The Summoned

-The Summoned-

Council

The Light Plane: Darren's Keep
  Leo sat at the banquet table, not saying a word. It seemed that the rest of the people present were doing a great job of making up for him, however. There were better than fifty people seated at the enormous table, with Darren at the head, and his advisors seated near him. Leo had ended up somewhere near the middle of the table, a fact that he didn't really mind. He supposed that it was an honor just to be at the table at all
  "What's it like?" Someone said to him, startling him out of his thoughts. He turned to the owner of the voice, a young woman across the table.
  "What is what like?" He said. He felt momentarily flustered- he hadn't even realized that she had been addressing him first, and manners called for-
  "To be so far away from home?" She said, interrupting his thoughts again. He found himself thinking about it for the first time since he had left the Dark Plane. He also found himself glancing into her eyes every once in a while.
  "I hadn't thought about it..." he said slowly, trying to express what he was thinking. "I mean, I had to deliver a message. It was more important to do that, so I didn't worry about myself or what I wanted. But now that I am done...." Leo trailed off, not sure of what to say next.
  "Oh..." the woman said, looking slightly embarassed at having asked.
  Leo looked up at her. "M'lady, please forgive my manners. You suprised me, and I did not get a chance to introduce myself." Leo began, by way of changing the subject. "My name is Leo Eastman."
  The woman smiled slightly. "I know... everyone knows who you are. You're the champion of the Dark Plane!" she appeared pleased with this fact. Leo smiled and said nothing for a moment. The woman looked back up at him. "Oh! I'm sorry. It seems I haven't introduced myself either. My name is Celeste Winters."
  Leo reached across the table- no small task considering the plethora of food that was on it- and took her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Celeste."
  Celeste smiled and blushed slightly. "Thank you... it is a pleasure to meet you as well."
  There was an akward silence for a moment until Leo spoke up. "M'lady, if I may ask you a favor..."
  "Only if you stop calling me M'lady." Celeste said, smiling.
  "Very well... Celeste. May I ask a favor of you?"
  "Why certainly!"
  Leo could not help himself from smiling. Celeste seemed absolutely delighted to be at this banquet, living in this castle, and just to be alive. Her hapiness was infectious. "I am here as a guest at the moment. However, I have no place to call home, and nowhere to go. I may decide that I wish to... stay here." Leo paused, thinking about how to go on. "I was wondering, if it would not be too much trouble, if you would wish to show me the area. I am not at all familiar with the lands around this keep." This was true- the keep itself resembled a building in his world, but the terrain varied greatly.
  Celeste seemed instantly delighted. "That would be wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Can you ride a horse?"
  "I can." Leo said simply.
  "Wonderful! I will be at the livery at about noon tomorrow. Meet me there, and I will show you all of Darren's Realm. Well, most of it at least. Not everything is within one day's ride of here. Will you meet me?"
  "I most certainly will. Thank you M'lady-"Leo stopped and instantly corrected himself. "- Celeste. I owe you a debt of gratitude."
  Celeste merely blushed and managed to say "'Tis nothing kind sir."
The Light Plane: Outskirts of Darren's Realm
  Asa woke up suddenly, his memories of some dream fleeing. It hadn't been a pleasant one, that was for certain. Glancing to the east, he saw the sun just beginning to emerge over the horizon. Jamie sat facing the sunrise and drinking from a waterskin. Elayna was asleep next to her. The horses were asleep, and held in place by some magic of Paul's. The apprentice himself was turning fitfully in his sleep, apparently victim of a dream similar to Asa's. It was a few moments before Jamie turned her head and noticed him.
  "Oh. you're awake. I'm going to give these two another half hour. Then we should be going." She said. "Thirsty?" She thrust the waterskin in Asa's general direction. Asa declined politely.
  "Jamie...where are we going?" Asa asked.
  Jamie looked at him very seriously before answering. "We're heading south, toward the Nexus. That's where you have to go, right?"
  Asa nodded. "Yes. The Nexus will take me to the Dark Plane... though I'm not altogether sure what the Nexus is. Or where it is. Just that it is south of here."
  Jamie did not look impressed at Asa's vague geographical knowledge. "Yes, it's south. You'd have to ask him what exactly the Nexus was." Jamie gestured to the sleeping form of Paul on the other side of the camp. "I don't know. I just know that it's about a day south of Darren's keep, where we'll be staying for the night." Jamie paused. "Have you ever heard of Darren, Asa?"
