《Lillandra》


 Chapter One: The Night Queen

    Arai took the lead. Sword in hand, he began to climb the dark, winding steps, his armor clanking with every footfall. He was tired, and thirsty, and bruised, and bleeding, but still he carried on -- ignoring the blood, ignoring the pain, ignoring the weight of his armor. His journey, at last, was nearing its end -- the Night Queen''s inner sanctum was just ahead, at the top of these steps, at the top of this gloomy tower.


    She would die tonight. He would make sure of that.


    His companions -- the two that remained -- followed him up the steps. Odo was a huge bear of a man, nearly seven feet tall and incredibly strong. He carried a battle axe in one hand and a flaming torch in the other, and his expression, at the moment, was uncharacteristically serious. Half his face was covered in blood, but Arai was sure it wasn''t his blood, but rather, the blood of the Night Queen''s guards, whom they had encountered several floors below.


    Behind Odo came Maya, another of Arai''s stalwart companions, and the one who had been with him the longest. She wore the blue robes of the Selestrian Order, and carried a staff topped with a brilliant red ruby. Maya, however, was not a fighter, but a healer -- an expert herbalist and bonemender -- and her staff was less a weapon than a symbol of her office. Arai had wanted her to stay behind with Grizz and the others at Fort Drakness, but she had insisted on accompanying him to the Night Queen''s tower. "I was with you in the beginning," she had told him determinedly, "and I''ll see it through to the end."


    He glanced back at her. Maya was a lovely young woman, with ocean-blue eyes and blonde hair that just brushed her shoulders, but she looked rather disheveled at the moment: her robes were dirty from the fall she had taken earlier, and the ribbons she used to tie her hair had come undone. "How are you holding up?" he whispered to her.


    "I''ll be fine," she whispered back. "It''s Vex I''m worried about."


    Arai frowned. Vex, a young sorcerer, was another companion who had accompanied him to the Nightfall. They had been separated when the Night Queen''s guards had ambushed them below. "I''ll hold them off!" Vex had shouted at them, desperately slinging spells at the black-armored warriors. "Go!"


    And so, reluctantly, they had gone, leaving him behind. Arai wondered if he was still alive.


    He shook his head, forcing the thoughts from his mind. He couldn''t afford to lose focus now; there was still work to be done. It had been over a hundred years since the Night Queen had seized control of Velon, and Arai''s rebellion was the first one that had even come close to succeeding. They had to seize this opportunity. They had to rid the world of this sorceress, once and for all. Nothing else mattered.


    They arrived, at last, at the top of the steps, where stood a giant door. The doors had been sealed with a magical lock, but Arai''s sword, Silus, cut through it easily.


    "Are you ready?" Arai asked his friends.


    "Ready," Maya said.


    "Ready," Odo growled. "Let''s kill this witch and go home."


    Arai nodded gravely at that, and pushed the doors open. They groaned terribly on their hinges.


    The room beyond was as dark and gloomy as the rest of the tower, lit only by a handful of candles. It was a big room, with a smoking, bubbling cauldron in its center, and it was very cluttered, full of books and scrolls. The walls were lined with shelves, and the shelves, too, were cluttered: dismembered dolls, bits of jewelry, dozens of glass jars and vials, and assorted hand tools were messily arranged along the whole length of the room. There was also a large workbench in one corner. The room, Arai thought, looked more like a blacksmith''s shop or manufactory than a witch''s chambers.


    In the center of the room, looking down into the cauldron, was the witch herself: the Night Queen. This was the first time Arai had ever seen her -- to the best of his knowledge it was the first time anyone had ever seen her, with the possible exception of Lord Pierce and his ancestors. The Night Queen had secluded herself within the tower of Nightfall for the better part of a century, ruling through her proxies; she had never had any direct contact with the people of Velon.


    The witch was almost as tall as Odo, and fully armored. The armor she wore was similar to that of her guards -- it was extremely ornate, and it glistened like obsidian. Her face was completely concealed behind a huge, horned helmet, which made her look even taller, and a black cape had been draped about her shoulders. She was carrying a staff in one gauntled hand -- the famous Staff of Night. Dozens of jewels, amulets, bits of bone, blobs of amber, and other strange accouterments had been affixed to it; some of these talismans were glowing ominously.


    She was a terrifying presence. Arai had spent the last two years fighting the Night Queen''s minions -- her monsters, her assassins, her elite guards, even her fearsome dragon Catalyus -- but none of those had frightened him. Finally seeing the Night Queen in person, however -- this was enough to unnerve even him. He had grown up hearing tales of the Night Queen''s incredible power, of her incredible cruelty.


    He tightened his grip on his sword.


    The witch looked up from her cauldron, regarding them calmly. "You must be Arai," she said, her voice reverberating through the room.


    "You''re finished, Lillandra," he declared. "Your men have already fled the capital. The Steelmen are laying siege to Fort Drakness as we speak, and your dragon is nothing but a pile of maginite now -- the Ice Wyrm I rode out of the Frozen Mountains saw to that. The rest of your monsters will soon follow."


    "I can always call for more monsters."


    "No," he snarled. Behind him, his two companions had begun to spread out -- Odo, hefting his battle axe, was moving to his right, while Maya, clutching her staff, was moving to his left. "You''ve terrorized this country long enough. For King Reemus, for my father, and for the people of Velon, I will cut you down."


    The witch regarded him for a long moment. "I won''t let it end like this," she said at last, and to Arai it seemed as though she was speaking more to herself than to him. "I''ve spent too much, sacrificed too much, to see it all come crashing down now." She loosened her cape and flung it away. "Come, then! You''ve defeated Lord Pierce? You''ve defeated Catalyus? Let us see how you fare, then, against Lillandra, the Queen of the Night!" She raised her staff, and out of the tip came a ball of flame.


    Arai dove for cover, and the flame splashed against the brick wall behind him. At the same moment, Odo, roaring out a battle cry, threw himself at the witch, swinging his axe for all he was worth. She retreated a few steps, then spun her staff around and pointed the other end of it at him. Immediately, he was lifted off his feet, as if by a strong wind -- the axe went flying out of his hand, and he crashed into one of the witch''s bookshelves, which toppled over and fell on him. Dazed, he dug himself out of the pile of fallen books and scrambled to retrieve his axe.


    Maya attacked next, with her ruby-tipped staff, but she had no better luck: the Night Queen threw her back with a jet of flame.


    But now Arai was charging forward, holding his sword out like a talisman. The blade cancelled out magic and protected him from magical harm; it was the one weapon the Night Queen could not stand against. It had taken him almost two years to find the sword, in the arctic wastes beyond the Frozen Mountains. It would not fail him now.


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    The Night Queen pointed her staff at him as he came barrelling forward. Another fireball erupted from the tip, but Arai forced himself to stand firm this time, and with the sword held out before him, the flames washed over him harmlessly. Grimly, he took a step forward, but the witch kicked over her cauldron, right in front of him, and the boiling, noxious fluid within spilled out, forcing him to back away from it, lest he be burned.


    Odo was on his feet now and ready to throw himself at the witch once again. Maya, too, looked ready to join the battle. Together, the two of them raced forward, on either side of Arai.


    The Night Queen held her staff horizontally, gripping it with both hands, and began whispering something he couldn''t quite hear. The air pressure in the room suddenly changed; Arai felt his ears pop. He held his sword out again, to shield himself from whatever magic the witch was conjuring up, and shouted a warning to Odo and Maya: "Look out!"


    The Night Queen finished speaking, and the dark room was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant flash of light, so bright that Arai was forced to close his eyes against it. When he opened them, he found the witch still standing in front of him, holding her staff...but Odo, on his right, and Maya, on his left, had stopped dead in their tracks.


    Both of them had been turned to stone.


    "Odo? Maya?" But there was no response. His friends were nothing more than lifeless statues now, both of them frozen in mid-stride.


    The witch stared at him, clearly confused by the fact that her spell hadn''t worked on him. "How did you...?"


    Silus had protected him from her spell, but Arai saw no need to explain this to her. Infuriated, he howled out a war cry of his own and flung himself at the Night Queen, raising his sword and bringing it down on her with all the strength he had. She started to say something -- probably she was trying to cast another spell -- but it was too late; Silus, the Radiant Blade, was already crashing down.


    Panicked, the witch scrambled back, raising the Staff of Night in a desperate attempt to block the sword.


    The two weapons met, and the Night Queen screamed. There was some kind of explosion; Arai remembered seeing a shower of sparks.


    And then everything went black.


    * * *


    He awoke with the sun in his eyes. For a moment he thought he must be back home, in the house he shared with his father, and that the sunlight was streaming in through the window over his bed. But that couldn''t be; that house had burned to the ground two years ago.


    Blinking the sun out of his eyes, he sat up and looked around.


    He was sitting on a grassy knoll near the bank of a large river, which must have been at least two hundred feet across. The river ran through a thick forest; there were evergreen trees on both shores. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm, and the sky was very blue. The air was full of birdsong.


    Disoriented, he slowly climbed to his feet and took stock of himself. He was wearing his armor, and his sword was lying on the ground next to him. He picked it up and sheathed it.


    Where the hell was he? The memories suddenly came flooding back -- he remembered his battle to the top of the Nightfall, his confrontation with the Night Queen, and the moment Odo and Maya had been turned to stone. What had happened? How had he gotten here?


    The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. It had been the middle of the night when he had stormed the Nightfall, but it appeared to be midday now. And this couldn''t possibly be Velon -- it was winter in Velon, but here, it was obviously spring, or perhaps early summer. How long had he been asleep? Had the Night Queen managed to cast some spell on him after all?


    He looked around some more. He appeared be alone...


    No, he wasn''t alone; there was someone else lying on the riverbank, about twenty feet away from where he stood. He approached the figure cautiously.


    It was a girl, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years old -- a few years younger than Arai. She was extremely pale, with bright red lips and long, dark hair, and she was dressed in a strange, old-fashioned kind of outfit, which consisted of interlinking straps made of black leather that had been woven together into a blouse and skirt. She was also wearing a golden bracelet with several rubies set into it. She was fast asleep.


    The girl was unfamiliar to him. What was she doing here? Was she all right? Was she injured?


    He was just about to kneel down next to her, to check if she was breathing, when he noticed something lying in the sand a few feet away from her. It was a broken staff, covered with strange talismans. He recognized it instantly: the Staff of Night.


    He frowned, and gave the girl another look. Could it be?


    The girl''s eyes suddenly flashed open. Seeing Arai, she sputtered out an oath and scrambled away from him. "Stay back," she warned. Then, spotting the broken staff, she lunged for it, whispered something under her breath, and pointed one of the pieces at him. Alarmed, Arai reached for his sword, to protect himself from whatever spell the girl was casting.


    Nothing happened, however. The girl tried again, and again, but still, nothing happened; the magic failed to respond. Frustrated, she threw the staff to the ground and muttered, "Useless."


    Arai drew his sword anyway. "Who are you?" he demanded.


    She straightened, and gave him an imperious look. She was a rather pretty girl, he thought -- not quite beautiful, but certainly attractive. Her dark hair and dark eyes contrasted sharply with her pale skin, and she had a nice figure.


    "I''m Lillandra," she declared.


    Arai''s frown deepened. He had already begun to suspect this, but how was it possible? This girl looked nothing like the armored monster he had encountered at the top of the Nightfall. For one thing, she must have been at least two feet shorter. Arai towered over her.


    "Lillandra," he said suspiciously.


    "Yes."


    "The Queen of the Night? The Shadow of Velon?"


    She nodded.


    "You look different without your armor."


    "That was just an illusion," she said. "The armor, the helmet, all of it."


    "And this is the reality?"


    She nodded again.


    "That''s impossible. The Night Queen was over a hundred years old. You don''t look a day over eighteen."


    "I''ve been asleep for a very long time."


    Arai didn''t know what she meant by that, but he let it slide. With his sword still drawn, he began moving towards her. "Where are we?"


    She backed away from him, afraid. "I don''t know."


    "How did we get here?"


    "I don''t know."


    "How much time has passed since our battle at the Nightfall?"


    "I don''t know."


    "What do you know?"


    She didn''t answer that, but said instead, "There''s something special about that sword."


    "Oh, indeed."


    "Where did it come from?"


    "Why should I tell you? Why shouldn''t I cut you down right here?" He pointed the blade at her. "You may look different, but you''re still the Queen of the Night, the usurper who killed King Reemus and conquered Velon. You''ve allowed monsters to run rampant all over the country. Your men killed my father."


    "Your father?"


    "Hetsu, the captain of the Steelmen."


    "Never heard of him," she said carelessly.


    Arai narrowed his eyes at this insult. "If you thought putting on this disguise would stay my hand, you were sorely mistaken. I swore to kill you, and I intend to do exactly that." He took a step forward.


    "Wait!" she cried. "You can''t!"


    "Why not?"


    "Your friends. Your friends, back at the Nightfall. I turned them to stone."


    "So you did." He raised his sword.


    "I''m the only one who can reverse that spell," she said desperately. "If you kill me, they''ll never return to normal."


    Arai stopped. Was this true? It very well could be. The witch would say anything to save herself, he was sure, but if there was even the slightest possibility that she was telling the truth...


    He lowered his sword. "Very well. I''ll leave you alive until you reverse the spell...or until I can find a sorcerer who can tell me the truth of the matter. Make no mistake, though. You''ve only delayed the inevitable. I swore to kill you--"


    "--and you intend to do exactly that," she finished. "Yes, I heard you the first time."


    Arai sheathed his sword, picked up the broken pieces of the Staff of Night, and threw them into the river. The staff had been made of some kind of gnarled oak, but the pieces were so weighed down with amulets and talismans that they sank immediately.


    "It took me seventy years to construct those zemi," the witch said bitterly.


    "Zemi?"


    "The enchanted objects affixed to the staff. The Crux of Illusion, the Eagle''s Wing, the Lock of Petrification, the Prickle of Ice..." She trailed off, her hands curling into little fists. "All that work..."


    "And give me that bracelet, too."


    She glanced at the golden bracelet. "It''s just for show," she told him. "There''s no magic in it."


    But Arai wasn''t taking any chances. "Hand it over."


    She reluctantly slipped the bracelet off her wrist and gave it to him. He put it on his belt.


    "Now," he said brusquely, "let''s get moving."


    "Where are we going?"


    "Upriver. We need to find out where we are, and how we got here." He lifted his chin in the direction he intended for them to go. "Start walking."


    "I don''t--"


    "If you try to escape me I''ll cut you in two, and don''t bother trying to cast any spells." He tapped the pommel of his sword. "Silus protects me from magical harm."


    "Silus? The Radiant Blade? You''re joking."


    He shook his head.


    She eyed the sword nervously. "You actually found it. Lord Pierce told me you''d gone searching for it, but--"


    "Start walking," he repeated.


    She closed her mouth and gave him a dark look, but she did as he asked, and together -- Lillandra took the lead, so Arai could keep an eye on her -- they started making their way up the shore.

 Chapter Two: Wilderness

    It was a warm day, and his armor was stifling, and the injuries he had incurred as he had fought his way up the Nightfall still troubled him -- he had bruises all over and his gambeson was crusted over with dried blood -- but he ignored the discomfort, just as he had before, and pressed on.


    The river looked cool and inviting. It would have been nice to strip out of his armor and go for a swim -- he desperately needed a bath -- but he couldn''t risk it. The Night Queen might take the opportunity to try to escape, or to cast a spell on him while he was without his sword.


    Lillandra looked almost equally uncomfortable, however. Her black-leather outfit was more suitable for a Velonese winter than a sunny summer day in this mysterious land, and within a few minutes she was sweating. Her pale skin, too, looked likely to burn under this sun.


    But she didn''t complain; in fact she said nothing, as they crossed sandbars, climbed over fallen trees, and marched through the woods adjacent to the river.


    Arai found his thoughts drifting back to the events leading up to his confrontation with Lillandra at the Nightfall. Had Grizz and the Steelmen managed to capture Fort Drakness? What had happened to Lord Pierce? Arai''s men had had to cut through an army of monsters to get to Hammersvik; had those monsters been dispatched? Had Vex managed to hold off the Night Queen''s guards? Was he still alive? And what about Odo and Maya?


    He needed to get back to the capital as soon as possible.


    Unfortunately he had no idea how to get there. He had absolutely no idea where they were. Nothing about this rugged, forested landscape looked familiar to him. There were some high mountains to the southeast, but they couldn''t have been the Frozen Mountains, or the Crymorte of Arliel''s Holy Empire. He wasn''t familiar with this river, either. Velon had no significant rivers apart from the Tuv, which flowed out of the glaciers of the Frozen Mountains, and this was definitely not the Tuv.


    Where the hell were they?


    He kept a careful eye on the witch as they made their way upriver. He had no idea what she was capable of, and he wanted to be ready in case she tried to cast some spell. She couldn''t hurt him with her magic -- not directly, anyway -- but she could escape him, conceivably, by growing wings and flying away, or transforming herself into a wolf or a bear. She could trick him with illusions, summon up a monster, or, for all he knew, open up a portal to hell under his feet. He would have to be very, very cautious around her.


    She made no move to attack him, however, nor to escape, as they trudged onward. She didn''t speak, either, for the first few hours, but finally surprised him by volunteering, "I think I might know how we got here."


    He was so startled to hear her speak that it took him a moment to reply. "Oh?"


    "One of the zemi affixed to the Staff of Night allowed me to teleport from place to place. It was called the Eagle''s Wing. I called upon its power just as you were about to strike me with your sword."


    "You were trying to flee?"


    "I meant to transport myself out of the room," she said. "To Fort Drakness, perhaps. Your sword must have cancelled out the spell, however, or caused it to malfunction, and we ended up here instead."


    "But where is here?"


    "I told you, I don''t know. We''re obviously not in Velon. The spell could have transported us to the other side of the world for all I know. We''re just lucky we didn''t materialize underground, or on the rim of a volcano, or in the middle of the Bastide Sea."


    "Can you get us back to Velon?" He didn''t trust her to cast any spells at all, but if it was possible...


    "You threw the Eagle''s Wing into the river, along with the Staff of Night," she said. "But your sword probably destroyed the enchantment in it anyway."


    "And you can''t make a new one?"


    "I could, but it would take a long time. Five years, perhaps. It takes an enormous amount of magia and a great deal of patience to create sophisticated zemi like the Eagle''s Wing."


    Arai wasn''t a sorcerer, but he knew about magia -- this was the substance sorcerers drew out of the air in order to cast their spells. It was also the substance out of which monsters were born; in areas where concentrations of magia were extremely high it occasionally coalesced into horrible malformed things, such as harpies, ape-men, and even dragons. Though they resembled animals, these creatures were entirely magical -- they did not eat, sleep, or reproduce, and unless they were destroyed, they were effectively immortal. Lillandra''s pet dragon Catalyus, for instance, had been terrorizing Velon for a hundred years.


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    "It took you five years to make that thing?" Arai asked.


    "It took five years to gather the magia for it. Of course I was sleeping for most of that time."


    "I don''t understand. How could you do anything while you were sleeping?"


    "I gathered the magia in one of my cauldrons. I didn''t need to be awake for that part of it."


    "You need a cauldron to do magic?"


    She looked at him sullenly. "You''re just full of questions, aren''t you?"


    He quieted down. It didn''t make any difference to him how she did her magic, after all; he was just curious.


    They continued on. In addition to the heat and discomfort of his armor, his stomach was beginning to gnaw at him as well. He realized, belatedly, that they might be hundreds of miles from any kind of civilization; that they had no food and no supplies; that the weather could turn at any time; and that these woods might be full of bears, or wolves, or wyrms, or, if they were very unlucky, possibly even monsters. They might have to build a shelter of some kind before nightfall. Arai was a swordsman, who had spent most of his life traveling with his father''s mercenary company -- he was used to roughing it, but he wasn''t much of an outdoorsman, nor was he a very good hunter.


    He was a fair fisherman, however -- his father''s house had been situated on the banks of the Tuv -- and he could see some fish jumping in the river. He would have to construct a fishing pole, of course, and find some bait, and something he could use as a hook...


    But how could he do all this, while also keeping an eye on the witch?


    His situation, it suddenly occurred to him, was much more precarious than he had realized.


    They followed the river for perhaps five or six miles, clambering over various obstacles, wading through boggy areas, and swatting at mosquitoes and deer flies, which buzzed incessantly around their heads. Arai finally brought them to a halt when the sun began to dip below the trees, its red-orange light filtering through the canopy. It would be night soon.


    He had been dreading this. He was tired, and he needed sleep, but how could he sleep, while still keeping watch over his prisoner? She might try to escape in the night, or worse, cast some spell on him while he slept.


    He could simply kill her, he supposed, and be done with it. He was worried about Odo and Maya, but if the Night Queen managed to escape him, she might regroup with Lord Pierce, use her magic to run the Steelmen out of Velon, and reclaim power, undoing everything that Odo and Maya had fought so hard to achieve.


    He couldn''t bear the thought of his friends remaining as statues forever, though. He remembered the expressions they had been wearing, just before the Night Queen had cast the spell: Odo was furious; Maya was fearful. He couldn''t just leave them like that; he had to help them.


    And although the Night Queen was a tyrant, and a murderer, and although he knew intellectually that she deserved to die, she was currently wearing the form of a teenage girl, and he didn''t particularly relish the idea of slitting her throat. Killing her in battle would have been one thing. Murdering her in the night...well, that felt different, for some reason.


    Not that he was about to tell her any of that. "We''ll make camp here," he told her bluntly. They had come upon a clearing about fifty feet from the river''s edge, carpeted with blue bellflowers.


    She nodded and sat down on the trunk of a large, fallen tree. Arai gathered some stones from the shore, used his sword to break up some tinder, and set about making a fire. Lillandra didn''t offer to help, but that was fine with him; he didn''t want her wandering off.


    He got the fire started just as the sun sank below the horizon. After a moment''s consideration, he took off his armor, rubbing the spots where it had chafed, and sat down cross-legged in front of the fire, with his sword propped up against his shoulder.


    It felt very odd, sharing this fire with the woman he had sworn to kill. No doubt it felt odd to her as well. She studiously avoided making eye contact with him; she kept her eyes firmly fixed on the crackling fire.


    "You''d better not try anything tonight," he warned her. "I''m a light sleeper."


    She snorted, but said nothing in response.


    "Do you still have no idea where we are?"


    She shook her head.


    "What about those mountains back there? Did they look familiar to you?"


    "I''ve never left Velon. The only mountains I''ve ever seen are the Frozen Mountains, in the north."


    "You''ve never left Velon?" This was a little surprising. Though he was only twenty years old, Arai himself had been through most of the statelets that made up Arliel''s Holy Empire -- his father''s mercenary company had made a good living fighting down there -- and he had visited a few of the cities on the western edge of the Queendom of Elent as well. That he was more widely-traveled than a hundred-year-old witch struck him as a little strange.


    "No," she replied. "What reason would I have to leave?"


    "You''ve never considered spreading your evil to Velon''s neighbors? To the Free City of Camarro, or Cyrille Major, or any of the other states within the Holy Empire?"


    "Spreading my evil?" She snorted at that. "I''m not interested in conquest. I never have been."


    "You conquered Velon."


    "I did what I had to do," she said. "Nothing more, nothing less."


    "You''re a monster."


    She said nothing in response to that; she merely sighed and looked away. "What are we going to do? We''re lost. We have no horses, no food--"


    "I''ll try to catch some fish tomorrow."


    "And then what?"


    "And then we keep going," he said stubbornly. "We''re returning to Velon, and as soon as you reverse the spell on Odo and Maya, you''re going to pay for your crimes."


    "Odo and Maya?"


    "My friends," he said. "The ones you turned to stone."


    "Ah."


    "You''d better not try anything tonight," he warned her again.


    She gave him a glare, then laid down near the fire, her head in her hands, and closed her eyes. Arai, wary, watched her until she fell asleep. The anger, bitterness, and hostility in her face disappeared as sleep overtook her, and Arai found himself surprised at how perfectly ordinary she looked. She didn''t look like the Night Queen, the terror of Velon; she looked like a seventeen-year-old girl.


    He watched her carefully for some time, in that flickering firelight, before finally drifting off himself.

 Chapter Three: Cauldron

    She was still sleeping when he awoke. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the birds were just beginning to sing. Most of the birdsong, however, was totally unfamiliar to him; he had never heard these kinds of birds in Velon, nor in the Holy Empire. It worried him.


    There were still some embers in the fire, so he got it going again, then went into the woods and used his sword to carve himself a fishing pole. It proved to be more of a challenge than he thought, and he didn''t have any line, anyway, so he turned the pole into a spear instead, rolled up his trousers, and waded into the river with it. Fortunately the river was absolutely teeming with fish, and he quickly managed to spear two large river trout. He took them back to the camp -- Lillandra was still sleeping -- and used the tip of his sword to clean them. He wished he had a knife -- using his sword was awkward -- but he soon had them scaled and cooking over the fire, upon a crude spit.


    The smell finally woke the Night Queen. She sat up, blinked a few times, and looked around.


    "Good morning," Arai said dryly.


    Her expression hardened instantly. "You," she snarled.


    "Me," he agreed. He gestured to the fish. "One of those is for you."


    He thought she might refuse, out of pride perhaps, but after a moment she carefully removed the fish from the spit and dug into it, turning it over in her hands. She was obviously hungry.


    "And I don''t even like fish," she muttered.


    Arai did like fish, and this trout was particularly good; in fact he had never tasted better. "What do you usually dine on? The souls of your victims?"


    She looked at him squarely. "You really hate me, don''t you?"


    "You killed my father."


    "I don''t even know your father. What was his name again?"


    "Hetsu. He was a mercenary captain. He was Velonese, but he made his living in the Holy Empire, fighting in their wars. Two years ago Lord Pierce invited him back to Velon to drive the Al''mud out of the Hardways. He did the job, but Lord Pierce turned on him and killed him before he could return to the Empire."


    "I know nothing of this."


    "You expect me to believe that? Lord Pierce is the Lord Protector of Velon. He''s been ruling in your name for the last thirty years."


    "I barely knew the man," she said dismissively. "I only met him a few times."


    Arai was incredulous. "Impossible."


    "It''s true," she insisted. "I never had any interest in politics. I left the running of the kingdom to him...and to his father before him, and to his grandfather before him. I only consulted with my Lords Protector once or twice a year."


    "I find that hard to believe."


    "It''s true," she repeated. "I was too busy with my work to concern myself with the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom -- I left that to the Pierces, and I trusted them to carry out my wishes."


    "They carried out your wishes, all right," Arai growled. "Your three Lord Pierces have all but destroyed Velon. Half the villages have been wrecked by monsters, and the Al''mud have taken over everything east of Harbor Town. No one can afford to pay your taxes. Famine, fire, and death, all while Lord Pierce and his family live in luxury in the Waterglass Palace."


    She stared at him. "You''re lying."


    "Lying?" he exploded. "You think I''m lying? What do you think this rebellion was all about? Did you think the people were happy living under Lord Pierce''s tyranny?"


    "He told me it was an uprising," she said uncertainly. "There had been uprisings before." She seemed to think the matter over for a moment, before shaking her head and saying, "I had nothing to do with your father''s death. If Lord Pierce was betraying and murdering people, he was doing it on his own."


    "That doesn''t make you any less responsible."


    They ate in silence after that. When they had finished their breakfast, Arai put his armor back on and they resumed their trek upriver. It was a lovely, cool morning, and the wind coming off the river was refreshing, but Arai''s armor was uncomfortable and his boots were wearing down from all the walking over rough terrain. Lillandra''s boots, which were made of soft leather, were in even worse shape; he wondered how long it would be before the soles wore out.


    The river straightened out somewhat after a few miles, which made the going a little easier for them; they no longer had to wade through bogs or cross tributaries. They encountered plenty of animals, but no dangerous ones, and no monsters at all. "There''s not much magia here," Lillandra explained at one point. "No magia, no monsters."


    "Ah. I suppose that makes sense." He frowned thoughtfully. "Tell me about your magic. What can you do with it?"


    "Why do you want to know?"


    "You might attack me with it. You might use it to escape. I want to know what you can do, and what you can''t do."


    "I have no reason to speak truthfully to you."


    "Tell me anyway."


    She sighed. "Some sorcerers specialize in casting offensive or defensive spells, or in healing, or in prediction or prognostication. My specialty is creating zemi."


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Enchanted objects?"


    She nodded. "I place my spells within the zemi, which allows me to cast them on the fly, without delay, and as many times as I like. I can create much more versatile spells, too, using zemi -- transportation spells, leeching spells, transformation spells, and so on. It takes a very long time to fashion a zemi, however, and it is very difficult, which is why most magic-workers don''t bother with them."


    "How long does it take?"


    "For a sophisticated spell? Years. For simpler spells, a day or two, but it depends on the amount of magia present in the environment."


    Arai had seen Vex levitate and throw fire from his fingertips; he asked Lillandra if she could do that.


    "I was never very good at that kind of thing," she admitted. "I was never very good at casting."


    "I don''t understand."


    She threw him a backwards glance. "You don''t know anything about magic, do you?"


    "I never found it all that interesting," he confessed.


    She sighed again. "I''ll explain it, then. There are four steps involved in fashioning a spell -- compression, confinement, calculation, and casting. Compression is the drawing of magia out of the ether. Confinement is holding that magia in place, by force of will. Calculation determines what form the magic will take, what effect it will have. And casting is the releasing of that bundle of magia, in the form of a spell. For most sorcerers calculation is the most difficult part of this process, but for me it''s always been casting. My calculations break down if I''m not placing them directly into zemi."


    "So you can''t throw fire from your fingertips," Arai concluded, "or fly, or transform yourself."


    "Not without my zemi."


    Arai considered all that. "You''re telling me you''re not much of a threat."


    "I suppose I am."


    "But you could be lying about all this, couldn''t you? To put me off my guard."


    She shrugged. "It''s possible."


    Arai grunted at that, and they continued onward. He wondered why he even bothered asking her questions -- she was the Shadow of Velon; of course she would lie to him.


    They had traveled another five or six miles, over relatively easy terrain, when Arai suddenly spotted a bit of smoke rising above the trees, another mile or so upriver. He pointed it out to Lillandra.


    "Looks like chimney smoke," he said. "It could be a village."


    She eyed the smoke nervously. "We should go around it."


    "Why?"


    "They...might not be friendly."


    "If we want to make it back to Velon we''re going to need food and supplies."


    "I don''t have any money. Do you?"


    "No, but we might be able to barter something."


    "Your armor? Your sword?"


    "Your bracelet."


    Her eyes narrowed. "That was a gift," she growled. "You have no right."


    "Do you want to get out of this forest or not?"


    "What difference does it make? You''re going to kill me anyway, as soon as I reverse the spell on your friends."


    He couldn''t argue with that, so he didn''t. They walked on, and shortly after noon, they arrived at the village.


    It was a small, rather crude village, consisting of about twenty buildings, situated on a high hill overlooking the river. Most of the buildings had thatched roofs, but a few of them were slate. One large building was topped with a strange steel triangle.


    The buildings were arranged in a rough circle, which gave the village a central square, although there were a few buildings on the outskirts as well, running off the side of the hill and almost into the forest. Several docks had been constructed along the riverbank, and the river itself was full of boats. "Must be some kind of fishing village," Arai opined.


    A boy and girl, who had been playing by the river, spotted them making their way up the bank. The boy pointed and shouted something in a language Arai did not understand, and ran off with the girl -- up the hill and into the village, along a well-worn path. Arai, with Lillandra still in the lead, followed the duo, but halfway up the hill they were met by an old man with a long white beard, and two younger men carrying spears.


    "Let me do the talking," Arai told Lillandra.


    When they were close enough to speak, Arai greeted them as effacingly as he could, spreading his hands and saying, "Good afternoon. My name is Arai, and this is Lillandra. What is the name of this village? I''m afraid we''re rather lost."


    The three men exchanged a series of puzzled glances. The old man said something that sounded like, "Udo addi?"


    "I don''t understand. Do you know what he''s saying, Lillandra?"


    "I don''t know any language but Velonese," she said. "I told you before, I''ve never left Velon."


    Arai tried again, this time in the language of Arliel''s Holy Empire, but they didn''t understand this language, either. He tried a few place names: "Velon? Arliel? Elent?" But the men merely shook their heads. He was finally forced to use sign language, to indicate to the men that they had come out of the forest and that they wished to know where they were. One of the men finally caught on. "Ada," he said, pointing at the village. "Tobit to Ada, grazio."


    "Ada?" Arai repeated. "The village is called Ada?"


    "Ada," the men agreed, nodding their heads.


    Once again using sign language, he tried to ask the men if they had a map, or if they would be willing to barter for food or supplies -- he even showed them Lillandra''s bracelet -- but they did not seem to understand this, and he finally gave up. The men, having come to the conclusion that the two of them were not a threat, finally threw up their hands in frustration and returned to the village, leaving Arai waving his arms like an idiot on the side of the hill.


    "This is going to be harder than I thought," Arai muttered. "We can''t even communicate."


    "We must be very far from Velon," Lillandra said. "They didn''t understand Velonese or your Arlian."


    That had worried Arai as well. Velon was not a particularly large kingdom, but the Holy Empire was enormous, and its language was widely spoken across the continent.


    "We have to figure out how to talk to them," Arai said.


    "I could create a zemi," Lillandra suggested.


    He looked at her. "What do you mean?"


    "I could enchant an object which would allow us to understand each other."


    Arai was wary. "You could really do that?"


    "Of course."


    "I thought you said it took years to make these zemi."


    "It would take time," she agreed, "but not that much time. I could probably complete the spell in two or three weeks. I''d need a cauldron of some kind to help gather the magia, though, and an object reflective of the nature of the spell."


    Arai didn''t want to stay in this village for an entire week, let alone two or three, and he didn''t trust the witch with a cauldron.


    "We have no idea how long it will take to get back to Velon," she added. "And a translation zemi, a Stone of Many Tongues, would allow us to speak with anybody we might meet on our way. It would be very useful."


    "I don''t trust you," Arai told her. "How do I know you won''t take the opportunity to cast an entirely different spell? You might summon a dragon to kill me, or try to fly yourself back to Velon."


    "Suit yourself," she said, shrugging.


    Arai scowled. He didn''t like this idea, but he had to admit it would be useful to be able to communicate with these people, and with anyone else they might encounter. He didn''t have the time, or the patience, to learn another language. It had taken him long enough to learn Arlian.


    Did he dare risk it, though? He wasn''t worried about monsters or fire-spells -- his sword could protect him from those -- but he was afraid she would find a way to escape him.


    They needed supplies, however, and they couldn''t barter for them if they couldn''t communicate. "Damn it," he muttered. "All right, then. Make your zemi. If I begin to suspect that you might be casting some other kind of spell, though, even for a second, I''ll kill you without a second thought. Do you understand?"


    "I understand," she said mechanically.


    "Now. What do you need?"


    "Well, to start...I need a cauldron."

 Chapter Four: The Stone of Many Tongues

    They made a new camp in the woods outside the village, about a hundred yards from the closest dwelling. The villagers knew they were there, and didn''t seem to mind; some of them even stood around gawking at them. Arai''s armor, and especially his sword, were especially interesting to them.


    The boy and girl who had first spotted them coming into the village showed up every day. Like the others, they kept their distance at first, but eventually they grew bolder, especially the boy, who wanted to examine Arai''s sword up close. Arai did his best to make friends with the pair, and to discourage them from communicating with Lillandra -- he didn''t trust the witch around children -- but they ignored him, babbling at her in their strange language whenever she went down to the river. To his surprise, the Night Queen was kind to them, and patient with them, and even offered them a few smiles from time to time.


    It was a little disconcerting.


    Arai, meanwhile, got acquainted with their neighbors, who lived in the house closest to their camp. They were a young couple, close to Arai''s age, and they had a young son, perhaps two years old. The husband made his living as a fisherman. They were a friendly little family, and although they were wary at first, they eventually warmed to Arai.


    Using his best sign language, he managed to borrow a large cooking pot from them, which Lillandra transformed into a cauldron. She filled it up with leaves, twigs, fish bones, grass clippings, locust shells, dirt, river water, and other oddments, set it over a fire, and stirred it up until it began to boil. She then spent an hour sitting in front of it with her eyes closed, all while Arai watched her very carefully. He kept his hand on his sword, just in case.


    At last, she opened her eyes and said, "It''s done."


    "That''s it?"


    "It''s a proper cauldron now," she affirmed. "It''s drawing magia out of the ether. In a few weeks it''ll have gathered enough for me to perform a calculation and create a Stone of Many Tongues." She rose to her feet and dusted herself off. "A cauldron itself is a kind of zemi, but a very simple one."


    Arai gave her an appraising look. "Who taught you all this stuff?"


    "My grandmother taught me the fundamentals. But I learned most of it on my own."


    "Really?"


    "I had a knack for it," she said, shrugging.


    That, Arai suspected, was an understatement. He had met several sorcerers and spell-slingers over the years -- some of them had served as mercenaries in his father''s company -- but most of them were rather limited in their abilities. They could throw fire and ice from their fingers, and hover above the battlefield, and deflect arrows with gusts of wind, but he had never met one who could turn a man to stone, transport a person to the other side of the world, or create enchanted objects. Even Vex couldn''t do those kinds of things, and Vex was probably the most skilled sorcerer Arai had encountered...until now.


    "Now we have to find a stone to cast the spell on," she went on.


    "That shouldn''t be too hard. There''s stones all over."


    She shook her head. "It has to be a special kind of stone, one containing a variety of different minerals. Granite might work, but skarn or tactite would be best."


    "Why?"


    "I told you before, the enchanted object has to be reflective of the nature of the spell. Many minerals in one stone, many languages in one mind...you see?"


    "I can''t believe you learned all this on your own."


    "It''s not that complicated," she said, "once you get the hang of it."


    She went on to spend the next few days scouring the riverbank, searching for a stone, while Arai speared fish and constructed shelters for himself and Lillandra. The fisherman''s wife, from whom he had borrowed the cauldron, sometimes stopped by to give them a bowl of berries or a handful of apples, which Arai thought was very kind of her.


    "She has the makings of a sorceress," Lillandra offered, as she bit into an apple.


    "The fisherman''s wife? How can you tell?"


    "From the way magia flows around her." She took another bite. "Anyway, the woman has a little potential. She could probably learn some simple spells."


    "You can tell that, too? How powerful another sorcerer might be?"


    "Most of the time."


    A week passed, and then another. Lillandra eventually found a stone that she thought might work for the spell -- a chunk of skarn she had found on a cliffside, which was threaded through with bands of blue and gold -- but it took much longer for her to gather the magia in her cauldron. "There''s very little magia in this area," she explained. "And I need a fair amount of it for this spell."


    All this waiting around was very frustrating. Arai was desperate to return to Velon, to rescue Odo and Maya, to see Grizz and the Steelmen again, to find out how the rebellion was faring. He worried about Vex.


    The journey back to Velon was likely to be a long one, though, full of dangers, and the ability to communicate with the people they encountered would be invaluable. They needed this stone.


    They remained camped on the outskirts of the village for almost three weeks. In all that time, Lillandra made no attempt to escape, but then, where would she escape to? They were in totally unfamiliar country, and surrounded on all sides by forests. There was a road running out of the village, snaking through the woods to the north, but they had no idea where it might lead. She might have stolen a boat as well, and tried her luck downriver, but for all they knew the river emptied into the Southern Ocean, that endless expanse that no one had ever successfully crossed.


    She was a powerful sorceress, of course, and might have used her magic to make a getaway, but most of her power seemed to have been bound up in the Staff of Night and her assorted zemi, which had taken her years to produce. Without them, she was practically helpless.


    Slowly but surely, his attitude towards Lillandra began to change. He had to remind himself, over and over again, that she was the Night Queen, and that she deserved to die for her crimes, and that he had sworn to kill her himself as soon as Odo and Maya were returned to normal. He had to remind himself, because the more time he spent with her, and the more he got to know her, the more his resolve began to weaken. She was snappish, and sullen, and sarcastic, but she wasn''t a demon. She was nice to the village children, and polite to their parents, and Arai never saw her do anything obviously wicked. It was hard to believe this was the same Night Queen who had terrorized Velon for a hundred years, whose assassins had killed rebel leaders, whose monsters had torn apart whole armies.


    And although they didn''t get along all that well -- how could they, when Arai had sworn to kill her? -- the fact that they were stuck in this situation together had bound them together, forced them to work together. She began to feel like an ally, of sorts.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    One afternoon, while Arai was brooding over these things, Lillandra spoke up: "I think I have enough magia to perform the calculation now," she said.


    "Really?"


    "It''ll take a few minutes to enchant the stone. But I''m just about--"


    She was interrupted by a series of shouts coming from the village, followed by a scream. "What was that?" Arai asked, sitting up.


    "It''s none of our business, whatever it is," Lillandra said, but Arai was already strapping on his sword and heading up to the village.


    He saw the source of the trouble as soon as he entered the square. Three rough-looking men, wearing cloaks and breastplates, and all wearing swords, were accosting some of the villagers -- shouting at them, pushing them around. One old woman was lying in the dirt, having apparently been knocked down. Arai''s neighbor, the young fisherman, was helping her to her feet.


    Most of the villagers were standing around, eyes downcast, not doing anything to help.


    Arai didn''t know what was going on here, but he knew he didn''t like it. "Hey!" he shouted at the men.


    They turned to look at him. The leader, a large man with an ugly scar running down his cheek, barked something at him -- probably warning him not to interfere -- but he stopped when he saw Arai''s sword, pointing at him and motioning for him to step forward.


    Arai didn''t move. Angered, the man shouted something at him, and then at his companions. The two men drew their swords.


    That was all the excuse Arai needed. He drew his own blade. The crowd gasped.


    The young fisherman began tugging on Arai''s sleeve and pleading with him, obviously trying to dissuade him from fighting the ruffians. It was too late for that, though; the men were already approaching him, bare steel in their hands.


    Arai pushed the fisherman away and fell into a fighting stance: the Rising Tide, one of the Three Waves his father had drilled into him so many years ago. This was a defensive stance, designed to exploit openings and counter an opponent as they came forward.


    Fortunately the men did not try to flank him -- they both came at him from the same time and from the same direction, feinting with their swords, probably expecting him to back off. Arai did not back off; he remained rooted to the spot, one knee bent, holding Silus with both hands.


    The men''s swords were unusual; they were heavy and thick, more like big butcher''s knives than proper fighting swords. And the men were holding them very loosely.


    One of the men suddenly lunged, swinging his big sword horizontally, apparently intending to lop his head off. Arai didn''t even bother to try to catch the blade; instead, he simply ducked his head beneath it, then came up with his own sword, slicing into the man''s hand as his momentum carried him forward. The man dropped the heavy sword and stumbled away, howling in pain.


    They were clearly amateurs. Arai could have easily killed the man at that point, but he thought that might be impolitic, so instead, he took a single step forward, using his foot to slide the man''s sword out of play, and then flew at the other man, who was standing there dumbly. He quickly batted the sword out of the second man''s hand, struck him in the head with the pommel of his sword, and whirled on the scarred man. He had his sword up and aimed at his throat before the man''s own blade was halfway out of its scabbard.


    "You''re not welcome here," he snarled at the man. "Leave. Now."


    The man couldn''t understand his words, of course, but he got the message. He said something to his companions, who quickly collected their swords and mounted their horses, which had been tied up on the other side of the square. Arai lowered his sword, allowing the scarred man to mount his horse as well. The scarred man shouted something at the villagers -- a warning, perhaps -- and spurred his horse, and the three men rode out of the village, onto the road that wove through the trees to the north.


    Arai sheathed his sword and turned to the villagers. He had expected them to be grateful, or relieved, at least, that he''d managed to run off these ruffians, but most of them looked terrified, and all were whispering urgently to each other. The fisherman''s expression was grave.


    Shrugging, Arai turned, and was surprised to see Lillandra standing there as well, staring at him.


    He went to her. "You saw that?"


    "You shouldn''t have interfered," she said. "You''ve only made things worse for these people."


    "How do you know?"


    Instead of answering, she reached out and touched something to his forehead.


    Instinctively, Arai slapped her hand away, afraid that she meant to do him harm. "What are you doing?"


    The slap annoyed her. "This is the Stone of Many Tongues, you idiot," she said crossly, holding up the piece of skarn. "I completed it while you were up here getting into trouble."


    "Warn me next time," he said. "I don''t like being surprised by..." He trailed off, because, to his amazement, the whispers and complaints of the villagers around him had suddenly begun to make sense. They weren''t speaking Velonese, but somehow, he was able to understand them.


    "I''ve already used it on myself," she provided.


    The fisherman approached them. "This complicates things," he muttered, in this language that had suddenly become comprehensible. "I know you can''t understand me, but--"


    "As a matter of fact I can understand you," Arai said, surprised to find himself speaking this strange language as well. It all felt very natural. "Now."


    The fisherman blinked. "I thought you couldn''t speak Addish. How is this possible? Or have you been deceiving us this whole time?"


    "It wasn''t deception," he explained. He gestured to Lillandra. "My companion here is a witch, and she''s just completed a spell which allows us to speak and understand you. It took her several weeks."


    The man looked at them both skeptically; he clearly didn''t believe this. "Well," he said, "it''s good that you ken my language now, at least. My name is Tal. What''s yours?"


    "I''m Arai," he said, "and this is Lillandra."


    He nodded at them. "And where are you from?"


    "Velon."


    The man frowned. "I''ve never heard of it."


    "It''s a small kingdom in the far north, west of Arliel''s Holy Empire."


    "I''ve never heard of that one, either, I''m afraid."


    "The Queendom of Elent? The Scarred Lands?"


    He shook his head. "You must be very far from home. How did you get here?"


    Arai glanced at Lillandra. "By accident. Tell me, what country is this?"


    "Why, this is Addis, of course."


    "Addis?" Arai had never heard of this place. "And those mountains, to the southeast?"


    "The Fallhorn," he said, "and beyond them, Turuni, Turuval, and Elvinine -- the kingdoms of the elves."


    Arai started. "Elves?" He had heard of elves, but he had never actually seen one; in fact he had assumed they were simply legends. They were said to live in a land very far to the east, beyond the Queendom of Elent, beyond the Scarred Lands. "We really are on the other side of the world, aren''t we?" he muttered. But he put that aside for now. "Who were those men?"


    "Gringus and his thugs," Tal said. "They work for Erek. They call themselves tax collectors, but they''re little better than thieves. They come to the village every few months and make a nuisance of themselves. If we give them what they want, they usually leave us alone." He shook his head wearily. "But now you''ve made them angry. They''ll return in a few days, with Erek, and Erek will want to teach us a lesson."


    "Who''s this Erek?"


    "The ruler of Farlentree."


    "Farlentree? I thought you said this country was called Addis."


    "It is. Farlentree is the name of the province."


    "Erek is your provincial lord, then?"


    "Not...exactly."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Erek is a sorcerer. He was an advisor to Lord Barlotte, but three years ago he managed to seize power for himself, imprisoning our lord in the dungeons beneath Barlotte Castle. He claims to rule in Barlotte''s name, but everyone knows Erek is the real power in the province."


    "This man imprisoned your lord? How could you let that stand?"


    "He''s a sorcerer," Tal pointed out. "He has the power to wake the dead."


    "A necromancer?" Lillandra asked.


    "I suppose. Some of Lord Barlotte''s men did attempt to break him out of the dungeons a few years ago, but they couldn''t get into the castle; Erek''s walking corpses drove them off."


    "I can''t believe your king would tolerate such a thing."


    "Addis is a very large kingdom," Tal said, "and Farlentree is a small and remote province, containing only a handful of small villages. It is almost all wilderness, from here to the mountains. We are beneath the king''s notice. Besides, Lord Barlotte is old and infirm, and Erek claims to be his legally-appointed regent. There is little we can do." He sighed. "Gringus will return, with Erek, and they will punish us. The sorcerer is a ruthless man. He''s tortured men and women, burned whole villages to the ground..." He shook his head sadly. "If only you had known..."


    But Arai wasn''t about to apologize. "If I had known, I would''ve killed them, rather than let them go. I''m not the kind of man to simply stand by and watch, as innocent villagers and helpless old women are terrorized by thugs."


    Tal looked at him curiously. "You''re a bold one, aren''t you? Are you a knight?"


    Arai was not familiar with this term. "I''m a swordsman."


    "I see," he said uncertainly. But then he shook his head again, in dismay. "I must speak with my wife. We may have to flee the village. I would advise you to leave as well. The people here...they may think they can appease Erek, by handing you over to him."


    Arai hadn''t considered that possibility, but it made sense. "Thank you," he said. "But if this Erek comes looking for me, I intend to give him a fight."


    "He''s a sorcerer," Tal reminded him.


    "I''m not afraid of sorcerers," he said, throwing a meaningful glance at Lillandra. She merely snorted at him.

 Chapter Five: The Ghouls Bit

    Arai''s plan had been to use his new command of the Addish language to trade for food and supplies, and to begin making his way back to Velon with Lillandra. This business with Gringus and his men had complicated things, however -- the villagers were unwilling to trade with him, and just as Tal had suspected, some of them wanted to turn him over to Gringus, in order to appease Erek. Arai made it clear that he had no intention of being handed over, however, and the villagers, having seen him fight, were afraid to take him against his will...especially after the word got out that his companion was a sorceress herself. No one wanted to challenge a sorceress.


    So he remained on the outskirts of the village, with Lillandra, trying to think of a way out of this situation. Lillandra herself spent most of her time sitting around, doing nothing in particular.


    "Where did you learn to fight like that?" she asked him at one point.


    "My father taught me."


    "Hetsu?"


    "You remembered," he said. "He was the greatest swordsman of his generation, a master of the Three Waves school. He taught me everything he knew...well, almost everything."


    She looked surprised. "Your father was a swordsman of the Three Waves?"


    "You''ve heard of it?"


    She nodded slowly, a faraway look in her dark eyes. "I have." But that was all she had to say about it.


    Tal''s wife, whose name was Temis, stopped by to chat with Lillandra from time to time. Tal and Temis, along with the rest of the villagers, had apparently decided not to flee after all, but their fear was palpable; they were obviously terrified of what Erek might do to them. Arai tried to speak with the village elder -- the old man with the white beard whom they had met shortly after they had first arrived at the village -- to convince him to organize some kind of defense, but the man refused to see him. So far as they were concerned, this sorcerer was all-powerful, and if he wanted to destroy their village, there was nothing they could do to stop him.


    "I''m only one man," Arai said, pacing back and forth. "Silus protects me from hostile magics, but I can''t fight off a dozen men all by myself. If this Gringus brings more riders..." He trailed off, glancing at Lillandra, who was sitting in front of the fire with her knees pulled up to her chest. "What about this sorcerer? What do you know about necromancy?"


    "Not much," she said, but there was another faraway look in her eyes, and Arai got the impression she was hiding something.


    "You don''t know anything?"


    "It''s possible to reanimate dead bodies," she acknowledged reluctantly, "and to make them do your bidding. Walking corpses make for poor warriors, though. They''re slow, shambling things, and totally mindless, with no knowledge of the living. I''ve never bothered with them." She paused. "I imagine they would be rather frightening to face in battle, though."


    "I imagine," Arai said dryly. "Can they be killed?"


    "You can''t kill something that''s already dead," she pointed out. "But your sword cancels out magic, doesn''t it? Simply striking one with it would likely break the spell."


    "That''s true," he said. "What about the villagers, though? How can I protect them? I can''t fight off a whole army of these things."


    He took a deep breath. He couldn''t believe it had come to this, but...


    "I need your help," he said.


    She looked at him skeptically. "Why should I help you?"


    "These people are in danger."


    "Because of you," she said. "You shouldn''t have interfered."


    "You expect me to stand by and watch, while innocent people are mistreated?"


    "It was none of your business," she insisted.


    "Matters of right and wrong, of good and evil, are everyone''s business."


    She snorted. "Keep telling yourself that."


    He took another deep breath, this time to cool his temper. "Very well. I shouldn''t have interfered. Is that what you want to hear? The fact is, this sorcerer is coming, and I can''t protect these people without your help."


    "You could turn yourself over to him. That would help."


    "I''m not going to do that," he said impatiently.


    "Too bad."


    "Don''t you have any sympathy at all for these people? For your friend Temis, or her child?"


    She looked away. "They''re not my responsibility."


    Arai turned away from her as well, disgusted. "I should''ve expected as much. You''re the Night Queen, after all -- the witch who conquered Velon, who killed the good King Reemus and Prince Ryal..."


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    Her eyes flashed, and she jumped to her feet. "The good king? The good king? You don''t know anything about Reemus. You don''t know anything about Ryal. Were you there? Were you there when Ryal came to my village, when Reemus came with the royal guard..." She stopped there, clenching her fists, and then said, in a much quieter voice, "Yes, I killed Ryal. He begged for his life, you know, on his knees, blubbering like a fool, right in front of me. I had my dragon incinerate him anyway. I can hear him weeping, still, when I close my eyes, but I''ve never regretted killing him. You don''t know anything about Prince Ryal."


    "You''re sick."


    "You don''t know anything," she said again. "You don''t know--"


    She was interrupted by a child''s bawling -- Temis''s child, the little boy, was wailing away at the top of the hill. Lillandra looked up, concerned. "I wonder what''s wrong."


    "What do you care?" Arai asked immediately. "They''re not your responsibility, remember?"


    The Night Queen shot him a dark look and sat back down in front of the fire, folding her arms over her chest and refusing to look at him. Arai watched her for a moment or two, wondering what she was thinking, before returning to his pacing.


    * * *


    An hour later, just before sunset, Lillandra suddenly surprised him by speaking up: "I''ll help."


    "You''ve changed your mind?" Arai asked. She had spent most of the last hour lost in thought.


    "I suppose I have. But I''m not doing it for your sake. I''m doing it for Temis, who was kind to me, and for the other villagers."


    "Good enough."


    "Only, I don''t know what I can do. If I had enough time, and the necessary materials, I could fashion a Crux of Illusion, an Ogre''s Hammer, or a Dragon''s Bit, but this Erek could show up tomorrow for all we know." She frowned. "I might be able to create a few Volcanics, but..."


    "What''s a Volcanic?"


    "A zemi that explodes when you throw it. They only take a few hours to make, but I''d need some glass beads or shards of obsidian, or something similar, to make them."


    "Maybe we can find something in the village. How much damage can they do?"


    "Well, I wouldn''t want to get hit with one."


    He nodded. "All right. I''ll ask around. Is there anything else you might be able to do?"


    "Nothing comes to mind," she said. "I''m not a battlefield mage -- I need time, and preparation, to do my magic."


    He nodded again. "Well, let me know if you think of anything." He paused. "And Lillandra...thank you."


    "I''m not doing it for you," she snapped.


    Arai visited Tal and Temis first, to ask them if they had any glass. Temis, it turned out, owned a necklace made up of colored glass baubles, but it was her only jewelry and had been a gift from Tal besides, and she was reluctant to give it up. "Please," Arai said. "We can protect this village, if you''ll just give us a chance."


    "It''s hopeless," Tal insisted. "Haven''t you been listening? Erek can raise the dead." He looked at Arai squarely. "I was one of the men who tried to free Lord Barlotte from Erek''s dungeons. Most of us were killed or captured; I was one of the few who managed to escape." He shuddered. "You don''t know what it''s like to try to fight the dead. He has this vulture--"


    "You underestimate me," Arai said. "And you underestimate Lillandra. She''s probably the most powerful witch in Iona Magister."


    Tal obviously didn''t believe this, but he nodded reluctantly and gave his assent to Temis. "Give him the necklace. What do we have to lose?"


    * * *


    The sorcerer arrived the next morning. Arai was already awake, and fully armored, when they rode out of the woods and into the village; adjusting his breastplate and squaring his shoulders, he climbed up the hill to the village''s central square. It was time.


    To his relief, Erek had brought with him only a handful of men: the scarred man Gringus, Gringus'' two companions from before, and two other men, both of whom were wearing chain mail and unusual conical helmets. These two looked like they knew their business; they were probably castle guards. All of the men, apart from the sorcerer, were equipped with those big butcher''s swords.


    Erek himself was a short man, in his early forties perhaps, wearing black robes cinched with a yellow belt. He was otherwise quite ordinary-looking, with a receding hairline, a furrowed brow, and small, beady eyes. He was wearing an oversized ring on one of the fingers of his left hand, which was in the shape of a skull.


    The men dismounted and strode into the village square, looking around. No one came out to greet them; most of the villagers were either hiding in their homes or within the Lenstable -- the large building with the steel triangle affixed to its roof. This, Arai had learned, was a place of worship -- the villagers, and apparently most of the Addish, were followers of a god called Len. Arai had never heard of this god; he was a devotee of the God of the Monuments himself.


    The men soon spotted Arai. Gringus said something to Erek, who nodded and began walking towards him.


    "That''s a zemi on his finger," Lillandra said into Arai''s ear. He was startled; he hadn''t realized she was standing there. "A Ghoul''s Bit."


    "Can you tell how powerful he is?"


    "He doesn''t appear to be very powerful at all," she said. "The magia flows freely around him. But some mages are capable of hiding their true strength."


    He nodded, his eyes fixed on the sorcerer. "You''d better give me some room."


    She stepped back, and Arai stepped forward. "You''re Erek?" he called out to the approaching sorcerer.


    "That''s right. I take it you''re the one who attacked my men?"


    "They were behaving very badly."


    He looked Arai up and down. "They told me you were speaking some strange language. Are you a foreigner?"


    "You could say that."


    "I''ve never seen armor like that. Where are you from?"


    "Velon."


    "And where is Velon?"


    "A long way from here," he sighed.


    The man shrugged. "I suppose it doesn''t matter. You understand what''s about to happen here, don''t you? Gringus and his men are under my protection. I can''t allow these insults against them to stand."


    "Gringus and his men are robbers," he shot back, "and you''re an usurper. You''ve imprisoned Lord Barlotte, the rightful ruler of this land."


    Gringus growled at that, and he, along with his men, drew their swords and started making their way towards Arai. Erek, however, put out a hand to stop them. "I''ll need to make an example of this one, I think." And he raised his hand, the one with the skull-ring on it.


    Arai heard a loud moan, coming from out of the forest, followed by another, and then another. They began to appear on the road, stepping out from beneath the shadows of the trees -- six walking corpses, in various states of decay, and three animated skeletons, all of them wearing the same chain mail and helmets as the two castle guards. The corpses were awful things, and they made awful noises, moaning and groaning as they marched forward. Their mouths hung open; their tongues lolled out. Most of their faces were badly rotted, with empty eye sockets, and one even had a clutch of maggots wriggling around within the cavity of its chest. The stench, even from this distance, was terrible.


    The skeletons were almost more frightening, however, because they were completely unreal; how could they even walk around, with no muscle or sinew? Of course he knew the answer to that -- it was magic -- but that didn''t make them any less terrifying.


    Six corpses, three skeletons, five armed men, and a single sorcerer. This wasn''t going to be easy.


    Grimly, he drew his sword, assumed the stance of the Crashing Waves, and prepared to meet them.

 Chapter Six: A Long Journey

    The walking corpses, some armed with clubs and some with rusted swords and daggers, converged on him. Lillandra had told him that they would be slow-moving, but the skeletons were actually quite spry, and obviously capable of wielding weapons -- one had a spear and the other two had swords. It was the skeletons that reached him first.


    Arai''s sword, Silus, protected him from magic and magical beings, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t be stabbed by one of these skeletons, if they managed to get close enough. Fortunately the skeletons had no apparent strategy; they simply walked up to him, stabbing and slashing. The first one attacked him with a rusty sword, while the second, the one with the spear, tried to impale him.


    He stopped the rusty sword with his own, shattering it, while dodging the spear and diving to his right, but the skeletons were undeterred -- they kept coming. He set upon them with the Crashing Waves, a series of slashes, severing the arm of the swordsman-skeleton and maneuvering close enough to the spearman-skeleton to separate its skull from its vertebrae. Both skeletons collapsed as soon as Silus touched them, the sword instantly cancelling out the magic that had kept them upright.


    He barely avoided the third skeleton, however, which swung its butcher''s blade at him. He leaped back to avoid it, then caught it by the arm-bone as it came up to swing the sword again. Yanking it close, he tapped it on the skull with his flat of his blade, and it, too, collapsed.


    Erek was obviously alarmed by this. He pointed his ring at the skeletons, evidently trying to revive them, but nothing happened. A look of uncertainty flickered across his face.


    Arai had no time to celebrate, however, because now the corpses were coming at him, and there were many more of these -- six in all, and instead of coming right at him, they spread out, surrounding him. He frowned. Silus could stop these things in their tracks, but there were six of them, and only one of him, and he wasn''t fast enough to avoid all of their swords and clubs.


    "Lillandra!" he shouted. "Now!"


    One of the corpses, the one with the maggots writhing within its chest cavity, was suddenly struck by some explosive force and blown backwards. Arai winced, and the corpse stumbled and fell flat on its back.


    Lillandra and Temis had come up behind him, and were now hurling the Volcanics at the walking dead. The explosions, which were accompanied by bursts of flame, blasted off limbs and blew the weapons out of their hands. And while they were reeling, Arai raced through their ranks, carving them up with Silus'' snow-white blade.


    Erek and his human companions were shocked by the explosions, and by the ease with which Arai was able to dispatch the walking corpses. "What are you waiting for?" the necromancer finally shouted at his men. "Kill them!"


    Gringus and his thugs hesitated, but the two others, the castle guards, did as they were bid. Arai, finishing off the last of the corpses, turned to face them, this time falling into the Rising Tide stance. The men studied him for a moment, as if trying to decide the best way to take him, and then came rushing forward, at the same time. Arai blocked one blow, and then another, but it took all he had to deflect those heavy swords and he was unable to find an opening between them. He finally got lucky -- one of the men tripped over the severed arm of one of the walking corpses and stumbled forward a step. Arai dodged a clumsy swing, got under the man''s guard, and came up with his own blade, slicing into the man''s neck. It was a shallow cut, barely a scratch in fact, but the man was so shocked by it that he forgot to counterattack -- he simply staggered forward a few more steps, clutching his bloody neck, while Arai spun on his heel to face his companion.


    This man was a big, tough-looking fellow, but he swung his sword like a meat cleaver and Arai had little difficulty with him. He cut through his defenses, and then, in a single stroke, cut off the man''s sword hand. He screamed.


    Gringus and his men had seen enough. They mounted their horses and fled, leaving Erek and the others behind. Erek began screaming now as well, ordering them to come back. Arai flicked the blood from his blade and approached the necromancer, who scrambled away from him. "Stay back," Erek said, pointing his skull-shaped ring at Arai.


    "Hand over the ring," he demanded, leveling his sword at the man.


    Instead of handing it over, however, he pointed it at the sky. Arai, bemused, looked up just in time to see a huge, necrotic vulture swoop down out of the trees...and it was coming right at him. He was unable to bring his sword up in time to stop it; it knocked him off his feet.


    Erek unsheathed a dagger and immediately attacked him -- leaping on him, trying to stab him. Arai was forced to let go of his sword in order to catch the man''s wrist, and for several moments they remained in that position -- on the ground, wrestling for the dagger. The sorcerer was surprisingly strong, and Arai, having been fighting for the last several minutes, was growing weary.


    The tip of the dagger scratched his breastplate. Erek tried to maneuver the blade a few inches lower, in order to thrust it into Arai''s unprotected abdomen. Arai gritted his teeth, and looked into Erek''s beady eyes. There was murder in them.


    "Arai!"


    And suddenly Lillandra was there. She had picked up one of the clubs wielded by the walking corpses, and was now racing forward. She drew it back, and as hard as she could, smashed it against Erek''s head, knocking him off Arai and causing him to drop the dagger. Arai quickly regained his feet, but the sorcerer, stunned by the blow, remained on the ground, blood gushing out of his nose and mouth.


    The vulture came at them again. This time Arai saw it coming, and he cut it out of the air. It squawked once and went still.


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    "Well done," Lillandra commented.


    "Thank you," he said tiredly. "I mean it."


    She snorted derisively.


    By now several of the villagers had emerged from the Lenstable. Arai removed the ring -- the Ghoul''s Bit, Lillandra had called it -- from Erek''s finger. "This ring was the source of his power," he announced to the crowd. "It was what allowed him to raise the dead." He threw the ring to the ground, and with everyone watching, stomped on it, crushing it beneath his boot.


    "What will you do with him?" one of the villagers asked.


    "That''s up to you," Arai said. He pointed at the two castle guards, who were bleeding badly. "They fought bravely. You might consider treating their wounds, but again, I leave it to you." He sheathed his sword and looked around. The village square was a mess of bones, body parts, and burn marks, and there was blood all over; it looked as though some kind of massacre had taken place here.


    He had defeated the necromancer and driven off his men. He ought to have been pleased, but looking at all this carnage only made him feel queasy. He sheathed his sword, and with Lillandra following quietly behind him, he began making his way back to his camp on the outskirts of the village.


    * * *


    It was only later, after getting over their shock at what had happened, that the villagers realized what Arai had managed to accomplish and began to show him their appreciation. The village elder thanked him personally, and several families offered them food and supplies for their upcoming journey.


    Two days later, while Arai was making preparations to leave, Tal walked down to his camp to speak to him, his toddler son riding on his shoulders. "You''re going?"


    "Tomorrow morning," he confirmed.


    "I thought you might like to know that Lord Barlotte has been released from the dungeons. It took a toll on him, but he seems to be in a relatively good health."


    "That''s good to know. And Erek?"


    "Locked up," he said, "in the same cell in which he had imprisoned Lord Barlotte. He''s a sorcerer, though, and the people are afraid of his magic. He''ll probably be executed."


    "I see."


    Tal regarded him quietly. "Thank you," he said, "for everything."


    "It was nothing."


    "It was hardly that. You saved our village."


    "I wasn''t the only one fighting up there. If your wife hadn''t been there to hold off those corpses..."


    "Speaking of my wife..." He looked over Arai''s shoulder. "What exactly is she doing over there?"


    Arai turned to look. Lillandra and Temis were both sitting in front of the cauldron, in meditative poses. "Ah. It seems your wife has a talent for sorcery. Lillandra is teaching her how to make more of those magic explosives, in case Gringus and his men come back."


    "My wife? A sorceress?" He blinked a few times, then smiled. "Actually, that makes a lot of sense. But what about you? Where are you headed?"


    "Back to Velon," he said. "Unfortunately I have no idea how to get there. I suspect it lies somewhere to the west, but I don''t know for sure."


    "If you follow the road north, and then west out of the forest, you''ll eventually arrive at the capital," he provided. "Kingsaile."


    "Big city?"


    "Very big. You might be able to find someone there who''s heard of Velon, or someone who can point you in the right direction, at least."


    "Thanks."


    "It''s a long journey," he warned him.


    He nodded sadly. "I had a feeling."


    * * *


    The next morning they said their goodbyes to the villagers. Tal had given them a pair of leather rucksacks, which they had filled with dried fish, dried fruits, and hardtack, and with various supplies: a knife, flints for making fire, a couple of worn-out bedrolls, and three large copper coins, which were apparently Addish currency. The coins had the head of the Addish king on one side, and a leaping fish on the other.


    "It''s not much," Tal told him, "but it might buy you a couple loaves of bread, or a night at an inn in Kingsaile."


    "Thank you." He shook the man''s hand, while Lillandra, a few feet away, parted with Temis. Temis actually pulled Lillandra in for a hug, and Lillandra hugged her back, which surprised Arai -- who would have thought the Night Queen, the Shadow of Velon, was capable of that kind of tenderness?


    And with that, they started off down the road. It was a hot, sunny day, but the trees gave them shade, and Arai had stashed his armor in his backpack, so he was comfortable, at least.


    They walked in silence for about an hour. It was Arai who finally broke that silence: "You''re not what I expected," he said.


    "What?"


    "I grew up hearing stories about the Night Queen''s wickedness. How she had conquered Velon, killed Prince Ryal, and sicced her dragon on anyone who displeased her. There were rumors about her kidnapping young maidens, taking them to the Nightfall, and experimenting on them, to try to learn the secrets of eternal youth."


    "I never did that," she snapped.


    "But those were the stories I heard. I thought you were a monster -- someone like Erek, I suppose, only worse."


    "You don''t think that anymore?"


    "I think," he said carefully, "that you''re a bit more complicated than that. Why did you come to my rescue, when Erek was trying to stab me? You could''ve just let him kill me. You would have been free of me then."


    "I don''t know why I did that," she said hesitantly. "I suppose it was instinct." She glanced at him. "Do you still plan to kill me, after I return your friends to normal?"


    He surprised himself by saying, "I''m not sure."


    She was quiet for a long moment. "Was...was I really so hated?" she asked tentatively.


    "Yes."


    She frowned. "I didn''t know."


    "How could you not know?"


    "I hardly ever left the Nightfall," she said. "I slept for years at a time, and only spoke with the Lords Protector once in a while. I trusted what they told me."


    "They told you you were beloved by the people?" he snorted.


    "I knew I wasn''t beloved," she said. "I''d overthrown their king, after all, and created this Night Queen persona in order to instill fear in them. They had to fear me; it was the only way I could maintain power. But I didn''t know I was hated. I didn''t know the Pierces had allowed the kingdom to fall into ruin. I thought...I thought I could do better than King Reemus."


    Arai wasn''t sure if he believed any of that...but he was more inclined to believe it now than he had been when he had first met her.


    She couldn''t be completely innocent, though. She had admitted to killing Prince Ryal, hadn''t she? And she was the one who had installed the Pierces as the Lords Protector of Velon in the first place; that made her responsible for their actions, including the death of his father.


    Didn''t it?


    He sighed. Arai was a simple man, and he believed in simple things -- truth, honor, loyalty, and the absolute difference between good and evil. It made him uncomfortable when these notions were challenged, and Lillandra, to his frustration, was very good at challenging them.


    "I don''t really understand your motives," he told her. "I don''t really understand you. But we''ve got a very long journey ahead of us, and until we get back to Velon...I''m willing to reserve judgment. Is that good enough for you?"


    "We''ve got a long journey ahead of us," she agreed. But that was all she said; without another word, and with her eyes fixed on the horizon, she walked on ahead of him.


    Arai sighed again, and, adjusting his pack, followed her up the road.

 Chapter Seven: The Other Side of the World

    "How is it that you look so young?" Arai asked Lillandra, out of the blue.


    They were walking down a dirt road that cut through a large wheat field, which stretched almost as far as they could see, from one end of the horizon to the other. The yellow of the field contrasted sharply with the deep blue of the sky, and it made for a lovely sight; Arai had never seen a landscape like this in Velon. Velon was a rocky, mountainous country, covered in snow eight months out of the year, and its skies were almost perpetually gray -- nothing like this lush, verdant land, where the sun seemed to shine almost every day.


    They had just departed yet another little village, where they had successfully stocked up on supplies, and the lovely weather, and the lovely surroundings, had Arai in high spirits. As they made their way out of town, he had noticed the shine in Lillandra''s long, dark hair, and the soft curve of her face, and it had got him to wondering.


    She had evidently been lost in thought, because it took a moment for her to answer. "What did you say?"


    "I asked you why you looked so young," he said. "You must be over a hundred years old, but you look like a teenager. Is it magic? Did you find the secret to eternal youth? Or is that face an illusion, too?"


    "It''s not an illusion," she said. "I told you that before. This is my true form, my true face."


    "So how can you look like that? Are you really a hundred years old?"


    "I am," she said, with some hesitation, "but I''ve been sleeping a lot."


    "Sleeping?"


    "A magical sleep. It takes a long time to gather enough magia to make zemi -- five years for an Eagle''s Wing, ten for a Crux of Illusion. I needed more magia than I could gather in a single lifetime for the zemi I wanted to create. So from time to time I would inhale a Phial of Amaranthine to put myself into a magical sleep, while I waited for the necessary magia to gather in my cauldrons. I slept for months, sometimes years at a time. And while I was in that state, I did not age."


    "How old were you when you conquered Velon?"


    "Sixteen."


    Arai reeled. "But you don''t look more than seventeen or eighteen now. Does that mean you''ve been asleep for almost all of the hundred years you''ve ruled Velon? You haven''t been awake for more than a few months since you overthrew King Reemus?"


    She nodded.


    "I''m not sure I believe that."


    "Believe what you want. It''s the truth."


    From the moment he had first seen her, in the guise of this teenage girl, he had assumed it was a trick of some sort -- an illusion, perhaps, like the one she had worn when he had fought her in the Nightfall. If she really had been in a magical sleep for most of a century, however, then she really was a teenage girl, at least mentally, with only sixteen or seventeen years'' worth of memories and experiences. It would explain a lot, he had to admit. Lillandra was very intelligent, and was obviously a magical prodigy, but she could be naive as well, and as moody and sullen as a typical teenage girl.


    He couldn''t be sure that she was telling the truth about this magical sleep, though -- in fact he couldn''t be sure of anything she told him. Though they had spent over a month together -- and in rather close proximity -- he still didn''t trust her. She was the Night Queen, and she had turned his friends to stone.


    It had been about two weeks since they had left the little village of Ada. They had been on the road ever since, having made their way through forests, fields, and any number of small villages on their way to Kingsaile, the capital of Addis. They walked, mostly, but were occasionally able to hitch rides on the backs of farmers'' wagons for two or three miles at a stretch. They encountered very little traffic around Ada, but they began to see more and more people as they drew closer to the capital, and the condition of the roads began to improve as well, transitioning from winding dirt paths to long, straight roads paved with flat stones.


    It was on the road to the capital that they first began to see elves. Neither of them had ever seen an elf before, but they were apparently rather common in Addis, which shared a border with several elf-kingdoms to the east. The first elves they encountered were a group of four -- three men and one woman -- and they were happy to stop for a moment and answer Arai''s questions.


    These elves were traders, apparently, making their way back home after a successful sale in the capital. They were tall, slender, and fair-haired, with high cheekbones, high foreheads, and, most interestingly to Arai and Lillandra, very long ears, which came to points. They were all very beautiful, especially the woman, who was so stunning that she actually took Arai''s breath away.


    Arai explained that they were foreigners and that they had never seen elves before, and to forgive them if they stared. The elves clearly didn''t believe this, but they played along.


    "I''m told that elves live a very long time," Arai said. "Thousands of years."


    They all laughed at that. "Most of us never make it to three hundred," the woman explained. "But we don''t begin to show our age until the very end of our lives. It probably gives a false impression."


    "Do you mind if I ask how old you are?" Arai asked.


    "It''s impolite to ask a woman her age," she said teasingly. "I''m seventy-eight."


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    Arai was amazed, for the woman looked about the same age as Lillandra. "Do your people intermarry with humans?"


    "Is that a proposal?" she asked, with a twinkle in her eye.


    "I...no, I..."


    She smiled at his embarrassment. "It happens, from time to time," she admitted, "but it is not common. An elf can live almost three times as long as a man; this can make it hard for them to build a life together. A romance between an elf and a man will almost always end in tragedy. This is well known."


    "Well known," the other elves muttered.


    Because they were traders, and obviously well-traveled, he thought these elves might have heard of Velon, but none of them had, nor had they ever heard of Arliel''s Holy Empire. This was disappointing, but the elves were good company, and he came away from the encounter feeling strangely exhilarated. He was very far from home, and he was worried about the state of Velon, but he couldn''t help but be excited by the weird exoticism of this land.


    Lillandra was intrigued as well, asking the elves questions about magic and what they knew of it. This group contained no magicians, however, and they claimed to have no special expertise.


    That encounter had been several days ago, and they had seen several more elves since then -- most of them heading east, back to their homes, on the other side of the Fallhorn Mountains. Some of them seemed to have made their homes in Addis, however, living side-by-side with their human counterparts in the towns and villages outlying the capital.


    Late the next day, after bartering for supplies at that little village, they finally arrived at the outskirts of Kingsaile. It was a huge, walled city, rising up like a mountain on the horizon. It was full of towers and palaces, and situated within a cluster of shimmering lakes, upon which hundreds of little sailboats could be seen. It was a beautiful sight; even Lillandra stopped and stared.


    "It''s bigger than Hammersvik," she commented.


    Arai snorted. "It makes Hammersvik look like a mountain village. It''s bigger than Salos. It''s bigger than either of the Free Cities."


    "You''ve been to the Free Cities?"


    "Many times. I''ve been all over the Holy Empire."


    She suddenly looked uneasy. "I don''t like big cities."


    "Neither do I. They''re big, stinking cesspools, for the most part. There has to be someone here who''s heard of Velon, though -- someone who can show us the way home."


    And so they proceeded down the road, which ran right down to the city gates. There was quite a bit of traffic on the road -- farmers, delivering their crops; important-looking people riding in carriages; and ordinary peasants, tramping along on foot. There were several guards stationed at the gates, and they forced some of the wagon masters and carriages to pay a toll, but they left the peasants unmolested, and Arai and Lillandra were able to walk right into the city.


    It was a big, bustling city; everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. It also appeared to be a prosperous one -- the buildings were in good condition, for the most part, and the roads were broad, straight, and paved with gigantic marble slabs that must have taken forever to lay. Most of the people they saw were well-to-do; in fact Arai didn''t see a single beggar.


    "Now what?" Lillandra asked, after they had walked some distance. "Where do we go?"


    Arai frowned thoughtfully. They needed information, didn''t they? He stopped a man on the street. "Excuse me," he said. "My companion and I are new to this kingdom. We''re interested in learning more about its history. Do you have libraries here? Places of learning?"


    The man frowned back at him. "There''s the royal library," he said doubtfully, "but I don''t think they''d let you in. It''s for royals, after all. You could try the University, though."


    "Do you know the way?"


    He pointed them in the direction of the University, and twenty minutes later, they found themselves standing before its iron-wrought gates. To his surprise, there was a guard of some kind stationed at this gate, and he stopped them when they tried to enter. "Do you have a slate?" he asked them.


    "A slate?"


    "You''re can''t enter without a slate," he said, in a bored, officious tone. "Only students and faculty are allowed within."


    "We just need to talk to someone," Arai said. "Could you arrange--"


    But the man cut him off. "If you don''t have a slate, I''m going to have to ask you to leave." And he shooed them away.


    The man was very rude. Arai refused to let his temper get the better of him, however; he simply turned and walked away, Lillandra following at his heels.


    "Now what?" she asked again.


    "I have another idea," he said. Libraries and universities weren''t the only places with books, after all. He stopped another passerby and asked him where he might find a bookseller.


    Fortunately there was one very close by; apparently it catered to the university students. They found the place without difficulty and stepped inside.


    It was a big, dusty shop, and there were books everywhere, piled on top of everything. It wasn''t very busy; there were only a handful of customers browsing the shelves. A young man wearing a pair of spectacles was sitting behind a counter, and he jumped to his feet as soon as he saw them enter.


    "Hello!" he greeted. "How can I help you today? Are you looking for anything in particular? We still have a few copies left of Tarl Abzot''s latest, if that''s what you''ve come for."


    "Ah, no," Arai said. He looked around the room. There were so many books here; where would they even start? "Actually, we''d like to know about--"


    "Cartography," Lillandra broke in. "Do you have any maps here?"


    He thought about it for a moment. "Maps, eh? Let me have a look around. I think we still have a couple copies of Plint''s Travels. Just came out last year." He checked something at his desk, then walked them over to one corner of the bookshop and removed a dusty tome from one of the dusty shelves. He blew on it. "Here we are. Plint''s Travels. There''s a map in there that folds out. It''s a very unique touch; you don''t see many of these."


    He handed the book to Arai, who opened it up. The script was utterly alien to him, however; he couldn''t make any sense of it. He showed it to Lillandra. "Can you read this?"


    She looked it over for a moment and shook her head. "The spell I cast with the Stone of Many Tongues allowed us to speak their language. It didn''t teach us how to read it."


    "Wonderful," he groaned.


    "You can''t read?" the young bookseller asked doubtfully.


    Arai ignored that. He set the book on a nearby table, found the map, and folded it out. Although he couldn''t read the place names, he could make out the details of the lakes, rivers, and mountains. "Where is Addis?" he asked the young man.


    The bookseller gave him a strange look, but he pointed it out to him anyway. "This is Addis," he said, using his finger to draw its borders. "And this dot here is Kingsaile."


    "Is there a place called Velon on this map?"


    The man looked it over. "I don''t see it."


    "Arliel''s Holy Empire?"


    He shook his head.


    Frustrated, Arai pointed to the westernmost part of the map. "What about here? What is this region called?"


    "Tarnak," he said. "Plint describes it in the book. It''s a cursed land, a vast desert, where magia is so thick that monsters materialize out of the air almost constantly. No one lives there, expect for a few bandits, perhaps, hiding within the western mountains."


    Arai groaned again. He knew this place; his father had been there once, and had told him stories about it. "The Scarred Lands. These are the Scarred Lands." The Scarred Lands were the easternmost lands Arai had ever heard of; they were thousands of miles east of Velon. But on this map, they were the westernmost feature, probably thousands of miles from Addis.


    It was no exaggeration. They really were on the other side of the world.

 Chapter Eight: Shell

    Although he couldn''t read it, he thought the map might be useful, so he bought the book with the three copper coins Tal had given him back in Ada. He stepped out onto the street and looked up at the sky.


    "We''re a very long way from home," he said sadly.


    "We already knew that," Lillandra said, coming up behind him.


    "You don''t understand. It could take us years to get back to Velon. And we''re on the wrong side of the Scarred Lands -- do you have any idea what that means?"


    "Not really," she admitted.


    "My father visited the Scarred Lands several times. He told me all about them. The desert is four hundred miles across, crawling with powerful monsters, and split in two by a high mountain range. Whole armies have been wiped out trying to cross the Scarred Lands."


    "What was your father doing there?"


    "He worked as a caravan guard for a while, before he formed the Steelmen. He went as far as the Riven Mountains."


    "A caravan guard?"


    "Caravans do attempt the crossing, from time to time," he said. "But it''s rare. Most of them never return." He whirled on Lillandra, suddenly angry. "This is all your fault."


    "My fault?"


    "It was your magic that got us here. If you hadn''t tried to cast that spell--"


    "You were trying to kill me. What was I supposed to do?"


    Arai fumed. Things would have so much simpler, so much easier, if he had managed to kill her back in Velon. With the death of the Night Queen, and the success of the rebellion, Arai could have returned to that little meadow on the banks of the Tuv, rebuilt his father''s house, and lived quietly for the rest of his life. He could have married Maya, perhaps. Odo could have gone back to pulling barges up the river, Vex could have returned to his studies, and Grizz and the Steelmen could have returned to the Holy Empire. A happy ending for everybody.


    As things stood now, he had no idea whether he would even live to see his home again. And that was Lillandra''s fault.


    Frustrated, and angry, he stormed off down the street. "Where are we going now?" she asked.


    "We spent all our money on this book," he said.


    "So?"


    "So I''m not planning on sleeping in the gutters tonight. It''s time we sold that bracelet of yours."


    Lillandra''s bracelet, which Arai had confiscated earlier, was a gold-gilt band encrusted with little rubies. Some time ago he had used the tip of his knife to pry the rubies out the bracelet; now he intended to sell them.


    "That bracelet belongs to me," she grumbled. "You have no right to sell it."


    "Perhaps you''d like to spend the night on the street."


    She crossed her arms and glared at him, looking for all the world like a petulant teenage girl.


    It took a few minutes of asking around, but Arai eventually managed to find his way to a jeweler, who gave them four silvers and three coppers for the rubies, and three more silvers for the bracelet itself. "Very unusual," the jeweler commented, eyeballing it. "Where did it come from?"


    "Velon," Arai provided. "It''s a country on the other side of the Scarred Lands."


    The man gave him a look which suggested he thought he was a fool or an idiot, but he handed over the coins anyway. Lillandra was so upset about his selling off the bracelet that he finally found himself apologizing to her, despite himself. "I''m sorry," he said. "We didn''t have a choice. We can''t expect to survive in this land without money."


    "You could have sold your sword."


    "Are you out of your mind? This is Silus, the Radiant Blade. It''s thousands of years old; it was forged before the Harrowing. I''m not going to sell it off to an ironmonger. Besides, it''s the only insurance I have against you and your magic."


    She gave that one of her characteristic snorts.


    By now the sun was beginning to set, which meant they needed to find a place to stay for the night. They left the jeweler and began making their way up the street, looking for an inn or a common-house that might put them up. They walked in silence -- Arai was fed up with Lillandra, with her petulance and her bad attitude, and no doubt she was fed up with him as well. After a few minutes, however, she pointed something out to him that he hadn''t noticed.


    "We''re being followed," she said.


    He looked around. The streets were not particularly busy at this time of day, but there were a few people passing by here and there. "Who?"


    "A little elf girl. She started following us after we came out of the jewelry shop."


    Arai glanced over his shoulder. He spotted the girl, but only for an instant; she disappeared into an alley almost the second he laid eyes on her. She was a quick little blonde thing, wearing a ragged-looking yellow shift. "What do you think she wants?"


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "No idea."


    "She''s probably just curious." Arai''s dark-gray gambeson and Lillandra''s strange black outfit especially had already earned them several stares from passersby -- the Addish themselves wore colorful doublets, robes, or strange skirt-like costumes that showed off their legs.


    "I''m not so sure."


    They didn''t see the girl again after that, and Arai quickly forgot about her. A few minutes later, just as the lights were going out around the city, they found an inn -- it was a rather shabby-looking place, and there were seedy-looking characters loitering all over, but Arai had no idea how long their coin would last them and he didn''t want to spend any more money than he had to.


    The proprietor was a fat, sweaty man wearing a huge leather apron and snacking on fried onions. "My wife and I would like a room," Arai told the man.


    "Two coppers," he grunted, not looking up from his onions.


    Arai placed the money on the counter. The man swiped it up and dropped it into his pocket, and pointed to a set of stairs at the other end of the room. "We''ve got one room left at the end of the hall." He eyed Arai''s sword. "And I''d better not see that thing come out of its scabbard."


    "Fair enough. Do you serve food here?"


    "My wife can whip something up for you, for another copper."


    "Thank you." He put the copper on the counter, and the man swept that one up as well.


    Lillandra pulled him aside. "I''m your wife now?" she hissed.


    "A lot of places have taboos about unmarried men and women sharing the same room. We''ll get fewer questions this way."


    "You could have told him we were brother and sister."


    He frowned at her. Lillandra was dark-haired and dark-eyed, with a heart-shaped face and unusually pale skin. Arai, on the other hand, was a tall, blue-eyed youth, with sandy blond hair and a ruddy complexion. They looked absolutely nothing alike. "That''s hardly believable."


    "Whatever you say," she grouched, sitting down at a table and crossing her arms over her chest, in that petulant way she had.


    Arai rolled his eyes and sat down across from her. A few minutes later a matronly woman arrived with fresh bread and a couple of bowls of stew. There was too much pepper in the stew, but the bread was delicious and both of them ate it eagerly.


    Satisfied, they headed up to their room. Like the rest of the inn, it was pretty shabby, with creaking wooden floors and a single bed with a straw mattress. The room also had a window facing west; the moonlight was streaming through it.


    "You can have the bed," Arai told Lillandra, setting down his rucksack and rolling his bedroll out on the floor.


    "It smells in here," she commented.


    "It''s better than sleeping outside. Does that door have a lock on it?"


    It did have a lock, so she locked it. She then tested the bed, bouncing on it a bit. "I suppose it''ll do," she said.


    Arai shook his head in exasperation -- her bad attitude was really starting to wear on him -- and settled down on the floor, with his head facing the window so that he could look out at the night sky. Though he had a great deal on his mind, he had little trouble falling asleep.


    * * *


    He awoke only a few hours later, after having a very strange dream. He couldn''t remember the details, but it had had something to do with his sorcerer friend Vex, and something about it had unsettled him. The last time he had seen Vex he had been desperately fighting off the Night Queen''s guards, and he found himself wondering, for the hundredth time, whether the poor lad was still alive.


    He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.


    The moon had moved out of view; he could no longer see it through the window. He spent a few seconds studying the night sky, but then frowned, because he had just noticed something: the window was open.


    Had Lillandra opened it, to get some fresh air? He propped himself up on his elbows and looked around.


    The room was very dark, but he could make out the shapes and shadows, still, and he could see Lillandra lying on the bed. On the other side of the bed, though...


    There was someone else in the room with them.


    It was a small, furtive figure, probably a child. The figure was digging through Arai''s rucksack; they hadn''t noticed yet that Arai was awake.


    "Hey!" Arai shouted, scrambling for his sword.


    The dark figure looked up, and then, with a quickness that Arai found astonishing, raced back to the window, slid over the sill, and disappeared into the darkness. Arai heard a faint jangling of coins as the figure darted off; the little burglar had obviously made off with their money.


    Swearing, Arai grabbed his sword and, without even bothering to pull on his boots, exploded out of the door and raced down the stairs, hoping to catch the thief before he or she could get very far. Ignoring the confused shouts of the innkeeper, who was apparently still awake, he shouldered open the door of the inn and raced around to the west side of the building. There were several alleys running off in several directions, and all were so dark he couldn''t make anything out, so he picked one at random, his bare feet slapping against the pavement.


    He must have chosen the right alley, because he saw some movement at the end it -- a shadow, flowing into other shadows. He followed the movement, turned a corner, looked around...and stopped. The alleyway was empty.


    He swore again. But then, just as he was turning to leave, he stopped again, because he had just heard a noise coming from behind a row of ale casks that had been lined up along the edge of the street. He pretended to walk away, out of the alley, but then suddenly stopped, turned, and kicked over one of the casks. The thief jumped up and immediately made a break for it, but Arai managed to grab the little shadow by the collar.


    He dragged the struggling figure out of the alley and into the moonlight. He was not particularly surprised to discover that the thief was the little elf girl who had been following them earlier. "Let me go!" she yelled.


    "I''ll let you go when you give me back my money."


    She stopped struggling, and with considerable reluctance, handed over his coin purse, which he tied to his belt. He released her then. He expected to her to flee, but she didn''t -- instead, she looked into his eyes, sniffled once or twice, and burst into tears before him.


    "Are...are you all right?" he asked.


    "What am I going to do?" she wailed. "I can''t...without that money...how am I supposed to save him?"


    "Save who?"


    "My brother," she blubbered. "He''s in trouble. He left the guards, and now Captain Rainer and his men are after him, and if he shows his face around Northwall they''ll hang him."


    "Slow down," Arai said. "And quiet down, will you? You''re going to wake up the whole neighborhood with that bawling."


    She sniffled a few more times, and Arai took the opportunity to get a good look at her. If she were a human child, he would have guessed she was about ten years old, but as she was an elf, he had no idea what her true age might be; for all he knew she was older than he was. She was very skinny, obviously malnourished, and she looked like she hadn''t had a bath in weeks. Her shift was dirty and her cheeks were smudged. For all that, though, she was a pretty little thing, with green eyes and a cherubic face framed by long, straight blonde hair. Her ears, emerging from out of those blonde tresses, were almost comically long; in fact they made her look rather ridiculous. Did all elf children have such long ears? He wondered if she would grow into them.


    Though she had broken into his room and stolen his money, and though he had no reason to do her any favors, he felt bad about leaving her here. She was clearly distraught. "What''s your name?" he asked.


    "Shell," she said.


    "Shell," he repeated. "You look like you could use a good meal."

 Chapter Nine: The Perfect Job

    Lillandra stared at the little elf girl, and then stared at Arai, incredulous. "You''re feeding her?"


    "She was hungry," he said, shrugging. He glanced down at Shell, who was seated at a table in the inn''s common room, working on her second bowl of stew.


    "She''s a thief," Lillandra hissed.


    "She''s a little kid," he returned. "At least, I think she is. How old are you, Shell?"


    "Eleven," she answered, in between slurps.


    "There, you see? Eleven."


    "She broke into our room."


    "I''m aware of that," he said dryly, "and I''m not condoning it, but she was obviously pretty desperate. Look how skinny she is."


    "I don''t care how skinny she is. You''re rewarding her for stealing from us. You''re an idiot."


    Arai shrugged again. Maybe he was an idiot. He knew what it was like to be hungry, though, and he hated to see anyone starving.


    When she had finished her second bowl, and devoured almost an entire loaf of the innkeeper''s wife''s bread, she pushed the bowl away and sat there quietly, with her hands in her lap. Arai sat down at the table, across from her; after a moment, Lillandra reluctantly did the same.


    "I''m sorry," she said, eyes downcast. "For robbing you, I mean."


    "What made you decide to target us?" Arai asked.


    "I saw you coming out of the jeweler''s," she said. "I figured you''d just made a sale. And I thought, since you were foreigners, you might not know enough to call the guards on me." She looked up at them. "You are foreigners, aren''t you? Your Addish is perfect."


    "We are foreigners," he admitted. "We''re from a country called Velon."


