chill of the
pain.
Finally I stood up, and looked around for the source of my
torture. I found him crumpled in a ball, along the far wall, his
robes somewhat blackened. I looked to Diana for an explanation,
and she drew my attention to my fur, which was smoking again.
"I'm afraid what he said about you was true, Firemane. I
saw you do it. He stopped you in the air, and suddenly you
started quivering and your entire body went tense. You started
to glow blue, then white, then blue again, and you had this big
halo of energy around you. Then a huge ball of blue power
blasted from around you, and slammed right into the wizard. He
put up a shield right before he got hit, so I think he'll live.
You know, you didn't have to try to jump him for my sake. He
could have seriously hurt you." She smiled, and added, "I am
glad you blasted the Hells out of him, though. He did have
that coming."
"I wish I could say I'm glad I did it, but I feel horrible
right now. While he held me up like that, I felt pain like I've
never known before. It was... indescribably unpleasant."
"Well said, Firemane," Jolan muttered, as he stood up. "I
was wrong, it seems. You did, indeed, surprise me a second time.
It would not be wise to count on a third, of course, but then
again, after such a display of power I promise that I won't push
my luck anymore." He came closer, and turned to Diana, "Your
friend here was right, I was completely out of line, and I owe
you an apology. It was impolite, to say the least, to bring up a
subject so obviously painful. I beg your forgiveness."
"I accept your apology, Wizard. Now, if you don't mind, I,
for one, am hungry, and we have had quite a journey to get here."
Jolan bowed his head slightly in concession.
"Again I must apologize, this time for being an ungracious
host. Please, follow me. I've done my best to meet your tastes,
but I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I guessed. I hope the
arrangements are to your liking." He led us out through the
Solarium and led us up the stairs, which suddenly extended upward
for several more floors. When we questioned our host about this,
he just shrugged.
"This tower confuses even I. It has a sort of life to it,
you see. I inherited it from the wizard I was apprenticed to,
and he from his father, who acquired it gods only know how. I
don't know who built it, or how, but it has more floors than it
should possibly be able to, and sometimes they move around.
Usually if I find my path blocked, I just teleport to where I
want to be. It's been a while since I've had guests who weren't
Magi, but I should still have some teleportation medallions,
which will allow you to move freely within these walls."
"What about the floors below, where the doors lead to
different places?"
"They are sometimes handy, but unfortunately they only work
one-way. For me it's relatively easy to get back, since this is
my home, and I have a strong attachment to it, so teleportation
is fairly simple. For you, however, I wouldn't recommend
wandering through them. They change destinations on a fairly
random basis, so you might find yourself somewhere most
unexpected. Imagine, Firemane, if you suddenly appeared in the
middle of a crowded city square, how much panic that would cause.
The sight of it might even be worth getting trampled to death,
which is probably what would happen."
"All right! I wasn't going to try them anyway, you didn't
have to be so bloody graphic about it."
"I'm sorry, but others have had unfortunate experiences, and
I bear their deaths on my conscience. That's one of the reasons
I so rarely invite non-Magi to my tower." We lapsed into
silence, and continued our climb. Finally, Jolan stopped in
front of a door which looked almost identical to every other door
we'd passed. However, when he opened it, it led to a suite of
rooms, which Jolan indicated were our chambers.
"As I said, I hope I've arranged things to suit you. I
wasn't sure if you would be more comfortable with an open,
vaulted room, giving the illusion of being outdoors, or softer,
more... civilized furnishings, but I finally decided on this. If
you don't like anything, please, don't hesitate to mention it."
The room was spacious enough, with a comfortable looking bed, and
large, bowl-shaped chairs. Jolan showed us where everything was,
and told us that we would find food downstairs, in the kitchens.
