Author: Sam

Story: The Never-ending Story: 4 of 33

Series: none

Setting: Summer 1986: The Realm of Dungeons & Dragons

Characters & Ages: Presto- 17, Ayisha- 17 going on 18, Rahmuud- adult

Note: Okay, raise your hands, those who recognize the two common themes so far in this series? ::grins::

Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. samwise_baggins@yahoo.co.uk

Webpage: http://www.oocities.org/samwise_baggins/index.html

With an uneven groan, Presto sat up and looked around. The light was blinding, but at least it didn't seem to hurt. There was the soft whisper of a breeze over the sands he sat on. Frowning, the teen knew something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't pinpoint it. With a shake of his head, the Magician planted his hands in the ground and pushed himself awkwardly to his feet... and became glaringly aware of what the problem was.

He couldn't feel anything!

His hands had touched sand and nothing, as if he'd touched air. He stood, but couldn't even feel his legs. Golden eyes widening in horror, panic welling inside him, Presto looked down at himself then hurriedly around. Was he paralyzed? No... the seventeen-year-old tried to reassure himself. He was standing, after all, even if he couldn't feel it.

Presto gulped, Adam's apple bobbing, as he glanced around again. Definitely a desert: he should be hot, the air should be hard and rasping, the sun should be glaring. With a frown, the idea hit him that he'd lost all sense of touch, not just in his legs and hands. He couldn't even feel the air coming into his nose or his stomach grumbling, as it had been doing since half an hour before meeting with Venger.

Venger! Could he have done this? Presto whirled around, falling to his knees with a grunt. He hadn't felt the hit, but the sound was instinctive none-the-less. Thoughts of the former menace fled as frustrated tears filled his eyes. How was he supposed to get anywhere if he couldn't even walk? And the teen knew that walking would be difficult indeed, as he'd attempted it once when his legs had fallen asleep and numb. That had ended in disaster, and so would this, he was certain.

With a frustrated sound, Presto carefully forced his way back to his feet, glad that at least he was steady if he didn't try to move much. Turning just his head, the redhead looked for any signs of life and was suddenly, horrifically aware that the others weren't with him.

"Eric? Hank?" He looked again, hands spread in a futile attempt at counter-balance as he slowly turned in a circle. "Sheila? Diana?" With a frown, the Magician determined that he truly was alone. And, his quick mind told him, if he was alone, it was very probable that the others were separated and alone as well. That wasn't good. Presto knew of Sheila's fears, and it worried him that the Thief might be in need of help. And of course Bobby would... he cut off that thought, recalling thankfully that the young Barbarian had gone home. Then he frowned again, as the thought of Uni came to him. The baby unicorn would need help, wouldn't she?

Lost in thoughts of the others, trying to think of a way to save them, it was some moments before Presto became aware of the sound of large animals approaching. They had bells attached to their howdahs, which tinkled across the vast sands, alerting other travelers to their presence. However, it wasn't the bells that alerted the teen, it was the voice of the animal driver.

"Greetings, My Son!"

"Rahmuud?" Presto looked up, grinning widely. Forgetting his handicap momentarily in the excitement of seeing one of his favorite people in the Realm, Presto started running towards the man. He got perhaps three steps before, almost comically, his expression changed to one of shock. He'd missed his footing in his loss of sensation and went tumbling down the sand dune, head over heels, pointed hat flying to the side. Presto landed in a heap at the feet of the desert King.

With a hearty laugh, the man reached down to help the boy up, grinning at the antics of this child, once he'd determined the boy was indeed unhurt. "Where are your brothers and sisters, My Son? Have you become separated once more?" The last time they'd met was when Bobby had been kidnapped. Rahmuud's voice sounded merry, however, as if the separation wasn't a worry. He retrieved the hat and brushed it off before sitting it jauntily on the boy's head.

The man's jovial attitude made Presto smile. Things would be better with Rahmuud here. With a small chuckle, the teen confided, "they've probably been sent somewhere else. Dungeon Master said we needed to help rebuild the Realm and fight a new evil. Only," the Magician frowned, "Sheila's afraid to be alone..."

Smile dimming, the King nodded. "If you were sent to aid me in my quest, I believe your sister would have been sent to aid another. Come, My Son, travel with us inside and you shall rest."

"Us?" Presto turned his head gingerly to inspect the caravan then smiled again. He'd just become aware of the dark teenager who'd stuck her head out of one of the howdahs. "Ayisha!" This time, he kept his head and stayed still, so was confused as to why he suddenly found himself flying to the ground.

"I am sorry, My Son. I forget my strength." Rahmuud squatted down to aid Presto once more, a frown replacing his customary grin. Apparently he'd thumped the teen on the back, and Presto hadn't felt it though his body had reacted to the unexpected blow.

With a shake of his head, the redhead sadly informed Rahmuud of his plight. "I think DM's spell may have gone wacky, cause I can't feel anything at all. It's like I'm numb all over, even inside." He sighed, for some reason feeling as if he were the one who'd messed up, not the Dungeon Master.