    "I''ve never heard of it."


    "I''m not surprised," he muttered. "Now, what was this about your brother?"


    She blinked at him. "My brother? Oh, my brother." Her eyes once again began to well with tears. "He''s in trouble."


    "So I gathered," Arai said. "But what''s the problem?"


    "He signed up to join the guards a few months ago," she said. "But his fellow guards teased him and bullied him, probably because he was an elf. There aren''t many elves in the guards. Anyway, he finally left, but without permission, and if Captain Rainer catches him he''ll kill him. We decided to leave the city, to head back to Turuni, but it''s a long journey, and we needed some money..." She trailed off, her lower lip quivering. "We ran out of food a few days ago."


    "Where''s your brother now?"


    "Hiding out."


    "And where are your parents?"


    "We don''t have any parents. We''re orphans."


    "Ah." That was too bad.


    Lillandra was studying the girl skeptically. "That''s some story," she said.


    "I''m sorry I stole from you. I know it was wrong. I just...I just..." And she burst into tears again, saying, "I''m sorry!"


    Arai patted her on the shoulder. "Everything will be all right. Would you like another bowl of stew?"


    "Yes, please."


    He ordered another bowl from the innkeeper''s wife. The little girl dove into it immediately, attacking it with her spoon.


    Lillandra pulled Arai aside. "Don''t tell me you believed that sob story."


    He frowned. "You think she made it up?"


    "I think she''d say anything to get out of trouble."


    "Those tears looked pretty real."


    Lillandra snorted. "She''s a good actress, I''ll give her that. But she''s a thief. She doesn''t deserve your sympathy. She certainly doesn''t deserve a third bowl of stew."


    "She''s starving."


    "She looks healthy enough to me. Anyway, you can''t believe a word she says. If you want my advice--"


    "I don''t, actually," he said, suddenly annoyed with her. "I don''t want your advice." He got out his coin purse and handed Shell a single silver coin. "Here," he said. "Use this to get your brother out of the city."


    She stared at him with those huge, emerald-green eyes. "You mean it?"


    "Just promise me you won''t rob anyone else."


    "I promise!" she exclaimed, accepting the coin and suddenly leaping out of her chair to embrace him. "Thank you, thank you! I''ll never forget this."


    "Don''t mention it."


    "And thanks for the meal, too." The little girl bowed to them both, and then, grinning from ear to ear -- and with a bit of stew still on her upper lip -- she ran out of the inn.


    "That was stupid," Lillandra remarked.


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    "She needed help. Those years I spent fighting your armies, I was never too busy to stop and help someone in need. And I''m not about to start now."


    The innkeeper''s wife appeared. "Another copper for that stew, please," she said, extending her hand.


    "Ah." Arai reached for his coin purse...and frowned. It wasn''t there.


    He looked around frantically. Had he dropped it? He had had it just a moment ago.


    And then he remembered the hug the little elf girl had given him. He groaned.


    "What''s the matter?" Lillandra asked.


    "I guess you were right," he muttered. "She just picked my pocket."


    The Night Queen laughed darkly. "Kindness. See where it gets you?"


    * * *


    She didn''t laugh for long. With no way to pay for the food, the innkeeper and his wife promptly put them to work -- Lillandra was forced to wash their dishes and do their laundry, while Arai was ordered to skin onions and peel potatoes. The situation was almost comical -- Lillandra, the Queen of the Night, and Arai, the heroic leader of the rebellion, reduced to taking orders from a sweaty innkeeper and his grouchy wife.


    They finished their work in the early morning, and retired to their chambers again after that, in order to secure a few more hours'' sleep. The innkeeper was pleased with their work, but he wasn''t about to put them up for free, and at noon the next day he kicked them out of the room and ordered them off the premises.


    Yawning -- he hadn''t gotten much sleep -- Arai pulled on his boots, strapped his sword to his belt, and headed out the door with Lillandra. "That was humiliating," she muttered, as they stepped out onto the street. "If you hadn''t been taken in by that little thief..."


    "You don''t have to remind me."


    "What are you going to do now? We''re right back where we started, only we don''t have anything to barter now, except for your sword and your armor."


    Arai frowned. It was true they had no other valuables, but he was never going to part with Silus, and he was loath to part with his armor, which had been given to him by his father and which he felt he would almost certainly need for the journey back to Velon. The set consisted of breastplate, spaulders, vambraces, and greaves; he had lost the helmet fighting his way up the Nightfall. Perhaps, he thought, he could at least sell the spaulders, which he seldom wore.


    They also had the Stone of Many Tongues, which they no longer needed, but Arai was reluctant to part with it as well; he thought it might come in handy again at some point.


    He sighed. Things were going from bad to worse here. They needed money, and they needed it badly. Were they going to have to get jobs here in Kingsaile? Lillandra didn''t seem to have any special skills, apart from her magic, and Arai had spent most of his life fighting with the Steelmen; his only real skill was his swordsmanship. He could ask to join the royal guards, he supposed, or the city watch, but he didn''t want to spend months, or years, in this strange city -- he wanted to go home.


    But the guards probably wouldn''t accept him into their ranks anyway; he was obviously a foreigner.


    "I''m hungry," Lillandra commented.


    He gave her a glare. Lillandra was another complication. They had declared a truce, of sorts, since arriving in Addis, but she was still technically his prisoner, and he was afraid to let her out of his sight for long.


    What were they going to do? He clenched his fist. If only he hadn''t fallen for Shell''s story...


    Well, there was nothing for it now. "Let''s find a place to sit down." The sun was hot, and he wanted to get off the street.


    They found a bustling tavern on one of the wide boulevards that ran the whole length of the city, from one gate to another. Arai couldn''t read the sign over the door, but the drawing beneath the characters depicted a boar with a spear sticking out of its back.


    They entered the tavern and found a table. It was a busy, boisterous place -- all around them, people were chatting and eating lunch, and the smells coming from the kitchen were very enticing indeed -- the cook must have been grilling some kind of meat back there. Arai sighed. He was hungry, too.


    "What are you going to do now?" Lillandra asked him again.


    He resisted the urge to tell her to shut up. Instead he said, "Let me think."


    A couple of grizzled-looking men were sitting at the table adjacent to them, quaffing ale. "Forget it," one of the men was telling the other. "Those salamanders are bad news."


    "He''s offering forty pieces of silver."


    "For a chthonic salamander?" He snorted. "He''s out of his mind. Do you know how big those things get?"


    "Excuse me," Arai broke in, intrigued by the mention of forty silvers and the prospect -- however unlikely -- of making some money. "I couldn''t help but overhear. What''s a chthonic salamander?"


    "A kind of monster," the man replied, gulping down some more ale. "You get ''em in the Dwellmer, sometimes; the magia can get pretty thick down there."


    "The Dwellmer?"


    The man squinted at him over the rim of his stein. "You''re new in town, ain''t ya?"


    He nodded.


    "Well, the Dwellmer''s what we call the catacombs beneath the city. Kingsaile was built over these big natural caves, see, and people used to inter their dead down there. But some of the caves got flooded, and the catacombs got all mixed up with the city''s sewer system, and now, well, it''s a big mess."


    "And there''s monsters down there? Beneath the city?"


    "Yeah. It''s the magia. In the mountains, the monsters are made of rocks, and in the forests, they''re made of plants and vines, but in the cities you get weird things like salamanders." He took another sip of ale and said, "It wouldn''t be a problem, except there''s people living down in the Dwellmer, too."


    "There''s people living in the sewers?"


    "Poor people," the other man clarified. "People with nothing left to lose. There''s hundreds of ''em down there."


    Arai recalled that he hadn''t seen many beggars or obviously poor people on the streets of Kingsaile. Perhaps that was because the really hopeless cases ended up in this Dwellmer place. "I see," he said. "But what was this about forty silvers?"


    The man chuckled. "Looking to make a little coin, are you? Captain Bagra has offered a reward to anyone who can kill this salamander, and bring him back a piece of maginite as proof that it''s dead."


    "Captain Bagra?"


    "One of the four gate captains. The Dwellmer is his responsibility; he has to at least pretend like he cares about the people down there. But it''s not worth it. Chthonic salamanders are bigger than elephants -- bigger than wyrms, even -- and forty silvers won''t get you very far in this city anymore."


    Arai rose to his feet. "Where can I find the entrance to this Dwellmer?"


    "You''re not actually thinking of going down there, are you?"


    "I might be."


    The men shook their heads in dismay. "For forty pieces of silver? You must be crazy."


    "How can I get there?"


    "There''s entrances all over the city," one of them said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "but the closest one is near the South Gate. It''s a big road that runs right underground; it''s hard to miss."


    "Thank you."


    "You''re really crazy, you know, if you think you can kill that salamander. You probably won''t even be able to find it. The Dwellmer is like a maze. It''s very easy to get lost down there."


    "Thank you for your concern," he said brusquely. "Let''s go, Lillandra."


    She followed him out the door. "You can''t be serious," she said to him, when they were back out on the street.


    "I don''t know why I didn''t think of it before. Hunting monsters is the perfect job for us."


    "Oh?"


    "Silus cuts through monsters like butter. All we have to do is find this thing, strike it down, and collect its maginite, and we''ll be up forty pieces of silver. That''s enough to buy us new clothes, new boots, and a ride to the next town."


    "You make it sound very easy."


    "You''ve seen Silus in action. It cancels out everything magic, and monsters are made of magic. I just need to get close enough to strike the damn thing a few times with my sword."


    "Your sword is remarkable," she said, "but it doesn''t make you invincible."


    "It''s an opportunity to make some money," he argued, "and to help some people along the way. Who knows how long this salamander has been terrorizing the people of the Dwellmer? Who knows how many people have been killed already? I think it''s worth the risk. Besides, do you have any other ideas?"


    "You''re an idiot," she muttered. "All right, fine. Let''s go get ourselves killed."

 Chapter Ten: Into the Dwellmer

    They had little trouble finding the entrance to the Dwellmer -- it was a gigantic, cavernous tunnel, only about a hundred yards from the city''s southern gate. One of the main roads led directly into it; it was big enough to allow for a horse and carriage.


    It had an ominous look about it, though -- a huge, gaping maw, opening up into the depths of the earth, right in the middle of this otherwise ordinary neighborhood. He frowned at it.


    "It was your idea," Lillandra reminded him.


    His frown deepened. He turned to her. "Do you have any magic that might be useful, in helping us hunt down this salamander?"


    "You know how my magic works," she said. "I need time and materials to make zemi." She put on a thoughtful look. "I might be able to create a Candle of Hours with a twig and a ball of candle wax, but it would take about a half an hour."


    "A Candle of Hours?"


    "A light that won''t go out. It''s a very simple zemi." She looked into the tunnel. "But if there''s one thing we''ll need down there, it''s light."


    "True. But where are we going to find any candle wax?"


    They ended up scrounging through a pile of garbage in a back alley. Once again, Arai found himself shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the situation -- Lillandra, the century-old Queen of the Night, and Arai, her implacable opponent, reduced to digging through the garbage behind a general store in order to find a bit of candle wax.


    They eventually found an old lamp that someone had thrown out, which happened to have a bit of wax at the bottom. Lillandra scooped up the wax, dabbed it on the tip of a tree branch (collected from an oak tree that Arai had spotted a few blocks away) and spent about twenty minutes staring at it, occasionally tilting her head this way or that, as though she were trying to solve some kind of problem.


    "What exactly are you doing there?" Arai asked.


    "I''m performing a calculation," she said, her eyes fixed on the branch. "Don''t distract me."


    Arai quieted down, and after a few minutes, she nodded to herself. "There, it''s done." She held up the branch, and the tip of it, where she had placed the wax, immediately began to shine with a very intense light. It was so bright, in fact, that he had to shield his eyes. "That will be useful," Arai agreed. "How long will it last?"


    "Several hours. But I can always recharge it by performing another calculation."


    "How does that work, anyway? That calculation business."


    "I thought I explained all that."


    "You explained the steps involved in doing magic. You gather magia out of the air, hold it in place, do this calculation thing, and then release it as a spell...but you didn''t explain how, exactly, you''re doing it."


    She shrugged. "Calculation is an intuitive thing, like painting a picture. Manipulating magia, adjusting its flow, connecting one thread to another, shaping it with your emotions, trying to guess where it will go when you release it..." She shook her head. "It''s impossible to explain to someone who can''t even sense magia."


    "Is it difficult?"


    "Not for me," she said. "I enjoy the challenge. But as I told you before, for most sorcerers calculation is the most difficult part of spellcasting. Only a handful are capable of sketching out the kinds of complicated spells I use to make my zemi."


    And that, Arai supposed, was probably how the Night Queen had managed to conquer Velon. It took her a long time to create her zemi, but her magic was much more useful, and could produce much more complicated effects, than that of any other sorcerer in Velon -- most of whom were limited to throwing fire from their fingers or levitating a few feet into the air. She really was a prodigy.


    Now with the Candle of Hours in their possession, they returned to the tunnel, and with some apprehension, descended into the Dwellmer. The road leading into the tunnel was well-worn, and someone had hung lamps from the ceiling; even without the Candle of Hours, they would have had little difficulty seeing where they were going. They followed the road perhaps two or three hundred yards, and eventually arrived at a huge open area, a gigantic gallery with a stalactite ceiling, and containing a large underground lake. To Arai''s shock, there were literally hundreds of people in this cavern -- some sleeping on blankets and bedrolls, some milling about, some lined up to receive bowls of gruel from a table that had been set up in their midst. He saw women knitting, and men sleeping, and old codgers playing cards, but it was a very dismal sort of place, and except for a few oblivious children, almost no one looked happy to be down here. The expressions he saw were grim.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "People with nothing left to lose," Lillandra muttered.


    Arai went to the table where the bowls of gruel were being doled out. "Excuse me," he asked one of the women working there. "We''re looking for a guide to take us deeper into the catacombs. Can you recommend anyone?"


    The woman studied him. "It''s not safe to go down into the depths. Haven''t you heard there''s a salamander down there?"


    "I have heard that, yes," he acknowledged.


    She shrugged. "It''s your life to lose, I suppose. You want a guide?" She pointed to a lone figure standing upon the shore of the underground lake. The figure, who appeared to be contemplating the glittering waters, was wearing a hooded cloak, and was facing away from them. "Try her."


    Arai thanked the woman and approached the hooded figure, who was no bigger than a child. He tapped the little person on the shoulder. "Excuse me."


    The figure lifted the hood and turned to face them. Arai blinked. "Shell?"


    "Eeep!" The elf girl''s eyes went wide, and she immediately tried to make a break for it, but Arai managed to grab the hem of her cloak and hold on.


    "We meet again," Arai said. "What are the odds, eh?"


    She struggled. "Let me go! Let me go!"


    "I''ll let you go," he growled, for the second time in as many days, "when you give me back my money."


    "I don''t have your money," she cried. "It''s gone."


    "What did you do with it?"


    "I owed a silver to the baker," she said, "and a copper to Roggett, and I spent the rest of it on this cloak."


    It was a nice cloak, and it did indeed appear to be new. "What about your brother?"


    "I don''t have a brother," she admitted.


    Lillandra snorted. "What did I tell you?"


    "You lied to us," Arai said, "and then, after I went to the trouble of buying you a meal, you picked my pocket."


    "I was desperate."


    "Desperate for a new cloak?"


    She scowled at him. "I do what I have to do to survive."


    "We all do," Arai said. "That doesn''t give you the right to steal."


    "Try living down here for a while," she scoffed. "You''ll change your mind soon enough." But then she looked frightened. "What...what are you going to do to me?"


    "I''m going to put you to work," he said. "You''re going to be our guide."


    "What?" Her eyes fell on Arai''s sword. "Who are you people, anyway? What are your names?"


    "I''m Arai," he said, "and this is Lillandra, the Queen of the Night."


    "The...Queen of the Night? What does that mean?"


    "She''s a witch," he explained. "A very powerful one. Trust me, you don''t want to make her angry."


    She looked skeptical. "A witch? You''re kidding."


    "How well do you know these underground passages?" Arai asked.


    "As well as anyone," she said guardedly.


    "Good. Let''s get going."


    "Where?"


    "You''re going to help us find this chthonic salamander that''s been terrorizing the Dwellmer," he said.


    She stared at him. "You''re crazy."


    "And if you don''t," he went on, "I''m going to turn you over to the guards."


    "You wouldn''t."


    "You help us, and we''ll help you," he said. "It''s as simple as that."


    Once again, Lillandra pulled him aside. "This is a terrible idea."


    "What makes you say that?"


    "She knows these tunnels better than we do, and she has every reason to lead us astray. We can''t trust her."


    Arai couldn''t deny that. "I still think she could be useful to us."


    "You can''t trust her," she insisted.


    "I don''t trust her," he said. "Any more than I trust you. But we need a guide; there''s no way around that." He turned back to Shell. "Captain Bagra is offering forty pieces of silver to anyone who can kill this salamander," he said. "I''ll give you five of those silvers if you lead us to its lair."


    "You''re joking. Have you ever seen a salamander? They''re huge! They can bite a grown man in half. It''d take a dozen men to kill one of those things, and that''s only if they managed to catch it by surprise."


    "You underestimate us," Arai said flatly.


    Shell looked at them incredulously. "Who are you people?"


    "I''m Arai," he said again. "The son of Hetsu, the captain of the Steelmen, and the leader of the Velonese rebellion. And this is Lillandra, the Queen of the Night, the Shadow of Velon, and the most powerful witch in the known world."


    The elf girl frowned at Lillandra. "Are you really a witch?" she asked.


    "Yes."


    Her frown deepened. She gave them both a long, hard look, folded her arms over her chest, and after a few moments said, "Ten silvers."


    "Six."


    "Eight."


    "Seven?"


    "Done," she said, reaching out and shaking Arai''s hand. "I''ll lead you to its lair, but that''s it; I''m not going to help you fight this thing. In fact if I even catch a glimpse of it I''m turning tail."


    "Fair enough."


    "You''re making a very big mistake," Lillandra told Arai. "She''s going to lead us straight to our doom."


    "Maybe," he agreed. "Maybe we were headed there anyway."

 Chapter Eleven: Monster Hunting

    Shell led them to the other side of the cavern and into a long, narrow passageway. There were no lights here, but Lillandra had the Candle of Hours, which she brought to life. Its light totally illuminated the corridor, surprising Shell.


    "You really are a witch," she breathed.


    "I told you that she was," Arai said. "Didn''t you believe me?"


    "What else can you do?" she asked eagerly. "Can you fly? Can you turn yourself into a wolf or a wyrm?"


    "With enough time, and the right materials," Lillandra informed her, "I can do just about anything."


    Something about that statement made Arai uneasy. Was Lillandra really so powerful? Did her magic make her the equal of a god? He didn''t like to think about it.


    But Shell had many more questions: "Where did you say you were from?"


    "Velon," Arai answered. "It''s a small kingdom in the far west, beyond the Scarred Lands."


    "The Scarred Lands?"


    "I think the Addish call it Tarnak."


    "You''re from the other side of the Tarnak? How is it that you speak such good Addish?"


    "Magic," Arai said, and left it at that.


    Shell stopped and looked at both of them in turn. "So what are you two doing together? Are you married or something?"


    "No," Arai said, annoyed by the question. "As a matter of fact we''re mortal enemies."


    "Really? Then why are you working together?"


    Arai threw a glance at Lillandra, who glared at him in return. "It''s complicated," he said.


    They continued on, making their way through any number of dark corridors, tube-like tunnels, and open galleries. Some of the corridors were so narrow that they were forced to walk through them single file, with Shell in the lead and Arai and Lillandra following behind. There were grave niches built into many of the walls, and almost all of them contained one or two skeletons.


    "The people of Kingsaile have been burying their dead down here for centuries," Shell remarked, unbothered by the morbid scenery. "They''re getting ahead of themselves now, though. They''ve started burying the living down here, too."


    "What do you mean?" Lillandra asked.


    "All those people in the gallery," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "The rich people don''t like to see beggars and street rats like me on the streets, so the guards sweep ''em up and run ''em into the Dwellmer every chance they get. Out of sight, out of mind...just like the dead."


    "You''re not suggesting those people back there were prisoners," Arai said.


    "Not prisoners, exactly. They''re free to leave, but most of them have nowhere to go anyway, and if the guards them see wandering around Northwall or the Main Avenues they''ll just dump them back in the Dwellmer."


    "That seems rather harsh," Arai said.


    She shrugged. "It''s life. We''re turning left up here."


    They descended deeper and deeper into the Dwellmer, through dark ossuaries and wet, dripping tunnels. As they went deeper, however, the passageways gave way to natural caverns, with stalactites on the ceiling and stalagmites on the floor, and often containing underground lakes and rivers. Arai was fascinated by the strange scenery, but was unable to enjoy it; he was too tense. This salamander-thing, after all, could be anywhere. "How much farther?" he asked Shell.


    "We''re getting close," she said, her voice echoing through the cavernous hollows. "This stream we''ve been following leads to a large lake -- Dwellmer''s Bottom, we call it. That''s probably where the salamander is making its lair. The monsters down here like the water."


    "There''s an awful lot of magia in these caves," Lillandra commented. "It''s no wonder you''re getting monsters."


    Arai, who had kept his sword in its scabbard up to now, finally drew it; he wanted to be ready for anything. Shell gave the blade a doubtful look. "Do you really plan on fighting this salamander all by yourself?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re brave," she snorted. It did not sound like a compliment.


    They continued to walk along the edge of the stream, which grew wider and wider the deeper they went. It soon became a true underground river, at least fifteen feet wide and rushing rapidly; the sound of the water rolling through the cave became so loud that they had to raise their voices to speak over it. The air smelled strange, like moss and dead reptiles.


    "So what''s Velon like?" Shell asked.


    "Cold," Arai said. "Much colder than Addis. The sea freezes off the coast. There''s forests in the south and high mountains in the north -- the Frozen Mountains, we call them. That''s where the Al''mud live."


    "The Al''mud?" She had some trouble pronouncing this foreign word.


    "Mountain people," he explained. "Barbarians. They come out of the north sometimes to make war upon the peasants living in the foothills."


    "Are there elves in Velon?"


    "No. We had never seen elves until we came to Addis."


    "Really? That''s interesting."


    "Oh, and one more thing -- until recently the whole of Velon was ruled over by a tyrannical, evil witch, who used her dragon to incinerate anyone who opposed her."


    Lillandra''s eyes narrowed at this dig, but she did not otherwise respond to it.


    "Is that why you came to Addis? To flee this witch?"


    Arai started to answer, but then frowned, because he had just seen something, a flash of silver, flitting through the underground river, just below the surface of the water. But it disappeared instantly, which made him wonder if he actually seen it. "Are there fish in this river?" he asked Shell.


    "Probably," she said, shrugging. "I''ve never actually seen--"


    But before she could even finish the sentence, something suddenly exploded out of the river, blasting upwards through a frothing column of water and landing, with a heavy, wet thump, on the shore -- directly in front of Shell. Startled, and blinded by water droplets, Arai staggered back a step, trying to get a look at whatever it was that had just jumped out of the water. It was big, whatever it was, and it glinted like silver in the light of Lillandra''s magical candle.


    Shell screamed. Arai immediately leapt forward, seizing the hood of the elf girl''s cloak and yanking her away from the beast just as it swung its tail at her. The creature whirled completely around, and it was then that Arai finally got a good look at it. It was a weird, amphibian creature, with silver scales and a white belly, but it was shaped like a man, and it had the head of a fish. A row of spines ran down its back and to the tip of its tail, which was long and whiplike, and with which it had nearly slashed Shell''s face off. Its arms were big and muscular, and its fingers were webbed.


    The creature hissed at Arai and attacked him, trying to rake him with its claws. It was coming at him too quickly for him to perform any fancy sword tricks, so he acted instinctively, bringing his sword up just in time to cut one of its hands off.


    Severing its hand ought to have released a geyser of blood, but no blood emerged -- instead, a strange starlike iridescence spilled out of the fish-man''s wound. Arai realized then that this creature wasn''t a man or an animal, but a monster, brought to life by the magia in these caverns. Was it the salamander? But no, it couldn''t be; everyone they had spoken with had described the salamander as a huge creature, as big as an elephant.


    Well, it was obviously a threat, whatever it was. Arai slashed at the fish-man a second time, across the chest, which caused even more of that sparkly essence to emerge; he then drove his sword all the way through the monster''s white belly. It hissed at him one more time, right in his face -- Arai could smell its rancid fish-breath -- and then fell apart, evaporating like mist, and leaving behind only a couple of slivers of crystalline maginite.


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    Shell was in shock. "What...what was it?"


    "Some kind of monster," Arai said. "Obviously not the one we''re looking for."


    "You saved me," she managed, her breathing ragged. "If not for you, I would''ve been--"


    "It was nothing," he said, helping her to her feet. "Lillandra? Are you all right?"


    But Lillandra wasn''t looking at him; she was looking at the river. "I think we''re in trouble," she said.


    Arai followed her gaze. Several more silvery shapes were flitting through the water, just below the surface. "Uh-oh."


    No sooner had he said these words than half a dozen fish-men exploded out of the water -- one landing next to Lillandra, another landing next to Arai. Arai immediately swung his sword, one-handed, decapitating the monster, which evaporated as the first one had, but two more quickly replaced it, leaping out of the water and spitting and hissing like mad.


    Arai could handle a couple of these things, but six of them? Seven? Eight? And soon there was a small army of them, ten or twelve at least. Some of them jumped out of the river; some of them, more fishlike than manlike, wriggled onto the shore, snapping at them with their jaws.


    "I think we''re in trouble," Arai agreed. "Run!"


    They couldn''t go back the way they had came; the fish-men had blocked off that route. So, with Shell in the lead, Lillandra following, and Arai covering their retreat, they ran deeper into the caverns, following the now-raging river.


    Arai grimaced. How the hell were they going to get out of this one? "Shell!" he shouted. "Do you know where you''re going?" He was afraid she was going to lead them into a dead end; these caverns couldn''t go on forever, after all.


    "The salamander!" she shouted back. "It''s our only chance!"


    Arai didn''t know what she was talking about, but he followed her anyway, while the fish-men continued to chase them through the caves. The floor was slippery, and even with Lillandra carrying the Candle of Hours, the lighting was poor. At one point Lillandra slipped and fell, falling backwards; fortunately Arai was there to catch her by the waist. Though he had spent more than a month in very close proximity to her, this was the first time he had ever actually touched Lillandra, and this sudden contact startled them both. He quickly released her, placing her back on her feet and shouting at her to keep going, but that feeling of his arm around her waist, and that look of surprise he found in her dark eyes...these weren''t easily forgotten.


    They ran and ran, struggling to stay ahead of the fish-men. The monsters were right behind them -- some of them spitting, some of them making strange gurgling sounds. Arai was not easily frightened, but being chased by these bizarre creatures, through these dark, forbidding passageways, hundreds of feet below the surface of the earth, was enough to unnerve even him. And what''s worse, the monsters were gaining.


    Following the river, they finally emerged into another huge, cavernous gallery. The river ended here, bleeding into an enormous underground lake. The lake was so large that Arai couldn''t see the other side of it; it must have been better than a mile across. The ceiling, prickled with stalactites, was very high.


    Unfortunately this seemed to be the dead end that Arai had worried about; he didn''t see an another way out. And who knew how many more fish-men might be lurking in that inky-black lake?


    "Try to hold them off for a minute!" Shell shouted. She went to the shore and began picking up stones.


    "What are you doing?" he asked.


    "The salamander!" she cried. "I told you, it''s our only chance!" And she began throwing the stones into the lake.


    Lillandra, at least, understood. She, too, began throwing stones into the lake, while Arai, grimly, turned to face the fish-men. There were dozens of them, in a variety of different shapes and configurations -- most of them were silver, but some were green, and some were mottled green and black. Some had scales, while others were smooth-skinned, like frogs. Some looked like catfish, with long whiskers; others resembled sharks.


    It was one of the shark-faced creatures who reached him first. He waited for it to come forward, than sidestepped it and slashed it across the waist; the blow was deep enough, and devastating enough, that it dissolved almost instantly. Scrambling back, he struck another on the arm and another across the face, causing several of its teeth to evaporate, and then these two faded away as well.


    Silus was very effective at dispatching monsters. Under ordinary circumstances a monster could only be destroyed by damaging its physical body beyond a certain point, which caused it to decohere, but it was very difficult to do this with ordinary weapons -- monsters were notoriously resilient; it usually took a dozen sword-strikes or fire-spells to diminish them. The Radiant Blade, however, was an anathema to magic, and monsters, and it only took a few slashes here and there to reduce them to maginite.


    But there were dozens of these creatures, and he couldn''t hold them off all by himself...at least, not for long. Didn''t Lillandra have any spells that she could use? He knew that she was almost totally reliant on her zemi, but he had a hard time believing that the notorious Night Queen, the sorceress who had conquered Velon and ruled it for a hundred years, could really be so helpless. Was she hiding her true strength?


    But there wasn''t time to think about it; more fish-men were appearing all the time. Arai cut, slashed, and stabbed his way through their ranks, but they were surrounding him, and it was all he could do now to hold them off. One of them finally managed to tackle him, throwing him to the ground. He smashed its head with the pommel of his sword, then swung the blade around and sliced its neck, vaporizing it, but he was slow getting to his feet and already more of the fish-men were swarming him. One of them used its claws to slash his upper arm, drawing blood; another whipped its tail around and cracked him in the chest, the impact of it staggering him. If he hadn''t been wearing his breastplate, the blow probably would have killed him.


    Meanwhile Shell and Lillandra were still throwing stones into the lake. This seemed ridiculous under the circumstances, and he was just about to ask them what the hell they were doing, when the ground suddenly shook and something suddenly began to rise out of the water -- something huge, and black, and terrifying. The fish-men immediately stopped their assault on Arai, turning to face this new threat, and began croaking excitedly amongst themselves.


    Arai gathered himself and backed away from both the fish-men and the huge, blob-like monster, which was now making its way up to the shore. It was one of the biggest creatures Arai had ever seen -- almost as big as the gigantic Ice Wyrm he had befriended in the Frozen Mountains. Water poured off its back as it rose to its full height, and a pair of eyes opened -- big, black, bulbous eyes, which protruded from its skull and caught the reflection of Lillandra''s Candle of Hours. A pair of feathered gills extended out from either side of its enormous head.


    Arai rejoined Shell and Lillandra, who had backed away from the water and were now watching the monster drag itself up the shore.


    "The salamander," Shell noted. "I told you it was big."


    Arai nodded, too tired from all the running and fighting to respond.


    The croaking of the fish-men grew louder and louder, and some of them began posturing and pumping their arms, working themselves up into a fury. When the salamander finally reached the shore, hauling its massive bulk halfway out of the water, the fish-men roared and attacked it. Some clawed at it; others tried climbing on its back. Enraged, the salamander flung them off, and if any got too close to its mouth, it crushed them within its massive jaws.


    "They''re attacking it," Arai said stupidly. "Why?"


    "They''re monsters," Shell said, as if that explained everything.


    Though there were dozens of fish-men, they were unable to inflict any serious harm on the salamander, which was simply too big. A few of the fish-men retreated, but most of them fought to the death, or until their disintegration at least; Arai wasn''t sure whether these monsters could really be classified as living things at all. The fish-men were, however, doing a very good job of distracting the salamander, and Arai realized, abruptly, that the monsters were providing him with an opportunity.


    "This is our chance," he said, raising his sword.


    Lillandra stared. "What? What are you--?"


    But Arai was already rushing into the melee. He cut down two fish-men on his way to the salamander, then waded into the water and stabbed it with Silus, burying the sword up to the hilt. The monster bellowed and reared up, and immediately turned its attention to him, trying to swat at him with one of its stubby forelegs. Arai was able to dodge the leg; however, the near-miss sprayed him with cold water, drenching him, and obscuring his vision for just a moment. Blinking the water out of his eyes, he looked up just in time to avoid another swing.


    It was no use attacking the monster head-on, he decided; that enormous mouth, and those thick, stubby legs, were too dangerous. So while the salamander was momentarily distracted by one of the fish-men -- one of the only ones left -- he waded deeper into the frothing, churning water and started hacking into the monster''s side. Then, seeing another opportunity, he managed to throw himself onto the salamander''s heavy, wriggling tail and climb up its back. Crawling up to its neck, he stabbed it in the spine, once again burying the sword to the hilt, and when he pulled it out, he was blasted in the face with sparkling magia-particles.


    The salamander continued to struggle, and finally succeeded in throwing Arai off its back -- fortunately he landed in the water -- but the damage was done; Silus had inflicted a mortal wound. Slowly but surely, pieces of the salamander began to break off and disintegrate -- arms, legs, tail, and finally head -- and in a sudden burst of magical potentiality, it exploded, lighting up the entire cavern with a sparkling mist. A huge piece of misshapen maginite, the biggest Arai had ever seen, dropped into the water...rather anticlimactically.


    It wasn''t over, though -- two fish-men still remained, and they were now menacing Lillandra and Shell. Arai surged out of the water, yelling out a battle cry. The monsters turned to face him, and though his limbs felt like lead, and though the cold of the water had nearly frozen him solid, he still had enough strength to cut both monsters down. With that done, and with the threats seemingly neutralized, he sheathed his sword and sat down heavily on the floor.


    Lillandra gave him a disdainful look. "That was stupid."


    "I know," he said, panting. "But I killed it, didn''t I?"


    "You did," Shell whispered, staring at him open-mouthed. "You really did."


    He smiled at the little elf girl. "Thanks to you. Provoking the salamander into attacking the fish-men...that was smart."


    "We didn''t have much choice," she said, smiling back. But then she looked around nervously. "We should get out of here. There could be more of them down here."


    "Don''t forget the maginite," Lillandra reminded them.


    It took them several minutes to find the maginite in the water. It was an oblong chunk of shiny black-and-red stone, reminiscent of obsidian, and it must have weighed at least sixteen pounds. Shell could barely lift it.


    Having collected their prize, they left the cavern and returned to the surface. They encountered no more fish-men, nor any other monsters, and before long the lights of the large gallery came into view. "We made it," Arai said, desperate to leave this dark underworld. He was cold, shivering, and bleeding from several minor wounds. "Now let''s go get paid."


    "Priorities," Shell said happily, nodding.

 Chapter Twelve: Kindness

    They collected their fee from Captain Bagra at the South Gate -- one look at the huge piece of maginite, which could have only come from a truly gigantic monster, was all it took. "How the hell did you do it?" the man asked them, as he doled out the silver.


    "Got lucky," Arai said gruffly.


    He counted out forty silver coins. Arai gave seven of these to Shell, who looked up at him in awe. "Seven silvers," Arai said. "Isn''t that what we agreed?"


    "Yes, but...I didn''t think you''d really..." She trailed off, frowning. "What are you going to do now? Will you stay in Kingsaile?"


    He shook his head. "We''re headed home, to Velon. We''ll probably leave tomorrow."


    "Velon?" Her frown deepened. She looked at the coins in her hand, looked up at him one more time, and then -- to Arai''s surprise -- ran off without saying another word, her cloak fluttering behind her.


    "What was that about?" Arai wondered.


    "Better check your pockets," Lillandra suggested.


    But she hadn''t stolen anything this time; she had simply run off. Arai was a little disappointed at her sudden departure. "I didn''t get a chance to thank her for her help."


    "You paid her off, didn''t you? She got what she wanted."


    "She seemed like a good kid."


    "She broke into our room, stole our money, and probably would have left us to die in the Dwellmer if those fish-things hadn''t showed up and ruined her plans."


    "Nobody''s perfect. Now, let''s go see how far forty silvers will take us in Kingsaile."


    * * *


    They spent the rest of the day shopping. Arai bought a new set of clothes for himself and a new pair of boots for Lillandra, and they ended the day with a nice meal in a respectable tavern. They also visited a stableman and inquired about purchasing a horse, but the man wanted fifteen gold for the oldest, most worn-out nag in his stable, and he assured them that they would not find a lower price anywhere in Kingsaile. For now, Arai reluctantly concluded, they were going to have rely on carriages and farmer''s wagons, or simply walk, as they continued their journey to Velon.


    Lillandra''s mood improved after he bought her the boots -- her old boots were totally worn out -- but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t get her to thank him for them. "They''re nice," was all she would say.


    He wondered why he had bought them at all. What did her comfort matter to him? Walking a thousand miles on her bare feet was a good start, but she deserved much worse for conquering Velon and overthrowing its king.


    He sometimes forgot who she was, and what she was.


    He studied her as she ate her meal, trying to find the truth in her face. Was she really a teenage girl? Or was she a hundred-year-old sorceress? Suddenly curious, he asked her, "Where are you from, Lillandra?"


    "What?" She looked up at him, looking a little annoyed.


    "I asked you where you from. You''re Velonese, aren''t you? Were you born in Hammersvik? Harbor Town?"


    She shook her head. "I was born in a little village in the Hardways."


    The Hardway was the hill country situated at the foot of the Frozen Mountains. It was a harsh, unforgiving land, subject to cruel winters and the depredations of the barbarian Al''mud, who frequently came out of the mountains to raid farms and villages. It was a hard land, and it bred hard people, hence the name; many of the soldiers in Arai''s father''s mercenary company had come out of the Hardways.


    It was strange to think that the mighty Night Queen had been born in that hardscrabble hill country. He had never given much thought to her origin, but he had always assumed that she had belonged to the nobility.


    "What was this village called? Maybe I''ve been there."


    "It was very small. I don''t think it ever had a name. And I''m sure you''ve never been there; there''s nothing left of it now."


    "The Al''mud?"


    "No," she said flatly.


    She obviously had no desire to elaborate on this, so Arai tried a different tack. "What about your parents? Who were they?"


    "I don''t want to talk about this."


    "Why not? Where''s the harm?"


    "Why are you so interested?"


    He looked at her intently. "I''m curious. All my life I''ve heard stories about you, stories about your cruelty and wickedness. I told you before that I don''t think you''re a monster, but that you''re more complicated than that. I want to know more."


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    "You want to know about my parents?" She snorted. "I never knew them. My father left my mother before I was born, and my mother disappeared not long after that."


    "Disappeared?"


    "She went looking for him, I think, and never returned."


    "So who raised you?"


    "My grandmother. She was a minor sorceress. I learned the basics from her. But she died when I was nine, and I lived by myself after that, in her cabin, on the outskirts of the village. The villagers..." She stopped there, her eyes narrowing at some dredged-up memory. "They weren''t kind to me."


    "I see." She had clearly had a bad upbringing. That didn''t excuse her actions, but it did give Arai a hint as to how she might have become the Night Queen.


    "And what about you?" she asked.


    He blinked. "What about me?"


    "Where do you come from? Who were your parents? You''ve told me about your father, but..."


    "Are you really interested?"


    "Not particularly," she admitted.


    He shrugged. "I was born on the border of Velon and the Holy Empire. My father''s house was on the shore of the Tuv River. He was a master of the Three Waves school, and probably the greatest swordsman in the world. He founded the Steelmen when he was young and spent most of his life fighting mercenary wars in the Holy Empire, usually on behalf of Camarro and the Marquisates. I started to accompany him as soon as I was old enough to hold a sword."


    "What about your mother?"


    He frowned. "She died when I was young. I don''t really remember her."


    "Well, at least you had your father," she said. "I didn''t have anyone."


    "That must have been hard."


    She looked at him sharply. "I don''t need your pity."


    "It wasn''t pity."


    "You''re too soft," she complained. "A sad story is all it takes to get you to drop your guard."


    "Are you saying were lying just now, about where you came from?"


    "I''m saying," she said slowly, "that you can''t trust anyone, and that going out of your way to help people, like that elf girl, is a good way to get yourself killed. Do you want to make it back to Velon or not?"


    Arai sighed. He preferred to see the good in people, and to do right by them, as his father had taught him. It was stupid, perhaps, and naive, but these values were ingrained in him too deeply for him to try change them now.


    They bought themselves a room at a nearby inn -- a much nicer inn than the first one they had stayed in -- and set out for the North Gate early the next morning. The sun was still low in the sky, its light limning the buildings and casting long shadows over the almost-empty streets.


    To Arai''s surprise, they found Shell waiting for them at the gate. She was wearing her cloak, but also a backpack, which she had slung over one shoulder. She grinned when she saw them.


    Arai was puzzled. "Shell? What are you doing here?"


    "I''m going with you," she said cheerfully.


    He exchanged an uncertain glance with Lillandra. "What are you talking about? When you ran off yesterday--"


    "I just went to get my stuff," she said, indicating her little backpack.


    "You want to leave Kingsaile?" Lillandra asked.


    "There''s nothing for me here," she said, shaking her head at the city''s skyline. "Not anymore. I don''t have any friends or family. I''ve been on my own a long time."


    "I''m sorry," Arai said, "but we''re not really looking for traveling companions. It''s thousands of miles to Velon, and it''s sure to be a dangerous journey. I wouldn''t like it if anything were to happen to you along the way."


    "You think I''d be safer, living on the streets of Kingsaile?"


    She had a point. "Not necessarily, but--"


    "What do you know about Addis? About the people, and their customs? What do you know about the towns, the villages, the wildlife, the local cuisine? I can be your guide, just like I was in the Dwellmer. You need me."


    Arai studied her. "Is this some kind of scam? Are you trying to take advantage of us again?"


    "No! No, I''m not."


    "Then why are you so anxious to accompany us? You know almost nothing about us."


    "Well, I..." She bit her lower lip. "It''s true I took advantage of you. But when you caught me, you didn''t beat me, or turn me over to the guards, which is what almost anyone else would have done. You bought me a meal instead."


    "And then you picked his pocket," Lillandra pointed out.


    "I know," she said bleakly. "Old habits, you know? But you played fair with me anyway, after we got out of the Dwellmer. You didn''t have to pay me those seven silvers." She looked up at Arai, her green eyes bright and shining. "You''re the only person who''s ever showed me any kindness. And you''re interesting, both of you. I''ve never seen a swordsman as skilled as you, and you..." She turned her gaze to Lillandra. "You can do magic."


    "She''s trying to get her hands on the rest of our money," Lillandra muttered.


    "I don''t think so," Arai said. "I think she''s sincere. And she''s right -- we could use a guide, someone familiar with the local customs." He turned to her. "Can you read?"


    She nodded. "Roggett taught me."


    Arai set down his rucksack and pulled out the book he had bought, the one that contained the fold-out map -- Plint''s Travels. He opened the book and showed her the map. "What can you tell me about this?"


    She examined it. "Addis," she said, pointing it out. And then she started pointing out various countries and geographical features: "The Fallhorn Mountains. Addisport. Citias. Grand Skir. The Bay of Vandals. Galleus. Tax Trium. Demon''s Rise. Tarnak." She squinted. "I don''t see Velon on this map."


    "It''s somewhere over here," he said, his finger trailing off the page. "Beyond the Scarred Lands, the Queendom of Elent, and Arliel''s Holy Empire." He looked at her carefully. "Now. Do you still want to go with us?"


    She gave the map a long look. "Yes," she decided at last. "If you''ll have me."


    Arai glanced at Lillandra. "What do you think?"


    She shrugged. "It''s not up to me."


    "And what if it were?"


    "I''d probably leave her here," she admitted. "But she could be useful to us, if she really is sincere. She knows more about these lands than we do, and she does have some potential."


    "Magical potential?"


    "I didn''t notice it before," she said. "Maybe because she''s an elf. But there is some magia eddying around her. I could teach her a few things."


    "You could teach me to do magic?" she exclaimed, her eyes wide.


    "It''s not easy," she warned.


    "Nothing about this will be easy," Arai added. "And I''m not sure I entirely trust you yet. But very well. If you want to come with us--"


    "Yes!" she cried. "Oh, thank you! I promise you won''t regret this!" She looked at both of them in turn and said, "Well, what are waiting for? Let''s get going!" And she began skipping ahead, toward the city gates, humming happily to herself.


    Arai smiled. "Kindness," he said to Lillandra. "See where it gets you?"


    She responded to that in her usual way, with a contemptuous snort, but then added, "But on the other hand, she is kind of cute."

 Chapter Thirteen: Gods and Monsters

    It was a pleasant evening. The moon was high, the stars were shining, and the air was brisk and cool -- a welcome relief from the heat of the day. The three of them had made camp at the top of a ridge overlooking a long valley, and were now gathered around a campfire, having just finished a meal of Addish acorns and dandelion greens. Arai had whittled a toothpick out of a tree branch and was using it to pick his teeth, while Lillandra was trying to teach Shell how to use the Candle of Hours, the zemi she had made out of a twig and a bit of candle wax. When activated, the Candle emitted an extremely bright, glaring light, but no matter how hard she tried, Shell just couldn''t seem to get the hang of it.


    "I''ve already performed the calculation," Lillandra told her. "All that''s left is to draw the spell out of it."


    "But how?" Shell asked. "How do you do it?"


    "You pull just a little magia out of the zemi," she said, "while thinking very hard about what you want it to do. In this case, you want the tip of that twig to start glowing. Concentrate on that."


    Shell stared at the Candle of Hours, her green eyes intent. Arai thought he saw a little flicker of light kindle itself at the tip of the twig, but it was gone in an instant.


    "You''re not drawing enough magia out of the zemi," Lillandra said.


    "It''s hard," she complained. "I can feel it, but as soon as I try to grab it, it slips out of my hands."


    "It gets easier with practice," Lillandra said. "Don''t be too hard on yourself. You''re making excellent progress."


    "Am I really?" she asked excitedly.


    "Two weeks ago you couldn''t manipulate magia at all. Who knows where you''ll be two weeks from now?"


    "Will I ever be as a good a sorceress as you?"


    The Night Queen smiled sadly. "No."


    The elf girl deflated. "Oh."


    Arai snorted. "You should be more encouraging," he told Lillandra.


    "Well, I don''t want to get her hopes up. Some people are born with a little potential; some people are born with a lot. You can''t change that. Shell here has the makings of a minor sorceress, and if she''s good at calculation she might even be able to create a few zemi of her own someday. But she''ll never have my strength."


    "It''s bad manners to boast."


    "It''s not a boast," she said. "It''s a fact. Spellcasting isn''t just a matter of skill. The ability to manipulate magia and perform complex calculations is, to a certain degree, inborn -- some people simply have more aptitude for it than others."


    Shell frowned at the Candle of Hours. "Why should I bother trying to get better, if I can''t be as good as you?"


    "My father was a much better swordsman than I am," Arai told her. "I sparred with him hundreds of times, but I never beat him once."


    "So?"


    "So there''s always going to be someone better than you -- at sword-fighting, at spellcasting, at anything you can think of. That''s no reason to give up on those things. Concentrate on yourself, on doing the best you can with what you have." He picked at his teeth some more. "That''s all any of us can do, really."


    Lillandra nodded. "He''s right."


    Arai blinked in surprise. This was the first time that Lillandra had ever actually agreed with anything he had said.


    "If I''d wanted a sermon I''d have gone to a Lenstable," Shell muttered. "Tallise''s breath."


    Arai''s brow furrowed. Shell had used this phrase before, usually when she was annoyed with something, but he wasn''t quite sure what it meant. "Who is this Tallise, anyway?" he asked her.


    "You''ve never heard of Tallise? She''s a goddess."


    "A goddess?"


    "The goddess of the elves. She lives in the clouds, and brings the rains, and stirs the wind with her breath. And when we die, she takes us into her home, dresses us in new clothes, and eventually sends us back to Iona Magister."


    "New clothes?" Arai asked.


    "A new body," she clarified. "A new life."


    "And you believe in this goddess?" Lillandra asked doubtfully.


    She nodded. "What about you? What gods do you worship?"


    "I don''t believe in gods or goddesses," she said flatly.


    Arai narrowed his eyes at her. "You shouldn''t say things like that."


    "I shouldn''t say what I believe?"


    "You''re a fool if you don''t believe in the gods. We all know demons are real; they invaded the world during the Harrowing. And if demons are real, why not gods?"


    Lillandra bristled. "I''m a fool now, am I?"


    "What gods do you worship?" Shell asked Arai, possibly in an attempt to deescalate.


    "My god," he said slowly, still glaring at Lillandra, "is the god of my father, and of his father before him. The God of the Monuments."


    "I''ve never heard of that one," Shell said.


    "He''s a Velonese god," Arai explained. "His monuments are scattered all over the Frozen Mountains -- gigantic monoliths, which he placed there with his own hands. The demons tore most of them down during the Harrowing, but some of them are still standing."


    "Does he cloak you in a new body after you die?" Shell asked.


    Arai shook his head. "He rewards those who live good lives, and punishes those who don''t. The righteous go to live with him in his castle; the wicked spend an eternity rotting away below, in his dungeons."


    "Nonsense," Lillandra snorted.


    Arai decided to ignore that. "There are other gods, of course. Some in Velon worship the Great Bear, others worship Estellaria. In the Holy Empire they worship Arl, whom they call the captain of the gods. They say that Arliel, the Empire''s founder, was an incarnation of Arl."


    Shell absorbed all that. "The only gods I know of are Len, and Tallise, and the Perfect Knight of Galleus. The world is a very big place, isn''t it?"


    "Very big," Arai said. "Very big indeed."


    * * *


    They set off early the next morning, down a long, straight road which ran through several farms and villages. Lillandra and Shell walked side by side, chatting pleasantly about this and that, while Arai followed quietly behind them. The Night Queen had been skeptical of the elf girl at first, but she seemed to have warmed up to her now, and they seemed to be getting along very well. This actually made Arai uneasy. Shortly after they had left Kingsaile he had taken Shell aside and warned her about Lillandra, explaining to her that she had spent the last century terrorizing Velon and that he was taking her back there to answer for her crimes, but he was pretty sure the elf girl hadn''t believed his story. To be fair, it was a rather incredible story -- who would believe that a sixteen-year-old girl had managed to single-handedly conquer an entire kingdom? In any case, Shell had ignored his warnings, or forgotten them, and the two of them were becoming very close. Arai wasn''t sure he liked that.


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    The day started out sunny and warm, but by the late afternoon some dark clouds had begun to roll in, and by the evening it was raining. They were in the middle of nowhere when the rain started, and there was no place for them to take shelter, so they simply threw their hoods over their heads and trudged on, miserable.


    At last, they arrived on the outskirts of a small town, with a population of perhaps a hundred people. The streets were paved with stones, which was unusual -- most of the little villages they had come across had only dirt roads running through them -- and it seemed to have a few small businesses as well, including an inn and alehouse. They went immediately to the inn, to get out of the rain.


    The interior was cozy -- there was a merry fire crackling in the hearth, and the air was pleasantly smoky. The common room was mostly empty, although there were a few older men drinking quietly here and there. A friendly-looking little man ran up to them almost as soon as they entered, helping them out of their cloaks and hanging them up on a portmanteau. "Welcome, welcome!" he greeted. "Come in, and warm yourselves by the fire."


    "Thank you," Arai said. "We''d like to spend the night. Do you have any spare rooms?"


    "Oh, certainly! Would you like a meal as well? And some good ale? How long have you been on the road? Please, sit down!"


    He led them over to the fire and sat them down on some chairs. "What would you like to eat? We still have some stew left, or if you''d like, I could have Danya make some tokra for you."


    Arai frowned. "What''s tokra?" Lillandra''s Stone of Many Tongues had given him the ability to speak and understand the Addish language, but some words, phrases, and cultural concepts remained alien to him.


    "It''s an Addish dish," Shell provided. "Meat and vegetables, wrapped up within a piece of unleavened bread. The meat is usually diced ham."


    That sounded good to Arai, who was beginning to grow sick of stews anyway. "We''ll take three of those," he said, and he handed the innkeeper a few coins.


    "Wonderful!" He disappeared into the kitchen, but returned a few moments later with two mugs of ale for Arai and Lillandra and a glass of hot barely tea for Shell. "It''ll be a few minutes for the tokra."


    "That''s fine."


    "What are your names? Where are you from? And to where are you bound?" The innkeeper was very talkative, and obviously very interested in them. Arai, humoring him, told him that they had come from the capital and were headed west. Just as he had at the inn at Kingsaile, he told the man that Lillandra was his wife, and explained that Shell was an orphan they had adopted.


    "I see, I see," the man said. "Well, I hope you''ll be comfortable here. Enjoy your drinks!"


    The fire was warm, the chairs were comfortable, and it only took about five minutes for Shell to slurp down her barley tea. "Can I have another?" she asked Arai.


    "I suppose," he said. "I''ll go ask the innkeeper." He got up, but on his way to the counter, he accidentally bumped a man''s elbow just as he was taking a drink. Ale splashed down the front of the man''s shirt.


    "Pardon me," Arai said quickly. "Here, allow me to--"


    But the man had already surged to his feet, whirling around to face Arai. He was furious, and from his breath and slurred speech, obviously drunk.


    "What do you think you''re doin''?" the man asked, sizing him up. He was a tall man, taller than Arai, but much older, probably in his forties. His face was gaunt, and his eyes were yellow.


    "I''m sorry."


    "You''re some kind of damn foreigner, ain''t ya? You lookin'' for trouble?" He stood up straight and puffed out his chest, and took a step forward. He still had the stein in his hand -- it was a big, heavy thing, and it looked like he might try using it as a weapon.


    Arai, unafraid, took a step back, looked the man in the eye, and touched his hand to the pommel of his sword. "It was an accident."


    "If it''s a fight you want..."


    The innkeeper suddenly came rushing out of the kitchen. "What''s going on here? Uther? Are you bothering my guests? Perhaps it''s time you headed home for the night."


    Uther glared at the innkeeper, and then he glared at Arai, but he did back down -- he slammed his stein on the table and stormed out of the inn without saying a word. Outside, thunder rumbled.


    "I apologize," the innkeeper said. "Uther is a friend of mine, but when he drinks..." He trailed off there, shrugging.


    "I understand."


    Their food arrived a few moments later, and Arai was able to arrange for another glass of barely tea as well. The tokra was very good.


    The talkative innkeeper sat with them while they ate. "I''d like to apologize again, on Uther''s behalf," he said. "He really is a good man. He was never the same after his daughter disappeared."


    "His daughter...disappeared?" Shell inquired.


    "His only daughter. She was only ten years old." He shook his head. "A terrible thing. She went to the Haunt all by herself and never returned. Uther warned her to stay away from that place -- everyone knows to stay away from the Haunt -- but some children just won''t listen, you know? Anyway, that was about seven or eight years ago, and he''s never been the same since. He started drinking heavily, and after his wife died..." He shook his head again. "Poor Uther."


    "Poor Uther," Arai agreed.


    "What is this Haunt?" Lillandra asked.


    "Ah. It''s an old abandoned castle a few miles north of town. A powerful sorcerer took up residence there about fifty years ago, but he was old then, and he must be dead now, because no one''s seen in him in ages. But the castle''s crawling with monsters, and the townsfolk know to stay well away from it. No one ever returns from the Haunt."


    "A sorcerer, eh?" Lillandra mused.


    "His name was Nharlek. He used to come into town to buy supplies; I remember seeing him when I was a boy. He never caused any trouble, but he used to scare people half to death, especially when he would just appear out of thin air."


    "He would...appear out of thin air?"


    "It was very strange. I remember playing with my friends once, in the middle of the street, when he just appeared all of a sudden, blinking into existence right in front of us. And he would leave the same way."


    "Teleportation," Lillandra said.


    "Teleportation," the man agreed. "Anyway, he must be long dead, as I said, for he was older then than I am now, and this was over forty years ago. But the castle still stands. You can see it from town. It''s a very unusual castle, I think you''ll agree; it was built before the Harrowing."


    "I see."


    The innkeeper dismissed the story with a wave. "All this talk about monsters and sorcerers...I hope I haven''t frightened you! Please, enjoy the rest of your meal, and I''ll have Danya go upstairs and make up your beds."


    He finally left them there. "Teleportation," Lillandra said again, thoughtfully. "He must have been very powerful indeed; not many sorcerers are capable of on-the-fly translocation. Perhaps he had an Eagle''s Wing."


    Arai froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. "What did you say?"


    "I said teleportation is difficult--"


    "No, the other thing. Do you really think he might have had an Eagle''s Wing?"


    "It''s possible. Why do you ask?"


    "Don''t you see? If we could get our hands on this thing, we could use it to teleport ourselves back to Velon."


    Lillandra opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, considering the matter. "Possibly."


    "What are you talking about?" Shell asked.


    Arai explained: "An Eagle''s Wing is a kind of zemi. It''s what brought us to Addis -- Lillandra had one affixed to her staff. When I struck it with Silus, the spell went awry, and we ended up here, halfway around the world. If we could acquire another..."


    "It''s not that simple," Lillandra said. "My Eagle''s Wing took years to make; it was only able to transport us so far because of the large amount of magia within it. This Nharlek''s Eagle''s Wing -- if he even had one -- might have only had a range of a few miles."


    "It could still be useful to us. And you don''t know how skilled this sorcerer might have been; his Eagle''s Wing might have been just as powerful as yours."


    "Unlikely," she said, rolling her eyes.


    "It''s been fifty years, though," Shell pointed out. "Would it still work after all that time?"


    "It depends," Lillandra said. "If he was using it a lot, drawing out a lot of magia..." She shrugged.


    "It sounds like no one''s been to this castle in years," Arai said. "Or made it out alive, anyway. This Eagle''s Wing might still be there. If there''s even a shadow of a chance that it could get us back to Velon--"


    "The innkeeper said the castle was full of monsters."


    "I''m not afraid of monsters."


    "I am," Shell said.


    "It could take us years to get back to Velon. You know that. We''ve been traveling for almost two months and we haven''t even made it out of Addis yet. If we can find this Eagle''s Wing, and if it works, we could be there tomorrow. We wouldn''t have to try to cross the Scarred Lands."


    "You keep telling me you''re going to kill me when we get back to Velon," Lillandra said. "You''d really trust me with this Eagle''s Wing?"


    Arai frowned. Could he trust her? She might, after all, use the Eagle''s Wing to drop him in the middle of the sea, while she returned to Velon to retake power. "I told you, I haven''t decided yet whether I''m going to kill you," he said uncertainly.


    "Well, that''s reassuring," she muttered.


    "You wouldn''t really kill her, would you?" Shell asked.


    He turned his gaze to the crackling fire. "You don''t know who she is," he said quietly. "You don''t know what she''s done."


    "She''s my friend," Shell said.


    He sighed. He hated it when things got complicated. "Very well. I promise not to kill her after she reverses the spell on my friends, but to see to it that she''s treated fairly." He gave Lillandra a stern look. "You''re still my prisoner, though. Best not forget that."


    She scoffed. "How could I?"


    "All right, then. Tomorrow we''ll go to this sorcerer''s castle and try to find this Eagle''s Wing. At the very least we might find something there that will aid us on our journey back to Velon."


    "What about the monsters?" Shell asked.


    Arai grinned. "You just leave them to me."

 Chapter Fourteen: The Haunt

    The innkeeper''s eyes widened when Arai told him his plan. "You''re joking," he said.


    "Not at all. We''re going to explore this castle, to see what secrets we can find. We''ll be back tonight. You''ll look after our things until then?"


    "Of course, but..." The man looked at them helplessly. "You don''t know what you''re doing! I told you last night, didn''t I? Nobody has ever returned from that place alive...not since Nharlek died, anyway, if he did die. The monsters--"


    "Will not be a problem," Arai finished, tapping the pommel of his sword. "Trust me, we know what we''re doing."


    "I shouldn''t have told you about the castle," the distressed innkeeper said, running a hand through his hair. "Len forgive me." He looked at them sadly. "I hope you can make it back alive."


    "We intend to." And with that, they left the inn, making their way up the street and out of town, in the direction of the high hill upon which sat the castle the townsfolk called the Haunt.


    It had been too dark and stormy last night for them to see the castle, but they could see it now that the sun had risen and the weather had cleared -- in fact it was impossible to miss. It was a massive castle, dark and forbidding, with several high towers. It looked something like a giant spider, perched on the rim of the valley.


    They had a long walk ahead of them, and it was almost all uphill. Arai, having equipped his armor, took the lead, while Lillandra and Shell followed cautiously behind him. The elf girl looked especially uneasy.


    "Maybe we should have left her at the inn," Lillandra said to Arai.


    "A monster-infested castle is nothing compared to what we''ll face in the Scarred Lands. I warned her that traveling with us would be dangerous, didn''t I?"


    Lillandra sighed and looked ahead. "The magia is very thick here, and especially around that castle. It''s no wonder this sorcerer chose it for his lair."


    Arai looked at the castle thoughtfully. "Why do some places have more magia than others?"


    She shrugged. "It has something to do with the environment. It tends to collect in places with unusual geographical features -- high mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, volcanoes, escarpments, sinkholes, caves -- and in places where man has altered the natural environment in some way. Cities, castles, cemeteries, quarries, canals, that kind of thing." She regarded the castle on the hill. "Old places, places with a lot of history, always have a lot of magia."


    "And monsters?"


    "And monsters."


    "What kinds of monsters will we find up there, do you think?"


    "I couldn''t begin to guess. Mountains breed ape-men and rock-bears, forests breed tanglers and man-traps, and volcanoes breed dragons. In places like this, where the environment has been disturbed by man, you can get any kind of monster at all." She looked at him seriously. "We should be prepared for anything."


    "I agree," he said. But he wasn''t terribly worried; he had Silus, after all, and Silus was bane to monsters and magic alike.


    "What causes monsters to appear?" Shell asked suddenly, coming up behind them. She must have heard part of their conversation.


    "Magia," Lillandra answered.


    "Yes, but why?"


    "Has no one ever told you?"


    She shook her head.


    "Ah." Her voice acquired a teacherly tone. "I''ve explained to you the steps involved in casting a spell. Compression, confinement, calculation, and casting. A witch or a wizard draws magia out of the air, holds it in place, performs a calculation, and releases it in the form of a spell."


    She nodded.


    "Well, in some places, magia grows so dense that it compresses and confines itself on its own. But without a sorcerer there to perform a calculation, to shape it and direct it, that mass of magia becomes a monster instead -- a chaotic thing, a deformed thing."


    "Oh."


    Arai, who had never really thought much about where monsters came from, was grateful for the explanation as well; he had never heard this before either. It made sense.


    It was hot and humid day. The weather was clear when they set out, but by the time they arrived at the gates of the castle the skies had once again grown dark, and another thunderstorm was rolling in over the valley. There was no rain this time, at least, but the lightning was frequent and the thunder was loud, and Arai was anxious to find shelter.


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    The castle''s gates hung open; there was nothing to prevent them from going inside. Arai drew his sword and went in first, with Shell behind him and Lillandra bringing up the rear. But the Night Queen stopped just as they stepped over the threshold, into the castle''s dark and gloomy interior.


    "What is it?" Arai asked.


    "There''s some kind of spell at work here," she said, frowning.


    "What kind of spell?"


    She furrowed her brow. "Some kind of lock? I''m not sure. It''s an unusually complex spell, whatever it is, and there''s definitely some kind of inhibiting element, but I can''t tell what it''s doing." She finally shrugged. "I don''t think it''s any danger to us."


    "If you say so." He motioned for Shell to come forward. "Stay close to me."


    She nodded and went to him, her eyes darting around all over. "Where do you think we''ll find this Eagle''s Wing?" she asked.


    "I have no idea," Arai admitted. "The upper floors, maybe? What do you think, Lillandra?"


    "Your guess is as good as mine," she said distractedly. She was obviously still mulling over this spell, whatever it was.


    They proceeded into the castle, into a grand, open area with a mezzanine. It was too dark to see, so Lillandra got out the Candle of Hours and activated it.


    The interior was very dirty -- there were huge cobwebs in the corners, and rotted tapestries hanging from the walls. The detritus of the outdoors had drifted into this main room, through the open doors, and there was moss on the floor; part of the castle appeared to have been flooded at one point. It smelled earthy and worm-ridden; it made Arai think of a tomb, or an open grave.


    "I don''t see any monsters," Shell commented quietly.


    "Keep your eyes open," Arai said. "Let''s head in."


    They passed through the grand room and into a series of long, winding corridors. Outside, the storm was now raging, the thunder exploding with cracking, concussive force. It must have been very close.


    They explored a few side rooms, but found nothing interesting within them -- just old, rotten furniture, more rotted tapestries, and a couple of suits of Addish armor, each one draped with spiderweb-capes. Arai inspected some of the armor, to determine whether it might be worth anything, but the suits were filthy and rusted out.


    Lillandra was preoccupied. "What''s wrong?" Arai asked her quietly.


    "This place," she muttered. "There''s spells woven into the stone. Old spells, powerful spells. Some of these calculations are incredible. But there''s so much magia in the air, so much magical activity...I''m having trouble figuring out what it''s all for."


    "Nharlek''s work?"


    "Some of it, maybe, but most of these spells are ancient. They''re probably as old as the castle itself."


    Arai and Shell continued to lead the way, with Lillandra behind them. They were passing through yet another long corridor when the Night Queen suddenly stopped.


    "Now what?" Arai asked.


    "I thought I saw something."


    Arai raised his sword. "A monster?"


    "I don''t know," she said doubtfully. "It didn''t seem like--"


    And suddenly, to Arai''s shock, a huge, black creature, vaguely humanoid, dropped out of the ceiling, directly in front of Lillandra. It was heavily muscled, with long arms and a humped back, and it was covered in black fur. A series of thin, hairlike spines jutted out of its back, making it look something like a dog with its hackles up. There were several objects affixed to its muscled back -- wooden figures, talismans, and suchlike, woven into its fur.


    Lillandra screamed at the sight of it and dropped the Candle of Hours. The creature seized her,  wrapping one long arm around her waist, and pulled her into the shadows on the wall. Both of them disappeared, vanishing into the blackness; Lillandra''s scream was abruptly cut off.


    It happened so quickly that for a moment Arai simply stood there, astonished. What the hell had just happened?


    "What was that?" Shell asked, wide-eyed.


    "Some kind of monster."


    "What did it do to Lillandra?"


    "I don''t know." He went to the wall, into which Lillandra and the monster had disappeared, and tapped it with the tip of his sword. It was solid.


    "Where did they go?" Shell wondered. "Through the wall?"


    "Through the shadow, I think."


    "Is that possible?"


    He shrugged. "Some monsters have strange powers."


    "What were those things stuck to its back?"


    "I don''t know."


    She bit her lip. "What are we going to do?"


    "We have to find her."


    "Do you think she''s still alive?"


    "An ordinary monster would have attacked us, tried to kill us. This one wanted her alive for some reason."


    "Maybe it''s saving her for dinner."


    "Monsters don''t eat. You know that."


    "Why, then? Why did it take her?"


    "I have no idea. But we''re not going to learn anything just standing around. We have to find her." Lillandra was, technically, his mortal enemy, but he couldn''t just let her die -- he needed her to reverse the spell she had cast on his friends. And he might need her help getting back to Velon.


    Were those really the only reasons, though? He frowned, thinking about it. He had spent the last two months in Lillandra''s company, and although they were always arguing, she had almost felt like a friend at times, or a comrade at least, and she had saved his life back in Ada, when Erek had been about to stab him. Didn''t he owe her something?


    He stopped himself there. The Night Queen? A friend?


    He shook his head. He could sort out his feelings later; they had more pressing concerns.


    Shell picked up the Candle of Hours. "Can you get that thing working?" Arai asked. Without the light, it was very dark in the corridor.


    "I''ll try." She fixed her eyes on the tip of the twig, and after a moment it began to glow very softly. It wasn''t enough light to see by -- Arai finally had to assemble a makeshift torch, out of rags and rotten furniture -- but Shell was pleased.


    "I did it!" she exclaimed, staring at the light. "I''m doing it! It''s easier, I think, because there''s so much magia in here."


    "Let''s get going."


    She jogged to catch up with him. "Where do you think this monster makes its lair?"


    "We''ll try the upper floors. If we can..." He trailed off there, because he had just felt a strange rumbling under his feet.


    Shell felt it too. "What was that? Thunder?"


    But it wasn''t thunder -- it was the floor itself, giving way beneath them. One moment they were standing in the corridor, and in the next, they were falling, tumbling over loose bricks and plummeting into the floors below. Arai caught a glimpse of Shell''s panicked face in the torchlight, but then he lost his grip on the torch, and everything went black.

 Chapter Fifteen: Nharleks Doom

    He awoke with dust in his lungs; it took him several minutes to cough it out. His head hurt, and when he touched his temple, he found blood there.


    Shell was hovering over him, fully conscious and apparently unhurt. She was holding the Candle of Hours. "Are you all right?"


    "I think so," he managed, coughing out the rest of the dust. "What happened?"


    "We broke through the floor," she said, pointing upwards.


    Arai looked up, through the still-settling dust. He could just see the opening where they had fallen through, about forty feet up. If they had actually fallen from that height, they would have been killed, but somehow or other they had managed to slide down with the rubble, through another corridor and into the room in which they now found themselves. Half of this room was buried in brick now, but the rest of it appeared to be intact.


    "The supports holding up the floor must have rotted away," Arai said. "Are you all right?"


    "I think so. What about you? You were out for a couple of minutes, and you''re bleeding."


    He checked himself. He felt a little dizzy -- he had obviously taken a blow to the head -- but the wound itself did not appear to be serious. "I''ll be okay," he said, wiping away the blood. "Where are we now?"


    He had lost his torch, but the Candle of Hours gave them at least a little light. Shell waved it around the room, revealing rows and rows of books.


    The room was apparently some kind of library. In addition to the books -- and there were hundreds of them -- it contained couches, candelabras, and a writing desk.


    "Nharlek''s private study," Arai mused. But there didn''t appear to be anything interesting here, apart from the books, so he got up and began looking around for an exit. "How do we get out of here?"


    Shell pointed to the pile of rubble that had fallen in with them, and which almost completely covered one of the room''s four walls. "Through there, I think," she said. "It''s blocking the door."


    Arai groaned. There was an enormous amount of rubble there; it would take half an hour to clear it. He sheathed his sword and immediately set to work, throwing bricks from one side of the room to the other, while Shell held the light.


    "Are we going to be okay?" Shell asked him worriedly.


    "Of course," he assured her. "We just have to find Lillandra, kill this monster, and get back to searching for this sorcerer''s Eagle Wing."


    "Do you think she''s all right?"


    "She''s the Queen of the Night," he muttered. "The Shadow of Velon. She''ll be fine."


    "Did she really overthrow your king? And kill the prince?"


    He nodded. "About a hundred years ago."


    "And she killed your father, too?"


    "Well...indirectly," he said. "It was Lord Pierce who killed my father; I''m not sure Lillandra was even aware of it. She says she''s spent most of the last hundred years in some kind of magical sleep. But she was the one who appointed the Pierces as her Lords Protector. That makes her at least partially responsible."


    "If you say so."


    "The whole nation has suffered under her misrule," he continued. "The growing season in Velon is short; famine was common even before she came to power. It''s much worse now. Taxes are high, trade is restricted, and anyone who says anything bad about the Night Queen or the Pierces can expect to be thrown in a dungeon. Worse, she''s allowed the Al''mud to run rampant, and the monster population has exploded, especially in the Hardways and around Harbor Town. Lord Pierce''s men don''t bother to hunt them."


    "It sounds to me like this Lord Pierce was the one running the kingdom into the ground," she opined.


    "He was Lillandra''s creature."


    "But she wasn''t aware of what he was doing. You said so yourself."


    "That''s no excuse."


    "It''s not?"


    "I don''t want to talk about this."


    "Fine," she said, shrugging. "What do you want to talk about?"


    "I''m not really in a talking mood at all," he grumbled. "Let''s just get out of here."


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    And he went on shoveling bricks. After a few minutes of standing around with the light, Shell began exploring the library, eventually finding her way to the writing desk, on which sat several thin volumes. She picked one up and started leafing through it.


    "Well, this is interesting," she murmured.


    "What is it?"


    "I think it''s a journal. It must have belonged to Nharlek."


    "Really?"


    She began to read: "The first few experiments were failures, but this latest one shows promise -- the creature is considerably stronger and faster than the previous subjects, and the addition of the Unbound Will seems to have made it much more intelligent, though it still lacks the ability to speak. I''m having some difficulty controlling it with my Dragon''s Bit. Lord Kay sent another messenger this morning, asking me how my research was faring, but until I establish a proper retention field and open up an interference pattern to protect the...the..." She furrowed her brow at the book. "I don''t know these words."


    "Nharlek was creating monsters for this Lord Kay?"


    "It sure sounds that way." She picked it up again with another entry: "The creature''s strength is astounding, and the Draw of Shadows gives it excellent infiltration abilities, but its ability to withstand the Dragon''s Bit is concerning. These assassins won''t be of any use to anyone if they can''t be controlled." She looked up from the book. "Assassins? I don''t like the sound of that."


    "Go on."


    She flipped a few pages ahead, to what was apparently the final entry: "The creature escaped from the laboratory last night, disappearing into the shadows within its enclosure after the charge went out on the Owl Light. Worse, it managed to acquire several of my zemi, including the Eye of Domination. I have no idea whether it can actually use any of these zemi, but I''m not taking any chances. I created a new Owl Light and managed to erect a barrier around the Haunt, to prevent it from escaping the castle. As soon as day breaks, I''m going up to my laboratory to try to recapture the thing. Damn that Owl Light! And damn Lord Kay! I should never have agreed to undertake this project." She slapped the book shut. "And that''s it."


    "He was trying to make some kind of monstrous assassin for this Lord Kay," Arai summarized, "but it escaped, and probably killed him."


    "Do you think it''s the same monster that got Lillandra?"


    "I think it''s very possible."


    She shuddered. "He said it was strong, and fast, and that it could jump through shadows."


    "We knew all that already."


    "But why would it want to kidnap Lillandra? Why wouldn''t it just kill her?"


    "I don''t know." Had the other unfortunates who had entered the castle since Nharlek''s death been kidnapped as well? Or had it merely killed them?


    A few minutes later he had managed to remove enough of the rubble to get the door open. He drew his sword once more and motioned for Shell to follow him. "Where are we going now?" she asked.


    "Up," he replied. "If this monster''s anywhere, it''s in Nharlek''s old laboratory."


    Leaving the library, they spent a few minutes wandering around -- their only light came from the Candle of Hours; they had trouble seeing where they were going -- before finding their way back to the gallery. It took them a few more minutes, but they eventually found a winding staircase that brought them to the top of one of the castle''s four towers. But the room at the top was empty -- it certainly wasn''t any kind of laboratory -- so they climbed back down to the gallery and tried another set of stairs. Meanwhile, outside, lightning continued to illume the sky, while thunder crackled ominously close.


    Shell was obviously terrified, but she did a good job of hiding it, waving the Candle of Hours around as though its meager light would protect her. "This is worse than the Dwellmer," she said, her teeth chattering. "Much worse."


    Arai thought it might a good idea to keep her talking, to get her mind off the monster that might attack them at any moment. "How did you end up in the Dwellmer, anyway?" he asked. "How did you end up all alone on the streets?"


    It took her a few moments to answer. "My parents died when I was very young. My mother first, and then my father. He never got over her death; my sister told me he died of a broken heart."


    "Ah. I''m sorry."


    "Don''t be sorry. They were both over two hundred years old, and had had twenty-nine children by the time they died. That''s more than most people get. Anyway, I was their youngest child."


    "You have twenty-eight siblings?"


    She nodded.


    "And none of them took you in?"


    "Elf families aren''t like human families. My oldest brothers were eighty years older than me. They barely knew who I was. My sister, Sann, was the only one who cared about me, the only one I had any connection to. She was the one who brought me to Kingsaile, with her husband."


    "You weren''t from there originally?"


    She shook her head. "We came from Turuni. That''s one of the elf kingdoms. I don''t really remember it, though; I was only five years old when we crossed the Fallhorn Mountains into Addis."


    "I see. So what happened to your sister and her husband?"


    "They drowned. There was this big celebration when King Lialte finally got married. Sann and Shay went out on a boat to watch the fireworks from Balastair Lake when a storm came up all of a sudden. They never made it back to shore."


    "That''s awful."


    "They weren''t the only ones who drowned. There were hundreds of people on the lake that night. Something like forty or fifty people died."


    "Why weren''t you with them?"


    "I didn''t want to go out on the water. I just had a funny feeling." She shrugged again. "Anyway, I was on my own after that."


    Maybe it wasn''t such a good idea to talk about these things after all. "I''m sorry," he said again.


    "Hey, we''ve all had it rough. Your parents are dead, too, aren''t they? And Lillandra''s family must be long gone, if she really is a hundred years old."


    Arai remembered the story Lillandra had told him about her father running out on them, and of her mother disappearing not long after. It occurred to him that his own upbringing -- traveling around the Holy Empire with his father''s mercenary company, fighting his way through sieges, skirmishes, and ambushes -- was almost normal compared to what Lillandra and Shell had had to endure.


    They checked another tower, and then another, but found no trace of Lillandra or the monster. "Only one left," Arai said.


    "What are we going to do with this monster when we find it?"


    "Kill it."


    "Yes, but how? You''re a great swordsman, I know, but if this thing starts jumping through the shadows again--"


    "I have an idea, actually," he said. "But it all depends on you."


    "Me?"


    He told her his plan, and then, together, with great and growing apprehension, they began making their way up the final tower.

 Chapter Sixteen: Heroes and Villains

    There was a heavy wooden door, banded with iron, at the top of the stone steps. Arai sucked in a deep breath to settle his nerves and pushed it open.


    The room beyond was, indeed, a magical laboratory of some kind. There was a cauldron in the center of the room, and shelves full of dried liquids and powders. There was also an anvil in one corner, and a bellows, and a huge hearthfire and chimney, which snaked up to the ceiling -- Nharlek had apparently been a smith of some kind, as well as a sorcerer. Like Lillandra''s lair at the top of the Nightfall, it resembled a manufactory as much as a wizard''s workshop.


    The floor was littered with bodies -- seven or eight, at least, but it was hard to tell, because most had been reduced to skeletons, and their bones were all jumbled up with one another. Some of them were still wearing their rotted clothes; one was wearing a purple robe and slippers.


    "Nharlek, I presume," Arai muttered, doing his best to tamp down his revulsion. He stepped all the way into the room...and that''s when he saw Lillandra.


    She was sitting in a chair and wiggling her fingers through the air, as though she were plucking the strings of an invisible harp, but her eyes were glazed over and her expression was completely blank. What in the world was she doing?


    "Lillandra?" Arai whispered. And then, a little louder, "Lillandra?" But she refused to even look at him.


    "What''s wrong with her?" Shell whispered urgently. "What''s she doing?"


    Arai walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. That, finally, elicited a response: she looked up at him, furious, and snarled, "Stay away."


    "Are you all right?"


    "Leave this place," she growled, "or I''ll kill you."


    Unsure what to make of this, he touched her on the shoulder again, and this time she responded by leaping to her feet and trying to claw his eyes out. He jumped back, and for the briefest of moments, considered turning his sword on her. That vacant look in her eyes had given him pause, however, and he wondered now if she was in her right mind. He backed away from her. "Lillandra? Don''t you recognize me?"


    "Leave this place," she said again.


    There was definitely something wrong with her; even her voice sounded strange.


    "She''s under a spell," Shell volunteered.


    "I think you''re right," he agreed. "We have to get her out of here." He reached out to take her hand...


    ...And a dark, humanoid shape suddenly dropped out of the ceiling, landing right between them. Arai shouldn''t have been surprised, but he was; he stumbled back, while the monster lunged for him, its long arms extended. He hadn''t seen its face the last time, but he got a good look at it now -- it was a hideously ugly thing, with a slavering dog''s mouth and lizard-like eyes which glowed red.


    Shell screamed, which distracted the thing for just a moment. Arai, recovering his balance, immediately took advantage, bringing his sword down in a glittering arc. Silus obliterated enchantments; all he needed was a single strike.


    But Nharlek''s assassin-beast was incredibly fast, much faster than he had anticipated. It dodged the swing and began bounding all over the room, bouncing off the walls and even the ceiling, before evaporating into the shadows.


    Lillandra, meanwhile, had returned to her seat and gone back to playing her invisible harp, as though nothing particularly interesting was happening.


    "Arai!" Shell shouted. "Look out!"


    The monster had reemerged behind him, leaping out of the shadows like a mad dog. He narrowly avoided it, pivoting on his heel, and attempted to slash at it as it came rushing by. A single strike! A single strike was all he needed.


    But to his own amazement, he missed -- his blade slid over the monster''s back without touching it. This was more than an ill-timed swing; something else was happening here. When the monster turned and came at him again, he lowered his sword, preparing to impale it as it came forward, but again, it somehow managed to avoid the blade, slipping around him and diving into the shadows behind him.


    The monster was obviously protected by some kind of magic -- a magic that even Silus couldn''t penetrate. In one of their battles with the Al''mud in the Frozen Mountains, Vex had cast a spell on himself that had deflected arrows away from his body and prevented swords from striking him -- the Sheltering Wind, it was called. The monster''s power was similar to that.


    Silus ought to have been able to cut through it, however. The Radiant Blade cancelled out magic completely; the Sheltering Wind shouldn''t have had any effect on it.


    Nonplussed, and now more than a little worried -- he couldn''t kill this thing if he couldn''t touch it -- Arai tightened his grip on the hilt and looked around wildly, trying to guess where the monster might emerge. He looked up just in time to see it drop out of the ceiling once again, but he was in no position to use his sword, and was forced to back away from it. Once again, it charged him, and this time it managed to knock him off his feet and pin him down. Silus went flying out his hand, and the monster''s doglike face snapped at him, slaver flying.


    The creature was incredibly strong, but he somehow managed to wriggle one hand free and seize it by the throat. He squeezed as hard as he could, but the monster was solid muscle, and the cords of its neck were so tight that he was unable to harm it in this way. So he slapped its snout to one side and jammed two fingers in its eye instead. It made a kind of barking noise and jumped off of him, blinking its blood-red eye.


    Arai dove for his sword. At the same moment, the monster once again dove into the shadows.


    "Shell!" Arai shouted. "Get ready!"


    The elf girl nodded smartly and pulled out the Candle of Hours. She fixed her eyes on the blob of wax, which began to glow softly.


    Arai''s gaze flew from the ceiling, to the walls, to the floor, as he sought the creature, trying to guess, once again, where it might emerge. Finally, he saw a faint stirring in the shadows near the hearth, and immediately shouted to Shell: "Now!"


    The girl squinched up her face, and with a triumphant yell, raised the Candle of Hours over her head. Light exploded out of it.


    At the same moment, the monster attacked, flying forward...but it was only halfway out of the shadow when Shell suddenly filled the room with light. The monster''s head and part of its torso burst out of the dark, but with the shadow now dispelled, the rest of its body failed to follow. It landed in front of Arai with wet thump, severed at the waist.


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    Arai wasted no time dispatching the creature. This time, Silus cut through whatever enchantment had been protecting it, and it died, dissipating into magia particles and leaving behind a few slivers of black maginite. The objects that had been tangled up in the fur of its back remained behind as well, clattering to the stone floor.


    Lillandra abruptly awoke from the trance. She jumped to her feet and whirled all around. "What happened?" she demanded. "Where am I?"


    Shell was still clutching the Candle of Hours, which was still blazing bright. "I did it," she whispered, a smile slowly spreading over her cherubic face.


    "You did it," Arai agreed, returning her smile with one of his own. "I knew I could count on you."


    "What happened?" Lillandra asked again, more forcefully. "The last thing I remember..." She spotted the cauldron then, and the anvil and the shelves of ingredients, and asked, "What is this place?"


    "Nharlek''s laboratory," Arai provided. "Are you all right?"


    "Yes, of course. Only I..." She looked at him, and then at Shell. "The monster brought me here, didn''t it? And the two of you..."


    "We rescued you," Shell said helpfully. She held up the Candle. "Look at this! Isn''t it amazing?"


    "Yes," Lillandra said after a moment, her gaze now having fallen on Arai again. "Amazing."


    * * *


    The objects that had fallen off the monster were zemi. "This is a Chain of Strength," Lillandra said, picking it up, "and this is a Badge of Deflection. No wonder you had a hard time hitting it. It was protected by the Sheltering Wind."


    "Why didn''t Silus cancel it out?"


    She shrugged. "The Sheltering Wind is a very simple spell. It deflects attacks around the user by stirring up magia to create wind. Your sword can cut through any kind of magical shield, but it can''t stop the wind from blowing."


    Arai was not entirely satisfied with this answer -- he had thought the Radiant Blade totally anathemic to any form of magic -- but he put that aside for now. "And this?" he asked, picking up a small, round stone with an blue eye painted on it.


    "An Eye of Domination," she said, taking it from him. "It was using this to control me." She shook it a few times. "The magic''s gone out of it. You must have destroyed the spell with your sword."


    "Why was it trying to control you?"


    "It wanted out."


    "Out?"


    "Out of the castle. This sorcerer, Nharlek, put up a barrier to prevent it from leaving. I noticed it when I first entered the castle. The monster couldn''t break the spell on its own, so it used the Eye of Domination to try to get me to break it." She looked around the room, at the assorted skeletons. "It probably did the same to all those who came here -- controlled their minds, tried to get them to undo the spell. But none of them could do it, because they didn''t have any magical potential. So it simply killed them. I was probably the first one it captured who could have actually freed it."


    Arai informed Lillandra of what they had read in Nharlek''s journal. "He was trying to make an assassin, eh? That''s interesting. And he had a Dragon''s Bit; that''s even more interesting. We should try to find it, if we can."


    "What''s a Dragon''s Bit?" Shell asked.


    "It''s a zemi that gives the user power over monsters. I made one for myself, years ago."


    "What happened to it?"


    "I left it back in Velon."


    "What about the Eagle''s Wing?"


    They looked around, scouring the laboratory from top to bottom, and even searching the body of Nharlek himself, but they found nothing that might have been an Eagle''s Wing. They did, however, find several simple zemi that Lillandra thought might be useful to them. "This is an Everlasting Chalice," she said, holding up a small, golden goblet which she had discovered on one of the shelves. "It produces fresh water for anyone who touches their lips to it. You don''t even have to be a sorcerer to use that one."


    "Is it safe?" Arai asked.


    "Of course."


    "Can I try?" Shell asked.


    Lillandra handed the goblet to her. The elf girl looked at it doubtfully, for it was empty, but as soon as she made to drink from it, water spilled down the the front her shirt. "It works!" she exclaimed, and she went on slurping from it for several seconds.


    An infinite supply of fresh water would definitely be useful to them on the road, Arai thought, and even moreso when they reached the Scarred Lands.


    They also found a Witch''s Dagger, which Arai gave to Shell, and a Mermaid''s Glass, which, according to Lillandra, allowed a person to breathe underwater for a time. Of the zemi that had fallen off the monster, the Eye of Domination and the Chain of Strength were apparently useless, but the Badge of Deflection still worked. Arai gave that to Shell as well; she pinned it on her cloak.


    They couldn''t find Nharlek''s Dragon''s Bit, either, but that was just as well; Arai wasn''t sure he trusted Lillandra with such a powerful zemi.


    Having gathered these things, they left the Haunt and began making their way back to the village. Though the skies were still dark, the storm had passed, and the rumble of thunder had grown distant.


    "She''s very brave," Arai said of Shell, who was skipping ahead of them. "If not for her, the monster probably would''ve killed me."


    "She may have more potential than I realized," Lillandra admitted. But she seemed distracted, so Arai asked her what was the matter.


    "It''s nothing," she said, and she remained silent all the way back to the village.


    The innkeeper was astonished to see them safe and sound. Arai told him what had happened, and also let him know about the bodies they had seen in the sorcerer''s laboratory. "The monster''s previous victims," Arai explained. "There might still be some monsters running around up there, but the most dangerous one is gone now. You might want to get some people together to retrieve those bodies and give them a proper burial."


    The innkeeper nodded. "Thank you. I''ll see to that." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps this will bring some measure of comfort to Uther."


    "I hope so."


    "But how in the world did you defeat this monster?" the innkeeper wanted to know.


    "My sword," Arai said. He grinned at Shell. "And her sorcery."


    Shell grinned back.


    * * *


    They remained in the village for the rest of the day, and left in the morning. The weather had cleared once again, the sun breaking through big, puffy clouds. Arai threw a backwards glance at the Haunt as they made their way out of town; though Nharlek was dead, and his monster destroyed, the castle continued to loom like a dark shadow over the valley. It reminded him, he realized, of the Nightfall -- the ancient tower in which Lillandra had taken up residence after she had overthrown King Reemus. Both structures were huge and architecturally strange, and both had been built before the Harrowing.


    Suddenly curious, he turned to Lillandra and asked, "Why didn''t you take up residence in the Waterglass Palace after you overthrew the king?"


    She frowned at him. "What?"


    "It couldn''t have been comfortable, living in those cold, cramped rooms at the top of the Nightfall. I know you were sleeping most of the time, but wouldn''t you have preferred the Palace?"


    "The Nightfall is very old. I had more magia to work with there. Besides..." A strange, furtive look suddenly flickered across her features, and she shook her head, dismissing whatever it was she had been about to say. "I had my reasons."


    "I see."


    She went quiet again after that; she was obviously still brooding over something. "What''s wrong?" he asked her again.


    She stopped suddenly, turning to face him. "Thank you," she said. "For saving me from Nharlek''s monster."


    This wasn''t quite what he had expected. He shrugged. "I couldn''t just leave you there. I still need you to reverse the spell on Odo and Maya. And anyway...it wouldn''t have been right, leaving you to die."


    She snorted. "Don''t I deserve to die, for all the wrong that I''ve done? Isn''t that what you keep telling me?" She sounded bitter. "I''m the Night Queen, after all."


    "You''re the Night Queen," he agreed. "But you''re Shell''s friend, too, and she''d never forgive me for leaving you there."


    "I suppose that''s true," she grumbled.


    He gave her a questioning look. "Would you have made an effort to save me, if the monster had taken me instead?"


    "No," she said instantly. "That''s what''s bothering me."


    "Ah."


    "I don''t like feeling indebted to people," she added.


    "Especially me?"


    "Especially you."


    "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn''t have blamed you for running off, if the monster had captured me instead. We''re enemies, aren''t we?"


    "You don''t hold me to the same standards you set for yourself?"


    "I''m the hero," he said, winking at her. "You''re the villain."


    "Heroes and villains," she muttered. "You really are naive, aren''t you?"


    "Hey!" Shell suddenly shouted at them, from up ahead. "What are you two waiting for? Let''s go!"


    Arai motioned for Lillandra to proceed. "After you," he said, with faux gentlemanliness.


    She gave him a dirty look, but for the briefest of moments, he thought he saw a hint of amusement in her dark eyes as well.

 Chapter Seventeen: Addisport

    Shell studied the map. "We should arrive in Addisport tomorrow," she said.


    A friendly farmer had invited them to sleep in his barn. Shell was reading Plint''s Travels by the light of the Candle of Hours, while Lillandra sat on a milking stool and Arai lounged in the hay. A couple of sleepy-eyed cows gave them lazy looks from their stalls, while a black cat, perched up on the rafters, studied them intently, its eyes shining.


    "What does the book say about it?" Arai asked.


    She quoted it: "A major port city in the far west of Addis, situated upon the Bay of Vandals, Addisport is the second largest city in the Kingdom of Addis after Kingsaile. A picturesque seaside city, Addisport boasts a population of perhaps a hundred thousand men and women. It is known for its pleasant climate and cosmopolitan nature; ships from Galleus, Grand Skir, and the Island Republics are known to call here regularly." Shell went on from there, reading Plint''s descriptions of the city''s cuisine and other assorted attractions.


    Arai had known that they were getting close to another large city -- they were seeing much more traffic on the roads now -- and he had heard of Addisport; a number of fellow travelers had mentioned it in passing. "A hundred thousand people?" he mused. "That''s more than the entire population of Velon."


    Shell frowned at him. "Is your country really so small?"


    "Let me put it this way. In the time it took us to walk from Kingsaile to Addisport, we could''ve crossed the entirety of Velon three or four times."


    "Are there cities?"


    "Just two. Harbor Town, which sits on the shore of the Bastide Sea, and the capital, Hammersvik, which is further south."


    "But we have to get through the Tarnak to get there," she said, studying the map.


    "Not just the Tarnak," Arai said. "Before that, we have to cross the Queendom of Elent, which is at least as big as Addis, and Arliel''s Holy Empire, which is almost as big as that. Let me see that map."


    She handed him the book with the fold-out map. "This is Addisport?" he asked her, pointing to the city on the eastern shore of the bay.


    She nodded.


    "And on the other side of the bay...Galleus?"


    She nodded again. "We''ll have to find a ship in Addisport to take us there."


    Lillandra leaned in to study the map as well. "Couldn''t we continue north, through here?" She drew a line with her fingernail, north from Addisport, through a narrow strip of land bordered by the Bay of Vandals to the south and a larger sea to the north.