  "A few times. He's a king, right?"
  Jamie smiled slightly. "Yes, he's king. He's the reason that the Troubled times ended. Well, him and King LePaige. But the territory that we're going into later today belongs to him. I've got friends here Asa. We're going to have a pleasant stay. That is-" she said with a mischevious grin- "if none of them remember me too well."
  Asa hesitated a moment before daring to ask "Why don't we want people to remember you?"
  Jamie laughed. "I'm sure that you're convinced I was a theif or murderer and was run out of the keep,right?" she laughed again and continued, not waiting for a response. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's not the case. I left of my own free will. With... a friend."
  "So, why don't we want people to remember you?"
  "Well..." Jamie hesitated. "let's say that it was kinda a big deal when I left. A mini-scandal, I'd guess you'd say."
  "Wonderful..." Asa said without much hope. "we're going to be greeted by the royal guard, aren't we? I'm going to be threatened by heavily armed calvary, aren't I? I swear, if I get arrows shot at me, I will not be pleased."
  Jamie glared at him. "If you don't be quiet, I'll shoot arrows at you! Go wake the others up."
  Asa was going to mention the fact that it hadn't been a half hour, but Jamie's scathing look made him think again. Instead, he moved to where Paul was sleeping and attempted to wake him without causing an errant fireball or something. Asa was a summoner, but his knowledge of other magic was limited at best. Asa turned from the still half-asleep mage and moved to wake Elayna up, but Jamie had already accomplished that. Asa streched a bit, trying to work out the stiffness of his joints.
  After another few minutes of waking up, Jamie managed to convince the rest of the party to start moving.
  It was midafternoon when Jamie had spotted the first other travelers that anyone in the group had seen in a long time. The Troubled times were over, but that unfortunately did not end the theiving trade. Roads were simply not safe to travel, and so seeing others along the road was always an interesting event. Jamie slowed her horse, and rode back to Paul, who was bringing up the rear.
  "Paul, we've got riders up ahead." She said simply. Paul looked at her blankly. Jamie scowled. "Paul, riders! Do something!"
  "Like what?" Paul said. "I'm not sure I understand what you want me to do."
  Jamie shrugged. "How am I supposed to know! You know magic better than I do. Can't you at least tell me who they are?"
  Paul shook his head. "Sorry- I haven't learned that spell yet. Divination never held special interest for me. You see-"
  "Okay!" Jamie yelled, interrupting him. "So you can't tell me! You don't have to deliver a speech about it!" She sighed loudly. "I guess we'll have to do this the old-fasioned way. These might be robbers. If so, Paul, get ready to do something. Asa, you get ready in case we need you. Elayna, don't get involved. If something happens to us, go get help."
  Paul nodded, as did Asa. Elayna was the only one who appeared uneasy. "Jamie... I don't want to leave you...."
  "Don't worry about it." Jamie said, adding a smile. "Nothing's going to happen to us. We're too good for that. Remember, Asa over there's got a magic wand with more firepower than you can shake a stick at. We'll be fine."
  Asa gave Jamie a strange look- her statement had almost been complimentary- but Elayna missed the look and so seemed much relieved by Jamie's assurances. The four of them continued to move toward the oncoming riders- now clearly only two. The riders slowed when they spotted the foursome, seemingly afraid of imminent theft as well. Both groups stopped a few feet from each other.
  "Jamie?" one of them, a woman, said. Jamie rode forward a bit.
  "The one and only!" She declared, trying to disguise the inner trepidation she felt. This obviously wasn't a highwayman that she was going to have to fight off. In a way she would have preferred that. This was someone who knew her from Darren's keep.
  "Oh my god, it's really you!" The woman dismounted and the man on the horse next to her did the same. After a moment's hesitation, so did Jamie. She motioned for the rest of the group to do the same, which they managed after only a few moments. Jamie continued to look at this woman blankly, innerly cursing herself for not being able to remember her name.
  "I thought I'd never see you again!" The woman continued talking. "After you ran off with that Craft fellow, I didn't think you'd ever come back! What ever happened to him, anyway?"
  Elayna shrunk back against Jamie, who gave the woman (what was her name?) a cautionary look. "Let's catch up on old times later." she said meaningfully. "I don't believe that I've met your friend." she gestured toward the other rider, who was looking about as though he had never seen the place before.
