Max walked into the make shift study that the additional rented


    inn room had become.


    He would be surprised if Mathew even recognized him. Still, he


    could not be sure how Phaedra felt for him. It was obvious that she did care.


    He was not sure if it went further than the care and concern a close friend


    feels. He hoped that someday he would find out and that it would go further.


    After all of the time training, after all of the time researching,


    Max would never guess that the possible solution to their conundrum would fall


    right into their laps.


    He had lost all sense of time. He watched the sun set. He watched


    the rise and fall of the season, certainly, but beyond that, the old gauges


    were long gone. It used to be the fields that he and his kin watched to


    determine just how much time passed.


    Enchoron and Phaedra laughed as they walked down the hallway


    towards Max’s bed chamber. He was surprised just how friendly the two of them


    were now after the display he remembered of seeing them arguing over his fate


    in the hallway that they now walked down.


    Max was standing in his doorway to greet them as they approached.


    The expression they shared said that they knew something new this day. Perhaps


    it was a breakthrough into their research? Maybe they sensed Max was skilled to


    the point at which they could no longer help him? “What’s new? We’re ready to


    move aren’t we?”


    Enchoron nodded and Phaedra shot Max a warm smile, the deep manly


    voice answered, “Indeed. Perhaps not in the way that we would have perceived,


    but that is the way of the world. For those that believe in fate, they would


    blame it for this opportunity. I believe though that it is more about the skill


    of perception that we have utilized throughout these past days.”


    “Get to the point old man,” Max, the studious pupil, smiled. All


    three knew the jape at the youthful mentor when they heard it.


    As she stopped moving, Phaedra’s hair fell calmly at her side.


    “Let me interject. There is a man traveling through the plane of War, very near


    to the area on the other side of Rotheburg. He knows of where we can find a


    Scion. Rumor has it, he visits one fairly frequently. Or at least he did until


    that Scions home was invaded by forces from beyond The Creator’s Realm.”


    Max nodded with understanding. He knew that name was used to


    describe the known cosmos that was made up of the fragments of that first Gods


    creation. “What’s his name?”


    “Pelos,” they both answered together. His mentor of devices


    continued, “he does not know yet that he will be aiding us. In fact, I will


    have to separate ways with you for the time being. You see, Pelos and I do not


    always see eye to eye. You will have a better chance of convincing or foolingEnjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    him without my presence there to distract him.”


    “So you are staying behind? Why? I would rather have you along.”


    “You must be able to walk on your own two feet. Besides, I also


    need to wait here for your friend, Mathew. He has not abandoned you. I do


    believe, he is on his way here now.” Enchoron smiled sardonically.


    “What? How? When did you learn of this?” Max couldn’t believe his


    ears.


    Enchoron palmed his crystalline orb from out of his deepest


    pocket. He didn’t say a word, he just looked over at the orb and stared into


    its depths for a moment. “So I should stay here.”


    Max nodded in agreement, “That does sound like a good reason to


    stay behind. You aren’t running off to go do something sneaky that I should be


    told about are you?”


    Enchoron made wide waving motion with one arm towards the other


    end of the hallway. “On that note, I suppose it is time that I return to my


    studies. Take good care of him, you long haired beauty you!”


    Phaedra shook her head. She showed just the hint of a blush. She


    muttered something under her breath that was an affectionate phrase for the


    robed man. She looked up at Max. “Are you all ready to travel my new man?” She


    tapped him with an enclosed fist.


    “I better start packing. I did not realize we would be leaving so


    soon.”


    “It’s been quite a while you know. You can’t stay cooped up in the


    walls of this city forever you know?” She followed him into the room as he turned


    to start getting his belongings together. “The lousy oaf is at least leaving


    you with this gift to help us along.”


    He turned back to her and looked down at her hands. They were held


    together in front of her body holding an object wrapped in soft, expensive


    cloth. He raised an eyebrow. He was pretty sure he knew what it was. He put


    down the clothes he had started folding. His hands shook as they started to


    unfold the cloth. Even the cloth was worth a good bit of gold, but what was


    inside was nearly priceless.