    Shell shook her head vigorously. "You don''t want to go through there, believe me. That''s the Despotate of Grand Skir. It''s a nasty place, ruled by a sorcerer named Mustaf Draj. They call him the Aeromancer. Plint barely made it out of Grand Skir alive."


    "So Velon isn''t the only country that''s had the bad luck to be taken over by a sorcerer," Arai muttered.


    Lillandra shot him a dark look before returning her attention to the book. "What about Galleus? Who rules there?"


    "Well, they have a king, but he''s basically just a figurehead; it''s the Council of Knights that really runs things. According to Plint it''s a wealthy nation, very friendly to trade. They''ve been at war with Grand Skir for years now, but the government is stable and I don''t think we''ll find any trouble there."


    "A sea voyage will save us some time, too," Arai said, mulling over the map. "Very well. We''ll find a ship in Addisport to take us to Galleus."


    "We might not be able to afford that," Lillandra warned. "We''re almost out of money already, aren''t we?"


    "We''ll find a way," Arai said, though he really had no idea how to make money in Addis, apart from hunting monsters. And monsters, fortunately or unfortunately, were not really a threat in this part of Addis -- there wasn''t a lot of magia here from them to grow out of, apparently, and the authorities had little trouble handling those monsters that did appear.


    "I could go back to picking pockets, I suppose," Shell mused. "I was really pretty good at it, you know, and I''m sure there''s a lot of rich folks in Addisport."


    "No stealing," Arai said seriously, wagging a finger at her. "Not while you''re with us."


    She snorted and took back her book. "You''re no fun."


    * * *


    The next morning -- Arai slept very well, in his bed of hay -- they thanked the farmer for his hospitality and made their way down the long road which ran through his property and, ultimately, into Addisport. They first sighted the city upon cresting a hill -- all of a sudden it was there, spread out below them, a pretty port city of white buildings roofed with red tile. Beyond it lay the Bay of Vandals, which Arai understood to be a part of the Southern Ocean -- a vast, sparkling expanse, curving away to the end of the world. The sunlight dappled over the waves; it was so bright that Arai had to shade his eyes.


    The bay was full of ships; Arai had never seen so many. There were cogs, brigs, barques, and more, and they came in all sizes, from small sailboats to huge, three-masted schooners. Some of the ships were especially unusual; a handful had elongated prows and triangular sails, and some were galleys, equipped with rows and rows of oars.


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    Arai was intrigued. Port cities like this were almost wholly unfamiliar to him. There were a few important ports along the edge of the Southern Ocean, such as Camarro in the Holy Empire, and a great deal of trade was said to be conducted across Elent''s inland sea, but the nations of the west were, for the most part, land powers rather than sea powers. Velon itself, though it abutted the Bastide Sea, had no navy at all. The biggest ships in Velon, he reflected, were fishing vessels and riverboats, and were tiny compared to the ships he saw here.


    Thinking about riverboats got him thinking about his friend Odo, back in Velon. Odo had spent most of his life pulling barges up the Tuv River, and those years of toil had given him tremendous strength; Arai had never met anyone as strong as Odo. They had fought with each other the first time they had met, but the giant had quickly become one of his best friends, and had accompanied him on his quest to retrieve Silus from its hiding place beyond the Frozen Mountains. The riverman had saved his life a dozen times.


    He missed Odo. He missed his jokes, his jibes, his joi de vivre. He missed Maya, too, and Vex. What had happened to his friends? Had Vex survived his battle with Lillandra''s guards? Odo and Maya had been transformed into stone statues, of course, but were those statues still in the Nightfall? Had Grizz found them? Would he understand that the statues were Odo and Maya, transformed? Or would he assume they were fetishes of some kind, and have them destroyed?


    The questions -- which he had been asking himself since his arrival in Addis -- were enough to drive him mad. He had no idea what might be happening in Velon. The rebellion had been on the verge of success when he had entered the Nightfall and fought Lillandra, but Lord Pierce had still had a quarter of his army left, and he was a cunning tactician; it was possible he had found a way to win.


    "Something wrong?" Shell asked him, noticing that he was lost in thought.


    "No," he answered. "Just thinking about Velon."


    An hour later they entered the city proper. It was one of the loveliest cities Arai had ever seen, full of parks, grand buildings, and charming little seaside homes, and as in Kingsaile, the people looked prosperous. And there were a great variety of people -- the streets were full of men and women wearing strange, exotic costumes, and who looked almost as out of place in Addis as Arai and Lillandra did. Some had brown or copper skin; some were even darker than that. They passed a group of giggling girls wearing robes that appeared to have been woven out of feathers, and two large men who were fully encased, from head to toe, in gleaming silver armor.


    "Knights," Shell noted. "From Galleus."


    Arai had acquired his knowledge of the Addish language artificially, via Lillandra''s magic, and there were some terms the magic failed to translate for him; this word "knight" was one of them. "What''s a knight?" he asked Shell.


    "A kind of warrior, I guess," she said. "They fight with swords and lances, and they wear that shining armor that covers them up completely. But they''re not just brutes. They have a code they''re supposed to follow -- to help people in trouble and fight injustice wherever they see it." She shrugged. "It''s a Gallean tradition, mostly. They love knights in Galleus. Even their god is a knight."


    "All that armor looks restrictive."


    She shrugged again. "I wouldn''t know."


    Arai and Lillandra, foreigners themselves, received a handful of strange looks, and especially when people saw them with Shell -- there were fewer elves here than they had seen in the capital -- but no one stopped to question them.


    Shell, for her part, wanted to go sightseeing, to tour all the amazing landmarks she had read about in Plint''s Travels, but Arai insisted they visit the docks first, to find themselves a ship that might take them across the Bay of Vandals.


    There were dozens of ships lined up along the city''s piers; dozens more were moored further out. Arai approached a young sailor and asked him if he knew of any ships that were headed across the bay, to Galleus.


    "You might try the Cockatrice," the young man said, jerking his thumb at one of the ships over his shoulder. "It''s a cargo ship, but Captain Burt will take on passengers, too, if they can pay their way. He makes the run to Tax Trium every other month."


    "Thank you," Arai said, and went immediately to the Cockatrice. After asking around a bit, he eventually managed to track down Captain Burt -- a big, broad-shouldered man with an extremely weathered face -- and to ask him if he would take them on as passengers.


    The man squinted at them. "A man, a woman, and a little elf girl, is it? And you''re wanting to go to Galleus?"


    "That''s right."


    "Heading home?"


    "You could say that."


    He shrugged. "Well, I''ve no objections, so long as you mind your business. It''s ten Addish crowns and eight silvers for a berth."


    Shell''s mouth fell open. "Ten gold and eight silvers just to get to Tax Trium?"


    "That''s the going rate, I''m afraid," he said gruffly. "It''s mostly Gallean tariff, I''m sorry to say, but I have to watch my own profits, too -- I take a loss on every passenger I carry."


    "It seems like a lot," Shell said.


    He shrugged his big shoulders again. "Ask around. You won''t find a better price in Addisport." He turned to Arai. "Well?"


    "We don''t have the money," Arai said reluctantly. "How long will you be in port?"


    "We''re leaving tomorrow morning," he said, to Arai''s dismay, "but we''ll be back in a month, assuming we don''t run into bad weather around the Phantic Gates."


    Arai nodded sadly. "Thank you for your time."


    Shell tugged at his sleeve. "We should ask around. Ten gold and eight silvers is outrageous. I''m sure we''ll find a better price somewhere else."


    He nodded, and they went on to spend most of the rest of the afternoon haggling with merchant captains and fishermen. Unfortunately Captain Burt was right -- ten gold and eight or nine silvers seemed to be the minimum asking price. Disappointed -- and now rather hungry, for they hadn''t eaten anything since the early morning -- they headed back into town and started looking around for an inn.


    "I knew it would expensive," Shell said. "I didn''t think it would be that expensive. Where are we going to get the money?"


    "I don''t know," Arai sighed. "Lillandra? Do you have any ideas?"


    She seemed distracted. "What?"


    "I asked you if you had any ideas on how to make money."


    "No," she said. "Not really."


    "What about the zemi we found at Nharlek''s castle? Could we sell them?"


    "I suppose we could," she said, still distracted.


    Arai didn''t particularly like the idea of selling off the zemi -- the Everlasting Chalice, which provided them with an endless supply of fresh water, had already proven itself extremely useful -- but if they had no other choice...


    And why was Lillandra so preoccupied? He asked her if anything was wrong.


    "No," she said curtly. "Just thinking."


    Shrugging, he left it at that.


    They found a room at an inn a few streets east of the docks, just as the sun was beginning to set over the city. They had a meal at a nearby tavern -- a rowdy place, full of drinking, swearing sailors -- and then retreated to their room for the night. As Lillandra and Shell settled down to sleep, Arai found himself looking out the window of their room, at the docks. The sailors and stevedores, he saw, were still working late into the night, and he was reminded again of Odo.


    He glanced over his shoulder at Lillandra -- the Night Queen, the sorceress who had turned his friend to stone. He couldn''t let it go any longer, he decided. He had to find out the truth of the matter -- and not just for Odo''s sake, or for Maya''s, but for his own.

 Chapter Eighteen: The Eye of Domination

    Early the next morning, before the sun had risen and before Lillandra and Shell were even awake, Arai crept out of their room and out of the inn, and made his way up the street, into Addisport''s business district. He had spotted a sign as they were making their way through town earlier -- though he couldn''t read the Addish language, he understood the sign well enough, for it featured a man floating above the earth with his arms spread, and with tongues of fire arising from each of his fingers. He had seen that symbol before, around Addis -- it was the sign of a sorcerer.


    He entered the shop, which had apparently just opened. A young man, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old, was sweeping up the floor; he looked up when he saw Arai.


    "Ah, welcome!" he exclaimed. "I''m afraid Master Aliar isn''t awake yet, but if you could wait just a few minutes..." He grabbed a chair and sat Arai down on it, before he could even think to protest. "My name is Reid. I''m the master''s apprentice. What can we help you with today? Would you like a glimpse into your future, perhaps?" He glanced at Arai''s sword, frowning. "You''re not looking for a battlefield mage, I hope. Master Aliar doesn''t do that anymore."


    "Not at all," he said, looking around the shop. It looked more like someone''s living room than a place of business. "I just have some questions I''d like to ask."


    "Questions?"


    "About magic, and how it works."


    "I see." He was obviously disappointed, but he shrugged and said, "Very well. As we have no other customers at the moment, and as I have nothing better to do right now...go ahead, ask away."


    "Are you a sorcerer?"


    "I''m an apprentice," he affirmed.


    Arai supposed that was good enough. "What do you know about petrification spells?"


    He blinked. "Petrification?"


    "You know, turning a person to stone."


    "You want to turn a person to stone?" he asked doubtfully.


    "I want to restore to life someone who''s already been turned to stone. Is that possible?"


    "I don''t know."


    "I thought you were a sorcerer," he said, "or an apprentice, anyway."


    "I am," he said defensively. "But turning someone to stone, or turning them back..." He shook his head. "Those are extremely difficult enchantments. Only one sorcerer in a thousand is capable of performing a calculation that complex, and they require huge amounts of magia. Master Aliar can levitate, kindle a fire, see a few days into the future, and concoct a few different kinds of sedatives and love philtres, but a petrification spell...I don''t think so." He frowned. "Do you really know someone who''s been turned to stone?"


    "Two people, actually. They were transformed right in front of me."


    He snorted. "Forgive me for doubting."


    "The sorceress who cast the spell used a zemi," he added.


    "Where in the world did she find a zemi like that?"


    "She made it."


    "Ha! Now I know you''re joking."


    "It''s true," Arai insisted. "She specializes in zemi. She''s made an Eagle''s Wing, a Stone of Many Tongues..."


    "What are those?"


    Arai, rapidly losing patience, explained that the Eagle''s Wing had given Lillandra the power to teleport from place to place, and that the Stone of Many Tongues had allowed them to speak and understand Addish. The young sorcerer was skeptical, but the more Arai spoke, the more intrigued he seemed to grow. "These are very sophisticated spells," he confessed. "People sometimes find old zemi with those kinds of spells built into them, but they''re rare, and there''s usually not much magic left in them. This woman, if she really exists, must be a very talented sorceress indeed."


    "Indeed," Arai said dryly. "But she claims to be the only one who can reverse the petrification spell she cast. Is that true?"


    He thought about it. "Not necessarily. You said she used a zemi?"


    "Yes."


    "It depends on the zemi, then. Even amateur sorcerers can call upon the spells contained within zemi -- there''s no casting or calculation involved there; it''s just a matter of drawing out the spell. If she included some kind of reversible element in that spell, just about any sorcerer could undo the petrification. I could undo it."


    "But you''d need the zemi."


    "Yes. What happened to it?"


    "It was destroyed."


    "Ah. Well, that would complicate things, wouldn''t it? The spell would need to be recast, in that case, and as I said, there''s probably only a handful of sorcerers in the world capable of performing a calculation that complex. Unless you can convince the Aeromancer to help you, this sorceress -- again, if she actually exists -- is probably your best bet at reversing the spell."


    "I see." Lillandra had been telling the truth, then -- she was, for all practical purposes, the only one capable of restoring Odo and Maya to life.


    He wondered, idly, if Silus might be able to break the spell. His sword cancelled out all kinds of magic, but if the magic it faced was especially subtle, or especially simple, it sometimes faltered, as it had when he had fought Nharlek''s monster in the Haunt. What would happen if he used the sword on Odo and Maya? Would it return them to normal? Or would it cancel out their lives, making their transformation permanent? He had no way of knowing.


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    "Thank you for your help," Arai said, getting to his feet. "One more thing. Would your master be interested in buying some zemi? We discovered a cache of them in an old castle a couple of weeks ago."


    "It depends. What do you have?"


    Arai told him about the Witch''s Dagger, the Mermaid''s Glass, the Badge of Deflection, and Lillandra''s Stone of Many Tongues. He had to go into some detail, though, describing the spells each of them contained, because the names Lillandra had given them were not the same ones Reid used.


    "We have Throwing Daggers and Arrow Skippers," Reid said, referring to the Witch''s Dagger and the Badge of Deflection. "Those are fairly common zemi. A zemi that allows a person to breathe underwater might be useful, however, and this Stone of Many Tongues...Master Aliar would definitely be interested in that, I think. I''ve never even heard of such an enchantment. Do you have it with you?"


    "I left it at the inn," he said, "but I could bring it by later."


    "I''ll tell Master Aliar. He''d be willing to pay at least five or six gold for something like that, I''m sure, although I wouldn''t presume to speak for him."


    "Excellent."


    And with that, Arai left the shop. He was pleased -- he had discovered the truth, more or less, about Lillandra''s petrification spell, and he was in a position now to make five or six gold from the sale of the Stone of Many Tongues. Lillandra had already cast the spell on the three of them, so they no longer had any use for the Stone anyway; it was the least valuable of the zemi they carried. The Mermaid''s Glass might have been useful, but if they could sell that for a few gold as well, they might actually have enough to pay for their passage to Galleus. In fact, if he could make these sales quickly enough, they might even be able to catch the Cockatrice before it left port. Suddenly realizing that time was of the essence, he started jogging back to the inn.


    He made it there a few minutes later, and was just about to burst through the door, when he nearly collided with Shell, who was just stepping out. He was surprised to see her there, and even more surprised to see that her green eyes were rimmed with tears.


    "Arai!" she cried, throwing herself into him. "Where were you? Where''s Lillandra?"


    "What? What are you talking about?"


    "I didn''t know where you''d gone! I thought you''d left me all alone in this city!" She sniffled a few times and looked around. "Where''s Lillandra?"


    "She''s not here?"


    "Neither of you were here when I woke up. Isn''t she with you? Where have you been?"


    "I had an errand to run. You''re telling me Lillandra''s disappeared?"


    "I guess so," she said. "She took all her stuff, all the zemi we found at Nharlek''s castle."


    "Wonderful," Arai muttered. What was this about? Had Lillandra finally decided to flee from him?


    He forced himself to think. Where would she have gone? Maybe she wasn''t trying to escape; maybe she was looking for a place to sell the zemi. Had she gone to the business district, then? But if that was the case, why hadn''t he seen her on the way back to the inn? "How long do you think she''s been gone?" Arai asked Shell.


    "I don''t know. Like I said, both of you were gone when I woke up. That was about fifteen, twenty minutes ago."


    "Come on." Acting on a hunch, Arai headed for the docks -- specifically, for the Cockatrice''s berth, which was at the northern end of the harbor. If Lillandra wanted to escape him, her best bet would be the Cockatrice, which was set to leave that morning. If she managed to stow away on the ship...


    The sun had just risen over the Bay of Vandals; it was a lovely sight, but the glare of it was almost blinding. Shielding his eyes with the blade of his hand, Arai -- with Shell following close behind him -- raced down the road, and down several sets of steps, almost colliding with a couple of stevedores on one occasion, before finally making it to the Cockatrice''s berth. The ship, fortunately, was still docked, but there were sailors crawling over the rigging; they were obviously getting ready to set sail.


    He spotted Lillandra standing near the gangway, speaking with Captain Burt, who was wearing a curiously vacant expression. Shell started to shout out to her, but Arai clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her behind some cargo, out of sight of the two of them. "What are you doing?" Shell demanded when he released her.


    "There''s something funny going on here," Arai said, and he poked his head out from behind the crates, listening.


    "And you''re not going to charge me, either," Lillandra was saying. "But if anyone asks, I paid you in full before we departed. Do you understand?"


    "I understand," Captain Burt answered, his voice monotone. His eyes were glazed over.


    "You''re going to give me my own cabin," she added. "Do you understand?"


    "I understand."


    Arai noticed that Lillandra was fingering something in her left hand, something that looked like a small stone.


    "Is she planning on leaving without us?" Shell whispered. "What''s she doing?"


    "Magic," he muttered darkly. He emerged from hiding, stepping out from behind the cargo. "Lillandra!" he shouted.


    She turned. Her eyes went wide when she saw him. Then, she ran.


    "Lillandra!" he shouted again. He took off after her, Shell once again following close at his heels. "Stop!"


    But she didn''t stop -- instead she ran down the boardwalk, as fast as she could, then turned right and started running back into the city. Arai and Shell raced after her, jumping over coils of rope and weaving their way through crowds of sailors.


    Lillandra was an extremely powerful sorceress, but she wasn''t exactly a fast runner. Arai managed to catch up with her just as she attempted to dive into an alley -- he grabbed her wrist, first, and tried to spin her around to face him, but she tripped over a cobblestone and somehow or other both of them wound up falling into each other. Arai found himself on top of her, looking into her dark eyes; she glared back at him.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" he demanded.


    "Get off me."


    "Or what? You''ll use your magic to bend me to your will?" He found her hand and managed to pry the stone out of it. "This is one of the zemi we found in Nharlek''s castle," he said, holding it in front of her face. "The Eye of Domination. You told me it didn''t work."


    "Get off me."


    "You were using it to hypnotize Captain Burt," he accused.


    "Get off me!" she screamed.


    He finally disentangled himself from her and allowed her to get to her feet. She dusted herself off, but made no attempt to run away. "Well?" Arai demanded. "What do you have to say for yourself?"


    She straightened her shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Yes," she admitted. "I tried to...to influence Captain Burt."


    "You were going to leave without us?" Shell asked quietly.


    Lillandra''s expression softened when she saw Shell. "I...yes, I was."


    "Why?"


    "Do you really have to ask?" She pointed at Arai. "He wants to kill me."


    "I told you I wasn''t going to kill you," Arai said wearily.


    "Maybe you won''t do it personally," she said, "but you''ll hand me over to someone who will, as soon as we return to Velon. At the very least you''ll throw me in a dungeon for the rest of my life. Do you deny it?"


    "Lillandra..."


    "I have to finish my work," she went on. "I have to return to the Nightfall, or the last hundred years will have been for nothing. I can''t let you interfere."


    "What work? What are you talking about?"


    But she refused to answer that. Arai sighed. "Are you really so stupid? Suppose it had worked -- suppose you had managed to sail away on the Cockatrice without us. What then? Do you really think you can make it through Galleus and cross the Scarred Lands all by yourself?"


    "I have to finish my work at the Nightfall," she muttered stubbornly.


    Shell was hurt. "You were going to leave? Without even saying goodbye?"


    Lillandra looked at her unhappily. "Shell, I..."


    Arai drew his sword. Lillandra backed away from him, suddenly wary, but he reassured her: "I''m not going to hurt you," he said, even more wearily this time. He touched the Eye of Domination to the blade, cancelling out its magic, then tossed the now-useless zemi over his shoulder. "I''ve had enough excitement for one morning," he said, sheathing the sword again. "Let''s return to the inn and talk things over. All right?"


    The Night Queen looked at him glumly. "I don''t understand you."


    "Believe me," Arai muttered, "the feeling is mutual."

 Chapter Nineteen: Jerade

    Arai thought it might still be possible to catch the Cockatrice, but the ship had already set out by the time they returned to the boardwalk. He watched the wind fill its sails for a few moments, and then, sighing, turned away.


    And so the three of them made their way back to the inn. Shell was upset; Lillandra was quiet. The silence was awkward.


    Arai shouldn''t have been surprised at Lillandra''s escape attempt -- she was the Night Queen, after all, and his prisoner -- but he was surprised, and oddly disappointed as well. Obviously his relationship with Lillandra was strained, but they had been traveling together for several months now and he had thought they arrived at a kind of understanding. Hadn''t she saved his life back in Ada? Hadn''t he saved hers back at the Haunt, when Nharlek''s monster had taken her prisoner? Weren''t they in this together?


    It was...disappointing.


    She''s not your friend, he reminded himself. She''s Lillandra, the Queen of the Night. She conquered Velon. She killed your father.


    Even he didn''t really believe that last part, though. Lord Pierce and his men had killed his father; he was pretty sure now that Lillandra had not been directly involved in that.


    Still, it bothered him. And where did they go from here? Would she try to escape again?


    He was so preoccupied with these thoughts that he wasn''t looking where he was going. Turning a corner, he bumped into a well-dressed young man.


    "Pardon me," he mumbled.


    "Not at all," the young man said, brushing himself off. The man started to walk off, but stopped when he saw Arai''s sword. "Now that''s interesting," he said. "I''ve never seen a design like that. Where did you get it? And might I have a look?"


    Arai wasn''t in the mood. "It''s not for sale," he said.


    "I wasn''t asking to buy it. I was asking to look at it."


    "You are looking at it."


    The man studied him, more curious than offended. He was a very handsome youth, with near-perfect features and piercing, ice-blue eyes. He looked to be about the same age as Arai, and the two of them stood about the same height, but where Arai was broad-shouldered and heavily-built, this man was slender. His clothes were perfectly tailored, and like Arai, he had a sword strapped to his hip.


    "You''re a foreigner," the man observed.


    "I don''t deny it."


    "And yet you have no trace of an accent. Interesting." His gaze then fell on Lillandra, who was just coming up the street. His eyes went wide. He immediately doffed his hat -- he was wearing one of those ridiculous floppy-brimmed things that the Addish were so fond of -- and bowed. "A very good morning to you, my lady," he greeted. He spotted Shell. "And to you, little one."


    "Who are you?" Shell asked, rather bluntly.


    "Oh, where are my manners?" He replaced his hat and said, "My name is Jerade. It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance." His eyes were all over Lillandra.


    "We''re in a hurry," Arai grumbled. "If you''ll excuse us--"


    "Surely not," Jerade said, stepping into his path. "We''ve only just met." He spoke to Lillandra: "Perhaps I might treat the young lady to breakfast -- that is, if she hasn''t eaten yet."


    "The young lady is not interested," Arai said, beginning to grow annoyed with the man''s pushiness. "Let''s go, Lillandra."


    But the man would not be put off; he was obviously the type of person who was used to getting what he wanted. "Lillandra? What a curious name. Tell me, are the two of you husband and wife?"


    "No."


    "Brother and sister?"


    "No."


    "Then what is the nature of your relationship, if you don''t mind my asking?"


    Arai exchanged a glance with Lillandra. "It''s complicated," he said. "It''s also none of your business. Now, if you''ll excuse us--"


    "If the young lady is unattached," Jerade said boldly, "she can answer for herself." He flashed her a winning smile. "Would you like to join me for breakfast, Lillandra?"


    "She''s not joining you for breakfast," Arai growled. "I''ve tried to be polite, but if you don''t get out of our way..." His hand fell on the pommel of his sword.


    The man''s smile turned predatory. "Are you threatening me?"


    He met the man''s gaze. "Get out of my way. I won''t ask again."


    "Arai..." Shell warned.


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    Jerade, still wearing that grin, stepped back several paces and slid his sword out of its scabbard. Addish swords tended to be huge and heavy, reminiscent of meat cleavers, but this man''s sword was long, straight, and slender, more like a proper Velonese sword.


    A small crowd was beginning to gather around them now. Sighing, Arai drew his own sword.


    Lillandra grabbed his arm. "We don''t need this kind of trouble," she hissed. "Let it go."


    "It''s too late now," he said. He shook her off and fell into the Rising Tide stance.


    Jerade gave Silus an appraising look. "Ah, just as I expected," he said. "A lovely blade. Hand-and-a-half, is it? Gallean, perhaps?" He waggled his own sword at Arai, who remained motionless. "But that''s an interesting stance. Waiting for me to make the first move, eh? Well, then, I should be happy to oblige."


    He feinted a few times, then lunged. The youth was quick, but he made no effort to disguise the attack, and Arai had no trouble avoiding it. He sidestepped the thrust, knocked the other man''s sword up and away, and countered with a slash of his own. He could have easily cut the man''s head off in that instant, but as he had no desire to kill this stupid fop, he deliberately missed, allowing the youth to jump back a step. He then settled back into the Rising Tide stance.


    Jerade wasn''t stupid; he understood that Arai had spared his life. "Impressive," he admitted, a bit of doubt finally beginning to creep into his eyes. "Let''s see how you deal with this, then."


    He came at Arai again, this time with a whole series of blows. Arai stopped one strike, then another, catching them all within the Rising Tide. Frustrated, the man fought harder, forcing Arai to counter with the Crashing Waves.


    It didn''t take long for Arai to take the measure of the man. Jerade was a fair swordsman, and had obviously had some training, but he had no idea how to counter Arai''s attacks or how to take advantage of an opening.


    Arai could have killed him a dozen times over the course of the fight, but he held back, unwilling to kill a man who did not really pose a threat to him. When Jerade came jumping in with yet another sloppy attack, Arai answered it by catching his sword on Silus''s crossguard, twisting the blade out of his hand, and pushing him roughly to the ground. He landed on his backside, and his sword clattered to the cobblestones.


    He looked up at Arai. There was no anger or frustration in his expression -- if anything, he looked excited, amused, even pleased. "That was wonderful!" he exclaimed. "What a talent!"


    Arai was confused. "I''m sorry?"


    A pair of city guards, wearing blue uniforms and shining steel helmets, were now pushing their way through the crowd. "What''s going on here?" one of the men demanded. When he saw Jerade on the ground, his eyes went wide. "My lord? What''s the meaning of this?"


    My lord? Arai swore under his breath.


    Another man emerged from the crowd -- a dark-eyed man, in his early thirties perhaps, who was also carrying a sword. This man''s attire was unusual: he was wearing loose-fitting black robes which wound themselves around his torso, and which left one arm -- his sword arm -- bare. That arm was very muscular, and was covered with scars. "Lord Jerade," the man sighed. "I can''t leave you alone for a moment, can I?" He shot a glance at Arai, who was still holding Silus. "If you want to live," the man said, his voice dark and dangerous, "you''ll put away your steel."


    Arai sheathed his sword.


    "Yaqui!" Jerade exclaimed, jumping to his feet and running to the man. "You should have seen it! This man''s swordplay is truly exceptional -- I daresay he might even give you a run for your money."


    Yaqui looked Arai up and down. "Is that so?"


    "He''s entirely innocent, of course. I provoked him into a fight." He waved away the city guards. "Everything''s all right," he told them. "On your way, then."


    The guards -- looking rather confused -- left the scene, and the crowd dispersed, leaving only Arai, Lillandra, Shell, and Jerade and his black-robed companion. "I apologize," Jerade said to Arai. "I only wanted to see your sword. But I got much more than I bargained for, didn''t I? Tell me, where did you learn to fight?"


    Arai, nonplussed by the man''s sudden turnaround, answered reluctantly: "My father taught me."


    "Would you be willing to teach me?"


    This caught him totally off-guard. "What? What do you mean?"


    "There''s another tournament coming up in about a month. I''ve never seen a style like yours; I think it might give me an edge over the competition. What do you say? I can make it worth your while."


    Arai frowned at the man. "Who are you?"


    He smiled ingratiatingly. "Jerade," he said simply.


    "Lord Jerade," Yaqui clarified, with weary resignation. "The son of Lord Eliot, the royal governor of Addisport. And my name," he added, "is Yaqui din Terras. I have the honor of serving as Lord Jerade''s bodyguard."


    "Yaqui''s a swordsman, too," Jerade said, "from Jaquin. One of the four disciples of Aquillian, the Golden Blade."


    "It''s...nice to meet you," Arai said, though he didn''t really think it was.


    "Well, what do you say?" Jerade asked eagerly. "Will you agree to teach me? Yaqui''s been doing his best, but I don''t think Aquillian''s teachings are a very good fit for me."


    Yaqui scowled at that. "Aquillian''s teachings are not to blame," he muttered. "It''s your own lack of discipline."


    Arai didn''t like any of this. He didn''t like Jerade, who had provoked him into a fight, and whose personality simply rubbed him the wrong way. The man''s attempt to flirt with Lillandra had annoyed him as well, although he couldn''t say why, exactly, it had bothered him. On the other hand...


    "You''ll make it worth my while, you said?"


    Jerade''s grin reappeared. "Oh, indeed."


    "How much?"


    "Fifty gold crowns? And I''ll give you a set of rooms in the palace as well, if you have no other accommodations; you can stay there until the tournament. The three of you are together, are you not? You''re all invited, of course."


    Fifty gold? They might make it all the way to the Scarred Lands with that much money. And they did need a place to stay; they couldn''t afford a whole month at the inn.


    He glanced at his companions. Shell was nodding eagerly; Lillandra appeared diffident.


    "It takes years to learn the Three Waves," he told Jerade at last. "I can''t teach you everything I know in just a month. The best I can do is give you the basics."


    "That''s fine," he said. "The other competitors will have never seen a style like yours, even in its most basic form. It might be just enough. Do you accept my offer, then?"


    Once again, he glanced at Lillandra. This time, she made a face, as though she wasn''t keen on the idea. The more he thought about Jerade''s offer, though, the more he liked it. Fifty crowns would pay for their passage across the Bay of Vandals, and then some. They had a month to kill in Addisport anyway, while they waited for the Cockatrice to return. And if Jerade put them up in his palace, which was presumably walled off and guarded, well, that might make it easier for him to keep an eye on Lillandra.


    He didn''t exactly relish the prospect of trying to teach Jerade, but...


    He nodded. "All right. I accept."


    The swordsman was pleased. "Excellent! I look forward to working with you." His eyes settled on Lillandra. "And I do look forward to making your acquaintance, my lady," he said, with another one of those exaggerated bows.


    But Lillandra merely scowled at him.

 Chapter Twenty: Swordplay

    They collected their things at the inn and left with Jerade in his carriage. They were taken north, to the top of a large hill which overlooked the entire city, and upon which an extravagant palace had been constructed. It wasn''t a single building, but rather, a kind of compound, surrounded by high walls. The grounds beyond the gate were extremely luxurious, decorated with gardens, fountains, and marble statues of Addish heroes, and the buildings themselves were gorgeous, with sinuous, curving architecture and unusual rooflines.


    Servants met them as they stepped out of the carriage. Jerade explained to them that Arai was there to teach him swordplay, in preparation for this tournament, and that the three of them -- Arai, Lillandra, and Shell -- would each require a room.


    "You''re giving me my own room?" Shell asked, amazed.


    "Why not? Say, have you ever been to the palace? Why don''t I give you the tour? Ah, after breakfast, of course."


    They went on to have a delicious breakfast in Jerade''s suite -- it had been months since Arai had eaten this well -- and afterward, true to his word, the young lord gave them a tour of the grounds. Arai''s first impression of Jerade had been very poor -- the man had, after all, goaded him into a fight -- but he was witty and charming, and he didn''t put on airs; he was kind to Shell and he spoke to Arai as though he were an old friend. Perhaps, Arai thought, there was a little more to him than met the eye.


    Lillandra didn''t agree. "I don''t like him," she told Arai quietly, when Jerade was out of earshot.


    "Why not?"


    "He reminds me of Prince Ryal."


    Arai frowned. This didn''t bode well; Lillandra, after all, had murdered Prince Ryal, the only son and heir of King Reemus. "In what way?"


    "Just his manner. He thinks he''s better than everyone else, because of the family he was born into." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And...there''s something false about him."


    "He''s interested in you."


    "I''m aware of that," she said dryly.


    "Well, you don''t have to like him. You only have to put up with him, and only for a few weeks."


    "Are you sure this is a good idea?"


    "We need the money. I was considering selling some of our zemi, but this is a much better deal -- fifty Addish crowns, and all I have to do for it is teach this fop a few sword tricks."


    "If you say so," she said.


    He considered her. "We still have to have that talk, about your trying to run away."


    She looked at him sullenly, saying nothing.


    "I find it curious," he ventured, "that you didn''t try to use the Eye of Domination on me. You could have hypnotized me, just like you tried to do to Captain Burt. You could''ve walked away from me the moment we left Nharlek''s castle."


    "Your sword would have protected you from the spell."


    "Maybe," he admitted. "Is that the only reason, though?"


    "What are you implying?"


    "I''m just asking questions."


    "Well, cut it out. I''m not in the mood."


    He shrugged, leaving her to sulk, and they continued with the tour.


    * * *


    "What''s this tournament?" Arai asked Jerade the next morning, as they made their way to the training yard.


    "The Test of the Immortals, it''s called. It''s a sword-fighting tournament, as I''m sure you''ve already gathered. There''s usually around a hundred entrants. Contestants wear padded clothing and face masks, and fight with dulled blades. The first to score three touches on his opponent is the victor."


    "What''s the purpose of it?"


    "The purpose?" He laughed. "Well, the people love it. It attracts huge crowds every year. For the contestants..." He shrugged. "A chance to test their mettle against the best swordsmen in Addis. A substantial cash prize for the winner. And of course, the glory. That''s what I''m most interested in."


    "Glory," Arai mused.


    "I want to be the best," Jerade continued. "I want to prove to the people of Addisport that I''m more than just the spoiled son of Lord Eliot. I want to show them I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I want to show them that I''ll make a good leader, when I take my father''s place."


    "A laudable goal," Arai supposed. "Surely there''s a better way to do that, though, than to win the first prize in a sword-fighting tournament."


    "I don''t think you understand how important the Test of the Immortals is to the people of Addisport. It''s a very old tradition, and the winners are highly esteemed. Many of them go on to great things -- Yaqui''s won the tournament three times in a row; that''s how he became my bodyguard."


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    "Three times in a row?" Arai threw a glance at Yaqui, who was walking some distance behind them. Arai had already sensed that the man was dangerous, and not to be trifled with; now he knew why.


    "His last victory was three years ago," he said. "He hasn''t fought in the tournament since then...to the immense relief of the other contestants." He chuckled.


    They arrived at Jerade''s makeshift training yard, which was situated within one of the palace''s courtyards. This was a flat, grassy area, encircled with rocks and sand; hanging on a nearby wall were racks of swords, protective face masks, and heavily-padded gambesons. Jerade took off his vest and equipped himself with a mask and gambeson. Though he thought the protective clothing ridiculous -- Arai''s father would have laughed at the sight of it -- Arai was compelled to put it on as well. He then examined the swords. There was a good selection here, but as Jerade had noted, the blades had been dulled. He chose one that was similar in size and shape to Silus, and proceeded to the yard, where Jerade awaited him. Yaqui, meanwhile, settled himself down on a nearby veranda and watched.


    "As I told you before," Arai said, "I can''t teach you the Three Waves in a month. It takes years of practice. However, I can give you the basics, and teach you a few tricks that I believe might come in handy."


    "The Three Waves?"


    "The name of my style of swordsmanship. There are three levels: the Rising Tide, which is a defensive stance, designed for countering; the Crashing Waves, which offers fast and relentless pressure; and the Roaring Seas, which is an extremely heavy offense. There are hundreds of different techniques and variations within each level."


    "I''ve never heard of this school. Is it Gallean? Citian?"


    "Neither. Let''s get started, shall we?"


    And he went on to spend most of the day dueling with Jerade, under the hot sun. He started at the beginning, teaching him the Rising Tide stance and showing him how to counter a variety of different attacks. He was already a decent swordsman, and he had little trouble learning the various techniques, but the ability to call upon those techniques in a real fight, to make them second nature, was something that could only be achieved with practice. And unfortunately, Jerade was not a patient man -- he was more interested in learning new techniques than in mastering them.


    Lillandra showed up late in the day and watched them spar for a few minutes. Jerade fought harder when he saw that she was watching, and when they were finished, he immediately pulled off his face mask and went to speak with her: "Impressed?" he asked.


    "Not particularly."


    He laughed. "I''ll ask again in a month. How has your day been? And where''s your little elf friend?"


    "Sneaking around somewhere," she said, shrugging.


    "Well, if you find her, let her know that we''ll be eating dinner in a few minutes. Help me out of this will you, Yaqui? I need to take a bath."


    Jerade and his bodyguard retired to his suite, leaving Arai alone with Lillandra. "You''re all sweaty," she commented.


    "It''s a hot day."


    "It''s always hot here," she muttered. "It''s too hot."


    "I miss Velon, too," Arai said, a smile tugging at his lips. "What have you been doing all day?"


    "Nothing much," she said. "Shell and I toured the gardens again, but then she ran off. I''ve been sitting in my room, mostly, thinking."


    "About what?"


    "Lots of things. How did it go with Jerade?"


    "As well as could be expected. I don''t know how much I''ll be able to teach him in a month, but I guess it doesn''t matter -- he''s promised to pay us whether he wins this tournament or not."


    "Why don''t you enter the tournament?"


    "Me?"


    "You''re a good swordsman. And there''s a prize for winning, isn''t there?"


    "Fighting in a tournament isn''t the same as fighting for real. Dulled swords, protective gear, judges deciding whether a blow was landed here or there..." He shook his head. "Not interested. We''ll make enough money with Jerade, anyway. In a month we''ll be on the Cockatrice, and leaving all of this behind."


    She nodded absently. "I''ll go find Shell," she said.


    "Is she still mad at you?"


    "A little. But she''s getting over it. You know how kids are."


    Lillandra left to look for Shell, while Arai went to his own room. One of the servants suggested that he have a bath, and he agreed that it might be a good idea -- he had become accustomed to bathing in rivers and streams; he hadn''t a warm bath since he had arrived in Addis -- so he stripped out of his clothes and spent a half-hour soaking in a big brass tub. When he had finished, he went to Jerade''s suite, where he found Lillandra and Shell already sitting down and dining with the young lord. Jerade was seated close to Lillandra, and paying her extra attention -- joking, laughing, smiling, and offering her various foods and drinks. Lillandra tolerated it, and even smiled back at him once or twice, but was not exactly reciprocative.


    Seeing Jerade trying to flirt with Lillandra bothered him. The Night Queen was his prisoner; he wasn''t about to let her start courting. But it made him uncomfortable, too, for reasons he couldn''t quite articulate. Maybe it was because he knew Lillandra, and her personality, and knew that she would only find Jerade''s flirting annoying.


    But he said nothing about it. He sat down and helped himself to the braised chicken, garlic, and vegetables that Jerade''s servants had prepared, and washed it all down with a white wine.


    "I''ve been asking Lillandra about herself," Jerade said to Arai. "But she''s been somewhat less than forthcoming. Where are the two of you from, anyway?"


    "Velon."


    Jerade frowned. "Is that a city in Grand Skir?"


    "It''s a country in the far west," he said. He explained to Jerade that they were travelers, from beyond the Scarred Lands, and that they were on their way home, and that they had picked up Shell in Kingsaile. He didn''t mention how they had arrived in Addis, nor did he say anything about Lillandra''s true identity -- that they claimed to come from beyond the Scarred Lands was unbelievable enough; the fact that they been transported to Addis by magic, and that Lillandra was the century-old dictator of Velon, obviously strained credulity.


    "Travelers, eh?" Jerade said when he had finished. "And from the other side of the Tarnak?"


    "That''s right."


    "I suppose it''s not impossible," he said doubtfully. "There have been a handful of successful trade missions over the last hundred years, from what I understand. My grandfather financed a sea voyage a few years before I was born, but none of the ships from that expedition returned -- they were probably lost in the Sea of Ghosts. It''s not just the desert that''s full of monsters; the seas north and south of the Tarnak are infested with them as well. Krakens, sea serpents, giant crocodilians. And the storms are said to be terrible." His frown deepened. "How did you make it through the desert?"


    "It''s a long story."


    "Well, perhaps you''ll tell me one day. More wine, Lillandra?"


    "I suppose."


    He refilled her glass. "You never did explain to me the nature of your relationship," Jerade said, speaking to Lillandra but with an eye on Arai.


    "We''re...friends," Arai said, though even that was not strictly true.


    "Friends? Is that all?" He leaned back in his seat, smiling broadly at the both of them. "How wonderful."

 Chapter Twenty-One: The Last Night

    Arai spent the next several weeks training with Jerade. Every morning, the two of them got up, went to the training yard, outfitted themselves in masks and overstuffed shirts, and commenced battering each other with Jerade''s collection of dulled swords. It was a bit of a chore at first, but Arai gradually began to enjoy these sparring sessions -- he hadn''t had many opportunities to practice his swordplay since he had left Velon, and it was good exercise besides.


    Jerade slowly began to improve, and eventually managed to incorporate some of Arai''s techniques into his own style. He was still extremely impatient, however, and had especial trouble learning the Rising Tide -- Jerade wasn''t interested in standing still, waiting for an attack to come; he wanted to get in there and mix it up.


    Lillandra and Shell, meanwhile, spent most of their time in each other''s company, either relaxing in their rooms or strolling around the stone walkways that wove through the palace''s luxurious gardens. Shell''s lessons continued as well -- having mastered compression and confinement, Lillandra now began to teach her how to perform simple calculations. This was not only the most difficult part of fashioning a spell, it was also the most difficult to teach, for much of it was intuitive. And because Lillandra herself had difficulty with casting -- her calculations went awry unless she was placing them into zemi -- she could only supply Shell with a basic understanding of how that final step was supposed to work.


    Arai wondered about that -- Lillandra was obviously an extremely skilled sorceress; why did she have so much trouble with casting? Why couldn''t she perform the simple magics that came easily to sorcerers like Vex? Her asked her one afternoon.


    "I don''t know," she admitted. "I think it might have something to do with my calculations, though. They''re probably more complex than they need to be. No one taught me these things, remember; I had to learn most of it on my own."


    "I thought your grandmother taught you."


    "She taught me the basics before she died," she said, "but she was a very minor talent; she could only do a couple of simple calculations. I had to figure most of it out myself."


    He spoke with Lillandra often, and with Shell. The elf girl enjoyed living in the palace and ordering the servants around, and often disappeared for hours at a time, exploring its many rooms and parlors. Arai worried that she was making a nuisance of herself, but Jerade was unbothered: "Let her run around," he said. "I don''t mind it."


    "What about your father?"


    "He''s not here. He''s in Kingsaile, with my stepmother. They won''t be back until after the tournament. Lord Ramsey is in charge until then, and he has his own estate, on the other side of the city." He said this with some bitterness.


    "Lord Ramsey?" Arai inquired.


    "My uncle."


    "Ah."


    "He always takes over when my father is away. It''s understandable. Lord Ramsey has a great deal of experience, after all. He''s responsible, reliable." He snorted. "Everything I''m not."


    Arai was beginning to understand. "Your father doesn''t think you''re responsible?"


    "He''s never left me in charge of the city," he said. "He''s never left me in charge of anything. What does that tell you?"


    "You''re still young."


    "I''m old enough." He shrugged. "Let''s continue, shall we?" And they went back to sparring.


    It took a while, but Arai eventually grew to like Jerade. The only thing that continued to bother him was the man''s constant attempts to flirt with Lillandra, despite her obvious lack of interest.


    "She''s a little hard to read," Jerade admitted to Arai at one point.


    "You''re wasting your time with her," he said. "There''s much, much more to Lillandra than meets the eye."


    "She does meet the eye, though, doesn''t she?" He sighed contentedly. "Such a beauty. Are all the women of Velon so lovely?"


    "Lovely?" Arai snorted. But then he caught himself. Lillandra was pretty, he couldn''t deny that. It was kind of an icy beauty perhaps, for she seldom smiled, but with her big, dark eyes, full lips, and lustrous hair...well, it wasn''t impossible to understand why Jerade might be interested in her.


    But she was the Night Queen, and although he did find her attractive, Arai had been trying not to look at her in that way; in fact he had spent the last few months actively suppressing any attraction he might have felt for her. She''s the Night Queen. She''s the enemy.


    "How did the two of you meet, anyway?" Jerade asked, snapping him out of his reverie.


    "It''s a long story," he sighed.


    "You''ve got a lot of long stories, haven''t you?" He glanced at Arai''s sword, Silus. "That sword, for instance. You still haven''t told me where you got it."


    "I don''t think you''d believe me."


    "Try me."


    Arai picked up the sword, slid it out of its scabbard, and studied the ivory-white blade, in an absent sort of way. "This is Silus," he said. "The Radiant Blade. It was forged over two thousand years ago, before the Harrowing, by a sorcerer-smith called Illu Matt¨¦. I spent two years searching for it."


    "Forged by a sorcerer?" Jerade said skeptically, studying the blade as well. "Before the Harrowing?"


    "I told you you wouldn''t believe me."


    "Ha! It does sound like an interesting story, though."


    "Two years," Arai murmured, remembering. They had crossed the Frozen Mountains three times, searching for Illu Matt¨¦''s shrine. They had had to battle monsters -- the Frozen Mountains were full of such -- and the barbarian Al''mud. They had had to struggle against the elements as well -- if not for Maya and her exceptional healing abilities, Odo probably would have lost both feet to frostbite. They had explored caverns, fallen into wyrm-holes, and crossed frozen lakes. They had been caught in avalanches. They had run out of food several times.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    But they had found it in the end: the golden shrine of the legendary Illu Matt¨¦, which they had found deep within the White Desolation. The spirit of Illu Matt¨¦ himself had appeared to Arai, telling him to take the sword and combat evil. Neither Odo nor Maya had been able to see the sorcerer, however, and Arai himself had later come to doubt the vision -- all three of them had been on the verge of delirium, after all. But the sword itself was real, and its power was just as the legends had described it.


    Now equipped with a weapon capable of combatting the Night Queen, they had returned to Velon, but the sword alone was not enough to overthrow Lillandra''s armies. With Grizz''s help, they had eventually managed to convince the Steelmen to take up Arai''s cause, and to lead the people to revolt. Vex had later joined them as well, using his magic to help them fight Lillandra''s monsters.


    "It is an interesting story," Arai agreed. "Maybe I''ll write it down in a book one day."


    * * *


    The sparring sessions continued, and Jerade continued to improve. His bodyguard Yaqui, who followed him around like a shadow, was almost always present during these sessions. A serious man, Yaqui never smiled at Jerade''s jokes and japes. Jerade often suggested that he try sparring with Arai, but the swordsman always demurred, which was fine with Arai; he could tell from the way he carried himself that Yaqui was no poseur. This man knew how to fight.


    Most of a month had passed by now, and with the tournament right around the corner, Jerade insisted that they train even harder, well into the afternoons and sometimes even into the evenings. Arai hoped the lordling would do well in the Test of the Immortals, but though he had improved, he could still be sloppy and imprecise, and his lack of patience was an ongoing problem.


    They were comfortable in each other''s presence now, and Arai had come to consider Jerade a friend...which, considering how they had first met, was perhaps rather surprising.


    "I still don''t like him," Lillandra told Arai one evening. It was to be their last night in the palace; the tournament was tomorrow, and the Cockatrice, which had returned from Galleus a few days ago, would be leaving early the next morning. Arai had already gone down to the harbor and arranged for their passage on the ship -- fortunately Captain Burt had no memory of Lillandra''s attempt to brainwash him.


    "It''s just because he won''t leave you alone," Shell said. And that was probably true; Jerade had been paying even more attention to Lillandra these last few days. When he wasn''t sparring with Arai, he was chasing her around, giving her flowers and gifts (including a very nice little hand mirror), and doing everything he could to try to charm her. But she continued to reject his advances.


    "That''s only part of it," she said.


    "You still think there''s something false about him?" Arai asked.


    "You''ve spent more time with him than I have. You can''t see it?"


    "Not really," he confessed. "I admit I found him insufferable when I first met him, but he does have some good qualities, and he is serious about winning this tournament."


    "Do you think he has a chance?" Shell asked.


    "I have no idea what kind of competition he''ll be facing," he said, shrugging. "But I think he''ll do well, even if he doesn''t win. I wouldn''t mind sticking around to watch, but the Cockatrice leaves in the morning and the tournament doesn''t start until the afternoon." He gave the elf girl a little poke. "What about you? Are you going to miss living in a palace? You''ll probably never have the opportunity again."


    "I like it here," she admitted. "But it is starting to get a little boring."


    "Ah." He got to his feet. "We have to get up very early tomorrow," he reminded them both. "Try not to oversleep."


    With that, Arai retired to his room for the evening. He got into bed, but had difficulty falling asleep -- though he had enjoyed his time in Addisport, for the most part, but he was looking forward to moving on, and excited about this sea voyage. He had sailed across Estellaria''s Bay once, traveling from Camarro to Carmaine with his father, but that had been a relatively short trip, and they had hugged the coast the whole time. This voyage, across the Bay of Vandals, would be a much more substantial trip.


    And after that, Galleus, and after that, the Scarred Lands. He still wasn''t sure how they were going to cross the desert, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it.


    After a few hours of tossing and turning, he finally fell into a fitful sleep. It was still dark when he awoke, but when he got up and looked out the window in his room, he saw a faint glow on the far horizon, which told him that dawn must be near. Yawning, he got dressed, but just as he was pulling on his boots he heard some kind of commotion coming from the room adjacent to his -- Lillandra''s room. Then he heard a shout.


    What was going on in there? He went into the hallway and knocked on the door. "Lillandra?"


    He heard her scream: "Arai!"


    Alarmed, he tried to open the door, but it had been locked. "Lillandra!" he shouted back. "What''s wrong?" But all he could hear now were muffled cries.


    The door was sturdy, but he thought he might able to kick it open with a running start. He backed himself up against the opposite wall and assaulted the door with a flying kick, which did loosen it somewhat. Heartened by this, he gave it a few more kicks, and finally it burst open, the lock splintering off the door. He charged into the room, which he found in a state of disarray: a mirror had been broken; a chair had been turned over.


    To his surprise, he found Jerade standing in the middle of this mess, gritting his teeth. His usually-perfect hair was mussed, and there was a line of blood on his neck, as though he had been scratched.


    Lillandra was sitting up on the bed. Her shirt had been partially ripped, exposing her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and wild. "Arai..." she whispered raggedly, clutching the strap of her shirt to keep it from sliding off.


    Arai whirled on Jerade. "Is this what it looks like?"


    Jerade didn''t reply, but merely looked back at him, guiltily. Arai turned to Lillandra, who nodded, her eyes downcast.


    He clenched his fists, returning his gaze to Jerade. "How dare you?"


    He sighed and spread his hands. "I didn''t think--"


    "How dare you!" Arai shouted. And then, full of righteous rage, he threw himself at the young lord, tackling him to the floor and punching him repeatedly. He then hoisted the man to his feet and slammed him up against the wall. "She was right about you," Arai snarled into his face. "I''m sorry I didn''t see it sooner."


    "Let go of me," Jerade managed, blood dribbling out of his nose. "You don''t know what you''re doing."


    "I know exactly what I''m doing," he said, and he punched him in the gut, dropping him to his knees. He glanced at Lillandra. "Get dressed and get your things. We''re leaving."


    She nodded and started getting ready. "You''ll get nothing from me now," Jerade said darkly, on his hands and knees. "You threw it all away, for her."


    "So I did."


    "It didn''t have to happen this way. Do you have any idea what I offered her? But she was so totally unreasonable, I couldn''t--"


    "Shut up," Arai barked. "You''re lucky I don''t kill you right now."


    Jerade''s eyes narrowed. "You won''t leave the palace alive," he sputtered.


    "We''ll see about that." He ripped the cords off the curtains and used them to tie the lordling up, then stuffed his mouth with his own kerchief and left him lying there on the floor. By now Lillandra had finished dressing and packing, and they left the room together. "We have to get out of here before the servants find him," Arai told her. "And that won''t be long. You go find Shell. I have to go back to my room and get my sword."


    She nodded, and they split up. Arai returned to his room, where he quickly put on his armor and collected his sword. A few moments later he was back in the hallway, reunited with Lillandra and Shell. "What''s going on?" the elf girl asked sleepily.


    "We''re getting out of here," Arai said flatly. "Now." And the three of them ran down the hallway, out of the building, and into one of the palace''s many smaller courtyards. It was early enough that most of the servants were not yet awake, but there were always guards stationed at the gate. He didn''t think the guards would try to stop them, but if someone managed to raise the alarm...


    He stopped suddenly, skidding to a halt in the center of the courtyard. A dark figure had just stepped out of the shadows in front of them, the edges of his robe fluttering in the breeze.


    "Yaqui," Arai hissed.


    "Going somewhere?" the swordsman inquired.


    And he drew his sword.

 Chapter Twenty-Two: The Three Waves

    "Stay behind me," Arai told Lillandra and Shell, sliding his own sword out of its scabbard.


    Yaqui took a single, sliding step forward. His stance was odd; he held his blade in his right hand, while keeping his left hand stuffed within the folds of his robe.


    "You mean to fight me one-handed?" Arai asked.


    "One hand is all I need."


    Arai took a calming breath and studied his opponent. Yaqui was perhaps an inch shorter than himself, but very stocky and strong; the bare arm which held the sword was extremely muscular. Unlike Arai, he wore no armor, only his robe, which was wrapped around his torso, and which fell over his legs like a long skirt. He was wearing sandals rather than boots.


    His blade, like Jerade''s, was long and slender, with a single edge and a slight curve. Instead of a proper crossguard, it had some kind of circular disc fixed between the blade and the grip. The blade itself had been polished to a high sheen.


    "You''ve seen me fight," Arai warned him. "You really think it''ll be that easy?"


    "I''ve been watching you very closely," he said, taking another one of those sliding steps forward. He almost seemed to glide over the ground. "Your technique is excellent, and your style is certainly...interesting. But it won''t be enough. I am a disciple of Aquillian, the Golden Blade, the finest swordsman the world has ever seen...and I have taken your measure."


    Arai frowned. It was true that Yaqui had the advantage of him; the swordsman had seen him spar with Jerade dozens of times, and had listened while Arai had explained the principles behind the Three Waves style. Arai, meanwhile, had never seen Yaqui fight at all. He had no idea what to expect.


    He really, really didn''t want to fight this man.


    Perhaps, he thought, he could appeal to the swordsman''s conscience. "Do you know what Lord Jerade just tried to do to Lillandra?" he growled.


    "I can guess," he admitted, rather wearily. "But it doesn''t matter."


    And then, without another word, he attacked.


    Arai had instinctively fallen into the Rising Tide stance, and he managed to catch the man''s sword as it came forward, but Yaqui was very fast, and that first attack was merely a deception -- as soon as their blades made contact, he slipped to Arai''s left and came at him with a horizontal slash. Arai saw it coming and leaned out of the way, but he was a second too late, and the edge of Yaqui''s sword slashed his forehead, just below his hairline, above his left eye. He managed to parry the bodyguard''s follow-up attack and push him away, but blood began to flow out of the cut almost immediately.


    He was not particularly worried about the cut itself, which was shallow, but the blood was now getting into his eye and obscuring his vision. He had been extremely lucky; if Yaqui''s blade had come in just a few inches lower, or if Arai had not leaned away, the man might have slashed his eyes out.


    He took a step back, while Yaqui squared his shoulders, raised his blade back into position, and gave him a considering look. Arai, too, considered his opponent. The man was almost superhumanly fast, and that attack had been very precise.


    Arai slipped into the Rising Tide stance once again. Almost immediately, Yaqui attacked again, with another one of those lightning-fast strikes. This time, anticipating the deception, Arai managed to successfully counter, but Yaqui, whirling around on his sandals, somehow managed to reverse his grip on his sword and come at Arai from a different, lower angle. Surprised, Arai hopped back a step, narrowly avoiding the blade -- the slash missed his abdomen by inches -- and parried a second blow with the Net of Steel, one of the defensive techniques of the Rising Tide. Yaqui scurried back, failing to press the attack.


    Arai wiped the blood out of his eye. He couldn''t win this with the Rising Tide, he decided; Yaqui had seen too much of it, and had developed a kind of strategy to counter it.


    But Arai was beginning to get a feel for Yaqui''s style as well. The swordsman relied on quick strikes and slashes, coming in fast and retreating after a few touches. It was a good way to win a tournament, Arai supposed, and it was effective against the Rising Tide, but how would it serve him against the overwhelming pressure of the Crashing Waves?


    He decided to find out. Before Yaqui could leap forward with another one of those inhumanly fast sword-slashes, he attacked him with the Crashing Waves, employing the Shark''s Tooth, the Great Flood, and several other advanced techniques which he had not taught Jerade and which Yaqui had not seen. The swordsman successfully parried his blows, but after four or five clashes he started backing up, trying to disengage. Though he bore it well, Arai could tell that the man was uncomfortable with this kind of sustained action; he clearly wanted to drop back and get into a position to deliver more of those quick slashes.


    But Arai didn''t let up; he continued hammering away at the man. Finally, he managed to feint his way through Yaqui''s guard and stab him in the left shoulder. The swordsman batted away his blade before it could bite any deeper, but it was a serious wound, and Arai could see the blood begin to dampen his dark robes.


    He finally disengaged from Yaqui at that point, but more for his own sake than for his opponent''s; he had to stop and wipe more blood out of his eye.


    "I underestimated you," Yaqui admitted, wincing.


    "You still think you can beat me with one hand?"


    "Yes. The question is, can you beat me with one eye?"


    "I guess we''ll find out."


    And Arai lunged, attacking him again with the Crashing Waves. Yaqui parried one strike, then another, and then ducked low, the tip of his sword aimed straight at Arai''s heart. His breastplate stopped the sword, but the impact of it knocked him back a step, and Yaqui immediately took advantage, suddenly leaping up with another one of those horizontal slashes that could have easily cut his head off. Arai had no choice but to stop the sword with the vambrace affixed to his forearm. The armor caught the sword, but the blade slid down and cut into his arm, just below the elbow, and Yaqui drew his blade back quickly, which made the cut even deeper. Arai winced, but was able to level a backwards slash of his own a second later, forcing Yaqui to retreat.


    This was a much worse injury than the one on his forehead; the blade had cut him almost to the bone. He could already feel the blood trickling into his sleeve.


    The two of them began circling each other. Lillandra and Shell came into view, out of the corner of his eye; Shell was wide-eyed; Lillandra looked worried.


    There was something almost funny about that. Lillandra, the Queen of the Night, was worried about him.


    But seeing the two of them standing there gave him strength. He wasn''t just fighting for himself; he was fighting for them. He had to defeat this man, if they were to have any chance of escape.


    The Rising Tide was useless and Yaqui was capable of fending off the Crashing Waves. So, ignoring the pain in his arm and the blood in his eye, he took a few steps forward, and then surged forward with the Roaring Seas. This was the third of the Three Waves, and the strongest offensively, but it was also rather dangerous to employ, for it was a reckless, heedless style, full of heavy axe-blows and wide swings, and some of the techniques left the user wide open. It was best suited for wild melees. Arai''s father had warned him not to use the Roaring Seas unless he was wearing a full set of armor.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    He had to try something, though -- something surprising, something that Yaqui would not expect.


    Yaqui parried his first blow, but the strength behind it shook him and he was unable to counter. Arai continued, hitting him with the Surging Breakers, driving him back even further. The bodyguard then spotted an opening and tried to leap forward, and if Arai had been slower he might have succeeded in plunging his sword into his abdomen. But Arai had half-expected him to find this opening. He slipped around the thrust, forcing Yaqui to whirl his sword and move in close for another strike. But the maneuver left him off balance. Arai slapped his sword away and stepped in close, stabbing the man through the heart.


    The swordsman''s eyes went wide. Arai quickly withdrew the blade, and Yaqui crumpled to a sitting position, his lifeblood spilling out of him. He looked up at Arai, surprised.


    "You were a worthy foe," Arai told him.


    Yaqui nodded seriously, grateful for that. But then his eyes glazed over, and his head lolled on his shoulders, and he died.


    Arai wasted no time. He shook the blood off Silus and sheathed the sword, then waved to Lillandra and Shell. "Let''s go."


    They headed for the gate. They hadn''t gone more than ten steps, however, when they suddenly began to hear shouting, coming from behind them -- the servants, evidently, had found Jerade, tied up in Lillandra''s room, and now the palace guards had been alerted.


    Lillandra started for the front gate, but Arai caught her wrist, stopping her. "They''ll have that covered," he said. "We''ll have to find another way out."


    "There is no other way out," she hissed back at him. "There''s only one gate."


    "I can get us out," Shell piped up.


    Arai looked at her. "How? Where?"


    "The gardens. There''s a high spot near to the walls on the northern end; we should be able to climb up and over there."


    He nodded. "Lead the way."


    And so they ran for the gardens, sticking to the shadows, doing their best to avoid being seen in the half-light. The sun was rising fast; the eastern sky was aglow now, and they would soon lose the cover of darkness. They could hear shouting in the distance, and barked commands; the guards were undoubtedly after them.


    Shell knew exactly where to go, however, and it only took a minute to find the spot she had talked about. The walls surrounding the palace were around ten feet high, but there was a hill adjacent to the wall here that made it possible for them to reach up and grab the edge of it. Arai threw their belongings over the wall first, then gave Shell and Lillandra a boost, helping them over it. With the two of them safely up and over, he made a running start of it, and though his arm was still bleeding badly, he managed to catch the edge of the wall and haul himself over.


    And not a moment too soon, for the palace guards spotted him just as he clambering over the edge. "Over here!" someone shouted.


    But Arai had already dropped down onto the grass beyond the walls, and ten minutes later, the three of them had escaped into the city. But they ran on anyway, rushing through the streets and alleys of Addisport, fearful of pursuit.


    "Do you think they''ll come after us?" Shell asked, when they finally stopped to catch their breath.


    "I just killed Jerade''s bodyguard," Arai said. "What do you think?"


    "The Cockatrice will be departing soon," Lillandra reminded them. "We have to hurry."


    "We don''t have the money," Arai said.


    She blinked in surprise. "I thought you had already booked our passage."


    "I told Captain Burt to save a space for us," he said, "but Jerade was supposed to pay me before we left this morning."


    "No worries," Shell said, digging into her little backpack. "I have the money." And she pulled out a leather pouch full of Addish crowns.


    Arai stared. "Where did you get all that?"


    "I stole it from the treasury," she said matter-of-factly. "What do you think I''ve been doing all month?"


    "You''ve been casing the joint?"


    "Of course! Opportunities like this don''t come along very often, you know."


    Arai snorted at the elf girl''s brazenness. "This is a bad habit you have. But we can discuss it later. Lillandra''s right -- we have to get to the Cockatrice."


    They made their way down to the harbor, just as the sun came glaring up out of the blue horizon. To their relief, they found the Cockatrice still in its berth, but her sailors were already beginning to pull the gangplank up.


    "Stop!" Arai shouted, waving to them.


    The sailors saw them, stopped what they were doing, and called for Captain Burt, who appeared on the deck. "You''re late," he grumbled. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Arai''s bloody face, but did not comment on it. Instead he asked, "Where''s my money?"


    Shell dumped a whole handful of Addish crowns into his meaty, calloused hands. He counted them, nodded, and motioned for them to come aboard. A few minutes later the rigging was up and the ship was sliding out into the sea.


    "I think we''re safe now," Arai told Lillandra. Jerade''s men did not appear to have followed them.


    "You''re bleeding," she informed him.


    "I know."


    "Sit down."


    He sat down on the steps leading up to the forecastle, and it was only then that he realized how tired he was, and how badly his arm was hurting. A moment later Lillandra returned, having apparently collected some salve and bandages from the ship''s surgeon. She had also found a needle and thread.


    "What are you doing?" Arai asked.


    "What do you think? Take off your armor."


    He removed his armor, and his shirt, and allowed her to examine him. She washed the wound on his arm, applied the salve, and then, very carefully, used the needle and thread to sew the wound shut. She worked quietly, and Arai watched her quietly, wondering at what he was feeling. Though they were surrounded by hollering sailors, it was a strangely intimate moment -- Arai, sitting there with his shirt off, while Lillandra tended to him, close enough that he could smell her hair.


    "Where did you learn how to do this?" Arai asked her.


    "Stay still. I''m almost done."


    He allowed her to finish her work. When she was done stitching him up, she bandaged his arm, then inspected the cut on his forehead. This was an even more intimate scene; their faces were very close. Their eyes met.


    "It''s a shallow cut," she said at last, pulling away from him. "You don''t need stitches for this one. Keep it clean, though, or it''ll inflame."


    "Thank you," he said, still looking into her eyes. Lillandra, he thought. The Night Queen.


    * * *


    Exhausted, and probably a little weak from blood loss, Arai spent most of that day sleeping in the little cabin Captain Burt had given them. By the time he finally emerged, in the late afternoon, they were well out of sight of land.


    Shell was seasick. Lillandra, however, was unbothered by the rocking of the boat; he found her standing at the railing, lost in thought, looking off into the distance.


    He joined her the railing, and for a long time neither of them said anything. "I''m sorry," Arai finally said.


    "About what?"


    "Jerade. You were right about him." He shook his head regretfully. "I didn''t see it. I knew he was impatient, but..."


    "You only ever see the good in people," she said. It wasn''t a compliment, exactly, but it didn''t sound like a criticism, either, coming from her. She turned to him and asked, "Why do you keep coming to my rescue?"


    "Is that what I''ve been doing?"


    "I''m the Night Queen. We''re supposed to be enemies. You''re going to have me killed when we return to Velon, or lock me away for the rest of my life, at the least. I''m a monster, aren''t I? If someone like Jerade tries to force himself on me...well, what difference does that make to you? Why did you even bother to save me from him?"


    "You called out to me."


    She blinked at him. "I did?"


    "You shouted my name."


    She thought back. "I did," she remembered.


    "But I couldn''t have just stood by and let him do that to you. You know me, Lillandra."


    "You''re the hero," she muttered.


    They both went quiet, and for a long moment all that could be heard were the sounds of the sea: the wind, rustling in the sails; seabirds, in the distance; the sound of the water lapping against the hull of the ship. "We''re supposed to be enemies," Arai said at last. "But I don''t think we are. Not anymore." He turned to her. "You''re no longer my prisoner, Lillandra."


    She started. "What?"


    "You''re free to leave me whenever you like. I''m not going to march you across the world against your will. I''m not going to force you to do anything, any longer. If you want to part ways with me when we reach Tax Trium, I won''t stop you."


    She looked at him as though she couldn''t believe what he was saying. "Really?"


    "Yes. Only...I hope you will stay with me. I think we''ll have a better chance of making it across the Scarred Lands if we stick together...and you know Shell will be heartbroken if you try to leave her again."


    "What about your friends? The ones I turned to stone?"


    "You said I only ever see the good in people," he said. "Well, that must be true, because I''ve seen the good in you." He got down on his knees before her. "Please stay with me. Return with me to Velon, and reverse the spell on Odo and Maya -- not because I ordered you to, but because I asked you to, because I begged you to, and because it''s right thing to do."


    She stared at him. "But...we''re enemies," she managed.


    "No. We''re starting over from here. I would be your friend, Lillandra, if you''ll have me."


    "Is this...is this some kind of trick?"


    "I''m totally sincere. I''m on my knees here."


    "Yes, I can see that. Get up, would you?"


    "Not until I have my answer."


    She sighed and turned her eyes back to the sea. "Friends?"


    "Friends."


    She nodded slowly. "All right. I''ll consider it. Now get up, before someone sees you."


    He got to his feet, but was still unsatisfied. "You''ll consider it?"


    "I''ll stay with you until we reach Velon," she decided. "And I''ll try to reverse the spell on your friends. I owe you that much. Beyond that..." She shrugged. "We''ll see."


    He smiled. "We''ll see," he agreed.


    And they went back to gazing at the horizon. Arai thought that they were finished with the conversation, but a moment later Lillandra spoke up again: "You remind me of him," she said quietly.


    "Who?"


    "Julien," she said, her voice softer than the sea breeze. "My love."

 Chapter Twenty-Three: The Storm

    "I''m bored," Shell said.


    Arai was not surprised, for he, too, was starting to get a little bored. It had been five days since they had left Addisport, and while their first few days aboard the ship had been full of wonder and excitement -- neither Shell nor Lillandra had ever been aboard a seagoing vessel, and Arai had never spent more than a day or two aboard one -- the novelty had quickly worn off. The sailors, at least, had their chores to attend to; as passengers, Arai and the others had no particular responsibilities, and so were obliged to spend most of their time just sitting around. Shell, still mildly seasick, read Plint''s Travels for the third time; Lillandra spent most of her time at the railing, staring out to sea. Arai, meanwhile, got to know the crew, making friends with Captain Burt and with a redheaded young sailor named Twine. Twine was several years younger than him, closer to Shell''s age than his own, but he was a friendly and talkative lad who seemed to know everything about the sailing life.


    "How long have you been working for Captain Burt?" Arai had asked him one afternoon, while he was dangling from the rigging.


    "Since I was eight," he said cheerfully. He said everything cheerfully; he was probably the sunniest kid Arai had ever met. "That would''ve been...six years ago? Something like that."


    "Do you enjoy it?"


    "Are you kidding me? There''s no better life. It''s always fun to visit a new port, but if I had to live in a city like Addisport for the rest of my life..." He shuddered.


    "Is that where you''re from? Addisport?"


    "Nah, I''m from Phantros. My mother lives there, still, with my baby sister. I send them three-quarters of my earnings." He swung his way over to another rope. "We usually stop at Phantros on our way to Tax Trium, but I think we''re skirting it this time; we might run into some summer gales around the Phantic Gates if we don''t hurry."


    "The Phantic Gates?"


    "That''s where the Bay of Vandals opens up to the Southern Ocean. I don''t know why, but storms are common down there this time of year. It rains in Junglass almost every day in the summer."


    Arai had heard of Junglass from Shell, who had pointed it out to him on the fold-out map enclosed within her copy of Plint''s Travels. "That''s an island city, isn''t?"


    "The capital of Azu," he acknowledged. "One of the Island Republics."


    "Have you been there?"


    "I''ve been everywhere," he said with a grin. "Ch''lan, Maho, Azu. I''ve seen Prestoris, Kingsaile, even Mar Citiai in Citias. Captain Burt sent me up there with a shipment of boca fruit."


    "Hammersvik?"


    The lad frowned at him. "Never heard of that one."


    "I didn''t think so," Arai said, grinning back. "You''ve been around, kid, but don''t think you''ve been everywhere. The world is a very big place."


    But Twine had work to do, and Arai didn''t want to distract him. So he had gone back to his cabin, and that''s where he had found Shell -- complaining, once again, about how bored she was. "What about your lessons?" Arai asked.


    She frowned. "I still haven''t figured out how to do calculations," she said. "And Lillandra hasn''t been in a teaching mood lately. She spends all her time looking out to sea. Did you two have a fight or something?"


    "No," Arai said truthfully. "But I think she''s got a lot on her mind." A few days ago Lillandra had mentioned a man named Julien, referring to him as her "love", and ever since, she seemed to have gotten herself lost in the past. Arai wanted to ask her who this man was, and what had happened to him, and many other things, but Lillandra could be prickly about her past, and he didn''t want to pressure her. Their relationship was in a new place now -- they were going to try to be friends from now on -- and he didn''t want to risk jeopardizing that.


    Several more days passed. They hugged the Addish coast for many miles, but did not stop in the large city of Phantros; they turned west and sailed immediately for the Phantic Gates instead, just as Twine had predicted they would. Unfortunately, despite this, they were unable to avoid the summer storms Twine had mentioned. At the end of a very hot and humid day, huge dark clouds began to gather in the south, piling up across the horizon, and the wind began to blow very strong.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "I''ve never seen one like that this early in the season," Twine told Arai, his eyes on the sky. "We''re in for it now."


    "Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "You can offer a prayer to Len, I suppose, or whichever god it is that you worship. Apart from that..." He shrugged. "We know what we''re doing out here; we''ve been through bad blows before. It might be best if you went below, with your woman and your elf-girl."


    "She''s not my woman."


    "Could''ve fooled me."


    Captain Burt appeared. "He''s right," he said. "The three of you will only get in the way up here."


    He nodded. "Very well." He collected Lillandra and Shell and took them to their cabin. Shell climbed up into her hammock, while Lillandra settled herself down on a bench. Arai, too nervous to sit, began to pace.


    "We''re in trouble, aren''t we?" Shell asked.


    "Maybe. The crew looked pretty worried." He glanced at Lillandra. "Do you have any magic that might help us?"


    She snorted. "Even I can''t control the weather. Well, not without a zemi, anyway."


    "You can control the weather with a zemi?" Shell asked.


    "You can do anything with a zemi," she said. "A sorceress is limited only by her imagination, her skill at calculation, and the amount of magia she can gather." She frowned. "But I can''t think of anything that might help us here. We''ll simply have to trust the crew to do their jobs."


    "What about the Mermaid''s Glass?" Arai asked.


    "What about it?"


    "Didn''t you say it would give us the power to breathe underwater? If the ship were to go down..."


    "The magic would probably only last a couple of hours," she said. "And we''re in the middle of the sea, beyond any hope of rescue. We''d just be delaying the inevitable."


    She was probably right about that, but he told her to take it out anyway, just in case.


    It didn''t take long for the storm to arrive -- only a few minutes after this conversation, the wind and the waves began to batter the ship, and the crack of thunder overhead became constant. The ship was rocking so unsteadily that Arai had to give up his pacing and sit down on the bench, next to Lillandra, and grab hold of the side of it, to prevent his being thrown all over the cabin. Shell, in her swinging hammock, was not tossed about quite so much -- the hammock swung in concert with the motion of the ship -- but she looked absolutely terrified. "Are we going to die?" she asked, after a particularly nasty swell struck the ship.


    "No," Arai said firmly.


    "How do you know?"


    "I just know. Dying at sea? After all we''ve been through?" He shook his head. "No."


    Shell was not reassured, but she stopped asking questions after that.


    An hour later, with the storm still raging, Arai decided to head up to the deck to see how the crew was faring. It was a difficult journey; he could barely make it up the steps for the rocking of the ship.


    The storm proved to be even worse than he''d imagined it -- it was raining very hard, and the wind was so intense that it was impossible to move about without getting a grip on something first. The sky was pitch-black, but every few seconds it would light up with an incredible coruscating flash of lightning, which illuminated everything: the ship, the sea, and the shape of the clouds overhead.


    Guided by the railing, and blinking the rain out of his eyes, Arai eventually managed to find his way to Captain Burt, who was standing in the middle of the deck, barking orders at his men. His expression was serious, but he did not look terribly worried. "I thought I told you to stay below," he growled at Arai.


    "Just wanted to see how you were holding up," he said. He had to shout over the wind.


    The captain shrugged his big shoulders. "It''ll get worse before it gets better," he admitted.


    "Are you sure there isn''t anything I can do to help?"


    "I suppose you could help man the pumps. I''ve got three men on ''em now, but I imagine we''re taking on more than a bit of water."


    Arai nodded. He stopped by the cabin to give Lillandra and Shell his report, then descended into the depths of the ship and spent the next hour helping the sailors fight the pumps. It was very hard work, pumping out the seawater, but it felt good to contribute.


    The storm continued to rage, however, and around midnight the ship was struck by another huge wave, which threw them all off their feet. At the same moment, they heard a crack, followed by a tremendous boom -- the sound of something huge and heavy crashing into the deck.


    "What the hell was that?" Arai asked.


    "I think we''ve lost the mizzen-mast," Twine said, wincing.


    "That doesn''t sound good."


    "It''s not good. But there''s nothing we can do about it now. Keep pumping!"


    And so it went, on and on, throughout the night. Just before dawn, the storm finally began to weaken -- the rain stopped, the thunder rolled away, and the bright of the sky finally became visible overhead. Arai, completely exhausted, went up to the deck, where he found Captain Burt, grimacing. He could hardly blame him, for the ship was a mess -- the sails were ripped and ragged, the rigging was in total disarray, and worst of all, one of the three masts had broken off and crashed onto the deck. No one had been hurt, fortunately, but the damage to the ship was extensive.


    "Well, this is a fine kettle of fish," the captain muttered, inspecting the damage.


    "What''s the plan?" Arai asked.


    "We''ll make for that island," he said, waving his hand in the direction of a small island, perhaps three miles across, that lay some distance to the west. It was the first land they had seen in several days. "There''s more storms coming, and we''ll never make it across the Phantic Gates in this shape. We''ll have to make repairs." He gave Arai a kind of friendly smirk. "I hope you weren''t in a hurry to get to Tax Trium."


    "No," Arai sighed. "No hurry at all."

 Chapter Twenty-Four: The Island

    The captain found a sheltered cove on the western side of the island, out of the wind, and dropped anchor there. Almost immediately, the crew set about repairing the ship -- untangling the rigging, sewing the sails, and fixing the broken mizzen-mast and that portion of the deck it had damaged when it had fallen. The ship''s carpenter finally decided that the old mizzen-mast was beyond repair -- it had a long, lengthwise crack running through it -- and so sent some of the crew out into the island to cut down a tree to make a new one. Fortunately the island was full of tall conifer trees, and they had no trouble finding a suitable replacement.


    The island, which Arai suspected to be at least three to five miles across, was heavily forested, and extremely lush -- an untouched, pristine wilderness, buzzing with insects and bursting with wildlife. It did not appear to be inhabited.


    "Are you familiar with this island?" Arai asked Twine. "Do you know where we are?"


    "I''ve never been here before," he said. "But it''s probably one of the little islands north of Junglass, on the edge of Marta''s Strait. There''s a lot of little islands in these seas. No one lives on them."


    "Why not?" The little island seemed like a paradise; the weather was excellent and the curl of land encircling the cove looked like the perfect place to construct a village.


    He shrugged. "Taboo, maybe? The Islanders -- that is to say, the people of the Island Republics -- are superstitious about little islands like these, and they''re too out-of-the-way for the Galleans to have any interest in them. Besides, they''re right in the middle of the Phantic Gates. I told you before, the storms here are nasty, and they last all summer."


    Shell, who had never quite gotten over her seasickness, was anxious to get off the ship and stretch her legs on the island. In the end, all three of them -- Arai, Lillandra, and Shell -- got into the ship''s boat and rowed to shore, disembarking on a sandy beach littered with driftwood and seashells.


    "It''s so pretty here," Shell said, and then she asked the same question that Arai had asked Twine earlier: "I wonder why no one lives here?"


    "There''s a lot of magia in the air," Lillandra noted. "There''s probably more than a few monsters hiding in these forests."


    "What kinds of monsters?"


    "Man-traps, perhaps. They''re fairly common in magia-dense forests. But this is an island as well, which means there could be sea monsters off the shore, or fish-men like those we fought in the Dwellmer back in Kingsaile. It''s hard to say. Monsters aren''t like animals, you know; you can''t really classify them in the same way. There are certain commonalities, but every monster is different."


    "Man-traps," Arai muttered. He had never actually seen one of these, but he had spoken to people who had -- they were large, dead-looking trees, with writhing branches, which ripped apart any living thing which stumbled too close to them. He didn''t particularly relish the idea of running into one of these things here.


    But Shell was unafraid. "Let''s have a look around," she said. "It''ll take days from them to finish repairing the ship. We might as well get some exercise."


    Arai glanced Lillandra, who shrugged. She had been in an unusually pensive mood these last few days -- spending much of her time staring out to sea -- and he wondered what was on her mind.


    At any rate, Shell was determined to explore the island, and Arai thought it might be a welcome diversion as well, and so together, the three of them set out. None of them wanted to risk running into any monsters in the depths of the forest, so they stuck to the shores, circling the island''s perimeter. The entire western side of the island was all beaches and sandbars, which made for an easy walk; Shell, running ahead of Arai and Lillandra, examined seashells and chased after scuttling crabs.


    Arai turned to Lillandra. "You''ve been awfully quiet these last few days," he ventured.


    "Have I?"


    "Is something troubling you?"


    She snorted. "What do you care?"


    He could have taken offense, but he refused to be ruffled. "I thought we started over," he reminded her. "I thought we were going to try to be friends from now on."


    "So?"


    "So, as your friend, I''m wondering if something''s troubling you, and if there''s anything I can do to help."


    "To help?" She gave that a sarcastic laugh. "You''re really serious about this, aren''t you?"


    "I told you I was," he said.


    Her laughter died away. "I don''t understand you."


    "What''s bothering you?" he asked again.


    She sighed. "Nothing in particular. I''ve just been doing a lot of thinking...about the past."


    "About Julien?"


    She gave him a sharp look, but when she saw that he was not jesting or teasing, her expression softened. "Yes," she admitted quietly. "About Julien."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Who was he?"


    "The only human being, in the whole of Iona Magister, who ever really cared about me. The only man I ever loved. But if not for him, I never would have become the Night Queen."


    Now this was interesting. Lillandra had always been extremely reluctant to talk about herself or her motivations; this was the most backstory he had gotten out of her so far.


    "What happened to him?"


    "He died," she said. "Years ago."


    "Tell me."


    But she shook her head, and said nothing after that. Arai, not wanting to upset her, especially now that she had finally begun to open up to him -- if only just a little -- did not press her, and they walked on in silence, Shell still skipping ahead of them.


    By the early afternoon they had arrived on the easternmost part of the island -- the part of the island opposite the cove where the Cockatrice was being repaired. Arai was just considering stopping for a few minutes -- they had been walking for over an hour -- when Shell suddenly called out: "What is this?" And she came running up to them holding a stone figurine, which she had apparently found on the beach.


    It was a carving of some hideous monster, a dragon perhaps, or a demon, with a huge, toothy mouth and bulging eyes. It had been carved out of some kind of soft stone, and was badly weathered.


    "What the hell is this?" Arai asked, turning it over.


    "I thought this island was uninhabited," Shell said. "Where do you think it came from?"


    "It must have washed up on the beach," Lillandra suggested, taking it from Arai and examining it.


    But Arai didn''t think that likely; the figurine was at least five pounds, too heavy for the waves to have brought it ashore. Perhaps it had arrived on a wrecked ship, or perhaps this island was inhabited, or had been in the past.


    Whatever it was, and whatever its origin, Arai didn''t like it; it was an ugly thing, and something about it made him uneasy. "Could it be a zemi?" he asked Lillandra.


    "It could''ve been," she said, "but there''s no trace of magic in it now. If it was a zemi, there''s no way to know what kind of spells might have been contained within it." She shrugged and handed it back to Shell. "It''s probably just an ugly art piece."


    "It looks like a monster," Shell noted. "Why would anyone make a carving of a monster?"


    "Good question," Arai said. "I..." He paused there, trailing off, because something had just caught his eye -- a strange stone pillar, near the edge of the beach, just where the trees began. At first he thought it might have been a natural rock formation, but when he went up and examined it, he saw that it was made of brick, and was obviously man-made. It was about five feet tall, and like the stone figurine, badly weathered.


    And then he spotted another pillar, within the trees. This one was a little taller.


    Curious, he entered the forest, following the pillars, which seemed to have been spaced about thirty feet apart. He had no difficulty finding the first four pillars, but it took him several minutes to find the fifth, which had been all but swallowed up by the forest; it was covered in creeping vines and moss. He found no more pillars after that, but there seemed to be a kind of trail running between them -- an old footpath, perhaps, but now an animal trail -- and he followed it deeper into the woods.


    "People did live here once," Lillandra said. "These pillars must be hundreds of years old."


    Following the trail, they eventually arrived at a clearing, where they found the ruins of two or three large stone buildings. Some architectural features were still visible: arches, canopies, and even a few monstrous gargoyles, similar in appearance to the stone figurine which Shell had found on the beach. The buildings were arranged in a circle around an open area -- a kind of courtyard, Arai supposed -- and in the center of the courtyard was a big stone slab, which might have been some kind of altar.


    "A village?" Shell asked, approaching the altar.


    "It wasn''t a village," Lillandra said. "It''s not arranged like one."


    "What was it used for, then?"


    "I don''t know. It might have been a shrine of some kind. I wonder about that altar."


    "Look at the craftsmanship here," Arai said, pointing out one of the weird gargoyles. "No, this definitely wasn''t a village."


    Lillandra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "There''s a lot of magia here," she warned. "Can you feel it, Shell?"


    The elf girl nodded slowly. "I can feel it."


    Arai knew what that meant. "We should get out of here, then. We don''t want to run into any monsters."


    "Good idea."


    They started to leave...but just as they were making their way out of the courtyard, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet. "What in the world?" Lillandra asked, using Arai''s shoulder to steady herself.


    "An earthquake?" Arai wondered. The shaking grew more intense...and then, suddenly, the ground gave way beneath them, and Arai and Lillandra both were swallowed up by it, tumbling together into the earth, along with a mass of dirt and paving stones. Arai had the presence of mind to hold on to Lillandra, but there was so much dirt and dust in the air that he could barely see her. They finally rolled to a stop about fifteen feet later, landing on some kind of muddy substrate, but partially buried in the dirt that had fallen with them. Fortunately Arai still had one hand free, and he was able to lever himself, and Lillandra, out of the mess.


    "What...what happened?" Lillandra asked, dazed.


    Arai shook the dust out of his hair and looked up. They had fallen through the ground and into an almost perfectly circular hole, about fifteen or twenty feet deep. The bottom of the hole was wet with groundwater. "We must have fallen into some kind of old well," he said. "Are you hurt?"


    "I don''t know," she said. She struggled to her feet, but then fell; fortunately Arai was there to catch her. "My ankle," she said, wincing.


    Shell, who was still up on the surface, was now peering down at them. "Are you two all right?"


    "I''m all right," Arai called up to her, "but Lillandra''s hurt." He turned to her. "Is it bad?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t think so. But how are we going to get out of here?"


    Arai frowned at the situation. The edges of the sinkhole were almost perfectly vertical; there was no way he could climb out of it on his own, and Lillandra probably couldn''t do any climbing at all. Damn.


    The earth began to shake again, but less violently than before, and it was over in a moment. "This island must be prone to earthquakes," Arai muttered. "Just our luck."


    "What are we going to do?" Lillandra asked again.


    Arai called up to Shell: "You''re going to have to run back to the ship," he told her. "Find a couple of crewmembers and a length of rope. Can you do that?"


    "Sure thing. Will the two of you be all right here until I get back?"


    "Yeah. Just make it quick; I don''t want to be stuck down here all day."


    Shell nodded and ran off, leaving them alone.


    Arai took a breath and looked around. They were stuck in the bottom of this dark, muddy hole, and they were likely to be stuck here for a couple of hours, at least, because they were at least an hour''s walk from the ship. He wasn''t terribly worried at the moment, but if a monster were to show up, or if there were any more earthquakes...


    And what if it started raining? The rain might fill up this sinkhole and drown them.


    "Just our luck," he muttered again. "Just our luck."

 Chapter Twenty-Five: Julien

    "Take off your boot," Arai told Lillandra. "Let me see your ankle."


    "I''m fine."


    "Let me see it," he insisted.


    Sighing with annoyance, she limped over to him, sat down, and took off her boot...and before she could object, Arai picked up her leg, placed her bare foot in his lap, and began probing her ankle, feeling for breaks. She gasped when he touched her.


    It was another one of those weirdly intimate moments, and Arai found himself marveling at the fact that just a few months ago, he had been prepared to kill this woman. Now he was worried about her. Now he was taking care of her.


    He didn''t feel any breaks, and he told her so: "I think it''s just sprained," he said. "But you''ll probably have to keep off your feet for a few days."


    "I wish I had my Golden Apple," she muttered.


    "Your what?"


    "My Golden Apple. It was a zemi I made years ago, that could heal these sorts of injuries."


    That certainly would have been useful. "What happened to it?"


    "You threw it into the river, on the day we arrived in Addis." She withdrew her foot from him and put her boot back on.


    "Ah. That''s a shame."


    "A shame," she agreed.


    They sat there quietly for several moments, neither of them knowing quite what to say. "How long do you think it will take Shell to return?" Lillandra asked at last.


    "I don''t know. It took us about an hour to walk all the way out here, but we were taking it pretty easy. If she runs, she might make it back to the ship in half that time. I only hope nothing happens to her along the way."


    She nodded. "I like Shell. I didn''t at first; I thought she was just a thief." She glanced at Arai. "You saw something in her that I didn''t."


    He shrugged. "It''s like you said. I try to see the good in people."


    She snorted. "We''re very different, aren''t we?"


    Maybe this was the time. Arai took a deep breath and said, "Tell me about Julien."


    "I''d rather not."


    "What happened to him?"


    "He died."


    "How?"


    It took her several moments to answer. "He was murdered," she said quietly. "By Prince Ryal."


    "By Prince..." Arai''s eyes widened. Lillandra''s lover had been murdered by Prince Ryal? No wonder she hated him so much; no wonder her eyes flashed with anger whenever Ryal or his father Reemus were mentioned. "What happened?"


    He had tried asking her these things before, and she had never answered, but this time, she looked up at the hole they had fallen through, at that circle of blue sky, and said, "I''ve already told you where I came from. I was born in a small village in the Hardways, in the foothills below the Frozen Mountains. My father ran off before I was born and my mother ran off after him, and I was left to be raised by my grandmother. We lived on the edge of the village. My grandmother was a witch; she knew how to make a few simple zemi. That''s how she made her living -- selling Chains of Strength to the loggers, and love philtres to their wives. When I was old enough, and when she saw that I had some potential, she began to teach me how to do magic as well. That''s how I became a sorceress."


    She obviously meant to tell him her whole life story here. "Go on."


    "My grandmother died when I was nine. I was just old enough to take care of myself, and I knew enough magic to carry on my grandmother''s work. The villagers were sure I needed looking after, though. One day the town drunk showed up at my grandmother''s cabin, telling me that he was moving in, that he was going to make me his daughter." She snorted. "I used my magic to chase him off."


    "What did you do to him?"


    "I burned his hair off. Anyway, the villagers left me alone after that, but they were always suspicious of me. They stopped coming around to buy zemi, and they tried to cheat me whenever I went into the village to buy supplies."


    "You were only a child."


    "I was a sorceress," she said, "and I was growing stronger every day. I never did get the hang of casting, but I got very good at calculation. When I wasn''t gathering firewood, cooking meals, or doing chores, I was calculating. I learned how to create more and more complex zemi. I realized that with enough time and effort I could do just about anything that I put my mind to." Her eyes fell from that circle of blue sky to the muddy floor at the bottom of the hole. "And when I was sixteen, I met him."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Him? Julien?"


    She nodded. "He was a swordsman, like you. A student of the Three Waves school."


    Arai blinked. A swordsman? And a student of the Three Waves school? This was interesting. The Three Waves school was one of the oldest schools of swordsmanship in either Velon or the Holy Empire; Arai''s father had told him once that it had been around for about three hundred years. But the teachings were passed down to only a handful of students; Arai''s father''s teacher, or his teacher, might have actually crossed swords with this Julien.


    "King Reemus had come to the Hardways to run off the Al''mud. Some of his troops were quartered in my village; Julien was one of them. He was...he was the only man who was ever kind to me. I fell in love with him."


    "Ah."


    "We spent almost six months together. You remember that bracelet? The one you sold in Kingsaile? That was a gift from him." Her expression was wistful. "Those were the happiest times of my life."


    "But they didn''t last."


    "No. One day Prince Ryal showed up in the village with reinforcements from Hammersvik. Julien had gone to the village to buy some eggs for breakfast, but he was late coming back, so I went into the village to look for him." Her wistful expression turned troubled. "When I got there, I found the two of them fighting -- Prince Ryal and Julien. Ryal fancied himself a swordsman as well, and he had demanded a match with Julien. But it got out of hand. Ryal was injured, and humiliated. He had Julien put to death."


    "For beating him in a sparring match?"