He reached into his pockets, came up with nothing, frowned, and
blinked out of existence. Seconds later he reappeared with a
loud popping sound, and handed us small medallions. "To work
these, you simply say where you want to go, and then visualize
it. They have a few locations that you can go to without
visualization, since you haven't been to most places in the
tower. The kitchen, the solarium, although you've been there
already, the library, and the gardens can be reached simply by
saying them while holding the medallion tightly. Feel free to go
where you please, but be careful. There are some things in here
that are best left alone, so don't touch something if you don't
know what it is." I nodded in agreement, remembering my
experience on the first floor. Jolan waited while we got settled
in, and then excused himself to go do wizardly things.
We explored our rooms, which included a lavatory, sitting
room, and a bedroom, and found them to be quite comfortable. I'd
never experienced such luxury before, and a soft bed was a most
welcome change from sleeping on the ground, once I got used to
it. Diana discovered a door off from the lavatory which led to a
large bathing pool, which had knobs you could turn to produce
warm and cold water from a vent in the wall. We took turns
washing each other's backs, and we found oils and soaps set out
for us, which Diana used to scrub my fur quite heavily, to remove
both the singed smell and any lingering traces of the magical
scent. After shaking ourselves dry, and patting off the
remaining moisture with towels our host had thoughtfully
provided, we decided to postpone eating until the morning, and
retired to our bed.
I awoke sometime the next day, and stared uncomprehendingly
at my surroundings for a few minutes, until I realized where I
was. As usual, Diana was still asleep, and I playfully nuzzled
her face to wake her. She mumbled something unintelligible, and
snaked her body closer to me. She sleepily put her arms around
me and I lay there silently as she clung to me. I imagine I
looked quite a bit like an oversized child's doll. After a while
she let go of me and stretched. I brushed my face against hers,
and wished her a good morning.
"'Morning, Firemane," She yawned, "What do you say we hunt
up something to eat? I'm famished."
"I doubt if we'll have to hunt anything in the kitchen,
dear, but knowing this place you can't be too sure. Well, let's
try these medallions." We picked up the necklaces from where
we'd taken them off the night before and slipped them on.
Grabbing the medallions in our paws, we both said "kitchen".
Instantly the room blurred around us, to be replaced by what was
obviously the kitchen. We were both quite impressed with this
trick, especially Diana, who liked the fact that she couldn't
smell it. We started rummaging through the pantry, and we found
a couple of slabs of nearly raw beef, a rare treat for both of
us. We found some plates, and sat on nearby stools while we ate.
Our only problem with the food was that it was cold, and not as
fresh as what we were used to. On the other paw, we didn't have
to stalk it and fight it to the ground either, so we didn't
complain.
After breakfast Jolan joined us, and led us on a tour of the
tower. After the sixth floor, I began to get a little impatient.
"When can we go rescue Mikhal?" I asked, tired of hearing
Jolan's descriptions of the ever-changing architecture.
"Patience, Firemane, Patience. We must wait until the time
is right."
"When is the right time, then? I want him out as soon as
possible." I saw that Diana was in complete agreement with me.
I guess once you've been locked in a cage you come to dislike the
idea of other people being there, simply as a matter of sympathy.
"Very well, then, I suppose. My other guests won't be
arriving for some time, so you have time enough to get there and
back. I was, however, hoping that I could have time to prepare
you. The Thenic Republic is not the best place for either of you
to go."
"What do you mean about the Republic? Is it simply because
they don't like magic?"
"Let me think for a minute. I need to find a simple way to
explain this... not that I mean to insult your intelligence, but
a clear example usually saves time." He pondered the matter for
a moment. "How about this. Imagine a country where all the laws
were written by people like this Shaloc you knew."
"Oh, come on!" Diana protested, "Even the Republic isn't that
bad. No country could be so stupid or short-sighted as to allow
such a thing!" Jolan looked surprised at her vehemence.
"One would think that with all your bad experiences with
humanity, that you would have a darker opinion of them."
"Them? Since when did you stop being a human?" I pointed
out.
