《The Aperture》 Chapter 1 - The Interrogation Chapter 1 The Interrogation ¡°Would someone mind explaining to me what is going on here?¡± Professor Gerald Layton asked his captors. ¡°Who are you people?¡± ¡°I am special agent Connie Bain, and this is my partner, William MacGregor. We work for the CIA. We have a few questions we want to ask you.¡± ¡°You mean you broke down the door to my house just to ask me a few questions? Are you guys nuts?¡± ¡°Sorry about the door, Professor, but I think we have good reason to be here,¡± she said, not quite answering the question. ¡°We¡¯ve been keeping tabs on you for a few years now. Some of your actions have aroused the suspicions of my colleagues and me. Now, before I begin, I want you to know that we have evidence that one of your colleagues, a certain Dr. Kahlil, has been cooperating with Arab terrorists since he disappeared from sight two years ago. Our intelligence sources indicate that an Arab country, specifically one that I am not at liberty to mention at this stage, is in the process of constructing a nuclear device, conceivably to be used against Israel and other U.S.-friendly nations.¡± ¡°So what does this have to do with me? I haven¡¯t seen the man in years. I have no idea where he is.¡± ¡°But you were friends. Right? Both of you graduated in the same year from M.I.T.¡± ¡°Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?¡± Agent Bain opened the thick file on the table between them and pulled out a printed document. ¡°Did you not accept a collect call from Dr. Kahlil at 2:40 a.m. on June 23 of this year, originating from the country of Jordan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Who was it that you called?¡± ¡°Dr. Kahlil.¡± ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°It was a social call. He was just calling to see how I was. Somehow, he received word of what happened to my wife. He was concerned for me.¡± ¡°He was, huh? What else did you two talk about?¡± The professor shrugged. ¡°Nothing much. He mentioned doing contract work on some hydroelectric plant in Syria.¡± ¡°My ass, he¡¯s working on a hydroelectric plant. Tell me what else you talked about.¡± The professor thought for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°The man called me out of the blue at two in the morning,¡± Professor Layton said. ¡°I was asleep. He woke me up. I barely remembered that he called until you reminded me.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s lying,¡± MacGregor said. ¡°Why are you asking me these questions?¡± the professor asked. ¡°If you had my line bugged, then you know all the details of our conversation. So tell me: What did we talk about?¡± Agent Bain sighed. She seemed somewhat vexed by this statement. She tapped on the file folder on the desk. ¡°This is your file, Professor. We have proof that you have removed controlled materials from the science labs at the university where you teach. Some of these items are rather exotic, or even bizarre, to be used in a home environment.¡± ¡°Which items are you talking about?¡± She thumbed through the folder and flipped it open to a page. ¡°Well, it says here that you have taken vast quantities of hydrochloric acid, silver nitrate, molybdenum, electric generating equipment, a quantity of radium, methane, and most peculiarly, several tanks of chlorine. And this is just the beginning of the list.¡± Agent Bain thumbed through three more pages of listed items. ¡°So what are you doing with these items on the premises of your home? Baking a cake? Inventing a new kind of light bulb?¡± The agent paused for effect. ¡°Or perhaps, creating chemical weapons? Maybe a nice little bomb to help out your terrorist friend?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± the professor said. Agent Bain eyed the professor like a cat that had cornered a mouse. ¡°Then you have some explaining to do. We have confiscated the equipment in your basement lab. Even as we speak, our boys are analyzing your equipment to find out what you¡¯ve been doing down there.¡± Professor Layton sat up, alarmed. ¡°Stop them! You can¡¯t let them touch anything!¡± ¡°Why not? Do you have something to hide?¡± ¡°You just can¡¯t. I have a critical experiment in process, the pinnacle of over two years of work. It will all be ruined. And someone could be hurt.¡± Agent Bain cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Who will be hurt? Our boys? Do you have explosives down there, Professor?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but they may harm my experiment. The alignment of the equipment is very precise. It must not be disturbed.¡± ¡°But you just said someone could be hurt. Tell me. Who will be hurt?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°You did. Tell me¡ªwho will be hurt?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play games with us, Professor Layton. You¡¯d better tell us. If anyone is harmed, you will be held responsible.¡± At those words, the professor drew a long sigh. He gazed up at his interrogator. She stared down at him with her steely blue eyes. ¡°I can tell you, but you won¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°Try us,¡± she said, looking over at her partner. ¡°We have all night. Don¡¯t we, Will?¡± The professor bit his lip. ¡°Okay. You wanted to know. Her name is Alyndia.¡± ¡°Alyndia?¡± Agent Bain repeated. She looked up at MacGregor. ¡°Do we have record of Professor Layton contacting an Alyndia?¡± MacGregor shook his head. She returned her attention to the professor. ¡°Who is she?¡± Professor Layton looked away from the red-headed agent. ¡°I told you, you are not going to believe me when I tell you who, or rather, what she is. You are going to think I am crazy.¡± ¡°Just tell me, Professor. Who is Alyndia?¡± ¡°She is a sorceress.¡± ¡°A sorceress? Oh, really?¡± A smile began at the corners of Agent Bain¡¯s lips. ¡°Where is this sorceress? Is she here?¡± ¡°No, she lives in a world different from ours.¡± Agent Bain frowned upon hearing this. ¡°Like, in another dimension?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the professor replied. ¡°Something like that.¡± She sighed. ¡°Okay. Tell me more.¡± ¡°Gladly. You see, in her world, the atmosphere is mostly chlorine and hydrogen instead of oxygen and nitrogen, as it is here. There, hydrochloric acid occurs naturally, as water does here. Her world even has vast oceans of hydrochloric acid, just as we have oceans of saltwater. Needless to say, their entire physiology is quite different from ours.¡± ¡°Professor, this sounds like something from a B-movie of the fifties. We are not playing games here. Now tell us the truth.¡± ¡°I am telling you the truth,¡± he said. Agent Bain glanced up at MacGregor. He expressed neither amusement nor surprise. She turned back to Professor Layton. ¡°Let¡¯s say this Alyndia in the other dimension really exists. How did you contact her?¡± Professor Layton drew a heavy sigh. ¡°Where do I begin?¡± ¡°At the beginning. Where else?¡± ¡°It all started three years ago when my wife was involved in a car accident on Route 14, a week before her birthday.¡± ¡°The night of August, the twentieth of¡ª¡± began Agent Bain. ¡°I know, I know,¡± the professor said, interrupting. ¡°You don¡¯t need to remind me.¡± ¡°Just get to the part where you are using the controlled substances.¡± ¡°Okay. As you know, she went into a coma from her head injuries. They explained at the hospital that her head had gone through the windshield of the car and that she had suffered a skull fracture. Intracranial bleeding had left her brain-damaged. I verified their findings. Looking at her EEG, it was true.¡± The professor¡¯s voice cracked with emotion. ¡°That¡¯s when I realized my beloved wife was never going to wake up.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I was distraught from the accident. I could no longer sleep at night. I canceled the classes I taught at the university and began drinking¡ªa little too much, I¡¯m afraid. While she lay there hooked up to the life support equipment, more dead than alive, I felt bitter. I knew her soul had departed, but I could not let go of her. I threw myself into my work. Late one afternoon, I was working with powerful electromagnetic fields that I thought could be used to destroy cancerous cells in organs when, inadvertently, I created an aperture, if you would call it that. A portal to places unknown.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°That¡¯s when you first saw Alyndia,¡± the agent said. ¡°Yes. And I saw her quite clearly. She saw me, too.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°She had the most amused look on her face.¡± ¡°This sorceress: was she human?¡± ¡°That is a difficult question to answer,¡± Professor Layton said. ¡°I can say with certainty that she has human form, but her race is human only in the relative sense. Their physiology is drastically different from ours.¡± The professor¡¯s face waxed into a smile as he visualized his beloved. ¡°But even in our world, she would be considered beautiful. She has long, black hair and a lovely face with these exquisite cheekbones. Her complexion has a greenish tinge, too, but this only adds to her beauty.¡± ¡°How did she run across you? Did she just turn on her television to watch a rerun of Lost in Space and, poof, there you were?¡± Professor Layton scowled at Agent Bain for her patronizing remark. ¡°You¡¯re not taking me seriously.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡ªI¡¯m not,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯m doing my patient best to hear you out. Tell me how you two met. Did she build a contraption, too?¡± ¡°No. Alyndia doesn¡¯t have any equipment that I¡¯m aware of. Hers is a magic-based society. Her people rely on magic the same way we rely on technology, even for commonplace things. Using machines as we do is a foreign concept to them.¡± The professor rested his hand on his chin as he thought. ¡°As a matter of fact, I don¡¯t think I was even able to describe a television to her. Her Box of Tongues seemed to malfunction whenever I used technical terminology or whenever I named an object found in our world for which her language has no equivalent. Anyway, it was quite by accident that we encountered each other. She was trying out a special spell she had been researching when her image appeared within the solar-modulated magnetic field of my invention.¡± ¡°You mentioned she has a Box of Tongues. What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a kind of real-time language translator, of sorts.¡± ¡°Really, now? What does it look like?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ornate-looking box about this big.¡± The professor gave its approximate dimensions with his hands; it was about four inches square. ¡°She would set the box between us on the floor of the chamber. A fan-shaped curtain of rainbow-colored light projected from the box into the air. As our voices passed through the light, the box changed the sound of our words so that we could understand each other. We had many conversations this way. You know, Agent Bain, it¡¯s fascinating to hear Alyndia describe her world. It¡¯s nothing like ours, and yet our cultures have striking similarities.¡± Agent Bain sighed wearily. ¡°Professor, so far, I don¡¯t believe a word of what you¡¯ve told me.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the truth! I swear it!¡± ¡°Talk about the chlorine. Why are you storing chlorine gas in your basement?¡± ¡°I needed it for the chamber. After we widened the aperture enough so that she could physically pass into our world, I created a large, airtight glass chamber for her. In the early days, I filled the glass chamber with chlorine so that she could visit me in my lab. Later, I devised a chlorine gas recirculator and filled the chamber with argon, an inert gas I knew would not react with either of our tissues. We wore face masks in the chamber to allow us to exist together in the chamber while breathing the atmosphere of our own worlds.¡± ¡°And she wears jewelry too?¡± Agent Bain asked. Professor Layton knotted his brow, suspicious and perplexed by her statement. ¡°Well, yes. Why are you asking?¡± Agent Bain reached into a plastic envelope and pulled out a shiny, heptagonal metal bracelet. Inscriptions of runes covered the flat outer sides of the bracelet. ¡°Have you seen this before, Professor?¡± ¡°You took that from my lab! Give me that!¡± Professor Layton reached for the bracelet. She deftly moved it out of his reach. ¡°Nope, you¡¯re not getting this back.¡± She turned the bracelet over in her hands to examine it and then let it hang from her index fingertip to gauge its weight. ¡°It¡¯s heavy. Feels like it¡¯s made of nickel or maybe platinum.¡± ¡°Specifically, it¡¯s made of iridium.¡± She raised her eyebrows at the professor. ¡°Iridium, you say? That¡¯s a rare, expensive metal, and it looks like it took a lot of it to make this thing. Where did you get it?¡± ¡°Alyndia gave it to me in the argon chamber. It was her mother¡¯s bracelet.¡± Professor Layton reached for the bracelet again. ¡°Give that to me. You don¡¯t know what you have.¡± At that moment, a burn on the professor¡¯s hand caught Agent Bain¡¯s attention. ¡°Where did you get that burn on your hand?¡± The professor immediately withdrew his hand and self-consciously covered it with the other. ¡°I was exposed to her atmosphere.¡± ¡°You what?¡± ¡°Once, I reached through the aperture to hold her hand. For a moment, the atmospheres of our worlds mingled. The high concentration of chlorine in her atmosphere burned my skin.¡± The professor cleared his throat. ¡°If you will recall, chlorine is corrosive to human skin and highly poisonous. The Germans used chlorine as a chemical weapon during the First World War.¡± ¡°Yes, I know that. What about her?¡± ¡°She became ill when she breathed some of our nitrogen- and oxygen-rich atmosphere. Oxygen is bad for her, but not as much as chlorine is for us. I analyzed the samples of air from her world. Actually, she does have some oxygen and nitrogen in her atmosphere, but the percentages of both are far lower. Her atmosphere is also several times denser than ours.¡± ¡°Professor, I have to admit that I¡¯m having trouble believing any of this.¡± ¡°Every word is the truth. I swear it.¡± Agent Bain sighed. ¡°Okay. What happened next?¡± He grinned sheepishly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting it at all, but I suppose I was vulnerable to it.¡± ¡°Just tell me what happened,¡± she ordered. ¡°We fell in love.¡± Agent Bain looked up at MacGregor. He shook his head. She looked back at Professor Layton. ¡°You mean to tell me you fell in love with this¡ªthis space girl from another dimension?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. And I didn¡¯t say anything about a space girl,¡± he retorted. ¡°I said she was a sorceress.¡± ¡°Whatever you say,¡± she said. The professor continued. ¡°She is coming to this world to be with me.¡± ¡°How could she come here if our atmosphere is poisonous to her?¡± ¡°She will detach her spirit from her body and inhabit the body in this world, a spiritless vessel of someone who was very dear to me.¡± ¡°Your comatose wife?¡± The professor nodded once. ¡°How could that be?¡± ¡°She said it was understood in her world that all living creatures in the universe have souls. These souls are almost as old as the universe itself. From what I understand, they are pure energy with self-awareness, not much more than that.¡± ¡°I follow you. Go on.¡± ¡°All right. At the time that life evolved on Earth, these souls wanted to manifest in the physical world, but there weren¡¯t enough living vessels. So, they put their energies together and created an alternative world where they could live in the physical state. But this world was different from ours in that it was bound together with cosmic energy, something we here on Earth call ¡®magic¡¯. This proto-world never evolved past the primordial stage and still has its early atmosphere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where the chlorine comes in, right?¡± ¡°Yes. And that¡¯s where Alyndia lives now. Alyndia has offered to join me in our world so that we can be together in the physical sense, but her physical form cannot survive here. To get around that, our plan is to transfer her soul energy into the vacated body of my beloved Elise.¡± ¡°And what about Elise? What if she wakes up and finds this Alyndia character inside of her?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll never wake up. Alyndia assures me that my wife¡¯s soul has vacated her body.¡± ¡°This is an outrageous story, Professor,¡± Agent Bain said. ¡°You don¡¯t really expect us to believe any of this, do you?¡± ¡°The key, Agent Bain, is the iridium bracelet you took. Alyndia has a psychic fixation on it. Give it back to me so that I may slip it on to the wrist of my wife.¡± Agent Bain shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that. The bracelet is evidence.¡± ¡°Evidence of what? I didn¡¯t steal it from anywhere. It was given to me by Alyndia to guide her spirit into the right body.¡± ¡°Professor Layton, in all the years I¡¯ve been an agent with the CIA, I have heard some nutty stories, but this takes the cake as the nuttiest ever. Give me the real story now. Let¡¯s talk about Dr. Khalil. How do you transport the materials to him?¡± ¡°To hell with Dr. Khalil! And if you don¡¯t believe what I told you is true, then you put the bracelet on my wife at the hospital so Alyndia can be with me.¡± Agent Bain clutched the shiny metal ring tightly in her hand as she held it out in plain view of the professor, taunting him with the sight of it. ¡°So what if I put the bracelet on your wife¡¯s wrist at the hospital, and she doesn¡¯t wake up from her coma? Will you then tell me the real story about the chemicals and the stolen lab equipment?¡± ¡°I maintain that I have told you the real story,¡± Professor Layton said. Then he gave her a wry smile. ¡°Yes, Agent Bain. Put the bracelet on my wife, and then you may call me a liar, if you wish. Afterward, when you discover that I have been telling the truth, you will bring her back here to me. Okay?¡± Agent Bain glanced at Agent MacGregor. They nodded to each other and quietly exited the room. ¡°What do you think, Connie?¡± Agent MacGregor asked her in the hallway. ¡°I was going to ask you the same.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s a kook.¡± ¡°He seems convinced of his own story.¡± ¡°Like I said, he¡¯s a kook.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re not getting anywhere with him. Suppose we go along with his fantasy for a while, take it to its logical conclusion, where it is disproved. Then he won¡¯t have any basis for continuing with his story.¡± ¡°You really intend to put that bracelet on his wife?¡± She gazed down at the bracelet in her hand. ¡°What the hell?¡± Agents Bain and MacGregor reentered the room. She stood looking down at the professor for a moment, then she clucked her tongue. ¡°All right. It¡¯s a deal. But remember, if your story does not check out, you have some serious explaining to do.¡± * * * Agent Connie Bain followed the triage nurse down the hospital corridor and into the room on the sixth floor where Elise Layton lay in state, connected to an array of life support machinery. ¡°Here she is, Ms. Bain,¡± the nurse said. ¡°Don¡¯t expect a reaction from her. She¡¯s been this way for the last few years.¡± ¡°Thank you, nurse.¡± The nurse smiled sweetly and left the room. Connie stood alone for a moment to take in her surroundings. In the subdued light, she noticed the room was filled with flowers sent there regularly by Professor Layton. In contrast to the cold, aseptic scent of the hospital, the air in this room smelled sweet with their nectar. Agent Bain walked over to the bedside and stared at the comatose woman. The room was silent save for the hiss from the respirator forcing air into the woman¡¯s lungs and the slow, steady beep of the heart rate monitor. She gazed at Elise Layton¡¯s sunken, ashen, pale face and shook her head. Connie pulled Elise Layton¡¯s emaciated arm from the side of the bed and let it hang over the edge. Feeling foolish about the whole affair, she reached into her coat pocket and withdrew the envelope containing the iridium bracelet with the strange runes. She turned the handsome, seven-angled bracelet over in her hands. She thought it would look wonderful on her. Its size was perfect. On a whim, she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. She held it up to the light to get a better look at it. It was a lovely thing as it shone silvery, cheerful, and bright in the dreary hospital light. Because of the strange runes and its unusual shape, she had to admit the bracelet really did have an unearthly quality about it. After admiring it for a few moments, she decided to take it off and slip it on Elise Layton¡¯s limp arm, which was still hung over the hospital bed rail. As Connie grasped the shiny iridium bracelet to remove it, she thought she felt an electric tingle where the bracelet touched the skin on her wrist. Out of curiosity and to ascertain that her mind was not playing tricks on her, she allowed the bracelet to remain. The tingle quickly subsided to be replaced by a gentle, unmistakable warmth that began at the bracelet and spread through her body. She felt as if someone was pouring a large vat of warm honey over her body, starting at her wrist. The feeling was profoundly pleasurable, almost orgasmic. She closed her eyes and let the soft warmth slowly spread. It filled her body to the ends of her fingers and toes, then it rose upward past her shoulders and through her neck. The spreading warmth stopped suddenly at the base of her skull, as if some sort of barrier had been reached. The warmth in that area quickly escalated into a burning, intense pressure. ¡°Oh!¡± Now the cool metal of the bracelet became abruptly hot. Connie felt an acute burning in her chest that seared up her throat like a hot poker. She clutched her throat and gasped for air, but found she couldn¡¯t breathe. In desperation, she reached for the bracelet to remove it. Her body wouldn¡¯t respond. Her body suddenly convulsed as though she¡¯d received an electric shock. She collapsed to the floor. Then she heard a slow ripping sound, like tearing cloth, that seemed to emanate from within her head. As the ripping sound continued, a strange sense of vertigo swept over her, followed by a creeping sensory numbness. Her vision began to blur, and spots appeared before her eyes. She realized she was losing consciousness. She fought off the lightheadedness with all her might. The ripping sound ceased, and the feeling of vertigo subsided somewhat. She found she could breathe again, but only with great effort. Her ribcage felt as if it were being squeezed in a giant vice. She cried out for help, but her throat issued only a feeble choking sound. Again, her body convulsed, this time stronger than before. The room spun freely around her. The ripping sound resumed. The stench of burning flesh assaulted her nostrils. Now, she writhed on the floor helplessly, as though immolated, desperately struggling to regain control of her body. In her struggle, she inadvertently kicked over a small folding table. It fell to the floor with an enormous crash. And then she lost consciousness. A nurse in the hallway heard the racket and came running into the room. The red-headed woman she had led into the room earlier was now sprawled near the foot of Annelise Layton¡¯s bed. The nurse quickly checked the woman¡¯s vital signs. She no longer breathed and had gone into cardiac arrest. The nurse quickly pressed the alarm button on the wall and began CPR on the woman as the acrid odor of chlorine overtook the sweet scent of the flowers in the room. Chapter 2 - A Strange Kind of Kidnapping Chapter 2 A Strange Kind of Kidnapping Agent Connie Bain felt as though had fallen down a flight of stairs. And all was dark. She also had a splitting headache. She opened her eyes and stared up at a high, arched ceiling. It was made of an orange stone, painted, organic, and lovely. It arced into a five-pointed arch at the center of the room. Where is this place? she wondered. She sat up quickly and looked around. At once she was nearly overcome by a hazy sense of vertigo, as though she had quickly risen after waking up from a very long sleep. No doubt she had taken a nasty bump in the head. She wondered who had done this to her. She felt her head for bandages. There was no bandage and no injury to her head, for that matter, but her hair felt like it had a different texture. After the vertigo had subsided somewhat, she took in her surroundings. She was lying on an incredibly soft bed in a woman¡¯s bedroom. Rectangular tables made of beveled, green-swirled marble lined the walls. A strikingly pretty, ornate rug with diamond-shaped patterns flowed across the floor. It wasn¡¯t Oriental, it wasn¡¯t Middle Eastern, and it wasn¡¯t European, but something like all of those and, at the same time, like none of them. Something in the air smelled sweet to her. The scent was a peculiar mixture of patchouli and bananas, but she liked it. Gingerly, she slipped off the bed onto the ornate rug. The colors in the rug seemed excessively bright to her, so she tried not to look. She found that she was wearing an azure gown with two strips of lavender leather-like material that started at the shoulders and extended in two strips down to the base of the hem. The wide strips looked vaguely like suspenders, but they were more likely decorative in nature. She squeezed the azure fabric between her fingers. The material felt like it might be silk, but she was not sure. She noticed a difference in her hands. Though her hands were anatomically correct, they were not her hands. They were too lithe and delicate-looking to be hers. Most strikingly, she now had long fingernails painted purple. This was most peculiar. If she really had been kidnapped, she wondered why her captors had gone through the trouble of applying false fingernails and then painting them purple. She understood the reason for being gagged and tied. Her training with the CIA had prepared her for that. But what¡¯s with the purple fingernails? Then she wondered for a moment if she was only dreaming. Some things did not make sense. Waiting for her on the floor at the bedside were a fancy-looking pair of shoes that appeared to be an accident of moccasins and patent brown leather loafers. They looked smaller than the shoes she normally wore, but her stocking-covered feet seemed smaller too. She slipped her feet into the footwear. They fit perfectly. At once, she realized she was incredibly thirsty. Nearby were a basin and a crystal urn, half filled with a clear liquid that she assumed was water. A row of cobalt-colored glasses lined a shelf above. She gradually realized there were a great many books in the room. A few of the runes on the books reminded her of those on the bracelet confiscated in Professor Layton¡¯s lab. She poured herself a glass of the clear liquid. She brought it to her lips and took a deep drink. The liquid had no flavor, but the texture felt different in her mouth. It definitely wasn¡¯t water, but it slaked her thirst just the same. Connie poured herself another glass of the liquid and studied the books. She found she could read the runes on their spines: ¡°The Thxias Book of Astronomy,¡± the ¡°Glzpell Torsas Book of Spiritual Lens Creation,¡± and a large black book called ¡°God Breathed.¡± The light was growing brighter outside, a light green glow. Connie went to the window and drew back the gauzy violet curtain that covered it. The glass beyond was opaque, but the room was bathed in a bright blue-green light from the sun that shone behind it. She unclasped the latch on the window and pushed. It opened easily. She gasped at what she saw outside the window. Before her stretched a lovely city of sparkling emerald towers, arches, and spires of silvery gold. Beyond was a string of ice-capped mountains. I was one of the most lovely sights she had ever seen. But the most lovely sight was a yellow sunrise framed by the richest shades of green and blue she had ever seen. The sunlight felt warm and soothing on her face. Already, the splitting headache she felt when she woke up was beginning to dissipate. She got down on her knees and stared out the window. Was this the place Professor Layton had told her about? If so, how did she get there? She tried to recall what had happened to bring her to the odd place where she now resided. The last thing she remembered was putting on the strange, heavy bracelet, and then everything went black. She scanned the room for a telephone. Though there was no phone, she did see a plethora of oddball trinkets and other items scattered throughout the room. Whoever lived in the room was an avid reader and a pack rat. Feeling hungry, she scanned around the room for something to eat. Then she spotted a mirror set into the wall by the door. Did she dare want to see if her face had been altered? She thought she might as well look. She stood up from the window and walked over to the mirror. For a few seconds, she thought she saw a stranger looking back at her in the mirror. The stranger had black hair with green highlights. Her cheeks were smooth, and her cheekbones were high and prominent. The complexion was fairly white with a tinge of green. Her eyes were sea green, and her lips had a strangely subdued shade of pink. Alarmed by the appearance of the stranger, Connie ducked away from the mirror, wondering if it wasn¡¯t actually some sort of trick electronic device. She raised herself to look into the mirror again. This time, it was her face she saw, albeit a bit pale. Relieved, she stood up again. Now she noticed a wide array of beads of all shapes and colors and thumbnail-sized plates interwoven within the strands of her hair. On closer inspection, she saw that many of the plates had cryptic runes on them. She surmised that it must have taken someone hours to weave the beads and plates into her hair. Connie noticed she wore earrings too¡ªthree per lobe, small, loopy silver affairs. Not bad. She bared her teeth. Her nice teeth were unchanged, but with the bad taste in her mouth, she wished she had a toothbrush. She stood back from the mirror to get an overall picture of her body. To her dismay, she looked somewhat scrawnier than she remembered. She thought this was a peculiarity of the mirror until she squeezed her upper arm. Gone was her well-tuned, athletic figure. Now she was small-boned, lithe, and almost frail-looking, emaciated by comparison to the way she used to look. The azure robe she wore seemed to almost hang on her like a rag draped over a stick. She cradled the womanly flesh of her chest. Instead of the 34C she was used to, she felt only the slightest swell of her breasts. A chill of alarm ran through her. Either she had lost a lot of weight in the wrong places or someone had done breast reduction surgery on her. If surgery had been done, she did not feel residual soreness from the operation, nor were scars evident. In either case, she realized she must have been unconscious for a great length of time. She picked up the glass, imbibed some more of the liquid, then went back to bed and sat down to think about her predicament. It occurred to her that someone wanted her to believe she was in the land Professor Layton told her about. If he were telling the truth, she was now breathing chlorine, and if the chemistry were correct, the clear liquid she was drinking was probably hydrochloric acid. She contemplated the liquid in the glass. She sniffed it; it had no smell at all. She took another sip from the glass. This time, she let the liquid rest on her tongue for a few seconds before swallowing. As far as she could tell, it possessed not even a slight acidic sour note. For all practical purposes, it was water. She laughed out loud at the fleeting belief that she might be drinking hydrochloric acid. She halted her laughter abruptly as the sound issued from her mouth. Her voice sounded much different. It was much lighter and softer. The rhythm of her laugh was different too. For an instant, all this startled her. Then she laughed again. She decided that maybe all of what she was experiencing was a hallucination. That would explain why she saw a stranger when she first viewed herself in the mirror. Her surroundings did seem to have an otherworldly, surreal quality about them. Perhaps she was back at her apartment, dreaming. Yes, that was it. She was dreaming it all up. Just wait until she told her partner, MacGregor, what she was seeing! She laughed some more then fell back on the bed. Just then, someone rapped at the door to the room. She looked at the door, suddenly frightened. She did not reply. Did this dream also come with a cast of actors to act out some psycho-symbolism hidden deep within her subconscious? A number of packed bags sat by the door as though someone was about to embark on a trip. She waited. The rapping came again, this time more insistent than before. ¡°Alyndia? Are you ready?¡± a male voice asked from behind the door. Where was Alyndia? she wondered. She looked around the room. There was no one else there but her. ¡°Alyndia?¡± the voice came again. ¡°Let¡¯s go. They¡¯re waiting for us.¡± The man¡¯s words sounded strange and awkward. He wasn¡¯t speaking English, yet she understood him just the same. ¡°Alyndia¡¯s not here,¡± she said. Her own voice sounded foreign to her. The metal latch flipped up, and the door opened. She saw a mature, slightly overweight man wearing a brown fur jacket and baggy leather trousers. His skin possessed a slight tinge of green. His hair was a light shade of brown, and his narrow face was framed by thick, dark eyebrows and a tuft of blue-black beard at the extreme end of his chin. He had a dull, scuffed-up metal breastplate strapped to his chest. He wore sandals and carried a small pack. He looked ready to travel. To her, he looked like a rejected extra from Monty Python¡¯s Search for the Holy Grail, yet his face looked unmistakably familiar. She felt like she should know him; it was a feeling not unlike d¨¦j¨¤ vu. When the man set eyes on her, his look hardened. ¡°Enough of this nonsense, Alyndia. Let us depart. The sooner we get this over with, the better.¡± ¡°Are you calling me Alyndia?¡± She looked around the room once again to ascertain whether she was the one he was referring to. ¡°You don¡¯t see another Alyndia in the room, do you?¡± he asked, his voice laden with irritation. He bent over and started laboriously picking up her bags that were sitting by the door. She lazily leaned up against a table. ¡°I think you are mistaking me for the wrong person.¡± On hearing this, he stopped picking up the bags and looked at her. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You called me Alyndia. Right? I¡¯m just stating that my name is not Alyndia.¡± He scrutinized her for a moment, shook his head, and resumed picking up the bags. While struggling to lift all the bags, he accidentally dropped one. He cursed. He tried to pick up the errant bag while struggling to maintain his grip on the others. ¡°You can help me with these, you know.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°Because you are going on a quest and will need them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about a quest.¡± ¡°Alyndia, you cannot back out of it now. Have you so soon forgotten about your debt to the Academy?¡± ¡°I paid off my student loans years ago,¡± Connie said. ¡°Furthermore, I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about any quest.¡± The man stopped lifting her bags and glared at her, his expression a mixture of surprise and anger. ¡°Since when do you speak with a foul tongue, Alyndia? Such language is not becoming of a lady sorceress.¡± ¡°A sorceress? Me?¡± Connie let out a raucous laugh, or at least as raucous as her strange, new ultra-feminine voice would allow. ¡°I might be able to do a card trick for you.¡± ¡°You are obviously not in good spirits today. So be it. Let us go now. You have a task set before you. They are waiting for you in the street as we prattle. And if you do not go now, you can carry your own packs down the stairs.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. Just as this question left her lips, his name popped into her mind: Jalban. And he was her ¡°uncle.¡± She did not know why she knew his name or his supposed relation to her, but it was most certainly him. At least the name seemed appropriate for him. Any more than that, and he was still a stranger to her. ¡°Enough of these games. Alyndia, let us go now,¡± he commanded. She thought this over for a bit then decided to go along with the ruse. She had nothing to lose. Besides, she somehow felt she could trust Jalban. She drew a long sigh and rose to her feet. When she did, she accidentally knocked over the cobalt-colored glass of clear liquid on the floor next to the bed. ¡°Oh!¡± she said as the liquid flowed across the lovely carpet. Unsurprisingly, the liquid did not burn the carpet but merely soaked into it as if it were water. If the liquid were acid, the rug would be smoldering by now. This was further proof that the liquid was not hydrochloric acid. She picked up the bags Jalban could not carry and followed him past several doors in a mostly featureless hallway. The building they were in seemed like a kind of low-rent tenement, and hers was a studio apartment within this tenement. She gathered that the person named Alyndia who occupied the apartment was not successful in whatever she did. They descended a flight of stairs and passed through a crescent-topped portal out into the street below. There on the cobblestone streets was a bearded man who looked to be in his thirties, sitting on a big, shaggy-haired creature. The beast looked like a three-way cross between a horse, a camel, and a llama, with floppy ears and a large, bony bump on the bridge of its nose. It was called a hanyak! She could not say how she knew the proper name of this unfamiliar creature, but that¡¯s was it was called. Connie turned her attention to the bearded man sitting on the hanyak. As it was with Jalban, she was sure she¡¯d never met him before. He was a tall, muscular man with a close-cropped beard, bushy, thick black eyebrows, and straight hair tied in a ponytail at his neck, the tail of which he kept draped over his left shoulder. His face had a dark, sun-burnt appearance. For his rough features, his nose was well-shaped, masculine, almost Roman, and ended with a slight natural flare. He was dressed for action; he wore a five-jointed breastplate, leg greaves, and high leather boots, and he had a full-face helmet attached to the saddle of his hanyak, along with a spare sword to boot. Jalban introduced him to her as Rahl the Swordbearer, which Connie found apt, as the man obviously carried a sword. Without further hesitation, Jalban tied her packs to the spare hanyak. They mounted and started along the road called the Circle of the Elements that wound through the city called Roggentine, then they went down a smaller road called Potter¡¯s Way. A colorful panorama of sights filled Connie¡¯s eyes, and a swirling cacophony of alien sounds fell upon her ears. She had some difficulty keeping herself steady on the beast she rode. She could not get over the sight of the creature. Ostensibly, it served the purpose of a horse, but it looked nothing like anything she had seen in any of the countless foreign countries she had visited in service for the CIA. The saddle was made of a material that looked like leather but felt more like slippery vinyl. An imitation leather saddle, she thought. It is very strange, just like everything else has been since I woke up this morning. A man named Rahl rode over to her. Now they were riding side by side. She looked away from him while she pondered her situation. ¡°Lady, I hear you are a practitioner of magic,¡± Rahl said. Connie said nothing but continued to look ahead. On their right, they passed a bearded, fat merchant dressed in a green robe and a skinny prospective buyer dressed similarly, loudly bickering over the price of a brightly colored clay urn. The skinny buyer was interested in the large urn. The fat merchant proffered a smaller, less ornate urn for the price offered for the larger. They traded insults interlaced with counteroffers. Their words sounded strange, rough, and foreign to her mind, yet she understood them. ¡°Foolish merchants,¡± Rahl said of the two men after they had passed. ¡°So you lived in Roggentine all your life?¡± Connie frowned. How should she respond? ¡°Well, yes¡ªI think,¡± she replied, not knowing nor properly caring if this was the correct answer. ¡°I¡¯m from Dyandall.¡± ¡°Dyandall,¡± she repeated, feeling the words on her tongue. The name did not sound familiar at all. ¡°You probably haven¡¯t heard of it unless you traded with the bardin,¡± he added, reading her confounded expression. ¡°It¡¯s a small village sixty leagues west of here.¡± ¡°However far that is,¡± she said. ¡°It does not appear that you venture out very often, lady. I hear you are a sorceress. Would it be proper to ask how long you¡¯ve practiced magic?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± she retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what the hell I¡¯m doing here.¡± Rahl smiled at her. ¡°A feisty sorceress, you are,¡± he said. ¡°A not altogether uncommon trait for one who practices magic. Which discipline are you? Are you one that can control animals?¡± Jalban broke in beside them. ¡°She is not that kind of sorceress. She¡¯s a prestidigitator of the elements. And maybe she resents your uncouth manner in questioning her as you are.¡± ¡°Ah, the lady is an elemental sorceress,¡± he said, disregarding Jalban. ¡°Alyndia the elemental sorceress¡ªone who searches for nodes beneath rotting logs in the forest,¡± he added mirthfully. Connie shook her head. She had no idea what they were talking about. It seemed like everyone in this place was a lunatic. She burst into a sudden burst of laughter at that thought. Once she started laughing, she could not stop. Jalban gave Connie a puzzled look and Rahl a look of consternation. Rahl returned the stare, and then he too broke out in laughter. This seemed to anger Jalban. He gave the hanyak a kick and rode slightly ahead of them. They turned right off Potter Street and were now on the main street that seemed to bisect the city. Though this avenue was much wider than Potter Street, at fifty or so paces wide, going was slower. The cobblestone avenue was choked with rickety wood carts overloaded with goods, pulled by weary looking beasts of burden, tethered livestock animals, people carrying packs, and beasts of burden. The sides of the streets were lined with kiosks covered with brightly colored, open-sided square tents. Within these tents, merchants purveyed all sorts of items, including birdcages, ornate rugs, crystals, and wood figurines. Now the sun was rising higher in the lovely green sky, with only a few wispy clouds to the north. It became warm. Connie caught sight of huge, open wood gates in the high, whitewashed stone city walls. Rahl rode last, behind their pack hanyak to watch for pickpockets. Next was Connie. Jalban rode ahead of them, cursing the unlucky souls who were blocking their path. Still, it was slow-going. Connie smiled to herself. He would make an excellent New York cab driver. Then she frowned. Where is New Jersey from here? She studied the architecture of the buildings, with their curved roofs and wavy glass windows. Most remarkable was the absence of telephone wires, radios, televisions, or even a simple western shirt or pair of jeans. There were no signs of aircraft in the sea-green sky; just a lone hawk or vulture circled high overhead. This was most certainly a backward country, almost medieval, a place where modern technology had not yet penetrated. Yet, despite the uncanny remoteness of the country, she was fluent in the language. She thought that perhaps some kind of mind control had taken place after she put on the bracelet. It was possible that Professor Layton was involved in some sort of covert organization that was based in this country. But why they should go through all the trouble to kidnap her and let her loose in this strange country was beyond her¡ªher CIA training did not prepare her for this¡ªand they even somehow altered her perception of the sky. Still, no matter their tactics, no matter what sort of mind games they played with her, no matter what they did to her, they would never, ever break her. She thought of jumping off the hanyak and dashing off into the crowd to lose Jalban and Rahl. She judged she could lose them easily in the throng. Possibly, she could locate a phone in a nearby city or village closer to civilization. Then she decided against it. If she were really a captive in this foreign land, then Jalban and Rahl were also the solutions to the quandary she found herself in. And what was this ¡®Alyndia the Sorceress¡¯ bullshit? Were they really in cahoots with Professor Layton? She decided to play along with their game to see where the situation led. While she pondered her surroundings, she felt a sudden, visceral tug toward one of the kiosks. The thought of water became foremost in her mind. She instantly felt thirsty. She turned her head to look. There, she saw an old man sitting on a high chair. Hung from supports within his square tent were dozens of tiny, sealed, azure jugs. Connie halted the hanyak and stared at the kiosk, trying to fathom her attraction to the jugs. The old man seemed to notice her instantly. His weary, old eyes locked on hers. He gave her a wry, haughty, toothless smile. To Connie, it seemed as though he could read her, and he knew just what she needed. He climbed down from his high chair and braced his feeble body with a staff, waiting for her with expectant eyes on a rude table ringed with the tiny jugs. She saw that the man was exceedingly short and hunched over. That¡¯s why he sat on the high chair; it was so that he could survey the crowd, possibly for passersby like her who had a strange attraction to his wares. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. She was just about to get down from the hanyak to go to the man when Jalban called out to her from ahead, just above the din of the crowd bustling around them. ¡°No, Alyndia! You can get your own later!¡± Connie turned to him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that,¡± he said. ¡°You can find your own on the way there. Let¡¯s go.¡± Jalban sounded like he meant business. She turned to the old man at the kiosk. His eyes were still locked on her. Connie fought an almost overpowering urge to go over to the man to discern from him the yearning she felt inside. ¡°Alyndia!¡± Jalban called to her again. This time, she heard the anger in his voice. ¡°Better get moving,¡± Rahl said from behind her. ¡°He¡¯s probably overpriced, anyway.¡± Reluctantly, Connie pulled her attention away from the man and started the hanyak forward behind the path cleared by Jalban ahead of them. She looked back longingly one last time at the man and the azure jugs. His eyes were still on her, a hurt expression on his face, before their visual connection was broken by the mass of flesh in the street. The acute thirst she felt subsided. Presently aware of this feeling, she kept feeling the nudge she felt at the kiosk. As they passed the numerous merchants, occasionally she felt a burning sensation of fire beneath her skin, then water again, buoyancy in her limbs, and then the gritty sense of someone lightly rubbing gritty sandpaper on her skin. Finally, they reached the great wooden gates. Here the throng thinned, and they could move more easily. Rahl guided the pack hanyak between him and Connie, and they rode forward three abreast. On either side of the gate, just outside small, ornate shacks, the fresh-faced young men armed with halberds stood guarding the gates, collecting a tariff for those who entered without a writ of citizenship. There were eight sentinels in all, dressed brightly with shiny breastplates glinting in the sun. Each wore a giant plume of feathers in his metal helmet, with the top vaguely reminiscent of those helmets worn by the Spanish Conquistadors. Seven of the sentinels wore green feathers. One of them, presumably the leader, wore yellow. They passively watched those leaving through the gates. Somehow, Connie knew the men as lower-ranking members of the city garrison, although she did not know why she knew this fact. Jalban, Rahl, and Connie passed through the gates with no more than a slight nod to her from one of the green-plumed sentinels. Connie expected the crowd to disperse far and wide once they left the city, but beyond the walls stood even more buildings with kiosks set up in front. A quick scan of the structures outside the walls revealed them to be less ostentatious and of lower quality than those located within the walls. The appearance of the crowd took a similar turn. Immediately to the right, they passed three low, circular fountains arranged in a triangular pattern. At the edge of each fountain was a hand-crank pump made of brassy metal. A sign planted by one of the fountains displayed a semi-crude drawing of a hanyak with an ¡°X¡± drawn through it. Townswomen waited at the fountain with their buckets, talking amicably among themselves. Two of the women, one plump one with striking green hair wearing a yellow and brown striped medieval-style dress and the other, a thinner but less comely, bonneted version of the other, paused in their chat and smiled winsomely at Rahl. Now they rode straight into the new throng. The sun felt hot on Connie¡¯s shoulders and face. She spotted a floppy hat made of green reeds attached to a pack on the hanyak between them. Assuming it was hers, she plucked it off and stuck it on her head. They traveled a short distance later. A skinny young boy wearing a threadbare smock rushed up to them, holding out his hand. He had lovely straight green hair, big green eyes, and a face with delicate features. ¡°Money, lady,¡± he pleaded. ¡°My mother has a fever. She cannot move. I need money to take her to the temple of Thedamas.¡± Connie halted the hanyak. ¡°Why do you need money to take him to the temple? Why don¡¯t you take him to the (?!)¡± Connie drew a blank on the word doctor. She could not find the expression for the thought she meant to convey to describe a man who heals through scientifically proven processes. Something lower and more autonomous in her wanted to say ¡°healer¡± or ¡°acolyte,¡± but this spoken word did not seem to have an equivalent meaning to what she really wanted to say. The boy gazed at her, seemingly trying to fathom her thoughts. Then he spoke again, his voice more pleading than before. ¡°Please, lady, if you could spare only a half-pence, I would be eternally grateful to you.¡± ¡°I very well doubt you need to take your mother to the temple,¡± she said to the boy. ¡°You should take her to a doctor instead.¡± The boy looked at her with a puzzled expression. ¡°Who is doctor?¡± ¡°Someone who heals you. I will give you money if you go to the doctor, but not if you¡¯re going to squander it at the temple. I don¡¯t believe in dumping money into religious causes.¡± The boy gave her another look of befuddlement, yet his hand remained outstretched. Connie reached into the leather bag that jangled from her belt. Rahl rode up to them. ¡°What is your problem, child?¡± ¡°My mother is sick with a fever. I need money to take her to the temple.¡± Connie withdrew a shiny iridium coin amid the copper-colored coins from her purse to hand to the boy. When Rahl saw what she was going to do, he spoke up. ¡°Alyndia! Don¡¯t¡ª!¡± But before he could say anything more, the boy jumped up and snatched the coin from her fingers. He looked down at the shiny and bright coin in the palm of his dirty hand. His eyes were wide with disbelief. Then he quickly bowed several times to her. ¡°Thank you, lady! Thank you, lady! Thank you, lady!¡± Each time he bowed, he took another step backward. Then he ran away from them, disappearing into the crowd. Rahl shook his head, turned his hanyak around, and rode forward to join Jalban. The two waited for her a hundred paces up the street. Jalban glared at her as she approached but said nothing. Connie thought he looked disgusted with her. The three continued onward. Neither of Connie¡¯s companions said anything to her as they passed through the crowd. Eventually, both the crowd and the buildings thinned. After twenty minutes or so, the unimproved dirt road had become only a rutted path. Now there were more trees, of different varieties, none of which she recognized. She only knew they looked similar to pine. The woods were not especially dense, and she caught glimpses of an occasional hut or cottage in the trees some distance from the road. Surrounding some of these cottages were fenced-in areas containing peculiar-looking farm animals. Some of these creatures clucked, brayed strangely, or made other odd beastly sounds as they passed. Now the sun was high on the horizon, and it became hot, but they were entering a more heavily wooded area, and the signs of habitation grew slight. Connie¡¯s mind turned to the boy she¡¯d encountered, with his green eyes and his plea for his mother. He was not unlike the street urchins she encountered during a six-month spy assignment in northern India she accepted early in her career. Posing as a British tourist, her task was to gather information on India¡¯s nascent nuclear capabilities. She rode up to Rahl, feeling satisfied with herself for being able to help the child. She decided to gloat a bit. ¡°I hope that child makes good use of that money I gave him. Can you believe he wanted to give it to a temple?¡± ¡°He may, he may not. You never know what he will use it for.¡± Connie detected some dismay towards her in his tone. She stopped riding. ¡°Hold on a minute, Rahl. Do you have a problem with someone helping out the poor?¡± Rahl stopped next to him. ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s just what you gave him.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What do I mean, you ask?¡± ¡°You think I didn¡¯t give him enough?¡± Rahl let out a guffaw and started riding again. Connie quickly caught up with him. ¡°Tell me what you mean.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious to you? You gave him a rezni piece.¡± ¡°So?¡± Connie didn¡¯t follow what Rahl meant. She did not like his attitude. She wanted to kick him off his hanyak. ¡°Don¡¯t you know the value of money? A rezni is worth a month¡¯s wages for the average freeman.¡± ¡°It is?¡± Connie asked, feeling suddenly foolish at what she had done. She felt certain that the other grimy, copper colored coins in her purse were not worth nearly as much as the Rezni. She wondered how many more of those she had. ¡°Yes, and sure, you have more of those, and I¡¯m assuming you have all the confidence that the boy will make good use of the money.¡± Connie shook her head. She reached for her purse. He probably doesn¡¯t even have a mother that he knows, she thought. Liam chimed in. ¡°Maybe he has a father who sends him out for drinking money, and then flogs him when he doesn¡¯t bring back enough at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Enough from you two already. I feel bad enough without you two adding to it.¡± Connie said, vexed, as she sorted through and counted the coins in her purse. There were no more Reznis. ¡°How far away is this place we¡¯re going to?¡± she asked weakly, spilling the coins back into her purse. ¡°We should be there by tomorrow afternoon.¡± Rahl answered. ¡°Now what is it we¡¯re supposed to be doing?¡± Jalban sighed. ¡°Alyndia, since you awoke this morning, you have been acting strangely. Why do you ask such foolish questions?¡± ¡°Then refresh my memory, Uncle Jalban,¡± Connie said in the bitchiest tone she could coax from her newly slight voice. Jalban shook his head and rode ahead of her. Rahl replied for him. ¡°We are going to the Castle Maray to assist in the repair of the Calphous Wall.¡± Connie winced. ¡°You mean we¡¯re going all this way to fix somebody¡¯s wall?¡± Rahl stared at her with ill-concealed dismay. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the Calphous Wall, the barrier to the Dark Realms?¡± he asked her as if the question were the most obvious. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Then I suppose you haven¡¯t heard of the earth tremor that destroyed part of it.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were from Roggentine?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was from there.¡± ¡°Then what did you say?¡± ¡°Look, Rahl,¡± Connie was going to say, and then she eyed Jalban ahead of them. She lowered her voice. ¡°Look, Rahl,¡± she began again, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re in on this, but I¡¯m going to take a chance on you. Listen to me very carefully. My name is not Alyndia the Sorceress. My name is Connie Bain. I¡¯m a citizen of the United States. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing here. I think I¡¯ve been drugged and kidnapped. I woke up this morning and found myself in this strange country. It all happened when I put on this bracelet.¡± Rahl ran his fingers through his beard. ¡°Which bracelet are you talking about?¡± ¡°Well, it was given to me by my partner, Agent William MacGregor. You see, we were investigating the disappearance of controlled substances from a university. We traced it to this professor who worked at the university. His son has ties to a terrorist group in the Middle East that I cannot name.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s classified. Anyway, this professor, a crackpot, really, claimed he had contacted a sorceress named Alyndia through some interdimensional portal. He also said the people in her world breathed chlorine gas and had this special covenant with God, among other things. Then the professor said that if we put the bracelet on the wrist of his wife, who lay comatose at the hospital, her body would become inhabited with the spirit of this sorceress who was waiting on the astral plane.¡± ¡°Did you put the bracelet on her?¡± Connie rubbed the nape of her neck. ¡°Not really. I didn¡¯t get the chance. I think someone followed me to the hospital. They sneaked up on me and struck me over the head before I could. I woke up later with a massive headache and looking like I do now.¡± ¡°But Jalban thinks you¡¯re Alyndia. Though I don¡¯t know him, he seems honest enough.¡± ¡°He might be in on it, though. For all I know, he masterminded this whole thing. Do you understand the predicament I¡¯m in? I can¡¯t trust anyone.¡± ¡°But who would want to kidnap you? And why?¡± Connie sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know who. I¡¯m still trying to figure that out. Why? I can think of a hundred reasons why someone would want to kidnap me. I¡¯ve worked on assignments all over the world. I do have knowledge that could be useful to some foreign power, I suppose¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. ¡°But to tell you the truth, I haven¡¯t a clue who brought me here or for what ulterior purpose.¡± ¡°So, if you¡¯re not a sorceress, what are you?¡± Connie looked around to make sure Jalban wasn¡¯t within earshot. ¡°I¡¯m a spook,¡± she stated in a hushed tone. ¡°You say you¡¯re a ghost,¡± he said in a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°No. I work for the CIA. I¡¯m with the Homeland Security Department.¡± ¡°Homeland¡ªwhat?¡± ¡°I do covert investigations of suspected terrorists.¡± ¡°Oh. So you scry? That¡¯s your purpose? To spy on people?¡± He scrutinized her from head to toe, obviously making an attempt to see the connection. ¡°You make it sound bad, but really it isn¡¯t. My job is to save lives, not keep tabs on innocent people.¡± He narrowed his eyes at her. She did not like the look he was giving her. Connie cleared her throat. ¡°Before I go any further, Rahl, I want to clarify something for you. I don¡¯t care what you¡¯ve heard about our organization; we would never take a human life unless our own was in jeopardy or if it jeopardized the security of the United States or its citizens.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of the United States.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only the most powerful empire on the planet.¡± ¡°I thought Cerinavia was.¡± ¡°Hell, I¡¯ve never even heard of Cerinavia until now, and I aced World Geography in college. You need to come to reality, Rahl. It¡¯s a big world out there, and nobody gives a damn about this cheap-ass, third-world, backwater country. What¡¯s the government like here? Let me guess. Is it Marxist? Is it fascist? Is it a two-bit Class B dictatorship? Or is it just plain old anarchy? The United States pisses all over this petty country.¡± Rahl stared at Connie with a sudden expression of wariness. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°To speak from my heart, I have to admit I am rather stunned.¡± ¡°Why, because you realized I¡¯d been kidnapped?¡± Rahl shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve just never before heard a lady sorceress speak with such a foul tongue.¡± ¡°I told you, Rahl, I¡¯m not a sorceress.¡± ¡°You are not a lady, either,¡± he said, with obvious disdain for her. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a lady. And don¡¯t get all patriarchal with me. I¡¯ll have you know that even though I don¡¯t consider myself a proper feminist, I do have strong feminist leanings.¡± With those words, Rahl dug his heels into the sides of the hanyak and galloped ahead to join Jalban, leaving her along with the pack hanyak. ¡°Ignorant bastard,¡± Connie muttered. Thirty minutes later, they left the roadside to break for lunch. They sat on some logs they spotted in a clearing just off the roadside. The spot had evidently been used by other travelers recently, as the smoldering remains of a campfire sat within a small ring of stones positioned squarely between the fallen trees. Rahl and Jalban sat together and spoke in hushed tones, while Connie sat by herself on a log opposite them. Connie forced herself to eat portions of the rations in her pack, though more than a few of them looked unappetizing. She had never seen vegetables such as the ones she ate, especially the one that looked like a small, blue potato but tasted like an apple. They washed everything down with a naturally sweet aceralla-leaf tea Jalban had prepared earlier in the trip. She overheard Jalban explain to Rahl that the bark of the aceralla tree was so poisonous that a mere sliver of its bark inserted beneath the skin was enough to cause the death of a young child. It seemed Jalban knew an awful lot about strangely named herbs. Though she had started to feel weary from the trip, the tea perked her up and gave her energy, not unlike a caffeine rush. With Jalban and Rahl, the tea had the opposite effect. Both of them, feeling weary, draped their blankets over the trees and settled in for a short nap. While the two men slept, Connie wandered the surrounding forest, taking in the pastoral setting. Birds sang melodiously in the towering pine-like trees that towered above them. Dried nettles crunched beneath her feet with every step. She caught the sweet scent of vanilla emanating from somewhere. She traced the scent to the bark of one of the trees. She put her nose up against the bark and inhaled deeply to savor its fragrance. Suddenly, she heard something fall to the ground behind her with a loud thump. She quickly turned around, startled. A large, conical acorn the size of a baseball had fallen from the tree. Most unusual of all, it was blue with metallic green swirls. She picked it up and gasped, for it was the largest and most unusual acorn she had ever seen. She looked up to see a green squirrel watching her enviously from a branch high above. She returned her attention to the acorn. It was heavy too, and it had an unopened, three-sided slit on the bottom. It looked like a psychedelic moon capsule. Then she noticed there were dozens of acorns on the ground all around her. Most of them were damaged and split open by the squirrels. She tossed the acorn between her hands, gauging its weight and solidity. ¡°Finders keepers,¡± she called out to the squirrel as she left the tree, taking the acorn with her. Back at the camp, Rahl and Jalban snored loudly. Connie went to put the acorn in her pack. Then she had the unmistakable feeling that she was being watched. She looked toward the camp. Rahl and Jalban were sleeping soundly. She looked around, scanning the woods for any sign of movement. She saw none. She looked up into the trees. There¡¯s nothing there either. She closed her eyes and listened. All was silent except for the swishing of the breeze through the pines and the chirping of birds. She looked around one more time, but now the feeling of being watched subsided. She returned her attention to the saddlebags. She untied a few of the leather cords from the packs to find an empty place to store the acorn. Going through the packs, she found several other items, including a cache of leather-bound books tied shut with what appeared to be four colors of silk ribbon: red, blue, brown, and white. Along with these, we found two pouches. One contained small, square cubes of a reddish wood that looked like they could have been unfinished Vegas-sized dice. In the other pouch, she found some oddly-cut crystals of the same color and some clear ones too. She found a preponderance of the red crystals and only two cool blue crystals. Crazily, the red crystals were exceptionally warm to the touch compared to the ambient temperature of the air, and the blue crystals were cold. She untied the white ribbon that sealed the cover of one of the books and opened it to a random page. Without the slightest effort, her mind instantly decoded this as part of a magic spell. This spell was one that used wind to push something. She turned another page. This was a spell that amplified sound. Now she was opening yet another book, this one with a brown ribbon. This spell, several pages long, moved soil. She didn¡¯t understand how it was all supposed to work. The instructions for the spells contained few incantations, but more methods for mental channeling of energy and the focusing of the mental energy into the shape of a rune. It seemed to Connie that it would take the discipline of a monk to perform the mental feats detailed within the pages of the books. She took all the books out of the pack and laid them out on a fallen log. She quickly correlated the colors of the silk ribbons to the types of spells. There were nineteen spells in all, distributed among seven books, and they were sharply demarcated into four ¡°elemental states¡± of Solid, Gas, Liquid, and Flame. All the books were handwritten in some sort of crazy, multicolored ink. The corners of some pages were adorned with ornate, fanciful drawings of ivy and flowers. It was evident that someone had expended a great deal of time and energy on writing the books. Such a wasted effort for something so beautiful. She shook her head and stuffed the books haphazardly back into the pack. Did Jalban and Rahl really believe these spells would actually work, and that she, mistakenly believed to be Alyndia the Sorceress, could cast them? This character, Alyndia, was bamboozling somebody, and it troubled her that she might have to pay the price for Alyndia¡¯s deception. Just as the books were put away, she saw Rahl get to his feet. He yawned lackadaisically then surveyed the sky. Moments later, he quickly awoke Jalban. They had overslept, and now they would not make it to the village of Zeranon before nightfall unless they hurried. Once on the road again, Jalban and Rahl took turns telling jokes. Although the two of them had an uproarious time, she got none of the jokes. It occurred to her that the two men might be mocking her, so she slipped behind them and rode a good distance behind them, out of earshot. The longer they rode, the denser the forest became, and now the pine trees were intermixed with a deciduous tree that looked like it might be a sycamore, only with black leaves instead of green. After they had been traveling for an hour or so, Connie was beginning to feel a bit saddle sore. Though she had ridden hanyaks most of her life and kept herself in excellent shape, somehow her body was not accustomed to the feeling of being in a saddle once again. This baffled her. Rahl and Jalban did not seem fazed at all by the ride, and they rode onward, chatting among themselves and telling nonsensical jokes without punch lines. Connie was just about to ride ahead to ask them to stop for a break when she felt an internal tug toward the forest. The sensation was strangely like that which she felt at the marketplace earlier in the day, when the street vendor sold the peculiar little jugs. Connie stopped the hanyak and stood still, trying to pinpoint the source of the sensation. The call to her senses emanated from a clump of bushes about a dozen paces from the roadside. She dismounted the hanyak and approached the bushes. The closer she got to the bushes, the stronger the feeling of attraction. The bush now seemed to draw her like a magnet. She ambled to the bush in her robe, nearly stumbling in the underbrush. Now she was in the bush. She thought for a moment about going back to the roadside to tell the others where she was, but the attraction was too great, and it mesmerized her. She stared at the bush for a minute or so, then she moved some branches aside to see what might be concealed. Just then, she heard a twig snap behind her. She quickly spun around to see Jalban standing there. Her attention had been so entirely focused on the bush that she had not even noticed his approach. In his hand, he held one of the cubes of wood from her pack. ¡°I thought you might need this,¡± he said, holding out the cube to her. ¡°What for?¡± she asked, not taking the cube. ¡°Is it not wood?¡± he asked. ¡°Or shall I retrieve a crystal?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Connie said. Jalban gave Connie a momentary perplexed look, then his expression quickly turned to that of vexation. ¡°Alyndia, your charade has become tiresome. Extract the node, if that¡¯s what it is, and let¡¯s go. If we don¡¯t hurry, we will not make it to Zeranon before dark.¡± He proffered the wooden block to Connie again. ¡°Here, take it.¡± Connie took the wooden cube from Jalban and turned to the bush. ¡°What do I do?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡°What do I do?¡± By the boot of the gods¡ªget the damned node and put it in the cell!¡± he shouted. ¡°How?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the sorceress, and you¡¯re asking me how to extract the node? You very well know I am an herbalist and have not been trained in extracting nodes.¡± ¡°Just give me a hint, then. How do I extract the node?¡± ¡°How do I¡­¡± Jalban¡¯s voice trailed off. Jalban let out a sigh of disgust. Connie felt him glaring at her back. She was ready to swing around and give him a quick kick to the groin for his indignant manner toward her. Finally, he spoke again with a calmer voice but with an overtone of ill-concealed annoyance. ¡°You have to concentrate. You have to will the node into your cell.¡± ¡°What cell?¡± ¡°The one in your hand.¡± ¡°This?¡± she asked. She examined the wood cube in her hand, looking for an opening of some sort. It didn¡¯t appear to have any obvious openings; it appeared to be solid. ¡°Yes. Now use your willpower to move the node into the cell.¡± Connie kneeled in front of the source of the attraction. She moved the branches aside with her hand and looked into the bush. She saw nothing but a dense net of wiry branches attached to a thick trunk. Her attraction was strongest at the bush¡¯s trunk, but she saw nothing that resembled the node described by Jalban. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything. Where is the node?¡± she asked, thinking it might be a specific part of the bush. ¡°Where do you sense it is?¡± ¡°The trunk, I think,¡± Connie said, unsure. ¡°That¡¯s where it is. Will it out.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®how?¡¯¡± Jalban asked, his voice tense again. ¡°Have patience with me, Jalban. I¡¯ve never done this before. Now, how do I will it out?¡± ¡°By the gods¡­¡± his voice trailed off, followed by some barely-annunciated curses. ¡°Picture the node in the trunk, then move it into the cell.¡± As crazy as it sounded to her, she decided to take Jalban¡¯s word for it. She held the cube up to the trunk, and then she proceeded to concentrate on the so-called ¡°node¡± in the trunk, as Jalban said. Suddenly, the wood cube in her fingers began to glow translucently with brownish-green light, then the light faded away, the cube absorbing the glow like a sponge. She moved the cube away from the trunk and examined it. Physically, the cube was unchanged, only now her strange, subconscious fascination had transferred from the bush to something within the cube. ¡°Let us go now,¡± Jalban said. Connie got to her feet and followed Jalban back to the road, where Rahl waited on his hanyak. Jalban said nothing to either of them as he climbed back into the saddle of his hanyak. Connie took one last look at the wood cube before slipping it into a hidden pocket at the breast level of her robe. She was just about to get back on her hanyak when Rahl dismounted. He quickly withdrew a shiny sword from the scabbard attached to his waist. Startled by the appearance of the sword, Connie was about to bolt when she realized that Rahl was staring down the tree-shaded road they had just traveled. ¡°What it is, Rahl?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Hush,¡± he said to her in a hoarse whisper. ¡°We¡¯re being followed.¡± Chapter 3 - An Unexpected Encounter Chapter 3 An Unexpected Encounter ¡°How many did you see?¡± Jalban asked in a hushed tone while unpacking from his back his morning star, a weapon consisting of a hefty wooden shaft with a spiked ball at one end. ¡°One so far.¡± Rahl replied. ¡°Man, animal, or beast?¡± ¡°Not sure yet.¡± Sword in hand, Rahl walked slowly down the road, taking each step with caution. ¡°I¡¯m going with Rahl,¡± Jalban told Connie. ¡°Have a spell ready in case we need it.¡± ¡°Whatever you say,¡± she answered Jalban. Jalban followed closely behind Rahl. Connie remained where she was, peering down the road from the saddle on her hanyak, watching for any sign of movement. She pondered what Jalban meant by asking, ¡°Man, animal, or beast.¡± She wondered what the distinction was between an animal and a beast. Just in case something unpredictable happened, Connie squeezed the reigns of the just in case something unpredictable happened. Rahl stopped suddenly at thirty paces and turned to his right. He saw someone or something hiding in the bushes. He motioned Jalban forward. Once Jalban was at his side, he crept into the thick underbrush, his double-edged sword poised above his head, ready to strike. There was a sudden movement behind one of the bushes. Quickly, with the deft swipe of his sword, he struck the base of the bush, easily severing its trunk. The bush fell to the side. Behind the bush stood a young boy dressed in rags. Rahl quickly recognized the boy as the street urchin Alyndia had given the silver to back in Roggentine. The boy turned to run. Instead, he tripped on a clump of vines at his feet. Rahl lunged at the boy and fell upon him. The boy struggled silently and vigorously. But though his movements were quick, he was no match for Rahl¡¯s mature, strength. Pinned helpless beneath Rahl, the boy suddenly went silent, as if now resigned to his fate. Jalban was there in a moment, and now stood above them. His jaw went slack when he set his eyes on the boy. ¡°By the gods!¡± Jalban said. ¡°It¡¯s the boy from Roggentine!¡± Rahl got to his feet, all the while clutching the boy firmly by his ragged shirt. ¡°Where¡¯s the money you stole, you thief?¡± Jalban quickly grabbed the boy and began searching through his clothes for the silver Alyndia had inadvertently given him. ¡°Back away from the boy,¡± Rahl said. Rahl pushed Jalban away. Jalban stared at him with sudden anger in his eyes, his spiked morning star in hand. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know why he¡¯s here,¡± Rahl replied, discounting Jalban¡¯s anger. ¡°But he took Alyndia¡¯s money.¡± ¡°This is true, but she gave it to him. Do you remember? This boy may be a thief, but he did not steal from Alyndia.¡± Rahl turned his attention to the boy and queried him quickly before Jalban could act again. ¡°Why are you here? Why did you follow us?¡± The boy did not reply, but stood in Rahl¡¯s gasp, his eyes downcast. ¡°Answer him, you vagrant,¡± Jalban said, glaring at the boy. The boy said nothing, appearing too frightened to answer. Rahl then noticed a stripe of blood on the boy¡¯s forearm. Evidently, he had been scratched by the underbrush when he had subdued him. ¡°The boy is hurt. Do you have anything for him?¡± ¡°Well, I do, but he hasn¡¯t told us why he¡¯s followed us.¡± Rahl scanned the woods around them for others. For the density of the forest they were in, he noticed it was becoming prematurely dark, and there were plenty of places for others to hide. He addressed the boy in his clutch. ¡°Are you alone?¡± The boy nodded. A moment later, from somewhere in the underbrush, a baby began to cry. The boy tried to run off again, but Rahl thrust him to his feet with one arm. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you were alone?¡± Rahl asked the boy. ¡°He¡¯s my younger brother.¡± Rahl looked around, attempting to pinpoint the origin of the crying. ¡°You mean you brought an infant to these woods? This is no place for a defenseless child. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s dangerous to be out here alone as you are?¡± ¡°I had no choice.¡± Rahl shook his head. ¡°Jalban, go out there and find the boy¡¯s younger brother, and have a look around to make sure no one else is following us.¡± Rahl pulled the boy out onto the road. When Connie saw them again, she rode back to them. ¡°It¡¯s the boy from the city,¡± Rahl said. The boy¡¯s eyes widened with excitement and pleasure when he saw her. ¡°Lady!¡± Connie climbed down from the hanyak. ¡°What is he doing here?¡± she asked Rahl, who kept a firm grip on the boy. ¡°He followed us.¡± Connie looked at the scrawny boy, not quite believing such a thing could be true. He was dressed in soiled rags, and his worn-out, meager footware hardly afforded his feet enough protection for such a long walk. ¡°But we¡¯ve been riding all day,¡± she said in amazement. ¡°Why did he follow us?¡± Rahl addressed the boy. ¡°You heard her. Tell us why you followed us this distance.¡± Just then, Jalban emerged from the trees with a small knapsack slung over his back and awkwardly cradling a filthily-wrapped baby in one arm and holding his morning star in the other. ¡°Found the baby,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone else. It seems the boy is alone.¡± Connie rushed up to Jalban and peered at the child. The child was dirty and thin, but it appeared healthy. It appeared no more than three or four months old, and it peered up at her with large, green eyes. ¡°Whose baby is this?¡± Connie asked as she took the baby from Jalban, who was more than happy to give it to her. ¡°It is my younger brother, Kebal, good lady.¡± The boy replied to her. ¡°I had to take him from the city.¡± ¡°Why so?¡± ¡°They were going to take him away from me.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The Ministry of Children.¡± ¡°The Ministry of what? Of children? Jalban replied for her. ¡°The Ministry of Children is a part of the local government at Roggentine. They collect orphan and homeless infants and sell them to child families for a sum. The children are then raised as servants or laborers, depending on who buys them.¡± Connie gave Jalban a wry smile. ¡°Kind of like an adoption agency where they sell the children into slavery. This is a backward country you live in, Jalban.¡± Jalban frowned at Connie. ¡°I do not understand what you mean. It is a merciful treatment to a child that might normally starve on the street, or worse, grow up to become a thief or murderer,¡± he replied. Connie addressed the boy again, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had a sick mother you wanted to take to the temple?¡± Where is she?¡± ¡°I lied,¡± the boy said, his eyes dropping the road. ¡°We haven¡¯t a mother. She caught fever and died after my brother was born.¡± ¡°How about your father?¡± The boy¡¯s eyes remained downcast at this question, then he looked up to her with his deep green eyes that were much like his infant brother¡¯s. ¡°But you, rich, good lady, would take good care of him. I know you would.¡± Connie made a tight-lipped grin. Motherhood was never her forte. ¡°Is that why you followed us out here? You want me to be your baby brother¡¯s mother?¡± The boy reached into a hidden pocket sewn within his rags. He pulled out the silver coin she had given her earlier. Rahl released his grip on the boy when he saw what he was going to do. The boy bowed to her while holding out the silver coin for her to take. ¡°Here, good lady. Take this back. Please take my bother with you.¡± Connie stood before the boy with his infant brother cradled in her arms, aghast at the boy¡¯s earnest plea. She found herself feeling upset. A wave of euphoric vertigo washed over her. For a moment, the feeling of depersonalization rose up again, and she felt like a spectator to the whole scene rather than experiencing it firsthand. She felt like she was going to faint. She clenched her teeth and fought the feeling. The sensation subsided. Jalban broke in, unaware of Connie¡¯s struggle. ¡°This is preposterous. This is Alyndia, Sorceress of the Elements, Daughter of Alitrea. She has more important things to do than raise your brother.¡± The boy¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°Yes! Then you can teach my brother how to cast spells!¡± he said to her. ¡°I knew you were a sorceress when I first saw you.¡± Connie shook her head. ¡°Look, boy¡ªwhat is your name?¡± The boy got to his feet again, still holding out the silver coin to her. ¡°I am Sind, son of Letina.¡± ¡°Sind, I hate to disappoint you, but these guys have it all wrong. My name is not Alyndia. And I am not a sorceress. My name is Connie Bain. I am a citizen of the United States of America.¡± ¡°Here we go again,¡± Jalban said, preparing his spiked morning star for the first blow. Rahl looked on stoically. The boy gazed up at Connie. He appeared puzzled but hopeful. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about magic, sorcery, or even how I got here,¡± Connie continued. ¡°But if it¡¯s money you want¡ª¡± She pulled out her money pouch. ¡°You can have the whole pouch if you can just direct me to a¡ª¡± She tried to conjure up the word for telephone, but the language she spoke didn¡¯t have an equivalent within its vocabulary. Before she could say another word, Jalban snatched the money purse out of her hand. ¡°Alyndia! Are you possessed?¡± he asked. ¡°Now you¡¯re giving away all your money?¡± ¡°Please, lady, will you take care of my brother?¡± the boy asked again. Jalban grabbed the boy and thrust him back away from her. ¡°No, she will not take your brother. You must take him and go back to Roggentine, where you belong.¡± Rahl spoke firmly to Jalban. ¡°You must cool your spirit. This is Alyndia¡¯s choice.¡± Connie looked down at the child in her arms. It looked up at her with its green eyes and tawny-brown hair with an overtone of green. She did not like the idea of Sind carrying the infant all the way back to Roggentine by himself, especially now that it was getting dark. ¡°We must keep this baby with us,¡± she stated finally. Jalban let out a sigh of disgust. ¡°Why must we keep this child? We were not the ones that carried it all the way from Roggentine.¡± ¡°So what are we going to do, Jalban? Leave the baby here in the forest?¡± ¡°No, give it back to the boy.¡± ¡°And what will he do with the baby? Walk the distance to Roggentine by himself?¡± ¡°That is exactly how he got here, and that is why he is with us now. I say we send him on his way with the child.¡± Rahl broke in. ¡°I agree with Alyndia. We should keep the two of them with us, at least until morning. The forest is growing dark, and with the darkness comes danger. Tomorrow, we can send them back to Roggentine in safety with the next merchant group that passes us on their way to Roggentine.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°But these children are not our responsibility,¡± Jalban said. ¡°Yes, but now that we know of them, we cannot rightly leave them to brave the forest alone.¡± Connie smiled on hearing Rahl¡¯s compassion, and he appreciated his practical thinking. Jalban released the boy, picked up his weapon, and stormed back to the hanyaks. Sind ran up to Connie and embraced her. Connie stood there, feeling slightly awkward with the boy¡¯s arms around her waist. Rahl surveyed the pale patches of sky between the canopy of leaves and branches above the road. ¡°Nightfall will have come before we make the village. We must set up camp.¡± The four of them traveled a bit further up the road until they found a suitable clearing in which to create a camp. Jalban and Rahl scoured the immediate area surrounding the camp for enough firewood to last the night. Connie and Sind unloaded the hanyaks and cleared some underbrush to allow for a suitable place to sleep. Rahl and Jalban dropped a heap of firewood nearby and set up some wood in a small pile at the center of the camp. Rahl and Jalban turned to Connie and waited. ¡°Why are you two looking at me?¡± Rahl spoke, ¡°Usually the magic user conjures the fire.¡± ¡°Oh, do you have any matches?¡± ¡°Use your spell,¡± Jalban said. ¡°What spell?¡± Connie asked. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®what spell¡¯? I¡¯m not the spellcaster here. You are.¡± Connie crossed her arms imperiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°Alyndia, hasn¡¯t this game you are playing gone on long enough? For the love of the gods, please conjure the fire. It is getting dark.¡± ¡°Oh, I see! You want me to cast a spell to start the fire,¡± she said with sarcasm. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that¡¯s what you wanted me to do?¡± With those words, Connie waved her hands in front of the pile of branches Jalban and Rahl set up. ¡°Abracadabra!¡± she shouted as she thrust her hands at the pile. The wood remained unchanged, and no obvious fire began. After a few seconds, Connie turned to Jalban and Rahl. She shrugged. ¡°It didn¡¯t work. Does anyone here have a¡ª?¡± She could not find the word ¡°match.¡± She immediately thought they did not exist here. Jalban looked at her crossly. ¡°I cannot believe this. I don¡¯t know what you are trying to do, but you are becoming an embarrassment to your mother, Alitrea. You should think about what that great woman would be saying to you right now if she were here.¡± Jalban muttered something to himself as he walked off to pull his sleeping blanket off the hanyak. Rahl remained where he was, impassive, frowning at her with a knotted brow. ¡°I had heard you were an impressive prestidigitator of the art. So far, I am unimpressed.¡± ¡°I kept telling all of you, but you won¡¯t listen¡ª¡± she began. ¡°Leave her be, Rahl,¡± Jalban shot back at them. ¡°If she wants cold, salted meat for supper and to sleep in the dark, then let her be.¡± Rahl¡¯s frown morphed into a steely glare. He withdrew his sword. Connie backed off a step, immediately, Sind, who had been watching nearby, ran up between them and shielded Connie with his body. ¡°Don¡¯t you hurt the lady. You must hurt me first.¡± ¡°No,¡± Rahl said in an expressionless tone of voice, ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt the lady, but I¡¯m going to stand here until she starts the fire, or else.¡± Two hours later, the four of them sat in near darkness with growling bellies while the infant wailed mightily out of hunger. Connie worked on starting the fire. Her method was to use a trick she learned in an agency-sponsored survival camp she once attended, in which a fire could be started by twisting pieces of wood one against another with a short length of twine suspended across a bowed branch. Though she knew the process, she had done it only once before, and that was several years ago, and she recalled that she wasn¡¯t very good at it then, either. She continued working at starting the fire, cutting and bruising her delicate hands in the process. Rahl had given up his vigilant watch an hour earlier, and now he was starting to nod off with the sword resting on the blanket next to him. After a while, perhaps feeling sorry for her, Sind came over to help Connie. He added the kindling at the friction point at the moment she asked. She cursed mightily to herself as the kindling did not seem to catch fire that easily. It seemed as if the air was actually thinner, either that or the oxygen content was lower. Finally, through enormous effort, they were able to attain some smoldering embers in the kindling, and then, soon, with a great deal more nurturing effort, she was able to attain a fire. No one said much of anything while they ate their dinner of boiled vegetable soup and fresh pon bread made from the flour derived from pulverized ponda nut. Rahl had brought the bread with him from his hamlet of Threse, the place he was born. His younger sister and husband owned a successful bakery there. Rahl boasted that the bread was baked with such care that it would taste fresh-baked for three days after it left the oven. Connie found the bread delicious. The dough itself had a sweet, chocolaty aftertaste. Most remarkably, Sind ate three helpings of the soup and bread, and then he took a portion of another to feed his brother. After supper, Jalban, in a moment of unseemly kindness as the result of a full belly of warm food, mixed up a batch of white creamy salve for her damaged hands. He applied the salve, telling her it would help her hands heal quicker. He also gave some salve to Sind for the scratch on his arm. Now it was dark, and the stars peeked through the branches above. Pale green moonlight emanated from somewhere low on the horizon. Jalban rolled up in his blanket and turned in for the night. Sind, with his baby brother, did the same in the extra hanyak blanket Connie had loaned him. Rahl added more wood to the fire and then joined Connie at the sweet spot near the fire, which was the perfect balance between the heat of the flames and the chill of the night air. With her knees tucked against her chest, she stared at the fire that now burned with an eerie blue-green glow while attempting to interpret, in her own psychological terms, all the strange, unbelievable happenings of the day. For a while, they said nothing to each other, absorbed in their thoughts and the still night air, then Rahl spoke. ¡°Clear night.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a clear night,¡± she looked at her, throbbing, bruised hands in the firelight. ¡°I hope you all enjoyed the fire I made for you,¡± she said, her voice conveying more weariness than bitterness. ¡°Seems like a great deal of work,¡± Rahl said. ¡°I¡¯ve camped hundreds of times in my years, and I¡¯ve never seen anyone conjure a fire such as you did this evening, least of all by a sorceress.¡± ¡°As you said, it was a great deal of work.¡± Connie rubbed the palms of her hands with her fingers. Rahl watched her do this. She noticed him staring at her hands. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Your hands,¡± he replied. ¡°They are beautiful.¡± ¡°These aren¡¯t my hands,¡± she said. ¡°Are they not? In my eyes, they appear to be the hands of a sorceress. They are fine, and delicate. No calluses. They are certainly not the hands of a craftsman or laborer.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not a sorceress. Why doesn¡¯t anybody believe me?¡± At those words, Connie fought off the strongest urge to cry, but then she got a hold of herself. Connie Bain never cries, and she won¡¯t start crying now, she told herself. ¡°Your Uncle Jalban insists that you are his niece, and you look and sound like the way you have been described to me, the daughter of Alitrea. How do you explain this?¡± Connie shook her head slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Rahl. I really don¡¯t know. But I do know for certain that there is a definite case of mistaken identity.¡± Rahl gave her a slight nod. He withdrew his sword from its scabbard and began running a sharpening stone up its edge, slowly and quietly, as not to disturb the others. Connie watched Rahl¡¯s expression while he sharpened the weapon. She saw he gazed at it tenderly, just as Connie thought he¡¯d gaze at a lover. ¡°Are you married, Rahl?¡± His mind remained tightly focused on the weapon. At first, he appeared not to have heard her question, then spoke. ¡°Yes,¡± he answered simply, without elaboration. Connie¡¯s eyes scanned his left hand for a wedding band of some sort. She saw none, but then she thought that maybe it was not the custom to wear one in this peculiar culture. ¡°How long have you been together?¡± ¡°A long time.¡± ¡°What is her name?¡± ¡°So many questions,¡± he said without answering. ¡°How about you? Are you spoken for?¡± ¡°Not in the proper sense,¡± she replied. ¡°There¡¯s this guy I was living with for a while. It was hot and heavy for a while, but things cooled. We¡¯re just friends now.¡± At those words, Rahl abruptly stopped running the stone along his weapon. He turned to her and stared at her with a perplexed expression. Connie raised her eyebrows to ask non-verbally, Did I offend you. After a moment, Rahl returned his attention to the sword. Not knowing why Rahl reacted the way he did, Connie decided to direct the conversation to a more genteel subject. ¡°So, I know you have at least one sister,¡± she stated. ¡°Do you have any other siblings?¡± ¡°Yes. I have an older brother. His name is Yalden. You will meet him in a fortnight. I also have two younger sisters, Betallah, and Selinda. They live in Raz-Parad. And you?¡± Connie hated to answer this question whenever it came up. ¡°I have three sisters. I¡¯m the oldest of all.¡± ¡°Do they have names?¡± Rahl asked, sounding a little surprised at her answer. ¡°Yes. Joy, Faith, and Felicity.¡± ¡°I thought you were an only child.¡± ¡°Most people say that. You see, it¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve had any contact with my sisters. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t talk about them all that often. I don¡¯t talk to my mother either, not since Papa died.¡± ¡°But why all this bitterness?¡± Connie looked away from him. ¡°That¡¯s nothing I want to discuss right now, Rahl.¡± They sat in front of the fire for a long time. Off in the distance, there came a screech of pain from some wounded animal. The screeching continued for about ten seconds, then it stopped abruptly. Moments later, there came a howl not unlike that of a wolf. ¡°What was that?¡± Connie asked apprehensively. ¡°That was a thrake,¡± ¡°What is a thrake?¡± He described the creature to her. As she visualized it, the creature was, for all practical purposes, a wolf. ¡°Thrakes have been sighted in these woods, but they are not common. There is enough game that they would have no need to attack humans. ¡° ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± she said, relieved to hear this. ¡°It is just as wise that we always be prepared for the event that we encounter some.¡± He held out his sword. It glinted balefully in the blue firelight. The blade was a lovely work of art with runes in the blood gutter and an ornamented hilt. There was not a speck of rust on it, and it was obvious to Connie that the weapon was well-maintained. ¡°Lovely weapon,¡± Connie remarked. ¡°Do you actually carry that thing around with you wherever you go?¡± Rahl let out a throaty laugh. ¡°Why, of course I do. I¡¯m a Swordbearer.¡± ¡°Still, I mean. Are there others who carry swords like that?¡± ¡°All men at arms carry the weapon of their choice.¡± ¡°What does it take to be a Swordbearer?¡± ¡°Usually the title is inherited. My father was a Swordbearer, as was my grandfather and my grandfather¡¯s father. I inherited the title from my father when I turned twenty years old. Normally, the title goes to the eldest son, with in my family is Yalden, my older brother, but he declined the title when¡ª¡± Rahl paused. A sad expression crossed his face. ¡°¡ªwhen the woman he married at a young age convinced him not to accept the title.¡± ¡°I¡¯m almost sorry to hear that,¡± Connie said. ¡°A woman should never hold her man back.¡± Her eyes rested upon the sword he held. ¡°May I?¡± She held her hand out to grasp the weapon. Rahl studied her for a moment. Then, with obvious reluctance, he carefully handed her his prized weapon. ¡°Careful. It is extremely sharp. I had an enchantment cast on it before I left home.¡± Once the weapon was in her hands, Connie found its weight unbearable. It dropped to the soil. Rahl quickly lifted the blade from the soil with his boot, and tried to take the weapon away from Connie. Connie did not take Rahl¡¯s cue and got to her feet so that she could better hold the sword. Rahl backed away from her. ¡°Be careful with that, or somebody is going to get hurt.¡± Connie lifted the sword higher to better gauge its weight. She tried to swing the weapon, but found she could not lift it high enough. As scrawny as her arms had become since she was kidnapped, and considering the massiveness of the sword, it might as well have been made of lead. Rahl quickly took the sword away from Connie. ¡°That will be enough. Leave the swordcraft to me, and I will leave the spellcraft to you.¡± ¡°Normally, I used to be able to handle a sword like that,¡± Connie said as she sat down again. ¡°Surely you jest,¡± Rahl scoffed as he settled next to her. ¡°You don¡¯t have the physique to be a fighter, let alone a Swordbearer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet you didn¡¯t know I¡¯m an eighth level black belt, and I¡¯m trained in the use of five bladed weapons and three dozen types of¡ª¡± She wanted to say firearms, but was unable to, so she said, ¡°Missile weapons. I won my first marksmanship medal when I was fifteen.¡± Rahl looked at her with a blank expression. ¡°You¡¯re an archer?¡± ¡°I am adequate at archery, but I prefer fire-based missile weapons. Power over elegance is my motto.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a lady archer? Jalban did not say your family was from the Cantalla tribe.¡± ¡°No one said I was.¡± The fire was getting lower. Rahl got up and added a few more branches to the fire. Connie yawned. She was getting sleepy. The thrake howled again in the distance. She had perked up again before the end of his long, mournful cry. ¡°That reminds me, Rahl. I have a question for you: today, Jalban asked you if what followed us was a man, an animal, or a beast. What did he mean by that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry he frightened you with his words. Jalban probably doesn¡¯t leave the city very often. You have to expect that of city people.¡± ¡°But what did he mean by the word, beast?¡± ¡°A creature of Chaos, a twisted one, a being of corrupt spirit and twisted body.¡± ¡°What did you say? I don¡¯t think I heard you right.¡± ¡°Just disregard the beasts. There are none in this forest. I travel this road twice a year to visit Yalden. I have never seen one, nor heard of one in these parts in several years. Of course, a beast loose on this side of the Icheron wall would be a tumultuous event. Surely you would have heard of it. The last beast that got loose in these parts killed hundreds before it was caught and slain.¡± ¡°You mean it was a bear?¡± ¡°No, I said a beast, not a bear. And the Ruling Council at Roggentine called upon the Swordbearers to defend their city and outlying lands against the Beasts of Chaos.¡± Connie let out a long laugh, shaking her head all the while. Rahl shot her a look of befuddlement. ¡°What mirth do you find in my words?¡± ¡°The whole thing you just told me sounds so ridiculous.¡± ¡°I do not understand you, Alyndia.¡± ¡°You should listen to yourself, Rahl. You just told me you carry around that antique sword so you can run around killing monsters. I have never heard of anything so crazy in my life.¡± Connie laughed some more. ¡°Lower your voices over there,¡± Jalban barked from his blanket. ¡°I¡¯m trying to sleep.¡± Rahl scowled at Connie. ¡°I should smack you with the broadside of my sword for disrespecting the Order of Swordbearers.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Connie said, controlling her laughter, realizing that Rahl was not taking her laughter too well. ¡°Tell me what these so-called chaos-beasts look like?¡± ¡°They can look like anything. My father used to call them ¡®a perversion of what is borne of nature.¡¯¡± ¡°Then how do you know when you¡¯ve seen one?¡± ¡°They have one thing in common: an unalloyed hatred for all things, good and evil. Even the ancient race of dragons fear them.¡± On hearing this, Connie broke into another fit of laughter. ¡°You mean, there are dragons too?¡± ¡°Yes, dragons. Some are shape-shifters, too.¡± ¡°Shape-shifting dragons?¡± she laughed some more. Then he grabbed Connie by her arms and thrust her to the ground. She stopped laughing abruptly when he brought a knife to her throat. ¡°What are you doing? Get off of me!¡± She struggled under his weight, but it was no use¡ªhe was much stronger and larger than she was. He stared down at her with a contemptuous gleam in his eyes. Connie knew this look. She had seen it before in her line of work, and she instantly felt frightened. Just the same, she did not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. ¡°Be you a sorceress or pauper, I do not care. I will not tolerate you or anyone making jest of the Order of Swordbearers. We are courageous and honorable. We are sworn to defend the law and order of civilization against the plague of Chaos.¡± Now silent and still, Connie returned Rahl¡¯s gaze. Her observation was that, foolish or not, he certainly believed wholeheartedly in his purpose of killing monsters and defending civilization against Chaos. Her instincts told her it was best, at that point, not to press her view of the issue with him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rahl. I did not mean to mock you or the Order of the Swordbearer.¡± Rahl continued, seemingly unmoved by her apology. ¡°You must understand that I am sworn to protect you too, perchance the moment comes that Chaos seeks to take your life.¡± ¡°I believe you, Rahl. You will have to forgive me. I haven¡¯t been myself in the last few days.¡± ¡°So I have heard,¡± he said, suddenly releasing her. Feeling drained from the incident, he wearily got to his feet, picked up and sheathed his sword and dagger, then ambled over to his blanket, where he quickly bundled himself up for the night. Connie remained by herself, sitting sullenly at the fire. She listened pensively to some strange-sounding crickets in the underbrush and other mysterious noises of the night. Though the heat of the moment had passed, she still felt rattled from nearly getting her throat cut a few minutes earlier. Connie Bain never cries, she told herself, fighting off the nearly uncontrollable break down in tears. Chapter 4 - Another Interrogation Chapter 4 Another Interrogation Agent MacGregor sat close to the hospital bed, bleary-eyed, his partner¡¯s limp hand clutched in his. A clean, white bandage covered the peculiar burn on her wrist. For the last hour, he stared into Connie¡¯s expressionless, sallow face, a woman deep in a coma. This was the critical care ward. A heart rate monitor beeped slowly, hesitatingly, its cadence punctuated by the sound of the respirator forcing pure oxygen into the comatose woman¡¯s body through a clear plastic tube taped to her face and stuck down her throat. Attached to her head was a net of wires attached to an EEG at the bedside. For the most part, it was flat lines all the way across. It looked very bad for Agent Connie Bain. The footsteps in the hall grew louder as they approached. A stone-faced agent shoved Professor Layton ahead of him through the wide door and into the hospital room. ¡°Move it,¡± he said brusquely. ¡°Take your hands off me, you thug!¡± Professor Layton said, straightening his jacket. ¡°Glad you could make it, Professor Layton,¡± Agent MacGregor said slowly, his eyes not leaving Connie¡¯s face. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. Your escort here didn¡¯t give me the option of refusing,¡± he said, referring to the large, smartly dressed black man who shoved him into the room. ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°The same,¡± MacGregor said. ¡°You have my condolences for Agent Bain.¡± ¡°I sure you feel awful, don¡¯t you, Professor?¡± ¡°And what about my Alyndia? You¡¯re not taking into consideration my loss.¡± McGregor didn¡¯t respond. His gaze remained fixed on Connie. ¡°Why did you bring me here? I have some grieving to do of my own. At least Agent Bain is still alive. She might still recover. I can¡¯t say the same about Alyndia, or my wife, for that matter.¡± MacGregor placed Connie¡¯s hand gently down on the hospital bed, then violently spun around to confront the professor. ¡°No, Professor. She isn¡¯t going to recover. Do you see that?¡± He pointed to the flat line display on the EEG. ¡°The doctors say she¡¯s brain dead. That respirator is the only thing that keeps her alive. Without that, she¡¯d be dead in two minutes. I want to know what happened to her. I want answers.¡± ¡°I already told you what I know.¡± On hearing that, the big black agent looked out into the hall, then gently closed the door and leaned against it. The professor watched him with an uncertain look. Agent MacGregor got to his feet. ¡°Putting on a bracelet does not kill anyone, Professor Layton. I don¡¯t care what sort of so-called magical powers it has.¡± ¡°What do you want me to tell you?¡± MacGregor smiled. ¡°What do I want you to tell me? I¡¯ll tell you what I want you to tell me.¡± With the quickness of a man half his size, Agent MacGregor grabbed Professor Layton by the scruff of his shirt and threw him hard against the hospital wall. Professor Layton fell to the floor. MacGregor picked him up and, grabbing him by the collar of his coat, hustled him over to Connie¡¯s bed, where he shoved Professor Layton¡¯s face within inches of Connie¡¯s. ¡°Look at her, Professor Layton,¡± MacGregor said, his voice filled with scarcely controlled rage. ¡°Do you see my partner? I¡¯ve known her for years. Many years. We went through CIA training together. We¡¯ve been all over the world. We¡¯ve lived in countries whose names you cannot even pronounce. We have a little cottage in Switzerland that we rent out for a few weeks in the summer. And on alternate days, we¡¯d go to the athletic club.¡± Agent MacGregor thrust Professor Layton¡¯s face closer to Connie¡¯s. The professor smelled fresh rubbing alcohol on her skin and the strawberry-scented shampoo she used in her hair. ¡°Twenty-four hours ago, this was a woman in her prime of life. She was in such good shape that she could bicycle twenty miles up a twisty, Swiss mountain road at 15,000 feet without losing her breath. Whatever happened to her was so bad that she went into cardiac arrest. They had to do CPR on her to get it started again. There has to be a logical explanation as to what happened, and I think you know what it is.¡± MacGregor pulled the professor¡¯s face away from Connie¡¯s and shoved him to the polished, white floor of the hospital room. ¡°I should mention that we did a chemical analysis on what was left of the bracelet. We didn¡¯t find any traces of a chemical agent on it. That doesn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t one.¡± ¡°I have my ideas on what happened,¡± the professor said, looking up at him disheveled from the tile floor. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°I think when Agent Bain put on the bracelet, Alyndia thought it was the vacant body of my wife. She tried to occupy Agent Bain¡¯s body and somehow ended up forcing Agent Bain out of it.¡± ¡°Not this story again,¡± MacGregor said with a pained expression. ¡°Sal,¡± he addressed the big guy at the door. ¡°Do you have any aspirin?¡± ¡°Nope. Don¡¯t carry it.¡± Sal answered in a deep, baritone voice. ¡°Can you go out to the nurses station and get me some? My head is killing me. And I have a feeling it¡¯s going to take a long time with the professor here.¡± Sal opened the door to leave. ¡°And don¡¯t bring back any of that ibuprofen crap. Tell them I want aspirin.¡± ¡°Aspirin. You¡¯ve got it.¡± MacGregor waited until Sal had left the room before addressing Professor Layton again, this time in a somewhat softer tone of voice. ¡°Our lab analyzed the bracelet fragments we found on the floor of the hospital room. Along with iridium as its prime constituent, the bracelet contains a high content of chlorine salts. This suggests the bracelet was smelted in an environment high in chlorine, with traces of fluorine, methane, nitrogen, and oxygen. Of course, this is not an earthlike atmosphere. The analysis also revealed large amounts of rare earth elements and some other compounds we haven¡¯t yet been able to identify. The evidence of chlorine in the bracelet corroborates what you said about the bracelet being made in a world where people breathe chlorine.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Remember what I told you? Now do you believe I¡¯m telling the truth?¡± ¡°Not so fast. You did have a large quantity of chlorine on your premises.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have the smelting equipment. The melting point of iridium is 4800 ¡ãC. I don¡¯t have anything that I can melt iridium with, much less forge a bracelet like that one you saw.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to make the bracelet. And I still think you put some kind of unknown poisonous substance on it. You had the right chemicals to cook up something.¡± ¡°All right, Agent MacGregor. If you¡¯re so sure I poisoned her, go ahead and try to find the substance on my premises. I¡¯ve already told you the nature of my experiment, and it doesn¡¯t involve creating poisons. By the way, how are your other people who handled the bracelet doing besides Agent Bain?¡± ¡°Only she was affected.¡± ¡°Of course. You should also consider the fact that I wasn¡¯t expecting you the first time you showed up. Think about it: Why would I leave a poisoned bracelet lying on a table in my lab, just for someone to come by and pick it up? And what other purpose would I have for a poisoned bracelet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. But I¡¯ll find out.¡± MacGregor returned his attention to Connie. His eyes followed the I.V. tubes to their packages of saline solution. The rhythm on the heart rate monitor stumbled momentarily, then picked up again, seemingly slower than before. ¡°You know, Professor, part of me wants to believe you, but a stronger, more rational part of me says there¡¯s another explanation. That is, a rational explanation that does not include mysticism. For lack of a better lead, I¡¯m almost willing to hear you out.¡± ¡°Even Alyndia was unsure of her powers.¡± MacGregor put down Connie¡¯s hand. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I said that even Alyndia was worried about her powers. She said she would be casting a celestial spell to guide her spirit through the Wild to Elise¡¯s body. She said she was not well-versed in celestial magic and that the spell was not without risks.¡± ¡°What do you mean, celestial magic? And what is the ¡®Wild¡¯?¡± Professor Layton got to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She mentioned that her magic dealt mainly with the elements. And whereas her spells were powered by some sort of essence found in nature, celestial spells were powered by the energy of the stars. From a scientific standpoint, I think she meant that the spells work by harnessing cosmic energy¡ªI don¡¯t know. I intended to do some research on it when she arrived. Anyway, Alyndia said that celestial magic was the most powerful magic on Cerinya. It can do wondrous things but is also extremely dangerous if something goes wrong in the casting. Few Cerinyans practice celestial magic because it is so hard to control. She stated that she was only a novice at how it worked, but she would learn how to cast it better if it allowed us to coexist in the same world. As for the Wild? I think that¡¯s their name for what we refer to as the Astral Plane.¡± Agent MacGregor walked slowly over to the window and pulled open the vertical blinds. It was dark outside. The window radiated cold. He surveyed the expanse of the front lawn of the hospital below. A light coat of winter snow had fallen since he had rushed to the hospital the day before. It glinted in the streetlight. ¡°So where is the spirit of your Alyndia, Professor?¡± he asked from the window, his breath fogging the window pane as he spoke. ¡°I have no idea where she is. And after what happened to your partner here, I don¡¯t feel optimistic. Alyndia could be dead, lost in the Wild, or Lord knows what else.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we call her on the aperture you said you created?¡± ¡°The aperture is driven by sunlight.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not telling me she lives in the sun, are you?¡± ¡°I meant nothing of the sort.¡± ¡°I hope, not.¡± MacGregor turned away from the window and was surprised to see Professor Layton standing over Connie, gazing into her face. He joined the professor at the bedside. The two men stood in silent contemplation for almost a minute before Professor Layton spoke. ¡°Did the CIA notify her family?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still trying to contact them,¡± MacGregor replied. ¡°Either we don¡¯t have accurate information on their whereabouts, or they¡¯re not returning our calls. She wasn¡¯t very close to them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. I haven¡¯t heard from my son in years. I hope he¡¯s all right wherever he is.¡± MacGregor scrutinized Professor Layton¡¯s expression in an effort to gauge the verity of his statements, then let go of the thought for now. The importance of this matter with Connie had superseded the investigation of the professor¡¯s son, at least in his book. Professor Layton continued. ¡°From what Alyndia¡¯s told me of her world, I realize her planet is a temperate place much like ours, with ice caps at either pole.¡± ¡°So what does the sun have to do with anything?¡± ¡°The sun is merely a medium of transmission. My guess is that our sun, or at least some rays from our sun, also touch her world, which, for all practical purposes, seems to exist in a parallel time with ours. Perhaps her world is superimposed upon ours, or maybe she lives in a distant solar system proximal to ours through a wormhole. We have not yet determined where our worlds lie in relation to each other. Alyndia and I have found a way to modulate this common energy through the source and communicate with each other. I do this through technology. She does by means of magical power.¡± The door to the hospital room opened. Sal entered, holding a small white packet and a paper cup of water for Agent MacGregor. ¡°You¡¯d think this being a hospital they¡¯d have aspirin on hand,¡± Sal said with a grin. ¡°All they had was Tylenol. I thought I was gonna have to drive down to the corner drugstore to get some aspirin for ya¡¯.¡± MacGregor took the packet from Sal, ripped it open, and quickly downed the two tablets it contained. Sal and Professor Layton didn¡¯t speak while MacGregor emptied the cup of water. He crushed the cup into a tight ball and tossed it into a plastic-lined wastepaper basket by the bed. MacGregor addressed Sal, ¡°Professor Layton was telling me about how the aperture works. Professor, tell Sal how this aperture works.¡± ¡°Gladly. Imagine, if you will, a beam of light, let¡¯s say from a flashlight, shining in a straight line through a vacuum where almost none is lost through diffusion. Suppose we took a polarized parabolic mirror that only reflected green light and directed 100 percent of that green light back to its source. What would happen? The level of green within the beam would double. Right?¡± As the professor spoke, MacGregor watched Sal, whose face betrayed a complete lack of comprehension. The professor paused. ¡°Do you both understand?¡± ¡°Go on, professor,¡± MacGregor said. ¡°Okay, suppose you could measure this doubling of green wavelength from another angle. And if you could somehow vibrate the mirror at the sound of your voice, you could modulate this green light at this frequency. Correct? So, anyone measuring the green wavelength would also hear your voice. This narrow aperture of light is the aperture. The source of the light is the sun.¡± ¡°Then you are only able to communicate with her strictly during daylight hours,¡± MacGregor clarified. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Then we should try to contact her at sunrise.¡± ¡°Not possible, Agent MacGregor. Thanks to the efforts of your fellow agents, my precise calibrations are lost. It will take me months to regain them, and Alyndia will have to be looking for me exactly at the time I¡¯m searching for her. I may never be able to contact her again.¡± ¡°How convenient. Don¡¯t you think so, Sal? Explain to us, Professor: How did she send you the bracelet that zapped Connie. Was it green light?¡± ¡°No, some sort of molecular exchange is my theory. You¡¯ll have to ask Alyndia how she accomplished this perchance you are ever lucky enough to meet her,¡± the professor said. Sal broke in, ¡°Sounds like this guy talks a lot of bullshit, Will. Let me have a moment with him. After what he did to Connie, I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯s singing a different tune by the time I¡¯m done.¡± The professor¡¯s wide eyes shifted between MacGregor and Sal, his face white with fear. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary, Sal,¡± Agent MacGregor said, as he affectionately brushed Connie¡¯s pallid cheek with his large hand. ¡°For now, we¡¯ll let the good professor here stick to his story. But don¡¯t you leave town, Professor Layton,¡± he said without looking away from Connie. ¡°You¡¯ll never know when we might make a call on you.¡± ¡°What if she dies?¡± Sal asked. MacGregor glanced over at the professor, his hard, blue eyes filled with contempt alloyed with sorrow. ¡°If she dies, not even the truth will save him, Sal.¡± Chapter 5 - The Spirit Mage Chapter 5 The Spirit Mage ¡°Wake up,¡± commanded a man¡¯s voice from out of the darkness, rousing Connie from the warm cocoon of a deep sleep. ¡°I¡¯m awake,¡± she tried to say, but her mouth would not move. She opened her eyes to find herself standing over a vaguely familiar-looking woman wrapped in a blanket lying on the ground next to a smoldering fire. A slightly overweight, middle-aged man was kneeling over the woman. The man shook the woman again. ¡°Wake up. We must go now.¡± Connie woke up staring into Jalban¡¯s face. ¡°By the gods, Alyndia,¡± Jalban said. ¡°You sleep like the dead. It is a struggle to rouse you.¡± She sat up quickly. For a moment, she did not know where she was, then she recalled that they had camped for the night in a clearing in the forest. She then noticed that the ground was blanketed in a dull green haze. It was about four inches thick and had no scent. Whatever it was, she had been breathing it while she was lying on the ground. She looked up at Jalban, still feeling disoriented and at a loss for words. ¡°Are you all right?