    "I told you before, you have no idea what Prince Ryal was like. He was a monster in a human form. He treated people like toys. He tortured people, had them put to death for the most trivial offenses. And King Reemus wasn''t much better."


    Arai struggled to accept this. The history he had received, from his father and others, was that Reemus had been a good king, and that Ryal had been the perfect prince, but that both had been killed by the villainous Night Queen. "And then what?"


    "Half the village witnessed Ryal''s fight with Julien. A couple of them may have laughed when Julien beat him. He was angry and embarrassed. So when King Reemus returned from an expedition in the Frozen Mountains, Ryal accused the villagers of having collaborated with the Al''mud, and Reemus had the village put to the torch."


    Arai stared. "That''s insane."


    "That''s what happened."


    "Ryal had an entire village destroyed because he was embarrassed? And King Reemus went along with this?"


    "Yes."


    "I find that hard to believe."


    "I''m sure you do. I''m sure you''ve heard all kinds of stories about Reemus and Ryal. A great king, and his promising heir, cut down in the prime of their lives by the evil witch." She laughed bitterly. "But they were murderers. Both of them."


    "So you took your revenge on them."


    She nodded. "They killed the villagers, and destroyed their homes, but they spared my cabin -- it was half a mile from the village, in the middle of the woods; they may not have known it was there. As soon as I made it home I started making a Dragon''s Bit."


    The Dragon''s Bit was a zemi that gave the wielder power over monsters. "How long did that take?"


    "Most of a year. I made other zemi, too, and when I was ready, I called Catalyus out of the Frozen Mountains, along with an army of ape-men and rock-bears, and I marched on Harbor Town. The city fell immediately. No one could stand against Catalyus. And then I continued on to Hammersvik. King Reemus raised an army of his own to try to stop me, but I had more monsters than he had men, and I had caught him by surprise besides. I captured him and Prince Ryal at Fort Drakness."


    "And you killed them."


    "I killed Prince Ryal," she clarified. "Well, Catalyus did, at any rate. But I didn''t actually kill King Reemus. It was Lord Pierce who did that, out of my sight."


    "The first Lord Pierce," Arai mused. "The first Lord Protector."


    "He had some kind of disagreement with the king. He agreed to join forces with me shortly before I captured Fort Drakness. I rewarded him afterwards by making him the Lord Protector." She frowned. "It all happened so fast. I never really meant to take over Velon, you know -- to make myself the Night Queen. All I wanted, at first, was to get rid of Reemus and Ryal, to avenge Julien. But Hammersvik was in ruins, and the Holy Empire was massing troops along the Tuv. Lord Pierce suggested I make myself queen, while he took over the reins of government. That was fine with me. I thought I could do better than King Reemus anyway. So..." She shrugged.


    "So you became the Night Queen."


    "Lord Pierce suggested I create the Night Queen persona to frighten people, to keep them in line. I went along with it. How else could I stay in power? I needed the people to fear me, to respect me. Who could possibly be afraid of a sixteen-year-old girl?"


    "You didn''t have to agree to any of that, though," Arai pointed out. "You had your revenge. You could have just walked away after Reemus and Ryal were dead."


    "I suppose I could have," she admitted. "But I didn''t see the harm in going along with Lord Pierce''s plan. And anyway, I needed his help, to secure the Nightfall."


    Arai didn''t follow. "The Nightfall? I don''t understand."


    She gave him a sad smile. "Haven''t you ever wondered what I''ve been doing for the last hundred years? Haven''t you ever wondered why I shut myself up in that tower, why I cut myself off from the world, why I spent more than a century gathering magia at the Nightfall?"


    It did strike him as strange, now that he thought about it. Lillandra had overthrown Velon''s king, but instead of ruling from the Waterglass Palace, she had handed the kingdom over to Lord Pierce, while removing herself to the Nightfall, that ancient tower outside of Hammersvik. Clearly, she was not interested in power for its own sake. But what had she been doing at the Nightfall?


    "I knew I would have to spend most of the next century sleeping," she said, "and I couldn''t allow anyone, or anything, to interfere with my work. Lord Pierce agreed to secure the tower for me, to keep people away from it, to place guardians all around it to defend me while I slept."


    "But what were you doing there?"


    "I was trying to bring Julien back to life."


    Arai blinked. "You what?"


    "You heard me."


    "But that...that''s impossible."


    "Not for me."


    "No one can resurrect the dead. The most powerful sorcerer in the world couldn''t do it."


    She shook her head. "I''ve spent the last hundred years transforming the Nightfall -- the entire tower -- into a gigantic zemi, a zemi capable of bringing Julien back to life. It''s the single greatest calculation in human history, I''m sure, but as I told you before, with enough magia, and enough patience, a sorceress can do virtually anything."

 Chapter Twenty-Six: Love and Vengeance

    Arai was stunned. "I can''t believe it," he said. "I can''t believe you can bring the dead back to life."


    "It was a very difficult calculation, even for me," Lillandra admitted, "but I''m sure I can do it. In fact the calculation was nearly complete when you attacked me at the Nightfall. In a few more months I would have had enough magia to finish the spell."


    Lillandra''s hubris was amazing -- meddling in matters of life and death as though she were a goddess. If anyone in Iona Magister was capable of casting such a spell, however -- of bringing the dead back to life -- it was the Night Queen. "A swordsman," he muttered. "You overthrew the king, conquered Velon, and spent a hundred years constructing this spell, all for the sake of a single swordsman."


    "Julien," she affirmed.


    "And that''s why you''re so anxious to return to Velon? You wish to complete this spell?"


    "I have to," she said firmly. "It can''t have been for nothing."


    Arai absorbed all that quietly. Was it true? Had Lillandra really done all these things -- killed Prince Ryal and taken over Velon -- not for herself, but for the sake of love and vengeance? It did fit with what he knew of her history. Despite having conquered Velon, she seemed to have no interest in politics; she had left the government in the hands of the Pierces. Why go to the trouble of taking over a kingdom if she had no interest in ruling it? But if her true goal, all along, had simply been to take revenge on King Reemus and his son and to begin work on this gigantic, impossible spell...


    "And if you do complete this spell," Arai ventured, "what then?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "If you succeed in bringing Julien back to life, will you give up power in Velon?"


    She snorted. "I never wanted that power in the first place," she said. "It was a hassle, anyway, a distraction from my work. I don''t think I was ever more than a figurehead, anyway; the Pierces made most of the decisions while I slept. As I said, I only spoke to them once or twice a year, during those brief periods of wakefulness. They gave me reports on the state of the kingdom, how much revenue was coming in, and so forth, but I never paid much attention to them." She frowned. "And if what you''ve told me is true, they seem to have deliberately misled me. I wasn''t aware that the kingdom had been overrun by monsters, or that the Al''mud were gaining in strength, or that the taxes had become so high that hardly anyone could afford to pay them. I believed Velon was in good hands."


    "What about the uprisings? Did Lord Pierce ever tell you about those?" There had been a number of risings and rebellions since the Night Queen had taken power.


    "He mentioned them," she confessed. "They didn''t sound all that serious. People used to riot even during King Reemus''s reign; I didn''t think these little uprisings were anything out of the ordinary." She looked at him. "But then you showed up."


    "Ah."


    "Lord Pierce told me about you. He told me you were a mercenary, from far away, and that you had gone in search of the Radiant Blade. That was a few years ago. Then, at our next meeting, he told me that Catalyus had been destroyed by your Ice Wyrm and that your mercenaries were closing in on the capital. He sounded worried. I was worried, too. I tried to finish the spell before your forces arrived at Fort Drakness, but I couldn''t do it; I just didn''t have enough magia yet."


    "And then we were both transported to Addis, leaving the spell unfinished."


    She nodded.


    "But you haven''t answered my question," he went on. "If you complete this spell, will you give up power in Velon?"


    "Of course. I''ll go away with Julien. We''ll build a life somewhere. We''ll put all this blood and horror behind us."


    "How romantic," Arai muttered. Lillandra may have been a magical genius, but she was also a teenage girl, hardly eighteen, and a rather selfish and short-sighted teenage girl at that. She had apparently convinced herself that all she had to do was complete this spell, and everything would be fine; her happy ending was waiting for her back at the Nightfall. That the people of Velon might resent her, that Julien himself might resent her for all the things she had done in his name -- these seemed not to have occurred to her.


    "As for Velon," she said, "if you want it, you can have it. You''d make a good king, I think."


    "I never wanted to be king, either," he grumbled. "I only wanted to avenge my father, and to make life better for the people of Velon."


    She looked at him curiously. "What will you do when we return to Velon? When all of this is over?"


    "I hadn''t really thought about it," he admitted. "Marry Maya, perhaps, and settle down somewhere. I''ve had enough of the mercenary lifestyle."


    "Marry Maya? I thought you said she was only a friend."


    "Well, she is," he said, a little flustered. "But I always thought...I thought maybe she could be something more."


    "I see."


    He shook his head, dismissing the conversation. "We''re both getting ahead of ourselves. We need to get back to Velon, first, and before that, we need to get out of this damn hole." But then he turned to her, and smiled. "Thank you."


    "For what?"


    "For telling me about yourself, about how you came to be the Night Queen. I think I understand you a little better now."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "I wonder," she said vaguely.


    It was strange to think that Lillandra had done all she had done for love -- she was a skeptic and a cynic; he wouldn''t have expected her to believe in a mawkish thing like true love. But apparently she did believe in it; she believed in it so strongly, in fact, that she conquered a kingdom in the pursuit of it.


    Suddenly restless, he stood up and started pacing around the perimeter of the hole, wondering if he might be able to climb out on his own after all. While wandering around, however, he stumbled across another one of those strange monstrous statues, mixed in with the paving stones that had slid into the hole with them. It was broken in half, but the monster''s head -- a grinning, lizardlike thing -- was still intact. Arai plucked it out of the dirt and examined it. "What are these things?" he wondered. "What are they supposed to represent?"


    Lillandra frowned at it. "Demons, I think."


    "Demons?"


    "I didn''t want to frighten Shell," she said, "so I didn''t mention it earlier, but there''s a good possibility that they weren''t worshipping gods here. They may have been worshipping demons."


    "Worshipping demons?" Arai could hardly conceive of something so obscene.


    "You saw that altar up there. Human sacrifice was common among demon-worshippers."


    "How do you know that?"


    "I read it in a book. I didn''t spend all of my time sleeping in the Nightfall; I did a fair amount of reading as well. I had Lord Pierce collect books for me."


    "Books about demons?"


    "Books about magic, mostly. But I read some histories, too, and some of these were very old, written just a few years after the Harrowing. The people who wrote those books had actually survived the Harrowing, had actually seen demons, and they had a lot to say about them."


    "But worshipping them? That''s hard to believe."


    She shrugged. "The demons had taken over almost all of Iona Magister. They were incredibly powerful, and their victory seemed imminent. People were frightened. Some of them chose slavery over death; some of them gave themselves over to the demons completely, and started worshipping them. Their gods seemed to have abandoned them, after all. What else were they supposed to do?"


    "Fight."


    "Well, some of them did do that, and it''s good thing they did, or we wouldn''t be standing here right now. Not everyone''s as brave as you, though."


    Arai studied the statuette he was holding. "And this is what they looked like?"


    "Demons came in all shapes and sizes. Some were gigantic, bigger than dragons and wyrms, but some of them had human shapes. In fact some of them were nearly indistinguishable from humans. But they all had special powers. The demon''s craft, people called it. It was something like magic, but different."


    Arai had never heard these details before. He knew the basic story: about two thousand years ago, the demons had suddenly appeared in Iona Magister and attacked humankind, in an event which came to be known as the Harrowing. After ten years of war, a group of desperate, embattled sorcerers, holed up within the Riven Mountains, had banded together to cast the White Rain, which had weakened the demons enough for humans to kill them with ordinary spells and weapons. The final confrontation had taken place somewhere in the Scarred Lands, when the legendary heroine Maximine drove her sword into the demon king Enlil.


    But he didn''t know anything about demons or what they looked like, and it surprised him to learn that people had actually worshipped these monstrous invaders. "Interesting," he said, tossing the idol aside.


    Lillandra, meanwhile, had started wincing; Arai noticed it. "Your ankle?" he asked.


    "My head. The magia is so thick down here it''s giving me a headache."


    He didn''t like the sound of that -- magia, after all, meant monsters. "Hopefully Shell will be back soon."


    He sat down again, and they waited. They talked some more, about themselves, about their lives. Arai told her stories about his travels -- visiting the Free Cities with his father, avoiding assassins in the alleys of Salos City, sneaking into Arl''s Trust disguised as a farmer into order to deliver a message to insurgents in Holybell, and laying siege to castles and fortresses all over the Marquisates. He told her about his father''s lieutenant, Grizz, and about the Steelmen, who had been like a family to him. He told her about his father''s house on the Tuv, and how he had deliberately burned it down after his father''s death.


    "Why did you do that?" she asked.


    "So that I wouldn''t be tempted to return to it," he said. "So that I wouldn''t forget my mission."


    "To avenge your father."


    He nodded. "To find Silus. To save Velon."


    She surprised him then by saying, "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have left Velon in the hands of the Pierces. I should have paid more attention to what was going on in the world. What happened to your father...that really was my fault, wasn''t it?"


    "I think you made some bad decisions," he said carefully. "But I don''t think you''re a bad person, Lillandra."


    And then something very surprising happened: her eyes began to glisten with tears. "Thank you," she murmured.


    Arai had never seen Lillandra like this, and he didn''t know quite how to respond. "Lillandra..."


    But she shook her head suddenly. "No," she said. "We''ll talk later."


    And they sat there, quietly, for another half an hour. Arai was just beginning to grow drowsy when Lillandra snapped him back into alertness: "Something''s happening," she whispered urgently.


    "Is Shell back?" he yawned, stretching his arms.


    "No. It''s the magia. It''s beginning to take shape."


    "What does that mean?"


    "It means a monster is being born."


    They both went still. After a moment Lillandra whispered, "The magia has gone still. It must have manifested somewhere up above."


    "Can you tell what kind of a monster it is?"


    "No," she said, "but it''s strong, whatever it is, and if it materialized here, in the middle of this unholy place..." She grimaced.


    Arai understood the implication -- monsters that materialized around cities and man-made structures tended to be very unusual, like the chthonic salamander they had fought in the catacombs of Kingsaile. He drew his sword, sliding it out of its scabbard as quietly as he could. "If it finds its way down here," he said, "I''ll kill it."


    "What if it finds Shell?"


    He hadn''t considered that. If the elf girl returned with Twine or some other crewman, and if the monster surprised them... "You''re right," he said. "We can''t risk them stumbling across it. But how the hell are we going to get out of this hole?" He looked around for something he might grab hold of, but the walls of the hole were made of loose dirt which crumbled when he touched it. Some of the paving stones from above and fallen into the hole with them, but even if he managed to dig these out and stack them up, he would still be at least ten feet short.


    "I could try casting a spell," Lillandra suggested.


    "A spell?"


    "I could try to levitate you out of the hole."


    "I thought you couldn''t do things like that."


    "My spells usually just break down if I''m not placing them in zemi," she admitted, "but they misfire sometimes, too, and when a spell misfires, just about anything can happen. I don''t like to risk it. But if we have no other choice..."


    "How much risk are we talking about?"


    "The spell could blow your head off. It could blow my head off. It could launch you a mile into the air. It could crush you like a bug."


    Arai shuddered. The idea of this monster prowling around up there, however, lying in wait for an unsuspecting Shell, spurred him to action. "Cast the spell," he said, resolved


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. I trust you."


    She studied him for a long moment. "All right," she said at last, and started to work on the spell, closing her eyes and waggling her fingers in the air.


    Arai closed his eyes as well, and sheathed his sword, and took a deep breath to steady himself. When a spell misfires, anything can happen. He started to say a prayer to the God of the Monuments, but before he could even whisper the first verse, Lillandra had finished the spell...and just like that, he was flying through the air.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Queen of the Night

    Arai was lifted off his feet and thrown high into the air -- at least thirty feet high. The pit was about fifteen feet deep, which left another fifteen feet for him to fall; he landed on the surface, but near the edge of the pit, and just barely managed to avoid sliding into it again. His flight had been almost vertical; it had felt as if a giant had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hurled him up.


    He caught hold of something, somehow, and managed to scramble to his feet. That landing had been very hard; he thought he might have broken a rib. It could have been worse, though; Lillandra''s spell could have blown his head off, or worse.


    "Are you all right?" Lillandra called out from below, worried. "The spell only started to break up at the end--"


    "I''m fine," he said. "Good work." He drew his sword again and looked around for the monster that had apparently materialized in the area, but he didn''t see anything. "Are you sure about this monster?"


    "I''m sure," she said.


    "All right. Try to keep quiet. I''ll see if I can find it."


    Alert to the slightest sound, he started walking around the shrine, searching behind columns and peering into the shadows beneath the trees. He began to grow tense. Where was this thing? He suddenly noticed that the birds in the area had gone quiet, which only made him more uneasy.


    Monsters, of course, could take just about any form. They might resemble fish, lizards, trees, bears, and giant earthworms. They could dig under the soil; they could fly through the air.


    Fly through the air...


    He looked up just in time to see a shadow blotting out the sun, and suddenly the creature was right in front of him, hovering in the air, flapping its wings madly, nearly knocking him off his feet with gusts of wind. Arai was forced to shield his eyes from the debris the monster was blowing his way; it was only after the creature landed that he got a better look at it.


    Monsters were not typically pleasant to look at, but this one was exceptionally ugly; in fact it was one of the strangest and most hideous things he had ever seen. It was shaped like a man, and covered in a gown of black feathers, but it had a grinning, leering skull for a head and two leathery bat wings affixed to its back. It arms ended in sharpened, skeletal claws, and its feet were bird-feet, with huge, raptor-like talons.


    It wasted no time; it immediately attacked him. Arai had the presence of mind to slash at the thing''s arm when it reached out for him, but the monster, with a birdlike quickness, quickly jumped out of reach. It then took to the air again, pumping its wings furiously, circling the area, while Arai, clutching his sword, waited for it to land.


    But it didn''t land; instead, it flew at him, trying to rake him with its talons. The monster kicked up a tremendous amount of dust when it flew, and once again Arai was momentarily blinded; he tumbled out of the way and only barely managed to avoid the monster''s claws.


    He only needed to strike the thing once or twice to destroy it with Silus, but the monster was fast, and unpredictable, and it was careful to keep out of his reach. He gritted his teeth, waiting for it to come at him again.


    But then, while circling in the air, it suddenly looped around, near the hole they had fallen into, and began to descend.


    It must have spotted Lillandra, and determined that she was easier prey than Arai. Cursing, Arai ran to it, waving his arms and yelling at it to try to get its attention, but it ignored him and, still flapping its wings, began to drop down into the pit. He heard Lillandra shouting at it, but the monster''s fluttering wings were loud, and her voice sounded distant.


    He was still ten feet away when the monster entered the pit. Without stopping to think about what he was doing, he closed the distance and threw himself into it. He landed on the monster just as it was about to land on Lillandra, plunging Silus into the center of its back, where its wings grew out of its shoulder blades. The monster''s skull-face twisted around grotesquely, trying to get a look at him, and it clawed at him desperately, but already it was beginning to disintegrate, its body decohering into starlike particles. When there was almost nothing left of it -- nothing left to hang on to -- Arai fell the remaining distance into the bottom of the pit, splashing into the mud and only narrowly avoiding Lillandra, who scrambled to get out of his way. Pieces of maginite fell into the mud as well, some of them landing on Arai''s head.


    "Are you all right?" Lillandra asked.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Arai, his mouth full of mud, sputtered out a response: "I''ve been better."


    "You destroyed it."


    "Yeah."


    "But now we''re both stuck in this hole again."


    "Yeah." He climbed to his feet. He had hurt his ribs when she had thrown him out of the pit, and hurt them again when he had landed in the mud just now, but the injuries didn''t seem to be anything serious; his armor had probably protected him from the worst of it. He was, however, completely filthy now, covered in mud from head to toe. "Are you all right?"


    "Fine." She looked up at the distance he had fallen. "What you did just now...that was crazy. Jumping on to that monster''s back..."


    "Crazy," he agreed. "But I had to protect you."


    She studied him carefully. "You know I hate being indebted to people."


    "Especially me?"


    "Especially you."


    "Lillandra..."


    She put up her hand, stopping him. "You can call me Lill. Lillandra is such a mouthful."


    * * *


    It was two more hours before Shell and Twine arrived with a length of rope. After tying it to a tree, they were able to haul both Arai and Lillandra out of the pit with it. They had to be extra careful with Lillandra, though, whose ankle had now become very swollen indeed.


    Shell stared at Arai. "How did you get so dirty?"


    "Long story," he muttered. "What took you so long?"


    "Captain Burt moved the ship out of the cove when the earthquake struck," Twine said. "He was afraid a big wave might come up and throw her into the rocks near the shore. We stayed out there for a couple hours. When we got back we found Shell waiting for us on the beach."


    "I came as fast as I could," Shell said apologetically.


    "You did fine," Arai said. "Thanks, kiddo."


    She smiled...but then she glanced at Lillandra, and the smile faded. "She can''t walk, can she? How are we going to get her back to the ship?"


    "I''ll carry her," Arai said. He motioned for her to climb up on his back. "Hop on."


    She hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed. "Oh, all right," she said, and she allowed herself to lifted onto his back. He was sore from his fight with the monster, and tired, but fortunately Lillandra didn''t weigh much. They did have to stop several times to allow Arai to catch his breath, but they eventually made it back to the cove, where they found Captain Burt waiting for them on the beach.


    "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, looking them up and down.


    "Long story," he said again. He set Lillandra down on the sand. "What''s the situation?"


    He shrugged. "The repairs are going well. We''ll need at least another day, though, maybe two. Hopefully we don''t get any more of those earthquakes."


    "Hopefully," Arai echoed.


    They spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach, listening to the cries of seagulls and the sound of the waves lapping against the shore. Late in the evening, Twine discovered a small freshwater pond a few hundred yards inland, which Arai used to clean himself up. When he emerged from the darkening forest, he found Lillandra waiting for him. "My turn," she said.


    "Your turn?"


    "I want to take a bath, too."


    "But...your ankle..."


    "I know. You''ll have to carry me there."


    He sighed. "I guess I will." She climbed up on his back again and he marched her off into the foliage, setting her down at the edge of the pond.


    "Turn around," she told him primly.


    He did as she asked, propping himself up against a tree while she bathed and cleaned her clothes. He heard the sounds of her splashing around in the pond, faintly, and tried not to let his imagination run away with him.


    When she was done and dressed, she called for him again. He got up and went to her...and started, for when he saw her sitting there in that coppery evening light, her black hair wet, her pale skin clean and unblemished, her eyes dark and lovely, he found himself taken aback by her beauty. This had never happened before.


    "What are you staring at?" she complained.


    "Nothing," he said quickly. "Let''s get going." She climbed up onto his back again, and they started off for the beach. Strands of her hair touched his face, tickling his cheeks. And she smelled nice, something like grass and flowers.


    He breathed it in. The Queen of the Night.


    * * *


    The crew finished the repairs ahead of schedule, and the next day, the Cockatrice set sail, leaving the island''s sheltered cove and venturing out once again into the larger Bay of Vandals. Shell promptly got seasick again, but Lillandra''s ankle healed quickly, and within a few days she was able to limp about on it. She returned to the ship''s railing, and spent most of her time looking out to sea.


    Arai joined her one afternoon. It was a beautiful cloudless day, the blue of the sky almost blinding, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits -- all but Lillandra, who was still wearing that pensive expression.


    "You''re thinking about him," Arai guessed. "About Julien."


    "I think about him a lot," she said. "He''s been dead a hundred years, but it doesn''t seem that long to me."


    "You''ve been asleep."


    "I know." She smiled sadly. "This is the longest I''ve been awake since I conquered Velon, you know. These months I''ve spent with you, with Shell...it''s strange."


    "What''s strange?"


    "It''s just...I''m beginning to feel like all those years I spent at the Nightfall were just a long dream. And now I''m awake, and thinking clearly again, and I''m not sure that I..." She trailed off, uncertain of herself. "I don''t know."


    Arai wasn''t sure what she was trying to communicate, exactly, but he knew that she needed reassurance. He put his hand on her shoulder. "You''ll figure it out," he said. "Maybe the world will start to make sense again after we''ve returned to Velon."


    "Maybe. I don''t--" But she was interrupted here by one of the crew, up in the crow''s nest, suddenly screaming at his fellows down below. "Black sails!" he shouted. "Off the port bow!"


    The crew hurried to the railing, and a few moments later, the ship he had spotted came into view: a long, sleek sailing vessel, with black sails and a black flag fluttering from its main-mast. "That''s a Skirrish ship!" someone shouted.


    "Pirates!" someone else cried.


    Arai exchanged a glance with Lillandra. "It figures," he muttered.

 Chapter Twenty-Eight: Black Sails

    The Cockatrice didn''t stand a chance against the Skirrish pirate ship. Arai had tried to convince Captain Burt to make a fight of it, but the old sea dog had shaken his head ruefully. "We''re a merchant ship," he said, "and a small one at that, with a small crew. We have very few weapons on board. Even if I thought it was a good idea, I don''t think I could convince my men to try their luck against fifty bloodthirsty pirates."


    "I''d be willing to fight," Arai said.


    Captain Burt glanced at the sword on his belt. "Commendable. And I''m sure you''re an excellent swordsman, but let''s be realistic here. You''re only one man."


    Frustrated, he turned to Lillandra. "Can you do any magic that might frighten them off?"


    "I could make some Volcanics, if I had some glass," she said doubtfully. "But they take a few hours to make, and this ship will be on us in just a few minutes, by the look of it."


    "You can''t set their sails aflame?"


    "I could try," she said. "But if I messed it up, and I probably would, I might wind up setting both of our ships on fire. I told you before, I''m not good at casting. I got lucky when I levitated you out of the pit earlier; I wouldn''t care to try my luck again."


    "What about our zemi?" But he couldn''t see how these would be any of use to them, either. The Mermaid''s Glass, Shell''s Badge of Deflection, the Stone of Many Tongues, the Everlasting Chalice...none of these struck him as particularly useful. Well, the Badge of Deflection might be useful, if it came to fighting, but its magic couldn''t last forever; the pirates'' blades and arrows were bound to find them eventually.


    "I don''t think so," Lillandra said, in response to his question. "I''m sure I could drive them off if I still had the Staff of Night, but..."


    "But you don''t have the Staff of Night." He sighed again, and turned to Burt, who was standing at the railing, grinding his teeth while watching the speedy ship approach. "You mean to surrender, then?" he asked the man.


    "I''m afraid we have no choice."


    "What will they do with us?"


    "I''m not sure. They''ll force us to turn the ship over to them, at the least, and they''ll steal our cargo. If they''re outlaws, they might order some of to join their crew. If they''re not -- if they''re working for the Skirrish government, which is a good possibility -- they''ll probably take us up to Helltrix, to see if they can jangle up a ransom for us." He shrugged. "Or they might just kill us all."


    "I''d rather go down fighting, in that case," Arai averred.


    "Suit yourself," he said. "But if there''s even a chance they''ll keep us alive..."


    Arai took a deep breath. He had been in these kinds of situations before, situations which seemed to have no good resolution, but he had always managed to find a way out of them. This time, it seemed, his luck had finally run out.


    He took Lillandra and Shell aside. "Captain Burt''s planning to surrender. We should prepare for the worst."


    "What did you have in mind?"


    He turned his eyes on Shell. "You know that little compartment in our cabin, beneath the bunks?"


    "Yes."


    "I want you to hide in there."


    "For how long?"


    "As long as you can. Stay hidden, stay out of their sight. Only come out at night. Sneak food out of the galley if you have to. Look for opportunities. If they lock us up, you might find yourself in a position to free us." He unbuckled his sword and handed it to her. "And take this with you. I don''t want these pirates getting their hands on Silus, or any of our zemi."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    She looked at him doubtfully. "This isn''t going to be easy."


    "I know. Can you do it?"


    She nodded slowly. "I think I can."


    "Off with you, then. Good luck." He gave her a pat on the head, and they parted there -- she scampered off to their cabin.


    "What about me?" Lillandra asked.


    "Let these pirates know that you''re a witch," Arai told her. "Make it plain to them. That ought to give you some measure of protection. But if that''s not enough..." He handed her the knife he usually kept on his thigh. "Here. Just in case."


    "And what about you?"


    "I''ll stick with the crew." He shrugged. "We''ll see what happens, I guess." And he returned to Captain Burt at the railing, and -- feeling rather naked without his sword -- watched the pirate ship draw nearer, its black sails flapping ominously in the sea breeze.


    * * *


    Captain Burt allowed the pirates to board without incident. He probably made the right decision, in agreeing to surrender the ship without a fight; there was no way his crew could have fought them off anyway. They were outnumbered at least two to one, and these pirates were rowdy men, eager to do violence, and bristling with weapons: swords, daggers, spears, and clubs. Their favorite weapon, though, was a short, curved blade which Twine called a "cutlass"; it was apparently a favorite of Skirrish pirates.


    The captain of the pirate ship was a sneeringly handsome fellow with an odd, triangular scar on his forehead. He had long, braided black hair and a forked black beard, and he was wearing a striking black-and-yellow-striped jacket which made him look something like a giant bumblebee. Like his men, he was heavily armed -- he wore two cutlasses on his belt and a longsword on his back.


    He spoke to the crew: "What''s the name of this ship? What is your cargo?"


    Arai understood his words, but Captain Burt, Twine, and the others of the crew, lined up along the railing, merely looked at him blankly.


    "Don''t any of you speak Skirrish?" the man complained.


    The Stone of Many Tongues had given Arai and Lillandra the ability to speak and understand any language they encountered. Arai spoke up: "I can speak Skirrish," he said.


    The pirate looked at him. "Good. You''ll be my translator, then. What''s your name?"


    "Arai."


    "Are you from Grand Skir yourself?"


    "No."


    "Then where did you learn to speak Skirrish?"


    "It''s a long story."


    "Are you a member of this crew?"


    "No. I''m only a passenger."


    "I see. Well, it''s your own bad luck, I suppose. What''s the name of this ship?"


    "The Cockatrice. She''s a merchant ship, bound for Tax Trium."


    "What is her cargo?"


    Arai wasn''t quite sure what it was that Captain Burt was carrying -- no one had told him, and he had never ventured down into the hold -- so he asked the man. But Captain Burt had suddenly become suspicious of him: "How is that you speak Skirrish?"


    "It''s a long story," he said again. And he asked him again what he was carrying.


    "Liquor, mostly," he said, "and sugar from Jaquin, and honeycomb from Regulith, among other things. What''s he planning to do with us?"


    "We haven''t got to that part yet." He told the pirate captain what Captain Burt had told him. As soon as he mentioned the liquor, the assembled pirates began cheering, and it took several seconds for the captain to quiet them down. "Liquor, is it? Excellent."


    "The captain wants to know what you''re going to do with us."


    "This man is the captain?" the pirate inquired, gesturing to Burt.


    "Yes."


    "He''ll be coming with me, then. The rest of his crew will remain in their quarters until we reach Grand Skir." He turned to another pirate. "The ship is yours. Assemble a prize crew."


    "What about the booze?"


    "I''ll have a few cases sent over. Don''t let the boys get ahead of themselves, though; they can''t fight off a Gallean patrol drunk." His eyes then fell on Lillandra, who was standing beside Arai. "Who is this?"


    "My wife," Arai said. And then he added, "She''s a witch."


    He eyed her appreciatively. "Is that a fact? Bickerstaff!"


    One of the pirates emerged from the crowd. "Yes, sir?"


    "Is this woman really a witch?"


    The pirate, Bickerstaff, studied her intently. His eyes went wide. "She''s a witch all right," he said. "And powerful. The magia''s swirling around her like a tropical storm."


    "Interesting. I wonder why she didn''t try to use her magic to defend the ship."


    "The captain told her not to," Arai said. "He preferred to surrender."


    "He''s a fool, then. But the Aeromancer can always use more witches. Of course we can''t have her casting any spells here, now, can we?" He nodded to Bickerstaff, who produced a length of rope and bound her hands in front of her. "Lock her up with the rest of them. We''ll turn her over to Valtun when we get to the capital. He''ll decide what to do with her."


    "Where are you taking us?" Arai demanded. "Where are we going?"


    "Where do you think? We''re going to Grand Skir. We''re at war, you know. We need men. We need soldiers, if we''re to have any hope of fighting back those piss-dripping Galleans. Isn''t that right, boys?"


    The pirates cheered, hollering and waving their cutlasses.


    "Soldiers?" Arai asked. "You''re conscripting us? To fight for Grand Skir?"


    "That''s right."


    He couldn''t help but snort. "They won''t do it. This crew will never fight for you, nor for the Aeromancer."


    He chuckled. "Well, not willingly, no."

 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Escape

    Arai, Lillandra, and the rest of the crew -- apart from Captain Burt, who was taken aboard the pirate ship -- were led below, into the crew''s quarters, and summarily locked up. The resigned crewmembers crawled into their hammocks, while Arai and Lillandra sat together, upon a rather fragrant pile of laundry. Twine soon joined them, asking them about the pirate captain and his plans for them.


    "I didn''t catch his name," Arai said. "But it sounds like he''s planning to take us to Grand Skir."


    "I was afraid of that," Twine muttered.


    "Have you been there before?" The redheaded sailor, after all, had claimed to have been everywhere.


    He shook his head. "To Grand Skir? No. No one in their right mind visits Grand Skir."


    "Tell me about it."


    "It used to be a kingdom," he said, "until it was taken over by Mustaf Draj."


    "The Aeromancer?"


    "Yeah. He''s a very powerful sorcerer. He overthrew the Skirrish king about thirty years ago. That''s when it became the Despotate. Grand Skir had always been kind of a miserable place, and they never got along with their neighbors, but after the Aeromancer took power, they immediately declared war on Citias and Galleus. The Citians ran them off, but the Galleans have been fighting them for a long time now. The war''s been going on for years."


    "The pirate captain said something about conscripting us to fight for Grand Skir."


    "I''ve heard rumors about Skirrish ships abducting foreign crews," he said nervously, "and taking them back to Helltrix. Turning us into soldiers, though? I can hardly believe it."


    "Helltrix?"


    "That''s the capital of the Despotate. It''s a big city, on the northern coast of the Bay of Vandals." He frowned at Arai. "But you must know all this. You speak Skirrish."


    "Lillandra cast a spell on me a few months ago, which allows me to speak and understand all languages. I''d never even heard of Grand Skir until we arrived in Addis."


    Twine glanced at Lillandra. "A spell? You mean...you''re a witch?"


    "Yes," she acknowledged.


    "Then you can get us out of here!" he exclaimed excitedly. "You could set their ship on fire, call up a wind to blow them away--"


    "I can''t do things like that. And I can''t do anything with my hands tied like this, anyway."


    "Let me get those off," Arai said, reaching for the rope that had been wrapped around her wrists.


    "Don''t bother," she said. "The rope has been enchanted."


    It was Arai''s turn to blink. "Enchanted?"


    "It''s a zemi, a Snake''s Knot. I don''t know where they got it -- maybe that fellow Bickerstaff made it; he obviously has some magical talent. But I can''t remove these ropes. Your sword could cut through them, I suppose, but only another sorcerer can reverse the spell."


    "Could Shell do it?"


    "I think so. In any case, I can''t do any magic with my hands tied. No sorcerer can."


    "You need your hands free to perform the gestures?"


    "In some cases, yes, but there''s more to it than that. Simply binding the wrists of a sorcerer robs them of their power. You didn''t know that?"


    "No," he admitted. "I didn''t." But it was certainly interesting.


    "So what do we do now?" Twine wondered. He stopped suddenly, looking around. "Hey, where''s your elf girl?"


    "In hiding."


    "It''ll be big trouble if they find her."


    "She''ll be all right. She''s a smart kid." He sighed. "She just might be our only hope."


    "So what do we do?" Twine asked again.


    "At this point," Arai muttered, "I think the only thing we can do is wait. Maybe the pirates will get drunk on Captain Burt''s liquor. Maybe we''ll find an opportunity to wrest control of the ship from them. Maybe we''ll run across one of these Gallean patrols the pirate captain mentioned. Until then..." He shrugged.


    Twine nodded sadly. "I thought it''d be smooth sailing to Tax Trium after we got out of the Phantic Gates. But this voyage has only just begun, hasn''t it? Damn it all."


    * * *


    They spent the next several days locked up in the crew''s quarters. It was hot, and cramped, and the smell grew worse every day, but the pirates did give them fresh water from time to time and fed them hardtack out of the ship''s stores. Arai tried to ask the pirates some basic questions: the name of the pirate captain who had seized them, how long it would be before they reached Helltrix, and so on, but the men were tight-lipped, and refused to tell him anything.


    They had no way of knowing whether Shell had been found out. He wasn''t sure what they would do to the elf girl if they caught her -- would they have her killed? Would they throw her overboard? Would they lock her up with Arai and the rest of the crew? He tried to remain optimistic -- Shell, after all, was a clever girl, a pickpocket and thief who had been living on the streets of Kingsaile for half her life, and now, thanks to Lillandra, she was a budding sorceress as well. But this was a bad situation, and a single mistake could cost her her life.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    It was hard to tell day from night in the dark confines of the crew''s quarters. There were a few lanterns hanging around, but by the third day most of the candles had burned down and most of the oil had burned off, which left them groping in the dark. And perhaps as a result of this, the crew began to grow increasingly nervous.


    "It won''t be long now," Twine noted. "We''ll reach Helltrix in two or three days."


    "So soon?" Arai asked.


    "The prevailing winds are southerly in the Bay of Vandals. We''re moving at a very good clip, six or seven knots at least; I can feel it. At these speeds we could cover a thousand miles in less than a week, and we''re out of the Gates, too, which means we''re not likely to run into any serious storms."


    "What about the Galleans? The captain mentioned something about Gallean patrols."


    Twine shook his head. "No, I don''t think we can expect any help from the Galleans. They use their ships to protect their coastal villages; they never venture very far from land. The Galleans aren''t exactly a seafaring people. They have a kind of navy, I guess, but they prefer to do their fighting on land, with horses and lances."


    A few more days passed. One night, while Twine and the rest of the crew were sleeping, Arai heard a curious tapping coming from the port side of the ship, a few feet away. He moved a bit closer to investigate; the tapping seemed to be coming from a little ventilation shaft which had been built into the ceiling, and which was covered by a metal mesh to keep the rats from using it as a throughfare. He peered up into it...and suddenly found himself looking up at Shell''s face, peering back at him. He was so surprised he almost cried out, but caught himself at the last moment.


    "Shell!"


    "Arai," she greeted, her voice a whisper.


    "How did you get in there?" The ventilation shaft was very narrow.


    "Very carefully," she said. "I had to sneak past a dozen pirates. But that''s not important right now. What''s the situation?


    "We''re fine," he said, "for the moment."


    "Lillandra?"


    "She''s sleeping," he said, glancing back at her. "But the pirates bound her hands with some special rope that prevents her from using her magic. How are you doing?"


    "Well, they haven''t found me yet," she said. "I''ve been sneaking food at night, like you said, and only coming out of that closet once or twice a day." She grimaced. "It''s been torture, trying to hold it in."


    "Have you learned anything about the pirates?"


    "A few things. The pirate captain is called Radille, and his ship is the Reaper. They seem to have started out as ordinary pirates, but they have a commission now from the Skirrish government to attack merchant ships and deliver their crews to Helltrix. They''ve been making very good money." She paused, then added, "I overheard one of the pirates say we''ll reach Helltrix tomorrow morning."


    "I was afraid of that," Arai muttered.


    "What are we going to do?"


    "Just a moment." He woke Lillandra, who yawned, sat up, and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes with her bound hands. When she saw Shell, looking down at them through the metal grate, she blinked in surprise.


    Arai quickly apprised her of the situation. "I have a plan," he told her. "Can Shell undo the Snake''s Knot from there?"


    "If she can touch the ropes she can," she said, and she scooted over to the grate. She explained to Shell what she needed to do; the elf girl managed to slip a single finger through the mesh and touch the ropes when Lillandra held them up. "Concentrate now," the sorceress said. "Draw out of the magia, and--"


    But the ropes slackened and fell off her hands before she had even finished speaking the sentence. "I did it!" Shell exclaimed. "That was easy."


    "Excellent," Arai said. He turned to Lillandra. "Do you still have that little mirror Jerade gave you?"


    She reached into her pocket and pulled it out. "I was going to throw it into the sea," she confessed. "But I thought it might come in handy."


    "Can you make a Volcanic out of it?"


    She frowned. "I could," she said. "But it might be better to break it apart. A piece of glass this size would produce a very large explosion."


    Arai grinned wolfishly. "That''s exactly what I''m counting on."


    * * *


    They arrived in Helltrix the next morning. A large group of pirates, carrying ropes and manacles, entered the crew''s quarters and, without preamble, proceeded to tie them all up together. Lillandra replaced the Snake''s Knot on her own wrists, to make it seem as though it was still intact, and fortunately the pirates left her alone; they didn''t tie her to the others. Arai was tied up, however, and dragged up on to the deck with the rest of the crew.


    It was the first time he had been outside in over a week. The morning glow was so bright that it blinded him, and the air was so fresh that he found himself sucking it in greedily.


    It took several moments for his eyes to adjust to the light, and to his surroundings. He was standing on the deck of the Cockatrice, which had found a berth in a not-very-busy harbor attached to a large city, which he presumed to be Helltrix. It appeared to be a rather gloomy-looking place, but it was such a foggy morning that he couldn''t make out very much; the only buildings that stood out were a pair of large black-brick towers, which rose up out of the fog.


    The Cockatrice was floating next to a long pier, right off the harbor, and a gangplank was already hauled up to allow the pirate crew -- and their prisoners -- to disembark. Radille and the Reaper were just arriving at another berth, some distance away.


    Arai threw a glance at Lillandra, who had also been brought up on the deck. He nodded to her. She nodded back.


    Shell was there, too, crouching behind the steps leading up to the quarterdeck -- just as he had instructed her. He nodded at her as well, when she peeked her head out to look at him, and she nodded back, determined.


    Arai, who had been tied up with Twine, whispered to him: "Get ready."


    "Get ready for what?"


    But he had scarcely said the word when Arai suddenly shouted: "Now!"


    Lillandra responded immediately, freeing herself of Snake''s Knot, pulling the mirror out of her pocket, and throwing it at the pirates, most of whom had gathered themselves near the gangplank and who were preparing to lead their prisoners off the ship. Lillandra had warned him that the explosion would be big, but even Arai was unprepared for the massive sound and concussive impact of the zemi, which tore through the bodies of the pirates and splintered the deck. Limbs flew through the air; men screamed; and the entire ship was rocked, the explosion causing it to heave from side to side.


    In the confusion that followed, Shell emerged from hiding and began using her little Witch''s Dagger to saw at the ropes holding Arai. Unfortunately Twine and the other members of the crew, to whom Arai was tied, had been thrown into a panic by the explosion, and they were jostling around so much -- Arai was being pulled all over the place -- that she couldn''t cut him free. And some of the pirates -- those who had managed to avoid the explosion -- were now attempting to get the prisoners back under their control. One of them shouted at Lillandra, and several others had drawn their cutlasses and started to converge on her.


    Arai grit his teeth. The explosion might have maimed half a dozen pirates -- there was blood all over the deck -- but it hadn''t caused quite as much confusion as he had expected. And the sound of the explosion must have alerted others as well, because he was already hearing shouts of alarm coming from the harbor.


    There wasn''t enough time.


    He turned to Lillandra. "Take Shell and get out of here," he said. "Use the Mermaid''s Glass. They won''t be able to find you under the water."


    "What about you?"


    "There''s no time to argue!" he shouted. "Go!"


    She gave him a lingering look, but she did as he bid, grabbing Shell by the wrist and pulling the elf girl over to the ship''s railing. Shell, who had collected their zemi, and Arai''s sword as well, dug the Mermaid''s Glass out of her bag and handed it to Lillandra. And then, without another word, both of them dove into the water.

 Chapter Thirty: The Captive Knight

    When, after several minutes, Lillandra and Shell failed to surface, the pirates presumed they had drowned and got on with business: first they tended to their mutilated comrades; then, they marched their prisoners off the Cockatrice, dragging them along by the ropes with which they had tied them together. They were led out of the harbor, into the damp and foggy city of Helltrix, and then out of the city, to a large black castle just outside the city walls. This was a monstrous structure, which reminded Arai of the Haunt or the Nightfall, only it was bigger than either of those: it was a concentric castle with massive curtain walls, seven round towers, and a fortified keep, and the outer walls were surrounded by a moat.


    The pirates led them to the main gate, where they conferred with a pair of guards. One of the guards went into the castle and returned a few minutes later with another man, a man wearing a set of official-looking badges. This man frowned at the prisoners.


    "And where did you find these?" he asked the leader of the pirates.


    "Merchant ship out of Addisport."


    "How many?"


    "Thirty-two, and good, strong lads they are, with plenty of fight in ''em."


    "I hope so," the man sighed.


    "Three bards a head?" the pirate asked hopefully.


    "Two," the man countered. "I''ll have the clerk count it out for you." He looked at the woeful-looking crew of the Cockatrice again, and frowned again. "And we''ll have to keep them here until Valtun gets back, I suppose. Just what I needed. More mouths to feed." He grumbled some more, then said, "All right, bring them in."


    The pirates tugged on their ropes, and they were led over the drawbridge and into the castle. The interior was as gloomy as the exterior, and quiet as a tomb.


    "What is this place?" Twine whispered to Arai.


    "Some kind of prison, I''m guessing," he said, for there were guards, equipped with pikes and swords, stationed everywhere.


    They were led down a hallway and down a series of steps, into the dank and turbid depths of the castle, and finally into a dungeon, lined with cells. Arai and Twine were cut free from the others and thrown into one of the cells, which was already occupied by a bedraggled-looking older man; the rest of the sailors were placed in other cells.


    The cell was small, only about ten feet square, and the only amenity was a putrid-smelling waste bucket. The stone floor was covered with dirty straw.


    And that was that; the pirates, their work done, left the dungeon with the guards, some of them chuckling to themselves.


    Twine began shaking almost immediately. "What''s the matter?" Arai asked.


    "I don''t like this," he said nervously. "I don''t like being stuck underground. The thought of all that weight on top of us..." He started breathing raggedly.


    "Let''s sit down," Arai said. They put their backs to the wall and slid down to the floor, side by side, and Arai, speaking to the young sailor kindly, eventually managed to calm him down. He turned to the older man then, the other prisoner, and asked him his name.


    The prisoner, who was perhaps sixty or seventy years old, was a leonine man with a white beard and striking blue eyes. Despite his age, and despite the fact that he had obviously been locked up for some time, he was big and muscular, with brawny arms and thick, powerful legs. His clothes were ragged, but Arai could make out the remains of a kilt and a blue doublet.


    The man blinked at him. "I thought you were Addish. You speak Gallean?"


    Arai hadn''t realized that he had switched languages; the spell Lillandra had cast on him, with the Stone of Many Tongues, sometimes surprised him in this way. "I speak several languages," he said. "No, I''m not Addish, but I''m not Gallean, either, nor Skirrish. It''s a long story. What''s your name?"


    "Estil," the man said. "Sir Estil Endsgrief."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Sir?" Arai didn''t understand this appellation.


    "I am a knight," the man clarified proudly.


    "Ah." That didn''t really answer his question, but he supposed it didn''t matter. "My name is Arai, and this is Twine. He''s an Addish sailor. I was a passenger on his ship when it was attacked by Skirrish pirates. They captured the whole crew and brought them here."


    "You have my sympathies," the man said gravely. "It''s my understanding the Skirrish have been kidnapping a great many sailors. The Aeromancer is preparing a final assault on the Long Wall; they''re going to need all the men they can get." He sighed. "I should be there."


    "You''re Gallean, then? A prisoner of war?"


    He nodded.


    "How long have you been here?"


    "I can''t be certain, but it''s been several months, at least. I was captured on a sortie north of Prestoris." When he saw the blank look on Arai''s face, he added, "That''s a Gallean city, abutting the Long Wall. We were outnumbered, and I...I allowed myself to be captured, to save the lives of my men. And so I was brought here."


    "And where is here?" Arai asked.


    "They call it the Dolorous," he said. "It''s one of the largest castles in Grand Skir. It belonged to the Haraj family, originally, but after he took power the Aeromancer turned it into a prison." He shook his head. "A place of misery and grief."


    "What''s he saying?" Twine interjected. "What are you talking to him about?"


    Arai translated the conversation for the sailor. Twine stared at him. "Estil Endsgrief? This man...this man is Estil Endsgrief?"


    "You''ve heard of him?"


    "He''s the most famous knight in Galleus! Everyone knows him!" He stopped suddenly, suspicious. "Are you sure it''s really him?"


    Arai turned to Sir Estil, who evidently did not speak Addish, and told him what Twine had said. "He''s heard of you."


    The knight smiled weakly. "I''m not surprised."


    "You really are this famous knight, then?"


    He nodded sadly. "It''s something of a curse, this fame. But yes, I am the one and only Estil Endsgrief, knighted on the battlefield by King Arthorius himself. I killed the Bandit King of Bloodlorn in single combat; I rescued Princess Rin from the wizard Gargal; I destroyed the monster Tiamatus after it rose from the depths of Lake Tapyrus and attacked Tax Noctum. And until a few months ago I was a senior member of the Council of Knights."


    Arai had never heard of most of the people or places, but he got the gist of it: Sir Estil had had a long and storied career. "Do the Skirrish know who you are?"


    "Of course," he said. "But I don''t think they know what to do with me. They probably expected a ransom, but I have no remaining family, and I recently had a falling out with the Council of Knights; I''m sure they have no interest in buying my freedom. Valtun can''t even make a traitor out of me; his attempts to brainwash me have failed."


    "Valtun?"


    "The sorcerer in charge of this castle. He''s one of the Aeromancer''s lackeys. He uses some kind of magic to hypnotize poor souls like you, then sends them off to serve the Aeromancer at the Long Wall. But his magic didn''t work on me. My will is too strong."


    Hypnotism? Perhaps this sorcerer had an Eye of Domination -- the zemi Lillandra had used to try to hypnotize Captain Burt back in Addisport. In any event, this was almost certainly why the pirates had captured them -- Grand Skir needed soldiers, and they had no qualms about kidnapping and brainwashing innocents like Captain Burt and his crew to acquire them.


    He found it curious, though, that Sir Estil was immune to Valtun''s magic. Was it even possible to resist that kind of mind control? Well, maybe it was; maybe Sir Estil was special in some way.


    Twine was anxious to hear what the knight had said, so once again, Arai translated it for him. "They''re going to brainwash us?" he asked nervously. "They''re going to send us to the Long Wall?"


    "That''s what it sounds like."


    "And this man really is Sir Estil Endsgrief?"


    "That''s what he says."


    "How in the world did the Skirrish capture him? He''s supposed to be one of the best fighters in the world."


    "He says he surrendered to them in order to protect the men under his command," Arai said. He was intrigued by Twine''s description of the man, though -- was the knight really as bold a warrior as he was made out to be? Perhaps he had been in his youth, but he was an old man now, and in a fair fight, and in his current state, Arai didn''t think he''d have too much trouble overpowering him.


    All that was academic, though. The real question was, how the hell were they going to get out of this situation? Like Twine, he had no desire to be hypnotized and marched off to fight the Galleans at the Long Wall. Sir Estil might have been able to resist this Valtun''s mind control, but there was no guarantee that Arai could do the same...and unlike Sir Estil, he was not a valuable prisoner; if Valtun''s mind control failed to work on him, they would probably just kill him outright.


    He didn''t see how he could escape. The cell was girded with sturdy iron bars, and its lock appeared to be solid. Moreover, this castle-prison was crawling with Skirrish soldiers.


    And escaping the castle would only be the first step. How was he to survive in Helltrix? He was totally unfamiliar with Grand Skir. The Aeromancer''s press gangs would surely catch up with him eventually.


    He wondered about Lillandra and Shell. He was glad that the two of them had managed to escape, but he was very, very worried about them. Where would they go? Would Lillandra continue on to Velon without him? She had told him, more than once, that she wouldn''t go to the trouble of rescuing him if he found himself in some dire situation, but she had said those things some time ago, and their relationship had changed somewhat since then. At least, he thought it had.


    But how would she go about rescuing him, anyway? She had Silus, and a handful of zemi, but that was it.


    He swore, and asked himself again: How the hell was he going to get out of this one?

 Chapter Thirty-One: Prison

    Arai had spent the last week locked up in the crowded, stinking belly of the Cockatrice; now he was locked up again, in a dark and fetid dungeon beneath Dolorous Castle on the outskirts of Helltrix. There was nothing to do but wait, so he waited.


    At least he had company. He spent several hours conversing with both Twine and Sir Estil -- Twine told him stories about the sailing life, and Arai finally told him the whole truth about himself and how he had arrived in Addis. "You were magicked here?" the incredulous sailor asked him. "In the middle of a fight with Lillandra?"


    "That''s right."


    He frowned. "I thought you two were lovers."


    "What?!"


    "Well, that''s the impression I got, from the way you two looked at each other. I never would have guessed she was your prisoner."


    "She''s not my prisoner anymore," he clarified. "But I''m certainly not in love with her. She turned my friends to stone."


    "She really did that?"


    He nodded.


    "If she''s so powerful, why didn''t she save us from the pirates?"


    "I told you, her magic doesn''t work like that. She''s a genius at making these zemi, but she can''t throw spells around like a battlefield mage."


    "Too bad," he sighed.


    "Too bad," Arai agreed.


    He spoke with Sir Estil as well. Having been locked up in this cell for several months, with no one to talk to, the knight was grateful for the company and eager to learn more about him. Arai was a little wary of the man, however, and didn''t tell him everything that he had told Twine. "I''m trying to get home," he explained.


    "And where is home?"


    He hesitated, then admitted, "The other side of the Scarred Lands."


    But to his surprise, Sir Estil didn''t blink. "I''ve met a few travelers from beyond the Tarnak," he said. "I spent quite a lot of time in Bloodlorn when I was young; the caravaneers coming over the mountains usually ended up there. One of them was from a place called...Balbari?"


    "Balbaroy!" Arai exclaimed. "That''s one of the states of Arliel''s Holy Empire!" This was the first time that he had heard any kind of reference the lands of the west since he had first arrived in Addis all those months ago; it almost brought tears to his eyes. "This traveler was from Balbaroy? What was his name?"


    "I can''t recall. It was a very long time ago."


    "So it is possible to cross the Scarred Lands," he breathed.


    "Possible," Sir Esil said, "but very difficult. This man I met from...Balbaroy, was it? There were over forty men in his party, but only nine of them managed to make it through the desert alive. He was so haunted by the experience that he never bothered to try to make the return trip; he settled in Bloodlorn instead."


    This was not encouraging, but Arai was buoyed by it nonetheless. Of course the Scarred Lands were dangerous, but if ordinary travelers could make it through, surely he could as well. After all, he had Silus, and Lillandra''s magic, and the Everlasting Chalice, and...


    He stopped there, frowning. He didn''t have any of those things anymore. He was locked up in a dungeon, with no hope of rescue, and he had no idea whether Lillandra was alive or dead.


    A few more days passed. The prisoners were given food and water, although not much of either, and Arai''s stomach was beginning to growl at him. He watched the guards carefully, keeping track of their movements and looking for opportunities to overpower them and escape, but the men only entered their cells every other day, to empty out their waste buckets, and they came in heavily armed, using their pikes to intimidate the prisoners. Arai might have tried grabbing one of their pikes and fighting his way free, but he didn''t like the odds. He needed a sword. He needed Silus.


    One day -- or night; it was impossible to tell down here -- the door to the dungeon opened, and an important-looking man, flanked by two guards, entered. He was tall, and gaunt, with sunken eyes and sunken cheeks, and his two front teeth were extremely crooked, protruding out of his gums in two different directions and with a big space between them. He was wearing an expensive-looking black robe with gold trim.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "How many are there?" the man asked the guards. Perhaps because of the gap in his teeth, he spoke with something of a lisp.


    "Just over a hundred," the guard replied.


    The man sighed. "This is going to be a lot of work. I''ll start tomorrow, I think." He paused in front of Arai''s cell. "Sir Estil," the man greeted, in the Gallean language. "And how are you this fine evening?"


    "Valtun," Sir Estil grumbled in response.


    "It looks a little crowded in there," Valtun observed, in a jolly, familiar sort of way. "I apologize. Space is at a premium, you see. But don''t worry -- these two will be shipped off to the front lines as soon I''m done with them. You''ll have this little palace all to yourself again very, very soon."


    "You can''t keep me in here forever, Valtun." His voice was low and dangerous. "I''ll find my way out eventually, and when I do--"


    "Oh, please," Valtun interrupted, practically yawning. "You''re not going anywhere." He glanced at Arai. "You don''t look like a sailor."


    "I''m not."


    "Who are you?"


    "Arai."


    "That''s a peculiar name. Where are you from? Are you Gallean?"


    "No."


    When he said nothing more, Valtun scowled at him. "Keep an eye on this one," he told the guards. "I don''t like the look of him." And he left the dungeon, taking the guards with him.


    "That was Valtun?" Arai asked, when the man had gone. "The sorcerer who''s been brainwashing people?"


    "Indeed," Sir Estil said. "A vile character, but then, all of the Aeromancer''s lackeys are."


    Arai frowned thoughtfully. "Tell me about him."


    "About Valtun?"


    "No, about the Aeromancer. Who is he? What''s he like?"


    The knight shrugged. "He''s a sorcerer," he said. "An extremely powerful one. He was born the son of a Skirrish nobleman; his father already owned half of Grand Skir. When the old king died, and before the new king could be crowned, he overthrew the government, entirely on his own. No one could stand against his magic."


    "What kind of magic?"


    "Wind and weather magic, mostly. That''s why they call him the Aeromancer. He called up great storms to devastate the cities and castles of those who disobeyed him. He flooded most of Helltrix and wiped out an entire army of Skirrish loyalists with cyclones. And when he had consolidated his power in Grand Skir, he attacked Citias and Galleus. Skirrish aggression was nothing new, of course -- the Long Wall was built centuries ago, to keep out Skirrish invaders -- but the Aeromancer''s assault was unlike anything we had ever faced. The war has been raging for years. I was a young man when it began."


    "How do you contend with his storms?"


    "There''s some kind of protective magic built into the Long Wall," he said. "And our own sorcerers protect us from the worst of his storms, dissolving them before they can do any real damage. Nevertheless, the skies over Prestoris have been dark for years; the Aeromancer''s storms rage over the Long Wall almost constantly." He sighed. "The Citians have had better luck. They covered their border with magical mines and constructed some kind of spell to prevent the Aeromancer from manipulating their weather. The Citians have very good magicians. But even they had difficulty fending off the Skirrish -- the Triarchy has a small population and their regular troops suffered for years until the Aeromancer finally called off the invasion. Make no mistake, though -- if Draj manages to break through the Long Wall, it won''t be long until before he turns his attention to Citias once again."


    "What''s he after?" Arai asked.


    "Power."


    "He already rules Grand Skir."


    He snorted. "A man like Draj won''t be satisfied unless and until the entire world is under his control. He''s certainly not doing it for the people of Grand Skir. What do they get for fighting and dying for the Aeromancer? Nothing. Nothing but misery."


    There were similarities, Arai mused, between Lillandra and this Aeromancer. Both were skilled sorcerers who had used their magic to take power, and both had driven their kingdoms to the brink of ruin. But there were differences, too: Lillandra had been born a peasant girl, while the Aeromancer was of noble blood, and while Lillandra had never sought power for its own sake, the Aeromancer was greedy for it. And it was the Pierces who were mainly responsible for running Velon into the ground -- if Lillandra had chosen a more worthwhile set of stewards, that might never have happened.


    And whatever one might say about Lillandra, she had never turned her monsters on the Holy Empire, nor any other kingdoms; she was not a warmonger like the Aeromancer.


    He wondered who was the more powerful sorcerer, though. The Aeromancer, capable of summoning up colossal storms and routing entire armies by himself, would certainly seem to be the stronger of the two; Lillandra couldn''t do anything like that. There was more to power than brute force, however. Lillandra''s magic was less powerful, perhaps, but no less potent. She had spent the last hundred years, after all, working on a spell to bring a man back to life. Could even the gods to do that? Summoning up windstorms seemed almost picayune in comparison.


    Lillandra. He sighed to himself, wondering where she was, what she was doing, and whether he would ever see her again. And what about Shell? He had grown very fond of the little elf girl; he hated to think of her lost and alone on the streets of this dark, foreign city.


    He sighed again. Valtun would return in the morning, he knew, and begin brainwashing the prisoners. Would Arai be able to resist him, as Sir Estil had? And what about Twine and the rest of the Cockatrice crew? The men had been good to him; he didn''t like the idea of seeing them shipped off to the fight the Aeromancer''s war.


    He had no answers. Frustrated, he sat down against the wall, tucked his legs up underneath him, and, a few minutes, drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


    He awoke perhaps an hour or two later, to the sound of his name: "Arai," he heard a voice whisper.


    It wasn''t Twine or Sir Estil; it was a female voice. For a moment he thought he was dreaming, but after rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he realized that someone was standing outside of the cell -- a dark figure, literally wrapped up in shadows, crouching down near him. The cloak she wore was very strange -- it rippled like a dark wave whenever she moved, lapping into the shadows surrounding it.


    "Arai," the voice whispered again, urgently. "Get up. We''ve got to get out of here."


    The figure lifted the hood of her strange, dark cloak, revealing her face. It was a face Arai knew very well.


    "Lill," he breathed.

 Chapter Thirty-Two: Prison Break

    "Am I dreaming?" Arai asked out loud. Having just woken up, he was still a little muddleheaded, and Lillandra''s strange dark cloak, which seemed to merge with the shadows themselves, looked like something out of a dream.


    "Of course not," she replied. "Hurry, now. We don''t have much time."


    Twine, who had also been sleeping, stirred when he heard Lillandra, and when he saw her there, crouched down next to the bars of their cell, his eyes went wide. "Lillandra!" he practically shouted.


    "Shut up!" she hissed back at him. She removed something from within the folds of the cloak -- it turned out to be a key -- and unlocked the door to the cell. "Let''s go, Arai."


    Arai had a thousand questions, but he held off on asking them for now. He glanced at Twine and Sir Estil. "What about them?"


    "What about them?"


    "I can''t leave them here."


    "Bring them along, then," she said crossly.


    "I won''t leave without my shipmates," Twine said firmly.


    "I can''t sneak all of you out of this prison," she said. "Do you know how long it took me to sneak in? There are guards everywhere." She reached into her cloak again and produced Silus; she handed the sword to Arai. "There''s no time to argue. Let''s go."


    Arai accepted the sword, but he didn''t budge. "Twine is right. We can''t abandon the crew of the Cockatrice. And they''re not the only ones here who have been impressed against their will."


    "We can''t save them all," she insisted.


    "We can try."


    She sighed. "Do you always have to play the hero? All right, then. What do you suggest?"


    "We''ll free them," he said, "and we''ll fight our way out. There''s at least a hundred prisoners down here. If we can catch the guards by surprise..."


    "You''re insane."


    "We have to do something."


    "Whatever you decide to do," Sir Estil broke in, "you''d better do it fast. The guards will find us soon."


    Arai nodded. He swiped the key out of Lillandra''s hands (leaving her looking rather dumbfounded) and began using it to unlock the other cells. He warned the prisoners to be quiet, but some of them couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. He winced, hoping their voices wouldn''t carry.


    It took about five minutes for him to unlock all the cells and free all the prisoners, who gathered themselves in the dungeon''s corridors. Arai wasn''t sure how to proceed from here -- the prisoners were free, but many of them were weak, and none of them had any weapons. They couldn''t possibly overpower the guards in this state.


    Sir Estil surprised him by taking charge. "Gather the strongest of them together," he told Arai. "We''ll attack the guards outside the door, seize their weapons, and proceed through the castle, killing as many of them as we can, as quietly as we can, and collecting their weapons. As soon as we''ve acquired enough, we''ll send a couple of men back here to arm those who remain. Most of the soldiers will be sleeping in their barracks at this time of night -- we should try to bar the door, lock them in there somehow. And if the Skirrish do manage to raise the alarm, we''ll throw everything we have at them, all at once. At least a few of us may manage to escape." He turned to Lillandra. "Do you know what time it is?"


    "After midnight," she said.


    "That should make our job easier." He lifted his chin at the assembled prisoners. "Tell them."


    Arai explained Sir Estil''s plan to the nearest prisoners, who passed it on to those behind them. Several large, strapping men soon emerged from the crowd, volunteering to be a part of the advance guard -- including a couple of burly sailors from the Cockatrice. There were eight of them in all.


    Arai took the lead, for he was the only one equipped with a real weapon. With Lillandra, Sir Estil, and Twine following him, and with the eight volunteers behind them, they made their way down the corridor, to the large double-barred door of the dungeon.


    "How did you get through here?" Arai asked Lillandra.


    "I drugged the guards," she said, "and stole their keys. The door up ahead should still be unlocked."


    "The guards are asleep?"


    "Not exactly. They''re in a kind of stupor. But they shouldn''t give us any trouble. It''s the gate guards we''ll have to worry about, and all the others prowling around."


    Well, this was good news. Arai glanced at Lillandra, running at side, her weird shadow-cloak fluttering behind her, and grinned. She had come for him after all. She was risking her life to rescue him.


    Arai opened the door, cautiously, and found the situation as Lillandra had described it: the two sentries stationed at the door were standing there stupidly -- still on their feet, but swaying drunkenly, as if in a daze. Arai took their pikes and gave them to a couple of the volunteers, then had them dragged back through the door and locked up in one of the cells. "How long will they stay like that?" he asked Lillandra.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "A few minutes. I didn''t have time to make a more powerful philtre. I was too busy making this cloak."


    "What is it, anyway?" he asked.


    "An Assassin''s Cloak. I wanted to make a Draw of Shadows, but I didn''t have enough time, so I made this instead."


    "What does it do?"


    "It''s for sneaking around, for hiding in the shadows. A Draw of Shadows would have enabled me to travel through the shadows, like Nharlek''s monster did, but it would have taken months to make. This was the best I could do on such short notice."


    "I appreciate it. Where''s Shell?"


    "Safe."


    The group started down one of the castle''s corridors -- sticking to the shadows, hugging the walls, and trying to make as little noise as possible. At one point they encountered a pair of guards, chatting with each other; Arai quickly dove out of sight, and when they turned a corner, two of the bigger sailors seized them, wrapping them up in headlocks and strangling them until they stopped moving. Each guard had been carrying a sword; these were handed over to a couple of the other volunteers. As they made their way through the halls, they found a few more items that might make useful weapons: a hammer, a table leg (converted into a club), and a few other odds and ends. They found another sword as well, which Sir Estil appropriated for himself. "Skirrish steel," he complained, testing its weight. "But it''ll do."


    Twine and two other sailors from the Cockatrice volunteered to look for the barracks -- Sir Estil was right; if they could trap those soldiers in their rooms before the alarm was raised, they would stand a much better chance of escaping. Arai wished them good luck and sent them off.


    They managed to knock out several more guards, and to collect several more weapons, some of which were sent back to their comrades in the dungeons. By now they had arrived in a corridor adjacent to the main hall -- the large, spacious gallery they had passed through when they were first captured. Peeking around the corner, Arai spotted several more bored-looking guards, like the ones they had already overpowered, but this was a big, open room, and catching them by surprise would be very difficult.


    "Any thoughts?" Arai whispered to Sir Estil.


    "We only need to get close to them. How good is your Skirrish?"


    "Pretty good," he said. The spell Lillandra had cast on him gave him a perfect command of these eastern languages; he apparently spoke them like a native, without any trace of an accent.


    Sir Estil nodded. "We''ll disguise ourselves as guards and approach them. You do the talking. When I give the signal, let them have it."


    Arai blew out a breath. "All right," he said, and the two of them proceeded to strip a couple of the guards they had knocked unconscious earlier and change into their black uniforms. Then, leaving the others behind, they walked out into the open, headed for the guards. There were six of them in all; three of them were standing around chatting, and the other three were stationed at various point within the gallery. A seneschal, on call for late-night deliveries perhaps, was also scribbling something at a desk near the entrance, but he didn''t look to be much of a threat.


    They approached the three men who were standing together. "You''ve been relieved," Arai told them.


    The men turned to look at him. "Relieved? What are you talking about?"


    "Valtun''s worried about assassins breaking down his door or something. He wants a couple of you to go up there and guard him. The two of us will take over here." He jerked a thumb at Sir Estil. The knight, his face hidden beneath a Skirrish helmet, nodded in agreement.


    The men looked at each other, frowning, obviously skeptical. "I don''t recognize you," one of the said. "Are you new?"


    By now they were standing within five or six feet of the men. When one of them took a step forward, to get a better look at Arai''s face, Sir Estil whispered, "Now!"


    Arai reached for his sword, but before he had even pulled it halfway out of the scabbard Sir Estil had already whipped his own sword out, lightning-quick, and cut down the first man. A second later, the second man went down; Sir Estil seized him by the gorget, pulled it down, and stabbed him in the throat.


    Arai was astonished -- he had never seen a man move so fast, not even Yaqui, and his skill with that sword, even if it was just "Skirrish steel", was uncanny; it seemed to dance in his hand, flickering in the torchlight.


    And the knight was at least three times his age! He couldn''t believe it.


    He had his own work to do, however; he didn''t have time to marvel at the Sir Estil''s swordplay. Drawing Silus, he slashed at the third man, but the guard somehow managed to bring his pike up and block the blow. He was too surprised to retaliate, however, and Arai quickly pressed the attack, slipping around and cutting his hamstring, which caused him to fall to one knee. Arai snatched the pike out of his hand and tossed it aside, then booted him in the back of the head.


    That was three down, but the other soldiers in the gallery had seen everything, and the seneschal, panicked, was now screaming his head off. Two of the soldiers charged them with their pikes, while another ran off, his eyes wide -- either out of cowardice, or to alert the rest of the soldiers stationed in the castle. Arai hoped that Twine and the others had managed to lock down the barracks.


    Sir Estil cut down one of the men who charged him; again, he moved so quickly, and with such poise, that Arai could barely follow his movements. The other guard ran past him, though, aiming for Arai. A sword was a poor weapon against a pike, but Arai had battled spearmen and pikemen before and he knew how to deal with them -- he waited until the last moment, then twisted his body around the length of the pike and delivered a backhand blow to the guard''s neck. The blow was deflected by the man''s armor, but Arai was close enough now to hit him with the Net of Steel, forcing him to drop the pike. One of the burly prisoners then jumped out of hiding, wrestling the man to the ground.


    Lillandra stepped out of hiding as well, her Assassin''s Cloak shimmering weirdly in the torchlight. "Now what?" she asked.


    They could hear shouting coming from some distant part of the castle. "We don''t have much time," he said. And only a moment later, a dozen more soldiers came rushing into the room. Seeing their fallen comrades, and seeing the Arai and the others standing there in the gallery, they cried out in alarm and immediately attacked.


    At almost the same moment, however, the crew of the Cockatrice, along with the rest of the prisoners, suddenly came roaring out of the corridors, and just like that, the fight was on. The entire gallery was thrown into chaos -- men yelling, weapons clashing, battles erupting all over. In the midst of this, Twine appeared, running over to Arai and Lillandra. "There''s two barracks, maybe three," he said breathlessly. "We managed to block the door to one, but it won''t held them forever, and the others are all awake now. They came pouring out. What do we do?"


    "Figure out how to lower that drawbridge," Arai said grimly. "We''re getting out of here."


    But then he stopped, and frowned, because a new figure had just swept into the gallery: a tall, gaunt figure, hovering over the heads of the others, his fingers alive with flame.


    "Valtun," Arai muttered. Another fight, with another sorcerer. It figured.

 Chapter Thirty-Three: A Knights Vow

    Valtun, the sorcerer-warden of Dolorous Castle, floated down to the floor, the tips of his fingers flickering with candle-flame. The escaped prisoners, wary of the sorcerer''s power, began to back off, and the guards began to push them back.


    Sir Estil stepped forward, his eyes flashing. "I have you now, sorcerer," he called out, and he threw himself at the man, heedlessly, before Arai could even think to stop him.


    Valtun didn''t say anything in response to Sir Estil''s challenge; he merely snarled, raised his hands, and unleashed a torrent of flame at the knight. Sir Estil rolled out of the way, snatched a fallen pike off the floor, and threw it at him, but Valtun levitated up and out of the way, and the pike clattered harmlessly against the wall behind him. The sorcerer then began gesturing furiously, and dark clouds suddenly began to develop above their heads -- the sorcerer was summoning up a miniature storm in the middle of the castle. The clouds swirled, the wind rose, and it began to rain.


    The escaped prisoners cried out in terror, and even the Skirrish soldiers began to look worried at this potent magical display. Sir Estil was unmoved, however. He stole another pike from one of the guards and threw it at the sorcerer, who was hanging in the air, above them all. It was a perfect throw, but Valtun saw it coming and deflected it with a wave of his hand.


    "The Sheltering Wind," Arai murmured, recognizing the spell. He had seen Vex use that spell several times. He had never seen him call up a storm like this, though; this was some impressive sorcery.


    "He''s using the storm to generate an electrical imbalance," Lillandra called out to him, over the rush of the wind.


    "What does that mean?"


    "Lightning," she said.


    And sure enough, the artificial clouds, roiling above them, soon began to flicker and flash, as though lightning were brewing within them. Most of the activity was directly above Sir Estil.


    Arai suddenly realized what the sorcerer was planning to do. Raising Silus over his head, he ran forward, leaping in front of Sir Estil and pushing him out of the way just as the lightning came flashing down. The bolt would have burned the knight to a crisp, but Silus caught it, and absorbed it, the sword''s power neutralizing the magic.


    Sir Estil looked up at him in astonishment. "You saved my life. But how did...?"


    "Leave the sorcerer to me," he said, turning his attention to Valtun, who was scowling down at him.


    How to go about this? Valtun was obviously a skilled sorcerer -- not on the level of Lillandra or the Aeromancer, but probably a match for Vex. He had fought battlefield mages before, but it was always a hassle -- they could protect themselves with the Sheltering Wind, and it was difficult to get close to them, for they could levitate, and throw fire from their hands. Some could cast ice spells; others could give themselves superhuman strength. And a few very owned enchanted objects, zemi, that enabled them to do all kinds of things.


    There were limitations to their powers, however -- only the best sorcerers could perform more than two or three spells at once, and they were limited by the amount of magia in their surroundings. They couldn''t cast powerful spells unless they had a great deal of magia to work with.


    There must have been quite a lot of magia in this old castle for Valtun to have called up this storm, however. Arai frowned, considering.


    Lillandra appeared at his side. "Get ready," she said.


    "For what?"


    "I''m going to dissolve the spell he''s using to keep himself aloft."


    "You can do that?"


    "It won''t take him long to figure out what I''m doing. He''ll probably cancel the spell before I can undo it, but either way, it''ll force him to the ground. Get ready!"


    And she began gesticulating, moving her fingers in the air as though she were playing with invisible strings -- turning them, tugging at them, and sometimes clipping them between her fingers.


    Arai raised his sword, watching and waiting for Valtun to fall. But the sorcerer not only remained in the air for several more seconds, he managed to throw another lightning bolt at Arai as well. This one was even more potent than the last; the force of it nearly rattled Silus out of his hands. But once again, the sword protected him, neutralizing the magic.


    Valtun stared. Arai could tell what he was thinking: once might have been fluke, but twice?


    And then, evidently catching on to what Lillandra was doing, he made a face and immediately lowered himself to the ground. This was his opportunity; Arai charged.


    The sorcerer raised both hands and tried to set him on fire, but Arai stood firm, and the flames washed him over him -- just as they had back at the Nightfall, when Lillandra had tried that same spell on him. He raced forward...


    ...But once again, Sir Estil beat him to it. Somehow, the knight had managed to work his way around the sorcerer, while he was preoccupied with Arai, and now he leapt into action. Valtun turned, his flames flying all over the place now, but he was too late: Sir Estil had already stabbed him through the heart. He quickly withdrew the blade, and the sorcerer''s flames died out; the wind and the rain, as well, gradually began to dissipate.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Valtun was dead, but more and more guards were appearing all the time, and the escaped prisoners were hard-pressed to hold them back. "Twine!" Arai shouted. "Have you figured out that drawbridge yet?" But he need not have bothered, because before he had even finished speaking, the gears began to grind, the chains began to slacken, and the great drawbridge began to drop. The crew of the Cockatrice helped with this, rotating the two levers as fast as they could, and a moment later, in spite of all the chaos, they had managed to drop the bridge.


    And then they ran -- all of them, including Arai, and Lillandra, and Sir Estil. It was a confused free-for-all; the escaped prisoners burst out of the castle, tackling the few guards who stood in their way, and ran off in all directions -- some of them headed for the darkened city, others for the darkened countryside. The crew of the Cockatrice, including Twine, stuck together, however, and with Arai, Lillandra, and Sir Estil, proceeded to the harbor. "We just might make it," Twine said, "if we can get to the ship."


    "What about Captain Burt?" someone asked.


    But none of them knew where Captain Burt was being held, and there was no time to look for him -- Twine was right; they had to get to the harbor, board the Cockatrice, and leave Helltrix as quickly as possible. They only had a few hours to work with; it would be dawn soon, and their chances of escaping the bay in broad daylight were slim.


    Was the Cockatrice still in the harbor, though, where they had last seen it? Had the pirates sold the ship, or turned it over to the Skirrish authorities? They had no way of knowing. Arai supposed they might be able to win control of another ship, but the crew -- less than thirty men -- were already tired from the fighting and the running, and the last few days had left them weak and weary. Even Arai felt fatigued.


    Sir Estil, however, despite his age, seemed to have boundless energy. He actually began to outpace Arai and the others, and was forced to slow down for them. "Where are we going?" the knight asked.


    "To our ship," Arai said, huffing and puffing. "The Cockatrice."


    And then, all of a sudden, Shell was there, running alongside them. Where had she come from? She caught up with Arai and Lillandra, and said, "What happened?"


    "Arai wouldn''t leave without Twine and the others," Lillandra said. "Hurry! We''re going to try to escape on the Cockatrice."


    They ran on, but it soon became obvious that they were being pursued, through the moonlit streets of Helltrix -- the soldiers had apparently organized themselves enough to give chase, and some of them must have been on horseback, for he could them galloping over the cobblestones. A few minutes later he began to hear the baying of dogs as well.


    They were nearing the harbor now, but the soldiers were right behind them. Arai swore.


    "What are we going to do?" Twine asked, panicking.


    But there was only one thing to do. He skidded to a halt, with Lillandra, Shell, and Sir Estil, and said, "We''ll split up. Get to the Cockatrice and get out of Helltrix if you can. The rest of us will lead them back into the city."


    "But--"


    "There''s no time to argue. Go!" He gave the redheaded sailor a push, and wondered if he''d ever see him again.


    The rest of the crew thanked them and proceeded to the harbor, leaving only Lillandra, Shell, and the Gallean knight. "You could try your luck with them," Arai suggested to Sir Estil. "Their original destination was Tax Trium."


    But the old man shook his head. "I don''t believe in luck. But I do believe in fate, and my fate is your fate now. I owe you my life, and I would remain in your company for as long as you''ll have me." He suddenly knelt before Arai. "I am Sir Estil Endgrief, and I am yours to command."


    Shell stared. "Who is this guy?"


    "You heard him," Arai said. "He''s Estil Endsgrief. But we don''t have time for this. Quickly, now, on your feet. They''ll be on us in a minute."


    The soldiers spotted them and shouted; they were close enough that Arai could hear the jangling of their armor. "Run!" Arai shouted, and they ran.


    "Where are we going?" Lillandra asked. "Do you have a plan?"


    "As a matter of fact I do," he said. Part of the city, he had noticed earlier, had been built up along a cliffside overlooking the sea; he headed in that direction. "Do you still have the Mermaid''s Glass?"


    "I have it," Shell said, digging into her cloak and holding it up. "But what are we going to do with..." And then her face fell, as she realized what Arai intended. "Oh, no," she moaned. "Not again."


    "They won''t look for us if they think we''re dead," he told her. "It''s our only way out of this."


    "There has to be a better way," Lillandra said.


    "Well, I''m open to suggestions. If you can think of one before we make it to those cliffs, let me know."


    They ran on, through narrow alleys and long boulevards, one step ahead of the soldiers. At last, they arrived at the top of one of the cliffs, which rose about a hundred feet above the sea, and upon which a little tower had been constructed. Arai peered over the edge of the cliff. The waves had carved the land beneath the cliff into concavity; it actually curled somewhat over the sea. He couldn''t see any rocks below them. This was the perfect spot.


    "Lill," Arai said, turning to her.


    The sorceress made a face, but she nodded reluctantly. She took the Mermaid''s Glass from Shell and touched it to each of their chests. Arai felt a peculiar tingle in his lungs when it touched him, but it only lasted for a second.


    Sir Estil was confused. "What''s going on?"


    Arai explained it to him: "Lillandra just cast a spell on us that will allow us to breathe underwater. We''re going to make a jump for it."


    "Into the sea?"


    "Into the sea."


    The knight chuckled. "You''re a bold one. But there''s no turning back now, is there? I''ve already given you my word." And with that, he kicked off his ragged boots and headed for the edge of the cliff. "Shall we?"


    Arai grinned. It seemed to him that Sir Estil was the bold one.


    "They''re coming," Shell said urgently, and indeed, the soldiers were almost upon them now, riding up the pathway to the tower at the top of the cliff. One of them saw them standing near the edge, and shouted at them.


    "It''s going to hurt when we hit the water," Arai told them. "Try to go in feet first. Stay under as long as possible, until they''ve given up searching." He squinted at a headland in the distance, well outside the city. "We''ll make for that point. Everyone ready?"


    "I don''t like this," Lillandra muttered, frowning down at the dark seas.


    Arai, on impulse, reached out and took her hand, intertwining her fingers with his own. She looked up at him sharply, but did not pull away. "I''ve got you," he told her quietly.


    She studied him for a long moment, as if trying to discern his intentions...but finally nodded again, and set her mouth into a line. "On the count of three."


    And three seconds later, the four of them jumped into the black abyss.

 Chapter Thirty-Four: Dark Waters

    They hit the water hard -- the impact of it was jarring -- but Arai never let go of Lillandra''s hand; she fell with him, and hit the water with him, and even though the both of them were totally enveloped by darkness, and immediately pummeled by the rising waves crashing against the shore, they managed to hold on to each other.


    Arai instinctively tried to stay afloat, to keep his head above the water, but Lillandra kept pulling him down, and he remembered then that he didn''t need to stay afloat; her spell allowed him to breathe underwater. Experimentally, he dipped his head below the surface, and even though his body was screaming at him not to do it, he opened his mouth and tried to breathe.


    Water immediately filled his lungs, and for a moment he thought the spell must have failed...but he wasn''t choking, and the seawater in his lungs was, he quickly realized, not obstructing his breathing. On the other hand, the water was extremely cold, both inside and outside of his body, and he wondered suddenly if he had miscalculated. The Mermaid''s Glass allowed them to breathe underwater, but how long could they endure this cold?


    But the longer they remained below the water, the more accustomed to it he became -- it was cold, certainly, but it wasn''t the kind of cold that was going to kill him. The greater problem was the darkness -- it was pitch-black beneath the waves; he couldn''t see a thing. And though he wanted desperately to speak with Lillandra, to ask her if she was all right, he couldn''t do that either.


    Eventually, the two of them floated down to the bottom of the sea, which was probably around twenty or thirty feet deep at this point. Arai felt his ears pop, but the underwater pressure did not otherwise bother him; he wondered if this was part of the spell. As soon as he hit the bottom, he righted himself, planting his feet on the sea floor; Lillandra did the same. Where was Shell? What had happened to Sir Estil? It was impossible to tell; it was simply too dark. All they could do was wait.


    But how long would the spell last? Lillandra had mentioned once that the spell would likely last a few hours, but she had used up some of the magic in the Mermaid''s Glass earlier, when she had escaped the Cockatrice with Shell. How much was left? He knew it was possible to recharge some zemi, such as the Candle of Hours, but he wasn''t sure about the Mermaid''s Glass.


    He eventually began to calm down. Slowly, and while still holding Lillandra''s hand, he began to feel his way forward. He wasn''t sure which direction they were facing, but there seemed to be more rocks near the shore, so he veered away from those, following them up the coastline -- hopefully north and west, to the headland he had pointed out to the others earlier. Lillandra did not object, so either he was heading in the right direction, or she was just as lost as he was.


    Walking along the bottom of the sea, a couple of dozen feet beneath the surface, and with no fear of drowning, was a very strange experience. If there had been more light, and if the water had been warmer, and if he wasn''t still worried about Skirrish patrols, he might have actually enjoyed it.


    After spending perhaps half an hour beneath the water, he indicated to Lillandra that he wanted to surface. Kicking off the ocean floor, he swam up, using his legs to paddle himself to the surface, and broke through the waves above. He quickly got his bearings -- the cliff was almost directly above them; they hadn''t made any progress at all towards the headland. He didn''t see or hear the soldiers above, but neither did he see or hear any sign of Shell or Sir Estil. He thought about calling out to them, but decided he didn''t want to risk it.


    Lillandra suddenly surfaced next to him, strands of her long, dark hair clinging to her face. "Any sign of them?"


    Arai wasn''t sure if she was referring to the soldiers or to Shell and Sir Estil, but he shook his head regardless. "I don''t see them. Are you all right? We hit the water pretty hard."


    "I''m all right."


    "I think the current is pushing us in the wrong direction. Can you swim? We should try to make it to shore."


    "I can swim," she said, "but not very well."


    "Hang on to me, then." She grabbed hold of his belt, and the two of them started off -- both of them swimming, but with Arai doing most of the work. When they made it within a few feet of the shore, they dipped back under the water again to conceal themselves from anybody who might have been watching, and made their way to the rocky point where they had agreed to rendezvous. Finally, and fully exhausted, they emerged from the sea and crawled up on to the shore, finding themselves on a sandy spit a few hundred yards from the headland. Though Arai was anxious to start looking for Shell and Sir Estil, they both needed a rest. And so they remained there for several minutes, side by side on the little beach, both of them shivering from the cold. The moon broke through the clouds, bathing the scene in silver light.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "I didn''t get the chance to thank you before," Arai said to her.


    "Thank me?"


    "For coming to my rescue. For breaking me out of the prison."


    She shrugged. "Shell insisted."


    "Is that the only reason?"


    She thought about it. "No. You''ve saved my life two or three times now; it wouldn''t have been right, leaving you there. Besides, we stand a much better chance of making it back to Velon if we stick together...right?"


    "I did say something like that, yes."


    They were both quiet for a moment. Lillandra finally broke the silence: "There''s one other thing."


    "Yes?"


    "I''ve been thinking about what you said, about...about wanting to be friends."


    "Ah."


    "We''ve been through a lot together. We started out as enemies, of course, but maybe..." She turned to him, suddenly, her dark eyes full of the moonlight. "Do you really want to be friends?"


    "I think we already are friends."


    "I''ve never had a friend before. Not really. Temis, maybe, back in Ada, and Shell, of course. But before that..." She shook her head. "I didn''t have friends, even as a child."


    "What about Julien?"


    "Julien was more than a friend," she said.


    Arai understood. Lillandra had had a difficult childhood. She was a magical genius, but a lonely person, and after Prince Ryal murdered the only person who had ever loved her, who had ever shown her any kindness, she had snapped, and sworn vengeance on the whole of Velon. That didn''t excuse her actions, but she was, after all, a teenage girl, and a broken and battered one at that. If Prince Ryal had murdered someone dear to him, Arai might have chosen the same path.


    In fact he had chosen that path -- hadn''t he sworn to kill Lillandra after Lord Pierce murdered his father? Both of them, after all, had run off in pursuit of vengeance. Arai had always told himself he was working for the people of Velon, but there had always been that personal side to it as well.


    "Thank you," he told her. "Thanks for coming after me."


    She shrugged and got to her feet. "We should find Shell and that knight. What was his name?"


    "Sir Estil Endsgrief. He''s famous, apparently."


    "Can we trust him?"


    "I think so," he said, "but I''m not sure yet."


    "He''s some kind of sorcerer, you know."


    Arai stopped. "A sorcerer?"


    "Well, maybe not a sorcerer, exactly, but I noticed magia gathering around him earlier, when he was fighting. He wasn''t calculating, or casting spells, but he was using it, somehow, manipulating it like a sorcerer. It was very strange."


    "He didn''t tell me he was a sorcerer," Arai said doubtfully. "Are you sure he wasn''t casting spells? He was moving very fast for a man his age, and his skill with that sword was unreal."


    "He wasn''t casting spells," she assured him. "It was something else. He may not even have been aware of what he was doing, but he was definitely using magia."


    "Interesting." Perhaps Sir Estil had a found a way to use magia to increase his strength and speed, but without casting spells; perhaps that was the secret to his legendary fighting prowess.


    But none of that was important now. He filed that information away and got to his feet as well. "Let''s look for them."


    Arai suspected that the Skirrish soldiers had given up looking for them, or had already written them off for dead, but just to be on the safe side, the two of them straddled the cliffside as best they could, trying to stay out of view of anyone who might see them from the city above. When they were finally in the clear, they broke into a run, making their way up the coast, to the deserted headland.


    On arrival, they found no sign of Shell or Sir Estil. Had they made it to shore? Arai wondered if they were going to have to return to the water to search for them.


    A few moments later, however, he heard a quiet voice calling out to them from behind a rocky outcropping: "Arai? Lillandra?"


    It was Shell. "We''re here," Lillandra called out to her.


    She emerged from hiding, along with Sir Estil. The elf girl jumped up to embrace Lillandra, while Sir Estil conferred with Arai. "We thought you might have been a Skirrish patrol."


    "Are you all right? Did you have any trouble making it to shore?"


    "Not particularly. I swam most of the way, with the little elf child on my back. I was always a good swimmer, and swimming is easy when you don''t have to worry about drowning." He glanced at Lillandra. "Thank goodness for that spell you cast."


    Arai marveled. The knight was practically elderly, and had spent the last several months in prison; nevertheless, he had managed to swim more than a mile with a little girl on his back. Sir Estil''s physical abilities were almost as impressive as Lillandra''s magical ones.


    Shell, meanwhile, was a little bruised from the fall, but was not badly hurt, and what''s more, she still had her satchel, which contained their zemi and some other supplies. "Where do we go from here?" she asked.


    "We have to get as far as away from the city as possible," Sir Estil said. "The soldiers we left up on the cliff probably think we jumped to our deaths, but there will be other parties out, searching for the escaped prisoners." He turned to Lillandra once again. "Can your magic conceal us?"


    She shook her head. "My specialty is making zemi," she said. "I can''t throw spells around like a battlefield mage."


    "Pity." He frowned thoughtfully. "We have these Skirrish uniforms," he said, referring to the outfits they had taken off the guards at Dolorous Castle, which they were still wearing. "They ought to offer us some protection -- Skirrish peasants are very deferential to soldiers. If we encounter anyone, we''ll tell them we''re headed for the Long Wall."


    "Is that where we''re headed?" Arai asked. "The Long Wall?"


    He nodded grimly. "North and east is the Skirrish heartland. South, of course, is the Bay of Vandals. We could make for the Triarchy, I suppose, but the Bal River is a formidable obstacle, and the border between Grand Skir and Citias is covered with magical mines and other dangers besides. No, our best bet is Galleus, and the Long Wall."


    "But there''s fighting going on there, isn''t there?" Shell asked. "How are we going to sneak through the Skirrish camps? How are we going to cross the Long Wall into Galleus?"


    The knight smiled. "Fear not. I have a plan."

 Chapter Thirty-Five: Flattery

    They started off immediately, making their way west along the Skirrish coast. It was still dark, but the clouds had dissipated now and the moon was full, and they had little trouble seeing where they were going.


    The terrain was rough and rugged, full of high cliffs and scattered boulders. There was a road running along the coast, but they avoided it -- they were only a few miles outside of Helltrix, after all, and it was very possible the soldiers from the Dolorous were still searching for them. Arai didn''t hear any hoofbeats -- in fact, except for the sound of waves, crashing against the shore, the region was eerily quiet -- but he didn''t want to take any chances.