"Sorry, I should have said 'normal humans'. Most normal
humans see me much the same way as they see you; as an
abomination, or a deamon. Few non-magical humans really trust my
kind, either from jealousy or fear. I'm afraid that in some
cases they are right, for many of my peers misuse their powers."
I shot him a pointed look.
"You mean like by enslaving people? Perhaps with
sorceries... or with Pleasures?"
"I already said that I found that sort of thing distasteful.
However, as you well know, there are times when people must do
things that they don't like to. After all, do you like killing
people?" He smirked, and corrected himself, "Wait, sorry, bad
example. Perhaps I should choose something you actually don't
like doing!" I stiffened at this, but I had to admit he had a
point.
"I never kill unless my life is threatened." I said
defensively. He laughed sarcastically.
"That's not what I asked. You only let yourself kill the
people who threaten your life, but honestly, there are a good
many more you would enjoy killing, aren't there?" I started
growling softly. The blasted wizard was arousing my anger again,
most likely because I couldn't say he was wrong. Jolan was
oblivious to this, of course, but Diana noticed and quickly
intervened.
"What we feel is not subject to moral judgment, Jolan. The
way we act is. Firemane has nothing to be ashamed of." I could
see that she was thinking of her own actions, and that she was
feeling guilt for taking revenge for her transformation. I
promised myself that we would talk about this later. For the
moment, however, the talk turned again to the task ahead of us.
"I will give you Shadow Cloaks, which will hide you from
normal sight. However, even though the Republicans professes to
hate magic, they aren't above using it themselves, and they might
be able to detect you. If that happens, I won't be able to do
much to help you. I can outfit you with the best magical
protection and enchantments, but you're going somewhere where
all but the least of magics will be detected and destroyed.
That's why I wanted more time, to see if I could come up with
something better. I can give you potions of many varieties,
which should be unnoticeable, but given your past experiences, I
thought you might be somewhat leery of that. I could offer you
enchanted weapons, but you have the weapons you are most
effective with built onto you. One of the few things I can offer
you is this." He pulled a piece of rolled-up parchment out of
thin air. "This is the layout of the prison, and it shows where
your friend should be, as well as pointing out where the guards
are and other important information. I could sit down and work
out a way for you to get in, but I doubt if it would hold up in
practice. I find that despite the best planning, most often you
simply have to improvise. However, you both seem fairly adept at
that, so I have the utmost confidence in you." I was beginning
to notice that Jolan tended toward speech-making.
"So you can't simply teleport us there, or just teleport him
out?" I asked.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. They thought of that, you
see, and they have the entire area blanketed with a barrier
spell. As I said, for people who hate magic, they seem to use it
quite a bit. However, there is something I can do. If you time
things just right, you can use one of the gateways upstairs to
take you in the general area. The nearest destination is still a
week or two away, but it would save you a month or more of
journeying, and trying to sneak across the border. However, as I
said before, it's a one-way trip, so getting back is a problem.
I can give you a magic beacon, which you can use when you are
past the border, so I can simply teleport you back here from
there, but while you are in the Republic, I can't do anything. I
wish I could be more help, really."
"Why? I still don't understand what your stake in this is."
Diana asked.
"As I said, I feel obligated for deceiving you, and I want
to make a gesture of good will, since I would like your services
later."
"Well, if we live, then it becomes a subject for debate. If
not, we won't worry about it." I said, and Jolan agreed that if
we died the point was moot. That brought up another unsettling
question.
"You aren't a Necromancer, are you?" The idea of someone
reanimating my dead body was extremely disturbing to me.
"Well, no, I am... was a Master Wizard, and I should be an
Archmage, but the Consulate Prime decided to make my life more
interesting."
"The who did?" I asked, unsure who he was referring to.
"The Consulate Prime. He's the chairman of the Council of
Magi, head of the Guild. I'm surprised you haven't heard of
him." Jolan paused and looked at me for a moment, as if just
realizing who he was speaking to. "No, actually, considering who
you are, I suppose I'm not surprised, after all."