¡± he asked. ¡°I think I was floating outside my body.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Just now¡ªjust before I woke up.¡± ¡°Probably, you were dreaming.¡± Before Connie could say more, Jalban handed her a metal cup of orange liquid. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked. ¡°Betanna root extract and toad¡¯s foot. Drink it for sustenance. We will have a meal when we reach town.¡± Connie awkwardly took the cup from Jalban. She nearly spilled its contents on her lap. At that moment, she realized her body felt numb, as if it were not hers, but one she controlled through a kind of clumsy remote control. She was indeed incredibly thirsty, and she drank the contents of the cup without question. The concoction tasted vaguely like pineapple juice with a touch of salt added. While she imbibed the liquid, she took in her surroundings. In the hazy morning light, all was coming back to her. She saw Rahl tying down the pack on the hanyak. Sind toyed with his baby brother on a nearby log. The sky was hazy with green-white clouds. With the sensation of feeling returning to her body, she realized she ached from laying on the hard ground all night, and she had to pee very badly. Ten minutes later, they were back on the road again. Connie gazed at the green cloud that covered the ground as they rode. On closer observation, it appeared more as a gas than an actual mist or cloud. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say that looks like concentrated chlorine gas, but I know it can¡¯t be because we¡¯re still alive, she thought. Besides, it smells like nothing. The clouds parted and the sunlight broke through; the green haze along the ground quickly dissipated as the ground warmed. Rahl and Jalban rode while speaking amicably about the prices of grain, livestock, and other prosaic subjects. Next rode Sind and his brother. Connie rode behind them on her hanyak, feeling dirty and wishing for a hot bath. The forest seemed rich with game. Within a ten- to fifteen-minute span, she counted no fewer than three odd-looking rabbits, five squirrels, and some other strange creatures she could not readily identify. They passed a caravan of traders traveling in the direction they came. They were the ones Rahl called the bardin. A bearded member of the second caravan, dressed in a brightly colored, rainbow-colored robe, stopped and spoke with Rahl and Jalban for a span. Connie did not understand the language they spoke, but by the end of their brief conversation, both Rahl and Jalban seemed a bit disturbed by something said to them. Connie didn¡¯t bother to ask them what was said, for after the previous day¡¯s travails, she did not feel she had established a good rapport with either man. Moreover, Rahl the Swordbearer hadn¡¯t said a word to her all morning. She wondered if he was still angry with her from the previous evening. Sind rode beside Connie and kept her company with tales from his lifestyle as a street urchin back in Roggentine. When Kebal started to cry, she took over nursing him with the pineapple-flavored liquid dispensed from a jury-rigged, tanned pig bladder she fixed up to function like a teat. She continued listening to Sind. She thought that if all he told her was true, he was definitely a precocious lad. Soon, the forest thinned and gave way to small fields of crops punctuated by rude cottages, fenced yards of livestock, and an occasional crude, thatched-roof barn. Though most of the crops and variety of livestock looked unfamiliar to her, it seemed apparent from the road that some of the farms were doing better than others. About that time, Connie took notice of a band of high, snow-capped mountains that surrounded them in the distance on almost three sides. They were in a vast valley. From what Sind had said, the ocean was to their backs, though he did know exactly how far, since he¡¯d never been there himself. They arrived at a crossroad next to a small river spanned by a moderately old-looking stone-and-timber bridge. Rahl and Jalban made a left at the crossroads without reading the weathered sign planted there. Evidently, they knew where they were going. Connie rode up to the sign. They were headed to the town of Zeranon. Castle Maray was over the river and straight ahead. The township of Maray and Thissane Springs was to the right. They left the road for the bank of the river and allowed the hanyaks to drink. The town to which they were headed was downstream of the river. Sind washed his brother a good fifteen paces from where they took their water. Connie scooped up some of the water into a metal cup and swirled it around in the light. It looked clear and drinkable. She tentatively took a sip. It tasted like water, and it was cool and refreshing. What did you expect? Hydrochloric acid? she thought, smiling. While sipping from the cup of water, she saw something large and white floating slowly near the center of the river. From a distance, her trained eyes told her it was a dead body, or perhaps a large pig. No one else but her seemed to take notice of it. Not wishing to start any more trouble with Rahl and Jalban in case it was not what it seemed, she quietly spilled the water out of her cup and walked back up the bank to the road to wait for the others. Soon, they were on the road again. They passed over some hilly areas. Then, at the apex of a particularly large hill, the town of Zeranon came into view. The town was not particularly large, perhaps fifteen to twenty buildings in all. A river divided the town at its approximate center, the halves joined by a squat, sturdy-looking stone bridge. Clustered around the town were tilled fields of crops. The farm houses near the town were better constructed than those in the outlying areas. Apparently, this was prime farmland. Just before they reached town, Rahl broke way from Jalban and over to Connie. ¡°I am going to visit my brother Yalden,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Jalban will go with me. We will meet you at Wendsar¡¯s Inn by dusk.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t your brother even let you stay with him?¡± ¡°Perhaps that would not be best,¡± he replied with strange reluctance. ¡°Whatever you say,¡± she said with indifference. Rahl seemed ready to ride off when he lingered beside her instead. Sensing he wanted to speak to her, Connie stopped her hanyak and waited. Seeing her stopped, Sind also waited. Connie urged him to continue onward with Jalban, which he did. ¡°Do you have something to say?¡± Connie asked Rahl. ¡°I would like your forgiveness about last night. I was wrong in the way I treated you,¡± he said. She studied his expression. He looked genuinely contrite. Wow! She thought in amazement. A man who can admit he was wrong and even apologize for it. MacGregor could learn a few things from Rahl. She decided to play it up to the hilt with Rahl the Swordbearer. ¡°I have to admit, Rahl, I was taken aback by a heroic Swordbearer such as you taking advantage of an innocent, defenseless sorceress like me,¡± Connie said in the most coquettish voice she could conjure. ¡°You frightened me awfully.¡± ¡°Yes, I realize how uncouth it was of me to take hold of you as I did. Will you forgive me, lady Alyndia?¡± ¡°Well, I suppose I could, Rahl. That is, if you don¡¯t let it happen again.¡± ¡°Thank you, lady,¡± he said, visibly relieved that she forgave him. ¡°I was not acting within my code last night. A Swordbearer must have temperance and let insults fall away like raindrops from a Pon-Bull cloak.¡± ¡°Unusual allegory, Rahl, but I¡¯ll buy that.¡± ¡°Yes, you have my word. I will never again lay an angry hand upon you,¡± he said. Connie nodded slowly, noticing how gravely he made his promise. Rahl certainly seemed to take his Swordbearer business seriously. She smiled at him in admiration as he rode back to Jalban. A few minutes later, Rahl and Jalban turned off the main road. Connie and Sind entered the town by themselves. To her, the village looked like an authentic medieval village, even more so than even Roggentine. It could easily have been used for the set of Monty Python¡¯s ¡°In Search of the Holy Grail¡± or any other movie set in medieval times. There was a livery stable, an apothecary, a bootmaker, a cartwright, and other icons of medieval life. People went about their business, dressed in animal skins and rude cloth, toiling away in low-tech fashion as would have been done in the dark ages. Her eyes searched in vain; there was not a telephone pole, television aerial, or power line in sight. Cerinya. It was no small wonder why she had never heard of this country before. They are so low-tech that they lack even the rudiments available to those in the backwater villages of Cambodia. They rode through a marketplace, a miniature of the one they passed through in Roggentine. They crossed over another bridge to the other side of town. At the center of the bridge, it occurred to Connie to look for the body in the water she had seen earlier, since this town was downstream from where she saw it, but then she thought, What¡¯s the point? Just on the other side of the bridge was a larger-than-average, two-story building with a wooden sign hung just above the door: Wendsar¡¯s Inn. ¡°Here we are, I guess,¡± Connie said to Sind. The two of them dismounted and tied the hanyaks to a stout wood rail set into the ground exactly for that purpose. There was another type of creature tied there. It looked similar to a hanyak, only it was shorter and stouter, with far thicker legs than a hanyak. It appeared to be a pack animal¡ªwhat a mule was to a horse. She searched for a word to describe the creature¡ªit was called a barak. Judging from the motley group of hanyaks and baraks tied to the rails, the inn was moderately busy for the morning. She entered the inn. Inside, she found rustic settings. A dozen or so patrons sat at simple oak tables dispersed on a battered, wood plank floor. A middle-aged woman with pale green hair tied in a knot at the crown of her head watched them from behind a bar while she polished one from a group of pewter mugs set on the bar in front of her. Behind the woman, set into heavy racks, was a row of a dozen or so barrels with spigots attached. From behind a green curtain behind the left side of the bar came frying noises and the clatter of pots. Though it was daylight outside, the place was somberly lit with oil lamps, and a small fire burned at a hearth. The patrons seemed relaxed and passive while eating hotcakes, drinking, and speaking in low tones. On a small raised stage, beneath a set of stairs, a young man played a sad, pensive tune on a recorder while a woman, who appeared at least five years older than he, accompanied him with a stringed instrument that looked and sounded much like a mandolin. Connie decided the place had a settled, homey feel to it. She and Sind took a seat at one of the tables. A few minutes later, the server walked up to their table with a rag draped over her forearm. Without the bar in front of her to hide her figure, the woman appeared very matronly. ¡°Are you two hungry this morning?¡± Sind looked over at Connie, looking unsure whether he should speak. She suspected that he had most likely never been inside an inn before, much less been a paying customer. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Yes, those hotcakes look good,¡± Connie answered. ¡°We would like hotcakes.¡± Then she remembered the baby in his arms. ¡°Do you have fresh milk?¡± ¡°Indeed, we do,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Fresh from the mother cow¡¯s teat.¡± ¡°I would like milk for the three of us. Wait¡ªnone for me. Milk does not agree with me. I¡¯ll take water instead.¡± Sind smiled at Connie as the woman disappeared behind the green curtain. ¡°Thank you, lady. I always knew you had a kind spirit.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t start thinking I¡¯m too kind. We need to get you back to Roggentine, where you belong. It looks like we¡¯ll be going on a long trip, and I can¡¯t¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, someone approached Connie. He was a thin, lanky man in his mid-twenties with a reddish scruffy beard and dressed in worn, light brown leather. He stood with a slight stoop. Something about his appearance reminded Connie of Shaggy on the TV cartoon ¡°Scooby-Doo.¡± The man approached their table from the area of the stage. Connie scanned his body for weapons. Though he brandished none, he carried a dagger in his belt. Connie rested her hand on the hilt of the dagger she had carried on her person since Rahl jumped her last night. She decided she would never allow herself to be defenseless again. The man stopped at her table and stood there awkwardly without saying anything, as if he had forced himself to approach her without first figuring out why. ¡°Is there something I can do for you?¡± Connie asked before the man could figure out what he was going to say. ¡°Are you¡ªare you Alyndia the elemental sorceress?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what they call me,¡± she replied. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Theodan Parsas of Esamane.¡± ¡°What can I do for you, Theodan Parsas of Esamane? My friend and I are about to have our breakfast.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± the man asked, running his hand through his disheveled hair. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to accompany you to the castle.¡± ¡°No one told me that. Are you sure you aren¡¯t mistaken?¡± ¡°Are you Alyndia, the niece of Jalban Soth, herbalist of Roggentine?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re supposed to come with us, why didn¡¯t Jalban mention you before?¡± The young man bit his lip nervously. ¡°You see, this matter came up rather suddenly.¡± The man looked to the inn to make sure no one was watching them. ¡°Would you mind if I sat at your table.¡± Connie gave Theodan a once over again. Although he carried a dagger, he seemed harmless enough. Somehow, she doubted he knew how to use it well enough to cut himself a slice of bread with it. Still, there was something disarmingly boyish about him that charmed her. She pulled out a chair for him. ¡°I suppose you can sit with us.¡± ¡°Thank you, lady,¡± he said as he eagerly took the chair. ¡°As you were saying?¡± ¡°Yes, a matter came up where I was impressed to go along with you.¡± Theodan did not seem to want to continue telling her. ¡°Go on. Spit it out. Tell me what happened.¡± Theodan looked to the scarred floor of the inn. ¡°I was caught murdering chickens.¡± ¡°You were what? Murdering chickens? How do you murder a chicken?¡± He pulled out his dagger and held it up. Immediately, Connie tightened her grip on the dagger she clutched below the table. Whether he seemed harmless or not, she wasn¡¯t taking any chances with this stranger, at least not with defenseless Kiban at the table. ¡°I cut off their heads,¡± he said, with a small quaver in his voice. ¡°I cut off their heads with a dagger such as this.¡± Connie let out a small laugh. She thought this was genuinely funny. ¡°How do you go to jail for cutting off the heads of chickens?¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t my chickens.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± ¡°The constables caught me, and they put me in prison. They were going to sever my hand as a common thief, but my father intervened. Perhaps you know him. He is Sarlan Teolor. He occupies a chair in the Ruling Council in Esamane.¡± Connie shook her head. ¡°Nope. Never heard of him.¡± ¡°My father bartered my left hand for thirty days of service at the Castle Maray and aid in repairing the breach in the Calphous Wall. I was sent to meet you here under the Order of the Council. I was to see Jalban. Is he here?¡± ¡°No, he will be here later. He is visiting our traveling companion¡¯s brother.¡± ¡°So, how do you know Jalban?¡± ¡°His father and my father are friends. My father has consulted Jalban¡¯s herbalist family for years. My father also knew your mother, Alitrea. That is how I came to learn of you. Though you are dirty and you smell bad, you are every bit as beautiful as you have been described to me.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to be a compliment?¡± ¡°Why, yes, Alyndia. That is a compliment.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t get any ideas, Theodan. I¡¯m not your type.¡± The server brought two plates stacked with hot cakes over to the table along with a set of three-pronged forks. Connie gave the woman a few green copper pieces from her pouch. Then immediately, she dove into the hotcakes, as did Sind. Theo watched them eat with a detached expression. ¡°You two look like you were hungry.¡± ¡°Ravenous is more like it, Theodan,¡± Connie said with her mouth full, savoring the nutty flavor of the cakes. ¡°By the way, you can call me Theo.¡± ¡°And you can call me Connie.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°That is such an odd name, particularly for a sorceress.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anyone named Theodan, either.¡± The recorderist and mandolinist began another tune. The one was slightly more upbeat than the previous two were. Connie wolfed down three more of the cakes before speaking again. ¡°I suppose you like chicken,¡± she said to Theo. ¡°No, not at all. In fact, I rarely eat flesh of any kind.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a vegetarian. Then why were you cutting the heads off those chickens?¡± ¡°I was searching for humors.¡± Connie nearly choked on the hotcakes on hearing that. She quickly washed them down with the water then cleared her throat. ¡°What do you mean you were looking for humors?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know? I practice the art of spirit magic.¡± ¡°Spirit magic?¡± ¡°Yes. Allow me to show you.¡± Theo got up from the table and brought back his pack from where it sat by the stage. Once at their table again, he opened the pack and withdrew a handful of something and dropped them on the table. To Connie, they looked like the mummified remains of various internal organs that look like they came from small animals. Most of them were bound and tied together with a fibrous, yellow string. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked. ¡°These are the humors I have extracted from creatures.¡± ¡°But these are¡ªbody parts.¡± Her appetite suddenly vanished. ¡°Get these away from me!¡± she said, pushing her plate away. Sind seemed unfazed by the mummified remains. He casually slid her plate over to his side of the table. ¡°I thought you wanted to see them,¡± Theo said. ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t think¡ª¡± she began. ¡°Just put them away. I don¡¯t want to see them anymore.¡± Theo quickly stuffed the animal parts back into his pack. A hurt expression appeared on his gaunt, unshaven face. Connie let out a loud, vexed sigh. ¡°How could you do that while we were eating?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that my vocation causes you disgust,¡± he said in an abject tone of voice. ¡°You call that a vocation? I don¡¯t even think you¡¯d make a good taxidermist.¡± ¡°I thought you would understand, as you yourself are a mage.¡± ¡°Maybe so, but at least I don¡¯t go around cutting up small animals.¡± ¡°I do not cut up small animals for pleasure, as you suggest. I have a purpose for doing so. The nodes you use and humors I use are the same; only the spells are different. You understand?¡± Connie did not reply. She watched Sind start on his plate of hotcakes. It amazed her how many hotcakes a boy his size could ingest in one sitting. Theo continued, ¡°I use these to perform my magic just as you use nodes from nature.¡± ¡°But you are killing living things in order to perform magic tricks. You don¡¯t have a problem with that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t consider this killing; I consider it liberation. And I am always merciful when I liberate a spirit.¡± Theo explained to Connie about the four types of humors, Choleric, Vitriolic, Phlegmatic, and Melancholic, how each type of humor could power its own type of spell, how people also contain humors, and how these humors influence their personalities. ¡°I suppose you could also extract the humors of living people.¡± ¡°Indeed, I could, but I would not. That would be murder¡ªand I am not a murderer. The same is true of higher creatures. But humors of human origin and those of the higher animals are always the strongest and most sought after by spirit magicians such as I.¡± Theo smiled. ¡°Sometimes, we may bribe an executioner to allow us close to the body shortly after the deed is done.¡± ¡°Sorry, Theo. I just don¡¯t buy into it.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than tromping through leagues of woods and descending into the bowels of the earth in search of my source of spell power. Unlike your nodes, humors are everywhere. Most people have at least one strong enough to extract.¡± Theo narrowed his eyes at Connie while he scrutinized her. ¡°Allow me to guess. I believe you may carry a Choleric humor, or maybe Vitriolic. I will be able to tell you after a short time of being with you. And the boy here, and the infant¡ª¡± Sind stopped eating and looked up at Connie. ¡°You leave them out of this conversation, Theo,¡± Connie said. ¡°If you so much as lay a hand on them, I¡¯ll be extracting your humors.¡± Theo swallowed hard. ¡°I did not mean to say that I was going to¡ª¡± ¡°Just heed my words, and we will get along just fine. Now I¡¯ve had enough of this conversation.¡± Connie purchased two rooms for the evening at the inn. One for Sind, and one for her. The rooms were spartan compared to what she was used to. But though it was not exactly the Radisson Hotel, the rooms were comfortable for the standards of the area. As a bonus, each contained a small metal stove, although coal for the stove was a copper extra per night. Connie treated herself to a five-copper hot bath. At that time, she took stock of her body, which had changed in many ways. When she looked into the steel mirror to fix her hair, she thought she kept seeing someone else¡¯s reflection there, the woman whose reflection she saw in the mirror back in Roggentine. She decided she did not like the accoutrement of metal plates and beads in her hair, so she removed them all one by one and combed her hair straight. Incredibly, her hair was now a full six inches longer at the shoulder than she had before. It occurred to her that at least a few months had gone by since she had been abducted for her hair to have grown that long. Her mind drew a complete blank when she tried to recall the events of this period. She thought perhaps she had been under the influence of some sort of memory-altering drug. But the gap in her memory was mostly the least of her concern. So many things about this land did not make sense¡ªthe customs, the people, the lack of technology, the nutty obsession with magic. The mystery extended from the strange crops that grew from the soil to the hazy green sky above. Feeling refreshed from her bath, Connie spent the afternoon walking the town with Sind and Theo. They visited most of the shops, and at each shop, she wasted no effort in surreptitiously scanning the sites for any sign of a two-way radio or telephone. At the tailor shop, she purchased a set of clothes for Sind to replace the rags he wore. She got a good deal on the clothes since they were originally intended for the tailor¡¯s son, who, to his dismay, had disliked the formal nature of the clothes so much he never wore them. The clothes fit Sind almost perfectly without altering of any kind, and while Sind wore the clothes, he was a handsome young man in Connie¡¯s eyes. Later in the day, word was being spread around town about an unidentified dead man that was fished out of the Calumet River. He was discovered that afternoon by some women who were washing their clothes at the river bank by the bridge. Connie wondered if this were the body she thought she had seen early that morning. The man was described as disemboweled. Rumor had it that it did not look like the work of bandits; people in those parts would not commit such a heinous crime. It looks like the work of Chaos, she heard some people mutter. A messenger was sent to Lord Maray at the castle, guardian of the area, to notify him of the findings. When the sun dipped low on the horizon, Connie, Theo, and Sind returned to Wendsar¡¯s Inn. Rahl sat at one end of the long table by himself, looking despondent. A half-empty mug of ale sat on the table in front of him. Thinking he might want some company, Connie sat down at his table. Sind joined them with his brother cradled in his arms. Theo stayed on his feet. ¡°Where is Jalban?¡± Connie asked. ¡°In a bath,¡± Rahl replied without elaboration. Theo stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll fetch him.¡± He headed up the stairs. ¡°Did you enjoy visiting your brother?¡± Connie asked Rahl. He nodded once then took a long drought from his ale. The way his arm wavered as he lifted the mug told Connie that this was not his first ale¡ªnor likely his second. ¡°Yes, I enjoyed visiting with him,¡± he continued. ¡°I always enjoy visiting with my brother. And Jenada too. Especially Jenada.¡± ¡°Jenada?¡± ¡°Yes, my brother¡¯s wife. She¡¯s the most precious woman to him in the world. Hey, Alyndia, or Connie, or whatever you prefer to be called, I have a sweet offer for your little friend Sind here.¡± Rahl addressed Sind, ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for Jenada to take your little friend¡¯s brother for a while when we travel to the Maray. I was thinking that without the younger one, they might be able to use you at the castle.¡± ¡°I will not leave my brother in the arms of a stranger!¡± Sind said. ¡°She¡¯s not a stranger. She¡¯s Jenada. Your brother will like her. And she¡¯ll like him.¡± ¡°I will not leave my brother in the arms of a stranger,¡± he repeated. ¡°My brother will stay with Alyndia.¡± ¡°Not so fast, Sind,¡± Connie broke in. ¡°I never ever told you I¡¯d take care of you or your brother.¡± ¡°But you kept me here with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an oversight, really. I just can¡¯t leave you out on the street after you followed us so far. But you must understand, I¡¯m not the mothering type.¡± ¡°I will not leave my brother¡ª¡± Sind began again. ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Connie said. ¡°We¡¯ll just send you and your brother back to Roggentine. But I think Rahl has been very generous in offering his brother¡¯s home to your brother and finding you employment at the castle.¡± Sind¡¯s eyes suddenly filled with tears. ¡°But what will happen to my brother?¡± Connie looked over at Rahl. He answered for her. ¡°The castle is less than a day from here by your young feet. Your brother will never be far from you.¡± ¡°But how will they tend to him?¡± ¡°My brother and his wife are good in spirit. Your brother will be in good care with them. I will see to it.¡± ¡°Will you promise?¡± ¡°You have my word on it as a Swordbearer.¡± Sind looked over at Connie, tears running down his face and dripping onto the blanket that wrapped his brother. His eyes begged her for assurance. ¡°I think you can rely on Rahl¡¯s word as a Swordbearer, Sind,¡± she said, giving Rahl a subtle nod of affirmation. An expression of relief crossed Sind¡¯s face. He gazed down at his little brother in his arms. ¡°We have a place for you now, Kibal,¡± he said, smiling broadly at the infant. ¡°You will be safe, and the good people will take care of everything for you.¡± Connie sent Sind upstairs for a bath, then she ordered an ale at the bar and rejoined Rahl at the table. ¡°Did you hear they found a mutilated body in the river today?¡± Connie asked Rahl. He sighed. ¡°Yes. I heard the news.¡± ¡°What does it mean? Bandits?¡± ¡°Not likely. Bandits might run you through if you put up a fight, perhaps cut your throat as an act of mercy, but not disembowel. It¡¯s just not part of their code. Remember what I told you of Chaos last night?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the townspeople are saying. They are worried.¡± ¡°Yes, and that is not all that has been worrying them. It seems that this is not the first mutilated corpse that has turned up since the breach in the wall was discovered. Also, livestock has been mysteriously disappearing. Those animals that are found are also mutilated. The bardin informed Jalban and me that the people and their spirit mage detect the Sword of Doom hanging over the village. You see, there has been no word from Castle Maray in two days. People believe there might be trouble there.¡± Rahl finished his cup of ale and set the cup down on the table. ¡°They said they saw a giant plume of smoke trailing up into the sky from the direction of the castle yesterday morning. The townsfolk believe the resident guardian, Lord Maray, had waited too long to repair the breach in the wall, and now he, the castle, and its inhabitants have become victims of chaos.¡± Connie shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m certain there is a rational explanation for all of this, something besides the so-called ¡®chaos¡¯ that you all keep blathering about.¡± ¡°I hope your skepticism serves you right, Alyndia. But, no matter which way the copper piece has fallen, all of us shall know the truth before the next sunrise.¡± Chapter 6 - An Uncertain Awakening Chapter 6 An Uncertain Awakening When she regained consciousness, Alyndia realized right away that the transfer of her spirit into the body of Annelise Layton had failed. The failure of the transfer had resulted in an uncontrolled burst of magical energy, which caused her to remain unconscious for some indeterminate time. On awakening, she found herself tumbling in the snowy gray, dimly lit expanse of ethereal nothingness known as the Wild. A messy coil of silver cords bound her psychically and hindered her movement, trapping her like a cocooned insect in a spider¡¯s web. As she struggled with all her psychic strength to release herself from the cords that bound her, she direly wished she could cast a spell on the cords so that she could slip free of them, but she knew her element-based spells could never work here. Alyndia tried mentally for the thousandth time to locate her body back on Cerinya or the enchanted bracelet in order to channel her spirit toward them, but both seemed unreachable through the void. This perplexed her. Although she knew intuitively her body was still alive, for some reason she was no longer able to return to it. Was it possible that some demon or denizen of the Wild now possessed it? And what of the bracelet and the professor¡¯s beloved wife? Alyndia was certain that Elise¡¯s spirit had left her body long ago. Could she have somehow been wrong, and her spirit had still remained in the body? Alyndia cursed herself for ever having dabbled in celestial magic. Now, it seemed she would pay for her mistake for all eternity. It was impossible for Alyndia to estimate how long she¡¯d been in the Wild, but it was probably much longer than was considered safe¡ªmuch, much longer. She¡¯s heard stories of souls that got lost or trapped in the Wild for long periods and ended up having their life forces sucked away by the negative planes. While she was unconscious, much of her life force had indeed been drawn away. She felt it¡ªand now the process was accelerating. It was only by virtue of her soul remaining connected to her living body via the silver cord that she hadn¡¯t succumbed already. And yet the energy from her body was scarcely detectable. Was her body on Cerinya already close to death, or was it Elise Layton¡¯s comatose body she felt? Maybe Gerald was successful in putting the bracelet on her wrist after all. She peered through the tangle of silver cords that imprisoned her. Indeed, the snowy gloom of the Wild was gradually becoming darker as she drifted toward some negative force, and that force was draining away her spirit energy¡ªher very existence. A mental fog rose up in her, akin to sleepiness. She fought to remain focused while continuing to will herself away from the deepening gloom, but it was no use, as too much of her psychic energy had already ebbed away in the time she¡¯d been in the Wild. Random memories began flooding through her mind. The climaxes and depths of her life. She remembered the warmth of her mother¡¯s womb, her first kiss on a cold, wintry evening, the ecstasy of casting her first spell, the moment she learned of her mother¡¯s death, and all the meaningless and insignificant moments in between. This is the time of my death, she thought amid the collage of memories. In a quickening moment, I will sleep and remain this way for all eternity. Forgive me, Gerald, for my failure. Then, in the midst of her death dream, there came an intermittent tone emanating from someplace. It sounded like a harpsideth string continuously being plucked over and over again in steady rhythm. But where was it coming from? Was she close to the material plane? She shook off the drowsiness and willed herself toward the sound with all her waning life force. The sound of the plucked string grew louder until it resonated strongly in the ether. Then she felt an unexpected sense of inertia. At once, horror rose up in her as she became aware that whatever lay at the source of the sound had latched onto her spirit and was now drawing her toward itself. She felt its hunger. Can it be a wandering demon or some incorporeal monster? She tried desperately to will herself away from it, but her acceleration toward the thing only intensified. By the gods! It¡¯s going to devour me! She tried resisting the movement with the remainder of her psychic energy but found she could no longer do so. Finally, she just gave in and let the thing consume her. As she did so, the feeling of inertia ended abruptly with a soft jolt. Instantly, she felt real physical pain throughout her being, and she felt hot. The plucking string sound was loud. It emanated from her left. She felt a sharp, burning pain on her wrist and a pain in her head. No, it was only a headache. Vaguely, she felt a rhythmic pressure in her chest and heard a snake-like hissing sound nearby. Gradually, she began to feel more. She realized the presence of her body around her, but it was nothing like she was used to. And something in her mouth tasted awful. She tried to utter her name, but something blocked her voice. She was lying on her back on a soft surface, probably a bed, although it was much firmer than the bed in her home. Something, perhaps a light cloth, covered her body. She heard someone snoring nearby. She wondered if she had somehow made it to the body of Elise, and Gerald was close by. ¡°Gerald!¡± she tried to say. She tried over and over again to cry out his name, but the words would not come. She shook her head. There was something in her throat. At once she heard the sound of footsteps echoing in a long hall. The footsteps seemed frantic. There came a loud snapping sound, and suddenly she saw bright red. There came a warm touch against her hand. Then she heard voices. Not words¡ªjust sounds. Alien voices with alien words she could not comprehend. Then she understood parts. They were talking about her; she knew only that much. She wanted to call out ¡°Gerald!¡± but something still blocked her voice. ¡°Connie,¡± she heard first. It was a man¡¯s voice. He spoke to her tenderly. ¡°Connie¡ª¡± and then he said something else, but it was just a jumble of sounds to her. It did not sound like Professor Layton. It sounded like someone entirely different. She realized the red she saw was actually coming from her eyes. ¡°Connie,¡± the voice came again. She felt the man¡¯s breath on her cheek. ¡°Are you there, Connie? It¡¯s Will. Can you hear me?¡± This time she understood the question. Alyndia struggled to reply. She felt her lips move, but something seemed terribly wrong in her chest. The string sound quickened, staying in sync with the beating of her heart. ¡°Nurse, get that damn tube out of her throat. She¡¯s trying to say something,¡± the man said. ¡°I can¡¯t remove the respirator tube without doctor¡¯s orders,¡± the woman stated. ¡°Either you remove the tube right now, or I¡¯ll take it out myself. What¡¯s it going to be?¡± ¡°I can get into trouble for this,¡± the woman murmured. Seconds later, she felt a tugging at her face and then a ripping sound as something attached to her was removed. Momentarily, she felt pain on her face, as if she had been slapped. Then she felt a large object moving around at the back of her throat. Then the object came out of her mouth. She felt a strange heaviness in her chest. Once the air deflated from her lungs, she found she could not inhale. She writhed and then began thrashing about on the bed, unable to catch her breath. Hands firmly grabbed her and held her down. ¡°Breathe!¡± the woman said. ¡°Go ahead! You can do it!¡± Alyndia opened her mouth and laboriously inhaled air into her strange lungs. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± the woman said. ¡°You¡¯re doing fine.¡± After a few breaths, the breathing became easier. Her heart beat strongly in her chest. The plucked string reflected this. ¡°You keep an eye on her,¡± the woman said. ¡°I¡¯m going to get the doctor. He¡¯s gonna want to see this.¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As some footsteps fell away from earshot, Alyndia became aware of the warm pressure in her hand. It had not released her throughout the ordeal. ¡°Connie,¡± came the man¡¯s voice again. ¡°It¡¯s Will. Can you open your eyes?¡± Alyndia tugged at her eyelids. Gradually, her eyelids responded, and bright, white light attacked her retinas. She barely made out the image of a man looking down at her. She fluttered her eyelids until her eyes adjusted to the change in brightness between the somber red behind her eyelids and the harsh glare of her environment. Her eyes focused on a large man staring down. He had a wide face and a square jawline. He had a thick head of straight salt and pepper hair with a slight gray at his temples. He had a thick crop of black stubble on his chin and cheeks, nearly blended in color with his broad eyebrows. His green eyes looked weary and puffed. He had wrinkles, and the corners of his eyes set above a wide nose. His face displayed a stern expression. ¡°Can you see me?¡± he asked her. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. She coughed a few times to clear her dry throat. ¡°Yes, I see you,¡± she said more affirmatively. Her voice sounded somewhat lower now, huskier than what she was used to. This was to be expected. She was certainly not in her own body. Nor was she in Elises¡¯s. ¡°Do you remember your name?¡± he asked. She nodded. Alyndia, Elemental Sorceress of Roggentine, Daughter of Alitrea, she thought. ¡°Connie,¡± she said. A slight smile appeared on Will¡¯s face. ¡°How old are you?¡± She wondered how old Connie was. She decided to make a good guess. A number came to her from some shadowy place in her mind. ¡°Thirty-four years. I am thirty-four years old,¡± she replied. The slight smile broadened. He nodded, not taking his eyes off her. ¡°Yes! In fact, you are thirty-four,¡± he said, seemingly relieved. A chill ran up her spine. Why did she know how old this person was? Where did that memory come from? Whose spirit lingers with this body? ¡°How many fingers do you see?¡± She counted, one-two-three. ¡°Three,¡± she answered. At those words, he clutched both her shoulders with his large hands. ¡°God, Connie. We were worried about you.¡± ¡°What happened to me?¡± she managed to ask with great difficulty. ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened to you. Something about that damn bracelet that Professor Layton gave you. He might have put poison on it. It knocked you out cold. I¡¯ll spare you the details for now.¡± The bracelet! she thought, her mind returning the burning sensation around her wrist. ¡°Where is Gerald?¡± she asked him. The smile fell away from his face at the mention of Gerald¡¯s name. To Alyndia, he looked as if he¡¯d bitten into a spoiled aceralla nut. ¡°Layton¡¯s at home. We have him on twenty-four-hour surveillance. He isn¡¯t going anywhere until we find out what the hell he did to you. You should have heard the bullshit story he was trying to tell us about people living in other dimensions and how he heard voices in the sunlight. Unbelievable, the things he said.¡± At that moment, the night-shift floor doctor entered the room, followed by a young nurse with thick, horn-rimmed glasses. The doctor, an unkempt-looking young man in his late twenties midway through the second half of a double shift, carried with him a folded-open, aluminum clipboard. ¡°She¡¯s the one,¡± the nurse said, pointing to the woman on the bed. The doctor rushed up to the bed. ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said to Will as he cut between them to have a look at her. ¡°She¡¯s all right,¡± Will said. ¡°I was talking to her. She remembers her name and how old she is.¡± The doctor seemed surprised to see her eyes open, peering back at him. ¡°Nurse, where¡¯s the breathing tube?¡± ¡°I had to remove it,¡± she said, cowed. ¡°When she came to, Mr. MacGregor told me to remove it, or he¡¯d remove it himself.¡± The doctor shot MacGregor a hard look. MacGregor returned his look without a flinch, unrepentant. The doctor returned his attention to the patient. He pulled out a penlight and checked the dilation of her pupils. The nurse spoke to him while he did this. ¡°We got an alarm at the nurse console. Her brain activity had abruptly picked up. It was as if someone flipped a switch and all the lights came on. She woke up just a few minutes later.¡± He turned to MacGregor, ¡°And who is he?¡± he asked the nurse with ill-concealed suspicion. ¡°I¡¯m Agent Will MacGregor, CIA,¡± he said, expertly flipping open his wallet to show the doctor. ¡°And this is my partner, Agent Connie Bain.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The doctor turned his attention to the EEG readout. ¡°Incredible,¡± he said. He pulled the folded strip of paper from the box by the bed. ¡°That looks like exactly what happened.¡± He looked up at the patient, bewildered. ¡°How do you feel, Connie?¡± ¡°My throat is dry,¡± she said. ¡°I have an awful headache.¡± ¡°Oh, I can imagine,¡± the doctor said. ¡°Do you know you¡¯ve been in a coma for over two days?¡± ¡°She has a headache,¡± MacGregor said, pouring her a cup of water from a nearby plastic container. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get her anything for it? Or are you just going to stand there?¡± ¡°Just a moment,¡± the doctor said. ¡°She might just as easily fall back into the coma. We don¡¯t want to give her anything until we find out more about what happened to her.¡± ¡°A little aspirin won¡¯t hurt.¡± The doctor spun around quickly. He was a little more than half MacGregor¡¯s size. ¡°Agent MacGregor,¡± he started. ¡°Do you know what an anticoagulant is?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± he answered. ¡°An anticoagulant is a blood thinner. It prevents blood from clotting. Now, your partner here has sustained a head injury of some sort. We don¡¯t know, but she may have suffered a hemorrhage or a burst aneurysm. If we give her aspirin, we could cause the hemorrhage to start all over again, and she could suffer severe brain damage, fall into a coma again, and eventually die. Now you don¡¯t want that to happen to your partner just because you wanted to give her aspirin for her headache, do you?¡± ¡°No, I suppose I don¡¯t,¡± MacGregor replied nonplussed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so. So though I appreciate your concern for the well-being of your partner, we are the doctors here, not you. We are responsible for her as long as she¡¯s in our care. So if you don¡¯t mind, keep your opinions to yourself, and let us do our job. Do I make myself clear?¡± MacGregor sighed heavily and granted the doctor a slight nod. He knew when to back down. ¡°Fine,¡± the doctor said, returning his attention to the patient. ¡°Nurse, if Agent MacGregor says another word. Please escort him to the lobby.¡± ¡°Yes, doctor,¡± the nurse replied as she laid an imperious, smug look on MacGregor. MacGregor disregarded her and kept his eyes stoically fixed on Connie. The doctor gave the patient a few informal neurological tests. He made her count to ten, performed a few ad-hoc word associations, and then he pricked her extremities with the end of a hypodermic needle to check for insensate areas. Alyndia was not sure what the man was doing, but she listened to him. She gathered he was some kind of healer. ¡°Incredible,¡± he said again after he completed his tests. He wrote some notes on the tablet on the metal clipboard while the three of them watched. He looked at his watch and jotted down the time. Finally, he tore off the part of the readout where the patient had awoken. ¡°The brain is an amazing, mysterious organ,¡± he said as he folded and stuffed the sheet into the tablet. He then gave the nurse orders to remove the I.V. and the EEG connections but leave the EKG attached until her doctor could have a better look at her the next morning. Before the doctor left the room to go back to his rounds, he turned to MacGregor. ¡°Your partner is very lucky,¡± he said. ¡°I think she¡¯s gonna be all right.¡± He looked over at the nurse. ¡°And get her some ibuprofen for that headache.¡± * * * Connie awoke with a jolt in her private room in Wendsar¡¯s Inn. She looked around the room. The oil lantern by the bed burned low. Its emerald flame illuminated the room with a deep, green glow. White moonlight shone through the wood slotted blinds that covered the window, creating a fairy ladder on the wall opposite the window. Her body felt achy all over, as though she had fallen down a flight of stairs. She also felt oddly short of breath. She took a few deep breaths, and the feeling of breathlessness quickly dissipated. Then there came a tingling at the crown of her head, as if an insect were crawling on it. She reached up to crush it and only found hair. She fluffed up her pillow and shifted her body into a more comfortable position. As she lay in the darkness, she recalled that she¡¯d been dreaming moments before she¡¯d woken up. She¡¯d dreamed she was floating weightless in a dark place and tied up so that she couldn¡¯t move. She recalled struggling to get free and feeling helpless and distressed, and then being terrified as she started floating toward some monster or something. Such a horrible dream, she thought. She didn¡¯t usually have dreams like that. The room was slightly chilly and her feet were cold, so she sat up and covered them with the blanket. As she did so, she heard a man¡¯s and woman¡¯s voices conversing in some unknown language, along with the beep of a heartbeat monitor. The voices sounded faraway and had a thin tonal quality to them, as though they were coming from a portable radio. Just as she cocked her head to determine their origin, they abruptly stopped. All was now still and silent except for faint snoring coming from the other side of the wall. She listened for a while longer, but the voices didn¡¯t return. Now she was thirsty, and her throat felt rough, probably from the dry air. She got out of bed and helped herself to the urn of water that the maid had left. As she imbibed the water, she felt that tingle at the top of her head again. This time, it was almost a tug, as though someone were gently pulling on a few strands of hair. She felt the top of her head again¡ªnothing. The feeling passed. ¡°Connie, what¡¯s going on with you?¡± she asked herself aloud. She got back into bed, curled up beneath her blanket, and closed her eyes. Chapter 7 - Carnage at the Castle Maray Chapter 7 Carnage at the Castle Maray It was still dark when the insistent rap came at Connie¡¯s door. The sharp, strident sound of the knocking eventually roused her instantly from her sleep. ¡°Alyndia! Wake up. We have to be leaving soon,¡± came Jalban¡¯s voice beyond the door. ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s not even daylight.¡± ¡°Yes, I know that. But Rahl wants to leave early.¡± Connie lay in bed for a while, contemplating her situation. She felt better this morning than she had in a while, and her wakefulness was not greeted with the disembodied feeling she had the day before. The rap came again. ¡°Alyndia! Do you hear me? If you don¡¯t get down here right away, you¡¯re going to miss breakfast.¡± ¡°Hold your hanyaks. I¡¯m coming,¡± she said as she pulled away the downy quilt that covered her. Downstairs at the table, there was another among them who was unfamiliar. Rahl introduced him as his older brother, Yalden. Yalden was a large man who, though not as large and well-built as Rahl, was definitely a contender for sword-wielding muscle. She saw the resemblance between the two men, especially in their green eyes and the bridge of their noses. Yalden¡¯s overall appearance was more boyish than Rahl¡¯s. While they were eating, Sind sat demurely by himself at the end of the table. Connie realized that Kiban was not present. ¡°Where is your brother, Sind?¡± she asked. Sind looked up at her, his eyes filled with sadness and longing. ¡°The lady took him,¡± he answered quietly. Rahl elaborated for him: ¡°Jenada took him back to the cottage this morning.¡± ¡°Hey, child,¡± Yalden said. ¡°Brighten up. Jenada will tend him fine.¡± ¡°When will I see him again?¡± ¡°Soon,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°We will try to get you employment at the Castle Maray. That is, if they will have you.¡± Sind did not look enthused at the prospect. ¡°He will be fine,¡± Connie said, resting her hand affectionately on his shoulder. Sind gazed into Connie¡¯s with an acutely tragic look. ¡°I trust you, Alyndia. If you say he will be fine, then I know it will be so.¡± Connie smiled at the boy. ¡°Thank you for the vote of confidence, Sind. We wouldn¡¯t let you down.¡± A half hour later, the six of them, Connie, Rahl, Jalban, Sind, Yalden, and Theo, were mounted and on their way out to the Castle Maray. The morning was chilly. Connie wrapped her cloak around her shoulders to keep warm. With her belly full of hotcakes, she wished she were back in the warm, comfortable bed at Wendsar¡¯s Inn. As they rode, Connie again noticed a dry, green haze covering the ground. It swirled about with the movement of the hanyak¡¯s hooves. The day turned out to be hazy with green clouds. The light crept up slowly. It was a few hours past sunrise when the clouds began to dissipate slightly, though the sun still could not be seen. Grassy pastures framed with low walls of round stones stretched to the hills on either side of the road. The farther they traveled toward the castle, the fewer grazing animals could be seen in the pastures and fenced fields adjoining the small farms. Now they saw empty pasture after empty pasture. Connie felt something off in the air that was difficult to place¡ªa kind of deathly stillness. She gradually noticed that no sounds of songbirds emanated from in the trees as she had heard earlier, and no birds flew overhead. After they had been riding for three hours, they stopped for a rest. Connie, Sind, Theo, and Yalden sat on one of the low walls while Jalban prepared betanna root drink for them. Rahl hopped over the wall and walked across one of the pastures to the crest of a hill in the distance. After looking over the other side, he walked back to the group, where he addressed Connie and Theo. ¡°Can either of you spellcasters predict the weather?¡± Connie and Theo looked at each other. Connie shrugged. To her, Rahl¡¯s question sounded ludicrous. ¡°I cannot predict the weather,¡± Theo said to Rahl. ¡°It is an air spell. Connie can cast it for you.¡± ¡°You are mistaken, Theo. I don¡¯t have such a spell.¡± She looked at Rahl. ¡°Sorry, Rahl. I can¡¯t predict the weather for you.¡± Rahl frowned at her and walked off in a huff. Jalban handed Connie and Theo a tin cup of the betanna root drink. Connie took a sip of hers. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into Rahl?¡± she asked Theo. Theo drank the entire contents of his cup before answering. ¡°He¡¯s upset, naturally. Why didn¡¯t you cast a spell for him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how. Why don¡¯t you all believe me? And why is Rahl so concerned about the weather, anyway?¡± ¡°He¡¯s hoping it will not rain. If it does, there may be trouble.¡± ¡°Why? His armor might rust?¡± ¡°No. Chaos.¡± ¡°What about it? ¡°If Chaos is present, rain from the clouds will wash it into the soil, and the foliage will taint.¡± ¡°Then what happens?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only heard that bad things happen, but I don¡¯t know what these things could be. Perhaps Rahl would know more. He¡¯s the Swordbearer. Ask him.¡± Connie considered doing just that, but Rahl seemed visibly disturbed at that point. She did not wish to involve himself in the maelstrom of his emotions. A short while later, they were on the road again toward the castle. The clouds persisted longer, but fortunately, no rain fell. Passing over the crest of a hill, the Castle Maray came into full view. Connie was awestruck by the castle. It reminded her of the spired, great fortresses she had seen in Germany on her many visits to Europe on assignment. The tall walls of the fortress were surrounded by a village whose structure clustered closed to the wall like ducklings to their mother. Rahl stopped short at the sight of the castle. He stared at it in the distance. Connie rode up to him. ¡°Is that the castle?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. That is the Castle Maray.¡± ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said. ¡°Could be,¡± he replied enigmatically. He held his hands over his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t tell from here.¡± ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°Tell me, Alyndia. Do you see any moment?¡± Connie scanned the scene in the distance. She saw no movement on the walls of the castle, nor the village sprawled outside its walls. ¡°No, I don¡¯t see any movement at all. But we are very far away. I doubt we would see any movement from this distance without a pair of¡ª¡± she wanted to say binoculars, but she couldn¡¯t find the phase. A moment later, Theo joined Rahl and Connie at the front of the group. ¡°What is the problem?¡± Theo asked. Rahl explained what they were looking for. Theo reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a few, small, mummified animal organs. ¡°I have just the spell for this,¡± he said proudly. Connie smiled to herself. Oh, this is going to be good, she thought. Theo cradled in his hands what looked like a mummified chicken heart. He held the heart above his head while muttering a seemingly nonsensical incantation. Then, holding the organ in one hand, he ran his hands over Rahl¡¯s eyes. Rahl did not flinch, then he suddenly frowned, not taking his eyes off the castle in the distance. He muttered some curses under his breath. ¡°What do you see?¡± Connie asked, really intending to ask, ¡°What do you see now that you couldn¡¯t see before?¡± ¡°Death,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°How do you know that?¡± she asked, now straining her eyes to see what Rahl saw in the distance. ¡°Behold,¡± Theo said to Connie. He reached over and waved his hand slowly in front of her eyes. When his hand moved away, she suddenly found herself standing in front of the castle, or at least it appeared that way. She turned Theo. She could barely make out his appearance in the blur. She looked around herself. A clump of trees they passed twenty minutes ago appeared so close she thought she could walk right into them. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± she asked Theo, alarmed at the extraordinary change in her vision. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Hawkeyes,¡± he replied. ¡°I cast a Hawkeyes spell on you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m so farsighted now.¡± She rubbed her eyes and then looked at Theo again, but he remained a blur. ¡°I can¡¯t even see you.¡± ¡°It will last for only a short time.¡± Reluctantly taking his word for it, she returned her vision to the castle. Immediately, she saw what Rahl meant. The castle and the village surrounding it were in shambles. Dead animals and humans were strewn in the streets. An overturned cart and some sort of household furniture could be found here and there. A few burned-out buildings smoldered from a fire that probably raged several hours earlier. There was no sign of life anywhere. Although the castle appeared structurally intact, the roofs of many of the nearby smaller structures were collapsed. The highest tower of the castle was draped with a tattered red pennant. A dead man hung out of the window of the tower. A quarter league beyond the castle was a high gray wall that stretched off in either direction as far as she could see. ¡°That must be the Calphous Wall, the Barrier to Chaos,¡± Connie said to herself, recalling Rahl¡¯s words. With its round stones and construction of great antiquity, the sight of it reminded her of the Great Wall of China, which she has visited twice in her life. If the wall were really as long as Rahl suggested, then it would definitely be a rival to the Great Wall itself. But this could not be true, for she had never heard of this particular wall until a few days earlier. Connie¡¯s vision suddenly reeled back to normal, giving her a sense of vertigo so strong she nearly fell off the hanyak. She turned to Theo, who had been watching her as she stared off into the distance. She gasped, not knowing what to say about the wondrous experience of being able to see unaided as if she were wearing binoculars. ¡°I apologize to you, Alyndia,¡± he said. ¡°I should have requested your permission before I cast the spell on you.¡± ¡°No, that was incredible. How did you do that?¡± ¡°I already told you: Hawkeyes,¡± he replied as if the answer were obvious. ¡°Was that an illusion, or could I really see such a distance?¡± ¡°You saw with the eyes of a hawk.¡± ¡°Amazing, Theo. I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°It was easy.¡± Connie turned to Rahl to corroborate what she had seen at the Castle Maray, but he was already away from her speaking with Yalden and Jalban. Connie rode up to them. ¡°¡­it will be dangerous,¡± she heard him say. ¡°Then we should head back to town,¡± Jalban said. ¡°We have no purpose there if they are already dead.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that they are all dead. We must go there to look for survivors,¡± Rahl said. ¡°This didn¡¯t happen that long ago.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Yalden said. ¡°There might be survivors held up somewhere in the castle. We must go to them.¡± ¡°Rahl, I don¡¯t like the idea.¡± Jalban said. ¡°Perhaps the boy, Alyndia, and I can wait here while you, Theo, and Yalden here check it out.¡± ¡°No, we must stay together,¡± Rahl insisted. ¡°Besides, we will need Alyndia¡¯s spell-casting abilities in the event we run into trouble, and we might need your healing herbs in case one of us is injured.¡± ¡°Wait just a minute here!¡± Connie said on hearing about her role. ¡°If you all think I¡¯m going to cast spells to save your asses, you¡¯ve got another thing coming.¡± ¡°Your cowardice disgusts me, Alyndia.¡± Yalden said gruffly. ¡°Indeed, this is not the time to be weak,¡± Rahl said in a more diplomatic tone. ¡°And while we sit here bickering, there may be people trapped within the castle. We must go now. Time is of the essence.¡± He turned his hanyak and rode away from them toward the castle. ¡°Let us follow,¡± Yalden said, riding off to follow his brother. Connie, Jalban, and Sind, left by themselves, rode some distance behind Rahl and Yalden, with Theo covering up the rear. Just before they reached the castle, Connie rode up to Rahl. ¡°Rahl, I really don¡¯t think I can live up to your expectations on this,¡± she said. ¡°Let it not trouble you, Alyndia, I fully expect that you will remain calm and collected no matter what we encounter at the castle.¡± ¡°I mean, about the spells.¡± ¡°Cast whichever spell you think will help us, Alyndia. I will rely on your good judgment in the matter.¡± He then shouted back to the rest of the party, ¡°Whatever you do, do not touch anything. And stay on the road. Do not lose sight of your fellow man, or else you may never see him again.¡± Now the carnage came closer within view. Dead livestock covered the road. Connie looked at the creatures as they passed. It seemed no two died for the same type of wound. The only trait they had in common was that the deaths were messy. So messy, in fact, the ground was stained a deep, dull green with blood. They also passed a few cottages with their front doors and windows broken in. Rahl called out to a few cottages in case survivors hid inside. No one answered his call. Theo held out his rune-covered wood staff with a brass loop affixed to its end. He ran it over the carcasses on either side of him as he rode. ¡°Dead too long,¡± he muttered, and then he cursed. Once in the town, the carnage of human life was most prevalent. Mutilated bodies were strewn across the streets. The deaths were strange; bloody skulls sat outside mushy-headed bodies. A man seemed choked to death by his own dismembered arm. Another was flayed alive, quickly, as the skeletal body left footprints up to the point of its demise. The body of a naked old woman lay sprawled on her side in the street, her complete, intact spinal cord laying beside her along with a few rib fragments. Then there was the blood. Blood was everywhere¡ªsmeared on the walls, smeared on the overturned carts in the street, smeared on the signs to the shops twelve feet above the ground. All was still and silent. Not even the wind blew. Only Rahl¡¯s occasional call to survivors broke the quietude. ¡°Don¡¯t look, Sind,¡± Connie said as they made their way through the carnage. Her request came too late. Sind¡¯s face displayed the horror of the scene. He began to vomit partially digested hotcakes all over the neck of the hanyak and the new clothes Connie bought him the day before. ¡°By the gods!¡± Jalban said, guiding the hanyak around a pile of dismembered corpses. ¡°What could have done all of this?¡± ¡°Chaos,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°But what creature?¡± ¡°Pray to your gods and hope you never learn firsthand what sort of creature has done this,¡± Rahl replied. Once they reached the town square, they stopped to take stock of the scene. The drawbridge to the castle was down. Its surface was covered with the mutilated bodies of men at arms, many of them only partially dressed. Rahl mentioned that he suspected the attack came at night while town was asleep, probably before dawn. This is why there was little sign of struggle, and consequentially, no one escaped. If they continued straight ahead, they could pass within the castle walls. Both other roads lead out of town. Rahl sat for a moment, sniffing the air. Connie saw him do this. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Sensing Chaos,¡± he replied. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± she asked, taking his words at face value, wondering if Chaos really had a tangible scent. ¡°I don¡¯t sense it now, but it might not be far off.¡± He called Theo forward. ¡°You¡¯re the spirit mage. What do you think? Is there anyone alive around here?¡± Theo closed his eyes and held his staff high above his head. His violet robe fell back, revealing his wiry arms. The party watched him in silence while he whispered some quiet incantation. Gradually, with his arms remaining outstretched, he lowered the staff in the direction of the castle. He suddenly opened his eyes and peered through the gates. He looked perplexed. ¡°I am not sure,¡± he said. ¡°I am detecting something from within the castle, but I am not sure what it is.¡± ¡°Is it alive?¡± ¡°Possibly. If they are living beings, their life force is scarcely detectable, or they are close to death.¡± ¡°What do you mean, they?¡± Jalban asked with a slight tremble in his voice. ¡°There are six of them.¡± ¡°You said ¡®living beings.¡¯ Living beings as opposed to what?¡± Yalden asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. They¡¯re definitely not animal, but they¡¯re not like us, either.¡± Theo looked at this staff. ¡°Unless my enchantment is failing, I¡¯d say they were¡ª¡± his puzzled expression suddenly returned. He looked to Rahl. ¡°I dare say they are spiritual beings. Might I suggest angels, or possibly demons?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of this,¡± Jalban said. ¡°Neither do I,¡± Yalden added, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°It might be a trick of Chaos or something to lure us into a trap.¡± Rahl spoke to Theo. ¡°That¡¯s a big castle. Do you think you can find them in there?¡± Theo nodded, his staff clutched tightly. ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°Then we must investigate this,¡± Rahl said to the group. ¡°Do I have any volunteers to enter the castle with Theo and me?¡± He looked at each member of the group. Jalban and Yalden looked away when Rahl¡¯s eyes fell on them. ¡°I will go,¡± Connie said when Rahl¡¯s eyes rested upon her. Jalban gasped. ¡°Alyndia!¡± ¡°Shut up, Jalban. You¡¯re not my father.¡± Jalban gasped on hearing this, looking as if she had just slapped him hard across the face. Rahl smiled at her. ¡°Very good, Alyndia. Your spells may come in handy. Does anyone else want to go?¡± ¡°I want to go!¡± Sind said. ¡°No,¡± Rahl said. ¡°It is too dangerous for a young one such as you.¡± Sind¡¯s eyes plead with Connie so that she might take him along. ¡°You wait here, with Jalban and Yalden,¡± she said. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t take very long.¡± ¡°You hope,¡± Yalden added for her. Rahl dismounted his hanyak, and with his shield in one arm and sword in the opposing hand, he took a few steps toward the yawning mouth of the castle. ¡°Come Theo. Alyndia.¡± He called back to the three that would remain outside. ¡°If we do not return by noon. Do not seek us inside the castle. Return to the Zeranon to warn them of the tragedy that has taken place here. And see to it that the Ruling Council in Roggentine is warned.¡± The Connie took a last lingering look at those left behind as they passed through the great walls of the castle. Sind watched her with teary eyes. Jalban looked worried. She felt somehow responsible for the both of them. Fortunately, it seemed Yalden would be able to hold in their defense perchance any trouble cropped up. Theo walked ahead of Rahl and Connie with his staff outstretched before him. Rahl walked next. Connie lingered slightly behind. Inside the walls, Connie was awestruck by the immensity of the structure. The walls were fully at least twenty feet thick. The tall towers seemed to scrape the bleak gray-green clouds that moved slowly overhead. Connie had to smile. For all the carnage around her, she realized this was a very authentic-looking medieval castle. It was amazing that modern people, the soldiers and inhabitants, actually lived in this kind of structure whose era had faded with the Dark Ages. They entered the castle perimeter through the main gate on the other side of the drawbridge, stepping over the remnants of a smashed-in portcullis and other debris. From there, they walked down a wide wooden ramp into a rectangular expanse of grassy courtyard. The courtyard, like the streets of the town outside the castle, was a bloody tangle of corpses. The bodies of men and hanyaks lay everywhere. As in the village, the causes of death varied widely from victim to victim. There was no sign, dead or alive, of the enemy that had slain them. At the far end of the courtyard were the smoldering remains of a wooden barracks building. To the right of the barracks, across a rectangular courtyard, stood a high-roofed chapel. Compared to the rest of the castle, for all its stained-glass windows, the chapel alone seemed intact. It was in this direction that Theo pointed his staff. As she followed Theo and Rahl through the courtyard, Connie surveyed the wide variety of medieval weapons scattered about. It looked like a Renaissance fair gone mad. Her eyes rested on a large, ornamented sword with what looked like a gold-plated hilt. The weapon was lovely, and he looked like it had hardly ever been used. She stopped to pick it up. Just as she reached for the weapon, she heard Rahl¡¯s call out to her: ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± Connie looked up to see Rahl facing her, looking very worried. Theo had stopped walking and was now watching them, seemingly with keen interest. ¡°Come look at this sword, Rahl. It¡¯s got to be worth a lot.¡± ¡°Leave it,¡± he said. ¡°Why? The guy who was using it obviously doesn¡¯t need it anymore. ¡°It may be tainted.¡± ¡°Tainted or not, I would feel much better with more than a dagger for protection in this place.¡± ¡°Stay close to me. I will protect you.¡± Connie gazed down at the shiny weapon resting innocuously on the grass. Its blade seemed to shimmer in the light of the green sky above. He motioned for her to follow. ¡°Come, Alyndia. No weapon, no matter how valuable, is worth your sanity or your life.¡± With heavy reluctance, Connie took a last, lingering look at the weapon and rejoined Rahl and Theo. They followed Theo through the courtyard until they reached the large oaken double doors of the chapel. A decapitated, naked male corpse lay sprawled at the base of the doors. It appeared that his head had been ripped from his body. Out of perversity, Connie scanned the immediate area for a head that might match the body. It was nowhere within sight. Theo stood in front of the doors, holding his staff outward toward the portal, his eyes shut, deep in concentration. Connie and Rahl waited in silence on the steps next to him. At last, he opened his eyes and rapped his staff against the doors. He then turned to Connie and Rahl, his face awash with dread and apprehension. ¡°They¡¯re just beyond this door,¡± he said. Chapter 8 - Recovery Discoveries Chapter 8 Recovery Discoveries Alyndia awoke when the first yellow rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon. Still tethered to the I.V. taped to her arm, she quietly climbed out of the hospital bed and stood at the window. She gasped in wonderment at the yellow light that filled the blue sky. The sunlight glinted off the snow that covered the ground in warm, sepia rays. The deep blue and cheerful yellow was like nothing else she had seen before. The city below appeared unusual to her eyes. Unlike the spired buildings of Roggentine, the buildings here were squat and rectangular, and their windows were square. In the street below, she saw a multitude of hanyak-less carriages. Comparatively, few people traveled on foot. A nurse walked into the room. What are you doing out of bed?¡± she asked. Alyndia turned to see a nurse standing at the doorway. She was a short, busty woman with freckles and bright red hair that covered her ears. She held a tray with what looked like food. ¡°I wanted to see the sunrise,¡± Alyndia said. The nurse set the tray down by the bed and joined her at the window. ¡°Yes, it does look nice today,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°It¡¯s the first clear day we¡¯ve had in weeks. But you really should be in bed until the doctor has had a look at you.¡± ¡°A doctor?¡± she asked, unsure of the meaning. ¡°You mean, a healer?¡± The nurse smiled at her unintended pun. ¡°We like to think we¡¯re healers. Now back in the bed with you. I don¡¯t want to be responsible for you if you fall down.¡± The nurse gently guided Alyndia back into bed and rearranged the blanket for her. ¡°Where is Mrs. Layton?¡± Alyndia asked. ¡°You mean, Annelise Layton? The comatose patient?¡± ¡°Yes. One of the other nurses said she was here. I¡¯d like to see her. Could you take me to her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t. She was moved to Mercy Hospital a few days after the incident.¡± ¡°She was?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Apparently, there was some political fallout here in the management over what happened to you. Someone thought it best to move her there.¡± ¡°Oh. I really wanted to see her.¡± ¡°You can see her after you get out. Mercy¡¯s only a fifteen-minute drive from here.¡± Alyndia touched the bandage covering the burn on her left wrist. ¡°What about the bracelet? Did you find a bracelet? An iridium bracelet?¡± ¡°There was a bracelet, but some CIA people took it away.¡± At those words, Alyndia slumped back into the pillow. The nurse used the electric control for the bed to sit her up so that she could eat her breakfast. The humming and movement of the bed startled her momentarily. The nurse pulled out an electronic sphygmomanometer and attached the cuff to Alyndia¡¯s upper arm. She watched the nurse with quiet bemusement. ¡°Why do you all keep doing this?¡± ¡°We¡¯re supposed to do it. Don¡¯t you like having your blood pressure taken? ¡°I can¡¯t say I mind it¡ªI just don¡¯t understand the point of it. I mean, is this device supposed to aid me in some way?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s standard procedure to measure your blood pressure every four hours. Just because we do it doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s a problem. We do it to all the patients, regardless of why they¡¯re here. But if you have any specific concerns about your blood pressure, you should ask your doctor. In fact, I saw him in the hallway a little while ago. He¡¯s making his rounds and should be here shortly. Now sit still.¡± The nurse pressed the button on a gray box connected to the cuff. The box began to hum, and the band on her upper arm puffed up and squeezed her arm. ¡°Is that your boyfriend who keeps coming to visit you?¡± the nurse asked, watching the changing numerals on the gray box. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied without thinking. The nurse glanced up at her. ¡°You mean, you don¡¯t know who he is, or you just don¡¯t know about the relationship?¡± Alyndia wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. ¡°Will and I have a complex relationship. It¡¯s difficult to describe.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the nurse said, returning her attention to the gray box. ¡°Well, he thinks a lot of you. He was here the whole time you were out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± she said, shifting in the bed uncomfortably. The sphygmomanometer beeped once. ¡°Congratulations. You have the blood pressure of an astronaut,¡± the nurse said as she removed the cuff from Alyndia¡¯s arm. ¡°You must be in good shape.¡± ¡°Certainly not because of that device you¡¯re using on me,¡± she said, massaging her arm. ¡°Very funny. Maybe it¡¯s time for you to have you breakfast, now Here. Let me help you.¡± The nurse rolled the breakfast tray over to Alyndia¡¯s bed and her over her hips. Though Alyndia was ravenously hungry, her mind was consumed with questions on how she came to reside in this stranger¡¯s body instead of Elise Layton¡¯s. She wanted to ask the nurse some specific questions to get more information on her situation, but she remembered Gerald¡¯s words that magic and spiritualism were not commonplace in his world. This nurse would be of little help in that regard. She needed to find Gerald. ¡°I would like to speak with Gerald Layton, Annelise Layton¡¯s husband. How may I do this?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give you personal information on our patients, Hon. But I figure you must have his contact information since you were visiting his wife here at the hospital.¡± ¡°Yes. Of course you¡¯re right.¡± Alyndia had already surmised that the hospital staff would be of no help to her, and the sooner she left the hospital, the sooner she could start looking for Gerald. But she couldn¡¯t just walk out wearing nothing but the flimsy, blue gown they¡¯d dressed her in. She reasoned that Connie had been wearing street clothing when she came to the hospital, and so the clothing she wore must be somewhere close by. ¡°Is there anything you need before I go?¡± the nurse asked. ¡°Yes. Where are my possessions?¡± ¡°In the closet. Would you like me to get something for you?¡± ¡°Possibly, but first tell me what is there.¡± The nurse walked over to the freestanding closet and opened it. Inside were a deep gray woman¡¯s business suit, a heavy black overcoat, and a pair of low black heels. On the top shelf was a set of underclothes and a small leather purse. The nurse brought the purse to Alyndia. ¡°I assume you want this.¡± Alyndia opened the purse. It was full of strange objects and scraps of paper. One by one, she began removing the contents and setting them on the tray in front of her. She did not know what she was looking for, but she looked just the same in case anything caught her eye. The nurse watched her for a while, then she turned to exit the room. I¡¯ll be back in fifteen minutes to get the tray. Press the button there by the bed if you need anything.¡± Alyndia found two items of interest in the purse. A black leather billfold, and a small, black leather-bound book called a ¡°daytimer.¡± She opened the billfold. Inside she found many small documents printed on a strange flexible material she¡¯d never seen before. She found she was able to read all the documents. The most prevalent document was a CIA badge. The other was a New Jersey driver¡¯s license. This tiny card provided a wealth of information along with a small, blurry picture. Her name was Connie Louise Bain. She saw a small, blurry picture of herself. Birth date: July 16; height: 5¡¯7¡±; weight: 131; hazel eyes; red hair. Does not need vision correction. Motorcycle endorsement. Organ donor. Then there was an address. Alyndia stared at the blurry picture of her new body on the card. The woman¡¯s expression appeared gravely serious, unsmiling, almost tragic. She brought her hands to her face and felt its features. She pulled her hair around her head so that she could see it. The hair was the same color, although the hair now looked more brown than the red in the picture. She saw another picture on the CIA card. In this picture, the hair color was more accurate. She was about to open the daytimer when a dark-skinned, mustached man in a white coat entered the room. He smiled broadly when he saw here. ¡°Connie Bain!¡± the man said. ¡°I heard you were awake. I came right up when I heard the news.¡± ¡°Should I know you?¡± Alyndia asked. ¡°Well, probably only in name,¡± the man said, smiling slightly. He held out his hand to her. A habit took over, and she shook his hand. To do this felt natural to her. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Kasabian. I¡¯m the doctor assigned to you.¡± He opened the metal clipboard and scanned the documents it contained. It appeared to Alyndia to be the same clipboard the doctor had the night before. ¡°You¡¯ve been in dreamland for a few days. And you got a nasty bump on your head. And your wrist is burned. I have to ask you: How do you feel?¡± ¡°A little disoriented,¡± she answered. ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me after what you¡¯ve gone through.¡± Dr. Kasabian performed a round of tests on Alyndia, tests more elaborate and thorough than those of the doctor in attendance earlier in the morning. ¡°It appears your motor control and sensory facilities are intact,¡± he concluded. ¡°You should consider yourself a lucky woman. We feared that you suffered brain damage.¡± ¡°From what?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sure. It could have been a lack of oxygen caused by a lack of circulation. But that is another matter too.¡± Dr. Kasabian brought his fingers to his dark mustache. ¡°You are a woman in excellent shape, in the prime of life. You haven¡¯t a history of heart problems. Then there is that matter of the burn on your wrist. We aren¡¯t sure why that happened,¡± he added, stroking his mustache. ¡°My guess is that a nerve toxin somehow entered your system through that burn on your wrist. This is supported by the high levels of chlorine compounds we found in your blood shortly after we revived you. The nurse who found you on the floor of the room said she smelled chlorine in the area.¡± Dr. Kasabian unfolded a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on. He opened the clipboard and flipped through a few notes. ¡°It says here you came to put a piece of jewelry on Annelise Layton. A bracelet, was it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Alyndia said. ¡°An iridium bracelet. A family heirloom.¡± ¡°It seems that you put the bracelet on yourself instead of Annelise Layton.¡± ¡°She did? I mean¡ªI did?¡± The doctor nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s when it happened to you. After you put the bracelet on, you passed out and went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, you made a racket when you fell. That¡¯s why the nurse found you when she did.¡± ¡°And what about Mrs. Layton. Was she harmed?¡± ¡°No, but strangely, her life-support equipment stopped working at the time you fell. It was some sort of weird electrical malfunction. Fortunately, we were able to reset and restart the equipment before we lost her.¡± Alyndia thrust her head back into the pillow. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Gerald,¡± she said sullenly, looking up at the ceiling. ¡°Excuse me¡ªare you referring to Professor Gerald Layton?¡± Alyndia nodded. ¡°Why do you feel you owe him an apology? Your CIA friends and the local police think he did this to you intentionally. I would have expected you to feel the same way, you being one of them and all.¡± Alyndia sat up. ¡°What do you mean he did it intentionally?¡± ¡°They think he poisoned the bracelet and intended to kill his wife with it, maybe for an insurance payout. But you put it on yourself before he could put it on her.¡± ¡°He would never poison his wife. I¡¯m sure of that.¡± Dr. Kasabian removed his glasses and surveyed Alyndia with a puzzled look. ¡°Ms. Bain, pardon me for asking this, but weren¡¯t you investigating him for terrorism or something to that effect before all of this happened?¡± ¡°No¡ªI mean¡ªyes, but I know he loved his wife.¡± ¡°I see. And how do you know that?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you. Tell me: Where is Gerald now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m not the one to ask. Maybe your partner would know more.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She pushed aside the food tray, pulled the thin hospital blanket away from her body, and slipped off the bed. ¡°Wait! What are you doing?¡± ¡°I have to find Gerald.¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Not so fast. We have some tests we need to do on you before you leave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to participate in your tests. I want to see Gerald.¡± Alyndia was momentarily stunned at how well Connie¡¯s voice projected anger. She wanted to move away from the bed toward the closet that held her clothes but found herself still tethered to the I.V. lines. ¡°Take this thing off of me.¡± ¡°Please, Ms. Bain. Just wait a while. I can¡¯t make you stay, but you really ought to let us check you over.¡± Alyndia began tearing at the tape on her arm that held the I.V. when a well-dressed and clean-shaven Will MacGregor appeared at the doorway. He stood there, surveying the situation, instinctively sensing that something was up. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± he asked. Dr. Kasabian turned to him. ¡°Hi, Mr. MacGregor. Ms. Bain wants to leave the hospital, but I told her she must stay so that we can run some tests on her.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad for you, because I came here to take her home.¡± Alyndia stopped fussing with the I.V. lines when MacGregor said that. She looked up at him and noticed that he was staring at her chest region. She realized at that instant that the open end of the hospital gown had somehow turned around, and now her left breast brazenly poked through in plain view of both men. She quickly covered it in a show of modesty. ¡°How do you feel, babe?¡± MacGregor asked her from the doorway. ¡°I feel fine, Will,¡± she replied. ¡°I want to leave.¡± MacGregor addressed the doctor. ¡°I¡¯ve pretty much had enough of this place myself. I say if she feels fine, you should let her go.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Dr. Kasabian said. ¡°This woman has just woken up from a coma. She might have a latent brain injury. We need to run some tests on her to ascertain she¡¯s all right.¡± ¡°What do you think, Connie?¡± MacGregor asked her. ¡°Do you wanna stay or you wanna go?¡± ¡°I already told you. I want to leave,¡± she answered, her words directed more to Dr. Kasabian than MacGregor. ¡°I must advise you, Ms. Bain, that the hospital¡ª¡± the Dr. Kasabian began, but MacGregor cut him off. ¡°Doctor, your patient has spoken. Now I think you and me ought to leave the room so Connie can get dressed in privacy.¡± As MacGregor led Alyndia through the hospital corridors, to the lobby, and to the outside world, her eyes and ears were immersed in a baffling cacophony of sounds and sight. Professor Layton was right when he said that this society had a mechanical device that took the place of every conceivable spell, and then some. At a desk, she saw a woman speaking into a beige handset. Another stared into a box that glowed on one side while sequentially pressing tiles on a panel on the desk before her. Periodically, a disembodied voice filled the hall occasionally. The voice was loud. At first, she thought the voice was speaking directly to her, then she pinpointed the origin of this voice to circular grilles set into the ceiling. In the lobby of the hospital, a man in a black uniform spoke into a small gray box he held in his hand. The box spoke back to him. The name for this box came to her from the mysterious lexicon in her mind. The man in black held a hand-held transceiver or walkie-talkie. Although she knew the names of most of the objects she saw, their exact uses and how they worked escaped her entirely. The outer glass doors of the hospital lobby slid open, and they were immediately assaulted by the frigid New Jersey air. The light from the sun, weak and distant, fell upon the ground covered by patches of dirty snow. Alyndia quickly realized her jacket wasn¡¯t thick enough for protection from the cold and wished she could cast the fire spell of Warmth on herself. She hoped they would not be walking a great distance in the cold. MacGregor wrapped his arm around hers as they stepped from the curb to cross the street to get to the parking lot. ¡°Watch out for ice.¡± Alyndia could not help but notice the preponderance of hanyak-less carriages (called automobiles) that came in every conceivable color. Alyndia wondered if these carriages were in some way, living creatures, for they emanated growling noises as they passed, and each had two silvery eyes in front of it to guide it along the road while passengers sat unmoving inside its belly. MacGregor located his automobile inside the parking lot. His automobile was black. It was wedged-shaped and sat very close to the ground. He opened the door for Alyndia and walked around the other side. Imitating what she had observed in the lobby of the hospital, she got inside. MacGregor unlocked his side of the door and sat in the seat next to hers. He placed a key in the ignition, turned it, and the automobile woke up with a growl. He turned to her after a moment. ¡°Are you in?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Well, then close the door so that we can go.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she said, feeling foolish. She reached out to the handle of the door and pulled it shut. It closed with a solid sound. Now they were inside the belly of the automobile. But now it seemed more like a womb. Warm air blew from slots in the dash. She placed her cold hands in front of one of the slots to warm them. ¡°Car¡¯s still warm,¡± he said. Her eyes fell across the dazzling array of blinking lights, levers, and buttons on the dash console. She had no idea what any of them did. ¡°Music?¡± he asked, noticing her eyes scanning the dash. MacGregor pressed something there. Without warning, the womb filled with raucous, alien-sounding music. Alarmed by its sudden appearance, she quickly looked around to find the origin of the music. She could not, for it was all around her. She felt acutely frightened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked. ¡°That music¡ªwhat is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s The Clash, baby.¡± ¡°That what?¡± ¡°The Clash.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Come on! It¡¯s your favorite group.¡± ¡°No, no. Please make it stop!¡± ¡°All right, suit yourself,¡± he said. He hit the button on the dash. The music stopped instantly. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, feeling better with the silence. ¡°No problem. I forgot that you might still have a headache. So where do you want to go? I noticed you didn¡¯t eat that hospital food. Can¡¯t say I blame you. Are you hungry?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°What do you feel like? Breakfast? A burger?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she replied absently. Her thoughts returned to finding Professor Layton. She hoped they had not put him in a dungeon. ¡°You don¡¯t care? That¡¯s not like you¡ªyou usually have a strong opinion in the matter.¡± ¡°Honest, Will. Wherever we eat is fine.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± She nodded. He grinned mischievously. ¡°How about McDonald¡¯s, then?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, McDonald¡¯s is fine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± MacGregor¡¯s grin broke into a smile. ¡°You must really be hungry if you¡¯ll agree to go with me there. You don¡¯t normally like McDonald''s. But MacDonald¡¯s it is.¡± He backed out of the parking space and sped out of the parking lot. They went through the drive-through at McDonald''s. Alyndia was undecided in what she wanted, so he took it upon himself to order her a Big Mac, fries, and a medium orange soda. After they got their food, they sat in the parking lot with the engine running to keep the heater warm. ¡°Here¡¯s yours,¡± MacGregor said as he handed her something soft wrapped in yellow parchment. Big Mac read the inscription. He handed her a decorated, covered waxen cup with a white top and multicolored straw sticking out the top. ¡°And here¡¯s your drink. I¡¯ll leave your fries in the bag so that they¡¯ll stay warm.¡± She put the drink in a holder affixed to the door of the car that seemed designed for the cup. Cautiously, she unwrapped the parchment on her lap to reveal three slices of salabine seed bread sandwiching some other ingredients. She lifted the upper slice of bread to examine what lay beneath. The ingredients of the ¡°Big Mac¡± looked unfamiliar to her except for the ground meat. None of it looked appetizing. ¡°Are you going to eat it or play with it?¡± MacGregor asked her with his mouth full. He had already finished half of the first three burgers they¡¯d ordered. Feeling hungry and more than a little self-conscious, she lifted the sandwich to her mouth and took a bite. To her surprise, though the flavor of the meat sandwich was like nothing else she¡¯d ever tasted, it pleased her taste buds. She took another bite, then another. Then she washed it down with the sweet, orange liquid called a soda. This, too, was sumptuous, and it bubbled on her tongue and the roof of her mouth. She wondered what concoction made the orange soda do this. Jalban would most certainly be interested in what sort of herb created this effect. She took another bite of the Big Mac, and then she helped herself to some fries. All of it was superb fare. She wondered why Connie didn¡¯t like to eat there. MacGregor watched her eat. ¡°So what do you think?¡± ¡°These are delicious,¡± she said as she studied the messy, half-eaten burger in her hands. She took another bite and savored the flavor on her tongue. But now her thoughts returned to Gerald Layton again. She finished the burger and washed it down with the orange soda. ¡°Where is Gerald Layton?¡± she asked, wiping her mouth with the thin, paper napkin. A grin flashed on MacGregor¡¯s face. ¡°We arrested him this morning.¡± ¡°Because of what he did to me?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± MacGregor replied as he opened the wrapper on his third sandwich. ¡°It¡¯s the least we could do.¡± ¡°You have to release him,¡± she said. ¡°Why should we? Unless, that is, you personally want to kick his ass in a place where we won¡¯t be disturbed.¡± ¡°Maybe he didn¡¯t intend to do this.¡± ¡°Connie, I can¡¯t believe you just said that. The guy is a fruitcake. He¡¯s unbalanced. You heard it firsthand when you interrogated him. A guy like him is capable of anything.¡± MacGregor took a bite from the sandwich and continued speaking with his mouth full. ¡°Besides, he still might have something to do with his son in the Middle East. We can still hold him on probable cause.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t heard from his son in years. For all he knows, his son may be dead. This troubles him to no end.¡± MacGregor stopped chewing on the sandwich and frowned at Alyndia. ¡°Are you going soft on me or something? You and I have worked on this case for weeks. We had every reason to intervene when we did. Don¡¯t you remember it was your idea? I think we just happened to walk in on him when he plotted to snuff out his wife. That¡¯s when he concocted that story of the sorceress he met in the other dimension.¡± ¡°What makes you believe he wanted to slay his wife?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know this, Connie, but after she died, we found out he has in effect an insurance policy on her with a payout of two million dollars.¡± ¡°So he would get this money when she dies?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Alyndia did not know what this meant, but it definitely warranted investigation. ¡°I want to see him to interrogate him on this,¡± she stated using Connie¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯ll get your chance. We can hold him for at least forty-eight hours. He won¡¯t be going anywhere during that time.¡± Then, as though something had come to mind, MacGregor suddenly put down the remainder of the burger and wrapped it up. Alyndia sensed that something was wrong. He turned to her in the car seat and stared into her eyes. To her surprise, he took her hand and held it firmly in his. He took a deep breath. ¡°By the way, there was something I want to tell you,¡± he said in a grave tone. ¡°Yes?¡± she replied, having no idea what it might be. ¡°I didn¡¯t volunteer to say anything to you, but the chief thought that it would be better if I broke the news to you, with me being your partner and all.¡± MacGregor shifted his seat to face her more fully, despite the fact the steering wheel of the car blocked him from doing so comfortably. He continued, ¡°While you were out, we contacted your family in Wisconsin in case you¡ªwell¡ªin case you never woke up. Now before you say anything, I want you to know it was not my idea to contact them. So please don¡¯t be angry with me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be angry with you,¡± Alyndia replied softly. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°So, yesterday, out of the blue, I got a voicemail message from your sister, Joy. Now, don¡¯t be upset, but I called her back this morning to tell her you had woken up. I also told her that you didn¡¯t want to talk to her, just as you would have wanted me to. But she insisted on talking to you anyway.¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°Well, it turns out your mom is in the hospital. The doctors don''t give her long to live. I¡¯m sorry to be the one to tell you this.¡± Alyndia stared at MacGregor, scarcely able to fathom the news. Connie Bain had been estranged from her family for years, and the hostility she felt toward them still burned in her up to the moment she put on the bracelet. To harbor such bitterness toward family members was unthinkable to Alyndia, who had lost her beloved mother before she had reached the summer of her fifteenth year and who in some ways had never quite recovered from the loss. Indeed, this was why she projected into the Wild¡ªso that she could leave her sense of loss behind and find solace in a new world with the man who promised her eternal love. And now she resided in the body of a woman who wanted nothing to do with her family. Alyndia wondered what calamity could have happened to cause such a profound rift between Connie and her family, as she could not recall very much about that part of Connie¡¯s life. She wracked her brain, trying to recall whatever memories were available to her. ¡°I have three younger sisters,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°Joy is the second oldest.¡± ¡°Yes, it was Joy I spoke to yesterday. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever told me the names of your other sisters.¡± ¡°Faith and Felicity,¡± she said without a beat. Although she could recall their names, she was unable to visualize what they looked like. ¡°Why does Joy want to talk to me?¡± ¡°Not sure. But I think it has to do with your mom. My gut says she wants you to go to her in Wisconsin¡ªto make peace with her before she passes.¡± ¡°Goodness me.¡± Alyndia raised her left hand and rested it on top of her head. As she did so, the bandage slipped downward, revealing the nasty burn around her wrist. She had no idea how she would be able to handle this situation. So far, no one knew Connie Bain was really Alyndia, the Elemental Sorceress of Roggentine, daughter of Alitrea. On top of that, she knew nothing of Connie¡¯s present life or history aside from vestiges of memory left behind and what she had inadvertently discovered. And from what Alyndia had experienced already, there were a great number of complexities. Gerald instructed her not to reveal her true identity to the hospital staff when she awoke without his presence in Elise¡¯s body. Even though the scenario had changed, she steadfastly followed his instructions, playing the part of this stranger as well as she could, a woman she was beginning to despise. ¡°Do you think I should contact her?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you, babe. I realize you¡¯ve always had a rocky relationship with your family, particularly with your mom, so I understand how you feel. Still¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m just wondering whether I have the right to interfere.¡± ¡°Interfere? With what? You¡¯re family, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well¡ªI mean¡ªI haven¡¯t spoken to them in years,¡± she said, correcting herself. ¡°I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t mind hearing from you. At the very least, you could offer your condolences.¡± ¡°That would be insincere; I would just be putting on an act.¡± She turned to face him squarely. ¡°You may not realize it, but this whole situation puts me in a very awkward position.¡± ¡°Look, Connie. Just because I spoke to her, that doesn¡¯t mean you have to call her back,¡± he said. ¡°I was just trying to do you a favor.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be insincere.¡± ¡°All right¡ªthen don¡¯t call her. End of story.¡± Alyndia continued turning over the situation in her mind. She herself still yearned for her mother, Alitrea, who had left her in her teenage years. Then she thought that perhaps she could do departed Connie¡¯s family a favor by making amends. Although it would be a falsehood, her family would be better for the illusion. ¡°No, Will,¡± she said. ¡°Send Joy the message that I would be pleased to meet her and make peace with my mother.¡± MacGregor cocked an eyebrow at her. ¡°Are you sure you want to do that?¡± ¡°I just think it would be the right thing to do.¡± ¡°Well, I think so too, but¡ª¡± He paused as though he could not find the right words. ¡°But what?¡± He rubbed his neck. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m just a little worried about you.¡± ¡°You think I belong in the hospital?¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not that. I just think maybe I shouldn¡¯t have sprung this on you with your mom and all right after you just woke up from a coma. I think that was the wrong thing to do.¡± ¡°No, Will. You did the right thing to tell me,¡± she said softly. ¡°And I¡¯m glad you told me.¡± She reached out and stroked his cheek. The tension in his face instantly melted beneath her touch, and he smiled. She leaned back in the chair and looked out across the parking lot. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve eaten, where do we go?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, I was thinking we just go home.¡± ¡°You and me? Are you saying we live together?¡± ¡°Yes. That is, if nothing¡¯s changed between us.¡± ¡°I see,¡± she said, trying to visualize what it was going to be like living with this stranger. ¡°I have a question for you, Connie, and I want you to answer truthfully. Do you blame me for not going with you to the hospital with the bracelet?¡± ¡°Why would I blame you?¡± ¡°Maybe if I¡¯d been there I could have stopped you from putting it on.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t blame you at all. It¡¯s all my fault. I was a true fucking idiot who didn¡¯t know what I was doing, and I got what I deserved.¡± Alyndia heard that raw, emotive edginess in her voice again as she said this. It was a way of expressing herself she didn¡¯t have back in Cerinya. MacGregor only stared at her speechless, mouth agape, obviously nonplussed by her reaction to his question. She answered him again, this time in an immeasurably softer tone of voice. ¡°Of course not, Will. I don¡¯t blame you for anything. But on the way home, I¡¯d like to stop by Mercy Hospital to visit Elise Layton.¡± ¡°Huh? You want to see Elise Layton?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just because.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still in a coma, you know. Nothing¡¯s changed.¡± ¡°The doctors told me she almost died when I put that bracelet on in the room with her. A flux of energy affected the machinery that keeps her alive.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I just told you. She almost died. What I did almost killed her.¡± ¡°What does that matter? She¡¯s been in that coma for a long time. She could die at anytime on her own.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want to see her.¡± MacGregor shook his head and sighed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, Connie. Whatever you want. Let¡¯s go.¡± He turned the key and started the engine. * * * ¡°This is where she is,¡± the nurse said, leading the two of them to the room where Elise Layton lay. ¡°Thank you,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°Remember that you are not to touch or disturb the equipment in any way. Call me if you need anything.¡± The nurse said before walking off. Alyndia entered the room and then turned when she saw that MacGregor wasn¡¯t following her. ¡°Are you coming in?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dark in there,¡± MacGregor answered. ¡°Are you afraid of the dark?¡± ¡°You just do your thing with her, and I¡¯ll wait out here.¡± With those words, he sat down on a chair positioned outside the door and pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket. Alyndia shrugged and walked in. There were four beds in the room, each with a comatose patient connected to life support equipment similar to the equipment that had been connected to her. She found Elise Layton¡¯s bed by a window with drawn blinds. She stood close to Elise¡¯s bed and looked into her face. Elise¡¯s auburn hair was cut short, and her face was partially covered by respirator equipment, and a feeding tube went into her nose, but she could easily tell that the woman was attractive. Gerald had told her that she was beautiful both in body and in spirit. She had no doubt that he¡¯d been telling the truth. Alyndia took her hand. It was cool and flaccid. She lifted it, pressed it to her cheek, and then kissed it. Alyndia left the room a few minutes later, wiping her eyes. Will was still sitting in the chair. Something about her appearance or demeanor caused him to wince when he saw her standing before him. ¡°Did you see her?¡± Alyndia nodded. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready to go now. Take me away from here.¡± Chapter 9 - The Melancholy Chapel Chapter 9 The Melancholy Chapel Connie tapped on Rahl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Since this is a chapel, there¡¯s going to be good spirits inside, right?¡± ¡°If Chaos is inside, there is no telling what we will find,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°The nature of Chaos is to be what ought not to be and what is most unexpected by the rational mind.¡± ¡°Are you saying that a person has to be insane to understand Chaos?¡± ¡°Indeed, Alyndia. Why must you ask such obvious questions at a time like this?¡± he said with annoyance. ¡°Step back, please. You are in my way.¡± Connie did as she was told, and she and Theo watched while Rahl dragged the body away from the doors to the chapel so that they could open it. Then, sword in hand, Rahl grabbed the loop on the door and gave it a hefty pull. A short length of chain pulled out of the door. Hidden mechanical gears rattled inside the wall, there came a snick from above, then the heavy wooden doors opened outward. Rahl looked into the chapel and entered it while Connie and Theo watched him from behind. Moments later, Rahl stepped out again. ¡°Stay close behind me. And don¡¯t touch anything.¡± Rahl reentered the chapel. Connie and Theo followed close behind. Just inside the doors was a small vestibule with a short staircase leading up to another set of huge wooden doors. One of the doors was held ajar by another body. Painted on the door was a coat of arms encompassed by a shimmering green dragon that seemed to glow in the darkened vestibule with its own light. Rahl looked back to Theo. Theo silently gestured toward the large, wood doors with his staff. Rahl poked his head through the doors. A few seconds later, he pulled open the door wider and stepped inside. Connie heard the sound of weapons being unsheathed somewhere beyond the doors. She quickly stepped over the body to join Rahl in entering the chapel. Theo followed shortly thereafter. Before them was a quaint representative, Connie thought, of an Old World European church out of the 1500s. Light from stained-glass windows lining both sides of the main worship area illuminated the rows of pews with multicolored light. The chamber itself was in shambles. Corpses of the recently slain were strewn everywhere. Most of the pews were smashed to splinters, and the glorious tapestries that hung from the walls between the stained-glass windows were splattered with blood or ripped to shreds. The carnage was immense. A messy wad of entrails hung from the rafters thirty feet up. To Connie, it appeared that a bomb had exploded within the chapel. She knew this could not be true, for the stained-glass windows were still intact. They certainly would not have survived the explosion. At the altar area on the far side of the chapel stood six lone figures, three men and three women, lightly armored, with their weapons drawn. They stood facing Rahl, Connie, and Theo, three to a row on either side of a glowing circular pool, perhaps eight to ten paces across, set into a raised area of the floor. Just beyond the pool was a great gold altar engraved with glyphs and the green dragon coat of arms they saw on the door. On top of the altar lay an older man wearing light metal armor. The man appeared to be dead. His dark, greenish blood ran down the sides of the altar, making the altar appear cracked. Some shiny objects rested on his chest. Rahl held up his hand to the six who stood there. ¡°Hail! We come in peace!¡± The six beings did not respond. Instead, they watched them from their places at the pool. They appeared to be guarding both the altar with the body lying on it and the pool. Rahl called out again. ¡°We are here to see Lord Maray. We have come to aid in the repair of the Calphous Wall. May we speak to someone?¡± The six figures remained silent. Rahl turned to Theo. ¡°Theo, what¡¯s wrong? Why won¡¯t they respond? Are these the six spirits you detected outside?¡± Theo did not seem to hear Rahl¡¯s question. He only stared at the figures while wearing a dumbfounded expression, his mouth agape. He trembled slightly. ¡°Theo?¡± Connie asked, also noticing his state. She waved a hand in front of his eyes and snapped her fingers. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Yes, this is them,¡± Theo replied finally, his voice quavering. ¡°There is great magic here.¡± ¡°What magic?¡± Connie asked. ¡°They are¡ª¡± Theo swallowed hard, ¡°Those beings are not spirits of divine origin. They are of the negative plane.¡± ¡°You mean, they are demons?¡± Rahl asked. Theo shook his head. ¡°No, they are conjured spirits. They were conjured from the negative plane to animate flesh.¡± He swallowed. ¡°I would have to live a hundred years before I learned to cast the spell that conjured beings such as these.¡± ¡°What are they doing here?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°They are here to fulfill a mission, or perhaps to protect.¡± ¡°It looks like they failed.¡± Connie said. ¡°No, they are still protecting something.¡± ¡°What are they protecting?¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Theo said. ¡°His eyes darted suddenly to the pool. I sense another spirit. A spirit of the departed. It is here in the chapel. It somehow knew we were coming. It lingers, waiting for us to approach before it can travel to the higher planes. It calls to us now. It calls us to the pool. We must go there.¡± Theo blindly started walking toward the pool. Two of the beings raised their weapons. One carried a cruel-looking scimitar. The other held a battle axe. On seeing this movement, Rahl grabbed Theo by his bony shoulder and held him still. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Rahl said. The spirit is beckoning us toward the pool.¡± ¡°What about them? I cannot take on all of them at once.¡± ¡°They will not harm us. Their task is almost complete here. The wizard that conjured them is dead. Lord Maray himself is dead¡ªfatally wounded in the attack. It was here he died. It is his body that rests upon the altar. Now, his spirit awaits us. Let us go now.¡± Rahl released Theo. Theo started forward with Rahl close behind him. Connie followed close behind Rahl, carefully stepping over the bodies and broken furniture. At last, they reached the pool, where three of the six beings stood between them and the body on the altar. Outwardly, they appeared as adult men and women. The men were quite handsome, and the women were exceptionally comely, all healthy looking and in the prime of life. Connie thought that none of them would look out of place on the cover of Vogue. The six held a wide array of weapons, from halberds to scimitars to battle axes. They watched Connie, Rahl, and Theo unblinkingly, not sharing a word between the three visitors nor themselves. Connie could not believe they could be spiritual beings, for two of them, a male and a female, were wounded, though not seriously. Blood from their untended wounds wicked into their clothing and had even dripped to the chapel floor. In her book, spirits did not bleed, but these people did. As for Lord Maray, he was a robust-looking man but unfortunately quite dead, having sustained a grievous wound to his neck and shoulder. Upon his chest, clutched in his hands, were six medallions on a stout silver chain amidst a pile of ashes. The amulets were in the shape of a cross, with the top member of the cross set into a semi-oval loop. Connie instantly recognized their shape as that of the Egyptian ankh. The material these amulets were made of glowed with the phosphorescent light emanating from the pool, as would a fluorescent color beneath a black light. Connie stared into the bottom of the pool. She could not see the bottom for the strange murky water that churned and swirled like a jacuzzi in slow motion. Theo took a step toward the body of the Lord Maray on the alter. One of the figures, a good-looking male with dark green-black hair, moved to block Theo. He held out his scimitar, threatening to strike Theo with it if he came any closer. Theo stopped and did not approach further. ¡°Theo, what are you doing?¡± Connie asked. ¡°These guys look like they mean business.¡± ¡°Just as I thought,¡± Theo said to her, not taking his eyes off the body on the altar. ¡°What?¡± ¡°They were conjured to protect Lord Maray, and now they guard his body, even after death.¡± ¡°Why are they doing that?¡± ¡°I do not know. Perhaps his spirit has not yet departed.¡± At that moment, a slight breeze blew through the chapel. The three of them looked around for the origin of the breeze. With the doors shut and windows intact, there did not seem to be an origin. When their attention returned to the pool, a fine green mist was floating across the water, emanating from the center. After the mist completely covered the pool, it swirled upward and coalesced into the figure of the man lying on the alter. His breastplate bore the symbol of the green dragon. The man stood unmoving, diaphanous, floating inches above the pool with his hands clasped together in front of his eyes as if in prayer. Gradually, he lowered his hands down to his chest. Rahl and Theo took a step back. Connie scanned the cathedral for the projection equipment that was producing the convincing illusion. Then the figure spoke with a sonorous voice that seemed to emanate from the corners of the chamber where they stood. ¡°Greeting, fair travelers. I have awaited your arrival.¡± Rahl and Theo got on their knees before the figure. Connie did the same, not out of respect, but only to not stand out for the wrong reasons. ¡°Lord Maray?¡± Rahl asked in awe of the ghostly apparition. ¡°Yes, it is I.¡± ¡°It grieves us to see what has been done to your noble estate. Is Chaos responsible for this?¡± ¡°Indeed, Rahl. Chaos was the agent of our death. It came silently as a thief in the night. It crept beneath our doors. There was no time to prepare. Even now, Chaos Death restlessly wanders the catacombs beneath the castle in a form of evil that hides from the sun. Even as I speak, it waits to rise to the surface with the setting sun to cause more death and destruction.¡± Rahl held up his sword. ¡°Chaos shall pay for what it has done here!¡± he said with defiance. ¡°We will avenge you.¡± ¡°Rahl, you are courageous, but there is a deeper calamity in the winds of which Chaos is merely a manifestation. Avenge not my life or my humble estate, but fear the pestilence that is unleashed on our fair land. For now the days of darkness are upon us, and the darkness shall never lift. Divination of the Four Winds speaks of a spell that is dying, an old spell, a spell that must be recast, or all we know and all we love will cease to exist.¡± ¡°Is it the Calphous Wall?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Is the wall intact?¡± ¡°All that can be done for the Calphous Wall was done before your arrival. But the power of chaos has become so great that a mere enchanted barrier can hold it back no longer.¡± ¡°What can we do, o great lord?¡± ¡°You must go straight to the wizard Calicus in Roggentine. He will explain all.¡± The apparition of Lord Maray began to flutter and weaken. His voice now sounded more distant; its sonorous quality was replaced by a distant, unearthly quality. ¡°My time here is short, and I cannot remain with you any longer. Do not remain here past sunset, or by morning you will have joined me, my family, my friends, and my garrison in death.¡± The image fluttered again, and now it was only a thin outline of the former apparition. ¡°Go now to Calicus. Do not stop in any of the towns along the way, for they are already doomed.¡± ¡°Which towns are doomed? Is Zeranon doomed?¡± Rahl asked, his voice quavering. Connie looked to him, surprised. She wondered why he was so concerned about Zeranon, aside from the fact his brother owned a small farm there. The apparition abruptly vanished into thin air. Fragmented, distant words of warning continued from some faraway, otherworldly place: ¡°¡­go now, and do not sleep until you reach the¡­¡± The voice trailed off, and then the chapel was silent. The mist now began to dissipate from the surface of the pool. Rahl got to his feet. All six beings stared at Connie, Rahl, and Theo. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way they¡¯re looking at us,¡± Rahl said, as he turned toward the door to the chapel. ¡°I agree,¡± Connie said. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± At that moment, one of the figures, a male holding a halberd, turned and slowly walked to the edge of the pool. Rahl, Theo, and Connie stepped away from them. Now slowly, as though a ceremony were taking place, the figure stepped into the pool. He walked forward toward its center, sinking lower with each step. When the water reached his neck, his face remained in a strange expression of bliss, then he disappeared beneath the surface. Connie waited for him to reappear, almost holding her breath for him. He never resurfaced. Moments later, there came a sharp, crackling noise from Lord Maray¡¯s body as one of the amulets clutched in his dead hands shattered, sending shards of fractured metal tinkling to the metal floor around the alter. Five amulets remained. Next, a figure from the opposite side of the pool¡ªthis one a woman with electric green hair, done up in twin braids¡ªstepped into the pool. As did the male, she walked toward the center. Her face wore the expression of perfect ecstasy just before she vanished within its depths. Seconds later, a cracking sound issued from the clutch of amulets at the lord¡¯s breast. Now there were four. Next, a male figure stepped into the pool. ¡°Theo, what is going on here? What are they doing?¡± Connie asked, not taking her eyes off the spectacle. ¡°Their mission is fulfilled,¡± Theo replied. ¡°They are returning to the netherworld from which they came.¡± ¡°You mean, the netherworld is in the pool?¡± Theo did not answer at first. He seemed preoccupied with watching the descent of a male figure into the pool, all the while shifting his gaze between the figure and the amulets clutched at Lord Maray¡¯s breast. ¡°I do not know for certain,¡± he answered her finally with a tremble in his voice. ¡°I am only guessing.¡± ¡°They look like they¡¯re under the influence of some drug.