A laugh burst forth from the man and he pulled Presto into his arms to carry him the rest of the way. "Then do not worry, My Son, for Dungeon Master has merely sent you through the Void. It is a space without end, and it touches all places. When someone travels through it, he arrives alone and often with one or more of his own senses missing. At times it can even wipe the mind clear of things." Reassuringly he went on, to Presto's relief, "these effects last but a few hours, at the most days. Do not be afraid. You will feel again."

"Father?" Ayisha's gentle voice intruded, though not unpleasantly. "I have heard of the Void leaving a person blind for years before the magic wore off."

The King slid his burden into the howdah with his daughter and frowned a bit. "Where did you hear of such a tale, My Daughter?"

Ayisha smiled a bit at the attention from the two males, but launched into her tale quickly enough to allay any suspicions about her motives for drawing the attention. "When I was in the City on the Edge of Midnight, Father. I overheard someone say the Void was like the light which took us. And someone else argued that the Void leaves people hurt, sometimes for years, before its magic fades. It was said that only people in truly desperate need would use the Void." She smiled again at Presto, settling back for the coming ride.

Rahmuud thought over that, closing the howdah side as he started the animals plodding along once more. He wondered if those were just the tales of frightened children, or if, indeed, the Void might have caused lasting harm to the children he'd come to care about. Softly, he said aloud, "Ah, My Father, the need must be greater than I first thought if you would use such a method. Are my supplies and my contacts so very important to the Realm that you would risk a child to the Void?" He shook his head and moved off towards the front of the caravan, pondering the aide Dungeon Master had requested of him, and the significance that he'd sent the Young Magician to him rather than any of the others.

"Your dad sounds like Dungeon Master sometimes, you know?"

Surprised, Ayisha turned to the teen next to her and smiled, tilting her head. "Does he? How so?" She'd never thought she'd get the chance to see the Young Ones again, and here she was having a conversation with one of them. It wasn't Sheila, of course, but Presto wasn't a bad choice... after all, much as she liked him, it could have been the too-young Bobby sitting here with her.

"Well," Presto adjusted his glasses, or attempted to, succeeding in knocking them off his face, instead. With a sigh, he started trying to feel around while he continued. "Well, when he described that Void. He said, "it is a space without end, and it touches all places." That's like one of DM's riddles. But it's easier to figure out Rahmuud's riddles than Dungeon Master's." A gasp had Presto frowning, and he froze, unsure what had happened since he couldn't see without his glasses. "Ayisha?"

The girl had frozen as soon as Presto's hand touched her hip. Trying to remain calm, reminding herself that the other teen couldn't feel where his hand had been, she picked the offending limb up and moved it to his lap. Luckily his muscles were relaxed and she had no trouble manipulating his arm. "Do... do you need your lenses? They're on your lap."

Presto nodded and tried again to reach for them, but sighed as he came to the realization that he might break them without knowing. "Uh..." flushing, he wondered just how he'd ask her help in this. "Uh... Ayisha? Uh... could you..." Presto stammered over the last bit, sounding illegible even to his own ears. His face flamed in embarrassment.

Apparently, however, the Princess understood for she smiled and plucked the glasses from the boy's lap, trying not to make a fuss. Then she slipped them onto his face. As his eyes came into focus, she nodded and sat back once more. "Better, Presto?"

"Uh... yeah." He turned to study the woven wall, trying to collect himself. He knew he wasn't interested in this girl; that wasn't the issue. It was the fact that she... for some strange reason... might get the idea that he was. Better explain things right off... but he'd never been good at expressing himself and didn't know how to begin. Clearing his throat, the Magician determined to try. He turned back to find Ayisha smiling gently.

"It's all right, My Brother. This howdah is small and contact is inevitable. Do not think I will have designs on you, or feel you have designs on me, because of it. Is that what bothered you, Presto?"

Her gentle voice sent a shaft of relief through him and immediately he felt himself relaxing. Wait a minute! He felt... yes! He could feel his heart beating. With a laugh, the former nervousness all but forgotten, Presto lifted his hand, flexing his fingers. "I can feel... a bit. My heart... my breathing... oh, wow! Welcome back body!" He grinned at her.

His companion laughed at his comments.

After a few minutes of goofy grins and silent amusement, Ayisha leaned forward and touched his arm. "Presto? You were talking of Father?"

Presto looked up, goofy grin still in place. "Uh... yeah." His voice cracked at the end, something that so rarely happened over the past year, it was weird, but he was feeling so good he didn't care. "Actually, I wanted to know if you guys know anything about this evil DM's talking about?"

The girl thoughtfully looked at her hands, staying silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded and spoke. "Yes. But not much. Father is gathering supplies for the coming war."

"War!" Presto felt himself pale, his head spinning slightly, and suddenly he wondered if it'd have been better to be numb right then.

"Yes, war. This evil is worse than Venger was, and so war is inevitable. We will be supplying our allies, the allies of the Dungeon Master." She looked at the boy next to her, sadness in her liquid brown eyes.

The redhead groaned and put his head in his hands, not caring that he still couldn't feel externally. He shook his head, slipping off one numb hand, and whimpered deep in his throat. "War? What am I doing here?"