"Why does this person hate you? You didn't fool him into
walking across half the continent, did you?" He smiled at my
bitter sarcasm.
"I don't want to go into detail, but let me say that I
interfered with some of his pet projects. Do you know that he
was planning to have the Magi generate a static weather pattern
over Ombal, to keep the weather sunny and warm throughout the
year?" He noticed that we didn't see anything terrible about
that, so he decided to explain. "When you play with the weather
in one place, it changes the weather everywhere else, and
distorts the natural course of the system. That's why weather
control is such an advanced magic. Creating and maintaining a
weather system in one place for any extended period could have
disastrous effects for weather everywhere else!"
"So if he did what he wanted, everyone besides Ombal would
suffer?" I said, understanding at last.
"Yes, exactly. It has the potential for massively destructive
consequences. However, Ombal was willing to pay quite handsomely for
the service, and that blinded many to the real dangers. I'm
afraid my protest didn't earn me many friends. However, back to
your original question, no, I'm not exactly a Necromancer,
although I do know how to perform the spells. I don't do so,
however, because that sort of magic is addictive and dangerous.
It's never been absolutely proven, but there are nasty rumors of
the side effects of Necromancy and Sorcery, and none of them are
fates I'd wish for myself. So no, I'm not a Necromancer."
If I'd known it would take that long to get an answer, I
wouldn't have asked. However, it was a great comfort to know
that if I died, at least my corpse would stay where it was
supposed to. I had no desire to become one of the living dead.
The talk then returned to our upcoming rescue attempt, and
we began discussing minor details. I asked what the game was
like in the area, and the general layout of the land. Diana, to
my surprise, began asking about which plants grew nearby, and
then she asked what kind of opposition we might be facing. Jolan
looked as surprised as I felt.
"Why, what makes you think you would have any special
opposition, aside from what's marked on the map? No one knows
that you're going! As to the herbs you mentioned, yes, several
of those do grow nearby. The only ones I've never seen in the
area are Blueroot and Chimera's Tongue, but I have some of both
on store, naturally." He turned to me, "As for your questions,
Firemane, the local wildlife is rather sparse. Things have not
been going well in the Republic, and hunting the woods has been
deemed a crime, unless you have a special permit, which is quite
expensive. I don't recommend you get caught hunting. As for the
land, well, from the Gateway drop-off, it's mostly woodlands such
as those you have been used to. Fortunately, the prison is far
from any other habitation, mostly because the prison was built to
house local criminals, which was, at the time, everyone. After
the local villages were cleared.."
"You mean they arrested and imprisoned everyone?" I
interrupted, incredulous. Both Diana and Jolan looked at me with
surprise.
"Yes. You see, the villages were rumored to be housing non-
human fugitives. That was enough to earn many a quick and
violent death, and everyone else a life in captivity. I thought
everyone knew this?"
"Well I am hardly everyone, now, am I?" I retorted. "You'll
have to pardon my ignorance, but my knowledge of history is
rather scanty. I know a few old legends, the sorts of things
minstrels sing of in taverns, but as for actual events I know
almost nothing. I am practically a stranger to the world!"
Jolan shot me an arch look, and mumbled something distractedly to
himself about "this world".
I glanced at him sharply, but he didn't seem to want to
elaborate, so I let the subject slide, but only for the present.
He cleared his throat and spoke up. "However, what you have said
is true, and I'm afraid that both Diana and I have you at a
slight disadvantage. If you will give me leave?" He looked
askance of us both, and we nodded, so he began.
"You see, several years ago, about the year 103, by the New
Solar Calendar..." He stopped when he saw that I didn't have a
reference to place dates. He sighed and commented that this
could take a while. "This year is 137 by the New Solar Calendar.