¡± Another male figure had vanished into the pool. Now three remained. A female figure slowly and gracefully stepped into the pool. Moment later, she too slipped beneath the surface, her ceremonious exit climaxing with the shattering of another ankh. Now only two figures remained, one on either side of the pool. The male figure with the scimitar, who had been watching Theo, turned his attention away from the spirit magician and himself stepped into the pool. Without looking back, he stepped forward into the depths. Finally, he too disappeared, his exit sealed with the cracking of another ankh. Such a good-looking guy, Connie thought. Such a waste. She envisioned him, along with the four others that preceded him, drowning at the bottom of the pool. Only one figure remained: it was a dark-haired, statuesque woman holding a cruel-looking battle axe. She walked toward the pool. Now with the passage to the altar undefended, Theo dashed toward it. The woman had just stepped into the pool with her left foot, her eyes looking into its depths, when suddenly she froze and looked back at the altar where Theo was now holding the remaining ankh. Now he stared at her, and she stared back, or rather, scowled back at him. An evil, defiant grin appeared on her face. She turned and brought her other foot into the pool. ¡°Stop!¡± Theo shouted, his voice sounding reedy and thin. ¡°I command you to stop!¡± The figure took another step forward into the pool, though seemingly with hesitation. Now the churning water of the pool came up to her knees.¡± ¡°I command you to stop!¡± Theo shouted again. At those words, an expression of shock and then uncertainty appeared on the figure¡¯s face. She seemed confused on what to do. She looked back up at the upstart who held the ankh out to her in his outstretched arms, her master lying dead on the altar behind him. While she faced Theo, her eyes wandered back to the pool that seemed to beckon her. ¡°Come out of the pool!¡± Theo commanded. The woman gave Theo a look of unalloyed hatred and contempt. Theo withered visibly at the sight of this malicious expression directed toward him. ¡°Theo!¡± Rahl called out. ¡°What are you doing? Let her go! We can¡¯t stay here.¡± ¡°Go on without me,¡± he said. ¡°We can¡¯t leave you here. It¡¯s not safe to be here alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not alone. She¡¯s with me.¡± Rahl took a few steps forward and looked at the figure knee-deep in the pool, clutching an especially cruel-looking battle axe. She persisted in a burning stare at Theo as if willing him to die. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I don¡¯t think she wants to go with you.¡± ¡°She has no choice but to obey,¡± Theo said, not sounding entirely convinced this was true. He wiped the sweat from his brow. ¡°Come out of the pool. Now!¡± he commanded the figure. The figure continued staring back at Theo, and Theo returned her stare. The ankh trembled in Theo¡¯s hand, but neither she nor the figure flinched. The air was thick with tension. There seemed to be some unseen communication going on between the figure standing in the pool and Theo. Then the figure stared back at the pool, and her expression melted from hatred to a sad, wistful expression of longing. She lingered there, gazing into its depths for a moment. Slowly, she turned and stepped out of the pool, water dripping from her knees to the tiled floor of the chapel. From her expression, she looked as though she had just kissed a loved one goodbye. Both Rahl and Connie released a long sigh of relief. Connie grudgingly admired Theo for his persistence and bravery in commanding her out of the pool. He had nothing to defend himself against that weapon she carried. Connie doubted that Rahl could have gotten to Theo in time if she turned on him. Suddenly, the pool went dark, as if a light switch had been flipped. Connie rushed up to the pool. ¡°What happened?¡± Curiosity got the best of her. She knelt by the pool and touched the water, which, although still rippling, was no longer churning as it had been a moment before. She dabbed her finger into the pool. It was cool but not cold, and the water was clear. Now she could see a green-tiled bottom, maybe a few feet down. She slipped off her shoes, hiked up her robe, and stepped into the pool with both feet. The water was a little higher than her knees. Rahl rushed up to her, alarmed. ¡°Alyndia! What are you doing? That is an enchanted pool. It might be dangerous.¡± ¡°Hush up, Rahl. I¡¯m the sorceress here. Remember? I¡¯m supposed to know everything about magic, and that should include enchanted pools.¡± Unable to readily protest the logic of that statement, Rahl mutely watched from the edge of the pool, ready (but not wanting) to jump in to save her if need be. Connie slowly, cautiously walked toward the center of the pool, feeling each step with her feet. To her surprise, though the pool was bowed downward in a slight concave fashion, it essentially remained relatively shallow. Now at the center of the pool, the water barely breached her upper thigh. She spun around, feeling the tiled floor of the pool with her feet, feeling for any exceptionally large breaks in the tile work. ¡°Where did they go?¡± she asked Rahl, standing at the dead center of the pool. Rahl held up his arms, his sword clutched in his right hand. Connie felt slightly foolish being out at the center of the pool, but she wanted an explanation. She turned to Theo and the figure, who still stared at one another. The woman had that expression of hatred on her face again, and Theo looked very nervous and not entirely in control of the situation. Connie shook her head when she looked at the woman. Connie thought that if her looks could kill, then Theo would already be with Lord Maray and the other inhabitants of the castle. Rahl called out to both of them. ¡°Come hither, the both of you. We have many leagues to travel with only short hours of daylight. Come now and follow me out of this forsaken place.¡± Rahl started walking toward the entrance of the chapel. Connie waded back to the edge of the pool where Rahl had been standing. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Once out of the pool, she quickly put her shoes back on. She was ready to follow Rahl when she saw that Theo had not moved from his place at the altar. She walked up to him. Casually, she noticed that he had wet himself. She looked to the woman who stared at him. Though the woman was very comely, Connie could not remember seeing such a contemptuous look on anyone in recent memory as the look she gave Theo. ¡°Come, Theo. Rahl is leaving, and they¡¯re still waiting for us outside the castle.¡± ¡°She is strong. She has been on this plane a long time. I prevented her from returning, and now she is angry with me.¡± ¡°You had it coming. Women don¡¯t like to be talked to the way you did to her. And you don¡¯t even know her.¡± Theo broke his gaze at the woman. ¡°Do you jest? Since when do you know anything about controlling spirits?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to control spirits, but I do know a thing or two about women, since I am one. And if you barked orders to me the way you did her, I¡¯d be pissed with you too right now.¡± She took Theo by the arm. ¡°Come along now. Rahl is leaving, and we don¡¯t want to be hanging around this creepy place without a good sword to protect us. Besides, you need to change your diaper.¡± Theo shook off her grasp and returned his attention to the woman with a battle axe, who stared at him with hatred a mere five paces away. ¡°I realize I¡¯m not powerful enough to control her. She may kill me if I lose my concentration. What shall I do?¡± Connie shrugged. ¡°Really, I think you ought to give her back the amulet, then leave her alone so that she can be with her friends, wherever they might be hiding.¡± Theo gazed at the ankh in his hand. ¡°No, I cannot give it back to her. Should I do this now, I will have no control over her at all, and she will surely kill me.¡± He looked back at her. ¡°Neither can I leave her, for by taking possession of the amulet that binds her spirit to the material world, I have broken the spell through which she may return. I must find a way to cast it again so that she may return to her plane, but I have no idea how it is done.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s damned if you do, and damned if you don¡¯t,¡± Connie said. ¡°I curse myself for getting into this mess.¡± ¡°Believe me, Theo. I know the feeling.¡± Connie sized up the woman. She was lightly armored and armed with a battle axe, and though she was not large or overtly muscular, Connie¡¯s instincts told her that she knew very well how to use the battle axe she carried. Connie shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything if she decides to attack you. I have a dagger, and she has a battle axe. If she knows how to use that thing, like I suspect she does, things can get ugly for me. Shall I get Rahl to help you?¡± ¡°No. I got myself into this predicament. Rahl should not have to battle her over my foolishness.¡± ¡°Well, we have to go back to Roggentine now, and we¡¯re not about to leave you behind.¡± ¡°What can I do?¡± ¡°Ask her to come along with us until we find a way to get her back to her own plane, or whatever.¡± ¡°Ask her?¡± ¡°Yes. I said ask her. That commanding shit will not get you anywhere with ladies. Especially a classy-looking one like her. Haven¡¯t you figured that out yet?¡± Theo gave Connie a bewildered look and then turned back to the woman. He swallowed hard. ¡°Please come along with us,¡± he entreated. ¡°We will find a way to send you back to your plane.¡± The woman did not respond but only stared at Theo intently, without loosening her grip on the battle axe. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t she say anything?¡± Connie asked. ¡°They never speak.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Theo turned to Connie, perturbed. ¡°Why do you ask so many questions, Alyndia?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t know the answers.¡± ¡°Then what makes you believe I know the answers you seek?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get huffy with me, Theo. I just asked you a simple question.¡± She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the altar. ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡± She led him over the broken pews and bodies. He kept looking back at the woman who stood by the pool, unmoving. ¡°She¡¯s not coming,¡± he said once they reached the door. ¡°Give her a chance to think it over.¡± ¡°What if she doesn¡¯t come?¡± ¡°Then good riddance.¡± ¡°I must go back to her.¡± ¡°Why? So she can whack you with that battle axe? You¡¯re better off with us.¡± Just as they turned to leave the chapel, they accosted Rahl, who was on his way back in to get them. ¡°What is taking you two so long? I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Theo is having girl problems,¡± Connie replied. ¡°What is your meaning? Where is the spirit?¡± ¡°At the pool,¡± Theo said. ¡°Very well, then. Let us go now. It is not safe here, and the others are impatient.¡± The three of them made haste over the corpse-strewn courtyard back to the main gate of the castle, where Jalban, Yalden, and Sind waited for them. When Connie appeared at the broken portcullis, Sind ran across the drawbridge to meet her. He hugged her waist. ¡°Alyndia!¡± he cried out. ¡°I was so worried about you. I want to leave here. Take me from this place.¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving now,¡± she said, taking resting her hand on the boy¡¯s head. Once at the gate, Rahl took Yalden aside and spoke to his brother in hushed tones. Theo went to his hanyak and sulked. Jalban came up to Connie. ¡°What did you see?¡± he asked. ¡°It was bad in there. A whole legion is dead. No one survived.¡± ¡°What about the spiritual beings?¡± ¡°Oh yes. That is a story in itself.¡± Connie was just about to explain what they had seen when Jalban noticed some movement behind her at the castle gate. He quickly pulled his morning star from the loop in his belt. ¡°Who is that?¡± he asked. Connie turned and saw the woman from the chapel slowly walking out the gates of the castle, gingerly stepping over the bodies as she went. Jalban let out a whistle to alert the others. Connie deftly snatched the morning star from Jalban¡¯s hand, disarming him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked, reaching for his weapon. ¡°That¡¯s Vanna White wanting to turn Theo¡¯s letters,¡± Connie replied, deftly keeping the weapon out of Jalban¡¯s reach. ¡°Give me that back, Alyndia. And who¡¯s Vanna White?¡± Theo ran up to where they stood, followed quickly by Yalden and Rahl. The figure approached the six of them fearlessly, letting her battle axe hang from one hand. ¡°It¡¯s a woman!¡± Jalban said. ¡°I assure you¡ªshe¡¯s much more than a woman,¡± Theo said, his voice trembling again. ¡°All right. She¡¯s a woman with a battle axe. And why would a woman who looks like her be carrying around a battle axe?¡± Connie replied for Theo, ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll use it on you, Jalban, not unless you give her a reason to.¡± The woman stopped five paces from the group, wearing a sullen expression. She held the ax firmly, inhaling deeply, seemingly waiting for a response from anyone. ¡°She¡¯s lovely, but in a sad sort of way,¡± Jalban said. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked her. ¡°She doesn¡¯t speak,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not at all?¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± ¡°Well, she still has to have a name. Do you know it?¡± Connie turned to Theo. ¡°Tell us her name, Theo.¡± Theo shrugged his bony shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I suppose it¡¯s whatever name I chose to give her.¡± Connie thought this over. She wanted to suggest a name that would be fitting for the mysterious woman who would not speak, a woman that Theo claimed was energy from the negative material plane encased in flesh. The perfect name came to her. ¡°Tristana,¡± Connie said. Theo looked at Connie. ¡°Tristana?¡± he repeated, feeling the sound of the name as it slipped over his tongue. ¡°Tristana.¡± Connie saw by the look in his eyes that he was impressed with the name. Jalban was too. ¡°I have never heard such a name,¡± Rahl said. ¡°What is the meaning of that name?¡± ¡°It means, sad one,¡± Connie replied. ¡°Maybe she doesn¡¯t talk because she¡¯s sad.¡± She looked over at Theo. ¡°What do you think of that name?¡± ¡°Indeed, I believe it is a fitting name for her,¡± he replied. ¡°I sense the name pleases her too.¡± Everyone nodded in consensus that the name was appropriate. Jalban stepped forward from the group to meet the woman they¡¯d named Tristana. On his approach, she swung her battle axe into a fighting position, ready to attack. The sudden movement startled him. He tripped backward and fell, landing on the blood-soaked soil. She had him now if she wanted him. Rahl and Yalden drew their weapons. ¡°Wait!¡± Theo said. ¡°Tristana,¡± he addressed the woman. ¡°It is all right. These people are friends. They will not harm us.¡± ¡°What are you doing, Jalban?¡± Connie asked, helping him to his feet. ¡°I was just going to shake her hand in greeting.¡± ¡°Are you nuts?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust magic,¡± Yalden said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should have her around if she¡¯s magical.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your decision,¡± Theo said. ¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°Theodan Parsas of Esamane. I practice the art of spirit magic.¡± Rahl interrupted. ¡°Theo was sent with us to repair the Calphous Wall.¡± ¡°But she wasn¡¯t. For all we know, she is tainted by Chaos.¡± ¡°It is impossible for her to have a chaotic taint,¡± Theo said. ¡°She is a spirit made of negative energy, the Void. And the Void is immune to chaos. That is why she and the other five guardians with her were not harmed by whatever form of Chaos invaded the castle.¡± ¡°Why should we trust any word you say?¡± Yalden shot back. ¡°You don¡¯t have to trust his word,¡± Rahl said, coming to Theo¡¯s rescue. ¡°I checked her when we entered the chapel. It is true. She doesn''t carry a taint. Thick veins bulged in Yalden¡¯s muscular arms as he stared at Theo. It was obvious to Connie that Yalden did not like him. She could not exactly blame Yalden for this, for Theo was on the strange side. Still, Connie did not think Theo¡¯s brand of strangeness was anything that would evoke animosity in most people, and maybe Yalden was either a bully or a hothead. Yalden spat on the ground at Theo¡¯s feet. ¡°I will warn you, spellcaster. If either you or your beast should come near me, I swear by the gods that I will cut you ear to ear.¡± Connie expected skinny Theo to back down from this exchange with the burly Yalden, but to her surprise, Theo escalated further. ¡°Your words sound brittle in my ears,¡± Theo said to his face. ¡°It would be a grave mistake for you to follow through on your threat.¡± ¡°You bastard,¡± Yalden said, infuriated. Weapon already drawn, he advanced toward Theo with malicious intent. Before Yalden could follow through., Rahl grabbed him with both arms and yanked him back. ¡°Let go of me,¡± Yalden said, trying to fight off his brother¡¯s strength. ¡°Cool your spirit,¡± Rahl said. ¡°He is one of us.¡± ¡°I will not allow myself to be spoken to like that by a spellcaster,¡± he said, twisting angrily as Rahl held him back. ¡°He¡¯s on our side, Yalden,¡± Jalban said as Rahl pulled his brother further away from Theo. Theo, for the most part, stood where he was, as though safe behind some unseen wall. ¡°Yalden does not curry my favor either,¡± he said, addressing Rahl. ¡°Perhaps that is why you are the Swordbearer, and he is the farmer.¡± ¡°You had best hold your tongue, Theo,¡± Rahl warned him. ¡°You must not forget that my brother is as strong as I am, and if driven by anger, he could break free from me.¡± ¡°Are we merely going to stand here and quarrel?¡± Jalban broke in, sounding annoyed by the whole exchange. ¡°Would you prefer a fight?¡± Connie asked him. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Connie addressed Theo in a calm tone in an effort to defuse the situation: ¡°You don¡¯t really want to fight Yalden, do you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll slay him cold!¡± Yalden shouted on hearing this. ¡°Be quiet, Yalden. I¡¯m not talking to you.¡± She took a step toward Theo. ¡°Theodan. Are you listening? You don¡¯t really want to fight him, do you?¡± Theo answered only after a long pause. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± He stared at Yalden for an instant longer, then he turned away and walked back to his hanyak. Tristana remained where she was. Her battle axe was still drawn, but her stance had relaxed somewhat. Rahl released Yalden. Yalden remained beside his brother, still fuming. Rahl whispered something in his ear. Yalden nodded once and seemed to relax a bit. Connie sighed. She put her hand to her chest, realizing that her heart was racing. ¡°Glad that¡¯s over,¡± Jalban said, lowering his weapon. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Connie asked the group. ¡°Now that Lord Maray is dead, we no longer have obligations here, and we may promptly return to Roggentine,¡± Jalban answered. ¡°No, we must first travel back to Zeranon,¡± Rahl said. Connie understood this as contrary to what the spirit of Lord Maray had instructed them to do in the chapel. ¡°Rahl, Lord Maray instructed us to go straight to Roggentine and avoid Zeranon altogether. ¡°Is that true?¡± Jalban asked before Rahl could answer. Connie explained to him all the spirit had said to them, including the dire warning that they return to Roggentine immediately. ¡°I say we do as the spirit tells us,¡± Jalban concluded. ¡°You are forgetting,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Yalden has family there.¡± ¡°The spirit said they were already doomed,¡± Connie said. ¡°Damn the spirit,¡± Yalden said. ¡°I am not leaving Jenada alone so that Chaos may take her. ¡°What about my brother?¡± Sind said to Connie, tugging on her sleeve. ¡°What will happen to my brother if we don¡¯t go back for him?¡± Connie had forgotten about this. It was she who had talked Sind into leaving the infant in Zeranon. If something should happen to him, then she would be to blame for it. She did not want to live with that guilt. She capitulated. ¡°Yes. Rahl may be right. Perhaps we should return to Zeranon,¡± Connie said. As the words were leaving her mouth, an odd sensation washed over her. She got the uncanny feeling she was at a play in which she was both the lead actor and the audience. Then spots appeared before her eyes, and a loud ringing grew in her ears. She swooned, feeling as though she would faint at any moment. She fought off the feeling and held on to her wits by focusing on being in the then and now. The feeling subsided. When she became fully aware of her surroundings again, all eyes on the party were on her, including those of Tristana. ¡°Are you feeling ill, Alyndia?¡± Jalban asked with a concerned expression. ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Your eyes had this faraway look for a moment.¡± ¡°I thought you were going to faint,¡± Yalden said. ¡°It was just a little dizziness. I¡¯m fine,¡± Connie assured them, looking into each pair of eyes to quash their concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Really, I am.¡± Jalban didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°I believe we should take you to the temple in Roggentine to have them take a look at you when we return.¡± ¡°No need, Jalban,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not religious. But me aside, I think we ought to stop over in Zeranon on our way back to Roggentine.¡± ¡°Going to Zeranon will add an extra day to our journey. If Lord Maray¡¯s spirit warned us to go straight back to Roggentine, we should do as we are told.¡± ¡°Will one day make all that much difference?¡± ¡°Alyndia, do you see all the death around us? If we choose to ignore the warnings and instead indulge in our own selfish needs, then this death will spread. At the very least, we must warn the Council in Roggentine of this travesty as soon as possible so that they can take measures.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving my wife to die because of what some spirit had said,¡± Yalden said in a rough tone. Sind tugged on Connie¡¯s sleeve, this time more insistently than before. His eyes pleaded emphatically to her. ¡°What of my brother, Alyndia? What of my brother?¡± ¡°Perhaps we can split up,¡± Connie said. ¡°Half of us can return to Zeranon, and the other half can travel to the Wizard Calicus at Roggentine. The next day, we can all meet up in Roggentine.¡± ¡°No. We should stay together,¡± Rahl said. ¡°If Chaos is unleashed upon the land, no place is safe. We must stay together, for there is safety in numbers.¡± ¡°A lot of good ¡®numbers¡¯ served these people at the castle,¡± Jalban said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Theo would agree; we must return to Roggentine the right way to warn the council. With or without all of you, I will return to Roggentine.¡± He looked to Rahl. ¡°It is your duty as a Swordbearer to defend Chaos. You must do this.¡± Rahl turned to his brother and gave him a pained look. ¡°He¡¯s right, Yalden. I must return to Roggentine.¡± ¡°But what of Jenada?¡± he asked. ¡°You must go alone, my brother.¡± Rahl turned away and walked back toward his hanyak. Yalden watched him walk away for a moment, seemingly stunned by Rahl¡¯s decision, and then he ran to catch up with his brother at the hanyak. ¡°I will go with Yalden, then I¡¯ll meet you back in Roggentine,¡± Connie stated. ¡°You shan¡¯t do that,¡± Jalban said. ¡°It is too dangerous for you. You must return to Roggentine with Rahl, Theo, and me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think you are that you can order me as you please.¡± ¡°I swore on your mother¡¯s grave that I should watch over you, Alyndia. I will not fail her.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± Connie barked. ¡°I am not Alyndia. My name is Connie Bain. I am a citizen of the United States.¡± ¡°Please, Alyndia. Not that again.¡± Jalban said with a withered look. Connie was now fuming. She clenched her delicate hands tightly into fists. She had the strongest urge to punch something. ¡°You know, Jalban, if it weren¡¯t for all this death and hocus-pocus I¡¯ve seen today, I wouldn¡¯t believe a word any of you are saying. And the only thing that keeps me sane is witnessing how crazy all of this will get before someone pulls aside the curtain and I get a rational explanation for all of this.¡± ¡°Alyndia! Please!¡± ¡°Stop calling me Alyndia, will you? Do I look like your Alyndia?¡± Connie hated the sound of her new voice. When she got angry, it sounded too girlish and whiny to her ears. Of course, no would take her seriously with a voice like that. So, she was not surprised when Jalban turned away from her and began walking toward the hanyaks. ¡°Jalban! Where are you going? Look at me! Do I look like the Alyndia you know?¡± Jalban stopped, turned, and looked her squarely in the eyes. ¡°You are not well, Alyndia. We will take you to the temple when we get to Roggentine. They will right your spirit.¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone believe me?¡± she asked him, voice almost a cry. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone believe me when I say I¡¯m not Alyndia the Sorceress?¡± Sind touched her arm gently. ¡°I believe you, lady. If you want me to call you Connie, I will.¡± Connie looked down at Sind, caught off guard by his expression of steadfast devotion and belief in her. His gaze, as he looked up at her at that moment, touched her so deeply that her anger fell away immediately. She reached down and tenderly stroked his hair. ¡°Thank you, Sind.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Rahl called out to them. Connie and Jalban turned to see the rest of the party saddled up and ready to go. They rode slowly out of the ruined village. Tristana, refusing the hanyak that Theo had offered her, walked a good measure behind the party. Once they were out of town, Yalden took the road west toward Zeranon while the rest of the party continued south on the direct road toward Roggentine. After an hour of riding, they had still seen no sign of life. Tristana walked behind them on her own. She no longer carried the battle axe, probably having dropped it somewhere back along the road. Rahl speculated that she¡¯d gotten too tired to carry it. The party stopped at the river to water the hanyaks. Five minutes later, Tristana caught up to the party, bedraggled and appearing quite angry. She knelt at the river bank apart from the others and drank by dipping her cupped hands into the water and bringing it to her mouth. Seeing her do this, Theo walked over and proffered her a metal cup to drink with. She responded to his courteous deed by sneering at him. Cowed by her reaction, he fell back to a tree, where he sat alone, pondering the river with a distant look in his eyes. Rahl had noticed the incident. He walked up to Theo and spoke. ¡°It appears you cannot properly control her.¡± ¡°No, I cannot. I have not the power.¡± ¡°She looks angry with you.¡± ¡°It is not mere anger; she literally despises me.¡± Theo plucked a blade of grass from the ground and ran it through his fingers. ¡°Can you blame her? I kept her from eternity.¡± ¡°Perhaps it was not a wise thing to do.¡± Theo did not respond right away. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the river. ¡°I have my regrets,¡± he said. ¡°She seems weak from the walk, and she no longer has a weapon. Shall I slay her for you¡ªsend her off to that eternity she seeks?¡± Theo looked over at her. That may be more difficult than you think. She will fight you, for part of her belongs to the living, and life seeks to perpetuate itself.¡± ¡°If she bleeds, she can die.¡± Theo plucked another blade of grass from the ground. ¡°True, but you have not the right to take her life. She is not Chaos, and she is innocent of all crimes. If either of us is guilty, it is me for bringing her along with us.¡± ¡°Suppose you gave her back the amulet, and I protected you from whatever she might do.¡± ¡°I am considering it.¡± At that moment, Sind called out to the party, pointing to the crest of a hill from the east. ¡°Rahl, Connie, Jalban! Travelers approach!¡± Instantly, everyone jumped to their feet, and all eyes were on the hill where Sind pointed. There was a group of men, perhaps six or seven of them. They were dressed in padded leather armor and heading straight toward the party with their weapons drawn. At three hundred paces, they were closing quickly. Theo cast Hawkeyes on Rahl. Rahl examined up close the men who approached. A few seconds later, the men began to fan out to surround the party. ¡°What do you see?¡± Theo asked. ¡°It is not good,¡± Rahl said, not taking his eyes off the men. ¡°You and Alyndia had better prepare your spells. I won¡¯t be able to take them all on myself.¡± Chapter 10 - Youre Not My Type Anymore Chapter 10 You''re Not My Type Anymore MacGregor turned the key to the lock and pushed open the apartment door, allowing it to swing open with its own momentum. ¡°Ta-da!¡± he said. Alyndia peered through the doorway. The room was full of flowers of all shapes and colors tied with silver and white ribbons. On the largest was the message in bright, green letters, ¡°Welcome Home, Connie!¡± The flood of color was a sight to behold. The sweet, delicious scent of flower nectar filled her head. She walked in, taking in the beauty of the flowers. ¡°These are lovely,¡± she said. ¡°Where did they come from?¡± ¡°I bought them for you. Do you like them?¡± ¡°Yes¡ªYes, I do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad, because they cost a fortune.¡± Once they entered the apartment, MacGregor closed the deadbolt the door behind them. Alyndia stood at the entrance to the living room and looked. Sans the multitude of flowers, she found she was able to visualize what the room looked like earlier, which came as a relief to her. It was tastefully decorated in light blues and whites. Across from a white marble fireplace was a glass-topped cocktail table set in front of a plush-looking white sofa with three-toned blue stripes. The cocktail table and the sofa sat on a huge, circular blanched-white fuzzy carpet. Afternoon sunlight shone through the sliding glass doors, lending the room a cheerful countenance. They were on the twenty-first floor, and their view of the cityscape was spectacular. It was all quite cozy and nice. ¡°So this is where we live.¡± ¡°Yep. Just you and me,¡± MacGregor replied as he passed into the kitchen. ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯d find someone else already, do you?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve lived together for a while now, haven¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Four years already. I was thinking that myself this morning. I know¡ªit sure doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡± he said from someplace in the kitchen. She heard him rummaging through the kitchen, and then the tinkle of glass. ¡°Are we betrothed?¡± ¡°What?¡± he asked, poking his head from the kitchen. His eyebrows were raised. He seemed genuinely surprised at the question. ¡°Are we married?¡± she rephrased. He popped his head past the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯s funny you should bring that up just now,¡± he said with a mischievous smile. ¡°So, we¡¯re not?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He ducked back into the kitchen. That¡¯s a relief! she thought. Then something caught her eye. On the cocktail table in plain view was a black, leather holster containing a dark metal object. She picked it up, unsnapped the leather strap on the holder, and withdrew the object. This was a gun. Although she knew what it was called, its specific purpose escaped her. She cradled the object in both hands; it was heavier than it looked. She raised it to her nose and cautiously sniffed it; it smelled of oil and steel. The item felt good in her hands, and it gave her positive emotions. Apparently, Connie had known this particular item well. Will was still busy in the kitchen, so she examined the gun further. On one end was the barrel, which consisted of a hole bored deep into the depths of the gun. She wondered what went into the hole at the end. She looked inside, but it was too deep and narrow to see anything. She shook the entire device. Nothing came out. Within a loop attached to its underside, she found a metal lever. The name of the lever was at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn¡¯t find the word for it. Something in her memory told her that this lever activated the device. She held the gun by its handle and looked inside the barrel to see what might come out. She pressed on the lever to activate the device, but it wouldn¡¯t move, and nothing happened. She noticed a small catch on the side of the object. This was called the safety. She knew that word at least! She flipped the switch. Again, nothing happened. Now she was really curious. For a second time, she looked down the barrel of the gun and placed her hand on the trigger. She was just about to squeeze it when MacGregor appeared at the entrance to the kitchen holding two elegant-looking glasses of light yellow liquid. ¡°Connie!¡± he shouted. His sudden reaction started her, causing her thumb to accidentally push another lever on the weapon. A fully-loaded, steel cartridge popped out of the handle and fell to the carpeted floor. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mac Gregor asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking at my gun¡ªand look what you made me do!¡± she said, referring to the cartridge on the floor between her feet. Before she could make another move, MacGregor rushed over and snatched the gun from her hands. Immediately, he pulled back a lever on the gun. A single bullet fell out of the weapon and to the floor. He stared at the gun his hands for a moment before he slowly raised his eyes to hers, obviously shocked or confounded by something. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± he asked her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You had a loaded gun pointed at your head with the safety turned off and a bullet in the chamber.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°What am I supposed to think of that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my gun. I can do what I want with it.¡± Alyndia did not like the way MacGregor was looking at her. She gathered from his behavior that she had been handling the gun incorrectly, but she could not fathom exactly how or why he should be so worked up over it. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know how to operate a gun?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point. You were aiming it at your head.¡± ¡°I was just looking at it, I told you.¡± ¡°Bullshit, Connie! What kind of fool do you take me for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate you talking to me in that tone of voice.¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t?¡± She reached for the gun in his hand, but he moved it out of her reach. ¡°Give that back to me. It¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± He flicked on the safety of the gun, then knelt at her feet to pick up the cartridge and the bullet. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Connie. What¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Alyndia sighed. Even though she didn¡¯t think his gruff behavior merited giving him an apology, she gave him one anyway just to keep the peace. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry for what? That I stopped you?¡± He snapped the loose bullet into the cartridge and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. ¡°You stay right there. I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡± He took the gun into the bedroom. Then, from the couch, she heard some sounds from the room, like moving wooden panels or something to that effect. He returned without the gun almost a minute later, looking as though he¡¯d regained his composure somewhat. ¡°I¡¯m just going to pretend I didn¡¯t see what I did, and we¡¯re going to start over.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of starting over when everything I do upsets you?¡± ¡°Are you angry at me because I took the gun away from you?¡± ¡°You snatched it out of my hand as though I were a child.¡± ¡°What did you expect me to do? I come out of the kitchen, and I see you pointing a gun at your face with your finger on the trigger. And then I find you¡¯ve got the safety off and a round in the chamber.¡± ¡°I was being careful.¡± ¡°Not when you¡¯re pointing a loaded weapon at your head.¡± ¡°A weapon?¡± Alyndia felt acutely foolish for not knowing she¡¯d been handling some kind of weapon. It also meant that MacGregor may have been prudent in taking the gun away from her, fearing she might inadvertently injure herself with it. But hers was an honest mistake, arising more out of ignorance than foolishness, as the gun did not look like any weapon ever she¡¯d seen before. She then wondered why the gun had been left lying out in the open if it was really as dangerous to handle as MacGregor suggested by his behavior. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, but his brusque manner irritated her just the same. ¡°Just be more polite to me next time. I¡¯m a lady, after all, and I want to be treated as one.¡± ¡°A lady? That¡¯s funny. That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard you call yourself that.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do my best to be more polite, just as long as I don¡¯t see you do that again.¡± She noticed a trace of wetness in his eyes as he said this. She didn¡¯t understand why he should feel so emotional about the matter with the gun when it was he himself who overstepped his bounds. She thought that perhaps he felt guilty over the way he¡¯d reacted toward her. Her thoughts turned to Gerald. Will said his organization had incarcerated him. She wondered how they could do that to him. He was innocent, after all. He had told them the truth. And how she herself longed to hear his voice¡ªhis natural voice in his native language¡ªwithout having to use the Box of Tongues. But most of all at that moment, she sorely wished she were with him where ever he was, incarcerated or not, instead of with this ruffian she shared an apartment with. MacGregor sighed. ¡°You know, babe? When I brought you home today, I certainly didn¡¯t expect this to happen. I had some other things on my mind¡ªcompletely different things. And now¡ª¡± He paused. ¡°Jeeze. Now, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± He did not answer. From his faraway expression, she surmised he was doing some heavy processing. ¡°Will, I did something foolish with the gun, and I apologized for it. What more do you want?¡± ¡°Connie, what do you say that we just do a reset? I mean, forget about everything that¡¯s happened since we got home and start fresh. What do you say?¡± ¡°Sure. Why not?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± MacGregor walked back to the table, where he had set down the two glasses of wine from the kitchen. Most of the wine in the glasses had sloshed out when he went to take the gun from her, so he went back into the kitchen to refill the glasses. He managed a smile for her as he returned to the table where she sat. From the look in his eyes, which were no longer moist, she could easily tell his mind was still in other places. ¡°Here¡¯s the Chardonnay,¡± he said. ¡°The Chardonnay?¡± ¡°Yes. The one you brought home for us last week. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± she replied, not even knowing what sort of beverage it was. They sat down next to each other on the sofa. The sofa was soft, and she allowed her body to sink into the plush cushions. MacGregor sat closer to her than she felt comfortable with, but she said nothing. He handed her one of the glasses of Chardonnay, then he proposed a toast. ¡°To your homecoming.¡± ¡°Yes, to my homecoming.¡± They clinked their glasses together. She watched MacGregor take a sip from his glass first, and then she did likewise. Her palate was at once immersed in a sweet liquid that was not altogether unpleasant but different from what she was used to. It tasted alcoholic. She made the connection that a Chardonnay was a type of wine, although quite different from what she sometimes drank in Cerinya with her meals. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°So how does it feel to be home?¡± he asked her. ¡°Strange,¡± she said. And this was the truth. ¡°So, you really do like the flowers I got you. Huh?¡± ¡°Yes. I already told you, and I know they were expensive. Thank you.¡± Alyndia gathered that Will did not often go through such extraordinary romantic lengths for her and that Will knew that Connie knew this. After taking another sip of the Chardonnay, MacGregor stood up and walked over to the sliding glass window that led to their balcony. He stood there for a moment, glass in hand, taking in the expansive view of the rectangular buildings. ¡°You know, Connie, while you were in the coma there at the hospital, I got to thinking about you and me and all the things we¡¯ve been through. I thought about what you really mean to me and how there have been times when I really didn¡¯t give you the attention you deserved.¡± He paused to take another sip of his wine. Alyndia was still uncertain as to where this conversation would lead. ¡°You have to admit, we have quite a history together.¡± ¡°Was it a pleasant history?¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t all pleasant. You know that. We¡¯ve had our ups and downs like any other couple. Good times, bad times, you know. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re any different in that regard.¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always felt a deep connection with you, even though I didn¡¯t always show it.¡± He paused again. Obviously, the exact words he wanted to say didn¡¯t come easy to him. ¡°Go on, Will. I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°As I was saying, while you in the coma, I got to thinking about what you mean to me and what my life would be like if you weren¡¯t here.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest: I think you and I ought to get married.¡± Alyndia could scarcely believe what she heard. ¡°What?¡± He took her hand and squeezed it gently. ¡°Will you marry me, Connie?¡± he asked, while gazing warmly into her eyes. Alyndia was speechless. She had no idea how to handle this situation. She did not yet have a good feel for the kind of relationship Connie had with MacGregor. Neither did she know the customs of this culture or what the consequences would be if she refused his proposal. Would Connie accept if she were there? Was she obligated to accept? Her thoughts returned to Gerald. It would not be good for either of them if she agreed to marry this man¡ªa man she barely knew and did not particularly find attractive. Gerald held her heart. She would be his sorceress and his only. She would make him very happy. Alyndia decided the best answer to MacGregor¡¯s proposal was no answer at all. She averted her eyes from his. ¡°Will, I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± ¡°I know this proposal is kind of out of the blue,¡± MacGregor continued. ¡°But I think we can restart that fire we had a long time ago before the rat race turned us into a couple of roommates.¡± His hand was drenched with nervous perspiration. The sensation of the wetness was queer and unpleasant to her. She withdrew her hand from his and placed it next to the other on the delicate neck of the wineglass. ¡°Why would you want to marry me if we already live together?¡± ¡°You asking me that makes it sound like you¡¯re reluctant.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s so much we don¡¯t know about each other.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Why so?¡± ¡°Connie, we¡¯ve been friends since we went through training together. We¡¯ve been all over the world together. We¡¯ve worked on countless assignments together. On top of that, we¡¯ve been living together forever. How could we not know each other after all that time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible to know a person for a lifetime and still not know everything that goes on in their soul.¡± ¡°That sounds like an excuse if I ever heard one.¡± She agreed with his assessment, and she understood his pain, but there was no way for her to avoid hurting him in this situation unless she accepted his proposal, and that wasn¡¯t going to happen. In a more positive light, he was feeding her valuable information about his and Connie¡¯s relationship, and having better perspective on the situation, enabled her to build a more coherent argument for which she could refuse him. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will work, Will. I like you as my friend, and that¡¯s as far as it goes.¡± ¡°What about all the time we spent together? Was it all for nothing?¡± ¡°We had good times together.¡± ¡°But we were in love once.¡± ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s all that was meant to be between us.¡± ¡°We can fall in love again,¡± he said. ¡°You and me¡ªwe are like two shoes, like two gloves, a matching pair that go together.¡± ¡°Maybe this familiarity that you¡¯re talking about is just stagnation. Maybe it¡¯s a sign that our relationship has run its course, and it''s time to move on to have new experiences, to fall in love again, but with someone else.¡± He shook his head. ¡°The way you talk makes you sound like you¡¯re ready to break up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m suggesting nothing of the sort.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve been thinking about it. And don¡¯t tell me it ain¡¯t true, because I can tell.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Just by the way you talk, by what you just said.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only you in my life and no other.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the vibe I get. There¡¯s somebody else. I don¡¯t know who it is yet, but there¡¯s definitely somebody.¡± Before Alyndia could reply, there came a strange fluttering, bell-like sound from behind MacGregor. The abrupt occurrence of this sound startled her, and she jumped to her feet. The sound played for a few seconds, then it disappeared. A few seconds later, the sound repeated again for a few seconds. The sound was coming from the end table behind him. He turned and picked up an ivory-colored, flat, rectangular slab from the table behind the couch. She then recalled seeing him fiddling with the slab back at the hospital. She had no idea what it was. He looked at the slab and cursed. ¡°Damn! Bad timing!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, referring to why the slab was making noise. ¡°Just a sec.¡± He pressed the face of the slab. The sound immediately stopped. He immediately held the slab up to his head and spoke, ¡°Hello? Yes, chief¡­No, no. It''s all right...¡± And then he proceeded to have a conversation with a tiny voice that issued from the slab. That¡¯s called a telephone! she thought. And that voice is from a person located somewhere else¡ªfascinating! Alyndia waited quietly while he spoke into the phone. She wondered whether she could contact Gerald by means of such a device. She took a sip from her wine. ¡°Yes, chief. She¡¯s here. Just a moment.¡± MacGregor looked over at Alyndia. ¡°It¡¯s Chief Watkins,¡± he said. ¡°He wants to talk to you.¡± MacGregor handed her the telephone. She held it to her head as MacGregor had done. ¡°Hello?¡± she asked into the device, and then she listened. She heard nothing. ¡°Is somebody there?¡± Once again, no sound came from the device. MacGregor sighed. Alyndia looked up at him. ¡°What?¡± she asked. He took the phone away from her, turned it over, then handed it back. She held the phone up to her head again. ¡°Hello? Connie?¡± came a man¡¯s voice inside the handset before she could speak. Alyndia moved the phone away from her head and examined it in her hand, admiring the illuminated picture of a waterfall on it. Although Professor Layton had told her about telephones, she had never seen one in operation. He claimed that magic was uncommon in this world. For the mysterious technology behind it, the telephone definitely seemed enchanted. ¡°Yes, this is Connie,¡± Alyndia answered finally. ¡°Connie! How are you? Hey, I heard what happened to you...¡± Alyndia followed Watkin¡¯s verbal cues in the conversation, all the while relishing the opportunity to use the telephone. She told him affably that she was feeling fine, though a little disoriented, and that she thought she would be fully recovered in no time. He asked her about her disposition on the Layton case. She answered vaguely that she would be investigating it further, and would be following up on it in a few days. During this time, MacGregor watched her from the couch with keen curiosity. When the conversation ended, she handed the telephone back to MacGregor, who pressed something on it and placed it on the cocktail table in front of them. He resumed staring at her. ¡°Fascinating,¡± she said. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°I mean, the phone. It¡¯s a fascinating device.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only an iPhone 16.¡± ¡°Do I have one of these?¡± ¡°No, yours was a ¡¯14, but it got fried when you put on that bracelet. I took it to have it repaired. Couldn¡¯t be done. I hope you didn¡¯t have anything important on it.¡± ¡°How disappointing.¡± She took another sip from her wine. She expected that Will would drink more of his, but he sat on the couch with his hands folded on his lap, staring at her with some inscrutable expression she could not read. ¡°Why are you looking at me that way?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just spill it out. I think you¡¯re acting a lot differently than you used to before the coma.¡± ¡°Really?¡± she asked as if it were news to her. She wondered how she had been able to deceive him for so long. ¡°How am I different?¡± ¡°Well, in lots of ways.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Like the way you were talking to Watson. You always hated the guy, yet you just now talked to him like he was an old friend.¡± ¡°He wanted to know how I was. He was concerned. I was only being cordial with him.¡± MacGregor lay back on the sofa and rubbed his eyes. ¡°He wasn¡¯t concerned with you, and you know that. He was obligated to call you because you report to him. In fact, you know as well as I do that he¡¯d like nothing more than to boot you out of the service. The guy is incompetent, and he¡¯s always known you¡¯re on to him. You probably ruined his day that told him you were all right.¡± ¡°He was very polite. I say let bygones be bygones.¡± ¡°That¡¯s another way you are different. You¡¯ve gone soft. You¡¯re not bitchy like you used to be before the coma.¡± ¡°You prefer that I act bitchy?¡± ¡°No, you are bitchy. I just mean you¡¯re bitchy in a different way.¡± Something about this statement coming from his mouth infuriated her. She suppressed an urge to punch him in the face for it. ¡°Okay. So let me get this straight: I¡¯m a different kind of bitch than you¡¯re used to, and I¡¯m not the kind of bitch you prefer. Is that what you¡¯re telling me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re twisting it around. And I didn¡¯t call you a bitch.¡± ¡°Pretty damned close.¡± ¡°Connie, just forget I said anything about it. Just scratch it from the record.¡± She took a long sip from her wine. ¡°Ten minutes ago you wanted to marry me, and now I¡¯m a bitch. But you like that, right?¡± MacGregor¡¯s telephone rang again. This time, he pressed the screen without looking at who the caller was. The phone went silent. ¡°Look, Connie. What I want to say is that you¡¯re not acting the way you used to. Not at all, in fact. At this point, I¡¯m starting to think that something bad happened to you at the hospital.¡± ¡°I feel fine, probably even better than I should considering the circumstances.¡± She clutched the bandage where the bracelet had burned her. ¡°That doctor said you hit your head when you fell. You might have injured your brain. Have you considered that?¡± ¡°I see. If I have cordial relations with my boss, it¡¯s a sure sign that I have brain damage.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying you have brain damage, but you hated Watson before you went into the coma. You told me yourself. What¡¯s changed since you woke up? You haven¡¯t even talked to him until now.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve become kinder person after receiving a bump on the head. You should be glad. Instead, you¡¯re trying to convince me there¡¯s now something wrong with me.¡± ¡°And then there¡¯s another thing. All of a sudden you want to meet with your family.¡± ¡°My mother¡¯s on her deathbed. Isn¡¯t it right for me to go to her?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s right. But that¡¯s not the point. It was just surprising how easily and quickly you agreed to do it. You¡¯ve always told me you didn¡¯t care whether your family lived or died. And now your attitude toward them has reversed 180 degrees. Again, it happened right after you woke up from the coma.¡± ¡°Maybe I was doing some thinking about it beforehand and didn¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Connie, in all the years I¡¯ve known you, I¡¯ve only heard you mention them twice. Why would you be thinking of them all of a sudden?¡± He shifted his weight on the sofa. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass whether or not you like Watson or want to visit your family. That¡¯s your choice. But the radical change I¡¯ve seen in your personality from before and after the coma worry me a lot.¡± Alyndia did not like the way MacGregor was talking to her. It was as though he was trying to talk her into being evil¡ªto be as rotten as Connie had been. Her bad behavior was the acceptable norm for him. She sorely wished she had a Silence spell handy to stop him from spouting his nonsense. She got up from the couch and stepped over to the sliding glass window. She sighed at the immense beauty of the city, unable to enjoy the view for the turmoil she felt inside. He continued talking to her from the couch, but she was no longer listening to him. Finally, he stopped, and long silence passed between them. ¡°Are you done now?¡± she asked after almost a minute of silence passed between them. ¡°Done with what? Done with you? Just about.¡± She turned to face MacGregor. ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t like the person I was before I put on the bracelet,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°Did you ever think that this coma has been good for me?¡± He let out a short, derisive laugh. ¡°How could it have been good for you?¡± ¡°I think I now have a better perspective on what is most important in life.¡± MacGregor stared at her, his mouth agape, dumbfounded. Finally, he brought his hand to his forehead and stroked the spot between his eyes. ¡°Maybe we ought to take you back to the hospital and let the doctor check you out. I thought you were fine.¡± ¡°I am fine.¡± He continued along his same train of thought. ¡°I saw you weren¡¯t yourself at the hospital, but thought you would start feeling like your old self again once you were back in familiar surroundings.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back to that hospital.¡± ¡°I guess I can¡¯t force you.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t. And I¡¯ll tell you something else: Things are going to be different from now on. The Connie Bain you knew is dead. I am the new Connie Bain. I am the improved version of her, and I¡¯m going to fix the mistakes of the old Connie, and by doing so, I will fix mine.¡± ¡°Good Lord.¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t like that?¡± She stared intensely into his eyes. ¡°You think the new Connie Bain isn¡¯t bitchy enough? Or is it that I¡¯m the wrong kind of bitch? I still haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡± He broke eye contact with her when she said that. She suddenly became aware of that sharp edge in her voice again. It was present both in the sound of her voice and what she said. It wasn¡¯t like her to be so aggressive and predatory in the way she related to people in Cerinya. Now she saw the effect of this new trait and how effectively she had cowed Will with it. At once, a streak of pity for him rose up in her, a feeling that Connie Bain would never have felt at that moment. She ever felt slightly nauseous at the realization of how she had hurt him. She took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°Will, I¡¯ve come a long way to be here,¡± in a softer tone, trying to modulate the edginess out of her voice. ¡°Nothing happens by luck or chance. Everything happens for a reason. The way I see it, the gods have blessed me with this opportunity. I will therefore make the best of it. Does that sound reasonable to you?¡± He did not reply. Unable to bear the sight of Will sulking and discomfited on the couch, Alyndia¡¯s turned around again to face the city. Her thoughts returned to Professor Layton. She felt an aching in her breast to be rid of this clueless one and fall into his arms. She finished off the wine in the glass she held. The sweet liquid ran down her throat, imparting its alcoholic spell. She decided that the wine was very good. At least Connie had good taste in wine, she thought. She hoped that a list of good wines lay buried somewhere in the memories Connie left behind. ¡°I would like to set up a meeting with Professor Layton at the earliest opportunity. I have some questions for him. Can we arrange this?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± MacGregor replied. ¡°Like I said, he¡¯s already in custody. He¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± ¡°How soon can I see him?¡± ¡°We can set it up for Monday, two days from now. That will give you a chance to rest and kind of clear your mind. And after all that¡¯s gone on this afternoon, I think think you really could use that time you go back to the office.¡± ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right this time.¡± An image of Gerald smiling at her from behind the glass in his lab crept into her mind¡¯s eye¡ªan image of him on those sweet days when the rays of the sun married magic and technology, and a temporary aperture opened that allowed them to communicate and love to grow. She smiled at the pleasant thought that they now lived in the same world and would soon meet again. Alyndia sighed. ¡°I do look forward to seeing him again.¡± ¡°Me too. And if you don¡¯t kick the shit out of him, I¡¯ll gladly do it myself for what he did to you,¡± MacGregor added. Hearing Will say that raised her ire slightly. She suppressed the urge to lash out at him again. ¡°Watch your tongue, Will. There will be none of that.¡± She broke away from the window and stood before him. ¡°The first order of the day for us is to be polite to him. Respectful. You got that?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡± ¡°Let me decide what he deserves. Who knows? It might turn out that Professor Layton was telling the truth about ¡®Alyndia the Enchantress¡¯ coming to live with him here on earth. If that be the case, we have no one else to blame but ourselves for allowing this to happen.¡± She held up her bandaged wrist. ¡°We might even have to let the professor go.¡± MacGregor looked at her with a puzzled expression. She ignored it and held out her empty glass to him. ¡°How about some more of that delicious Chardonnay I picked out?¡± Chapter 11 - Bandits and Blood Chapter 11 Bandits and Blood Connie rushed up to Rahl as the men encircled the party. ¡°Who are they? What do they want?¡± she asked him. ¡°They''re bandits,¡± he replied. ¡°And I do not yet know what they want. We shall soon find out.¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°We should be prepared for anything,¡± Rahl replied, scanning the group. ¡°Fortunately, it does not appear they have a spellcaster in their number. Do you have an enchantment for my weapon?¡± ¡°An enchantment?¡± ¡°Yes. Sharpening? Blood Letting? Temperance? Anything you have will help.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t cast spells,¡± Connie replied. He stared at her with a hard, incredulous expression. ¡°It¡¯s what I keep telling you people,¡± she added emphatically. ¡°I¡¯m not who you think I am.¡± ¡°What can you do, then? Can you handle a weapon, or must we protect you?¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m a seventh-degree black belt. I can take care of myself.¡± ¡°I know not the meaning of your words, but if you believe it will aid us, then do it.¡± By now the party was surrounded by seven armored men wielding a variety of weapons. The party contracted to a tight group with the river to their backs. Only Tristana stood by herself at the bank of the river. One of them men stepped forward. He was the tallest and largest of the gang. He wore a hodgepodge of mismatched armor, seemingly collected from a variety of sources. His face bore a long, scarcely healed scar from a close call with an edged weapon. As he walked toward Rahl, a broadsword drawn, he kept glancing at the party''s hanyaks. This was the leader. He stopped about five paces from where Rahl stood. ¡°Your hanyaks,¡± he said to Rahl. ¡°We want your hanyaks.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have our hanyaks.¡± A smug grin appeared on the lips of the leader. His straight-arrow scar distorted with his cheek. ¡°You are outnumbered. Your lives are not worth the possession of six beasts. Either you give them now willingly, or we will take the beasts along your lives.¡± ¡°I say, give them the hanyaks,¡± Jalban said to Rahl from behind. ¡°Shut up, Jalban,¡± Connie said. Rahl spoke, ¡°We are on a mission from the Castle Maray. Lord Maray himself has been killed, and the population of the castle and town have been slain. Chaos now wanders the land freely. We must return to warn those in Roggentine before it is too late. We will be unable to reach Roggentine by tomorrow morning if our hanyaks are taken from us.¡± The leader narrowed his eyes at Rahl. ¡°You lie! Lord Maray is not dead. And nothing has happened to the town, as you say. Give us the hanyaks.¡± Three of the men stepped forward at these words. Theo took a step back to give himself some room. Connie noticed he clutched in his hand a few mummified animal parts. ¡°I have warned you, and yet you resist,¡± the leader said to Rahl. ¡°Die with your companions, fool.¡± With those words, the leader leaped forward and swung his sword broadly at Rahl¡¯s neck. Rahl ducked just in time. He swung his sword and gave the leader a glancing blow at the shin level. Without his strength behind the blow, Rahl¡¯s blade glanced harmlessly off the metal greaves the leader wore. ¡°Seize the spellcasters first!¡± One of the bandits shouted. In response to this, one of the bandits, this one short and stout with a three-day beard, homed in on Theo. He ran toward him with a spiked club poised over his head to serve the mage a death-dealing blow. When he was a mere five paces from Theo, the mage made a small hand gesture toward the eyes of the bandit. Instantly, the bandit closed his eyes and screamed. Theo deftly moved aside while the bandit charged right past him, blinded by the spell. The bandit struck the tree and stumbled. At this moment, Theo drew a dagger and thrust the weapon deep into the back of the bandit¡¯s neck. The bandit crumpled to the ground with a choking sound. At this time, another bandit saw Connie. This one was nearly as muscular as the leader, but not as well armored. The bandit swung a broad-bladed scimitar at her. She moved aside to dodge the blow, and using her martial arts training, spun around and attempted to give the bandit a roundhouse kick in the groin. To her utter surprise, her body did not respond the way she was used to. She was nowhere limber enough, agile enough, nor did she have the strength she thought she had. Instead of kicking the man, she fumbled awkwardly to the ground. Before she could recover, the bandit was on top of her. She struggled fiercely in his grasp, cursing him viciously as he tore madly at her robe. Two bandits brandishing spears backed Jalban and Sind up against a tree. Jalban swung his morning star at one of the bandits, but the business end of the weapon clipped a branch of the tree, which ruined the blow. The bandit took advantage of the situation. He thrust the spear at Jalban. Jalban attempted to dodge the blow, but he was too late, and the spear impaled his upper left arm. Jalban cried out. The other bandit grabbed Sind and yanked him away from Jalban¡¯s side. The boy writhed within the bandit¡¯s grasp. Then Sind bit him on the arm. The man howled with pain. ¡°Animal!¡± the bandit shouted at the boy. The leader swung at Rahl a few more times. Rahl parried the first two blows, then dodged the rest. Rahl knew the bandit was an inexperienced fighter, and so he allowed the bandit to tire himself while Rahl waited for an opening. The bandit tried to strike Rahl with another wild, overhead swing. Rahl dodged the blow. The bandit¡¯s sword struck the grassy earth. Rahl saw his opening. He seized the moment. He quickly flipped the sword around his hand, and using the strength in his upper arm, he thrust his sword up into the bandit¡¯s ribcage from below the leather breast pad. The bandit let out a guttural yell and fell to the ground. Rahl withdrew the sword from the bandit¡¯s ribcage, using his boot to gain leverage. Then he thrust his blade into the bandit¡¯s chest again to finish him off. Wet, gurgling sounds issued from the bandit¡¯s throat, blood trickled from his mouth, and then his body went limp. While struggling on the ground, Connie managed to withdraw her dagger from the scabbard in her belt. Now, she and the bandit wrestled with the knife. She tried to cut him as he tried to disarm her. They slid off the bank of the river onto the mud at the bank of the river, where they resumed their struggling. Jalban saw her in trouble, and though his left arm bled profusely from the spear attack, he jumped down the bank with his morning star and skittered around them, looking for an opening in which to plant a hit on the bandit. Theo had just removed his dagger from the bandit¡¯s neck when another bandit came running at him, this one with a spear. Theo stood where he was casting his next spell. Just before the bandit reached him, Theo¡¯s spell went off, and the bones in his legs broke in two with a muted crack. The man let out a sharp cry and tumbled to the ground at Theo¡¯s feet. Theo quickly converged on the bandit and cut his throat. The bandit thrust the spear at Jalban again, but Jalban had recovered from the previous blow. He swung the morning star at the bandit¡¯s head with all his strength. The bandit tried to duck the blow, but he was too late in his reaction time, and the spiked end of Jalban¡¯s weapon smashed against the side of the bandit¡¯s head. The bandit let out a cry and crumpled to the ground. His body jerked and twitched a few times as dark green blood seeped from a skull-baring wound in his scalp. Now Sind withdrew a short dagger he carried, and he swung it at the bandit who tried to take it from him. ¡°Give me the knife,¡± he said to the boy in a manner that suggested that Sind was a disobedient child that had just stolen a treat from the cookie jar. ¡°Give me the knife, and I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Seeing this, Rahl came up from behind the man and struck him on his helmeted head with the broadside of his sword. The man tumbled aside, dropping his spear. He looked up from the ground, his eyes filled with anger. Rahl watched the bandit¡¯s every move, waiting for the bandit to get to his feet. But unarmed and somewhat disoriented from the blow, the bandit scrambled away from Rahl and the fight. Now only two bandits remained. One of the bandits still struggled with Connie. Then Jalban saw his opening. He swung his morning star at the bandit and struck him squarely on the back. The bandit yelled and got to his feet, quickly forgetting about Connie. The bandit whipped out twin daggers from his belt. ¡°Come hither, fat man,¡± the bandit said. Connie rose to her feet. ¡°Alyndia! Do something!¡± Jalban shouted to Connie, holding his weapon in his wounded arm to parry the bandit¡¯s blows. Connie ran up to the bandit and struck him in the ribs with her fist, as she''d learned during her years of martial arts training. But instead of breaking the man¡¯s ribs as she should have, a searing pain filled her hand and forearm on contact. She felt as if she had broken her hand. The man took a second¡¯s worth of attention away from Jalban and backhanded her with his fist. The blow landed squarely on her jaw, and she tumbled back into the water. At that moment, Theo appeared at the top of the bank. With a few hand gestures, there came a double report as the bones in the bandit¡¯s wrists exploded. The man let out a scream. The twin daggers tumbled to his feet. Now Jalban approached him with the morning star. Disarmed and outnumbered, the man took off, running up the river bank away from the party, holding his ruined hands at his chest like a young mother protecting her child. Now, all was quiet except for the frantic clatter of metal to metal twenty paces downstream. Tristana and one of the bandits were still engaged in a battle. The bandit swung his sword at her, grunting as he put his might between each blow. Tristana blocked each of these blows with deft parry with a battle axe. The bandit now swung at her wildly. Expertly, she used the metal end of her axe to block these blows. Rahl and Theo ran up to the two and watched, uncertain as to whether he should interfere. Tristana and the bandit seemed unaware that most of the battle had already been resolved. The battle raged a minute longer. Now the bandit was getting tired, and as he grew more tired, her movement seemed to become ever more precise. She did not strike once but seemed to be waiting for the perfect moment. Finally, the bandit left an opening. Tristana swung once, directing the blade to the bandit¡¯s head. The bandit tried to dodge, but she seemed to anticipate his move. The edge of the axe struck his neck and passed through it like so much butter. The bandit¡¯s head flew off and tumbled down the bank of the river. The bandit¡¯s body instantly collapsed to the ground while a narrow fountain of blood spurted rhythmically from the clean, open neck wound where the bandit¡¯s head had been seconds before. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she kicked the body toward the river, sending it tumbling down the bank to join the head. She stared coolly at the body lying on the riverbank, then she turned to Rahl and Theo, her eyebrows raised as if to question them what they thought of her deed. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Theo said nothing. He turned to the swordbearer, who had already been looking to him for a reaction. Rahl spoke first. ¡°I am impressed with her skill with that axe and more than a little surprised.¡± ¡°Likewise, it is a surprise to me,¡± Theo said. ¡°Where did she get the axe? I thought she dropped it a long way back.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Theo replied. ¡°Are you wounded?¡± Rahl asked Theo. ¡°No. Not a scratch. And you?¡± Rahl did not answer. Theo turned to Tristana. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Tristana did not respond to Theo¡¯s question but regarded him with a stoical, cool expression that revealed nothing of her thoughts. ¡°She looks uninjured,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Let us check the others.¡± Rahl walked back to the party while Theo ran down the bank to do something with the headless body. Back in the main part of the group. Jalban applied healing ointment to the wound on his arm while Sind fetched a roll of special enchanted bandage cloth from the pack hanyak. Connie sat brooding beneath a tree, holding the breast of her ripped robe shut. ¡°How bad is it?¡± Rahl asked Jalban. ¡°It is merely a flesh wound,¡± he replied. ¡°It will heal quickly, no thanks to Alyndia.¡± With those words, he shot Alyndia a scowl. ¡°What were you trying to do, Alyndia?¡± ¡°What was I supposed to be doing, Jalban?¡± ¡°You are an elemental sorceress. You are to defend us with your magic, but you never even attempted a spell. And what were you doing, striking the bandit with your hand?¡± ¡°I am a seventh-degree black belt. I could have killed him with a single blow. Although¡ª¡± she paused, feeling bewildered, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. I knew what to do, but my body didn¡¯t know how to do it. It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve unlearned how to fight.¡± ¡°An elemental sorceress does not fight with her hands,¡± he said, taking the roll of bandages from Sind. ¡°An elemental sorceress lets her magic fight for her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cast spells.¡± Jalban got to his feet, his wounded arm not yet bandaged. ¡°What kind of nonsense is that?¡± he shouted at her, his voice filled with rage. ¡°You studied seven years at the academy, and you dare tell me that you don¡¯t know how to cast spells?: ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± she replied in a defiant tone. ¡°Are you possessed by a demon? Or would you like to have seen your uncle killed?¡± ¡°At this point, Jalban, I don¡¯t give a damn what happens to you. And you¡¯re not my uncle.¡± Jalban turned to Rahl and Sind who watched the exchange without interfering. ¡°Did you hear what she just said to me? She said I was not her uncle and didn¡¯t care if I was killed!¡± He turned back to Connie to check her response. She looked away from him. He stormed over to her. ¡°I have had enough of your flippancy and arrogance, Alyndia.¡± Before she could rise to her feet, he heaved a kick to her head. Caught entirely by surprise, she fell over, instantly disoriented from the blow. She tried to strike back, but standing over her, he had the advantage. He kicked her again. This time, the blow fell against her ribs. She feebly reached for him to stop. He kicked her hard in the belly. She doubled over in pain. Now he kept kicking her. After he got tired, he broke in half a spear left behind by one of the bandits and started beating her with the blunt end on her back, arms, and legs. ¡°How do you like that, Alyndia?¡± he shouted as he beat her. ¡°You want to fight me with your hands? Come on! Show me what a good fighter you are!¡± Rahl led Sind away from the scene to help search the bodies for valuables. Unable to defend herself, Connie placed her hands over her face and curled up into a ball. ¡°Rahl! Theo! Don¡¯t let him do this to me!¡± she called out between Jalban¡¯s punishing blows, but neither responded. The illness came over her quite suddenly. Alyndia ran into the kitchen and vomited into the sink. MacGregor followed her from the living room and turned on the light. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you all right?¡± She could not reply. The pain in her abdomen was so intense that she could not speak. She vomited again, bringing up the contents of her dinner. Now her whole body hurt, as if she had tumbled down a long staircase. She feared her bones would break with the weight of her flesh upon them. ¡°Connie¡ªare you okay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong, Will. It came on so suddenly.¡± He sniffed his glass of wine he was holding. ¡°Is it the wine?¡± ¡°Does wine normally do this?¡± she asked on the verge of vomiting again. ¡°Not unless you have a lot. But you didn¡¯t drink that much. Maybe it was the food.¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± she said, clutching her abdomen before vomiting some more. Finally, the end of the spear split and broke over Connie¡¯s back. Jalban now stood over her, panting heavily as he stared down at her. Blood from his open wound dripped down his arm and onto Connie¡¯s ripped robe. Connie made no effort to rise, having been beaten black and red from Jalban¡¯s kicks and the shaft of the spear. Now, she only kept silent while gritting her teeth in a body filled with pain, expecting that more blows would come at any moment. And yet she did not cry. ¡°Your mother would be ashamed of you, Alyndia, for the way you have carried on these last few days,¡± Jalban said. ¡°No one does this to me! No one!¡± Connie spat out, her voice faltering and muffled behind her hands that she¡¯d raised to protect her face from the blows. ¡°You''d better kill me now, Jalban, because I¡¯ll kill you. So help me¡ªI¡¯ll kill you for this!¡± Jalban tossed away the broken end of the spear. ¡°Go ahead, Alyndia, or Connie, or whatever you choose to call yourself. Cast a spell on me. Kill your uncle with one of your spells. Your mother would be proud.¡± He spat once, then stepped away to leave her in agony on the earth beneath the tree. No one bothered her for a long time while she lay there battered and bruised, shivering in her cold robe. She felt a sickness in her stomach, which rose until she vomited. Her mind drifting in and out of her body, the pain ebbing and rising like an ocean tide. She felt thoroughly confused. Since she woke up a few days ago, she was no longer herself in mind and body. This troubled her. This charade was going on too long. She wanted it to end. She did not know how long she could continue before she snapped. After a while, she felt a large, gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up. It was Rahl. She looked into his eyes. His face wore an expression of pity. ¡°Are you able to ride?¡± he asked her. She shook off his touch. ¡°Get away from me, Rahl. You let him do that to me. All of you did. I¡¯m so humiliated. Just leave me be. I¡¯ll go my own way when I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°We cannot leave you here. There may be more bandits, and Chaos may be lurking close by.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Let Chaos take me. I want to stay.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what you say, Alyndia. You don¡¯t want to end up as those people in Maray.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an adult, Rahl. And nobody that I know of assigned you as my guardian.¡± ¡°But I am your guardian, Alyndia. I am sworn to defend you against Chaos.¡± Rahl looked over at something occurring within the party out of view from Connie. He winced. Connie noticed him do this. She sat up, wincing in pain as she did. She was sore as hell, but at least no bones were broken. Now she looked over to what Rahl saw. There, Theo had laid open the chest of the bandit that Rahl had killed. He had his hands buried into the man¡¯s chest cavity as he cut the heart out of the corpse. Purplish-red blood covered Theo¡¯s arms up to his elbows. He lifted the organ out of the body all the while chanting softly to himself. Sind stood by, watching, his gaze transfixed by the spectacle taking place before him. ¡°Ugh. What is Theo doing?¡± Connie asked. ¡°I believe he is removing the humor from the bandit.¡± ¡°That is awful.¡± ¡°Indeed. I don¡¯t understand the ways of magic, but unlike my brother, I respect the ways of magic, though at times it is repulsive to me.¡± Connie allowed herself to fall back to the ground. She realized her face was caked in vomit. She realized what a sight she must seem to Rahl. ¡°Leave me alone, Rahl. I don¡¯t feel safe with you. I don¡¯t feel safe with any man who would stand by and watch another beat a woman.¡± ¡°We depended on you for your spells. You did not aid us. We easily defeated them, but things might have turned out differently if there had been more of them.¡± Connie looked up at Rahl from the ground. ¡°Rahl, you must hear me out on this. If I¡¯m the Alyndia everyone claims I am, then something is wrong with me. When I woke up two days ago, I had no idea where I was or even who I was. I feel like I¡¯m another person. I know nothing at all about spells, or Chaos, or any of the customs in this culture. Everyone is a stranger to me. Even Jalban, who claims to be my uncle. I swear¡ªI¡¯d never even met the man before yesterday.¡± Rahl gazed into her eyes. This time, to her, he seemed to be listening. She continued, ¡°I have memories of a land far away from here. A place that is much different. The sky is blue, not green. The clouds are white, not yellow. And blood is red, not green or dark purple. It is a place where magic does not exist and machines are used for the same purposes you use magic. We don¡¯t ride hanyaks. We drive carriages that move without the use of animal power. We have machines that fly through the air.¡± ¡°Flying machines?¡± He ruminated over her words for a moment before he continued. ¡°If what you say is true, then we will do as Jalban suggested and take you to the temple. They will surely be able to help you. Come now, we must go. As it is, we must ride throughout the night. We will be fortunate if we reach Roggentine before dark.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going with you, Rahl. I¡¯ve had enough.¡± She rolled over, her aching belly to the ground.¡± ¡°I beseech you. Please come with us.¡± ¡°No, Rahl. I will not. You will have to beat me again to get me to go with you, and still I will not go willingly. And if you force me, I will desert you at the first opportunity.¡± Rahl sighed. A moment of silence passed between them. All was still in the party except for Theo¡¯s soft chanting. Rahl placed his hand gently on the small of her back and spoke again. ¡°If you come with us, I promise you, I will never willingly let anyone lay a hand on you again. I will defend you as I would someone I love. If your words are true, and you really are not Alyndia, then you have proven yourself to be very brave.¡± These words of sympathy touched Connie. Finally, someone is beginning to believe me, she thought. To her amazement, she felt a lump in her throat. A flood of emotion rose up in her. She wanted to put her arms around Rahl and cry on his shoulder just the way she had done with her father just before he died¡ªand had never done again in the years that passed since. ¡°Rahl, do you really promise to protect me until I find out what is going on?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She wiped her eyes, which had become moist despite her best effort. She turned over and painfully raised herself from the ground. ¡°Help me, Rahl. In this condition, I¡¯m going to need some help getting on my hanyak.¡± Finally, Alyndia had stopped vomiting. She let MacGregor guide her into the bedroom, where he gently lowered her to the bed. The room was dark compared to the living room. She found this darkness pleasing, though now she felt strangely despondent. She also realized this bed was incredibly soft and plush, much better than she was used to. MacGregor sat on the bed next to her. ¡°You feeling better now?¡± She nodded weakly. To say she felt better was to say that a bruise felt better than a knife cut. ¡°You want to go to the emergency room?¡± ¡°No. I think I will be better now,¡± she said. ¡°I just need some sleep.¡± ¡°Maybe it was that Chinese takeout we had for dinner. That orange chicken tasted a little off to me, and you ate more of it than I did.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just my stomach¡ªit¡¯s all over my body, my arms, and my legs. I cannot describe the pain. I feel as though somebody has beaten me.¡± ¡°It could be food poisoning, or maybe you¡¯re coming down with the flu.¡± He sighed. ¡°You know I¡¯m feeling a little sleepy. Mind if I lie down next to you, or do you want me to sleep on the couch.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± He got undressed and got into the bed next to her. When he did so, she rolled over on her side to face away him. He began stroking her back. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Will. You don¡¯t need to do anything. Just let me sleep.¡± But Alyndia was nowhere close to sleeping. She very well knew that her condition had nothing to do with food poisoning or illness of any sort¡ªat least not in this world. Very likely, the spirit of Connie Bain was inhabiting her body back in Cerinya. Up to then, she hadn¡¯t taken seriously the possibility that Connie¡¯s displaced spirit would end up on Cerinya, as the chances of it actually occurring were astronomically low. The reality that this anomaly existed terrified Alyndia. From what she understood of the nature of the spirit, she was now bound psychically and spiritually to this despicable woman, and what she felt and experienced on Cerinya might also be felt by her. The reverse might also be true. And this evening, something intense or traumatic must have happened to Connie for such physical pain to be transmitted to her across the vast spiritual wilderness. Had she been beaten? It certainly felt like it. Alyndia wondered what mischief had Connie had gotten herself into to receive such a beating. Aside from the transmission of powerful sensations, Connie¡¯s existence in Cerinya presented an ever greater threat to Alyndia: If Connie should somehow be killed in Cerinya, her body on earth¡ªthe body Alyndia currently inhabited¡ªwould also die. Unfortunately, while she was bound to Connie¡¯s body on earth, without outside help it, was impossible to for her to return to Cerinya an perhaps a cast a spell that hopefully would break the tangled spiritual bond she had with Connie¡¯s spirit. ¡°What a mess,¡± she said to herself aloud while staring at the unlit glass light fixture affixed to the ceiling of the bedroom. ¡°What did you say, babe?¡± MacGregor asked sleepily on the bed beside her. ¡°Nothing. Go to sleep.¡± Even though Alyndia had spent only a short duration on earth, she already realized that one¡¯s existence on Cerinya was much more fragile, more precarious. Life there was relatively cheap, and death came easily compared to earth. This contrast was one of the reasons she¡¯d jumped at the chance to leave her world. With that thought in mind, Alyndia direly hoped that Connie could keep her former body on Cerinya alive long enough for her to sever their tangled spiritual bond¡ªprovided it was even possible. Chapter 12 - The Problem of the Atranox Chapter 12 The Problem of the Atranox After a brief rest, the party was back on the road again, heading south toward Roggentine. First rode Rahl and Theo; next rode Jalban, then Sind, then Connie. Tristana rode last behind the party after Theo had coaxed her onto Rahl¡¯s pack hanyak. Theo had to cast spells of strength and endurance on the hanyak that carried her so that it could bear her additional weight. Now in the deepening twilight, no one spoke much except Rahl and Theo, who spoke in hushed tones. Connie sensed the Swordbearer and the spirit mage were discussing her. No other member of the party participated in the conversation. Each was lost in thought from the day¡¯s happening. Jalban hadn¡¯t said another word to Connie since the beating, and she did not make any attempt to speak to him. Rahl and Theo had been speaking in hushed tones their hanyaks some paces ahead of Connie for some time when Theo quietly halted his hanyak and waited until Connie passed where he stood. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± he asked, resuming riding along with her. ¡°I feel wonderful. Today was the best day of my life,¡± she replied sarcastically. He glanced down at the dark bruises on her arms. On seeing him do this, Connie looked way, feeling self-conscious and ashamed, for those bruises resulted from her being unable to defend herself despite her years of martial arts training. There were a lot more bruises on her body besides the ones on her arm. They hurt no less than the fresh bruise she now had on her soul. ¡°Are you in pain?¡± She was going to tell him to get lost, as he, like the others, had done nothing when Jalban began beating her, but she detected in his question a note of sympathy, and so she decided to answer him. ¡°I¡¯m sore all over, Theo. He beat my back. He beat my arms and my legs. He kicked me in the stomach. That hurts the worst.¡± Theo did not reply. Instead, he began softly muttering strange, incomprehensible words under his breath in an oddly rhythmic fashion. After a minute or so of doing this, he touched her forearm gently. ¡°I hope you feel better soon.¡± He rode ahead of to resume his place with Rahl. ¡°What was that all about?¡± she asked herself. Moments later, Connie felt a tingling in her gut and a slightly itchy feeling on her skin. Then, gradually, the pain subsided from her bruises, and the dull ache she felt in her stomach diminished until she no longer felt pain at all. After the pain had vanished, she examined and pressed the various places on her arms and legs where formerly there were bruises. To her welcome surprise, all the bruises were gone. She gasped at this realization. She turned around to Tristana, who had been riding behind them. Though she had seen everything, her expression said nothing. Connie turned to Rahl and Theo at the head of the group and whispered thanks to them. A moon rose up from the eastern horizon about an hour after the last ray of light disappeared from the sky. This was the first time Connie had a good look at the sphere in the last few days. The moon did not look right in her eyes. It was much smaller, it had a pale yellow glow instead of the silvery-white she was accustomed to, and its features were slightly different. She decided the moon looked too unusual for it to be attributable to optical distortion in the atmosphere. This whole matter disturbed Connie. When the second moon rose above the horizon, Connie became alarmed for the first time. She kept her fear buried inside, lest she incur the ire of the party once again. The hills turned to forest. Roggentine was still hours away. They took a vote; the consensus was to stop at the next clearing in the forest to break for dinner. Once they began to unpack the hanyaks, Rahl approached Connie to build the fire again. Connie reluctantly agreed. This time, with her twine and sticks she kept from the last campfire, she was able to get the fire started in just under a half-hour. While Rahl was out searching for firewood, he was able to catch and kill a large bird that looked to Connie like a cross between a turkey and a peacock. Jalban was able to flay the bird in short order, and by the time the fire was burning full force, it was on a spit and cooking. Before their meal had time to settle, they were back on the road to Roggentine. They reached the walls of Roggentine at the first rays of sunlight. Now the gates parted for them, and they entered. Once inside the walls, Rahl, Connie, and Theo went to the residence of the Wizard Calicus, while Jalban took Sind and headed straight for the great Centarium, the building where the Law of the Land originated from. Rahl found the gate to the wizard¡¯s residence in short order. The residence lay up against the eastern section of the city off Seledel Street. Seledel was the great mage of the city¡¯s distant past who had erected the original inner walls of the city solely with his great magic. Calicus¡¯ residence was a grandiose building with a curved ceramic roof. The building itself was surrounded by a high, blue-tiled stone wall. Inside these walls between the building and the walls, visible through a steel gate, was a luxuriant garden of vines and huge flowers that looked to Connie like they could be roses sprayed with fluorescent paint. The four travelers stood at the gate, peering inside. Seeing no one in the lush garden, Rahl pulled a knotted rope from the wall. From inside the garden came the harmonious chirping of birds. A brown sparrow watched them quizzically from the top of the wall. A few minutes later, the large, wood door to the residence opened up, and a pretty girl with lime green hair exited. Her hair was braided tightly against her head, and she wore a comfortable-looking robe that reminded Connie of an Indian sari. She walked briskly up the gate, stopping a few paces from the bars. At that instant, Connie realized that except for Tristana, they all appeared haggard and disheveled from their long night of travel. Connie didn¡¯t blame the girl for keeping her distance, for they probably smelled bad, too. ¡°What can I do for you all?¡± she asked them in a curt tone. ¡°We are here to see the Wizard Calicus,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Do you have an appointment to see him?¡± ¡°Not properly, but we were sent here by Lord Maray.¡± ¡°Do you have writ?¡± ¡°No. You must take us on our word.¡± ¡°The Wizard Calicus is very busy,¡± she said. ¡°He does not accept any visitors that he has not personally invited or does not hold a writ.¡± Rahl pressed her. ¡°This is an urgent matter. There has been an outbreak of Chaos at the Castle Maray. The inhabitants of the castle have been slaughtered. None survived, including the lord himself.¡± ¡°Come, come now,¡± she said with a smirk. ¡°If none of those at the castle survived, then how was it that Lord Maray had sent you?¡± Rahl and Theo looked at each other. The story did sound outrageous. ¡°Ha-ha! Caught you!¡± The girl laughed. ¡°Theo tried next. ¡°His ghost appeared to us.¡± ¡°Whose ghost? Lord Maray¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yes, it was his. His ghost told us to come here.¡± ¡°Surely you all can think of a better story than that,¡± the woman said. Theo scowled at the woman. This exchange was making Connie impatient. She was tired from riding all night and was more than ready to rest her bones on something more comfortable on the saddle of a hanyak. She walked up to gate. ¡°Let me talk to her,¡± she said, gently nudging Rahl and Theo aside. She pressed herself against the bars. ¡°Look, you little snot,¡± Connie began. ¡°We¡¯ve been riding all night to get here to see Calicus. And I¡¯m getting really tired of standing out here in the street while you mouth off to us. Now open this gate right now and let us in to see the wizard. If you don¡¯t, we¡¯re going to break it down, and after we do, I¡¯m going to personally kick that little smirk right off your face.¡± The girl with the green hair was no longer smiling by the time Connie got to the end of her speech. She stared at Connie with an expression of shock and disbelief, as did the rest of the party. Even Tristana looked surprised. ¡°I will return in a moment,¡± the woman said. She turned around and walked back into the building, heaving the heavy wood door shut behind her. At the sound of the door, the sparrow watching them atop the wall flew away. ¡°Such a vicious tongue you have,¡± Rahl said to Connie. ¡°She was being impudent, and I didn¡¯t like her attitude.¡± ¡°You must learn to be more tactful. That¡¯s Calicus¡¯ assistant you were speaking to.¡± ¡°Stop! I don¡¯t want to hear it. You handle things your way, and I¡¯ll handle them mine. You might be content standing around out here on the street while that arrogant little snot makes us wait, but I¡¯ve had enough of all of everything and just want to go home.¡± ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Rahl said, holding up his hands to her. ¡°Just calm down.¡± Theo cleared his throat. ¡°Do you think she will get him?¡± he asked Rahl. ¡°Why would she not?¡± Rahl answered. ¡°Our party spokeswoman here has both insulted and threatened her. The girl is probably complaining to him about us as we speak. I fully expect Calicus to appear before us at this portal at any moment with a thunderbolt for each of us.¡± ¡°If he comes, put Alyndia up front,¡± Theo said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two keep your mouths shut?¡± Connie said, her hands on her hips. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, we¡¯d still be talking to her, pleading to be let in. At least my method gets results.¡± ¡°Your method may get us killed,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Don¡¯t you know of Calicus?¡± At that moment, the door to the residence opened, and the woman appeared. Then, behind her standing at the door, was a bent old man wearing a light, blue robe. The girl walked back to the gate. Her face wore a pout. She looked like a spoiled child who had just been scolded. She stopped a few paces from the gate and waved her hand in a circular motion, as if she were wiping the dirt from an imaginary window. The gate soundlessly swung open. The girl moved obsequiously to the edge of the stone walkway to let them pass. The four of them entered. Connie admired the intense beauty of the garden they passed through. She was struck by the desire to pick one of the luscious roses that grew there, though she dared not. Calicus waited for them at the top of the steps, just outside the main door. He was an old man, bent with the weight of years upon his back. His chin bore a wispy, gray beard. He still had a head of hair despite his age, and this long silver hair flowed down his back like an ancient stream. He supported his weight with a wood staff similar to Theo¡¯s, only much more lavish in its ornamentation. On closer look at Calicus¡¯ feeble, bent figure, Connie could not help but smile. In sharp contrast to what Rahl had intimated about his great power out on the street, maybe only to frighten her, he looked perfectly harmless. The wizard gazed at each of them with wet, blue eyes. Connie wondered: Had he been weeping before they arrived? She noticed the wizard¡¯s eyes widen and clear when he rested them upon her. He did the same when he saw Tristana, who stood a few paces behind the rest of them. Connie might have dismissed his reaction toward her and Tristana as senile lust, except she sensed the wizard looking into them and not at them. She wondered what he saw. Rahl addressed Calicus with a respectful bow. Connie and Theo did likewise. ¡°Greetings, good sir,¡± Rahl said. ¡°I am Rahl the Swordbearer. This is Alyndia, the elemental sorceress; this is Theo, our spirit mage; and this is his assistant, Tristana. ¡°We have been sent here by Lord Maray. There has been a great tragedy at the castle.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Calicus said in a voice surprisingly firm for his advanced years. ¡°Yes, I am aware of this. I have been awaiting your arrival,¡± he said, opening the door for them. ¡°Please step into my abode. Quickly, now. Time is of the essence.¡± The four of them approached the door. ¡°Halt,¡± Calicus said. They stopped, momentarily confused by his abrupt order. He pointed a bony finger at Tristana. ¡°Not her. The three of you may enter. She must remain out here.¡± He tapped twice on the doorstep with his staff to emphasize his words. The three of them instantly turned to Tristana, who stood regarding the wizard coolly with her arms crossed at her chest. Connie was struck by the way the sunlight gloriously lit her creamy complexion. The woman had perfect skin. If the wizard was suspicious of anyone, it should be of them, not her. And exactly how did Tristana manage to look so clean and well-coifed after the night of riding through the forest? ¡°Which of you speaks for her?¡± Calicus asked, addressing the group. Theo spoke up. ¡°She is with me.¡± ¡°The force that animates her is composed of negative energy,¡± Calicus said. ¡°This is understood, but under my control, she is.¡± ¡°I sense that your binding to her is weak, and your control of her is tenuous. She might even slay you when you sleep.¡± ¡°Respectfully, I say you must be mistaken, Calicus. I hold her amulet.¡± Calicus narrowed his eyes at the spirit mage. Although he said nothing, the message conveyed by his expression was obvious: You are a fool. ¡°Theo,¡± Rahl broke in, ¡°Do not be disrespectful. Leave her here to tend the hanyaks while we all consult with Calicus.¡± ¡°But Calicus is mistaken,¡± he said. ¡°She is of no harm while I control her.¡± ¡°She will eventually control you,¡± Calicus said. ¡°In any case, I do not permit her to enter my abode.¡± ¡°Then I too shall not enter.¡± ¡°Very well, then. Remain here with your spirit.¡± ¡°Please, Theo,¡± Rahl said. Connie sighed. ¡°Look, Rahl. If he wants to stay outside, let him stay outside. We¡¯ll fill him in later.¡± ¡°So be it,¡± he said, resigned. Rahl and Connie entered the building, leaving Theo with Tristana on the doorstep along with the young girl who had trailed the party from the gate. Just inside the doorway was a large entry hall. Stacked around the hall in disarray were thousands of books stored in every which way. Some were stacked perilously high, sagging with poorly dispersed weight. Others were thrown haphazardly into wood crates. Most of the books seemed exceedingly old and disused as they were covered in dust. They followed the Wizard through an archway, into an antechamber, and up an elegant spiral staircase. The staircase creaked with their weight. ¡°You will have to excuse my apprentice, Fandia,¡± the wizard said of the young woman at the gate. ¡°She was not aware of the urgency of your mission.¡± ¡°I apologize for threatening her as I did,¡± Connie said, ¡°but she was rude to us, and we were getting nowhere with her.¡± ¡°You must not blame her for her behavior,¡± he said, huffing as he slowly made his way up the stairs. ¡°Vagrants and hucksters appear at that gate at all hours. Her job is to prevent them from disturbing me and interfering with my work. But rudeness is not called for. Likely, she has been spending too much time with one of my former apprentices. I will speak with her about it.¡± ¡°And please forgive Theo¡¯s impertinence,¡± Rahl said to Calicus. ¡°He is smitten with that apparition and does not think rationally because of it.¡± ¡°No offense taken.¡± ¡°Is she really that dangerous?¡± ¡°Not as long as he can retain control of her. And if he can do so, she may even become an asset to our cause.¡± ¡°I have a stupid question, Calicus, if you¡¯ll permit me to ask,¡± Connie said. ¡°By all means, I¡¯ll answer it if I can.¡± ¡°Everybody keeps saying that Tristana¡¯s spirit is negative energy or comes from the negative plane, or something like that. If that¡¯s true, is there a such thing as positive energy?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. There also exists a positive energy plane of equal size, which is the source of all positive energy.¡± ¡°Do beings exist with spirits made of positive energy?¡± He stopped on the stairs and around to face her. A smile lit up his face. ¡°Yes. Of course. Your spirit is composed of positive energy. So is Rahl¡¯s, Theo¡¯s, your hanyaks¡¯, and every other living thing that is born through nature.¡± ¡°How is having a negative spirit different, then?¡± ¡°Spirits made of negative energy are not born into this world. They¡¯re either conjured or instilled into dead tissue in order to reanimate it. The energy they radiate is toxic to creatures with spirits made of positive energy like you and me.¡± ¡°In what way?¡± The wizard smiled at her again. ¡°Were you to spend some time in close contact with such a creature, you would find out soon enough. Come along now. There is no time for more questions.¡± After several turns of the staircase, they finally entered a door behind which lie a room, as was the entry hall, stuffed nearly to the ceiling with books and scrolls. This room was also cluttered with an assortment of strange objects, most of which looked completely alien to Connie. Some of the more striking items were a mottled-looking stuffed creature that looked like a cross between a wolverine and a dog. On a group of tables were glass bottles and equipment that looked like it was taken from a chemistry lab at the turn of the 19th century. On a group of broad shelves covering one wall was a collection of exotic-looking bottles, many corked or sealed in some manner. At the corner of the room were two curvy windows beyond which faced the morning sun. The sun above the horizon filled the room with a verdant light. ¡°Please take a seat,¡± he bid his guests. ¡°Sit anywhere you¡¯d like.¡± Connie and Rahl took a seat where they could in the cluttered room, while Calicus took a seat in a great wood chair made of blood-red wood. The chair had a fanged human skull placed atop either side of the back, and the legs ended in claws where they contacted the floor. The skulls appeared to leer down at whoever sat in front of the chair. ¡°I am certain you have many other questions for me,¡± Calicus began. ¡°I will answer them as best I can, but first, I will tell you of the calamity that has befallen us, a terrible thing I fear may portend the end of all we know.¡± Calicus rested the staff across the arms of the demonic-looking chair. ¡°Four thousand years ago, after a war that had lasted one hundred years, Chaos had nearly consumed the world of humankind. Our last hope was the Atranox, a great structure built in time immemorial by a great council of wizards known only as the Zelend¡¯ar. This structure, built in the Virginal Forest of Hepne, was the repository of a spell that banished Chaos to the outer plane, away from the material world in which we live.¡± Calicus reached down beside his chair and pulled out a scroll. He opened it and began to read: And then the great spell was cast, The league of minds, their kind the last, Salvation wrought when the world, it turned And banished disorder to the place of Zhern. ¡°And so it was that we brought reign on the Chaos, banishing it to the outer plane.¡± ¡°If Chaos was banished, why has it returned?¡± ¡°The spell of banishment has been steadily weakening for the last two thousand years. Now, a critical point has been reached. The old spell has weakened enough that Chaos encroaches once again on the civilized world.¡± ¡°Didn''t you just say the spell was cast four thousand years ago?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Yes. The original spell was cast four thousand years ago. However, two thousand years after the first spell was cast, it had grown weak. Chaos once again broke loose and sought to destroy our world. Over half of Cerinya was taken back by the forces of disruption before we realized what needed to be done. The old spell was boosted and extended, and a great wall was constructed to keep out what was already lost.¡± ¡°Is that the Calphous Wall?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Yes. And though the magical retainer has held steady for the last two thousand years, even the spell power used to create is faltering, and Chaos threatens to break through. But if the Atranox also fails, no weakening magical barrier will hold Chaos at bay.¡± ¡°Why wasn¡¯t the spell recast so many years ago? Why couldn¡¯t we banish Chaos then?¡± Connie asked, shifting uneasily on a stack of books beneath herself that threatened to topple over. Calicus managed a weak smile. ¡°By that time, Chaos was long forgotten. The Atranox was only a myth. Perhaps no one believed Chaos could ever return. Only when it reappeared did they realize the myth was the reality. Humanity was wrong, and no spell, however powerful, lasts forever.¡± ¡°You mean, the spell of banishment was forgotten?¡± she asked, scarcely believing such a thing was possible. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, and we have found that the old spell is dying. It can no longer be boosted or extended. When it finally expires, humanity and all things living will find themselves once again in the maws of Chaos.¡± Calicus gazed into Rahl¡¯s eyes. ¡°And not even a thousand Swordbearers would be able to hold it back.¡± ¡°So, we are doomed?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°Yes, but hope is not lost. After our last bout with Chaos, a society was formed comprised of wizards of all disciplines. This society was called the Katarrh. Their purpose was to research and recreate the spell that was cast at the Atranox thousands of years ago that had banished Chaos.¡± ¡°Were they successful?¡± ¡°Ah! Were they successful?¡± Calicus got to his feet and made his way over to the window. He stood at the window without speaking, letting the morning sunlight sink into his skin. ¡°That,¡± he began, ¡°remains to be known. Here is where things become interesting. About a thousand years ago, after a thousand years of research by generations of wizards and sorcerers, the Katarrh created a spell that they thought could be cast at the Atranox to replace the spell existing there now, although it was uncertain as to whether it would work, for it was untested. There came to be two factions. One faction wanted to cast the spell at the Atranox with the hopes of banishing Chaos forever and reclaiming the lands that had been overrun. The other faction wanted to wait until the original, extended spell had expired.¡± Calicus turned to his visitors. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they cast the spell at the Atranox and get it over with instead of leaving half the world to Chaos?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°There are two very good reasons for this. A dozen years or so before this new spell came into existence, there was another spell that was widely believed by the Katarrh to be the one that would banish Chaos for good. The moment had come, and the Katarrh gathered around the Atranox to cast the spell. It was to be a day of glory. But then the inconceivable happened, and the new spell perverted. There was a bright explosion of light, and all living creatures within twelve leagues of the Atranox burned to ash within the beat of the heart.¡± Calicus studied the dismay in the facial expressions of his visitors. He resumed after a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°Many of the most powerful wizards and sorcerers of the age were lost in that brilliant flash, many altruistic souls who had worked nearly their entire lives on the spell they thought would save civilization. It was a tragic day for the world.¡± Connie visualized the wizard¡¯s words as he spoke. Based on his description, it sounded as if a nuclear explosion had taken place. ¡°What happened to the Atranox?¡± she asked when he had finished. ¡°The Atranox was badly damaged, but miraculously, the original spell it contained had not been disrupted. The Atranox was rebuilt in time, but then something strange began to happen. The people living in the city surrounding the structure began dying of mysterious plague. At first, it was one or two deaths, then many at once. Then people grew sick and died by the hundreds. No one could find the origin of the plague. Eventually, the people became fearful and abandoned the city. Meanwhile, the remaining wizards of the Katarhh analyzed the failure of the spell. After time had passed, another had been created.¡± ¡°Did they cast it?¡± Connie asked. ¡°They did not. You see, after the loss of the great wizards, a new type of spell was created, this one using the power of enchanted artifacts. With the combined power of these artifacts, one man could recast the Atranox spell that would otherwise take the combined power of a league of wizards. After the creation of this spell, a conflict came about. The Katarrh split. From then on, there was the Katarrh who wanted to cast the spell right away, and the Katarrh-Atal who wanted to wait until the end of the millennial when the old spell had almost expired. Knowledge of the spell and its material components was held mainly by the Katarrh. A war broke out between the two factions. The war was quick and decisive. The Katarrh-Atal won. They took the material components from the Katarrh and held them in safe keeping at the Temple of Bardane in the ancient city of T¡¯nal. The artifacts secretly remained there in safety until five hundred years ago, when the city was sacked by a horde of barbarian tribes from the east. The temple was looted at that time, and ever since, the artifacts have been scattered to the four winds.¡± ¡°What can we do?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°These artifacts have been lost for centuries, as was the knowledge of their use. Through diligent research and divination, my assistants and I have located them. There is a talisman, a bracelet, and a crystal artifact. You must take them to the Atranox so that the spell that of Chaos banishment may be recast.¡± ¡°Where are these artifacts?¡± ¡°I have one here now.¡± Calicus hobbled over to a table covered with maps and diagrams on sheets of yellow vellum. He cleared a spot on the table and waved a hand in a circular motion over the area. There came the flux of magic in the room, and a large, ornate metal box soundlessly appeared in the cleared area. He waved his hand over the box, and a lid appeared on the topside of it. Cool trick, Connie thought, scarcely believing what she had just seen. Calicus opened the lid of the box. From it, he withdrew a clear crystal pyramid about four inches tall. He put it on the table for them to view. ¡°This is the Stellarad Marax. It contains the reconstructed spell of the Atranox. There is an identical artifact in the Atranox itself at the heart of the structure. You must replace it with this one. The cosmic energy collected by the Atranox will rechannel through this artifact, powering the spell it contains.¡± ¡°What about the talisman?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°Yes. The Kn¡¯all-ba-tasalb, which translates to ¡®The Whisperer of Intuition¡¯. It is said that there is a labyrinth within with Atranox, and whosoever wears the talisman can navigate the labyrinth without error.¡± ¡°It must be a big labyrinth if you need the talisman to navigate it,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Indeed, you may be correct, but legend says that there is a presence within the labyrinth of the Atranox.¡± ¡°A presence, you say?¡± Connie asked. ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°What is the nature of this presence?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°I do not know. But legend also says that one may not turn back in the event of a wrong turn within the labyrinth. Perhaps that is why the talisman is necessary.¡± ¡°You said there was a third artifact, a bracelet.¡± ¡°Yes. It is the Heptakon. It is also necessary. As I told you earlier, the newer Atranox spell had perverted. When it did, it left a lethal field of raw, unchanneled celestial energy around the building. Most of this energy has likely dissipated over the years, but it still may present a hazard. Wearing the Heptakon will protect the wearer and allow him to approach the Atranox without harm.¡± ¡°Where is the Heptakon?¡± ¡°Several days ago, we detected its presence here in our fair city, so you must procure it. I will give you instructions to its location. From there, you must begin your journey to the Atranox. I have done a scry. I predict your success.¡± ¡°Will you accompany us, Great Wizard?¡± Rahl asked. Calicus gazed at his visitors with a sad expression of yearning. His eyes became moist. ¡°I wish that I might go with you. Indeed, I have prepared for this moment all of my life. But now my bones are brittle, my vision grows dim, and my hearing has faded. Alas, I am now too old,¡± he said in a wistful tone. ¡°However, I will send my best apprentice to accompany you to cast the spell.¡± With those words, Calicus reached into a bowl of blue sand. He lifted a handful of the sand from the bowl, then let it run through his fingers back into the bowl. He put a blank sheet of vellum before him on the table, and then, after a moment¡¯s thought, he ran his index finger lightly over the vellum as if he were tracing imaginary lines across the page. Connie watched him, puzzled by this action. After Calicus had traced his finger to the bottom of the page, he rolled up the page, slipped a silk ribbon around it, then attached a wax seal to the ribbon. He gave the document to Rahl. ¡°Take this writ to the Temple of Petra-Roggen. Give it to the archbishop there. He will release a former apprentice of mine for service. Then go home and rest. Sleep well, for you will need it. Arrive back here at sunrise ready for travel with those you will take with you, and I will give you the additional information you need for your quest.¡± When Rahl and Connie left the building. Theo and Tristana were strolling through the garden. From her expression, she seemed completely baffled by the presence of so many flowers in one place. Fandia sat on a stone bench by the gate, keeping an eye on the hanyaks. She got to her feet when the door to Calicus¡¯ house opened. With the wave of her hand, she opened the gate for the party and allowed them to pass into the street. ¡°So what do you think?¡± Theo asked Rahl as they made their way toward the temple. Rahl gave Theo an overview of the conversation with Calicus. ¡°I will need a good spellcaster to come along with me, Theo,¡± he said, ¡°and I¡¯ve been impressed by your work so far.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be honored to join you in the quest,¡± Theo replied. ¡°However, I would like to request that Tristana be allowed to join us.¡± ¡°Certainly, I grant that,¡± Rahl said, remembering Calicus¡¯ words about her being useful to their ends. ¡°That is, provided you do not give her the opportunity to slay you before the quest is complete.¡± Now the city was a bustle of people going about their daily business. The crowds became thicker the longer they traveled. Connie was feeling achy and tired. She wondered where her supposed home was in relation to where they were going in the city. ¡°Where is the temple?¡± Connie called out to Rahl amidst the throng. He pointed. ¡°Over there!¡± Ahead, stories above the rest of the city loomed the said Temple of Petra-Roggen. From their vantage point, she saw gracefully tall spires and a steep, convex roof taller than most buildings combined. All of this was done in glossy, white stone. Even from the distance, the building was incredibly large and elegant enough to rival the greatest cathedrals she¡¯d visited in Europe. After about twenty minutes of wading their way through crowds on tortuous, narrow, cobblestone streets, they arrived at the main entrance of the temple. A mob of the downtrodden, simple, or poor stood clustered on the broad steps in front of the great main doors, shouting and jockeying for a position to be admitted. ¡°What is going on there, Theo?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Why are all those people there?¡± ¡°Most of them are seeking favors or spells. Some have come to be healed of a disease. Many have most likely come to have a fertility spell cast on them. The Season will be coming soon.¡± ¡°The Season?¡± Connie asked. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Theo looked away from her shyly. ¡°Theo! Answer me!¡± she pressed. ¡°Alyndia, don¡¯t ask such questions you surely know the answers to,¡± he replied. Rahl sidled his hanyak next to Theo¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t think we will be able to make it through that crowd at the front portal.¡± ¡°I know of a side entrance. It may not be blocked as this one. Follow me.