    Sir Estil, whose energy was apparently limitless, wanted to keep them going, but after an hour or two of walking Arai was finally forced to bring them to a halt: he was simply too exhausted to continue. The battle, the escape from the castle, the swim to shore, and the fact that he hadn''t had a good night''s sleep in several days, had worn him down, and when he found himself stumbling in the dark, he realized that he couldn''t go on. Lillandra and Shell were tired as well -- they had been hiding in some kind of abandoned shack on the outskirts of Helltrix since their escape from the Cockatrice, and neither of them were at their best. Creating the Assassin''s Cloak had worn Lillandra to a frazzle as well: "I didn''t have very much magia to work with," she explained. "So I had to be very conservative with my calculations. It was a lot of work."


    They descended the cliffs and found a small, shallow cave, adjacent to the beach, in which to hide themselves for the night. Sir Estil volunteered to take the watch. Arai, grateful, found a sandy spot and practically collapsed into it; he fell asleep almost immediately.


    When he awoke, several hours later, the sun was already high in the sky. He was very stiff, and covered with bruises -- in fact they were all rather bruised up; that long fall into the sea had left them battered -- but he shook it off, yawned, and got to his feet.


    Sir Estil was already awake, if he had slept at all, and was currently building a fire out of driftwood. "I was just about to cook breakfast," he said, and Arai saw that he had somehow managed to capture several large crabs. "How did you sleep?"


    "Fine," Arai said warily. "Were you up all night?"


    "More or less," he said.


    Arai couldn''t believe the old man''s stamina. Lillandra was right; he had to be using magic. "Aren''t you tired?"


    He shrugged. "I only need a couple hours of sleep a night," he said, "but I can do without if I have to."


    "That''s amazing."


    "I''ve always had a great deal of energy," he said. "Ever since I was young. I thought that would change as I grew older, and that I would eventually burn myself out, but that seems not to have happened...yet."


    "You fight with the speed and strength of a much younger man. You''re faster than me, and I''m not even half your age."


    He smiled faintly. "You flatter me."


    Their conversation woke Lillandra and Shell. Shell rubbed her eyes sleepily, and when she saw the crabs, she grinned. "Breakfast?" she asked.


    "Breakfast," Sir Estil agreed. "These are best served with butter and seasonings, but under the circumstances I''m afraid we''ll have to take what we can get."


    They were all so hungry, though, that they didn''t care. When they were finished with the crabs, Sir Estil put the fire out, and they resumed the conversation. The knight was more than a little curious about them -- Arai had not told him much about himself or his situation while they were in the prison cell.


    "Are you two married?" he asked Arai and Lillandra.


    "No," Arai said quickly. "We''re just...traveling together."


    He glanced at Shell. "And the girl?"


    "She''s an orphan we picked up in Kingsaile," he said. "It''s a long story."


    "We''re going to be here a while," the knight said, looking up the sun. "We should try to avoid traveling during the day, at least until we''re a few more miles out of Helltrix."


    Arai glanced at Lillandra. "It''s a long story," he repeated, "and you might have a hard time believing it."


    "Try me."


    And so Arai spread his hands and told him everything. He told him about Velon, Silus, the rebellion, and his battle with Lillandra at the top of the Nightfall. He told him how they had arrived in Addis and how they had begun to work together. He told him about the Stone of Many Tongues and the various other zemi they had in their possession.


    Sir Estil raised his big, caterpillar-eyebrows a few times, but did not otherwise interrupt the story. When Arai told him about the Stone of Many Tongues, he nodded. "You spoke Addish, Skirrish, and Gallean while we were imprisoned. I thought that passing strange. I know some Skirrish myself, but it''s a difficult language. Do you still have this zemi? It might be useful to cast this spell on me, in the case we run into any Skirrish soldiers."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Lillandra agreed. She fished the zemi out of Shell''s satchel and placed the stone to his forehead. The knight frowned. "That''s it? I didn''t feel anything."


    "It''s a very subtle spell," she said.


    "In any case," Arai went on, "that''s how we arrived in Addis, and that''s why we were on the Cockatrice. We''re trying to get back home."


    "A swordsman and a sorceress," he mused, "putting aside their differences in order to return to their home country. You make for an interesting pair." He frowned at Lillandra. "And you were the ruler of this place? This...Velon?"


    She nodded reluctantly. "In a manner of speaking. But as Arai explained, I left the governing to the Pierces, and I was unaware of just how bad things had gotten."


    "Your magic must be very powerful. You might even be a match for the Aeromancer."


    "I might have been, if I still had the Staff of Night," she said, "but without my zemi, all I could do against a mage like the Aeromancer is try to unravel his spells."


    "Like you did with Valtun?" Arai asked. She merely blinked at him, so he added, "That was the name of the sorcerer we fought back at the castle."


    "Ah. Yes, like that, only this Valtun''s spells were sloppy and easy to take apart. It''s not usually that easy, but of course it depends on the sorcerer and the calculations he''s made. The Aeromancer is, by all accounts, a very good sorcerer."


    "He''s been a thorn in our side for the last thirty years," Sir Estil grumbled.


    "You''ve managed to keep him at bay for this long," Arai said encouragingly.


    "But how much longer can we hope to hold out? The Long Wall is in danger of falling; the Aeromancer has spent the last several months attempting to dissolve its magical protections. And without it..."


    "Is the Skirrish army really so formidable?" Arai asked. "I was under the impression they must be pretty desperate, if they''ve had to resort to kidnapping sailors and sending them to the front."


    "It''s not that," the knight said. "The Skirrish army is nothing to scoff at, but in the face of a good Gallean cavalry charge..." He snorted. "No, the Skirrish army isn''t the problem. The problem is the Aeromancer, and the divisions within Galleus itself."


    "Divisions?"


    He frowned. "What do you know about Galleus?"


    "Not much," Arai admitted.


    "I know a little," Shell piped up. "I read about it in Plint''s Travels. It''s ruled by a Council of Knights, isn''t it?"


    He nodded. "Galleus is a kingdom, technically, but the Council of Knights is the real power in the realm. Twelve knights are chosen to sit on the Council; most of them are from the nobility, but some, like me, were commoners, elevated to the Council for other reasons -- fame, prestige."


    "You''re on this Council?" Lillandra asked.


    "Not anymore," he said, with just a hint of bitterness. "But I''ll get back to that. King Arthorius has twin sons, Jae and Jax. It is unclear which one of them was born first; their mother died bearing them and the midwife was uncertain. As a result, both of them are potential heirs, and both have their followers: Prince Jae''s supporters are known as the Blue Hearts, and Prince Jax''s are the Red Hearts."


    "If the Council is the real power in Galleus, what difference does it make which of them becomes king?" Shell asked.


    "It makes a difference," Sir Estil said, "because Prince Jae''s Blue Hearts wish to dissolve the Council and restore power to the king. Prince Jax''s Red Hearts hope to maintain the status quo. Needless to say, almost all of the knights on the Council support Prince Jax''s Red Hearts, but Prince Jax is a quiet, bookish fellow, and though I hate to say it, not much of a leader. Prince Jae, in comparison, is quick-witted and charismatic, and the epitome of a knight -- a good swordsman and an excellent lancer. He has many, many supporters, especially among the commonfolk."


    "And where do you stand?" Arai asked. "With Prince Jax or with Prince Jae?"


    "I''ve tried to avoid taking sides. Both princes have valid arguments -- Prince Jae is correct that the Council has grown too powerful, but completely dissolving it would tear Galleus apart. Before the Council came along, the great families were constantly squabbling and warring with each other, and if they were to lose their representation on the Council, those bad times would likely return. The Council has ruled Galleus for almost two hundred years, and apart from a few Skirrish incursions and this latest assault by the Aeromancer, we''ve been at peace with ourselves and with the outside world." He shook his head sadly. "If circumstances were different they might have been able to find some middle ground, but this isn''t just a political argument -- it''s a contest for the crown. It''s all or nothing, for both of them, and the whole kingdom is so caught up in these intrigues that no one is paying enough attention to Mustaf Draj and the situation at the Long Wall."


    "I see."


    He sighed deeply and continued: "One of the other knights on the Council, Sir Pricket, suspected me of sympathizing with the Blue Hearts, the faction that wishes to dissolve the Council. He concocted a scheme to remove me from the Council, and I was dismissed, ultimately, by King Arthorius himself. I was then sent to the Long Wall, and captured by the Skirrish during a sortie."


    "What was the scheme?" Lillandra asked. "To remove you from the Council, I mean?"


    "Ah. Sir Pricket accused me of accepting bribes from the Skirrish."


    "Did you?" Shell asked.


    "No," he said gently, though Arai could hear the hurt in his voice. "I did accept a small gift from a Skirrish commander, which he sent me in gratitude for sparing his life on the battlefield. It was a mere token, but Sir Pricket and his supporters were able to blow it all out of proportion." He hung his head. "I spent most of my life in service to the king. I was one of his bodyguards; the two of us practically grew up together. I swore to serve him and his family to the best of my ability, but in the end, I was forced to leave him, to renounce him, to break my oath. And now I am as you see me -- an old, broken man, abandoned by his friends and driven to disgrace in Galleus." He looked up at Arai. "None of that matters now, of course. I swore a new oath last night, to you, and I mean to keep it."


    Arai was touched, but a little taken aback as well. "I...may not be worthy of your service."


    "You saved my life, and the lives of the other prisoners. You are strong, and brave." He glanced at Shell, saying, "You are kind to children," and then he turned to Lillandra, saying, "and merciful to your enemies. That''s good enough for me."


    "You flatter me," Arai muttered. "I''ve only done what I had to do."


    "In any case," the knight said, "I am your servant now, and on my honor as a knight, I will see you safely to Velon." He cast his gaze westward. "But first we have to get past the armies of Grand Skir, the Aeromancer''s storms, and the monsters of the Tarnak. This isn''t going to be easy."


    "No," Arai sighed. "No, indeed."

 Chapter Thirty-Six: The Long Wall

    They left the cavern just before dusk. Arai would have liked to have continued along the beach, where they could not be seen from the main road, but the terrain was too difficult, full of rocks, gullies, and promontories. So they climbed the cliffs, back up to the plateau overlooking the sea, and began making their way west, under the darkening sky.


    They followed the road, which Sir Estil was certain would lead them all the way to the Long Wall, but remained out of sight, avoiding any traffic they encountered and spending much of their time in the pine forests and hedges adjacent to the highway. When the first fingers of dawn began to claw their way up out of the western horizon, they retreated into the forests again and spent the day there, sleeping. Arai was thoroughly exhausted, his sleep schedule having been totally disrupted (sleeping all day and walking all night), and even Sir Estil seemed weary by this point. They were also desperately hungry -- Shell stumbled across some wild grapes in the forest, which they ate greedily, but the grapes were small and did little to ease their hunger. Fortunately they still had the Everlasting Chalice, which provided them with an apparently infinite supply of fresh water. Sir Estil was impressed with the zemi: "I would have loved to have had one of these when I was stationed in Bloodlorn," he commented. "It gets very hot in the desert."


    After eating their fill of grapes they found a quiet spot in the forest and spent most of the day sleeping under the canopy, on beds of pine needles. When Arai finally awoke, late in the evening, he found Lillandra curled up next to him, using his arm as a pillow.


    There was something almost comical about this; in fact he nearly burst out laughing. He had spent two years searching for a weapon to kill this woman, to free Velon from her tyranny, and now here they were, practically cuddling.


    But then his mirth died away, and he found himself contemplating her face. Lillandra was a hard, suspicious character, a cynic. She rarely smiled. When she was sleeping, though, she looked like the carefree girl she might have been, without any trace of that hardness, that cynicism. What kind of life might she have gone on to lead, if her parents had not abandoned her, if Prince Ryal had not murdered her lover and King Reemus not put her village to the torch? Arai would have liked to have known that girl. He would have liked to have met her before all these terrible things had happened to her. He would have liked to have been there for her.


    He frowned at himself. His feelings towards Lillandra seemed to be growing deeper and more complicated all the time.


    Though his arm had fallen asleep, he didn''t want to wake her up, so he allowed her to lie there, while he continued studying her face. It was, after all, a lovely face, and it wasn''t often that he got to see her like this.


    She awoke on her own a few minutes later, however, and when she realized how close they were, she immediately sat up and put some distance between them. "Sorry," she mumbled.


    "For what?"


    "I didn''t...I didn''t realize we were so close," she said, brushing her long hair out of her face, in a flustered kind of way.


    "I didn''t realize it, either," he said carefully, "until now."


    By now Shell and Sir Estil were awake as well. Yawning, the elf girl approached them. "What were you two talking about?"


    "Nothing," Lillandra said quickly.


    "Nothing," Arai agreed. He got up and studied the sky. "We''d better get moving."


    And so, under cover of night, they continued west, avoiding Skirrish patrols and stealing food from farms and villages as necessary. Aria wasn''t proud of this -- these Skirrish farmers and villagers were obviously not wealthy -- but there was only so much foraging they could do out in the countryside. He wished that he could pay them back somehow.


    Shell, however, who had spent most of her life as a pickpocket in Kingsaile, was not nearly as concerned about the propriety of it: "We do what we have to do to survive," she said.


    "I guess we do," Arai allowed. "But that doesn''t make it right."


    Sir Estil backed him up: "Stealing is wrong, of course, and totally contrary to the code of chivalry. In extreme circumstances, however..." He shrugged. "Well, the Perfect Knight knows all and judges all. It''s up to him to decide whether our actions were right or wrong."


    "The Perfect Knight?" Arai asked.


    "That''s a god, isn''t it?" Shell added. "The god of the Galleans?"


    "Indeed," Sir Estil said. "The Perfect Knight is the essence of knighthood, who rode out of his silver castle thousands of years ago to give the code of chivalry to the world. He commands us to combat evil, to protect the innocent, to be generous to our friends and merciful to our enemies. He protects the soldier in battle, and expects us to live our lives with honor and integrity. And his wife, the Perfect Lady, is the defender of women everywhere, though her influence is...rather more subtle."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Shell had mentioned these gods once or twice, but this was the first time Arai had met a worshipper of this Perfect Knight. The religion seemed strange, but then, all of these eastern religions seemed strange to him.


    Before they had set off Sir Estil had warned them that they had a long journey ahead of them: Helltrix was at least two hundred miles from the Long Wall. They could cover perhaps ten or fifteen miles in a night, if they walked all night, but this was a grueling pace, and it took a toll on them. And as the moon began to wane, they began to have more and more difficulty seeing where they going, which made traveling at night more difficult. They still had the Candle of Hours, but Arai was afraid the mage-light would attract too much attention.


    It took them over ten days to make it to the big Skirrish camp at the base of the Long Wall -- ten days of skulking through the woods, sleeping during the day, avoiding Skirrish press gangs, and stealing supplies from local villagers. Though Arai still had no idea how they were supposed to slip through this battlefield -- Sir Estil hadn''t explained his plan to them yet -- he was grateful that they had, at least, finally managed to make it to within a few miles of Galleus.


    To avoid the carts and carriages, which were coming and going constantly here, they once again made their way down to the craggy seashore, where they could hide themselves beneath the cliffs, in the rough and boulder-strewn terrain. From here, they observed the scene.


    Arai had spent most of his life in the company of mercenaries; war was nothing new to him. The sheer scale of this contest astounded him, however -- this war was obviously nothing like the little sieges and skirmishes he had participated in back in Arliel''s Holy Empire. There were tens of thousands of troops gathered here, their tents stretching almost as far as the eye could see. These Skirrish encampments ran the whole length of the wall, but most of them were concentrated near a place Sir Estil called the Firemen''s Gate, five or six miles north of the point where the Long Wall met the sea. The ground was pockmarked with craters and skeletonized trees, burned with mage-fire.


    The Long Wall was a sight as well; Arai had never seen anything like it. It had been constructed out of huge white blocks, each one of which must have weighed a hundred tons; these could only have been moved by magic. Although the bottom portion of the wall was dirty and weather-stained, the blocks at the top, including the battlements, were still white. It stood at least forty or fifty feet high, and ran off into the northern horizon, slithering around hills and trails and finally vanishing into the dark-blue distance.


    And above it all, storms raged: unnatural dark clouds, flashing with lightning, rumbling with thunder, hovered over the battlefields. This weather was extremely ominous; the air was thin and pregnant with danger. Every once in a while a wispy cyclone would begin to descend out of the dark wall clouds roiling over the Long Wall, only to dissipate after a few moments.


    "That''s the Aeromancer''s doing," Sir Estil said. "If we didn''t have sorcerers stationed up there to dissolve his spells, those cyclones of his would have swept us off the battlements a long time ago."


    "How long did it take to build this wall?" Shell asked, staring wide-eyed at the huge structure.


    "Many, many years, I imagine," the old knight said. "It''s thousands of years old."


    Lillandra was studying the Long Wall. "These are some interesting spells," she mused.


    "There''s a lot of magia running through the air," Shell remarked, closing her eyes in concentration. "It''s even worse than the Haunt. Do you get a lot of monsters?"


    Sir Estil shook his head. "I understand there''s a lot of magia here," he agreed, "but the Aeromancer, and our own sorcerers, use so much of it that there''s hardly any left over for monsters to materialize."


    "Very interesting spells," Lillandra noted again, still studying the Long Wall. "Very old. Very powerful." She turned to Sir Estil. "I should warn you, though. Some of the spells built into that wall are in danger of unraveling."


    "That doesn''t surprise me," the knight muttered. "The Aeromancer has been trying to deconstruct the spells protecting the Wall for years, and our best sorcerers haven''t been able to stop him."


    "What happens if the spells fail?" Arai asked.


    "Then the Long Wall fails," he said. "Draj will blow it apart, and he''ll destroy Prestoris with blizzards and cyclones. Tax Noctum will be next, and eventually all of Galleus will fall." He looked at Lillandra curiously. "Can you repair the damage? Our own sorcerers haven''t been able to do anything with it."


    "Perhaps," she said, squinting at the great structure. "Perhaps some of it. These are very old spells, and I''m not familiar with these calculations." She glanced up at the stormy sky. "These storms, however...I could probably untangle these."


    "What''s your plan for getting us into Galleus?" Arai asked Sir Estil.


    "Ah." The knight pointed a small bay, filled with rocks, about a mile and a half from where they stood. The Long Wall ran very close to it. "You see that bay? There''s a secret tunnel on the other side that leads under the Long Wall. It''s called the Hangman''s Gate. The Skirrish don''t know about it; we''ve been using it to stage sorties into Grand Skir. The problem is, that bay is very treacherous, and the Aeromancer''s storms make it almost impossible to get across. The water is too rough." He turned to Lillandra. "But if you could dissolve these storms..."


    "We''ll need a boat," Arai pointed out.


    "That won''t be a problem. There''s a couple of rowboats hidden near the shore; I used them to cross over myself, before I was captured. They should still be there."


    Arai nodded. "What do you think, Lill? Can you get rid of these storms?"


    "Not all of them," she said. "But I ought to be able to dissolve the one directly above us. We won''t have much time, though. The Aeromancer will sense what I''m doing, and it may make him curious. If he finds us before we make it to Galleus...well, this secret tunnel won''t be a secret for much longer."


    "How much time?"


    She shrugged. "It depends on how closely he''s paying attention. An hour, perhaps? Maybe less."


    "That''s not much time," Arai said, "but I think it might be worth the risk."


    "All right, then," she said, looking up at the boiling sky again. "Let''s get started."

 Chapter Thirty-Seven: Galleus

    They headed for the bay immediately, crawling over rocks and scrambling over tide pools, while above, the Aeromancer''s magical storm roiled and raged: wind blew, rain lashed at their faces, and every once in a while lightning would flare up and strike a high point on the cliffs above them. The sea, meanwhile, to their left, was in a state of absolute fury, whitecapped waves rising and crashing into the shore with terrific intensity. "Is it always like this?" Arai shouted to Sir Estil.


    "Most of the time," he said. "Remember what I told you about Prestoris? It''s been shrouded in darkness for more than a decade now."


    "Prestoris is the city on the other side of the Long Wall?"


    "That''s right." He looked ahead, his expression grim. "How is Lillandra doing?"


    Arai glanced at her. "Are you making any progress?"


    "I''ve almost got it," she said. "I should be able to dissolve the storm by the time we make it to the boats. These kinds of spells take on a life of their own, however; the wind and the rain will probably continue for some time even after I''ve broken down the spell."


    "That''s impressive," Sir Estil commented. "Our sorcerers can dissolve the Aeromancer''s cyclones, and redirect his lightning, but it takes a dozen of them working in concert to break down an entire storm."


    "She''s very good," Arai said, and was surprised to find a hint of pride in his voice. Lillandra must have noticed it, because she gave him a curious look. He gave her a wry grin in return.


    They found the boats exactly where Sir Estil had said they would be -- pulled up on the shore near the edge of one of the cliffs, and covered over with gravel and seaweed to disguise them. Arai and Sir Estil flipped one of them over and dragged it to the bay, while Shell carried the paddles. By now the storm was beginning to let up -- the rain had turned into a mere drizzle, and the wind had died down. With the sea now considerably calmer, the four of them climbed into the boat, and Sir Estil, rowing for all he was worth, began to paddle them to the other side of the bay. Arai volunteered to help, but as usual, Sir Estil was possessed of boundless energy and insisted on doing the rowing himself.


    The seas were still rough, and difficult to navigate; they only narrowly avoided crashing into the rocks. Finally, though, after perhaps forty-five minutes of rowing, they reached the other side of the bay and clambered out of the boat. From here, Sir Estil led them to a low-hanging cliff, and into a nondescript cave at the base of it. The mouth of the cave was partially hidden by vines and strips of seaweed, hanging over the front of it; these brushed Arai''s face as he passed through it.


    The cave was large enough for them to stand up in -- in fact it was large enough for a horse and rider to pass through, and the deeper they went, the wider it became. About fifty feet in, the stone walls turned to brick, and it became apparent that the cave was not, in fact, a cave, but a tunnel that had been carved out of the earth. The tunnel was dark, and Shell led the way with the Candle of Hours at first, but after a few minutes they spotted some flickering torchlight in the distance, and finally they arrived at an iron gate, at which a Gallean guard had been stationed.


    The guard, who seemed not to have been paying much attention, leaped to his feet and drew his sword when he heard them coming. "Who goes there?" he shouted.


    "Hold," Sir Estil said. "We come in peace."


    The guard lowered his sword when he heard Sir Estil speaking Gallean. "Sir Estil?" the man asked, his eyes bugging out. "Is that you?"


    "Indeed it is," he said.


    The guard removed a torch from its sconce in the wall and waved it in their direction, that he might get a better look at them. "You''re wearing a Skirrish uniform," he said doubtfully.


    "A disguise. Please, let us through."


    "Who are they?"


    "Friends," the knight replied, glancing back at Arai, Lillandra, and Shell. "I was captured by the Skirrish, as I''m sure you know. They helped me escape from the Dolorous."


    "I see." The man gave Arai and the others another doubtful look, then said, "But I''m afraid I can''t let you through. I have to consult with the mages first -- you might be wearing a false face. Do you know the password, at least?"


    "Pale Horse," Sir Estil said.


    The guard nodded. "All right. Wait here. I''ll be back in a few minutes." And he rushed off.


    "Some welcome," Arai muttered.


    "He''s only doing his job," Sir Estil said, "and he''s doing it well. This young man was right to suspect us. Draj is best known for his storms, but he''s a skilled illusionist as well. We could be assassins for all this fellow knows -- infiltrators, wearing glamours to disguise ourselves."


    While they waited for the guard to return, Arai had a whispered conversation with Lillandra: "These sorcerers will see how powerful you are, won''t they?"


    "Almost certainly."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "You told me once that some sorcerers can hide their true strength. Can you do that?"


    "To some degree, yes. But why would I bother?"


    "You''re at least as strong as the Aeromancer. It might make them suspicious, finding such a powerful witch down here."


    She shrugged. "You''re probably right." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I can''t hide the full extent of my power, but I can make the magia-flow look a little more natural." She opened one eye and fixed it on him. "There''s something you ought to keep in mind as well."


    "What''s that?"


    "Silus. Your sword cancels out magic. If the blade comes into contact with the Long Wall, it could damage the spells keeping the Aeromancer out. In fact it would probably destroy them completely; these spells are already on the verge of failing."


    "I''ll keep it sheathed," he said. "Are the spells really so close to failing?"


    "The Aeromancer is working at them even as we speak -- at least, I assume it''s the Aeromancer; this sorcerer is obviously very powerful."


    "You can actually feel that?"


    "I can feel someone manipulating the magia." She looked around. "Old spells like the ones built into these walls are like big, complicated knots. If the spells were newer the Aeromancer could probably just cut through them, but these fibers are old and tough, so all he can do is try to untangle them, one by one. He''s very close to doing that, along this section of the wall at least." She brushed her fingers against the wall, considering. "I could add some new tangles, which would make it more difficult for him. But he would notice that, and if you really want to keep a low profile..."


    "He''s probably already noticed you," he said. "You dissolved one of his storms."


    Lillandra stopped. "I know that look," she said, frowning at him. "You''re thinking about doing something stupid."


    "We can''t leave these people at the mercy of the Aeromancer," he said. "You heard Sir Estil. This sorcerer will destroy Prestoris, and then he''ll move on to the other cities of Galleus. If left unchecked he might even make his way west, through the Scarred Lands, and start menacing Elent or the Holy Empire...or even Velon."


    "That''s unlikely."


    "Sorcerers can live a long time," he pointed out, "and with enough time and enough magia, a powerful sorcerer can do just about anything. Remember?"


    She snorted. "True enough. But what are you proposing? Do you really want to stay here and fight the Aeromancer, and risk all of our lives?"


    "I don''t know," he said uncertainly. "All I know is that these people need help. If there''s anything we can do for them..."


    "I suppose we do owe something to Sir Estil," she sighed. "But these people aren''t really our responsibility."


    "You said the same thing back in Ada, when Erek was threatening the village."


    "That was a village," she retorted. "Galleus is an entire nation. And this Aeromancer is nothing like Erek. He''s at least as good a sorcerer as I am, and he can do many things that I can''t. If we choose to stay here and fight, we''ll probably be killed, along with Shell and Sir Estil."


    She had a point. "There has to be something we can do," he muttered.


    Before they could discuss it any further, however, the young guard returned with two important-looking individuals -- one wearing robes, another wearing a set of gleaming silver plate armor. The armored man -- obviously a knight -- immediately recognized Sir Estil.


    "Sir Estil," the man greeted, almost wearily. "I''d heard you''d been captured."


    "Sir Eustace," he returned. "I managed to escape, with the help of these fine people."


    "Is that so?" He studied Arai and the others, then turned to the sorcerer standing next to him. "Is anything amiss?"


    The sorcerer squinted at them. "I don''t think so. The woman is a sorceress, and the elf girl might have some potential, but neither of them would appear to be employing any spells at the moment."


    Sir Eustace sighed. "Very well," he said to the guard. "Open the gate for them."


    The guard quickly complied, and the four of them were ushered through the open gate, and into Galleus.


    "He seemed almost disappointed to see you," Arai whispered to Sir Estil.


    The old knight nodded ruefully. "Sir Eustace was one of those who voted to remove me from the Council. He has a seat on the Council himself."


    "Some welcome," Arai muttered again.


    They made their way through the tunnel and into an underground room, somewhere beneath the Long Wall. Here another set of guards searched through their belongings -- Shell objected, but in the end she was forced to dump the contents of her satchel all over the stone floor. The guards rifled through their various zemi -- the Everlasting Chalice, the Mermaid''s Glass, the Stone of Many Tongues, the Assassin''s Cloak (which Lillandra had rolled up and packed away) -- but stuffed them all back in the satchel and eventually returned them to her. The sorcerer frowned at the oddments, especially the Assassin''s Cloak, the frayed edges of which were constantly drifting off in the direction of nearby shadows, but said nothing about them. No one noticed Arai''s sword at all.


    Sir Eustace, a graying man in his fifties, but still stout and strong, led them up a set of stairs and into a watchtower attached to the Long Wall itself. They passed through barracks full of defeated-looking men, many of them armored like Sir Eustace; the situation, judging from the looks on their faces, was obviously grim. When they saw Sir Estil, however, their eyes lit up, and several of them jumped up to greet him. Though he had been removed from the Council, he clearly still had the support of the common soldiers.


    Sir Eustace led them into a kind of a office. "I''d be lying if I said I was happy to see you," the knight told Sir Estil, "but right now, I''m afraid, we need all the help we can get. Are you fit to lead a dodeci?"


    "I believe so," he replied. "I''ve placed myself in the service of this young man, however, and I would require his approval first. What has been happening here?"


    Sir Eustace took a moment to study Arai before answering the question. "What''s happening?" he snorted. "The Aeromancer is winning. More troops are on their way from Tax Noctum and Tax Trium, but I doubt they''ll get here before the damned sorcerer rips up the Long Wall. Our mages give it a few days."


    "The princes have not stirred?"


    He shook his head. "They''re still fighting amongst themselves."


    "What happened to Sir Chechis? Who''s in command?"


    "Sir Chechis is dead," he said sadly. "I''m the senior commander on this section of the Long Wall, and the only representative of the Council within three hundred miles of the front." He laughed bitterly. "Prince Jae was right all along, wasn''t he? The Council has grown complacent. They can''t even be bothered to come to the rescue of their own country."


    "It''s not over yet," Sir Estil said. He gestured to Lillandra. "This young lady here thinks she might be able to repair the damage to the spells built into the Long Wall."


    "She''s welcome to try," he said. "Caladeceus has already give it up as hopeless, though. Right now we''re focusing on reducing the severity of the Aeromancer''s storms, and fighting off his monsters -- two days ago he brought a couple of small dragons down out of the Striaxe. We managed to destroy one of them, but the other one is still on the loose."


    "Dragons," Arai muttered. "This just keeps getting better and better, doesn''t it?"

 Chapter Thirty-Eight: Siege

    Sir Estil was eager to learn more about the situation in Galleus, and of how things stood on the Long Wall. "I''d like to speak with Sir Eustace a little longer," he told Arai and the others, "but the three of you should probably get some rest."


    Arai could only agree -- he was tired and hungry and he must have looked awful. All three of them were in a pretty ratty state, actually; there were dark circles under Lillandra''s eyes and Shell''s clothes were ragged. They had, after all, been on the run for almost two weeks.


    One of the soldiers led them to a small room within the garrison -- a cell, really, only a few feet square, but it was warm and dry and there were a couple bunks set up for them to sleep in. Deciding he was more tired than hungry, Arai promptly hopped up one of the bunks, while Lillandra and Shell climbed into the other. A few minutes later all three of them were sleeping.


    He had no idea how long he slept, but when he awoke, he found Shell warming herself by the stove. "Good morning," she greeted.


    "Is it morning?"


    "The sun rose about an hour ago. You looked so tired, we let you sleep in."


    "Where''s Lillandra?" She wasn''t in the room.


    "Up on the battlements."


    "What''s she doing up there?"


    "Magic, probably."


    Arai pulled on his boots. "Have you eaten yet?"


    "I was waiting for you."


    "Let''s go." He led her out of the room, through the garrison, and up several flights of stairs. They finally came to a heavy door, which he pushed open, and suddenly they found themselves outside, on the top of the Long Wall, looking out over the vast Skirrish encampments to the east. The Aeromancer''s storms were boiling across the northern horizon, but directly over them, the skies were clear.


    They found Lillandra standing on the edge of the Wall, between a pair of merlons, looking out at the storm-swept plain, which was muddy and miserable-looking. "Lillandra?"


    "You''re awake," she said, without turning to look at him.


    "How did you sleep?"


    "As well as could be expected. Shell kept kicking me in her sleep."


    "I did not," Shell protested.


    Arai looked up at the clear skies. Other soldiers, stationed on the battlements, were looking up in wonder as well; it had obviously been a long time since they had seen the blue of the sky. "You''re dissolving more storms?" Arai asked.


    "And shoring up the spells protecting the Long Wall," she said. "It''s becoming more difficult, though. The Aeromancer has finally noticed me. He seems to be concentrating all of his attention on this section of the Wall." She shook her head. "The storms are easy enough to dissipate, but I can''t fix these old spells woven into the Wall. They''re too badly damaged."


    "How much time do we have?"


    "Probably only a few hours."


    "That''s all? Sir Eustace thought we still had a few days."


    "Sir Eustace isn''t a sorcerer." She turned to face him. "What do you want to do? Do you still want to stay and fight?"


    He sighed. He hated the idea of abandoning the Galleans, who were, after all, in danger of being destroyed by a sorcerous tyrant. But this really wasn''t his fight, and there wasn''t really much he could do, anyway, to help them. Before he could make up his mind, however, they were approached by Sir Estil, who had just stepped out onto the battlements as well. He looked different: he had shaved his long white beard, leaving only a bushy mustache, and he was outfitted like a proper knight now, in cerulean armor, which had been polished to a sheen. He had a sword at his belt and a huge shield strapped to his back. "There you are," he said, by way of greeting. "I have something for you. Please, follow me."


    None of them had eaten yet, so he took them to the mess hall first, where they dined on ham, eggs, and toasted bread -- though the military situation was dire, the Galleans were certainly not in danger of running out of food. It was the best meal any of them had had in weeks, and Arai felt stronger for it.


    After they finished eating, Sir Estil gave them their gifts: Lillandra and Shell were provided with new clothes, to replace their worn-out traveling garments, and Arai was given a set of armor. It wasn''t as complete as Sir Estil''s, but it included a cuirass, greaves, and vambraces, which was good enough for Arai; he preferred freedom of movement to the bulky armor these knights wore anyway. The armor, which had been painted pearl-white, was beautiful, and it looked brand new.


    "Where did you get this?" Arai asked.


    "From a friend of mine in Prestoris. I hope it serves you well."


    "Thank you," he said.


    "I have placed myself in your service," Sir Estil went on, "and so it is ultimately your decision, but the hour is late, and these people -- my people -- need all the help they can get." He knelt before Arai. "I wish to stay and help defend Galleus from the Aeromancer''s armies. Do I have your leave?"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Of course," Arai said, embarrassed. "You don''t need my permission. Please, get up."


    The knight rose. "Thank you." He turned to Lillandra. "You would appear to have had some success, breaking down the Aeromancer''s storms."


    "Some," she acknowledged. "But as I told Arai, he''s taken notice of me now, and it''s going to be much more difficult from here on out. His spells are very basic in their construction, but there''s a great deal of strength in them."


    "I see. And the Wall itself?"


    "Beyond repair."


    He nodded glumly. "I was afraid of that. We''ll have to do the best we can, I suppose, until the reinforcements arrive from Tax Noctum and Tax Trium. If, at the least, you can keep Draj''s storms from getting any worse..."


    "I''ll do what I can to help," she said, glancing at Arai.


    "Very good." He looked down at Shell. "As for you, dear one..." He patted her blonde head. "I''m afraid the battlefield is no place for children. I could send you into Prestoris--"


    "I''m not leaving Arai and Lillandra," she said firmly. She said it so forcefully that even Arai was a little taken aback; he hadn''t realized how attached to them the little girl had become.


    "You''ll be in danger here."


    "I''ve been in danger my whole life," she shot back. "Besides, I have the Badge of Deflection." She tapped the little pendant she had pinned to her cloak. "Swords and arrows can''t touch me. And I have the Witch''s Dagger as well, to protect myself." She held up the dagger they had found in Nharlek''s castle, which returned to her hand whenever it was thrown.


    Sir Estil frowned. "The enemy have these things, too," he said, "and mages as well, who can burn you with fire or freeze you solid. It''s not safe here."


    "I''m not leaving them," she said again.


    "It''s all right, Sir Estil," Lillandra said. "I will keep her safe."


    The knight nodded slowly. "Have it your way."


    No sooner had he said this than another knight, an earnest-looking young man with a shaved head, suddenly burst into the room: "The Aeromancer''s dragon is coming this way," he said, with fear in his eyes. "The whole Skirrish army seems to be moving in this direction."


    "This is it," Sir Estil said gravely. "Draj is preparing his final assault. Why would he come this way, though?"


    "He''s coming for me," Lillandra said calmly. "I''m interfering with his spells." She snorted. "I told you he would be curious about me."


    Arai didn''t like the sound of that. "I''d better get this armor on," he said grimly.


    * * *


    The battle began less than an hour later. Arai, outfitted in his new white armor, and wearing Silus on his hip, joined Sir Estil, Sir Eustace, Lillandra, and Shell on the battlements, and from there, they watched the Skirrish assault.


    The Skirrish sent their mages in first, to cover their soldiers as their siege machines were rolled forward -- the sorcerers, hovering ten or fifteen feet above the ground, deflected arrows and threw balls of fire at any defenders who attempted to thwart them; the Gallean mages responded by throwing their own fire and pelting the Skirrish soldiers with wizard''s whiskers -- long, thin, needles, which looked something like knitting needles, but which were sharpened to a fine point. The sorcerers used wind-spells to launch these needles at their opponents, and they rained down on the Skirrish attackers, sticking in the ground or plunking into the wooden siege engines. The Skirrish mages, wearing their own Badges of Deflection, were able to avoid these, but ordinary Skirrish soldiers were frequently skewered.


    The Skirrish siege machines launched boulders at the Wall, and above it. The Gallean sorcerers were able to deflect most of these, but a few did manage to get through, crashing into the Wall and loosening chunks of masonry. The sorcerers were so focused on deflecting these projectiles, however, that they were unable to devote sufficient attention to dissolving the Aeromancer''s storms, which grew and grew in intensity -- slowly but surely, the wind began to rise once again and a cold, hard rain began hammering at them. Lillandra, wearing the Assassin''s Cloak, put her hood up.


    The dragon, meanwhile, circled above the battlefield. It wasn''t even half the size of Lillandra''s pet dragon Catalyus, but even the lowliest dragon was a formidable creature -- dragons were the worst kinds of monsters, extremely fast and aggressive and extremely difficult to kill. Some of them could breathe a fire which burned unnaturally hot; Catalyus'' breath had been capable of melting stone.


    The Aeromancer''s dragon did not attack, however; it continued circling the battlefield, and it stayed well away from the Long Wall. "It can''t pass over the Wall," Lillandra explained. "That''s one of the forbiddings woven into the stone."


    The Skirrish sent siege towers and men with ladders to try to scale the Wall, but these were turned back, time and again, by the Gallean defenders. Though the storm made things difficult for the Galleans, it was almost worse for the poor Skirrish soldiers, who had to march through the muddy bog of the battlefield below, and whose siege engines frequently became mired in the mud.


    One of the siege towers eventually drew close enough for the Skirrish to mount an attack on the Wall, however -- a dozen soldiers, hollering out war cries, threw out a gangplank, emerging from the tower and rushing out onto the battlements, where they were cut down by Gallean knights.


    Though the Galleans were obviously outnumbered, and menaced by the dragon and the Aeromancer''s storms, things seemed to be going reasonably well for them. Sir Estil, on the other hand, was wearing a very grim expression, and Sir Eustace, when he wasn''t ordering men around, was grinding his teeth. Lillandra, too, was beginning to look worried.


    "What''s the matter?" Arai asked her.


    "He''s just about..." She stopped suddenly, hissing through her teeth. "He''s done it. He''s broken down the spells on the Long Wall."


    At almost the same moment, the dragon -- which was a monstrous scaled thing, black and red and bat-like -- suddenly shrieked and began flying directly towards them, descending through the air at an alarming rate. A triumphant cry went up amongst the Skirrish mages, and several of them lowered themselves back down to the ground, gathering together around a ballista -- a huge crossbow-like contraption -- which had been dragged up to the front.


    "What''s going on down there?" Arai wondered.


    Lillandra frowned at the sorcerers. "They''re casting a spell," she said. "It''s some kind of..." Her eyes widened. "It''s a Volcanic! They''re loading a Volcanic into that thing!"


    A Volcanic? Arai remembered these from the incident back in Ada -- Lillandra had made a few of them in order to hold off Erek and his animated skeletons. They were a kind of exploding zemi.


    Lillandra''s zemi had been the size of marbles, however. The heavy glass balls the mages were loading into the ballista below were bigger than a man''s head...and the machine was aimed at the section of the Long Wall directly beneath their feet.


    It was only then that Arai recognized the danger. "Run!" he shouted.


    But it was too late. Arai saw the ballista launch its projectile, and he heard the mages cheer, and then the entire world seemed to go mad: a huge, concussive blast; a titanic explosion; an eruption of dust and debris; and Arai was falling, falling, tumbling down with the rest of the devastated wall, while above, the dragon continued to shriek and the storm continued to rip the sky open with crackling, jagged lines of lightning.


    Lillandra disappeared from view. Shell was swallowed up by the dust. He heard Sir Estil shout his name, but then he, too, disappeared, lost in the falling rubble.


    The Long Wall had finally failed.

 Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Aeromancer

    Arai survived the fall, but he had no idea how. A gigantic section of the Long Wall, at least a hundred feet of it, had been blown apart by the exploding Volcanic, and collapsed into rubble. Some portion of the Wall was still standing -- it hadn''t been completely annihilated -- but another blast like that would surely finish off this section of it.


    His ears still ringing from the explosion, Arai found himself lying within a pile of debris, his right foot trapped beneath a heavy stone. He had somehow slid down to the ground, into the midst of the Skirrish army, but it was hard to see exactly where he was, or what was going on around him; the explosion had kicked up an enormous amount of dust.


    Though his foot was trapped beneath the stone, his greaves had apparently protected his leg, and apart from a few cuts and scrapes he did not appear to be seriously injured. He struggled to pull himself free, and as the rain drove down the dust, and as his vision cleared, he looked around for Lillandra, Shell, and Sir Estil, who must have fallen with him. But he saw no sign of any of them.


    He heard a terrific screech coming from above. It was the Aeromancer''s dragon, and it was coming right for him -- a hideous lizard-like head mounted on a long, sinuous neck, and flying on membranous bat-wings. It landed directly in front of him.


    It spotted Arai, trapped in the rubble. He tried to get to Silus, but he had fallen into an awkward position and was unable to remove the sword from its scabbard.


    The dragon hissed, and then reached for him with its razor-sharp claws. He flinched. He was sure he was about to die.


    And that was when Sir Estil appeared, leaping out of nowhere, wrapping one arm around the dragon''s neck. The monster screeched again, even louder this time, trying to dislodge the knight, but Sir Estil hung on, and even managed to get a better grip on the thing, somehow climbing up onto its back and proceeding to stab it in the spine with a dagger. Enraged, the monster took flight, with Sir Estil still on top of it, pumping its wings furiously and lifting them both off the ground. Though it swung its long, serpent-like neck around, trying desperately to throw Sir Estil clear, he managed to hang on. The dragon took them higher and higher, and then flew off, awkwardly, while Sir Estil continued to hack at it. Lightning flashed over the scene.


    Arai had fought plenty of monsters before, and even a dragon, once, but he had never seen anything like this. Sir Estil''s reputation was well-earned; this was the boldest man and bravest knight he had ever encountered.


    It took an agonizingly long time, but he eventually managed to free his foot from beneath the stone and to pull himself up. What had happened to Lillandra and Shell? He found a handful of other knights and soldiers in the rubble of the ruptured Wall, who had somehow survived the fall as well -- most of these were buried in debris as he had been -- but he couldn''t find Lillandra or Shell. Now beginning to panic, he shouted for them, but he got no response.


    The Skirrish soldiers had not yet approached the devastation, but the Skirrish mages were beginning to come forward now, hovering closer and closer, examining their handiwork. Arai wanted to keep looking for the girls, but he couldn''t ignore this threat; he turned to them, and drew his sword.


    One of the mages noticed him. A dark, hooded figure, he floated down to Arai and started gesturing with his fingers. Arai had seen those motions before; the man was attempting a fire-spell.


    He didn''t wait for him to finish. He charged forward with Silus.


    The sorcerer might have risen into the air to avoid him, but, under the mistaken belief that he could incinerate Arai before he reached him, he remained on the ground and continued casting the spell. He managed to complete it just as Arai came barrelling forward. Silus, however, protected Arai from the sorcerer''s magical flames, the fire parting before him like a river running off in two directions. He stabbed the surprised sorcerer in the heart.


    Another sorcerer came to the aid of the first one, but Arai cut this one down as well, and then, for good measure, he struck down a couple of Skirrish soldiers. By now, however, the storm above had grown to incredible proportions -- churning black clouds, alive with lightning, were pouring over the Long Wall, drowning the scene in rain, snow, and hail. Without Lillandra to keep the storm in check, and without the Long Wall''s magic to keep it at bay, it grew stronger and stronger, completely wild and completely uncontrolled. Arai had trouble believing a single sorcerer could summon up a storm of this size and strength, but here he was, in the middle of it.


    And then he saw something very strange: a single man, standing upright in the face of these hurricane-force winds. He was a tall figure, with long blond hair, but though the wind was howling all around him, his long hair was not disturbed at all -- it was as though he was standing within a bubble of stillness. He was about fifty yards away, looking contemplatively at the scene, while Gallean knights and Skirrish soldiers battled each other at the foot of the Long Wall, and while Sir Estil continued to battle the dragon in the storm-wracked skies above. He was obviously a sorcerer; some of the Skirrish mages who had just blown up the Long Wall were flying over to him, consulting with him, and he was surrounded by heavily-armored soldiers.


    Arai was curious about the man, but he was more concerned with finding Lillandra and Shell. After dispatching the most immediate threats, he started climbing over the rubble, searching for them, calling out their names. He refused to believe they were dead -- Arai had survived, after all, and they had been standing right next to him. Sir Estil, too, had emerged unscathed. But where were they? If anything were to happen to them...


    He shook his head. They were here, somewhere. He just had to find them.


    But he couldn''t ignore the chaos going on around him, either -- battles were breaking out everywhere. A contingent of Gallean knights and regular foot soldiers had emerged from the ruins of the Long Wall to stop the Skirrish advance, but the storm was pounding them all, hammering them with hail, the wind nearly lifting them off their feet. Arai was not as seriously affected -- though he could feel the wind, and the rain, and the cold, Silus seemed to be preventing these things from actually harming him. The wind tore at him, but it did not knock him down; the hail conveniently missed him; the lightning never struck anywhere near him.


    He had to fight his way through several more Skirrish soldiers while he searched for Lillandra and Shell. One of the soldiers managed to strike him in the chest with a mace, knocking him down; had he not been wearing the breastplate Sir Estil had given him, the blow probably would have killed him. Fortunately, while Arai was lying on the rubble, gasping, a Gallean soldier tackled the man, and the two of them rolled away, leaving him alone.


    He got to his feet, and was about to resume his search, when he realized that the blond man he had noticed before -- the sorcerer -- was hanging in the air above him, and looking down at him. The weather seemed to be having no effect on him at all; the air around him was curiously still. He was wearing an unusual outfit -- a large blue coat, with epaulettes on the shoulders, yellow stripes on the sleeves, and gold buttons running down the front. Up close, Arai saw that he was also unusually handsome, with a perfect jawline and eyes that almost seemed to glitter. His features were so perfect, in fact, that Arai immediately suspected he was wearing some kind of glamour.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The man''s bodyguards -- several heavily-armored Skirrish soldiers, whose black armor made them look like twisted versions of Gallean knights -- were with him, making their way up the shattered remnants of the Long Wall.


    The blond man levitated down to within fifteen feet of Arai and called out to him: "Are you the mage?" But then he stopped, blinked, and shook his head. "No, you''re not the one. But there''s something special about you, isn''t there? Your sword..."


    "Who are you?" Arai demanded.


    "You don''t know?" The man smiled humorlessly. "My name is Mustaf Draj."


    "The Aeromancer? Here?" This was interesting. The all-powerful ruler of Grand Skir, apparently, was not afraid to get his hands dirty on the battlefield. But then, why should this man fear anything? He was probably the most powerful sorcerer in the world, his skills rivaling even Lillandra''s.


    Arai grit his teeth. This was the last thing he needed.


    "Intriguing," the Aeromancer said. "That sword. Is it some kind of new Gallean weapon?" When Arai failed to answer, he shrugged. "It can wait. Where is the mage? He must be around here somewhere."


    Arai played innocent: "Mage?"


    "Someone''s been disassembling my spells," he said, sweeping his long hair over his shoulder, "and making little changes to the foundational elements of the Long Wall. Gallean sorcerers aren''t capable of that level of skill -- I''ve been fighting them for years; I know what they can do, and what they can''t do. They must have someone new working for them, someone very skilled. And so I''ll ask again. Where is this sorcerer? Where can I find him?"


    "Come a little closer," Arai growled, brandishing his sword, "and I''ll tell you."


    The sorcerer frowned at him. This was not the type of man who was accustomed to backtalk. "You are either very brave or very stupid. Probably the latter." He raised one hand over his head, as though he were saluting the storm, and then brought it down. At the same moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly exploded out of the sky.


    The lightning struck Silus, which Arai was holding upright. The blast should have annihilated him, but as soon as the lightning touched the sword, it simply disintegrated, as though it had been nothing more than a mirage. Arai felt no heat from the lightning, and no thunder followed it. Silus had protected him.


    "You''ll have to do a little better than that," Arai called out.


    The Aeromancer stared. "Intriguing," he muttered. "Very intriguing." He shouted down to his men: "Kill him. I want a closer look at that sword."


    But the soldiers hesitated -- they had seen the lightning bolt bounce off Arai''s sword as well. They probably thought he was some kind of sorcerer himself.


    They feared the Aeromancer more than they feared Arai, however, and three of them began to make their way forward. Arai grimaced at the situation. There was some irony here -- the Aeromancer, one of the strongest sorcerers in Iona Magister, was actually less of a threat to him than these three men. Silus protected him from magic; it did not protect him from physical threats.


    He entered the Rising Tide stance and tried to guess which of the men would attack him first. It turned out to be the biggest and strongest of the three, a near-giant wielding a huge mace. Arai had no hope of blocking or parrying a blow from this man, so he sidestepped him; however, because the man was covered in heavy, thick armor, he had no hope of finding a good counter, either. The only thing he could do was slap the man on the side of his helmet, which might disorient him for a second.


    Something strange happened when he struck the man, however: his entire body shimmered like a thousand broken mirrors, and suddenly a different man was standing there, a smaller man, wearing much less impressive armor and wielding a much smaller-looking mace. Arai blinked. The man, he realized, had been blanketed by an illusion, presumably to make him look more intimidating, and Silus had just shattered it.


    Sir Eustace had mentioned that the Aeromancer was a skilled illusionist. Arai didn''t like this; he didn''t like not being able to trust his own eyes.


    In any event, the man seemed to be as surprised as Arai at the loss of his glamour, and instead of pressing the attack, he faltered. Arai immediately took advantage of this, sweeping in quickly, brushing aside the man''s mace, and knocking him off his feet. The remaining Skirrish warriors, wary, started to circle him, but before they could attack Sir Estil and the dragon, still locked in combat, came flying out of the sky -- the dragon screeching, Sir Estil shouting something Arai couldn''t quite make out. The Aeromancer''s bodyguards ducked, and again, Arai was able to take advantage of their distraction, destroying their illusions with Silus, cutting one down, and sending the other tumbling down the destroyed remnants of the Long Wall.


    The Aeromancer scowled at the scene. A Gallean archer on the intact portion of the Long Wall loosed an arrow at him, which he almost casually deflected with a wave of his hand; then, still scowling, he began hovering closer to Arai.


    Arai was sure he could kill the man, as he had killed the previous sorcerer, if he could just get close to him. The Aeromancer, however, remained suspended in the air, well out of reach. "Who are you?" the sorcerer demanded. "Where did you get that sword?"


    Arai answered truthfully: "My name is Arai, son of Hetsu, and this sword is Silus, the Radiant Blade, given to me by the shade of Illu Matt¨¦ in the arctic plain beyond the Frozen Mountains."


    The sorcerer''s scowl only deepened. "That means nothing to me."


    "I''m not surprised."


    "You''re not Gallean, are you? Are you a mercenary of some kind? Perhaps you''d be interested in working for me."


    "I don''t think so."


    He shrugged. "Suit yourself." And he cast his arms skyward, increasing the intensity of the wind and stirring the dark clouds above so that they would generate more lightning. A bolt flashed out of the sky, missing Arai by a few feet, but producing a colossal sound and showering the air with exploding debris. Arai gripped Silus tighter, trusting in the sword''s protective power -- but the lightning bolts continued to rain down, one here, one there, and their sound and fury was disorienting. The sorcerer had apparently realized that his lightning bolts couldn''t harm Arai directly, so he was blasting the area around him instead, which was almost as bad.


    And then a huge, serpent-like creature, a monster of a sort that Arai had never seen before, suddenly exploded out the earth and started slithering towards him. Off-balance from the electrical assault, Arai swung his sword around, trying to meet this new threat, but when the huge, slavering snake got close, it shimmered like a desert mirage and faded away. An illusion.


    But this was followed by more illusions. Suddenly he was in the middle of a pitched battle, and seeing soldiers lopping off limbs all around him. He saw murderers massacring women and children; he saw monsters, devouring grown men; he found himself standing on the edge of a precipice, thousands of feet above the ground; he was wading through a river of blood. He knew that these horribles were only illusions, but they were extremely realistic, and to be assaulted by them, while at the same time being continually battered by lightning bolts, striking the ground mere feet away from him, was almost more than he could absorb. He tried to concentrate, to focus on the Aeromancer, but the sorcerer was bombarding his senses; he couldn''t take it.


    One of the lightning bolts struck behind him then -- a huge, explosive blast, which knocked him off his feet. He fell forward, tumbling over the remains of the Long Wall, Silus flying out of his hand. All he could see was rain, dust, and smoke, and all he could smell was the hot ozone of the lightning. He heard the dragon shrieking in the distance.


    He managed to roll onto his back and heave himself up. The Aeromancer was still hanging in the air in front of him; as Arai watched, the sorcerer raised his arms, preparing to strike him down with his lightning -- and this time, without Silus, Arai was helpless before him. He could already feel the electricity beginning to tickle the back of his neck.


    "Lillandra," he muttered.


    And then, suddenly, as if responding to his call, Lillandra was there, standing amidst the rubble -- her fists clenched, her long dark hair whipping about her face. She looked up at the Aeromancer defiantly.


    For a moment Arai thought she must be another illusion, but then she spoke, her voice low and dangerous.


    "You leave him alone."

 Chapter Forty: Duel

    The Aeromancer studied Lillandra. "It''s you, isn''t it? You''re the one who''s been disassembling my spells. What is your name?"


    "Lillandra," she said, full of quiet fury. With the wind whipping at her hair, and the Assassin''s Cloak flowing like a living shadow around her shoulders, she looked like some kind of dark, avenging angel. "The Queen of the Night."


    He smirked. "The Queen of the Night? That''s quite a sobriquet."


    "I ruled the kingdom of Velon for a hundred years," she went on. "None could stand against my magic. I rode dragons; I defeated whole armies. I am the greatest sorceress in the world."


    The Aeromancer did not look particularly impressed. "You have talent," he said. "I can see it. But if you think you''re a match for me--"


    "I''m more than a match for you. Your magic is sterile. Your calculations are dull and uninspired. You possess a great deal of raw power, I''ll grant you that, but there''s nothing subtle in your strength. You''re not what I was expecting at all." She shook her head. "You''re not even half the sorcerer I am."


    The Aeromancer stared. "Well! It''s not very often I find myself at a loss for words. What did you say your name was? Lillandra? How interesting."


    Arai, still dazed from the fall, slowly climbed to his feet. What was Lillandra thinking? She was a powerful sorceress, there was no doubt about that, but her power lay in her ability to create zemi; she couldn''t hope to battle Mustaf Draj, the Aeromancer, on his own terms.


    But he was so relieved to see Lillandra alive and unharmed that, for a moment, he forgot about the Aeromancer, the dragon, and everything going on around them, and sighed with relief. But where was Shell? And what was Lillandra doing, challenging the Aeromancer like this?


    She threw a glance his way. "Valtun," she shouted.


    Valtun? That was the name of the sorcerer-warden they had fought back at Dolorous Castle. What did she mean by calling out his name?


    But then, suddenly, he understood. Lillandra had battled Valtun by dissolving his spells, allowing Arai and Sir Estil to get close enough to attack him. If she could do the same thing to the Aeromancer...


    He nodded back at her. Retrieving Silus, he began edging towards the sorcerer, who was still hanging in the air, about ten or fifteen feet above their heads.


    The Aeromancer responded by crafting another illusion, this time of a gigantic, snarling ape-man, tearing through the rubble, heading right for Arai. But the illusion only lasted a few seconds before dissipating. Draj looked up sharply.


    "Very good," he told Lillandra, a bit of wariness finally beginning to enter his voice. "But how long can you keep it up?"


    More illusions appeared. In a moment they were surrounded by monsters, soldiers, and all manner of horrors. Arai couldn''t help but be distracted by these, but Lillandra ignored them completely, utterly focused on what she was doing. One by one, the illusions flickered out, and when the sorcerer tried to incinerate them with his lightning, Lillandra dissolved these spells as well, breaking up the clouds over their heads. Sunlight began to pierce the clouds -- a hundred rays breaking through the dark, illuminating the battlefield, as though it had been lit up by the glory of the gods. The Aeromancer, still suspended in the air, scowled down at Lillandra, his face now full of concentration as well. She was obviously putting up a fight.


    Arai, meanwhile, continued to banish the illusions with Silus, while trying to get closer to the Aeromancer. He briefly considered throwing his sword at the man -- the blade would surely cut through any spells he might cast to protect himself -- but he wasn''t confident in his throwing ability, and anyway, the Radiant Blade was the only thing protecting him from the Aeromancer''s fire and lightning; he didn''t want to let it go, even for a moment.


    Lillandra seemed to be breaking down the Aeromancer''s spells even faster than he could cast them now; the sorcerer''s illusions were becoming less realistic, more like shadows of things than things themselves. Monsters appeared for a moment, flickered, and vanished, while above, his storms gradually diminished in strength. He could no longer summon his lightning.


    And on it went. Lillandra, standing atop the ruins of the Long Wall, looked like she was conducting an orchestra -- clawing, ripping, tearing apart the Aeromancer''s spells with her bare hands. Arai had never seen her like this before; in that moment, she radiated strength and power. This, at last, was the legendary figure he had heard so much about growing up -- Lillandra, the Shadow of Velon, the Queen of the Night.


    The Aeromancer was growing increasingly alarmed; Arai could see it in his face. His storms, his illusions, and whatever other spells he may have had at his disposal were breaking down, and it was plain he had never experienced anything like this before -- a mage who was as strong, if not stronger, than himself.


    And then, suddenly, he dropped several feet. He managed to catch himself, and stay in the air, but Arai understood what was happening: Lillandra had unraveled all his other spells; now she was unraveling the levitation spell keeping him aloft. It was the same scenario they had faced in the prison, with Valtun, and it was just the opportunity Arai needed. He raced forward.


    The sorcerer landed on the shattered rubble of the Long Wall. Before Arai could reach him, however, he pointed a finger at the ground, and the earth itself began shaking violently, enough to make Arai stumble. The shaking quickly subsided, but then he cast another spell, transforming the broken bricks Arai had been standing on into a gooey, gelatinous substance, something like quicksand. Roaring with frustration, Arai sank into this slag, all the way up to his knees, and was unable to free himself from it. Damn it! He had been so close.


    Meanwhile the battle taking place all over the Long Wall continued: sorcerers, Skirrish soldiers, and Gallean knights were fighting all around them now. Wizard''s whiskers whistled past Arai''s ears; arrows clattered against the broken wall; men shouted; horses screamed.


    And now Sir Estil and the dragon returned. The knight was still clinging to the dragon''s back, and the dragon was still shrieking -- one of its wings had been damaged, and it was flying awkwardly, flapping harder with one wing than with the other. Finally, Sir Estil -- just barely hanging on -- managed to plunge his sword all the way through the beast''s neck. Dragons, like all monsters, were notoriously durable, and it must have taken a tremendous amount of strength to pierce the dragon''s scales; Arai found himself marveling, once again, at Sir Estil''s power and prowess. What must he have been like when he was young?


    With its head practically separated from its neck, the dragon began to disintegrate. It continued to glide for a few more moments, then began spiraling down to the ground, gradually breaking apart. Fortunately enough of it remained for Sir Estil to ride it down; it flapped its wings one last time, giving it just enough lift to allow the knight to land more or less safely. He landed on the rubble of the Long Wall, about fifty yards from Arai, but stumbled almost immediately and fell to one knee -- wounded, perhaps, or exhausted from the fight. Pieces of glittering maginite rained down upon him.


    And all the while, Lillandra and the Aeromancer continued their duel. Arai finally managed to heave himself out of the pool of gooey slop the sorcerer had created beneath his feet, but the Aeromancer had moved further away from him -- he seemed to have given up trying to cast any more spells; the storms and illusions surrounding him had vanished. But he had drawn a dagger, and he was making his way over to Lillandra.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Arai grit his teeth. Lillandra could dissolve the man''s spells, one after the other, but she could not physically fight him off. She was in danger.


    Pulling himself together -- he was weary from the fall, the fighting, and all the rest of it -- Arai surged to his feet and ran to them. The Aeromancer threw him a quick backwards glance, then waved a hand at him, flinging fire, but Arai, holding Silus before him, ran right through it. "Lill!" he shouted.


    Lillandra was backing away from the Aeromancer, but the rubble behind her was too high for her to navigate, and left her with nowhere to go. She was trapped, and Arai was too far away -- the Aeromancer was sure to reach her before he did.


    He couldn''t let her die. He couldn''t let it end like this. "Lillandra!" he shouted again, desperate.


    The Aeromancer, his beautiful face twisted with fury, raised his dagger...


    ...And then, suddenly, he stopped, clutching his throat, and crumpled to the ground before Lillandra. He fell so fast, and so unexpectedly, that at first Arai wasn''t sure what had happened to him -- had Lillandra cast some kind of spell? But then he saw the knife in the man''s throat.


    "What the...?" Where had that come from?


    He looked around...and that''s when he saw Shell, half-hidden behind a fallen pillar. The elf girl''s eyes were wide. "I got him."


    He understood then -- Shell had thrown her Witch''s Dagger at the sorcerer. This was one of the zemi they had discovered in Nharlek''s castle, an enchanted dagger which always returned to the user''s hand; Shell had been practicing with it for months.


    The dagger wriggled itself free of the Aeromancer''s throat and returned to her, zipping through the air like a little swallow. She caught it, wiped it clean, and sheathed it. "Is...is he dead?" she asked.


    He was dead, or dying, anyway. The blade had caught him clean in the throat, cutting off his air, and he was clawing at his neck, struggling to breathe, all the while blood poured out of the wound. A few moments later he stopped struggling, however, and his eyes glazed over, and he died.


    It was a ghastly way to go, but if half the things Arai had heard about the man were true, it was no more than what he deserved.


    Arai sheathed his sword and touched Lillandra''s arm. "Are you all right?"


    She nodded, but her eyes were fixed on the Aeromancer''s body. Arai glanced down at the dead sorcerer...and was surprised to see that the golden-haired man with the perfect features had disappeared, and been replaced by a dumpy-looking older man, probably in his late sixties, with bulging frog-eyes and wispy white hair. Arai had guessed correctly: the Aeromancer had been hiding his true appearance behind an illusion.


    Sir Estil, still unsteady on his feet, stumbled over to the scene. "He''s dead?"


    "So it would appear." Just to be on the safe side, Arai tapped the sorcerer''s body with Silus, to cancel out any residual magic he may have had on his person.


    With the Aeromancer dead, the storms which he had summoned weakened further, until all that remained of them were some gusty winds and patchy clouds. Sunlight exploded over the battlefield, and, perhaps sensing that the tide had turned, the Skirrish soldiers and sorcerers began to retreat. Many of those soldiers had been brainwashed and sent to the front against their will; with the Aeromancer dead, Arai mused, some of them might have regained their senses.


    Arai turned to Lillandra again, and asked her again, "Are you all right?"


    "Yes."


    "I was worried," Arai said. "I thought you might have been killed, when they broke through the Wall. I was afraid that..." He trailed off, and decided that words were inadequate to express how he felt. He gave her a hug instead, pulling her close.


    Lillandra plainly found this show of affection astonishing, and she seemed not to know how to respond to it. After a moment -- a long moment -- she slowly, tentatively placed her arms around him, hugging him back.


    * * *


    It didn''t take long for the battle to wind down after that. The news of the Aeromancer''s death spread quickly -- the fact that his endless storms had finally dissipated was all the proof most people needed. The Skirrish retreat was rather disorganized, however, for the Aeromancer had been the glue holding the Skirrish forces together, and his generals were unsure how to proceed without him. A small contingent tried to take advantage of the huge gap in the Long Wall, but these were quickly driven off by Gallean reinforcements from Tax Noctum, and no further attacks took place. The Skirrish remained in their camps for a few more days, then gradually began to disperse.


    In the end, it was Sir Estil who got the credit for killing Mustaf Draj. Hundreds of Gallean soldiers had seen him battling the dragon and landing in the vicinity of the sorcerer, and Sir Estil, they believed, was the only man who could have possibly defeated him. He was, after all, the greatest knight Galleus had ever produced.


    Arai was not bothered by this, nor was Shell. Everyone agreed that Draj had been a monster, but the elf girl had never killed anyone before, and it haunted her.


    "He was about to kill Lillandra," Arai pointed out to her.


    "I know," she said glumly. "I know it was the right thing to do, but..." She shook her head, her blonde tresses swishing about her face. "I didn''t like it."


    "I''d be worried if you did like it," he said. "It''s not an easy thing to kill somebody, even someone as wicked as Draj, and even in a situation like that."


    "You''ve killed people," Shell noted cautiously.


    "I have," he said somberly. "I''m a swordsman, a mercenary. I''ve been fighting and killing since I was your age."


    "How many?"


    "How many people have I killed?" He sighed. "I''ve lost count."


    "Does it get any easier?"


    "No. I''ve only ever killed people who were trying to kill me, and I do take some comfort in that, but no, it never gets easier." He patted her head. "I hope you never have to go through anything like that again."


    She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, Arai." And then she surprised him by grabbing his arm and pulling him in for a hug. It wasn''t the first time she had hugged him, but it felt good, and it reminded him of the hug he had given Lillandra earlier.


    He was thinking about Lillandra a lot these days. In particular, he found his thoughts drifting back to the moment she had confronted the Aeromancer: her hair flying, her eyes flashing. A dark and deadly beauty.


    There seemed to be something stirring in his heart, when he thought of these things, but they were strange feelings, and he couldn''t quite lay a finger on them.


    She may have been feeling something similar herself, for when he went to visit her, on the morning before they set out, she avoided looking him in the eye. "Is everything ready?" she asked, while packing her things. They had moved out of the garrison and had spent most of the last week in a small inn in the city of Prestoris.


    "Almost."


    "It''s been a long time since I''ve ridden a horse."


    "Me, too." Sir Estil had purchased a pair of horses for the group; for the first time since they had arrived in the east, they would be traveling on horseback. They could only take the horses as far as Bloodlorn -- they couldn''t ride the poor beasts into the deserts of the Scarred Lands -- but that was still an enormous distance, and Arai was certain it would make for a much easier journey.


    "He''s still insisting on coming with us?"


    "I''m afraid so."


    "Well, I don''t mind him too much, and he is good in a fight. I still haven''t quite figured out how he''s making himself stronger and faster, though, with magia. It''s very strange. He may have some kind of sorcerous potential, only I can''t see what--"


    "Lillandra."


    She stopped when he said her name, and looked him in the eye for the first time. "Yes?"


    "The Aeromancer would have killed me if you hadn''t shown up when you did. You saved my life, again."


    "So?"


    "So I wanted to thank you. And I wanted to tell you..." But he trailed off there, because he suddenly realized he wasn''t sure what he wanted to tell her, or what he had been about to tell her. He frowned at himself, at his own mixed-up feelings.


    "Tell me what?" she prodded.


    "Forget it," he said. "Shell and Sir Estil are waiting outside." He turned to leave, and this time it was Lillandra who stopped him by saying his name.


    "Arai?"


    "Yes?"


    "This may sound strange, coming from me, but..." She wet her lips. "I''m glad I met you."


    He grinned. "And it probably sounds just as strange, coming from me," he returned, "but I''m glad I met you, too."


    * * *


    They met Shell and Sir Estil outside the inn; the knight had just finished saddling the horses. "Are you absolutely sure you want to come with us?" Arai asked Sir Estil, for perhaps the tenth time. The knight''s situation had changed drastically -- having personally dispatched the Aeromancer (or so it was believed) and ended the war, the Council of Knights had offered to reinstate him, and both of the Gallean princes, Jae and Jax, were vying for his favor. Sir Estil had turned them all down, however.


    "I swore to serve you," he said, bowing, "and serve you I shall, to the best of my ability."


    "Things are different now."


    "Not so different," he said. "The war with Grand Skir may be over, for now, but the war between Jax''s Red Hearts and Jae''s Blue Hearts goes on. And our little adventure together has taught me something, reminded me of something." He scratched at his chin, in a thoughtful sort of way. "I''ve had enough of politics and palace intrigue. I''m an old man. I want to return to a simpler time, a simpler life -- the life of the knight errant. I want to spend my few remaining years living according to the principles of knighthood, as I did when I was a young."


    "That''s a hard life," Arai warned. "And the older you get, the harder it becomes."


    "True," he said, with a grin. "But I have a little fight in me yet." He looked to the horizon. "Now, let''s go find some more dragons to slay."

 Chapter Forty-One: Shells Birthday

    "Another beautiful day," Sir Estil remarked, looking up at the sheer blue of the sky.


    Arai could only agree: the weather had been wonderful since they had left Prestoris. The days had been sunny and the evenings had been brisk, and it hadn''t rained in days. After spending the last few weeks marching through heavy Skirrish fogs, and suffering under the Aeromancer''s never-ending storms, this pleasant weather came as a welcome relief.


    According to Sir Estil, the western portion of Galleus -- that portion which abutted the Scarred Lands -- was mostly dry and desert-like. They were still hundreds of miles from the desert, but this warmer, drier weather was already starting to become evident. There were fewer farms here, and the towns and villages they rode through were usually situated near lakes, rivers, and other sources of fresh water.


    There were four of them now -- Arai, Lillandra, Shell, and Sir Estil -- and they had horses now. Arai and Lillandra rode together, on a big, friendly palfrey named Jennie, while Sir Estil and Shell rode on a gigantic black warhorse which had been given the name Duke. The knight had warned them not to get too attached to the horses, for they would have to give up them up when they reached the Scarred Lands -- camels were the preferred mounts for crossing the desert -- but Arai and Lillandra both had already warmed to their horse, and Shell had fallen in love with Duke, despite the fact that the big horse was always trying to nip her.


    The horses made their journey much easier, as did the favorable weather. The only thing slowing them down now were the celebrations which had erupted throughout Galleus, following the death of the Aeromancer and the apparent end of the war with Grand Skir. Every town and village was throwing some kind of party, it seemed, and whenever Sir Estil was recognized (which was often; the knight seemed to know everyone, and to be known by everyone) the locals would insist on feting him, feeding him huge meals and insisting that he tell them the story of the Aeromancer''s downfall. And Sir Estil, unfailingly polite, was always forced to oblige them. It was a little wearying.


    They slept in inns, mostly, but they slept beneath the stars, too, camping out on the side of the road, cooking their dinners over crackling campfires. In addition to his other skills, Sir Estil also happened to be an excellent cook, and the meals he made for them were a huge improvement over the the rather spare offerings Arai and Lillandra cooked up.


    One evening, after yet another wonderful meal, the four of them found themselves gathered around the fire -- Arai, Lillandra, and Shell chatting amiably, while Sir Estil played a lively tune on his penny whistle. It was a magical evening, and for the first time in a long time, Arai felt himself at ease. They still had a long journey ahead of them, and the Scarred Lands were sure to be brutal, but they had successfully crossed Addis and the Bay of Vandals, narrowly escaped death in Grand Skir, and finally acquired a pair of horses. They had plenty of money now, and Sir Estil, who was beloved all over Galleus and knew the land well, was the perfect guide.


    And, against all odds, he had somehow managed to make friends with Lillandra. She was traveling with him of her own free will now, and she had agreed to reverse the spell of stone she had cast on Odo and Maya when they returned to Velon. They trusted each other. They understood one another.


    He wasn''t exactly content -- he was still worried about his friends in Velon, and still apprehensive about what might lie in store for them in the Scarred Lands, Elent, and the Holy Empire -- but he felt better about his situation than he had in a long time.


    Lillandra and Shell seemed to be in a similar mood; Shell actually managed to make Lillandra laugh a couple of times after dinner, which was rare. Shell herself eventually grew pensive, though, especially after Sir Estil started playing his whistle. Lillandra asked her if anything was wrong.


    "No," she sighed. "Just thinking about my sister. She played the flute, too."


    Sir Estil''s playful tune died away. "If it''s bothering you--"


    "No, no," she said. "I like your playing. It''s just...making me think."


    "That one so young should be forced to endure such hardships..." Sir Estil shook his head sadly. "How old are you, Shell?"


    "Eleven," she said, but then she stopped. "Or, actually...I might be twelve now. What''s the date?"


    It took them a while to figure it out -- the Velonese calendar was totally different from the Gallean calendar, and both of them were different from the calendar used by the Addish and the elves of Turuval, Turuni, and Elvinine. After a few minutes spent comparing the dates, Sir Estil determined that Shell had, in fact, turned twelve just a few days ago.


    "Congratulations," Arai told her.


    "Is there something special about turning twelve?" she asked.


    "Well, in Velon, at least, it''s the age at which most boys and girls begin their apprenticeships," he said. "They move away from their parents and board with their master for a few years, until they become journeymen. It''s the first step on the path to adulthood."


    "Squires usually begin their training after they turn twelve," Sir Estil added. "It is an auspicious age."


    "Well, that''s good to know, I guess," she said, rather doubtfully. "But the more important question is, where are my gifts?"


    Arai and Lillandra looked at her blankly. "Gifts?"


    "You have to give me something for my birthday," she said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Don''t you know?"Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The two of them were so confused that Sir Estil was obliged to explain it to them: "It''s customary to give people gifts on their birthday," he said. "Do you not have that tradition in Velon?"


    "It''s the opposite in Velon," Arai said. "We give gifts to our parents on our birthdays, to show them our appreciation for having us, for raising us."


    "That''s no fun," Shell declared. "And I don''t have any parents anymore, anyway."


    Arai exchanged a glance with Lillandra. "I suppose we could buy you something," Arai said uncertainly. "Is there anything in particular that you want?"


    She smiled at them, in a wily sort of way. "I''ll have to think about it."


    * * *


    The next morning they arrived at a picturesque town called Lark, which was situated on the southern shore of Lake Tapyrus. Tapyrus was the largest lake in Galleus, and according to Sir Estil, one of the largest in the known world; however, it was a briny lake, with very high salinity, and the locals had to look elsewhere for fresh water. The lake itself was beautiful, though, and it was so large that to Arai it looked more like a sea than a lake. It was filled with birds, and a handful of islands were visible in the distance.


    Lark was quite a bit larger than the smaller villages they had passed through since leaving Prestoris, and it had quite a few shops, inns, and taverns. "Let''s go shopping for my birthday present," Shell suggested.


    Arai and Lillandra shrugged and allowed the elf girl to lead them down the street. Sir Estil parted with them, looking for a place to stable their horses; they arranged to meet in the town square at noon. Shell''s first stop was an antique shop of some kind, but she found nothing she wanted here, so they moved on, to a dealer in maps and books and then to a shop which sold glassware. But nothing appealed to her in the glassware shop, and most of the dealer''s books were written in the Gallean script, which none of them could read.


    Arai found all this shopping around rather boring. He was just about suggest giving it up for the morning when Shell suddenly spotted yet another shop -- a shop which, according to the drawing on the signboard, sold potions and philtres. "This could be interesting," Shell said. "Let''s have a look."


    Arai dutifully followed the girls into the shop. The inside was extremely cluttered -- it was full of baskets and boxes -- and it smelled very strange, very pungent. Ingredients of all kinds were stacked up on shelves or lined up in labeled jars: black powders, chunks of sulfur, weeds, leaves, dried flower petals, honeycombs, blobs of paraffin, crushed insects, and a hundred other things, all totally disorganized.


    Working behind the counter, furiously grinding something with a mortar and pestle, was a somewhat comical-looking young woman wearing a big, floppy hat. Her eyes were hazel, and her face was full of freckles.


    "Good morning!" she greeted them cheerfully. "What can I do for you today?"


    Shell gave the clutter a skeptical look. "You sell potions here?"


    "Potions, philtres, restoratives, and concoctions of all kinds," she affirmed. "Is there something specific you''re looking for? My name is Emi, by the way. I''m the owner of this shop."


    "Nice to meet you," Shell said. "But no, we''re not looking for anything in particular. Just browsing."


    "Well! Perhaps I can show you a few things." She finished her grinding with the mortar and pestle and started crawling up the shelves, pulling down various small bottles and vials and setting them down on the counter. "I''ve got sedatives, healing potions, potions that improve eyesight, potions that eliminate body odor, love philtres, spagyrics, truth serums, luck medicines..."


    "All genuine?" Arai asked. In his experience, most potion vendors tended to be frauds, their potions only rarely having any effects at all.


    "Absolutely," Emi said confidently. "All of my potions are absolutely guaranteed to work, or your money back. I''m not a quacksalver, I''ll have you know; I''m a true witch, and these potions were all personally brewed by me."


    Arai glanced at Lillandra, who nodded. "She''s not lying," she said. "Not about being a witch, anyway."


    Emi''s eyes went wide when she noticed Lillandra. "My goodness! You''re a sorceress, too, I see. Would you be interested in exchanging recipes, perhaps?"


    "I don''t have any recipes, I''m afraid, apart from the Witch''s Brew and a couple of mild sedatives. I''ve never had much luck with potions."


    "That''s too bad."


    "What''s this one?" Shell interrupted, holding up a bottle. "There''s no label."


    Emi grinned. "Ah," she said. "I invented that one myself. I call it Emi''s Amazing Silencer -- a single draught of that potion will render a man or woman unable to speak for up to three days."


    "Why would anyone want a potion like that?"


    Emi''s smile faded a bit. "Well, there''s any number of circumstances, I''m sure..."


    Arai and Lillandra, meanwhile, began browsing around the shop. "What is all this stuff?" Arai wondered, examining the baskets full of wheat and the boxes full of base metals.


    "Potions like the ones she sells require a lot of different ingredients."


    "Do they really work?" he asked. He was still skeptical.


    "If she''s a real witch, and if she''s following the recipes correctly, sure. My grandmother used to make potions and philtres; she was pretty good at it."


    "Is it anything like making a zemi?"


    She shook her head. "There''s no spells or calculations involved. It''s quite a simple process, really. A sorceress gathers together the necessary ingredients and uses raw magia to unlock the hidden potential already inherent within them."


    "No spells?"


    "No spells. Stirring the magia to the point where it will begin to interact with the ingredients can be a little tricky, but it''s nowhere near as difficult as casting a spell. The strongest potions require very rare ingredients, though, and the effects of most potions usually wear off after a few days anyway. I''ve never found them all that useful." She made a sour face. "And most witches are reluctant to give up their recipes. I''m surprised this Emi even suggested it."


    "What about the Witch''s Brew you mentioned? What''s that?"


    "Ah, that''s kind of a special case. Do you remember the cauldron I used back in Ada, the one I used to create the Stone of Many Tongues?"


    "I remember you filled it up with river water and grass clippings and things like that."


    She nodded. "That''s the Witch''s Brew. It''s necessary for making a cauldron and a few other kinds of zemi. It''s a very old recipe, probably one of the first ones ever invented."


    "I see."


    Lillandra seemed pretty dismissive of potions and their usefulness, but Shell was very interested. "I think I''d like to buy a couple of these," she told Arai and Lillandra, pointing to the bottles Emi had lined up on the counter.


    "Which ones?" Arai asked.


    "There''s one here that improves your vision," she said, pointing to one bottle, "and another one that heals injuries. That could come in handy, don''t you think?"


    "I suppose it could," Arai agreed, studying the two bottles. One contained a bright pink liquid, while the other was blue. "How much?"


    Emi agreed to part with the potions for three Gallean silvers. It took her a while to find her accounting book, however, to record the transaction, and in the process she spilled the powder she had been grinding up all over the counter. The little witch was very clumsy, it seemed, and more than a little disorganized.


    But Shell was satisfied. Pleased with her birthday presents, she skipped out of the shop, and together, the three of them made their way to the town square to find Sir Estil.

 Chapter Forty-Two: The Love Philtre

    They stayed at an inn that night, but left early the next morning, and after a day of rather leisurely traveling, spent the next night camped out on the side of the road. Sir Estil built a fire and cooked them a stew with ingredients he had purchased in town; the smell of it, simmering in the big pot the knight always carried around, was enough to make Arai''s mouth water.


    It was another nice night, under the stars. Something about the tableau made Arai nostalgic. "This reminds me of the night I met Maya," he said.


    "Maya?" Sir Estil inquired. "Ah, the young woman who accompanied you on your adventures. She was a priestess of some kind, wasn''t she?"


    "Not exactly. She belonged to the Selestrian Order -- healers who travel from village to village, caring for the sick and infirm. Her parents belonged to the nobility, but they lost everything after they crossed Lord Pierce. He had both of them killed, and Maya was raised in an orphanage run by the Selestrians. She eventually became a Selestrian herself."


    Lillandra said nothing in reply to this; she kept her eyes firmly fixed on her stew. Shell spoke up, however: "So how did you meet her?"


    "It was a few days after I burned down my father''s house. We met on the road, on a night like this; she was on her way to some village that had just been attacked by the Al''mud. When I told her about my plan to find Silus and overthrow the Night Queen, she told me about her parents, and she agreed to accompany me." He allowed himself a little smile. "I don''t think either of us expected to make it as far as we did."


    "What about the others?" Shell asked. "Odo and...Vex, wasn''t it? How did you meet them?"


    "We ran into Odo a few months later. He was a riverman -- he made his living hauling barges up the Tuv. Everyone was afraid of him -- not only was he incredibly strong, he had a terrible temper. I offended him somehow when we first met, and we got into a fight. After I beat him, he insisted on coming with me."


    "If he was so big and strong, how did you manage to beat him up?" Shell wondered.


    "He was a little drunk," Arai admitted.


    "And Vex?"


    "Vex joined us later," he said, "after we found Silus and crossed the mountains on the back of the Ice Wyrm. Lord Pierce had set up a trap for us in Harbor Town, but Vex warned us about it. He helped us fight off the Lord Protector''s sorcerers on our way to Hammersvik."


    "Was he powerful?"


    "Very powerful," he said. "No match for Lillandra or the Aeromancer, of course, but he was an excellent battlefield mage. He was a quiet kid, though, kind of shy. His parents had pushed him to join Lord Pierce''s sorcerer corps, but he didn''t want anything to do with them; all he really wanted to do was study. He always had a book in his hands."


    "Good people," Sir Estil opined.


    "Good people," Arai repeated. He glanced at Lillandra, who was still quietly eating her stew, not taking part in the conversation. "Is this discussion making you uncomfortable?" he asked.


    "Why would it make me uncomfortable?" she said, still refusing to make eye contact.


    "I just thought--"


    "Because it''s all my fault? Because, if not for me, your father, and Maya''s parents, and countless other people, would still be alive? Because I ruined Velon, turned your friends to stone? Why should that make me uncomfortable?"


    Arai sighed. "You never meant for any of those things to happen. You didn''t know what Lord Pierce was doing, and you were only defending yourself when we fought at the Nightfall."


    "I can only say I''m sorry so many times," she muttered.


    "Would you like some more stew?" Sir Estil asked her, following a few seconds of awkward silence.


    She nodded, and he dipped his ladle into the pot. Just as he was about to pour it into her bowl, however, a grasshopper jumped on her shoulder, startling her, and causing her jerk to one side. As a result, a spoonful of the boiling-hot stew missed the bowl and splashed onto her hand, scalding her.


    "Ow!" She dropped the bowl, clutching her hand.


    "Are you all right?" Arai asked, jumping up immediately to see how badly she had burned herself.


    "I think so," she said, wincing.


    "Shell, give me the Chalice."


    Shell handed Arai the Everlasting Chalice. He activated the spell by touching his lips to the cup, which caused it to fill with cold water; he then doused her hand with it. Fortunately the burn didn''t look too bad, or too serious; the back of her hand was just a little red.


    "It''s my fault," Sir Estil said. "The stew was too hot."


    "No, it was my fault," she said, shaking her head. "It''s always my fault."Stolen story; please report.


    Arai sat back down, surprised by the bitterness in her voice. "Do we have any bandages?"


    "Not really," Shell said, digging through their supplies. "Oh, but I have this potion!"


    "The potion that heals injuries?"


    She nodded, holding up the bottle with the pink liquid inside. "It should be able to heal that burn, right?"


    "I don''t want you to waste your birthday gift on me," Lillandra said. "It''s just a little burn; it''ll heal in a few days."


    "I want to see whether it works," Shell insisted. "You don''t have to drink all of it. Just a spoonful."


    "I feel like we should save that stuff for a real emergency," Arai said. But Lillandra was in a bad mood, and he felt as though he was responsible for it, so he added, "But I guess it''s up to Shell. What do you think, Lill?"


    "Well...if Shell''s okay with it..."


    "Great!" The elf girl pulled the stopper off the bottle and handed it to Lillandra, who gave it an experimental sniff. "Smells sweet."


    "Don''t drink it all, now," Shell warned. "Just a spoonful."


    Lillandra nodded, put the potion to her lips, and drew a small amount of it into her mouth. She swished it around for a moment, then swallowed it. "What does it taste like?" Shell asked


    "Sweet," she said. "Like strawberries."


    "How quickly does it work?" Sir Estil asked. "Will she be healed instantly?"


    "I''m not sure," Shell said. "Let me see your hand, Lill."


    Lillandra started to put her hand out for them to see...but then she suddenly looked as though she were about to faint; her eyelids drooped and she swayed drunkenly in her seat.


    Arai was alarmed. "Lillandra? Lillandra!" And he jumped again, this time to catch her, because she had just fallen backwards.


    "What''s going on?" Sir Estil asked urgently. "Was that supposed to happen?"


    "I don''t think so," Shell said worriedly. "Emi didn''t mention anything like this."


    Arai laid Lillandra down on the grass. She was passed out; her eyes were closed, and her body was limp. "What the hell was in that potion?" he shouted. "Lillandra! Wake up! Speak to me!" He tapped her cheek a few times, then leaned down, close to her face, to try to determine whether she was breathing.


    To his great relief, her eyes slowly began to open. Their faces were mere inches apart at this point, with Arai hovering over her. "Are you all right?" he asked her again.


    Her eyes suddenly focused on him. "Arai!" she exclaimed, and to his astonishment, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "Oh, Arai!"


    "What''s the matter?" he asked. He tried to disengage from her, but she wouldn''t let go of him. "Are you all right? How are you feeling?"


    "Wonderful," she said dreamily.


    "Good," he said uneasily. "That''s good." But she was still hanging on to him, and it was starting to make him uncomfortable. "Could you let go of me?" he asked.


    "No," she whispered. "I''ll never let you go."


    "What? What are you talking about?" He finally managed to extricate himself from her arms, and look her in the eye. What he found there was startling: she was gazing at him adoringly.


    "I love you," she said.


    He blinked. "You love me?"


    "Do you want to hear it again? I''ll shout from the rooftops if you want. I love you, Arai."


    He threw a nervous glance at Shell and Sir Estil, who were staring at Lillandra, equally perplexed. "There''s something wrong with her," he said.


    "Obviously," Shell said.


    "Did she hit her head when she fell? Or was there something in that potion?" He found her hand, the hand that she had burned, and turned it over. The red mark was still there; the potion hadn''t healed it.


    "I love you," she repeated, looking longingly into his eyes as he held her hand.


    "Is this some kind of joke?"


    She looked stricken. "A joke? Of course not. How could you even think that? I love you. I want to be with you forever."


    "You weren''t in love with me a minute ago."


    "My eyes were closed," she said, without hesitation. "Now they''re open. You''re the only one for me, Arai." Her dark eyes were smoldering.


    "Right," he muttered. "Are you sure that was a healing potion you gave her, Shell?"


    "It was supposed to be," she said, examining the bottle. She handed it to Sir Estil, the only one of them who could read Gallean. "Isn''t that what it says on the label?"


    He looked it over, nodding. "Emi''s Marvelous Restorative."


    "She may have gotten her bottles mixed up," Arai said. "That potion she sold you must have been some kind of love philtre."


    Shell frowned. "Uh-oh."


    Lillandra was now trying to snuggle up to him, which was very disconcerting. She had always had a rather icy personality, and she treated him coolly even when they were getting along; seeing her acting all lovey-dovey like this was very strange. And, although he would never admit it, not entirely unwelcome.


    He pulled away from her, as politely as he could. "Well, what are we going to do about this?"


    "Potions usually wear off after a few days," Shell said doubtfully. "We could just let it run its course."


    Arai glanced at Lillandra, who looked like she was about ready to tackle him and smother him with kisses. Although a part of him found it amusing, and maybe even a little arousing, he didn''t like the idea of having to spend the next few days fending her off, and he didn''t like seeing her ensorcelled, either, and out of her right mind. He also wasn''t sure he could resist her advances for that long; she was, after all, a lovely young woman, and his own feelings toward her had become...complex.


    No, they couldn''t just leave her in this state; they had to do something about it.


    "Silus ought to be able to break the spell," he said. He picked up the sword, drew it a few inches out of its scabbard, and told Lillandra to touch the blade.


    "It won''t work," she warned, but she touched the sword anyway. And indeed, it had no effect; her expression didn''t change. She was still staring at him, still biting her lower lip, still looking at him as though he were the only man in the world.


    "Why didn''t it work?" Arai wondered. "Silus is supposed to cancel out these kinds of enchantments."


    "It''s because I''m not enchanted," she said firmly. "My feelings for you are real."


    He frowned. "They''re not real," he insisted.


    "They are."


    "You drank a potion. But why wouldn''t Silus cancel out the spell?"


    "She''s not under a spell," Shell said.


    "You''re not suggesting she''s really in love with me?"


    "Well...probably not," she said. "But there''s no spells or calculations involved in making potions, nothing for Silus to cancel out. What''s she''s experiencing is just the natural effects of the ingredients that went into the potion -- enhanced, of course, by the magia that Emi stirred into it."


    Arai sighed. "So how are we going to fix this?"


    "We could take her back to Lark, to this potion vendor," Sir Estil said. "She might have another potion that could reverse the effect."


    "Or we could just let it run its course," Shell suggested again. "It''s not really that big a deal, is it? She''s just a little out of her head."


    Arai looked at Lillandra, who was still gazing at him adoringly. "No," he decided. "We have to fix this. Sir Estil''s right; we should take her back to Emi." And then he sighed again. "Why did it have to be me? Why couldn''t she have fallen in love with the stew?"

 Chapter Forty-Three: A Drop of Dying Ardor

    Arai didn''t get very much sleep that night; Lillandra kept trying to climb into his bedroll and nibble on his ear. He couldn''t think of a way to keep her at bay -- what was he supposed to do, tie her to a tree? -- so he finally allowed it, and she spent the night snuggled up next to him. But she wanted to do even more than that, and Arai was forced to spend most of the night fending her off.


    He actually enjoyed it a little at first -- this lovesick Lillandra was very sweet, nothing at all like the prickly sorceress her knew her to be. She was constantly talking about how much she loved him, and of how she would do anything for him. Her sappy-sweet expressions of love were so silly and cute and childish that he couldn''t help but smile at them.


    But it quickly grew tiresome. She wanted to be with him all the time; she was constantly hovering around him. She kept trying to kiss him, and when he pushed her way, she started sobbing uncontrollably.


    Seeing her like this was sometimes amusing, but it was also distressing. Arai had resolved not to take advantage of her in this state, but he was sorely tempted at times, and his imagination was constantly running away with him...especially when she got close, when she pressed her body against his, when she began whispering breathily in his ear.


    It''s just the potion, he told himself a hundred times. She''s not really in love with you.


    He finally decided that he preferred the old Lillandra to this new one, whose only thoughts seemed to be of Arai and her "love" for him. He couldn''t get her to concentrate on anything else, couldn''t get her to talk about anything else. He liked her better when she was arguing with him about everything.


    They started making their way back to Lark the following morning. Arai and Lillandra normally rode together, but she was so grabby that he finally had to pair her up with Sir Estil instead, while he rode with Shell.


    "She''s like a totally different person," Shell commented. "That potion must have been very powerful."


    "Why did it have to be me she fell in love with?" Arai muttered.


    "You were the first person she saw when she opened her eyes," Shell said. "That may have had something to do with it. Would you have preferred she fell in love with Sir Estil?"


    "I guess not," he admitted. That would have been pretty strange. "But I don''t like this one bit."


    "I think it''s kind of funny, myself."