You count the years forward after the New Solar calendar was
instated, and backwards from there. Example: The destruction of
Altia was supposed to have taken place in the year 230 O.L., or
by the Old Lunar Calendar, which means that it happened 367 years
ago, you see?" At the time I wasn't terribly sure if I did or
not, but I nodded so he could continue. "Good, so about 34 years
ago, there was a great famine. Neither of you are old enough, I
think, to remember it, but then, it's difficult for me to judge
your ages, inhuman as you are. It was a dark time for Eol, and
the south-western portion, on the far side of the river Then, was
hardest hit. People were starving, and they wanted someone to
blame. That part of the world has always been known for being
suspicious of non-humans, so when a young man by the name of
Androjo Lance began spreading a story that the other races and
magic-users had conspired with the king to poison the crops,
thousands flocked to his cause. Word spread like fire in dry
grass, and soon Lance led his followers to revolt. This is
referred to by scholars as the Famine Rebellion. Many of those
who weren't plain, ordinary humans were either forcibly deported
or killed outright, many burned alive to satisfy the people's
deluded need for justification. It always amazed me how quickly
the rebellion became an organized force. Lance, after
consolidating his hold on the south-west by having all dissenting
voices silenced as traitors to the 'people', created a brutally
effective system for keeping things in line, and spread his area
of influence all the way to the River Then, after which they
named their so-called Republic. Any objections or complaints
were quickly and fatally silenced. He selected eleven of his
most devious cohorts, supposedly deserving, patriotic heroes of
the Rebellion, and together they formed what is known as the
Quorum, which is the official governing body of the Thenic
Republic. They demanded autonomy from Cosan, and the king,
seeing that he would be forced to fight his own people otherwise,
granted it.
"The bitter irony is that the people suffer all the
more under the new rule as the did during the Famine, although
Cosan recovered shortly thereafter, which Lance simply declared
to be proof that Cosan was responsible for the blight. This was
because the Quorum cares about only one thing, maintaining it's
authority, and they overworked the land and the people, forcing
quotas and punishing all who did not meet the expected yield.
They began a program of 'redistribution' in which they apparently
thought to make themselves look like brigand-princes from old
legends, the kind that rob from the rich to give to the poor.
The only problem with that was that after a short while, there
were no more rich people, and the poor were mysteriously no
better off."
I started to interupt, but Jolan continued, apparently
speaking more to himself than to me.
"Meanwhile, the people's children were taken from them,
supposedly for education. I've seen the first batch of
'scholars' they've turned out, and I can't say that I like it.
The children are drilled and trained into a fanatical loyalty to
the Republic. There is no victory, no honor, in fighting them,
because they honestly believe that they are doing what is right.
I once, briefly, attempted to undo the bitter hatred that they
instilled in one young man. I spirited him away, at the behest
of his parents, and I tried desperately to show him that what he
had been taught was evil. I almost succeded.. He listened, and
finally understood, and I made him my first--and last--
apprentice, since I discovered in him a strong talent, although
extremely repressed. He died the first time he tried to cast a
spell. The magic consumed him, bright blue flames... I couldn't
save him... " Jolan looked distant, reliving the horror of that
moment. After a few seconds of this, he came back to himself,
and continued after an embarrassed pause. "He believed what I
said in his mind, you see, but they had poisoned his heart. And
the heart controls magic much more than the mind does, especially
for the beginner." Jolan paused again, and suddenly seemed to
shake off his melancholy. "Anyway, that should cover all you
need to know about the Republic. The people are enslaved, and
the Quorum remains in power. The army, once little more than a
well-disciplined militia, is now made up primarily of fanatics,
mercenaries, and petty thugs. You should stay off all roads,
shun any humans you may encounter, and get out of there as
quickly as possible." I was a bit overwhelmed with this tale. I
had imagined that my experienced at the villager's and Shaloc's
hands had been the depths of human depravity, but they at least
had the excuse of hating me for what I was. For humans to be
cruel to other humans, with no cause... it seemed inconceivable.
However, Diana had no corrections to offer, so I assumed that
this tale must be true. I still had one question, however.