¡± The three of them followed Theo around the crowd and along the side of the building. There they found a steel gate to a small courtyard adjoining the cathedral. They got off their hanyaks and walked up to the gate. ¡°It¡¯s locked,¡± Rahl said, giving the gate a firm shake. Theo reached into one of the packs on his hanyak. He pulled out a ring of silver keys and a yellow ceramic jar covered with a metal cap. He removed the cap from the jar. The jar contained a viscous substance that looked to Connie like petroleum jelly. Theo first found a key that would fit into the lock, then dipped the key into the jelly, then slid it back into the lock. He waved his other hand over the lock while muttering an incantation. Then he turned the key. Gate opened with a click. When Theo withdrew the key, Connie noticed its generic shape had transformed to complement the innards of the gate lock. ¡°Fancy magic,¡± Rahl said. ¡°My sister gave this to me on my birthday,¡± Theo said as he stuffed the key and jar back into the hanyak¡¯s pack. The four of them entered the gate. From the courtyard, they entered the cathedral. Once inside, Connie was taken astonished at the vastness of the cathedral. The apex of the roof was fully thirty stories high. Its length ran into the hundreds of paces. From the walls hung dozens of tapestries emblazoned with gold runes. Large sheets of pastel-colored glass filled vast sections of walls, which lit the floor with various shades of soft light. The floor of the cathedral was devoid of any real furniture except the long rows of wood pews as might be found in any church. Connie attempted to find the religious theme of the cathedral but found she could not. With the absence of proper crosses anywhere or statues of saints, she had no idea who or what was worshiped there. Moments after they entered the cathedral, they were accosted by a man wearing a black robe tied at the waist with a silver cord. The man was dressed handsomely with a broad ribbon made from silver cloth draped around his neck to the lower part of his ribcage. His long, dull green hair was tied in a ponytail near the top of his scalp, and it hung down his left side along with the silver ribbon. The man had a large, bulbous nose and poor complexion. Connie thought he was particularly homely, despite the handsome robe he wore. ¡°What are you doing here? How did you get in here?¡± he asked the party in a snooty, nasal voice. ¡°We are on a quest from the wizard, Calicus.¡± The man raised his eyebrows. ¡°You were sent by Calicus?¡± Rahl handed him the writ. ¡°Give this to the archbishop. We are here to release his apprentice from duties here at the temple.¡± The acolyte took the writ from Rahl. ¡°Please wait here,¡± he said, voice echoing in the great chamber. Writ in hand, he began walking down the side aisle of the cathedral toward the front, finally disappearing through one of the doors there. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Theo asked. ¡°We wait,¡± Rahl replied. Connie felt weary from traveling most of the night. Sleep now threatened to overcome her on the spot. She plopped down on one of the pews next to Tristana had taken a seat. Suddenly, she felt dizzy. She shook her head. For a moment, she thought she was standing in the center aisle between the pews. She heard Theo shout something. The next thing she knew, she was looking up at Theo from the floor in front of the pew where she¡¯d been sitting. ¡°Alyndia!¡± Theo said with a look of concern. ¡°What happened?¡± Connie asked with surprise. She quickly got to her feet, now wide awake but feeling confused about how she ended up lying on the pew. ¡°You fainted,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°Strange,¡± Connie said. ¡°A moment ago, I thought I was standing over there.¡± She pointed to the center aisle. Theo frowned. ¡°Does this kind of thing happen to you often?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Connie nodded. ¡°How often?¡± ¡°Twice today already, but it¡¯s not as bad as yesterday and the day before. It happens when I get stressed or when I¡¯m tired.¡± Connie explained the out-of-body sensation to them. After she finished, Theo and Rahl looked at each other. Theo spoke first. ¡°It sounds like she¡¯s projecting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not unusual for you spellcasters,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Don¡¯t you train yourselves to do that?¡± ¡°Yes, but she¡¯s not willing it to happen, and it¡¯s not natural that it should happen spontaneously.¡± Theo grasped her forearm. ¡°She seems to be in perfect health, yet it appears that her spirit is not fully bound to her body.¡± He looked at Raul with a grave expression. ¡°Something is not right with Alyndia on a spiritual level, although I cannot tell you what.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you read her aura?¡± ¡°Yes, and I¡¯d like to, but I don¡¯t have the proper humor with me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s ask the priests to have a look at her.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Wait just a minute,¡± Connie said. ¡°I don¡¯t want any priests looking at me.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I¡¯m not religious.¡± ¡°That does not matter. Something is wrong with your spirit. It is bound very weakly to your body.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I just don¡¯t want any priests looking at me.¡± ¡°What do you have against priests?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°Why do I always have to explain myself? Now, after we get done here, I want one of you to get me home so that I can get some sleep.¡± ¡°You should heed Theo¡¯s advice and let the priests look at you,¡± Rahl said. ¡°He is a spirit mage. He knows these things.¡± ¡°Nonsense. Just get me home.¡± At that moment, there came a noise from the altar end of the cathedral. The three of them forgot about their discussion momentarily and turned their attention to the front of the chamber. There in the distance, they saw a bright red speck walking toward them down the green carpeted aisle between the pews. ¡°That must be Calicus¡¯ former apprentice,¡± Rahl said. The four of them moved out to the end of the center aisle to greet the figure walking briskly toward them. At two hundred paces. Connie saw that she was a woman. At one hundred paces, she was strikingly beautiful with long, strawberry-blond hair, the first real blond Connie had seen in the last few days. At fifty paces, Rahl held out his arms and called out her name. ¡°Elenglea!¡± The woman stopped her tracks and stared at the disheveled man wearing the armor. ¡°Rahl? Is that you?¡± After a moment of recognition, the woman ran into his arms, and they embraced. ¡°Elenglea! I didn¡¯t know that you¡ªyou are Calicus¡¯ former apprentice.¡± Rahl said, obviously delighted to see her. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m her. They call me ¡®Snow¡¯ now. That was Calicus¡¯ pet name for me when I was an apprentice.¡± The sorceress said this proudly in a false, girlish voice, as if the ridiculous name were an award of some sort. How mawkish, Connie thought. She thought she was going to be sick. Already, she did not like this woman. The Swordbearer and the sorceress separated from their embrace. Snow pulled back to have a look at Rahl. She smiled broadly with her set of perfect Cupid¡¯s bow lips. ¡°My, you have gotten big! How long has it been, Rahl? Ten years?¡± ¡°More than that, I think.¡± ¡°You look good.¡± Snow turned her attention to Rahl¡¯s companions. ¡°And who are your companions?¡± Rahl introduced each member of the group. She fixed a penetrating gaze on each member as he did so. She flinched when she laid eyes on Tristana. Rahl introduced her as Theo¡¯s new assistant. ¡°Where did you find Tristana?¡± Snow asked. Rahl explained how they had found her in the chapel at the Castle Maray. ¡°You know, your Tristana should not be in this cathedral,¡± Snow said when Rahl had finished. ¡°Yes, I assumed that,¡± he said. ¡°Calicus had a similar reaction to her. It¡¯s her negative energy.¡± Snow returned her attention to Connie. Connie noticed that Snow had widened her eyes at her as Calicus had when Rahl introduced her. Snow stepped up to Connie. From her expression, she seemed at once puzzled and astounded. She gazed deeply into Connie¡¯s eyes, then she spoke deliberately and slowly, as if she were in a trance. ¡°Physically, you look like the Alyndia I once knew, but inside¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. ¡°What do you see?¡± Theo asked her. ¡°I see¡ª¡± Snow paused, then she turned to Theo. ¡°I see a nosy spirit mage who looks malnourished. And that¡¯s you!¡± ¡°I resent that.¡± She turned to Rahl. ¡°And what kind of women do you hang around with since we¡¯ve been apart?¡± ¡°What do you mean, Elenglea?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about your girls here. And don¡¯t call me Elenglea anymore. I told you my name is ¡®Snow.¡¯ Don¡¯t start again like we did before, or you¡¯ll be sorry. I haven¡¯t forgotten, you know. In fact, I never forget.¡± At that moment, Connie felt that this woman could be troublesome. Either way, she didn¡¯t care. This was not her quest, and she wanted no part of it or these people. ¡°Rahl, can you lead me back to my home?¡± Connie asked, almost pleading. ¡°Can you not do this on your own?¡± he asked in return, sounding annoyed. ¡°I doubt she can find her way home,¡± Snow interjected before Connie could respond. ¡°Why not?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°Because this woman is not Alyndia the Elemental Sorceress of Roggentine, daughter of Alitrea, even though she looks like her.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Because I know Alyndia, and the spirit inhabiting Alyndia¡¯s body is not hers. ¡°Who is she, then?¡± ¡°One moment.¡± Snow gazed fixedly at Connie. ¡°Her true name is¡ªCo¡ªCon¡ªConstance¡ªL¡ªLou-Louis B-Bain. Constance Louise Bain is her name¡ªor is it Connie?¡± Connie felt a chill run through her spine to hear someone speak her full name. She felt at once vindicated and frightened. But how did this strange woman in this strange land¡ªa woman she¡¯d never met¡ªknow her full first and last name? ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like you¡¯re made of wood,¡± Snow said to Connie. ¡°Answer me. Is that who you are?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°I am Connie Bain.¡± Snow turned back to Rahl. ¡°See?¡± ¡°We brought her along to cast elemental spells, but she was unable to fulfill her role.¡± Snow let out a small laugh. ¡°Of course. She knows nothing at all about magic. She¡¯s actually a police officer of some sort¡ªsomething related to covert investigations. Is that right, Connie?¡± ¡°Pretty close.¡± ¡°So, she¡¯s an impostor!¡± Rahl shouted. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°Hey! Now wait a minute!¡± Connie broke in. ¡°What do you mean ¡®impostor¡¯? What have I been telling you all for the last few days?¡± ¡°That is true,¡± Theo said. ¡°She made no pretenses that she was Alyndia or that she could cast spells. She personally confided to me many times that she was incompetent.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say it like that, Theo. All right. Now that my great secret is out, can somebody here get me home?¡± Connie said in a pleading tone. She met the gaze of each member of the group. ¡°Theo? Can you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know where you live,¡± he replied. ¡°You mean, you don¡¯t have a spell for that?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Then how about a pair of ruby-red slippers?¡± ¡°A pair of what?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Now do you see where I¡¯m coming from, Rahl?¡± Snow said. ¡°You have this dark spirit here and this woman with a misplaced soul; we have an idiot spirit mage.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Theo broke in. ¡°Who are you calling an idiot?¡± Just then, the acolyte who had led them into the cathedral approached. ¡°By the gods! Please!¡± he shouted. The party grew suddenly silent. ¡°This is a place of meditation. Please take your bickering outside.¡± ¡°We deeply apologize,¡± Rahl said to the acolyte. Snow rolled her eyes. ¡°Will someone take me home?¡± Connie asked. ¡°I can take you back,¡± Rahl said. Snow broke in. ¡°No, it¡¯s better that I do. I know where Alyndia lives, and Connie and I have some important matters to discuss.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Connie said. Snow led the group out of the temple through a side exit to avoid the throng outside the front where the hanyaks were tied. ¡°Which one is your hanyak?¡± she asked Connie. ¡°That one,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re actually my hanyaks,¡± Rahl said. ¡°But you can borrow it like, bring it back to me later.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s too much bother,¡± Snow said. ¡°Connie, remove Alyndia¡¯s spell books and other things from the packs. You will carry them yourself back to your home.¡± Connie looked at Snow, incredulous. ¡°I can¡¯t carry all of those packs myself. They¡¯re way too heavy.¡± ¡°You will carry them. Now go take them off the hanyak. Do it now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you take them off, Connie,¡± Theo said. Snow spoke to Rahl off to the side in private while Theo and Connie removed her packs from the hanyak. Once the packs were removed and piled up by the back gate, they met Connie there. Snow picked up a small leather pouch carrying Alyndia¡¯s comb and some personal items. ¡°I¡¯ll take this. Now you carry the rest.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. Pick up your things. Let¡¯s go. We haven¡¯t got all day.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t carry all this stuff myself.¡± ¡°She likes to whine,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Now you see what we put up with for the last few days.¡± ¡°How annoying that must have been! Connie, pick up your packs. Now!¡± ¡°I will see you tomorrow morning,¡± Rahl said to Snow. He kissed her on the cheek, and then he and Theo, followed by Tristana, left the temple grounds with the remaining hanyaks. Snow and Connie entered the street and started walking in the opposite direction toward a small bazaar. Snow walked briskly ahead of Connie while Connie struggled behind her to carry the heavy packs. They had only gotten fifty paces when she put down the packs. ¡°Snow, I can¡¯t carry all of these. Maybe you can carry a few.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡ªdo I look like a hanyak? No, I¡¯m not going to carry your things for you.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t do it myself. They¡¯re just too heavy.¡± Snow pointed to a nearby market stall. ¡°Carry your packs to that stall over there. Come on. Move it!¡± Connie gathered up the packs again and lugged them over to the stall as she was directed. She was so winded from moving them that she thought she was going to pass out. Inside the stall sat a heavyset woman with a round face, with a plethora of small plates and other metal jewelry woven into her hair. Connie recalled that she had the same kind of metal jewelry in her hair when she woke up in this land. ¡°Hi, Galda,¡± Snow said, addressing the woman. ¡°How¡¯s business today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. What can I do for you, Snow?¡± ¡°We need a Featherlight on the packs here.¡± The woman looked at the packs. ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°Mostly paper, I think.¡± ¡°Do you need an enchantment, or¡ª?¡± ¡°No. We¡¯re just going across town.¡± ¡°A simple one-node ought to be enough for that.¡± ¡°Make it two.¡± The woman left the stall, walked over to the packs, and rested her hands on them. When she did, Connie felt a tingling sensation in the air around her. The inexplicable feeling of wood came to her, but she did not know how or why. The feeling was pleasant and familiar to her. She looked at Snow to see if she felt it too, but the sorceress displayed no outward emotion. Instead, she appeared to have been watching Connie¡¯s reaction at the moment the spell was cast. ¡°Six rezni,¡± the woman said. ¡°Give her six copper rezni,¡± Snow said to Connie. ¡°Do you know what they look like?¡± Connie nodded. She gave the woman the copper pieces from her belt pouch. ¡°Thank you, Galda. Let¡¯s go now, Connie. Take your packs.¡± Connie lifted the packs. To her surprise, they now weighed perhaps a tenth of the weight they¡¯d had moments before. ¡°Amazing,¡± she said, easily hefting them onto her shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s take you home now.¡± Snow did not speak much to Connie until they got to the curved, narrow street called The Circle of the Elements. Connie was curious about how Snow knew her name so readily when everyone else had difficulty even believing she was not Alyndia. ¡°How did you know my name?¡± she asked the sorceress as they approached Alyndia¡¯s home. ¡°The Power of the Temple,¡± she replied. ¡°Any divination cast within the temple is doubled in strength. I saw you with such clarity that I knew your true name. I also knew that Rahl and Theo didn¡¯t know who you really are.¡± ¡°Really? You could have said something at the time. Rahl looked like he was ready to run me through with that sword of his.¡± ¡°Maybe he should have,¡± she said with a small laugh. ¡°But you know I¡¯m not an impostor.¡± ¡°You assume I know more than I do. For all I know, you actually are an impostor.¡± ¡°I figured that since you knew all that information about me, you also knew I couldn¡¯t have done this to myself.¡± ¡°Your point is well taken, Connie. In truth, I don¡¯t know that much about you or how you got here¡ªbut I¡¯d like to know. I¡¯m also curious about what happened to Alyndia¡¯s spirit, not that I miss her or anything.¡± Connie followed Snow through an arched entrance into a building. Just past the entrance was a staircase. She instantly recognized them as the stairs leading up to Alyndia¡¯s apartment. She reached into a pocket in her robe and removed a key she found there earlier. The key fit the lock, and she opened the door with it. Snow followed her into the apartment uninvited. ¡°So this is the abode of Alyndia, the great elemental sorceress,¡± Snow said in an uncomplimentary tone. She walked into the center of the room and looked around, taking in the decoration and furnishings. ¡°She loves floral patterns, that¡¯s for sure. It¡¯s all a little too busy for me, though. Just looking at it gives me a headache.¡± Leaving the packs by the door, Connie went over to the plush bed and sat, allowing her weight to settle into the soft mattress. ¡°I woke up in here alone. I never saw her.¡± Snow turned to her. ¡°Of course you never saw Alyndia, because you are Alyndia now.¡± ¡°I know who I am, Snow, and I¡¯m not Alyndia,¡± she said, removing her shoes. ¡°I thought we already established that.¡± Snow let out a small, mirthless laugh. ¡°You¡¯re so clueless. You don¡¯t know anything about this world or how you ended up here, and then you contradict me when I try to set you straight.¡± ¡°Who are you to talk to me that way? And why should I listen to you?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a sorceress of the highest degree. There are many pretenders out there, but I¡¯m the real thing. I know this. So it really irritates me that I¡¯m trying to counsel you, and you disrespect me by countering everything I say.¡± She paused. ¡°You know, you should be glad to even be in the same room with me.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Should I kiss your feet?¡± ¡°Yes. That would be appropriate, although it would be more customary if you kissed my hand,¡± she said. ¡°Indeed, any apprentice of the magical arts would love to hear my counsel and study under me. And, for the record, I would never have allowed the original version of you the privilege.¡± ¡°Please stop insinuating that I¡¯m Alyndia. I¡¯m not her and never was her. Good grief, Snow. We don¡¯t even look alike.¡± ¡°Have you viewed yourself in a mirror lately?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Really now? And who do you see?¡± ¡°Myself.¡± Snow gave her a wry smile. ¡°Do you? Then your eyes fail you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. I see perfectly well.¡± Snow walked over to the full-length silver mirror on the wall by the door and stood squarely in front of it. She fixed her hair and smoothed her bright red robe. Then she smiled and posed coquettishly, as though she were flirting with her image in the mirror. Connie shook her head. Snow was obviously as vain as she was arrogant. ¡°Come here, blind one,¡± Snow said to Connie finally. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why not? Are you afraid of me? Or are you afraid of what you might see?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything,¡± Connie said wearily. ¡°Least of all, you.¡± Snow raised an eyebrow at Connie through her reflection in the mirror. ¡°My, oh my! What you lack in knowledge and wisdom, you make up for in spirit¡ªno pun intended. Now come to this mirror. I want to show you something.¡± Connie sighed. She didn¡¯t want to go to the mirror; she just wanted to lie back and sink into the bed. Why did her energy now leave her so quickly? She used to be able to last for days without little sleep when she and MacGregor went mountain climbing. Now she found she could barely stay awake.¡± ¡°Come here,¡± Snow urged her, waving her over to the mirror. Connie summoned her strength, rose from the bed, and walked over to the mirror, where Snow stood. She gazed at her reflection. She appeared as her normal self, albeit a bit disheveled and exhausted-looking, and most notably, without makeup. ¡°What do you see?¡± Snow asked. ¡°I see myself. And I see you.¡± ¡°All right. Keep looking.¡± Snow muttered an incantation. She waved a hand over Connie¡¯s eyes. At once, Connie saw a bright flash of light as though a flashbulb had gone off right in front of her face. For a moment, she saw nothing but a grayish blur. When her vision returned, instead of herself, she saw a weary-looking stranger standing next to Snow. She gasped. It was the same woman she had seen in the mirror a few days ago when she awoke. ¡°Alas,¡± Snow said. ¡°The deception is gone. The blind can now see.¡± The image Connie saw as herself had green-highlighted black hair and a thin, angular face and green eyes. The woman was not tall and looked a bit thin and frail. She appeared to be about Connie¡¯s age and was somewhat attractive in her own way. ¡°Who is that?¡± Connie asked. ¡°That¡¯s you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not me.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t look like that.¡± ¡°You do now.¡± ¡°What have you done to me?¡± she asked, now trembling. ¡°I have done nothing but clear the illusion you created for yourself,¡± Snow replied, studying Connie¡¯s reaction with a cool expression through the mirror. ¡°You look a bit troubled. Don¡¯t you like what you see?¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be real. It must be a trick.¡± ¡°There are no ¡®tricks¡¯ here.¡± Connie brought a hand to her face while watching her movement in the mirror. She felt her facial features with her hand. They matched exactly those of the woman she saw in the mirror. Her movements also matched those of the stranger¡¯s. As the surprise and shock at what she saw began to sink in, Connie became frightened. ¡°Am I inside Alyndia¡¯s body?¡± ¡°In a sense, yes. But it¡¯s more than that. You may have memories, but you¡¯re not the same person you were before.¡± ¡°But I feel like myself.¡± ¡°Of course you do. Your spirit is here.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t understand any of this.¡± ¡°Oh? So now you¡¯re admitting you don¡¯t know as much as me? That¡¯s a refreshing change.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so cruel.¡± She sighed. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m a bit puzzled by all of this myself,¡± she mused. ¡°From what I can tell, you and Alyndia went through some sort of commingling of spirits. I¡¯m not sure what happened between you two or how Alyndia got you into this, but everything is mixed up now. I can see it as plain as day in your aura.¡± ¡°I¡¯m living in a nightmare, and I can¡¯t wake up.¡± She smiled. ¡°Well, I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to be you in your place at this moment.¡± ¡°I used to have a life and a career. What am I going to do here?¡± ¡°You can answer that question better than me. Or maybe there is no answer. Or maybe you¡¯ll just roll up and die. Time will tell.¡± Connie fell to her knees before the mirror. I¡¯m going to lose my mind here, she thought. Again, she looked at her reflection. Her alien eyes were now flooded with tears. She bowed her head to avoid seeing the teary-eyed stranger in the mirror who gazed back at her. Then, for the first time in nearly fifteen years, the spirit who had known herself as Connie Bain began to cry. Chapter 13 - That Was Then鈥擳his Is Now Chapter 13 That Was Then¡ªThis Is Now It was almost 2:00 in the morning. Alyndia stared at the television, the remote control clutched in her hand, just as she¡¯d been doing since dinner. On the coffee table before her was a bottle of olives, a bag of potato chips, peaches, bananas, and a veritable cornucopia of other snacks she raided from the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. MacGregor snored on and off on the couch beside her while she gorged herself on the snacks and the television. She¡¯d hardly left the couch that evening except for toilet breaks and to raid the kitchen for more snacks. Another program began and ended. It was a scarcely comprehensible episode of a show called The Twilight Zone. This one was about an old man on the street who sold people exact items they needed, whether they knew they needed them or not. As she watched the plot unfold, she wondered if the story was based on fact or fiction. After The Twilight Zone ended, she surfed the channels for a while, settling on an infomercial about a fancy food processor with attachments. She watched the beautiful, smiling man and woman tell her about the processor. ¡°It works like magic,¡± they said. ¡°It turns any fruit or vegetable into a delicious, nutritional drink.¡± She watched them demonstrate the device with fascination. She wondered if perhaps Gerald had told her wrong and magic really was prevalent in this world. The Kreeco Magi-Matic food processor (with a parrot as its logo) was proof of this. MacGregor woke up and stared at the screen for a while before speaking. He looked at his watch. ¡°Jesus, Connie. It¡¯s almost three in the morning.¡± ¡°This device is amazing!¡± she said, referring to the food processor being demonstrated on the television. ¡°We already have one like that. That thing is a pain in the ass to clean. That¡¯s why we never use it.¡± She did not hear him. Her attention was fixed on the blue, glowing screen. The smiling man was now putting a stalk of celery in the device. She anticipated with excitement what the machine would do with it. MacGregor studied her. ¡°You never used to like to watch television. You used to hate it. Now you¡¯re binging on it. What gives?¡± ¡°It is so interesting. I can learn a lot from it,¡± she said, plucking an olive from the jar on the table. ¡°I was hoping we could have gone out this weekend and done something interesting." ¡°Why should we go out if we have a television?¡± He sighed. ¡°Whatever, Connie. I¡¯m done arguing with you.¡± MacGregor stared at the screen for a bit, then he groggily rose to his feet. He stretched. ¡°You¡¯d better get to bed. Don¡¯t forget you have to meet your sister for breakfast, not to mention we have Layton at two.¡± Alyndia shifted her attention away from the television at the mention of his name. Yes. If she were going to meet with him, then she¡¯d best get some sleep. She wanted to look nice and rested for him when he saw her in her new form. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± she said. She looked down at the remote control in her hands. Though she learned how to change the channel and volume, she did not know which button to press to halt the spell that made the television work. ¡°How do you halt the television?¡± she asked MacGregor. ¡°Like this.¡± He reached down and pressed a button on the remote. Instantly, the smiling man and woman with their Magi-Matic in the television vanished to a black screen and silence. Connie stared at the remote in her hands. She wondered if some sort of Air enchantment allowed the remote to control the television, as no apparent physical connection existed between the two besides air. The device didn¡¯t have the feel of enchantment, yet it worked the same. She gently set the remote down on the coffee table with the intent to study it in more detail later. MacGregor shut off the light, and she followed him into the bedroom. She sat on the bed, already dressed in her pajamas. MacGregor began removing his belt and began to unbutton his shirt. The sight of him doing this concerned her, particularly since there was only one bed in the room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m getting undressed. What does it look like I¡¯m doing?¡± he asked, as if the answer were obvious to her, which it wasn¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping on the couch tonight?¡± ¡°My neck is killing me from sleeping on it the last few nights. I just thought I¡¯d sleep in my own bed tonight since I got to go to work in the morning.¡± She frowned. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep on the couch just one more night?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± Alyndia watched him remove his shirt. He was a muscular man. Something in the deep recesses of her mind made her admire this physical trait in him. She watched him kick the trousers off his feet to reveal hairy legs and a baggy pair of boxer underwear with a gold-heart pattern on them. He folded the pants once, then draped them over the back of a chair sitting by the closet. Then he looked over at her. ¡°Are you going to wear those pajamas to bed?¡± he asked. When she didn¡¯t respond, he shrugged, sat on the bed, and proceeded to remove his socks. Although Connie had shared a bed with MacGregor thousands of times, Alyndia herself did not feel comfortable at all with this kind of sleeping arrangement. It was one of Connie¡¯s habits that had not rubbed off on her. Alyndia also knew that she would not be able to sleep at all as long as he lay in such close proximity to her where she could feel his body heat, hear him breathing, and smell his scent. MacGregor slipped between the sheets of the bed. He arranged the pillows for maximum comfort and lay on his back, his palms behind his head. ¡°Come on. Lie down next to me. I won¡¯t bite you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping in the same bed with you.¡± A confused, hurt look crossed MacGregor¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry again with me about something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡ªit¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been through a lot in the last few days, and I feel the need to sleep alone tonight.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re angry with me.¡± ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t. Why don¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because ever since you woke up from the coma, you¡¯re always pissed with me about something.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make up bedtime stories.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. And it doesn¡¯t take much to set you off. All I have to do is touch you or say something you don¡¯t like, and you get all worked up.¡± ¡°If it makes you feel any better, you¡¯ve done nothing to incite my anger this time. I just want to sleep alone.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You know, Connie, after two days of living with you, I can say for certain you¡¯re a completely different person.¡± ¡°Do you have to bring that up again right now? It¡¯s three in the morning.¡± ¡°Nope, you¡¯re not the same person at all,¡± he continued, ignoring her. ¡°He really screwed you up, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Layton. Just wait until I get my hands on that bastard. I¡¯m going to kill him for ruining you and destroying my happiness.¡± Hearing him stay that infuriated Alyndia. She could hardly contain the anger. She turned around so that she could face him squarely. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked blithely. In a deft, lightning quick moment, she slapped him hard across the face. ¡°Ow!¡± he said, putting his hand to his face. ¡°What the¡ª?¡± He looked at his fingers to see whether it was bleeding. ¡°What the hell did you do that for?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about laying on him¡ªever. Do you hear me? I¡¯m telling you. If you harm him in any way, I swear, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°See? There you go again,¡± he said, nursing his nose. ¡°All I had to do was bring up Layton and you did that.¡± ¡°You disgust me,¡± she said, realizing he¡¯d probably provoked her on purpose. ¡°I going to sleep on the couch. I wish you a restful sleep.¡± She was just about to rise when he grabbed her by the arm, shoved her down on the bed, and planted a kiss on her lips so hard it hurt. Immediately, she slammed her fist into his side. He let out a grunt and released her. She jumped back away from the bed and stared back at him in rage, her mouth smarting from the kiss. She sorely wished at that moment she had access to her spells to teach him a lesson of respect. ¡°Dammit, Connie,¡± he said, nursing his ribcage where she¡¯d struck him. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°I should ask you the same.¡± ¡°I just wanted a little kiss.¡± ¡°You call that a kiss? I¡¯ll knock your teeth out if you ever do that to me again,¡± she said, glaring at him, her voice dripping with venom. She was glad for Connie¡¯s innate ability to convincingly project anger. That line would not have sounded half as convincing with her former, softer voice. ¡°I should have listened to that doctor Kasabian and left you at the hospital. Let him check you out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for that,¡± she retorted. ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to learn to respect me instead.¡± Alyndia stood by the bed, waiting to see what MacGregor might do next, but he just lay there, saying nothing. Suddenly, she felt sleepy. Yawning, she grabbed a pillow from Connie¡¯s side of the bed, and sauntered back into the living room. She dropped the pillow at one end of the couch and looked back toward the room. No movement from there. Good. She then lay down, and fixated her eyes on the ceiling, waiting in case he followed her. A few minutes later, he turned out the light in the bedroom. All was dark now except for a dim, blue light shining into the apartment from outside the sliding glass door to the balcony. She looked up toward the window and saw a full moon shining in the night sky. Its appearance startled her. This moon was much larger than the twin moons, Sarn and Khybn, of her world. And unlike the Cerinyan moons, which were bluish-green, this one was bluish-white, and it radiated much more light. Though she felt weary, she got to her feet and walked over to the sliding glass door. Now the light of the city beckoned to her too. She flipped the latch on the door and stepped out onto the balcony. The chilly night air attacked her skin. She disregarded the bracing air for a moment and stepped forward, the rail at the edge of the balcony. She peered down. The street stretched below her feet. From her vantage point, the few people out at that time of night appeared to her as mere ants. The buildings loomed around her like great rectangular towers peppered with random spots of light. This city was nothing like Roggentine, but it had its own beauty. ¡°So this is the city built with machines,¡± she whispered to herself as she took in the cold, night air. The next morning, MacGregor didn¡¯t say much to his partner as they got ready for the day ahead. Alyndia almost expected that he¡¯d apologize to her for his actions of the evening. To her dismay, he did not. She considered this an insult, and so she responded in kind by withholding any meaningful conversation from him. He prepared for them a spartan breakfast of toast and a glass of orange juice. After she had finished her breakfast, she found she was still hungry. She finished off the bag of chips, the bottle of olives, and the remainder of a box of cupcakes left on the cocktail table from the night before. She loved the food of this world. It seemed designed for pleasing the palate. Most enjoyable, she found, was the shower. It was a pleasure to use and much nicer than the baths she was used to. With just the turn of a knob, she found she was able to vary the temperature of the rain that fell from the pipe to any temperature she felt comfortable on her skin. She wondered where the hot water came from. She thought perhaps a Fire enchantment had been done somewhere. She was glad she didn¡¯t have to use fire wands to heat up her water for a change. Now it was almost nine. MacGregor drove her across town to the Madden Hotel, where her sister Joy was staying. He dropped her off at the main entrance on the street. He said he¡¯d head down to headquarters and that he¡¯d be back in a few hours to pick her up. He handed her his cell phone and told her to call if she would be longer. Alyndia stepped out of the car into the brisk winter air, then stood on the curb as she watched MacGregor drive off. After he was out of sight, she spun around while looking upwards to get a view of the rectangular buildings that towered above her. The sight of them was breathtaking. All things were different in this world. The air smelled different, the sky looked different, and the attire of everyone around her was nothing like she was used to seeing on Cerinya. Also, now it was late winter. In her home, wherever it was, it was the brink of fall when the leaves would be turning black and blue. She reached down to the curb and picked up a handful of snow. Though it was cold as the snow was in her world, it felt odd in her hands, crunchy. She brought her attention back to the entrance of the hotel. She was supposed to meet Joy in the lobby. Unfortunately, in sorting through Connie¡¯s possessions at the apartment early that morning, she found a glossy image on paper¡ªa photograph of Connie and an older man. Alyndia somehow knew this man was Connie¡¯s father. In the picture, Connie was much younger. She sat on a low chair with her feet stretched before her in a sandy place, probably a seashore. Crouched behind her was her father, his face next to hers, his hands where her shoulders met her arms. Both of them were smiling or laughing at something off. Alyndia wondered why Connie kept this picture and no others. Alyndia followed a group of people through a revolving door into the lobby of the hotel. The hotel was elegantly decorated with a red carpet and dark wood furniture. She scanned the lobby for someone who would resonate with the information in her memory. There was no one. She was about to walk up the concierge when a voice called her name from behind. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Connie?¡± Alyndia turned to see a woman standing directly behind her. The woman seemed slightly younger than she was. Her hair was black instead of red, and it hung down below her shoulders. And she wore lenses on her face¡ªglasses they were called¡ªand gold rings in her ears. She looked overtired from lack of sleep. But there was no mistaking the resemblance. This was Connie¡¯s sister, Joy. ¡°Joy?¡± Alyndia asked. The two women stood there in the crowded lobby. Alyndia wondered how she should conduct their meeting. Should they embrace? Should they shake hands like the men on television? Without a script to follow, the long-estranged stood there staring at each other. Alyndia thought she saw a yearning of unknown origin in Joy¡¯s eyes, until Joy was bumped by a man carrying his suitcases through the lobby. The man apologized. ¡°You wanted to see me?¡± ¡°I heard there was an accident,¡± Joy said quietly, demurely. She had a soft voice. ¡°They said you were in a coma.¡± Alyndia could not help but smile over this statement. ¡°Yes, there was an accident, and I was in a coma, but I¡¯m better now, even better than I was before.¡± Joy gave her a long, lingering look. Alyndia saw real sympathy in her eyes. This woman truly loves Connie, she thought. Suddenly, Joy moved aside to avoid being struck by a woman pulling her suitcase along by a leather strap. The lobby was busy that day. ¡°Shall we go someplace where we can talk?¡± Alyndia asked. Joy led Alyndia into a small restaurant connected to the lobby. In short order, they were seated at one of the round, white tablecloth-covered tables that peppered the room. The waiter, a thin, balding man with a thin, black mustache, gave them menus. The waiter offered them drinks. Joy declined. Alyndia did the same. The waiter left. Joy folded open the menu and sat it on the table before her. She quickly glanced over its contents, but she seemed too distracted to read it. She suddenly closed the menu and stared at Connie. ¡°You look different, Connie,¡± she said. ¡°Do I look good?¡± Joy gave her a slight nod. ¡°How many years has it been?¡± ¡°Almost fifteen, sixteen, maybe.¡± ¡°Then how should I look?¡± Joy shook her head. She gazed out the window as people dressed in dark overcoats carrying their briefcases and purses walked by. Alyndia got the feeling there was a great deal of turmoil churning within Connie. The light shining off the street outside lit her face in a most unflattering way. It seemed to Alyndia that Joy had been crying recently. She wondered if a person in this world cried enough that their tears would turn to blood as they did in her world. Joy took a deep breath. ¡°I suppose they told you about mom.¡± ¡°She is at the¡ªhospital?¡± Alyndia wanted to say temple, but that word did not seem appropriate. ¡°How bad is she?¡± At that question, a large tear ran down Joy¡¯s face. She made no effort to stop it. ¡°She¡¯s very bad, Connie. The doctors say¡ª¡± she paused. Another tear ran down her face. ¡°The doctors say she hasn¡¯t got long to live. Maybe another week or two.¡± She picked up the neatly folded white napkin on the table before her and delicately dabbed the tears from her eyes. ¡°She¡¯s been asking for you, but we didn¡¯t know where to find you. Then we got this call from somebody at the CIA. They didn¡¯t give us any details but said you were hurt and were on life support. That¡¯s how we found you. I hope you¡¯re not angry with us.¡± Alyndia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not angry. In fact, I¡¯m glad you called me.¡± Joy stopped dabbing her eyes. She searched Alyndia¡¯s in to order to ascertain whether she was being sincere. ¡°You are?¡± Alyndia shook her head. ¡°Yes. Absolutely.¡± ¡°You¡¯re angry at us anymore?¡± ¡°Not at all. Whatever happened between us is all in the past, and I have fully forgiven you.¡± she said. In reality, Alyndia had no idea what could have caused Connie to become wayward in such a dramatic way that she had broken off all contact with her family for all those years. Something in the recesses of her mind told her that this fracture in the relationship happened some months after the death of Connie¡¯s father, and some residual emotional nudge told her these feelings were yet undiminished after all those years. Connie held an awful grudge. But now that Connie¡¯s spirit was departed from this world and unlikely to return, Alyndia saw no harm in fixing what had come undone years ago, if only for the sake of a dying mother in her final days. Now Joy began to weep openly into the cloth napkin she held, staining it with her deep purple lipstick and black mascara. Alyndia reached across the table and gently took her hand and wrist. Joy stared up at Connie through her tears, seemingly astonished that her sister Connie had done this. At that moment, with impeccably bad timing, the waiter returned to the table. ¡°Are you ladies ready to order?¡± At first, Joy shook her head, then she changed her mind and ordered a glass of wine, probably to calm her spirit. Alyndia was going to do likewise, then she remembered the vomiting and achy feeling she¡¯d had the day after she¡¯d imbibed the Chardonnay. She decided to order something different on the offhand chance the wine had been the cause. She quickly glanced at the menu. She saw the word ¡°Milk.¡± She wondered if this were the same sweet liquid taken from the teats of livestock animals in her world. She guessed that it might be. She drank it often in her world. ¡°I would like a glass of milk,¡± Alyndia told the waiter. ¡°Yes, one milk. Would you like a large or small glass?¡± ¡°A large, definitely,¡± she replied. ¡°All right. That¡¯s one Burgundy and a glass of milk.¡± Joy nodded. The waiter collected their menus and left the table. Alyndia wondered why he had changed his attitude so suddenly. When her attention returned to the table, Joy was gazing at her with a puzzled expression. Alyndia wondered what she had done that provoked this response from her. ¡°Is the milk good at this establishment?¡± Alyndia asked. Joy shrugged. ¡°I imagine it is.¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t it, Alyndia thought. ¡°I¡¯m married now,¡± Joy said, changing the subject. She held out her left hand to show off her wedding ring, a simple gold band. ¡°His name is James. He teaches history at the University of Wisconsin. My name is now Joy West.¡± Joy went on about her marriage while Alyndia listened intently. At Alyndia¡¯s urging, Joy also told her about their brothers and sisters. Alyndia listened carefully, absorbing every tidbit of knowledge of Connie¡¯s family, especially facts about her newly biological brother and sister, Felicity and James. To her chagrin, Joy made no mention of their father, Albert Bain, the name that came to her from a vestige of Connie¡¯s memory imprinted in her brain. Alyndia wondered why Joy skirted the subject of their father. She thought perhaps Joy assumed this was still a touchy subject with Connie, and so she didn¡¯t venture to say anything lest she conjure Connie¡¯s formerly undiminished ire. The waiter brought them their beverages along with a black leather folder Alyndia assumed contained the bill. A moment of silence fell between the two women as they drank some of their beverages. Joy sipped from her glass of wine, but Alyndia was thirsty. In one turn of the tall glass, she drank nearly half the white milk. To her surprise, the milk did not taste the same in this world as it did in hers. But it was refreshing just the same. She decided she liked it. As she dabbed her lips with the napkin, she saw Joy was giving her that puzzled expression again. ¡°You have changed, Connie,¡± Joy said. ¡°In what ways.¡± Joy shook her head. ¡°So many.¡± ¡°Tell me how I¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°Well, for example. Like just right now. You drank that glass of milk the way you used to drink wine.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with drinking a glass of milk once in a while, is there?¡± ¡°Oh, not at all. I mean for most people, but as I remember, you weren¡¯t able to drink milk.¡± Alyndia swallowed hard. ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? You were lactose intolerant.¡± ¡°I was?¡± she stated, not knowing exactly what that meant. Joy smiled shyly at her. This was the first time Alyndia had seen her smile. ¡°Milk has never agreed with you. It made you awfully gassy. Don¡¯t you remember that? Felicity and I couldn¡¯t sleep in the same room with you that night if you had a glass of milk at dinner time.¡± Alyndia stared forlornly at the half-empty glass of milk on the table. She was done for. She cursed herself under her breath. Joy touched her arm. ¡°Connie?¡± Now she looked up to see Joy gazing deep into her face. ¡°You¡¯ve changed in other ways too,¡± she said. ¡°When I made the decision to see you, I was filled with dread. I felt for certain that if you saw me, you would hate me just as you¡¯ve hated me, Mom, and the others. But because of how sick Mom is, I had to see you. Now I see you¡¯ve changed. Do you realize how much this means to me?¡± Alyndia shook her head. Joy continued, her free hand clutching the napkin tightly. She shook her head as if unable to find the most appropriate words. ¡°While we were going to school, I always looked up to you. You were so good at everything you did¡ªand you didn¡¯t even have to try. I was never the same as you. You were on the honor roll. I retook the same algebra class for three years. You were a cheerleader. I played in the band. You always had the best-looking guys. I went myself to my senior prom because I couldn¡¯t find a date. You¡¯re so smart, and you¡¯re always so strong, and I felt so bad being around you, but I loved you just the same. And I always looked up to you.¡± Joy¡¯s eyes well up with tears. ¡°When I came here, I thought you would just take this time to tell me how much you despise me and our family. Now I feel like I have my big sister back again.¡± Alyndia got up and walked over to Joy¡¯s side of the table. The two embraced in tears. The healing in Connie¡¯s family had begun. The two women spoke for the next hour or so until MacGregor came to pick up Connie. By then the restaurant was filling up with patrons for the lunch hour, and the bony waiter stared at them menacingly in hope they would leave and free up the table for some higher-paying customers. ¡°So how did it go?¡± MacGregor asked as he entered traffic. Alyndia smiled. ¡°It went wonderful.¡± ¡°Wonderful?¡± She looked at him. ¡°Yes. Is there anything wrong with that?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I¡ªnever mind.¡± ¡°We had a good sister-to-sister talk. I can¡¯t wait to see my mother again.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯re actually going to visit her?¡± Alyndia stared hard at MacGregor. ¡°Don¡¯t start with me again.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say a word," MacGregor said, keeping his eyes on the smoking minivan in front of them. ¡°I had such a beautiful conversation with my sister this morning,¡± she said, dabbing her eyes. ¡°She is so sweet. I never knew that having a sibling could be such a good experience.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. And you know what?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m seriously starting to think that putting on the bracelet was the best thing that ever happened to me.¡± They drove for a while without speaking. Not feeling the need to make conversation with MacGregor, she amused herself by staring out the windows of the car and trying to make sense of the dazzle of activity around them. While they were stopped at a particularly long traffic light, MacGregor turned on the car radio. Something like music filled the space inside the car. A man¡¯s edgy, threatening voice sang vulgar lyrics to raucous-sounding background music: ¡°Dirty deeds done dirt cheap!¡­ Cyanide, TNT, Done dirt cheap!¡± She pressed the same button on the radio that MacGregor had touched. The car went silent. ¡°What did you do that for? I thought you liked AC/DC.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it now. I think it is vile.¡± ¡°But that used to be our song!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not anymore.¡± MacGregor let out a long sigh. Finally, the light turned green, and they headed forward through the intersection. By following MacGregor¡¯s driving, Alyndia figured out the connections between the traffic and the traffic lights: a green light meant go; a red light meant stop. and a yellow light meant hurry before the red light came. She smiled at herself at this revelation. She was learning fast. Gerald would be impressed with her. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± MacGregor asked. ¡°We still have some time before we go down to the station.¡± Alyndia wasn¡¯t sure how to answer. Her belly was already starting to feel peculiar from the milk she drank a few hours before. Still, she decided she could eat. Then she spotted a French fry on the floor of MacGregor¡¯s car from their meal yesterday. ¡°McDonald¡¯s,¡± she said. ¡°I would like to go to McDonald¡¯s.¡± ¡°You want to go to MacDonald¡¯s again?¡± Alyndia looked over a MacGregor. ¡°I suppose there is something wrong with that too,¡± she said, her voice leaden with sarcasm. ¡°No, no. Not at all. I was just thinking of¡ªwhere the closest one was.¡± Alyndia stared at MacGregor. She didn¡¯t need to look into his eyes to surmise that he was lying to her. She sighed. She couldn¡¯t wait to rid herself of this nitwit and see Gerald again. ¡°You know, Connie, I was thinking¡ª¡± ¡°Whenever you say that, it makes me nervous, Will.¡± ¡°No¡ªlisten to me. I was thinking that maybe we ought to go over to the hospital to let them have another look at you. You know? Just let them ask you a few questions. What do you say to that?¡± ¡°Why? Because I want to eat at McDonald¡¯s? Because I don¡¯t like AC/DC?¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with it. I just think that perhaps we rushed in getting you out of the hospital. Whatever put you into that coma might happen again. Maybe that bracelet had nothing to do with it, and it was just by chance that it happened when you put it on.¡± ¡°I feel fine,¡± Alyndia replied, ¡°and I can see through your deception. What is the real reason you want me to go?¡± ¡°Okay, you want me to come clean with you? All right¡ªI¡¯ll come clean with you.¡± MacGregor quickly turned the car over to the curb on the street they were driving on, stopping the car with the screech of rubber on cold asphalt. He turned off the engine. He unlatched his seatbelt and turned to her as best he could in the bucket seat. ¡°It¡¯s what I told you before. You haven¡¯t been your normal self since you woke up from that coma. It¡¯s like you¡¯re a different person.¡± ¡°I told you I am making changes in my life.¡± ¡°So you say. But your changes¡­¡± He paused to find the right words. ¡°Can I say the changes you¡¯re making are unprecedented? And no one makes all the changes you have overnight like you have done. Jeeze, Connie, the more I talk with you, the more different you seem. I¡¯m just worried that you might never be yourself again. I want the doctors to look you over to find out what is wrong.¡± ¡°There is nothing wrong with me,¡± she stated. ¡°No, something is wrong with you. You just don¡¯t realize it yet. As for me, I¡¯m starting to think it¡¯s pretty damn serious. Shit. You¡¯re probably so messed up right now you don¡¯t even know how bad off you are.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insulting me,¡± she said. Alyndia felt the strongest urge to flee from this brutish man she disliked. She reached for the door handle to let herself out. When MacGregor saw what she was doing, he pressed a switch somewhere on his door. The locks in the car doors made a mechanical latching noise. She pulled on the door handle; the handle would not pull outward, and the door would not open. She did not know enough about the controls in the car to release the door lock. She was trapped. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± she asked. ¡°I want you to be your normal, old self again.¡± ¡°And what if I never go back to my old self?¡± MacGregor put his hand on her arm. Her body stiffened at the feel of his touch. ¡°Look, Connie, just indulge me on this. Let me take you back to the hospital. You just have to talk to the doctors. Let them ask you a few questions and do any tests they want to do. Then, whatever they tell me goes. If they say you¡¯re okay, I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut, and I won¡¯t bitch to you any more over how much you¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°What if they tell me I¡¯m sick?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sick, then let them try to help you. Take whatever medications or treatments they prescribe. In any case, you always have the choice to refuse. And nobody there can make you stay if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°What will you do if I refuse treatment?¡± ¡°I hope you won¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°But what if I do?¡± she pressed. He sighed. ¡°Then there won¡¯t be any more I can do for you or for us. We¡¯ll go our separate ways. I¡¯ll move out; you can have the apartment to yourself. But first, for my own conscience, I want to make sure I did the right thing when I took you out of the hospital. What do you say, Connie? Let me take you. We can go right now. It¡¯s only ten minutes from here.¡± Alyndia thought this over. She got the feeling MacGregor was finally being square with her. And his suggestion seemed reasonable. Still, she was uncertain as to what tests the doctors wanted to do or what they would ask her. She strongly needed to speak to Gerald to get some direction on what she should do if she went back to the hospital and whether she should even go. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll go with you to the hospital,¡± she said, ¡°but only on the condition that I meet with Gerald Layton first. ¡°I think we should go to the hospital first.¡± ¡°No. I will not meet with the doctors until I see him.¡± She looked at him in the eyes. ¡°You did arrange the meeting with us today as we agreed, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, but I can cancel it at any time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just have to arrange the meeting myself, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll block you. I¡¯ll talk to Watson¡ªtell him all that¡¯s gone on with you since you woke up. I¡¯ll tell him you¡¯re not right in the head and a possible security risk.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Yes, I would.¡± ¡°But you promised me¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªI didn¡¯t promise you anything, so don¡¯t even go there.¡± She sighed. ¡°Please, Will. Let me meet with Gerald. Let me talk to him alone, in private. And after you let me do this, I promise I¡¯ll willingly go with you to the hospital if it makes you feel better. Do we have a deal?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Seems to me you¡¯re not in the right frame of mind to interrogate him and be partial. You¡¯ve also been obsession with him since you woke up from the coma. I can¡¯t tell you what I think of him. If I even mention him, you fly off the handle, just like you did last night.¡± ¡°I reacted that way because I was in a bad mood.¡± ¡°All weekend?¡± ¡°Will, my interest in Gerald Layton is strictly professional.¡± ¡°Right, Connie.¡± He put his hands on the keys. ¡°I¡¯m just going to take you to the hospital.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. ¡°You were telling me the other night how you wanted our relationship to go back to the way it used to be. I hope you were being sincere when you told me that.¡± He took his hand off the key as said this. ¡°I was. And?¡± ¡°Well, along with making some changes in my life, I was thinking about us too.¡± She paused as she searched for the right words to say. ¡°What I want to say is¡ªI think you may be right, and the time has time to explore this possibility.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± She noticed from his expression that he was listening to her very carefully now and taking her quite seriously. Just then, her stomach made a loud gurgling sound, likely caused by the glass of milk she drank earlier. He did not appear to have even heard it. She continued speaking, now in a softer, more feminine tone. ¡°You¡¯re right about what you said earlier. I¡¯ve been obsessed with this Layton case, much more than I ought to be. I think that as soon as I can get this meeting with Gerald Layton out of the way, I can move on with my life and get back to things that are more important.¡± MacGregor nodded slowly as she spoke. She could tell he was processing. She continued speaking to him, now slowly and sensuously, her voice almost a whisper. ¡°And then I was thinking¡ªmaybe after I see Professor Layton, you and I can go home early and¡ªand explore rekindling that we love we used to have. And by morning¡ªwho knows? Maybe I¡¯ll be yours again, just like it used to be.¡± ¡°But what about you going the hospital?¡± ¡°You still can take me to the hospital today if you want, or you can take me tomorrow or even the day after. The hospital¡¯s not going anywhere. But I¡¯d prefer to go home with you this afternoon after I meet with Layton.¡± ¡°You really mean that?¡± ¡°Yes, I do,¡± she said in a solemn tone. ¡°And, you know, I¡¯m just kind of worried that if I go to the hospital today and end up staying there for a few weeks, I might not feel the same about restarting our relationship by the time I leave. Plus, we won¡¯t be able to spend any private time together while I¡¯m there. It¡¯s such a pity.¡± ¡°All right, Connie. You''ve got a deal,¡± he said finally, restarting the engine. ¡°Let¡¯s go interrogate Gerald Layton.¡± Chapter 14 - A Change of Heart Chapter 14 A Change of Heart The room was lit with only a dim blue-green light from outside the window when Connie awoke from her deep slumber. She sat up and looked around the room for a moment, forgetting where she was for the moment. She came to her senses and realized she was in her room, or rather, Alyndia¡¯s room. At first, she thought she was alone, but then she spotted Snow curled up in the broad, saucer-shaped chair by the bed, reading by the light of a lamp that burned with a bright, blue flame. The shelves in the room were nearly empty, and all of Alyndia¡¯s books now stood in stacks around Snow¡¯s makeshift reading chair. Some books were even stacked on the chair itself. Evidently, she had been doing a lot of reading. ¡°What time is it?¡± Connie asked her. ¡°Late or early, depending on your point of view,¡± the sorceress replied absently, turning the page of one of the books. Connie scanned the stacks of books and scrolls on the floor. For Snow¡¯s seemingly haphazard arrangement of the books, her humble apartment was reminiscent of Calicus¡¯ residence. In other words, the place was a mess. ¡°Just make yourself at home, Snow,¡± Connie said sarcastically. ¡°I have,¡± she replied, still not looking up from the pages of the book. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for several hours. I thought that since you were, I¡¯d read some of your books.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not my books.¡± ¡°They are now. And you should cherish them. Some of these are very rare. Some are unique. I¡¯m wondering where Alyndia got them from.¡± Connie had awoke feeling parched. She walked over to the urn and poured herself something to drink. She finished one cup of water, and then she filled the cup again and leaned against the table there while watching Snow read. ¡°What are you reading?¡± ¡°Alyndia¡¯s spell books.¡± ¡°All of these are spell books?¡± Connie asked, referring to the stacks of books from the shelves. ¡°Not all of them. Some of them are literature. There¡¯s a lot of romantic poetry here, too. Some of it is very nice. It seems Alyndia was something of a hopeless romantic. I never knew that about her.¡± She turned the page of the book at hand, read a bit more, then closed the book. ¡°By the way, I know what she was doing that caused this.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Yes. She was going to occupy the body of one whose spirit had departed. Somehow, she was directed to your body instead, and your spirit was dislodged.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Snow wrinkled her brow. ¡°She cast a great number of spells in combination in order to do this. I¡¯ve been able to piece together some of what she¡¯s done through the books here.¡± Snow shook her head. ¡°She was practicing some very dangerous, unstable spells here, spells that I myself, experienced in the art of celestial magic, would think twice about casting. She was doing something insane. Most unusually, she was doing some interdimensional work.¡± ¡°Interdimensional work? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°By that, I mean she was practicing under the theory that there are other terrestrial worlds outside our own¡ªin parallel universes¡ªand these worlds are accessible through the Wild. Why Alyndia was doing this is anyone¡¯s guess.¡± ¡°Maybe she fell in love with someone who lives in one of these worlds she found.¡± ¡°Intriguing idea, Connie. With whom, do you suppose?¡± Connie took another sip of the water. ¡°Suppose I told you that it is a man who lives in my world, and she tried to be with him by occupying the vacant body of his beloved wife.¡± Snow nodded slowly, as though she were pondering this idea for the first time. However, something subtle in the sorceress¡¯s manner led Connie to believe that she knew more than she was leading on. ¡°What you say makes sense,¡± Snow said. ¡°But why do you think Alyndia chose to occupy the body of another woman when she could manifest herself there in the flesh? I see she had the spell for it here.¡± ¡°Because maybe the chemistry of the world the man lived in was incompatible with hers, and her occupying the body of someone native to the world was the only way they could have physical contact with each other.¡± Snow sat up on the chair. ¡°This is all very interesting, Connie. What more can you tell me about this?¡± Connie moved away from the table and looked herself in the mirror. Though the lighting in the room was poor, she still looked like Alyndia. She could hardly bear it. She turned to face Snow. ¡°I will tell you, Snow, but you will not believe it. I can hardly accept it myself.¡± She told the sorceress what Professor Layton said at his interrogation and about her ill-fated trip to the hospital, where she put on the iridium bracelet. Snow listed intently, nodding slowly every once in a while. When Connie had finished, the two women stared at each other. Connie finished most of the water in the cup. ¡°That¡¯s an incredible tale, Connie,¡± Snow said. ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°I believe it is, because what you just told me goes along with spells Alyndia marked in these books.¡± ¡°Is there a way to reverse what¡¯s been done so that I can get back into my world?¡± ¡°Not likely. Perhaps Calicus could do it. Maybe I could with a great deal of research. But I am not well-versed in such spells,¡± she said, gesturing to the books on the shelves. ¡°But your body must be alive, wherever it is, and it must be unoccupied by another spirit. Otherwise, your chances are nil.¡± She sighed. ¡°Just my luck.¡± She tipped the cup and let the remainder of the clear liquid it contained splash onto her hand and onto the ornate rug in front of the bed. ¡°In my world, we have something called acids and alkali. You must know of them too because I found a word for them in your language.¡± She gazed at the liquid on her hand. ¡°If Professor Layton was telling the truth, the liquid I just drank is hydrochloric acid, and you and I are breathing chlorine. But the acid tastes like water, and the chlorine smells like¡ªair. Neither do they burn or corrode anything.¡± She gazed down at the wet spot on the rug. ¡°There must be some sort of chemical balance¡­¡± she said, trailing off. Snow smiled. ¡°Chlorine is everywhere. It kisses the ground in the morning fog before sunrise. Its lovely green is the sweetness of the heavens we inhale, the song of poets. It is often referred to in poetic literature as the breath of life.¡± Connie let out a small laugh. ¡°Chlorine? The breath of life? In the world I come from, we once used chlorine gas in war to kill the enemy. It is a cruel, nasty gas that burns your skin and blinds you. Can you imagine blisters in your lungs? The effects of chlorine on a human being are so devastating that the governments of my world banned it after our first Great War.¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to imagine chlorine doing that,¡± Snow said. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to believe me, but I know the truth. That¡¯s all that matters.¡± Snow tossed the books off the couch. They fell, knocking over one of the stacks, creating greater disarray in the room. ¡°What Alyndia did is such a tragedy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy about what she did to me, either,¡± Connie said. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you¡ªI¡¯m talking about the bracelet.¡± Connie was stunned to hear this. ¡°What? The bracelet? Who gives a damn about the bracelet? What about me?¡± ¡°You can go to the devil for all I care. We need that bracelet.¡± Connie again felt her ire towards Snow rising in her breast. ¡°The bracelet¡¯s in my world. I confiscated it from Professor Layton.¡± ¡°We need it for our quest.¡± ¡°I know. You need it for protection at the Atranox.¡± ¡°How do you know about that?¡± ¡°Calicus told me. He explained everything to Rahl and me.¡± ¡°You are not worthy of such knowledge,¡± she scoffed, ¡°and neither was the original Alyndia, for that matter.¡± ¡°You cannot say anything about my worthiness, Snow. You know nothing about me.¡± ¡°And you know nothing about what compels me to say such a thing.¡± ¡°Perhaps not, but I already see that you are a vain woman whose self-importance is matched only by her delusions of glory. Are you going to save the world from Chaos, Snow? Would you like us peons to build a temple for you so that we might worship your holy name? Too bad the bracelet is gone to the land of blue skies, oxygen, and water. Now where is your glory? I guess it¡¯s back to the temple for you so that you may cast fertility spells on the barren.¡± Snow¡¯s eyes widened with anger, but she said nothing. Connie reckoned that she was too angry to speak. This pleased her. The woman was asking for it again. ¡°You know, I could turn your blood to sand this moment, but you aren¡¯t worth the spell,¡± she said, glaring at Connie from the floor. ¡°Very well, Snow. If you aren¡¯t going to turn my blood to sand, just leave my books alone and get out of my apartment¡ªor Alyndia¡¯s apartment¡ªor whomever it belongs to.¡± ¡°I will leave when I want to.¡± ¡°How dare you say that! This is my home. Get the hell out of here!¡± With those words, Connie threw the cup at Snow. The cup missed her and struck the wall behind her and shattered loudly into a million shards. Instantly, Snow rose to her feet. Connie walked over to the door and pulled it open. ¡°Get out,¡± she ordered Snow from the doorway. ¡°Now!¡± Snow seemed genuinely stunned by Connie¡¯s impetuousness. Nevertheless, she walked toward the door, intentionally bumping into (and knocking over) a stack of books as she went. She walked over to Connie and the doorway and stopped just as she was about to pass through. Snow grinned broadly into Connie¡¯s scowl. Then casually, she reached into her robe, pulled out a neatly folded piece of parchment, and held it out to Connie. ¡°I found this over there on the table,¡± she said. ¡°Alyndia wrote it. You might want to read it.¡± Connie snatched the parchment from Snow¡¯s hands. ¡°Out!¡± she said. Snow turned and exited the apartment. She stepped slowly down the stairs to the street below. ¡°And have a nice quest!¡± Connie shouted down the staircase after Snow. Then she slammed the door. Finally, alone in the apartment and fuming angry, she stepped over to the chair where Snow sat. In a fit of rage, she heaved her a kick at one of the stacks of books and sent a bunch of them flying across the room. Breathing heavily, she stormed over to the bed and sat down. She closed her eyes and counted to ten to control her anger. She could not believe what had happened to her. This whole thing seemed like a nightmare she could not wake up from. She sat in the bed for a long time, finally opening her eyes after she¡¯d calmed herself down to a degree. At that point, she realized she still held the parchment Snow had given her. Slowly, she unfolded it. On the page, she saw a woman¡¯s neat, cursive handwriting. The letters looked foreign to her at first glance, but her mind decoded their phonetic meanings perfectly. She moved over to the chair by the lamp, where there was more light. Dearest Jalban, the missive began. If you are reading my words here, I have successfully traveled to another place where true love awaits me. Since my mother passed, I was an orphan in this world, a child of the stars drowning in the depths of the sea. On this day I draw to a close my time of melancholy and malaise. I do not expect you to understand my way when you find me breathless in this state, but you may be assured my soul resides now in a place where resides the spirit I have loved for so long, a kindly soul who loves me in return. My earnest wish now is that when you and I meet again on the far banks of the Eternal River past the hour of our deaths, whenever that may be, we will meet in peace, and you will not despise me for this thing I have done. I beseech you in this, my dear uncle. You have my deepest regrets if I cause you pain. This is what I must do. Perhaps you will find solace in the knowledge that I have finally recaptured the love I had let slip away. Your Alyndia Connie re-folded the parchment and placed it next to the lamp. The letter was tantamount to a suicide note. Alyndia was going to check out, never to return. Now it occurred to Connie that her spirit had entered Alyndia¡¯s body at the time of her death, and now she lived again. If things had gone according to plan, Alyndia would have occupied Elise Layton¡¯s body, and Jalban would have found his niece lying lifeless on her bed when he came up to take her to the Castle Maray. Connie rubbed her eyes with her hands. She struggled to recall the finer details of what the professor had said to her when she interrogated him. Perhaps in his words she could find a clue that would lead to a way out of this predicament. She bit her lip as she thought that Alyndia might now be occupying her body, spending her paycheck, living it up with the professor, or maybe even with MacGregor. There was no justice in the universe. She sat for a long while meditating on the shuttered window. Green light from the twin moons shone through the cracks in the shutters. She was temped to open the shutters to let in the light, but the sight of the twin moons disturbed her. The night before, they appeared as vacant, twin orbs peering down upon the world. Cat eyes. Connie sighed. She was on her own in this world, and with no one to help her, she had to find out a way with her own resourcefulness or accept her fate and remain as she was. She would need to pick up the pieces of her new life and start from scratch. She scanned the books scattered around the room. There were many mysteries in the world she now lived in. But one thing she had come to find¡ªmagic was not an illusion here. It really worked. It worked so well; in fact, it had arrested the development of technology to the point where the world seemed stuck in the European Middle Ages. The magic could be frightening in its effect. She recalled seeing Theo breaking the arms of the bandits with the fairy flick of his wrist. There was no faking that. And then there was the Chaos. If it were really true, and Chaos really existed as Rahl and Calicus said, then there was great cause for fear. Connie picked up a few of the books and sat them on her lap. The cover of the book on top was unmarked. It was a handmade book with a cover made of a slippery kind of leather. She opened to the first page. This was a Book of Electutric Enchantment. She wondered what that meant. She began reading. The hours passed. The more Connie read, the more she realized how highly the magic was developed in the world. Though she understood the words in the books, the overall concepts remained just outside of her grasp. She felt as though she were a green stick college freshman who had been jumped into the middle of a graduate-level physics class. Along that same note, the magic seemed to actually bend the laws of physics. In reality, or on Earth, these things could not happen. Yet they happen here. This meant that either the laws of physics changed depending on your orientation in the universe or the true nature of the universe that had yet to be discovered on Earth, and they weren¡¯t as smart as they had thought they were. Feeling a bit bored and unable to sleep anymore, she walked around the apartment, looking for anything interesting she might have missed before. In one corner, hidden by a free-standing vanity shade, she was surprised to find a porcelain device that looked like a toilet and a large circular bathtub. She was further surprised to find there was a faucet and a drain in the tub. So they have plumbing here! she thought. She turned the handle on the faucet. Water poured into the tub. She felt the water with her hand. To her dismay, the water was ice-cold. She looked for another faucet. There was none. Unfortunately, there was only one faucet. Apparently, the Cerinyans did not believe in hot water. Connie debated turning off the faucet until she spotted a blue porcelain cup with a half-dozen translucent, pencil-sized rods of varied color. At first, she wondered if Alyndia used these rods to write while she was in the tub, but then she had a feeling about the rods. She sensed they were somehow connected to the bath directly. The tub was filling up. She reached into the stream of water rushing from the faucet. The water remained cold. She plucked one of the rods from the cup and held it up in the weak light. It seemed to be merely a glass rod, or at most, a small wand. This one had a thin, red stripe inside. She would have guessed this rod to be a kind of thermometer, except this one did not have graduations for measurement. Furthermore, the rod felt warm in her hand, far warmer than room temperature. On a whim, she dipped the end of the wand into the bathwater. Seconds after she did this, there came a hissing sound, and a waft of steam rushed into her face from the water. This effect startled her so much she nearly fell back to the floor. She touched the water with her hand. To her utter amazement, the water was hot. It was so hot, in fact, that it nearly scalded her. ¡°Wow!¡± she said aloud in wonderment, staring at the wand in her hand. The wand appeared unchanged except for a bit of steam rising off the end where it breached the water. She took the other wands out of the cup. She examined each one. The wands were identical except for the color of the stripe that ran through their centers. They ranged in intensity from light pink to deep red. She guessed that each wand was calibrated to heat the water to a certain temperature. As chance would have it, she had pulled out the second-deepest red wand of the bunch, thereby heating up the water nearly as hot as she could. Fortunately, the tub is still only a little more than half full. She estimated that the additional icy water rushing into the tub would cool it enough for her to jump in after the tub had filled. She put the wands back into the cup and left the tub for the larger part of the apartment. She undressed herself while viewing herself in the mirror, still not believing it was her reflection she saw. She stood nude in front of the mirror to broadly examine her body. She spun around, not taking her eyes off her reflection. The first thing she noted was that her skin was smooth and feminine, and her hair was distributed in the same places. She squeezed her arms and legs. She was certainly not as well-built as she used to be, but her muscles were firm and surrounded by very little extra fat. She examined her neck and her chest, running her hands over the bones of her rib cage. Everything felt normal, though her breastbone felt wider than she thought it would be. She gently cupped her right breast beneath her hand, noting its contour and shape. Her breasts were not as large as her previous ones, but they were proportionate to her slender figure. She poked at her navel with her finger, then she spun around once again, this time in the other direction. She decided her new body was passably attractive. In any case, she thought, it would have to do, for she was stuck with it. After the bathtub had filled, she turned off the faucet. She touched the water with her big toe. The water felt perfect, inviting. All at once, she stepped into the tub, knelt down, and slipped deep into the water, allowing it to cover her up to her neck. The water felt refreshing, and it invigorated her. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling. At that moment, a peculiar thought crept into her mind. If Professor Layton was right about the environment in Alyndia¡¯s world, she just had immersed herself in hydrochloric acid. She laughed at this thought. If she were back in her world, her body would be dissolving into so much mush. She pondered what kind of peculiar chemistry of this world made the acid seem like water. And it wasn¡¯t only flesh that did not dissolve in the acid; the rocks, the metals, and even cloth seemed resistant to it. Maybe this world was composed primarily of elements and compounds that were rare on earth, or maybe it was composed of weird elements that did not exist there. She did not ponder these questions for long, as she wanted to savor the feeling of the warm acid on her skin. She found a glass container of what appeared to be bath salts and added them to the water. The room was filled with the fragrance of a flower she could name but could not visualize, and it made the water feel velvety on her skin. ¡°Ah! This is the life,¡± she said, leaning back in the tub, relishing the warm water. She noticed a pocket-sized, leather-bound book with a bookmark in it within arms reach of the tub. She picked it up. On the cover was the simple title, ¡°The Wicked Countess.¡± On a whim, she opened the book to the bookmarked page and began reading. By the first paragraph, she realized it was some kind of romance novel. Normally, such books did not interest her. Nonetheless, she decided to read further. The story was told from the point of view of a female protagonist. She was a young enchantress at an evening ball in some court, and there was a handsome but rakish young man of a lower social status who lusted after her, but she could not be with him, as she was married to an old but wealthy duke. After they parley some lines, he pulled her aside to a secluded place in the garden, where he starts kissing her and stroking her body. As Connie read, she thought she could actually feel the man stroking her own body, and the more she read and the more he touched her, the more she found herself getting aroused. The tub seemed to be getting cooler by the second. And then the man untied her blouse, tore away the cloth beneath that bound her breasts, and then he¡ª ¡°Oh, my!¡± Connie said. She abruptly closed the book and tossed it aside out of reach. What kind of magic is that? she wondered, fanning herself in an effort to cool her state of arousal. After that, Connie fixated her mind on more tranquil thoughts, recalling a sunny afternoon years before when she and MacGregor, on assignment in Europe, shared a gondola in Venice. She remembered how the gondola drifted slowly through the canal, passing beneath ancient stone bridges. She lay in the tub in such a state for a long time, getting out only after the bath had cooled enough that it had become intolerable. Feeling clean and refreshed from the bath, she slipped into a clean robe and resumed reading the spell books on the couch. After a while, she nodded off to sleep, the book still in her lap. She was awoken suddenly by a rap on her door. The room was lighter now, and early morning sunlight beamed straight through the shutters at the window, projecting a stack of thin, yellow bars on the wall behind her. She groggily got up and stumbled to the door, nearly tripping on one of the tomes scattered to the floor. The knocking came again. ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± Alyndia said, wondering who would be calling on her that early in the morning. She opened the door to find Jalban standing there, his face wearing a forlorn expression. Sind stood beside him. The boy¡¯s face was streaked with tears. ¡°Connie!¡± Sind cried out. With that, he rushed to her to embrace her, nearly knocking her over. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°My brother!¡± Sind cried into her robe. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead. They killed him.¡± Sind cried openly now. This outpouring of grief bewildered her. ¡°Sind, what are you talking about? Who killed him?¡± Jalban crossed his arms, still waiting for an answer. Connie waited for him to say something further, but the cat seemed to catch his tongue. She now feared the worst. She put her arms around Sind. ¡°What happened, Jalban?¡± ¡°They¡¯re dead,¡± he said, his voice trembling. ¡°They were all dead. Just like we saw at the Castle Maray.¡± The news stunned Connie. ¡°How do you know? Who told you this?¡± she asked. ¡°Yalden, the brother of Rahl. He went there to fetch Jenada and the infant. When he arrived, they were dead, torn to pieces by Chaos.¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± Connie said. Sind pushed himself away from her. ¡°My brother¡¯s dead!¡± he said to her with a tear-streaked face. ¡°You said he would be safe! I believed you! I believed you when you told me he would be safe with the lady! And now he¡¯s dead!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Sind¡ªI had no idea!¡± Connie said. She was at a loss for words. She let the two of them into the apartment and shut the door. She felt confused and she began to sweat. Now for a moment, she felt herself leave her body. She saw herself standing in the middle of the room with books scattered everywhere while Sind balled and Jalban trembled. Then time seemed to slow down. She shook off the feeling and snapped back into the moment, and she returned to her body. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sind,¡± Connie said, feeling remorse at losing the trust he had given her so willingly and so openly. ¡°You lied!¡± he shouted to her face. Then he fell to the floor, where he began weeping inconsolably. Connie knelt beside him and gently rubbed his back. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Sind.¡± ¡°I spoke to Rahl about you,¡± Jalban said to Connie. ¡°He and Sind stayed with me last night at my home. He told me of your visit to the temple and what was said of your true nature.¡± ¡°And?¡± she asked without looking up. At first, Connie thought he was going to apologize, but then he said something unexpected. ¡°I want to know what you did to the spirit of my niece.¡± Connie winced on hearing the question. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What did you do to my niece?¡± ¡°Let me get this straight: You want to know what I did to Alyndia? What about what she did to me? Do you think I asked to come here?¡± ¡°You cast a spell upon her to inhabit her body.¡± ¡°I did nothing of the sort. She¡¯s the one who cast the spell.¡± ¡°Alyndia was a well-respected sorceress in this city. She would never just vacate her body so that some stranger could take it over.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong, Jalban. I¡¯m the victim here¡ªnot her.¡± ¡°How do I know you¡¯re telling me the truth? How do I know you¡¯re not a demon who has occupied the body of my niece?¡± Connie sighed. ¡°I¡¯m in no mood to discuss the matter with you. After beating me as you did, you should be surprised I¡¯m even talking to you.¡± Jalban crossed his arms, still waiting for an answer. ¡°Fine,¡± Connie said, rising to her feet. ¡°A few days ago I put on an iridium bracelet confiscated from a man I was investigating for aiding a terrorist. The next thing I remember was waking up in that bed.¡± She walked over to the table and picked up the letter Alyndia left. ¡°Here, Jalban,¡± she said as she handed it to him. ¡°Read the missive your lovely niece Alyndia left for you before you accuse me of anything more.¡± He took the parchment and stuffed it into his belt without opening it. ¡°I¡¯ll read it later.¡± Sind continued crying. Connie looked to him with sympathy. Though she was not directly responsible, she felt guilty, for she really thought that leaving his brother with Jenada was a good idea. An image flashed into her mind of the mutilated, dismembered bodies they saw at the Castle of Maray and the surrounding town. She felt a visceral ache in her breast when she envisioned Sind¡¯s beloved brother ending up the same way. Connie was suddenly filled with hatred of this force they called Chaos that had done this. The force had to be stopped, and she wanted a piece of the action. She owed this to Sind. ¡°Jalban, where is Rahl?¡± ¡°Calicus summoned him for a meeting. He should be there now. The others should be there, too. Apparently, a bracelet is missing. It¡¯s a problem.¡± ¡°I feel kind of responsible for that.¡± At that moment, Connie made the decision to go on the quest to the Atranox, too. She began collecting her spell books and node containers and proceeded to stuff them into the packs. While doing so, she realized that the Featherlight spell cast on them the day before was no longer working. Sind stopped crying and looked up at her. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jalban asked. ¡°I¡¯m going on the quest with Rahl.¡± ¡°You cannot do that.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t, you say? Watch me,¡± she said, collecting books to put into the pack. ¡°You are not a spellcaster. You will not make any meaningful contribution to our quest. Besides that, you might harm the body of my niece.¡± ¡°Your niece is gone. Get used to that, Jalban. I am her now. I¡¯m sorry if that troubles you, but even I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Now Sind was on his feet. He stared at Connie. The intensity in his expression startled her. ¡°I want to go with you,¡± he stated. Connie stopped what she was doing for a moment and gazed at him evenly. ¡°No, Sind, you stay here.¡± ¡°But Chaos killed my brother. I want to kill Chaos.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You cannot go. I won¡¯t allow it. I don¡¯t know what this Chaos looks like, but you know as well as I do that it¡¯s very dangerous. We¡¯ve both seen what it can do.¡± ¡°But my brother¡ª¡± he began. ¡°No. I won¡¯t hear of it,¡± she said. ¡°You stay here at my apartment. Wait for me. There is food here, a soft place to sleep, and lots of books to read. I will return when the quest is finished.¡± Connie gave Sind a lingering stare to ascertain he understood her. She was about to start packing the bags when she recalled how heavy and awkward they were to carry when full. She knew she would not be able to carry them herself across town to Calicus¡¯ place. She needed a hanyak. She went over to the window and pulled back the shades. Bright yellow light filled the small room. She twisted the latch on the window, pushed it open, and peered down at the street. There she saw Jalban¡¯s hanyak along with a barak of Sind, tied to a metal ring set into the building. She turned to Jalban. ¡°I need to use your hanyak to carry these bags to where the meeting will be.¡± ¡°You are not going on the quest,¡± he said gruffly. ¡°It¡¯s not your choice, Jalban.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not yours, either.¡± ¡°Jalban, why don¡¯t we both go to see Calicus together? He¡¯s organizing the quest. Right? Let him decide whether I should go. Let Rahl decide.¡± ¡°And what if they refuse you?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay here in Roggentine with Sind¡ªor maybe I¡¯ll go anyway.¡± ¡°You are a fool,¡± he scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to cast spells. You will be as useful as a rafe in a forest of sharm.¡± Connie could not decipher the intricacy of this simile, but she knew it was just another way to say she¡¯d be worthless to Rahl on his quest. This treatment from Jalban would not do. She stepped up to him at the doorway and stared squarely into his eyes. ¡°You listen to me, Jalban. Since I¡¯ve been in this rotten world, all anyone has done is talk down to me and treat me as if I were some kind of second-class citizen, which I know I¡¯m not. But yesterday I received a beating from you that I would not allow any man to do to me and live to see the next day. I despise you for what you have done. But now that you have the knowledge that I am not Alyndia the Sorceress, you should make amends to me for what you have done. For this, I am demanding that you allow me to use your hanyak so that I may at least meet with Rahl and Calicus at the wizard¡¯s place.¡± She moved her face a few inches closer to his. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you owe me this favor?¡± A thick film of sweat had formed on Jalban¡¯s forehead. Connie continued staring into his eyes. Now his face was beginning to turn green. Finally, he took a step back from her. ¡°Very well. You can use my hanyak to carry your packs.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jalban. Wise decision on your part.¡± She went back into the room with the packs and resumed filling them with any spell book or scroll that would fit into them. ¡°No, no! Jalban shouted to her from the doorway. ¡°Just take the elemental spell books. Leave the others behind.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Connie said. ¡°We don¡¯t need to take your whole library.¡± Connie emptied out the packs and started packing the books again. She ended up packing the same seven that Alyndia had packed previously: Fire, Metal, Crystal, Water, Wood, Wind, and Light. After her books had been packed, she pulled a loaf of bread, dried meat, and aceralla root tea from the storage box and stuffed them into a large cloth bag. She packed some clothes and a few other items she thought she might need for the journey. Once the straps had been tightened and the cords secured, she carried the packs over to the door and dropped them at his feet, nearly stumbling for their weight. ¡°Now be a gentleman and carry these down to your hanyak,¡± she said to Jalban. Jalban dutifully picked up the bags and carried them downstairs. Sind stared at Connie, his eyes filled with melancholy and yearning for the one most precious person in his life that had been lost. She knelt in front of him so that she was at eye level with him. ¡°Again, I am so sorry about your brother, Sind. Please forgive me. He was the safest in your arms.¡± ¡°I know it was not your fault they got him,¡± he admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I accused you.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying that, Sind. I feel bad for it anyway.¡± She stroked his hair away from his face. He had beautiful, expressive eyes. ¡°I cannot bring back your brother, but I promise I will make whatever thing that took him from you pay for what it has done.¡± ¡°But Jalban is right. You cannot cast spells, Connie. What can you do?¡± Connie grasped Sind by the shoulders. She looked at him squarely in the eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t honestly know yet. But by the blood of your brother, you may rest assured, I will keep my promise. Now, are you going to be all right here by yourself?¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°Good. Now be a big boy and take good care of my apartment. And if I don¡¯t come back, the apartment and everything inside are yours. All right?¡± ¡°But I want you to come back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± She stood up and scanned the room for anything important she might be leaving behind. Then she remembered the romance novel. She went over to the bathtub and picked it up. ¡°I¡¯ll take this along with me,¡± she said to Sind. ¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t interest you anyway.¡± Jalban and Connie made haste through the city to Calicus¡¯ residence. When they arrived, Connie caught a glimpse of Rahl¡¯s hanyak (among many others) in the private stable nearby. Connie jumped off the hanyak at the gate and pulled the rope there. She pressed herself against the gate, clutching the bars. Jalban stood behind her. A short while later, Snow exited the main door. She paused for a brief instant when she saw Connie standing at the gate. ¡°What do you want?¡± Snow said to her. ¡°I want to see Calicus.¡± ¡°He is busy.¡± ¡°Then I want to see Rahl.¡± ¡°Rahl is not here,¡± she said. ¡°Come back another day.¡± She turned to head back to the building. ¡°You lie! Rahl¡¯s hanyak is here at the stable. That one right there.¡± Snow spun around. Her eyes were filled with anger. ¡°Leave us, Connie. We are preparing for a quest. You have not been invited to join.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. Rahl has invited me, and so has Theo.¡± ¡°I know nothing about this.¡± Snow looked at Jalban. He said nothing to either confirm or deny what Connie had said. The sorceress returned her attention to Connie. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± she said finally. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Connie said. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be at a meeting right now?¡± A look of uncertainty appeared on Snow¡¯s face. Jalban spoke up, his voice issuing behind Connie. ¡°She speaks the truth, Snow. We are late merely because my hanyak needed shoes. We have just brought him from the blacksmith.¡± Now Snow¡¯s look of doubt in Connie turned to worry, like perhaps she thought she may be wrong. Surprised at Jalban¡¯s unsolicited lie for her benefit, Connie turned her head and silently mouthed a grateful ¡°thank you¡± to him. He gave her a slight nod. Snow gestured to Connie to release her grip on the gate, then she waved her hand, and the gate soundlessly swung open for them. Connie and Jalban quickly passed through the stone arch and made a beeline through the garden for the door to Calicus¡¯ home. Snow caught up to them before they opened the door. ¡°Wait! You must be patient,¡± she said to Connie. ¡°Patience is not one of my virtues.¡± Snow let them into the building, up a flight of stairs, and through a maze of stacked books to a large meeting hall where Rahl, Theo, and a host of others sat at a large, rectangular table. Calicus sat in a huge chair (for his frame) at the head of the table. A meeting was in progress, and on the table before them lay a number of colorful, hand-drawn maps, charts, and diagrams. Despite the abundance of light outside, heavy, brown drapes shut out the light, leaving the task of lighting to a vastly large chandelier above the table, on which were lit perhaps a few dozen candles burning with small, blue flames. To Connie¡¯s dismay, Snow sat down immediately to Calicus¡¯ left at the head of the table, across from Rahl. Jalban sat down next to Theo and Yalden. There were three rough-looking men at arms sitting across the table from her. Fandia was there, too. Of the original group she''d met previously, only Tristana was absent. The room had gone abruptly silent when Connie entered. Those who Connie had met looked surprised to see her and Jalban. Rahl and Calicus looked at Snow, who had led her in along with Jalban. At that moment, Snow realized she had been duped. She spoke first to answer their collective, unvoiced question. ¡°They lied to me,¡± she said. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Rahl said to Connie, glaring at her. ¡°I heard what happened in Zeranon. I want to join the quest.¡± Rahl turned to Calicus, who in turn, intensified his gaze on her. Connie felt him scrutinizing her again from head to toe with his venerable eyes. She wondered what exactly she was looking at. Rahl rested his eyes on her again. ¡°You cannot join us.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Because you are not a spellcaster, you¡¯re not a healer, nor are you a warrior.¡± ¡°What does that matter?¡± ¡°Ours is a dangerous quest.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s dangerous. It wouldn¡¯t be a quest if it weren¡¯t dangerous, would it?¡± she quipped. ¡°But we will be venturing into lands unvisited by Cerinyans in hundreds of years, and Chaos will be present.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want to go.¡± Rahl looked to Calicus, then to Theo. Theo met his gaze and raised his eyebrows. Theo turned to Connie and said, ¡°What Rahl really means is that we may not be able to protect you perchance we are attacked by the minions, and you will not be able to return here once we leave.¡± ¡°Theo, I don¡¯t need anyone to protect me. I can pull my own weight.¡± Snow let out a loud sigh so that everyone could hear. Connie ignored her. ¡°The lady is persistent,¡± the largest of the rough-looking men said. ¡°I say we should let her join us if she wants to so badly.¡± ¡°Yes, and she may provide the warmth of many blankets at night,¡± another said. At that, the three of them broke out in laughter. This remark incensed Connie. She looked around the table and was relieved to see that the three unfamiliar men were the only ones who laughed at this poor excuse for mirth. Connie shrugged off their laughter. She took a step toward the table. ¡°Please, Rahl. Let me join you. I¡¯ll do everything I can to aid you in your quest.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Snow asked, her voice tinged with skepticism. ¡°Like throwing porcelain cups?¡± Connie continued. ¡°There are things in my world you have never dreamed of. We have machines that perform the same function as your magic. These are things that may help you in your quest. I can show them to you.¡± Rahl looked to Calicus, who still held a steady gaze on Connie. ¡°What is your call, great wizard?¡± ¡°You are the Swordbearer, Rahl, not me,¡± the wizard responded, shifting his fragile bones on the seat cushion of his plush, oversized chair. ¡°Your discretion dictates the spirits who will accompany you on your quest.¡± Rahl looked to Connie. ¡°Do you realize we may fail?¡±. ¡°Failure is not an option, Rahl. Without a doubt, we will succeed.¡± Rahl smiled, apparently liking this answer. ¡°What if you are killed? Do you remember what happened to those people at the Castle Maray? Do you not fear death?¡± ¡°In my world, I have faced death many times, in many forms. It doesn¡¯t frighten me.¡± Rahl looked to Theo. Theo nodded once. ¡°Very well, Connie. You may join us.¡± Snow broke in before Rahl could finish speaking. ¡°I protest allowing her to join us. She will burden the party.¡± ¡°She said she will pull her own weight,¡± Rahl said. ¡°She has been truthful with me. Her word is good.¡± ¡°But how can you believe anything she says? She even lied to me to get up here to see you.¡± ¡°Perhaps she did, but probably not without good reason. I sense her determination.¡± ¡°Thank you, Rahl,¡± Connie said. Snow persisted, not taking her eyes off Connie. ¡°But she will eat our food. She will consume our healing spells when she is hurt.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you to waste a healing spell on me, Snow,¡± Connie shot back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said. ¡°I would not.¡± ¡°Ladies, please!¡± Rahl interrupted, trying to ease the tension in the room. ¡°She must not be included in our quest,¡± Snow said firmly. Rahl scowled at Snow. ¡°It is not your place to decide. I am the leader of this quest.¡± On hearing this, Snow looked away from both of them, pouting with her full lips. It was evident to all in the room that the matter had been decided. Theo pulled out a vacant wooden stool for Connie. She took a seat. Calicus cleared his throat. ¡°Now that the matter has been decided, let us continue,¡± he said. Using what looked like a wand, he pointed out a section of an old-looking map laid out on the table. ¡°You will travel through these three lands on your way to the Atranox. Here in Syzthedia, you will retrieve a talisman¡­¡± While Calicus spoke, Connie studied the parchments spread across the table before her. Partially obscured by Theo¡¯s hands, she spotted a faded watercolor diagram on parchment of the seven-sided bracelet she put on back in her world. She wondered how the absence of this bracelet impacted their plans. Calicus seemed to notice her staring at the diagram. He broke his discourse to address her directly. ¡°That is called the Heptakon, Connie. It is indeed important to your quest.¡± Connie was at once started that had read her thoughts. ¡°Alyndia transported the bracelet to my world. I held it in my own hands.¡± She looked up at Calicus. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why would Alyndia send such an important artifact to my world if you needed it so badly?¡± He shrugged. ¡°She must not have had knowledge of its ancient history. I have heard since that her mother had handed it down to her. Perhaps even her mother did not know. My guess is that she was using its unique properties as a kind of beacon to guide her spirit to your world.¡± ¡°Can we get it back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that would be next to impossible at this time.¡± ¡°So, how are we going to complete the quest if we can¡¯t get it back?¡± ¡°The Katarrh who created the artifacts were wise. They anticipated that one day the artifacts might be scattered, so they created duplicates of them. We are fortunate to know of the existence of at least one other bracelet. This one is located in the land of Syzthedia. As luck would have it, it is near the talisman that you must retrieve from there, although I cannot vouch for its accessibility. It could be buried in a landslide or deep underground in a collapsed cave. You will know more about the situation when you arrive there.¡± ¡°You mean, we might have to dig for it?¡± one of the men at the far side of the table asked. ¡°That could take weeks or months,¡± another one added. ¡°Indeed. Or even worse, it could be guarded by a dragon or some other fearsome creature. But do not despair until you know more.¡± ¡°How will we be able to find the artifacts once we are there?¡± the first man asked. ¡°You will locate the artifacts with this, Maltokken." Calicus said, addressing one of the men. He withdrew a small twig from his robe and laid it on the table in front of them. ¡°What is that?¡± he asked. Just as the words left the man¡¯s lips, the twig smoothly expanded longer to a stick, and then to a staff the length that an average man is tall. ¡°This is the Eselomic staff. You may use it to find the artifacts. The special enchantment is such that you will be able to locate any of the Katarrh artifacts within a league or two, maybe a bit farther, depending on the terrain.¡± ¡°Why such a short range?¡± Theo asked him, being careful not to sound disparaging. ¡°We did the best we could,¡± Snow said. ¡°These are ancient artifacts. Their enchantment is subdued, very difficult to detect, even when they are handled. That¡¯s probably why even Alyndia did not know of the previous enchantment to the bracelet she used.¡± Theo nodded slowly, rubbing his chin. ¡°Ancient magic indeed.¡± ¡°Intrinsically celestial too,¡± Snow added. Connie had returned her gaze to the map on the table while they spoke. She followed the blue ink line Calicus had drawn across its surface. She did not know the scale of the map, but it looked as though they would be traveling some great distances¡ªplains, mountains, deserts, and even across a sea. ¡°How long will this journey take?¡± Connie asked. ¡°You have three years,¡± Calicus replied. Connie stood up. ¡°Three years?!¡± ¡°No,¡± Calicus, corrected, ¡°You have at most three years to fulfill your quest. By that time, the spell at the Atranox will have expired, and there will not be anything left worth saving.¡± ¡°You may still back out of this, Connie,¡± Rahl said without malice, seemingly sympathetic to her. All eyes at the table fell upon Connie. At that moment, she realized she had to make a decision. Snow stared at Connie with eager eyes. She knew what Snow wanted. Snow seemed to be willing Connie to back out, egging her to cower away from the onerous quest. But Connie resisted this when her mind fell back on Sind¡¯s lost brother. She had to avenge his death. She decided she would follow through on her word to Sind. Furthermore, she did not want to give Snow the satisfaction of her backing out. ¡°I will go,¡± she said, directing these words more to Snow than to Rahl. Snow stared at Connie, her eyes brimming with petulance. Rahl smiled at Connie. ¡°It is brave of you to volunteer for this quest, even though you are not of this world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than sitting at home doing nothing. By the way, did you all hear about what happened to Sind¡¯s brother?¡± ¡°Yes, the boy,¡± Calicus said. ¡°Tragic, indeed. But it is only a small taste of the tragedy yet to befall this land should you all fail.¡± The meeting continued for another half-hour or so, after which Calicus wished the party luck and dismissed them. As the party filed out the doorway and down the stairs to the street outside where their riding animals awaited them, Calicus asked Connie to stay behind so that they might speak in private. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Calicus asked her once they were alone. ¡°I suppose I feel as well as I can considering what has happened to me,¡± she replied. ¡°Your spirit is a poor fit for the new vessel,¡± he said, eying her from head to toe again with his dark eyes. ¡°But you are making it fit. You are able to do so because you are strong-willed.¡± Connie took in his words, uncertain whether he meant this as a compliment or notice of an impediment. Perhaps it was both. ¡°This morning I had a conversation with Snow about your state,¡± he continued. ¡°Yours is a most unusual situation.¡± ¡°Can it be reversed, do you think?¡± she asked. ¡°Will I ever see my world again?¡± ¡°Only with the correct combination of spells can you be restored to your vessel of birth. And then, only if Alyndia is willing. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid you will remain with us until your dying day.¡± ¡°Where is Alyndia¡¯s spirit right now?¡± ¡°In your vessel in your world.¡± ¡°Does she know about my situation?¡± ¡°I believe she does. A small vestige of her spirit remains with you. I see it. It is weak, only a faint shadow superimposed on yours and connected across the ether with a silvery thread. This shadow could only exist if she is alive somewhere.¡± Calicus took a seat in his great chair. Connie sat where Snow had been sitting earlier. She felt her warmth in the seat of the chair. ¡°Your state, Connie. It is the result of a broken spell and a violation of Spiritual Law. What has happened to you should never have happened.¡± Connie felt uncomfortable with Calicus¡¯ words. He made her condition sound quite serious, if not ultimately fatal. She wanted to leave the room to join the others, but a hunch told her the wizard had something more in store for her. She waited. ¡°But I pity you,¡± he continued. ¡°You never sought this place, and yet you are here. I would like to help you return.¡± ¡°Would you really do that?¡± Connie asked. ¡°I will try. Snow has informed me that Alyndia procured some rare spell books. I believe that by researching the information in these books, I may be able to determine the nature of the spells she cast, precisely why they failed, and how to undo the damage. I will research it while you are on your quest.¡± ¡°I would appreciate that. And while I¡¯m away, can you look after Sind for me? He¡¯s in Alyndia¡¯s apartment.¡± ¡°Yes. Perhaps I will even bring him here. I can use the help, as I am sending Fandia on the quest with you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Calicus. That¡¯s very kind of you.¡± ¡°Before you leave, Connie, I will also need a lock of Alyndia¡¯s hair. Can you provide this?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He handed her a jeweled dagger that was lying on the table. ¡°You must do this yourself. Be careful with this. It is very sharp.¡± Gingerly, she took the dagger and measured a two-inch length of hair by holding the edge against the lock. ¡°Will this be enough?¡± ¡°Yes. That will do.¡± Connie moved her hand to slice off the lock. She half-expected that she would have to hack through the clump of hair, but the blade passed through it without any effort whatsoever. Its unusual keenness nearly caught her off guard. Calicus directed her to drop the lock of hair into a clay dish he had on the table, which she did. She put down the dagger very carefully. ¡°You¡¯re right. That dagger is very sharp.¡± ¡°It has an enchantment.¡± ¡°Really? An enchantment did that?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. And enchantments can do a lot more.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± she said, fluffing out her hair so that the missing locks didn¡¯t show. ¡°Calicus, I don¡¯t mean to sound cynical¡ªbut why are you interested in helping me?¡± He smiled. ¡°Connie, it is rare that I meet someone such as you. I would love to know more of your world. If you could share such knowledge with me someday, I would consider it payment in full.¡± ¡°What knowledge? Why do you care to know about my world?¡± Calicus¡¯ eyes took on a glazed appearance. ¡°Connie, you know nothing of our lore. It was written long ago that spirits of our people visited another world thousands of years ago. These sorcerers observed and interacted with your race by possessing the vessels of lower creatures. Most records of these visits have long disappeared into antiquity. Only fragments remain. I believe that you originate from this world they visited.¡± ¡°I recall hearing something about this before. Some people think our ancient civilizations were visited by space aliens, who helped them build pyramids and such. I myself never believed it, though.¡± He reached into a pocket of his robe and pulled out a steel cross with an elongated loop at the top. ¡°Does this look familiar to you?¡± Connie recognized the shape. ¡°That is an Egyptian ankh.¡± ¡°Yes, it is an ankh, but Egyptian it is not.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡± Calicus shook his head. ¡°They borrowed it from us. That is the symbol of mastery over the outer planes. It is also the symbol of a soul¡¯s binding with the flesh.¡± ¡°Theo uses one of those to control Tristana.¡± Calicus laughed heartily over that statement. ¡°What is so funny?¡± Connie asked, not understanding the sudden mirth behind Calicus¡¯ laughter. ¡°Theo does not control Tristana. Tristana controls herself. That is why I did not allow her to enter my home.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s with the ankh?¡± ¡°She needs the ankh to guide her spirit back to its plane of origin. But she cannot take it back unless it is given back to her by the mage who possesses the ankh or he dies. ¡° ¡°So the ankh does not give the holder power over her, right?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Correct. It serves only to keep her in our world, not to control her.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we tell Theo this?¡± Calicus gave her a sly look. ¡°Would you tell a man the grehblin is rabid while his head is still in the tiger¡¯s mouth?¡± Calicus rapped the ankh on the table a few times. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t realize that you yourself have already been manipulated by her.¡± ¡°I have not!¡± ¡°Ah! You have. Take her name, for example. Isn¡¯t it Tristana?¡± ¡°I came up with that name,¡± Connie said proudly. ¡°I thought it up, and everyone agreed to call her that.¡± Calicus laughed again. ¡°No, no child! That is her true name. She implanted that suggestion into your minds, and you followed the suggestion.¡± ¡°But the name comes from a word that means ¡°one who is sad.¡± It really was my idea.¡± ¡°So you believe. But the fact remains¡ªit is her true name. I know this. You see, the wizard who first conjured her and her five companions many years ago was my dear friend, Pallan. Her name is Tristana, and it always was.¡± The wizard smiled wryly at her naivet¨¦. ¡°Did you really believe you can name a conjuration from the void like a pet? I think not.¡± Connie frowned. If what he said was true, then the universe was far stranger than she had ever imagined, and the ways of magic could be rather sly and subtle. ¡°Can she be killed if need be?¡± ¡°Of course. You need not fear her, though, for Theo has the will to control her. He lacks only experience. This afternoon I bequeathed to him a tome that will deepen his understanding of Tristana. If he is strong enough, he will make an ally of her, and she will aid you on your quest.¡± ¡°What if he is weak?¡± ¡°She will simply find a way to slay him indirectly, take back the ankh, and return from whence she came.¡± ¡°Wonderful,¡± Connie said dryly. ¡°Just do yourselves a favor and keep watch on her while he sleeps lest she get any ideas.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell the group.¡± Calicus turned his head stiffly toward a green sliver of light that shone past the curtain covering a window high above. ¡°The hours are passing quickly. Your journey will commence soon. Your companions eagerly await you in the street.¡± ¡°All but one of them,¡± Connie said under her breath as she got to her feet. ¡°Ah, my Snow Angel!¡± ¡°Sorry, she is no angel to me, Calicus.¡± ¡°She may seem like a demon in your eyes, but her heart is pure iridium. You just fell to her bad side. Give her a chance to warm up to you.¡± Connie doubted that would ever happen. Connie doubted she would even allow Snow to warm up to her if hell froze over. ¡°What if she zaps me with one of her spells?¡± ¡°It is unlikely she will harm you permanently, and not without just cause. Just try not to make her mad at you.¡± Connie did not like the way Calicus phrased that. Then Calicus frowned as he gazed into her. He seemed to be reading her expression, or her thoughts, or both. ¡°But you are defenseless. Rahl¡¯s sword is keen, but times may come when it is not enough.¡± He got to his feet. ¡°Rise,¡± he told her. Connie did as she was told. Now she stood before the old wizard. For his bent spine, she was inches taller than he. With stiff, arthritic movement, he raised the ankh medallion above her head and dropped the chain around her neck. The amulet bounced to the fabric of her robe suspended between her breasts. ¡°This will protect you from many common, harmful spells if you are unable to cast spells of your own,¡± he said. ¡°Wear this medallion and never remove it.¡± She held up the medallion and examined it. It appeared to be made of slightly tarnished silver. Calicus smiled at her. ¡°I made this a long time ago for a young apprentice of mine. She became powerful and outgrew its use.¡± Connie turned over the medallion. Engraved on the back was the name: Elenglea Vanexay. Connie remembered Rahl had referred to Snow as ¡°Elenglea¡± when he first saw her. ¡°Snow,¡± Connie said. ¡°Very good,¡± Calicus said. ¡°I named her that.¡± Connie dropped the medallion into her robe to conceal it from view. She was already trying to solve the riddle of how she merited the name. ¡°Go now. Your party awaits you,¡± Calicus said. ¡°Thank you, Calicus.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Connie turned to leave the room. Once she got to the doorway, she thought she had the answer to the riddle. ¡°It¡¯s easy. It¡¯s her hair. You named her Snow because of her hair.¡± ¡°Her hair is the color of grain,¡± Calicus shot back. Connie thought again. She took another step, then she stopped when she thought she knew the answer. ¡°Her skin. She has white skin.¡± ¡°Many have white skin. Snow is not special for her white skin.¡± Connie frowned. She started for the exit again. Once at the exit, she stopped. She turned to the wizard, who watched her from the table. His expression told her he enjoyed this exchange. ¡°Does she like to wear white?¡± she asked. ¡°She prefers red,¡± he replied. ¡°Does she like the cold?¡± ¡°Not more than anyone else.¡± ¡°Is it because she has a cold heart?¡± ¡°No. Her heart is of the purest iridium.¡± ¡°Is it the spells she casts?¡± ¡°No celestial spell causes cold.¡± ¡°Is she chaste?¡± He smiled. ¡°Not as much as she would want us to believe.¡± ¡°Does she remind you of an old lover?¡± ¡°None that I recall.¡± ¡°Does it have to do with her religion?¡± ¡°No such religion.¡± ¡°Is it just some whimsical name you pulled out of the air?