    Max practiced with this device. Even Phaedra was in awe of it


    then. Now she was excited to be the one presenting it to her. The last bit of


    the cloth fell away and revealed what Enchoron has affectionately referred to


    as a ray gun.


    They started to descend the steps of the tavern that led into the


    fog. Phaedra walked into the fog without more than a look back. Max was right


    on the edge. He stared as hard as he could and now amount of concentration


    could pierce the veil before him. He would have to take a blind step forward.


    At least he knew that she was already on the other side, they would die


    together if they did die. Somehow that thought was not all that comforting. Max


    shook his head to get rid of that image. Then, without even looking back, he stepped


    forth into the fog. The feeling choked him for a moment. He felt cold and hot


    at the same moment. All over his body, there was a tingling sensation like he


    was being pricked by a thousand needles all at once.


    He opened his eyes. The view was not foggy at all. The stone walls


    that surrounded the stone staircase were still there. They were worn with much


    more age. They were chipped and broken. There were even segments of wall up


    ahead that had completely collapsed. Those kinds of gaps in the Old World would


    cause the tower to tumble.


    “Come on. Hurry up! No time to waste. We need to get to a good


    spot to view the area from or we might miss our chance.” The voice was coming


    from out of sight, but definitely dead ahead down the stairs.


    Max moved at a near run to catch up. He was still being cautious,


    but he was using his arms against the walls to balance himself and make the


    speedy descent much easier to handle. He could see a massive source of light


    was making the hall up ahead glow. He rounded the final corner and saw Phaedra


    standing on the edge of the last stone step, looking out into the embattled


    terrain ahead. The sun here was bright and blazing like no season he ever


    encountered during his years in the hamlet. The heat from that distant source


    was intense. He saw meteorites shooting down through the sky, burning lines of


    fire all over the scene outside the tower. He saw another one of the towers up


    ahead, the upper portion that was in the other world was instead just a ruined


    pile of debris in this one.


    It would take him an age to try to understand the science behind


    how any of this worked. At least he had the knowledge of science to operate the


    ray gun at his side if all else failed. She smiled at him as she noticed him


    looking down and checking out the side arm.


    She pointed across the scarred, open ground. “Over that way is a


    good vantage point. Follow me. Watch for falling rocks...”


    They waited atop the ruin on the hill. During their time there,


    Max did see one of the meteorites strike home nearby, scarring the ground with


    a deep trench. This was a place where you had to watch where you walk. All


    those deep trenches and craters would give someone a bad day if they fell in


    without knowing it was coming.


    He saw a lone figure walking through the wasteland towards


    Rotheburg. The man was wearing strange clothes that fit his body like a glove.


    He also looked beat and tired through the shimmering humidity that was


    apparently commonplace on most of the War Plane. He stood up and pointed. His


    friend got up and came over, shielding her eyes from the brightness of the sun.


    She grinned, “That’s him. He looks like he’s been through the Burtox Den if you


    ask me.”


    “The realm of devils and darkness and cold?”


    “It was just an exaggeration? I’m not serious.” She put a supportive


    hand on Max’s shoulder.


    She hopped down off of the ruined piece of rock they claimed as


    their watch post. She offered to help him down, but he declined. He slid down


    the side of the rock and then let go in one swift motion, landing on his feet.


    The distant man spotted them long before they were upon him. He


    took a defensive position and seemed to be preparing for the worst. They both


    waved and kept their weapons sheathed. The soft voice of Phaedra rang out


    loudly, “Pelos, we are not hear to fight you or arrest you. We are here to


    talk. We are hopefully here to ask for your help if you will grace us with


    that. If not, we can always escort you to Rotheburg.”


    The figure peered out from behind a rock, he stepped back and


    thinking he was out of sight, he adjusted his suit and took in a deep breath.


    He then stepped back into sight from around the rock, “Well, what sort of help


    are you looking for? And yes, I’d certainly like an escort, just keep your


    distance until I am sure you are not just going to grab me and take me in.”