"Why are they holding Mikhal prisoner, then? If they are
truly as fanatical as you say, wouldn't they have killed him on
the spot?"
"I've wondered that myself, and I have dark suspicions about
some of the practices in that prison. It is possible, not
necessarily true, but possible, that someone is using the prisons
as a feeding grounds, for magical purposes. If that is so, it
would explain why they are so eager to keep the prisons stocked.
I hope, however, that I am mistaken. I'd like to believe that
the gods would not permit such an affront to exist."
After that, the conversation went poorly, as we were all
occupied with our own thoughts. We decided to leave late the
next evening, when the Gateway would be open to our destination,
and when we would have the cover of darkness. Jolan bowed
stiffly, and took his leave of us, and we were soon whisked back
to our chambers by the medallions.
Diana flung herself on the bed, and looked up at me
invitingly. Smiling, I lay down next to her. However, instead
of letting her sleep, which was what I believe she had in mind, I
brought up the earlier subject of conversation.
"Diana, if you want to talk about it, I'm always willing to
listen."
"Talk about what, Firemane?" She said, looking slightly
puzzled.
"When Jolan was... baiting me earlier, you said that people
are judged by their actions, and not their thoughts, and that I
had nothing to be ashamed of. But that's not all you were
thinking, was it?" She sighed softly, and shook her head.
"No, it wasn't. I killed a man, Firemane! I killed him not
to save myself, but as revenge for making me like this! It was
murder, plain and simple, and I'm guilty of it, and... and I'm
ashamed."
"Darling, it is my belief that no one ever deserves death,
not even repulsive slugs like Shaloc. However, this man
manipulated your sister, tried to force you to marry him, and,
from what you say, taught your sister the evil art of sorcery. I
would also mention that he tried to turn you into a fox, but I'm
afraid I can't hold that against him, under the circumstances.
Not that I wouldn't spare you the suffering, but I would most
likely never have met you otherwise."
"Now that makes me feel better, Firemane! If he was truly
responsible for bringing us together, then I have repaid that
kindness with death!" I licked her nose, and brushed my face
against hers to lend her comfort.
"Now don't twist my words, dearest! My point was that you
felt justified at the time, and you were upset, with good reason.
And as for your transformation, from what you say it seems that
was a strange accident, and not the true intention. He meant to
turn you into a real fox, not the beautiful creature you are now
but a simple woodland animal. He would have killed you as
certainly as if he had plunged a dagger in your chest, because I
don't think that you would have retained your mind in that form,
and all that was ever you would be lost. While you did not act
totally in self-defense, he did do you harm. He was not
completely blameless. But then, I'm not the one who has to
forgive you. You have a much more harsh judge than that."
"You mean the gods' judgment?" I laughed.
"No, I mean your own judgment. You must be able to forgive
yourself, or nothing I saw will have any meaning." I saw that
she wasn't quite convinced. "Look, did you think you were doing
something wrong at the time?"
"Well, no, actually, I thought I was doing the world a
service."
"But you don't feel that way now?"
"No, I feel guilty. I feel like I've committed a crime."
"Thus, if you were given it to do again, you wouldn't?"
"Not knowing what I do now, no."
"Can you change what you have done?"
"No." She seemed to be picking up on where I was leading
this.
"Then your guilt is pointless. You were working under a
false assumption. You were mistaken, and therefore you acted
wrongly. However, I think you've punished yourself enough.
Maybe someday you'll think so too."
"You're right, and I know it, but it's like the wizard said,
knowing something in your mind and believing it in your heart
aren't the same. Come on, lover, lets get some sleep. We have a
dangerous journey ahead." She turned to sleep but, once again, I
stopped her.
"That reminds me, dearest, why did you think we might have
extra trouble on this trip? Jolan's right, no one knows we're
coming, so why should anyone be waiting?" She looked at me with
a slightly wry smile.
"There's always been extra trouble so far, so why should
this be any different?"
I had to admit that she had a point.
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