¡± ¡°Oh, no. There¡¯s a definite reason.¡± ¡°Then why do you call her Snow?¡± she asked. ¡°Please tell me.¡± Calicus answered only after a long pause that seemed an eternity to her. ¡°Connie, if you should ever find out on your own the reason I call Elenglea ¡®Snow,¡¯ it would mean that you are on the path to becoming a great sorceress in your own right. Farewell, now¡ªand may the gods grant you good fortune on your quest.¡± Chapter 15 - The Mock Interrogation Chapter 15 The Mock Interrogation The police officer escorted Alyndia and MacGregor down the drearily lit hall to the cell where Professor Gerald Layton was being held. The guard opened the door and held it open for the two. Alyndia was about to enter when MacGregor clutched her by the arm, holding her back in the hall. He spoke into her ear in a low, gruff tone. ¡°No matter how much you despise this guy, don¡¯t lose control,¡± he said. ¡°If you beat him too badly, he¡¯ll be able to complicate things. And we don¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°You mustn¡¯t worry,¡± Alyndia replied. ¡°I have control.¡± Alyndia walked into the interrogation room. It was sparsely furnished with only a bare wood table and five chairs. The only item on the table was a small, aluminum ashtray. No other furniture stood in the room, and nothing adorned the thinly painted cinder block walls. The room felt hot and stuffy on entry, and it smelled of old sweat and fear. But now Alyndia thought she would faint when she saw Gerald sitting at the table, for the first time, in the flesh. He sat dressed in light blue prison garb, unshaven, looking soundly dejected. His arms were stretched behind his back, and his head hung down. Alyndia¡¯s heart raced when she saw him there, and this same heart was struck with pity for what they¡¯d done to him. She did not look to MacGregor or the guard, as she knew her yearning for him would be evident in her expression. The guard walked over and removed a set of handcuffs from Layton. MacGregor took a seat at the table across from him. Alyndia did the same. Once the handcuffs were removed, the professor brought his hands to his chest and began nursing the red marks caused by the tight cuffs. He looked up at his two visitors. Alyndia¡¯s heart skipped a beat when their eyes met briefly, but his expression remained cowed, stoic. She then realized he didn¡¯t recognize her for who she was. The guard walked over the door and stood there in his crew cut and starched shirt, swinging the cuffs in one finger. MacGregor dropped an overstuffed manila folder on the table. Layton, Gerald O. Prof. read the index tag. No one at the table spoke for almost ten seconds. ¡°So we meet again, Professor,¡± MacGregor said. ¡°Yes, we have. Would someone mind telling me what charges I am being held for?¡± MacGregor smiled at Layton the way a cougar might when he discovers a lame fawn. ¡°Possession of controlled substances without a permit, aiding a terrorist, a host of other charges, not to mention causing harm to the federal agent investigating your case.¡± On hearing these words, the professor looked over at Alyndia, the white bandage taped to her wrist. He raised his eyes to her face. ¡°I see you¡¯ve recovered, Agent Bain,¡± he said to her. ¡°Yes, I have,¡± she said. ¡°I have recovered nicely.¡± Alyndia detected a subtle change in his expression as she said this. Perhaps he himself detected something familiar in her voice. Then he lowered his eyes to the table. ¡°You people never listened to me,¡± he said. ¡°Because of your meddling, I have lost the most important person in my life.¡± ¡°Who is that? Your son?¡± Alyndia asked. ¡°No. My Alyndia.¡± MacGregor guffawed. ¡°Are you going to bring up that story again of a sorceress from another dimension, Professor Layton?¡± The two agents stared down at the professor, but he did not reply. MacGregor continued. ¡°You know, when my partner here was out, I almost started believing what you were talking about. Now I¡¯ve realized it¡¯s just a lot of bullshit. As you can see, Connie is here, and there¡¯s no such thing as this ¡®Alyndia the Sorceress¡¯¡­¡± As Alyndia took in MacGregor¡¯s words, she wondered if he really believed everything he was telling the professor. She suspected he had serious doubts about her true identity, even though he did not convey this fact to the professor. Professor Layton gave MacGregor a hard, scornful look. ¡°I told you the truth. It is your choice whether you two want to believe me or not. I maintain my story. I would like my lawyer to be present. Where is my lawyer?¡± ¡°You can call your lawyer,¡± MacGregor said. ¡°But the fact that you need him only tells us you¡¯re hiding something from us. In case you¡¯re wondering, we¡¯re about to turn the case over to the federal prosecutions office. But I must advise you, unless you change your tune, you¡¯re not going to get anywhere.¡± He leaned against the table. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come clean? Just tell us what¡¯s been going on, and we can make this simple without raking you through the mud.¡± The professor let out a vexed sighed. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve told you everything there is to tell. So, there¡¯s no point in continuing this interview or interrogation or whatever it is. You¡¯ve taken away my Alyndia, and now you¡¯ve taken away my freedom. What more do you want from me?¡± Alyndia felt sorry for Gerald. He looked so forlorn and defenseless now that they were apart. He was now suffering on account of her. Alyndia fought the temptation to leap across the table and take him into her arms. She began thinking of ways she could get him alone. She addressed MacGregor. ¡°I think I can get him to tell us the truth,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah?¡± The peculiar gleam in his eye suggested that he believed he was seeing the old Connie Bain again. ¡°I just need some time alone with him. He¡¯ll change his mind about telling us the truth.¡± MacGregor pursed his lips, trying hard to keep from erupting into a smile. ¡°Go easy on him, now,¡± he whispered to her. He stood up and slid the chair noisily beneath the table. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in the hall.¡± He shot Professor Layton a glance that projected both mockery and pity, then he left the room. Now only an officer at the station watched them from the doorway. ¡°I would like to see the prisoner alone,¡± she said to him. He nodded once and then left the room. Once the door clicked shut, she began pacing the room across the table from Professor Layton. The euphoria of being alone with him made her feel weak at the knees. She did not tell him what she felt. She wanted to prod him first to ascertain that he was true to her above all else. ¡°Tell me, Professor Layton¡ªor may I call you ¡®Gerald¡¯?¡± ¡°You can call me whatever you¡¯d like, Agent Bain.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Good. Now tell me: Did all of this really happen? I mean, about you meeting this¡ªthis waif from another dimension?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all there in the files,¡± he said, gesturing to the folder on the table. ¡°And I never called her a waif. She¡¯s a sorceress. There is a difference, you know.¡± This answer secretly delighted Alyndia. She maintained her composure and continued pacing, avoiding eye contact, speaking to the cinder block walls as she addressed him. ¡°So how did this sorceress appear to you? Was she ugly? Was she pretty? What did she look like?¡± ¡°Alyndia was the natural essence of beauty,¡± he said, waxing eloquent for the first time. ¡°She had this river of greenish black hair, and sea green eyes, and fair, delicate skin.¡± He paused for thought. ¡°But what found most fetching in her was her spirit. It was her thoughtfulness and sense of humor. Though her words only came to me through the Box of Tongues, her words and thoughts were quite clear to me.¡± Alyndia stopped pacing. She could scarcely breathe. She wanted to throw herself into his arms. She controlled herself. ¡°What does this Alyndia woman mean to you? Does it matter to you that she did not possess the body of Elise?¡± ¡°It does not matter. I only fear what has become of her. She said she was casting an ancient spell that was very risky.¡± He paused. ¡°She was my friend. How would you feel if you lost your partner?¡± She casually walked behind him and began pacing again, slowly, out of his field of vision. He remained gazing fixedly straight ahead. ¡°Did you love her?¡± she asked. He paused for a moment before he answered. ¡°What is all of this to you? Why are you asking me these questions? Are you going to add this to your report?¡± ¡°I want to know,¡± she said. ¡°I want to know for personal reasons.¡± He brought his hand to his chin and rubbed his unshaven face. ¡°For some reason, you don¡¯t strike me as the type that cares whether I love her or not.¡± Now she stood directly behind his chair. She rested her hands on his shoulders. He jumped a bit when her hands touched him. She squeezed gently, feeling the warmth of his body beneath his shirt. She felt him relax a bit. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question, Gerald. Did you love her?¡± ¡°Yes, Agent Bain. If you have to know, I loved her. I loved her with all my heart. I dare say I loved her more than my Elise before the accident.¡± He wiped his eyes. ¡°I regret what happened to you when you put on that bracelet. But when you did that, I lost someone I¡¯ll never know again. So go ahead¡ªgo ahead and prosecute me. I don¡¯t care anymore. Send me to prison if that pleases you and your partner. I can¡¯t say I have reason to be anywhere else.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t feel so bad. All may not be lost,¡± she said softly into his ear. ¡°Maybe the spirit of your lover never faded into the ether. Maybe she¡¯s close to you now. Close enough that she touches you.¡± On hearing that, Professor Layton turned and looked at her with eyes wet with tears. ¡°Alyndia?¡± he asked, astounded. ¡°I am she.¡± Now her eyes too had filled with tears. They ran copiously down her cheek. He rose to his feet, and they embraced. ¡°Finally, at last, we¡¯re together, Gerald,¡± she whispered, resting her head on his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ve waited so long to be with you.¡± ¡°I was so worried about you, Alyndia.¡± ¡°But now I¡¯m here, my love,¡± she said softly. ¡°There¡¯s no longer any chlorine or glass to separate us. And there¡¯s no longer a Box of Tongues¡ªwe now speak the same language with our own voices, just like we breathe the same air. The aperture to my world is shut, and yet I¡¯m still here with you.¡± He pulled away from her and gazed into her face. ¡°I thought you were gone. I felt so guilty about it.¡± ¡°I was indeed gone for a while, Gerald. My spirit was lost in the Wild. I¡¯d love to say that it was my skill as a sorceress that guided me into this body, but I think it was more luck than anything else.¡± ¡°But where is Agent Bain?¡± ¡°The answer to that question is complicated and not very pleasant.¡± Professor Layton frowned at this. ¡°Did we kill her?¡± ¡°No. I think she¡¯s in Cerinya, where she now occupies my former body.¡± ¡°The poor woman. She probably has no idea what happened to her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pity her, Gerald. She did it to herself. She put on the bracelet. If she hadn¡¯t, you and I would be living happily ever after. And from what I¡¯ve learned of her since I awoke from my coma, good riddance to her by departing from this world.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I miss her, myself.¡± Alyndia told Professor Layton what she knew of Connie Bain, the circumstances of her life, her meeting with Joy, and her plans of meeting Connie¡¯s gravely ill mother. The professor shook his head in dismay. ¡°Alyndia, you mustn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why not? I am only undoing the pain and hurt she caused in her life. I can right this wrong.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s her personal life. You shouldn¡¯t meddle in it.¡± ¡°What does it matter? She¡¯s not here now, and she¡¯s not coming back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Whatever happened with Connie and her family has nothing to do with you and me. Getting involved in her past can only complicate things for us. I can see no benefit in it. Besides, you don¡¯t know why things are the way they are. The whole thing might turn into a can of worms for you.¡± ¡°Nonsense. It will be very simple. All I have to do is just play Connie for a while, just long enough to heal the pain she has caused her family. Then I¡¯ll quit the CIA, and we can be together always. Gerald, there is so much I want to do with you. This¡ªwhat we have between us¡ªI¡¯ve wanted it all my life.¡± ¡°Oh, Alyndia.¡± Professor Layton picked up the folder on the table. He thumbed through the pages within, replete with Polaroid photographs of his lab and some confiscated objects. ¡°We may not be able to do much if I go to prison. I¡¯m innocent. I know this. But Connie and Agent MacGregor believed I¡¯m part of some sort of terrorist conspiracy. And apparently, they¡¯ve created some evidence to support their beliefs.¡± Alyndia took the folder from Professor Layton. ¡°Leave it to me. I will make sure they do nothing to you. I¡¯ll fix the files if I have to¡ªanything so that we can be together.¡± Now she stood before him, his face close to hers. She went to kiss him. He moved his head back away from her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alyndia asked, feeling suddenly hurt. ¡°Don¡¯t you like my new form? Am I not appealing to you?¡± ¡°No¡ªit¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s not that at all,¡± he stammered. ¡°You¡¯re lovely. It¡¯s just that¡ªwell¡ªAgent Bain wasn¡¯t exactly a nice person, and you do look exactly like her. What I¡¯m trying to say is that getting to know you the way you look may be difficult. I need some time to shake off my image of her.¡± Alyndia smiled. ¡°I understand your feelings,¡± she said quietly. ¡°But one kiss won¡¯t hurt. Couldn¡¯t you do it once with me to quench the fire I feel inside? I want to feel your lips on mine. Aren¡¯t you at least curious to know what it¡¯s like to kiss a sorceress from another world?¡± ¡°Or a CIA agent?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Kiss me, you fool.¡± They brought their lips together. The energy from their kiss flowed through their bodies like electricity. Enraptured by the sensation, he stood up, and they embraced fully. ¡°Do you realize how long I¡¯ve waited for this moment, Gerald?¡± she whispered softly in his ear. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you made it here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all for you.¡± Again, they kissed, deeply this time. Their passion began to rise. Mesmerized by the sensuous feelings rising between them, they did not notice the door open. ¡°Connie!¡± MacGregor shouted. Startled out of their wits, Alyndia and Gerald immediately parted and backed away from each other. Professor Layton took his seat at the table, and Alyndia backed up to the wall, straightening her blouse and skirt. ¡°What the hell!¡± MacGregor said, at a loss for words. Alyndia smiled sheepishly at Connie¡¯s partner and cleared her throat. ¡°He says he¡¯ll tell us the truth, now.¡± Alyndia hadn¡¯t realized it, but her entire interaction with Professor Layton had been observed by MacGregor and recorded. He informed her of this as he drove her to the hospital. Although she felt some embarrassment at this revelation, she worried more about what consequences there would be for Gerald. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into you, Connie,¡± he said. ¡°Nothing you don¡¯t already know about.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m as well as I¡¯ve ever been. And that was devious of you to record my private interactions with Gerald.¡± ¡°How could you say that? You knew very well that the interrogation would be recorded. It¡¯s standard procedure.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I hold you responsible.¡± ¡°You¡¯re nuts.¡± ¡°Say what you want, but I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡± Alyndia crossed her arms tightly against her chest as she said this. Hidden inside her coat was Professor Layton¡¯s case folder. She had hidden it there just before they left the police station. MacGregor pulled the car into the crowded hospital parking lot. He shut off the engine, and they got out. ¡°What is going to happen here?¡± Connie asked as they walked toward the main building through the parking lot filled with patchy snow. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. They¡¯re going to run some tests on you, some things where you have to answer questions.¡± A pained expression crossed his face. ¡°I think you must know that the agency will be reviewing these records.¡± ¡°Is this bad?¡± Alyndia asked, taking the cue from MacGregor¡¯s expression. ¡°Not necessarily. But you know these kinds of tests become property of the agency. Since you¡¯ve sustained a head injury on the job, they¡¯re going to review the results of your tests.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? If they find there¡¯s a problem with you, you could be kicked out of the agency. You don¡¯t want that, do you?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea to come here, Will. Do you remember that? You¡¯re the one who insisted that I come here.¡± MacGregor sighed heavily, creating a large puff of white mist around his head in the icy air. ¡°Yes, I know, babe,¡± he said, his voice tinged with regret. ¡°Believe me¡ªI know.¡± They passed through the lobby and walked up to a front desk where a stout, middle-aged nurse wearing thick glasses sat. ¡°Can I help you?¡± the woman asked them. MacGregor showed the nurse his agency ID card. ¡°I¡¯m Will MacGregor, and this is Constance Bain. She has¡ªuh¡ªan appointment today.¡± ¡°Ah, yes,¡± the nurse said. ¡°Dr. Galbraith has notified me.¡± She addressed Connie. ¡°How are you today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve guess I¡¯ve been better.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± the nurse said sweetly. She picked up a clipboard with a form attached to it and handed it to Connie, along with a cheap black pen. ¡°Please read through this form carefully and sign and date it at the bottom.¡± ¡°What is this document?¡± ¡°It gives us permission to treat you.¡± Alyndia turned to MacGregor. ¡°Do I have to sign this?¡± MacGregor nodded. The nurse spoke up. ¡°You can sit here in the lobby while you read it. But for now, I¡¯ll have to ask you to move away from the desk. Other people coming in might need access.¡± Alyndia looked across the waiting room, drearily lit both by fluorescent lights and the gray light from the parking lot that shone through large windows. People of all ages, most sitting quietly in unbuttoned heavy coats, sat in rows of thinly padded chairs throughout the lobby. Some of them looked bored, some looked ill, and others looked simply as uncomfortable as she did being in that place. The room was filled with the electrical whirring sound of a floor buffer being used in the far side of the lobby, its sound rising and falling both in pitch and loudness. The whole atmosphere of the place drained her spirit on top of the despondence she already felt after the interrogation at the police station. She badly missed Gerald at that moment and would do anything to return to his side as quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s go sit over there where you can read it,¡± MacGregor said, pointing to a pair of free chairs in the front row. ¡°No. I just want to get this over with. Where do I sign?¡± After the form was signed, the nurse directed them to the fourth floor, where the staff would be waiting to greet them. She picked up her phone to make a call as soon as they left the desk. MacGregor led Alyndia to the elevator, where they waited without speaking. Once inside, he dutifully pressed a button to the fourth floor. The doors closed. They were alone except for a nicely dressed older couple in their sixties. The woman held a bouquet of red and white carnations wrapped in cellophane and green wax paper. The sweet fragrance of the carnations wafted through the elevator, almost overcoming the sharp, antiseptic smell that permeated the elevator shaft and the rest of the hospital. MacGregor studied Alyndia. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the case folder?¡± he asked, breaking the claustrophobic silence in the elevator. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Alyndia said, wondering if he had seen her conceal the bulky folder in her overcoat. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the whole enchilada. You know what it took to put all that stuff together. I just don¡¯t want to lose it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s in the car,¡± she told him, ¡°in the back seat.¡± ¡°In the back seat of the car?¡± ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± ¡°Let me get this straight: you left a secret file sitting in the back seat of the car. And it¡¯s there¡ªright now at this moment.¡± ¡°The car is locked, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Connie, oh Connie,¡± he said, slowly shaking his head. ¡°You should know you don¡¯t leave secret files on car seats in public parking lots.¡± She heard a trace of sadness in his voice as he said this. The reason for this sadness puzzled her. The elevator doors opened. The two of them exited to a wide, spotless, white-tiled hospital corridor. Along the way to the psychiatric ward, they passed a women¡¯s washroom. Alyndia knew she had her opening. She excused herself from MacGregor to use the washroom. Once inside, after making sure she was alone, she surreptitiously dumped the entire case folder into a bin labeled Medical Waste. She rejoined MacGregor in the corridor. As soon as they passed through the double doors to the psychiatric ward, Alyndia found two strapping young men wearing white smocks accosted them in the hallway. They watched her intently. She didn¡¯t like the way they were staring at her. ¡°Here she is,¡± MacGregor said. ¡°Are you Connie Bain?¡± one of the men asked her. ¡°Yes, I am her,¡± Alyndia replied, feeling uneasy. The men approached her. She turned to see MacGregor, but he had backed up to the doorway. At that moment, the two men grabbed her roughly by the arms. She struggled with them momentarily, then held still. ¡°What is going on here?¡± she asked MacGregor. ¡°You¡¯re going to stay with us for a while,¡± the man answered for him. Alyndia eyes kept her eyes locked on MacGregor as they gently but firmly backed her away from him and the exit. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me I¡¯d be staying here!¡± Her voice was almost a shout now. ¡°It has to be this way, Connie.¡± ¡°Under what grounds? What have I done?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a danger to yourself and possibly a danger to others. I¡¯m sorry, babe. It¡¯s for the best.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tell Watson what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°This was his idea.¡± ¡°You liar!¡± she shouted. ¡°Come along with us,¡± one of the orderlies said as he nudged Connie¡¯s arm a bit more forcefully to guide her down the corridor. ¡°You betrayed me!¡± she shouted back at MacGregor, drawing the indifferent, curious stares of the staff and other patients in the corridor. ¡°I hate you for this! Do you hear me? I hate you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Connie,¡± MacGregor said, his voice laden with emotion. ¡°This is the way it has to be.¡± Chapter 16 - The First Brush with Chaos Chapter 16 The First Brush with Chaos Once inside the stables at Rahl¡¯s small farm just outside of Roggentine, Connie ran into Yalden. He said nothing to anyone as he saddled up the hanyaks for the journey. Recalling what had happened to his wife in Zeranon, Connie spoke to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Jenada,¡± she said to him. Yalden did not reply to her. He pulled the knot tightly on the underside of the hanyak. The hanyak, in turn, made a snorting sound and a high-pitched whinny that sounded not unlike the horses on Earth. ¡°Really, I¡¯m so sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°She was a lovely woman and a good wife,¡± he said somberly. ¡°I shall miss her till the day I leave this world.¡± Connie put his arm on his shoulder. ¡°Sind has lost his brother too. I feel awful. We will avenge the deaths of Jenada and Kilban.¡± At those words, Yalden turned to her. His green eyes burned with cold fury at the mysterious, malignant force that had taken away perhaps the only soul he loved more dearly than his own life. ¡°Yes. We will avenge them. By the blood of the gods, we will certainly avenge them.¡± The hanyaks were now saddled up, and the packs on the baraks bulged with fresh supplies of food and water. When they left Calicus¡¯ residence, they were ten strong. Connie felt the strange tension in the air as the party passed down the crowded streets to the Roggentine city gates. There seemed to be a hush over the throng. Word of the carnage at Castle Maray had evidently spread, creating a pall in the city. Just outside the gates, an army was assembling to conquer the foe. Connie watched them mount their steeds. Shiny armor and weapons glinting in the sun. And now there were glorious green standards with a black cross. Once they had left the city of Roggentine proper, one of the soldiers she had seen at Calicus¡¯s place rode up to Connie. ¡°The name is Maltokken, good lady,¡± he said to her. ¡°I am a sergeant in the Roggentine militia. ¡°Connie Bain,¡± she replied simply. This man had a wiry blackish-green beard, black eyes, and a large, Romanesque nose. Connie saw he was a prepossessing man beneath his breastplate and splint armor that seemed made of some black, chitinous material held together by silver metal. He kept a huge sword in a sheath in the saddle of his hanyak. His voice was deep, and it had a hard, raspy edge to it. Worst of all, his hanyak smelled badly¡ªor he did¡ªor maybe both of them did. She wasn¡¯t sure. Connie was dismayed to realize the chemistry of this world allowed for such an intense body odor. ¡°You came rather late to the meeting this morning,¡± he said, eying her figure. ¡°I slept in,¡± she replied. ¡°Are you a swordbearer like Rahl?¡± ¡°I could be a swordbearer, but I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°What do you mean you could be a swordbearer?¡± Before he could reply, one of the other two soldiers rode up to them. This one was not as large as Maltokken but was wider in the shoulders. He carried a variety of bladed weapons along with a shield. He did not smell as bad as Maltokken did. This man rode beside her, opposite of Maltokken. Now she was flanked by both men. This arrangement made her feel vaguely uncomfortable. ¡°You could never be a swordbearer,¡± this other man corrected. ¡°You don¡¯t have the discipline or the skill to be a swordbearer, or anything close to one.¡± ¡°Neither do you, Psi¡¯el.¡± ¡°Ah, but I have skill, whereas you have only strength.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I just want to talk to Connie here.¡± ¡°Well, maybe she doesn¡¯t want to talk to you,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°You know naught and are but a skeleton in metal armor.¡± ¡°You speak with the tongue of a fool, Psi¡¯el. I am your sergeant.¡± ¡°A Sergeant, yes. A leader of Roggentine? That¡ªI very well doubt.¡± ¡°You lie! Ask your friend Jalban over there.¡± Connie spoke up. ¡°Gentlemen, please. Must we argue?¡± ¡°You will have to excuse the Sergeant,¡± Psi¡¯el said. ¡°He is a fool.¡± ¡°Bastard, Psi¡¯el,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°I should cut you in half for addressing me this way, especially in front of the lady here.¡± ¡°Gentlemen,¡± Connie broke in again. ¡°Why are you going along with us? Shouldn¡¯t you be part of the army back there?¡± ¡°We are part of the army,¡± Psi¡¯el replied. ¡°Our presence here is to protect you on your journey to the Atranox.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If casting the spell at the Atranox is so important, why doesn¡¯t Roggentine send along an army to protect us on our journey?¡± Maltokken let out a hearty laugh. ¡°Roggentine needs every man it has to defend the city.¡± ¡°Besides, we have not the stockpiles of food to send an army to the Northlands,¡± Psi¡¯el added. ¡°If there is a siege, then the provisions already within the city will have to support the people.¡± Connie nodded. ¡°If I may comment, Connie. That sorceress over there does not like you,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°She spoke disparagingly of you at the meeting and does so even now behind your back. Why does she feel that way?¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Connie, I did not mean to provoke your anger. I was just curious. Perhaps you will need my protection from her in the future.¡± ¡°If you have to know, Maltokken, we had a sort of tiff last night.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let it trouble you,¡± Psi¡¯el broke in. ¡°She hates most of us soldiers too. I can tell by the way she looks at us.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t hate us like she hates Connie,¡± Maltokken added. ¡°Yes, and it is an unfortunate thing to be despised by a celestial sorceress like her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this,¡± Connie huffed. She kicked her heels into the hanyak¡¯s side and rode away from the two soldiers to the more genteel company of Rahl, who rode by himself at the front of the party several paces ahead of Snow, Theo, and Jalban. Once she got to Rahl, she noticed the disconsolate look on his face as she rode with his eyes fixated on his shadow on the ground that passed below. ¡°Hey, Rahl. Why the glum look? It¡¯s a beautiful morning, and we¡¯re on an exciting quest,¡± Connie said in the cheeriest voice she could muster considering the circumstances. The moment she started speaking, she felt Snow¡¯s eyes upon her back. ¡°Yes, Connie. It is a fine morning. A fine day, indeed,¡± he replied with a weak smile. Connie¡¯s felt her heart tug for him. ¡°You seem sad. What is bothering you?¡± Rahl raised his head to view her. To her surprise, his eyes seemed moist, as if he¡¯d been weeping. ¡°We have a long journey ahead of us, Connie. There may be a time you regret you did not remain behind in your home in Roggentine.¡± Connie sensed this was not the reason for Rahl¡¯s melancholy that morning, but she decided to play along with it. ¡°You know, Rahl, I¡¯ve traveled to the far corners of my world. I¡¯ve climbed the peak of six continents. I have seen things in my world that some only dream of seeing. Does the lore in this world make reference to such a place as the Taj Mahal?¡± ¡°I do not know of such a place,¡± he replied. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been there. Twice, in fact.¡± ¡°Tell me, Connie. Do you have Chaos in your world?¡± ¡°How do I know what Chaos is if I haven¡¯t yet encountered it?¡± ¡°But you have seen what it can do,¡± he said, referring to the massacre at the Castle Maray. ¡°Rahl, in my world we have weapons that are just as destructive as anything I have seen Chaos do. And like your Chaos, they can be a threat to our existence if they fall into the hands of evil men.¡± Snow rode up to Rahl. ¡°Rahl, may I speak with you in private?¡± she asked him. Taking the hint, Connie pulled on the reigns of the hanyak and eased it back away from the two, past Theo and Jalban, past Fandia and the two soldiers chatting amicably, and past Yalden sulking over the loss of his wife. Now she rode astride Tristana, who rode with her eyes on Theo just ahead of her, as would a hawk would its prey. For the rest of the party dressed in drab, olive-colored robes and armor, Tristana stood out by wearing a stylish-looking sari, deep blue with stars and white, crescent-shaped moon silhouettes. Connie wondered where Tristana got her fancy clothes, as she did not even carry a pack. And by virtue of her peaches and cream skin, only Snow rivaled Tristana¡¯s cold, unearthly beauty with a voluptuous, cocky spunk. Tristana did not immediately acknowledge Connie¡¯s presence beside her. ¡°It seems you are having the best conversation today,¡± Connie said to her. Tristana looked at Connie with a bemused expression. ¡°That¡¯s right. Either there¡¯s something in the chlorine today or I¡¯ve simply managed to get on everyone¡¯s bad side just for being myself. Do you ever have days like that?¡± Tristana looked away. ¡°Snow doesn¡¯t trust either of us,¡± Connie continued. ¡°I guess that means we have a lot in common.¡± Connie realized that Tristana was watching Snow speak Rahl in hushed tones ahead of her. Connie surmised that Tristana could actually hear what they were saying. ¡°Us two girls have to stick together if we¡¯re going to survive on this quest.¡± Tristana looked to Connie again with an expression of cool regard. Now Connie wasn¡¯t sure if Tristana really wanted to be on this quest. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry that Theo kept you from going back to wherever you go when you move on. You know, I didn¡¯t ask to be here myself. But this is something we have to do.¡± Tristana¡¯s expression was unchanged. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like Theo for what he did. But between you and me, I think one of the reasons he stopped you from walking into the pool was because of your great beauty.¡± She waited for Tristana to respond. When she didn''t, Connie continued. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Have you ever looked in a mirror? Have a look at Theo. Don¡¯t get the impression that I don¡¯t like him¡ªreally, I do. He¡¯s just not my type. But think about it: How could a guy like him get a girl like you under normal circumstances?¡± Tristana turned to Theo, riding ahead of them. She stared at his back for a moment, then returned her gaze to Connie, seemingly nonplussed. ¡°You see, a guy like him would adore a woman like you if you gave him the chance. That old wizard who conjured you probably didn¡¯t give a hoot for you. This man will worship you if you allow him to.¡± Connie smiled at Tristana. ¡°Now you seem like you¡¯d be an intelligent woman for being a conjuration. The adoration of a lowly human must mean something to you.¡± Once again, Tristana turned to Theo. This time her eyes narrowed as she watched him. Her distant expression made her seem deep in thought. Theo turned around, evidently hearing Connie talking to Tristana. ¡°What are you saying to her?¡± ¡°Nothing serious. Just a little girl talk.¡± He shook his head and continued riding. ¡°You know what, Tristana. Calicus, Theo, and Snow all say you have a negative spirit or something like that. They make it sound as though you¡¯re evil incarnate. I¡¯ll be honest with you¡ªI think they¡¯re wrong. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re much different than us. I think deep inside that you¡¯re just a normal girl. You don¡¯t talk much, but I¡¯ll bet you feel a lot more than you say.¡± Tristana didn¡¯t respond or appear to have even heard her. Connie noticed Tristana¡¯s shiny-tipped battle axe kept in a loop on the saddle of the hanyak. ¡°Can I see your axe?¡± Tristana looked down to her axe and then back up at Connie again. Her expression told Connie she wasn¡¯t inclined to give it to her. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I promise not to swing it at you,¡± Connie said in order to reassure her. ¡°I¡¯ve never even used an axe like that.¡± Tristana seemed to think this over for a bit. She pulled her axe out of its loop and held it out to Connie. As Connie reached for the axe, she expected it to be quite heavy. To her astonishment, the weapon was incredibly light, almost as light as the dagger she kept in the scabbard on her belt. Connie examined the cruel-looking weapon closely, noting its fine workmanship, and the ankh that was engraved into the black shaft and polished metal head. Tristana kept her eyes locked on her weapon while Connie handled it. ¡°You must have some crazy enchantments on this thing,¡± Connie remarked as she examined the double-bladed head up close. ¡°I¡¯m wondering how you can hurt someone with a weapon as light as this. It doesn¡¯t seem balanced very well, either.¡± She held the crescent-shaped edge up to the light. ¡°But it does look sharp.¡± ¡°And what does this mean?¡± Connie said as she ran her finger across a rune faintly engraved into the head of the axe. At that moment, the hanyak lurched below her as it stepped over a hole in the road, causing her index finger to lightly graze the edge of the weapon. She felt a fairy tingle where the blade contacted her skin. Immediately, blood began oozing out of the tiny cut that appeared there. Connie winced at the sight of this. Her skin had merely touched the edge of the blade, and it cut through her skin without any resistance whatsoever. Tristana immediately reached over and grabbed the weapon from Connie¡¯s hands, but Connie hardly noticed. She was busy examining the cut. It was a slight wound, maybe half an inch in length, seemingly no deeper than a paper cut, and yet it bled profusely. She applied pressure to the wound to staunch the bleeding. She looked to Tristana for a reaction. Tristana stared at her blankly. Connie looked away, feeling suddenly unnerved by Tristana and her enchanted weapon. She released the pressure on the cut; blood immediately began flowing from it again. She looked forward to the rest of the party riding in front of her to see if anyone had noticed what was going on. So far, they hadn¡¯t. She retrieved a bandage from her pack and wrapped it around her finger. In short order, the bandage was soaked with her blood. Now blood was dripping down her arm, onto her clothes, and even onto the beige back of the hanyak. Her blood appeared no longer capable of coagulating. This alarmed Connie. She looked to Tristana, who seemed to be enjoying the show in her own, silent, enigmatic way. Connie removed the old bandage and quickly applied a new one, but the wound still bled copiously, and it soaked the new bandage within a few minutes. Connie began to panic. I¡¯m going to bleed to death! she thought. ¡°Theo!¡± she called out ahead of her. Theo turned around and looked at her. It took a moment for him to notice all the blood on Connie¡¯s clothes. He immediately stopped his hanyak. ¡°What has happened to you?¡± he asked alarmed. The party stopped riding, and all eyes fell upon her. ¡°I cut myself on Tristana¡¯s axe,¡± Connie said to him, suddenly feeling embarrassed to admit it. Theo looked nervously at Tristana. ¡°Tristana! What have you done?¡± Tristana gave Theo a strange, mischievous smile, as if she were pleased over what happened. Connie stopped her hanyak next to Theo. ¡°How did this occur?¡± he asked. ¡°I asked her if I could look at her axe. While I was looking at it, I cut myself on its edge. Now it won¡¯t stop bleeding.¡± ¡°Sounds like Tristana has a Bleed enchantment on her weapon,¡± Snow said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.¡± ¡°I only brushed my finger against it.¡± Theo sighed. ¡°It probably has a Keenness enchantment too, and who knows what else.¡± ¡°Leave it to Connie to do something foolish like touching the edge of an enchanted weapon,¡± Snow added, not passing up the opportunity to knock her. ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn all of you that this woman would be a burden to us?¡± ¡°She does not yet know the ways of your magic,¡± Jalban said, defending Connie. ¡°Magic is the curse of the gods,¡± Yalden added with ill-concealed mistrust. ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Fandia said. ¡°I would consider it a curse if I could not use my spells.¡± The soldier named Psi¡¯el held up his whip. ¡°I¡¯ll take my whip over a spell anytime.¡± After this, the party broke into a heated discussion over the merits of spells. The word ¡°idiot¡± came up many times in the same breath that Connie¡¯s name was mentioned. Meanwhile, Connie continued to lose an exceptional amount of blood despite the slightness of her wound. ¡°Please!¡± Connie shouted above the bickering. Her shout was met with silence and the stare of nine pairs of eyes. ¡°Can anyone stop this bleeding!?¡± Jalban sidled his hanyak next to Connie¡¯s. ¡°Allow me to see the wound.¡± Connie held out her hand. He stretched out her finger. Now the wound was beginning to sting from the severed nerve endings in her finger. The blood dripped from the cut to the ground below. Jalban examined the wound for a moment. He applied some green salve from his pack to the wound. The stinging abruptly subsided with a fairy tingle the moment the salve touched her wound. ¡°Shall I cast an antidote spell on her?¡± Theo asked. ¡°There¡¯s no need. She¡¯d already be dead if there was a poison enchantment,¡± Jalban replied. ¡°True enough.¡± Jalban wiped off the excess salve with a special white cloth. The bleeding had stopped. ¡°Thank you, Jalban. I¡¯m sorry to trouble you for just a little cut like that.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t ¡®just a little cut,¡¯ Connie,¡± he said soberly as he wrapped a fresh bandage on her finger. ¡°You would have certainly bled to death from it.¡± On hearing that, Connie looked to Tristana. The conjuration gazed back at her with a look of cool indifference. Connie then realized that her accidental brush with death by the edge of her weapon had evoked no emotions of pity or concern whatsoever in Tristana. After this incident, Rahl decided to set up a lunchtime camp at the roadside. Fandia started the fire with a pair of potions she kept in her pack. First she spilled a small amount of thick liquid with the consistency of green honey onto the kindling. Then she poured a thin, clear liquid from a second bottle onto the thick liquid. The two liquids burst into flames on contact. The fire was ready in short order. The meal was uneventful and capped with aceralla nut extract for everyone. Rahl quietly excused himself from the camp. Most everyone else stretched out for a brief nap. Rahl, the leader of the party, had made the edict that from now on, whenever the party rested, at least two members would remain awake on the lookout for Chaos and other intruders. Theo volunteered for the watch this time. Feeling energetic from the aceralla nut he¡¯d eaten earlier, Connie joined him for the watch. While most of the party rested, Theo sat on a fallen log reading a tome. Tristana sat on a tree stump across from him, eating a flaor, an orange, softball-sized fruit with flesh the consistency of a pear and the taste of a semi-sweet apple. Every so often, Theo would gaze up at her pensively from the pages of the book Calicus had given to him. To Connie, Theo looked like a man learning the owner¡¯s manual for some large, mysterious contraption he had recently taken possession of. Connie sat against another log by herself on the other opposite side of the camp as the sight of Tristana now unnerved her. She reached into her pack and pulled out one of Alyndia¡¯s spell books. She studied the spells therein. On this reading, just as in the last, how the spells really worked still made little sense. She studied them nevertheless in hopes that maybe a word or phrase would enlighten her on how it all fit together. A short while later, Rahl slipped back into the camp from the forest. Rahl saw Connie watching him. Rahl averted his gaze from her. His face was wet; he appeared to have been weeping. She watched him quietly extract the water bladder from his pack to wipe this blood from his eyes with a scrap of cloth. Connie wondered why he had changed. Almost overnight, it seemed that his spirit had been broken. She thought perhaps he worried for his wife. After he rinsed his face, he roused the party. Shortly thereafter, they were on the road again toward the Calphous Wall. As they traveled further down the road, the woods were now starting to thin. The sun had crept low on the horizon, and now its increasingly feeble light was partially obscured by clouds. Dusk had begun. At that time, they came to the crossroads where they stood the day before. Zeranon, Castle Maray, and Thissane Springs read the weatherworn sign in different directions. The babbling, rushing water issued from the river straight ahead of them. Rahl rode up to the sign. He stood there and ruminated on it, not revealing his thoughts, seemingly transfixed by the names of the settlements carved into the weathered wood. Anticipating Rahl¡¯s decision, Maltokken started riding toward Zeranon. Psi¡¯el followed him. ¡°No,¡± Rahl shouted to them on seeing this. ¡°We will go to the Castle Maray.¡± Maltokken stared at him, puzzled, then shouted back to him, ¡°The closest portion of the wall is toward Zeranon. The Castle Maray is further from the place. We will save time if we pass through Zeranon.¡± ¡°We shall not go to Zeranon. We shall go through Maray,¡± he reiterated. Maltokken adjusted the visor on his helmet. ¡°May I bring it to your attention that it will take us an extra day if we go through Maray?¡± At these words, Yalden spoke up. ¡°You will heed Rahl,¡± he said to Maltokken. ¡°We will not go through Zeranon.¡± ¡°Well, you are the leader,¡± Maltokken said to Rahl, sounding slightly nonplussed, ¡°although it will take an extra day.¡± Before Maltokken had finished speaking, Rahl looked toward the river. He jabbed his heels into the ribs of the hanyak and trotted at a brisk pace toward the old, stone bridge that spanned it. He halted the hanyak a dozen or so paces from the foot of the bridge. He drew his sword and held it out in the direction of the river while the party watched Rahl from the crossroads, the silver-iridium of his blade glinting in the dying light of the blue-green sunset. A few seconds later, Rahl¡¯s hanyak whinnied fearfully on its hind legs. It took Rahl a few moments to regain control of the animal while balancing precariously in the saddle to remain on its back. ¡°Chaos!¡± he shouted, riding back to the party. ¡°The river is tainted by Chaos!¡± ¡°Surely, he jests,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°Chaos could not have traveled this far in one day.¡± ¡°Alas, it has,¡± Rahl said, breathlessly. ¡°It is by the luck of the gods that Roggentine is upstream, or Chaos would already be advancing within the city. But Thelm, Sba-ra, Ideoda¡ªthese towns and villages are already dead, as are those downstream,¡± he said. ¡°We will cross the river now. All of you¡ªprepare your weapons and spells!¡± At those words, Snow, Theo, and Fandia began casting spells on their hanyaks, baraks, and the party members¡¯ weapons. The frenzied proceeding made Connie nervous. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked Theo. ¡°I am protecting the beasts from the influence of Chaos,¡± he replied to her quickly between incantations. ¡°Otherwise they will bolt on us.¡± ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t have spells, and I don¡¯t have a decent weapon.¡± ¡°Stay by the fighting men, and do as you are told.¡± Once the weapons were drawn and the spells were cast, Rahl started for the bridge. The party followed. Rahl shouted back to the party. ¡°Walk at the center of the bridge. Keep away from the edge. Look straight ahead, and do not look at the river.¡± At those words, the party arranged itself single file, with Connie and Theo the last two in the party behind the pack animals. Ahead, Rahl was now passing over the bridge, followed closely by Snow, then the rest of the party. Connie watched the party ahead of her. Nothing at all happened to them. It looked like a casual, uneventful stroll over the bridge. Nevertheless, the party rode single file in the center of the bridge, out of sight of the water. Connie began to wonder what all the commotion was about. Just before her turn came to cross the bridge, she caught a sight of movement in her peripheral vision. She turned to see a group of people on foot walking, or rather running toward down the road alongside the river, the road that led from Zeranon. The people were dressed in rags. A fair number were bandaged. One walked with a limp. Now the people drew closer to them, shouting to them for help. There were men and women. Perhaps a dozen of them. One man carried a baby wrapped in swaddling. Connie recognized one of the people in this forsaken-looking group; she was the woman who played the mandolin for them in the Wendermyre Inn in Zeranon. Her young son was not with her this time, nor was her mandolin, from which she had produced such bittersweet music. ¡°Who are they, Theo?¡± Connie asked the spirit mage who rode ahead of her. ¡°Probably, they are survivors from Zeranon.¡± To Connie¡¯s surprise, the people started running towards the party as they crossed the bridge. ¡°What should we do?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Nothing. Just keep moving.¡± ¡°But some of them are wounded. We should help them.¡± ¡°We cannot. This may be our last chance to safely cross the bridge.¡± Connie and Theo had reached the crest of the bridge when there came a peculiar splashing sound coming from somewhere underneath it, as though someone were pushing boulders into the river. Then a subdued, unpleasant smell assaulted her senses, which very well may have been coming from her hanyak, but then again, maybe not. Now they had safely crossed to the other side. They continued onward. Connie looked back; the townspeople were still approaching the bridge. The party stopped riding and looked back about a hundred paces from the river. ¡°Go back!¡± Rahl yelled, waving his sword high above his head. ¡°The river is tainted!¡± The people still did not heed the warning. They were now at the foot of the far side of the bridge and beginning to run across. The whole party began frantically shouting and waving at the people to turn back. Midway across the bridge, screams issued from the people as a multitude of giant, wet, black tentacles rose out of the river. The tentacles breached the walls of the bridge and descended on the group of people running there. The party went silent in horror. The tentacles whipped around the top of the bridge, grasping and tearing at the people there. Some of the quicker-thinking people tried to run but were caught by the leg and drawn back to the fray. Some stood frozen in horror and were quickly overcome by the tentacles. Now the tentacles began tearing the people apart limb from limb amidst their blood-curdling screams. Once a tentacle took a limb, it quickly descended back into the river, presumably to some toothy maw hidden beneath the black water of the river. Connie saw one man ripped in half before her eyes; his hips and legs disappeared down the east side of the bridge, and his still-screaming head and trunk streaming entrails vanished down the west side. After all the people had disappeared, the tentacles had disappeared as quickly as they had come. The only evidence of the horror that had taken place was the surface of the bridge coated in blood and the odd bits of bone and quivering meat that remained behind there. And now the air was filled with that odd, repugnant odor from the river mingled with the remnants of death that covered the bridge. Connie heard choking sounds behind her. Yalden and the Maltokken shamelessly knelt on the ground, vomiting. Fandia wept while Jalban made a feeble, ineffectual effort to console her. Jalban gazed into the ground, his eyes wide with shock. Rahl, Snow, and Theo gazed stoically back at the bridge as if waiting for something more to happen. Tristana seemed altogether unaffected, perhaps even a little preoccupied. Connie could not believe she had just witnessed such a tragic event. In all her years of travel working for the CIA, she had seen many awful things. But she had never witnessed anything like what she had just seen. It was the stuff of nightmares. She shuddered to think the same fate could have befallen the party if they hadn¡¯t played their cards right. Now she needed explanations. She got off her hanyak and walked over to Rahl. As she walked toward him, she realized her legs were shaking. Rahl did not immediately take notice of her. His eyes remained fixed on the bridge. ¡°What was that? Where did the tentacles come from?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Chaos,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°Chaos?¡± Connie turned to the bridge. ¡°And what were those tentacles connected to?¡± ¡°The river.¡± She gasped. ¡°What? You mean, those tentacles were the river itself?¡± ¡°Yes. As I told you, the river is tainted.¡± ¡°How am I going to get my head around a river growing tentacles?¡± ¡°It is ugly and strange, I know.¡± ¡°Those poor people didn¡¯t have a chance. Couldn¡¯t we have done something for them?¡± Rahl shrugged. ¡°Maybe, but we may have lost some of our number defending them. You must remember, Connie, we are on a quest. If we fail, then many more will share their fate.¡± ¡°It was horrible,¡± Fandia said between her cries. ¡°Just horrible¡­¡± her voice trailed off. Rahl and Snow momentarily looked to Fandia. Maltokken stepped up to Rahl, his wiry beard specked with vomit. ¡°What are we going to do, Rahl?¡± ¡°Continue,¡± the swordbearer answered. ¡°Rahl, don¡¯t we have to go through lands where¡ªwhere that kind of stuff is everywhere?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he replied quietly. ¡°And just beyond the Calphous Wall. You have seen only one form of Chaos, and Chaos has an infinite number of forms.¡± ¡°How¡ªhow do we fight something like that?¡± Maltokken asked, his voice quavering. Rahl looked down at him for the first time since they had witnessed the horror on the bridge. ¡°We must rely upon our wits and our strengths.¡± ¡°Do you think we really have a chance against them?¡± Snow broke in. ¡°Why do you ask, Maltokken? Are you afraid?¡± The warrior looked over at Snow, then back at Rahl, then to Connie. ¡°Not at all, I think we ought to go back to Roggentine to warn the Council of what we have seen. They must know of this.¡± ¡°They already know,¡± Rahl said. ¡°This is why the army remains behind to defend the city while we take the quest.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re scared. You want to run home like a street dog with its tail between its legs,¡± Snow taunted. She looked to Rahl. ¡°I thought these were elite guards? Didn¡¯t you say they were elite guards of the Inner Circle?¡± ¡°They are,¡± he answered. ¡°I¡¯m not impressed,¡± she said, looking down on the frightened soldier from the saddle of her white hanyak. Maltokken glared at Snow with ill-concealed contempt. He walked away from them, muttering something vicious beneath his breath. Snow turned her attention to Connie. ¡°I suppose you want to go home too.¡± ¡°I said nothing of the sort.¡± ¡°Well, you know you always can.¡± She pointed to the bridge. ¡°You just have to walk over that bridge, and you¡¯ll be on your way. If you want, I¡¯ll even cast a protection spell on you. It may or may not work, but you can chance it.¡± ¡°That will be enough, Snow,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Rahl, now you know she is in this over her head. Look at her. She cannot cast a single spell. She can¡¯t use a weapon. She¡¯s altogether worthless to us.¡± Connie stared at Snow. She wanted to knock her off her high, white hanyak. ¡°Snow, hold your tongue,¡± Rahl said. Snow sighed. ¡°Very well. I¡¯m only trying to do you both a favor.¡± The party went silent for a moment except for Fandia¡¯s quiet weeping. Snow scowled at her apprentice. ¡°Will somebody shut her up? She is depressing me.¡± Snow rode away to the immediate group to get a better view of the lovely sunset. ¡°What shall we do now, Rahl?¡± Connie asked. ¡°It will be dark soon. We must move on.¡± He gazed sullenly at the bridge. ¡°We should be as far away as possible from the river by the time darkness sets in.¡± Chapter 17 - Consequences Chapter 17 Consequences Stripped down to a simple pair of blue overalls and rubber slippers, Alyndia whiled away the hours in the recreation room where the other patients of the psychiatric ward were gathered during the day hours. The walls of the room were painted pastel blue. Most of the patients quietly played cards or checkers at one of the round, folding tables scattered throughout the room. Others sat at various places staring off into space with empty expressions, as if listening to some radio show that only they could hear. A television blared a sitcom in one corner of the room. This television sat on a high shelf fixed to the wall above the corner of the room, away from tampering fingers. The remote control was nowhere to be found. Evidently, only the nurses could change the channel. A squabble broke out over an improvised game of Yahtzee in which only four (instead of the normal five) dice were present. The head nurse, a stout woman who smelled of starch and hairspray, took the game away from the two combatants after one of them threw the dice at the other, scattering them everywhere. After that, a thorough search by the patients and the nurses turned up only three dice. The windows to the room and the rest of the ward were made of frosted glass that allowed outside light to enter but did not allow the patrons of the ward to view the outside world. Bars outside the windows projected hazy, striped silhouettes on the opaque glass. Four video cameras in black globes, placed at strategic locations on the ceiling of the rec room, kept an eye on the activities. The hours passed slowly in the room. Alyndia spent a great deal of time sitting on the couch watching the television that no one else seemed to be watching. Alyndia thought of Gerald and where he might be at that moment. She missed him badly. It occurred to her that he probably had no idea that she had ended up in a psychiatric ward. Lunch was brought to the patients on trays and served on the rows of Formica-topped tables with bench seats on either side. Alyndia had a difficult time eating the bland, unseasoned food with the flimsy plastic eating utensils the hospital courteously provided. Near the end of the meal, she resorted to using her hands to pluck out the boiled string beans out of the sectioned dish, as did many of the other patients. Later in the afternoon, the nurse called and escorted her into a comfortable office where a balding, middle-aged man with a scruffy, auburn beard and round, wire-rimmed glasses waited for her. The walls of the small room were lined with shelves of books, and on his desk were stacks of paper, on top of which sat a plastic human skull, which was used as a paperweight. The air in the office was redolent of Old Spice aftershave, which Alyndia instantly recognized, as MacGregor used to wear it. The man was standing beside his desk when Alyndia entered. He held out his hand to her, and they shook. He introduced himself as Dr. Gilbreth. The nurse left. He bid Alyndia to have a seat in one of the warm-looking, crescent-shaped, brown leather chairs before the desk. Alyndia casually noticed his window was clear behind open vertical blinds, and there were no bars. ¡°Ms. Constance Bain¡ªI¡¯m glad to meet you finally,¡± he said in an amicable tone of voice. ¡°What am I doing here?¡± she asked. ¡°The proper question is not what you are doing here, but rather, why are you here?¡± The doctor narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°Allow me to ask you first: Do you yourself have any idea why you are here?¡± Alyndia shook her head. The way he looked at her made her feel guilty as though she had committed a crime, although she did not know what crime it might be. He adjusted a few of the pages in an opened folder before him on his desk, lining up the edges of the pages. Alyndia spotted a few different black-and-white photos of Connie in the file, along with some official-looking documents. ¡°Let¡¯s go over the facts, shall we? It says here that you are 34, born in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 16. Graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in political science and minor in mathematics¡ªthat¡¯s an unusual combination, I might add. You were an intern at an aerospace firm when you were accepted into service with the CIA twelve years ago and have since maintained a perfect record with them. Your hobbies are model aircraft, mountain climbing, and martial arts. It says here that you¡¯re an expert marksman and that you were studying for your pilot¡¯s license before the accident. You¡¯ve been all over the world and speak at least three foreign languages.¡± Gilbreth looked up from the information in the folder. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you much more about your personal life, Ms. Bain. But I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just as distinguished. Your agency does not provide me with anything else. Apparently its classified.¡± ¡°What does the agency have to do with this? Do they know I am here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How could they let this happen to me?¡± ¡°Come now, Ms. Bain. The agency apparently cares about you very much; otherwise, you would not be speaking to me at this moment.¡± ¡°Are they the ones who sent me here?¡± The professor nodded once in response. Alyndia sat back in the leather armchair, allowing it to envelop her. ¡°I feel like I am in prison. What have I done wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing wrong. That is, you have not broken any laws that I know of. But according to the report here, since you woke up from your coma, your personality has undergone a dramatic, unprecedented change. Questions were raised by your supervisor, Roger Watkins, and your partner, William MacGregor, that you might be unstable. Naturally, due to your top secret clearance and the sensitive nature of your work, the agency is concerned that you might be a security risk.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Also, there is the matter of the suicide attempt.¡± Alyndia wasn¡¯t sure what the Gilbreth meant by this. ¡°What suicide attempt?¡± ¡°Your partner William MacGregor claims that you put a loaded, semi-automatic pistol up to your head, and if he hadn¡¯t stopped you when he did, you would have pulled the trigger.¡± Alyndia thought back on the incident. She had no idea she was holding a weapon at the time. ¡°I had no intention of suicide. You have it all wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want to hear from you¡ªyour side of the story. Can you tell me what you were doing with the gun pointed at your head?¡± ¡°I was looking at it.¡± ¡°You were looking at it?¡± he asked, incredulity in his tone. ¡°Could you clarify what you mean by that?¡± ¡°I was just examining it.¡± ¡°Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to me that someone in your line of work would certainly know what a gun looks like¡ªespecially if it¡¯s a standard-issue firearm that has been in your possession for many years. So, explain to me again why you had a loaded gun pointed at your head.¡± The room fell silent while the professor stared at her, waiting for an answer. She had no adequate response to his probing questions. She felt like crying. Without saying anything further, the doctor took off his glasses and began wiping the lenses with a tissue he pulled from a box on his desk. He checked his glasses in the light after each time he wiped them. Still, he said nothing. Then it seemed to Alyndia that he¡¯d forgotten he¡¯d asked her a question, and now was ignoring her presence in his office. Alyndia felt he was playing a game with her. Finally, she spoke. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you why I was looking at the gun. I can only tell you that I wasn¡¯t intending to end my life with it.¡± The doctor leaned back in his leather chair and gazed at her thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to take your word for it. Tell me. Since you woke up from your coma, have you had any attacks of dizziness or vertigo?¡± ¡°I felt sick the other night. But I think it was the wine I drank.¡± ¡°How about headaches. Have you had any headaches?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Feelings of numbness in your extremities?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Voices in your head giving you messages or telling you to do things?¡± Alyndia smiled. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Before your coma, did you ever have bouts of anxiety or depression?¡± Alyndia thought back on her days in Roggentine. Loneliness came to mind. She decided to open up to the doctor about this. ¡°I have felt lonely from time to time.¡± ¡°You have? Have you ever felt like ending it all because of it?¡± ¡°No. I haven¡¯t felt that way.¡± The doctor narrowed his eyes at her again. She suspected he didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°What can you tell me about your family, Ms. Bain?¡± ¡°I have three younger sisters. My father died when I was a teenager, and my mother is dying in the hospital as we speak.¡± ¡°Does it bother you that your mother is dying?¡± ¡°Well, yes. She is my mother, after all,¡± Alyndia replied after a pause. ¡°What was your relationship with your family like before you learned of her illness?¡± Alyndia didn¡¯t like these questions. She began to sense that the doctor was asking her questions that he already knew the answers to. ¡°I did not speak to them for many years.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°The relationship was strained.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t speak to them for, let¡¯s see¡­¡± He paused to do a mental calculation. This was a question she did not know the answer to, and she felt safer not bluffing it. ¡°It has to do with the death of my father. It¡¯s a painful memory. I prefer not to discuss it at this time, as it has nothing to do with why I am here.¡± The doctor pursed his lips at this reply. He nodded slowly. He seemed to feel that the answer was reasonable. He leaned forward in his chair and flipped through a few of the papers in the folder at this desk. ¡°When you applied for the agency, you were given a battery of psychological tests to determine your personality type and your compatibility with the type of work you would be doing. The agency has provided me copies of the results. What we¡¯d like to do is give you these tests again to recast your profile.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you would want to do this.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know you personally. But evidently, your employer is concerned about the personality change you¡¯ve undergone since you woke up from your coma.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°You see, descriptions of your behavior are very subjective. For example, who cares whether or not you like hamburgers or tofu for lunch? But what we need to do is determine exactly what changes have taken place since your awakening. We need an objective measure.¡± ¡°Do I have a choice on whether I should take these tests?¡± ¡°The choice is yours, of course. But I recommend that you take them, or else your stay here may be longer than you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°And what if I fail the tests? What will happen to me?¡± The professor laughed out loud at this question. ¡°Ms. Bain, you cannot fail these tests. You simply answer questions, and then we rate your personality traits based on your answers. The tests will help us to know you better.¡± Alyndia nodded slowly, wondering exactly what they would learn about her through these mysterious tests. ¡°Now, as for the question of what happens to you, if you¡¯re not dangerous to yourself or others and you¡¯re not deemed a security risk, you will be free to go. We cannot legally keep you here at the hospital for arbitrary reasons. As far as your position with the agency goes, I can guarantee nothing. I must advise you, however, that the results of the tests will be turned over to the agency for review by their psychological staff. There is always the chance that you may be disqualified from further service with them.¡± ¡°You mean they might release me from the agency?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll concede that it¡¯s a possibility.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not so bad,¡± Alyndia concluded, voicing her thoughts. The doctor raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯ve spent twelve distinguished years with the agency. You¡¯ve been all over the world for them and done many things. And from what I gathered, you enjoyed your work immensely. For all of this, I¡¯d expect you to be in tears right now at the thought of being kicked out of the agency.¡± ¡°As I told my partner Will, I¡¯m trying to make meaningful changes in my life.¡± Dr. Gilbreth nodded slowly while scrutinizing the look in her face. He adjusted his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose and closed the folder on his desk. ¡°That will be all for now. I have you scheduled for an MRI tomorrow morning at 7:30am. It will take about an hour. You¡¯ll spend the rest of the day taking the tests I told you about. Do you have any questions?¡± ¡°Yes, what is an MRI?¡± The doctor cleared his throat. ¡°It¡¯s a diagnostic test. MRI means Magnetic Resonant Imaging. We¡¯ll use it to take a picture of your brain and also measure blood flow, blood volume, and check for signs of edema. From this information, we can tell if you¡¯ve sustained a brain injury and, if so, how severe it is.¡± ¡°Is it a difficult test?¡± Alyndia asked, baffled by everything the doctor had just told her. ¡°Not at all. All you have to do is lie still.¡± Alone in the thinly padded hospital bed that night, bathed in the eerie light of the moon, her mind raced over where Gerald, her lover and friend, might be at that moment. She thought it bitterly ironic that she traveled across the barriers between worlds, braved the Wild, just to be locked in an asylum for those of unsound spirit. It should have been so simple. All that needed to be done was to put the bracelet on Elise¡¯s wrist. That¡¯s all. The frustration of how such a simple act could go so wrong drove her mad. She wanted to scream out loud. She tossed and turned in the uncomfortable bed for what seemed an hour after the lights in the room went out. There were a dozen other women in the room with her. Judging by the sounds of their snores, none of them had any trouble sleeping. After some time had passed, a nurse entered the room. Immediately she walked up to Alyndia. ¡°Having trouble sleeping?¡± the nurse asked her in a hushed tone without turning on the light. ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡± ¡°We know everything. Is something bothering you?¡± ¡°The bed isn¡¯t the most comfortable I¡¯ve ever tried to sleep on.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll agree with that,¡± the nurse said. ¡°Would you like me to get you something?¡± ¡°Could you?¡± With that, the nurse left the room. Alyndia tried to remain still from that moment on. She wondered how the nurse knew she was having trouble sleeping. She thought that perhaps the nurse was spying on her using the same technology that MacGregor had used to record her interrogation of Gerald at the police station. The technology in this world can be sneaky, she thought. Her thoughts returned to Gerald. She wondered what she was thinking at that moment. She wondered if he yearned to be with her as much as she yearned to be with him. They no longer had to meet through an aperture. Her flesh was as his. They could touch. The possibilities of what they could now do together were endless. She brought her fingers to her lips, then she closed her eyes and tried to recreate the feeling of his warm lips against hers she¡¯d felt earlier in the day. She broke into a smile when she recalled their meeting earlier in the day. He was just as sincere as she was, even when he thought he was talking to Connie. She decided she would richly reward him for her show of loyalty to her when they met again. A few minutes later, the nurse returned with two paper cups. ¡°Hold out your hand,¡± the nurse said. Alyndia did as she was told. The nurse emptied a single white tablet from one of the cups into her hand. Alyndia stared at the tablet, wondering what it was. ¡°What is this?¡± she asked. ¡°Halcion.¡± ¡°What is Halcion?¡± ¡°You said you were having trouble sleeping, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Is it a herbal remedy?¡± ¡°Better than that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it. Will it help?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she replied with a hint of impatience in her voice. ¡°Now swallow.¡± Her eyes quickly scanned the other beds in the darkened room. ¡°Do it now before you wake up the other patients.¡± Alyndia swallowed the tablets as she was told. The nurse then gave her the cup of water to wash them down. Once she finished the water, Alyndia settled into the bed. The nurse adjusted the blankets for her and then left the room. Alone again, except for the breathing of the other women in the room, she stared through the gloom into the ceiling. There were many things in this world that were mysteries to her. She wanted desperately to learn them. She felt foolish, and she had made several missteps since she entered the world. Nevertheless, she had spent months preparing herself for this experience, and she had done so with the same intensity that she learned mysterious celestial spells that carried her soul to this far-away place. She was determined to make good of her opportunity to live in this world, not only so that she could revel in the love she cherished but also so that her sacrifices were not in vain. After about ten minutes, she started feeling drowsy. This lethargy was accompanied by a mild sensation of well-being. It was not an unpleasant feeling. She decided to allow the drug to take its effect on her. She had almost nodded off to sleep when she thought she heard a man¡¯s calling her name in a quiet, hoarse voice. She tried to ignore the voice, thinking her mind was playing tricks on her. Now she felt a chill in her breast. She pulled the thin hospital blanket closer to her. ¡°Yes,¡± she said out loud to the voice. ¡°Alyndia, Daughter of Alitrea,¡± the voice said. Now she felt a cold draft on her face. Alyndia opened her eyes. To her shock and surprise, the shadowy face of an old man floating above the bed, staring into hers. She closed her eyes and pressed her head deeper to pull away from the face that radiated cold. This isn¡¯t happening, she thought. ¡°Alyndia,¡± the voice said, its tone more insistent than the last. She opened her eyes again. Standing beside her bed was the dim, shimmering apparition of a bent old man, dressed in a robe of her world. Cradled in his arm was a small, opened box from which a haze of colorful rays emanated. The man looked vaguely familiar to her, yet she could not place where she had seen his face before. She sat up in her bed to have a better look at him. She swooned with dizziness from the sedative the nurse had given her. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. ¡°I am Calicus of Roggentine,¡± the apparition said, his voice sounding far away despite his proximity to her. The name sounded familiar to Alyndia. She felt as though she ought to know him, but for some reason, she found it difficult to organize her thoughts at that moment. Finally, it came to her who he was. He was an arch-wizard, one of the most powerful in the land, but one who most learned in the old magic of the ancestors, esoteric spells forgotten by all but the oldest and most learned of sorcerers. Although he was well-known in her city, she had met him only in passing at a Thesbis Festival years ago. ¡°Yes, I remember you.¡± ¡°You have committed an unconscionable act, Alyndia. You have displaced the spirit of another from her vessel of birth.¡± ¡°It was not my intention to do so.¡± Alyndia pulled back the hospital gown to show the apparition the healing burn on her wrist. ¡°I spiritually bound myself to the bracelet. She put it on, though she was not supposed to. She perverted my spell.¡± ¡°You should have warned her before she put on the bracelet.¡± ¡°I could not. I was unconscious in the ether.¡± ¡°So it was. In any case, you must vacate the vessel you now occupy and return to your own.¡± ¡°It is not within my power to do so. In any case, I will not!¡± Alyndia said, speaking louder than she intended. The woman in the bed next to hers stirred, but she did not awaken. Alyndia remained silent for a moment until the woman settled back into her drug-aided slumber. ¡°I am here to be with the man I love, a man who loves me as I love him. For the first time in my existence, I will be happy.¡± ¡°Alyndia, you may have broken Spiritual Law. Are you aware of this?¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°I will present this matter to the Council of Theroda in a fortnight. They will decide whether a law has been broken.¡± ¡°I am confident that the Council will rule in my favor when all the facts are presented to them.¡± ¡°But even if you are not found guilty, you must consider the fate of the soul you have displaced.¡± ¡°What of her?¡± ¡°Her soul exists in the vessel that was once yours.¡± A chill ran down her spine on hearing Calicus say this, for it confirmed her worst fear. ¡°I suspected such a thing. Sometimes I receive odd physical sensations. But no matter what the Council decides, I choose to remain here. This is where I live now. With every passing day, my spirit and thoughts are further woven into the fabric of this world.¡± ¡°So is hers on Cerinya, Alyndia. And just as you do, she walks and moves and speaks the native language.¡± ¡°Where is she now?¡± ¡°She has voluntarily taken up a quest,¡± Calicus said, his voice wavering in the ether. ¡°Which quest? Are you talking about the visit to the Calphous Wall?¡± Alyndia laughed. ¡°That was a trivial matter. Any elemental spellcaster can easily replace me on that trip.¡± ¡°No. Chaos has returned, and Connie is venturing into the Outer Realms to help put an end to it.¡± On hearing this, Alyndia rose to her knees on the bed. ¡°What? That is impossible!¡± ¡°It is true.¡± Calicus explained to Alyndia the nature of the quest and its goals. Alyndia listened, scarcely able to believe her ears. ¡°She knows nothing about our world. She¡¯ll be helpless,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°She can¡¯t even cast spells to protect herself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. But some of your abilities may remain with her. She may eventually learn.¡± ¡°Maybe¡ªshe doesn¡¯t get killed first, and even still¡­¡± Her voice trailed off. ¡°I do not care what happens to her, Calicus. You say what you want to the Council, but I wash my hands of this situation.¡± ¡°Ah, but you cannot! A vestige of your spirit remains in your former vessel, just as part of hers remains in the vessel you now occupy. The connection between you spans the Wild.¡± ¡°It is a very weak connection at best.¡± ¡°Yes, but it was yet strong enough for me to trace you to this world.¡± ¡°In time, the cord will thin and break of its own accord, and then we will be entirely separate.¡± ¡°That is very likely. But until that time comes, if one of you should perish, then the other will follow.¡± Alyndia¡¯s eyes filled with tears on hearing that. ¡°That can¡¯t be true.¡± ¡°Indeed, it is. You evidently do not fully understand what has happened to you.¡± Alyndia glared at Calicus. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If you knew she could die, why didn¡¯t you stop her from going on that quest?¡± ¡°I did warn her, but who am I to tell her what she can and cannot do? Her will is strong, and she was not easily swayed.¡± ¡°That idiot!¡± ¡°She also successfully persuaded the quest leader to bring her along. It was ultimately his decision on whether she should go, not mine. He acquiesced.¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to get us killed. I just know it.¡± ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I did give her an amulet of protection, and she is with a very strong group. So, she at least has a chance.¡± Alyndia wiped her eyes. ¡°Calicus, there is nothing I can do to reverse that spell that brought me here. I cannot return to Cerinya by my own means, even to save my own life.¡± The woman in the bed next to her awoke and suddenly sat up in her bed. She looked around the room with a blank expression. She seemed unable to figure out where she was. Both of them ignored her. ¡°Perhaps the man who aided in bringing you to that world can help you.¡± ¡°He cannot. He is not a wizard as you are.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you retained any abilities from our world?¡± ¡°No. None have carried over, and there is no way for me to project my soul into the Wild as I could in Cerinya. The spirits of this world are bound very tightly to their vessels.¡± ¡°You must try.¡± ¡°I have. Oh, Calicus, what¡¯s done is done. No matter what happens with Connie, I cannot go back.¡± ¡°I understand from Connie that you now live in a magic-poor world and cannot cast spells. Still, you should explore what other options there are at your disposal.¡± The woman in the bed lying next to her spoke. ¡°Listen to the old man, Miss. He seems to know what he is talking about.¡± ¡°You mind your own business!¡± Alyndia shouted at the woman. ¡°Excuse me!¡± the woman said in a sarcastic tone. Alyndia continued, ¡°But Calicus. Hear me out. I have traveled far to be with my love in this world. I took many risks. I was even lost in the Wild. It was only by luck that I made it here. Most of all, I don¡¯t want to lose my love now that we are so close.¡± She wiped her eye. ¡°I do not want to return.¡± ¡°But what if Connie is slain?¡± ¡°What happens to her is beyond my control. I must accept that and live my life here as best I can.¡± He said something, but his voice had become garbled and unintelligible. She could only make out the tail end of what he said: ¡°...irresponsible of you.¡± ¡°One moment with my love in this world is worth a lifetime in Cerinya,¡± she shot back quickly. Now Calicus¡¯ image began to flutter and fade. ¡°Where are you going?¡± she asked him. ¡°Already my spell weakens,¡± Calicus said, his voice barely intelligible to her. ¡°¡­enormous amount of energy to project here.¡± At that moment, Alyndia realized the nurse was standing in the room next to her bed, staring at her. ¡°Why are you sitting up on your bed like that?¡± she asked. ¡°Lie down. Right now.¡± Feeling slightly foolish, Alyndia absently lowered herself to the bed while keeping her eyes fixed on Calicus. ¡°Isn¡¯t there another solution to this?¡± ¡°Alyndia, we must undo this act you have committed.¡± Now his voice was beginning to flutter and fade with his image, which in a short time had become a silvery shadow of which only the edges were visible as a white frost. ¡°Think on this, Alyndia,¡± he said, his voice barely audible. ¡°Depart from me in peace, Calicus. I have arrived here to be with the one I love, and this time will come to pass.¡± The nurse turned to the aisle between the beds to see whom Alyndia was speaking to. Seeing no one there, her eyes returned to Alyndia. She didn¡¯t bother asking Alyndia to whom she was speaking. It was not a worthwhile question. Not in this place. Chapter 18 - Into the Outer Realms Chapter 18 Into the Outer Realms The party set themselves up for the night in an abandoned farm in the midst of a freshly harvested field. The bodies of the farmer, his two sons, a wife, and an elderly woman, probably a grandmother, lay massacred inside the cottage. The windows and doors of the cottage were boarded up from the inside in a desperate attempt to keep some evil outside the cottage away from the family within. A large hole ripped in the roof told the story of their demise. The party decided to set up camp in the large barn that stood a short distance from the cottage. Exploration of the barn revealed it strangely devoid of any livestock, dead or alive. That evening, just after dark, Rahl, Theo, and Yalden set fire to the cottage to cremate the bodies within. Now with the doors to the barn firmly bolted from the inside, the party made camp in the barn, each member procuring for himself or herself a niche of privacy in either the loft, the stacks of straw, or stalls that had been unused and were clean for the most part. Connie casually noticed that Snow set up her place next to Rahl¡¯s. After dinner, everyone settled into their personal spaces. Once again, Theo volunteered to pull the first watch. Connie decided to do the same. Yalden and Maltokken would take the second watch, and the third watch, which ended at sunset, would be done by Rahl and Jalban. During the first watch, Connie and Theo sat on opposite sides of the barn at openings in the loft. On Connie¡¯s side, the cottage smoldered long into the evening in a subdued orange glow. The night itself was exceptionally dark, with patchy clouds covering the moons most of the time. Occasionally, a breeze would kick up, and the air would fill with that fishy scent she smelled at the river earlier in the day. Connie spent the majority of her watch in silent repose, pondering the nature of her world and where in the universe Earth might be in relation to where she now resided. She also wondered how much time had gone by in her world since she¡¯d left. After a few hours, she became sleepy, so she went over to Theo¡¯s side of the barn. Theo sat at the window with his legs hanging from the opening. Connie was surprised to see Tristana sleeping soundly on a heap of straw next to Theo. Her enchanted axe sat within arm¡¯s reach next to her. A blue-flamed lamp burned very low next to Theo while he read from the tome Calicus gave him. Occasionally he glanced up to view the outdoors. When Theo saw Connie coming, he moved aside to give her a place to sit. She sat down next to him, being careful not to fall from the opening. ¡°She¡¯s sleeping,¡± Connie whispered to Theo about Tristana. ¡°Indeed. She is made of flesh as we are, and the flesh must rest. This is the first time she has slept since she joined us, and now she sleeps deeply.¡± ¡°Have you learned anything about her from that instruction manual?¡± ¡°The more I learn about her, the more she is a mystery to me,¡± he said, closing the tome. Connie noticed a few of Theo¡¯s spell books sitting nearby. ¡°I have to learn how to cast elemental spells, Theo,¡± she said. ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°I cannot. I know little about elemental magic. I know only spirit magic.¡± ¡°Then what can I do?¡± ¡°Perhaps you can ask Snow to help you. She may know something about it.¡± Connie scoffed at the idea of asking Snow. ¡°She never talks to me unless she wants to express some sort of displeasure. For that, I would never ask anything of her. Besides, I don¡¯t even like her.¡± ¡°How about Fandia? She told me she used to work with elemental magic before she switched over to celestial.¡± ¡°Fandia is now Snow¡¯s apprentice, so again I would have to ask Snow.¡± ¡°What happened between you and Snow?¡± ¡°We had a spat.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Well, no. I threw a cup at her too. But she was asking for it.¡± ¡°You threw a cup at Snow?¡± Theo chuckled. ¡°I admire your temerity, but it¡¯s not wise to do such a thing to an arch-sorceress of celestial magic. I¡¯m certain she had several spells in her head to harm you after you did that. And knowing her reputation, I was surprised she did not cast one on you. You should consider yourself lucky.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still a snob in my book. arch sorceress or not, I¡¯m not going to let her push me around. Not her nor anyone.¡± ¡°Hush!¡± Theo said, looking toward the entrance of the barn. ¡°She may hear you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if she does,¡± Connie said, not lowering her voice. ¡°In fact, I hope she does.¡± Theo shook his head and looked away to the darkness outside the barn, ¡°I don¡¯t know what world from whence your spirit came, but you have much to learn of ours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what everyone tells me,¡± Connie responded. ¡°But I play by my rules. And if someone slights me, I slight them back.¡± Theo stared at Connie thoughtfully. She returned his stare, taking in his features. His face looked gaunt and even skull-like in the feeble blue lamp light. He sighed, ¡°I suppose I cannot blame you for the way you feel about Snow. She can be difficult, I agree. But you must learn to live as one of us. That includes respecting those who have power. Your survival may depend upon it.¡± Connie rose and went back to her side of the barn. Some of the clouds had cleared, revealing the light of the larger of the two moons overhead. Feeling bored, she reached into her pack and pulled out the enchanted romance novel that she¡¯d brought from Alyndia¡¯s apartment. Looking around to make sure she wasn¡¯t being watched, she discretely opened the book to the bookmarked page. As she did so, a small, folded sheet of parchment fell out of the back of the book onto her lap. To her surprise, it had what looked like a small amount of old, dried blood on it. She opened the parchment and read. It appeared to be both a poem and a letter, and yet neither. It was not written in her own hand. She read it: Do you remember, Alyndia How many green-colored skies Remained on the periphery Of consciousness In the spring that told us Our love will never die You remember, I know But how life flies. We loved so much To meet the dawn, to watch How the sun smiled tenderly At the half-open window It would be like this forever It seemed to us. I see all your features In the gentle spring light Lying in the afterglow Who taught you to love? You know. And do you remember I dreamed of the summer We were together¡ªyou and me Two sides of the same coin. Yet I never believed in the dream I thought all would be different. But time cannot be stopped Neither can the heart be forced Where have the dreams gone? I¡¯m leaving¡ªyou¡¯re quietly crying. Why try again and again Starting over for an hour Our tormented, lazy love You remember, you know. That spring told us Our love will never die Of that spring something is left In my heart from you forever That spring is all that remains. For reasons she could not fathom, Connie had tears in her eyes by the time she finished this poem. The words, perhaps resonating with a forgotten memory, conjured up in her emptiness and blackness of spirit. The whole experience haunted her. It took all her willpower not to tear up the poem and put it back into the novel. ¡°Snap out of it, Connie,¡± she said, wiping her eyes, deeply hating this growing tendency in herself to be weepy and overly sensitive. At that moment, she felt a gentle tapping at her shoulder. It was Yalden. ¡°It¡¯s my turn for the watch. You can get some sleep now.¡± Connie nodded and sat up, wiping her eyes as she went over to where her blankets awaited her. The next morning, before breakfast, Connie spent the morning doing exercises. She did sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups on one of the rafters in the barn. The soldiers watched her with amusement. They cracked jokes at her among themselves within her earshot. She paid them no attention while working herself into a sweat. After a mere fifteen-minute workout, she was already too exhausted to continue. She spent another fifteen minutes or so doing stretching exercises, which were painful. Nonetheless, she stuck with it as long as she could, determined to put Alyndia¡¯s former body into shape, even if it killed her. The sun never seemed to rise that morning, despite the day growing gradually brighter. The sky remained a haze of dull green clouds. After breakfast, they ventured out of the barn and toward the Calphous Wall. Connie walked along side her hanyak to get in shape. After a short while, she was already out of breath, and she had a difficult time keeping up with the stride of the hanyaks, which was just a bit faster than the normal stride of a human, but she pooled her discipline and persisted anyway. The road wound through the farmlands of freshly harvested fields and silent cottages. After three leagues, the road straightened out to the east toward the Castle Maray and the ill-fated village. At this point, they left the road and headed straight north. After a while, Connie noticed occasional black patches of soil on which nothing grew. It looked as if tiny fires had scorched that part of the earth. Like a spreading cancer, the dead patches became more numerous the closer they traveled toward their source. Soon, they were within viewing distance of the wall stretching across the horizon. By this time, the dead patches covered the ground the way spots cover a leopard¡¯s back. Connie had envisioned the Calphous Wall appearing as the Great Wall of China, built of gray, round stones with a buttress every two hundred paces, or so. This structure was entirely different. This was about five stories high and made of strikingly white stone without any visible feature outside the sheen of the stone. As they approached the immense structure, Connie realized the wall was thicker at its base than at the top. It almost appeared as would a great dam. Finally, they reached the base of the wall. Though it¡¯s surface appeared monolithic from a distance, it was far from that. That wall was actually constructed of huge, smoothly hewn, S-shaped, interlocking blocks of stone, each the aggregate size of a small car, and laid with meticulous precision. Despite this impressive construction, the wall was in desperate need of maintenance. Large cracks ran up and down the sides, some wide and deep, as though some great pressure were being applied to the structure on the other side. There were gray areas in the white stone where patches had been done to the wall over the years. Even some of these patches, patches that varied in age and quality, were in a state of disrepair. Chunks of white and gray stone lay scattered upon the mostly black soil at the base of the wall. But despite its dilapidation, the effect was still magnificent. ¡°Incredible,¡± Connie said. ¡°You are impressed?¡± Maltokken asked. Connie turned to him, startled at his voice. She did not realize he was sitting on his hanyak so closely behind her. ¡°How long is this wall?¡± she asked him. ¡°8583 leagues,¡± he replied. ¡°Everyone knows that.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not everyone.¡± Connie did a mental calculation. She estimated that since there were about two and a half leagues to her estimation of a mile. That meant the wall had a length of¡ª3433 miles! This was far longer than the wall of China at 660 miles. The idea of a structure of this length boggled her mind. She wondered instantly if the wall bisected the continent as it snaked across the land or if it spanned islands and bodies of water in its total length. She thought that maintaining the wall was a Herculean task. She wished she had a map of the continent. Connie did not see any gates or other entrances in the wall. Just as Connie wondered if they were going to scale it, Rahl drew his sword and walked up to the section of wall next to her. He put his free hand on the wall and closed his eyes. He stood there for a while without moving, his head bowed, as if he were in prayer. Then abruptly he opened his eyes and addressed the party. ¡°Chaos is strong on the other side of this section. We will cross at another place.¡± Rahl began walking east along the wall, running his fingers along the smooth stones, his armor clanking with each step. Every so often he¡¯d step over a chunk fallen from the wall or clump of dead vegetation, but he never released his fingers from the white stone of the wall for any more than a second. The party unquestioningly followed Rahl on their hanyaks. After they had traveled four hundred paces or so, Rahl paused. After a few moments, he patted the wall a few times with the palm of his hand. ¡°This is the place,¡± Rahl announced to the group. ¡°We will cross here.¡± As if on cue, Snow got off her white hanyak and, with a gold-tipped wand in hand, walked over to where Rahl stood. He said something to her out of Connie¡¯s earshot, and she nodded. Rahl turned to the party. ¡°Prepare to enter the Outer Realms.¡± At those words, the members of the party looked to each other with uncertainty. Connie sensed a great deal of unease in the air after what they had witnessed the day before at the bridge. A few members drew their weapons. ¡°Can¡¯t we rest a bit?¡± Jalban asked. ¡°We must go now,¡± Rahl responded. ¡°But we need to rest.¡± Rahl smiled at Jalban, but he spoke to the rest of the party. ¡°You deceive yourselves into believing the soil you stand upon is safe. I say to you in truth, the scourge upon this side of the wall is nearly the same as on the other side. There is no safety here¡ªnot for anyone.¡± Rahl nodded to Snow. She planted her feet fully on the ground and positioned herself carefully, her right foot forward. She began smoothly, silently waving the wand repeatedly at the base of the wall in what looked like a horizontal, figure-eight pattern¡ªthe sign of Infinity¡ªall the while muttering something incomprehensible under her breath. To Connie, it looked as if the wand were a baton, and she was conducting some invisible band. The hanyaks became restless. Then, a section of the wall the size of a passageway began to shimmer with gold sparkling light. Snow abruptly stopped waving the wand. Instantly, soundlessly, an arched tunnel appeared through the base of the wall. ¡°It is done,¡± the sorceress said. Snow walked slowly back to her hanyak, her shoulders now slumped slightly. Casting the spell had seemingly physically weakened her. Connie looked into the tunnel and was surprised that she could not see light on the other side. Rahl rode into the tunnel first. Yalden and Maltokken quickly followed. The rest of the party waited uneasily while they were gone. They returned after a minute and then stood in front of the entrance to the tunnel. Maltokken looked pale from whatever he saw on the other side and moved away from the passage. ¡°If any of you want to turn back, now is the time,¡± Rahl said, addressing the party. ¡°Once you pass through, you will not be able to return to this land.¡± The party members looked to each other, but no one said a word until Snow spoke up. ¡°I am behind you, Rahl. Let us go now. The spell doesn¡¯t last indefinitely.¡± With those words, she led her white hanyak, pack barak in tow, into the pitch-black tunnel. After Snow, Theo entered next, followed by Tristana. Then, one by one, the other party members entered the tunnel until only Rahl, Connie, and Maltokken remained. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going?¡± Rahl asked the soldier. ¡°I have a wife and child in Roggentine,¡± he said, his voice trembling. ¡°What will become of them once I leave this land? What if we fail?¡± Rahl stared at him levelly. ¡°You deceive yourself by thinking the fate of your wife and child is in your hands. Their fate is not. Roggentine will surely be surrounded by Chaos long before we reach the Atranox. ¡°Then I should return.¡± ¡°For what? To battle Chaos from the fields to the walls of the citadels? A single soldier cannot affect the outcome of a war.¡± ¡°But maybe I can protect my family,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°Maybe I can take them to the coast. From there we can take a ship to an island, where we will be safe for a time.¡± ¡°A man¡¯s family is closest to his heart. This is the way it ought to be. But perhaps you can also do good for them by serving the greater cause. If we succeed, they will live along with millions of others.¡± Connie listened to this exchange between the two men, admiring Rahl for how delicately he addressed Maltokken¡¯s fear without any attempt to belittle or humiliate him. Her heart swelled with respect for him. Now, here is a real man, she thought. ¡°Rahl!¡± came Snow¡¯s voice from the passage. ¡°Please hurry!¡± ¡°I will not force you to choose either way, Maltokken,¡± Rahl said, ¡°but you must choose now.¡± Maltokken looked toward the south from where they had traveled from. ¡°Perhaps I should go,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, Maltokken,¡± Connie broke in. ¡°Roggentine is over a day away. And you¡¯ll be on your own. There are bandits out there, not to mention Chaos.¡± Maltokken¡¯s face broke into a sweat on hearing those words. ¡°Yes, but if I hurry¡ª¡± ¡°And don¡¯t forget that you have to cross that chaos river again at some point. Remember what happened to those townspeople?¡± ¡°What shall I do?¡± he asked Rahl. ¡°Come along with us,¡± he replied. ¡°We will need your fighting strength for this journey.¡± ¡°Rahl!¡± Snow¡¯s voice came again from the other side of the wall. Maltokken gave Rahl a look of uncertainty and, with a last longing look toward the south, he rode his hanyak into the tunnel to join the rest of the party. Now only Connie and Rahl remained. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn now, Rahl,¡± she said, guiding her hanyak over toward the tunnel. ¡°Connie,¡± he said to her. She stopped and turned to see him staring at her. She thought she saw admiration for her in his greenish-black eyes, but she wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this? Once you pass through the Calphous Wall, you will not be able to return.¡± ¡°I realize this, but I have nothing to return to.¡± ¡°You may still make it to the coast,¡± he said. ¡°The path is clear to the south. You can make it in a week if you hurry and do as Maltokken said.¡± ¡°No, Rahl. I¡¯m going with you.¡± Rahl smiled at her sadly. ¡°I want to thank you for volunteering for this quest.¡± ¡°Thank you for your faith in me, Rahl. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°Something tells me you speak the truth.¡± Snow voice came again from the tunnel in the wall. ¡°Rahl, what is taking you so long?¡± Seconds later, she appeared at the entrance. ¡°What is the delay?¡± she asked the both of them in a severe tone. ¡°I can¡¯t cast this spell again. Come now, or you will remain on this side.¡± Connie and Rahl followed Snow through the wall. The passage was pitch black inside with a scarcely visible dull-brown glow on the other side. They walked twenty paces toward the glow until they suddenly passed into daylight again. The sight on the other side shocked Connie. Whereas they had left green fields of grass and forests, this side was desolate wasteland. The ground was black and stony, and the only foliage was an occasional dead tree jutting from the ground, with leafless branches appearing as crazed spider webs on stalks. To Connie, the land on the north side of the wall looked as though it had sustained a nuclear blast. This desolation stretched onward for as far as the eye could see. The air was bad too; it was heavy with the thick, fishy smell she caught whiff of at the river. Rahl turned to the party. ¡°I have two simple rules for all of you to follow. The first is to not touch anything without speaking to me first. This is a dangerous land. The most innocent of objects or creatures may be deadly. The second rule is keep together. You must not stray from the party, for there is safety in our number. To be alone in this land is to court death. Do any of you question these rules?¡± Rahl met the gaze of each party member. No one responded. ¡°Very good,¡± he said finally. ¡°Let us continue.¡± Without another word, the party began heading north. After they had traveled a short distance, Connie looked back toward the Calphous Wall. The tunnel they¡¯d traveled through had vanished. The only sign they had passed through were their footprints that led away from the featureless base of the wall. Connie again wondered about the relationship between Rahl and Snow. Rahl had told her he had a wife and child in his hometown of Xhalathn. And from what she knew of Snow, the self-styled epitome of purity and piousness, the great arch sorceress could never ¡®defile¡¯ herself by seeking the affection of a married man, especially when she was beautiful enough with her buxom figure and pouty lips to win the heart and soul of any man she wanted in Roggentine. Still, that didn¡¯t explain the doe-eyed look Snow sometimes gave Rahl when he spoke to her, and the way the mighty sorceress purred at his side like a young kitten while she snapped at everyone else with so much impunity, including her own apprentice. The two had been friends in years past. That much was understood. Perhaps they were even lovers at one time. But some things about the swordbearer and the sorceress didn¡¯t make sense. Furthermore, Connie could not understand why a spirit of melancholy had descended upon Rahl at the precise moment he''d heard that Zeranon had been overcome by Chaos. He was mourning a town he claimed to have visited only once or twice. What was the connection? Connie wondered. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. After a few hours of the same dreary, flat terrain, the area became hilly. They had to slow down their pace. Once they reached the top of one hill, in the depression between them and the next hill, was a wild garden of giant flowers. To Connie, the flowers had the distinct bell shape of morning glories or perhaps devil¡¯s trumpets, both of which resembled the sound horn on an old Victrola. The flowers, in their vibrant reds, blues, violets, and greens, stood out in stark contrast to the otherwise barren landscape, and they grew on vines with giant, fleshy, green leaves. They were altogether beautiful. Scattered on the wet soil around the plant were numerous beige seeds the shape of a semi-flattened peach pit and the length of a man¡¯s hand. Rahl stopped the party, who had been traveling behind him two abreast. Then the ten of them lined up at the apex of the hill, staring down at the dense garden below. ¡°Look at the flowers! They¡¯re beautiful!¡± Fandia said. She took a step toward the unusual foliage. Before she could take another step, Rahl held out his sword in front of her, holding her back with the flat of the blade. ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t move.¡± Rahl then waved his sword in a broad arc over the garden below while the party watched. Finally, he lowered the weapon. ¡°Don¡¯t go near them. The garden is tainted,¡± Rahl said. ¡°We will go around it.¡± He sheathed his sword and moved to the left along the crest of the hill. Fandia looked to Snow. ¡°Can you imagine Calicus¡¯ garden with flowers such as those?¡± ¡°Yes, they are lovely,¡± Snow replied. ¡°I don¡¯t believe delicate flowers such as those could be harmful. What if we were to get some of those seeds? Maybe the seeds would grow into an untainted plant. We could grow them in the garden and find out.¡± Jalban said to Fandia, ¡°If Rahl says not to touch them, then it would behoove you to follow his words.¡± ¡°I agree with Rahl. He¡¯s the leader. We should follow him.¡± Connie said. Fandia shot Connie a hard, incredulous look. ¡°Hold your tongue. You contribute nothing to this quest.¡± Connie gave Fandia a hard stare. The apprentice is no better than the master, she thought. Psi¡¯el rode back to the three stragglers. He spoke after Rahl, Snow, and Theo, and most of the others were out of earshot. ¡°I would not give weight to Rahl¡¯s words,¡± he said in a hushed tone. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fandia asked. He glanced at Rahl and then drew close to her when he saw Rahl wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°Rahl thinks he can control us now that we have passed beyond the Calphous Wall.¡± ¡°How do you know this?¡± Jalban asked. ¡°Trust me. I know his type.¡± ¡°Rahl is a swordbearer,¡± he said. ¡°You would do well to trust his words. He knows and understands Chaos.¡± ¡°Nonsense. No man understands Chaos.¡± ¡°You¡¯re merely a soldier. What do you know?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see the tattoo of the swordbearer on your arm.¡± The fighter chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t need a tattoo.¡± He pointed to his temple. ¡°I have a sharp mind. Listen. If you want to survive, just stand by me. That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll make sure you survive this quest.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Jalban said. ¡°Those are lovely flowers,¡± Fandia said, looking longingly at the flowers. ¡°I would love to have the seeds for those. Did you know I tend Calicus¡¯ garden?¡± ¡°I can get you those seeds with my whip,¡± Psi¡¯el said, proudly holding up his prized weapon in his hand. Jalban sighed. ¡°You are a fool with that whip of yours.¡± ¡°I also have a flail. Would you like to feel it on your back, healer?¡± ¡°Be gone,¡± Fandia said. On seeing no one protest her order, Psi¡¯el shook his head. ¡°Curse you both, then.¡± He turned his hanyak around and galloped up to the rest of the party. Jalban gazed at Fandia, whose eyes were again enraptured by the flowers as they passed them. ¡°Have no fear, Fandia,¡± he said. ¡°Before we leave this land, you shall have seeds for your garden.¡± Fandia turned to Jalban and smiled. ¡°Are you saying you will get them for me?¡± ¡°Perhaps I will,¡± he said. ¡°Now every plant we see like that must be tainted by Chaos.¡± Connie broke in. ¡°Did I hear you correctly that everything in this land is tainted?¡± ¡°No, not everything,¡± Jalban answered. ¡°And there are known to be vast regions here still free of this scourge. We will come to them by and by.¡± ¡°Connie, you always ask the most obvious, annoying questions,¡± Fandia said. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to learn about this place. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was wrong. I just said it was annoying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to annoy you, Fandia.¡± Connie rode up away from the rest of the party, but she didn¡¯t speak to anyone, not even Tristana this time. Evidently, she was the low woman on the totem pole. More than that, she definitely didn¡¯t feel as though she was an integral part of this loosely assembled group. All of them seemed to lack confidence in her. This was a far cry from her work with the CIA, where she felt she had the respect of her colleagues. Now she wondered why Rahl and even Calicus had allowed her to join them. Perhaps it was purely out of pity. Perhaps they wanted her to come to a quick end so that she would not suffer. Connie clenched her teeth at this thought. No matter what their reasons for allowing her to join the quest, she had a mission. And as she told Rahl, she would fulfill it to its most logical conclusion, whether it resulted in victory or death. As the party traveled further into the hills, the garden they had first seen turned out to be one of hundreds. And within each of the depressions between the gently rolling hills they now traveled was a garden of giant flowers, just as they had seen earlier. Gradually, the fishy, charnel-like air gradually gave way to the sweet smell of nectar as the gardens of flowers became larger and more numerous. Connie noted that in a few of the larger, deeper depressions, a shallow pool of water surrounded the cluster of vines. She also noted that none of the flowers grew on the crests of the hills. From this, she surmised that the flowers survived only on the moist soil between the hills as opposed to the relatively dry soil at the crests. They traveled without making camp for the next four hours, stopping only at a pool (that Rahl judged as untainted) to water the hanyaks and baraks. After a few leagues, the hills and flowers gave way to a plateau where scruffy weeds grew. This was a change, for in the previous travel of the day, they had not encountered a single living animal or plant save the giant gardens of flowers. It was around this time that Connie heard Fandia bitterly complaining to Jalban that there were no more of the flowers available from which to take seeds. Sunset followed shortly after they reached the plateau. They stopped at an area Rahl had picked out, cleared away the brush, and set up camp. After dinner, which was a surprisingly tasty stew that Jalban had prepared, the party settled in for the night. Connie sat near the fire. On the opposite side, she saw Fandia thumbing through what looked like a spell book. Connie went to her pack and retrieved a few of her own. When she did so, she discretely looked over Fandia¡¯s shoulder and saw that the apprentice was reading the text of an elemental spell. At that moment, an idea came to Connie. When it came time to hit the blankets for the night, Rahl ordered that those who held watch the night before were relieved of duty for this night. Rahl elected Fandia and Psi¡¯el for the first watch. Connie insisted to Rahl that she be allowed to take the first watch with Fandia. Psi¡¯el feeling sleepy from an extra helping of dinner, was happy to oblige. Fandia seemed indifferent either way. The party turned in for the night. This was a clear night, and the twin moons that rose from the eastern horizon now lit the rough landscape with a hard, green glow. Outside the crackle of the fire and the soft breathing of a few party members, the land was as still as a graveyard, and the air devoid of the usual nocturnal sounds of nature. There was not even the hint of a breeze. This grave-like stillness unnerved Connie, and she was actually relieved when a few men in the party started snoring, for the sound very effectively broke the eerie quietude of night by its familiarity. For the first half-hour or so, the two women said nothing to each other, each staying opposite sides of the fire, neither speaking to the other except to urge the other to add wood to the fire from a nearby pile to keep it burning. Unable to make sense of her own spell books, Connie watched Fandia gazing into hers. The apprentice was completely engrossed in the text, whispering something softly to herself repeatedly as though she were memorizing a poem or the words to a song. After Connie was sure that everyone in the party was asleep, she ambled over to where Fandia was and sat down next to her. Fandia looked over at Connie when she did so; her expression told Connie that she was not welcome to join her on the side of the fire. Still, she said nothing and then returned her attention to the spell book in her lap. ¡°I see that you¡¯re reading a book on elemental spells,¡± Connie said. ¡°Fire, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes. Why do you care?¡± ¡°Alyndia used to practice elemental magic.¡± ¡°But you can¡¯t. And because of that, it¡¯s going to be my job to cast elemental spells for the party.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s so boring to me. I was in training to cast celestial spells, not these.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to cast elemental spells if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Snow told me I must.¡± ¡°Ah! But Calicus said I might have some of Alyndia¡¯s ability to cast spells. Someone just needs to show me how.¡± I suppose you want me to do that.¡± Connie was impressed with Fandia¡ªshe caught on quickly. ¡°You have your spell books. If Calicus says you have the ability, it should be easy for you.¡± ¡°Fandia, I read and read my books, but I seem to be missing some critical step that isn¡¯t mentioned in them. What do you say you just gave me a few pointers? I¡¯d be really grateful.¡± ¡°I will do nothing of the sort.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I won¡¯t. That is all.¡± Connie scowled at Fandia. Although Fandia lacked the mature iciness of Snow, she certainly didn¡¯t lack her contrariness. ¡°But think of the benefit. Right now I can¡¯t contribute to the party. If I could cast spells, I¡¯d be able to help everyone out if we ran into trouble. I might even be able to save your life if the situation arose.¡± Fandia closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re very persuasive, but I don¡¯t have the time to do so. It is all I can do to study these spells every night. Now go away.¡± Connie was not going to give up that easily. She remained where she was, watching Fandia. The apprentice tried immersing herself in the book again, but Connie¡¯s proximity seemed to perturb her. After a minute, Fandia looked up at Connie and met her in the eye. ¡°Are you still here?¡± ¡°Is it about Snow? Are you afraid that Snow might be displeased if you teach me?¡± Fandia glanced behind Connie to make sure Snow was snoozing in the cocoon of her blanket. ¡°It is my prerogative to teach whom I want,¡± she said in a hushed tone. ¡°Perhaps you won¡¯t teach me because you don¡¯t know how to? Maybe you didn¡¯t learn your lessons well.¡± A look of indignation crossed her brow. ¡°Surely, you jest. I am a very hard-working apprentice,¡± she said. ¡°That is why she chose me to come along on this quest.¡± ¡°Would you teach me for money? Just ask me what you¡¯d like. I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Fandia laughed loudly. Her laughter pierced the silence of the night. Connie looked around the party. She hoped no one would awaken. ¡°I don¡¯t want your money, Connie. I have no need for it. Calicus and Snow tend to all my needs.¡± She turned the page of the book. ¡°Now leave me be. I don¡¯t want to discuss this further.¡± Connie drew a long sigh. Snow had trained Fandia well in how to be irritating and impossibly difficult to convince. So now, Connie decided that she would have to play her trump card. This was something she dreaded, but it seemed the only thing that would budge the immovable Fandia. ¡°If you won¡¯t take my money, I have a proposition for you.¡± ¡°I am weary of this conversation, Connie,¡± Fandia said, her eyes not leaving the spell book. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep off the rest of the watch so that you don¡¯t disturb me? I will not tell Rahl if you choose to sleep early.¡± Connie ignored Fandia¡¯s request and continued, ¡°Remember those giant flowers you liked? What do you say we make a trade?¡± ¡°What sort of trade?¡± From the subtle shift in the tone of Fandia¡¯s voice, Connie sensed Fandia¡¯s interest in her words. ¡°Suppose I got you a few of the seeds from one of those flower vines and brought them back to you. Would you then be willing to teach some elemental magic?¡± Fandia looked up from her book and stared at Connie, incredulous, the light from the fire glinting in her green eyes. Her thin lips bent with a pert, cynical grin. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite serious,¡± Connie replied. Seeing that Connie was not bluffing, the grin fell away from Fandia¡¯s face. ¡°How would you get the seeds? We saw the last flowers almost half an hour before we set up camp. And it is dark.¡± ¡°There is enough light from the moons and the stars that I could find my way.¡± ¡°But what if one of the others should awaken and you were not present? What would I tell them?" ¡°Tell them anything. Tell them that I¡¯m out relieving myself. Why should they be suspicious?¡± Connie saw heavy reluctance in Fandia¡¯s expression. She continued, ¡°I could probably make it there and back in under an hour. That is still within our watch. No one will know that I¡¯m missing.¡± Fandia pensively rubbed the bridge of her nose with her index finger. ¡°And what if you get lost?¡± Connie smiled. ¡°I can take care of myself. I¡¯m a trained survivalist. I can survive indefinitely in the wilderness with nothing but this dagger I carry.