    "You''re not the one she keeps trying to grope," he said.


    They were quiet for a few moments, listening to the clip-clop of the horses as they made their way up the road. Finally, Shell asked, "Do you like Lillandra?"


    "Where''s this coming from?"


    "I''m just curious."


    "Do I like her?" He thought about it. "Yes, I do."


    "Are you in love with her?"


    That brought him up short. "What kind of a question is that?"


    "A pretty simple one."


    "Are you kidding me? She''s the Night Queen."


    "So? What difference does that make?"


    "I''m not in love with her," he said firmly.


    Shell was skeptical. "You''re always together. You''re always having these long conversations. And you''re always glancing at her, giving her these looks--"


    "Let''s just drop it, okay?"


    "And now you''re getting all flustered. You are in love with her, aren''t you?"


    "No," he said again, though a little less firmly than before. He did have some feelings for her, he had to admit. She was beautiful and brave, a skilled sorceress, a tortured soul, and someone he wanted to protect. But was it love? He didn''t think it was, but it was hard to tell sometimes.


    And it was all moot, anyway; any feelings he might have had for her were irrelevant. Though he had been dead a hundred years, the swordsman Julien was the only man she ever loved, and she fully intended to bring him back to life at the Nightfall as soon as they returned to Velon.


    Shell was persistent. "If you love her, you should tell her."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "I don''t want to talk about this," he groused. And they rode in silence the rest of the way back to town.


    * * *


    They found Emi behind the counter of her potion shop, plucking the seeds out of a strange plant. She was so absorbed in this that she didn''t notice Arai and the others until they were standing right in front of her. "Customers!" she said, looking up at last. "What can I do you for you..." She trailed off, frowning at Shell and the others. "Oh. You''re the ones from yesterday."


    Shell placed the bottle Lillandra had drank from on the counter. "We think you may have sold us a love philtre instead of a healing potion," she said.


    "A love philtre?"


    Shell pointed at Lillandra, who was practically hanging off of Arai. "She burned herself last night. When she drank from this potion, she started throwing herself at Arai."


    Emi frowned. "Are you sure it was my potion she drank from?"


    "Pretty sure," Shell said dryly.


    "Well, let me check it out." She picked up the bottle, sprinkled a few drops on a napkin, and started wiggling her fingers, evidently casting some kind of spell on it. After a moment she stopped, and turned to them, apologetic. "You''re right," she said. "This is a love philtre. I''m so sorry! This bottle must have found its way into my restorative shelf somehow. Their colors are almost the same, you know. Oh, well. You''ll be wanting your money back, I suppose--"


    "Actually," Arai broke in, "we were hoping you might be able to reverse the effect."


    "Oh, I could do that, certainly. A Drop of Dying Ardor should suffice. Let me see if I can find some."


    She searched her shop high and low, while the others waited. She finally returned to them, looking even more apologetic this time. "I''m sorry. I''m afraid I''m all out of Dying Ardor."


    "What does that mean?"


    "It means you''re going to have to wait for the potion to wear off. A Drop of Dying Ardor would turn your friend back to normal, but I need three Black Rose petals to make the potion. I don''t have any of those on hand, and I''m not expecting my supplier to return to Lark for another month or so."


    Arai ground his teeth in frustration. "How long will it take to wear off?"


    "It depends. My love philtres are very strong. How much did she drink?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe a spoonful?"


    The witch winced. "That''s a lot. A single drop might''ve worn off in a few days, but a spoonful?"


    "How long?" Arai demanded.


    "Several weeks, at least."


    This was unacceptable to Arai; the prospect of Lillandra crawling into his bedroll every night for the next few weeks was more than he could stand. "We can''t wait that long. Is there anything else you can do?"


    "I''m sorry. I''ll be happy to refund your money--"


    "What about these Black Rose petals?" Shell asked. "Could you make the potion if we found some for you?"


    "I could," she allowed, "but as I said, my supplier won''t be here for another month, and the Black Rose is a rare flower. It only grows in a few places in Galleus. Although..." She frowned. "You could probably find a few on Tapil."


    "Tapil?"


    "It''s an island on Lake Tapyrus, about five miles from shore. There''s all kinds of rare plants there. But it''s very dangerous. The island is full of monsters, mostly man-traps and snakevines, but there''s this strange magic there, too, which makes people lose their minds." She shook her head. "No, you don''t want to go there. Forget I mentioned it."


    But Arai was undeterred; he wasn''t afraid of monsters, and Silus, after all, protected him from magics. "I might be willing to risk it," he said. "Can you show us how to get there?"


    "Are you sure? That island is cursed. It''s been years since anyone''s even set foot on it."


    He glanced at Lillandra, who was totally uninterested in the conversation; she had her arms around his neck and was in the middle of whispering sweet nothings in his ear. "I''m sure."


    Emi shrugged. She described the island to them, and told them what the Black Rose looked like, but warned them again that very few people ever returned from this cursed island and that she did not expect them to return, either. "It might be better to wait for the effects of the potion to wear off," she said.


    "We can''t wait that long," Arai said.


    "Suit yourself." She wished them luck, then added, "I''m sorry about all this. I tell you what -- if you make it back alive I''ll not only make this potion for you for free, I''ll give you a complete set of my Marvelous line of potions. That''s three different kinds of restoratives, two antivenoms, a monster-tamer--"


    "Thanks anyway," Arai said dryly. He didn''t want any more mix-up''s. "We''ll be back as soon as we can." And they parted there.


    "What''s the plan?" Shell asked, as they stepped out of the shop.


    He thought about it. "Sir Estil and I will go to this island. You''ll stay here with Lillandra."


    "Why can''t I go?" Shell complained.


    "Because it''s dangerous," he said. "You heard what Emi said about this place. Besides, I can''t take Lillandra with me while she''s like this -- I can''t fight off monsters when she''s constantly crawling all over me -- and someone has to keep an eye on her."


    Shell nodded glumly. "If you say so."


    "I won''t leave your side," Lillandra declared.


    Arai turned to her. "Lillandra..."


    "I love you."


    "You don''t," he hissed. He was beginning to hate hearing her say that, because it was such an obvious lie. "You love Julien, remember?"


    She frowned, and for the first time since she had imbibed the potion, she looked a little puzzled. "I love Julien," she agreed, "but I love you, too. I love you more than anything."


    "More than Julien?" he snorted.


    "More than..." She trailed off, finally shaking her head. "Don''t confuse me. You''re the one I want."


    "You can''t talk her out of it," Sir Estil said. "I have some experience with love philtres. The people who use them are totally consumed by their feelings, and if you start to question them, they become angry."


    "She''s going to be angry enough, after we snap her out of this," he sighed. "All right. Let''s find a boat. How long do you think it will take to get to this island? Do you think we can make it back by this evening?"


    Sir Estil looked up at the sun, which was still high in the sky. "I think so."


    They went down to the docks, and after a few minutes'' searching, found an old fisherman who was willing to rent them a rowboat for the day. Arai climbed into it with Sir Estil, while Lillandra and Shell watched them from the pier. Lillandra looked about ready to dive into the water and swim after them if she had to, but Shell kept a firm grip on her sleeve.


    "Good luck," Shell called out to them.


    "Arai!" Lillandra shouted from the shore. "I''ll love you forever!"


    Arai rolled his eyes.

 Chapter Forty-Four: Visions

    Sir Estil did most of the rowing. Having the old man do the majority of the work made Arai feel guilty, but Sir Estil didn''t mind it, and his stamina was incredible; unlike Arai, he never seemed to get tired. It was a marvelous ability, and Arai found himself wondering, not for the first time, how and where the knight had acquired it.


    It was a beautiful cloudless day, and the waters of Lake Tapyrus were still; if the circumstances had been different, Arai might have actually enjoyed this little jaunt. Under these circumstances, however, he was annoyed -- in a few minutes he was going to have to fight his way across an island of monsters, all because a scatterbrained potion vendor had mixed up a restorative with a love philtre. Lillandra''s constant expressions of love had also stirred up some unwelcome and unwanted feelings, which he preferred not to confront; this was annoying, too. He wanted nothing more than to find this flower and get this over with, and to return Lillandra to her normal self.


    It took them a little over an hour to find the island, which was flanked by two much smaller islands. It was a low, flat island, and covered with dense vegetation, which made it impossible to see very deeply into the interior. Fortunately the island was girded with sandy beaches; Arai didn''t think they''d have any trouble making it to shore.


    There didn''t appear to be anything particularly ominous about the island. Pelicans floated offshore, while seagulls flew in the skies above it, and he couldn''t make out any man-traps or snakevines among the foliage. He had taken Emi''s warnings to heart, though, and he had no intention of being caught unawares here -- as soon as they landed on the island and finished dragging their rowboat up on the beach, Arai put his hand on the pommel of his sword, and kept it there.


    After scouting the area for a few minutes, the two of them entered the forest. Arai, wary of magical threats, took the lead, while Sir Estil, who had donned his armor for the occasion, followed cautiously behind him. Arai was most worried about snakevines -- he had encountered a few of these in the forests of the Holy Empire, and he hated them. They were small monsters and not particularly dangerous, but they had a tendency to slither out of the underbrush, lightning-quick, and seize the ankles of the unwary; just knowing there were snakevines on this island was enough to make him jumpy.


    They encountered no snakevines at all, however, as they made their way through the foliage. They did spot a man-trap at one point -- a huge, skeletal tree, draped with hanging moss, which was capable of moving its limbs and ripping to pieces anything that got close to it -- but man-traps were rooted to the earth, like ordinary trees, and it was no danger to them as long as they kept their distance.


    Arai and Sir Estil both kept an eye out for Black Roses, but neither of them saw any flowers that fit the description Emi had given them.


    "Perhaps there aren''t any these flowers here after all," Sir Estil said. "Perhaps this young witch was mistaken."


    "It''s a pretty big island," Arai said. "Let''s keep looking."


    And so they continued exploring, avoiding the creeper-plants and keeping well away from the man-traps. The forest eventually began to thin out, giving way to clearings and grassy hillsides. They had just entered one of these clearings when Arai -- who was still on the lookout for snakevines -- suddenly felt Sir Estil clamp a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.


    He started to turn around, to ask the knight what was the matter...and that''s when he saw the moss-man, standing in the middle of the clearing.


    It was a huge, brutal-looking humanoid, twice as tall as Arai, its muscular body covered in tree bark and coated with moss. It might have had a face, but the moss hung over its features like long, stringy hair; all that Arai could see of it were dark hollows where its eyes ought to have been. And unlike the man-traps and other plant-monsters they had seen on the island, this one was ambulatory; it could move about on its massive, tree-trunk legs.


    There was something else in the clearing as well -- a huge boulder that had been carved into the shape of a human head. It was a very ugly carving, with a leering face and two bulging eyes; it reminded him of the demon-fetishes they had found on the little island, before the Skirrish pirates had captured them.


    The creature, which had been loitering around the statue, spotted them immediately; Arai barely had time to draw his sword before it started roaring at them. Sir Estil drew his sword as well, and began edging to Arai''s right. "I think we''ve got a fight on our hands," he said, quite calmly.


    "I think you''re right," Arai said, though he was not nearly as calm. This monster was big.


    It roared at them a second time, and then charged. The thing must have weighed thousands of pounds, because it seemed to shake the earth with every footfall; it may as well have been a Jek war-elephant charging them. They held their ground, though, and except for a twitch of his mustache, Sir Estil appeared totally unflappable.


    The monster chose to attack Sir Estil first, barrelling forward, swinging one huge fist at the knight''s head. Sir Estil ducked beneath the blow, rolled out of the way, and slashed at it as it went flying past him -- the knight''s speed and accuracy were, as always, incredible -- but the slash did next to nothing, for the monster was armored over in that thick tree bark.


    Silus would be more effective, and in fact Arai was already rushing forward, hoping to cut the monster down with a few quick strokes. The moss-man was faster than he expected, however, and it turned on him as soon as Sir Estil rolled out of its path, trying to backhand him with one huge, muscular limb. Arai couldn''t duck beneath it, so he scrambled away from it instead -- but that was a mistake, because now he was off-balance, and the monster was coming for him, ready to tackle him to the ground. He tried to maneuver his sword around, so that the moss-man would impale itself on the blade as it fell upon him, but he wasn''t fast enough, and in any case the creature managed to slap the sword out of his hands.


    He looked up, and found himself face-to-face with the monster, looking into the empty, skull-like sockets were its eyes should have been. He heard Sir Estil yelling something.


    The monster bellowed and drew back a huge fist, aimed right at his face. That was the last thing he remembered; there was nothing after that but oblivion.


    * * *


    He awoke in a strange place. He was in a warm, soft, comfortable bed, covered with a big, fluffy quilt...and when he pulled the quilt away from his face, he found himself looking up at a plastered ceiling. Sunlight was pouring in through a window to his right, just above the bed, filling the room with glittering dust particles. It appeared to be morning.


    He sat up, confused. He touched his face, expecting to find some injury there, but he felt nothing amiss. He was wearing nightclothes -- evidently someone had stripped him of his armor and traveling gear -- and he was alone; neither Sir Estil, nor Shell, nor Lillandra, were anywhere to be seen. He didn''t see Silus anywhere, either.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    There was something very familiar about the room, and the longer he looked at it, the more familiar it became. The bed, the window, the desk in the corner...


    And then, all at once, it hit him. This was his room. This was his home, the little cottage his father had built for them on the banks of the Tuv.


    But that was impossible. How could he be here? He had burned this house to the ground, just before setting out on his quest to find Silus. And how could he be in Velon? He had been in Galleus just a moment ago, with Sir Estil, fighting a...


    He stopped, frowning. What had he been fighting? And who was Sir Estil?


    A voice suddenly called out to him from the other side of his bedroom door: "Arai?"


    The door opened. Arai stared. "Maya?"


    "You''re finally awake," she said, coming over to the bed. She lifted his chin and kissed him on the lips. "You were sleeping so peacefully I didn''t want to wake you, but it''s getting a little late now, don''t you think?"


    "Maya?" He was so perplexed that he didn''t even think to object to this unexpected kiss. "What are you doing here?"


    "What am I doing here? I live here, silly." She laughed. "Come on, get dressed. Odo will be here in a few minutes."


    "Odo?"


    "He was coming over to help you cut firewood this morning, remember?"


    He blinked. "I...yes, yes, I remember."


    "Good." She patted him on the knee. "Breakfast will ready soon."


    "All right," he said, throwing the quilt off. "Except..." There was something bothering him about all this, something he couldn''t quite put his finger on. How could Maya be here? And why wasn''t she wearing her Selestrian robes? She was dressed in ordinary, homespun clothing, her long, blonde hair tied back in a bun; she looked like a young housewife. She was also quite obviously pregnant. "I feel like I''m forgetting something."


    "You probably just had another one of those funny dreams," she said. "Get dressed! We''ve got a long day ahead of us."


    "Yes," he said, dismissing the strange feelings. Maya was right; he was probably just remembering something from a dream. He went to the closet, got dressed, and went into the kitchen, where he ate a nice breakfast with Maya. She doted on him.


    After breakfast he went outside, where he found Odo already hard at work, chopping down trees near the riverbank. The Tuv was almost half a mile wide here, and churning with summer ice melt; Arai could hear its roaring from far away.


    Odo saw him coming and stopped for a moment, leaning against his enormous axe. "Finally," he said. "Where have you been? I thought you wanted to get an early start." And then he frowned, because Arai was staring at him. "What''s the matter?"


    "It''s just...I feel like I haven''t seen you in a long time."


    The big man grinned. "Sure, sure. Let''s get to work, eh?"


    And they spent the rest of the morning cutting down the dead trees adjacent to the riverbank and sawing them up. Odo was his usual jovial self, cracking jokes and cracking wise, and slapping Arai on the back and telling him to work harder whenever he started to slow down.


    The morning went by quickly. Arai was satisfied with the amount of work they managed to get done, but there was still something bothering him, something he couldn''t quite put his finger on. "Thanks for your help," he told Odo when they finally stopped to take a break.


    "Don''t thank me," he said. "Thank Maya. She was the one who suggested I come out to help you this morning." He gave Arai another slap on the back. "You know what your problem is, kid? You have a hard time admitting when you need help."


    "Really?"


    "But it''s okay." He grinned. "I''ve got your back."


    "Arai!" Maya called out from the house. "It''s time for lunch!"


    That sounded good. Arai rose to his feet, and turned to ask Odo if he wanted to join them, but the big man had vanished.


    Confused, he walked back to the house. Maya was there, standing in the doorway...only it wasn''t Maya anymore; it was Lillandra, and there was a small boy standing next to her, a serious-looking boy with dark hair and dark eyes. He looked up at Arai, his expression grave.


    "It''s lunchtime," Lillandra said.


    * * *


    He was standing in a snowy field outside of Hammersvik. The Nightfall, the great cylindrical tower in which the Night Queen had ensconced herself, rose above the plain, dark and terrible. Her dragon, Catalyus, was circling the tower, daring them to come near it.


    Vex was standing next to him. The young sorcerer was a boyishly handsome lad, with hair the color of straw, and with green eyes, flecked with gold. He was gazing up at Catalyus, too. "That dragon is going to be a problem," he muttered.


    "I think you''re right."


    "Are you ready for this? How are you feeling?"


    Arai furrowed his brow. How was he feeling? "I don''t know."


    "It''s a lot to take in, I suppose," Vex said. "How long have we been fighting? But it''s almost over now. Victory is finally within our grasp. We''re going to defeat the Night Queen; we''re going to take the Nightfall. By tomorrow morning the witch will be dead, and the tower will belong to us. And then..." He turned to Arai, grinning a strange, wolfish grin.


    "And then?"


    "And then I''ll finish what she started."


    * * *


    Night had fallen, but the battle continued to rage. Below the battlements, the Steelmen were fighting the Night Queen''s soldiers; above, the Ice Wyrm, trailing snow and sleet and sailing through the air like a great comet, was freezing the harpies, rock-men, and other monsters that had come to Lillandra''s aid.


    Arai himself was standing atop Fort Drakness, looking into the eyes of Lord Pierce, who was looking back at him, defiant. Fights were breaking out all around them, but Arai paid no attention to these; Lord Pierce was the only one who mattered. He was a tall, gaunt man, extremely pale, whose gray eyes gave no indication of what he might be thinking. He wore a black cape over his shoulders and carried a slender fighting-sword in his hand. He motioned for Arai to come forward.


    "What are you waiting for?" he asked. "Isn''t this what you wanted?"


    He tightened his grip on Silus. "It''s exactly what I wanted." And he attacked with the Crashing Waves, striking the man again and again. Lord Pierce was not known to be a skilled swordsman, but he more than held his own against Arai; in fact Arai was having trouble even touching him. The man was incredibly fast.


    The Lord Protector taunted him: "I''m right in front of you," he said. "Strike me, if you can."


    Arai attempted to do just that, but the man kept evading him. There was something strange about all this -- why wasn''t the Lord Protector fighting back? He seemed content to avoid Arai''s blows, to dodge and duck and roll out of the way.


    This whole battle was strange, in fact. What was he doing here? Why was he fighting up here all alone? What had happened to his allies, to Odo and Maya and and Grizz and Vex and Lillandra?


    He stopped himself. Lillandra? Lillandra wasn''t his ally; she was the enemy.


    Wasn''t she?


    For several seconds he simply stood there, confused and distracted. Lord Pierce could have easily taken advantage of his distraction, but he didn''t; he, too, simply stood there, watching and waiting. All around them, soldiers were fighting and dying; above, harpies were screaming, and below, fires were raging, for Catalyus had just incinerated the Steelmen''s wooden siege engines with dragonfire. He was surrounded by chaos.


    He couldn''t let himself be distracted. He had to fight, he had to move--


    Arai.


    He stopped when he heard the voice. It was a familiar voice, and it seemed to be coming from inside his own head. It said his name, and then it said it again.


    Arai.


    The voice had a calming effect on him. He took a deep breath and relaxed his grip on Silus, allowing the sword to fall to his side. Lord Pierce, who had been standing in front of him, vanished, and then everything else began to vanish, too -- the soldiers, the monsters, even the fort itself. For a moment he felt himself floating in white nothingness.


    Slowly but surely, a new world began to take shape around him, a world of ice and snow. He was standing in front of the crystalline shrine of Illu Matt¨¦.


    "I was starting to worry," the voice said.


    He turned, and found himself looking down at a small, elfin sort of man, with a shiny bald head and a huge red beard. He was wearing a smith''s apron, and holding a hammer in one hand.


    Arai had seen this man before, in a vision. "Illu Matt¨¦."


    The sorcerer-smith nodded. "Let''s have a look at that sword," he said.


    Arai held it up for him. The smith examined it, nodded again, and said, "I see...yes, I see." He looked up, his eyes twinkling. "Do you remember what I told you, when I gave you this sword?"


    "You...you told me to go forth and fight evil."


    He smiled. "It''s time to wake up." He touched Arai''s forehead with his index finger...and once again, the world faded away.

 Chapter Forty-Five: Matters of the Heart

    When he awoke, at last, he found himself lying on the ground, blinking the sun out of his eyes. Sir Estil was hovering over him. "Are you all right? Have you come to your senses?"


    Arai slowly sat up. It all came flooding back to him then -- he was on the island of Tapil, looking for Black Roses with Sir Estil. He remembered fighting the moss-man, and then...


    He frowned. Had he been dreaming? He must have been. He had seen Maya, and Odo, and Vex, and been inside his father''s house, which was long gone. The conversations he had had with his friends hadn''t felt like dreams, though; they had felt real.


    "What happened?" he asked Sir Estil. He noticed that the knight had a hand on the pommel of his sword.


    "What''s the last thing you remember?"


    "The moss-man." He started. "What happened to it? Is it still--"


    "It''s gone," Sir Estil assured him. "I destroyed it, just as it was about to strike you."


    He relaxed. "Oh."


    "But you passed out a moment later, and when you woke up you started wandering around, talking nonsense. And then you attacked me."


    He blinked. "I...attacked you?"


    "I managed to fend you off," he said, "but you were fighting like a man possessed."


    Arai climbed to his feet; Sir Estil helped him up. "I was...dreaming," he said. "I dreamed I was fighting Lord Pierce, at the top of Fort Drakness." In his dream, Lord Pierce had been remarkably fast, and had gone out of his way not to hurt him. Was it really Sir Estil he had been fighting? It must have been. But what in the world had gotten into him?


    "I didn''t hurt you, did I?" he asked the old knight, chagrined at the thought that he had attacked him.


    "Not at all," he said. "But we should get out of here. This place is dangerous." He opened his hand, revealing a handful of black flower petals. "I found these while you were passed out."


    Arai nodded. "We''ve got what we''ve come for, then. Let''s go." He was still confused, however. Where had the strange visions come from? Had he really spoken with Illu Matt¨¦ again? Emi had mentioned that there was some kind of magic on this island that made people lose their minds, but Silus was supposed to protect him from hostile magics, and whatever had happened to him obviously hadn''t happened to Sir Estil. It was all very strange.


    He followed Sir Estil back to the boat, and a few minutes later they were off, on their way back to Lark. Arai was quiet; he was still trying to make sense of what had happened to him.


    "Are you all right?" Sir Estil asked him, after a few minutes of silence.


    "Yes," he said. "I think so."


    "It must have been some kind of spell," the knight opined. "It confused your senses, made you see things that weren''t there."


    Arai remembered the strange statue they had seen in the clearing -- the boulder that had been carved in the shape of a monstrous human face. Could it have been some kind of zemi? But if it was, why hadn''t Silus protected him from its magic? "Why didn''t it affect you?" he asked Sir Estil.


    The knight shrugged. "I seem to have a unique ability to resist these kinds of magical assaults -- Valtun''s attempts to brainwash me back in the Dolorous failed as well, you''ll recall."


    "Ah."


    Sir Estil looked at him thoughtfully. "What did you see?"


    "Lots of things," he said. "I was back in Velon, and married to Maya. I spent a morning splitting wood with my friend Odo. But Maya..." He chewed on his lower lip, trying to recall the details of the dream. "Suddenly she had Lillandra''s face. And there was a little boy standing next to her, a boy I didn''t recognize. It was strange." He shook his head. "And then I was at the Nightfall, the tower where I fought Lillandra. I spoke to Vex. I fought Lord Pierce at the top of Fort Drakness. And then I saw Illu Matt¨¦, the sorcerer-smith who forged Silus. He asked me some questions, and then he told me to wake up."


    Sir Estil regarded him seriously. "Visions."


    "That''s what they felt like, yes. I wonder what they meant."


    "Perhaps they didn''t mean anything. Perhaps this magical force was simply filling your mind with nonsense."


    "Perhaps," he conceded. It hadn''t felt like nonsense, though. His meeting with Illu Matt¨¦ had felt particularly meaningful, and his conversation with Vex...there had been something very strange about that.


    "Tell me more," Sir Estil said.


    He related to Sir Estil everything he had seen, in greater detail. He also explained how the images had made him feel, though with some trepidation -- the knight was the first person he had ever really opened up to since he had parted company with Odo.


    Sir Estil considered all that he had said. After a moment he asked, "How do you feel about this Maya? Are you in love with her?"


    "I thought I was," he admitted. "Now I''m not so sure."


    "And Lillandra?"


    For the first time, he forced himself to confront his feelings. "I don''t know. I care about her, certainly. We''ve been through so much together. But...it''s complicated."


    "Because she''s the Night Queen?"


    "Partly. How could I have fallen in love with the woman who brought Velon to the brink of ruin?"


    "I thought you didn''t blame her for that."


    "I don''t. But I''ve been hearing stories about the Night Queen''s wickedness my whole life. I spent two years believing she was responsible for my father''s death, two years searching for a weapon I might use to kill her. I can''t just forget about those things." He sighed. "I feel as though falling in love with her would be like...betraying my father''s memory. Like betraying myself, and all that I set out to do. I know things are different now -- I know she''s not the monster I thought she was at first --- but still..." He trailed off.


    "The heart wants it wants," Sir Estil said. "You can''t talk yourself out of falling in love with a woman. Believe me, I know."


    Arai gave him a questioning look. The knight caught the look, and smiled sadly. "Yes, I was in love once, a long, long time ago."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Who was she?"


    "Princess Rin. King Arthorius'' sister."


    "...Oh." Arai could see how a love like that might have caused trouble.


    "I think she loved me, too," he said, "but I was lowborn, and she was promised to another, besides; our love was doomed from the start. I sometimes toyed with the idea of stealing her away, of taking her to Addis or some other faraway place, where we could be together, but I couldn''t bring myself to dishonor her, nor to break the oath I had sworn to her brother. So I stayed away from her."


    "What happened to her?"


    "She married, of course. She had a family. One of her grandchildren served as my squire for a time." He shrugged. "I''m glad now that I followed my head, rather than my heart, but I''d be lying if I said I didn''t have some regrets. I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had chosen a different path." He looked at Arai squarely. "Circumstances kept me away from Rin, but there''s nothing keeping you from Lillandra...nothing but your own misgivings."


    "And Julien," he muttered.


    "What was that?"


    "Nothing. Forget it." He hadn''t told Sir Estil about Lillandra''s plan to resurrect the long-dead swordsman; he wasn''t sure the knight would approve. "But don''t get ahead of me. I''m not sure of my own feelings yet, and I certainly don''t know how Lillandra feels."


    "Well, you''ve both got plenty of time to figure it out. It''s a long way to Velon, isn''t it?"


    * * *


    They found Lillandra and Shell waiting for them at the pier, in almost the exact same spot they had left them several hours ago: according to Shell, Lillandra had become utterly despondent after Arai had gone and had refused to leave the shore until he came back. "She''s been crying for hours," Shell said wearily.


    When she saw Arai, however, her tears dried instantly, and she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him so tightly it hurt. "I''ll never let you go again," she said. Arai rolled his eyes.


    "Did you find the Black Rose petals?" Shell asked.


    Sir Estil showed them to her. "Thank goodness," she said. "It was funny at first, but Arai''s right -- this stupid love potion''s driven her out of her mind. I can''t stand her like this. Let''s go fix this, huh?"


    They went directly to Emi''s shop. "You''re back!" the freckled sorceress exclaimed. "That didn''t take long. Did you find the petals?"


    Sir Estil handed them over, and she went to work immediately, grinding them up with a mortar and pestle, and adding cinnamon, apple juice, a couple of crushed-up beetles, and several other ingredients to the mixture. Every once in a while she stopped and moved her hands above the concoction as though she were kneading an invisible lump of dough; Arai assumed she was manipulating magia.


    It took about twenty minutes. When she was done, she poured the mixture into a bottle, stoppered it, shook it up, and poured it into a little glass. "Here you go," she said, offering the drink to Lillandra. "A Drop of Dying Ardor."


    Lillandra, who was still clinging to Arai, looked at the drink skeptically. "I don''t want it."


    "Drink it," Arai said. And then, in a much gentler voice, he added, "Please?"


    And that was all it took; Lillandra was so utterly devoted to him that she couldn''t help but obey. Although she still looked a little hesitant, she dutifully drank the potion.


    She made a face. "It''s sour," she complained. She blinked a few times, then began to look faint. This time Arai was ready for it, though, and he was able to catch her before she passed out. When she finally came to, a few moments later, and found Arai holding her, her eyes went wide at the sight of him.


    She made a strange sound, a sort of embarrassed eeep!, and without another word, ran out of the shop. "Lillandra!" Arai called after her. He whirled on Emi. "What''s wrong? What''s happened to her?"


    But Emi was not alarmed; in fact she was smiling. "I''d say that''s a pretty typical reaction," she said.


    "I don''t understand."


    "You will. Ah, but before I forget..." She went into a back room and returned with a set of potions -- at least a dozen stoppered vials containing a variety of multicolored liquids, arranged within a leather pouch. She handed the potions to Shell. "I checked and double-checked these," she said. "They''re all labeled correctly, and I included a set of instructions for proper dosages and so on." She bowed to them all. "I hope you''ll find these potions useful, and I hope they''ll make up for the trouble I caused you. There''s healing potions, truth serums, sleeping aids..."


    Arai was too tired and distracted to refuse the gift, and the young sorceress did seem sincere. "Thank you," he said.


    She smiled, which dimpled her cheeks. "Thank you," she said, "for shopping at Emi''s! Come back anytime!"


    * * *


    Arai found Lillandra standing outside the shop, her face buried in her hands. When she saw him approach, she began looking around like a frightened animal, searching for an avenue of escape. She refused to speak with him, and she refused to ride with him, as well, after they collected their horses and set out again -- she rode with Sir Estil again, while Shell rode with Arai. Her face was red, and she refused to meet his gaze.


    "Did I do something wrong?" Arai wondered. "Did Emi''s potion turn her love into hate?"


    "I don''t think so," Shell said. "I think she''s just embarrassed."


    "Embarrassed?"


    "How would you feel, if I fed you a potion that turned your feelings inside out, that made you act like a lovesick fool and say all kinds of silly things?"


    "Embarrassed," he admitted. "But it''s not my fault. And it wasn''t her fault, either; it was the potion that was making her do those things."


    "I''m sure that''s what she''s telling herself. Don''t worry. She''ll get over it eventually."


    Arai shrugged. The fact that Lillandra was now keeping her distance bothered him a little, but at least she wasn''t throwing herself at him anymore.


    It was two days before Lillandra finally deigned to speak to him, however. They were camped out on a hillside, on the edge of a great forest, just before dusk; Sir Estil, sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, was playing his flute, while Shell was feeding apples to Duke and Jennie. Arai was sitting by himself, looking up at the gorgeous star-filled sky, when he heard Lillandra approach. She sat down next to him, and without so much as a greeting, said, "I''m sorry."


    He blinked at her. "What do you have to be sorry about?"


    "I''ve been avoiding you. I know it''s not your fault, but..." Her face was red. "I just...I can''t believe I did all those things."


    "I understand."


    "I''m sure it made you uncomfortable." Then she snorted at herself and said, "Of course it made you uncomfortable. You risked your life on that island, looking for those Black Rose petals, when you could have just let it run its course."


    "It did make me uncomfortable," he confessed. "But..."


    "Yes?"


    He turned to face her. "You kept telling me you loved me. I didn''t risk my life on that island because I hated hearing that, or because I found it embarrassing. I did it because I was starting to like it a little too much, and because if it had gone on much longer, I was afraid I might not have been able to...resist the temptation."


    Her eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"


    "Well, I am a man," he said, shrugging, "and you''re a beautiful young woman. Do you think I have ice in my veins? Do you think I''m made of stone?"


    "Beautiful?"


    "Anyway, it''s all over. I know it was...awkward, for both of us, but I hope we can move past it now."


    "Yes," she said, nodding, although she still sounded a little nonplussed by what he had said. "Yes, I''d like that."


    "Good." He turned his gaze back up to the starry sky. "It''s a lovely night, isn''t it?"


    "I suppose so." She frowned. "Sir Estil said you had a series of visions while you were on the island."


    "Yes. I think it must have been some kind of magical attack...but if it was, why didn''t Silus protect me from it?"


    "The statue you saw...it looked something like the idols we found on that island in the Phantic Gates?"


    "It was similar," he said.


    "It may not have been magic you were dealing with, then. It might have been the demon-craft. Some kind of old curse, left over from the Harrowing. Silus wasn''t made to defend against the kind of magic demons used...if you can even call their obscenities magic."


    "Ah." That made some sense.


    She hesitated, then asked, "Did you see me in any of these visions?"


    "I saw a lot of people."


    "But did you see me?"


    "Yes, you were there."


    "As the Night Queen?"


    "Why do you ask?"


    "Just curious," she said airily, although Arai suspected there was a little more to it than that.


    "You weren''t the Night Queen," he said. "You were Lillandra."


    That seemed to satisfy her, though he had no idea why. "I see."


    He didn''t add that she had been his wife in the dream -- well, sort of -- nor did he mention the little boy he had seen. He didn''t want to give her the wrong idea. "Well, anyway," he said, rather lamely, "Isn''t it about time for bed?"


    "I think I''d like to stay up a little longer," she said quietly. "Will you sit with me for a while?"


    He nodded slowly. "All right."


    And they sat there, together, looking up at the stars, listening to the melancholic tune Sir Estil was playing on his flute. After a few moments, Arai reached out and gently placed his hand over hers.


    She didn''t acknowledge it -- in fact she didn''t even look at him -- but she didn''t pull away, either.


    And that, Arai decided, was good enough for now.

 Chapter Forty-Six: Lady Melei

    The remainder of their journey through Galleus was actually quite pleasant, at least compared to what had come before it. The roads were good, the Galleans themselves were friendly, and Sir Estil, who knew the country well, was an excellent guide. The weather, meanwhile, remained warm and dry, though it did get cooler at night.


    As they made their way west, the rolling fields and farmlands slowly gave way to ranches and orchards, and finally to desert scrublands. These lands, dry and sandy, littered with rocks and boulders, riven with canyons, and full of brush, were sparsely populated, and even on horseback, it often took them several days to get from one small village to the next.


    Life seemed a little slower out here. The Galleans living in this region worked in the mornings, but spent their afternoons lounging in the shade beneath canopies or stunted desert trees. They took long naps and never looked to be in any kind of hurry. Arai could hardly blame them; the desert heat had a tendency to lull him to sleep as well. Lillandra, who was now riding with him once again, had had to shake him awake a few times, after he had drifted off.


    It was late summer by the time they made it to Bloodlorn. This was a village of perhaps a hundred and fifty people; according to Sir Estil, it was the westernmost Gallean settlement, situated at the very edge of the dangerous Tarnak. Its proximity to the desert made it a frequent target for monster attacks, and a contingent of Gallean knights was usually stationed here to defend it; in his youth Sir Estil had been one of these.


    The village, which consisted mostly of mud houses, tents, and brick buildings, had been arranged around an oasis, and there were trees growing up in the midst of it -- fig trees, olive trees, peach trees, and above them all, palm trees, which provided a great deal of shade.


    "This is it," Shell said, staring at the town with her big green eyes. "This is the end of the world."


    Of course this wasn''t true -- beyond the Scarred Lands lay the gigantic Queendom of Elent, the statelets of Arliel''s Holy Empire, and finally Velon -- but to an easterner like Shell, it probably did seem like the end of the world. Only a handful of people had ever managed to successfully cross this desert, from either direction, and the seas, north and south, were even more dangerous, full of krakens, sea serpents and ghost-lights. These natural barriers were nearly impenetrable, and they prevented the eastern and western halves of Iona Magister from conducting any kind of normal trade or pursuing any kind of diplomacy with one another. The east knew almost nothing of the west, and vice versa.


    "This was where Plint turned back," Shell said, referring to the author of the travel book she had been carrying around for months. "He wanted to go as far as the Riven Mountains, but his assistants refused."


    "Probably a wise decision," Sir Estil said. "The desert is no place for scriveners. The monsters here are strong, and there are rogues and thieves in the mountains."


    "Thieves?" Arai inquired.


    "Thieves, malcontents, and escaped criminals," he said. "Men and women who have had reason to flee Galleus, and to take their chances in the Riven."


    "I thought no one could live out there, because of the monsters," Shell said.


    "There are places in the high mountains where the magia is not so thick, where monsters do not materialize quite so frequently," he said. "It''s a hard life, and they are under constant threat, but it is possible for hunters and mountain-men to eke out a living there. Bandits as well, but I imagine the pickings are pretty slim in the Tarnak."


    Arai frowned. The monsters and the forbidding desert environment were sure to be challenging enough; he didn''t like the idea of having to contend with bandits and outlaws as well.


    In fact, now that they had arrived, he was beginning to wonder how, exactly, the four of them were going to make it across this desert. They had enough money to purchase supplies, and they had the Everlasting Chalice, which provided them with an unlimited supply of fresh water, but would their tents stand up to the fierce sandstorms that were said to rage through the desert? What if something happened to their mounts? What if they encountered these bandits? What if they lost their way? And what about the monsters? Silus was a potent weapon, capable of destroying most monsters with just a few strokes, but Arai was only one man, and he couldn''t fight off whole legions of them on his own.


    He brooded on these things as they made their way into town. Sir Estil was in better spirits; the knight hadn''t been to Bloodlorn in years and he was excited to see how much of it had changed. "It''s actually grown a bit," he said. It was early morning, and the streets were bustling. "That''s surprising."


    "We should find a place to stay," Arai said. "We don''t want to head into the desert until we''re sure we''re prepared, and it could take a while to gather the supplies we''ll need."


    "True enough," Sir Estil said. "Let''s go see if Barker is still in business."


    "Barker?"


    "An old friend of mine. He owns a tavern on the southern edge of town, and he lets out rooms on the second floor."


    "Wouldn''t it be easier to find an inn?" Lillandra asked.


    "There are no inns in Bloodlorn," he said. "They don''t get many travelers out here."


    Arai supposed that made sense. So they turned and made their way south, guided by Sir Estil''s (sometimes rather vague) memories of the place. At last, they found themselves standing outside one of the few two-story buildings in Bloodlorn -- a ramshackle-looking structure which seemed to have been cobbled together with bricks and clapboard, and which had been patched up here and there with globs of dried mud. They went inside.


    The interior was dark and dusty, and mostly empty -- it was very early, after all, and probably most of the tavern''s patrons waited until the afternoon, at least, to start their drinking. There was a man standing behind the bar, though -- a tough-looking fellow with huge, hairy arms, and wearing a dirty apron. He was probably in his sixties.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The man started to greet them, in an absent sort of way, but stopped short when he saw Sir Estil. "It can''t be," he muttered.


    "It is," Sir Estil said, approaching the bar. "How long has it been, Barker?"


    "Too long," he said, wiping one of his hands on the apron and offering it up for Sir Estil to shake. "What brings you out this way?"


    "It''s a long story," he said tiredly. "How''s life been treating you? How''s Jina?"


    The man''s smile faded just a bit. "Ah, she passed away six years ago."


    "I''m sorry to hear that."


    They spent a few minutes catching up -- Barker was full of news about his daughters and granddaughters -- before returning to the subject at hand. "What about you?" the tavernkeeper asked. "You didn''t answer my question before -- what brings you all the way out here? And who are your friends?"


    Sir Estil introduced them all. "This is Arai, Lillandra, and Shell. We''ve been traveling together for several weeks."


    "Is that so?" Barker blinked a few times when he saw Shell -- elves were very uncommon this far west, Arai had noticed, and she had already been getting some curious looks from passersby. It would probably be even worse on the other side of the Scarred Lands, where elves barely existed outside of fairy tales. He hoped she wouldn''t be too bothered by the extra attention she was sure to receive.


    "This is going to sound crazy," Sir Estil said, "but we''re planning on making our way into the Tarnak. Arai and Lillandra come from a country called Velon, in the far west, and I swore to them that I''d see them home safe."


    "At your age?" he snorted. "You''re never going to slow down, are you, Endsgrief?"


    "We were hoping the upstairs room might be available," Sir Estil. "We need a place to stay while we prepare for this expedition."


    "It''s available," he said. "Are you sure about this, though? You know how hard it is to make it through the desert. Lady Melei has at least two dozen men and women in her party, and a full dodeci, and they''re already having trouble. There''s only four of you."


    "Lady Melei?"


    "Hadn''t you heard? She''s planning an expedition herself. They''ve got horses, camels, wagons, knights, even a sorcerer. But they haven''t set out yet; they''ve been camped outside of town for weeks."


    "Who''s Lady Melei?" Arai asked Sir Estil.


    "A young noblewoman from Tax Trium. She''s a second or third cousin of King Arthorius."


    "Do you know her?"


    "I met her once, when she was a child. But that must have been twenty years ago. Her father arranged for her to marry Sir Carolus, one of the knights on the Council, but Carolus was an old man and he passed away when she was still a teenager. I don''t believe she''s remarried." He frowned, turning back to Barker. "You''re saying she''s here in Bloodlorn? And she''s planning to cross the desert?"


    "Yes, but as I said, her expedition''s already off to a rocky start. It''s something to do with her alchemist."


    "Perhaps we should speak with her," Sir Estil said, intrigued.


    "You still want the upstairs room? It''s a little dusty up there now, but I could have one of the girls clean it up for you."


    "That sounds fine."


    They left their luggage -- such as it was -- in Barker''s rented room, then left the tavern and headed to the western edge of town, where Lady Melei''s entourage was said to be camped out. "This is a stroke of luck," Sir Estil said.


    "It is?" Lillandra asked.


    "There''s strength in numbers," he said. "We stand a much better chance of making it through the desert with a large group. If they''ll agree to let us join them..." He let that hang.


    It sounded like a good idea to Arai -- attaching themselves to this group would save them the trouble of having to buy their own supplies and make their own preparations. And Sir Estil was right; a large, well-organized group probably stood a better chance of making it through the desert and over the mountains than two men, one woman, and a little elf girl.


    On the other hand, a larger group was likely to attract more attention. Monsters were drawn to human activity -- dragons, harpies, and other beasts were liable to attack a large caravan if they saw it. And Arai wasn''t sure how the four of them -- particularly Lillandra -- would fit in with a larger group. Lillandra wasn''t exactly easy company.


    It took them about twenty minutes to reach Lady Melei''s camp, which consisted of at least a dozen large wagons and several tents. They had camels, horses, and oxen, the latter presumably for pulling the wagons, and there were bundles of supplies and trade goods stacked up everywhere. A handful of knights were stationed outside the camp, and Sir Estil spoke to one of these when they approached.


    "We''d like to speak with Lady Melei," he said. "The four of us are interested in joining your expedition."


    "Indeed?" He pointed to the largest wagon, a huge wooden box which was the size of a small house, and which had some kind of strange contraption affixed to its roof. A pair of long tubes, which looked like the hollowed-out horns of some great beast, were positioned on either side of the contraption; Arai had no idea what the device was or what it might be used for.


    "You''ll find her in there," the knight told them. "Fair warning, though. She''s in a bad mood."


    They proceeded to the wagon. Sir Estil knocked on the door. "My lady?"


    "It''s about time," an angry female voice called out from within. "How long does it take to fry a couple of eggs? Well, get in here! I''m starving."


    Sir Estil was a little flustered. "I apologize, my lady," he said, "but I think you may have the wrong idea--"


    The door suddenly burst open. Standing in the threshold, glowering down at them, was a pretty young woman, a few years older than Arai, perhaps, with long, flowing red hair and a rather pale complexion. She was dressed like a man, in brown leather, and was wearing boots.


    She had obviously been expecting someone else, and she blinked when she saw them standing there. Her eyes soon fell on Sir Estil.


    "S-Sir Estil? Sir Estil Endsgrief? Is that really you?"


    "Lady Melei! I''m surprised you remember me! How wonderful to see you again."


    "What in the world are you doing out here? I heard you''d killed the Aeromancer, but--"


    "It''s...complicated," he said.


    She closed the door behind her. "Well, then! Let''s walk and talk. Have you eaten breakfast yet? I haven''t. I sent Phile out twenty minutes ago to fetch me some..." She stopped there, trailing off when she caught sight of Arai. She gave him an appraising look. "And who is this?"


    "Arai," Arai greeted. "And this is Lillandra, and this is Shell."


    "Nice to meet you all," she said, although her eyes remained fixed on Arai. "You''re friends of Sir Estil, I take it?"


    "You could say that." And Sir Estil proceeded to give the the young lady a brief account of all that happened to him since he had escaped the Dolorous with Arai and Lillandra. He told her that he had sworn himself to Arai''s service, and that the four of them intended to try to cross the Scarred Lands. "I had no idea you were planning an expedition," he said. "We''d like to accompany you, if that''s possible."


    "Well, I''m not against it," she said. "We could certainly use a few more knights."


    "I''m not a knight," Arai pointed out.


    "On the other hand," she went on, "I''m afraid it might be several weeks, maybe several months, before we get underway -- we still haven''t acquired nearly enough maginite to get the radiator working. These desert monsters are much more resilient than I had expected."


    "Radiator?" Shell asked. "What''s a radiator?"


    She grinned a roguish kind of grin. "The radiator," she said, "is the device that''s going to see us safely across the desert. It''s going to connect the eastern and western halves of Iona Magister permanently, opening up new trade routes for the first time since the Harrowing. And it''s going to make me rich."

 Chapter Forty-Seven: Hiero and the Radiator

    Before they could ask her anything more about this magnificent radiator, Lady Melei spotted a well-dressed young man sitting in the back of a wagon, sketching something out on a large piece of parchment. "Ah, there''s Hieronomus. He can tell you all about it. Hiero!"


    The young man looked up. He was a bookish-looking fellow, with curly black hair, and was wearing a pair of spectacles. He looked up so quickly when Lady Melei called his name that the spectacles nearly flew off his face; he had to adjust them with his thumb and forefinger. "My lady," he greeted. He looked and sounded a bit nervous, a bit skittish. "And...and how are you this morning?"


    "Could be better," she grouched. "Sir Farrow and Sir Brack returned empty-handed last night. I''ll have to send another group out this afternoon. How are the modifications coming along?"


    "S-still working on them, I''m afraid," he said. He held up the parchment, which was covered with complicated-looking drawings. "But I''ve made some progress."


    "Well, at least someone is getting something done around here," she said grumpily. "Hieronomus Gil, I''d like to introduce you to Sir Estil Endsgrief."


    The young man adjusted his glasses. "The f-famous knight?"


    "Just so," she said. "And these are his friends. Arai, Shell, and..." She stopped, blinking at Lillandra. "I''m sorry, what was your name again?"


    "Lillandra," Lillandra said, rather coolly.


    "Yes, Lillandra. The four of them would like to accompany us on our journey west."


    "Ah. I see."


    "Hieronomus is an alchemist," Lady Melei said. "One of the greatest minds in Galleus. He''s the one who invented the radiator, and he''s the one who''s going to make me rich. Isn''t that right, Hiero?" She slapped him on the back, in a familiar sort of way. He flinched.


    "Y-yes, of course," he said. "I''m the inventor of the radiator."


    "But what is the radiator?" Shell asked. "And how is it going to make you rich?"


    Lady Melei smiled at the skittish alchemist. "Perhaps you could explain it to them?"


    "Ah, yes. Well, simply put, the radiator is a device designed to repel monsters and to prevent them from materializing, by interrupting the compression process with maginite-mist." He pointed to the strange device attached to the roof of the wagon that Lady Melei had just emerged from. "That''s it over there."


    "It repels monsters?" Arai asked, impressed. Was such a thing even possible?


    He nodded. "It''s a special compound I developed. The primary ingredient is powdered maginite, mixed with water and a few other ingredients. When a galvanic charge is passed through the mixture, and vaporized through my apparatus, it creates a certain chemical mist which repels monsters. It also disrupts the natural compression process of magia, as I said, which prevents monsters from materializing in the immediate area."


    Arai immediately understood the value of the young alchemist''s invention. "You''re going to use it to pass through the Scarred Lands."


    He nodded again. "The greatest obstacle to regular travel through the desert are the monsters, which are constantly appearing and attacking unwary travelers. My machine will keep them at bay."


    "I was the first one to recognize his genius," Lady Melei said proudly. "I''ve been supporting his work for the last several years. As soon as he finished the final prototype, I began making arrangements for this expedition."


    "Y-yes," Hiero agreed. "Lady Melei has been very...ahem...generous."


    "So why haven''t you set out yet?" Shell wondered. "What are you doing camped outside of town?"


    "Ah." Hiero shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately the machine requires a great deal of maginite to work."


    "I''ve been sending parties out into the desert to hunt down monsters and collect the maginite they leave behind," Lady Melei said. "But we need a whole wagon full of the stuff, and most monsters only leave behind a few small shards. They''re also very difficult to destroy, as I''m sure you know. Even the little snakeheads and geckos out there can be a threat. I''ve lost a couple of men already." She sighed. "If I had known it would take this much time to gather this much maginite, I might have postponed the expedition, but it''s too late now -- I''m already up to my ears in debt."


    "And now we''ve got the Engulfer to deal with," Hiero added.


    "The Engulfer?" Arai asked.


    "That''s what we call the monster that''s been prowling around Panner''s Canyon," the alchemist said. "It''s quite large."


    "Large?" Lady Melei blurted. "It''s gargantuan. Three times the size of a dragon, at least. It resembles a large, fat grub worm, only it has thousands of little legs, and a face full of tentacles. I sent Damon out to try to incinerate it -- Damon''s the sorcerer I hired -- but he couldn''t put a dent in it. It''s hard to get close to it. It moves slowly, but its tentacles are very long and very fast." She made a face.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "You want to kill it for its maginite?" Lillandra asked.


    "I''d love to," she said. "The damn thing probably has a ton of maginite in its belly. But I don''t think we can kill it -- it''s just too big. We''re hoping the radiator will drive it off -- we can''t pass through Panner''s Canyon while that thing is down there."


    "Maybe we could kill it for you," Shell offered.


    Lady Melei looked down at her. "Really?"


    "Arai''s sword can kill any monster," she said confidently, "and Lillandra and I are witches. Well, I''m still learning, technically--"


    "Shell--" Lillandra started.


    "We killed a chthonic salamander below Kingsaile," the elf girl went on. "It was huge, but Arai was able to destroy it."


    Lady Melei regarded Arai, looking him up and down -- rather boldly, he thought. He almost felt as though she were undressing him with her eyes. "You have a magic sword?"


    "I do," he admitted. "But killing monsters isn''t as easy as Shell makes it out to--"


    "I have an idea," Lady Melei said, snapping her fingers. "If you can get rid of the Engulfer for me, and collect its maginite, I''ll not only allow you to accompany us on this expedition to the west, I''ll let you in on a portion of the profits. Two percent, perhaps? I''ll have Phile work something out."


    Arai wasn''t really interested in profits -- all he cared about was getting across the desert -- but this expedition was probably their best and only chance of making it through the Scarred Lands, and if this monster was standing in the way of their progress...


    Could he actually kill it, though? He had great confidence in Silus, but the sword was only as strong as the man wielding it, and monsters like the big salamander, Nharlek''s assassin, and the moss-man on Tapil Island had all given him trouble. As Lillandra liked to say, Silus did not make him invincible.


    Arai glanced at Lillandra. "What do you think?"


    "I think you know how I feel about hunting monsters," she muttered.


    "Sir Estil?"


    The knight shrugged. "Panner''s Canyon isn''t far from here. If this monster should find its way into town, it could cause a great deal of death and destruction. It should be gotten rid of regardless."


    Arai nodded. "All right," he said. "I want to know more about this monster, though, and what it''s capable of."


    "Absolutely! I can tell you all about it...over breakfast." She suddenly approached Arai, singling him out, fluttering her eyelashes at him in a girlish sort of way. "Would you care to join me?"


    "O-of course," he said, a little flustered by her forwardness.


    "Great! I''m starving." She linked arms with him, surprising him further. "Tell me about yourself," she said. "Where are you from? And where, exactly, did you get this magic sword?"


    He threw a backwards glance at Lillandra and the others. Shell was oblivious, and Sir Estil merely rolled his eyes at Lady Melei''s boldness. Lillandra, however, was scowling at him.


    * * *


    They ate breakfast with Lady Melei -- eggs, bacon, and biscuits, served up by Phile, who was one of Lady Melei''s servant girls. She was a teenager, probably about the same age as Lillandra, but very prim and proper, and meticulous in her serving of the tea. Lady Melei seemed to enjoy bossing her around.


    But then, Melei seemed to enjoy bossing everyone around -- she was always barking orders at someone or other. Her knights, her servants, her alchemist, and even her sorcerer, Damon, all seemed to be at least a little terrified of her.


    Damon stopped to chat with them for a moment. He was a paunchy, middle-aged man, and very ordinary-looking; if Arai hadn''t known he was a sorcerer he never would have guessed. But the man obviously had some talent, because his eyes bugged out when he saw Lillandra; evidently he had noticed the way the magia was swirling around her. "You must be very powerful," he said.


    "Yes," she said simply.


    When the man left, Arai whispered to Lillandra: "How strong is he? Could you tell?"


    She shrugged. "About average, for a sorcerer."


    The conversation was lively -- Lady Melei grew very excited when she learned that Arai and Lillandra were from the other side of the desert, and she began peppering them with questions: What kinds of people lived in the west? What kinds of problems might they run into? Would the governments of the west be willing to open up diplomatic relations with Galleus? What kinds of trade goods did they possess? And so on.


    While they were eating, they suddenly felt a tremor in the earth -- a low, vibratory rumble, which rattled their dishes just a bit. Arai and the others were startled, but neither Lady Melei nor Phile or anyone else seemed to be alarmed. "We''ve been getting a lot of these quakes lately," she explained. "I don''t think it''s anything to worry about. Now! Tell me more about Velon. Are your people friendly? How do you think they''ll receive us? Is there a market there for Citian silk? We''ve got ten bolts of it to trade."


    Arai exchanged a glance with Lillandra. "Velon is very far to the west," he said. "I doubt you''ll be doing any trading with the Velonese at all. You''re more likely to be doing business with the Queendom of Elent, or maybe the Jek, in the northern prairie, but the Jek are a warlike people and you''re probably better off avoiding them."


    "But this is marvelous! The one thing this expedition was lacking -- apart from maginite, of course -- was a guide to tell us something of the lands beyond the desert. I''ve been chasing down as many reports as I can, from people who have been there, but they''re very hard to come by." She took Arai by the hand and looked into his eyes. "How fortunate I am, to have found you."


    He cleared his throat, a bit nervously. "Ah, yes," he said lamely. "But you were going to tell us about the Engulfer?"


    "Of course," she said. And she gave them a complete description of it -- Lady Melei, it turned out, had actually seen the monster herself, albeit from a great distance.


    After breakfast, and after she had briefed them on the monster, she was called away to deal with some crisis. "We''ll talk more later," she said to them, although she was looking at Arai when she said it. She gave him a wink, and then she was off.


    "She''s nice," Shell commented. "I think she likes you, Arai."


    "You noticed," he muttered. "What do you think about this Engulfer-thing, Lill? Do you have any thoughts on how we might kill it?"


    "Your guess is as good as mine," she said, a little distractedly. She was staring daggers at Lady Melei''s departing figure. "I could control it if I had a Dragon''s Bit, but those take a long time to make."


    "There''s a lot of magia out here," Shell pointed out.


    "Not enough. Having all this magia to work with would speed things up, but there''s a limit to how quickly a cauldron can siphon magia out of the air. It would probably only shave a few weeks off. And I''d need a wyrm''s horn and some ape skin and some other materials to craft it, besides."


    "Is there anything else you might be able to make?"


    "I''d have to think about it."


    "You have your sword," Shell reminded him.


    "Sure," he said, "but this monster is supposed to be enormous, even bigger than the salamander we fought in the Dwellmer. Silus can destroy most monsters with a few slashes, but the bigger they are, the more damage they can absorb. And getting that close to a monster with tentacles..." He shook his head. "I''m not wild about it."


    "Well, we''ll have to come up with something," Shell said. "She''s promised us two percent of the profits! And we''re not going anywhere until someone kills this thing."


    Arai sighed. "She''s right. Where are the horses? I''d like to get a look at this beast, anyway."

 Chapter Forty-Eight: Firelight

    The four of them ventured out into the desert a few hours later, headed for Panner''s Canyon. The afternoon heat was almost unbearable, but they had the Everlasting Chalice, at least, which kept them hydrated -- even the horses. The spell was only triggered when humans (or elves) drank from the chalice, but they were able to fill the cup by touching their lips to it and then pouring the water that appeared into a separate bowl for the horses. It was a time-consuming process, but at least they were able to give the poor beasts something to drink.


    Sir Estil was familiar with the area and knew how to find Panner''s Canyon, but it would have been impossible to miss in any case -- the canyon, which ran north to south, was at least a hundred miles long. Arai, who had never seen a formation of this size before, was impressed: the canyon was a huge red gouge in the otherwise flat, featureless desert; it looked as though it had been created by a giant, dragging his finger across the landscape. The scenery was actually quite lovely -- the whole area was full of picturesque bluffs and cliffs, and the walls of the canyon were striated with bright, vivid colors: reds, yellows, and oranges.


    There was a rough sort of road leading down into the canyon, and according to Sir Estil there was another road leading up and out of it, on the western side, but the terrain was difficult. "It''ll take several days for Lady Melei''s wagons to make their way through here," Sir Estil said. "That''s why they can''t afford to run into any monsters."


    "Couldn''t they go around?"


    "They could, but it would add at least two weeks to the journey, and the lands north and south of the canyon are treacherous. It''s nothing but sand dunes to the south, with no water or vegetation at all, and addlebugs swarm in the salt marshes to the north."


    "Addlebugs?" Shell asked.


    "Little stinging insects," the knight explained. "Very dangerous. If you''re stung by one, you''ll begin to hallucinate, but if you''re stung by two or three, you''ll die." His expression was grave. "I had a friend who was killed by addlebugs. They''re not to be taken lightly."


    Shell shuddered. "I hate bugs," she said.


    They saw no sign of the Engulfer in the canyon; however, they did encounter many smaller monsters -- hopping snakeheads, which tried to bite the horses'' legs; a handful of small rock-men, which were humanoid-things made up of rocks and pebbles; and even a lurker, a shadowy creature which had hidden itself within a water mirage. Arai was able to dispatch all of the monsters fairly easily, with Silus, but there were so many of them that it became wearying, and having to remain alert all the time, in case one of them jumped out and attacked, was stressful.


    And they were only on the outer edge of the Scarred Lands; they were sure to encounter even more monsters, and even more dangerous ones, as they progressed further into the desert. If the alchemist''s radiator invention could repel even half the monsters they might otherwise run into, it would help them tremendously.


    They made sure to collect the maginite shards from the monsters they killed, but they really were just scraps and shards. The maginite left behind by the lurker -- a monster the size of a large dog -- was only about as big as Arai''s index finger.


    "It''s going to take them forever to fill up a whole wagon with this stuff," Shell said doubtfully, turning a piece of maginite over in her hands. "How long are we going to be stuck..." She trailed off there, because the earth had begun to shake once again. The tremor was not an especially strong one, but they had arrived at the bottom of the canyon now, and Arai was afraid of getting caught in a rockfall or avalanche. "Let''s turn back," he said. "It doesn''t look like this monster''s going to show itself anyway."


    And so they climbed back out of the canyon and returned to Lady Melei''s camp. They made it back just after sunset.


    "I was getting worried," Lady Melei said, coming out to greet them. "Did you find the Engulfer? Did you see it?"


    "I''m afraid not," Sir Estil said.


    "We killed a bunch of monsters, though," Shell said, showing off the maginite they had collected.


    "I suppose that''s better than nothing," she sighed. "You must be hungry. Phile! Fetch something for them to eat."


    And a few minutes later they were sitting around a campfire, eating a meal with Lady Melei, her servant Phile, the alchemist Hieronomous Gil, and her sorcerer Damon, all of whom were good company...well, except for Hiero, who was preoccupied with his drawings and didn''t have much to say.


    After dinner, and after the conversation had died away, Hiero retired to his wagon, while Phile ran off to perform some errand for Lady Melei. Damon invited Lillandra and Shell to see his collection of zemi, while Sir Estil put his arms behind his head and simply went to sleep, right there on the ground, using a big rock for a pillow.


    That left Arai with Lady Melei. She had been inching closer to him all night, and now she was sitting right next to him. "I''d like to hear more about Velon," she said.


    "Lillandra''s from Velon, too, you know. You could try asking her."


    "Lillandra," she intoned thoughtfully. "Are the two of you...together?"


    "Not exactly."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She brightened a little. "I see." But then, just as quickly, her smile faded, and she turned her gaze to the dark horizon. "Do you think I''m a fool?"


    "A fool?"


    "For organizing this expedition. Everyone told me I was a fool, back in Tax Trium. The desert is impassable, they said. You''ll never make it through the mountains, they said. You''ll die like all the rest of them." She sighed. "It took years to gather together enough investors to make this journey possible, but it all depends on Hiero and his radiator. If we can''t find enough maginite..."


    "Maybe we could help with that," Arai said. "We''ve gotten pretty good at killing monsters, and we did kill quite a few of them today. A few more excursions into the desert..." He shrugged. "And we might run into some larger specimens eventually."


    "I''ll take whatever help I can get," she said. "But I don''t want to talk about it anymore. Let''s go to my wagon. We can stay up late and drink."


    He frowned. "I don''t drink."


    "Come to my wagon anyway."


    "I...think I''ll pass."


    She gave him a sort of contemptuous snort. "Suit yourself. Don''t think I''m done with you yet, though, Arai." And she smiled, and walked off into the dark.


    * * *


    They spent the next two weeks with Lady Melei and her party. Arai, Lillandra, Shell, Sir Estil, and occasionally Lady Melei herself, rode out to Panner''s Canyon twice a day to hunt the monsters they found there, while Damon led another party of knights. Arai''s party was especially successful: Sir Estil''s martial skill, Arai''s sword, and Lillandra''s awareness of magia were quite potent when put together, and by the end of the first week they had managed to collect three large sacks full of maginite. Damon''s group contributed another sack, but it took them longer, and they suffered many more injuries.


    They never saw the Engulfer at all. Lady Melei began to suspect that the huge creature might have left the area, having wandered off in the direction of the dunes, but they couldn''t find any tracks, either, which puzzled them.


    Lady Melei, Arai discovered, was a fearsome fighter herself. Although she wore a brace of knives on her belt, her principal weapon was the bow, and she was a very good shot, capable of shooting a snakehead through the eye at forty paces. "You''re very good," Arai told her.


    "You''re not too bad yourself," she said, giving him a wink. She had been winking at him for the last two weeks, and flirting with him, and whenever she had too much to drink, she latched on to him and tried to drag him back to her wagon. Arai was flattered by the attention -- Melei was a lovely young woman, after all -- but it was a little embarrassing, too, because he didn''t really want to get involved with her; his life was complicated enough, and he was still sorting out his feelings for Lillandra besides. Lillandra, for her part, scowled whenever Melei showed any interest in him.


    One evening, after dinner, Arai once again found himself alone with Melei. It had been a long, hot day, but the cool of the evening was now beginning to set in, and above, the stars were beginning to twinkle to life in the purple twilight. Lady Melei looked up at them and sighed, as she was wont to do; she always seemed to grow sad and thoughtful in the evenings, and especially after she started sipping her wine.


    "We had a pretty good haul today," Arai observed. "How much more maginite do you think we''ll need?"


    "Another twenty bags, probably," she admitted. "It''s progress, but..." She trailed off, sighing again.


    Twenty bags was rather more than Arai was expecting. He sighed, too. "Another month, maybe? Two months?"


    "Maybe."


    He glanced at her. "Are you really out here to get rich? You''re the king''s cousin; I''m sure you had enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life."


    "True enough."


    "What are you after, then? Fame?"


    She shook her head. "Truthfully, it wasn''t money or fame. It was..." She frowned, thinking it over. "My father married me off to Sir Carolus when I was fourteen years old. I was his fourth wife. He was kind to me, but he was an old man, almost as old as Sir Estil is now, and I never saw him all that much -- he spent most of his time working for the Council or fighting the Skirrish at the Long Wall. I was left at home, cooped up in his mansion, and only allowed out for dances and royal dinners. As a child, I was forced to do my father''s bidding, and as Sir Carlous'' wife, I had almost no freedom at all." She looked up at the stars. "Until he died, that is. Suddenly I was a widow, with a large estate, and I could do anything I wanted with my life. My father wanted me to remarry -- he still wants that; my whole family wants that. But I didn''t. I wanted to get out into the world, to see things, to explore -- to make my own way, on my own terms."


    "I see."


    "When Hiero came to me with his first prototype for the radiator, and proposed using it to cross the Tarnak, I jumped at the opportunity. It''s proven more costly than I expected, though, and..." She shook her head and took another sip of her wine. "Well, you know the rest. Anyway, that''s why I''m out here, risking my life and fortune on an expedition that may or may not succeed."


    "I understand."


    "Do you? Have you ever felt as I did? Impressed into a life you never asked for, burdened by the obligations your family had placed on you?"


    "No," he confessed. "My only family was my father, and he never forced me or pressured me into anything. I became a mercenary because I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but I think he would''ve been just as happy to see me become a logger or a fisherman or something else."


    "He sounds like an understanding man."


    "He was," he said sadly.


    They were both quiet for a moment. Finally, she asked, "What''s it like? Traveling the world, as free as you please, and with no one to answer to but yourself?"


    "I''ve never really thought about it," he said. "It''s how I''ve always lived, even before I left Velon. But...I don''t think it''s quite so wonderful as you''re making it out to be. I can''t tell you how many close calls I''ve had, how close I''ve come to dying. Sleeping in ditches, marching through rainstorms, running out of money, fighting monsters...it''s not an easy way to live."


    "But your life is your own."


    "Well...yes."


    She smiled. "And you can do anything you want with it."


    Perhaps it was the sadness and longing he saw in her face; perhaps it was something else. But when she suddenly leaned in close, and closed her eyes, he allowed her lips to graze his own.


    He quickly pulled away, however. "Melei..." And then he stopped, because Melei had opened her eyes, and was looking at something behind him. He turned.


    Lillandra was standing there in the firelight, watching them.


    Arai immediately pushed Melei away and rose to his feet, but Lillandra had already lowered her eyes and started walking away, rather briskly. "Lill!" Arai called, but she did not stop, and he was so surprised and embarrassed that he was uncertain of whether to go after her.


    Melei rose to her feet as well; she looked a little put out at having been pushed away so roughly. "Lillandra," she sighed. "Well, I had a feeling. But you can''t say I didn''t try."


    "Lady Melei..."


    "It''s all right. I''m going to bed now, I think. I''ll see you in the morning." And she left, leaving Arai standing there, feeling like a fool. What was he supposed to do now? He sat back down in front of the fire, watching it crackle and spark, all the while wondering how he had gotten himself into this mess.

 Chapter Forty-Nine: The Engulfer

    They gathered together the next morning and prepared to set out into the desert again, on another monster-hunting, maginite-gathering expedition. It was only the four of them this time; Lady Melei apparently had some other business to attend to.


    Arai wanted to explain to Lillandra what had happened the previous night, but he wasn''t quite sure how to bring it up. Lillandra, for her part, acted as though nothing was amiss, as though she hadn''t seen what she had seen, which only made Arai more confused.


    Shell picked up on the tension between them: "I think Lillandra''s mad at you," she told Arai, as he was saddling his horse.


    "What makes you say that?"


    "She was grouchy last night," she said, "and she''s been quiet all morning. Did you two have a fight or something?"


    "No. Not exactly."


    "What''s going on, then?"


    But he wasn''t about to tell Shell that he had kissed Lady Melei, and that Lillandra had witnessed it; he didn''t want the elf girl''s imagination running away with her. He tousled her blonde hair. "It''s nothing. Are you ready to go? We''ve got another long day ahead of us."


    She looked up at him, frowning. "I hate it when you treat me like a kid."


    "You are a kid."


    "I''m a sorceress," she said petulantly. And she walked off in a huff.


    They didn''t encounter very many monsters that morning -- Sir Estil managed to destroy a couple of small snakeheads, and Arai killed a rock-man, but that was about it. They did, however, experience several more tremors, and these were even more intense than the last few had been. But he was too preoccupied with hunting monsters and fretting about the situation with Lillandra and Lady Melei to give them much thought.


    They made it back to camp a little later that evening. Sir Estil led the horses to their makeshift stable, and Shell ran off to find something to eat, leaving Arai alone with Lillandra for the first time that day. He approached her, rather awkwardly. "Lillandra..."


    "Yes?"


    "I wanted to talk to you about...about what you saw last night, or thought you saw."


    "It''s none of my business," she said curtly.


    "It''s not what you think. I didn''t--"


    "You didn''t what? You didn''t kiss her?"


    "Well, I did, but it wasn''t..." He had been rehearsing this all day, but now he was struggling to find the words.


    "It was bound to happen sooner or later," she said, refusing to look him in the eye. "Lady Melei is a lovely woman, after all, and she''s had her eye on you from the beginning."


    "It''s not like that."


    She snorted. "I''m sure."


    "She kissed me," he said, "and I was so surprised that I...I didn''t know how to react. I should have pushed her away, but--"


    "You don''t need to explain yourself to me. I have no claim on you. If you want to carry on with Lady Melei, or anyone else for that matter, that''s your business. It has nothing to do with me." She started to walk off, but Arai caught her by the wrist.


    "That''s not true," he said.


    "Let go of me."


    "There''s nothing going on between me and Lady Melei," he said firmly. "I''m not interested in her."


    "I don''t care."


    He released her. "Look at me," he said. "Look me in the eye, and tell me you don''t care."


    She reluctantly turned to look at him. "I don''t..." But she couldn''t finish the sentence, because their eyes had now locked, and she had seen something in his expression that, evidently, she hadn''t expected. "Why are you doing this to me?" she muttered.


    "What am I doing to you?" he asked quietly.


    But before she could answer, the camp was struck by another tremor -- and this one was more powerful than any of the tremors they had experienced thus far; the entire earth was trembling. The wagons in Lady Melei''s camp were shaking, and people were actually having trouble finding their footing.


    Arai expected the tremor to stop after a few seconds, as all the previous ones had, but this one just kept going, the vibration becoming stronger and stronger...and then, suddenly, a colossal sound ripped through the air, something like thunder, and a gigantic beast, bigger than a house, exploded out of the earth, just west of the camp. The monster -- and it was almost certainly a monster -- emerged from a titanic cloud of dust and sand and belly-flopped down to the ground, which caused another tremor.


    Someone shouted: "The Engulfer! It''s here!"


    And chaos ensued. Lady Melei''s knights, who had just been sitting down to their evening meal, jumped to their feet and ran for their horses; servants screamed; others scurried about in a panic. The sorcerer Damon began casting a spell, although Arai couldn''t tell what kind of spell it was or what exactly he was trying to accomplish.


    The dust soon cleared, and the monster became visible. Arai was stunned. He had never seen a monster of this size; it was bigger than Catalyus, bigger than the salamander they had fought in the caverns beneath Kingsaile, even. It was a mountain of wrinkled blubber and yellow fat, and it did indeed look something like a giant grub, with hundreds of little legs supporting its massive bulk. Its head was a dark blob, without any face at all, but it did have a huge mouth, and all around the mouth were dozens of thick tentacles, writhing about, searching. Monsters were magical creatures and did not eat after the fashion of ordinary animals, but they did use their mouths as weapons, and Arai suspected that anyone who got close to those tentacles would quickly find themselves dragged into the monster''s maw and crushed to death.


    "The tremors," Arai growled. "The damn thing''s been burrowing under the earth."


    He drew Silus and started forward, but Lillandra stopped him. "What do you think you''re doing?"


    "What does it look like I''m doing? We have to kill it before it destroys the camp -- before it destroys the radiator. And what if it finds its way into town? It could kill everyone in Bloodlorn."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "It could kill you."


    He ignored that, shook her off, and headed for the monster. He really had no idea how he was going to kill it, though -- Silus could cut through that bulk like a knife through butter, but he wasn''t sure how much damage he would need to inflict before the monster began to disintegrate, and if he tried to attack it from the front, those fast-moving tentacles would snatch him up in an instant.


    A few knights -- but only a few -- were already attacking the thing, striking it with their swords and spears, but though the creature''s flesh looked lumpy and soft, it was actually quite resilient. One of the knights was able to inflict an effective blow by setting himself and jamming his spear into the monster''s side, as hard as he could, but the sword-blows of the other knights practically bounced off the monster''s rubbery flesh. And all of these knights were forced to flee, in any case, because the Engulfer was constantly rearing up, throwing its huge body around like a breaching whale, preventing them from getting close.


    Arai encountered Damon as he was making his way towards the monster. The sorcerer was still trying to cast a spell.


    "What are you trying to do?" Arai asked him, in the midst of the furor.


    "I''m trying to immobilize it," he said, "with the Perfect Stillness. It''s a difficult spell, though, and I''ve never used it against a monster this large. Damn! And now I have to start over."


    "Keep it up," Arai told him. If Damon really could immobilize the monster, Arai himself could almost certainly kill it with Silus.


    But the Engulfer showed no signs of slowing down, as yet, and it was getting nearer to the camp -- and to the wagons -- all the time. The horses were in a panic, and apart from the knights, who had tried to attack the beast, no one really seemed to know what to do.


    That changed when Lady Melei suddenly appeared, leaping atop one of the wagons and shouting orders at everyone: "Start moving the wagons! Sir Farrow! Sir Brack! Try to harry the thing, to lead it away from the camp! Hiero! Start taking the combustion unit out of the radiator! It''s the only thing we can''t replace!" She spotted Arai, and asked him the same question Lillandra had just a moment ago: "And where do you think you''re going? We can''t fight this thing! It''s too big! It''s three times the size it was a month ago! We need to regroup--"


    But Arai didn''t pay her any heed -- he continued racing forward. He was joined a moment later by Sir Estil, who had seemingly come out of nowhere. "She''s right," he muttered grimly. "It''s big. But can you kill it, with that magic sword?"


    "I think so."


    He nodded. "I''ll distract it, then, with Sir Farrow and Sir Brack. Stay away from its mouth."


    "You don''t have to tell me," he muttered. In fact the tentacles were already close enough to reach them; they were slithering all over, feeling their way forward. Arai avoided them and moved to his right, flanking the monster, but it was throwing its heavy bulk around so much that he couldn''t get close to it, let alone find a good angle of attack. It was like trying to fight a hillside.


    "Hiero!" Lady Melei was shouting. "What are you doing?"


    Apparently Arai wasn''t the only one disregarding Lady Melei''s orders: Hiero, the alchemist, had just emerged from the wagon carrying a big, heavy-looking contraption made of iron and wood. He set it down on the ground, then ran back into the wagon and retrieved a bag of powdered maginite, which he began pouring into a funnel on the top of the device.


    It didn''t take long for Arai to figure out what he was trying to do -- he was trying to activate the radiator, to create the chemical mist that would drive the monster off. It wasn''t a bad idea -- assuming the device actually worked -- but the Engulfer was very close, and Arai wasn''t sure whether the alchemist could get the machine going before the monster crushed it.


    But this was another complication -- if the monster destroyed the radiator, all of this would be for naught.


    And then, suddenly, the Engulfer managed to catch one of the knights -- either Sir Farrow or Sir Brack -- with its grasping tentacles. They wrapped around his body, dragged him into its mouth, and began chewing him up, armor and all, mashing his body between its great jaws. Arai was horrified, but there was nothing he could do but keep fighting -- while the monster was preoccupied with the knight, he stabbed it with Silus, shoving the sword into its side. When he pulled the blade out, visible magia particles burst out of the wound.


    The creature roared and tried to maneuver its head around, to get at Arai. Arai didn''t think the monster was flexible enough to reach him from this position, but he had underestimated the length of its tentacles, which came whipping around, dangerously close. He ducked one, dodged another, and retreated just a bit; the monster was flailing too wildly for him to get close anyway.


    He was joined by Lady Melei, now equipped with her bow and arrows. She launched three missiles at the monster, in rapid succession, which stuck in its hide. "You''re going to get yourself killed."


    Lillandra appeared at his side as well. "That''s what I keep telling him."


    Meanwhile Hiero was still fiddling with the radiator. Finally, he managed to crank it to life, and it began pumping a thick purple smoke out of one of the tubes attached to the chassis. Shell, Phile, and some of the other servants, who had by now realized what Hiero was up to, began fanning the smoke in the direction of the Engulfer, which reacted to it almost immediately; its tentacles shriveled and retreated from the smoke, and it let loose with another enormous bellow. It started turning around, trying to reenter the huge cavernous tunnel out of which it had exploded only a few moments ago.


    "It''s working," Lady Melei said breathlessly. "It''s working!"


    Sir Estil and the other knights continued hacking at the monster, however, and Damon was still working on his spell. This was their chance, Arai realized; they had to kill this thing before it could burrow back into the earth.


    He raised his sword and joined Sir Estil and the others in attacking the monster, stabbing it again and again, and then slashing at it, running along the whole length of the creature and leaving a long, magia-spewing cut in its grub-like flesh. But it wasn''t enough to cause the monster to decohere.


    He needed to do more damage; he needed to strike at the monster''s vitals. Gritting his teeth, and tightening his grip on his sword, he ran around to the front of the Engulfer and started hacking at its tentacles, trying to get to its head. If he could sever the monster''s bulbous, insectoid head from its bloated body...


    But there were too many tentacles, and he was having trouble handling them all; as soon as he sliced one off, another seemed to wriggle in to take its place. Lillandra and Lady Melei were shouting at him to get away from its mouth, but he ignored them both. If the Engulfer managed to escape, it would undoubtedly return to threaten them again, and they needed its maginite anyway.


    He swung his sword again and again, cutting at more and more tentacles...but then he missed one, and another, and suddenly he was swept off his feet and lifted into the air. He managed to keep his grip on Silus, but now he was hanging above the monster''s mouth; all it had to do was drop him, and would fall into that huge maw. He grimaced, and prepared for the worst.


    But then, to his amazement, the monster simply stopped moving, its tentacles freezing in place. It was no longer thrashing about, or making noise; it had gone totally still.


    It took him several seconds to realize what had happened: Damon had finished casting his immobilization spell. And not a moment too soon, for Arai was still dangling above the monster''s mouth.


    "Now!" Lady Melei shouted. "Everyone!"


    Sir Estil and the knights renewed their attack on the now-helpless monster, striking it over and over, while Shell threw her Witch''s Dagger and Lady Melei launched more arrows. Arai cut himself free of the creature''s tentacles, landed on its head (narrowly avoiding its mouth) and climbed up on its neck. Then he set to work, hacking at the thing, until at last the head began to part from the body and the entire monster began to evaporate, finally exploding in an absolutely titanic eruption of magia-light and leaving behind massive chunks of black maginite, marbled through with streaks of yellow and red. The explosion lit up the twilight like a fireworks display, and everyone in the camp cheered.


    Arai, exhausted, fell to his knees in the midst of the maginite. Sir Estil was the first to reach him. "Are you all right?" the knight asked. "Are you hurt?"


    "F-fine," he said. "Just a little...out of breath."


    "I think you''ve earned your two percent," Lady Melei added, jogging up to him.


    Lillandra found her way to him as well. She wasn''t happy. "Why do you always have to be so reckless? Do you know how close you came to dying this time?"


    He grinned foolishly, and was just about to answer with some jibe, but he stopped when he saw the expression she was wearing. She was close to tears.


    This wasn''t the time to joke around. He slowly rose to his feet, sheathed his sword, and gave her a reassuring hug. She spoke softly into his shoulder: "Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered.


    "Doing what?"


    But she didn''t answer. She merely sighed, and hugged him back.

 Chapter Fifty: Confessions

    Lady Melei''s followers gathered up all the maginite left behind by the Engulfer. It was a substantial amount, and according to Hiero, more than enough to see them safely through the Scarred Lands. They began making the final preparations the next morning, resupplying in Bloodlorn and making sure their animals were healthy enough to make the journey.


    Though he was very tired, Arai didn''t sleep very well that night; he kept thinking about Lillandra and what she had kept saying to him.


    Why are you doing this to me?


    He didn''t know what she meant, but he was beginning to suspect.


    He went looking for her first thing in the morning, but was waylaid several times, first by Damon, and then by Lady Melei, and then by Shell.


    He realized, belatedly, that he had never bothered to thank Damon for saving his life -- it was the sorcerer''s immobilization spell that had frozen the Engulfer, and allowed him to kill it -- so he made sure to shake the man''s hand and express his gratitude when he saw him. Damon, however, was an unassuming fellow, and he played down his role: "You were the one who killed it," he said. "If not for you, and Sir Estil and the others, it probably would''ve destroyed the whole camp." He lowered his eyes. "But alas, Sir Brack."


    Sir Brack was the knight who had been chewed to pieces by the Engulfer -- the only casualty of the creature''s unexpected attack. "Did you know him well?"


    "I only met him a few months ago, but we had become friends. He often joined me on these desert hunts." He shook his head. "He will be missed. I suppose he won''t be the only one of us who perishes on this expedition, though. Tell me, do you really think we stand a chance of making it across the desert, to these western lands of yours?"


    "I think we have a very good leader," he said, glancing at Lady Melei, who at that moment was consulting with Hiero. "And I think she chose very well by hiring you to be her sorcerer."


    He snorted. "You flatter me. But thank you."


    Lady Melei called him over next. "Arai," she greeted. "Are you ready to go? We''re leaving soon."


    "I''m ready."


    "We''ll take the southern approach into Panner''s Canyon," she said. "It shouldn''t take more than a few days to get the wagons up to the other side. I''d like your party to scout ahead for us. You seem to have a knack for killing these monsters."


    "We can do that."


    "And I think it would be helpful if Lillandra were to enchant myself and a few others with that Stone of Many Tongues. We''re going to need all the translators we can get, when we reach this...Elent?"


    "The Queendom of Elent," he affirmed.


    "A queendom. How interesting." She stopped for a moment, studying him. "Are you all right? You seem a little preoccupied."


    "I''m fine. I''ve...just been doing a lot of thinking, lately."


    She smiled a little. "About Lillandra?"


    He nodded reluctantly.


    "You''re in love with her."


    He started to protest, but then stopped himself, and after a moment''s reflection, said, "Yes, I am."


    "I thought so. Is she in love with you?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Then maybe you should ask her."


    "It''s not that simple."


    "Love is never simple." She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "You chose her over me. If you don''t tell her how you feel, I''m afraid I''m going to have to take it personally." And she gave him a rather menacing grin.


    Shell caught up with him next; he asked her where he could find Lillandra. "She''s on the other side of the camp," she said. "We just ate breakfast."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "I see."


    "She was very quiet."


    "I see."


    "I think it''s about time you two had a talk. A nice, long talk."


    "About what?"


    "You know what." She shook her head, exasperated. "I don''t know why you humans are always delaying, procrastinating, putting things off. How can you afford to? You don''t live very long."


    "I''ll keep that in mind," he said dryly, although he knew in his heart that she was right. He couldn''t put this off any longer; he had to face it.


    He left Shell and, after spending a few minutes searching around, found Lillandra, who was sitting quietly in the back of a wagon, looking at her lap. The breeze touched her hair, she brushed a bit of it behind her ear.


    "Mind if I join you?" Arai asked.


    She looked up at him. "As you please."


    He hopped up on the wagon as well, and for a moment the two of them simply sat there, side by side, their feet dangling off the edge. Lillandra spoke first.


    "I should learn how to fight," she said.


    Arai blinked. "What?"


    "I felt so helpless earlier," she said. "When you were fighting the Engulfer. I have my magic, but it''s only good for making zemi; I can''t cast spells on the fly like Damon can. I''m not much good against monsters, or soldiers, or men with swords. I can''t even use a bow and arrows, like Lady Melei. I''m not useful. And I hate it that everyone is always having to come to my rescue."


    "Because you don''t like feeling indebted to people?"


    "That''s part of it, yes."


    He thought about it. "Lady Melei might be willing to teach you how to use a bow. Or I could teach you how to use a sword--"


    "No."


    He blinked. "Lill...there''s something we should talk about..."


    "I don''t want to talk."


    "But..."


    "Maybe I should find my own way back to Velon," she said suddenly. "I could wait for another expedition to come along. I could make a new Eagle''s Wing, or a Harpy''s Feather, to float myself over the mountains. It would only take a few years--"


    "What in the world are you talking about?"


    "I can''t be around you."


    "Why not?"


    "Because you''re making me forget."


    He frowned. "Forget what?" he asked, although he already had a pretty good idea.


    "I''ve spent the last hundred years trying to bring him back to life. I can''t abandon him. I can''t forget him. I can''t...I can''t fall in love with someone else." She looked at him plaintively. "Why are you doing this to me?"


    It took him a moment to absorb all that. "You''re saying you''ve fallen in love with me."


    "I told you this before -- all those years I spent sleeping at the Nightfall, and even my life before that, my life in the village, my life with Julien...it was so long ago, it''s starting to feel like a dream to me. I''m forgetting. I''m forgetting my mission. I can''t let it all be for nothing. I can''t let myself fall in love with you."


    "You''re going to deny your feelings."


    "I have to, for his sake."


    Arai let out a long sigh. "I''m in love with you, too."


    She looked up at him -- surprised, if not exactly shocked. "I...I don''t..."


    "And do you think it''s any easier for me? You''re the Night Queen. I swore to kill you, after Lord Pierce betrayed my father. For two years, it was the only thing on my mind, the only thing driving me. And you turned Odo and Maya to stone. Did you think I''d forgotten that? But now I''ve fallen in love with you, in spite of it all. You think you''re betraying Julien by falling for me; I feel like I''m betraying my friends, and all those who fought and died to free Velon." He sighed again. "But Sir Estil was right. The heart wants it wants, and you can''t talk yourself out of falling in love with someone. You''re the most fascinating woman I''ve ever met, strong and brave and beautiful, and more talented than I--"


    "Stop it."


    "It''s true."


    She looked at him helplessly. "This is exactly what I''m talking about. If you keep saying these things..."


    "I''m not trying to make you forget. I''m just telling you what''s in my heart."


    She closed her eyes. "It may not be worth anything," she said after a moment, "but I like you, too. You''re sweet and kind, and unlike me, you always try to do the right thing, even when it''s none of your business, and even when it''s inconvenient to you. You didn''t take advantage of me when I was drunk on that love philtre. I...I like being with you. And I was jealous, when I saw you with Lady Melei. I''ve never felt anything like that before."


    "I told you, Melei and I--"


    "I know. I believe you."


    They both went quiet then, for a long, awkward moment. "Well," Arai said at last, "it''s out in the open now, at least. But where do we go from here?"


    "I can''t abandon Julien," she said.


    "Lillandra," Arai said gently, "Julien''s dead."


    "I''ll bring him back."


    Was there any talking her out of this? He was beginning to doubt it. Lillandra was totally dedicated to bringing Julien back to life; it had been her singular ambition for the last hundred years. And she had only known Arai for a few months. How could he possibly compete with that?


    But if there was no talking her out of it, if her devotion to Julien was absolutely unshakable...


    No, he decided. How many warnings had he received from villagers and mountain men, warning him not to cross the Frozen Mountains? How many people had told him that Silus was lost forever, that the sword would never be found? How many people had told him that the Night Queen and her armies were invincible?


    No. It wasn''t in his nature to give up.


    "I''m not going to apologize," he said, hopping off the wagon and facing her directly. "For making you forget. If you want me to stay away from you, I will, but I''m not going to give up my feelings for you. And I hope...I hope that you won''t give up on me, either." He put a hand on her shoulder, drew her towards him just a bit, and kissed her lightly on the forehead.


    And he left her there, with her thoughts. Eventually he found Shell, who was packing her meager belongings into another one of the wagons. "Did you talk with her?" the elf girl asked.


    "Yes."


    "Well? What happened?"


    He smiled faintly. "She wants to learn how to fight."


    "What? That''s it?"


    "That''s it."


    Shell rolled her eyes. "This is taking forever," she sighed.

 Chapter Fifty-One: The Scarred Lands

    Lady Melei''s expedition set out the next morning. They entered the desert, passed through Panner''s Canyon, and began making their way into the sunlit wastes beyond. One of the wagons broke a wheel in the canyon, after taking an uncontrolled tumble down a narrow path, but the carpenter was able to fix it, and apart from that they ran into no significant problems. Arai, Sir Estil, and the other knights did their part to fight off the monsters, but Hiero''s machine did most of the work: the radiator, situated on the top of the lead wagon, was constantly spitting out little puffs of monster-repelling smoke, which kept them from getting close. The lurkers, snakeheads, and geckos within the canyon avoided the party entirely, and the slug-like monsters in the desert proper -- miniature versions of the huge Engulfer -- kept their distance.


    Keeping the monsters at bay was important, of course, but acquiring fresh water, maintaining their food supplies, keeping the animals healthy, and taking care of the wagons was equally important. Fortunately Lady Melei seemed to have thought of everything; they had large amounts of food on hand, enough spare parts and tools to repair just about anything, and specialists of all kinds -- a metalworker, a carpenter, a surgeon, grooms for the camels, and various others, in addition to all the merchants, knights, squires, and servants. Hiero had even invented a complicated device which could extract small amounts of water from the air, which had been placed in the wagon with the radiator. It only produced about a half a gallon of water every day, but they needed all that they could get.


    The terrain on the western side of the canyon was mostly flat, with sparse vegetation. It was an inhospitable land, very hot and very dry. Arai couldn''t bear to wear his armor and leathers in the blazing heat of the day; he stashed away his breastplate in one of the wagons and began wearing a bare tunic instead, with a white cape thrown over his shoulders as a shield against the sun.


    Arai, Sir Estil, and Damon often rode a few miles ahead of the main group, on camelback, scouting out the landscape and returning with suggestions on how to proceed. It was dangerous work -- if they ventured more than about two miles beyond the radiator, monsters would begin to accost them, and sandstorms eventually became a danger as well -- but Arai welcomed it; the glacial pace of the caravan frustrated him, and he couldn''t stand sitting in a wagon all day, doing nothing.


    He invited Lillandra to join him on these scouting expeditions, but she was busy with her own projects -- tutoring Shell, learning archery from Lady Melei, and fashioning a handful of new zemi -- and she seemed to be trying to keep her distance from him in any case.


    I can''t forget him. I can''t fall in love with someone else.


    He sighed. They had been friends before. What were they now?


    Though they encountered many little hardships, and a few close-call monster attacks, their journey across the desert proceeded relatively smoothly for the first two weeks. When the Riven Mountains finally came into view, on the western horizon, Lady Melei was elated. "We''re almost there," she exclaimed. "Once we''ve crossed the mountains--"


    "We''ll still have several hundred miles of desert to get through," Arai pointed out. "And the Riven are treacherous, besides. It''s too early to start celebrating."


    She shot him a dark look. "This is an accomplishment," she insisted. "Very few expeditions make it this far. And there are fewer monsters in the mountains than in the desert; the only hazards we''ll face there are natural ones. Blizzards, bandits, and the like."


    "Those are bad enough," Arai muttered.


    He continued scouting ahead for Lady Melei, with Damon, Sir Estil, and occasionally a handful of other knights and squires, drawing closer and closer to the mountains. The terrain was a bit rougher here, the flat land gradually becoming more hilly and boulder-strewn. One hot afternoon, upon cresting a hill, the riders found themselves looking down at an unusual landscape: a long, shallow valley, pockmarked with enormous craters and full of impossibly huge skeletons, and in the center of which stood an absolutely massive sandstone fortification, as big as a mountain, though half of it appeared to have caved in and the entire complex was in ruins. Arai had never seen a man-made structure of such size; it made the Long Wall look like a goat fence. Earlier, at her insistence, Arai had sipped on one of the potions Shell had received from Emi, which had improved his eyesight; he was grateful now that he had done so, because it allowed him to see the great fortress in great detail. Huge columns, massive stone figures, high battlements, all weather-worn by the desert sand, and surrounded by mammoth walls, rose up out of the weird, cratered valley.