  The woman smiled "And I don't know your friends! So I'll introduce myself to them, and then let Leo do his own introductions." She turned her gaze in the general direction of the rest of the group. "Hi! My name is Celeste Winters, and my riding companion is the honorable Sir Leo Eastman, last warrior of the Dark Plane."
  Asa blinked. "What? He's from where?"
  Leo took a step forward. "I am from the Dark Plane. I assure you, I mean no harm. I was part of a group known as the Light Guard, who fought against a warlord." Leo paused. "The Light Guard, sadly, is no more. I am all that remains."
  "Who was the warlord?" Asa said, suddenly fearful of what he might hear. He had to hear it, however.
  Leo looked confused. "I was not aware that there were those who were concerned with the affairs of the Dark Plane. Beyond King LePaige, few have expressed interest. But the warlord, his name is Norax."
  Asa had to fight to stay standing- more than anything he wanted to sit down and try to absorb this information. "Norax...." he whispered.
  Paul stepped forward. "So... you know of Norax?"
  Leo nodded. "I've met him. Only once, and I consider myself lucky that I was not killed. It was before the last battle with his forces, and I had managed entry into his tower. It is a hideous place, and I certainly hope that you never have to see it. But why do you ask?"
  "Because..." Asa spoke up again. "I've been summoned by Norax."
  There was a moment of shocked silence as Leo tried to accept this. "Norax summoned you?" Leo shook his head incredulously. "So that is his plan...." Seeing the uncomprehending look on everyone else's face, Leo continued. "Norax is dying. Everyone in the Dark Plane knows this. He has perhaps a year of his life remaining and then he will die. There has been some talk of finding a successor...." Leo trailed off, leaving the rest implied.
  "A successor?! Me?" Asa was stunned. "But I would never-" Asa stopped as he realized that he had no idea what evils Norax had committed beyond taking Asa away from his comfortable home.
  "Do anything that Norax had done?" Leo finished for him. "You're from the Light Plane- you do not know Norax. He has very pursuasive methods of getting what he wants. If he wishes you as a successor, then there is not very much that you can do. The instant you arrive in the Dark Plane, you will be close enough for him to exert his will upon you. Unless...."
  "Unless?" Asa asked, eager for any answer to his dilemma.
  "If you were to bring someone with you to the Dark Plane, then that person might be able to break Norax's control over you. Norax will ve vunerable- he won't be expecting anyone but you."
  "I guess that person would be me." Jamie said proudly. Asa and Paul looked at her as though she were insane. She glanced back at them. "Well why not? The thought had already occurred to me."
  "I should also come." Paul spoke up. "I possess a magic that could aid in destroying Norax. I am not the Seeker, but I'm still an Elementalist, and a fairly decent one if I should say so myself.
  "I want to come." Elayna said, too quiet for any to hear her
  Leo nodded. "I would come as well. I know Norax, and I alone have fought him and survived."
  "What?" Asa said, suprised. "You don't even know me, but you want to come with me?"
  Leo nodded again. "Yes. I have known Norax to be horrendous, but this latest action- kidnapping an innocent person to continue his empire- must be avenged. Too much wrong has been done, and I hope to undo that wrong.
  "My view-" Paul spoke up again "Is that we would dispose of Norax so that he would do no further harm. Not for vengeance."
  "You speak correctly." Leo said. "That is our purpose. I misspoke myself."   Jamie cleared her throat loudly. "It's wonderful that we've got a nice, new ally, but I'd like to point out the fact that if we don't get to the keep soon, the sun's going to set!"
  Celeste spoke up again. "You're right... we should get back before it gets dark- these roads aren't safe."
  "Very well. I look forward to speaking with you about this when we arrive, however" he said to Asa. "I don't think you know what Norax is capable of."
  Asa nodded, not without a slight amount of nervousness, and rode to the keep.
The Dark Plane: Norax's Tower
  The crystal in Norax's hand vanished abruptly as Korenor entered the throne room. Norax glared in his direction. "What is it?"
  "Master Norax, preparations are complete to move the troops. What are your wishes regarding troop camp 51?"
  "Leave them where they are. We cannot afford to have that place unguarded." Norax paused, and Korenor was about to leave the room when Norax spoke up again.
  "Korenor, I have a task for you. What do you know of illusions?
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