¡± She patted the hilt of the dagger in her belt for emphasis of her words. Fandia studied Connie¡¯s face, nearly ready to agree, then she turned away to the darkness opposite Connie. ¡°I appreciate your willingness to do this for the sake of my knowledge, but I have to decline your proposal.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I cannot be responsible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still worried if someone awakens.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t. And if they do, be creative in what you tell them. I¡¯m certain you can think of something.¡± Fandia ruminated over this for almost a minute while staring into the fire. Connie watched the firelight reflect off her dark eyes while she did so. Then slowly, the apprentice shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak. Before she could, Connie continued her pitch¡­ ¡°Think of how beautiful those flowers were, Fandia. No one on the south side of the Calphous Wall has seen anything as lovely as those. Wouldn¡¯t you be proud to have them in your garden? Wouldn¡¯t they be lovely there? I¡¯ll bet you know exactly where you¡¯d put them.¡± Connie put her arm on Fandia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What do you think the people of Roggentine would say once word got out about your extraordinary flowers? People would travel hundreds of leagues just to see their beauty. And think about it; you can have all this merely for teaching me a few trivial things about spells.¡± Fandia sighed as she deliberated this further. She bit down on her lower lip. ¡°Very well then, Connie,¡± she said with a sigh, her eyes remaining on the fire. ¡°If you procure for me the seeds for those flower vines, I will teach you how to use elemental magic.¡± Connie grinned at Fandia. She rose to her feet, feeling victorious. Fandia quickly grabbed her by a sleeve of her robe and pulled her back down. ¡°If something bad should happen to you,¡± she said in a hushed tone, ¡°I want to impress upon you that this was your idea, not mine. I will not have the stain of your blood upon my name.¡± ¡°I understand that, Fandia,¡± Connie said. ¡°Furthermore, we must conceal the seeds from the party until we return to Roggentine. And not a word to the party on what we have done.¡± Connie nodded. This seemed reasonable. ¡°I¡¯m as good as my word, Fandia, just so long as you are as good as yours.¡± Connie made haste in building herself a torch from the campfire. Fandia watched her in silence. Then very quickly, Connie stole out of the camp on foot and headed back the way they came through the dreary, moonlit landscape of the land given up to Chaos two thousand years before. Clutching the dagger one with hand, holding the torch in the other, and with an empty leather bag slung over her shoulder and hung at her hip, she made her way back to the area of the hills. As went, she made haste along the tracks the hanyaks made in the soil along the occasional manure droppings. At one point, she thought she saw shadows moving silently around her within the brush. She stopped to listen. Then all at once, she caught a slight whiff of the fishy smell like that they smelled at the river. She stopped to try to detect the origin of the smell. All at once, she had the uncanny feeling she was being watched. The smell intensified. When she looked to the ground near her feet, she thought she saw a shadow creeping low and silent toward her along the ground, moving like someone was spilling a barrel of thick crude oil at her feet. A chill ran up her spine on seeing this. She wasn¡¯t sure if what she was seeing was real or if the darkness and crazy shadows of the bushes from combined light from the double moons and the torch were playing tricks on her eyes. She moved away from the moving shadow and picked up her pace down the path. The smell and the shadow faded with distance. After some time had passed, she descended into the hilly terrain where the flowers lay in the broad depressions between the hills. She walked along the top of the hills looking for one of the gardens. Finally, in one depression, she spotted a small clump of vines surrounded by the beige seeds. To her surprise, the huge morning glories had closed for the night into conical twists. The moonlight blanched their vibrant colors to a cold, blue hue. She realized she would have to descend into the depression. She took a step down and nearly slipped on the soft soil. To free the use of her hand in case she fell, she stuck the torch into the rocks. She began again to step down the embankment. Once on the floor of the depression, she began walking toward the plant. The moss-covered ground felt soft and yielding beneath her feet. As she walked closer to the plant, her feet sank and began sinking deeper into the soil until she sank up to her ankles. Now a dank, putrid smell breached her nose. It seemed to be emanating from the soil. The smell made her feel nauseous, and she cursed the soil at the smell of it. She continued moving toward the plant located at the center-most area of the kidney-shaped valley between the hills. She was almost at the plant now, and almost within reach of what looked like oversized white pumpkin seeds scattered on the soft soil. Up close, the plants seemed much larger than they did from the hilltops. The vines of the plant were about the thickness of her thumb. With no solid surface to climb upon, the vines grew into a ball until they amounted to the clump she now saw. She was now close enough that she was surrounded by the seeds. She opened the pouch and began stuffing some into it. By this time, her feet had sunken into the muck around the bush up to her shins. ¡°You¡¯d better appreciate this, Fandia,¡± she muttered to herself. After she had collected some seeds, she began smelling the sweet nectar scent they smelled earlier in the day. When she looked up at the plant, to her utter shock, the formerly closed flowers had opened up. Now the flowers appeared in all their loveliness, with their reds, greens, and blues vibrant fluorescent in the cold, lunar light. Connie took a moment to stare at the flowers, fascinated by their incredible beauty. Up close, they were huge, at nearly three feet across. After a moment, a chill ran down her spine when she realized that all the flowers of the bush were facing her. And now they looked like so many eyes, or perhaps¡ªgaping maws. Now a clear, viscous liquid, like saliva, began dripping from a few of the flowers closest to her. Then she heard a quickening rustle from somewhere within the vine. Sensing danger, she began backing away from the plant. Her movement was hampered by the thick muck at her feet. The bush suddenly sprang to life. She felt something rough wrap around her legs. She looked down. A vine the thickness of her finger from the plant had wrapped itself around her left ankle and was not coiling itself up to her knee. She let out a scream. She tried to move back away from the vine, to yank herself from its grasp. Quickly, another vine flew out of the main bush and wrapped around her other leg. She tried to pull away and fell flat on the muck instead. Now the vines pulled her prostrate figure toward the plant. She clawed at the ground. Her grasping hands met only handfuls of a material with the texture of rotten wood. There was nothing firm to hold onto. She was nearly frozen with terror. This can¡¯t be happening to me, her mind cried out in disbelief. How could I have allowed this to happen? The sweet smell of nectar vanished, and now the rotten-fish stench of Chaos burned in her nostrils. She wanted to vomit from its intensity. Her mind was filled with the horrifying scene she had witnessed at the bridge the day before. She wondered what the party would do when they realized she was gone. They would ask Fandia. ¡°Where is that fool?¡± Fandia would shake her head and shrug. ¡°She went out to relieve herself, and she never came back,¡± she¡¯d say. Then the party might search the immediate area for her. Of course, they would never find her. After a while, they would move on, and Snow would tell Rahl, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you it was a bad idea to bring her along? I told you, but you didn¡¯t listen to me.¡± Then, without warning, amid the clutching vines, Connie out of her body. The urgency of the moment subsided along with the physical pain. By the eerie green moonlight and the flickering light of the torch nearby, she watched a helpless woman drawn into the tentacle-trap of a carnivorous plant. The coolness of purely rational thought rose up in Connie as she viewed the scene with a strange kind of detachment, as though she were merely a disinterested spectator. She thought that probably, at one time, the plant was a harmless species that grew native to the area. But when Chaos took over, while the other plant species of the area died, this one, perhaps by chance, survived by mutating into the monstrosity that now sought to devour her. The watched as the vines pulled her limp body, which appeared to her as a lifeless doll, toward the awaiting flowers. At once, a wave of horror washed over her, and she shook off the cool feeling of the detached observer. I cannot die like that! her mind cried out. Instantly, Connie was back in her body. The sudden shock of the pain nearly overwhelmed her. She shook off the fear and took hold of her senses. She reached to her belt, withdrew her dagger from the scabbard, and slashed at the vines that were wrapped around her ankles. The vines were tough, but the dagger cut through them quickly. She vaguely noticed, as she cut the vine, a putrid-smelling black liquid the consistency of honey or molasses oozing from the cut end of the vine. She had nearly cut the second vine from her leg when another vine whipped out and wrapped around the arm that held the dagger. Quickly, she transferred the dagger to her free arm. She began cutting at this vine. While she did so, two more vines wrapped around her legs and resumed pulling her toward the plant. Now her legs breached the area of the main bush. The giant fleshy leaves of the plant began folding around her like flexible clamshells. Finally, she had cut through the vine that had twisted so tightly around her arm. The vine went limp. She quickly sat up and, frantically, slashed at the vines on her legs. While she did this, several more vines ran wrapped around her legs and torso. Now she was being quickly dragged, almost lifted toward the body of the plant and whatever waited for her inside of it. Frantically now, she cut through the vines, one after the other, alternating the dagger from one hand to the other, but the plant seemed to have an endless supply of vines. Now the topside of one of the fleshy leaves touched her bare arm. At once, she felt as though a thousand bees had thrust their stingers into her arm. She screamed in pain. ¡°Bastard!¡± she cursed at the plant. Now she was angry. She cut the vines even faster than before, swiping through some of them with a single slash. Now another fleshy leaf was moving toward her face. With a single swipe at the stalk of the leaf, it felt to the ground with a heavy thump. She kept slashing at the plant wildly with the dagger while extracting herself from its tendrils. Eventually, she had cleared most of the vines. Seeing her exit, she rolled away from the plant, safely out of reach of the flailing vines. Now she backed away from the plant, the stumps of severed vines oozing an evil-smelling black liquid, stretching, reaching for her. The flowers remained pointed at her, dripping with a saliva-like substance. She was now at the base of the incline. She turned and ran to the top of the hill, where the torch still burned. She picked up her torch. Bruised, slashed, and bleeding, she stared down at the plant with contempt for what it had tried to do to her, the pouch of seeds lying at its base where she¡¯d dropped it. She thrust her torch at the plant. To her surprise, she found the moss and vines dripping the black liquid were flammable. They burned with a black, smoky flame that smelled almost worse than the pungent fishy smell. She whipped the torch around the vines, thrusting it at the plant. Then she held it to the moss around the plant. Soon, the plant was engulfed in flames, its vines flailing wildly in the air. Connie snatched up the pouch of seeds and climbed out of the depression. Once she reached the top, she turned around to view the plant one last time. It was no longer moving. It lay there burning, an innocuous lump of burning vegetation, while the flames crawled along the moss at the filled base of the depression. Satisfied that the plant had been killed, she began the arduous trip back to where the party made camp. Now her skin stung with the cuts from the vines, and her clothes stank with putrid-smelling mud that surrounded the plant. This trip back to the campsite was slower going as she was exhausted from her battle with the plant. She staggered most of the way and even tripped and fell a few times, adding a few cuts to her skin covered in welts from the plant. Once again, she got the impression from time to time she felt she was being watched and even followed on a few occasions. When this feeling came, she picked up the pace until it subsided. When she arrived back at the campsite, she was startled to find the entire party awake and fully armored. It looked like they were about to embark on a search for her. This is not going to be good, Connie thought on seeing them. ¡°There she is!¡± someone said when she came into view. At that moment, several of the party members rushed up to her. A few stopped short when they saw her bedraggled appearance. Rahl stood before her now with his sword drawn. His expression was one of disbelief. ¡°Connie, what happened to you?¡± Before she answered, she looked for Fandia. Fandia was not among her greeting party; instead, she sat by herself next to the fire, looking sullen. From this, Connie assumed Fandia had told them why Connie had ventured alone into the night and it had not gone over well. ¡°The plant. It attacked me.¡± Rahl waved his sword at her. As he waved it toward her, the weapon glinted in the blue-green light of the moons. ¡°Chaos,¡± he said. ¡°She reeks of Chaos.¡± ¡°She stinks too,¡± someone added. It sounded like Psi¡¯el or Maltokken. ¡°I did get the seeds,¡± Connie said, despite realizing that nobody cared about that. ¡°Strip her,¡± Rahl said to the party. ¡°Remove her clothes, and throw everything into the fire, including those seeds. Then I want someone to scrub her down with clean rags, and then I want the rags burned too. And someone cast a Protection Against Chaos spell on her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already done it,¡± Theo said. Connie took a step back. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not removing my clothes.¡± ¡°You have no choice, Connie,¡± Jalban said. ¡°You¡¯re covered in Chaos. It may infect you if it remains on you.¡± ¡°I think we ought to make her wear the clothes for her stupidity,¡± Psi¡¯el said. ¡°Shut your mouth, fool,¡± Snow said. ¡°If she wears her clothes, she might give it to us.¡± ¡°This is not a time for modesty,¡± Rahl said to Connie. He turned to Snow. ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°Certainly, Rahl,¡± the sorceress said sweetly. She glanced back to the fire where Fandia sat. ¡°Fandia will have the honor of removing Connie¡¯s clothes and washing her down since she is partially responsible for this.¡± ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Rahl said, not wanting to be bothered with details. ¡°Just see to it that she is cleansed right away.¡± Maltokken and Psi¡¯el quickly erected a small, military-style tent for the sake of Connie¡¯s modesty. Connie¡¯s clothes were promptly removed and burned. Jalban gave Connie some salve for her wounds after she was cleansed, and he made her take three swallows of a potion that tasted like salty black licorice, a flavor she hated. Now Connie and Fandia were alone in the tent while the party, now wide awake, chatted in low tones around the fire. Connie sensed they were talking about her. Their silhouettes projected vague, shadowy images on the canted roof of the tent as viewed from the inside. Connie lay on a blanket while Fandia sponged her down with rags dipped in a metal bowl of warm water produced from a water node coupled with a fire spell. The two women said nothing to each other for a long while Fandia washed the ill-scented putrescence from her body. As Fandia washed down her back, Connie ventured to ask her how the party knew what had happened to her. ¡°Did you tell them, or did they force it out of you?¡± she asked the apprentice. ¡°Rahl awoke. He asked me where you were. I told him our story, but he became suspicious when you didn¡¯t return. When he woke up Snow, I had to tell him the truth. They were going to search for you.¡± ¡°I see. Well, now that I brought back the seeds, I hope you will keep your end of the bargain.¡± ¡°I will not,¡± she said, dipping the rag into the bowl. ¡°Why not? I did as I said I would¡ªI got the seeds for you.¡± ¡°This is true. But the seeds were tainted, and then they threw them into the fire.¡± Connie turned to Fandia. ¡°I nearly got killed getting them for you. The fact they were tainted is irrelevant. Besides, you already knew they might be. Fandia, I fulfilled my end of the bargain by getting the seeds. Now you must fulfill your end of the bargain.¡± ¡°I will do nothing of the sort,¡± she retorted without hesitation. Connie turned away from the apprentice, feeling betrayed and hurt. She felt she was going to cry¡ªthe new unwelcome habit of hers. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. How could you do this to me?¡± ¡°Hold your tongue,¡± Fandia said. ¡°Because of you, Snow is angry at me.¡± ¡°What? I almost died out there, and you¡¯re upset only because Snow is angry with you. That is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. You and her are alike, Fandia. How I despise the both of you!¡± Fandia gasped loudly at the words. Connie knew instantly she had blown Fandia¡¯s fuses. The apprentice stopped wiping down Connie¡¯s back. She threw the rag into the bowl with a loud splash. ¡°That is all. You are done.¡± She crawled over to the exit of the tent in a huff, turning to Connie just before she exited. ¡°And don¡¯t ask me for any more favors.¡± ¡°Favors? What favors? Get out of here!¡± Alone now, Connie wept softly to herself. She remembered the stares of the party members when she appeared out of the darkness. What modicum of respect she had won from the party was now gone. For this foolish act of hers, she had dropped herself from the low member on the totem pole to the unseen part of it that was buried in the ground. Everything was now such a mess. She thought, for a moment, that things would have been easier for her if she had let herself be overcome by the plant. As she wept, she ached so badly to be back in her world. But did anyone even miss her there? Then she heard Jalban¡¯s voice from outside the tent. ¡°Connie?¡± ¡°Yes, Jalban,¡± she said. ¡°May I come in?¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Connie quickly wiped her face and wrapped her naked body in the blanket that had fallen to the ground when Fandia left the tent. ¡°Come in.¡± Jalban entered the tent. ¡°I saw Fandia leaving the tent. I figured she was done. I made some hot aceralla root. Would you like some?¡± Connie just shook her head at his simple kindness in thinking of her. She felt like crying again. She did not want Jalban to see her this way. Perhaps sensing her despondence, he backed his portly figure toward the exit. ¡°Perhaps I should come back later.¡± ¡°No, Jalban. Don¡¯t go. I want you to stay. Just stay for a minute. Can you?¡± Jalban looked at her with uncertainty. He crawled further into the tent and sat next to her. He waited for her to speak. ¡°I suppose I really made a fool of myself this evening, venturing out into the dark by myself.¡± ¡°Well, let us say that it was not wise and leave it at that. Your reason for doing so, however, deserves some praise. In other words, your heart was in the right place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad at least one of you feel that way,¡± Connie said, wiping her eyes. ¡°A few of the others share my sentiments. Rahl in particular¡­¡± His voice trailed off. ¡°What about Rahl? He probably thinks I¡¯m a fool.¡± ¡°I am not certain of that, but I do know he was most concerned for you. Once we heard the story from Fandia, Rahl ordered the party to suit up to search for you, declaring that we would not sleep anymore that night until you were found. Just about everyone protested this. Most of all, Snow. Those two argued mightily about you. I think everyone is at least relieved that you returned for Rahl. ¡°What am I going to do, Jalban? How can I ever win their respect?¡± ¡°You may start by not doing what you did tonight.¡± ¡°But I cannot cast spells¡ªI mean, I cannot now, but Alyndia was able to. Don¡¯t ask me how I know, but I feel certain I could do it if only someone would show me how.¡± Jalban sighed. ¡°I think you may rule out the possibility you will receive help from either Snow or Fandia. Only the gods will be able to help you with them. Perhaps you can ask Theo if you want to learn magic. He may help you.¡± Connie shook her head. ¡°His kind of magic is creepy. I cannot stomach cutting organs out of living things. Besides, Alyndia had no skill in spirit magic. She knew elemental magic. She has the books for it.¡± Jalban nodded slowly. ¡°Alyndia used to say the same thing about spirit magic,¡± he said, stroking his chin. She was too much of a sensitive soul to harm living things. ¡°What was Alyndia like, Jalban?¡± Jalban drew a long sigh while he stared at the silhouettes on the tent canvas. ¡°When she was a child, she was very happy, loving young thing, always laughing, winsome in her ways. But she changed after her mother unexpectedly passed away. She withdrew from everyone after that, and melancholy dominated her for many years. Then she began to paint. She painted pictures of the city and the countryside, even the view from her windows. They were lovely.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she ever have a love?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, she did. As the seasons came and went and she blossomed into an attractive young woman. She had a lover once. A boy from Thissane Springs. Very handsome, I recall. A soldier, I think he was, the captain of the Roggentine calvary unit. They were in love. When he took leave, he would come to visit her.¡± ¡°Did he visit her in the spring?¡± she asked, recalling the poem-letter she¡¯d found. ¡°That was many years ago. I don¡¯t rightly remember¡ªbut now that you mention it, I believe it was. Do you have a memory of him?¡± ¡°No, it was just a guess. What ever happened to him? Did they marry?¡± Jalban shook his head. ¡°No, it was not to be. As I understand it, they had some falling out. I¡¯m not sure what it was about, but they ended the relationship over it. Then, on the afternoon of her 22th birthday, the last day of spring a few years later, he unexpectedly showed up in Roggentine. I don¡¯t know why he was there. Maybe he came to make amends with her. From what I heard, he purchased some flowers for her at one of the stands in the merchant square. Then on the street just outside her home, he was run over by a runaway hanyak-drawn cart. Broke his neck. He died instantly.¡± Connie nodded slowly. ¡°Alyndia was devastated when she learned about the circumstances of his death. She felt responsible for what had happened to him. After that, she never went out anymore and began denying herself the simple pleasures in her life. Most tragically, she burned all her exquisite paintings. From that time forward, she almost never left her apartment, only to procure food and to buy nodes and books. I alone remained close to her.¡± Jalban looked to Connie. His eyes were misty. ¡°I was not surprised by the letter Alyndia left me, the one you gave to me. I knew something like that might happen sooner or later. I am sorry that you had become involved.¡± ¡°So am I,¡± Connie said. ¡°I will admit something to you,¡± Jalban said. ¡°From what I know of my niece, she would not have volunteered for this quest as you have.¡± ¡°You give me more credit than what is due, Jalban. I didn¡¯t feel I had a choice after what happened to Sind¡¯s brother.¡± ¡°You are so brave.¡± ¡°I am not.¡± ¡°Ah, but Alyndia¡¯s wounded spirit would not have called her to do such, even if she had been in your predicament. Perhaps it may turn out to be a blessing that you have taken her place.¡± Connie could not believe he¡¯d said this. She looked into his face to search for any trace of insincerity. She found none. ¡°A blessing, you say? For whom?¡± ¡°Perhaps for both of you and for the party,¡± he replied. ¡°The gods work in mysterious ways. I¡¯ve always believed certain events occur for a reason. Perhaps you are here for one of these reasons, and she is where she is for other reasons.¡± ¡°Well, I hope she¡¯s finally found contentment in my body, if that¡¯s where she went.¡± Connie wrapped the blanket more tightly around her back. ¡°You have no idea how angry I am, Jalban. Look at me. While I¡¯m sitting here cold, humiliated, beat to hell, and down to my last pair of underwear, Alyndia¡¯s probably living it up with that goon, Professor Layton, at this moment at my expense. I can picture it now. They¡¯re drinking wine in some fancy restaurant and laughing and planning the wonderful life they¡¯re going to have together. Tell me: Where the justice in that?¡± she asked hotly. ¡°Or are you telling me I deserve this punishment?¡± ¡°You misunderstand me,¡± he said. ¡°I said nothing of justice, punishments, or rewards. I speak only of fate.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe in fate.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t believe in magic, either, before you came to our world.¡± She sighed. ¡°Connie, all I¡¯m saying is that everyone is responsible for their path in life. We choose our fate; our fate does not choose for us.¡± ¡°Choose my fate? That¡¯s a joke. I¡¯m a leaf in the wind.¡± He smiled. ¡°Even a leaf in the wind blows in one direction. Your strong spirit will compel you forward until you arrive at the destination that you yourself have chosen.¡± ¡°Thank you for the words of encouragement, Jalban, but I think you make it sound a lot simpler than it is.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Perhaps so. I am only an herbalist. What do I know?¡± He moved toward the exit of the tent. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some hot aceralla root. Maybe you will feel better.¡± Chapter 19 - The Psychiatric Ward Chapter 19 The Psychiatric Ward The orange afternoon sun shone feebly through the blinds of Dr. Gilbreth¡¯s office. The psychiatrist ushered Alyndia to a chair in front of his desk. Outside, the snow was melting, and large drops of water dripped from the roof outside the window. ¡°Make yourself comfortable, Ms. Bain,¡± Dr. Gilbreth said as he took a seat at his desk. ¡°I assume you brought me here to discuss the results of my tests.¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± he said, opening her folder on his desk. As the doctor pulled out a few sheets from the folder, Alyndia noticed that the number of papers in the folder had increased immensely in the last few days since she and the doctor had last met. She knew these were the results of the tests the hospital psychologists had given her in the last few days¡ªthe multiple choice questions, the puzzle block test, the ink blots, the interviews, and the MRI. Alyndia thought the people of this world put a lot of emphasis on analysis of the person. Whereas in her world, much could be learned of a person by merely reading their aura, slow tests were needed here. She wondered what they had to say about her. The doctor fixed his glasses higher on his nose. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll begin by saying I¡¯m quite surprised by the results here.¡± Alyndia sat up in her seat. She did not like the doctor saying this. ¡°Is this good or bad?¡± ¡°Well, your test results in themselves are not atypical for marginally adjusted individuals. However, when juxtaposed to previous psychological profiles, we found an aberrant polar shift.¡± ¡°Say that again?¡± The doctor peered at her over the lenses of his glasses. ¡°It means you¡¯ve undergone a personality change since the test was last taken.¡± ¡°For the better, I hope,¡± she said, recalling her conversation with MacGregor. ¡°Well, just different.¡± Dr. Gilbreth pulled out a few dark blue photos from her folder on his desk, moved aside a couple of trinkets, and laid them out for her to see. She moved her chair closer to the desk to have a look. The images, which were cross-sectional images of her brain, appeared to have been painted with watercolors. ¡°From the sudden shift in your personality, I would have expected the MRI to show something in this area.¡± He pointed to the frontal section of the diagram. ¡°Or maybe this area.¡± He pointed to another section. ¡°The good news is that the MRI does not show evidence of brain damage.¡± He put the page back into the folder. ¡°This does not mean that you weren¡¯t injured by the accident, however. Something has happened. We just don¡¯t know what.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what is different.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± The doctor flipped through the papers in her folder and pulled out two sheets for her to view side-by-side. Each sheet had the same graphs, but the graphs were different. He pointed to the graphs with the pencils. ¡°This sheet on your right is the profile that was taken when you applied for work with the CIA. The one on the left is the result of the test we gave you a few days ago. Can you see the difference? See this graph?¡± He pointed with the pencil on the old sheet. ¡°Now look at the graph in the test we just took. Here, it seems you¡¯ve acquired tendencies toward depression. You are far more introverted than you were. Your energy level is lower. You¡¯re less analytical, more intuitive. Less headstrong, more submissive. Your self-esteem has dropped¡­¡± The doctor continued describing the meanings of the chart. Despite their sometimes less-than-flattering descriptions of her, there was no doubt about the accuracy of the tests. She thought it was incredible how they could learn so much about her by asking only such innocuous questions as whether which term she preferred, such as a tower or a foundation. Dr. Gilbreth withdrew the graphs. ¡°The other tests we gave you corroborate the results of this one. Your I.Q. level is roughly the same as before your accident, the same with your verbal skills. Your reading comprehension has increased markedly. Conversely, your mathematics ability and mechanical aptitude have decreased. Similarly, your long-term memory of events and places has been compromised.¡± The doctor studied Alyndia¡¯s reaction for a few seconds. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he remembered something. ¡°Let me show you something else.¡± He pulled out two more sheets of paper and placed them side by side on the desk before her. ¡°These are your signatures on the test release forms before and after your accident. Do you see a difference?¡± Alyndia examined the two signatures. The one she sighed a few days before, on the left was smaller but curved and loopy. Connie Bain. The one on the right was not quite as loopy, more straight up and down with higher pressure applied to the pen. Constance Bain.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say these signatures were written by different people,¡± the doctor said. ¡°What does it mean?¡± ¡°It means that something has happened to you.¡± ¡°So, my signature has changed. Can I leave soon?¡± Dr. Gilbreth deflected her question, ¡°At around ten last night, you were viewed holding a conversation with yourself in the bedroom and standing on your bed. Do you remember that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The doctor stared at her without responding, waiting for her to elaborate on her answer. She did not know what to say. Her intuition told her that if she told him her true reason for her actions that night, there might be trouble. ¡°The nurse gave me something to help me sleep,¡± she responded simply. ¡°Maybe that caused it.¡± Dr. Gilbreth frowned. ¡°I very well doubt that. By the way, your medical records show you have a current prescription for Valium. What do you take the Valium for?¡± ¡°What is Valium? Why would I take it?¡± The doctor said no more. He was staring at her again. His expression seemed to cajole her to try again. This time, Alyndia did not answer. She focused her eyes on the orangy afternoon light behind the window. She wished she was anywhere but here. Finally, after a minute passed. The doctor abruptly put the documents back into the folder. ¡°That will be all, Ms. Bain.¡± Alyndia frowned at him, puzzled by his statement. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± He nodded. ¡°You mean, I can leave?¡± ¡°Yes. You may go back to the ward.¡± ¡°To the ward? Can¡¯t I go home?¡± ¡°In due time, yes¡ªbut not now.¡± ¡°Why not? I took all those tests as you asked me to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my decision on whether you can go. As I mentioned earlier, your employer has an interest in your case.¡± ¡°So, what happens now?¡± ¡°First, I will submit them to the agency, and then they will review your test results, along with my recommendation. After that, they will decide the next step.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I have no idea what their processes are.¡± ¡°Any idea on the time? One day? Two days? A week?¡± ¡°It could be days. It could be weeks.¡± She sat back in the leather chair, stunned on hearing this, wondering what her next move should be. She thought of Gerald. She missed him as much as she was beginning to hate the hospital. Dr. Gilbreth was now staring at her again. A curious, interested look had crossed his face. ¡°What are you feeling right now?¡± he asked. ¡°I feel sad,¡± she replied. ¡°Why do you feel sad?¡± ¡°I want to leave.¡± ¡°Why? Is there somewhere else you¡¯d like to be?¡± ¡°I¡¯m missing someone.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Alyndia did not reply. ¡°Do you miss your partner¡ªWilliam MacGregor?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied resolutely. ¡°Is it someone you haven¡¯t mentioned?¡± She noticed the telephone on his desk. ¡°May I use your phone?¡± ¡°Who would you like to call?¡± ¡°Gerald¡ªGerald Layton.¡± ¡°Professor Gerald Layton? The one you embraced and kissed at the interrogation?¡± It didn¡¯t surprise Alyndia that the doctor knew about what she¡¯d done during the interrogation, but his bringing it up at that moment embarrassed her. ¡°Yes. Him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Dr. Gilbreth said. He seemed genuinely interested in this. ¡°What would you like to say to him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s private.¡± ¡°I see. Do you have his number with you, or do you have it memorized?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°No. ¡°Then how do you intend to call him if you don¡¯t have his number?¡± She hadn¡¯t thought of this. ¡°I suppose my intuition will guide me on finding the right combination of numbers.¡± The doctor gave her a peculiar look on hearing this. ¡°Your intuition? I say you¡¯d call a lot of wrong numbers before you finally reached him. Let¡¯s call information instead. It will at least be faster.¡± Alyndia detected a slight but unmistakable shift in the timbre of the doctor¡¯s voice as he said this. She now suspected that he was mocking her or playing a role in order to elicit some kind of reaction from her. This put her on edge. He picked up the handset of the phone. ¡°Is that a local or long-distance number?¡± ¡°I changed my mind. I don¡¯t want to talk to him,¡± she said. ¡°Are you sure? We can call him at home.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not at home. They have him at a police station, remember?¡± ¡°Who is ¡®they¡¯?¡± ¡°The CIA, of course.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He repositioned the phone slightly so that he could more easily punch in the number. ¡°What police station are they holding him at?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He raised his eyebrows at her. ¡°You don¡¯t know the name of the station?¡± She shook her head. ¡°How could you, as a CIA agent, not know where your suspect is incarcerated? And didn¡¯t you yourself visit him at the facility a few days ago?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember the name of the place. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Would you like me to call your partner and ask him for you?¡± ¡°Definitely not! Doctor, just forget it. I don¡¯t want you to call anyone for me.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Dr. Gilbreth put the handset back on the cradle and sighed. He took off his glasses and wiped them with a lint-free cloth on his desk. Alyndia watched him. He looked strikingly different without his glasses on¡ªa lot less intelligent and imposing and a lot more mousey. ¡°That will be all for today. You can go back to the ward now. I¡¯m going to make some changes to your medications. We¡¯ll start you on them this evening. Then we¡¯ll meet again later in the week to see how you¡¯re doing. Have a good afternoon, Alyndia.¡± He put his glasses back on, picked up a pen, and began writing in her file. He paused and looked up when he saw she was still sitting in the chair in front of his desk. ¡°I said you can go back to the ward now. We¡¯ll meet later in the week.¡± ¡°You just called me by my name.¡± ¡°Yes. I called you Alyndia.¡± ¡°Why did you me call me that?¡± ¡°I can call you Connie if you¡¯d like¡ªor would I be mistaken if I do so?¡± Alyndia stared into the doctor¡¯s eyes, unsure of how to answer him. Was he just humoring her, or was he being sincere? She decided it was the latter. Perhaps he had finally realized that it was she who now resided in Connie¡¯s body. After all, there was no other reason for him to call her by her true name, as he had just done. In any case, it felt good to hear him address her that way after their tense conversation, which did not seem to go her way at all. She smiled at him. ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± He went back to writing notes in her file. He had already written nearly half a page. ¡°You can leave the door open on the way out.¡± The orderly escorted Alyndia back to the psychiatric ward. He set her loose in the recreation room. Now she sat on the far end of the stained, lumpy couch, her knees drawn up to her chest, watching Dr. Phil. The afternoon¡¯s lewd topic: Men Who Leave Their Women for Other Men Who Dress as Women, or something like that. Alyndia was only half paying attention to the show. She focused mainly on her own thoughts: Gerald, where are you? She felt that if he were here with her, all things would be all right. Now her thought turned to Joy and Connie¡¯s mother. Not only did Gerald not know where she was, neither did Joy, that is, unless Joy called the apartment and MacGregor told her where she was. Alyndia sighed, fretting that perhaps Joy thought she had changed her mind about returning to their mother. She bit her lower lip. She had been there three days now. Time was slipping by. Alyndia remembered Joy had written her phone number on the back of her husband¡¯s business card. She had put this card in her purse back at the hotel. Alyndia thought that if she had the number, she could call Joy and let her know where she was. There were no telephones available to patients in the ward. This would have to be a special request. After fifteen minutes, one of the nurses entered the recreation room holding two paper cups. One of these cups Alyndia knew contained water, the other held tablets. Cups of water and medication were given to many of the other patients at specific times throughout the day. She was the exception. This time, to Alyndia¡¯s surprise, the woman stopped before her at the couch. Alyndia looked up at the woman. This was a sweet-smiling nurse, heavy-set, with bottle-red hair peeking out from beneath her cap. Her badge read, Geri Miniver, Pharmacy. ¡°I have something for you, Ms. Bain,¡± the nurse said as she lowered one of the cups to Alyndia. Alyndia stared warily at the cup, then at the window still filled with the afternoon light. ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy.¡± The nurse sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t to help you sleep. It¡¯s your medication. It will help you feel better.¡± ¡°Who thinks I¡¯m not feeling well?¡± ¡°Dr. Gilbreth is handling your case. He prescribed them.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to take anything.¡± ¡°You have to talk to Dr. Gilbreth about it the next time you meet with him. I¡¯m just doing my job. Now here, take these.¡± ¡°But he didn¡¯t say anything about having to take medication,¡± she said without taking the cup. ¡°And I don¡¯t have to take them if I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you sign a release for treatment when you entered the ward?¡± the nurse asked patiently. ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t sign up for this.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to stay longer than you have to, do you?¡± Geri spilled the tablets in the cup into Alyndia¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ll feel better faster if you don¡¯t resist your treatment.¡± Alyndia looked at the tablets in her hand. There were a few different types of tablets. She shook the cup. ¡°What are these?¡± ¡°Demerol and Thorazine.¡± ¡°What do they do?¡± ¡°One will relax you. The other is an anti-psychotic.¡± ¡°What is an anti-psychotic?¡± ¡°Anti-psychotic drugs are prescribed to treat schizophrenia,¡± she replied. Alyndia tried to decode the meaning of this term. She drew a parallel in meaning from the pages of Connie¡¯s mind: schizophrenia meant possession of the vessel by an evil spirit. At this conclusion, she scowled at the nurse. ¡°Are you saying the doctor thinks I have schizophrenia?¡± The nurse smiled smugly at this question. ¡°No, I just said these are prescribed to patients with schizophrenia.¡± Alyndia knew Geri was being evasive with her. ¡°I will not take these,¡± Alyndia said. The nurse¡¯s smile fell away at Alyndia¡¯s reaction. ¡°You¡¯re going to take them,¡± she said. On hearing that, Alyndia tossed the tablets across the room. They struck the powder blue wall and bounced on the white-tiled floor with a light ticking sound. Having not seen Alyndia throw the tablets, a number of the other patients looked around the room in an attempt to locate where the sound came from. Startled but not surprised by Alyndia¡¯s sudden reaction, the nurse quickly and purposefully walked back to the nurses¡¯ station. Alyndia returned to her thoughts. She had to find a telephone someplace to call either Gerald or Joy and let them know where she was. She sensed that if Dr. Gilbreth had diagnosed her with schizophrenia, then her stay at the psychiatric ward would be interminably long. About ten minutes later, the nurse returned to her on the couch, holding the ubiquitous white cups. This time, two male orderlies accompanied her. They stood to either side of the nurse. One of them held something small and white in his hand. The other stood by with his arms crossed at his chest. Their presence, along with the nurse, alarmed and angered Alyndia. Now the other patients noticed that something was going on. A few of the more lucid and curious wandered over to view the confrontation. Geri held out the cup of fresh tablets to Alyndia again. ¡°I¡¯ve come to give you your medication, Ms. Bain.¡± ¡°I already told you¡ªI will not take your medication.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make this hard for everyone,¡± the nurse warned. Alyndia and the nurse locked stares for a few seconds, and then she closed her eyes and turned away from the nurse. ¡°I will not allow you to do this to me.¡± ¡°Okay, if that¡¯s the way you want it,¡± the nurse said. ¡°Sammy, give me the syringe.¡± Alyndia turned to see the nurse trade the paper cups for a plastic hypodermic syringe one of the orderlies held. Alyndia watched the nurse remove the plastic cap. She held up the syringe up to the light and pressed the plunger. A tiny bit of liquid squirted out of the top. Now she positioned the syringe in her fingers in preparation to give Alyndia an injection. ¡°Hold her down,¡± the nurse ordered. The orderlies converged on Alyndia. Suddenly, terrified, she jumped off the back of the couch and ran to a corner of another part of the rec room. When she turned, the orderlies were approaching her quickly, making their way quickly around the card tables. The nurse followed slowly behind, brandishing the syringe with the shiny needle in her fingers like a weapon. Now only a flimsy card table on which sat a half-completed, 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of a vintage steam engine stood between Alyndia and the orderlies. Once they breached the table, intending to go around either side, she shoved the tables toward them hard. The table flipped over, sending pieces of the puzzle flying through the air. Now she ran through the rec room toward the hall, knocking over tables, chairs, and people as she went, scattering checkers, dice, and books to the polished room of the floor. Once at the entry to the main corridor, she turned to see the orderlies making a beeline toward her. She turned and bolted down the hallway. Moments later, she reached the night areas where the patients stayed at night. She checked the door to the stairwell. It was locked¡ªshe was trapped! The two orderlies slowed down their pace once they saw she was trapped. They stopped about three paces from her. The nurse walked behind them at a brisk pace, the syringe still in her hand. A number of the patients peered down the hallway at her from the recreation room. Backed against the end of the locked stairwell door, Alyndia turned to face the orderlies. They stood there staring at her impassively, waiting until the nurse caught up. At that moment, Alyndia sorely wished she had some spells to cast at this bunch. The conflict would already have been over. ¡°Get away from me!¡± Alyndia shouted in Connie¡¯s most vicious voice. ¡°Easy now,¡± one of the orderlies said. ¡°No one is going to get hurt.¡± Now the nurse had reached the three of them. She glared at Alyndia. ¡°What did you do in the recreation room?¡± the nurse asked as if she were scolding a small child. ¡°I told you to leave me alone. You wouldn¡¯t listen to me.¡± Just then, she spotted another orderly and nurse walking toward them in the hallway. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± the second nurse asked. ¡°Ms. Bain is causing a disturbance because she doesn¡¯t want to take her medication,¡± Geri said. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± ¡°No, I think we have this under control. Is Dr. Gilbreth still in the building?¡± Geri asked. ¡°I saw him leaving a little while ago. I think he¡¯s gone home for the weekend.¡± ¡°Do me a favor and call his pager. Tell him what¡¯s going on here.¡± The nurse nodded once, then headed back down the hallway from where she came. ¡°Are you going to take your medication now?¡± Geri asked the patient she knew as Connie. ¡°No,¡± Alyndia said, fuming. Geri nodded to the three orderlies. They converged on Alyndia while Geri waited behind them with the syringe. As the first of the orderlies came within a pace of her, another part of her mind took over. Almost without thinking, she thrust her fist forcefully into his ribs. She felt a slight pop beneath her knuckles as she did this. Immediately, the man let out a yell and fell against the wall, clutching his side. Another orderly approached her. Before he could reach her, she spun around and, arching her leg effortlessly through the air, kicked the orderly hard in the side of the head. The orderly let out a small sound and crumpled to the floor unconscious. Alyndia then took a few steps back and surveyed the situation, astounded at what she had just done. The nurse stared at her, her eyes wide with shock and fear. The third orderly standing next to her watched Alyndia warily, appearing unsure as to what to do next. Just then, the second orderly, who she¡¯d kicked in the ribs, lunged at her. She deftly moved aside and round kicked him in the abdomen. He let out a loud grunt and fell to the floor. The third orderly leaped at her. His arms caught her neck, and he threw her to the floor. She twisted in his grasp, trying to get free, but he was stronger than he looked. Before long, he had caught her in a headlock. Alyndia still flailed in his grasp, kicking and writhing in an effort to get free. ¡°Hold her right there,¡± the nurse ordered. A second later, Alyndia felt a slight sting and then a pressure in her upper arm. This enraged Alyndia. In a moment of frenzied energy, she jabbed her elbow in the ribs of the orderly that held her and then punched him in the groin two or three times in succession. He let out a shout and released the headlock. But before she could rise, the orderly with the broken rib grabbed her by the collar. Immediately, she struck him in the throat with the flat side of her hand. He felt to the floor grasping his neck, choking. Alyndia quickly rose to her feet and surveyed the surrounding scene. The three orderlies lay at her feet¡ªtwo groaning, one unconscious. Despite the violence of the altercation, it hardly winded her. But now a strange weakness began in her muscles. It traveled up her spine and to her head. Geri stared at her at about five paces away. Two more orderlies and a black-shirted security guard were now running down the hall toward them. Alyndia realized that there was no use in resisting further. She then became aware of a deep ache in her upper arm. She looked down and noticed an empty syringe hanging from her arm, its needle fully inserted. She yanked out the syringe and tossed it to the floor. The footsteps of the approaching men sounded loud in Alyndia¡¯s ears. The echo resonated endlessly in her head. When the three of them arrived on the scene, they stared incredulous at the three orderlies lying at Alyndia¡¯s feet at the end of the hall. Alyndia glared at the hospital staff standing before her, feeling strangely groggy and weak. The feeling grew more intense by the second. She felt as though someone were slowly wrapping a pillow around her head. She saw spots before her eyes. Fearing she would lose her balance, Alyndia stumbled to her knees. Within seconds, numerous pairs of hands seized her. Chapter 20 - No Easy Journey Chapter 20 No Easy Journey The green morning haze kissed the ground with the coming of sunrise. Connie got to her feet as soon as she awoke, though it was still mostly dark. Before breakfast, she had completed her calisthenics and stretching exercises, ending the workout with a Japanese kata she had learned as part of her training in the martial arts. Most of the party ignored her except Psi¡¯el, who watched her fixedly. Tristana studied Connie¡¯s unfamiliar movements with a strange expression of detached amusement. She seemed captivated by the show. Occasionally, she would catch Yalden staring at her. She was unable to read his expression, but she suspected he was puzzled by her actions. Soon, the party was cutting its way toward the north across the weed- and scrub-riddled plateau. Here were the ruins of buildings and the foundations of long-abandoned structures. Occasionally, Rahl would point out a particular ruin and explain its origin as would a tour guide in an amusement park. Connie was amazed at how extensive his knowledge was of the region. She had the impression that he had traveled these lands before and therefore knew the topography and the underlying lore intimately. Connie tried walking beside her hanyak to get her body in shape. To her dismay, her robe kept getting snagged in the scraggly thornbain that grew on the plateau, forcing her to stop every so often. Eventually, she tired of this. She trimmed away the lower half of her robe, exposing her legs up to the knee. From them on, her legs kept getting scratched by the underbrush. Eventually tiring of that too, she rode on the safety of her hanyak. Later toward noon, the sky became cloudy, and the east wind kicked up, bringing with it the pungent, fishy scent of Chaos. The hanyaks soon became uneasy and balky. Three of them began frothing at the mouth. Theo cast spells on the beasts of burden to keep them from panicking outright. A few leagues farther, as the plateau was beginning to decline into a broad valley, they set up camp to have lunch. As lunch was being prepared, Rahl took from his pack a copper-colored metal disk with a half-triangular fin affixed to its center. He set this object on level ground, then he pulled out a cylinder of ivory and balanced it on the apex of the triangle. The ivory swung around as a compass needle and rested in the direction pointing to the mountains. Connie stopped her calisthenics (that she practiced at every opportunity) long enough to watch what he was doing. Intrigued, she walked over to where he knelt. The top of the disk had numerical inscriptions. He rotated the disk until the ¡°12¡± on the disk lined up slightly clockwise of the ivory, of which one end was marked with red paint. Now he pulled out a map and studied it, occasionally gazing up at the line of snow-capped mountains to the north. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Checking our time and direction,¡± Rahl replied. Connie gazed at the object. She had no idea how it worked or how the numbers correlated with their position. The numbers were set in a pattern reminiscent of those on a clock. ¡°That looks like a sundial.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it is,¡± he said, staring out at the mountains. Connie looked up at the sky. The sun had not broken through the solid canopy of dense green clouds, and it didn¡¯t look like it was about to. She thought it was foolish to try, and she decided to tell him so. ¡°Isn¡¯t it kind of pointless to put out a sundial on a cloudy day?¡± she asked. ¡°Not at all,¡± he said. ¡°And why do you ask? Because the sun does not cast a shadow when the sky is cloudy? Perhaps you should gaze upon its face.¡± Connie looked down at the sundial. There was a thick black shadow projected on it as if it were being viewed in bright sunlight. It was past 1:00, if she read it correctly. Not believing her eyes, she held her hand over the face of the sundial. Her hand did not cast a shadow over the face of the disk. It was a strange illusion that defied explanation. ¡°Is it a spell? Did someone cast a spell on the sundial to make it do this?¡± ¡°Yes, the sundial is enchanted. It belonged to my father.¡± Connie was fascinated with the sundial. She kept moving her hand over the sundial to blot out the phantom shadow that appeared when she moved it away. ¡°What does it do at night? Can you use it at night?¡± ¡°Yes, but it must be viewed with the flame of a lamp that burns an enchanted oil. I do not have the oil.¡± ¡°And I suppose the ivory does something too.¡± ¡°It points to the north,¡± he stated, now looking back at the map. Connie lightly tapped on the piece of ivory with her finger. It spun around a few times then came to rest faithfully, pointing to the north. ¡°You people have all of this figured out, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rahl asked, not looking up from the map. ¡°Well, you have a magical spell or enchantment to do everything. It makes sense the machines of this world never developed any complexity.¡± Rahl looked up at Connie with a puzzled expression. ¡°Why would we want complex machines?¡± ¡°Exactly my point.¡± Connie gazed down at the sundial and compass. She shook her head. ¡°This is beautiful, Rahl. So elegant. One moving part, yet it works¡ªeven on a cloudy day¡ªeven at night. Things like this don¡¯t exist this way in the world I come from.¡± ¡°Cannot you tell the time in your world?¡± ¡°No, we just use different devices.¡± Snow called to Rahl from behind Connie. ¡°I performed a divination on the weather. The clouds will clear after sunset. It won¡¯t rain this evening,¡± she said. ¡°Good,¡± Rahl said. Snow walked up to where Rahl and Connie were sitting. She spoke to him without acknowledging Connie¡¯s presence. ¡°Nonetheless, it will rain forty leagues to the north. And there early snows threaten the lower elevations of the mountains.¡± ¡°We will plan accordingly,¡± he said. Connie sighed. It seemed to Connie that Snow never failed to appear whenever she had a chance to speak to Rahl alone. If she didn¡¯t know any better, she¡¯d think that Snow was jealous of her speaking to Rahl. What is her problem? The man is married! she thought. Connie got her feet and dusted off her robe. Not only is she a snob towards me, but she thinks I have an adulterous bent. Rahl rolled up the map and put it into a case made from the hollowed out leg of a hanyak. ¡°At the rate we are traveling, we will make the foot of the mountains by noon tomorrow. From there we will look for the pass.¡± Connie looked out at the jagged, snow-capped peaks to the north of them. She gasped at their impregnable appearance. ¡°Those mountains?¡± she asked Rahl. ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Back, they are called.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to cross over them?¡± ¡°Yes¡ªto the Desert of Ontagane.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Snow asked Connie. ¡°Are you afraid of the mountains?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me, Snow? I¡¯m looking forward to it. I just hope we have the right equipment for scaling them.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Connie?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°Well, I have experience in mountain climbing. If we¡¯re going to scale those peaks, you¡¯re going to need some help getting us through them. Right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe her,¡± Snow said. ¡°She knows nothing of climbing mountains. Besides, we will take the pass through the mountains. We will not have to climb them.¡± ¡°Ah, but if the pass is blocked by an avalanche, then we will have to find an alternative route,¡± Rahl countered Snow, speaking up in Connie¡¯s defense. ¡°Connie¡¯s skills may save our day.¡± ¡°Thank you for the vote of confidence, Rahl,¡± Connie said superciliously, directing her words at Snow. Snow did not respond to Connie directly but spoke to Rahl instead. ¡°Rahl, may I speak with you?¡± ¡°Certainly you may.¡± ¡°Alone? Just the two of us?¡± He nodded to her once. Snow engaged her arm in his and slowly walked him away from Connie while speaking to Rahl in obstreperous but hushed tones. Feeling like she came out on top with that exchange, she resumed her stretching exercises on the spot while gazing at Rahl¡¯s sundial. A few moments later, one of the hanyaks whinnied, and someone yelled, Chaos! Seconds later, the fetid, fishy smell rose to the point at which it threatened to asphyxiate by its very heaviness. Now, all at once, the hanyaks seemed to go crazy. Someone, sounding like it might be Jalban, shouted at the hanyaks in a nearly vain attempt to calm them. Connie ran back to the camp, where everyone was quickly armoring up and readying their weapons. Looking beyond them, she stopped in surprise. Directly to the east, she saw a loose pack of a dozen or so armored, armed men shambling toward them. They seemed bedraggled and tired, almost as though they had been traveling for days. But now their movements seemed strange, clumsy, and unnatural. To Connie, they moved as if they were nothing more than marionettes being manipulated by some drunken puppeteer. One of them, who was dragging a chipped, blotchy-looking sword, raised his weapon to them in a position of attack. They were now at two hundred paces and closing. Rahl took his position at the front of the party, flanked by Yalden, Maltokken, Psi¡¯el, and Tristana¡ªwith her enchanted battle axe. Theo, Fandia, and Snow stayed behind. Jalban struggled to calm the hanyaks so that they would not run off while Theo and Fandia cast spells of calming on them. Connie rushed up to Rahl at the front. ¡°What is going on? Who are they?¡± ¡°Get back by the spellcasters, where you will be safe,¡± Rahl said quickly. ¡°I want to know,¡± she said without moving. ¡°Tell me who they are.¡± ¡°The question is who they were. They were once like you and me. They were probably node poachers who entered this territory seeking quarry. But now they are overcome by Chaos. Their sole purpose for existence is to kill any living thing that breathes.¡± ¡°Why would they want to kill us?¡± ¡°I cannot answer that for you. Now, get back to where you will be safe.¡± When Connie did not move, he struck her hard on her bottom with the flat of his sword. She let out a yell when he did that. ¡°Hey! Watch it, there!¡± ¡°Do not stand there and gawk when I have given you an order. Go!¡± Connie left him and went to the back of the party as he¡¯d instructed. The men were now less than one hundred paces away and still drawing closer. From the second rank, Connie was able to get a better view of the men that staggered toward them. Their faces and heads were black, swollen, and misshapen, with open sores and huge tumors. They were humanoid only in overall shape. Up close, they were monsters, parodies of what was once vital and alive. ¡°They¡¯re not very fast,¡± Psi¡¯el said. ¡°Neither do they look strong. My whip will disarm them easily.¡± ¡°Yes, but they are fearsome,¡± Maltokken said, his voice trembling. ¡°Why must we fight them with our weapons? We should just let the spellcasters take them from the distance.¡± ¡°Silence, you coward.¡± Jalban barked. ¡°You are supposed to be a fighter? Have you not fought greater adversaries than these pathetic-looking men?¡± ¡°They are not men; they are Chaos,¡± Maltokken stated, his voice laced with fear. ¡°Black rivers of Entropy flow through their veins. I say we let the spellcasters fight them so that we may save our strength.¡± Rahl addressed his men on overhearing this conversation. ¡°We must not rely upon the spellcasters. Our journey will be long. They must conserve their magic if we are to succeed.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need magic. The spellcasters may heat the stews with their spells,¡± Yalden said with a sneer. ¡°Chaos killed my wife and child. I will vanquish Chaos with my bare hands if need be.¡± Once the men had breached about fifty paces, Rahl let out a yell, and the row of fighters ran forward toward their foes in a clatter of metal weapons and armor. At that instant, Theo, Fandia, and Snow cast their spells. A sharp, snapping sound came from four of the attackers. The four collapsed to the ground with broken legs. More spells were cast, and two more of the attackers, these unarmored, burst into bright blue flames. These two creatures did not scream or react kinetically as Connie expected they would. They merely plodded onward toward the party, seemingly oblivious to pain, until they finally stumbled to the ground, writhing in the flames that consumed them. The odds were now even. Rahl and the fighters met with the attackers. The hand-to-hand melee began. With one swing of his sword, Rahl beheaded what could have been judged as the ¡°leader¡± of the group. The now-headless body swung its sword wildly while stumbling a few paces further before crumpling to the ground with black corruption spouting from the stump of its neck. Yalden, with two quick thrusts and a broad slash, dispatched his to the dusty earth in a mess of black ichor. Maltokken had a more difficult time with his club-wielding monster. The monster managed to strike him hard in the ribs before Psi¡¯el disarmed him with his whip. After this, Maltokken swung his hammer at the creature¡¯s unarmored head. He smashed its unhelmeted skull, splattering the creature beside him in a mess of rabid brains supersaturated with the blackness of Chaos. Jalban, now at the front, sustained a blow from the monster¡¯s axe. The blow struck him in the breastplate, putting a dent in it at the level of his breast. After two ineffectual attacks with his morning star that landed on the creature¡¯s tattered splint armor, he killed his creature by smacking it hard over the head. Tristana¡¯s monster made an unexpectedly deft overhead attack with its broadsword. Not encumbered by armor, she managed to just dodge the downward swipe of the blade. Theo watched her do this, gasping as she made the dodge, ready to aid her with a spell in case she was struck. To his relief, Tristana quickly reciprocated the creature¡¯s attack with a lateral blow to its torso. The creature spectacularly split in two halves, both of which fell to flailing the ground. Now the fighting men quickly finished off the crippled creatures with a few hacks from their weapons. The barren ground around the carnage was drenched with black, chaotic ooze. At Rahl¡¯s orders, the party quickly left the area and headed back to their campsite. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad. Chaos isn¡¯t that difficult to kill after all,¡± Maltokken said to anyone that was listening as they headed back to the campsite. ¡°So you say. Just a moment ago, you were ready to soil your drawers,¡± Jalban retorted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use your flail against them?¡± Maltokken asked Psi¡¯el. ¡°It would have been more effective.¡± ¡°But my whip saved you,¡± Psi¡¯el replied, waving the leather weapon in Maltokken¡¯s face. ¡°You are a fool with your whip,¡± Maltokken said brazenly, batting away the whip. ¡°Get that away from me. I would have destroyed the creature with or without your whip.¡± Back at the campsite, Theo went over to Tristana like a parent who had just spotted his lost child, ostensibly with the intention of embracing her. He stopped dead in his tracks when she gave him an expression that seemed to convey the message, Don¡¯t you dare! Tristana walked past him and began picking up the blankets they sat on during lunch. Theo watched her with a mixture of disdain and relief that she wasn¡¯t injured. Snow approached Rahl. Unlike Tristana¡¯s reaction toward Theo, Rahl did not give Snow an unwelcome look. Snow embraced him. ¡°I¡¯m glad you weren¡¯t injured,¡± she said. Rahl lightly returned the embrace, then he addressed the party while still in Snow¡¯s arms. ¡°Let us go now!¡± he ordered. ¡°Quickly! It is unsafe here!¡± As the party began collecting their gear, only Maltokken stood alone, unmoving, glaring at the party. Snow noted Maltokken standing there. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Rahl said? Pack your equipment. We are moving on.¡± ¡°But we haven¡¯t eaten yet,¡± Maltokken said gruffly. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Jalban said. Yalden spat. ¡°The stench of Chaos is making me sick to my stomach.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°Is anyone else hungry?¡± A few members of the party in earshot looked over at Maltokken but no one replied. Snow dropped a pack containing some of her spell books. She walked up to Maltokken, stopping only when her face was so close to his that she might feel his breath upon his face as she gazed up into his. ¡°Pack your bags,¡± Snow said. ¡°Why should I listen to you? You are not the leader of this quest.¡± ¡°No, but Rahl is. He gave all of us an order to break camp, and we must follow him.¡± ¡°When are we going to break for lunch? We haven¡¯t eaten since sunrise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m warning you to pack your bags.¡± Maltokken crossed his arms. He stared down at Snow. ¡°What are you going to do? Cast a spell on me?¡± ¡°You are acting like a spoiled child, Maltokken.¡± Connie watched these two with amusement as they broke into an argument. Finally, she had heard enough. Connie stepped up to the two of them. ¡°Maltokken, you ought to listen to Snow. You are setting a poor example of leadership for your men.¡± ¡°Too late for that,¡± Jalban said from nearby. At Connie¡¯s interruption of their heated discussion, Snow shot Connie a look of surprise, which lasted an incredible few seconds until dissolved into cross expression. Maltokken did likewise. ¡°Who asked you, Connie?¡± Snow asked in an icy tone. ¡°I¡¯m just telling Maltokken that I agree with you. He should do what he is told and set a good example for his men.¡± ¡°I can handle this situation fine on my own without your intervention.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t sound like you were getting anywhere.¡± Before Snow could respond, Fandia shouted, ¡°Rahl! Snow! Look there!¡± First the party looked at Fandia and then to where she pointed. Gasps of astonishment and fear issued from the party. Rising up in the area where the creatures had been slain was a fountain of black liquid. At the same time, the wind picked up, and now the smell of Chaos had returned. This time, it was so thick in the air that it was nearly suffocating. At first, Connie thought an oil gusher had magically sprung from the ground, then incredibly, the fountain began to writhe and take on a distinct shape. It gradually began to change color too, changing from shiny black to a dull, mottled brown. Finally, the shape coalesced into a huge humanoid-shaped beast, almost two stories tall and coated with arrow-sized quills as would be a giant porcupine. Only the circular maw of shark-like teeth in its head broke through the uniform coat of brown quills. It did not have eyes. The beast let out a throaty roar and began shambling toward the party. The hanyaks and baraks bolted before Theo could cast a calming spell on them¡ªnot that the spell would even have an effect at the sight of a creature. ¡°Wha-what, by the g-gods, is that?¡± Maltokken stammered in horror. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Maltokken? Aren¡¯t you hungry anymore?¡± Snow asked pithily. ¡°What shall we do, Rahl?¡± Yalden asked, his weapon already in hand. ¡°We cannot outrun it. We must face it,¡± Rahl said in a resigned tone, picking up his shield and drawing his sword. He turned to Snow. ¡°We will need some help.¡± She turned to Fandia. ¡°Enchant their weapons.¡± ¡°I will do it now,¡± Fandia said. Rahl pulled his sword from this scabbard. ¡°Jalban, Theo, and Connie: Get yourselves to safety. Retrieve the animals. The rest of us will remain.¡± ¡°I can stay,¡± Theo said. ¡°No, you will lead the quest if we perish. Take Tristana with you. Go now. The creature approaches.¡± The beast was almost upon them. Connie and the others quickly retreated to a relatively safe distance. Rather than retrieve the pack animals as Rahl instructed, they stayed behind two watches. Fandia quickly cast a spell on the weapons of those remained behind. Now Rahl, Yalden¡¯s swords, and the metal head of Maltokken¡¯s hammer glowed with a shimmering blue light from an elemental spell she had cast. Snow turned to Fandia. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Now do a Keenness on the blades,¡± she ordered her apprentice. ¡°Do it quickly.¡± But Fandia now stood frozen in fear at the sight of the creature advancing on them. Seeing this, Snow rushed up to her and shook her. ¡°Keenness,¡± Snow said. ¡°Triple the node power if you can. Make it like a knife through a leaf.¡± ¡°I cannot,¡± Fandia said, terror in her voice. ¡°I cannot concentrate.¡± ¡°You must try,¡± Snow commanded her with urgency. ¡°They need you. Try. Do it now.¡± The beast whipped its arm around in an arc. A thick volley of arrow-sized quills flew loose from its arm toward the men. Most of the arrows fell far too short of their target to be a threat, but this warned them of what was to come. The creature came closer to the warriors. Fandia continued struggling to cast a triple power Keenness spell on the two-edged weapons to enhance their sharpness. The creature was now upon the four warriors. At that moment, Fandia managed to cast her triple power spell. With the spell cast, Snow pulled the terrified Fandia away from the immediate heat of the battle. Rahl and Yalden advanced on the beast while Maltokken and Psi¡¯el lingered behind the two. Just before Rahl and Yalden reached the beast, again it whipped its arm around in a wide arc, showering them with another volley of the arrow-like quills. The three warriors rose their shields just in time to protect themselves from the shower of arrows. The quills clanked heavily against their shields and helmets. However, a quill-arrow found Rahl¡¯s foot and pierced the armor there. Sharp pain shot up his leg. He fought it off and forced himself to step closer to the beast. The beast swiped his arm downward toward Rahl and Yalden. Rahl dodged the blow of the spiked arm, despite being partially hobbled by his injured foot, but Yalden wasn¡¯t quick enough. The arm brushed against his shoulder, which impaled him with two giant quills. Still, the fighter was able to swing his sword. The edge of it grazed the elbow of the creature, easily shearing off a number of the quills there. Now Rahl maneuvered himself to thrust a sword into the belly of the beast. Before he could make his strike, the beast swiped at him with its other arm. Seeing the blow coming, Rahl aborted the thrust and quickly ducked back. The beast missed him broadly, but it swiped at Rahl with such force that several of the quills punctured his shield. One of the quills buried itself in his shield arm. The pain was enormous. Now purple blood dripped from his hand down his shield. While the beast recovered from its swipe, Rahl used the opportunity to slash at its arm with a quick downward slash. The sword connected, and with its triple Keenness and Anti-Chaos enchantments, the weapon easily severed the outer third of the beast¡¯s arm. The beast let out a loud, guttural roar. Yalden had now recovered from the massive blow to his shoulder. Now he swung his sword in a broad, lateral swipe against the right side of the beast. The sword cut deep into the beast¡¯s side instantly. A number of severed quills fell to the ground. The beast howled in pain. Black ooze began dripping from the wound. This time, however, Rahl was the focus of the attack. The creature raised its arms to smash Rahl into the ground with both its arms. Rahl quickly backed away. Just as the creature was going to strike him, Psi¡¯el ran up and, swinging his flail in an upward motion, struck the creature firmly in its forearm. The creature¡¯s arm shattered into the thousands of tiny black fragments that appeared as so many oversized toothpicks. Snow and a stunned Fandia watched from behind the two warriors. Snow looked over at her apprentice; she appeared transfixed by the sheer, ugly horror of the beast. Snow arched her hands above her head in order to summon a lightning bolt spell to use against the beast. She pointed both her hands at the head of the beast, which was safely above the men fighting it below. Then, with a few softly spoken incantations, a bolt of lightning poured from her fingers into the head of the beast. The lightning struck the beast with a deafening bang. The beast immediately stumbled backward in a flurry of burned quills, smoke, and black ichor. Not expecting the bolt, the four fighters fell to the ground. A second later, heavily injured by the blast but not quite defeated, the beast let out a howl of fury. It swept its arm back to cast another volley of quills at the party. Snow realized instantly what the beast was going to do. Almost without thinking, Snow created an invisible barrier between her and the beast. ¡°Fandia! Get behind me¡ªnow!¡± she shouted to her apprentice, who stood five meters to her right. But Fandia did not move, having frozen in horror at the beast. Before Snow could say more, the beast swung its remaining arm around in a wild swipe. Dozens of the deadly arrow-like quills flew at her and Fandia. Although the quills bounced harmlessly off of Snow¡¯s barrier, several of them struck the apprentice, who stood a mere pace outside the field of protection. Many of the quills pierced her body completely. Fandia let out a small, choking sound, then crumpled to the ground. ¡°Fandia!¡± Snow cried out. The beast, still staggering from the bolt of lightning, had left itself open. Seeing an opening, Rahl lifted, released his shield, raised his sword, and charged at the beast. He rammed the sword into the beast up to the hilt, sinking the blade into its fetid flesh. The beast trembled spasmodically while Snow¡¯s anti-Chaos enchantment flowed into its body, dissolving the Chaos from within like an alkali. Stinking black liquid flowed from the creature¡¯s wound over Rahl¡¯s arms and hands. ¡°Die, Chaos!¡± Rahl screamed as he twisted the blade in the beast¡¯s abdomen. Finally, he heaved his muscles upward and raised the blade of his sword through the chest of the beast and out the side of its neck. Nearly split in two, the creature shuddered a few times then fell backward with a heavy thud. Once the beast had fallen, Maltokken and Yalden rushed forward to thrust their weapons into the body of the beast, while Psi¡¯el pulverized its head with his flail to make sure that the Chaos monster would not rise again. At once, the beast dissolved into a black goo, which oozed into the ground, leaving no trace. Once the beast had vanished, the rest of the party ran up to the victors. Snow knelt over Fandia, showing no emotion, yanking the quills from her lifeless body. Theo was there first, staring down at the dead woman as Snow removed the last quill. Tristana stood next to Snow. For the first time, Connie thought, Tristana looked like she wanted to be around Theo. ¡°Fandia!¡± Snow said, her voice choked with emotion. ¡°Is she dead?¡± Theo asked. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°May I¡ª?¡± he began. ¡°I mean, do you mind if I¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªtake her humors?¡± Snow said, finishing the question for him. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But Rahl and Yalden have been injured,¡± she said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you tend to them first?¡± ¡°The humors can only be taken close to the time of death,¡± Theo replied. ¡°Rahl and Yalden will survive their wounds.¡± Snow looked down at Fandia. Connie could not discern whether the sorceress felt remorse or if she was only angry at her former apprentice. She rose to her feet. ¡°Very well. But I choose not to view your extraction.¡± ¡°I will be respectful of her,¡± he said. ¡°I will disturb only what is necessary.¡± Snow stared deeply into Theo¡¯s eyes, then gave Tristana a steely glance. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do,¡± she said to Theo while looking at Tristana. ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± Theo removed a knife from his belt. He knelt next to Fandia and gently opened her robe to reveal her flaccid breasts and chest of ugly, purple puncture marks. Theo put the knife to the still warm flesh just above Fandia¡¯s heart. Snow turned to walk away. Yalden ambled up to Theo with two quills sticking out of his shoulder. ¡°What are you doing to that girl?¡± he asked in a heated tone. ¡°I¡¯m taking her humors. She does not need them now.¡± ¡°You need a knife to do that?¡± ¡°Her humors are located in her heart. I¡¯m going to remove her heart to take the humors.¡± Yalden seemed horrified at this statement. He drew his sword. Theo immediately got to his feet. Tristana took a step forward. Now she stood beside Theo with her axe clutched in both hands. ¡°I won¡¯t let you cut out this girl¡¯s heart. We will bury her as is proper.¡± ¡°Are you a fool?¡± Theo asked. We need her humors to cast spells. Spells that might even save your life.¡± ¡°What you are doing is disrespectful¡ªparticularly since you are doing it to a young girl.¡± ¡°But she is dead. What is the difference?¡± Theo looked down at Fandia. ¡°We will give her a proper burial after I do this. I will dig the grave myself, if you would like.¡± ¡°You do not listen, spellcaster. I will not allow you to do this.¡± Theo scrutinized Yalden. ¡°You are a fool, Yalden. You could learn much from your brother.¡± Theo knelt over Fandia again. As soon as he placed the knife at Fandia¡¯s chest, ready to thrust it into her ribcage, Yalden advanced on him. At that moment, Tristana quickly placed herself between Theo and Yalden, her battle axe held in a position of parry. ¡°Move aside, lady, unless you want to join your master,¡± Yalden growled. Tristana stared back at Yalden impassively. Thought Yalden was almost twice her mass, she did not seem afraid. Yalden positioned his sword into an offensive stance. ¡°I¡¯m warning you.¡± Before anything further could happen, Rahl limped up to them. ¡°What is the trouble here?¡± ¡°Theo wants to cut out the girl¡¯s heart,¡± Yalden said. ¡°Fandia is dead,¡± Theo said to Rahl. ¡°I¡¯m trying to extract her humor, and Yalden has drawn his sword on me.¡± Rahl spoke to Theo, ¡°Did Fandia say you can take her humors?¡± ¡°No. How could she? The woman is dead. How can a woman who is dead give me permission to extract her humors?¡± ¡°Then you must not take them.¡± Theo got to his feet. ¡°But Rahl, this is my only source of power in this land. Without fresh humors, my power will diminish.¡± ¡°I understand your plight, Theo. But I have to admit I concur with Yalden. Fandia was no stranger to us. And unless she had given you permission to take her humors, then you must respect her tacit wish that her body not be mutilated.¡± ¡°Rahl!¡± Theo shouted. ¡°Such it is,¡± he said with finality. ¡°We will now burn the body before we depart to prevent Chaos from using it as a tool of Entropy.¡± Theo gave a last lingering look at Fandia before grudgingly slipping his extraction knife back into his belt. ¡°Wait,¡± Snow said, having stayed within earshot to listen to the row between Theo and Yalden. ¡°I gave Theo permission to take Fandia¡¯s humors.¡± ¡°You cannot do that,¡± Yalden said gruffly. ¡°Can I not? Lest you forget, Fandia was my apprentice. I had known her since she was a child. I was like a mother to her in many ways. If anyone can give permission to take her humors, I can.¡± Snow looked to Theo. ¡°Take them, Theo. And use them well. Fandia would want that.¡± Theo glanced quickly at Rahl, then at Yalden. Finally, his eyes returned to Fandia. He reached for his knife again. Yalden took a step toward Theo. Tristana brought her weapon up to block him. The tension of the situation raised another notch. ¡°Rahl told you not to take the humors,¡± Yalden said to Theo. ¡°But you hear it. I have permission. Snow has given it to me.¡± ¡°Is that fair, Rahl?¡± Yalden asked his brother. ¡°Can she do this?¡± ¡°Yes. I am afraid so,¡± Rahl answered. ¡°Fandia was her apprentice. Snow can make that decision.¡± ¡°But it is not right! It is disrespectful of Fandia.¡± Rahl put his arm on his brother¡¯s good shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea either. But this is what must be. Sheathe your weapon now, my kindhearted brother, and come with me. Jalban has prepared a salve for your wounds.¡± At Rahl¡¯s sympathetic words, Yalden seemed to be fighting back tears. ¡°Chaos took Fandia like it took Jenada.¡± Yalden suddenly broke away from Rahl¡¯s touch and walked away from the group, presumably to be alone for a while. As Theo knelt over Fandia again, extraction knife in hand, Rahl and most of the others turned away toward the camp. Connie placed Rahl¡¯s arm over her shoulder and helped him back to the camp site. ¡°I don¡¯t understand Yalden,¡± Connie said to Rahl. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he like spellcasters?¡± ¡°That goes back many years to the first time we had ever encountered magic,¡± Rahl said. ¡°When Yalden and I were young, we would visit the marketplace in Roggentine while our father conducted business there. Sometimes, on a whim, we would steal fruit from the vendors there. One day we stole a handful of dates from a street merchant. Little did we know, this merchant had also had worthy skills as a spellcaster. Well, Yalden and I each grabbed a handful of dates and ran with them. The vendor shouted at us to stop. We kept running. I was quicker than Yalden, so I got away. The spellcaster cast Confusion on Yalden to stop him. The spell was exceptionally strong to be cast on a young boy. The merchant then turned him in to the constables. When Yalden came to his senses, he found that he had soiled his pants while the spell was in effect. He was humiliated. Furthermore, when our father found out, he gave us both a profound beating. For all his humiliation, Yalden became resentful of spellcasters after that day. Then five years later, another spell was cast on him in a brawl with strangers inside a tavern after he stood up to defend the honor of a barmaid he knew who worked there. Both his legs were broken by the spell. And ever since then, he does not like those who practice the art.¡± Rahl shook his head. ¡°Ah, for all the trouble Yalden¡¯s mistrust has caused him over the years. I wish it had been me who had caught the spell that fateful day we stole the dates, rather than him.¡± Snow quickly cast Protection Against Chaos and healing spells on Rahl and Yalden, and Maltokken too, though he had not been injured. Although Yalden was resistant to having any spells cast on him, Rahl explained to him that once someone was exposed to Chaos, a protection must be cast upon them or else they would pick up the taint. ¡°This Chaos sounds like rabies,¡± she told Rahl after overhearing their conversation. ¡°What is that?¡± the swordbearer asked. ¡°It¡¯s a disease in my world. Once a creature is infected with it, it goes around mindlessly attacking and infecting other creatures with the disease before it dies.¡± ¡°Yes. Perhaps Chaos is like this rabies you speak of.¡± The party spent most of the remainder of the day tracking down the pack animals. After all of the animals had been recovered, the party set to the task of digging a grave for Fandia, but having neither the proper digging tools nor an elemental spell that could excavate the ground, the decision was made to burn her body on a pyre. Once all the wood had been gathered, they put her body on the pyre and held a brief wake for her. Snow showed no emotion during the subdued service and spoke only briefly and unaffectedly about Fandia¡ªand only after Rahl prompted her to speak. After the wake was done, they set the pyre alight. Jalban broke down in tears as the blue flames climbed higher into the wooden frame and began licking at the body. Connie stayed with him to comfort him while the black smoke from her body curled up into the dismal green sky. Long before the fire had gone out, Rahl led the party out of the area. They managed to travel a few more leagues toward the mountains. Light wood gradually replaced the scrubby brush. The difference in the trees was remarkable to Connie. Though the trees appeared to be the same variety as those of the Roggentine forest, the trees here grew twisted and knotted, their trunks contorted to unnatural shapes. These trees looked sickly and weak, as if they had been poisoned repeatedly. Soon, it became too dark to travel further. They set up camp in the stone foundation of an ancient building atop a broad hill. The cold dinner consisted of dry, seasoned meat and aceralla nut tea. Rahl took volunteers for the first watch. Feeling tired from the day¡¯s ride. Connie declined the first watch, but she accepted the second. Jalban and Psi¡¯el took the first watch. Connie fell into a fitful sleep. The image of the beast confronted her in the darkness of her mind, rising from the dead earth beneath her feet. She would attack the monster in her dream, destroying it with her sword. But as soon as she vanquished the creature, again it would continually rise, each time more powerful than before. Then, in the nocturnal light of the moons, Jalban interrupted Connie¡¯s private battle with the beast. ¡°It is your time to watch,¡± he whispered to her, rousing her from her sleep. She sat up and stretched. She quickly noticed that one of the twin moons was partially eclipsed, giving the appearance of a pair of eyes in which one eye was partially winking. This sight jarred her. ¡°Jalban, I have a question,¡± she whispered to him as he prepared his bedding for sleeping. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What are the names of the moons?¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Sarn and Khybn,¡± he said, clearly annunciating the names for her. ¡°I see. Which one is which? They both look the same to me.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Call them whichever you want. Most people confuse them, anyway.¡± ¡°Which one is winking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Sarn?¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Sarn rises from the east and sets in the west. Khybn rises from the southeast and sets in the northwest. It also moves faster across the sky.¡± ¡°I see. Thanks.¡± Jalban wrapped himself in his blanket. It did not take him long to fall asleep, as evidenced by his snoring. She gazed up at the moons while taking sips of water from the skin in her pack. Then, wrapping the blanket around herself, she joined her watch partner, Theo, who sat on the ruined foundation. This evening, he looked bedraggled and possibly regretful that he had volunteered for the second watch. ¡°Good evening, Theo,¡± Connie said as she began her stretching exercises. ¡°So it is,¡± Theo said with a yawn. ¡°How did it go with Fandia¡¯s humors? Did you retrieve them?¡± Theo smiled. ¡°Yes. They were Sanguine.¡± ¡°Is that good?¡± she asked, grimacing in pain as she stretched the thigh joint of her right leg. ¡°All humors are good to have. She was actually a competent spellcaster. Her humors are strong¡ªall three of them. I will certainly make good use of them.¡± Connie switched to stretching the joint in her left leg. ¡°I¡¯ll take that at face value, though I have no idea what it means.¡± ¡°What about Fandia¡¯s nodes?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Did Snow give them to you?¡± ¡°No. Should she?¡± ¡°It would be wise if she did.¡± ¡°Why should I have Fandia¡¯s nodes if I don¡¯t know how to cast spells?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t now, but you can be taught.¡± ¡°By whom?¡± ¡°Snow. Now that Fandia is gone, she should take you on as her apprentice.¡± Connie let out a small laugh. ¡°I very well doubt Snow would ever do that. She despises me. And frankly, I don¡¯t like her either.¡± ¡°Both of you need to put aside your feelings for the sake of the quest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Theo. I can¡¯t imagine her helping me.¡± ¡°But she must help you. We need a solid elemental spellcaster in the party, and she has not practiced elemental magic in a long time. Not only that, if she casts elemental spells during battle, she will not be able to cast her celestial spells.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Connie said, shaking her head. ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t even approach her about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to¡ªI¡¯m going to talk to Rahl. He¡¯s the party leader. Not her.¡± ¡°Good luck, Theo, but I still don¡¯t think she¡¯ll go along with it no matter what Rahl tells her to do.¡± Connie sat up from her stretching exercise. Now she found a smooth patch of ground. She lay on her back with her knees up. ¡°Come here, Theo. Hold my feet for me.¡± Theo got up from his place on the foundation and held down Connie¡¯s feet. Connie proceeded to do sit-ups while Theo watched her. Today, she was able to do 51 sit-ups on the first set, up five from the day before. ¡°Why do you do this?¡± Theo asked while she rested for a minute. ¡°I¡¯m getting Alyndia¡¯s body into shape. I figure if I¡¯m not able to cast spells, I might as well at least recover the martial arts skills I once had. This way I pull my own weight and make myself useful on this quest.¡± ¡°This seems very physical. You are training yourself as though you were to become a warrior. But you do not have the physique of one.¡± Connie began the next set of sit-ups. ¡°Alyndia did a lot of sitting around,¡± Connie said between while lifting her chest to her knees. ¡°Believe me, this is not easy. Her body does not cooperate with my mind. It¡¯s like I have to teach myself the moves all over again.¡± She spent the next half-hour putting herself through her training regimen. Afterward, she helped Theo tend the low fire they kept burning. Now, feeling winded, she plopped herself down on the foundation of the ruined building and stared out at the dead scenery around them. The clouds were clearing just as Snow had predicted earlier in the day, and the second moon was beginning to rise into the eastern sky. Gradually, as the curtain of clouds receded to the west, the flat black sky began glowing effulgent with millions of twinkling stars. Theo and Connie sat together in silence, gazing up at them. ¡°You know, Theo, back in my world, I used to be into astronomy.¡± ¡°It is a pastime that is also loved by many in our world.¡± ¡°I was never very interested in the stars until I took a class in astronomy as part of my science requirement.¡± ¡°Here we have four times of the year between thirteen months, each bestowing one of four types of humors. The time you are born gives you a preponderance of humors. These humors give you your countenance.¡± ¡°It sounds like astrology to me,¡± Connie said. ¡°Yes, this is how I know the humors. There is a tale on how the gods bestowed humors upon man.¡± ¡°Really? How does it go?¡± ¡°The first man and woman were created by means of divine power. They were absolutely perfect, as perfect as the gods who made them with all manner of gifts, from the arts to artisan skills to knowledge of the spells. They would never grow old or know the taste of death. When the dragon tricked the man into drinking from the River of Death, Man was cast out of the Forest of Cera. The woman chose to follow. By doing so, she was also cursed with death, but since she had not sinned, she retained the gift of magic to be passed on to her children. Are you following this?¡± ¡°Yes. Go on.¡± ¡°At this time, the gods decreed that no man or woman borne of the flesh should ever have all wisdom and magical intelligence. They divided the traits of man into four. Now, all are born with a fourth of the original gifts we once had in the Forest of Cera, the countenance being one of four. So, that¡¯s why there are four humors, each with its own characteristics, each with its own quarter of divinity. Since we are all given only one humor, which is a quarter of divinity, no one is perfect. That¡¯s why we are all born with character flaws.¡± ¡°As I said, it reminds me of astrology in my world. Astrology is a foolish belief, in my opinion.¡± ¡°You wanted to know the story of the humors, and so I told you,¡± he sniffed. ¡°Don¡¯t be offended, Theo. Your version¡¯s pretty interesting, really. By the way, we have twelve divisions.¡± ¡°Twelve? I cannot imagine that many. Four is enough. The Salamander bestows a Choleric, changeable nature. The hanyak bestows a Phlegmatic, strong but cautious nature. The Owl gives a sad, Melancholic countenance.¡± Theo pointed to the sky. ¡°And the Foxen directly above gives a Sanguine, which bestows a temperamental, energetic nature. That is the constellation in the sky.¡± Connie gazed upward at the resplendent, starry canopy in an attempt to view the constellation he spoke about. Then, a surge of energy ran through her. At once she felt as though a veil that shrouded her mind had suddenly been pulled away. She jumped to her feet and spun around, looking up at the sky. She put her hands to her head in wonder, for at that moment, she recognized the sky as being the same one as viewed from Earth. ¡°Theo!¡± He looked up at her, surprised at her sudden burst of energy. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This is my sky, Theo!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I recognize these stars. These are the same ones we see in my world. Look! There¡¯s Perseus, the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper. And that tiny dot over there is Mars, and there is Jupiter, and there¡¯s Saturn.¡± At that moment, Rahl sat up, awoken by Connie¡¯s outburst. ¡°What is the problem?¡± he asked them, staring at Connie, who stood on top of the foundation, staring at the sky. Connie spun around, excited. ¡°Rahl! The sky!¡± she said gleefully. ¡°It¡¯s my sky. It¡¯s the same sky we have in my world!¡± Rahl focused his vision on the night sky. It looked unremarkable to him. Nothing about it had changed since the last time he viewed it. Now a few other party members awoke from Connie¡¯s shouting. Yalden was on his feet in an instant with his sword drawn. Connie stumbled along the top of the foundation, her eyes to the sky. She pointed to the heavens. ¡°Look! There¡¯s the Big Dipper. And see that bright star? That¡¯s Polaris, the North Star. And look there, Theo. Those are scales. It¡¯s Libra! It¡¯s Fall!¡± Now the entire party was awake on their feet, staring up at the sky, weapons in hand, waiting for something to happen. ¡°Hey, everyone! The sky says that the fall has arrived in Cerinya!¡± ¡°She woke us up just to tell us that?¡± Jalban said groggily to Psi¡¯el, who stood beside him. ¡°I think she needs to be whipped,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll second that,¡± Maltokken added. Snow stared at Connie with silent bemusement, as did Tristana. Jalban stared at her with a concerned expression, the same way he used to look at her when he thought she was a sick Alyndia. Rahl walked over to Connie. He held out her hand to help her down from the higher part of the foundation she stood upon in an attempt to calm her down. Connie hopped down to the ground next to him. She threw herself at Rahl with a bear hug. He nearly stumbled backward from this. ¡°Please, Connie,¡± he said. ¡°Morning comes quickly. We have a hard day of travel tomorrow. We need our rest.¡± ¡°Rahl! Do you know what it means to me to see this sky? That means I¡¯m in the same universe as my world. Maybe my home is not so far away.¡± Rahl turned to the party who stood watching them, waiting for an order on what to do next. ¡°It is all right, everyone. You may return to your blankets.¡± Gradually, everyone settled back to their warm blankets amidst curses. ¡°I am happy for you,¡± Rahl said groggily. ¡°But we must remain silent when on watch so that the others may rest, that is, unless something threatens us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that, Rahl,¡± Connie said, suddenly feeling contrite. ¡°I promise it won¡¯t happen again.¡± He gave her a warm smile. He took her arm and guided her a short distance from where the party was settling in. ¡°Now show me what you see.¡± Connie was impressed and flattered that Rahl was interested in what she saw. She eagerly pointed to him the planets, constellations, nebulae, and galaxies she recognized. Then, as she pointed these out, her mind began to ruminate over where in the universe they were. She stopped speaking to Rahl to think this over for a minute. He watched her without speaking, his dark eyes shining with the fire from the camp a short distance away. Connie thought her memory served her correctly. This was the night sky that would be viewed from the Northern Hemisphere during the Fall on Earth, and gauging their position, they were traveling toward the North Pole. She realized the sun was the same size on Cerinya as was on Earth. Now strangely, the visible planets were not far off from their relative positions from the last time she viewed them from her telescope on the balcony at the apartment. Strangely, Venus was not visible at twilight now as it was on Earth. She covered her mouth as she tried to recall its position in relation to Earth the time she left. She recalled that because of its position in orbiting the sun relative to the orbit of the Earth, Venus was visible only at twilight and could not be seen in the morning. Now she turned to Rahl as she formulated a hypothesis on her position in the universe. Now a chill shot through her body. Could it be possible¡­? Surely, we would have known! ¡°You have this most distant look in your eyes, Lady Connie,¡± Rahl said to her with a note of concern in his voice. ¡°Is there a matter that troubles you?¡± Connie smiled at him. Then she broke out in laughter. Rahl gave her a puzzled look. Connie casually glanced toward the camp. She caught sight of Snow watching them intently from her place by the fire, Rahl¡¯s empty blanket next to hers. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know at sunrise,¡± she said brightly. ¡°Perhaps you ought to get some sleep.¡± Connie spoke animatedly to Theo for the remainder of their watch, explaining to him how the planets are arranged and scientific theory on how stars are formed. He listened to her with skepticism, arguing her every point, shrugging off most of what she said as fanciful hogwash. As the hours passed, Connie decided that Theo would make an exemplary member of the Flat-Planet Society on Cerinya, perchance one existed. Occasionally, while Connie spoke, she¡¯d gaze up at the slowly-moving panorama of stars with a new appreciation for them. Finally, the eastern sky began to turn a murky shade of green with the coming of sunrise. Forgetting about keeping a watch for signs of encroaching Chaos, Connie found a place to sit on one of the highest points of the foundation. A chill had come along with the heavy blanket of chlorine that always kissed the ground just before sunrise. Connie wrapped herself in her blanket to keep warm. To her dismay, clouds had formed in the eastern sky. The sky gradually segued into a lighter shade of green. Now it appeared a featureless aquamarine. Then miraculously, the clouds cleared, and there she saw the pearly white sphere of Venus suspended like an angel over the eastern horizon. The planet appeared nearly identical in size to what she remembered on Earth. ¡°Oh, God,¡± she said to herself. What she had suspected turned out to be true: Cerinya was a planet that shared the same orbit as did the Earth¡ªonly the two planets were on the opposite sides of the sun! ¡°But it can¡¯t be,¡± she said, realizing that a celestial body as large as the world she lived on would surely have long ago been discovered by modern astronomers by any number of means. Connie remained on the section of foundation when the sun began to peak over the horizon. She let her blanket fall away to allow the sun¡¯s warmth to soak into her bones. Theo entered camp and began waking up everyone watching the sun, stirring up the haze of life-giving chlorine that nearly obscured the sleepers. Now the sun rose higher in the sky. Connie closed her eyes and basked in its light, knowing the light of this sun was also shining on all she knew on Earth. Chapter 21 - A Time of Separation Chapter 21 A Time of Separation The room was bright. Sunlight shone through the opaque windows, and the light hurt her eyes. It was morning. When Alyndia regained some of her senses, she realized it was morning, and her wrists and ankles were strapped firmly to her bed. Her mind was filled with a fog, something like she felt while lost in the Wild. Her mind felt like a broken pot in which the shards had been reassembled haphazardly. She stared into the ceiling tiles pockmarked with holes, trying to recall the events that brought her there with a mind filled with the same. A television blared from someplace far away, probably the recreation room. Her mind fluttered between wakefulness and a dreamy nether-consciousness, but as her lucidity gradually returned, she realized she was incredibly thirsty, and her mouth had a heavy, metallic taste. A period of time passed, though she wasn¡¯t sure how much time. Gradually, she became aware of another presence in the room. Weakly, she turned her head. There she saw Dr. Kasabian looking down at her, dressed in white, gauzy sunlight shining down on his shoulders. She didn¡¯t recognize him initially in her debilitated mental state. He appeared as an angel or some other kind of saintly apparition. He gave her a weak smile and placed his hand gently on her forehead. His hands were dry and soft. ¡°How are you feeling, Connie?¡± he asked. ¡°Dr. Kasabian?¡± she asked, her voice gravelly. He poured her a cup of water and then raised her head enough to help her get the water down. She drank a few swallows. ¡°How is it you¡¯re here?¡± she asked, barely able to speak. ¡°I work here a few times a week. It¡¯s where I did my residency.¡± He gave her more water from the cup and then put it back on the table near the bed. ¡°I was surprised to learn you were here. I only found out when I heard what you did to the hospital staff.¡± ¡°They tried to give me medication. I didn¡¯t want to take it.¡± ¡°So, I heard. You did quite a number on them. Let¡¯s see: one with two with a cracked rib, another with a concussion, another with a bruised kidney. You were busy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I was able to do that. I guess I don¡¯t know my own strength.¡± ¡°Still, wouldn¡¯t it have been easier just to take the medication?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the way it makes me feel. I can hardly think straight when they give it to me.¡± Alyndia was now feeling more in control of her senses. She tested the strength of the straps that restrained her wrists, ankles, and torso. There was no way to get free that she could see. ¡°Why have they done this to me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already mentioned what you did. Doesn¡¯t it make sense that they¡¯d restrain you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do what I did. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt anyone. It just happened.¡± She raised her head to the doctor. ¡°Please. You have to get me out of here.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. You¡¯re no longer in my care. You¡¯re Dr. Gilbreth¡¯s patient now.¡± Alyndia¡¯s looked away from him after he said that. He put his hand on her restrained wrist. ¡°But I sympathize with you. You¡¯ve been in here three days already. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had a chance to think things over.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been here¡ªhow long? Three days?¡± Alyndia gasped. ¡°It didn¡¯t help when you broke the nose of that nurse while they were releasing you yesterday. They said you were extremely combative, and it took four orderlies to hold you down. They didn¡¯t even want to risk moving you to a padded cell.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember that at all.¡± ¡°Well, I read it in your file. That¡¯s why they¡¯ve kept you in restraints so long.¡± Alyndia shook her head. The hospital had kept her drugged up so much that she had not even been aware of how much time had passed or what had occurred during that time. Gerald was probably wondering where she was. And then there was the promise she made to Joy of visiting their mother on her deathbed. No one even knew where she was. At that realization, she began to cry. She felt helpless. A sorceress of her caliber should never be treated the way she was. She felt disgraced, defiled. She would give anything to have her spells back, even for just a day. Dr. Kasabian squeezed her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll have a talk with Dr. Gilbreth. I¡¯ll see if I can get him to at least get you out of restraints.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he really cares about my predicament.¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of the top psychiatrists in the state.¡± He pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in his white coat and dabbed her tears away from her eyes. He patted her wrist. ¡°I should be getting back to my floor.¡± ¡°Why do you have to go?¡± ¡°I have my patients to tend. I only stopped in to check on you.¡± ¡°I need to use a telephone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to talk to Dr. Gilbreth about that.¡± Alyndia bit her lower lip as she thought back on her last meeting with Dr. Gilbreth. Although, in her current state, she could not recall everything she¡¯d said during the meeting, she strongly suspected that revealing her desire to call Gerald was the main thing that had worked against her. It might even have been the main reason he increased her medication. At that moment, she decided to no longer bring up Gerald with Dr. Gilbreth or with anyone else at the hospital¡ªjust in case it got back to him. Still, there was the separate matter of Connie¡¯s sister Joy. ¡°Can you call someone for me?¡± Alyndia asked. ¡°That might not be a good idea,¡± he said, his voice heavy with reluctance. ¡°Please. You must do this.¡± Dr. Kasabian knotted his brow. Alyndia noted that his eyebrows were darker and thicker than most of the other men she¡¯d met. His skin was darker too, almost olive-colored. She wondered where on the planet he¡¯d come from. Probably, he¡¯s from someplace far away, she thought. ¡°Who do you want me to call for you?¡± ¡°My sister. Her name is Joy West.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not my right to ask, but why would you like to speak to your sister?¡± ¡°Dr. Kasabian, my mother is on her deathbed. She doesn¡¯t have long to live. I haven¡¯t seen my mother in years. My sister was supposed to take me to her in Wisconsin. Now that I¡¯m stuck here, I can¡¯t go with her, as we¡¯d agreed.¡± The doctor seemed genuinely surprised by this statement. ¡°Your sister could have called your home. Your partner would have told her¡ª¡± ¡°My partner wouldn¡¯t. I very well know that.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s probably learned by now that I purposely stole some important files.¡± ¡°What files?¡± ¡°Some classified files that were gathered as evidence against a university professor we were investigating. I took them into my personal possession after interrogating him. I hid them in my coat on my way to this hospital. I lied to my partner about where they were. I¡¯d intended to destroy them.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°No. I didn¡¯t have the chance. I threw them into a waste bin. Dr. Gilbreth says they were found and returned to the agency.¡± She sighed. ¡°Because of this, I¡¯m sure the agency doesn¡¯t trust me now, and frankly, I don¡¯t trust them either.¡± Dr. Kasabian went silent as he ruminated over this for a moment. ¡°Where is your sister?¡± he asked finally. ¡°I guess she¡¯s in Wisconsin.¡± ¡°I see. Do you have her number?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s on a card in my purse,¡± she frowned when she realized she did not know where her purse was. ¡°They also took my purse away from me. I have no idea where it is.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll just let Dr. Gilbreth know about your mother and¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Alyndia interrupted. ¡°No. I want you to call her.¡± Dr. Kasabian knitted his brow again. ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Because he may not. The CIA is probably telling him to keep me here.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°All right. So what message would you like me to give her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a specific message. Just tell her where I am and my situation.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°What else can I tell her? Maybe you can add that they¡¯re keeping me here against my will. I¡¯ll leave it to her to react as she wishes. She and I have been estranged for many years, and I don¡¯t feel I have the right to make any demands of her.¡± The doctor nodded slowly. ¡°Please do this, Dr. Kasabian. I¡¯ll be so grateful to you.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try. No guarantees though. Okay?¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± Alyndia said, almost in tears. Dr. Kasabian looked at his watch. ¡°I have to be getting back to my ward.¡± ¡°Wait, doctor. Before you go, I have a question for you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°I was born in Armenia.¡± ¡°Armenia?¡± ¡°Yes. My family emigrated here when I was a little boy back in the late 1990s.¡± ¡°Is Armenia far from here?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not close.¡± ¡°Do you miss your homeland?¡± ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t say I do. I don¡¯t really know it very well. I was just a toddler when we came here, so I hardly remember it.¡± ¡°I see. Do you ever go back?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been back in years. I no longer have any close relatives living there, so it¡¯s hard to justify the time and expense to go back. Besides, I have a family of my own here now. They take up all my time.¡± ¡°You have a family in this land?¡± He reached into his smock, pulled out his phone, and turned it on for her to see. ¡°This is my family.¡± In the picture, she saw a slightly younger version of the doctor along with a dark-haired woman and two young boys. The photo was taken in some open area on a sunny day, perhaps at a park. He pointed them out to her, telling her their names. He showed her a few more pictures. ¡°You have a lovely family,¡± she said to him. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a lucky man,¡± he said, smiling. At the moment, she heard brisk squeaks of rubber-soled footsteps enter the room. Dr. Kasabian looked to the door. She craned her neck to look up and see one of the nurses walking toward her bed. The nurse held a syringe in one hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alyndia asked the woman in white. ¡°Giving you your medication,¡± she said. At the bedside, she removed the plastic cap on the syringe to reveal a short, shiny needle. ¡°I don¡¯t need this,¡± Alyndia said, her voice almost a plea. ¡°I¡¯m much calmer now.¡± She strained weakly against the straps that bound her, but it was no use.¡± ¡°Dr. Kasabian¡ªtell her to stop.¡± The doctor did not react immediately. The nurse stuck the needle into the I.V. tube that fed Alyndia¡¯s left arm and, with the quick press of the plunger, injected the tube with the clear liquid. ¡°What are you giving her?¡± Dr. Kasabian asked the nurse as he put away his phone. ¡°Thorazine: 400 mg per day. Demerol: 150 mg four times daily,¡± she replied stiffly. ¡°Why are you still giving her such high dosages if the patient is restrained? And why Demerol?¡± ¡°Dr. Gilbreth¡¯s orders.¡± Dr. Kasabian scrutinized Alyndia with her head sunken into the pillow. ¡°I just got through speaking with her. She seems coherent. I don¡¯t think this treatment is necessary.¡± ¡°Well, thank you for the observation, Dr. Kasabian,¡± she said in a harried tone. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to mention it to Dr. Gilbreth in my daily report.¡± She put the cap back on the syringe and squeaked out of the room. ¡°Friendly staff up here,¡± Dr. Kasabian said after the nurse was out of sight. ¡°See what I mean?¡± Alyndia responded. ¡°I think they¡¯re trying to punish me.¡± ¡°I very well doubt that. But, in the future, I recommend that you avoid harming the hospital staff. Harming anyone in this place, including the other patients, will not get you out of here any sooner. In fact, it will only prolong your stay. Promise me you won¡¯t harm anyone else.¡± ¡°Okay. I promise you.¡± He looked into Alyndia¡¯s eyes. She returned the gaze. Now Alyndia felt the tug of drowsiness in the deep centers of her brain as her lucidity began to ebb. Despite the creeping lethargy that swept over her mind like an ocean wave in slow motion, she felt at ease. She sensed intuitively that Dr. Kasabian was her friend. She shut her eyes. Now she felt herself slowly falling, tumbling head over heels into what seemed an endlessly deep, dark well. ¡°Please call her,¡± Alyndia said to him, suddenly unsure as to whether he was even still there in the room with her. * * * Dr. Gerald Layton was now home after having spent a greater part of the day packing his belongings into boxes at the university. As word of his arrest and the pilferage of university supplies spread throughout the faculty, the decision was made to release him from employment at the university. Ever since he was released from custody a few days before, he kept the phone close by in case Alyndia called. It had been almost a week since he¡¯d seen her at the police station. It baffled him that she hadn¡¯t called. He¡¯d spent a great deal of his free time online searching for Connie Bain¡¯s contact information, but her phone number was unlisted, and she had no discernible social media accounts or Internet footprint that he could find. What scant clues he could find out about her always led him back to the CIA website. Unable to contact her, he feared the worst. He occupied himself with long-neglected minor home repairs and other household tasks. He felt that as long as he kept himself busy, he would be able to keep the demons of alcohol and worry at bay. One part of his home he always avoided was the master bedroom he shared with Elise. Shortly after the accident, he¡¯d stopped sleeping in the room and had a lock put on the door to prevent the cleaning woman, who came on Wednesday afternoon, from entering. And since that time, he slept in one of the guest rooms¡ªor on the couch downstairs if he was too drunk to climb the stairs. But, on this day, he took the tarnished bass key from its hook in the kitchen and entered the room. Although the house was full of memories of their long marriage together, this room was the most painful of all for him to enter, for all of her remaining possessions still dominated there. This room was a hallowed, sacred place, a lingering shrine to the harmonious life they once shared together. He¡¯d kept the room in the same condition it was in on their last night together, hoping that someday she would return to it and life could go on as it had before. But now that Alyndia had arrived, the time had come to perturb this hallowed place by removing the relics contained therein. He approached this task not without a small amount of dread. He unlocked the door, and with a gentle push, let it swing open of its own momentum. The room was lit with the nearly heat-less afternoon sunset that shone nearly vertical through the lace-curtained windows that faced the east. He gazed inside for a moment, then, after taking a few deep breaths, he stepped into the middle of the room and surveyed the contents. All at once, he felt the ghosts of a happier past watching him from all corners of the room. The room held a veritable cornucopia of horrors for him. On the vanity was a hairbrush with her blond hair still caught between its bristles. Her half-empty perfume bottles sat neatly arranged behind the brush at the base of the mirror. Her pink lady slippers still sat at the foot of the nightstand by the bed, faithfully waiting for their owner to step into them for a nocturnal jaunt to the kitchen for a midnight snack of toasted bagels slathered with peanut butter. A pair of white silk pants lay on the seat of a chair exactly where she¡¯d tossed them a year ago. He knew that with each item of hers he picked up or moved would cause him a pang of loss. For with each item he moved, a memory of the past faded further away from tangible sensation, never to be recovered again. He opened the French door to Elise¡¯s walk-in closet. The light automatically switched on. There, in plain view, right where she¡¯d hung it, was the yellow summer dress she¡¯d bought a few years back. How she loved the color yellow¡ªyellow, like the color of daffodils! He took out the dress and felt it in his fingers. It was clean and neatly pressed. He turned and put it on a wall hook just outside the closet doors. After he did so, he gazed at it for a while, recalling how lovely it had looked on her. He moved back to the closet, but finding it too painful to remove the other items, he closed it quickly. The light inside shut off with a click. Draped over the chair at the vanity was her silky yellow nightgown. He picked up the soft fabric and felt it in his fingers, recalling that this very piece of cloth had once touched her body. He brought the nightgown to his nose and inhaled deeply. It still smelled of her. She was gone, that was certain. But as long as her heart beat in the hospital across town, there was always the remote hope that the essence of Annelise Layton would touch his life again either through her spirit or the supernatural soul of Alyndia. Nightgown still in hand, he sat down on the bed, remembering the times she wore it. He thought it was funny that such a trivial memory, such as one¡¯s wife wearing a nightgown, could become such a precious artifact in one¡¯s mind. He stared up at the yellow dress hanging on the hook. ¡°Elise,¡± he said aloud, imagining that the woman who once wore it could still hear him. ¡°So what do you think, Jerry?