    "Urumkesh," Sir Estil said gravely.


    And indeed, the huge fortress could only be Urumkesh, the last redoubt of mankind. This was where the tide had turned in the great battle between humankind and the demons who had invaded the world during the Harrowing. It was from this fortress that Maximine, the legendary heroine, had sallied forth to fight Enlil, the Demon King; it was here that the world''s few remaining sorcerers had banded together to cast the White Rain, which had weakened the demons to the point where they could be killed by ordinary spells and earthly weapons. It was the titanic mage-battles that had taken place here that had reduced the Scarred Lands to desert, and permanently sundered the two halves of Iona Magister.


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    "Looks like a good place to set up camp," Sir Farrow noted.


    Damon disagreed. "We should keep our distance. There''s an incredible amount of magia swirling around that place. I''m getting a headache just looking at it." He rubbed his temples. "It''s sure to be crawling with monsters."


    "Monsters are no threat to us, so long as we have Mr. Gil''s radiator," Sir Farrow countered, "and we can hardly avoid the ruins in any case. We must pass through this valley, and the easiest route runs right through Urumkesh."


    "He''s right," Sir Estil said. "But Damon''s right, too; we should try to keep our distance." He turned his camel around. "It''s getting late. We should head back to camp now."


    They nodded and followed him back to the caravan, which took several hours; they made it back just before sunset. Arai rolled off his camel -- he was still getting used to riding these beasts -- and handed the reins to one of the grooms. Shell was there to greet him.


    "And what have you been doing all day?" he asked her.


    "Oh, nothing much. Helping Lillandra with her zemi, mostly, and practicing with my dagger. Did you see anything interesting out there?"


    "The ruins of Urumkesh," he said casually.


    "Really?" Shell loved hearing about famous landmarks; Plint''s Travels had filled her head with romantic notions. "What did it look like?"


    "You''ll see it soon enough. We''ll be passing right by it. Where''s Lillandra?"


    Shell jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Where else? By the radiator."


    This wasn''t surprising. The extreme amounts of magia in the desert tended to give Lillandra headaches, so she spent a great deal of her time near the wagon containing the radiator -- in addition to repelling monsters, the purple mist coming out of Hiero''s device also thinned out the magia in its vicinity.


    He started for the wagon, but Shell ran on ahead of him. They found Lillandra sitting on a large rock, sewing something together -- probably some kind of zemi. Though she didn''t have the time or the resources to craft any great magics, she had thought it might be a good idea to assemble some simple devices, which might come in handy in the future. She had already crafted a Kraken''s Nail, a zemi which warned of approaching storms, and a Black Box, a container which could not be opened except by a sorcerer; she had already secreted their other zemi within it. Now she was working on something else, an oblong bit of fur and fluff, with a metal cap on one end.


    "What''s that one?" Arai asked, sitting down nearby.


    "A Rabbit''s Foot," she said, without looking up. "I''ve already made one; I''m just putting the finishing touches on the second."


    "What do they do?"


    "The two of them are linked. One foot will always point in the direction of the other." She shrugged. "Might be useful."


    "Might be. How are your headaches today?"


    "Not bad." She hesitated, then added, "I''ve been having some very strange dreams lately, though. I don''t know if it has anything to do with the excess magia, but..."


    "Bad dreams?"


    "No, just strange, vivid." She frowned. "It''s probably nothing."


    "Are you sure?"


    "You don''t need to worry about me," she said, rather bluntly.


    I can''t help it. That''s what he wanted to say, but he didn''t; he merely nodded, sadly. "We saw Urumkesh today."


    She stopped. "The fortress?"


    "It was huge. How did our ancestors build such things?"


    "Magic."


    "That''s all it takes?"


    "I imagine a certain degree of engineering skill was required as well, but carving out a whole mountainside and moving monumental stones around can only be done with magic. Powerful magic. But there were more sorcerers in the distant past than there are now, and they were much, much stronger. And many secrets and recipes were lost during the Harrowing."


    "Well, it''s a sight to see, anyway. We''ll probably pass by the ruins tomorrow."


    Her frown deepened. "I hope we don''t stay long."


    "The sooner we''re out of this desert, the better," he agreed. "The sooner we''re back home..." He trailed off, thinking of Velon and all that he had left behind there.


    "Home," Shell muttered.


    Arai glanced at the elf girl, who was wearing an uncharacteristically melancholic expression. "Something bothering you, Shell?"


    "Velon is your home," she said. "It''s not mine. I thought I would be staying with you two, but you''re going to part when you get back to Velon, aren''t you? And then what will happen to me?"


    "We''re not going to abandon you, if that''s what you''re afraid of," Arai said. "But you''ve never even seen Velon. You might come to like it. You might come to consider it your new home."


    "I don''t know," she said distractedly. "There''s no elves in Velon, are there?"


    "So you''ll be the first. Perhaps if this expedition is successful, some other elves might begin to make their way west."


    "I don''t know," she said again, doubtfully. But her expression had changed from melancholic to thoughtful. "But I know this much. I want to stay with the two of you as long as I can."


    Arai gave her a reassuring smile, but the conversation had got him thinking as well. What was going to happen to Shell, when they returned to Velon? What was going to happen to Lillandra? If the people of Velon were to discover her true identity...well, many of them were sure to want revenge.


    He shook his head. They had plenty of time to think about these things; Velon was still thousands of miles away.


    One step at a time, he told himself, glancing at Lillandra. One step at a time.

 Chapter Fifty-Two: The Shadows of Urumkesh

    The caravan rumbled on the next morning, and once again Arai, Damon, and Sir Estil rode out ahead of it, scouting out the path forward. They skirted the ruins of Urumkesh and passed through the valley, which put them closer to the Riven Mountains than they had ever been; they were in the foothills now, which were full of steep rises and weird, craggy rock formations.


    After getting the lay of the land, they returned to the caravan that evening. Lady Melei, apparently following Sir Farrow''s advice, had decided to make camp right outside the gargantuan ruins of Urumkesh. It was even bigger up close; Arai would not have been particularly surprised to learn that the massive pyramidal complex had been assembled by the gods themselves.


    There was some kind of commotion going on within the camp when they arrived, however. Afraid that the radiator had broken down, leaving the group vulnerable to a monster attack, Arai urged his camel forward, riding past Sir Estil and the others, but he didn''t see any monsters -- just a lot of yelling and excited conversation. He slid off the camel and met up with Shell and Lillandra, who explained the situation to him.


    "A couple of the knights went into the ruins," Shell said. "They haven''t returned."


    "Which knights?"


    "Sir Pallas and Sir Remnick. Apparently someone heard them talking about going into the ruins to hunt for treasure. That was five or six hours ago. Sir Farrow wants to send someone in to search for them, but Lady Melei is against it."


    In fact Sir Farrow and Lady Melei were still arguing about it, in the middle of the camp. "They''ve only been gone a few hours," Lady Melei was saying. "They might yet return."


    "They might have gotten lost," Sir Farrow said. "They were fools to venture into the ruins, I''ll grant you that, but we can''t simply abandon them."


    "So what do you want me to do?"


    "Send in a search party."


    "And wait for them to get lost as well? Or killed by monsters? How many people do you want me to sacrifice for these idiots? I ordered everyone to stay away from the ruins. It''s not my fault these two were too stupid to listen."


    "Not stupid," another knight muttered. "Blinded by greed."


    But Sir Farrow was adamant. "Sir Pallas is my nephew, and I''ve known Sir Remnick since he was a squire. They''re young, and foolish, but they don''t deserve this."


    Lady Melei sighed. "Oh, all right. But who will go?"


    Sir Farrow immediately volunteered, as did Sir Estil. Arai stepped forward as well.


    "I''ll go," he said. "If there''s monsters in there, you''ll need my sword."


    "I''ll go, too," Shell said.


    They all looked at her incredulously.


    "I can take care of myself," she said, glaring back at them. "I''m a sorceress. I have the Witch''s Dagger and the Badge of Deflection. And what if these knights are hurt? I have a bunch of potions here that might help." She turned sideways to show them her backpack, which Arai knew was full of the potions and healing draughts that Emi had given her back in Lark.


    Lady Melei rubbed her chin and considered it. "What do you think, Arai?"


    "I don''t like it," he said, sighing, "but she''d probably just follow us into the ruins anyway, if we left her behind."


    "If Shell''s going," Lillandra said, "then I''m going as well."


    Arai frowned. "Are you sure? What about your headaches?"


    "I''ll be fine."


    "If you say so." He threw a glance at the enormous fortress. "But these ruins are gigantic. How are we going to keep from getting lost?"


    Lillandra held up the two Rabbit''s Feet she had made. "Remember these? One will always point in the direction of the other. If I take one with me, and leave the other one here at the camp, we shouldn''t have any trouble finding our way back."


    "An excellent idea," Sir Estil said.


    They spent a few minutes preparing -- gathering up some food, water, weapons, and some more of Lillandra''s zemi -- and started for the ruins. "Be careful," Lady Melei warned. "We''ll stay here tonight, and into tomorrow, but if you''re not back by tomorrow evening, I''m afraid we''re going to have to leave without you."


    "That should be plenty of time," Arai said. "They''ve only been missing a few hours, after all. How far could they have gone?"


    But the fortress was truly enormous, and as soon as they stepped into the grand gallery -- a gigantic open space that must have been at least a thousand feet across, with a high ceiling supported by a dozen thick stone columns -- Arai found himself regretting those words. He felt like an ant in this place.


    At the far end of the gallery were six open pathways, each one guarded by a hundred-foot high stone statue. One of the statues depicted a bald-headed man with a bushy beard, wearing an apron and holding a hammer. Arai blinked at it.


    "That''s Illu Matt¨¦," he said.


    "The sorcerer who created your sword?" Shell asked.


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    "Yes. That''s him. What''s he doing here?"


    "He was one of the sorcerers who cast the White Rain," Lillandra said. "He was a legend, even back then." But she wasn''t looking at Illu Matt¨¦''s statue; she was looking at a different statue, a statue of a long-haired woman, dressed in Gallean plate armor. She had a hand on the pommel of her sword.


    Arai followed her gaze. "What''s this one?"


    "Maximine," she murmured.


    "Are you sure?"


    "I''ve seen this statue before," she said distantly. "In my dreams."


    Arai gave her a worried look. "Are you all right? If you want to turn back--"


    "No," she said firmly. "No. I''m supposed to be here. I need to be here."


    This cryptic talk was even more worrying, but Arai set it aside; they had more important things to worry about. "Six paths," he muttered. "Which one do you suppose they took?"


    They started looking around for footprints in the dust, and eventually determined that Sir Pallas and Sir Remnick had taken the easternmost passage, the one beneath the great statue of Maximine. Shell activated the Candle of Hours -- the further in they went, the darker it became -- and they began creeping forward, calling out for the knights, and trying to trace the path they had followed. This was easier said than done, for the floors were bare stone, which made footprints hard to see, and the path branched out in dozens of different directions; in fact Arai began to feel as though they were in a maze. It was easy to see how the two knights might have gotten lost.


    But they continued calling out to the men, their voices echoing through the gloomy tunnels, and they continued searching, using a pair of torches and the brilliant light coming from Shell''s Candle of Hours to see where they were going.


    Lillandra was quiet, and lagging behind the rest of them. Arai dropped back to speak with her, asking her again if she was feeling all right.


    "I''ve got a headache," she admitted. "This place is practically drowning in magia. It''s like a soup. But...there''s something else." She rubbed her temples.


    He frowned. "What you said before, about needing to be here..."


    "These ruins are very familiar. I almost feel like I''ve been here before. Maybe in my dreams..." She shook her head. "I don''t know. It''s strange."


    Now Arai was even more worried. "I think we should head back."


    "No. I''ll be fine."


    "The more you say that, the less I believe it."


    "You don''t have to worry about me," she said, dismissing him again. He didn''t like this -- he didn''t like that she was pushing him away -- but he had promised to respect her wishes, to give her time to decide how she felt about him, and he didn''t want to pressure her.


    And this wasn''t the time to fret about their relationship, in any case; they needed to hurry up and find these foolish young knights. They had just descended a set of stairs, which led down into a long and shadowy corridor, when they suddenly heard some strange wailing coming from up ahead.


    "Is that one of the knights?" Shell asked.


    "That didn''t sound like anything human," Sir Estil warned.


    "Monsters, then," Sir Farrow said gravely. "It''s amazing we haven''t run into any yet."


    "Be ready," Sir Estil said, drawing his sword. Arai drew his sword as well, searching the shadows.


    The wailing grew louder and louder...and then suddenly stopped. This sudden, total silence was almost as unnerving as the wailing had been, and Arai grew very tense; he was sure they were about to be attacked.


    They were just turning a corner when a dark shape suddenly burst out of the shadows, hollering and swinging a sword. Sir Estil, who was closest, immediately turned to meet this threat -- parrying one blow, seizing the figure by the collar, and throwing him to the floor. Shell was so spooked by this sudden attack that her Candle of Hours sputtered out, and it took a few seconds for her to bring its light back to life. When it returned, the group found themselves looking down at a disheveled Sir Remnick.


    The knight breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw them. "I thought you were monsters," he said, as Sir Farrow helped him to his feet. "Are you all right, Sir Estil?"


    "No harm done," he said. "But where is your companion? Where is Sir Pallas?"


    "Over here," a weak voice called out, from the shadows.


    They followed the voice and found Sir Pallas sitting on the floor. He did not appear to be injured, but his face was red and he was sweating profusely. "We got lost," Sir Remnick explained. "We were attacked by some kind of ghostly...thing. When it touched Sir Pallas, he collapsed and became feverish." He paused, listening. "It''s still out there somewhere."


    "A wisp," Sir Estil muttered. "This is bad."


    "What''s a wisp?" Arai asked.


    "A ghostly, ethereal creature, attracted to magia. I encountered a few in the desert, years ago, when I went searching for the Bandit King of Bloodlorn."


    "A kind of monster, then?"


    "Not exactly. They have no physical form. But any kind of communication with their ghostly essence can drain a man''s strength and make him violently ill." He frowned. "And they''re very hostile."


    "Demons," Sir Farrow muttered. "The spirits of those who perished during the Harrowing."


    "Well, whatever it is, it''s been following us," Sir Remnick said. "I only barely managed to evade it myself. I couldn''t leave Pallas behind, but..."


    "I''m sorry," Sir Pallas muttered. His breathing was labored. "This was all my fault. If I hadn''t suggested going into the ruins--"


    "We can discuss it later," Sir Farrow said. "The important thing is getting out of here before the wisp finds us. Can you stand, Pallas?"


    "I don''t think so," he said weakly.


    Shell removed a healing potion out of her backpack and had him drink it. "How about now?" she asked.


    "That''s a little better," he said. "But I still don''t think I have the strength to walk."


    "I can carry him on my back," Sir Estil said. He sheathed his sword and hoisted the knight off his feet. The man probably weighed at least as much as Sir Estil himself, but Sir Estil, as always, had strength and stamina to spare.


    The wailing returned, but even louder this time. "We''d better get out of here," Sir Farrow said.


    They started to turn back. They hadn''t gone more than a few feet, however, before Shell suddenly noticed something: "Wait a minute. Where''s Lillandra?"


    They all turned and looked, but Lillandra was nowhere to be seen; it was as though she had dissolved into the shadows. "She was here a minute ago," Sir Estil said. "Did she wander off?"


    They called her name -- keeping their voices low, however, so as not to attract the attention of the wisp -- but she did not respond. Arai ran back to the spot where they had found Sir Pallas, looking around desperately, but there was no sign of her anywhere. Where the hell had she gone? What had happened to her? Had she simply wandered off, as Sir Estil had suggested, or had she been attacked? He remembered her cryptic statements from earlier: I''m supposed to be here. I need to be here. I almost feel like I''ve been here before.


    Damn.


    Meanwhile the wisp''s eerie wailing was getting closer and closer. Arai turned to the others. "The rest of you go on ahead. I''ll look for Lillandra."


    Shell grabbed him by the sleeve. "No! You can''t go alone!"


    He ignored her, addressing Sir Estil instead. "Can you find your own way out?"


    "I think so."


    "Good." He took a torch from Sir Farrow before the man could protest and started off into the shadows.


    "But what if this thing attacks you?" Shell asked, growing frantic.


    "I have Silus," he reminded her. "I''ll find Lillandra and bring her back, I promise. Now go."


    "But--"


    "I promise," he said again, firmly, looking into her eyes and speaking to her directly.


    She nodded slowly. "You promised," she muttered. And without another word, she ignited the Candle of Hours and joined the knights.


    Arai gave the group one last look, then grit his teeth and began making his way into the caliginous gloom of Urumkesh.

 Chapter Fifty-Three: Helene, the Bright Hope

    They had found Sir Remnick and Sir Pallas at the intersection of three long corridors. Arai guessed that Lillandra had gone left, if only to avoid the wisp, whose wailing seemed to be coming from the corridor which ran off to the right. He had no idea why Lillandra might have wandered off in the first place, however, and he supposed it was also possible she had gone off in the other direction.


    He swore under his breath. Lillandra. What the hell was she thinking?


    Well, maybe it wasn''t her fault -- perhaps she had been attacked, or dragged off into the shadows by a monster like the one they had fought at Nharlek''s castle back in Addis. But if that was the case, why hadn''t they heard anything? Why hadn''t she screamed or called out for help?


    No, she had almost certainly wandered off. She had been acting strangely, talking about having seen Urumkesh in her dreams; perhaps she had felt compelled to explore the fortress further. But why would she just leave without explanation?


    He tried to ignore the wisp. The creature seemed to be following him, wailing and moaning like a lost soul. Better that it was following him than chasing after Shell and the knights, he supposed, but its constant wailing was terrifying, and he wasn''t sure if Silus could protect him from it. The sword was a potent weapon against magic and monsters; he wasn''t sure how effective it would be against a spirit.


    And so he marched on, ignoring the wisp, ignoring the thumping of his own heart. He had to find Lillandra. He had to get her out of here.


    He eventually arrived at another intersection; here the corridor branched off in two different directions. He had no idea which path to take -- he couldn''t make out any footprints on the stone floor, and there was no other sign that Lillandra had been here -- so he made another guess, choosing the right-hand path. There were several rooms connected to this hallway, which he investigated, but they were totally bare; in fact they reminded him of crypts or burial vaults, although there were no coffins or sarcophagi within them. The entire fortress was rather curiously empty, now that he thought about it; there seemed to be no articles in these dark passageways at all. No furniture, no sconces, no statues, no thrones, no discarded weapons, no broken pots or jars. Perhaps, he thought, the ruins had already been picked clean by bandits.


    He came to the end of the corridor, which was partially caved in; there were large stones blocking his path forward. There was, however, a two-foot gap between the stones and the ceiling, which suggested to him that the corridor continued beyond it. Had Lillandra gone to the trouble of climbing up there? Or had she taken some other path? He frowned, trying to decide where to go from here.


    But the matter was soon decided for him -- the wisp was still following him, and he was sure to encounter it if he doubled back now. With nowhere to go but forward, he quickly climbed up the fallen stones -- which wasn''t easy; he was still carrying the torch -- and squeezed through the gap. Then, righting himself, he wriggled down the other side, scraping and scratching himself as he went. Fortunately the corridor did continue beyond it, just as he had expected, and this area was undamaged. Dusting himself off, he marched on, still calling out for Lillandra. His voice echoed through the darkness; the sound was almost as eerie as the moaning of the wisp.


    The corridor went on for about fifty feet, then opened up into a large, open room with a very high ceiling. This room was unlike any of the others he had seen -- for one thing, the walls were decorated with huge, colorful, and very lively mosaics. Though he didn''t recognize any of the characters in the mosaics, or any of the historical events they depicted, he was impressed by the artistry -- the mosaics covered entire walls, and were incredibly detailed. The glass and colored stones that made up these scenes glinted and glimmered in the flickering light of his torch.


    The other strange thing about this room was the fact that it was not empty -- unlike the other rooms he had seen, this one was full of artifacts, including several ancient-looking suits of bronze armor, which lined the walls.


    At the far end of the room was a kind of dais, and standing on the dais, looking down at the floor as though she were lost in thought, was Lillandra. Arai immediately ran to her, relieved, but also angry; he was torn between wanting to hit her and wanting to hug her.


    He quickly climbed the steps to the dais. Lillandra didn''t even look up at him; he had to take her by the shoulder and shake her into alertness.


    "Lillandra! What''s wrong with you? Why did you wander off?"


    She finally deigned to look at him. "I saw her," she said.


    "Saw who?"


    "Maximine."


    "Maximine?" Arai suddenly noticed that she was holding something in her right hand -- a short sword with a brilliant, mirrorlike blade. She held it up to show him.


    "She gave me this."


    Arai studied the sword. It was a beautiful, slender blade -- only half as long as Silus, but perfect for someone of Lillandra''s size. The crossguard was silver, and the pommel was a golden globe. Arai realized with a start that the design was very similar to Silus; the two blades could have been forged by the same smith. "Where did you get that?"


    "I told you, Maximine gave it to me. She was here. At least...I think she was." She suddenly looked confused. "It feels like a dream now, but..." She examined the sword. "No, it had to have been real. The sword is real, isn''t it?"


    "It looks real," Arai said guardedly. He wasn''t sure what was happening here, but whatever it is was, it was very strange.


    "This is the sword she used to slay the Demon King," she went on. "Helene, the Bright Hope. That''s what she called it. She told me to take it, to go forth and fight evil. But what am I supposed to do with it? I don''t know how to use a sword."


    Go forth and fight evil. This was the same expression Illu Matt¨¦ had used when Arai had spoken with him -- or his shade -- in the snowy wasteland beyond the Frozen Mountains. He had given Lillandra a rough account of his search for the sword, but he never mentioned his dreamlike conversation with Illu Matt¨¦; he didn''t think she had picked up that phrase from him.


    Had Maximine really appeared to her, as Illu Matt¨¦ had appeared to him? Had she really given her that sword?


    But this wasn''t the time to ask questions. "We have to get out of here," he told her urgently. "The wisp--"


    "I hear it," she said. She shook her head to clear it, and that distant look in her eyes finally went away; she appeared to be herself again. "All right. Let''s go."


    They began to climb down from the dais. Before they had even made it down to the floor, however, the wisp -- still wailing -- floated into the great room. Arai stopped and raised his sword.


    It was a weird, phantasmal thing, a blob of ghostly quintessence with no face or features at all. It floated through the air as though it were swimming through the sea, moving quickly and making many rapid adjustments, and leaving behind tentacle-like trails of light in its wake; it reminded Arai of a jellyfish. It was partially transparent, and apparently intangible, for it had just passed through the stone wall as though it were no obstacle at all. It paused when it saw them, but did not stop its unearthly wailing.


    Arai turned to face the creature. Was it really a ghost? He had no idea. He knew he didn''t want to fight the thing, if he could help it, but the wisp was blocking their exit, and now it was floating closer, whirling through the air, feinting and lunging at them as though it meant to attack.


    "Don''t let it touch you," Lillandra warned.


    Arai didn''t need to be reminded; he had seen what had happened to Sir Pallas. Carefully, he edged forward, trying to predict the wisp''s movements, but the thing was very fast.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    And then it suddenly darted forward. Arai attempted to strike it with Silus, but it shot up into the air above him before he could land a blow. It spun around a few times, then darted off in Lillandra''s direction. She ducked, and it flew past her, spinning around and flying at Arai once again.


    This time it got close enough for Arai to touch it with Silus. His blade passed through it, making no apparent contact at all, but it must have done something, because the wisp''s wailing suddenly rose in pitch, turning into a shriek, and it retreated, flying over to the standing suits of bronze armor.


    Well, that proved one thing, at least -- Silus was capable of injuring these creatures. Buoyed by this, Arai hopped off the dais and started after it, intending to strike it again and finish it off if he could.


    Then the wisp did something strange -- it flew into one of the suits of armor and disappeared from view. At first, Arai thought it might be attempting to hide from him...but then the armor itself, the whole suit, began to move, stumbling off the stand upon which it had been placed.


    Arai had never seen anything quite like this -- the ghostly entity had evidently "possessed" the empty suit of armor. It picked up a mace and started for him -- a bronze cuirass, with gauntlets, greaves, and cuisseses, and topped with a round helmet, but with nothing connecting any of these disparate pieces together.


    The suit of armor came rushing at him very quickly, faster than any human could move. Arai was so surprised by this sudden burst of speed that he stumbled back a step, and only barely managed to avoid the mace as it came crashing down. He dove to one side, and the mace impacted the stone floor instead, cracking it; Arai realized with dismay that if he had attempted to deflect the blow with Silus he probably would have been killed. This animated suit of armor was not only supernaturally fast, but supernaturally strong.


    Rolling to his feet, he delivered a quick, horizontal slash to the armor. It was little more than a tap, an attempt to drive the wisp out of the armor with Silus''s magic-cancelling power, but it did nothing at all; the armor remained upright, and Arai was forced to jump out of the way again when the mace came swinging back at him.


    He scrambled away from it. How the hell was he supposed to stop this thing? "Lillandra!" he shouted. "I could use some help here!"


    "I''m working on it!" she said. She was digging through her satchel, probably looking for a zemi.


    "Can you dissolve the spell it''s using?"


    "It''s not using magic," she said.


    He had to duck and dodge the mace a few times before he could fire off a reply. "So what''s holding it up? What the hell is this thing?"


    "A ghost, maybe. A demon." She stopped suddenly. "A demon..."


    There was no time to ask her what she was thinking; the wisp-armor was attacking him furiously now, swinging its heavy mace again and again. Arai backpedaled -- there was no point in trying to actually engage this thing -- but it was so quick that he couldn''t evade it, and finally he was forced to try to parry one of its swings with Silus. The mace struck the blade with resounding force, easily knocking it out of his hand. Arai stumbled and fell. The living armor loomed over him, raising the mace over its helmet. And then it came down.


    Arai timed it as best he could, rolling to one side to avoid the strike, which, as before, shattered the stone floor. He grabbed the mace, hoping to wrestle it away from the wisp-armor, but it was too strong; it drew back the mace, which had the effect of yanking Arai back up to his feet. And suddenly he found himself face to face with the thing, staring into the black nothing within its helmet.


    The wisp-armor easily shook him off, then raised the mace again, preparing to strike. He was too close, and the armor was too fast; there was nothing he could do to avoid this blow. He flinched.


    But the blow never came. The living armor had stopped in mid-swing, and a fraction of a second later, it crashed to the floor, totally lifeless. At the same moment, the wisp reappeared in its ghostly, blobbish form, but it was screaming now, and wriggling, something like a worm pinned on a hook. After a moment of struggling, it disintegrated, its cloudy essence dissipating, its scream slowly dying away.


    And as the wisp faded away, Lillandra came into view -- she was standing behind it; she had stabbed it with her new sword.


    "What happened?" Arai asked. "Is it dead?"


    Lillandra slowly lowered the sword. "It was already dead."


    "But you destroyed it, banished it. With that sword."


    She nodded. "I had a feeling it would work."


    Arai was full of questions, but they would have to wait; it was more important that they escape from this place. Who knew how many more of these wisps might be out there?


    "Let''s get out of here," he said, collecting Silus and taking her by the hand. She did not object, but followed him out of the great room, through the caved-in hallway, and into the confusing corridors beyond it. Arai, who had gotten himself all turned around, wasn''t sure which way they had come, but Lillandra was able to use the Rabbit''s Foot to direct them out of the fortress. They soon found themselves back in the huge cavernous gallery where stood the great stone statues of Maximine and Illu Matt¨¦.


    Shell and Sir Estil were waiting for them there. Shell let out a great sigh when she saw them.


    "We were just about to go in and look for you," the elf girl said. "Are you all right? Where did you go, Lillandra? Why did you run off? We were so worried!" She was getting a little choked up.


    "I''m sorry," Lillandra said, touching her gently on the cheek. "I didn''t mean to make you worry. There was something in the ruins I needed to find." She looked at the sword, which she was still carrying in her hand.


    "What happened?" Shell whispered to Arai, as they began to make their way back to the camp.


    "I don''t know," Arai sighed. "I wish I did."


    * * *


    Sir Pallas made a swift recovery, and the expedition left Urumkesh the next morning, venturing further into the desert and closer to the great Riven Mountains. Sir Estil, Damon, and a few others scouted ahead as usual that day, but Arai remained behind with the main group, partly because he was exhausted -- he hadn''t gotten much sleep the night before -- but mostly because he wanted to speak with Lillandra.


    She spent most of her time in the wagon on which Hiero had mounted the radiator, and that''s where he found her, sitting in the back, pondering the sword she had discovered in the ruins. He jumped up on the wagon himself and rode with her for a time without saying anything, and indeed it was Lillandra who finally broke the silence.


    "I want to hear the story of how you found Silus," she said.


    He obliged her, leaving out no details. He told her how he had crossed the Frozen Mountains with Odo and Maya; he told her of their travails in the snowy, lifeless wastes beyond; and he told her, at last, of how he had stumbled across the shrine of Illu Matt¨¦.


    "You saw him?" she pressed. "You spoke to him?"


    He hesitated. "I think I did. But I hadn''t slept in three days and I hadn''t eaten in five. I was delirious. It''s possible I just imagined it."


    "Do you remember your conversation? Do you remember what he told you?"


    He nodded slowly. "He gave me Silus. He told me to go forth and fight evil, wherever I found it."


    She considered that for a long moment. "The same thing Maximine told me. What does it mean, Arai?"


    "What I thought it meant, at the time, was that I should use the sword to defeat you and your monsters, to free Velon from your tyranny. I thought I had been chosen by Illu Matt¨¦ to carry out that purpose." He put his hand on Silus'' pommel. "I thought I was the hero, and you were the villain."


    "I am a villain," she muttered. "At least in the minds of the people of Velon. I''m certainly not any kind of a hero. Why would Maximine give this sword to me?"


    "Are you sure it was Maximine you saw? Are you sure it wasn''t some kind of vision or hallucination?"


    "I might ask you the same thing, in regards to Illu Matt¨¦."


    "Fair enough," he admitted.


    "I saw Urumkesh in my dreams," she went on. "I saw Maximine as well, although I didn''t realize it was her until I saw the statue in the ruins. But Maximine really was a hero, the savior of mankind, the woman who slew the Demon King. I don''t deserve to carry her sword. I don''t know how to use a sword anyway. Why would she want me to have it?"


    "I don''t know," Arai confessed. "But if you really did speak to Maximine''s spirit, and if that sword really is Helene...she must have had a good reason for giving it to you, right?" He frowned. "How is it that your sword was able to destroy the wisp, while my sword could not?"


    "Maybe Helene is different in some way," she said. "Maybe it has some properties that Silus does not."


    "Is there any magic in it? Is it anything like a zemi?"


    She shook her head. "I can''t sense anything. It''s similar to Silus -- at first glance there doesn''t seem to be anything unusual about it, but if you look at it closely..." She shrugged. "I don''t know how to describe it to someone who can''t see magia. It''s like a sliver of darkness in a sea of light. In any case, there''s no spells in it that I can see."


    He extended a hand. "May I?"


    She handed him the sword. It was considerably smaller than Silus, more of a long knife than a sword, really, but it was very well-balanced, and it felt good in his hand. The blade was sharp, and the grip and pommel were free from wear; in fact they appeared to be brand new. The silver crossguard had been polished to a mirror-shine.


    Was this really the blade that had destroyed Enlil, the Demon King, thousands of years ago?


    "Beautiful," he said, handing it back to her.


    "What am I going to do with it?" she asked.


    "Keep it," he said. "Learn to use it."


    She blinked at him. "Learn to use it?"


    "You wanted to learn how to fight, didn''t you? And it''s like I said before: if Maximine really did appear to you, if she really did give you this sword, she must have had a reason for it."


    Lillandra sighed. "I don''t like this. I don''t want whatever it is that Maximine has prepared for me. I won''t be her pawn."


    "We can''t always escape our fate."


    "Maybe you can''t," she said.


    He smiled a little. This was the Lillandra he had come to know -- the Lillandra he had, at last, fallen in love with. She would fight against fate; she would even defy death if she had to. Nothing was impossible for her. Nothing would stand in her way.


    "I offered to teach you how to use a sword," he said after a moment. "That offer still stands."


    She didn''t reject him outright this time. This time, she looked thoughtful for a moment, and said, "Maybe I could use a couple of lessons."


    Arai''s little smile grew into a grin. One step at a time, he repeated to himself. One step at a time.

 Chapter Fifty-Four: The Bandits of the Riven

    They turned north after they left Urumkesh, following a series of canyons and trails into the Riven. The high, jagged mountains, with their strange, pointed peaks, ran from one haunted sea to the other, and were impossible to climb. Desperation Pass -- the eroded remnant of an old river -- was the only gap in the range, and the only known way through the mountains. Arai''s father had mentioned it a few times, and it was known to the Galleans as well, though they had different names for it: Bandit''s Gap, the Great Strike, the Demon King''s Doom.


    Lady Melei had some old, sketchy maps, but none of her people had actually seen the pass before, and they weren''t sure how to find it. Sir Estil, who had spent several years in the desert and knew it better than most, had no better idea; he had never been out this far.


    "The end of the world," the knight muttered, gazing at the mountains.


    "The beginning of the world," Arai corrected.


    "Well, it all depends on your point of view, I suppose," he conceded. "But we must find this pass. We''ve been searching for three days, and we can''t afford to waste any more of our supplies."


    Arai nodded grimly. It was true; they needed to hurry and cross these mountains. They weren''t in any danger of running out of water -- they still had the Everlasting Chalice, after all, along with the machine Hiero had constructed to extract water from the air -- but the desert was all but lifeless, and the only food they had was that which they had brought with them. Eventually they would run out of food for themselves and feed for their animals, and that would be that.


    Fortunately, and to Arai''s great relief, a scouting party led by Sir Farrow stumbled across the old riverbed the very next day, and they were able to follow it directly into the Pass. It turned out to have been partially hidden, from their southerly perspective, by a set of high peaks; if they had approached it from the north they would have spotted it immediately, for the gap in the mountains soon became obvious. It was a lengthy expanse of slowly rising hills, which divided the great range in two, and which was covered in green, mossy vegetation. Arai was surprised to see this greenery; for the last few days the only plant life they had encountered was some very dry and thorny scrub brush.


    Lillandra''s headaches became less frequent the closer they got to the mountains. "There''s less magia here," she explained. "I''m not sure why. Places with unusual geology usually collect more magia, not less." She shook her head. "Maybe it has something to do with what happened here."


    "The battle against the Demon King?"


    She nodded, throwing a quick glance at the sword on her hip. The expedition''s carpenter -- who was also a skilled craftsman -- had made her a rough sort of scabbard for it, which was now hanging from her belt.


    Arai glanced at the sword as well. Helene, the Bright Hope, the blade Maximine had used to annihilate the Demon King. It was hard to believe.


    He had been giving her a few lessons over the last few days, teaching her the basics of swordplay -- how to hold the sword correctly, how to counter, parry, and riposte, and how to predict what an opponent might do from the way they were standing and moving their shoulders. She was a quick learner. The knights laughed at them whenever they saw them training together -- the idea of a woman using a sword was comical to them -- but Lillandra took her training seriously, and ignored their jibes.


    She had been keeping her distance from him -- both physically and emotionally -- since he had confessed his love for her, but that seemed to be changing now; she had begun to open up to him again. Arai wasn''t sure what had prompted the change, but he was grateful for it. He was afraid she would push him away again, however, if he pressured her, so he was careful not to broach the subject, nor to flirt with her, nor, in fact, to express any romantic interest in her at all. It frustrated him, but under the circumstances it seemed like the wisest course.


    Shell, meanwhile, was continuing with her own training. She had started working with Damon, trying to get the hang of casting (something Lillandra had not been able to help her with), and about a week ago she had made a sort of breakthrough: the elf girl had finally figured it out, apparently, and was now capable of casting spells. They were very simple spells, and not particularly impressive -- she could summon up a little spark of flame and lift herself a couple of feet off the ground -- but Shell was thrilled with them. "I never thought I could do anything like this," she told Arai, grinning from ear to ear.


    "You''ve been working hard."


    "If only my sister could see me," she said wistfully. "Shell, the sorceress."


    They were perhaps halfway through Desperation Pass, traveling up a series of steep hills, when Sir Remnick suddenly shouted out a warning to the group: "Riders! To the north!"


    Arai, who had been riding in the back of one of the wagons, climbed up to the roof and looked to the north. He spotted them almost immediately: two figures, on horseback, mere specks from this distance, were riding out of the mountains, headed right for them.


    Though there were only two of them, Lady Melei wasn''t taking any chances; she ordered the wagons into a protective circle and shouted at her knights to arm themselves.


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    Arai climbed down from the roof and met up with Sir Estil. "Who are they?" he asked.


    "Bandits," the knight muttered. "Outlaws."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Pretty sure."


    "There''s only two of them. You don''t think they mean to attack us?"


    "We''ll see," he said gravely. He joined Lady Melei and a handful of other knights, who were waiting for the riders to reach them. Arai, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword, joined this group as well.


    The riders soon came into view. To Arai''s surprise, one of them was a young woman, dressed like a man in brown leathers. Her blonde hair had been tied up into a thick braid, which bounced on her shoulders as she rode. She appeared to be unarmed.


    The other rider was a man, perhaps thirty years old, with long black hair and a full beard. Like the woman, he was dressed in leathers, but he had a red cloak thrown around his shoulders as well, and several strange feathered medallions and necklaces strung around his neck. And this man was armed; he had a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, and a pair of sharp and deadly-looking hatchets hanging from his belt.


    "Idenitfy yourselves!" Lady Melei called out, when they came within shouting distance.


    The man brought his horse to a stop and put up a palm, in what Arai took to be a friendly, non-threatening gesture. "We mean you no harm," he shouted back. He spoke Gallean, but with a bit of a patois.


    "Come forward," Lady Melei said. "Slowly."


    The man and woman urged their horses on. "We mean you no harm," the man said again. "We just want to talk."


    "Who are you?" Lady Melei asked. "What business do you have with us?"


    "My name is Roth," the man said, "and this is Nessa. We saw your approach from the Titan''s Barge." He gestured to a huge rock formation several miles to the north, which did indeed look something like a great stone ship. "We don''t see expeditions of this size very often."


    "You didn''t answer my question," Lady Melei said testily. "What business do you have with us?"


    The man frowned. "Have I given you reason to be discourteous?"


    "You''re outlaws," she said.


    He sighed. "Some of us started out as outlaws, yes, and I won''t deny that there are still some brigands among us. Most of us are mere farmers now, and shepherds, and hunters, struggling to make a living in this gods-forsaken country. And we mean you no harm in any case. In fact we were hoping you might be able to help us."


    "Help you?"


    "The last few seasons have been difficult. Our food stores are low; our people are on the verge of starvation. If you would be willing to trade with us..." He let that hang there.


    Lady Melei was unmoved. "I''m sorry," she said, "but we only have enough food to make it out of the desert ourselves; we can''t afford to part with what we have."


    The man''s expression was weary. "There are children among us."


    "I''m sorry," Melei said again. "But we must see to ourselves first. Is there anything else you wish to barter? We might be able to accommodate you. We have rugs, glassware, Addish amber--"


    "We don''t need trinkets. We need food."


    Lady Melei rolled her tongue around in her cheek, in an impatient, but thoughtful kind of way. "How long do you think you can hold out? We plan to visit the Queendom of Elent and to return to Galleus within a few months; we will likely be passing by here again. If you''d like, we could arrange to purchase some supplies for you in Elent--"


    "Months?" He shook his head. "We don''t have that much time."


    "Then there''s nothing we can do for you."


    Roth scrutinized Lady Melei for a long moment. Then, apparently disgusted, he spat at her feet, turned his horse around, and rode off with his companion.


    Lillandra and Shell had sidled up to Arai and witnessed the confrontation as well. "The man has some magical talent," Lillandra noted.


    "A sorcerer?"


    "A very weak one. Did you notice, Shell?"


    "I noticed." The elf girl appeared to be deep in thought. "He said there were children among them. Do you think he was telling the truth?"


    "He could have been," Lillandra conceded. "But Melei made the right decision. We''re running out of food ourselves."


    "They''ll die."


    "We''ll all die, if we don''t make it out of this desert." She frowned at the riders, who were now some distance away. "Some of those medallions hanging from his neck were zemi, but I couldn''t make out the spells they contained."


    Sir Estil joined them. "Bandits," he said. "Make no mistake."


    "How can you be sure?"


    "I''ve seen their kind before." He threw a glance at the sun, which was just beginning to sink into the western horizon. "We should put as much distance between their camp and ourselves as we can before night falls."


    And apparently Lady Melei was of the same mind; she immediately ordered the caravans on, pushing them up and down the rolling hills as quickly as they would go, and placing the wagons in another protective circle when they finally made camp an hour later. Everyone in the group was wary; they had all heard tales of the outlaws living within the Riven Mountains. More than one expedition had been waylaid by these desperate people.


    Arai, who was restless as well, sought out Sir Estil. He found the old knight prowling around the outskirts of the camp, evidently on guard for an attack.


    "Arai," Sir Estil greeted. "Having trouble sleeping?"


    "A little." He looked out into the darkness. "Are we in danger?"


    He snorted. "In the Tarnak? Always."


    "From these outlaws, I mean."


    "Possibly." His gave Arai a quick sideways glance. "You seem to be getting along with Lillandra a little better."


    "A little. I''m teaching her how to use the sword she found."


    "I noticed." He smiled faintly. "She loves you, you know."


    Arai stopped. "She told you that?"


    "Of course not. But it''s written all over her face. She loves you."


    "I love her," he muttered.


    "So what''s keeping you apart?"


    "Julien."


    "Julien?"


    Arai had been reluctant to tell Sir Estil about Lillandra''s history, and of her plan to raise Julien from the dead, but he had come to trust the knight and to value his counsel, so he told him now. Sir Estil listened to the story, his face grave, and when Arai finished, he asked, "Can she really do it?"


    "Bring Julien back to life? I think so."


    "She should abandon this plan. The dead belong to history; it is for the gods to decide the fate of their souls. It''s not right to meddle in these matters."


    "I agree."


    "Have you tried to talk her out of it?"


    "She''s spent a hundred years working on this spell. What could I possibly say to dissuade her?"


    Sir Estil sighed. "She must have really loved this boy."


    "Exactly," he said sadly.


    "Arai!"


    Arai turned to see Lillandra jogging up to him, out of breath. "What''s the matter?"


    "It''s Shell," she said. "She''s gone."


    "What do you mean? Where did she go?"


    "I don''t know. I can''t find her. But she was brooding about the starving children in the bandit camp, and Gramewold saw her digging around in one of the supply wagons. She may have decided to pay them a visit."


    "Wonderful," he muttered. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let''s go look for the little idiot."

 Chapter Fifty-Five: Rain of Arrows

    Lady Melei was unwilling to spare any of her guards or knights to help search for Shell -- she wanted all her men battle-ready in case the bandits decided to attack -- so it was left to the three of them: Arai, Lillandra, and Sir Estil.


    "Are you sure she left of her own accord?" Arai asked. "Maybe the bandits came back and kidnapped her."


    "Unlikely," Lillandra said. "What would they want with a child? And anyway, Shell''s not helpless. She would have fought back, made noise. I didn''t hear a thing."


    "You said the man was a sorcerer," Arai countered. "He might have used magic to silence her and slip past the sentries."


    "It''s possible," she admitted. "But you didn''t hear her earlier. She was going on and on about these starving children in the outlaw camp. I''m almost certain she went up there to deliver them some food."


    Arai sighed. Shell was a tough little kid, and usually very practical, but she was strongly affected by certain things -- the mistreatment of animals, the sufferings of children. Her own upbringing on the streets of Kingsaile -- by her own account she had come pretty close to starvation herself, on more than one occasion -- probably had something to do with that.


    But this was foolishness -- rushing off into the dark to deliver food to children who may or may not even exist. He sighed again.


    Fortunately the moon was bright and high in the sky, and they had little trouble seeing where they were going in the dark. The Titan''s Barge -- the ship-shaped rock formation around which the outlaws had made their camp -- was a dark shadow in the distance, but they could see the flicker of firelight in a few places. Arai wondered how many outlaws were camped up there. And were they really starving? This was a difficult place to make a living, he was sure, but unlike the rest of the Tarnak, there was a fair amount of vegetation here, and monsters seemed to be less common in the mountains than in the deserts below. Life couldn''t be any more inhospitable here than it was in the Hardways, back in Velon, at the foot of the Frozen Mountains.


    Arai hoped they could find Shell and get her back to the caravan without any trouble, but he had come prepared: he had outfitted himself in the white armor Sir Estil had given him, and his hand was never far from the pommel of his sword. Sir Estil, too, was fully armored, and Lillandra had brought along a number of zemi, including the Assassin''s Cloak. The strange garment rippled into the shadows and rendered her almost invisible in this half-light; all he could see of her was the white of her face.


    They crept through the darkness, trying to make as little noise as possible. When they were perhaps three hundred yards from the outlaw camp, Arai stopped, frowning thoughtfully. How to proceed? Should they attempt to infiltrate the camp and look for Shell? Lillandra might succeed at that, with the Assassin''s Cloak, but he was reluctant to send her off on her own.


    He glanced at Sir Estil. "Any ideas?"


    "We should try to get a bit closer," he said. "We don''t want to run into--"


    "Arai! Lillandra!"


    Surprised, Arai scrambled for his sword, but the voice -- an urgent whisper, coming out of the darkness -- had belonged to Shell. The elf girl appeared as if from nowhere, sliding down a boulder and making her way over to them.


    "Shell!" Lillandra whispered back. "Where have you been? We''ve been looking for you!"


    "Sorry."


    Arai breathed a sigh of relief. "You had us worried. What the hell are you doing out here?"


    "I...was going to sneak into the camp and give some food to the children," she said, sounding a little embarrassed. "But there weren''t any children. At least, I didn''t see any."


    "You went into their camp?"


    "The outskirts of it, anyway. I was close enough to hear them talking." She looked up at them seriously. "Arai...we have to do something. We have to stop them."


    "Stop them?"


    "They''re going to attack the caravan tomorrow morning, at first light," she said. "I heard them talking about it."


    "Starving children, indeed," Sir Estil grumbled. "Those two riders Lady Melei spoke with yesterday came out of their camp to reconnoiter, to gauge our strength up close. How many are there?"


    "I stopped counting at a hundred," she said. "I didn''t see a lot of swords, but almost all of them had bows."


    "Archers," Sir Estil mused. "A hundred, you say?" He shook his head. "That''s more than I was expecting. I don''t think we can fight off that many; they outnumber us almost three to one. Are you sure of what you saw?"


    "I drank one of Emi''s potions before I came up here," she said. "The one that lets you see in the dark. That''s how I was able to spot you just now."


    "And they have a sorcerer as well," Arai reminded them. "This isn''t good."


    "I heard a couple of the men talking," Shell said, "about Roth and Nessa. They''re afraid of them."


    "Afraid?"


    "Roth can transform himself into some kind of beast. And Nessa is an assassin, from the west."


    Arai''s ears pricked up. "From the west? You mean she comes from Elent?"


    "I don''t know. All they said was that she was an assassin, and that she murdered a princess, and that she fell in with Roth after fleeing from her homeland."


    Arai searched his memory. "A female assassin...who murdered a princess..." His eyes went wide. "The Skile Massacre."


    "What''s that?" Lillandra asked.


    "It happened about five years ago. Princess Nattali and all of her guards and couriers were murdered in their beds while they were visiting the town of Skile, on the southern coast of Elent. Many of the victims were young women. The brutality of it shocked everyone; people were still talking about it in the Holy Empire years later."


    "And they never caught the assassin?"


    "Not to my knowledge."


    "Who was Princess Nattali?" Shell asked.


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    "The third in line to the Elentish throne. Elent is a huge nation, with a strong army, but the queen rules over a number of different peoples, and they don''t always get along. There''s the Jek Chiefdoms in the north, the Tessian Clans of the Crag, the so-called Mages of the Dark Mist. Some of these tribes would prefer to rule themselves. And the Queendom had its own succession crisis a few generations ago -- Queen Alfaze is from the Palais line, but she has cousins from the Pantheme line who still have their eyes on the throne. It was believed that the assassination was carried out by Quentis, a claimant from the Pantheme line, with the help of the Tessians in the Craglands. Queen Alfaze sent her armies into the Crag after the Massacre and captured Quentis, but..." He frowned. "The Craglands are just south and west of the Scarred Lands. It''s possible some of her people managed to escape."


    "Including this assassin, perhaps," Sir Estil said.


    "Perhaps," Arai said. "It was no ordinary assassin who carried out the Skile Massacre, though. She killed over a dozen men, including a couple of sorcerers, with little more than a dagger."


    "It might not be her," Lillandra pointed out.


    "In any case," Arai said, "we have to warn the caravan. We have to try to prevent them from carrying out this attack."


    "I don''t see how that''s possible," Lillandra said. "A hundred archers? What could we possibly do to stop them?"


    Arai considered their resources. "What about your zemi?" In addition to the zemi they had collected at Nharlek''s castle -- the Mermaid''s Glass, the Witch''s Dagger, the Badge of Deflection -- they now had a handful of zemi which Lillandra herself had made, including the Stone of Many Tongues, the Rabbit''s Feet, the Assassin''s Cloak, and a handful of others. He didn''t see how any of these could help, but maybe Lillandra had some kind of ace up her sleeve.


    "I don''t have anything that would allow me to fight off a hundred men," she scoffed. "And if I tried to attack them with the Blades of Ice or the Burning Malestrom I''d probably kill us all."


    "I''m not talking about fighting them off," Arai said. "That''s obviously impossible. But there must be something we can do, to slow them down at least."


    "I have an idea," Shell said. She reached into her backpack and showed them the leather case full of stoppered potions, which the potion-maker Emi had given to her some months ago. "There''s a large basin in the middle of their camp. It''s probably where they''re getting their drinking water." She removed one of the vials. "If I dump this potion into it..."


    "What does it do?"


    "It''s a sleeping draught," she said. "According to Emi''s notes, a single drop is enough to put a man to sleep for two or three hours."


    "The water will dilute it," Lillandra pointed out.


    "It won''t be enough to knock them out," Shell agreed, "but if I pour a whole vial into their water supply, it ought to slow them down, at least."


    "It''s not a bad idea," Arai said. "In fact it''s probably better if it simply makes them slow and sluggish. If they drank the water and started falling asleep immediately they''d become suspicious of it right away. If it''s just enough to make them muddle-headed, however, they won''t understand what''s happening to them until it''s too late."


    "But how many of them are likely to drink from the basin before the attack?" Lillandra asked. "Half of them? A third of them?"


    "I think it''s a worth a try," Sir Estil said. "Even if it is only a third. If there''s anything we can do to reduce their numbers..."


    Lillandra sighed. "Very well. Give me the potion."


    Shell blinked at her. "You?"


    "I have the Assassin''s Cloak. I won''t be seen."


    She was practically invisible in the dark, while wearing that cloak, but Arai didn''t like the idea of Lillandra sneaking into the bandit camp by herself. "I''ll go with you."


    "No, it''s too risky. Don''t worry -- I''ll sneak in, contaminate their water, and sneak out as quickly as I can. It shouldn''t take more than a few minutes." She turned to Shell. "Tell me more about this camp. Where this basin?"


    Shell gave her a rough sketch of the camp, and told her the easiest way to approach it. "Guards?" Lillandra asked.


    "I saw some men wandering around the perimeter," Shell said, "but I don''t think they were guards."


    "These are outlaws we''re dealing with," Sir Estil said. "They probably have very little organization."


    Lillandra snatched the potion from Shell''s hand and threw her hood up. "All right. I''m going."


    Arai stopped her, however, just as she was leaving. "Be careful," he warned her, looking into her eyes.


    She met his gaze, nodded once, and ran off, melting into the shadows until nothing could be seen of her but the slightest suggestion of movement. Arai crouched back down behind the boulder and said a prayer to the God of the Monuments for her safe return.


    Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, then twenty. Arai was now growing restless -- had something happened to her? Had she been captured? He peeked over the boulder, trying to see what he could of the camp, but even in the bright moonlight it was difficult to make out anything but shapes and shadows from this distance.


    When she had been gone for perhaps thirty or thirty-five minutes, Arai rose to his feet, resolved to go after her. It would be dawn soon; he was already beginning to see a faint glow on the eastern horizon. The outlaws would be on the move shortly.


    Before he could make a move for the bandit camp, however, Lillandra suddenly appeared, almost seeming to materialize out of thin air. "It''s done," she said. "But I may have been spotted as I was leaving the camp."


    "What took you so long?" Arai asked.


    "There''s a lot of men up there," she said. "And many of them were awake, and hanging around near that little rock-pond in the middle of the camp. I had to wait for an opportunity to get close." She shrugged. "But it''s done."


    "We should return to the caravan," Sir Estil. "As quickly as possible."


    They got up and started making their way back down the high, sloping hills: Shell and Sir Estil in the lead, Arai and Lillandra following behind them. They had only gone about a hundred yards, however, when Arai suddenly heard a whooshing noise coming from above them, something like the beating of a wyrm''s wings. He immediately looked up.


    Flying in the air above them was some kind of shadowy monster, gliding through the dark sky. It was hard to make it out in the half-light, but its feathered wings, claws, and snakelike tail were obvious; it also appeared to have a long, pointed beak. It looked something like a cross between a dragon and a harpy.


    At the same time the creature appeared, Sir Estil stumbled and fell forward. This was unusual; the knight was usually very surefooted. He caught himself as he fell, but was unable to rise to his feet. "What happened?" Arai called out, racing to the old man''s side.


    But he figured it out a moment later, when an arrow struck the earth just a few inches to his right, impacting on the ground. He looked up, and saw something that he hadn''t seen before: there was a woman perched on top of the flying monster, and she had a bow in her hands.


    Sir Estil had been struck in the back on the leg, below the knee, one of the few places which his armor did not cover. Arai reached down to help him up, but then he was struck with an arrow well. It hit the upper part of his cuirass, near his shoulder, and bounced away, but the impact of it nearly knocked him off his feet. He grimaced. That had been close; another inch and the arrow would have struck him in his unprotected shoulder.


    The arrows continued to rain down. Shell, wearing the Badge of Deflection, could not be harmed by these projectiles, but the rest of them were in great danger, out in the open; this archer was a dead shot. "Lillandra!" Arai shouted. "Over there!"


    He was pointing to a concavity beneath one of the great cliffs which rose out of the northern side of the pass. The top of the cliff projected well over a hundred feet over their heads; if they could get beneath it, they might find some protection from these arrows.


    Lillandra understood his meaning, collected Shell, and headed for the cliff, while Arai pulled Sir Estil to his feet and helped him along. The knight was limping badly -- the arrow was still in his leg -- but he was able to drag himself forward. More arrows plunked into the earth all around them; one of them nicked Arai''s ear, drawing blood. He winced and did his best to ignore it.


    It took a minute, but they eventually made it beneath the cliff. The archer, and the monster on which she was riding, did not give up their pursuit, however -- the monster, flapping its huge, heavy wings, began gliding down to the ground, coming closer and closer. It landed near where they had gathered, beneath the cliff, and here Arai got a better look at it: it was a weird, chimerical thing, part lizard and part bird, with four stumpy legs and a snarling mouth full of white teeth. What the hell was it? Some kind of monster? But a monster would never allow a human being to ride it in that way...unless that human being was a sorcerer, equipped with a Dragon''s Bit.


    But it all became clear a moment later. The archer hopped off the monster''s back, and almost immediately it began to change, its body melting and morphing into a new shape -- a smaller shape, a more manlike shape. And suddenly it wasn''t a monster at all, but a man: Roth. And the archer, standing next to him, was his blonde-braided companion, Nessa.


    "You see, my dear?" Roth said to her. "I told you they wouldn''t get far."

 Chapter Fifty-Six: The Bestial Aggregation

    Arai drew his sword. "You''ve just made a very big mistake," he called out to the pair.


    Roth grinned. "Have I, now? What are your names?"


    "The man behind me is Sir Estil Endsgrief, the greatest knight in the world," Arai said, jerking a thumb over this shoulder. "The woman is Lillandra, the Night Queen, the ruler of Velon. And I am Arai, son of Hetsu, of the Steelmen. I carry the Radiant Blade."


    Roth snorted. "And the elf girl? A formidable sorceress, perhaps? One of Tallise''s seven avatars?"


    "I''ve given you fair warning," Arai said. "Leave us in peace."


    "I think not. We can''t have you alerting the others, now, can we?" He nodded to Nessa, who immediately fired another arrow at him. Fortunately it was the last arrow in her quiver, and fortunately she missed, by a fraction of an inch; this time the arrow grazed Arai''s scalp. It wasn''t a life-threatening injury by any means, but he was bleeding from these near-misses, from his ear and now from his scalp, and the pain from both wounds was bright and sharp. He could only pray that these bandits hadn''t poisoned their arrowheads.


    Nessa discarded her bow and drew a dagger from the small of her back. It was a long, curved dagger -- an Elentish dagger. Was this woman really from Elent? Was she really the assassin who had killed Princess Nattali and her entourage? He called out to her: "Do you understand my speech?"


    She paused. "You speak Elentish. Who sent you?"


    In fact Arai was not speaking Elentish -- at least, he didn''t think he was -- but Elentish was what Nessa heard coming out of his mouth, apparently; such was the strange and fickle magic of the Stone of Many Tongues.


    "Is it true, then?" Arai pressed. "You''re the assassin who carried out the Skile Massacre?"


    "Who sent you?" she demanded, more forcefully this time. "Princess Yasmin? The Nine Wolves?" She waggled the long dagger at him. "Or was it Queen Alfaze herself? I killed the last one she sent after me, you know. This was her dagger."


    "We don''t have time for this," Roth said. He touched his zemi, and all at once, he began to transform -- his body shifting and shimmering like a reflection rippling over the surface of a pond. Horns sprouted from his head, his fingers lengthened and became claws, his skin turned scaly and snakelike, and his back was suddenly armored over with a black carapace that looked like a giant tortoise shell. He also increased in size; his new form stood at least nine feet tall.


    This monster had no wings, however; it was different from the monster they had seen before. "A Bestial Aggregation," Lillandra said quietly. "I see it now."


    "His zemi?"


    She nodded. "It allows him to borrow the characteristics of certain animals. He can pick and choose whichever forms he likes best."


    "Which animals?"


    "It depends on the zemi," she said. "That medallion of his looks like it''s made of feathers, snakeskin, crocodile teeth, and turtle shell, at the least."


    "Do you think he made it?"


    "He''s a bandit," she said. "I think he stole it."


    "Can you dissolve the spell?"


    "I could if he was relying on his own sorcery. But he''s using a zemi. I''d have to undo the calculation in the zemi itself, and that can''t be done quickly."


    There was no more time to talk; both Roth, in this monstrous new form, and Nessa, carrying her dagger, were coming their way. "Stay behind me," Arai said.


    But Lillandra ignored him. Instead of retreating, she drew her own sword, Helene, and stood with him, side by side. "I''ll fight with you."


    "Lillandra--"


    And that was all he managed to get out, before the duo attacked. Nessa came flying in first, slashing with her dagger; she was so quick that Arai was only barely able to deflect the first strike, and the second strike came within inches of slashing his throat. He quickly backpedaled, trying to get back into the Rising Tide stance, but the woman was so fast and accurate that it was all he could do to defend himself. She was obviously highly skilled.


    But now Roth was attacking as well, stomping towards them, reaching for them with his clawed hands. Shell promptly threw her Witch''s Dagger at him, aiming for his eyes, but missed; the dagger sailed past him. She recalled it to her hand, but Roth was bearing down on her now and she was forced to run away from him. By this point Sir Estil had plucked the arrow from his leg, drawn his sword, and staggered forward, but Arai wasn''t certain how much use he would be in this fight. The old man could barely stand.


    But Arai didn''t have time to consider these things; he was too busy fending off Nessa. The woman was a whirlwind, her blade slashing everywhere, and she managed to nick him several times. If she had been using a proper sword, he might have been able to turn her attacks aside, but blocking a long knife with a hand-and-a-half sword like Silus was very difficult. And she wasn''t just using the dagger, either; she was throwing elbows, delivering high kicks, ducking low, and trying to trip him up. He tried to collect himself and counter with the Rising Tide, but she was so fast and aggressive that he couldn''t find an opening.


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    But then, suddenly, Lillandra broke in, swinging her own sword at the blonde woman. Nessa quickly slipped to one side, avoiding it, and delivered a palm-strike to Lillandra''s chest, which knocked her back. But Arai was able to take advantage of this little opening, lunging forward with the Crashing Waves. He managed to drive her back, but before he could exploit this opening any further Roth came roaring at him, and he was forced to duck and roll under the monster''s raking claws.


    Arai swore. He couldn''t fight both of them at once. Nessa was as dangerous a fighter as he had ever encountered, and Roth was a supernatural monster twice his size. A single strike from Silus would likely cancel out the magic Roth was using, but he didn''t think he could get that close, especially with Nessa running interference. He needed to separate them somehow.


    Leaping to his feet, he tried to entrap Nessa within the Net of Steel, but she bounded out of the way, and suddenly Roth was on him again, snapping at him with his huge jaws. The man-monster then swung his whole body around, whipping his tail out and knocking Arai off his feet. He lay there for a moment, stunned.


    Nessa would have pounced on him and finished him off at the moment, if not for Sir Estil. The knight, lurching forward on his bad leg, caught her dagger on his gauntlet and pushed her away, then picked Arai up by the scruff of his neck and hauled him up to his feet. "You take the monster," he said. "I''ll handle the woman."


    "She''s fast," Arai warned. "And your leg..."


    "I''m wearing armor," he said. "I have little to fear from her dagger. And you''re the only one who can destroy the magics of that sorcerer."


    That made a sort of sense, Arai supposed. And there wasn''t time to discuss it further, anyway; the battle was already back on. Nessa juggled her dagger a few times and then threw herself at Arai, her blonde braid whipping about, but Sir Estil stepped in front of him, driving the assassin back. Arai quickly moved to his left, trying to engage with Roth, who immediately obliged him, snapping his jaws and slashing the air with his claws. Arai -- ducking, dodging, and rolling all around -- tried to find an opening, but the monster was so huge, and had such a long reach, that he couldn''t get a single retaliatory strike in.


    Shell was behind him; the elf girl was still trying to hit Roth with her Witch''s Dagger. She finally managed to strike him in the chest, but it was a bad throw and it hit him hilt-first, doing no damage at all, and when she tried to throw it at him again he turned sideways and blocked the knife with his turtle shell, causing it to clatter harmlessly to the ground. Shell made a frustrated noise and recalled the dagger to her hand before quickly scrambling away.


    Lillandra, meanwhile, had recovered from Nessa''s palm-strike and was now looking to help Arai, shouting and waving her arms at Roth to try to get his attention and, perhaps, make an opening for Arai. Roth was not interested in her, however; he was focused on Arai. Once again, he whirled around, swinging his thick, serpentine tail, which sent Arai flying; he landed on his side and only barely managed to avoid being disemboweled when Roth came slashing in with the birdlike talons of his feet.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Arai saw that Lillandra had now joined Sir Estil; the two of them were fighting Nessa together.


    He got to his feet and considered his situation. If he could just get close enough to touch the monster with Silus...


    But Roth had him backed up against the face of the cliff now; not only did he have nowhere left to run, he had very little room to maneuver. Shell was still throwing her dagger, but couldn''t seem to strike anywhere vital. Damn it.


    He heard a muffled cry, coming from the direction of Sir Estil and the women, but he ignored it; he couldn''t afford to take his eyes off Roth.


    The bandit-sorcerer loomed over him. Arai half-expected him to say something, to mock him perhaps, but he didn''t; Roth''s long, crocodile snout and lolling tongue probably made it impossible for him to speak. Arai tightened his grip on Silus, waiting for another attack -- an attack which he could not possibly avoid.


    He looked to his left...and by chance, he saw Shell standing about a dozen feet away, looking back at him. She was holding up two fingers...and both of those fingers were flickering with candle-flame. She nodded at him.


    What did she intend to do? "Shell!" he shouted. "Get back!" She was standing much too close to the monster.


    But she didn''t back off; instead she took a step forward. Her face scrunched up in concentration, she fixed her eyes on the two little flames burning at her fingertips.


    "Shell!" Arai shouted again.


    "Now!" she suddenly cried. And she pointed her two fingers at Roth, spitting flames right in his face. The flames washed over the monster like a hot rain, evaporating almost instantly and probably not causing him any real harm at all, but it made for an excellent distraction, and Arai wasn''t about to let it go to waste. He leapt forward, ducked under Roth''s claws -- the monster was swinging wildly -- and cut him in the leg with Silus. The bandit screamed when the sword touched him, and he immediately pitched forward, collapsing into the dirt; Arai had to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed by his falling body.


    Roth began to writhe as soon as he hit the ground, his body changing in all sorts of grotesque ways. His horns fell off, then grew again; stunted wings sprouted from his back, before skeletonizing and disintegrating; his scaly skin became wrinkled and leathery, and then sloughed off, revealing human skin underneath. The transformations continued, and through it all, Roth made a terrible, birdlike squawking noise.


    Disgusted, Arai kicked him over onto his back and touched his sword to the zemi Roth wore around his neck, cancelling out its magic completely. The transformations abruptly stopped, and he became human once again, but Roth, evidently enduring some kind of extreme mental or physical pain, curled up into the fetal position and continued making that horrible bird-noise.


    He glanced at Shell. "Nice work."


    But Shell wasn''t looking at him -- she was looking beyond him. He followed her eyes, and saw that Sir Estil''s battle with Nessa seemed to have ended as well; the blonde-haired assassin was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.


    But Lillandra was also lying on the ground, and Sir Estil was hovering over her.


    Arai felt his heart catch in his throat. Had something happened to Lillandra? He raced over to her.


    Sir Estil looked up at him, his face grave. "She''s been stabbed," he said.

 Chapter Fifty-Seven: A Kiss

    She had, indeed, been stabbed -- the front of her shirt was covered in blood. There was so much blood, in fact, that Arai couldn''t even see where the blade had slipped in. He was horrified. This was a serious wound, perhaps a mortal one.


    "Arai..." Lillandra said weakly, reaching for him.


    "We have to try to stop the bleeding," Sir Estil said, taking off his desert scarf and pressing it into the wound. "Shell! Do you have that healing potion?"


    Shell was as shocked at the situation as any of them, but she reacted quickly, digging into her leather backpack and pulling out a blue vial. She knelt down by Lillandra and forced her to drink a few drops of the healing potion.


    "Will that do anything?" Arai asked worriedly.


    "It should speed up the healing process," Shell said. "But if the wound is fatal--"


    "No," Arai broke in. "She won''t die. I won''t let her."


    "We should get her back to the caravan," Sir Estil said.


    Nessa, the assassin who had stabbed Lillandra, was lying on the ground nearby. "Is she dead?" Shell inquired.


    "Unconscious, I think," Sir Estil said. "I hit her pretty hard."


    "What are we going to do with her?" Shell asked.


    Arai started for the woman, sword in hand. "I''ll finish her."


    Sir Estil staggered to his feet to stop him. "You can''t."


    "Why not? She would''ve killed us all. Look what she''s done to Lillandra!"


    "Even so," Sir Estil said. "You can''t kill her. Not like this, not while she''s defenseless. It wouldn''t be right. It wouldn''t be chivalrous."


    "I''m not a knight," Arai snarled. "I don''t follow your code of chivalry. Get out of my way."


    But Sir Estil, in spite of his bad leg, would not back down. "I won''t let you do this. I will fight you if I have to."


    "You''ll fight for the life of this woman who tried to kill us, who may have already killed Lillandra? The woman who assassinated Princess Nattali and a dozen young women?"


    "I will not abandon my principles."


    Arai looked the man in the eye. What he saw there was a stern, unyielding sort of determination; Sir Estil was absolutely not going to back down. Arai wondered if he could outfight the man. The knight was without doubt the greatest fighter he had ever seen, but in his injured state...


    But in the end he sighed and lowered his blade. He had no desire to fight Sir Estil, and he wasn''t certain he could win in any case. Besides, there were more important matters at hand. "What do you suggest we do with her, then?"


    "We''ll take her prisoner," Sir Estil said. "We''ll take her to Lady Melei."


    Arai didn''t like it, but he accepted it. He sheathed his sword, scooped up Lillandra in his arms -- by now she had passed out -- and started carrying her to the camp. Sir Estil, meanwhile, threw Nessa over his back and limped along after them, staggering and stumbling at times but never quite losing his footing.


    They arrived at the outskirts of the camp about twenty minutes later. It was morning by now, the sun beginning to glare bright on the edge of the horizon, but there was no sign of any bandits here; evidently they had postponed or perhaps called off the attack. Perhaps some number of them had imbibed the contaminated water, and fallen into a stupor, or perhaps they were waiting for Roth and Nessa to return before they set out. In any case, Arai immediately warned Sir Farrow and the other guards as soon as he saw them: "The bandits may be getting ready to attack," he told them. "Where''s Lady Melei?"


    Fortunately Melei was already awake; she ran to them as soon as she saw them. "You found Shell, I see," she said. "But..." Her eyes widened when she saw the blood on Lillandra''s shirt. "What happened? And who is that woman, Sir Estil? Isn''t that one of the outlaws?"


    "She''s our prisoner," he said. "She''s also extremely dangerous. She should be guarded at all times."


    Melei nodded and ordered one of the knights to take Nessa away. Lillandra was brought to Lady Melei''s own wagon and laid out on her bed, where Gramewold, the expedition''s physician, examined her. He gave her a sleeping draught, then closed the wound with a cauter and made a poultice. "That''s all I can do for now," he told a worried Arai, after he had finished his work. "The wound was deep; I''m not sure how damage might have been done. But the bleeding has stopped, and her heartbeat is steady, at least."


    "Should I give her more of my healing potion?" Shell asked.


    "In a few hours, perhaps. Healing potions like yours are helpful, and that dose you gave her earlier might have saved her life, but they can actually interfere with healing if the patient is given too much, too quickly. They force the body to work harder."


    "You''ve used healing potions before?" Shell asked.


    "On occasion. They work well for healing minor injuries and speeding the recovery process, for instance when a bone is broken, but a wound like this..." He glanced at Lillandra''s sleeping form. "We''ll see. Now, let''s see about that leg, Sir Estil."


    While the physician tended to Sir Estil, Arai and Shell sat down next to Lillandra. "Is she going to be all right?" Shell asked. Her green eyes were rimmed with tears.


    "Yes," Arai said firmly. He found Lillandra''s hand, and held it. It was warm.


    "How do you know?"


    He didn''t answer that, because he didn''t know how to answer it. He sighed instead, and whispered a prayer to the distant God of the Monuments. He wondered if it would reach the God; he was, after all, half a world away from the Frozen Mountains, where the ancient monuments stood.


    After a moment, Shell reached into her backpack and pulled out a long, curved dagger -- Nessa''s dagger, the dagger that she had used to stab Lillandra. "I don''t know why I took it," she said, looking at the blade curiously.


    "Is it a zemi? Is there magic in it?"


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    Shell squinted at the dagger. "I think it''s just an ordinary dagger. But I''ve never seen one like this before."


    "It''s from Elent."


    "The country on the other side of the mountains?"


    "Yes."


    She frowned and put the blade away. "Maybe I can sell it for a few silvers. Oh, that reminds me." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a small silver coin. "We found this in the assassin''s pocket."


    She handed it to Arai, who examined it. His eyes widened. "This is a Salosi rallmark," he said.


    "A what?"


    "A coin minted in the Holy Empire." He pointed to the design on the front of the coin, which showed the head a jowly man wearing a crown of interwoven snakes. "This is Xanderfast, the Mad Marquis. He ruled Salos about forty years ago. Where would she have gotten a coin like this?"


    "Is it worth anything?"


    "It might buy us a room in a Salosi inn," he said, handing it back to her. "Strange."


    Shell slipped the coin back into her pocket. Her eyes fell on Lillandra again. "She''s my best friend," she whispered. "Except for my sister, she''s the only one who ever cared about me. And she taught me how to do magic. What will I do without her?"


    "She''s not going to die."


    "How do you know?" Shell asked him again, more quietly this time.


    But he still didn''t have an answer. He closed his eyes, exhaled, and said another prayer to the God of the Monuments.


    * * *


    The bandit attack never materialized -- perhaps because they had lost their leader, perhaps because they had been drugged -- but Lady Melei was anxious to leave the area, anyway, and she started them out very early that morning. Slowly but surely, the wagon train began rolling again, over the hills and declines of Desperation Pass. They made very good time, and by noon they had reached the highest point within the Pass; beyond this point, the land sloped steadily downward, which made their journey much easier. A day and a half later, they emerged from the mountains and found themselves looking down at the great western desert -- the Catoplean Desert, it was called. It was dangerous country, of course, and as full of monsters as the rest of the Scarred Lands, but for Arai, this was at least somewhat familiar territory -- his father had visited these lands in his youth.


    And Elent, which lay beyond the desert, was even more familiar. He had only ever visited the eastern edge of the queendom, but Elent was one of the great powers of the west and its history and customs were well known to him. He knew the names of her cities; he understood her politics; he had even met a few Elentish mercenaries when he was traveling with the Steelmen. He had known nothing of Addis, Grand Skir, or Galleus, but he knew Elent.


    He had been looking forward to this day for most of a year now, and he might have wept with joy when they finally crossed the mountains into the western side of the Scarred Lands, but he was so preoccupied with Lillandra and her condition that he barely noticed it when they departed the mountains. He spent every day with her, watching and worrying over her. He even slept in her wagon. He helped Gramewold change her poultices; he wet her lips with honey-water; he made sure that she received a few doses of Shell''s healing potion every day. To his great relief, her condition gradually began to improve -- Gramewold was certain now that she would live -- but she spent almost all of her time sleeping, or in a lazy, forgetful stupor, and he began to worry that she would never fully wake.


    One evening, however, after the caravan had stopped for the night, and just as Arai was starting to drift off -- he had been sitting at her bedside -- he suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve. He snapped awake, and saw, to his surprise, that Lillandra was sitting up. Her eyes no longer had the glassy look; she seemed to have finally come back to herself.


    "Lillandra?"


    "Arai," she said. "What''s going on? Where are we?"


    "What''s the last thing you remember?"


    She frowned. "The bandit woman stabbed me with her dagger. You carried me back to the wagons. After that..." Her frown deepened. "It''s a fog."


    He told her that she had been asleep, more or less, for the last several days, and that they had finally crossed over the Riven Mountains. He told her about the steps they had taken to save her life: Shell''s healing potions, Gramewold''s sleeping draughts and beef broth and poultices. He told her that Nessa, her attacker, was currently locked up in another one of the wagons.


    "I thought Sir Estil had killed her," she said, surprised.


    "It was Sir Estil who saved her life. I wanted to kill her. He wouldn''t let me."


    "I thought I could help him fight her off, with the sword-tricks you taught me," she muttered. "I guess I still have a lot to learn."


    "We''re taking her with us to Elent," Arai said. "If she really is this assassin...well, maybe Queen Alfaze will give us some kind of reward for capturing her." He shook his head. "Forget her. How do you feel?"


    "Sleepy. Sore." She tried to sit up a little further, and winced.


    He eased her back down. "Careful," he said. "You''re still healing."


    She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Arai was so relieved to see her awake and alert that for several moments he simply sat there, saying nothing, but studying the curve of her face.


    She opened one eye and fixed it on him. "You''ve been here all along, haven''t you? You haven''t left my side."


    He nodded.


    "I''m sorry for making you worry."


    "It was the least I could do."


    Her eyes took on a faraway look. "I had a dream."


    "A dream?"


    "Maybe more than a dream. A vision, perhaps. It was just before I woke up. I was standing in a meadow, beneath the Frozen Mountains. I saw a great river -- the Tuv, I suppose -- and a small cottage, with a thatched roof. And you were there. You were sitting on a tree stump, speaking to a small boy. He had dark hair, and eyes that seemed to swallow up the sunlight."


    Arai started. A cottage with a thatched roof, built upon the banks of the Tuv? A dark-haired boy? This dream of hers sounded eerily similar to the vision he had on the island of Tapil. What did it mean? Where were these dreams coming from? And who was the mysterious little boy? He wondered if these visions were related to the rediscovery of Silus and Helene -- was it the shade of Illu Matt¨¦ who was sending these dreams? Or was it Maximine? And if so, what were they trying to communicate?


    He wanted to ask Lillandra more questions, but he didn''t want to upset or disturb her in her weakened state, so he held off. He didn''t have a good explanation for any of these things anyway; he was as confused as she was.


    "It was strange. The meadow, the cottage, the river...I felt as though I belonged there; I felt as though I''d finally come home. I can hardly remember the last time I felt like that. I haven''t had a real home in over a hundred years."


    "How did it make you feel?"


    "I liked it," she said. "I liked it a lot." She paused, then added, "But I think, more than anything, it was because you were there."


    "Ah." He didn''t know quite what to say to that.


    "I saw Julien, too, in my dream. I talked to him." Her eyes acquired that faraway look again. "Do you think it was really him?"


    "I don''t know. What did he say?"


    "He was sad. He said I''ve been living for his sake for too long, and that I ought to start living for myself again." She shook her head in amazement. "I can never remember my dreams, but I remember every word he said. Maybe it really was him."


    "You spoke with Maximine''s ghost at Urumkesh," Arai said uncertainly. "It''s...not impossible."


    She looked away from him, and then said, almost absently, "I love you."


    She spoke so casually that for a moment Arai wasn''t sure he had heard her correctly. "W-what?"


    "I love you."


    She didn''t follow that up with anything; she simply sat there, looking away from him, still wearing that distant expression. It was a very strange way to declare her love, and he wasn''t sure how to respond to it. "Oh."


    "I''m tired," she sighed. "I think I''ll go back to sleep now."


    "I''ll stay with you."


    "No. You should get some sleep yourself. But before you go..."


    She reached out to him, touching him lightly on the cheek, and drew him close. Then she kissed him.


    It was a brief kiss, their lips only brushing together for a moment. When it was over, she pulled away from him, looked into his eyes for another second or two, and lay back on the bed. "Good night," she said, pulling the covers over her face.


    The conversation was apparently over. Arai, sort of pleasantly perplexed, rose to his feet and headed for the door, but before he could get there he heard Lillandra say, from under the covers, "Don''t you have something to say?"


    "Good night?"


    "Not that. The other thing."


    "Ah." He smiled. "I love you, too. But you already knew that, didn''t you?"


    "Yes," she mumbled. "I just...wanted to hear it again."


    They parted there, and he stepped out of the wagon, into the cool of the evening. The sky was alive with sunset colors -- oranges, reds, pinks -- spread across the whole of the horizon, and the desert was lovely: a vast, red-shadowed country, full of stratified, multicolored boulder remnants, and where, in the distance, huge sandstone pillars, hundreds of feet high, rose up out of the earth. It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen.


    He turned his eyes to the horizon. He thought about that kiss.

 Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Queendom of Elent

    It took them eight days to cross the Catoplean Desert. This western half of the Scarred Lands was not as harsh as the eastern half -- there was considerably more vegetation here, and fewer sandstorms; they even stumbled across a few small oases in the lower valleys, full of bramble and fig trees. There seemed to be fewer monsters here as well, though that was a bit harder to gauge -- Hiero''s radiator worked so well that they were almost never accosted by monsters; it was possible the beasts were just keeping their distance.


    The desert was dangerous, of course, and the terrain sometimes difficult, but it was not impassable. It occurred to Arai that this was probably the reason why so many western expeditions into the Scarred Lands had failed -- they were expecting to find the same conditions on the eastern side of the mountains as they had encountered on the western side. But the eastern desert was a true wasteland, bereft of life, and the monsters around Urumkesh and Panner''s Canyon were much more numerous. In contrast, eastern expeditions into the west were fairly rare; most Galleans regarded it as pure folly to try to cross the Tarnak.


    But Lady Melei had done it. And she was very pleased with herself.


    "A triumph," she said, over and over again. "How many years has it been since an expedition of this size crossed the Tarnak? This is absolutely historic. They''re going to be talking about us, writing about us, centuries from now, I''m sure of it."


    "Really?" Shell asked.


    "Aren''t you getting a little ahead of yourself?" Arai asked. "You still have to make the return trip, after all."


    She waved that away. "We did it once. We can do it again."


    The land grew flatter, and the grasses fuller, as they made their way further west, and soon they were surrounded on all sides by a vast tallgrass prairie: a seemingly endless expanse of green and yellow, decorated with wildflowers and the occasional blackjack oak. They saw thousands of butterflies here, alighting on prairie flowers, and small herds of zubr and yellow-striped jang as well. The jang were skittish creatures, though, and well-camouflaged; they had a tendency to vanish into the high grass.


    Arai was the only one in the party who had ever seen these animals before -- albeit in a menagerie in Arl''s City -- and Hiero and the others immediately began asking him questions about them. Were they dangerous? Were they good to eat? He had to admit that he didn''t really know that much about them.


    Lady Melei asked him again about Elent. "Tell me about this country," she prodded, for the umpteenth time. "Who are its leaders? How many people live here? How long would it take us to travel from one end of it to the other?"


    Arai smiled a little. In the east, he had been the foreigner, ignorant of everything, but the tables had turned now, and he was the one answering their questions. It felt strangely gratifying.


    "Understand that I''ve only visited Elent a few times," he said, "and only the far-western portion of it, where its borders run up against Arliel''s Holy Empire. Most of what I know comes from stories I''ve heard, maps I''ve seen, reports from mercenaries, and so forth."


    "I''ll take what I can get," Melei said.


    He nodded. "Very well. To start, Elent is the largest single nation in the west, both by population and by land area. There are possibly more people in the Holy Empire, but the Empire isn''t really a unified nation -- it''s a collection of independent states and city-states."


    "And it''s ruled by a queen?" Sir Estil asked.


    "It''s a queendom," Arai affirmed. "The monarchy follows the female line. I don''t know how it started, but Elent has been ruled by queens for the last five or six hundred years."


    "A strange custom," Sir Estil said. "A country ruled by women? It''s like something out of a fairy-story."


    "The monarch is always a woman," Arai said, "but there''s a great council, too, called the Parliament, which makes laws, and the Parliament is mostly made up of men. Men command the armies as well, and the queen usually has male advisors. It''s not as if men don''t have any power at all in Elent; they simply prefer queens to kings."


    "Still," Sir Estil muttered, shaking his head. "Strange."


    "What do you know about the current queen?" Melei asked.


    "Her name is Alfaze," he said. "She''s reigned for something like thirty years now. I don''t know much about her, other than that she''s said to be a wise and experienced ruler." He paused. "It''s been a few years, though, since I last heard anything about Elent. They could have a new queen now for all I know. Alfaze''s daughter Yasmin was next in line for the throne, as I recall."


    "The country is well-governed, then?" Lady Melei pressed.


    "For the most part," he said. "The Queen''s Men keep the peace on the roads; I don''t think we''ll run into any bandits or highwaymen. But Elent is a very big country and a lot of different people live here. The Tessians dwell in the Craglands south of the prairie -- what''s left of them, anyway; Queen Alfaze destroyed their cliff-cities after the Skile Massacre. In the north are the Jek. They''re a tribal people, and mostly rule themselves, but they pay homage to Queen Alfaze, and they''ll go to war for her if she asks them to -- I saw Jek war-elephants once, at Fort Wyrm, at the border of the Holy Empire. And Magelight is a sort of city-state on the southern coast, ruled by the Mages of the Dark Mist."


    "Sorcerers?"


    He nodded. "Yes, but also a criminal syndicate. The Elentish incorporated the city into the queendom about a hundred years ago, but they mostly leave the Mages alone, like the Jek. The Mages of the Dark Mist are ruthless. I''ve heard rumors about them sacrificing children to their Scorpion God. I don''t know if they''re true." He shrugged. "But the Tessians keep to themselves, and we''re not likely to encounter any Jek or Dark Mist assassins on the way to Palais."


    "That''s the capital of Elent?" Sir Estil inquired.


    "Usually," he said. "There''s another city on the other side of the Elent Sea, Pantheme, which sometimes serves as their capital as well. It depends on which dynasty the queen belongs to. It''s complicated."


    "I''m glad you''re with us," Lady Melei said. "If not for you we would be totally ignorant of these things. How long will it take to get to Palais, do you think?"


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    "I have no idea," he said truthfully. "I know it''s on the other side of the Great Prairie, along the shore of the Elent Sea, but..." He shrugged again. "Like I said, I''ve never been here before. I can only guess."


    They continued making their way west, through the vast prairie, their wagons flattening the grasses as they rolled over the land. Arai had heard stories about nomads living in the Great Prairie, but they saw no sign of anyone, anywhere; the grasslands appeared to be totally uninhabited. With no roads to follow nor paths with which to find their way, they simply continued west, in as straight a line as they could, in the direction of the Elentish heartland.


    Arai spent much of his time in Lillandra''s wagon. She was recovering quickly and was already back on her feet -- probably Shell''s healing potions had had something to do with that; she had drank down an entire vial -- but Arai didn''t want her to push herself too hard, and had insisted that she spend most of her time in the wagon, resting. She obliged him, and the two of them spent many long hours together, chatting quietly, but sometimes just sitting there, saying nothing at all, and simply enjoying one another''s company. They didn''t talk much about the change in their relationship, but the change was evident. Having finally expressed and accepted each other''s feelings, the tension and confusion that had characterized their earlier relationship was gone, replaced by a kind of sweetness, a kind of shyness, which manifested in lingering looks, secret smiles, and, occasionally, a little teasing and flirting.


    "So you''re finally together now?" Shell asked Arai eagerly. "It''s official?"


    "Official?" He snorted. "I haven''t asked her to marry me, if that''s what you''re asking."


    "But you love her," she said, "and she told you she loves you."


    "I...yes."


    "Well, it took you long enough. I thought the two of you were a couple from the moment I laid eyes on you, you know."


    "Really? But we were always arguing."


    "Exactly."


    He snorted again. "You think you''re so smart. Oh, by the by, I''ve been meaning to talk to you about something."


    "What''s that?"


    "Your ears," he said. "I think you ought to cover them up."


    "Cover them up?" She frowned. "You don''t want anyone to know I''m an elf?"


    "I think it might complicate things," he admitted. "There are no elves in the west. People are going to be staring at you; you''re going to wind up attracting a lot of unwanted attention."


    She chewed on her lower lip. "You''re probably right. It was bad enough in western Galleus; it''ll probably be even worse here. But what do you suggest I do? I can''t hide my ears under my hair; they stick out too much."


    "You could put your hood up."


    "I don''t want to wear my cloak all the time," she complained. "It''s hot."


    "Well, you''ll have to figure something out. Talk with Lillandra. Maybe she can put a glamour on you or something."


    "Unlikely," she sniffed.


    Later that evening, just as the sun was going down and just as Lady Melei was about to bring the caravan to a halt, Sir Farrow and his outriders spotted a small barn and cottage, situated near a copse of trees, and surrounded by sheep fencing. It was the first human habitation they had seen since leaving Galleus, excepting the bandit camp.


    Lady Melei urged the caravan on, hoping to make it to the cottage before dark. When they were close enough, she shouted out a greeting, but she got no response. Arai was sure the homestead had not been abandoned, however, because there were plenty of sheep milling around in the fenced-off area, and the cottage and barn looked to be in good condition. "They''re probably hiding," he told Lady Melei. "It''s what I''d do, if I saw a company this size headed for my farm."


    "We don''t mean them any harm," Melei protested.


    "They don''t know that. Let me check the barn." He went to the barn and knocked on the big barn doors. He got no answer, but he did hear a voice coming from inside: a child''s voice, very faint. There was definitely someone inside. He called out to them: "My name is Arai, son of Hetsu. I''m sure we startled you with our sudden appearance, but I assure you we mean you no harm. We''re a peaceful trading expedition, from the east, on our way to Palais. We only want directions, if you can give them to us."


    He waited several moments for a response. Just as he was about to give up and return to the caravan, however, one of the barn doors opened just a crack, and a man''s face appeared within it. He was an older man, with a gray beard, and his eyes were flinty and suspicious.


    "You came over the mountains?" the man asked.


    "That''s right. Our expedition is led by Lady Melei, from the kingdom of Galleus."


    "How is it that you speak such good Elentish?"


    "That''s a long story," he said. "Suffice to say, I''m one of Lady Melei''s guides. Why don''t I have her come over here and talk with you? She speaks Elentish as well." Lillandra had used the Stone of Many Tongues on Melei and several other members of the expedition, to facilitate communication.


    And Lady Melei eventually managed to coax the family out of the barn, and to assure them they had no ill intent. The family consisted of an elderly couple, a much younger couple, and four children of varying ages -- sheep farmers, apparently, who lived on the very outskirts of the Great Prairie. Lady Melei presented them with gifts -- candy for the children, a set of knives and warm blankets for the adults -- and asked them for directions to the nearest town or village. According to the elderly man, the nearest settlement of any size was Rose Town, which was about twenty or thirty miles to the north and west.


    "You''ll find a rough sort of road about three miles north of here," the man told them. "It will take you right into town."


    They thanked the man and his family, and the next morning they set out. They had no trouble finding the road, which they followed right into Rose Town. This was a small town -- more of an outpost, really -- situated on the edge of an oak savanna. Almost all of the buildings were painted a dark shade of red.


    Three riders, wearing black-and-yellow uniforms, rode out to meet them before they entered the town. Arai recognized the uniforms. "Queen''s Men," he told Lady Melei.


    The riders were plainly astonished to see them, but they maintained a professional air. "Who are you, and what business do you have in the Queen''s lands?" one of them called out.


    Lady Melei urged her horse forward and answered them. She told them that they were a merchant caravan from the east, that they came in peace, that they were looking for opportunities for trade, and that she, Lady Melei, was the expedition''s leader. The riders conferred with each other for a moment, then asked Lady Melei to accompany them to the office of Rose Town''s chief magistrate. Melei accepted this, but asked if Arai, Lillandra, Sir Estil, and a handful of others might join her. The Queen''s Men agreed, and a few minutes later, they found themselves shaking hands with the magistrate -- his name was Dorit -- and sipping tea in his office. He was just as astonished to see them as the Queen''s Men had been.


    "Yours is the first expedition to have crossed the Scarred Lands in over a decade," he told them, "and your caravan is the largest I''ve ever seen. How did you manage it?"


    Lady Melei preferred to keep Hiero''s invention a secret, however, at least for now. "We spent many months preparing for this journey," was all she said.


    Dorit was full of questions. How long had it taken them to cross the desert? What sorts of trade goods did they have for sale? Where had they learned to speak Elentish? And so on. Lady Melei spent most of the night conversing with him, and in the morning she told Arai and the others of the arrangements she had made.


    "Rose Town is too small to process our merchandise," she said. "So we''re heading to the capital. Dorit''s assigning a couple of the Queen''s Men to the caravan to guide us there." She smiled. "We''re going to be a sensation in the capital, he says. They might even honor us with a parade."


    Lillandra glanced at Arai. "A parade?"


    "Let''s hope not," he muttered. "What about the assassin?"


    "We''ll be taking her to Palais, too," Melei said, "to determine if she really is the one who committed this massacre. There''s some doubt about that, apparently. Dorit seemed to be under the impression that the perpetrators had already been brought to justice."


    Arai frowned. Perhaps Nessa wasn''t the assassin who had killed Princess Nattali and her entourage; perhaps he was mistaken.


    Not that it mattered all that much to him. The important thing was, they were on their way to Palais, to civilization, and that their long journey across the perilous, monster-haunted Scarred Lands had finally come to an end.

 Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Princess of Rook and Sceptre

    They left immediately. With the Queen''s Men guiding them, the caravan crossed the remainder of the Great Prairie and entered a much more heavily-populated land, full of farms and villages. The villages, which grew larger and larger as they made their way west, reminded Arai of the villages he had seen in eastern Addis -- these were smart, orderly settlements, well-plotted, with straight roads, and the people seemed relatively prosperous.


    Everyone was excited about this improbable caravan from the east. The word spread quickly, from one village to the next, and they were greeted by mobs of people wherever they went. Some of Lady Melei''s merchants wanted to begin selling their merchandise to these eager folks, but the Queen''s Men advised against it -- it was an old Elentish tradition that the queen be given the first opportunity to purchase trade goods from the east. Lady Melei was fine with this; she was looking forward to meeting the queen in any case.