¡± Elise Layton asked her husband as she spun around in her bright yellow, new summer dress. Gerald looked up at her from his book, a story collection by Jorge Louis Borges, a gift from a colleague in the Humanities Department. ¡°What is there not to like about it?¡± he replied. She gazed at herself in the mirror, fanning out the lower part. ¡°Do you think it fits me well? Like in the shoulders?¡± ¡°Yes. It looks fine.¡± ¡°The color?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as summery as summer can be.¡± She spun around to face him before he could get back into the thrall of Borges¡¯s fiction. ¡°Really? Will you mind that I wear it to Richard¡¯s graduation?¡± He put down the book. ¡°Elise, you could go naked, and I¡¯d still go anywhere with you.¡± ¡°Would you?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not twenty-two anymore, and my body doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s twenty-two anymore either. I have some stretch marks here and here, and¡ªyou know.¡± She put her hands over her breasts. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it bother you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Not even a little? Be honest.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only improved with age.¡± Elise gave Gerald a coy look. ¡°Have I, now?¡± ¡°Okay, so there are a few differences between now and then, but you¡¯re still the same woman I fell in love with so many years ago.¡± ¡°Am I really?¡± ¡°If you saw yourself through my eyes, you would understand.¡± ¡°Jerry, that¡¯s a very, very nice thing to say to your wife.¡± ¡°Are you mocking me again?¡± ¡°Of course. You know I mock only those people that I like.¡± He smiled at her. She moved over to the bed, where he was reclining with his legs outstretched. She sat down on the floor next to him, then girlishly rested her chin on her folded arms at the edge of the bed. He feigned reading the book while she gazed over at him quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering¡ª¡± she said finally. She did not continue until he affirmed his attention to her. ¡°Yes?¡± he returned finally. ¡°Would you still have married me if I¡¯d been a cripple, or if I¡¯d had no arms?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a silly question. Of course, I would have,¡± he replied, not diverting his eyes from the book but keenly aware of her proximity beside him. She lifted the book out of his hands and laid it on the floor. Then, one by one, she proceeded to unbutton his shirt, starting from the top button and working her way down. After all the buttons had been undone, she ran a manicured finger lightly over his chest. He closed his eyes and let her touch consume his senses. ¡°You said you¡¯d go anywhere with me, even if I were naked,¡± she said, running her finger around his navel in a circle. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Where would you take me right now if I took off this dress?¡± Gerald reached out and stroked the nape of her neck. ¡°Anywhere you want to go¡ªjust as long as we go together.¡± The phone on the nightstand began to ring. Elise ignored it and continued running her finger in circles on his belly, feeding him butterflies in his viscera. The phone rang again. Then it rang again. Gerald tried ignoring the ring, hoping it would stop. But it came again. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have success in succumbing to her touch until the phone stopped its insistent ring. ¡°So, what are you waiting for?¡± she asked, oblivious to the phone. ¡°Someone is calling. I have to answer it.¡± Gerald woke up to the empty bedroom. At once he realized that he had fallen asleep on the bed. Elise''s yellow nightgown was still clutched in his hands. He thought he¡¯d dreamed that the phone was ringing until it rang again. He picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling for Gerald Layton.¡± ¡°This is he,¡± Gerald replied. ¡°My name is Dr. Patel. I¡¯m a physician in the ICU at Mercy Hospital. I¡¯m calling in regard to your wife, Annelise Layton.¡± Gerald swallowed hard. A feeling of dread washed over him as he held the handset to his ear. ¡°Yes, Dr. Patel. How is my Elise?¡± The caller paused briefly before he continued. ¡°I regret to tell you this, but your wife went into cardiac arrest this afternoon. The caller paused again. Gerald prompted him to continue. ¡°And?¡± ¡°We were not able to revive her. She passed away twenty minutes ago. I¡¯m very sorry to give you the news.¡± Chapter 22 - An Encounter with the Ephidians Chapter 22 An Encounter with the Ephidians Every step brought them closer to the snow-capped mountains that loomed in the distance. Connie walked at a brisk pace alongside her hanyak. Her body was responding to her rigorous training. A somber state overcame the party after Fandia¡¯s death. No one spoke much. The levity returned only after a few days had passed. By the afternoon of the second day, the forest of knotty trees had coagulated into a dense forest of larger trees. These were straighter and healthier-looking than the first. The ruins became less frequent, although no sign of recent civilized activity was apparent in these parts. For all the sickly, bleak terrain they traversed, this land had an abundance of unspoiled, unspoiled green areas. It seemed to her that although Chaos dominated the land, its pervasiveness was not as complete as Rahl and the others had at first believed. At dinner, Rahl remarked to the party that, as of that evening, they had traveled further inland than he¡¯d ever ventured himself. He suspected that the only humans to be found in the area would be those gathering nodes to sell at marketplaces in the distant civilized areas. Rahl stated that the nodes they would encounter there might very well be tainted and should therefore be taken with caution. While making their way through the desert, Connie detected and took possession of three wood nodes, a water node in a small brook they crossed, and a fire node that appeared spontaneously within the night¡¯s campfire. Snow allowed Connie to take possession of the nodes, even though both of them knew very well that Connie presently had no use for them. On the morning of the third day, the morning light revealed that two of the ten hanyaks in the party were foaming at the mouth. The hanyaks were dead by dusk. A third hanyak fell ill later the next day. Through a combination of spells and herbal cures, Jalban and Theo were able to restore this hanyak to health. The forest had thickened to the point where the mountains in the distance were no longer visible. They had been following a cobblestone road built a thousand years before when the land was civilized. Though overgrown, the road was still, for the most part, passable without undue difficulty. Eventually, however, the road decayed into a dirt clearing, then a path, and then it disappeared altogether. Now the going was very slow, as they had to hack a path through the thick vines and shrubs that impeded human passageway through the forest. Surprisingly, the sound of birds filled the trees, and insects were plentiful here. This was a good sign, for it meant that Chaos had spared this region for the time being. Late in the afternoon, the forest parted to reveal the ruins of a large fortress sitting atop a broad hill in the distance. The party stood in a row as they surveyed the structure. The size of the fortress was immense, and the grandiosity of its design was undiminished by time and age. The conical roofs of its many citadels were made of what looked like a glossy, purple tile. Multicolored stones set into the walls created huge, watercolor-like swirling patterns. These patterns were still visible in the crumbling walls, even from the distance where the party stood. The battlements of this particular fortress were triangular-shaped as opposed to those found on European medieval castles. The serrated edges at the tops of the fortress walls gave the structure a decisively more forbidding appearance, though in truth, the serrated edges were probably less effective shelters against a marauding army than their rectangular counterparts. Just as at the Castle Maray, the remnants of a rude village lay huddled against the outer walls of the fortress. Connie gasped on seeing the mountains beyond the castle. They were very close now. It would be perhaps only another day¡¯s travel before they reached the foot of the rocky peaks. They moved forward toward the fortress. The agricultural fields that surrounded the village so long ago had succumbed to vast fields of a strange type of prickly, yellow-leafed shrub. It struck Connie as odd that none of the larger trees of the forest encroached on this area. When Connie tapped Jalban¡¯s immense herbal knowledge about this, he explained that the plant known as ¡°Dead Man¡¯s Jaw¡± that grew here poisoned the soil with an herbicide that made it impossible for other plants to grow. The shrubs that ran rampant here were considered a nuisance, even in the civilized lands. When Connie asked Jalban why the plant was called ¡°Dead Man¡¯s Jaw,¡± he explained that the seeds of the bush had the vague arch shape of a person¡¯s mandible. Most notably, some of the deadliest of poisons were created from the root of this particular plant. They began hacking and slashing their way across the field, moving closer to the fortress with every slash of the enchanted sword. They had traveled for about ten minutes when Jalban suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted. ¡°Look! Over there!¡± All eyes of the party rose to the sky. Superimposed on the pale green afternoon sky was a telltale black plume of smoke trailing up into the heavens. The party stopped moving forward to watch the smoke. It seemed to originate from either inside or just beyond the fortress walls. ¡°What do you think?¡± Theo asked Rahl. ¡°The fortress has visitors,¡± Rahl answered as he gazed at the smoke. ¡°But it looks abandoned,¡± Jalban stated. ¡°Who would be there?¡± ¡°Difficult to say,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°Could be node poachers. They¡¯re most likely human.¡± ¡°Shall we avoid them?¡± Maltokken asked. Rahl weighed the blade of his enchanted weapon in his hand as he gazed out at the smoke. ¡°At first it may seem prudent to avoid them, but it will be getting dark soon. We will not make much headway through the woods, not enough to escape detection from them if they forage for game or firewood.¡± Rahl looked at Maltokken. ¡°They may be hostile. It is better that we first encounter them armed and prepared than while we sleep in our blankets.¡± At those words, the party prepared their spells and weapons. Jalban spoke up. ¡°Shall I go forward to scout them?¡± ¡°No. We will stay together as a group, as that way strength will be greatest.¡± Now armed and ready for action, the party continued through the bushes. Soon they had breached the ruined village. Most of these buildings, those made of the same stone as the fortress, were not as well constructed, and most of them had collapsed to a pile of rubble or were little more than odd rectangular foundations overgrown with scruffy weeds and Dead Man¡¯s Jaw. There was very little free wood lying about. Most of it had long ago decayed or collapsed to dust from the weather. Farther up the broad slope of the hill, the main portal to the fortress stood bereft of gates and open like a large, toothless maw. Two octagon-shaped windows above and to either side of the gate, the serrated battlements at forehead level, and some clever stonework reinforced this illusion. Connie wondered if this was the intended effect. They entered the fortress through the main gates. Just as was the village, the fortress was in utter ruin. Weather and age had broken down most of the walls and other structures within. From the precarious state of the masonry, she thought it was a marvel of engineering that most of the towers still stood despite the number of stones they had lost over the last thousand years. The steep angle of sunlight from the sinking sun to the west against the standing structures cast long shadows within the fortress. The party stood by quietly with their weapons ready. Theo stood out front of the party, moving his staff before him in a broad arc in an attempt to detect the presence of life (or recent death) within the fortress. Rahl did likewise with his sword in an effort of divination for concentrations of Chaos. Rahl spoke first, ¡°Chaos is here, but it is subdued.¡± Everyone now waited for Theo. ¡°The visitors are within the walls of the fortress,¡± he reported. ¡°They reside further toward the center.¡± ¡°How many are there?¡± Yalden asked. ¡°I think perhaps ten or so. Also, I detect the presence of enchantments or perhaps nodes. Maybe both. I am not sure.¡± Snow broke in. ¡°There are nodes.¡± Rahl, Theo, and Yalden turned to her. None of them knew that she was also doing a divination. ¡°This is not good,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Why so?¡± Connie asked. Snow flipped her hair back over her shoulders and began tying it with a ribbon. ¡°There are probably spellcasters in their number.¡± Yalden laughed. ¡°Ah! I will slay the spellcasters with my own sword! They will be the first to die!¡± ¡°I would not endeavor to fight spellcasters unprotected,¡± Maltokken said. Rahl looked to Snow and Theo. ¡°Maltokken has a point. We will need protection against spells if they prove themselves hostile. How many protection spells do we have?¡± ¡°I have two¡ªnot counting the one for myself,¡± Theo answered. ¡°They should ward off spirit magic attacks.¡± ¡°I can cast three verses elemental,¡± Snow said. ¡°If there are celestial spells, you all are on your own.¡± Rahl did a quick tally of the protection spells. ¡°Without Fandia¡¯s contribution, we do not have enough protection spells to go around. Two of our number must stay out of sight until we greet them.¡± He turned to Jalban and Connie. ¡°You two will be the ones to stay behind and tend the hanyaks. Also, Jalban, we will need your healing powers if we are injured.¡± Jalban responded with a solemn nod while clutching the wooden shaft of his morning star tightly in his fist. Connie spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t need a protection spell. I can come with you.¡± ¡°You must have a protection spell, or you may be harmed,¡± Snow told her. ¡°And if that happens, we¡¯ll have to waste healing spells on you. That is, if you survive.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand,¡± Connie said, smiling. ¡°I have protection.¡± ¡°Ha! What protection?¡± Snow said in a dismissive tone. ¡°Will you run? Is that your protection?¡± Yalden and Psi¡¯el laughed loudly at Snow¡¯s witticism at Connie¡¯s expense. Snow, then Maltokken, joined in the laughter. Connie scowled at them. She reached into her robe and pulled out the ankh-shaped amulet Calicus had given her. With its gold chain pulled taut at her neck, she held it out for all to see. ¡°This is my protection,¡± Connie said. Snow¡¯s eyes widened the second she laid eyes on the amulet. First surprise, then a look of anger crossed her face. The party stopped laughing at seeing her reaction. Connie immediately realized it was a bad idea to have shown it to her. Snow walked up to Connie and took the amulet in her hands to have a closer look at it. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± ¡°Calicus gave it to me.¡± ¡°Calicus?¡± She turned the amulet over in her hand so that she could read the back. Elenglea Vanexay, it read. Her eyes widened with anger. ¡°What troubles you, Snow?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°This cretin has my amulet of protection.¡± She glared at Connie contemptuously. ¡°Calicus told me this was lost when I was still a young apprentice.¡± ¡°Maybe he took it from you when you didn¡¯t need it anymore,¡± Connie said. ¡°Maybe he took it so that you would not rely on it and enhance your powers instead. He only kept it to give to his next apprentice.¡± Connie was pleased with the way that came out. It made sense and probably was the truth from what she knew of the kindly Calicus and his subtle mentoring. But Snow did not pause to consider this. ¡°No. He would never have given it to you. You are not worthy.¡± Snow pulled harder on the chain. Connie had to lean forward to keep the chain from cutting into the back of her neck. Snow continued. ¡°This is mine. Do you see this?¡± She pointed to the engraving. ¡°This is my name.¡± She yanked on the amulet in order to break it free, but the stout chain around Connie¡¯s neck would not break. Connie had had enough of this rough treatment. ¡°Get your hands off of it!¡± she shouted as she pried Snow¡¯s hand from the amulet. Once Snow had released it, she pushed the sorceress away from her. ¡°Back off!¡± Snow glared at Connie, her mouth slightly agape, seemingly unable to believe she would do such a thing as shove her back. Then, with her eyes locked firmly on Connie, she started muttering something. Rahl seemed to know what she was doing. He quickly grabbed Snow by the shoulders and shook her, breaking her concentration. ¡°Rahl! Why did you do that?¡± Snow asked him, scowling. ¡°A snake must never bite its own tail. You must not attack Connie. She is with one of us on this quest.¡± ¡°But she has my amulet. She is a thief!¡± Snow directed these words more to Connie than to the swordbearer. Snow¡¯s accusation incensed Connie. ¡°How dare you call me a thief!¡± Connie shot back at her. ¡°I may be many things, but a thief I am not!¡± ¡°You are not worthy enough to wear my amulet,¡± Snow said. ¡°Thief!¡± ¡°Go to the devil, Snow.¡± ¡°Connie!¡± Rahl shouted at her. Snow again fixed her eyes on Connie and began chatting something under her breath. Once again, Rahl quickly shoved her aside, this time with enough force to knock her to the ground. ¡°Rahl¡ªstop it!¡± Snow shouted to him from the ground. ¡°Why do you do this? ¡°We do not know if Connie is a thief. If it turns out she is, she will be punished. Either way, we will sort this out after our encounter with the strangers.¡± Snow did not respond to this. Rahl held out his hand to the sorceress of celestial magic, which he had impudently knocked to the ground. A pouting, unrepentant Snow stared up at his outstretched hand with a look that betrayed awkward embarrassment. After thinking it over for a few seconds, she took Rahl¡¯s hand, and he pulled her to her feet. Connie realized at that moment that no one else in the party, or perhaps in the world, could have done what Rahl had just done¡ªand live to tell about it. The terrible lightning bolt Snow fired at the Chaos creature still awed her. As Connie¡¯s anger at Snow subsided and the adrenaline dropped, she began to tremble slightly, realizing that Rahl had probably just saved her life. Rahl took Snow aside, and they had a talk. As they spoke in hushed tones out of earshot, Jalban walked up to her. ¡°Did Calicus really give you that amulet?¡± he asked her in a hushed tone. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°For your sake, Connie, I hope you are telling the truth.¡± ¡°Obviously, Jalban, the truth doesn¡¯t matter to Snow. She knows I¡¯m not lying, and yet she carries on that way.¡± Theo and Snow cast their protection spells on those who did not have enchanted objects to keep them safe from magical attacks. Connie furtively stuffed the amulet back beneath the folds of her robe against her skin. Theo saw her do this. He walked up to her and, without intimating his intentions, reached his hand down the front of her robe, where he pulled the amulet out from between her breasts to let it fall outside of her robe. Connie was too startled by Theo¡¯s sudden action to stop him, so she stood there mutely while he did this. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, reaching into my robe like that?¡± Connie said after the initial shock of what he did had passed. ¡°You won¡¯t want the amulet against your skin if you are attacked,¡± he replied without elaborating. Theo then walked away to cast a protection spell on Yalden. Connie stood where she was, aghast, unsure whether to be angry or thankful. With all protection spells cast, the group headed toward the source of life and magic while Jalban led the hanyaks and their supplies away from the fortress to the edge of the forest from where they came. Rahl and Theo led the party deeper into the fortress, with Snow and Yalden close behind. Psi¡¯el and Maltokken held up the rear. Connie stayed close to Jalban and Tristana and her enchanted axe at the center of the group. They passed through the passages of the castle. They made their way through the ruins of barracks, a stable, an ancient smithy, and other centers of medieval craft. The wood roofs of most of the buildings were long gone, so each building appeared more as mysteriously walled courtyards with only scant clues remaining as to their functions hundreds of years ago. The trail of smoke grew closer, then closer still as they wended their way through the labyrinth of ancient rubble-strewn corridors, stairs, and great halls. Theo stopped suddenly, holding out his staff before himself. A puzzled look crossed his face. Rahl waited for his direction on which way to proceed next. The direction never came. ¡°Where to next, Theo?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°The life source,¡± he stated enigmatically, continuing to slowly wave the staff in front of him in a wide arc. ¡°What is the trouble?¡± ¡°I can no longer detect the life source¡ªit has vanished. It is like a curtain has been drawn.¡± ¡°How can that be?¡± ¡°I detect that a spell has just been cast,¡± Snow spoke up from behind the two. ¡°It may have been a spell of cloaking.¡± Theo looked to Rahl. ¡°Could they seek to ambush us?¡± Rahl thought this over. ¡°Either that, or they have sensed our presence and are serving to protect themselves,¡± he ruminated. ¡°What shall we do, then?¡± ¡°We must give first give them the benefit of the doubt,¡± Rahl stated decisively. They followed the trail of smoke until they reached a large courtyard that was most likely a theater or auditorium of some sort. At the far end of the wide, clamshell-shaped area was an elevated stone stage at the narrow end. Here, they found the source of the smoke: a small campfire burned near the stage. Something was roasting on a spit over the fire. Scattered around the fire and on the stage were blankets, packs, clothes, and other traveling gear. Theo waved his staff around the area. All life and magic remained undetectable. ¡°Looks like they left in a hurry,¡± Snow said to Rahl, noting the cooking meal. Rahl scanned the area. There were several exits from the theater, particularly behind the stage. ¡°Theo?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Theo responded in a tone of vexation, finally ceasing to wave his staff. ¡°It is as if the ruins were devoid of life.¡± ¡°Perhaps we should turn back,¡± Maltokken said to Rahl from behind Snow. ¡°We have no choice but to proceed,¡± Rahl said. ¡°They now know of our presence as we know of theirs. We must seek them out.¡± He addressed the party in a subdued voice. ¡°Sheathe your weapons to show them we mean no harm. But keep your spells ready. I will parley with them.¡± Rahl and Theo, with the party close behind two abreast, descended toward the stage and the hastily abandoned camp. All eyes were on the exits from the open-air theater and the uneven tops of the rough walls that overlooked the expanse of the theater. When they had reached the camp, Rahl stopped. The party did likewise behind him. He then called out to whoever might be listening. ¡°Greetings! We have come in peace! You may show yourselves. We mean you no harm!¡± Rahl waited for a response. On hearing none, he restated his greeting. Again, there was no response. ¡°Brother, maybe we should fan out to search for them,¡± Yalden said. Before Rahl could answer, a bearded man wearing plate armor appeared at one of the arched openings behind the stage. The man held a long sword. On his other arm was a buckler. Connie casually observed the long sword had the blue glow of some sort of powerful enchantment. The man said nothing. He moved to the edge of the stage. Partially obscured by the billowing black smoke of the fire, he stood there saying nothing as he glowered at the party. It became apparent that his skin was pale white, like that of an albino. Suddenly, Connie had a bad feeling about this. At that moment, she direly wished she had something more effective than the dagger she carried at her belt. The man reached into his belt and tossed a box on the ground before them. The box opened up and radiated a faint, multi-colored fan light. ¡°What is that?¡± Connie asked Theo. ¡°Box of the Tongues. It is an artifact that translates languages.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Connie said simply, recalling that Professor Layton mentioned that he and Alyndia had used one to communicate with each other. ¡°Greetings! Rahl said to the man. ¡°I am Rahl of Dyandil. These are my companions. We are on a quest to restore the magic of the Atranox.¡± ¡°What is the Atranox?¡± the man asked without giving the customary name and settlement of origin. His voice sounded gruff but natural. To Connie¡¯s surprise, his voice did not emanate from the box. She wondered if the box were even necessary. ¡°We seek to destroy Chaos.¡± The man laughed at this remark. ¡°Nonsense. You are on a fool¡¯s quest. Chaos is never destroyed. It only changes form.¡± ¡°We have been sent by Calicus of Roggentine.¡± ¡°I know not this Calicus of Roggentine,¡± the man stated bluntly. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°He is a great wizard and my mentor,¡± Snow shouted to him from behind Rahl and Theo. The man seemed startled by Snow as if he had just realized her appearance there. ¡°Ah, lady flesh! We have not partaken of lady flesh in months!¡± Now the warrior scanned the rest of the party. Connie felt the man¡¯s eyes rest momentarily on her. ¡°We would like to share in the company of your three women, Rahl. Perhaps we can make a trade.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Khardak of Eritaria,¡± the man said in a haughty tone. At that announcement, Connie heard Psi¡¯el utter a vicious epithet. ¡°I knew it.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°What is wrong?¡± she asked him. ¡°The Ephidians are a tribe of warrior-mages in the territories north of Cerinya. They are fierce fighters and our worst enemies.¡± ¡°We will defeat them,¡± Yalden said, ¡°just as we did at the Shores of Mezmadia.¡± ¡°But they possess the spell of the golems,¡± Maltokken added. ¡°There are no golems here. You quake in your boots in vain, Maltokken.¡± ¡°Our women are not for sale,¡± Rahl said to Khardak. ¡°Farewell, Khardak, we shall leave you in peace.¡± The party began moving toward the exit of the theater. ¡°Halt!¡± Khardak commanded. ¡°If you will not release your women to us, you shall give all of the humors and elemental nodes you carry before you leave.¡± ¡°We shall not!¡± Rahl said. He then addressed the party without taking his eyes off of Khardak. ¡°Let us go now. Quickly.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Yalden asked. ¡°There is only one of them!¡± ¡°Fool!¡± Snow said to him. ¡°Did you count the number of blankets around the fire?¡± ¡°Halt!¡± the man shouted again. Presently, the rest of the Ephidians appeared at the tops of the walls and at the exits to the theater, including the party¡¯s point of entrance. There were fourteen total. These men were similarly equipped as their leader with armor and glowing weapons, amulets. The party was outnumbered. The party stopped moving toward the exit and looked to Rahl for the next course of action. Rahl addressed the leader again. ¡°We carry nodes and humors for our use,¡± Rahl said to Khardak. ¡°We need them for our quest. Do you not have spares of your own?¡± ¡°You will give to us what you have,¡± the Ephidian said. ¡°We shall not.¡± ¡°Very well. We shall take them by force.¡± ¡°We are not seeking bloodshed. Allow me to discuss this matter with my party,¡± Rahl said. He looked to his remaining spellcasters, Snow and Theo. ¡°Speak low so that the box cannot hear you. What shall we do?¡± Theo spoke first. ¡°I say we give them our elemental nodes. Fandia is dead, and none of us can use them now.¡± ¡°What about your humors?¡± Rahl asked him. ¡°I can unbind the ones I¡¯ve brought with me. I have others in the hanyak packs.¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t be able to cast any spells against them if you give up the ones you carry,¡± Snow said. ¡°It is risky.¡± ¡°We have your celestial spells, Snow. Surely, you can compensate for that.¡± The beginnings of a smile formed on Snow¡¯s lips on hearing this from a fellow spellcaster. ¡°It¡¯s kind of you say that, Theo, but I cannot defend against all of at once and from all sides.¡± Yalden broke in. ¡°The only trustworthy Ephidian is a dead Ephidian. I say we just attack them.¡± ¡°I agree with Yalden for a change,¡± Snow said to Rahl. ¡°We cannot throw ourselves at their mercy. We must rely on our wits.¡± ¡°But they already outnumber us,¡± Theo said. Rahl cocked his head as he assessed the situation. ¡°We will give them our extra nodes and humors. But we will not give all so that we will be helpless. Then we will seek to leave.¡± Rahl then stared deeply into his spellcaster¡¯s eyes with a grim expression. ¡°If this does not work, you know what needs to be done.¡± Both spellcasters nodded to him somberly. Rahl turned to Khardak. ¡°We have decided to give you our nodes and humors.¡± The leader gave Rahl a toothy smile. ¡°Wise decision, Cerinavian.¡± Khardak shouted to a couple of his warriors surrounding the party. ¡°Jastroch. Skulgath!¡± He gave them an order in a rough, guttural language Connie could not understand but thought it sounded vaguely like Russian, a language the CIA had taught her to speak. The two leaders sheathed their weapons in response. As the Ephidians approached the party to collect the spell components, one of them held out what appeared to Connie as a puffy, leopard skin sack. Connie noticed the mouth of the sack emitted a faint, violet glow as if it contained a low-wattage black light. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡± Connie asked Theo. ¡°Extra-dimensional space,¡± he replied. He unfastened from his belt the mummified human and animal organs he carried. ¡°What did you say?¡± she asked, not sure if she heard Theo correctly. ¡°That is called a Threshibian bag,¡± Theo said. ¡°It is a moveable pocket of extradimensional space created by Ephidian sorcerers. A bag like that is capable of holding the same equipment as several pack animals. It¡¯s wonderful to have.¡± Connie frowned. ¡°Then how come we don¡¯t have one?¡± ¡°They are extremely difficult to come by in Cerinavia and other parts of the world. The spell that creates a Threshibian bag is a closely guarded secret known only by powerful Ephidian mages. Cerinavian sorcerers have never been able to duplicate the spell.¡± ¡°Sounds like some espionage is in order,¡± Connie quipped. ¡°Or murder,¡± Theo said, eyeing the leopard-skin bag rapaciously. Connie shot Theo a look of surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you don¡¯t murder humans?¡± ¡°Yes, but Ephidian dogs are another matter.¡± The Ephidian warrior brought the bag around. Theo, Snow, and Connie placed what available spell components they had into his Threshibian bag. The spell components were collected, and the Ephidians waited for orders from their leader. The other men still watched them from the exits of the auditorium. The leader pointed to one of the walls. ¡°All of you. Place your weapons on the ground.¡± ¡°You said we could leave once we gave you our nodes and humors,¡± Snow said. ¡°Hold your tongue, Cerinavian whore! Do as I say or all of you will die.¡± Once again, Snow looked to Rahl, as did the other party members. Rahl nodded once. The party began withdrew their weapons and lowered them to the ground. Snow chaffed at Rahl¡¯s suggestion. ¡°You cannot be serious. We¡¯re not really going to surrender to them, are we?¡± ¡°We must submit to them or we will be killed,¡± Rahl stated in a grim tone. ¡°And that means you too, Yalden,¡± he said, addressing his brother, who still clutched his long sword in his hand. Yalden cautiously, reluctantly laid down his weapon as his brother ordered. At that, the men converged and surrounded the party with their weapons drawn. Most of them were now within spitting distance. The men were large, well seasoned fighters. Connie shook her head. Her party did have a chance. They were at the mercy of this motley group. Movement in Connie¡¯s peripheral vision brought her attention to yet two more men on the walls. Archers. The leader jumped down from the stage. He scooped up the Box of the Tongues and carried it with him to the party. He spoke again. Now up close, Connie noticed that when the man spoke, the movement of his lips did not match the annunciation of his words. Watching his lips as he spoke made her feel like she was watching a poorly dubbed Italian movie. The leader pointed to the wall. ¡°I want all of the women to walk over to the wall. The men stay where they are.¡± Snow looked to the leader with a wistful expression. ¡°Rahl?¡± ¡°Do what you need to do,¡± he said to her. Snow took a step away toward the wall. Suddenly, she raised her hands above her head and shouted a quick incantation. Immediately, the Ephidians surrounding the party shouted and raised their weapons to attack. Then they froze in motion as if caught in a snapshot. ¡°Rearm yourselves! Quickly!¡± Rahl shouted to the party as she reached for his own weapon on the ground. The party dove for their weapons. A few of the quicker members poised their weapons in front of their attackers. Connie quickly snatched up her dagger. ¡°What did Snow do?¡± she asked Theo. ¡°Stopped time,¡± he answered quickly. ¡°What did she do?¡± As soon as these words left her lips, their attackers became animate again, but the party had prepared in the half-dozen seconds Snow¡¯s spell had given them. With the clatter of metal on metal and the meaty, sickening sound of swords burying themselves into flesh, five bewildered attackers fell mortally wounded to the ground, one of them beheaded cleanly by Tristana¡¯s axe. Now the odds were nearly even. Rahl had two Ephidians on him. Yalden had two more. Tristana had one, Maltokken parried two, Psi¡¯el dodged another, and Jalban had yet another, this one over a foot taller than he was. The battle was on with the clatter of armor and weapons. Theo quickly moved behind the fighters, taking Connie into his grasp. Now, there were crackling and screeching sounds and bright flashes of light in the auditorium lit by the twilight sky as Snow and the leader engaged in a battle of spells. Snow stood on a rock within a pale green bubble. The leader stood by the stage within his own bubble, this one red. Connie watched the two of them in fascination as each quickly cast spells at the other. These deadly spells took the form of lightning bolts and something like flaming arrows. Sometimes they would cast other spells that seemed to have no visual effect, but Connie suspected these were deadly just the same. The archers fired next. Both shot arrows at Snow. The arrows bounced harmlessly off her sphere of protection. Theo began the incantations to cast a spell on one of the archers, but they quickly ducked out of sight before he could finish it. Rahl¡¯s opponents. The warrior, heavily armored, went crazy and began wildly attacking his partner in arm. His fellow warrior, not expecting the attack, turned to defend himself. Rahl took advantage of the opening and ran his sword through the second warrior¡¯s neck. The warrior fell to the ground with a bloody gurgle. Incredibly, the second man continued hacking on his dead fellow warrior with his battle axe. Rahl dispatched the confused warrior quickly. Yalden was having a more difficult time. Though he had ruined the shield of one of his opponents, he had already sustained deep gashes in on his arms and on his face. Theo directed a spell on the larger of his two foes. The spell reflected back and forth between both the protected caster and the protected target. It produced a loud squeal like an over-amplified microphone makes in an auditorium. Theo cast the spell again. This time, the man went blind. He fell away from Yalden. This allowed Yalden to vanquish his weaker foe. Psi¡¯el went into battle with only a whip in one arm and a short sword in the other. In an amazing show of dexterity, Psi¡¯el swung the whip while thrusting his sword at his opponent. His opponent dodged the blow, but the whip wrapped around his neck. Psi¡¯el yanked the man forward, thrusting the man¡¯s belly into the point of his sword. The man let out a scream and fell to the ground in agony. Psi¡¯el then kicked off the warrior¡¯s helmet and ran his weapon through his head. Maltokken was dealing damage and receiving damage himself. One of his foes struck him hard over the shoulder with a mace, putting Maltokken at a disadvantage. He called out for help. Jalban¡¯s faster foe was getting the best of him too. The faster warrior had worn Jalban down quickly by deftly dodging his blows. Now Jalban was down to parrying the heavy battle axe blows. Tristana beheaded her second opponent with aplomb after he had tried casting a few ineffectual spells on her enchanted axe. She naturally jumped in on Jalban¡¯s battle. While Theo prepared his next spell, Connie looked up to the archers¡ªboth of them had their missiles trained on Theo and her. ¡°Theo! The archers!¡± Connie shouted, pointing to the two on the wall. Theo immediately looked up as the archers were setting their sights on him. He set off the spell intended for one of Maltokken¡¯s opponents. This archer released his arrow wildly into the sky. He clutched his throat and fell off the wall to the ground. The other archer set off the arrow. It sailed quickly, piercing Theo¡¯s upper arm. The spirit mage let out a string of curses. When he looked back up at the wall, the archer was out of sight again. ¡°Ephidian dog!¡± Theo shouted. A few moments later, he stumbled over and dropped unconscious. Connie caught him just before he fell. ¡°Theo!¡± she called out. Then she noticed what looked like mustard mixed with Theo¡¯s blood at the end of the arrow¡ªpoison. The battle between Snow and the Ephidian leader raged on. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur. Both spellcasters looked frazzled. Their spheres of protection were becoming weaker, dimmer, and less substantial. Now the leader hit Snow with bursts of white energy. Each burst of white energy against her weakened sphere of protection shoved her back a few feet. Almost against the wall, Snow retaliated by casting a bright prismatic ray of light from her fingers. She kept the ray steadily focused on the leader¡¯s sphere, causing a sizzling sound to issue from the invisible barrier. The leader began to look worried. He stopped casting the bursts of white energy at Snow, then quickly clutched a huge gold amulet that hung from his neck and began a chant. Snow persisted in burning a hole in his circle of protection. Then, just before the circle collapsed, the leader vanished. Yalden continued battling the two before him. Eventually, he dealt a grievous, bloody wound on the sword arm of one of the warriors. The warrior dropped his weapon and stumbled away to the exit of the theater with a trail of blood. The other warrior cast three spells on Yalden, but the protection Snow had cast on him still held. Rahl stepped over to where the blinded Ephidian stumbled away from the party. The warrior sensed Rahl¡¯s presence next to him. He began swinging his mace wildly around him while screaming something fearsome in Ephidian. Rahl dodged these wild blows until he found his opening, then he ran his enchanted sword through the warrior¡¯s metal breastplate and through his heart. The warrior let out a heavy gasp, then fell to the stony floor of the theater, dead before he struck the ground. This opponent of Jalban¡¯s was extremely agile, and he avoided being struck while dealing Jalban numerous bloody wounds with his sword enveloped in a strange red haze. When Tristana joined in the battle, the man jumped back and cast a quick spell from the sword. Immediately, his appearance blurred. Now he continued in his attacks on the both of them, giving both numerous small wounds that bled copiously. Maltokken was holding his own against his two attackers, but in a miscalculation, he let his guard down. He took a heavy blow to the head with his foe¡¯s mace. He collapsed to the ground. Psi¡¯el saw this. He swung the whip to disarm the mace wielder, but he was not quick enough, and the warrior brought a crushing blow down on Maltokken¡¯s face with a sickening crunch. Psi¡¯el jumped into the battle against his warrior. The second warrior, in a moment of respite from the battle, set off a spell against Psi¡¯el. With the muted snap of bone, Psi¡¯el collapsed to the ground with a fractured leg. Instantly, the second warrior began pounding on Psi¡¯el¡¯s ribs and back with the mace while Psi¡¯el tried in vain to parry with his sword. Connie looked up to see that Tristana had broken with the warrior she fought, leaving Jalban to fend for himself. She fixed her eyes on unconscious Theo in Connie¡¯s arms. Her face bore an inscrutable expression. Snow ran over to Connie, who held up Theo in her arms. ¡°What happened to him?¡± Snow asked quickly. ¡°Poisoned arrow, I think,¡± Connie replied. Snow responded by waving her hand over Theo with a quick incantation. Theo immediately began to stir. ¡°Get him to where he will be safe,¡± Snow ordered. ¡°And don¡¯t let Tristana near him in this state,¡± she whispered, glancing up at the conjuration. Meanwhile, the archer on the wall had another arrow in his bow. He fired off the arrow. The arrow grazed Snow¡¯s leg. She quickly looked up at the wall. The archer ducked behind the stony barrier before she could direct a spell at him. Vexed, she scanned the party for those who might need her help. Jalban was covered with blood from the wounds, as were the stones on the ground where he fought. He began to weaken and become sloppy in his attacks. The Ephidian warrior¡¯s attacks became bolder as he moved in for the kill. Snow directed a spell against this warrior. The spell was reflected back toward her. Her protection in turn reflected the spell back again. This resulted in a piercing screech. Immediately, Snow directed another spell at the warrior, pounding a prostrate and unconscious Psi¡¯el with a mace. The spell cast, and the warrior flew backward twenty paces until he struck a wall with a thud. The warrior fell to the ground. A few seconds later, he got to his feet, his mace still in hand. Snow immediately cast another spell at the wall. A low rumble filled the air, and the section of wall collapsed on the warrior, crushing him beneath a heap of stone. Weakened by blood loss, Jalban swooned and fell to his knees. The Ephidian was about to run him through with the sword when Connie shouted at him. When he looked up, she threw her dagger at him. Although the weapon was thrown well, it merely bounced off his breastplate. Now the warrior pointed his magic sword at her while speaking an incantation. Connie moved away from him quickly while dragging a dazed, weakly protesting Theo toward one of the exits of the theater. All of a sudden, Connie felt an electric charge on her skin, as if she were standing next to a huge electrostatic charge. She felt the amulet at her breast suddenly become very hot. She felt its heat through the chain around her neck, and the part of the robe contacting the amulet began to smoke. A strange instinct caused her to look up at the warrior, who pointed the red sword at her, grinning. Seeing this, Rahl ran for the warrior-mage who had attempted to cast a spell on Connie, and the two engaged in a heated sword battle. Yalden still fought his foe. Realizing that the leader had vanished and most of his companions had been slaughtered, the warrior began a gradual retreat. Finally, he spun around and began running for the exit. Yalden lunged for the warrior, catching him by his feet. Now the two wrestled hand-to-hand on the rubble. One of the two produced a knife. The archer appeared at the top of the wall again. Connie and Snow saw him there. The Ephidian archer leveled his bow at Rahl, who fought the warrior. He pulled back on the bow. Snow cast a spell at the archer. The top of the wall exploded in a puff of smoke and fire. Rocks flew in all directions. Snow held her hand to her brow as the smoke cleared to see if she had gotten the archer. Connie noticed Tristana still staring at Theo, her battle axe held in one hand by the shaft close to the bladed head. Theo¡¯s eyes were closed, and he was mumbling something incoherently to himself. From Tristana''s expression it, it was unclear whether she was concerned for him or wanted to slay him. ¡°He¡¯s fine, Tristana. Really.¡± Tristana disregarded Connie¡¯s words and continued staring at her scarcely conscious master. Connie grasped Theo by the arms to drag him from the theater, when suddenly she looked up and saw the leader warrior soundlessly fade into view a few paces behind Snow. Clutched in his hands was a glowing red sword. He raised the sword high above his head to bring down on Snow, who was now watching Rahl battle the warrior, concentrating on a spell for his defense. ¡°Snow!¡± Connie dropped Theo and began running toward Snow. Snow looked at Connie, furious at her for disrupting the casting of her spell. The leader, momentarily distracted from his blow, took aim at her skull and resumed the swing. Using the martial arts training she had begun to recover, Connie leaped from the ground and, using the momentum of her body, landed a heavy kick against the leader just as the red weapon went into motion. The kick struck him in the ribs. He fell away, the force of the blow knocking the weapon to the ground. Snow turned and saw the leader on the ground behind her. She was too stunned at his proximity to move. He quickly grasped his weapon. By now, Connie had recovered from her flying kick. She raised her foot once again and deftly kicked the weapon from the warrior¡¯s hand, and then she landed a solid punch on his mouth. He fell back, a fountain of dark blood issuing from his mouth. Before he could recover his senses, she kicked him again in the head and then kicked him again for good measure. Snow picked up the red sword and, using both hands, ran it through his armored chest. The sword passed through the metal plate as if it were made of paper. Snow let go of the weapon and jumped back. The leader¡¯s back arched tensely. Eyes shut tightly, he flailed violently at the sword buried to its hilt in his chest. This continued for ten seconds or so. Connie feared she might have to give him a few more kicks or run him through with the sword again to put him out of his misery. Finally, a watery, gurgling sound issued from his mouth, followed by a trickle of blood, and then his body went limp. Snow looked up at Connie; both women were panting heavily. Then Snow¡¯s eyes focused on something behind Connie. ¡°Tristana!¡± Connie turned to see Tristana crouched over Theo. She got to her feet and felt a sharp pain in her right ankle. She realized she must have sprained it in one of her kicks. She quickly limped over to Theo and Tristana, who stared down at the spellcaster, her axe held in one hand. Although Tristana had warmed up to Theo somewhat over the last few weeks, Connie didn¡¯t want to take any chances, knowing she could kill or cause him grievous injury with the mere flick of her wrist. Unable to drag Theo any further with her sprained ankle, Connie gently nudged Tristana away while keeping an eye on Theo. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of him,¡± Connie said to her. Now the warrior Rahl fought realized he was outnumbered. He turned and darted from the auditorium. Rahl chased him for twenty paces or so, but then decided to let him go. Yalden still struggled with one of the warriors on the ground. Now the Ephidian had Yalden immobilized in a bear hug. But with all his limbs and strength consumed in immobilizing the muscular Yalden, the warrior could do no more. Rahl ran up to them. He pulled out a dagger and held it to the Ephidian warrior¡¯s throat. ¡°Release him,¡± Rahl ordered. The warrior, seeing he had no choice, eased his hold on Yalden, then he let go. Suddenly, there came a low rumble in the ground. Then one of the walls surrounding the theater fell over. Standing there, over a story tall, was a huge Ephidian warrior made of stone. Its face bore a grim expression of hatred. Worst of all, it carried a great stone sword three yards long. It turned its head mechanically, then it let out a low, heavy growl that sounded like two huge stones being ground together. ¡°A golem!¡± Yalden shouted as he clamored to his feet. The warrior stared up at the golem from the ground with a look of terror on his face, then he said something fearfully to Rahl in a language Connie didn¡¯t understand. To Connie¡¯s surprise, Rahl answered in Ephidian. Rahl let the warrior go. The warrior ran from the theater, leaving the party alone with the monster. The golem glared at the party and began advancing toward the party, first knocking down another section of wall with its fist. ¡°The leader has been killed. It is out of control,¡± Rahl said to the party. ¡°Let us depart now. Quickly.¡± Rahl, Snow, and Yalden went over to where Psi¡¯el lay. The fighter was dead, his head and upper body battered and bloody. Connie hobbled between the bodies of their foes as the ugly animate statue slowly ambled toward her. She quickly located the Threshibian bag and snatched it from the arms of the corpse that still clutched it. She rejoined the party. Those who could move of their own accord helped those who could not. They left the theater courtyard and made haste through the fortress and its myriad of passages. Soon, they were safely outside the fortress, away from the golem, which continued mindlessly destroyed the walls of the abandoned castle until it too fell into a heap of rubble. They met up with Jalban in the forest just as the last rays of green light fell away from the horizon. Now the party sat around a small campfire. Using a combination of spells and Jalban¡¯s healing potions, the party recovered most of their strength. Theo recovered completely from the poisoning and the arrow wound to his arm. Maltokken, though healed, was left horribly disfigured and permanently blind in one eye. All the other wounds sustained by other party members were dutifully treated. Jalban wrapped a special bandage around Connie¡¯s ankle, telling her to leave it on for a few hours. Then, in the quiet of the evening, everyone sat around the fire discussing the events of the battle and Psi¡¯el¡¯s death. A decision was made to return to the auditorium the next morning to retrieve Psi¡¯el¡¯s body along with the Box of Tongues, Theo¡¯s staff, and anything else left behind of value¡ªif they were still there. Rahl and Yalden spent a better part of the evening sorting through the Threshibian bag. Inside of it, along with the nodes and humors that were taken from them, they found several pounds of dried meat, cheese, and deliciously roasted isha nuts (grown only in Ephidia). They also found weapons (of mostly inferior workmanship), two jars of healing salve, and a few low-power Crystal, Wind and Water nodes. Connie was allowed to keep the Threshibian bag for her quick thinking in retrieving it. Snow got the nodes, Jalban got the healing salves, and Theo was entrusted with the enchanted box. Connie sat by herself, toying with the Threshibian bag. It amazed her that no matter what she put inside the artifact, the weight of the bag did not increase. To unburden the hanyak that Jalban had given her, she placed the contents of the packs it carried inside the bag. While she did this, she casually noticed Snow sitting quietly alone at the edge of the camp, just within the periphery of the fire. Occasionally, Connie caught Snow studying her with a most enigmatic expression. Connie then remembered Snow¡¯s amulet that she wore. Not wishing to stir up animosity, she walked over to Snow, who looked up at Connie with a cool, pensive expression. Connie removed the amulet from around her neck and presented it to the sorceress. ¡°I thought you might still want this back.¡± On seeing the amulet, Snow¡¯s expression changed. Her eyes followed the amulet swinging from its gold chain as if she were easing into a hypnotic trance. Then slowly, her eyes rose to Connie¡¯s face as if she hadn¡¯t, until that moment, realized who stood before her. Slowly, almost mechanically, Snow took the amulet from Connie¡¯s outstretched hand. Then, she merely looked away from Connie while clutching the amulet absently in her hands. Connie found herself unable to decode what the celestial sorceress might be thinking, all the while sensing that something had definitely shifted in their relationship. As Connie returned to her customary place on the opposite side of the camp from where Snow sat, she remembered Theo¡¯s mentioning that Snow¡¯s celestial powers were currently diminished after her spell battle today. Just the same, Connie didn¡¯t want to take any chances with the temperamental sorceress. Still, she wondered about Snow¡¯s minimal response when she gave back the amulet. Maybe the sorceress was simply too worn out from casting spells during the battle to care about it. After the blankets were laid out for the night, Connie sat on the trunk of a fallen tree while Jalban knelt at her feet, unwrapping the enchanted bandage of healing from around her sprained ankle. Though she¡¯d become accustomed to the use of magic on this planet, she was still astounded when she saw it in action. The fight between Snow and Kirak the Ephidian burned brightly in her mind. Never could she have believed this sort of thing could exist in her universe. ¡°There,¡± Jalban said as he removed the last section of bandage. ¡°Better now.¡± Connie looked at her ankle. Sure enough, the swelling and the deep green color her sprain had taken and had entirely vanished. She moved her foot around in a circular motion to test the joint. Good as new. ¡°Amazing, Jalban,¡± Connie said, delighted with the result of his ministration. ¡°Where did you learn to do that?¡± ¡°My father, or should I say Alyndia¡¯s grandfather, was an herbalist all his years. He was very good.¡± ¡°You learned from him?¡± ¡°To say I learned from him would be an insult to the man,¡± he stated in response. ¡°I could never equal his depth of knowledge and skill.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t do badly,¡± she said. A pained look crossed Jalban¡¯s face. Connie noticed this. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Jalban sighed, gazing into the blue campfire. ¡°There is something on my mind, something that has been troubling me.¡± She waited for him to elaborate, but he did not. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked finally. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about the other day, by the river, when I struck you.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember that.¡± He looked away from the fire and into her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you weren¡¯t my niece. Not that what I did was right.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. So?¡± Jalban seemed at a loss for words. Connie sensed he was indeed feeling contrite about the matter. ¡°What I want to say, Connie, is that I am sorry for what I did. I was wrong for striking you.¡± ¡°Strike me, you say? You beat hell out of me, Jalban.¡± ¡°I know. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Connie.¡± ¡°I forgive you, Jalban. Actually, I¡¯ve already forgotten about it. There were a lot of things I didn¡¯t understand back then.¡± At those words, his eyes returned to the fire. She thought she saw tears in his eyes glinting in the light. ¡°But what I did was wrong. It was also uncharacteristic of me.¡± Connie smiled at Jalban, touched by his apology. ¡°Come here,¡± she said. He looked up at her, suddenly confused by her request. She patted a place on the log next to her. Reluctantly, he got to his feet and took a place next to her on the log. With that, she gave his rotund figure a hug. ¡°Thank you, Jalban. Your apology means a lot to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you accept it.¡± ¡°Nothing to it. Just remember, I don¡¯t always forgive.¡± She gazed into the fire. ¡°There are those in my life, Jalban, that I can never forgive. Take your niece, Alyndia, for example.¡± ¡°A very sad child she was,¡± he said. ¡°You said her grandfather was an herbalist?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yes, a famous one at that.¡± Jalban¡¯s mention of Alyndia¡¯s grandfather had raised her curiosity about her lineage. ¡°So tell me of Alyndia¡¯s father, Jalban. What was he like?¡± ¡°Zalbeth was his name. He was older than I was by three years. He did not enjoy the genteel life of the herbalist, so he joined the local garrison when he turned fifteen. He was an excellent warrior, highly skilled in the use of five weapons. He rose through the ranks until he became the division commander of a cavalry out of Samzrin. He met Alitrea when his garrison was sent to Roggentine to defend against the invading Ephidians.¡± Jalban shook his head as he remembered the time so many years ago. ¡°Those were awful days. The Ephidians had landed on the shores of Kinnstaria. It was a surprise attack. They landed from ships cloaked in a magical shield so that we could not detect them only after their soldiers set foot on our soil.¡± ¡°Did they ever Zalbeth and Alitrea marry?¡± Jalban shook his head. ¡°They had planned to, but there was no time. He led his garrison as a spearhead in the push to drive the Ephidians back to the Peredian Sea. As the story goes, they were nearing the sea when he and his men were cornered by an Ephidian golem in a ravine from which there was no exit. With no way out and the golem closing fast, he made the fateful decision to hold off the golem single-handed while his men slipped by to safety. His men escaped, but the golem managed to slay him.¡± Jalban gazed at Alyndia. ¡°My brother, your father, is widely regarded as a hero in Cerinavia.¡± Connie nodded slowly. ¡°Alitrea gave birth to you some time later. She loved you dearly.¡± ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°She was devastated by the death of your father. The pain she felt was matched only by her hatred of the Ephidians. When you were only five, she joined the Shamm. These are the league of spellcasters who support the infantry that defends our fair country against barbarians from the south and the Ephidians to the north. She too was killed by the Ephidians in an infamous spell battle at the Emerald City of Insarra, our home city, that took many of our greatest sorcerers. It was said that she killed many of the enemy¡¯s sorcerers before she was finally taken down. Before she left to defend Insarra, she left Alyndia in my care in the event that she did not return.¡± Jalban sighed heavily. ¡°I wish I had done a better job of raising Alyndia.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°She was a very reclusive child. Very sensitive. She cried easily. I regret mightily what she did in leaving our world.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Connie said. Jalban tore pieces of rotten bark from the log they sat on. ¡°What is it like in your world?¡± ¡°Nothing like this world.¡± ¡°Can you describe it?¡± Connie gazed up at the stars. There was the Big Dipper. ¡°The sky is a deep blue, Jalban. And the clouds are fluffy white.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine a blue sky,¡± Jalban said. ¡°What are the people like?¡± Connie smiled. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say we were more the same than different.¡± She proceeded to explain some of her world to Jalban, but it seemed that every statement she made only led to more questions. At one point, she noticed that the party had nodded off, and by default, she and Jalban were now on the first watch. Soon, the fire was getting low. She and Jalban added more wood to the fire. As the night wore on, the air became chilly. Connie felt this cold on her skin. She began to shiver. Jalban seemed to notice this. He picked up his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. ¡°The snow will be coming soon,¡± he whispered. Chapter 23 - Plus One Chapter 23 Plus One After a few weeks, Alyndia had been allowed to rejoin the other patients. Dutifully, she took her tablets and did not complain. She idled away her days watching daytime television soap operas and game shows and playing checkers and cards with the other patients. In time, her mind adjusted to the dosages of the medications, and moments of clarity came more frequently. Very often her thoughts dwelled on Gerald. She wondered how he was. Although the medications had blunted her emotions somewhat, she still missed him sorely and could be moved to tears if she thought long enough at the trouble their association had already caused the both of them. MacGregor had come to the hospital twice over the last three weeks to visit her, but she had refused to meet him both times. This afternoon, she had another meeting scheduled with Dr. Gilbreth. Her meetings with him were like a cat and mouse game, as he often baited her with offhand false statements and incorrect questions to check her grasp on reality. After every meeting with him, she carefully processed their conversation, analyzing everything that was said, trying to fathom subtle cues from him that would guide her in convincing him that she was ¡°sane.¡± Through trial and error, she found that a positive attitude and sense of humor worked in her favor when interacting with him. Alyndia also found out quickly that honesty was not always the best policy when talking with hospital psychiatrists. If she did lie, however, she had to do it convincingly because they were quite adept at detecting deception. She had worked out a kind of game for herself in which she would secretly assign herself one point for each ¡°correct¡± statement she made and subtract one point for each ¡°incorrect¡± statement. She tried to leave each meeting with at least ten points in her favor. The goal, of course, was to acquire enough points over time to be released. ¡°Come on in, Connie. Have a seat,¡± Dr. Gilbreth said. Connie sat in the leather chair in front of Dr. Gilbreth¡¯s desk, just as she¡¯d done many times in the past. He picked up her file, looked through it, and jotted down something into it with a metal-tipped pen. While he did so, she spied a glass bowl of mints in clear plastic wrappers at the corner of his desk. Sometimes he offered her a mint. Today he didn¡¯t. ¡°May I have a mint?¡± she asked. ¡°Sure, help yourself.¡± She took a mint, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. The cool feeling swelled in her mouth and filled her nasal cavity. She liked it. Now she watched him carefully, looking for cues on what to say and what not to say. Dr. Gilbreth put down the pen and leaned back in his chair. ¡°So, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Is the medication working out for you?¡± ¡°Yes. I think I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Well, I was thinking about reducing your dosage.¡± She smiled her most pleasant smile. ¡°You¡¯re the doctor. If you think that¡¯s best, I trust your judgment.¡± He smiled slightly. Plus one point, she thought. He continued, ¡°I have record that your partner William MacGregor has come to visit you twice in the last week, but you¡¯ve refused his visit. What can you say about that?¡± ¡°He betrayed me by bringing me here; for that, I don¡¯t want to see him.¡± At those words, she detected the hint of a micro-frown behind the doctor¡¯s glasses. Minus one point. ¡°What I mean to say is: I had no idea how confused I was, and so I was shocked that he¡¯d seen the need to bring me here.¡± ¡°So you realized that he was trying to help you?¡± ¡°Yes, although I didn¡¯t realize it at the time.¡± She sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯d like to make more progress in my treatment here before I see him. After all, I¡¯m kind of embarrassed by my behavior.¡± Plus one. ¡°Well, you do seem to be making progress.¡± ¡°Thanks. By the way, I¡¯m sorry about what I did a few weeks ago when I kicked that orderly and broke his ribs. I haven¡¯t seen him here. I hope he¡¯s all right.¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s better. He¡¯s working downstairs now. That¡¯s why you haven¡¯t seen him.¡± ¡°When you see him, tell him I¡¯m sorry. I was just having a really bad day.¡± Plus one. ¡°I¡¯ll do that. But keep in mind that although we make every attempt to promote a safe working environment here, such injuries might still occur. Sadly, the risk of injury is relatively high for the orderlies and other staff in our ward when compared to other wards in the hospital.¡± ¡°I certainly would never want to hurt any of them or anyone else for that matter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still a little puzzled by your personality change,¡± he added. ¡°Does my new personality make me crazy? Maybe I was crazy before my personality changed, and now I¡¯m normal. Did you ever consider that?¡± Plus one. ¡°I don¡¯t actually use those words to describe my patients,¡± he said with a note of defensiveness. ¡°Everyone falls into a spectrum. But your personality underwent a profound change over a very short period. That¡¯s my concern. It leads me to believe that your brain suffered some kind of trauma, possibly from that fall in the hospital, even though we have not found any physical signs of it.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°So, if you believe I have a brain injury, can you heal it?¡± ¡°Although the brain does have significant ability to compensate for damage, generally, healing such an injury is not possible.¡± ¡°Then why am I still here?¡± ¡°First and foremost, we need to ascertain that you are not a threat to yourself and others.¡± ¡°Okay. That¡¯s reasonable.¡± ¡°Moreover, because of the nature of your work at the CIA, we have decided to observe you to determine your loyalties and what kind of threat you represent to the security of the United States.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯ve become a terrorist?¡± ¡°Not specifically, but we have to make sure.¡± ¡°I can assure you that I¡¯m no threat to the United States or any other country.¡± ¡°But there is also the matter you¡¯ve adopted the story of Professor Layton as your own narrative, and that¡¯s my main point of concern. I¡¯m not aware of all the details of your case. His reason for giving such a story could be construed as some part of a ruse to throw the investigation off track. In your case, there¡¯s no reason for you to adopt such a narrative for yourself. You had a very successful career with your agency. You had everything to lose by going along with what he says. And we must take into consideration your behavior toward him at the interrogation.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m embarrassed by that. I don¡¯t know what came over me. That was very unprofessional of me, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Plus one. ¡°Your employer seems to think so. And it did raise suspicions about your mental health. You understand this now, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Absolutely. As I said earlier, I¡¯m embarrassed. Humiliated, even. And, you know, that¡¯s another reason I don¡¯t want to see my partner again. How can I face him after kissing that guy?¡± Plus one. ¡°That¡¯s something you two will have to work out between yourselves.¡± ¡°In good time.¡± She nodded. ¡°In good time, but not now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also the issue of your memory lapses.¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m remembering more and more every day.¡± ¡°Still, the prognosis is not entirely favorable. After a brain injury in which long-term memory is lost, it¡¯s rare for a person to recover 100 percent of those memories. There are almost always holes and gaps.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel as though I¡¯ve forgotten anything.¡± ¡°But how do you know what you¡¯ve forgotten if you cannot remember what you¡¯ve forgotten?¡± Alyndia paused to parse what he¡¯d just said. Finally, she shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ve lost me there. Can you repeat that?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Now, I have a question for you. Suppose I told you that you probably will not be able to resume your work at the agency. What is your reaction to that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡± He narrowed his eyes, gazing at her with that scrutinizing look of his she¡¯d come to recognize. Minus one. ¡°You¡¯ve been with the agency many years. You¡¯ve invested your career in it. You don¡¯t see losing your job there as a terrible loss?¡± ¡°Well, maybe it was time for a change anyway. Maybe that job wasn¡¯t right for me, and my being here, in part, is a result of that dissonance.¡± She smiled. ¡°Who knows? Maybe I should go back to college and become a psychiatrist like you. I think that talking with people with crazy imaginations like me every day, your job must be very entertaining.¡± Dr. Gilbreth smiled. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. It has its interesting moments.¡± Plus one. ¡°Anyway, in case you¡¯ve been wondering, no decision has been made yet on your status at the agency. I can only submit my findings, and they will make their decision based on their own criteria.¡± ¡°That sounds fair enough. Now, Dr. Gilbreth, if you don¡¯t mind, I have a question for you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Suppose I resigned from the agency here and now¡ªjust walked away from my work at the CIA. Could I then leave this place?¡± ¡°Are you considering doing this?¡± ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s crossed my mind.¡± Dr. Gilbreth nodded. ¡°I see what you¡¯re getting at. Allow me to clear some things up for you. Although the CIA was instrumental in bringing you here for reasons of which you are aware, they do not decide your treatment or how long you will stay here. Such decisions are made entirely by my staff and I, and we make our decisions based on certain medical criteria.¡± He raised his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. ¡°Your actual length of stay with us depends on your treatment outcomes. And, as I¡¯ve told you before, you will be released only after we feel reasonably sure that you do not pose a danger to yourself or others. Is that clear?¡± ¡°So, in other words, even if I resigned from the agency today, I¡¯d still have to stay here as long as you say I do.¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right with that.¡± Dr. Gilbreth raised his eyebrows. ¡°Really?¡± Minus one. She corrected herself. ¡°What I mean to say is that although I trust your judgment, I want to get out of here as soon as possible so I can get on with my life. The time I spend here playing cards and watching game shows all day is just a waste of time. There¡¯s so much more I could be doing.¡± ¡°I can understand your sentiment.¡± A moment of silence passed between them before he spoke again. ¡°Do you have any other questions for me today?¡± ¡°Nothing comes to mind right now.¡± ¡°All right.¡± He leaned forward on his desk. ¡°There is a matter I would like to speak to you about. I got a call a few days ago from your sister.¡± ¡°My sister? Which one? I have three.¡± Plus one. ¡°Her name was Hope, I believe.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a sister named ¡®Hope.¡¯ Their names are Joy, Faith, and Felicity.¡± Plus one. ¡°Pardon me. Yes, you¡¯re right¡ªit was Faith. She somehow found out you were here.¡± He paused. She knew he was gauging her reaction carefully. ¡°And?¡± ¡°How would you feel if she visited you here? Would you be willing to accept a visit from her?¡± ¡°You mean, Faith would come here?¡± ¡°Yes. Maybe on Friday. That was her suggestion.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be delighted.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll phone her back and let her know.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He glanced at the clock on his computer monitor. ¡°Listen, we need to cut it short today. Some state inspectors are visiting the hospital this afternoon, and I have to make some preparations. Maybe we¡¯ll talk later in the week.¡± ¡°Okay. I look forward to that.¡± He picked up the pen on his desk in preparation to write something into her file. ¡°That¡¯s all. You can go back to the ward now.¡± She stood up and walked over to the door. Just as she reached for the handle, she heard Dr. Gilbreth call to her from his desk. ¡°Oh, Alyndia¡ªone more thing before you go.¡± Alyndia froze at the door with her hand on the handle, startled and unnerved at hearing him call her by her true name. Was he merely mistaken when he said that? Was he testing her? She wondered how she should react for a few seconds before she turned to him. ¡°Excuse me, Dr. Gilbreth, my name is Connie¡ªnot Alyndia,¡± she said. ¡°And I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t call me that again.¡± From his expression, she knew that she had answered correctly. Plus one. ¡°Of course, Connie. I¡¯ve decided to reduce the dosage of the medications you¡¯ve been taking. Please tell the head nurse in the ward I¡¯ll be sending her the changes a little later today. I¡¯d like to start you on the new dosages this evening.¡± Alyndia smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± The orderly in the corridor escorted Alyndia back toward the common areas where lunch would be served soon. Alyndia hummed softly to herself as they passed the doors of the other doctors in the psychiatric ward. Faith¡¯s visit would be a welcome break from the routine of the ward, which she¡¯d already endured for a few weeks. The only thing that could be better would be a visit from Gerald, although she knew that could not occur while she was there. Her thoughts drifted back to their last meeting and when they kissed. But in the midst of her reverie, the warnings he had given her at the time came back to her: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t meddle...getting involved in her past can only complicate things¡­you don¡¯t know why things are they way they are...it might turn into a can of worms¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Gerald,¡± she whispered softly as the orderly released her into the rec room. ¡°I can handle this.¡± Chapter 24 - Connie Learns Magic Chapter 24 Connie Learns Magic Every step brought them closer to the snow-capped mountains that loomed in the distance. Connie walked at a brisk pace alongside her hanyak. Her body was responding to her rigorous training. A somber state overcame the party after Fandia¡¯s death. No one spoke much. The levity returned only after a few days had passed. By the afternoon of the second day, the forest of knotty trees had coagulated into a dense forest of larger trees. These were straighter and healthier-looking than the first. The ruins became less frequent, although no sign of recent civilized activity was apparent in these parts. For all the sickly, bleak terrain they traversed, this land had an abundance of unspoiled, unspoiled green areas. It seemed to her that although Chaos dominated the land, its pervasiveness was not as complete as Rahl and the others had at first believed. At dinner, Rahl remarked to the party that, as of that evening, they had traveled further inland than he¡¯d ever ventured himself. He suspected that the only humans to be found in the area would be those gathering nodes to sell at marketplaces in the distant civilized areas. Rahl stated that the nodes they would encounter there might very well be tainted and should therefore be taken with caution. While making their way through the desert, Connie detected and took possession of three wood nodes, a water node in a small brook they crossed, and a fire node that appeared spontaneously within the night¡¯s campfire. Snow allowed Connie to take possession of the nodes, even though both of them knew very well that Connie presently had no use for them. On the morning of the third day, the morning light revealed that two of the ten hanyaks in the party were foaming at the mouth. The hanyaks were dead by dusk. A third hanyak fell ill later the next day. Through a combination of spells and herbal cures, Jalban and Theo were able to restore this hanyak to health. The forest had thickened to the point where the mountains in the distance were no longer visible. They had been following a cobblestone road built a thousand years before when the land was civilized. Though overgrown, the road was still, for the most part, passable without undue difficulty. Eventually, however, the road decayed into a dirt clearing, then a path, and then it disappeared altogether. Now the going was very slow, as they had to hack a path through the thick vines and shrubs that impeded human passageway through the forest. Surprisingly, the sound of birds filled the trees, and insects were plentiful here. This was a good sign, for it meant that Chaos had spared this region for the time being. Late in the afternoon, the forest parted to reveal the ruins of a large fortress sitting atop a broad hill in the distance. The party stood in a row as they surveyed the structure. The size of the fortress was immense, and the grandiosity of its design was undiminished by time and age. The conical roofs of its many citadels were made of what looked like a glossy, purple tile. Multicolored stones set into the walls created huge, watercolor-like swirling patterns. These patterns were still visible in the crumbling walls, even from the distance where the party stood. The battlements of this particular fortress were triangular-shaped as opposed to those found on European medieval castles. The serrated edges at the tops of the fortress walls gave the structure a decisively more forbidding appearance, though in truth, the serrated edges were probably less effective shelters against a marauding army than their rectangular counterparts. Just as at the Castle Maray, the remnants of a rude village lay huddled against the outer walls of the fortress. Connie gasped on seeing the mountains beyond the castle. They were very close now. It would be perhaps only another day¡¯s travel before they reached the foot of the rocky peaks. They moved forward toward the fortress. The agricultural fields that surrounded the village so long ago had succumbed to vast fields of a strange type of prickly, yellow-leafed shrub. It struck Connie as odd that none of the larger trees of the forest encroached on this area. When Connie tapped Jalban¡¯s immense herbal knowledge about this, he explained that the plant known as ¡°Dead Man¡¯s Jaw¡± that grew here poisoned the soil with an herbicide that made it impossible for other plants to grow. The shrubs that ran rampant here were considered a nuisance, even in the civilized lands. When Connie asked Jalban why the plant was called ¡°Dead Man¡¯s Jaw,¡± he explained that the seeds of the bush had the vague arch shape of a person¡¯s mandible. Most notably, some of the deadliest of poisons were created from the root of this particular plant. They began hacking and slashing their way across the field, moving closer to the fortress with every slash of the enchanted sword. They had traveled for about ten minutes when Jalban suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted. ¡°Look! Over there!¡± All eyes of the party rose to the sky. Superimposed on the pale green afternoon sky was a telltale black plume of smoke trailing up into the heavens. The party stopped moving forward to watch the smoke. It seemed to originate from either inside or just beyond the fortress walls. ¡°What do you think?¡± Theo asked Rahl. ¡°The fortress has visitors,¡± Rahl answered as he gazed at the smoke. ¡°But it looks abandoned,¡± Jalban stated. ¡°Who would be there?¡± ¡°Difficult to say,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°Could be node poachers. They¡¯re most likely human.¡± ¡°Shall we avoid them?¡± Maltokken asked. Rahl weighed the blade of his enchanted weapon in his hand as he gazed out at the smoke. ¡°At first it may seem prudent to avoid them, but it will be getting dark soon. We will not make much headway through the woods, not enough to escape detection from them if they forage for game or firewood.¡± Rahl looked at Maltokken. ¡°They may be hostile. It is better that we first encounter them armed and prepared than while we sleep in our blankets.¡± At those words, the party prepared their spells and weapons. Jalban spoke up. ¡°Shall I go forward to scout them?¡± ¡°No. We will stay together as a group, as that way strength will be greatest.¡± Now armed and ready for action, the party continued through the bushes. Soon they had breached the ruined village. Most of these buildings, those made of the same stone as the fortress, were not as well constructed, and most of them had collapsed to a pile of rubble or were little more than odd rectangular foundations overgrown with scruffy weeds and Dead Man¡¯s Jaw. There was very little free wood lying about. Most of it had long ago decayed or collapsed to dust from the weather. Farther up the broad slope of the hill, the main portal to the fortress stood bereft of gates and open like a large, toothless maw. Two octagon-shaped windows above and to either side of the gate, the serrated battlements at forehead level, and some clever stonework reinforced this illusion. Connie wondered if this was the intended effect. They entered the fortress through the main gates. Just as was the village, the fortress was in utter ruin. Weather and age had broken down most of the walls and other structures within. From the precarious state of the masonry, she thought it was a marvel of engineering that most of the towers still stood despite the number of stones they had lost over the last thousand years. The steep angle of sunlight from the sinking sun to the west against the standing structures cast long shadows within the fortress. The party stood by quietly with their weapons ready. Theo stood out front of the party, moving his staff before him in a broad arc in an attempt to detect the presence of life (or recent death) within the fortress. Rahl did likewise with his sword in an effort of divination for concentrations of Chaos. Rahl spoke first, ¡°Chaos is here, but it is subdued.¡± Everyone now waited for Theo. ¡°The visitors are within the walls of the fortress,¡± he reported. ¡°They reside further toward the center.¡± ¡°How many are there?¡± Yalden asked. ¡°I think perhaps ten or so. Also, I detect the presence of enchantments or perhaps nodes. Maybe both. I am not sure.¡± Snow broke in. ¡°There are nodes.¡± Rahl, Theo, and Yalden turned to her. None of them knew that she was also doing a divination. ¡°This is not good,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Why so?¡± Connie asked. Snow flipped her hair back over her shoulders and began tying it with a ribbon. ¡°There are probably spellcasters in their number.¡± Yalden laughed. ¡°Ah! I will slay the spellcasters with my own sword! They will be the first to die!¡± ¡°I would not endeavor to fight spellcasters unprotected,¡± Maltokken said. Rahl looked to Snow and Theo. ¡°Maltokken has a point. We will need protection against spells if they prove themselves hostile. How many protection spells do we have?¡± ¡°I have two¡ªnot counting the one for myself,¡± Theo answered. ¡°They should ward off spirit magic attacks.¡± ¡°I can cast three verses elemental,¡± Snow said. ¡°If there are celestial spells, you all are on your own.¡± Rahl did a quick tally of the protection spells. ¡°Without Fandia¡¯s contribution, we do not have enough protection spells to go around. Two of our number must stay out of sight until we greet them.¡± He turned to Jalban and Connie. ¡°You two will be the ones to stay behind and tend the hanyaks. Also, Jalban, we will need your healing powers if we are injured.¡± Jalban responded with a solemn nod while clutching the wooden shaft of his morning star tightly in his fist. Connie spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t need a protection spell. I can come with you.¡± ¡°You must have a protection spell, or you may be harmed,¡± Snow told her. ¡°And if that happens, we¡¯ll have to waste healing spells on you. That is, if you survive.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand,¡± Connie said, smiling. ¡°I have protection.¡± ¡°Ha! What protection?¡± Snow said in a dismissive tone. ¡°Will you run? Is that your protection?¡± Yalden and Psi¡¯el laughed loudly at Snow¡¯s witticism at Connie¡¯s expense. Snow, then Maltokken, joined in the laughter. Connie scowled at them. She reached into her robe and pulled out the ankh-shaped amulet Calicus had given her. With its gold chain pulled taut at her neck, she held it out for all to see. ¡°This is my protection,¡± Connie said. Snow¡¯s eyes widened the second she laid eyes on the amulet. First surprise, then a look of anger crossed her face. The party stopped laughing at seeing her reaction. Connie immediately realized it was a bad idea to have shown it to her. Snow walked up to Connie and took the amulet in her hands to have a closer look at it. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± ¡°Calicus gave it to me.¡± ¡°Calicus?¡± She turned the amulet over in her hand so that she could read the back. Elenglea Vanexay, it read. Her eyes widened with anger. ¡°What troubles you, Snow?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°This cretin has my amulet of protection.¡± She glared at Connie contemptuously. ¡°Calicus told me this was lost when I was still a young apprentice.¡± ¡°Maybe he took it from you when you didn¡¯t need it anymore,¡± Connie said. ¡°Maybe he took it so that you would not rely on it and enhance your powers instead. He only kept it to give to his next apprentice.¡± Connie was pleased with the way that came out. It made sense and probably was the truth from what she knew of the kindly Calicus and his subtle mentoring. But Snow did not pause to consider this. ¡°No. He would never have given it to you. You are not worthy.¡± Snow pulled harder on the chain. Connie had to lean forward to keep the chain from cutting into the back of her neck. Snow continued. ¡°This is mine. Do you see this?¡± She pointed to the engraving. ¡°This is my name.¡± She yanked on the amulet in order to break it free, but the stout chain around Connie¡¯s neck would not break. Connie had had enough of this rough treatment. ¡°Get your hands off of it!¡± she shouted as she pried Snow¡¯s hand from the amulet. Once Snow had released it, she pushed the sorceress away from her. ¡°Back off!¡± Snow glared at Connie, her mouth slightly agape, seemingly unable to believe she would do such a thing as shove her back. Then, with her eyes locked firmly on Connie, she started muttering something. Rahl seemed to know what she was doing. He quickly grabbed Snow by the shoulders and shook her, breaking her concentration. ¡°Rahl! Why did you do that?¡± Snow asked him, scowling. ¡°A snake must never bite its own tail. You must not attack Connie. She is with one of us on this quest.¡± ¡°But she has my amulet. She is a thief!¡± Snow directed these words more to Connie than to the swordbearer. Snow¡¯s accusation incensed Connie. ¡°How dare you call me a thief!¡± Connie shot back at her. ¡°I may be many things, but a thief I am not!¡± ¡°You are not worthy enough to wear my amulet,¡± Snow said. ¡°Thief!¡± ¡°Go to the devil, Snow.¡± ¡°Connie!¡± Rahl shouted at her. Snow again fixed her eyes on Connie and began chatting something under her breath. Once again, Rahl quickly shoved her aside, this time with enough force to knock her to the ground. ¡°Rahl¡ªstop it!¡± Snow shouted to him from the ground. ¡°Why do you do this? ¡°We do not know if Connie is a thief. If it turns out she is, she will be punished. Either way, we will sort this out after our encounter with the strangers.¡± Snow did not respond to this. Rahl held out his hand to the sorceress of celestial magic, which he had impudently knocked to the ground. A pouting, unrepentant Snow stared up at his outstretched hand with a look that betrayed awkward embarrassment. After thinking it over for a few seconds, she took Rahl¡¯s hand, and he pulled her to her feet. Connie realized at that moment that no one else in the party, or perhaps in the world, could have done what Rahl had just done¡ªand live to tell about it. The terrible lightning bolt Snow fired at the Chaos creature still awed her. As Connie¡¯s anger at Snow subsided and the adrenaline dropped, she began to tremble slightly, realizing that Rahl had probably just saved her life. Rahl took Snow aside, and they had a talk. As they spoke in hushed tones out of earshot, Jalban walked up to her. ¡°Did Calicus really give you that amulet?¡± he asked her in a hushed tone. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°For your sake, Connie, I hope you are telling the truth.¡± ¡°Obviously, Jalban, the truth doesn¡¯t matter to Snow. She knows I¡¯m not lying, and yet she carries on that way.¡± Theo and Snow cast their protection spells on those who did not have enchanted objects to keep them safe from magical attacks. Connie furtively stuffed the amulet back beneath the folds of her robe against her skin. Theo noticed her do this. He walked over to her. ¡°Take it out,¡± he said to her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Take out the amulet.¡± ¡°Sorry, Theo. I¡¯m not giving it to you, either.¡± Without another word, Theo deftly reached his hand down the front of her robe, where he pulled the amulet out from between her breasts. Connie was so startled by Theo¡¯s bold action that she could only stand there mutely while he did this. He let go of the amulet to leave it hanging outside of her robe. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, reaching into my robe like that?¡± she said after the initial shock had passed. ¡°I sense powerful magic within the fortress. Therefore, it would not be wise of you to wear the amulet against your skin.¡± ¡°But now anyone can see it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a precaution,¡± he replied without elaborating. ¡°Wear it like that while we are in the fortress. Afterwards, you can tuck it back into your robe if you wish.¡± Theo then walked away from her to cast a protection spell on Yalden. Connie stood there watching him, unsure whether to be angry at him for his behavior or thankful for his advice. She decided on the latter. Now she was curious why it made a difference how she wore the amulet. With all protection spells cast, the group headed toward the source of life and magic while Jalban led the hanyaks and their supplies away from the fortress to the edge of the forest from where they came. Rahl and Theo led the party into the fortress, with Snow and Yalden close behind. Psi¡¯el and Maltokken held up the rear. Connie stayed close to Jalban and Tristana and her enchanted axe at the center of the group. They passed through the passages of the castle. They made their way through the ruins of barracks, a stable, an ancient smithy, and other centers of medieval craft. The wood roofs of most of the buildings were long gone, so each building appeared more as mysteriously walled courtyards with only scant clues remaining as to their functions hundreds of years ago. The trail of smoke grew closer, then closer still as they wended their way through the labyrinth of ancient rubble-strewn corridors, stairs, and great halls. Theo stopped suddenly, holding out his staff before himself. A puzzled look crossed his face. Rahl waited for his direction on which way to proceed next. The direction never came. ¡°Where to next, Theo?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°The life source,¡± he stated enigmatically, continuing to slowly wave the staff in front of him in a wide arc. ¡°What is the trouble?¡± ¡°I can no longer detect the life source¡ªit has vanished. It is like a curtain has been drawn.¡± ¡°How can that be?¡± ¡°I detect that a spell has just been cast,¡± Snow spoke up from behind the two. ¡°It may have been a spell of cloaking.¡± Theo looked to Rahl. ¡°Could they seek to ambush us?¡± Rahl thought this over. ¡°Either that, or they have sensed our presence and are serving to protect themselves,¡± he ruminated. ¡°What shall we do, then?¡± ¡°We must give first give them the benefit of the doubt,¡± Rahl stated decisively. They followed the trail of smoke until they reached a large courtyard that was most likely a theater or auditorium of some sort. At the far end of the wide, clamshell-shaped area was an elevated stone stage at the narrow end. Here, they found the source of the smoke: a small campfire burned near the stage. Something was roasting on a spit over the fire. Scattered around the fire and on the stage were blankets, packs, clothes, and other traveling gear. Theo waved his staff around the area. All life and magic remained undetectable. ¡°Looks like they left in a hurry,¡± Snow said to Rahl, noting the cooking meal. Rahl scanned the area. There were several exits from the theater, particularly behind the stage. ¡°Theo?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Theo responded in a tone of vexation, finally ceasing to wave his staff. ¡°It is as if the ruins were devoid of life.¡± ¡°Perhaps we should turn back,¡± Maltokken said to Rahl from behind Snow. ¡°We have no choice but to proceed,¡± Rahl said. ¡°They now know of our presence as we know of theirs. We must seek them out.¡± He addressed the party in a subdued voice. ¡°Sheathe your weapons to show them we mean no harm. But keep your spells ready. I will parley with them.¡± Rahl and Theo, with the party close behind two abreast, descended toward the stage and the hastily abandoned camp. All eyes were on the exits from the open-air theater and the uneven tops of the rough walls that overlooked the expanse of the theater. When they had reached the camp, Rahl stopped. The party did likewise behind him. He then called out to whoever might be listening. ¡°Greetings! We have come in peace! You may show yourselves. We mean you no harm!¡± Rahl waited for a response. On hearing none, he restated his greeting. Again, there was no response. ¡°Brother, maybe we should fan out to search for them,¡± Yalden said. Before Rahl could answer, a bearded man wearing plate armor appeared at one of the arched openings behind the stage. The man held a long sword. On his other arm was a buckler. Connie casually observed the long sword had the blue glow of some sort of powerful enchantment. The man said nothing. He moved to the edge of the stage. Partially obscured by the billowing black smoke of the fire, he stood there saying nothing as he glowered at the party. It became apparent that his skin was pale white, like that of an albino. Suddenly, Connie had a bad feeling about this. At that moment, she direly wished she had something more effective than the dagger she carried at her belt. The man reached into his belt and tossed a box on the ground before them. The box opened up and radiated a faint, multi-colored fan light. ¡°What is that?¡± Connie asked Theo. ¡°Box of the Tongues. It is an artifact that translates languages.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Connie said simply, recalling that Professor Layton mentioned that he and Alyndia had used one to communicate with each other. ¡°Greetings! Rahl said to the man. ¡°I am Rahl of Dyandil. These are my companions. We are on a quest to restore the magic of the Atranox.¡± ¡°What is the Atranox?¡± the man asked without giving the customary name and settlement of origin. His voice sounded gruff but natural. To Connie¡¯s surprise, his voice did not emanate from the box. She wondered if the box were even necessary. ¡°We seek to destroy Chaos.¡± The man laughed at this remark. ¡°Nonsense. You are on a fool¡¯s quest. Chaos is never destroyed. It only changes form.¡± ¡°We have been sent by Calicus of Roggentine.¡± ¡°I know not this Calicus of Roggentine,¡± the man stated bluntly. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°He is a great wizard and my mentor,¡± Snow shouted to him from behind Rahl and Theo. The man seemed startled by Snow as if he had just realized her appearance there. ¡°Ah, lady flesh! We have not partaken of lady flesh in months!¡± Now the warrior scanned the rest of the party. Connie felt the man¡¯s eyes rest momentarily on her. ¡°We would like to share in the company of your three women, Rahl. Perhaps we can make a trade.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Khardak of Eritaria,¡± the man said in a haughty tone. At that announcement, Connie heard Psi¡¯el utter a vicious epithet. ¡°I knew it.¡± ¡°What is wrong?¡± she asked him. ¡°The Ephidians are a tribe of warrior-mages in the territories north of Cerinya. They are fierce fighters and our worst enemies.¡± ¡°We will defeat them,¡± Yalden said, ¡°just as we did at the Shores of Mezmadia.¡± ¡°But they possess the spell of the golems,¡± Maltokken added. ¡°There are no golems here. You quake in your boots in vain, Maltokken.¡± ¡°Our women are not for sale,¡± Rahl said to Khardak. ¡°Farewell, Khardak, we shall leave you in peace.¡± The party began moving toward the exit of the theater. ¡°Halt!¡± Khardak commanded. ¡°If you will not release your women to us, you shall give all of the humors and elemental nodes you carry before you leave.¡± ¡°We shall not!¡± Rahl said. He then addressed the party without taking his eyes off of Khardak. ¡°Let us go now. Quickly.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Yalden asked. ¡°There is only one of them!¡± ¡°Fool!¡± Snow said to him. ¡°Did you count the number of blankets around the fire?¡± ¡°Halt!¡± the man shouted again. Presently, the rest of the Ephidians appeared at the tops of the walls and at the exits to the theater, including the party¡¯s point of entrance. There were fourteen total. These men were similarly equipped as their leader with armor and glowing weapons, amulets. The party was outnumbered. The party stopped moving toward the exit and looked to Rahl for the next course of action. Rahl addressed the leader again. ¡°We carry nodes and humors for our use,¡± Rahl said to Khardak. ¡°We need them for our quest. Do you not have spares of your own?¡± ¡°You will give to us what you have,¡± the Ephidian said. ¡°We shall not.¡± ¡°Very well. We shall take them by force.¡± ¡°We are not seeking bloodshed. Allow me to discuss this matter with my party,¡± Rahl said. He looked to his remaining spellcasters, Snow and Theo. ¡°Speak low so that the box cannot hear you. What shall we do?¡± Theo spoke first. ¡°I say we give them our elemental nodes. Fandia is dead, and none of us can use them now.¡± ¡°What about your humors?¡± Rahl asked him. ¡°I can unbind the ones I¡¯ve brought with me. I have others in the hanyak packs.¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t be able to cast any spells against them if you give up the ones you carry,¡± Snow said. ¡°It is risky.¡± ¡°We have your celestial spells, Snow. Surely, you can compensate for that.¡± The beginnings of a smile formed on Snow¡¯s lips on hearing this from a fellow spellcaster. ¡°It¡¯s kind of you say that, Theo, but I cannot defend against all of at once and from all sides.¡± Yalden broke in. ¡°The only trustworthy Ephidian is a dead Ephidian. I say we just attack them.¡± ¡°I agree with Yalden for a change,¡± Snow said to Rahl. ¡°We cannot throw ourselves at their mercy. We must rely on our wits.¡± ¡°But they already outnumber us,¡± Theo said. Rahl cocked his head as he assessed the situation. ¡°We will give them our extra nodes and humors. But we will not give all so that we will be helpless. Then we will seek to leave.¡± Rahl then stared deeply into his spellcaster¡¯s eyes with a grim expression. ¡°If this does not work, you know what needs to be done.¡± Both spellcasters nodded to him somberly. Rahl turned to Khardak. ¡°We have decided to give you our nodes and humors.¡± The leader gave Rahl a toothy smile. ¡°Wise decision, Cerinavian.¡± Khardak shouted to a couple of his warriors surrounding the party. ¡°Jastroch. Skulgath!¡± He gave them an order in a rough, guttural language Connie could not understand but thought it sounded vaguely like Russian, a language the CIA had taught her to speak. The two leaders sheathed their weapons in response. As the Ephidians approached the party to collect the spell components, one of them held out what appeared to Connie as a puffy, leopard skin sack. Connie noticed the mouth of the sack emitted a faint, violet glow as if it contained a low-wattage black light. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡± Connie asked Theo. ¡°Extra-dimensional space,¡± he replied. He unfastened from his belt the mummified human and animal organs he carried. ¡°What did you say?¡± she asked, not sure if she heard Theo correctly. ¡°That is called a Threshibian bag,¡± Theo said. ¡°It is a moveable pocket of extradimensional space created by Ephidian sorcerers. A bag like that is capable of holding the same equipment as several pack animals. It¡¯s wonderful to have.¡± Connie frowned. ¡°Then how come we don¡¯t have one?¡± ¡°They are extremely difficult to come by in Cerinavia and other parts of the world. The spell that creates a Threshibian bag is a closely guarded secret known only by powerful Ephidian mages. Cerinavian sorcerers have never been able to duplicate the spell.¡± ¡°Sounds like some espionage is in order,¡± Connie quipped. ¡°Or murder,¡± Theo said, eyeing the leopard-skin bag rapaciously. Connie shot Theo a look of surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you don¡¯t murder humans?¡± ¡°Yes, but Ephidian dogs are another matter.¡± The Ephidian warrior brought the bag around. Theo, Snow, and Connie placed what available spell components they had into his Threshibian bag. The spell components were collected, and the Ephidians waited for orders from their leader. The other men still watched them from the exits of the auditorium. The leader pointed to one of the walls. ¡°All of you. Place your weapons on the ground.¡± ¡°You said we could leave once we gave you our nodes and humors,¡± Snow said. ¡°Hold your tongue, Cerinavian whore! Do as I say or all of you will die.¡± Once again, Snow looked to Rahl, as did the other party members. Rahl nodded once. The party began withdrew their weapons and lowered them to the ground. Snow chaffed at Rahl¡¯s suggestion. ¡°You cannot be serious. We¡¯re not really going to surrender to them, are we?¡± ¡°We must submit to them or we will be killed,¡± Rahl stated in a grim tone. ¡°And that means you too, Yalden,¡± he said, addressing his brother, who still clutched his long sword in his hand. Yalden cautiously, reluctantly laid down his weapon as his brother ordered. At that, the men converged and surrounded the party with their weapons drawn. Most of them were now within spitting distance. The men were large, well seasoned fighters. Connie shook her head. Her party did have a chance. They were at the mercy of this motley group. Movement in Connie¡¯s peripheral vision brought her attention to yet two more men on the walls. Archers. The leader jumped down from the stage. He scooped up the Box of the Tongues and carried it with him to the party. He spoke again. Now up close, Connie noticed that when the man spoke, the movement of his lips did not match the annunciation of his words. Watching his lips as he spoke made her feel like she was watching a poorly dubbed Italian movie. The leader pointed to the wall. ¡°I want all of the women to walk over to the wall. The men stay where they are.¡± Snow looked to the leader with a wistful expression. ¡°Rahl?¡± ¡°Do what you need to do,¡± he said to her. Snow took a step away toward the wall. Suddenly, she raised her hands above her head and shouted a quick incantation. Immediately, the Ephidians surrounding the party shouted and raised their weapons to attack. Then they froze in motion as if caught in a snapshot. ¡°Rearm yourselves! Quickly!¡± Rahl shouted to the party as she reached for his own weapon on the ground. The party dove for their weapons. A few of the quicker members poised their weapons in front of their attackers. Connie quickly snatched up her dagger. ¡°What did Snow do?¡± she asked Theo. ¡°Stopped time,¡± he answered quickly. ¡°What did she do?¡± As soon as these words left her lips, their attackers became animate again, but the party had prepared in the half-dozen seconds Snow¡¯s spell had given them. With the clatter of metal on metal and the meaty, sickening sound of swords burying themselves into flesh, five bewildered attackers fell mortally wounded to the ground, one of them beheaded cleanly by Tristana¡¯s axe. Now the odds were nearly even. Rahl had two Ephidians on him. Yalden had two more. Tristana had one, Maltokken parried two, Psi¡¯el dodged another, and Jalban had yet another, this one over a foot taller than he was. The battle was on with the clatter of armor and weapons. Theo quickly moved behind the fighters, taking Connie into his grasp. Now, there were crackling and screeching sounds and bright flashes of light in the auditorium lit by the twilight sky as Snow and the leader engaged in a battle of spells. Snow stood on a rock within a pale green bubble. The leader stood by the stage within his own bubble, this one red. Connie watched the two of them in fascination as each quickly cast spells at the other. These deadly spells took the form of lightning bolts and something like flaming arrows. Sometimes they would cast other spells that seemed to have no visual effect, but Connie suspected these were deadly just the same. The archers fired next. Both shot arrows at Snow. The arrows bounced harmlessly off her sphere of protection. Theo began the incantations to cast a spell on one of the archers, but they quickly ducked out of sight before he could finish it. Rahl¡¯s opponents. The warrior, heavily armored, went crazy and began wildly attacking his partner in arm. His fellow warrior, not expecting the attack, turned to defend himself. Rahl took advantage of the opening and ran his sword through the second warrior¡¯s neck. The warrior fell to the ground with a bloody gurgle. Incredibly, the second man continued hacking on his dead fellow warrior with his battle axe. Rahl dispatched the confused warrior quickly. Yalden was having a more difficult time. Though he had ruined the shield of one of his opponents, he had already sustained deep gashes in on his arms and on his face. Theo directed a spell on the larger of his two foes. The spell reflected back and forth between both the protected caster and the protected target. It produced a loud squeal like an over-amplified microphone makes in an auditorium. Theo cast the spell again. This time, the man went blind. He fell away from Yalden. This allowed Yalden to vanquish his weaker foe. Psi¡¯el went into battle with only a whip in one arm and a short sword in the other. In an amazing show of dexterity, Psi¡¯el swung the whip while thrusting his sword at his opponent. His opponent dodged the blow, but the whip wrapped around his neck. Psi¡¯el yanked the man forward, thrusting the man¡¯s belly into the point of his sword. The man let out a scream and fell to the ground in agony. Psi¡¯el then kicked off the warrior¡¯s helmet and ran his weapon through his head. Maltokken was dealing damage and receiving damage himself. One of his foes struck him hard over the shoulder with a mace, putting Maltokken at a disadvantage. He called out for help. Jalban¡¯s faster foe was getting the best of him too. The faster warrior had worn Jalban down quickly by deftly dodging his blows. Now Jalban was down to parrying the heavy battle axe blows. Tristana beheaded her second opponent with aplomb after he had tried casting a few ineffectual spells on her enchanted axe. She naturally jumped in on Jalban¡¯s battle. While Theo prepared his next spell, Connie looked up to the archers¡ªboth of them had their missiles trained on Theo and her. ¡°Theo! The archers!¡± Connie shouted, pointing to the two on the wall. Theo immediately looked up as the archers were setting their sights on him. He set off the spell intended for one of Maltokken¡¯s opponents. This archer released his arrow wildly into the sky. He clutched his throat and fell off the wall to the ground. The other archer set off the arrow. It sailed quickly, piercing Theo¡¯s upper arm. The spirit mage let out a string of curses. When he looked back up at the wall, the archer was out of sight again. ¡°Ephidian dog!¡± Theo shouted. A few moments later, he stumbled over and dropped unconscious. Connie caught him just before he fell. ¡°Theo!¡± she called out. Then she noticed what looked like mustard mixed with Theo¡¯s blood at the end of the arrow¡ªpoison. The battle between Snow and the Ephidian leader raged on. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur. Both spellcasters looked frazzled. Their spheres of protection were becoming weaker, dimmer, and less substantial. Now the leader hit Snow with bursts of white energy. Each burst of white energy against her weakened sphere of protection shoved her back a few feet. Almost against the wall, Snow retaliated by casting a bright prismatic ray of light from her fingers. She kept the ray steadily focused on the leader¡¯s sphere, causing a sizzling sound to issue from the invisible barrier. The leader began to look worried. He stopped casting the bursts of white energy at Snow, then quickly clutched a huge gold amulet that hung from his neck and began a chant. Snow persisted in burning a hole in his circle of protection. Then, just before the circle collapsed, the leader vanished. Yalden continued battling the two before him. Eventually, he dealt a grievous, bloody wound on the sword arm of one of the warriors. The warrior dropped his weapon and stumbled away to the exit of the theater with a trail of blood. The other warrior cast three spells on Yalden, but the protection Snow had cast on him still held. Rahl stepped over to where the blinded Ephidian stumbled away from the party. The warrior sensed Rahl¡¯s presence next to him. He began swinging his mace wildly around him while screaming something fearsome in Ephidian. Rahl dodged these wild blows until he found his opening, then he ran his enchanted sword through the warrior¡¯s metal breastplate and through his heart. The warrior let out a heavy gasp, then fell to the stony floor of the theater, dead before he struck the ground. This opponent of Jalban¡¯s was extremely agile, and he avoided being struck while dealing Jalban numerous bloody wounds with his sword enveloped in a strange red haze. When Tristana joined in the battle, the man jumped back and cast a quick spell from the sword. Immediately, his appearance blurred. Now he continued in his attacks on the both of them, giving both numerous small wounds that bled copiously. Maltokken was holding his own against his two attackers, but in a miscalculation, he let his guard down. He took a heavy blow to the head with his foe¡¯s mace. He collapsed to the ground. Psi¡¯el saw this. He swung the whip to disarm the mace wielder, but he was not quick enough, and the warrior brought a crushing blow down on Maltokken¡¯s face with a sickening crunch. Psi¡¯el jumped into the battle against his warrior. The second warrior, in a moment of respite from the battle, set off a spell against Psi¡¯el. With the muted snap of bone, Psi¡¯el collapsed to the ground with a fractured leg. Instantly, the second warrior began pounding on Psi¡¯el¡¯s ribs and back with the mace while Psi¡¯el tried in vain to parry with his sword. Connie looked up to see that Tristana had broken with the warrior she fought, leaving Jalban to fend for himself. She fixed her eyes on unconscious Theo in Connie¡¯s arms. Her face bore an inscrutable expression. Snow ran over to Connie, who held up Theo in her arms. ¡°What happened to him?¡± Snow asked quickly. ¡°Poisoned arrow, I think,¡± Connie replied. Snow responded by waving her hand over Theo with a quick incantation. Theo immediately began to stir. ¡°Get him to where he will be safe,¡± Snow ordered. ¡°And don¡¯t let Tristana near him in this state,¡± she whispered, glancing up at the conjuration. Meanwhile, the archer on the wall had another arrow in his bow. He fired off the arrow. The arrow grazed Snow¡¯s leg. She quickly looked up at the wall. The archer ducked behind the stony barrier before she could direct a spell at him. Vexed, she scanned the party for those who might need her help. Jalban was covered with blood from the wounds, as were the stones on the ground where he fought. He began to weaken and become sloppy in his attacks. The Ephidian warrior¡¯s attacks became bolder as he moved in for the kill. Snow directed a spell against this warrior. The spell was reflected back toward her. Her protection in turn reflected the spell back again. This resulted in a piercing screech. Immediately, Snow directed another spell at the warrior, pounding a prostrate and unconscious Psi¡¯el with a mace. The spell cast, and the warrior flew backward twenty paces until he struck a wall with a thud. The warrior fell to the ground. A few seconds later, he got to his feet, his mace still in hand. Snow immediately cast another spell at the wall. A low rumble filled the air, and the section of wall collapsed on the warrior, crushing him beneath a heap of stone. Weakened by blood loss, Jalban swooned and fell to his knees. The Ephidian was about to run him through with the sword when Connie shouted at him. When he looked up, she threw her dagger at him. Although the weapon was thrown well, it merely bounced off his breastplate. Now the warrior pointed his magic sword at her while speaking an incantation. Connie moved away from him quickly while dragging a dazed, weakly protesting Theo toward one of the exits of the theater. All of a sudden, Connie felt an electric charge on her skin, as if she were standing next to a huge electrostatic charge. She felt the amulet at her breast suddenly become very hot. She felt its heat through the chain around her neck, and the part of the robe contacting the amulet began to smoke. A strange instinct caused her to look up at the warrior, who pointed the red sword at her, grinning. Seeing this, Rahl ran for the warrior-mage who had attempted to cast a spell on Connie, and the two engaged in a heated sword battle. Yalden still fought his foe. Realizing that the leader had vanished and most of his companions had been slaughtered, the warrior began a gradual retreat. Finally, he spun around and began running for the exit. Yalden lunged for the warrior, catching him by his feet. Now the two wrestled hand-to-hand on the rubble. One of the two produced a knife. The archer appeared at the top of the wall again. Connie and Snow saw him there. The Ephidian archer leveled his bow at Rahl, who fought the warrior. He pulled back on the bow. Snow cast a spell at the archer. The top of the wall exploded in a puff of smoke and fire. Rocks flew in all directions. Snow held her hand to her brow as the smoke cleared to see if she had gotten the archer. Connie noticed Tristana still staring at Theo, her battle axe held in one hand by the shaft close to the bladed head. Theo¡¯s eyes were closed, and he was mumbling something incoherently to himself. From Tristana''s expression it, it was unclear whether she was concerned for him or wanted to slay him. ¡°He¡¯s fine, Tristana. Really.¡± Tristana disregarded Connie¡¯s words and continued staring at the scarcely conscious spirit mage. Connie grasped Theo by the arms to drag him from the theater, when suddenly she looked up and saw the leader warrior soundlessly fade into view a few paces behind Snow, a glowing red sword clutched in his hand. He raised the sword high above his head to bring it down on Snow, who was now watching Rahl battle the warrior, concentrating on a spell for his defense. ¡°Snow!¡± Connie dropped Theo and began running toward Snow. Snow turned to Connie, furious at her for disrupting the casting of her spell. The leader, momentarily distracted from his blow, took aim at her skull and resumed the swing. Using the martial arts training she had begun to recover, Connie leaped from the ground and, using the momentum of her body, landed a heavy kick against the leader just as the red weapon went into motion. The kick struck him in the ribs. He fell away, the force of the blow knocking the weapon to the ground. Snow turned and saw the leader on the ground behind her. She was too stunned at his proximity to move. He quickly grasped his weapon. By now, Connie had recovered from her flying kick. She raised her foot once again and deftly kicked the weapon from the warrior¡¯s hand, and then she landed a solid punch on his mouth. He fell back, a fountain of dark blood issuing from his mouth. Before he could recover his senses, she kicked him again in the head and then kicked him again for good measure. Snow picked up the red sword and, using both hands, ran it through his armored chest. The sword passed through the metal plate as if it were made of paper. Snow let go of the weapon and jumped back. The leader¡¯s back arched tensely. Eyes shut tightly, he flailed violently at the sword buried to its hilt in his chest. This continued for ten seconds or so. Connie feared she might have to give him a few more kicks or run him through with the sword again to put him out of his misery. Finally, a watery, gurgling sound issued from his mouth, followed by a trickle of blood, and then his body went limp. Snow looked up at Connie; both women were panting heavily. Then Snow¡¯s eyes focused on something behind Connie. ¡°Tristana!