    Queen Alfaze was still the reigning monarch, according to the Queen''s Men, and was reportedly in good health. Arai also learned that Balbaroy had declared war on Arl''s Trust, and that there had been a major fire in Holybell over a year ago. Unfortunately the men knew nothing about the current state of Velon; in fact only one of the Queen''s Men had even heard of the place. And as far as he knew, that unfortunate little kingdom was still ruled by the Night Queen.


    It was frustrating. Arai was desperate to know what was going on in Velon -- had Lord Pierce been defeated? Had the Steelmen returned to the Holy Empire? Had the government completely collapsed? Had the Al''mud taken advantage of the situation? But no one he spoke to knew anything. It wasn''t really surprising -- Velon was a small and rather unimportant kingdom, and for the last hundred years it had been closed to outsiders -- but it was frustrating.


    The great city of Palais soon appeared on the horizon. This was an enormous city, the largest in Elent, full of tall towers and huge domed edifices called echolai; it was in these huge, sound-conducting domes that the Elentish people worshipped their gods. Arai had never been inside an echolai, but he had heard stories about them from his father -- apparently the Elentish believed that their gods spoke to them through echoes and whispers, and they designed the echolai to amplify these sounds.


    The city was situated on the shores of the Elent Sea, a huge freshwater lake. The lake was full of boats, and in the hazy distance Arai could just make out a large island -- Rook Island, he supposed, the sacred island upon whose shores the queens of Elent were formally crowned. Seagulls and pelicans soared in the skies above. It was an impressive sight.


    They were two or three miles outside of the city when a band of soldiers -- at least, they appeared to be soldiers; two or three of them wore the colors of the Queen''s Men -- suddenly came riding up to them. They were heavily armed, equipped with lances, swords, and shields. And when they got close, Arai -- who was piloting one of the wagons -- saw that their leader was a woman.


    She was perhaps forty years old. Her hair was black, streaked with silver, and tied up in a bun; her eyes were also dark, and she was dressed in dark colors -- a midnight-blue shawl thrown over a dark dress. She wore an elaborate necklace made of lapus lazuli around her neck. She was obviously a person of some importance.


    The first thing she said to Lady Melei, who rode ahead to greet her, was, "Where is she?"


    "I beg your pardon?"


    "The woman, the assassin, the one who killed my sister. Bring her before me."


    Lady Melei was unruffled. "To whom do I have the honor of speaking?" she asked, calmly and politely.


    The woman narrowed her eyes. "I am Yasmin, the Crown Princess of Elent, the Orb-Bearer, the Princess of Rook and Sceptre."


    "It is my great honor to meet you, Princess," Melei said, inclining her head. "My name is Melei. I am the leader of this expedition."


    "Yes, yes," she said impatiently. "Where is she?"


    "I assume you''re speaking of Nessa, the woman we captured in the Riven Mountains. What do you want with her?"


    "I want you to hand her over to me."


    Lady Melei frowned. "What are you going to do with her?"


    "That''s none of your concern. Hand her over to me at once, or I''ll have you all arrested."


    Melei''s frown deepened. "This is Elentish hospitality?" She called forward one of the Queen''s Men who had accompanied them from Rose Town. "Is this woman really Princess Yasmin?"


    "Ah, yes, I believe so, my lady," he answered nervously.


    "I was instructed to turn Nessa over to Queen Alfaze," she went on. "Does the princess have jurisdiction in this matter?"


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    "Possibly," he admitted, still sounding rather nervous. "Prisoners are usually handled by the Queen''s Men or the Officers of Parliament, but we''re dealing with a very special prisoner here, after all -- the assassin who murdered Princess Nattali. I wouldn''t be surprised to learn that an exception had been made."


    "Very well." She nodded to Sir Pallas and Sir Remnick, who returned a moment later with the blonde-haired prisoner, who was bound hand and foot. Nessa said nothing, but gave them all icy looks.


    "Take her," Yasmin ordered her men, and they complied, putting Nessa on a horse with one of the Queen''s Men. And without so much as a parting nod, the princess and her men rode off, back to the city.


    "That was not a promising beginning," Lady Melei muttered. "And first impressions are very important."


    "What do you suppose that was about?" Lillandra asked Arai.


    "I don''t know. At least we''re finally rid of her, though. The woman is dangerous."


    "You don''t have to tell me."


    They continued on, and just as they were about to enter the city they were approached by another contingent of Queen''s Men -- a much larger contingent, of thirty or forty men, all of whom were wearing clean dress uniforms. At first Arai thought they were in trouble, but one of the men quickly explained the situation -- Queen Alfaze had sent them to serve as the caravan''s honor guard, as they made their way through the city; they were to be immediately escorted to the Akane Palace for a meeting with the queen herself. Lady Melei, worried about the impression she had made on Princess Yasmin, was delighted to hear it.


    By the time they made it to the White Road -- a wide boulevard which ran right to the Palace''s front doors -- they were surrounded by cheering crowds. Hundreds of people had gathered along the sides of the road to watch the procession; some of them even threw flower petals at their feet. "Now this is more like it," Arai heard Lady Melei say at one point. She waved to the crowds.


    After the wagons entered the palace grounds, the gates were closed behind them, and the expedition''s leaders were invited to meet with Queen Alfaze. Lady Melei chose Sir Estil, Sir Farrow, the alchemist Hiero, her sorcerer Damon, and Arai to accompany her, the latter because he was the only one of them who had some understanding of the customs and history of Elent. Arai wanted Lillandra to join them as well, but Damon thought it unwise; he was afraid that Lillandra''s sorcerous strength -- which she could not fully disguise -- might alarm them. "It''s all right," Lillandra said. "I understand. I had no particular interest in meeting the queen anyway."


    Arai shrugged and followed the others into the Palace -- a huge, opulent construction of mirror and crystal. They were led through the doors and into a long, carpeted hallway, and finally into what Arai took to be the throne room. The walls were covered in amber and gold, and there were windows built into the ceiling which allowed the sun to shine inside. It was so bright that Arai had to blink.


    Sitting upon an elaborate throne, dressed in regal robes and wearing a silver crown, and surrounded by couriers, was Queen Alfaze. She was an older woman, in her sixties, with silver hair and dark, penetrating eyes -- it took Arai a moment to spot it, but he eventually found the resemblance to Princess Yasmin. She gave the travelers an ingratiating smile when they entered the room, but did not speak.


    Lady Melei introduced herself, with as much grace and charm as she could muster. "I am Melei," she greeted, giving the queen a deep bow. "The daughter of Lord Jaymes of Tax Trium, and a cousin of King Arthorius of Galleus. I am the leader of this expedition, and I extend to you our warmest greetings, Queen Alfaze."


    The queen blinked at her, surprised. "I did not expect you to speak Elentish."


    "One of our party cast a certain spell on me, which gave me command of your language."


    "Curious." She smiled again. "I bid you welcome to the Queendom of Elent, Lady Melei, and I would like to offer my sincere congratulations for having successfully crossed the Scarred Lands. It could not have been easy. Yours is the first trading expedition to have crossed the desert in many, many years."


    "Thank you."


    "I look forward to seeing what you have for sale," she continued, "and I look forward to learning more about your country. We are not entirely ignorant of Galleus, but it has been a long time since we have received any reliable news from the east."


    "I would be happy to tell you everything I know."


    "Excellent. In the meantime, you and your people are our honored guests. We will prepare rooms for you here in the palace. If there''s anything you require, please let us know. Minister D''mai?"


    One of the queen''s couriers, a very proper-looking gentleman wearing a blue frock coat, stepped forward. He had slicked-back hair and wore a pair of spectacles on his nose. "Yes, your Majesty?"


    "You will make the arrangements?"


    "Of course. Let''s get you settled in. This way, please."


    They were shown to their rooms. Arai, as part of Lady Melei''s entourage, was given a room and a bed of his own, which felt strange; he hadn''t slept in a proper bed in months. It also made him feel guilty, staying in these fine accommodations while Lillandra, Shell, and the rest of Melei''s knights and merchants were stuck with the wagons. "But I suppose it would be rude to say anything about it now," he muttered to Sir Estil.


    Lady Melei had a private meeting with Queen Alfaze that evening, while Minister D''mai gave the others a tour of Akane Palace. D''mai, who was Queen Alfaze''s chief advisor, was a friendly, charming man, and he patiently answered all of their questions. Because he seemed especially knowledgeable about foreign affairs, Arai asked him if he knew anything about the political situation in Velon.


    "Velon?" He frowned. "As far as I know the sorceress still rules there -- the Night Queen, they call her. But I have no direct knowledge of that country, I''m afraid. The Queendom used to send ships there, many, many years ago, but since the Night Queen took over we''ve given up on trade, and the states of the Holy Empire would prefer that we stay away; I suppose they''re afraid of us finding allies in the far north. Why do you ask? What is Velon to you?"


    "Home," he said quietly.


    While they were speaking, a messenger of some kind suddenly ran up to D''mai and whispered something in his ear. "Are you sure?" D''mai asked, his eyes widening. "Damn it. I was afraid something like this might happen. Put the guards on double shifts, and make sure the City Watch seals the gates tonight. I don''t want anyone getting in or out."


    "What''s happened?" Arai asked.


    "Your prisoner," he muttered. "It seems she''s escaped."

 Chapter Sixty: Warnings

    "Escaped?" Arai blurted.


    "She wasn''t in her cell," Minister D''mai said. "I sent some of my own investigators to speak with her this afternoon, but Princess Yasmin''s men refused to let them into the prison. When they finally forced their way in, they discovered that the prisoner -- Nessa, wasn''t it? -- had vanished, and that the men guarding her had been killed." He snorted. "To the apparent astonishment of Princess Yasmin."


    "How could she have escaped?"


    "She couldn''t have," D''mai said, "without help."


    "What are you implying?" Sir Estil asked. "That Princess Yasmin freed Nessa intentionally?"


    "I am not making that accusation," D''mai said, slowly and carefully. "But Nessa should not have been given into Yasmin''s custody in the first place. She should have been turned over to the Queen''s Men, or my own investigators. Instead Princess Yasmin rode out to your caravan, threatened to arrest your entire party unless you handed her over, and placed the assassin in her own gaol." He sighed. "The fact that your Lady Melei bore this insult without complaint speaks well of her."


    "What could Yasmin have to gain from freeing Nessa, though?" Arai wondered. "Didn''t Nessa kill her sister?"


    "Indeed," D''mai said. "But forgive me. These are our politics, and of very little interest to you, I''m sure. But it''s getting late, isn''t it? And you must be tired. We can resume the tour in the morning if you''d like, but for now, perhaps you''d like to get some rest."


    That did sound good to Arai, but he wanted to speak with Lillandra and Shell before he went to bed, and so he asked to be escorted back to the caravan. The wagons were currently parked on the spacious grounds surrounding the palace.


    He found Shell first; she was chewing on some kind of Elentish delicacy. The queen''s servants had been distributing gifts to the knights and merchants, apparently, and had prepared a sumptuous meal for them as well.


    "Welcome back," Shell greeted him. She was wearing her hood, to cover her ears; her green eyes seemed to shine out of its shadows. "Did you see the queen?"


    "Yes."


    "What did she look like?"


    He shrugged. "She looked like a queen. Where''s Lill?"


    "Here," Lillandra said, emerging from one of the wagons. "How did it go?"


    "Pretty well, I think. Lady Melei was on her best behavior, and Queen Alfaze was polite enough."


    "I''ve been speaking with some of the servants," Lillandra said. "It seems Lady Melei was right. Hers is the first major expedition to have crossed the mountains in almost twenty years. There''s been a few smaller ones, but most of them barely made it out of the desert alive. It''s no wonder they were cheering for us in the streets."


    "So what happens next?" Shell asked.


    "I think it''s time I talked to Lady Melei," Arai said, "to ask her about her plans. She''s probably not planning on taking the caravan any further into Elent; certainly there''s no reason for her to want to make her way into the Holy Empire. This is probably where we part ways."


    "We''ve been with her a long time," Shell said sadly. "I''m going to miss her. I''m going to miss all of them."


    "We owe her a great deal," Arai said. "But this was only ever a temporary arrangement. We''ll be making our way into western Elent from here, and then through the Holy Empire, and then to Velon."


    "And then what?" Shell asked.


    "And then we''ll be home," he said. "But there''s something else. Nessa has escaped."


    Lillandra and Shell stopped and stared. "Escaped?"


    Arai told them what D''mai had told him. "He wouldn''t come out and say it," Arai finished, "but I think D''mai was suggesting that Princess Yasmin freed Nessa intentionally."


    "Why would she do that?"


    "I have no idea." He threw a glance back at the palace. "I should go back inside. They''ve prepared a room for me. I hate to leave the two of you out here, while I sleep in the palace, but it would be rude to refuse."


    Lillandra shrugged. "I don''t mind. I''m used to the wagon."


    "All right, then. Good night." He started to leave, but then stopped, turned, and gave Lillandra a little kiss good night. She allowed it, but quickly pushed him away. "Not in front of everyone," she grumbled.


    He grinned and left them there, returning to the palace and the room he had been given. One of the servants had filled a tub with hot water for him to bathe in; this seemed rather indulgent, but it had been a long time since he had a hot bath, and it seemed like a waste not to take advantage of it, so he stripped out of his clothes and spent a quarter of an hour soaking. He enjoyed it. He had bathed in some of the desert oases they had discovered in the Scarred Lands, and had used the Everlasting Chalice to clean himself up on countless occasions, but bathing in warm water was a different experience -- he felt the warmth penetrating his muscles; he felt the stiffness and soreness seep out of them.


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    He stepped out of the tub, at last, and looked himself over. He frowned. He had acquired a dozen new scars since he had been transported to the east -- the swordsman Yaqui had cut deeply into his arm and forehead back in Addisport; Nessa had given him two or three cuts on his neck and hands; and the chthonic salamander, the Engulfer, and the monster they had encountered on the island in the Phantic Gates -- among others -- had banged him up in various places, leaving behind any number of ragged scrapes and scratches. He hadn''t realized how scarred up he had become.


    He suddenly felt weary. He put on the robe the servants had provided for him and immediately climbed into the luxurious bed. And within a few minutes he was asleep.


    He awoke only a few hours later, however. It was still night, but the moon was shining into the room through a large window...which, he suddenly realized, was open; the curtains were fluttering, and he could smell the night air flowing through it.


    Who had opened that window? Alarmed, he started to sit up...


    ...And that''s when he felt the knife at his throat.


    "Easy," a soothing female voice whispered. She used the knife to ease him back down into his pillow. "Let''s not doing anything rash."


    The woman, he realized, was sitting on the edge of the bed, and he could see the moonlight glinting silver upon her blonde hair. "Nessa," he muttered.


    "We meet again," she said flatly.


    "You''ve come to kill me, I suppose."


    "Not quite," she said. "As a matter of fact, it''s just the opposite. I''ve come to warn you."


    "Warn me? About what?"


    "You''re in danger here."


    "Clearly."


    "No, not from me. From others. I suggest you leave the capital as quickly as you can."


    He frowned at her. "I don''t understand."


    "Everyone who crossed over the desert, everyone who had any contact with me, is marked for death. You''ll find out soon enough. The assassins have already received their instructions."


    "What the hell are you talking about? Why would anyone want to kill us? And why would you lift a finger to help us?"


    "You spared my life," she said. "You had every reason to want to kill me, but you didn''t. That''s something I take seriously."


    In fact Arai probably would have killed Nessa, if Sir Estil hasn''t stopped him, but he thought it might be impolitic to point that out now. "I see," he said guardedly.


    "So I''ve come to return the favor. Get out of the capital, while you still can." She slowly withdrew the knife.


    "Who released you from your cell?" he asked. "Who''s trying to kill us?"


    "You''re probably better off not knowing. Some of them are capable of reading a man''s thoughts." She rose and headed for the window. "I was never here," she said. "You never saw me."


    Arai studied her. "Was it really you who killed Princess Nattali?"


    She paused just long enough to give him a sidelong look. "Yes," she said, without inflection.


    And without another word, she climbed out the window and vanished into the night.


    * * *


    Arai never did get back to sleep; he got up, got dressed, and spent the rest of the night sitting on the edge of the bed, with Silus in his lap. In the morning, at the crack of dawn, he went outside to speak with Lillandra. The caravan was just as he had left it the previous night, and everything seemed perfectly in order -- there were no "assassins" here -- but he was unable to get Nessa''s warning out of his thoughts. Were they really in danger? And if so, from whom?


    Lillandra was still sleeping; he shook her shoulder to wake her. She groaned and tried to pull the covers back over her head, so Arai shook her harder. "Lill," he said. "Wake up."


    She opened her eyes and stretched. "It''s early."


    "I had a visitor last night. Nessa."


    Lillandra blinked and sat up. "Nessa?"


    The assassin had warned him not to tell anyone about her visit, but he told Lillandra -- he trusted her more than anyone, and he thought she might be able to help him piece together what was happening. When he finished the story, Lillandra frowned and said, "Why would she do anything to help us? To help you?"


    "I asked her that same question," he said. "Apparently it was some kind of gratitude for sparing her life."


    "Do you believe what she said?"


    "That we''re being targeted by assassins?" He scratched his chin. "I don''t know. Queen Alfaze has been more than hospitable, but there may be other factions here that we don''t know anything about. I know a little about Elentish politics, but not enough to make sense of this."


    "Perhaps she was lying. Perhaps she made the whole thing up."


    "I can''t believe she would break into my room, and risk being captured, just to tell me some outrageous lie. I would''ve understood it if she''d come to kill me. I don''t understand this."


    "Hmm." She looked at him. "Do you think we should warn Lady Melei?"


    "I think we should keep it to ourselves for now. Nessa said something about these assassins being able to read minds. Do you have any idea what she might have been talking about?"


    "There''s a spell called the Denial of Secrets that allows a sorcerer to read another''s thoughts," she said doubtfully. "But it''s very difficult to cast on the fly; it almost has to be implanted into a zemi. And it''s not really very useful. Most people''s thoughts are not very structured; they''re full of images, sensations, distant memories. It''s hard to make any sense out of it. At least, that''s what I''ve read -- I''ve never bothered with these kinds of spells myself." Her frown deepened. "Are these assassins sorcerers, then?"


    "That would make sense," he admitted. "But I still don''t understand why anyone would want to kill us."


    "Nessa didn''t say who released her from her cell?"


    "No," he said, "but it was Princess Yasmin who had custody of her." He shook his head. "We don''t know enough. It is possible Nessa was simply lying for some reason, and that we have nothing to fear at all. But keep your eyes open. I want to be ready for anything."


    Arai remained with the caravan for the rest of the morning. Around noon, some kind of royal messenger appeared, asking after Arai and Lillandra. "You''re supposed to come with me," the young man said.


    "Oh?"


    "Princess Yasmin wants to speak with you."


    "With us, specifically?"


    "That''s right. Arai, the swordsman, and Lillandra, the sorceress."


    Arai exchanged a glance with Lillandra. "What do you think?" he asked quietly.


    "It might not be a bad idea," she replied.


    He shrugged. "All right," he said to the messenger. "But could you give us a minute?"


    "Certainly."


    And Arai proceeded to don his armor and strap on his sword; he also told both Shell and Sir Estil where they were going, in case they should fail to return. The messenger made a face when he saw that Arai had equipped his armor, but said nothing about it, and he proceeded to lead them out of the palace and into a waiting carriage, which took them to an estate on the other side of the city.


    "What do you think she wants to talk to us about?" Lillandra asked, shortly before they arrived.


    "I don''t know," he said. His thoughts drifted back to his midnight conversation with Nessa. "But I can guess."

 Chapter Sixty-One: Elentish Politics

    Princess Yasmin met them in her solar, a hot, windowed room full of plants and greenery. She was wearing another black dress, but her hair was out of the bun now, and hanging freely, which made the white stripe that ran through it all the more noticeable. She had been watering her plants, evidently, but she put the pitcher down when Arai and Lillandra were escorted into the room.


    "Allow me to introduce myself," she said, rather imperiously. "I am Yasmin, the Crown Princess of Elent, the Orb-Bearer, the Princess of Rook and Sceptre."


    Arai had heard this speech before. "It''s an honor, Your Highness."


    "You are the ones who captured Nessa, the assassin who killed my sister?"


    He nodded. "We encountered her in Desperation Pass," he said. "She had fallen in with the bandits who make their meager living in the Riven Mountains."


    "How did you come to capture her?"


    Yasmin had not even asked for their names yet, which seemed rather rude to Arai, but he answered the question anyway: "The bandits were planning on attacking the caravan. She attacked us because we were about to warn them." He shrugged. "We overpowered her."


    "The two of you, together?"


    "Well, there were four of us, actually. But why do you want to know?"


    "You are aware that Nessa was the assassin who committed the Skile Massacre, five years ago? It wasn''t just my sister she killed; she murdered many others, including several of our elite guards. She was probably trained by the Society of the Nine Wolves. That she could be captured by a mere caravan guard--"


    "I''m not a caravan guard," Arai broke in. He had met a handful of haughty nobles before, and knew how to act around them, but the woman was testing his patience. "I am Arai, son of Hetsu, a disciple of the Three Waves school of swordsmanship, and Lillandra..." He paused here, suddenly realizing that it might not be a good idea to reveal Lillandra''s true identity; the Night Queen, after all, was well-known in these western nations. "Is a sorceress," he finished. "And there were four of us, as I said. Sir Estil, the knight who actually managed to outfight her, is a legend in Galleus. He may be the greatest warrior that nation has ever seen."


    Yasmin frowned at him. "Is that so?"


    "Yes. But I ask again, why do you want to know?"


    "I want to know exactly what happened," she said, through gritted teeth. "I want you to tell me everything, from beginning to end. Did you speak with her? Did she mention Skile? Did she tell you anything at all?"


    Arai sighed, sat down, and with Lillandra helping to fill in the gaps, told the princess everything he could remember about the very few and very brief conversations they had had with Nessa. He didn''t mention the fact that the assassin had spoken to him the previous night, however; he thought it might be wiser to keep that to himself.


    Yasmin interrupted the story several times, trying to jog their memories further, but there simply wasn''t much to tell -- after fighting her, capturing her, and locking her up in one of the wagons, neither Arai nor Lillandra had had much of anything to do with her. Arai did mention the curved dagger she had been carrying, though, which they still had in their possession. "She said that she''d taken it from someone that Queen Alfaze had sent after her," he said. "Whatever that meant."


    "Mother," Yasmin muttered. "Taking matters into her own hands, I suppose." She stopped, then, and sighed, and her expression suddenly softened. "You must forgive me if I seem...discourteous. Where these matters are concerned, I''m afraid I have some difficulty controlling my passions. I loved my sister, and I swore to avenge her. I knew that the assassin had fled into the Crag, and from there to the Riven, but that was all I knew. And now that she''s escaped..." She balled her fists. "The fact that she managed to slip through my fingers once again is very, very frustrating."


    "How did she manage it?" Lillandra asked.


    "We''re not exactly sure," the princess answered. "There were two men guarding her cell; both were killed. Nessa may have acquired a weapon, killed them, and slipped away -- she''s more than capable of something like that, I''m sure -- or someone else may have killed the guards and released her. We''re still trying to piece it together. The Queen''s Men have been alerted, and all the main roads have been covered, but I don''t think they''ll find her. She''ll probably escape into the desert and return to her bandit friends."


    "Who would want to release her?" Arai asked.


    "I have my suspicions," Yasmin muttered darkly. "But you''ll forgive me if I don''t share them with you. I''m more inclined to trust you, because you''re outsiders, but it''s also possible you''re working for my enemies."


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    "Enemies?"


    "Thank you for your time," she said, rising to her feet. "My driver will return you to the palace."


    And that was the end of the conversation; Arai and Lillandra were immediately dismissed and escorted back to the carriage. "That was strange," Lillandra commented.


    "Elentish politics," Arai said, shrugging.


    They climbed into the carriage, which began making its way back to the Akane Palace. They were just crossing a bridge over a glittering canal, near the center of the city, when the carriage came to a sudden halt. Peering out the window, Arai saw that it had been stopped by a pair black-and-yellow-jacketed Queen''s Men, who had now begun arguing with Princess Yasmin''s driver.


    "What''s going on?" Lillandra asked.


    "I''m not sure," Arai said. "Smells like trouble, though."


    Eventually, the driver threw up his hands in frustration and allowed the Queen''s Men to approach the carriage. Arai and Lillandra were ordered out.


    "You''re to come with us," one of the men said. "Minister D''mai wishes to speak with you."


    Arai and Lillandra exchanged a glance. "First Princess Yasmin, now Minister D''mai," Arai mused. "A lot of important people are wanting to talk to us today, it seems."


    The Queen''s Men directed them into another carriage, which took them to another estate, nearer to Akane Palace but much less extravagant. A few minutes later they found themselves in Minister D''mai''s library, and in the presence of Minster D''mai himself, who was busily sorting through a stack of papers on his desk. One of the Queen''s men had to clear his throat to get his attention.


    "Ah," he said, getting up from his seat and coming around the desk to greet them. "Arai, wasn''t it? I''ve been waiting for you. And this young lady is Lillandra, I take it? Would either of you care for some tea?"


    "No, thank you," Arai said. "What''s this all about? Why were you so anxious to speak with us that you sent the Queen''s Men to intercept us?"


    He gave them an apologetic sort of smile. "Ah. I''m sorry about that. I didn''t mean to alarm you. I only wanted to speak with you before you returned to the Akane; the palace is crawling with Yasmin''s spies."


    "Spies?"


    He sighed. "I hate to involve you in this, but this assassin''s sudden appearance, and subsequent escape, has stirred up something of a hornet''s nest here in the capital. Please, sit."


    They sat down on one of the couches, while D''mai began pacing back and forth, from one end of the room to the other. "You spoke with Princess Yasmin this morning. What did she tell you? What did you talk about?"


    "Not much," Arai said guardedly, wondering how much he ought to disclose. "She asked us about Nessa -- she wanted to know how we captured her; she wanted to know the details of our conversations with her."


    "And what did you tell her?"


    "The truth," he said, shrugging. "Nessa attacked us in the Riven. We captured her and brought her back to Elent. She had very little to say along the way."


    "Ah."


    "If you don''t mind my asking," Arai said, "what exactly is going on here? I get the very strong impression that Princess Yasmin doesn''t like you all that much, but is the feeling mutual?"


    "We don''t see eye to eye, in terms of policy," he admitted, "but there''s a little more to it than that. I don''t know that I should tell you this, but..." He frowned deeply. "You know the story of the Skile Massacre?"


    "Of course."


    "It was a terrible crime. This woman Nessa infiltrated Princess Nattali''s suite and killed over a dozen people, including Nattali herself. But Nessa wasn''t acting alone. It was Quentis who ordered the assassination."


    "I''ve heard this," Arai said.


    D''mai nodded. "Quentis was Queen Alfaze''s grandniece. She was a claimant to the throne of Elent, from the Pantheme bloodline. The Pantheme are rivals to the Palais -- that''s the line Queen Alfaze comes from -- but we have had Pantheme queens in the past and there are many Panthemes among the nobility. Quentis was Princess Yasmin''s cousin, and one of her best friends."


    "I see."


    "After the Skile Massacre, I produced evidence that Quentis had been behind the assassination. She had always been a plotter, a schemer, and absolutely ruthless in her pursuit of power, but Yasmin refused to see any of that, and she refused to believe that Quentis was responsible for her sister''s murder. Alas, the evidence was overwhelming. Quentis herself fled the capital immediately after the assassination."


    Arai knew this part of the story. "She went to the Tessians?"


    He nodded. "She thought she would be safe there. The people of the Craglands have always been stalwart supporters of the Pantheme...and they proved their loyalty by refusing to hand over Quentis." He put up a palm. "Queen Alfaze had little choice. She attacked the Crag, captured Quentis, and had her put to death. Princess Yasmin never forgave her mother for that. To this day, she refuses to believe that Quentis had anything to do with Nattali''s murder." He finally stopped pacing and sat down on another one of the library''s plush couches. "But now the assassin has returned, and the matter has once again been brought to the fore. All the old rivalries and resentments are bubbling back up."


    "Do you have any idea how Nessa might have escaped?" Lillandra asked.


    "Honestly," D''mai said sadly, "I think Princess Yasmin may have freed her intentionally, possibly to spite her mother. But I have no proof of that."


    Arai didn''t think much of this theory; Yasmin''s determination to capture Nessa and avenge her sister had seemed perfectly sincere to him. But he didn''t know the woman, and he supposed she could have been acting.


    "Did Nessa tell you anything, on the way out of the Riven Mountains?" D''mai asked. "Did she admit that Quentis hired her?"


    "She didn''t tell us anything," Arai said carefully. "She was very tight-lipped, in fact."


    D''mai seemed to consider that -- Arai got the impression that he was trying to determine whether they were telling the truth. Finally, he exhaled, stood up, and said, "That will be all, then. I apologize again for involving you in this affair; it''s always been a rather ugly business. Thank you, Arai, and thank you...Lillandra?" He frowned suddenly. "That''s the name of Velon''s Night Queen, isn''t it?"


    "It is."


    "Is it a common name, where you come from?"


    "It was," Lillandra said distantly. "A long time ago."

 Chapter Sixty-Two: The Mages of the Dark Mist

    Arai and Lillandra returned to the Akane Palace after their meetings with Princess Yasmin and Minister D''mai. Shell, who appeared to have been waiting for them, jumped off one of the wagons and ran up to them immediately, her face full of worry. "I didn''t think you''d be gone so long," she said. "What happened? Did you speak with the princess?"


    "Yes," Arai said, "and with Minister D''mai."


    Sir Estil joined them. "Trouble?"


    "Not exactly," he said. "But I think we''d better get out of Palais as soon as possible. There''s something brewing here, under the surface, and I don''t like it." In truth, Nessa''s warning, that everyone who had crossed the desert was in danger, was still bothering him. He wondered, again, whether he should tell Lady Melei.


    "There''s some kind of power struggle going on between Princess Yasmin and Minister D''mai," Lillandra added. "D''mai believes Yasmin set Nessa free, and I''m pretty sure Yasmin believes the same thing of D''mai. Both of them were worried about spies and secret enemies."


    Sir Estil tugged at the edge of his mustache -- one of his little quirks; he did this when he was thinking hard about something. "Perhaps we should speak to Lady Melei."


    They found Melei with the merchants, busily discussing the details of some deal they had just made with the queen. "A hundred gold per bolt," she was saying. "No more, no less. Oh, and Phile? Don''t forget to show those Jaquin robes to the queen''s stewards." Her business concluded, she turned to Arai and the others, a look of happy weariness on her face. "It''s going to take a couple of weeks to move this merchandise," she said. "But we''re making a killing. We''re going to be very wealthy on our return to Galleus...and this is only the first expedition. Hiero''s radiator has already paid for itself."


    "Congratulations," Arai said. "But I''m afraid there''s something we need to discuss." And he told her about the conversations they had had with Princess Yasmin and Minister D''mai. Lady Melei listened to it all, frowning thoughtfully.


    "You think these two may be planning to use our expedition as some kind of pawn in this game they''re playing?" she asked.


    "Possibly," Arai said. "But I don''t know enough about Elentish politics to be sure."


    "Are we in danger?"


    He hesitated. "Yes," he said at last, Nessa''s warning still tickling his thoughts. "You might want to set some kind of guard tonight. But try to keep it quiet; we don''t want to give our hosts the wrong idea."


    She nodded. "I''ll see to it."


    Arai decided to stay with the wagons that night, rather than in the room he had been given in the palace; he wanted to be close to Lillandra and Shell in case something did happen. Would these "assassins" Nessa had mentioned really be so daring as to carry out an attack on the grounds of the Akane Palace, however, which was surrounded by soldiers and Queen''s Men? He found the idea a little far-fetched, but then again, Nessa had managed to penetrate the palace''s defenses when she had come to visit him in his room the previous night, so perhaps the place wasn''t quite as highly-guarded as it seemed to be.


    He told Sir Estil to remain vigilant as well. "Perhaps I''ll stay up a little later tonight," the old knight said, nodding seriously.


    And so, after spending the afternoon helping the merchants unload their wares, and after spending the evening swapping stories with Lady Melei''s knights, Arai retired to his wagon. He was beginning to think this might be the last night he spent in the company of Lady Melei''s expeditionary party -- he had become friends with many of the knights, merchants, and workers, and had even fought and bled with them, but the caravan would be returning to Galleus eventually, while Arai, Lillandra, Shell, and presumably Sir Estil would be continuing on to Velon.


    He wondered about Sir Estil, though. The knight had been a steadfast companion, and had sworn himself to Arai''s service, but he was also a Gallean, and blood, after all, was thicker than water. Arai wouldn''t blame him for wanting to remain with the caravan and to return to Galleus with Lady Melei and her people. He had given no indication that he wished to do that, but Arai wouldn''t have been surprised to learn that those thoughts had crossed his mind.


    He wondered about Shell, too. The elf girl very much wanted to stay with them, but what would life be like for her in Velon? She would probably always be regarded as a strange curiosity in these western nations, where practically no one had ever even seen an elf before, and as she grew older, she might begin to feel lonely for her own kind. Of course Arai would take care of her as best he could, but he worried about her future.


    He was thinking about these things, and just beginning to drift off to sleep, when he suddenly snapped awake -- he had just heard a strange sound coming from outside the wagon, a loud clunk. For all he knew it might have been one of Lady Melei''s knights, stumbling around drunk and bumping into things, but Arai was on edge, and he immediately sat up in bed, listening for more. He didn''t hear anything, but after rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he saw something, at the foot of his bed: a dark, shadowy figure, looming over him. Alarmed, he instinctively rolled out of bed, landing on the floor, and a millisecond later, his pillow was pierced by a wizard''s whisker -- a sharp needle, made of steel, propelled by sorcery. A second needle struck the wooden floor, narrowly missing his leg.


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    By then, however, he had snatched Silus from his bedpost and whipped the sword out of its scabbard. A third whisker came whizzing at him, but this time, Silus protected him from the sorcery and the needle flew off course, sticking in the wall behind him. The dark figure standing in his wagon -- the sorcerer -- seemed not to understand what had just happened and tried again, but again, the needle went awry. Arai leapt forward, intending to strike the man -- or woman; he couldn''t make out a face, and the figure was cloaked in darkness -- down, but just as Silus was about to strike home the figure stepped to one side and vanished completely, disappearing into the shadows.


    Arai had seen this trick before. "The Draw of Shadows," he muttered. He spun around, expecting the figure to reappear, to step out of another set of shadows behind him, but there was no follow-up attack.


    Arai didn''t even bother to throw on his armor -- he kicked open the door to his wagon and jumped out into the night. Nothing seemed to be amiss, at first, but then, as his eyes began to adjust to the half-light, he spotted the body of a man lying between two of the wagons. It was one of Lady Melei''s knights. He was lying facedown on the ground, in a pool of blood, having apparently been struck in the back of the head -- probably that had been the clunk Arai had heard earlier. Elsewhere, he heard a scream.


    Kicking himself for not taking Nessa''s warning more seriously, Arai went immediately to the wagon Lillandra slept in, which she shared with Shell; this was the big wagon where the radiator was stored. He threw open the door and dove inside. "Lill?"


    Lillandra and Shell were both awake; Shell was holding the Candle of Hours. The two of them were standing over the body of a man wearing a black cloak, with a silver clasp on his breast. Lillandra had a wizard''s whisker stuck in her forearm; blood was trickling out of the wound, running down to her fingers. "What happened?" he asked, though he already had a pretty good idea.


    "He attacked us," Shell said. She sounded a little shaken. "Lillandra...stopped him."


    "Is he dead?"


    "Just unconscious, I think," Lillandra said. "I hit him pretty hard."


    Someone else was shouting, outside. Arai jumped out of the wagon, holding Silus before him like a protective talisman, and immediately spotted another one of these black-cloaked figures, battling it out with Damon; the two of them were trading fireballs and wizard''s whiskers. Arai went to help him, but there was shouting and scuffling breaking out all over the camp now, and before he could reach the sorcerer, he was confronted by another hooded assassin, materializing out of the shadow of another one of the wagons. A needle flew past his ear.


    He spun around and attacked the sorcerer, but once again, the figure receded into the darkness before Arai could get close enough to strike him down with Silus. Swearing, he whirled around, looking for another opponent; coincidentally, Sir Estil had just exploded out of his own wagon, splintering the door as he kicked one of the sorcerers through it. The sorcerer landed on the grass, gravely wounded, but before Sir Estil could finish him off he, too, disappeared into the night.


    "What''s going on?" Sir Estil bellowed.


    "We''re under attack," Arai shouted back at him. "The whole camp!"


    "How many?"


    "I don''t know." It was difficult to tell how many sorcerers they were dealing with; Arai wasn''t sure if the man who had attacked him just now was the same man who had tried to kill him in his wagon. There could be dozens of these sorcerers, but then again, there might only be three or four.


    They heard more fighting going on on the other side of the wagon train, so they followed the sounds of battle, and almost immediately found themselves squaring off against more sorcerers -- one was casting some kind of spell, covering the area in red smoke; another was fighting Lady Melei herself, who was in her nightclothes, trying to slice the man with her dagger. She was yelling something at the sorcerer, trying to get him to talk, but none of these mages had said anything so far; they were implacable.


    Arai went to Lady Melei''s aid. The sorcerer tried to ignite his clothing with a fire-spell, but it failed to catch, because of Silus. Surprised, he took a step back, which gave Lady Melei the second she needed to slash him with her dagger, cutting his arm when he put it up to defend himself. He hissed, then backpedaled another step and touched the sigil on his chest. A bright light burst out of it, and at the same moment, Arai heard him say, in a low voice, "Depart." His voice seemed to resonate, weirdly, across the palace grounds.


    The bright light blinded him, and it took a moment for Arai''s vision to clear. When it did, the sorcerer was gone.


    "Fled," Melei muttered.


    And he wasn''t the only one -- all of the sorcerers had disappeared. The sounds of battle slowly died, away, replaced with groans and cries for help.


    "Are you all right?" Arai asked Melei.


    "More or less," she said. It was only then that Arai realized she had a wizard''s whisker stuck in her shoulder. She plucked it out, wincing, and tossed it aside. "Who were they?"


    "I don''t know. But we''ll find out soon enough -- Lillandra and Shell managed to capture one."


    She nodded. "Let''s see to the wounded first."


    There were many casualties. Most of the sorcerers had appeared unexpectedly within the wagons, and killed their victims before they had a chance to wake up; they found three merchants murdered in their beds. Two servants and two knights had been killed as well, including Sir Remnick, who had died fighting with Lady Melei. A dozen more were wounded, some seriously.


    The palace guards were on the scene within a few minutes, along with a contingent of Queen''s Men. Melei, furious, vented her anger at them: "This is how you treat your ''honored guests''?" she screamed. "I wish to speak to Queen Alfaze at once."


    "She''s...I''m sure she''s sleeping right now..." one of the men stammered.


    "Then wake her!"


    While Gramewold tended to the wounded, and while the knights and merchants mourned their dead, Arai and Sir Estil returned to Lillandra''s wagon. The wizard''s whisker had struck her arm a few inches below her elbow, but it did not seem to have penetrated very deeply; Lillandra had already removed the needle, and Shell had already given her a few drops of her healing potion, which stopped the bleeding and sealed the wound. Shell, for her part, was unhurt.


    The sorcerer they had captured was still lying on the floor of the wagon. Arai tied his hands together, so that he couldn''t cast any spells, and went through his pockets to make sure he wasn''t hiding any zemi. He was a tall man, probably in his thirties, with short-cropped hair and a carefully-trimmed beard and mustache. He was dressed all in black, his cloak pinned together with a silver sigil in the shape of a half-moon.


    Arai recognized that symbol. "The Mages of the Dark Mist," he said.

 Chapter Sixty-Three: The Assassins

    Arai flicked some water in the mage''s face and slapped him a few times, to wake him up. The man groaned, but gradually began to regain his senses. Realizing that his hands were tied together, he struggled against his bonds, then stopped and scowled at Arai and the others. "Release me."


    "Are you sure he can''t do any magic?" Sir Estil asked.


    "Not with his hands bound," Lillandra assured him.


    "Who are you?" Arai asked, pointing his sword at the man. "Why did you attack us?"


    "I''m not answering your questions." He snorted. "Do you have any idea who you''re dealing with?"


    "As a matter of fact I do," he said, touching the mage''s silver sigil with the tip of his blade. "You''re one of the Mages of the Dark Mist."


    "Then you know they''ll come for me. The Dark Mist would go to war with Elent herself to recover one of their own. If you don''t release me now, all of your futures will be filled with suffering and death."


    Arai was not impressed. "Why did you attack us?"


    He said nothing, but merely sat back and glowered at them.


    "All right, then," Arai said. "We''ll do it the hard way."


    "I have been trained to endure all kinds of torture."


    "Who said anything about torturing you? Shell, go get some of your truth serum."


    Shell grinned. "Say, that''s not a bad idea." She rushed off and returned a moment later with one her vials, which contained a greenish liquid.


    "Will you do the honors, Sir Estil?" Arai asked.


    "Certainly," the knight replied, and he held open the mage''s mouth while Arai forced a spoonful of the potion down his throat.


    "How long will it take to work?" he asked Shell.


    "I don''t know. A few minutes?"


    But it didn''t even take that long. "What is your name?" Arai asked him, after he had finished gagging on the serum.


    "Dabi Albin de Alto Feneras," he spat.


    "And why did you and your people attack us?"


    "Because we were paid to, of course."


    Arai frowned. "And who paid you?"


    "I can''t tell you that."


    He glanced at Shell. "Is the truth serum wearing off already?"


    "I can''t tell you," Feneras said, through gritted teeth, "because I don''t know. Our client communicated to us entirely in writing, and he never revealed his identity."


    "Who do you believe it was?"


    "Someone who wanted you dead, I imagine," he said sarcastically.


    "What were your instructions?"


    "To kill everyone who came over the mountains with this Gallean caravan," he said. "Every man, woman, and child."


    "Why?"


    "I have no idea. It''s not our business to ask questions; our business is to carry out our clients'' wishes."


    "You serve your masters well," Arai muttered. "Or not so well, considering how badly you''ve failed tonight. How were you to be paid?"


    "Half up front, with the other half to be paid after the job was completed. That''s the standard arrangement."


    "And how was it to be delivered?"


    "Our client hired a courier as a go-between. Our leader has been meeting with him regularly, at an inn on the other side of the city. He handed over the first part of our fee last night -- twenty-thousand Salosi rallmarks."


    Arai blinked. "Rallmarks? Xanderfast rallmarks?"


    "That''s right. How did you know that?"


    "Why were you paid in rallmarks?"


    He shrugged. "I don''t know. I didn''t ask. Silver''s silver; it''s all the same to us."


    There was some kind of new commotion going on outside; Arai could hear some shouting and scuffling. Stepping out of the wagon, with Lillandra and the others, he saw that both Minister D''mai and Princess Yasmin had arrived on the scene -- D''mai was surrounded by men wearing his livery, while Yasmin was surrounded by Queen''s Men. The two of them were arguing.


    Minister D''mai raised his hand when he saw them. "Arai," he greeted. "I''m glad to see you weren''t hurt. I understand you managed to capture one of these assassins."


    "He''s in the wagon," Arai said warily, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.


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    D''mai nodded to his men. "Take him."


    The men started to move, but Arai stepped in front of them, blocking their path to the wagon. "Forgive me, Minister D''mai," he said, "but we''re not done questioning the man yet."


    "Have no fear. My investigators will get to the bottom of this matter." He waved at his men to carry on. "Go on, fetch him out of there."


    But Arai didn''t budge. "I don''t think so."


    The minister raised an eyebrow. "What is the meaning of this?"


    "Do you know what happened here tonight, Minister D''mai?"


    "Your people were attacked," he said. "And they weren''t the only ones. One of these sorcerers attacked me in my own office just a few minutes ago."


    "Is that so?"


    "Fortunately the men guarding my room managed to drive him off," he went on. He glanced at his guards. "Isn''t that right?"


    The men, all wearing serious expressions, nodded without saying anything.


    "I want to question the man myself," Princess Yasmin broke in. "I don''t want him turned over to D''mai."


    "The last prisoner you took into your custody managed to escape," D''mai countered, rather contemptuously. "Rest assured, I will not allow that to happen to this assassin. Now, step aside, Arai, or I''m afraid I will have to place you under arrest as well."


    Arai was still holding Silus in his hand. When one of D''mai''s men came forward, Arai raised the blade, leveling at his chest. "Don''t."


    The man frowned at him, sighed, and drew his own blade. The assembled crowd gasped. Lillandra rushed to Arai''s side and whispered in his ear: "What are you doing?"


    Arai didn''t answer that; he kept his eyes fixed on D''mai. "You''re the one who hired the Mages of the Dark Mist," he said, speaking directly to D''mai. "And you''re the one who had Princess Nattali killed."


    D''mai scoffed. "What in the world are you talking about? Arrest him."


    "The Mages were paid in Salosi rallmarks. Those coins haven''t been minted in forty years. They''re rare, unusual."


    "So?"


    "We found Nessa carrying one of those same coins when we captured her in the Riven Mountains. What are the odds of that?" He glanced at Princess Yasmin. "I think it''s safe to assume that whoever hired Nessa to kill your sister paid her in rallmarks."


    Yasmin''s eyes narrowed. "Go on."


    "So the same person who hired Nessa five years ago hired the Mages of the Dark Mist tonight. Quentis couldn''t have been behind both attacks; Quentis is dead. So now we know Quentis was innocent of Nattali''s murder, and whatever evidence D''mai had that proved her guilt must have been fradulent."


    "This is ridiculous," D''mai complained. "Why would I hire these assassins?"


    "I don''t know why you wanted Princess Nattali dead," Arai said, "but it''s obvious why you wanted us dead. Nessa knew, or at least suspected, that you were the one who hired her. You were afraid she would talk. So you sent your men to murder her while she was in Princess Yasmin''s custody. Only it didn''t work out quite the way you wanted, did it? Your men killed her guards, but Nessa herself managed to get away somehow. Not surprising; she''s obviously a formidable woman."


    "Ridiculous," he muttered again.


    "You were afraid that Nessa might have revealed the truth about your involvement in Nattali''s murder. You were afraid of being exposed. So you hired the Mages of the Dark Mist to kill everyone in the caravan -- anyone who might have spoken to Nessa, anyone who might have had any contact with her at all since she was captured in the mountains."


    "Isn''t that rather audacious?" Sir Estil asked.


    "It is," Arai said. "But the man hired an assassin to murder Queen Alfaze''s daughter and instigate a war with the Tessians of the Crag. Audaciousness seems to be one of his hallmarks."


    "You have no proof of any of this," D''mai said.


    "We can find out the truth easily enough," Arai said. "Shell? The truth serum."


    D''mai shook his head. "I will not submit to this."


    "Perhaps your men would like a taste, then," Arai said. "I''m curious to know whether you really were attacked tonight, by these same sorcerers. Or was that just a lie, too?"


    D''mai''s men looked at each other uneasily. Finally, one of the men reluctantly stepped forward. "Minister D''mai was not attacked tonight," he said.


    D''mai flew into a rage. "Scoundrel! How dare you--"


    "And it''s true what he said about this woman Nessa," the man went on. "He ordered two of my comrades to go to Princess Yasmin''s gaol and murder her, and anyone who might stand in their way." He turned to face D''mai. "I suspected it," he said, "but I refused to believe it. You were behind Princess Nattali''s murder. And I am prepared to testify to that fact, before Queen Alfaze herself."


    D''mai''s guards seemed to deflate, after this young man spoke up; they lowered their weapons, and the man who had drawn his sword against Arai slid the weapon back into his scabbard. "These are all lies," D''mai spat, trying to rally them. "I''ve never heard anything so outrageous. I have been a loyal servant of Queen Alfaze for the last nineteen years, and I have never wished harm upon her or any member of her family. To think that I would hire an assassin!"


    Princess Yasmin studied him carefully for a long moment. She spoke, at last, to the Queen''s Men surrounding her. "Search his estate," she said. "If my men find a single Salosi rallmark there, D''mai, I will have you executed within the hour."


    The Queen''s Men hesitated. "The Queen should be informed of this..."


    "I am Yasmin," she said, finding that regal voice, "the Crown Princess of Elent, the Orb-Bearer, the Princess of Rook and Sceptre. You will do as I command, or you will face my wrath."


    The men acceded to her authority, and several of them rushed off to find some transportation to take them to D''mai''s estate. D''mai himself was at his wit''s end: "You are all making a grave mistake," he fumed. "But especially you, Princess. If you don''t back off--"


    But the princess was having none of it. She stepped forward and slapped D''mai across the face. "I''ve been wanting to do that for a very long time," she muttered. Arai noticed that she was trembling. "Take him to my mother. And bring this man along as well, the one who betrayed him. Take the rest to my quarters. I want them thoroughly questioned."


    The Queen''s Men rounded up D''mai and his men without a fight and escorted them away. Princess Yasmin, left alone, closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. When she opened them again, she seemed to have regained her composure. "Thank you," she said to Arai.


    He sheathed his sword. "You already knew, didn''t you? That he had Princess Nattali killed?"


    "I strongly suspected it," she said. "Nattali''s death was too convenient for D''mai. He managed to get rid of Quentis, his rival, and to bring war to the Crag at the same time -- he was obsessed with destroying the Tessians; he was convinced they were plotting with the Pantheme to overthrow the government. It''s a long story." She sighed. "Unfortunately my mother believed his lies, and I didn''t have the evidence at that time to expose him." She looked around, at the carnage the Mages of the Dark Mist had unleashed. "I''m sorry about your people. I''m sorry they were dragged into this. On behalf of the queen herself, you have my deepest condolences, and I will personally guarantee that nothing like this happens again, so long as you are our guests here."


    "What about this sorcerer we captured?" Shell asked.


    "We''ll deal with him," Yasmin assured her. "But this is the end for the Mages, I''m afraid. We''ve tolerated their devilry in the past, but this attack simply cannot be overlooked. Magelight will burn for this -- at least, if I have anything to say about it."


    Lady Melei joined them then, to discuss other matters, leaving Arai, Lillandra, Shell, and Sir Estil to confer among themselves. "That was risky," Lillandra said to Arai. "If that guard of D''mai''s hadn''t come forward--"


    "How''s your arm?" he asked.


    She frowned at the interruption. "I''ll be fine."


    "Good." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, just as Princess Yasmin had a moment ago. "It''s time," he said at last.


    "Time?" Shell inquired. "Time for what?"


    "It''s time for us to move on," he said.

 Chapter Sixty-Four: Rumors of War

    They remained with Lady Melei and the caravan for just one more day. They attended memorial services for Sir Remnick and the others that had been killed in the attack, and collected a small fee from Lady Melei for their services throughout the expedition. "I promised you two percent of the profits," she said sadly. "Are you sure I can''t convince you to return to Galleus with us?"


    Arai shook his head. "I''m afraid not. I have friends waiting for me in Velon."


    Lady Melei gave him a long, considering look. "I''m going to miss you," she said at last. Her gaze turned to the others. "All of you. Will I ever see you again?"


    "Probably not," Arai said.


    "I hate to hear that."


    "Well...maybe Shell will come to visit you someday. Elves live a long time, and it''s just possible she might decide to make her way east again." He gave her a little nudge. "What do you think?"


    Shell thought about it. "Maybe. But I want to spend more time with Arai and Lillandra first."


    Melei turned to Sir Estil. "And you?"


    "I swore to see them safely to Velon," the knight said. "I will not go back on my vow." He seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though he was unsure of what to say. Finally he said, "I wish you all the best, Lady Melei. And if by chance you should meet with King Arthorius...tell him I remained true to my word, until the very end."


    Lady Melei''s eyes clouded up with tears. "I''ll tell him. I''ll tell everyone who will listen, that Sir Estil Endsgrief was the greatest knight in the history of the world." And she threw her arms around his neck, enveloping him in a hug.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to return to Galleus with them?" Arai asked Sir Estil later. "I will release you from your vow, if you wish it."


    But he shook his head. "I meant what I said. But this western world intrigues me, too. I want to see more of it, I think."


    There were a lot of hugs, a lot of farewells. Arai shook hands with Hiero, and said goodbye to the knights -- to Sir Farrow, to Sir Pallas, and all the others he had fought with, side by side, in the Scarred Lands. Lillandra thanked the surgeon, Gramewold, for his treatments, and Shell, shedding tears, said goodbye to Damon, from whom she had learned no small amount of sorcery. He patted her blonde head and looked upon her kindly. "Good luck, little one. I hope to see you again someday."


    When they had gathered their supplies, they met with Lady Melei once again. Arai, who was a little worried about the final fate of the expedition, asked her about her plans. "Queen Alfaze has apologized for the attack on the caravan," she said, "and she has offered to buy all our remaining merchandise. She''s also offered to send along a contingent of Queen Men''s with us, to see us safely back to Galleus. I''m not exactly thrilled with the idea, but we''ve lost several knights, and we need their strength. Oh, and we''re taking an Elentish ambassador back with us as well. Queen Alfaze hopes ours will be the first of many such expeditions across the desert."


    "What about D''mai?"


    "They found a gigantic stash of these old Salosi coins at his estate," she said, "along with other evidence implicating him in Princess Nattali''s murder. I don''t know how Elentish justice works, but I suspect his life is already forfeit. He killed a princess and tricked a queen into an unnecessary war...and that was before he hired these mages to murder us all." She clenched a fist. "If Queen Alfaze doesn''t execute him, I will."


    "And that just leaves Nessa, I suppose," Arai said. "I wonder if she''ll ever be found. I wouldn''t be surprised if she decided to run off into the desert again."


    Melei shrugged. "Perhaps." She stopped and smiled, looking them all over one last time. "Safe travels, my friends. If any of you ever do return to Galleus..." She trailed off.


    Arai nodded in appreciation. "You''ve been a tremendous help," he said, "and a great friend to us. We couldn''t have made it through the desert without you."


    "I''m going to miss you," she said again, wiping away another tear.


    And they parted there, following another series of hugs and goodbyes. It was difficult to leave them; though they had only known each other a few months, they had been through a lot together, fighting monsters and suffering all kinds of hardships in each other''s company. And the fact that they were unlikely to see each other again made it even harder. Velon, after all, was a very long way from Galleus.


    The four of them left the Akane Palace and headed for the city''s southern gates, where they hired a wagon to take them west. Elent was famous for its excellent and well-maintained roads and bridges, and for its taxi services which carried travelers from one end of the country to the other, and Arai was optimistic that they could make it to Manthe before the weather turned and the early snows began to fall in the Holy Empire.


    While Sir Estil played his flute, and while Shell practiced her magic, Arai spoke with Lillandra in the back of the wagon. "Where do we go from here?" she asked.


    "It''ll probably take a couple of weeks to get to Manthe," he said. "From there, we''ll take a ship across Estellaria''s Bay, to Salos City, make our way north through the Old Duchy, and then through Grimcourt, Cyrille Major, and finally Velon."


    Lillandra frowned. "Another ship?"


    "I''m not terribly excited about it, either," he admitted. "But the land border between Elent and the Holy Empire is a dangerous place. The Elentish side of the border is heavily militarized, and there''s always fighting going on between Arl''s Trust and the Greater Remnant. We don''t want to stumble into the middle of another war. Besides, I''m more familiar with Salos and the Marquisates than I am with Balbaroy and Arl''s Trust and those other statelets. I know my way around Salos City. It''ll make it easier to arrange transportation."


    "We''re getting closer, aren''t we?" Lillandra said. "We''ll be back in Velon in...what, a couple of months?"


    "If all goes well," he said. He thought he saw a bit of apprehension in her eyes, so he asked her, "Does that make you nervous?"


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    "Yes," she said immediately. "How can I show my face there? If anyone finds out that I''m the Night Queen--"


    "You''re not the Night Queen anymore."


    She snorted. "I''ll always be the Night Queen, and people are always going to hate me. The people of Velon especially. I''m afraid that..." She sighed. "I''m afraid it will be impossible for me to live a normal life there."


    "No one''s going to harm you," Arai assured her. "I won''t allow it. No one even has to know you''re the Night Queen; she hasn''t been seen in a century. Who would believe that you''re a hundred-year-old sorceress?"


    "I''m actually closer to a hundred and nineteen," she corrected. "Of course you''re right -- no one has to know who I am. Can I really live happily in Velon, though, surrounded by people like your friend Maya -- people whose lives I''ve destroyed?"


    "What will you do, then? Go into exile somewhere?"


    She thought about it. "Perhaps."


    "Where?"


    "I don''t know."


    "What about me? What about Shell? You''d really leave us behind?"


    "I...don''t know."


    "It sounds to me like you haven''t really thought this through."


    "I haven''t," she admitted. "I''m just afraid of what might be waiting for us in Velon."


    He patted her hand. "Whatever we find," he said, "we''ll face it together."


    She smiled weakly, but then brightened a bit. "Speaking of your friends..." She reached into her bag and removed the Black Box, the zemi she had created to store their other zemi. She placed her hand on the lid and closed her eyes, which caused the box to click open -- this was its enchantment; the Black Box could only be opened by a sorcerer. Flipping up the lid, she removed what appeared to be a single, and rather ordinary-looking, white feather. "I completed it the other day."


    "What''s that?"


    "Griffin''s Down," she said. "A zemi to reverse the spell of stone I cast on Odo and Maya."


    Arai stared. "Where did you get that?"


    "Where do you think I got it? I made it. I''ve been working on it since we left Addisport; the feather came from a pelican."


    "That long ago?"


    She shrugged. "That was when I changed my mind about you."


    "May I?"


    She handed him the feather, which he examined closely. "Why didn''t you tell me you were working on this?"


    "I wasn''t sure I''d be able to finish it by the time we got back to Velon," she said, "and I didn''t want to get your hopes up."


    He returned it to her; she put it back in the box. "You''re always surprising me," he said. "One of the many things I love about you."


    She scoffed at that, but smiled, too, in a shy sort of way. Shell, watching the exchange, rolled her eyes. "These two," she muttered. "I''m glad you finally sorted yourselves out, but do you have to act that way in front of us? It reminds me of when Lillandra was sick on that love philtre."


    "Leave them be," Sir Estil said, stopping his flute-playing for a moment. "They have every right to enjoy themselves; it took them a very long time to get here."


    "You don''t have to tell me," Shell muttered.


    * * *


    The next few weeks were relatively uneventful. Taking full advantage of Elent''s roads and taxi services, they made their way through the queendom''s heartland, passing through fields, forests, villages, and occasionally a few mid-sized cities such as Brokedam and the Falls. They traveled in all kinds of carriages and wagons -- some old, decrepit, and uncomfortable, and which were only capable of wheeling along at a few miles an hour, and some of which were speedy and luxurious. When they couldn''t find a taxi to take them from one village to the next, they rented a wagon for themselves, or simply walked, but this happened less and less frequently as time wore on, because the seasons were beginning to change now and it was too cold to spend the nights camped out by the side of road without any kind of shelter. It hadn''t snowed yet, fortunately, but Arai was always worried that it might -- travel was always more difficult through the snow.


    At almost every village they stopped at, Arai inquired about Velon. What had been happening there? Had Lord Pierce been ousted? Had the Steelmen returned to the Holy Empire? But no one seemed to know anything about Velon.


    They did, however, hear plenty of wild stories about what was happening within the Holy Empire. A new war-leader, called Dayan, had apparently seized control of Balbaroy and laid siege to Arl''s City, which was not only the capital of the Greater Remnant but also the largest and most ancient city within the Empire. The outcome of the attack was as yet unclear, but Arai doubted this Dayan had succeeded in his efforts -- the Greater Remnant was the most powerful of the Empire''s many states and city-states; their armies were three times larger, at least, than any of their rivals.


    Sir Estil had some trouble understanding the nature of the Holy Empire. "How can this place be called an empire, when its people are constantly at war with one another?"


    "They were unified, once," Arai said. "Arliel brought them together, built the Pontiaks Cathedral, and established Arl''s City, probably about six or seven hundred years ago. The Holy Empire really was an empire back then. But they had a series of very bad emperors, and some wars broke out, and eventually the whole thing just fell apart. The most powerful dukes and marquises declared their independence and raised their own armies and started issuing their own coins. But Arliel was supposed to be a reincarnation of Arl himself, and even the most independent-minded lords and lordlings couldn''t bring themselves to make a complete break with the empire he had built. To this day they still pay homage to Arliel''s descendants."


    "There is still an emperor, then?"


    "Oh, yes," Arai said. "Arliel XXI. He lives in a palace in Arl''s City, and everyone bows their heads when they see him, but he''s just a figurehead, with no real power at all. It''s the same with the empire. It''s not really an empire anymore, but everyone still calls it that."


    "Was Velon a part of this Holy Empire at one point?"


    He shook his head. "Velon''s always been its own kingdom -- since the Harrowing, at least. It''s been invaded by the Holy Empire several times, but we''ve always managed to drive them back."


    Finally, after these weeks of uneventful travel, the group arrived on the outskirts of Manthe, the largest city in western Elent. This was another coastal city, arrayed upon Estellaria''s Bay -- a considerable body of water (though considerably smaller than the Bay of Vandals in the east) which was joined to the Southern Ocean by a narrow passage called the Starlit Channel. Manthe was only one of the great cities built upon the banks of the Estellaria -- Salos City, Camarro, and Carmaine lay on the other side of the bay, and a huge amount of trade was conducted over its waters.


    Manthe itself was a city of tall buildings and narrow streets. Shell -- who, as usual, was hiding her face beneath the hood of her cloak -- looked around in amazement. "I wonder how long it''s been since an elf visited this city," she said.


    "A couple of centuries, at least," Arai guessed, though he really had no idea.


    "Shall we find an inn?" Sir Estil asked.


    "I''d like to go down to the port first," he said.


    "Transportation to Salos City?"


    He nodded. "We need to book passage as soon as possible. A lot of captains won''t even make the crossing this late in the season."


    So they proceeded to the port. After spending a few minutes asking around, Arai found a captain who was planning on making the trip in two days, weather permitting, and who didn''t mind taking on a couple of passengers. "You don''t look like Salosi," the captain said, raising an eyebrow at the four of them.


    "We''re not," Arai said. "We''re from Velon, actually. We''re on our way home."


    "Through the Marquisates?"


    He nodded.


    "It''d be quicker to run you through Carmaine," he said. "But I can understand why you''d want to avoid that place, what with all the fighting going on there."


    "Fighting?"


    "You haven''t heard? This new Arlian general, Dayan, captured Arl''s City not two weeks ago. He''s bottled up in Manrador now, but he was planning on making his way to Carmaine after that."


    "Arl''s City has fallen?" Arai could hardly believe it.


    "It''s chaos," the man affirmed. "Word has it he took the emperor himself hostage. There''s a dozen armies on the march, and the smaller statelets have been hiring mercenary companies left and right. The Red Stars, the Bleeding Eyes, the Pretender''s Company. New Carmal hired the Steelmen to defend Carmaine."


    Arai froze. "The Steelmen? In Carmaine?"


    "That''s what I heard. They''ve got a new captain now...what was his name?"


    "Grizz?" Arai asked, his voice barely above a whisper.


    "Ah, that''s right," the man said, nodding in satisfaction. "Grizz."

 Chapter Sixty-Five: Change of Plans

    Arai could hardly contain his excitement. "You''re sure about that? Grizz, the commander of the Steelmen, is in Carmaine?"


    "Last I heard," the ship captain said, scratching the back of his head.


    "Grizz," Arai murmured, unable to stop himself from grinning. "Grizz is in Carmaine." He turned to the others. "We have to go there."


    "I thought you wanted to go to Salos City," Sir Estil said.


    "Change of plans." He felt giddy. "We have to meet up with Grizz and the others."


    "But we''ll be putting ourselves right in the middle of this war," Lillandra said. "Is it really such a good idea to go to Carmaine right now?"


    "I''m not going anywhere near there," the captain interjected. "Just so you know. If you want to go to New Carmal you''ll have to find yourselves another ship."


    "That''s fine," Arai said. "Thank you for your help." He started to leave, but then stopped and asked the man another question. "Is there anything else you can tell us about the Steelmen? How long have they been in New Carmal?"


    "No idea," he said. The man''s attitude had changed; he was much less interested in them now that Arai had changed his mind about going to Salos City. "I heard they were hired by New Carmal to defend the Crevak de Che. That''s all I know."


    "The Crevak de Che?" Shell asked. "What''s that?"


    "It''s a big castle on the border of New Carmal and Manrador. Very important, strategically." He thanked the captain once again, and the four of them left the wharf, making their way back to the long, busy boardwalk which stretched from one end of the port to the other. "Grizz," Arai said again, now muttering to himself. "He''s still alive. But what the hell is he doing in Carmaine?"


    "Who is this person, anyway?" Sir Estil asked. "I''m sure you''ve mentioned him before, but..."


    "He''s the son of a Velonese nobleman. He was like an uncle to me. He took over command of the Steelmen after Lord Pierce had my father killed, and he helped me fight Lillandra''s monsters and Lord Pierce''s men after I returned from the Frozen Mountains. I never would''ve made it to the Nightfall without him. And now he''s in Carmaine, just across the bay."


    "Squaring off against this Dayan character," Lillandra said, rather archly. "I ask again, is it really such a good idea to go to Carmaine right now, with this fighting going on?"


    "Grizz will be able to catch us up on everything that''s happened in Velon since we left. He''ll know what happened to Lord Pierce; he''ll know what''s going on at the Waterglass Palace. He can tell us whether Vex is alive or dead. He might even know something about Odo and Maya. We have to talk to him." He paused. "Besides, the Steelmen are like family to me. They waived their fee to help me liberate Velon. I should try to help them if I can."


    "Help them? Help them fend off an army, you mean?" Lillandra was clearly skeptical.


    "I don''t know," he admitted. "I don''t even know what they''re doing in New Carmal. I half-expected them to remain in Velon, or to make their way back down to the Marquisates, at any rate." He frowned thoughtfully. "We should ask around. There has to be someone here who knows more about what''s going on in the Holy Empire."


    And they went on to visit several taverns and pubs, asking after the Steelmen and the situation in the Holy Empire; they also looked for a ship that might take them to Carmaine. Arai was afraid that Elentish merchants would be avoiding the city, but this turned out not to be the case -- there seemed to be dozens of ships planning trips to Carmaine, presumably to sell food and weapons and other goods in case the city should come under siege. After quickly booking passage on one of these, which was leaving in the morning, they found a cozy inn and spent their last night in Elent eating mazarat and sleeping in large, comfortable beds.


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    Mazarat, a mix of beef, flat noodles, and cheese in a red sauce, was a popular dish within the Holy Empire, but apart from Arai none of them had had it before, not even Lillandra. Sir Estil wasn''t sure about the sauce, but Shell loved it. They followed up the mazarat with blueberry pie and iced cream, another dish which neither Shell nor Sir Estil had ever had -- blueberries, apparently, were endangered in the east, and iced cream was entirely new to them. "It''s so simple," Sir Estil said, tasting the dessert. "Cream, sugar, salt, and flavorings, crushed together and kept frozen. I wonder why no one''s ever stumbled upon this recipe in Galleus."


    "It''s too hot there," Shell remarked, savoring the taste. "How would they keep it frozen?"


    "Ice and snow are not unknown in Galleus, my dear," he said. "We have winters, too, although they''re certainly not as harsh as these. And there are sorcerous methods of producing snow and ice in any case; Lillandra could probably tell you something about that."


    Lillandra nodded. "The Frozen Touch," she said.


    "You''ll have to teach me that one," she said absently, slurping up more iced cream.


    They retired to their rented room shortly after that. Arai was still giddy over the prospect of reuniting with Grizz and the Steelmen, but Lillandra, he noticed, seemed distracted; she had only picked at her food. "Are you all right?" he asked her, when they were alone.


    "I''m just not sure going to Carmaine is such a good idea," she said. "I understand you want to catch up with the Steelmen, but the last time we wandered into a battlefield--"


    "In Grand Skir, you mean?"


    "Yes. The last time we wandered into a battlefield, we had to fight a sorcerer and a dragon and we only barely made it out alive."


    Arai studied her. "We''ve faced danger before. Is that really what this is about?"


    "What else would it be about?"


    "Lill..."


    She looked at him unhappily. "All right, I admit it. I''m not looking forward to meeting the Steelmen. What if they find out who I am? As far as they''re concerned I''m responsible for your father''s death."


    "I''ll explain it to them."


    She barked out a laugh. "You''ll explain it to them? What makes you think they''ll believe you?"


    "I know them. I told you, they''re practically family."


    "They''ll think I''ve put a spell on you."


    He sighed. Maybe she was right. It had taken months for him to warm to Lillandra, to understand and accept that she wasn''t the monster he had always believed her to be. It was foolish to think that the Steelmen would come around just like that. "I understand," he said. "I don''t think they''ll suspect you, but it couldn''t hurt to give you an alias, anyway. Any ideas?"


    She thought for a moment. "My grandmother''s name was Leila."


    "That''s a pretty name."


    "Yes," she said, a little distantly. But then she wagged a finger at him. "It''s not just the Steelmen I''m worried about, though. I''ll say it again -- we''re going to be putting ourselves right in the middle of this conflict, and this fight sounds a lot bigger than the usual skirmishes in the Holy Empire."


    Arai couldn''t deny that. Arl''s City had been captured, Pontiaks Cathedral had been looted, and this Dayan character -- with the apparent assistance of the priest-sorcerer Bellarue -- had already destroyed three armies sent against him. According to the sailors and barflys they had spoken with, some were even calling him the latest incarnation of Arl himself, sent to unify the Holy Empire once more.


    And now he was on his way to Carmaine, to face the Steelmen at the Crevak de Che. The castle was ancient, and had a reputation for impregnability, but if Arl''s City had already fallen...well, just about anything could happen, in that case.


    "I don''t want to spend any more time in New Carmal than we absolutely have to," Arai said. "But the Steelmen were my family, and it''s been so long since I''ve seen them..."


    "I know," she murmured. But then she looked at him seriously. "Are you planning to return to the mercenary life after this is all over?"


    "No," he said. "I told you before, I''ve had enough of that. After we''ve settled things in Velon--"


    "What? You''ll rebuild your father''s house on the Tuv? You''ll become a farmer or fisherman?" She shook her head. "I don''t think that''s what fate has in store for you. I don''t think that''s what it has in store for us." She reached over and slid her sword, Helene, a few inches out of its scabbard. "Have you forgotten about these?"


    Arai frowned, and looked down at his own sword, Silus. Lillandra had a point; these legendary swords -- the Radiant Blade and the Bright Hope -- had obviously been given to them for a reason, and that reason had not yet been revealed to them. If the shades of Illu Matt¨¦ and Maximine had wanted them to find a quiet life somewhere, they probably wouldn''t have entrusted them with the blades in the first place.


    "I haven''t forgotten," he said. "But you''re the one who''s always talking about not allowing fate to have the upper hand."


    She smiled faintly. "That does sound like me."

 Chapter Sixty-Six: The Steelmen

    In the morning, after breakfast, they went down to the port once again, where they boarded a large merchant ship, the Blue Surf, to take them to Carmaine. They weren''t the only passengers on this ship -- several soldiers of fortune were headed to New Carmal as well, to join in the fighting -- and so they were obliged to share their small cabin with two other men. One of the men, who called himself Trip, was a younger fellow, barely twenty years old, but he claimed to have already participated in several battles and sieges in the Holy Empire.


    "I''m from New Carmal, originally," he told Arai. "Joined up with the Pretender''s Company a couple years ago. Captured outside of Fort Wolf." He shrugged. "It was a dumb idea, attacking Fort Wolf. I don''t know what our captain was thinking. I came within two feet of being trampled by a Jek war-elephant. Anyway, the Elentish got sick of feeding us a few months ago. I''ve been kicking around Manthe ever since they released me, but when I heard about Carmaine..."


    "This Dayan is said to be a formidable general," Arai said. "Are you familiar with him?"


    "I started hearing his name in Holybell, after he defeated the Black Birds at Getter''s Gate. He somehow got the Holy Legion to join him after that; they threw back the Trustees, seized the Narrows at Balbaroy, and defeated Railit, the Iron Duke, at Arl''s City. Last I heard he was mopping up in Manrador, but preparing to march on the Crevak de Che." He shrugged again. "I don''t know much about him, personally. He''s said to be a terrific warrior, but they say that about all the promising young dukes and generals. A pious man, too, they say. He travels in the company of a scheradatze named Bellarue."


    Shell, who was listening in on the conversation, asked, "What''s a scheradatze?" This was one of those words, apparently, that the Stone of Many Tongues couldn''t accurately translate.


    "A priest-sorcerer," Arai explained. "A follower of Arl, the god of the Holy Empire, but a sorcerer as well, who blesses soldiers and joins them on the battlefield."


    "A kind of holy battlefield mage, then?" Shell asked.


    "Something like that."


    Trip frowned down at Shell. She was wearing her hood up, as she usually did, to hide her ears, but Trip must have noticed something strange about her, because he had started studying her intently. "What a lovely child," he commented. "Is she your daughter?"


    "Yes," Arai said brusquely. "Come along, Shell." And he led her away, back to their cabin. "You''re going to have to be more careful," he told her.


    "I hate having to hide my face all the time," she complained. "It''s been weeks."


    "It''s for your own good. Would you rather be mobbed by travelers and stared at everywhere you go?"


    "I think I''d prefer it to this."


    Arai sighed. "I don''t like it either. But it''s not just for your sake; it''s for ours as well. If word gets around that there''s a real-life elf girl wandering around the Holy Empire, every duke and duchess from here to the Fool''s Purchase will want to get a look at you. We don''t need that kind of attention."


    "I know, I know," she said glumly. "But I''m throwing off this stupid cloak as soon as we get to Velon."


    "That might not be a good idea. It gets pretty cold in Velon."


    She nodded. With her eyes fixed on the deck, she suddenly said, in a rather shy and quiet voice, "So I''m your daughter now?"


    "What?" It took him a second to figure out what she was talking about. "Oh. Did that bother you? I didn''t mean--"


    "I wouldn''t mind it," she said, still looking down, still sounding rather shy and vulnerable. "I wouldn''t mind it, if you wanted to think of me that way."


    Arai was touched. He knelt down, took one of her little hands in his, and said, "I love you, too."


    "Well, there''s no reason to get all mushy about it," she said, jerking her hand away and marching off. Arai watched her go, grinning.


    * * *


    The weather improved somewhat as the ship proceeded north; the skies cleared, the sun came out, and the wind no longer had that same cold bite to it. And as a result, they made good time; hugging the coast, the Blue Surf passed a number of small towns and fishing villages, sailed beneath the the dark and forbidding Elentish citadel of Fort Wyrm, and finally arrived at the port of Carmaine, the capital of the Duchy of New Carmal.


    Arai had visited Carmaine several times with his father and the Steelmen. Seeing its arches, its cathedrals, and its blue shark-flags fluttering in the breeze, Arai was struck by a peculiar feeling, a nostalgic feeling, a feeling that he had come home. Of course neither Carmaine nor the larger Holy Empire was really his home -- he was Velonese, first and foremost -- but this, at last, was a world he understood. He knew the language here; he could read the writing on the signs above the inns and bakeries. He knew the people -- he knew their politics; he knew the gods they worshipped; he was familiar with their food and fashions. He wasn''t an outsider here, as he had been in Addis, Galleus, and Elent.


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    And all this came as a great relief to him -- in fact he was so overcome by emotion, when they stepped off the ship, that he had to take a breath to steady himself. "Carmaine," he murmured.


    It didn''t take long for them to gauge the city''s mood -- the people they saw were nervous, tense, or wearing grim expressions. Soldiers -- some of them New Carmal regulars in blue uniforms, others hired mercenaries in all kinds of outfits -- walked the streets, and as they were soon to find out, the city''s gates were being watched very carefully. After collecting their luggage and buying breakfast for themselves -- the Blue Surf had sailed into port an hour before dawn -- they went immediately to the city''s eastern gate. A man in a blue uniform stopped them. "Are you sure you want to go this way?" he asked.


    "We''re sure," Arai said.


    "Well, I won''t stop you, but you should know that Duke Caldarach has ordered that the city''s gates be closed starting tomorrow evening, so if you leave now, there''s a very good possibility you won''t be able to return. There''s half a dozen mercenary companies prowling around out there, too."


    "Are the Steelmen at Crevak de Che?"


    "They''re the only ones there right now," he said. "But Duke Caldarach will be heading there in a few days, with the Grand Army, and the whole valley''s soon to become a battlefield. Now, are you sure you want to go this way?"


    "We''re sure."


    "Well, then," the guard, said, shrugging, "so long as you''re sure." And he let them through.


    The Crevak de Che was approximately six miles west of the city, situated upon a high hill overlooking a flat plain, and adjacent to the coast; the castle had a commanding view of the entire region, and its strategic importance was obvious -- any army making its way west into New Carmal would have to contend with the castle at some point. The fact that its walls extended to the coast, allowing it to be resupplied from the sea in the event of a siege, made it even more formidable. The Crevak de Che was, in short, New Carmal''s first line of defense against any eastern threats.


    There was a road running directly from Carmaine to the castle, and it wasn''t far, so they simply walked there. There was a good deal of traffic on the road, but most of it was headed west; almost nobody seemed to be traveling in the opposite direction. This, Arai thought, was probably a bad sign.


    Sir Estil was impressed. "Are castles of this size common in the Empire?" he asked.


    "This is one of the larger ones," Arai admitted, gazing up at the imposing structure. It had been built of black stone, and was surrounded on three sides by a high curtain wall, complete with decorative machiolations. "The Bell Tower in Holybell is bigger, and there''s some very large castles in the Marquisates. At any give time probably a third of the states of the Holy Empire are at war with one another; they''ve been building these gigantic castles for years."


    "But this is something different, isn''t it?" Shell said. "This war that''s going on now."


    "Arl''s City was captured," Arai said. "That hasn''t happened in a long, long time."


    They soon arrived at the outskirts of the castle. They were met at the gate by another guard, this one also wearing the blue vest of the New Carmal regulars. "State your business," the man said.


    "My name is Arai. I understand the Steelmen are stationed here. I''d like to talk to Grizz."


    "About what?"


    "It''s a long story."


    He looked them all over and sighed. "If you''re not here on official business, I''m going to have to ask you return to the city. That''d be to your benefit anyway; this so-called Holy Legion will be here soon."


    "I know all that," Arai said. "But this is extremely important. I have to talk to Grizz."


    The man frowned. "Is this about the Holy Legion? Do you have some information that might be helpful to us?"


    "Yes," he answered immediately, although this was, of course, untrue.


    He sighed again. "Very well." He called over another guard and told him to fetch one of the Steelmen out of the castle; a few minutes later, a thirtyish man with a shock of white hair, and wearing a black and silver tunic, appeared at the gate. Arai recognized him immediately; that unusual white hair set him apart. He cried out when he saw him: "Vaix!"


    The man blinked at him. "Arai? Is it really you?"


    "It''s really me," he said, pushing past the protesting guard and running up to meet the man. He clasped hands with him, and then, on impulse, pulled him into a hug. "Vaix," he muttered. "It''s been too long."


    Vaix quickly extricated himself from the hug, wanting to get a better look at him. "It is you! Estellaria''s grief, what are you doing here? We thought you were dead!"


    "Not quite," he said. He called Lillandra, Shell, and Sir Estil forward and introduced them. "This is Vaix," he said. "An old friend of mine. He''s one of the Steelmen''s scouts and spymasters."


    "I can''t believe it," Vaix said, now overcome with emotion. "We were sure you were dead. We never would have left Velon if we had thought otherwise. What''s happened? Where have you been?"


    "I don''t think you''d believe me if I told you," he said, throwing a glance at Lillandra. "Where''s Grizz?"


    "I''ll take you to him at once." He thanked the guards, and just like that, they were invited into the castle, passing through the gate and making their way through the bailey and up a watchtower, to where Grizz''s office was apparently located. They encountered several more familiar faces on the way, including Bastion, one of Arai''s old comrades-in-arms, and Kel, an old veteran who had been a good friend of his father''s. Their eyes widened when they saw him, and immediately they rushed up to greet him; he was soon fending off a cheering mob, and doing his best not to burst into tears.


    There were many others he expected to see, however, who were nowhere to be found: Silver, and Nial, and the Robber, among others. What had happened to them?


    Vaix led them to a sturdy door at the top of the tower. He didn''t bother to knock, but simply pushed the door open.


    And there was Grizz, standing behind a desk, looking over a collection of maps and papers. He was a short, stocky man, somewhat ursine in appearance, with shaggy gray hair and a shaggy gray beard -- although he was only in his early fifties, Grizz had been gray for as long as Arai had known him. His eyes and eyebrows, however, were dark.


    Grizz didn''t look up from his maps, but simply said, "Yes? What is it now?"


    Vaix cleared his throat, so that Grizz might look up. When the older man saw Arai, he stopped and stared. "Impossible," he whispered.


    "It''s good to see you, too, Grizz."


    "Arai!" The old warrior embraced him, hugging him fiercely, and then started patting him down, as though he were trying to determine whether he was a ghost or an illusion. "By all the gods of east and west, lad...how can this be? We thought you were dead!"


    "You were mistaken," he said, grinning like a fool. It was such a huge relief to see Grizz again.


    "Where have you been? What happened at the Nightfall? And how did you get to Carmaine?"


    Arai threw another glance at Lillandra, and at his other companions. "You''d better sit down, Grizz," he said. "I think we''ve got a lot of catching up to do."

 Chapter Sixty-Seven: Dispatches

    Arai went first. He told Grizz about his battle with Lillandra at the top of the Nightfall; he told him what had happened to Odo, Vex, and Maya; and he told him about the spell Lillandra had cast that had transported him to the other side of the world. He told him about their adventures in Addis, Grand Skir, and the Scarred Lands, and of how they had journeyed to Carmaine after learning that the Steelmen were stationed at the Crevak de Che. He introduced him to Shell and Sir Estil, and to prove his story, he had Shell lower the hood of her cloak, revealing her pointed ears. "It''s...a pleasure meeting you," Grizz said, staring at the girl.


    He left out some parts of the story, however, and altered others. He told Grizz that he had succeeded in killing the Night Queen at the Nightfall, and introduced Lillandra as Leila, a young sorceress he had met in the far east shortly after his arrival there, and who had decided to accompany him. Sir Estil, who couldn''t stand these kinds of deceptions, but who understood the necessity of this one, coughed and cleared his throat in a disapproving sort of way whenever Arai told these lies. Lillandra, for her part, remained quiet.


    "This is the most remarkable story I''ve ever heard," Grizz said when he had finished. "You were sent to the other side of the Scarred Lands? And you''ve spent the last two years making your way back?"


    "Two years? Is that how long it''s been?"


    "Very nearly." He turned to Lillandra, Shell, and Sir Estil. "You have been true friends to Arai, from the sound of it, seeing him safely through many hardships. Words cannot express my gratitude to you all, for returning him to us."


    "I swore an oath," Sir Estil said, shrugging.


    "It was nothing," Shell added, rather flippantly.


    But Arai had questions of his own, which he was dying to have answered, and he had hardly finished his story when he began peppering Grizz with them: "What happened after I entered the Nightfall? Did you take Fort Drakness? What about Lord Pierce?"


    Grizz frowned. "When you didn''t return from the Nightfall, we thought the Night Queen had killed you, along with Odo and Maya and Vex as well. I went to the tower myself, intending to confront the Night Queen personally, but there was some kind of magic in place that prevented me, or anyone else, from entering. Feri tried to untangle it, but the magic was too complicated for her."


    Feri was the Steelmen''s resident mage. "Where is Feri?" Arai asked.


    "She''s taken ill, I''m afraid," he replied. "It''s nothing serious, but it''s come at a very bad time; we may not be able to carry out our plan." He shook his head, dismissing the subject. "Anyway, we assumed the Night Queen was still alive, since her magic was still in place, and although we had destroyed most of her monsters, we were afraid she might retaliate at any moment. And with you dead..." He trailed off. "All hope seemed lost."


    "What about Lord Pierce?"


    "He was gravely injured at Fort Drakness. He may be dead by now. In any case, his nephew, the new Lord Pierce, has declared himself the Lord Protector of Velon. He''s only a boy, though, and as far as I know he hasn''t budged from the Waterglass Palace."


    Arai couldn''t believe what he was hearing. Lord Pierce still alive? His nephew the new Lord Protector? And what was this mysterious magic preventing anyone from entering the Nightfall? His spirits had been lifted immensely after reuniting with the Steelmen, but now they were flagging again, after hearing all this bad news.


    "The final battle for Fort Drakness took its toll on us," Grizz went on. "We entered Velon with fourteen hundred men; there are less than four hundred of us now. We lost Silver, lost the Robber. With our strength reduced, the Night Queen still in power, the Al''mud bearing down on us, and you apparently dead, we cut our losses and left Velon."


    "The Al''mud?"


    "Ah, yes. The Al''mud. The barbarians have always been a nuisance, but they''ve become a much more serious threat over the last two years. The tribes have banded together under a new war-leader, Rollaug, and his shaman Allugog. A few weeks ago I received word that they had finally reached Harbor Town; I suspect they''re getting ready to move on to Hammersvik by now."


    And this was even worse news. "The new Lord Protector hasn''t checked their progress?"


    "No. As I said, he hasn''t budged from the Waterglass Palace. The rebellion against the Night Queen may have been unsuccessful, but the people remain deeply opposed to the Pierces, and to the nobility who allied with them. He has very few friends."


    "Anarchy, then," Arai muttered. "The Al''mud running rampant, the Lord Protector ineffective, and the ordinary people of Velon still too terrified of the Night Queen to organize themselves. Is that the situation?"


    "More or less." He put a hand on Arai''s shoulder. "I wanted to stay, for your father''s sake, and drive out this new Lord Pierce, at least. But the Steelmen are a mercenary company, and my men...well, they loved your father, but they love money, too, and there were no good prospects left for us in Velon."


    "I understand," Arai said resignedly. The Steelmen had agreed to fight for Velon as a favor to Arai, and to avenge their old captain, but Grizz was right; they were mercenaries, and they expected to get paid at some point.


    "So we returned to the Holy Empire," he finished, shrugging. "We worked for Duke L''stran for a few months, then headed south to see what kind of work we could pick up in the Marquisates. But then we began hearing rumors about a new kind of war breaking out in the west."


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    "Dayan?"


    "Indeed," he affirmed. "A brilliant young general, by all accounts. You''ve heard about Arl''s City?"


    "I heard about it, but I had a hard time believing it."


    "It''s true. The Holy Legion captured the city and took the emperor hostage. They turned back the Trustees, crushed the Manrador, and now..." He looked out his window, which faced west.


    "And now they''re coming here."


    "The Grand Army hired us to reinforce the Crevak," he said. "I didn''t realize how badly the situation had deteriorated, but a deal''s a deal, and we''re stuck with it now."


    "How large is this approaching army?" Sir Estil asked.


    "Vaix suspects they may have as many as thirteen thousand men. The Grand Army is badly outnumbered; they''re hoping we can delay Dayan at the Crevak long enough for them to raise more men. But there''s another problem."


    "What''s that?"


    "This Dayan is a very charismatic young man," he said sourly, "and his advisor, this Bellarue, was an extremely influential scheradatze in Arl''s City. He''s got half the Holy Empire convinced that Dayan is the new incarnation of Arl. And as I mentioned earlier, he''s also holding the emperor hostage. As long as he has the emperor, the other states of the Holy Empire are going to be reluctant to move against him."


    "I thought this emperor was just a figurehead," Shell said.


    "He has very little political power," Grizz acknowledged. "But he''s still a descendant of Arliel, and symbolically he''s still very important, especially to pious men like Duke Galagus and others in the Greater Remnant. Galagus commands one of the largest and best-equipped armies in the Empire, and he immediately marched south out of Dulcifer when he heard that Arl''s City had been captured, but his hands are tied now that the emperor''s been taken hostage. He won''t commit to an attack."


    "So what are you going to do?"


    "I do have a plan," he said. "I''m just waiting to hear back from the Grand Army. But now that Feri''s taken ill, I''m not sure we''ll be able to pull it off."


    "What is it?"


    He went over to the window, once again looking out to the west. "We can''t hold the Crevak," he said. "The fortress is strong, but we don''t have the men or materiel to hold off Dayan''s forces for more than a week or two. We need to give the Old Duchy and the Marquisates more time to march their armies up here, and we need Galagus'' help."


    "The Marquisates have committed troops?"


    "Not as yet, but Dayan has made it clear that he plans to split his forces after he takes the Crevak. Half of his army will proceed into the Old Duchy and the Marquisates, while the other marches north to finish off Galagus and take the Cyrilles." He paused. "There''s something I forgot to mention. This Bellarue has been talking about overthrowing the Night Queen as well, and conquering Velon once and for all. If Dayan succeeds in taking the Cyrilles -- and he almost certainly will -- he''s very likely to try his luck in Velon next."


    Arai frowned. Velon had been threatened with invasion before, but Velon was cold, remote, and lightly populated, and anyway the states of the Holy Empire were usually too busy fighting amongst themselves to advance the project. For the last century the Night Queen''s magic had kept them at bay; before that, the armies of King Reemus and his ancestors had prevented any major incursions. The Tuv River was also a formidable natural barrier.


    Was it true? Was Velon really threatened?


    "These are some grand ambitions," Arai muttered. "Can he succeed?"


    "If he wants Velon, he''ll take it," Grizz said bluntly. "In its weakened state, I don''t think Velon could hold off the Baron of Tot, much less the Holy Legion."


    Arai sighed. "This is not what I wanted to hear."


    "What''s your plan?" Sir Estil pressed.


    "Ah," Grizz said. "Forgive the digression. My plan, briefly, is to sneak into Dayan''s camp and rescue the emperor."


    They all stared. "That''s certainly a bold plan," Lillandra finally muttered.


    "Rescuing the emperor will give Duke Galagus a free hand," Grizz said. "As soon as the emperor is free, his army will head south immediately, forcing Dayan to turn his attention north. That will give the Old Duchy and the Marquisates, not to mention the Grand Army, more time to bring up their troops." He shrugged. "Galagus might also defeat him outright."


    "How did Feri figure into your plan?" Arai asked.


    "We were counting on her magic to disguise us," he said. "The Grand Army allowed us access to the Crevak''s secret vaults; Feri found a magical artifact down there which can cover a man in a glamour."


    "A Crux of Illusion," Lillandra murmured.


    "She was going to use it disguise a small team, which would infiltrate the camp and seize the emperor. From there, the group would head north, reunite with me and the rest of the Steelmen, and deliver the emperor to Galagus." He smiled faintly. "Dayan is delayed, Galagus is free to attack, and the Steelmen are no longer doomed to defend the Crevak. If it worked, it could turn the tide of this war. But I''ve been having trouble finding volunteers, and Feri''s too ill to carry it out now, anyway. I''ve been trying to find another mage, but it''s hard to know who to trust."


    "It''s a good plan," Arai said slowly, "but a risky one as well. What if this team encounters an enemy sorcerer? Sorcerers can see through illusions, can''t they?" He glanced at Lillandra.


    "They can," she admitted, "but only if they''re paying attention."


    Arai considered that. "Dayan is likely to have the emperor hidden away somewhere. That could present another problem." He got to his feet and started pacing around the room, thinking.


    Lillandra scowled at him. "Don''t tell me..."


    "It''s a good plan," he repeated. "Exceedingly dangerous, of course, but..." He turned to Grizz. "I have a proposition for you."


    "Oh?"


    "I''d like to volunteer for this mission. Lill..." He stopped there, correcting himself. "Leila is a talented sorceress. She can take Feri''s place. Sir Estil is the best fighter I''ve ever seen, and I still have Silus, in case we run into magical trouble. I think we stand a good chance of succeeding."


    "Arai," Lillandra hissed, "this is crazy."


    "In exchange," Arai said, "I want the Steelmen to return with me to Velon, to protect Hammersvik from the Al''mud, and..." He glanced again at Lillandra. "To help me figure out what''s going on at the Nightfall."


    Grizz gave him a long, considering look. "Are you sure you want to do this?"


    "What I want," he muttered, "is to return to Velon in peace. But that doesn''t seem to be an option right now."


    The older man nodded sadly. "I think I can convince the men to return to Velon," he said, "but it won''t be easy. The situation there is almost as hopeless as the one we''re in now, and they''re going to wonder when they''re finally getting paid."


    "I''m sure something can be arranged," Arai said, although in fact, he had no idea how he was going to repay the Steelmen when the fighting was finally over.


    Grizz snorted. "You always did have more courage than sense, lad. Very well. I accept your proposition. I only hope I''m not sending you to your death."


    They shook hands to seal the deal. Lillandra, Arai noticed, was still scowling. Sir Estil, meanwhile, looked troubled, and Shell was rolling her eyes and sighing.


    "Here we go again," she grumbled.