¡± Connie turned to see Tristana crouched over Theo. She got to her feet and felt a sharp pain in her right ankle. She realized she must have sprained it in one of her kicks. She quickly limped over to Theo and Tristana, who stared down at the spellcaster, her axe held in one hand. Although Tristana had warmed up to Theo somewhat over the last few weeks, Connie didn¡¯t want to take any chances, knowing she could kill or cause him grievous injury with the mere flick of her wrist. Unable to drag Theo any further with her sprained ankle, Connie gently nudged Tristana away while keeping an eye on Theo. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of him,¡± Connie said to her. Now the warrior Rahl fought realized he was outnumbered. He turned and darted from the auditorium. Rahl chased him for twenty paces or so, but then decided to let him go. Yalden still struggled with one of the warriors on the ground. Now the Ephidian had Yalden immobilized in a bear hug. But with all his limbs and strength consumed in immobilizing the muscular Yalden, the warrior could do no more. Rahl ran up to them. He pulled out a dagger and held it to the Ephidian warrior¡¯s throat. ¡°Release him,¡± Rahl ordered. The warrior, seeing he had no choice, eased his hold on Yalden, then he let go. Suddenly, there came a low rumble in the ground. Then one of the walls surrounding the theater fell over. Standing there, over a story tall, was a huge Ephidian warrior made of stone. Its face bore a grim expression of hatred. Worst of all, it carried a great stone sword three yards long. It turned its head mechanically, then it let out a low, heavy growl that sounded like two huge stones being ground together. ¡°A golem!¡± Yalden shouted as he clamored to his feet. The warrior stared up at the golem from the ground with a look of terror on his face, then he said something fearfully to Rahl in a language Connie didn¡¯t understand. To Connie¡¯s surprise, Rahl answered in Ephidian. Rahl let the warrior go. The warrior ran from the theater, leaving the party alone with the monster. The golem glared at the party and began advancing toward the party, first knocking down another section of wall with its fist. ¡°The leader has been killed. It is out of control,¡± Rahl said to the party. ¡°Let us depart now. Quickly.¡± Rahl, Snow, and Yalden went over to where Psi¡¯el lay. The fighter was dead, his head and upper body battered and bloody. Connie hobbled between the bodies of their foes as the ugly animate statue slowly ambled toward her. She quickly located the Threshibian bag and snatched it from the arms of the corpse that still clutched it. She rejoined the party. Those who could move of their own accord helped those who could not. They left the theater courtyard and made haste through the fortress and its myriad of passages. Soon, they were safely outside the fortress, away from the golem, which continued mindlessly destroyed the walls of the abandoned castle until it too fell into a heap of rubble. They met up with Jalban in the forest just as the last rays of green light fell away from the horizon. Now the party sat around a small campfire. Using a combination of spells and Jalban¡¯s healing potions, the party recovered most of their strength. Theo recovered completely from the poisoning and the arrow wound to his arm. Maltokken, though healed, was left horribly disfigured and permanently blind in one eye. All the other wounds sustained by other party members were dutifully treated. Jalban wrapped a special bandage around Connie¡¯s ankle, telling her to leave it on for a few hours. Then, in the quiet of the evening, everyone sat around the fire discussing the events of the battle and Psi¡¯el¡¯s death. A decision was made to return to the auditorium the next morning to retrieve Psi¡¯el¡¯s body along with the Box of Tongues, Theo¡¯s staff, and anything else left behind of value¡ªif they were still there. Rahl and Yalden spent a better part of the evening sorting through the Threshibian bag. Inside of it, along with the nodes and humors that were taken from them, they found several pounds of dried meat, cheese, and deliciously roasted isha nuts (grown only in Ephidia). They also found weapons (of mostly inferior workmanship), two jars of healing salve, and a few low-power Crystal, Wind and Water nodes. Connie was allowed to keep the Threshibian bag for her quick thinking in retrieving it. Snow got the nodes, Jalban got the healing salves, and Theo was entrusted with the enchanted box. Connie sat by herself, toying with the Threshibian bag. It amazed her that no matter what she put inside the artifact, the weight of the bag did not increase. To unburden the hanyak that Jalban had given her, she placed the contents of the packs it carried inside the bag. While she did this, she casually noticed Snow sitting quietly alone at the edge of the camp, just within the periphery of the fire. Occasionally, Connie caught Snow studying her with a most enigmatic expression. Connie then remembered Snow¡¯s amulet that she wore. Not wishing to stir up animosity, she walked over to Snow, who looked up at Connie with a cool, pensive expression. Connie removed the amulet from around her neck and presented it to the sorceress. ¡°I thought you might still want this back.¡± On seeing the amulet, Snow¡¯s expression changed. Her eyes followed the amulet swinging from its gold chain as if she were easing into a hypnotic trance. Then slowly, her eyes rose to Connie¡¯s face as if she hadn¡¯t, until that moment, realized who stood before her. Slowly, almost mechanically, Snow took the amulet from Connie¡¯s outstretched hand. Then, she merely looked away from Connie while clutching the amulet absently in her hands. Connie found herself unable to decode what the celestial sorceress might be thinking, all the while sensing that something had definitely shifted in their relationship. As Connie returned to her customary place on the opposite side of the camp from where Snow sat, she remembered Theo¡¯s mentioning that Snow¡¯s celestial powers were currently diminished after her spell battle today. Just the same, Connie didn¡¯t want to take any chances with the temperamental sorceress. Still, she wondered about Snow¡¯s minimal response when she gave back the amulet. Maybe the sorceress was simply too worn out from casting spells during the battle to care about it. After the blankets were laid out for the night, Connie sat on the trunk of a fallen tree while Jalban knelt at her feet, unwrapping the enchanted bandage of healing from around her sprained ankle. Though she¡¯d become accustomed to the use of magic on this planet, she was still astounded when she saw it in action. The fight between Snow and Kirak the Ephidian burned brightly in her mind. Never could she have believed this sort of thing could exist in her universe. ¡°There,¡± Jalban said as he removed the last section of bandage. ¡°Better now.¡± Connie looked at her ankle. Sure enough, the swelling and the deep green color her sprain had taken and had entirely vanished. She moved her foot around in a circular motion to test the joint. Good as new. ¡°Amazing, Jalban,¡± Connie said, delighted with the result of his ministration. ¡°Where did you learn to do that?¡± ¡°My father, or should I say Alyndia¡¯s grandfather, was an herbalist all his years. He was very good.¡± ¡°You learned from him?¡± ¡°To say I learned from him would be an insult to the man,¡± he stated in response. ¡°I could never equal his depth of knowledge and skill.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t do badly,¡± she said. A pained look crossed Jalban¡¯s face. Connie noticed this. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Jalban sighed, gazing into the blue campfire. ¡°There is something on my mind, something that has been troubling me.¡± She waited for him to elaborate, but he did not. ¡°What is it?¡± she asked finally. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about the other day, by the river, when I struck you.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember that.¡± He looked away from the fire and into her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you weren¡¯t my niece. Not that what I did was right.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. So?¡± Jalban seemed at a loss for words. Connie sensed he was indeed feeling contrite about the matter. ¡°What I want to say, Connie, is that I am sorry for what I did. I was wrong for striking you.¡± ¡°Strike me, you say? You beat hell out of me, Jalban.¡± ¡°I know. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Connie.¡± ¡°I forgive you, Jalban. Actually, I¡¯ve already forgotten about it. There were a lot of things I didn¡¯t understand back then.¡± At those words, his eyes returned to the fire. She thought she saw tears in his eyes glinting in the light. ¡°But what I did was wrong. It was also uncharacteristic of me.¡± Connie smiled at Jalban, touched by his apology. ¡°Come here,¡± she said. He looked up at her, suddenly confused by her request. She patted a place on the log next to her. Reluctantly, he got to his feet and took a place next to her on the log. With that, she gave his rotund figure a hug. ¡°Thank you, Jalban. Your apology means a lot to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you accept it.¡± ¡°Nothing to it. Just remember, I don¡¯t always forgive.¡± She gazed into the fire. ¡°There are those in my life, Jalban, that I can never forgive. Take your niece, Alyndia, for example.¡± ¡°A very sad child she was,¡± he said. ¡°You said her grandfather was an herbalist?¡± He nodded. ¡°Yes, a famous one at that.¡± Jalban¡¯s mention of Alyndia¡¯s grandfather had raised her curiosity about her lineage. ¡°So tell me of Alyndia¡¯s father, Jalban. What was he like?¡± ¡°Zalbeth was his name. He was older than I was by three years. He did not enjoy the genteel life of the herbalist, so he joined the local garrison when he turned fifteen. He was an excellent warrior, highly skilled in the use of five weapons. He rose through the ranks until he became the division commander of a cavalry out of Samzrin. He met Alitrea when his garrison was sent to Roggentine to defend against the invading Ephidians.¡± Jalban shook his head as he remembered the time so many years ago. ¡°Those were awful days. The Ephidians had landed on the shores of Kinnstaria. It was a surprise attack. They landed from ships cloaked in a magical shield so that we could not detect them only after their soldiers set foot on our soil.¡± ¡°Did Zalbeth and Alitrea ever marry?¡± Jalban shook his head. ¡°They had planned to, but there was no time. He led his garrison as a spearhead in the push to drive the Ephidians back to the Peredian Sea. As the story goes, they were nearing the sea when he and his men were cornered by an Ephidian golem in a ravine from which there was no exit. With no way out and the golem closing fast, he made the fateful decision to hold off the golem single-handed while his men slipped by to safety. His men escaped, but the golem managed to slay him.¡± Jalban gazed at Alyndia. ¡°My brother, your father, is widely regarded as a hero in Cerinavia.¡± Connie nodded slowly. ¡°Alitrea gave birth to you some time later. She loved you dearly.¡± ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°She was devastated by the death of your father. The pain she felt was matched only by her hatred of the Ephidians. When you were only five, she joined the Shamm. These are the league of spellcasters who support the infantry that defends our fair country against barbarians from the south and the Ephidians to the north. She too was killed by the Ephidians in an infamous spell battle at the Emerald City of Insarra, our home city, that took many of our greatest sorcerers. It was said that she killed many of the enemy¡¯s sorcerers before she was finally taken down. Before she left to defend Insarra, she left Alyndia in my care in the event that she did not return.¡± Jalban sighed heavily. ¡°I wish I had done a better job of raising Alyndia.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°She was a very reclusive child. Very sensitive. She cried easily. I regret mightily what she did in leaving our world.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Connie said. Jalban tore pieces of rotten bark from the log they sat on. ¡°What is it like in your world?¡± ¡°Nothing like this world.¡± ¡°Can you describe it?¡± Connie gazed up at the stars. There was the Big Dipper. ¡°The sky is a deep blue, Jalban. And the clouds are fluffy white.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine a blue sky,¡± Jalban said. ¡°What are the people like?¡± Connie smiled. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say we were more the same than different.¡± She proceeded to explain some of her world to Jalban, but it seemed that every statement she made only led to more questions. At one point, she noticed that the party had nodded off, and by default, she and Jalban were now on the first watch. Soon, the fire was getting low. She and Jalban added more wood to the fire. As the night wore on, the air became chilly. Connie felt this cold on her skin. She began to shiver. Jalban seemed to notice this. He picked up his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. ¡°The snow will be coming soon,¡± he whispered. Chapter 25 - Visitors Chapter 25 Visitors It was around noon when Alyndia got the call from the head nurse that a visitor had arrived who was not Will MacGregor. She quickly touched up her make-up, something she had bartered from another patient for a couple of tablets of Valium that she¡¯d managed to procure from one of the orderlies for a small favor. Once she was ready, the orderly named Sam led her down a stairwell to the meeting room on the first floor that was put aside specifically for meetings between the patients in her ward and visitors from the outside. As they approached the room, her heart began racing. In reality, this would be the first time she¡¯d ever met Connie¡¯s sister, Felicity. She hoped she would be able to convince Felicity that she was her sister. Once they got to the room, the orderly unlocked the door for Alyndia and let her pass through. ¡°Have a nice visit,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, Sam.¡± That was when Connie first laid eyes on Connie¡¯s second oldest sister, who was two years younger than Joy and four years younger than herself. She was a short woman with a pleasant face, green eyes, and long chestnut hair, which she allowed to flow freely over her shoulders. She looked very little like Connie, except for a passing resemblance in the eyes and the bridge of the nose. ¡°Felicity!¡± she said. Connie ran to her and embraced the woman, who embraced her in return. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to see you after so many years.¡± ¡°Hi, Connie. Wow! Joy was right. You look good!¡± Both women sat down on one of the plush couches. They were the only two in the room except for three others sitting at a table at the far side of the room: a younger female patient whom Alyndia recognized from her ward and what appeared to be her parents. They spoke in hushed tones that could scarcely be heard from where they sat. ¡°Although I was glad to hear from you, I¡¯m not so happy to hear they¡¯ve got in a mental ward,¡± Connie¡¯s sister began. ¡°Joy said you had some sort of accident. You hit your head, or something.¡± ¡°Yes, there was an accident. But, to be perfectly honest, I was having a nervous breakdown even before that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It was a lot of things: stress from my job, problems with my boss, problems with the guy I was living with. And basically, I was living an unhealthy lifestyle. Eventually, everything crashed down on me at once, and I couldn¡¯t cope.¡± Alyndia gave Connie¡¯s sister a tale of woe made up from what she could recall about Connie¡¯s personal life, embellishing it with the kind of sordid details she¡¯d gleaned from the lives of some of the patients in her ward whom she¡¯d gotten to know. The sister nodded thoughtfully as she listened. ¡°Sounds bad. How are you feeling now?¡± ¡°Much better, I think. I want to get out of here as soon as I can.¡± ¡°I can understand that. Nobody likes hospitals.¡± ¡°Least of all me.¡± ¡°Well, who knows? Maybe I can pull some strings to get you out of here.¡± Alyndia sat up on hearing this. ¡°Do you think you can?¡± She smiled. ¡°You probably didn¡¯t know that I¡¯m an addictions counselor now.¡± ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Yes. Seven years ago, I went back and got my bachelors in psychology at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls. I worked for the city for a while after I graduated. Now I work through the church and non-profits.¡± Connie¡¯s sister went on to describe some of her work history and the details of her job. Alyndia listened politely, nodding occasionally, even though she did not understand half of what she said. ¡°I¡¯m not certified to practice in this state, but I definitely know my way around the broken mental healthcare system in our country,¡± she said. ¡°By the way, when was the last time the board here reviewed your case?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t? I see. What¡¯s your doctor¡¯s name?¡± ¡°The main one¡ªhis last name is Gilbreth. I don¡¯t recall his first name.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll find out what I can for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Felicity. By the way, how is Mom doing?¡± ¡°Not well, I¡¯m afraid. She doesn¡¯t have long.¡± Connie¡¯s sister described their mother¡¯s medical condition. Again, Alyndia didn¡¯t understand everything she told her, but what she did understand didn¡¯t sound good. Alyndia recalled the deaths of her own parents, and it brought tears to her eyes. Connie¡¯s sister seemed genuinely moved by the tears she witnessed. ¡°You¡¯ve changed quite a bit,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯ve become wiser.¡± ¡°Do you still work for the government?¡± ¡°Well, I did. Maybe not now. Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. If I lose my job after being here, all I can say is good riddance.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe I heard you say that. You really, really have changed, Connie.¡± She looked down at the scar on Connie¡¯s wrist. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It was caused by a bracelet that I put on.¡± She covered the area self-consciously. ¡°A bracelet did that?¡± ¡°Yes. It was an allergic reaction to the metal that was used.¡± ¡°An allergic reaction? It looks like it burned you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my fault. I let it go for a while before getting medical treatment.¡± Connie had long ago contrived and perfected her ¡°allergic reaction¡± explanation for the scar due to the curious questions of the other patients in the ward, who almost invariably noticed it and asked her about its origin. Her sister shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of allergic reactions to metal, but to me that¡¯s next level.¡± Alyndia tried to steer the focus of the conversation away from her scar. ¡°Listen. I¡¯ve done a lot of stupid things in my life. The more I think about them, the more I regret them. And one of those things I regret is neglecting you and everyone else in our family. Love and family are the most important things in the world. Sometimes you only realize that when you¡¯ve been without them for so long.¡± Connie¡¯s sister winced on hearing that. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Alyndia asked. ¡°No. I just can¡¯t believe you¡¯re the same person I knew so many years ago.¡± ¡°Felicity, I would do anything to love and be loved. It¡¯s the truth.¡± An image of Gerald came into her mind. She desperately wanted to see him and hear his voice. ¡°You¡¯re certainly not the Connie I used to know,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was because of your accident or your treatment here, but you¡¯ve definitely improved in my book.¡± Alyndia smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± She took her Connie¡¯s sister by the hand. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you could come to see me.¡± ¡°Once we found out you were here, we tried contacting you several times, but they wouldn¡¯t put us through.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t allow us to talk on the phone.¡± ¡°Not even with family?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s their rules. We¡¯re not allowed phone contact with anyone from the outside while we¡¯re here, although apparently we can accept visitors.¡± The sister sighed. ¡°I guess we just need to get you out of here. ¡°I would like that.¡± ¡°How are they treating you, though?¡± ¡°All right, I guess. They¡¯re nice to me as long as I follow the rules and do what I¡¯m told.¡± ¡°What about this Dr. Gilbreth?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a psychiatrist. I think he mentioned once that he specialized in neurological diseases, neuropathy, or something like that. Frankly, I don¡¯t trust him. He¡¯s really sly, always trying to trick me and catch me off guard. But don¡¯t tell him I said so.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say a word. What about that doctor who called us¡ªDr. Kasabian?¡± ¡°Yes. He works here in the hospital, but not in this ward. He¡¯s all right. You can pass messages to me through him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡± Sam the orderly appeared at the door. Both women looked up when he did. ¡°Connie, it¡¯s lunchtime now,¡± he said. ¡°Would you like me to bring your lunch in here, or will you go to the dining room?¡± Alyndia turned to her visitor. ¡°Would you like to join me for lunch? We can catch up on things.¡± ¡°There will be time for that later. First, I¡¯d like to talk to Alexander.¡± ¡°To whom?¡± ¡°Kasabian.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Alyndia laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know his first name. Yes. Talk to him if you want. Thank you, thank you! By the way, he¡¯s from Armenia. Have you ever been there?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t say I could even find it on a map.¡± Both women walked arm-in-arm to the door of the meeting lounge where the orderly waited. ¡°Thank you again for coming, Felicity. I¡¯m so happy to see you again. And I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing Mom.¡± She smiled. ¡°The whole will be happy to see you again, too, Connie. Oh, and by the way¡ª¡± She drew close to Connie and whispered in her ear so that the orderly could not hear. ¡°I¡¯m not Felicity¡ªI¡¯m Faith.¡± Alyndia drew back from Faith, her eyes wide in horror at the grave mistake. At once, she wanted to cry. ¡°She couldn¡¯t make the trip, so I came instead,¡± she added before Alyndia could respond. Alyndia gasped. ¡°Oh, Faith! Forgive me!¡± Faith laughed. ¡°Honestly, Connie, I don¡¯t know how you could mix us up. Felicity and I look so different from each other. But I¡¯ll chalk it up to the number of years that have passed since we last saw each other.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I don¡¯t know what to say. It must be all those medications they¡¯re giving me in this place. And ever since the accident, I sometimes have memory lapses when I¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it! Like I said, you really do seem like a different person, and I think it¡¯s a positive change.¡± ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± Faith squeezed Alyndia¡¯s hands to reassure her. ¡°It¡¯s all right. We¡¯re sisters, after all, and haven¡¯t seen each other in a very long time. In any case, I¡¯m happy you¡¯ve changed for the better, and Mom will be, too.¡± * * * Professor Layton was sound asleep on the couch in the middle of the day when the doorbell rang. ¡°What the hell,¡± he said aloud to himself. He shifted his position on the couch and tried to fall back asleep. The doorbell rang again, and then again. As he lay there on the couch, still feeling the effects of his solitary Bacchanalia of the night before, he wondered who it could be. Jehovah¡¯s Witnesses? A vacuum cleaner salesman? Someone who wanted to sell him a new roof? Didn¡¯t they see the NO SOLICITORS sigh in the driveway? He pressed the throw pillow over his head. The doorbell rang again. Who could it be? he wondered. Who could it be so insistent at 1:04 p.m. when he was sleeping peacefully in his living room, trying to escape his hangover? Why did the world always seek to intrude on his misery? The doorbell rang again. He raised himself from the couch, intending to give the unlucky caller a piece of his mind. When he opened the door, we took a step back. Standing on the porch was Agent William MacGregor. The agent looked a bit more haggard and tired since the last time he¡¯d seen him at the police station the day of his interview with Alyndia, but he was still the same man. ¡°Professor Layton,¡± the MacGregor said simply. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± the professor asked him. ¡°I¡¯ve come here to talk.¡± ¡°I see. Why didn¡¯t you break down my door like last time if you wanted to talk?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not official business.¡± ¡°Oh, so you only break down front doors when you¡¯re on official business?¡± ¡°Professor, please.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already interrogated me how many times now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to talk about your case.¡± The despondence in MacGregor¡¯s voice, coupled with his appearance, evoked pity in the professor. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I told you. I want to talk to you.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About a woman we both love.¡± Professor Layton gazed into his eyes. The agent seemed sincere in his intent. The professor peered through the crack in the doorway out to the driveway and the street beyond. No black SWAT vans were parked there this time. Just a silver late-model sports car. ¡°Are you alone?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°All right. Come in.¡± The professor opened the door, and MacGregor entered. Just inside, the agent canvassed the living room, noticing the empty bottles of various alcoholic spirits lying about, some on the table, some on the floor. ¡°You have a party in here?¡± MacGregor asked. ¡°Yeah. A party for one,¡± the professor replied. The men moved into the living room. ¡°Take a seat, Agent MacGregor. Sit anywhere.¡± MacGregor sat on the couch where the professor had been sleeping moments before. Professor Layton sat in an armchair on the other side of the cocktail table, facing MacGregor. ¡°What can I do for you, Agent?¡± ¡°I want to talk to you about Connie¡ªor Alyndia or whatever we should call her.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± the professor asked. ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to tell you.¡± ¡°Is she all right?¡± ¡°I think she is. Actually, I have talked to her in a few weeks, not since the day she interrogated you, at least.¡± ¡°How could you not? She said you two lived together.¡± ¡°We do, but¡ªwell, it¡¯s complicated. She¡¯s not living with me at the moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit confused, Agent MacGregor. Do you think you could elaborate for me a little on this?¡± ¡°The truth in the matter is that she won¡¯t talk to me. She won¡¯t even see me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s not Connie anymore. She¡¯s Alyndia.¡± MacGregor rubbed his face with his big hands. ¡°You know, professor. Ever since she woke up from the coma, she hasn¡¯t been the same. I¡¯ve been trying to get my head around what you told me. I¡¯ll be honest with you. It sounds nutty, but from what I saw, I can¡¯t think of a better explanation for what¡¯s happened to her.¡± ¡°Are you telling me you now believe she¡¯s who I said she is?¡± ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to believe anymore. I just know she¡¯s not the same person she was when she woke up from that coma.¡± The professor studied MacGregor. The man appeared to not have slept in days. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to do at this point,¡± he said, his voice tinged with emotion. I''m losing my mind over this. I¡¯m even missing days of work because of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°Yeah? Remember that so-called interrogation she did at the station? I saw everything. And let me tell you¡ªshe never, ever acted with me the way I saw her act with you.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known that woman for years, but when I saw her with you, I thought I was watching a completely different woman. Even her body language was different. It was all so clear to me.¡± He looked up at the professor. ¡°Did you somehow hypnotize her or something?¡± ¡°I assure you¡ªI did no such thing.¡± ¡°And then afterward, maybe more out of jealousy than anything else, I did something I shouldn¡¯t have. And now she hates me for it. She won¡¯t even give me the time of day.¡± Agent MacGregor wiped his eyes. Something about seeing this kind of emotion in such a big, imposing man incited pity in the professor. ¡°You look like you could use a beer,¡± the professor said. ¡°You have one?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got lots. What do you want? Dark? Light? I¡¯ll get one for both of us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll have whatever you¡¯re having.¡± The professor got up and went into the kitchen and got two dark beers from the refrigerator. After opening them, he looked for some clean glasses to pour them into, but the cupboards were bare, and every sort of dishware and glass in the house now sat in a heap in the sink unwashed. Feeling too hungover to look for a clean glass or rinse out whichever one he found, he brought both bottles back to the living room. On reentering it, he saw MacGregor looking at one of his gold-framed pictures sitting on the mantel above the fireplace. ¡°Here you go,¡± he said to MacGregor. Both men took a sip from their beers. ¡°Is this your wife in the photo?¡± MacGregor asked. ¡°Yes. That one was taken while we were on vacation in Orlando some years ago.¡± ¡°She¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°She was more than that. She was an angel.¡± ¡°And this is your son?¡± Mac Gregor asked, picking up another photo. ¡°Yes. But you should know that.¡± ¡°He looks a lot younger here than in the file photos we have of him.¡± ¡°That was taken just before he went into the Peace Corps. That¡¯s when he fell in love with that Muslim woman in Africa and changed his religion.¡± ¡°I know all about that.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± ¡°How is your wife doing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? My Elise passed away a few weeks ago.¡± MacGregor looked at him, surprised. ¡°She did?¡± ¡°Yes. I thought you would have known that. The CIA knows everything, I thought.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know anything about it. I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Professor.¡± ¡°Well, it happened. She¡¯d been in a coma for a long time. Maybe it was overdue.¡± The professor returned to the armchair. MacGregor sat back on the couch where he had before. ¡°Since you don¡¯t know that Elise died, you probably also don¡¯t know that I lost my job at the university.¡± ¡°Are you blaming me for that?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not. You nailed me on the pilferage of university supplies. I have no one to blame but myself for that. They offered me a deal, saying that if I turned in my resignation, they would not press charges.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to prison. Sounds like you got a good deal.¡± The professor shrugged. The men drank their beers in silence for a while, the only sound being the occasional car passing on the street in front of the house. ¡°So what was she like, your Alyndia?¡± MacGregor asked after taking a sip of his beer. ¡°Very nice. Kind of shy. Fun to talk to. But hey, you¡¯ve spent more time than I have at this moment. You probably know more about her than I do.¡± Both of the men laughed, which dissipated some of the tension between them. ¡°Well, your Alyndia¡ªshe isn¡¯t anything like my Connie, except that she¡¯s very stubborn. You see, she was headstrong. She had a mind of her own. She wasn¡¯t into kids, marriage, family, and all that stuff, but she was as loyal as hell and had a heart of gold.¡± ¡°She had me fooled. I didn¡¯t get that impression at all when I met her.¡± ¡°It was an interrogation. What do you expect? She always comes off that way at interrogations. She gets a kick of being tough like that when the occasion presents itself.¡± ¡°And how about Alyndia? ¡°They had some similarities. But you knew Alyndia first. What¡¯s your impression?¡± The professor drank from his beer before speaking. ¡°I never had the impression that she was stubborn at all. If anything, she had kind of a melancholic personality. I had trouble reading her from time to time. We talked quite a bit, but I always got the impression that there were parts of herself that she wouldn¡¯t open up to me. I always sensed that she was deeply unhappy on some level.¡± ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°Mostly differences between our worlds¡ªthe culture, the magic use instead of technology, the history.¡± ¡°I remember you saying they breathe chlorine there and drink hydrochloric acid. That¡¯s some nasty shit. How they do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal for them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there any oxygen?¡± ¡°Maybe a few percent. Not like here, tough. The atmosphere is also denser there than it is here.¡± ¡°But chlorine? Really?¡± ¡°Yes. And here¡¯s something funny. Before Alyndia would visit me, I would prepare the chamber by filling it with chlorine. When she arrived, she always commented that the chlorine on earth was better than what she had in her world, and it made her high just to inhale it. Of course, here she was breathing pure chlorine, whereas in her world it''s mixed with other gases.¡± ¡°I would never have guessed¡­¡± MacGregor began, his voice trailing off. The professor drank more of his beer. ¡°I¡¯ve done some research on this. I have found that, theoretically, biological systems can respire chlorine if the planetary conditions are just right. I¡¯ll show you my findings if you¡¯d like. You might find it interesting.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass on that. I didn¡¯t do too well in biology and chemistry in college. But I¡¯m curious about something. If Alyndia is here, where do you think Connie is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to guess that she¡¯s now in Cerinya.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that Connie is now where Alyndia used to live?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s likely inhabiting Alyndia¡¯s body now. That would be the most logical thing. After all, just like here, she wouldn¡¯t be able to exist there without a body.¡± MacGregor shook his head. ¡°If she¡¯s really there, I wonder how she likes it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it myself. I just know of it what Alyndia¡¯s told me.¡± ¡°If Connie¡¯s stuck in that other world, is it possible to contact her? You know, like to let her know we¡¯re looking for her?¡± ¡°No,¡± Professor Layton said. ¡°You can¡¯t open up an aperture, or whatever you called it, to talk to Connie the same way you talked to Alyndia?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not possible unless Connie herself learns to cast the spells that Alyndia used to cast. But then, of course, your people destroyed my lab when you confiscated everything that wasn¡¯t nailed down.¡± ¡°We were only doing our jobs, professor. Don¡¯t take it personal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t anymore.¡± The professor finished off his beer. On doing so, he looked at MacGregor¡¯s bottle. ¡°How are you doing on your beer?¡± ¡°Just about finished it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get another. You want one?¡± ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Professor Layton and William MacGregor drank beer for an hour or so before moving down into the basement, where they played a few rounds of pool on the table that Professor Layton had there. When they weren¡¯t focused on shooting balls into the pockets, they gave anecdotes about their women. They¡¯d already played several games when Professor Layton broached the topic again of where Connie/Alyndia was located. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor. I can¡¯t tell you where she is,¡± MacGregor replied, racking up the balls using the triangular rack made especially for the purpose. ¡°Is she in the city?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°You want her back, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± ¡°Maybe you still doubt that she¡¯s really Alyndia. Maybe deep inside you think she¡¯s still your Connie after all. And any day now she might snap out of her delusion and become that woman you loved once again.¡± MacGregor was now facing the professor, clutching the pool stick in both hands. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°Suppose we do a test to find out who she really is once and for all¡ªa test that would settle all doubt in your mind as to whose spirit now inhabits Connie¡¯s body.¡± ¡°How would we do that?¡± The professor described a scheme in which the both of them would write questions for Connie that the other would ask. These questions would consist of personal information that either Connie or Alyndia would know, but not both. If Connie or Alyndia could answer only one list of questions correctly, then they would know her true identity. ¡°Sounds logical, Professor. But, as I already told you, she refuses to see me.¡± ¡°Suppose I came along with you? You saw that she now loves me. Do you think she would meet with both of us if she knew I was going to be there too?¡± MacGregor narrowed his eyes at Professor Layton. ¡°That would require me telling you where she is.¡± ¡°Yes. But we would go together, and you would get to see her, too. We could then give her the test.¡± ¡°What would that achieve?¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy. If she answers your questions correctly, she¡¯s your Connie. In that case, I¡¯ll recant my entire story and disappear from her life. I¡¯ll never talk to her again.¡± ¡°What if she answers your questions correctly?¡± ¡°Then, Agent MacGregor, you will be able to move on with your life, knowing that your Connie is probably gone forever. You will be free to live and love again.¡± Agent MacGregor rubbed his eyes as he thought. ¡°Well? Don¡¯t you want to know the truth?¡± the professor asked him. ¡°You¡¯re not afraid to know the truth, are you?¡± At last, MacGregor looked up at him. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s do it.¡± MacGregor did the driving. On Professor Layton¡¯s lap, in plain view of MacGregor for the entire trip, were the two sealed, plain white envelopes containing a single sheet of paper on which one had written a set of five questions that either Connie or Alyndia would know. Both men had written their questions in private without revealing to the other what the questions were. The sun had already set by the time the two men arrived at the hospital. ¡°So this is where she¡¯s been staying all this time, huh?¡± Professor Layton said as they walked from the car across the cold parking lot to the well-lit lobby. ¡°Yeah. When I brought her here, I honestly didn¡¯t think they¡¯d keep her as long as they have. That was my mistake.¡± ¡°Why do you say it was a mistake?¡± ¡°She really didn¡¯t want to come here. After your interrogation, she wanted us to go back to our place to work on our relationship again.¡± ¡°Are you sure she said that?¡± ¡°Yeah. In fact, she was adamant about it.¡± The two men passed into the lobby. They walked up the desk. The nurse working there recognized MacGregor. ¡°Hi, there. Back again?¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re to see Connie Bain. I hope we¡¯re not too late for visiting hours. This time, I have a guest with me. This is Professor Gerald Layton. L-A-Y-T-O-N. He¡¯s a colleague of mine.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Tell her that he¡¯s here with me. She¡¯ll want to see him.¡± ¡°Just a sec.¡± The nurse typed something into a computer terminal. The information on the screen was not visible to the two men. They waited patiently. At once, the nurse knitted her brow at something she saw on the screen. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± MacGregor asked the nurse, noticing her expression. ¡°Just a moment.¡± The nurse picked up the phone on her desk and punched in three numbers and waited. The two men looked at each other. Professor Layton raised his eyebrows at MacGregor. The agent shrugged. The nurse began speaking while gazing at something on her computer monitor. ¡°Hi, Geri, this is Sue downstairs. I calling for Constance Bain. That¡¯s B-A-I-N¡ªThat¡¯s right¡ªYes¡ªShe did?¡ªWhen?¡ªI see¡ªNo, no. There are two gentlemen down here in the lobby who are here to see her¡ªYes. I know that¡ªAll right. I¡¯ll tell them¡ªThank you, Geri. Bye.¡± The nurse put down the handset. ¡°Well?¡± MacGregor asked her. ¡°Ms. Bain checked out.¡± The two men looked at each other. ¡°She did? When?¡± ¡°Early this morning.¡± MacGregor began to perspire in the tepid lobby. ¡°Where did she go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have that information.¡± Chapter 26 - Across the Wilderness Chapter 26 Across the Wilderness Connie fell into the frothy water of the river with a heavy splash. The water was icy cold. It stung her skin like a million needles. Immediately, her body tensed up from the shock of the cold. She held on tightly to Theo¡¯s arm. Now the current began to do its dirty work on her. It spun her around forcefully. She began to swim upwards. Then an intensely strong downward current caught her and thrust her forcefully into a submerged rock on the stony bed of the river. She fought the intense pain this brought. As she recovered from the blow, she realized that Theo was no longer in her grasp. She opened her eyes and saw the murky light above, but she could not see him in the foamy water. The current seemed intent on pinning her down to the bottom. Only after several attempts was she able to find a relatively calm eddy where she could swim upward. Once at the surface, Connie spotted a large flat rock where three of her fellow party members were already waiting, dripping wet, pulling Yalden out of the water. She looked for Theo while clutching a rock. He was nowhere to be found. Reluctantly, Connie swam away from the whirlpool where she¡¯d lost him. Finally, she reached the wide, flat rock. Rahl and Jalban dragged her, sopping wet and shivering from the icy water. Her eyes returned to the river. There was no sign of Theo or Tristana. Everyone else was accounted for. She checked her belt. Thankfully, the Threshibian bag was still there. No one said a word while they scanned the water for the two missing party members. As they did so, Rahl mentioned he¡¯d seen Tristana jump in right after Connie and Theo. After a minute, they still did not appear. Connie looked up the bank where they had jumped. Incredibly, it appeared that a huge gray pane of glass sat affixed to the bank. This effect of the Wall of Chaos Death extended up three stories or so, where it blended into the pea-green sky. Thankfully, Rahl was correct that the Chaos Death would not follow them across the swiftly moving river. ¡°The currents are dangerous out there,¡± Connie said, shivering and exhausted from the cold. ¡°I had him in my grasp, then he was yanked away.¡± ¡°I will venture to guess that Tristana pulled him under,¡± Snow said. ¡°I hope not,¡± Connie said, shivering from the cold. ¡°Theo was not strong enough to control her.¡± ¡°Maybe not, but I think she had taken a liking to him.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Tristana and I had a woman-to-woman talk the other day,¡± Connie replied. Snow laughed. ¡°How could you have any kind of talk with her? Tristana does not speak.¡± ¡°Then I should say we communicated.¡± ¡°It is a moot point, ladies. They are dead,¡± Yalden interjected, evidently tiring of the banter. Connie sat up. ¡°I will have to jump back in to look for them.¡± Rahl grasped her by the shoulder. ¡°No, Connie. They are most certainly dead by now. We cannot allow you to risk your life for the sake of recovering their bodies here. We will look for them downstream.¡± Before Connie could reply, Maltokken shouted. ¡°Look!¡± All eyes turned to the water to see Tristana slowly swimming toward the rock where the party was resting. Only her head was visible. Her long, black hair nearly covered her face. Everyone got to their feet. Rahl and Yalden drew their swords. Once she reached a shallow area near the rock, she rose out of the water. Cradled in her arms was Theo. The spirit mage hung limp and unmoving in her arms, his skin pale and his mouth agape. A few of the party members rushed into the water and took him from her. They carried him to the flat rock and laid him out. Rahl checked him for breathing. ¡°He no longer breathes. He is dead.¡± On hearing this, Connie pushed her way through to Theo. ¡°Let me see.¡± Connie verified his lack of breathing. She felt for a pulse in his neck on the assumption that the people of this world possessed carotid arteries or similar blood vessels just as they did on Earth. She felt around his neck. To her surprise, she found his heartbeat very quick and weak. ¡°We might be able to save him,¡± Connie said. She took a deep breath, put her mouth to his, and blew three quick puffs of air into his lungs. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Yalden asked. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Hush,¡± Snow said, observing Connie. Realizing he had water in his lungs, Connie turned Theo on his side. She embraced him from behind, then squeezed his abdomen with all her strength. A trickle of water dripped from Theo¡¯s nose and mouth. She squeezed again. More water trickled from his mouth. Now Connie rolled Theo on his back. She pinched his nose and blew air into his lungs. The party stood around Connie as she performed the mysterious ritual on the spirit mage. ¡°What is she doing?¡± Maltokken asked. No one in the party answered him, being too focused on what Connie was doing to answer. Connie continued blowing air into Theo¡¯s lungs while the party washed. Then, after a few minutes, Theo¡¯s chest heaved. He began choking. A trickle of water dripped from his mouth. Connie patted his back. He choked some more. Now he breathed. Gasps of wonder issued from the party at the miracle they had just witnessed. Theo opened his eyes. Connie bid him to sit up and encouraged him to expel the water in his lungs. Now the pallor of his skin gradually faded to white with a healthy greenish tinge. ¡°By the gods! The kiss of life!¡± Jalban said. Connie wiped Theo¡¯s saliva from her mouth. ¡°No, it¡¯s called¡ª(!)¡± Connie could not find on her tongue the equivalent Cerinyan words to say Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation; however, she was able to create the acronym CPR, using the phonetically similar letters of the Cerinavian alphabet that had English equivalents. ¡°It¡¯s called CPR, but don¡¯t ask what it means. I cannot tell my thoughts in this language.¡± ¡°What kind of spell is that? Is that an Air spell?¡± Jalban asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a spell,¡± Snow answered for Connie. ¡°First, she removed the water from his lungs, then she kissed him, and he awoke.¡± Connie smiled at Snow¡¯s apparent naivet¨¦. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t kiss him. I breathed into his lungs.¡± Snow, in turn, now smiled at Connie¡¯s. ¡°No, you kissed him. And it was a very romantic kiss at that.¡± She addressed the other, predominantly male, members of the party. ¡°Didn¡¯t she kiss Theo? Would any of you like to show Connie how Cerinavians kiss?¡± At this, most of the male members of the party looked away, obviously feeling awkward. Connie stared at Snow, not quite understanding her motives. It seemed to Connie that Snow would go to any length to prove her point. ¡°You must teach us CPR,¡± Rahl said to Connie. ¡°Teaching you CPR would be a pleasure, Rahl,¡± she replied, winking at him. ¡°But I¡¯d have thought you all had an equivalent spell for CPR.¡± Snow shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen that before,¡± Jalban said. ¡°Neither have I,¡± Maltokken said. Connie felt like a celebrity on hearing that. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to teach you all. But I should add that there¡¯s more to CPR than what you saw just now. Sometimes you need to restart the heart, and it has to be done right or it won¡¯t work.¡± Theo had stopped choking and was now breathing easier. Rahl knelt next to him. ¡°What happened, Theo?¡± he asked, his sword in his lap, glancing up at Tristana. ¡°Connie was holding my arm. We were twisted around. I thought I felt her let go of me. The last I remembered, I was pinned to the bottom of the river. I ran out of air.¡± He looked up at Connie. ¡°I owe you for rescuing me from the bottom of the river.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Thank Tristana. She carried you out. If not for her, you¡¯d still be at the bottom of the river.¡± He coughed and choked up more water from his lungs. ¡°Tristana?¡± All eyes turned to Tristana, who was sitting on a rock by herself behind the party, dripping wet. Her long hair still partially obscured her face. She sat up slightly and cleared away some of her hair when she saw the party¡¯s attention had turned to her. Connie noted she was still strikingly beautiful, full of poise, even when she was soaking wet. Rahl and Jalban helped Theo to his feet. He shakily walked over to Tristana, kneeling in front of her. Tristana gazed down at Theo with a bemused expression. ¡°You knew I was drowning, yet you helped me. Didn¡¯t you?¡± Tristana responded by giving Theo an inquisitive look, as if she had a question of her own for him. He grasped her by her forearms. She did not visibly respond to his touching her. She merely regarded him with her usual coolness. He gazed into her black eyes. ¡°Tristana!¡± the spirit mage shouted at her suddenly to her face. Water from his soaking wet hair dripped down his face as he said her name. Then he started chuckling at her. She smiled winsomely in return. His chuckling turned to laughter. Connie and the rest of the party looked to each other perplexed while Maltokken joined in the strange mirth. Maniacal laughter took possession of Theo, and now his laughter echoed off the stone banks of the river above the sound of rushing water. After resting and taking some time to dry off, the party made its way downstream. Once the bank was low enough, they scaled it and climbed to the top. The imposing mountains that towered in the distance were now easily through the trees. A slight chilly breeze blew from the north. Everyone felt it. Rahl told the party that this was most likely the result of winter¡¯s approach, and now that they no longer had the hanyaks, they had best pick up the pace if they were to beat the fierce storms that were to follow. They made camp at the base of one of the peaks. The sun peeked through the pea green clouds at the final rays of dusk. Rahl gazed at an ancient map fragment beside his enchanted compass. He estimated that they would reach the mountain pass in two days, if the map was even remotely correct. The night passed uneventfully. Connie and Yalden took the first watch. Connie didn¡¯t often speak to Yalden, so the both of them minded their own business; he spent his time polishing his sword, helmet, and breastplate while Connie thumbed through her spell books. During the latter part of the watch, Snow woke up complaining that she couldn¡¯t sleep. She took on the remainder of Yalden¡¯s watch. She sat beside Connie, and, by the firelight, together they reviewed the elemental spells detailed in Connie¡¯s books. Near the end of their watch, it began to drizzle. Snow had regained most of her power, so she cast a special celestial spell into the air to predict the weather. The forecast was rain for the next twenty hours. They awoke the party and set up the small tents they were able to save from the hanyak¡¯s packs. Sure enough, the rain began. This was a cold rain. Winter was definitely on its way. After her watch was over, Connie sat pensively alone in the darkness of the tent that used to belong to Fandia. She listened to the rain drum on its wax-impregnated canvas. She pondered the nature of the liquid that actually dripped on the canvas from the dark green clouds above. If Professor Layton had told her the truth, this was not water at all, but hydrochloric acid. That idea never ceased to amaze her. She wrapped herself more tightly in her blanket as she pondered the chemistry of this strange world. Although she¡¯d taken a few chemistry courses in college while getting her degree, it was not her forte. Still, she knew enough about the elements and stoichiometry to realize there were a slew of unexplained chemical reactions. For example, what was the chlorine cycle? What gas did the chlorine-breathing creature exhale? Certainly not carbon dioxide. This was not a carbon cycle as on Earth, but something much more complicated, perhaps even driven by magic. With these thoughts, Connie turned over and let sleep overcome her. The next morning, after breakfast, Connie performed her calisthenics in the rain, then she practiced casting a few of her metal spells. First she cast a Keenness spell on her dagger. Next, she cast a Levity spell on the dagger to make it light. With a one-power node casting, the spells lasted for about five minutes. Next, she cast the same spells with a two-power node. This doubled the duration of the spells to about ten minutes. Now, she cast the Keenness again after first doing a mental chaining of the two-power node to the one-power. This resulted in the spell lasting only a little over ten minutes. Now, to see what would happen, she chained the nodes again, this time seeking to increase the intensity of the spell. Immediately, the two-power node expired. Nevertheless, the metal of the dagger acquired a faint bluish tinge. On a lark, she stabbed the trunk of a tree. To her surprise, the dagger plunged into the thick wood trunk as if it were a watermelon. This astounded her. Connie was delighted with the effect until she tried to withdraw her dagger. It was stuck solid. The weight of the tree trunk had compressed around the blade. She put her foot on the tree and pulled harder. The blade snapped off at the hilt. Connie stared at the broken end of the useless hilt, then tossed it aside. She cursed to herself. She should have cast Temper on the dagger before pulling on it. Maltokken noticed what had happened. After berating for her for not respecting her weapon, he gave her a spare dagger he carried as a replacement. The party spent a greater part of the afternoon making their way through a forest of scrawny trees that blanketed the lower slopes of the mountains. Although they no longer had their hanyaks, the Threshibian more than made up for the loss, and they were able to carry most of their supplies, provided they could make them fit through the opening of the bag. However, despite the fact that they were lightly burdened, the going was slow for the most part. Jalban, the most portly member of the party, constantly lingered behind the others, forcing the others to stop occasionally while he caught up. On two occasions, Connie stopped the party so that she might retrieve the water nodes she sensed in the puddles they passed. The rain continued incessantly, turning the packed soil into mud. In some places, the water ran down the mountain slope in torrents, creating small streams and miniature gullies in the sparsely vegetated soil. Lunch was served soggy and cold. Everyone was soaked to the skin. Yalden and Maltokken, who had in the last few days formed somewhat of a friendship, made jokes about who in the party was the most pathetic-looking. Even Tristana, with her nominally graceful elegance, looked a bit waterlogged. This was duly noted by them. Maltokken jokingly offered Connie a rezni piece if she could shrink him so that he could carry her inside the dryness of the Threshibian bag. On overhearing this offer, Theo advised against it, as Threshibian bags had a nasty tendency of draining away the life force of living things carried inside. On hearing that, Connie joked with Maltokken that she¡¯d be happy to carry him in the bag for half price. After resting for a bit and quickly tiring of Yalden and Maltokken jesting, the party slogged onward. The rain tapered off by the end of the day. The sun remained hidden behind the clouds as the cloak of darkness fell upon the land. They set up camp in a relatively level area that, while not dry, did not offer the threat of being caught in a mudslide. The evening was relatively uneventful. The rain had ceased. It was replaced by a cold wind that blew from the mountains that lined their north. Connie and Yalden took the second watch. Connie and the two spent most of their watch time tending the small, heat-less fire that kept getting blown out by gusts of wind. Connie noticed a few of the party members tossing and turning. Those who slept most soundly shivered in their blankets. Connie decided to be a good Samaritan. Gathering up a few low-power nodes, she cast Warmth spells on their bedding to make their rest easier. By morning, the wind has blown away the canopy of clouds. The sun arose to a clear, green sky. They feasted on a quick cold breakfast somewhat mollified by Jalban¡¯s hot aceralla root heated with Connie¡¯s Heat spells. While they ate breakfast, Connie noted that the elevation of the snow on the mountains had dropped dramatically to the point where nearly half of the mountains were now covered in ice. The party picked up their gear and moved on. About an hour later, the party discovered the pass Rahl had described on his map just outside the rubble of a ruined hamlet. The pass appeared as a broad valley that cut through the mountains as if a giant finger had gently raked through the rugged range. As they entered the pass, they noticed long, flat blocks of stones scattered here and there. Rahl explained that these stones were the remnants of a royal paved road that wended through the mountains when the area was civilized before the time of Chaos. Their trip through the pass was uneventful. Though the pass cut deeply into the mountain range, it gradually elevated to where patches of snow lay in the shadows here and there. As the pass narrowed, the forest also thinned. Wildlife sightings became less frequent. Though the sun burned brightly, it did not seem to radiate heat through the chilly mountain air. Just after lunch, the party broke out their furs. They passed a clearing on the mountainside. Here, they saw a cave heading into the mountain. The cave was artificial in origin. It appeared to be an ancient mineshaft of some sort. Rahl explained that someone was probably mining for iridium or, possibly, metal nodes. The stench of rotting meat filled the air around the opening of the mine. As they passed by the mine, they noticed a lot of bones scattered among the rubble just outside the gaping passage. Many of the bones were covered in deep scraps as if they¡¯d been gnawed on by a large cat, bear, or other toothy creature. A few still had rancid bits of flesh on them. No human skulls were visible in the number of bones. No one ventured to guess what might occupy the cave. They gingerly moved past the opening of the mineshaft, lest they find out. The party endured another slow-going league up the steep incline of the pass. After that, the pass leveled off and then dropped off sharply into a large ravine. The ancient road that ran in fits up to that point ended abruptly. The road continued on the other side of the ravine at a slightly higher elevation. At the bottom of the ravine was a shallow, wide river flowing over a stony bed of oval boulders. The edges of the river were frozen into a fine sheet of ice. Connie, Rahl, and the other members of the party peered over the edge of the rugged ravine. ¡°There must have been a bridge here at one time,¡± Rahl stated. ¡°It must have been made of wood, or we¡¯d have seen some sign of it,¡± Jalban said, wheezing as he sat on a nearby outcropping of rocks to catch his breath. ¡°It has rotted away over time.¡± Rahl nodded in agreement, as did most of the others in the party. ¡°I am not eager to climb down there and ford that river,¡± Theo said. ¡°Not with that ice.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to,¡± Snow said. ¡°I can get us across very easily.¡± ¡°That would save us time if you can, Snow,¡± Rahl said. Snow stepped the edge of the ravine and scanned the other side with a contemplative expression. She licked her finger and held it up to gauge the direction of the breeze. To Connie, it didn¡¯t seem like there was much of a breeze at all. She wondered what the sorceress had in mind. ¡°There is not much of a breeze.¡± She looked to Connie, who stood next to her. ¡°Here¡¯s a chance to use your spells. We will need four Push spells. You will find the spell in your Air book.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already memorized the spell,¡± Connie said. Snow raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°Of course. What do you think I do when I volunteer for the watch every night? I¡¯ve committed a lot of my spells to memory. Wasn¡¯t it you who said I should?¡± ¡°Impressive, Connie,¡± Snow said with a slight smile on her lips. The sorceress rarely complimented Connie, so she was pleased to hear her say this. Moreover, Snow¡¯s advice to her had been correct; the more spells she memorized, the easier they were to memorize. The spell-learning ability left behind by Alyndia was something Connie actually found useful for change. ¡°Do you know how to use Push as a ranged spell?¡± Snow asked Connie ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. We will use your elemental spell to augment my celestial spell.¡± She addressed the party. ¡°Everyone listen to me. I¡¯m going to cast a spell. Pair-up. Make sure it is with someone you like.¡± Yalden stepped up to the celestial sorceress. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get us over the ravine. What do you think I¡¯m going to do, Yalden?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to fly across it.¡± ¡°I forbid you to cast a spell on me.¡± ¡°I am not going to cast a spell on you¡ªI am going to cast a spell around you. It won¡¯t hurt. I promise. You might even enjoy the effect.¡± ¡°Do not cast a spell on or around me,¡± he reiterated in his characteristic rebellious tone. ¡°Here we go again,¡± Jalban said from the rock. Rahl put his hand on his brother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yalden, we must allow Snow to cast the spell. You know she would never harm us.¡± Yalden threw off his brother¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t trust any magic. Magic is used only by the lazy, the sneaky, and the weak. We shall walk across the ravine.¡± ¡°Stop your foolish talk,¡± Theo broke in. ¡°It will take us an extra day to cross it, and it will be perilous because of its steep walls.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like people casting spells on me,¡± Maltokken said to Yalden, ¡°but I prefer the Snow¡¯s spell to walking across the ravine.¡± Snow scowled at Yalden. ¡°I say if this imbecile wants to walk across the ravine, we ought to let him do as he wishes. Really, it¡¯s all the same with me, whatever happens to him.¡± ¡°Please,¡± Rahl implored his brother. ¡°Trust Snow. She will not harm you.¡± At those words, Yalden turned away from the group and sat down on the rock next to Jalban. ¡°No. I shall not.¡± ¡°Now what are we going to do?¡± Snow asked Rahl. ¡°Perhaps we can camp here for the evening.¡± ¡°This is not a good place. It is too open. I would prefer one of the many caves we¡¯ve passed, or perhaps, those yet undiscovered on the other side of the ravine.¡± While Rahl and Snow discussed the options, Connie noticed Theo whispering something into Yalden¡¯s ear. Yalden¡¯s expression remained fixed and impassive while Theo spoke. Then Theo withdrew. Yalden looked up at him. Theo nodded once. Then, to Connie¡¯s surprise, Yalden got up from the rock and approached Snow and Rahl. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± he said. ¡°Cast your spell.¡± Rahl and Snow stared at Yalden, shocked at his sudden capitulation. He frowned at the both of them. ¡°Don¡¯t stand there gawking at me¡ªjust cast it! Get it over with before I change my mind.¡± Snow looked to Rahl. ¡°Very well. I shall.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Snow gathered up the party members in pairs at the edge of the ravine except for Connie, who had to remain behind to cast her spell. Snow briefly explained to Connie how she would be needed to cast the Push spell. ¡°Do you think you can manage it, Connie?¡± ¡°I think I have enough Air nodes to cast Levitate on each party member. Can¡¯t you let me do it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s risky to do it that way.¡± ¡°But my spell should work.¡± Snow shook her head. ¡°The ravine is deep. A fall from that height would be fatal if we happen to encounter a sink-well out there.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain it later. I¡¯ll just say that celestial spells are more resistant to their effects than elemental spells.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Snow checked the direction of the air one more time, and then she pulled out her fairy wand, the one with the star at the end. Connie couldn¡¯t help but let out a small laugh at the sight of the wand. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± she asked Connie. ¡°Nothing.¡± Snow turned her attention to the party. ¡°Are all of you ready?¡± The group nodded in response. ¡°Now when I say the word, you and your partner hop up in unison. Connie and I will do the rest.¡± Snow walked up behind Rahl and Yalden. ¡°Jump!¡± she said to them. Rahl and Yalden did as they were told. In the split second their feet left the ground, Snow waved their wand. Without a sound, a giant, clear bubble appeared around the two. The bubble enveloped them. Both of them tumbled inside, until they sat uneasily, awkwardly, within each other¡¯s legs at the bottom of the crystal sphere. The bubble now wavered aimlessly at the edge of the ravine, wafting gently upward in the mild breeze. ¡°Now, Connie,¡± Snow said. Connie cast her Push spell with the other side of the ravine in mind. Instantly, the bubble began floating over the ravine, with Rahl and Yalden watching them from the inside. Snow and Connie did the same for Tristana and Theo, and Jalban and Maltokken. Now only the two women spellcasters remained. Snow turned to Connie. ¡°Now it is our turn.¡± In sync, the two spellcasters jumped into the air. Snow deftly waved her wand around. Before their feet reached the ground, they were encapsulated in the crystal sphere. The two of them tumbled to the bottom. They arranged themselves until they were nestled comfortably within the sphere. Connie cast her spell, and the bubble carrying them began moving slowly over the ravine. Connie felt the resilient, clear walls of the bubble as they moved. The walls were slippery, like latex rubber coated in soap. ¡°Snow! This is wonderful!¡± Connie said in awe as she ran a hand along the inner wall of the bubble. ¡°It¡¯s just a trifle,¡± Snow said. ¡°It¡¯s more than that. You have to teach me this!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a celestial spell.¡± ¡°I want to learn celestial spells. Can you teach me? Can you teach me to do this?¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve barely mastered elemental spells. Celestial spells can be dangerous. Let me think about it.¡± The bubble floated to the far side of the ravine. Just as it breached the other side, it abruptly vanished. Snow and Connie fell about five feet to the ground. The rest of the party has already assembled and was standing nearby, waiting for them. Rahl and Maltokken helped the two spellcasters to their feet. Snow looked at Yalden and said, ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad, was it?¡± Yalden grunted at her and walked off. ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool you, Snow. He liked it,¡± Rahl said. Theo stood nearby, straightening his robe. Connie turned to him amazed. ¡°What did you say to him, Theo? What did you say to Yalden to get him to let Snow cast a spell on him?¡± Theo gave Connie a sardonic look. ¡°Simply, I told him Tristana would give him a back rub every night for the next week if he¡¯d let Snow cast the spell.¡± Connie smiled at Theo¡¯s good thinking. ¡°Not bad.¡± Connie wanted to say something to the effect that it¡¯s easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar, but with the absence of both honey and vinegar, she just let the moment slide. The party continued up the pass for the remainder of the afternoon. The travel was much more onerous for some than others. Jalban perpetually lingered behind. When he fell too far behind, the party waited until he caught up. While they were walking, Connie asked Snow about the meaning of the sink-wells. ¡°They are random areas where magic does not work.¡± Snow explained. ¡°If an object or person affected by a spell passes over a well, the spell quits working. They also stop enchanted items from working. Wells can be quite a nuisance to elemental spellcasters like you.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s why we aren¡¯t flying to the Atranox instead of going on foot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Flying is great until you pass over some random sink-well and your spell suddenly stops working.¡± ¡°How long do sink-wells last?¡± ¡°It varies. Some of them last for only a few minutes. Others last for hundreds of years. Where we live, all the known ones are mapped, and the local mages know where they are. In this uncharted territory, they can be hidden anywhere, and by their nature, they are nearly impossible to detect beforehand with magic. The only indication that a sink-well exists is your spell not working.¡± ¡°None of us fell into the ravine, so I guess we didn¡¯t pass over one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. If you strongly overdrive a celestial spell like I did, you can sometimes overcome the effects of the weaker wells. The spell won¡¯t last as long, but it may last long enough to do what you need it to do.¡± ¡°Do wells affect anything else besides magic?¡± ¡°Not that I know of. In fact, we¡¯ve probably walked over hundreds of them over the last few weeks without even noticing them.¡± At around sunset, they chanced upon an uninhabited cave suitably deep enough to provide ample shelter for the night. After dinner, the party fell into a somber silence. Connie took it upon herself to occupy the evening by teaching the party the basic elements of CPR. The mouth-to-mouth resuscitation demonstration between the men and the women of the party caused an uproar. Snow would not allow anyone to practice with her but Rahl, Connie, and, very reluctantly, Theo. Jalban and Yalden were her best students. Theo and Maltokken were the poorest. Rahl and Snow fell somewhere in between. Tristana was not asked to participate in the lesson, as Theo warned it was dangerous, claiming she would literally suck the life force out of anyone who would practice CPR with her. Snow concurred with Theo on this. Connie found that overcoming the attitudes of the party was the most difficult part of the instruction. In this society, as opposed to those of North America, the genders were quite separate in their codes of conduct, and there was no shortage of homophobia. No approximation of the word ¡°unisex¡± resided within the Cerinyan vocabulary. Although no one ventured to tell her so, she felt certain that many Cerinyan codes of conduct were broken that night. Connie also discovered that drawing the warm, exhaled air from the lungs of a lover, then holding it inside for a spell, was considered a common, albeit passionate, Cerinyan kiss. In poetic terms, it was a metaphor for sharing the energy of the soul. A similar, even more erotic form of kissing was accomplished with drinks and food. By the end of the evening, there was no wonder left in Connie why CPR remained unknown in this world. The next morning, the air was chilly. There was a slippery blanket of frost on the rocks outside the cave and no chlorine haze. Connie and some of the others awoke with slight headaches. Theo told them this was probably due to the thinning atmosphere. Connie noted the headaches coincided with the absence of the green haze of chlorine that covered the ground since they entered the mountainous region. Connie thought that apparently the gas was too heavy to pool on the mountainside in the morning. The going was slow for a while until the sun rose high enough in the sky to melt the frost. A few hours after they started, they came to a place where the pass had been blocked by a huge avalanche that appeared to have occurred years earlier. It took the party a few, ankle-twisting hours to cross over the rubble of avalanche. Near the end of the day, Connie looked back on the distance they had traveled. The plains they had traveled now stretched into the distance covered by a greenish haze. This gave her the perspective that the party was now hundreds of stories in elevation. Now she turned her eyes to the east and west. The jagged peaks seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. And somewhere beyond the mountain range they were not passing through awaited the two artifacts that would see to the continuation of civilization. For all the time and distance involved, the completion of the quest seemed an impossible goal. Connie¡¯s headaches were more intense on rising the next morning. Everyone had one except for Tristana. (At least she didn¡¯t complain about having one.) Jalban distributed the Ajasafas bark extract dissolved in a small quantity of water to ease the headaches. To Connie, the stuff smelled and tasted terrible¡ªlike rotten Belgian Limburger cheese¡ªbut it did the trick in under ten minutes. Connie set herself to doing her usual morning routine of calisthenics and stretching exercise but stopped after only five minutes due to feeling utterly exhausted due to the thinning air. Shortly after the breakfast, the party started resumed its uphill plodding across the mountainous terrain. Around midday, the view of the plain was obscured by the first rank of mountains they crossed. This was a fortunate day for both the party and for Connie. Connie found two crystal nodes, a metal node, and a high power wind node. Just before sundown, they chanced upon a herd of animals called jule that looked to Connie like a huge mountain goat with gray sheep¡¯s wool. Theo felled one of the animals from a distance with a spell that rendered it the jule unable to walk. Rahl, Yalden, and Maltokken had the honor of climbing up the mountainside to retrieve the animal. That night, the party feasted on the roasted jule. Leftovers from the animal were given to Jalban so that he could prevent their spoilage with some special spices. Connie was also able to prevent the spoilage of a leg of the jule with a spell she¡¯d found in her Wood book called, quite aptly, Preserve. She cast the spell with enough power to last for a week, even though it probably would be consumed before then. Over the next few days, the last tenuous traces of the pass and the ancient road had altogether vanished beneath the boulders, avalanches, and shifting topography. They followed the fairy path of the pass by divination, speculation, and some old-fashioned guesswork. The further they continued, the more the ice covered the ground in small sheets. This worried Rahl. He told the party that when the snow came, they would have to hole up for the winter until the spring thaw. That afternoon, when the clouds came from the north with a bone chilling wind, the party found shelter beneath a pile of boulders. Snow stood on a tall rock, held her hands to the sky, and cast another Predict Weather spell. To the party¡¯s relief, for the angry look of the sky, no precipitation would result from the clouds for at least a few days. The next morning, the party crossed over a ridge that bordered along a shallow valley. This valley was surrounded by tall trees that Connie thought were reminiscent of Ponderosa Pine. The trees were a welcome sight, as the vegetation up to this point had become scraggy and scarce. To their surprise, on the other side of the valley on the mountain slope were the stone structures of an ancient village. Theo cast a Hawkeyes spell on himself and on Rahl. From a distance, the village appeared empty, although remarkably, some of the structures remained in good shape. Rahl surmised that they¡¯d be able to reach the village by sunset the next day. This would be a good thing in case the weather had a turnabout. The sky remained gloomy and the wind chilly. The party made haste down the mountainside into the valley so that they could take shelter from the wind that threatened to freeze them to death. They camped out on the sandy floor of the valley. Connie thought the valley was probably consumed as a broad, shallow lake in the spring when the frost melted from the mountains and pooled in the valley. At sunrise, they headed up the mountain slope to the village. Just as Theo had indicated, the village was abandoned, although most of the stone buildings were in good shape, albeit missing their ancient wood roofs, which had long ago rotted and fallen away. Above the semi-level slope of the mountain on which the village rested was a steep, stony ridge. Most party members were winded from the climb up the mountain slope to the village. They made camp there, taking shelter in the relative comfort of a roofless cottage. There was still an afternoon of travel ahead. After lunch, Yalden and Maltokken decided to scout out to the ridge and have a look over the top to see how much more of the mountain range there was to go. They arrived back at camp just before sundown. Both of them had a dour, perplexed countenance. ¡°Rahl, it is not good,¡± Yalden said, panting from running down the slope in the thin air. The party gathered around Yalden and Maltokken on hearing these words. ¡°What is it? What did you see?¡± Rahl asked, obviously concerned by his brother¡¯s demeanor. Yalden described a huge chasm just to the other side of the ridge that was perhaps a league across and as deep and wide as the eye could see. Rahl listened to his brother with a look of concern. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound impassable to me,¡± Snow said. ¡°Of course, a small amount of prestidigitation might be in order.¡± ¡°You must see it to appreciate its size. It is quite large, a canyon,¡± Maltokken chimed in. ¡°How deep is it?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to say. The bottom is shrouded in fog.¡± Rahl frowned. ¡°I do not recall on the map the canyon you describe, Rahl said as he adjusted the greave over his left leg. Tomorrow, soon enough, we shall see.¡± The party spent the night inside the relative protection of a roofless cottage. Connie realized the valley was significantly warmer than the surrounding mountain terrain. She thought that perhaps the valley trapped the air that the sun warmed during the day in much the same way the mountains surrounding Mexico City prevented the smog from leaving. Not long after sunrise, the party broke camp and ascended the steep, tree-covered slope above the ancient village to the jagged ridge high above. The further up they climbed, the more intense the winds blew. Connie and Yalden were the first to breach the apex of the ridge, followed a few minutes later by most of the others. A wheezing Jalban and, incredibly, Tristana, lingered behind to catch their breath on the steep incline. Connie thought it peculiar that Tristana was tired. Connie had never known that Tristana was never tired from their mountainous travels. Something was odd. Connie stopped to take in the sight once they reached the top. Just beyond the ridge, the mountain simply fell away. Just as Yalden and Maltokken described, it was a canyon of national monument proportions. The canyon¡¯s width was at least two leagues across. The huge chasm stretched in both directions as far as the eye could see. From the angle where she stood, she was unable to see what lay at the bottom. Connie made her way to the edge of the canyon so that she could look down. The sharp wall of the canyon fell downward into an impenetrably thick, green mist that began at least one hundred stories down. It appeared a huge finger had scraped across the mountainous land, leaving the chasm they now saw. ¡°By the gods,¡± Rahl uttered, these words followed by curses nearly lost in the blustery winds that whipped around the ridge. Connie looked over at Rahl. He didn¡¯t often curse like that. Snow stood beside Rahl, her eyes gazing steely across the vastness of the canyon. ¡°What do you think, Snow?¡± he asked. ¡°I do not believe we shall have much of a problem in crossing this.¡± ¡°Bubbles?¡± ¡°Probably not,¡± Snow replied. ¡°It is awfully windy up here. A simple Push spell will not be adequate.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see how you intend to cross this,¡± Connie said as she stared out across the daunting distance. She walked back to where the rest of the party stood. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Jalban asked. ¡°Some other spell,¡± Connie replied. Theo walked up to Connie. ¡°We have a problem,¡± he told her. Connie raised an eyebrow to Theo. In response, he pointed to Tristana, who sat dozing soundly against the rock. ¡°Is she sleeping?¡± he asked. He nodded. ¡°She¡¯s almost never tired. What is wrong with her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps a magical poisoning.¡± ¡°Are you saying you think someone poisoned her?¡± ¡°No, not someone¡ªsomething. There is something strange about this place we¡¯re at. I have a theory.¡± He picked up a fist-sized stone. He tossed it in the air a few times like a baseball to gauge its weight, then he held it out to Connie. ¡°Do you have any spells that will work on this stone?¡± Connie flipped through the pages of the spells that were imprinted on her mind. ¡°Like what? I have lots of them.¡± ¡°Any spell. Not dangerous,¡± he corrected quickly. ¡°Cast a spell on this stone.¡± He held the stone in the palm of his hand. Connie decided to crack the stone. In her hand, she clutched a crystal container that held a one-power node. She directed a Crumble spell on the rock. To her surprise, nothing happened. She looked up at Theo. She attempted to cast the spell again. Just as before, the spell had no effect. She pulled out one of her two precious five-power Crystal nodes and cast the spell again. The stone remained unchanged in Theo¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I cast Crumble with a five-power node,¡± Connie said. ¡°That stone should have shattered into dust. Did you cast some kind of protection on it?¡± ¡°You know I do not have spells that affect stone as you do.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem, then? Why won¡¯t my spell work on it?¡± ¡°That chasm is the cause.¡± He threw the rock over the edge of the chasm. Snow and Rahl looked back at Connie and Theo when the stone flew over their heads. The swordbearer and the sorceress headed away from the precipice to rejoin the party. ¡°I have a spell I want to cast,¡± Snow announced to the group. ¡°Wait,¡± Theo said as he approached the sorceress. His black fur coat ruffled in the biting cold wind as he approached the precipice. Snow turned to Theo with a look of impatience. ¡°What is it? And make it quick.¡± ¡°There is some sort of anomaly with this area,¡± he said. ¡°It appears to block the effects of spells.¡± ¡°Is there a sink-well close by?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there is definitely something. Connie¡¯s spells don¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Hers won¡¯t, but not mine will. I can sometimes overcome sink-wells.¡± Theo still appeared concerned. ¡°Respectfully, Snow, I suggest you trial your spell first before casting it upon us. Look.¡± He pointed up to Tristana, who still slept soundly against the rock despite the wind that roared around them. Snow gazed at Tristana blankly, not seeming to believe what she saw. ¡°She sleeps,¡± Rahl broke, having been following their conversation. ¡°Indeed, she does,¡± Theo replied. ¡°Something taps her spirit.¡± While Theo spoke, Connie saw Snow cast some sort of spell on herself while looking at Tristana. Moments later, Snow appeared acutely alarmed. She turned to the great chasm that stretched below them. She pulled out her wand, the one Connie had come to call her ¡°fairy¡± wand, the one with the star at the end. She picked up a rock. In a deft move, she tossed the rock in the air while waving the wand at it. Immediately, a translucent bubble appeared around the rock. The rock sat inside the bubble, resisting the wind, held steady by an invisible ray of control that emanated from the tip of the wand. Snow turned back to Theo while she suspended the bubble in midair above her. ¡°Do you see this? Theodan?¡± she said, chiding the spirit mage who watched her incredulous. ¡°Nothing can overcome celestial magic.¡± ¡°Show me, then,¡± Theo said. The sorceress lowered the star of the wand toward the chasm. The bubble slowly followed as if being held by remote control. The bubble barely breached the precipice when it unexpectedly burst. The stone fell. Snow gasped. Theo stepped up to Snow. ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± ¡°Let me try again. The enchantment on this wand has always been unreliable.¡± ¡°Nothing is the matter with your wand. It is the chasm. It appears to have some peculiar quality that drains our magic. Our spells cannot work here.¡± ¡°You think that the chasm is one big sink-well?¡± She shook her head. ¡°It cannot be. Sink-wells are never that large.¡± ¡°Yet, it appears to be.¡± Theo turned to Rahl. ¡°What shall we do?¡± ¡°We must either find another way around the chasm, or we must cross it on foot,¡± he stated, running his hand through his black beard. Maltokken spoke up from behind Connie. For all the howling of the wind, she did not hear his approach. ¡°You are not going to lower me into that chasm,¡± he barked. ¡°I¡¯d rather find a way around it first.¡± He gazed warily over the edge. ¡°Besides, we have no idea what evil waits for us in that fog down there.¡± Yalden broke in. ¡°I concur with Maltokken.¡± ¡°Very well then,¡± Rahl capitulated as he stared at the chasm. ¡°First we shall find a way around the chasm. If we are unable to find a way around, then we will explore other options. For now, we should return to the village on the other side of the ridge.¡± Rahl walked away from the chasm and up to where Jalban rested next to a somnolent Tristana. Theo bid Yalden to take Tristana. He hefted the sleeping conjuration over his muscular shoulders and began carrying her back up to the crest of the ridge. Connie felt hungry and, strangely, somewhat drowsy, like someone had slipped her a mickey. She reached into the Threshibian bag to sneak some of Jalban¡¯s stock of aceralla root. She found that chewing on the raw root made her feel energetic like a double-shot latte. She reached inside the bag. To her horror, the bag was now a normal leather sack, albeit an empty one. At this moment, she also realized that its blue glow had entirely vanished. She glanced up at the party to see if anyone suspected what had happened. No one seemed to, but Snow now approached her. Connie quickly put the bag away. She fought the urge to panic, direly hoping the bag would work again once they left the proximity of the chasm. If it didn¡¯t, most of their possessions would be lost forever in the extradimensional space. Connie believed, at the very least, that the party would string her from a tree, for it was on her recommendation that they use the bag to carry their possessions. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Snow asked as they made their way back up the rough, stony ridge. Connie wondered if Snow noticed how pale she looked at the malfunction of the Threshibian bag. ¡°I feel fine. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°This is a good thing,¡± Snow replied. ¡°If your spirit were not binding to your new body, you would have ended up like Tristana. Your spirit would have slipped out of your body, and you would have collapsed. Do you feel sleepy?¡± ¡°Yes, a little.¡± ¡°I expected that,¡± Snow said. ¡°There is still a bit of magic yet to fade that flows between your spirit and your body, though this must only be a trivial amount. What you are feeling is the loss of this magic. By the way, my apprentice, your master would like some water. May I have some?¡± This mundane request from Snow sent a chill down Connie¡¯s spine. Snow was referring to the water skins they¡¯d stuffed into the Threshibian bag. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Jalban have any water?¡± ¡°He is speaking with Rahl. Besides, the water tastes better to me when you handle the skin that holds it.¡± Snow looked at Connie as they walked, waiting for Connie to produce a water skin from the bag. Connie became worried. She didn¡¯t want to tell Snow the bag wasn¡¯t working anymore. She had to think fast. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be drinking water while you¡¯re on an uphill climb.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ll get cramps.¡± ¡°Why will I get cramps?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re climbing a steep incline,¡± Connie responded with circular logic. Snow frowned at Connie as she thought this over. ¡°I¡¯ve drunk water on uphill climbs and never gotten cramps.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve probably never drank water on an uphill climb at this altitude.¡± ¡°This is true. But I¡¯m awfully thirsty. Give me some water.¡± ¡°You should at least wait until we cross over the ridge and begin descending again.¡± ¡°I want some water,¡± the sorceress insisted. Connie stopped walking and removed the strap of the shopping bag-sized leather pouch from around her shoulder. ¡°Whatever you say, Snow. And when you are doubled over with cramps on the rocks, remember that I gave you my best mountain climbing advice, and you didn¡¯t heed me.¡± Connie unfastened the leather cord that held the bag shut while Snow watched. Snow spoke up just as Connie began reaching inside. ¡°Very well, Connie,¡± she said, resigned. ¡°I can wait for the water.¡± ¡°Wise move, Snow,¡± Connie said, secretly relieved as she removed her hand from the bag. ¡°You won¡¯t have any regrets.¡± ¡°Except that I¡¯m thirsty,¡± she said, stumbling upward. A short while after the party began their descent toward the village on the other side of the ridge, the drowsiness she felt on the other side fell away. Soon, Tristana began to stir in Yalden¡¯s arms. When she did so, he stopped and gently lowered her to the ground. Connie furtively checked the Threshibian bag while everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Tristana. To her great relief, the party¡¯s goods were accessible once again. Connie used the abeyance to give Snow the water she sought earlier, telling her it was now safe to drink. Less than an hour later, the party was back at the abandoned village. By that time, it was past noon. The valley was a sanctuary of quiet and calm compared to the windy ridge. The party started a fire early. Everyone lay about on their blankets contemplating the newly discovered barrier that stood between them and the completion of their quest. Rahl, Theo, and Snow spent a greater part of the afternoon discussing magical and non-magical proposals on how to most quickly get across the chasm. The weather had been relatively kind to them so far. None speculated how long their good fortune would last before the furious bane of winter struck. Everyone except Jalban, Yalden, and Connie had fallen asleep early that evening. Connie was getting weary from studying her spell books and considering turning in herself for the night when Snow suddenly awoke with a start. She sat up and looked around. Then her eyes fixated on a point in the thin air just before the blanket, as if someone were standing there. Connie, Jalban, and Yalden saw her do this. The three of them looked to each other, perplexed. Snow had never done this before. To Connie, it looked like Snow was about to start sleepwalking. ¡°Calicus!¡± Snow shouted into the air. The three stared into the air, where Snow gazed. They saw nothing in the darkness in the feeble light of their modest fire. Not even a shimmer of anything unusual. They looked back at Snow. Now she seemed to be listening to something, as if the phantom of Calicus were speaking to her. ¡°Yes,¡± she said. Then she nodded her head. She slipped out of her blanket and put on her footwear and coat. ¡°I have to leave for a moment,¡± she said to the three of them. ¡°Calicus requests that I speak to him in private.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± Yalden told Connie and Jalban. ¡°Neither do I,¡± Jalban said. ¡°Best not to disturb her,¡± Connie added. Once Snow had dressed, she wandered beyond the light of the campfire and disappeared into the chilly darkness of the surrounding woods. After Snow had been gone for a half-hour or so, the three began feeling uneasy. Yalden spoke of going out to look for her. Jalban insisted that they awaken Rahl first before they did such a thing. Connie gazed into the darkness, waiting for her return. Before the discussion could go too far, Snow stepped back into the camp. Without a word, she returned to her blanket and began removing her coat. ¡°We were worried about you,¡± Jalban said to Snow as she draped her fur coat over her blanket for its additional warmth. ¡°You should not worry about me, Jalban. You should worry about yourself while I am away,¡± she said in her usual icy tone. ¡°Did you really talk to Calicus?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, his shade appeared to me.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± Connie asked. ¡°As you know, Chaos has breached the Calphous Well. Roggentine still stands. The army is holding its own. They are depending on us. That is all I will tell you.¡± ¡°What about my son? What did he tell you about my son?¡± Jalban asked, alarmed. ¡°He said nothing about your son. But he spoke of many things. He also spoke of Connie.¡± ¡°Of Connie?¡± Yalden asked. All eyes fell upon the woman in question. ¡°What did he say about me?¡± Connie asked. ¡°Remember what I told you today, that your spirit is binding to Alyndia¡¯s body?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned that Alyndia is alive and well in your world. She inhabits your body. As with you, her spirit deepens its binding with each passing day. Very soon, your tangled silver cords will snap, and you two will separate forever. That means neither of you will ever be able to return to your worlds, at least not to your respective bodies. Calicus believes we should try to send you back to your world as soon as possible. By sending you back, we will get Alyndia in return.¡± Snow slipped back into her blanket. ¡°Now that we have lost Fandia, it is imperative that we gain another competent spellcaster such as Alyndia.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m a competent spellcaster.¡± ¡°Indeed, Connie, you have already proven yourself quite competent in elemental magic. Surprisingly, so for the short amount of time you have practiced. But we need one skilled in the art of celestial magic. This is a skill you have not yet acquired. Alyndia has evidently achieved some competency in it, notwithstanding the fact that you perverted her spell, which brought you here.¡± ¡°I can learn celestial magic if you¡¯ll teach me.¡± ¡°It would take you years to master celestial magic. We have not the time.¡± ¡°If Alyndia had competency, then I should too, just as it was the elemental magic,¡± Connie said. ¡°It would be just as it was when I went to learn elemental spells. It was effortless once I began.¡± ¡°Connie!¡± Snow said in a scolding tone. ¡°Listen to yourself. Don¡¯t you want to go back to your world?¡± These words caused a pause in Connie. She thought this over. Snow was right. What was she saying? She didn¡¯t belong in Cerinya. This was Alyndia¡¯s world¡ªand this was her quest. Connie already had a life on Earth. Although she wanted to avenge the death of Sind¡¯s brother, the battle against Chaos was ultimately not hers. ¡°When would you send me back?¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning, if I can locate the spells in my books.¡± Connie was almost dismayed at this. She could not understand her own feelings. She gazed into slumbering Rahl¡¯s face illuminated by the fire as though he could offer her an answer. She thought he appeared as an angel when he slept. Snow looked at Connie with a steely expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you should want to stay here when you can go back to that wonderful, strange world you¡¯ve told us about. There, you don¡¯t have to worry about getting zapped by spells and fighting Chaos monsters.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like giving up on things. I thought I could finish this quest first.¡± She realized her voice sounded edgier than she intended. ¡°I¡¯m not a quitter.¡± Snow smiled slightly. ¡°Connie, Connie. Perhaps it will ease your conscience to know you don¡¯t have a choice in this matter.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t Calicus have anything better to do than figure out what happened to me? You said Chaos is on its way to take over Roggentine. Couldn¡¯t he spend his energies wisely, like trying to defeat Chaos? ¡°He is. That is why he wants Alyndia back.¡± Connie gave Snow a look to show she obviously didn¡¯t understand her logic. Snow sighed before she elaborated on her thoughts. ¡°Connie, the answer to your question has already risen from your tongue. Calicus is a great wizard, but there is only so much any wizard can do to slow the advance of Chaos. He knows Roggentine, and the rest of Cerinya¡¯s salvation lies in our success, not in the defense of Roggentine. To put his energies into helping to defend the city would serve only to forestall the inevitable. With us lies the only chance of real, permanent victory. That is why Calicus has chosen to focus on our cause, and in this case, yours in particular.¡± Connie ruminated over this explanation. She turned to Jalban, who had been oddly quiet after hearing the news that his niece would soon return. ¡°I suppose you will be delighted to have your niece back,¡± she said to him bitterly. ¡°Alyndia chose to abandon her life and responsibilities here,¡± Jalban replied tonelessly. ¡°Why should I care if she returns?¡± Connie stared at him, unable to believe she¡¯d heard him correctly. Apparently, he¡¯d been doing some thinking, as his attitudes had changed since the last time she spoke to him about the matter. Snow wrapped her blanket more tightly around herself to keep in the warmth. ¡°Just between us, I think you would ultimately make a better celestial mage than would Alyndia. I don¡¯t think she has what it takes. But I am not he who dictates who stays or who we get in return. Now I beseech you to get your rest, Connie. Let the others take watch. Tomorrow, I will send you on the long journey back from whence you came and undo this mess that you and Alyndia have made for yourselves.¡± Chapter 27 - Preparations Chapter 27 Preparations It was an overcast afternoon when the Boeing 737 touched down at the Dane County Airport in Madison, Wisconsin. Joy picked up Faith and Alyndia and drove an hour to her house in the suburbs. They had a light dinner of ham and Swiss cheese sandwiches in the kitchen while James, Joy¡¯s husband, told Alyndia of his work at his law firm. When Alyndia asked Joy about the children that Faith had told her about, Joy explained that the kids were staying at their grandmother¡¯s house in nearby Woskegon. Later in the afternoon, Felicity, Connie¡¯s other sister, came to visit. It was a tearful welcome for all. With all four sisters together, the family resemblance was apparent. James took photos of them by the fireplace: Constance, Joy, Faith, and Felicity. Throughout the afternoon and evening, Alyndia did the best she could in playing along with the banter of the three sisters. She allowed them to do most of the talking. It did not bother her though, as she enjoyed listening to them speak among themselves. She smiled to herself. How odd it was to have sisters. She¡¯d always wondered what it was like. Alyndia rested her gaze on each sister as they sat around the dining table. Faith was the most stoic of the three sisters, and she seemed most resigned to what would come time with her sisters. Felicity was as emotional as Faith was self-possessed. She also had the most winsome smile. Joy fell somewhere between her two younger sisters in demeanor. All three women were religious to one degree or another, and Biblical themes and the goings on at their churches were a frequent talking point with them. Of the three, Felicity seemed to be the most devoutly religious. She addressed Alyndia by Connie¡¯s birth name of ¡°Constance¡± because she said it was most proper for her. Since Alyndia had woken up from the coma, knowledge of the world had trickled into her mind. She did not know how she had acquired the knowledge, but it was there nonetheless. Now she naturally understood much of what her sisters spoke about, even though she had not experienced it herself. There was a lot of random knowledge. Remarkably, she¡¯d intuitively understood how the Boeing 737 they¡¯d flown in earlier that day was able to fly. She also knew the technical names of some parts of the aircraft, including the control surfaces of the wing. Evidently, Connie had had some intimate knowledge of aircraft, and some of that knowledge was bleeding into her own memory. Alyndia wasn¡¯t sure what the experience of flying would be like when she boarded the plane that brought her to Wisconsin. As the whine of the engines swelled to a mighty roar during takeoff, her heart swelled in admiration for the ingenuity of the people who lived on Earth. How could they create such a marvelous machine that could fly without the help of a single spell? she thought. She was practically in tears when the rumble of the wheels abruptly stopped and the plane began climbing steeply. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Faith had asked her from the seat next to her, noticing the wetness in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she¡¯d replied. While the plane was still climbing, she¡¯d looked at the faces of the other passengers in the cabin with her only to see boredom or distraction in them. She could not believe they did not feel the same way as she did at that moment. ¡°A machine is carrying you into the sky!¡± she wanted to shout to them. ¡°Don¡¯t you appreciate this wonder?¡± Joy brought Connie another cup of coffee, which reminded her of the flight attendant putting the coffee down for her on the white plastic tray over her lap during the flight. She smiled as she recalled her pleasant conversation with the woman sitting next to her opposite of Faith. She was an anthropologist flying home to Portland after doing a dig in Europe, having a connecting flight at Alyndia¡¯s destination. She told Alyndia of her work. To Alyndia¡¯s surprise and delight, she was able to understand, at least in concept, a lot of what the woman described to her by making analogous comparisons to what she knew in her world. The woman seemed pleased that a stranger such as Alyndia had taken an interest in her work and didn¡¯t seem to mind explaining to her basic things, such as what DNA was, when Alyndia asked, and so on. Alyndia came away from the conversation with a thirst to learn more about the woman¡¯s field and planned to do some reading on it when she got the chance. Faith and Felicity stayed until eleven. After the last car had pulled out of the driveway, Joy led Alyndia upstairs to her bedroom to pick out some clothes for her to wear tomorrow on their visit to see their Joy¡¯s mother. Fortunately, both women were similar in build, and they wore the same size. Joy led Alyndia to the bedroom, where she¡¯d be sleeping for the night. She hung three dresses for her to wear in the next few days. ¡°This is your room, Connie. I hope you like it. The bathroom is just across the hall.¡± Joy said as she wound up the alarm clock that sat atop the nightstand. ¡°This is a beautiful room. You¡¯re so kind to let me stay here.¡± Joy smiled at her. ¡°Do you think you¡¯d like to take a shower or bath before bed?¡± ¡°Yes. I would like that.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll get you some towels. They¡¯re still in the dryer and will be nice and warm for you.¡± Joy left the room and headed down the stairs to the basement, where the washer and dryer were. Alyndia lay down on the bed, feeling the soft comforter beneath her body. She had not lied to Joy. The room was indeed lovely. The floral style was far more suitable to her tastes than Connie and MacGregor¡¯s had been. That apartment with its modern d¨¦cor made it seem cold and impersonal by comparison. The room was silent except for the ticking of the alarm clock on the bedside. Alyndia picked it up and looked at it, and then held it up to her ear to listen to the mechanism inside. Such a wondrous device it was¡ªa true technological wonder, to be sure. Then, in the stillness of the room, Alyndia heard a voice call her name. She sat up on the bed and looked around. ¡°Alyndia,¡± came the voice again. The voice sounded fluttery and faraway. She scanned the room for the sound of the voice. Then she noticed that the mirror of the vanity had turned black. She got up and went over to the mirror. There, shrouded in near-complete darkness, was Calicus¡¯s face. ¡°Calicus!¡± ¡°Yes, Alyndia. I have found you again.¡± ¡°Why are you here again?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to give you a message. The Council has ruled against you. You have broken spiritual law.¡± ¡°So, I have.¡± ¡°It is their edict that the spell must be reversed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that I cannot reverse it. What¡¯s done is done.¡± ¡°No, Alyndia. I have done research into what you have done. I believe I have found a process that will reverse the perversion that has taken place. Elenglea will perform the ritual that will return you to the world where you were born and return Connie to hers. Prepare yourself¡ªit will happen soon.¡± A chill ran down Alyndia¡¯s spine on hearing all of this. ¡°If I have any say in this, Calicus, I do not wish to return.¡± ¡°It is not your choice. The proclamation of the Council cannot be denied. Presently, I will give the instructions to Elenglea.¡± A tear ran down Alyndia¡¯s face. ¡°Can you at least give me more time?¡± ¡°Time for what?¡± ¡°I now have obligations here. But more importantly to me, I have not spent time with the man I came here for, the man I love.¡± ¡°Alyndia¡ªyour desires do not belie the fact that your act was a travesty, and an innocent spirit has been harmed because of it. This happiness you seek can come to you only at her expense.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°So prepare yourself not to return to Cerinya.¡± Alyndia wiped her eyes. ¡°I will do that.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. At once, Alyndia heard Joy¡¯s voice behind her. ¡°What will you do?¡± Joy asked. Alyndia spun around to see Joy standing at the doorway holding some freshly folded towels. Alyndia looked back at the mirror and saw only her own tear-streaked face reflected in the glass. ¡°Are you upset about something?¡± Joy asked, noticing her downcast expression. ¡°Yes, and I must speak to you about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± she said, putting the towels on an armchair by the window. ¡°I¡¯m not really who you think I am.¡± ¡°You already told me you work for the CIA. Is that what you mean?¡± Alyndia shook her head. She moved back to the bed where she sat down. Joy sat on the bed next to her. Alyndia took a deep breath before beginning. ¡°Joy, it has nothing to do with my employment. I don¡¯t know how to tell you this without sounding foolish, but my name is not Connie Bain. My name is Alyndia, daughter of Alitrea. I¡¯m an elemental sorceress from the Land of Cerinya.¡± Joy looked at Alyndia with an astonished expression. ¡°Can you say that again?¡± Alyndia repeated her name and title. This time, Joy laughed. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought you said. That¡¯s really good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious, Joy,¡± Alyndia said, gazing at her deadpan. ¡°I am quite serious.¡± Joy laughed some more. This time the laugh was somewhat forced, less certain. ¡°Is this some kind of joke you are trying to pull?¡± ¡°This is no joke.¡± Joy nervously took a sip from her coffee while she gazed at Alyndia. ¡°You look like Connie should look to me, and I¡¯ve never heard of Cerinya. How do you explain that?¡± ¡°I was in a coma, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they told me.¡± ¡°There is a reason why that happened.¡± Alyndia briefly explained the circumstances of meeting Dr. Gerald Layton. ¡°Your sister, Connie, had put on a magical bracelet that was intended for a comatose woman whose body I was supposed to inhabit,¡± Alyndia explained. ¡°I was asleep on the plane. My psyche, through a spell, was autonomously fixated on the bracelet when Connie put it on her wrist. My spirit was drawn into her body. Somehow, her spirit was dislodged. This was not supposed to happen. The enchantment on the bracelet must have been too great. Anyway, I have replaced her.¡± Alyndia half-expected Joy to laugh, but she only frowned instead. ¡°Is this why they put you in the mental institution? Did you tell them that you believe yourself to be Alyndia the Elemental Sorceress?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. They don¡¯t know who I am. At least I didn¡¯t tell them. I played along with them until I could be with Gerald.¡± ¡°All right. If you¡¯re a sorceress, then prove it. Show me some magic.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°But you said you were a sorceress.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t cast spells in this world. Coming to this world has stripped me of all my power. I¡¯m not sure I can even detect nodes.¡± ¡°Then how am I to believe you aren¡¯t my sister?¡± Alyndia bit her lip. This was a good question. She had no way of qualifying her words. She shook her head. ¡°I suppose there is no real way of showing you. You will just have to trust me on this.¡± Joy sighed deeply, puffing out her cheeks as she exhaled. She looked to the hardwood floor of the bedroom and then shook her head. Alyndia put her hand on Joy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Joy, I wish I didn¡¯t have to tell you this.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this now? Why didn¡¯t you tell me when we met at the hotel that day?¡± ¡°Because Connie will return very soon.¡± At those words, Joy glanced up at Joy, perhaps in an attempt to gather the verity of her words. ¡°What do you mean? First, you tell me you¡¯re not my sister, but you¡¯re a sorceress. Now you are telling me she¡¯s coming back?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Alyndia replied. ¡°How?¡± Joy asked with a perplexed expression. ¡°How can she come back?¡± ¡°I have learned that the spirit of your sister occupies my vessel on Cerinya. Tonight, I will project my spirit from this vessel. Then someone will cast a spell on Connie to send her back and recall my soul. If all goes well, our bodies will be restored to their rightful owners. Perhaps the next time this body arises from the bed after a long sleep, her spirit will occupy it. You may think you are speaking to me, but it will really be her.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Alyndia nodded. ¡°Yes. And you must prepare yourself for the change. A word of advice to you. From what I know of Connie, she may become angry when she finds out all that has happened since she¡¯s been away. More than that, she likely knows nothing of your mother¡¯s illness and the circumstances of why I have come to your home. You will have to calm her by explaining everything.¡± Joy stood up from the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe any of this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all true.¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy. Maybe you need some rest.¡± Alyndia brought her hand to her breasts to soothe a dull ache she felt in her chest. She felt it often when she lived in Roggentine. It was amazing that it followed her all the way across the Wild. ¡°I came so far to be with Gerald,¡± she continued, lost in thought. ¡°I cast the right spells. I even practiced them for weeks before I did. Gerald was so patient with me. I thought, ¡°How can we fail?¡± Now it seems we are not fated to meet in this lifetime. A sad adventure this has been for everyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, Connie. What do you say I give my therapist a call tomorrow morning? I¡¯d like you to meet him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to any more therapists.¡± ¡°Then maybe we should pray. From what you¡¯re saying, you may be possessed by an evil spirit.¡± ¡°I assure you, Joy. There is no evil spirit here, but from what I know of Connie¡¯s psyche, some evil may happen here when she returns. Be careful with her.¡± ¡°Right. Well, then let us sleep on this. We¡¯ll talk about it in the morning. For now, I have to get to bed.¡± Joy stood up stretched, and moved toward the doorway. Alyndia rose to her feet. ¡°Joy, I don¡¯t expect you to believe what I am saying.¡± ¡°Can you blame me?¡± ¡°No, I guess not, but you will witness soon enough that I¡¯m telling you the truth. Joy, I do have a kind word for you: I¡¯m very glad to have met you. I think Connie is very lucky to have a sister such as you. I sorely regret that I cannot go with you to see your mother tomorrow. May the stars bless you.¡± Joy stared at Alyndia with a troubled expression. For a moment, Alyndia thought that Joy might believe her. But instead, Joy opened up the door to leave the room. ¡°We¡¯ll leave for the hospital tomorrow morning at nine. Not a word about all this to mom. Okay?¡± * * * After all the farewells had been said, Snow led Connie to a semi-level portion of bare ground about one hundred or so paces from where the party had set up camp. Rahl carried Snow¡¯s spell books for her. Theo and Tristana followed. The rest of the party watched her in silence from the camp as if she were walking toward her moment of execution. At her chosen spot, Snow unrolled one of her blankets and spread it on a semi-level portion of ground a hundred paces away from where the party set up camp. Connie casually noticed on the blanket was the ankh-like emblem of the cathedral where she¡¯s first seen Snow. She bid Connie to lie down squarely inside the blanket. Snow opened up one of her spell books to a page marked with a soiled red ribbon. This book was older than the rest of the books she normally carried. She had retrieved it from the extradimensional bag she kept hidden in her pack on the hanyak. The bag contained numerous other items she deemed that she¡¯d rarely use on the quest. She laid the spell book gently on the ground and did a quick scan of the first spell she would cast. Nearby were two other ribbon-marked spell books. Several magic spells from these books would also be required. When she had finished reviewing the spell, she picked up her staff and, while chanting softly, drew a circle in the sandy soil around Connie and the blanket. After she completed the circle, she knelt on her knees before the opened spell book. She gazed at Connie, who was looking up at the deep green of the afternoon sky. A slight breeze kicked up. Snow brushed her hair back from her face. ¡°Are you prepared to return to your world?¡± she asked Connie. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m ready,¡± Connie replied, not betraying the queasy uneasiness she felt. ¡°Do you have questions before I begin?¡± ¡°Yes, will this be painful?¡± Snow shook her head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. But you may feel disoriented when you awaken in your body.¡± Connie nodded once. This did not seem like it would be too hard. But she still felt uneasy. Her very existence would now be in Snow¡¯s hands. Connie hoped Snow was as good at her spells as she boasted she was. ¡°I¡¯m ready now.¡± ¡°Farewell,¡± Snow said. Snow lowered her eyes to the spell book and began the incantation. She then held up three fingers on each hand and continued with the incantation. Speaking an impossibly long string of sharply-annunciated, nonsensical syllables, she performed some sort of slow, careful sign language with her arms and hands. Connie¡¯s looked up at the sky and the pea green wispy clouds that floated by. As Snow continued her incantation, Connie waited for something to happen the way a patient anticipates the anesthetic taking effect before an operation. When Snow finished the first spell, Connie lay there, staring into the depths of the sky. She felt the same way she did when Snow first started. Snow began a second spell. The nonsensical incantation of this spell was gentler than the first. Halfway through the spell, Connie looked over at Snow and was surprised to see the sorceress clutching a heavy loop of what appeared to be silver string at her breast. Snow finished the second spell. A curious sensation of detachment washed over her mind. Her body felt heavy and sluggish. Her senses dulled, and the sensation of life in her body felt distant. For a second, she thought she was watching the ritual of her release from a distance. This was the same feeling she¡¯d had in this world whenever she¡¯d felt emotional. Now it came on by itself. Snow got to her feet. And, cradling the spell book in one hand, began another spell. This spell was spoken very quickly and passionately. As Connie spoke, she began to feel a ripping sound in her body. Snow began chanting the impossibly nonsensical words even faster. Connie felt the winds starting to blow hard. Groggily, she looked at Snow. The wind existed only for her. Now, in a sudden movement, Snow cast the silver cord high into the air. All at once, Connie saw a flash of brilliant white light, then she felt herself yanked, then pulled, and an incredible rate of speed down a seemingly endless tunnel whose walls were rainbow-like streaks of soft, iridescent light. At the far end of the tunnel was a circular, iris-like black opening that seemed to move further away in pace with her rate of travel. She gazed into the black vanishing point while the colors swirled around her. The effect was that of an Indian mandala coming to life. She wondered what awaited her in the darkness. The sensation of speed intensified by the second. She began tumbling unexpectedly. She curled herself into a ball to avoid striking the walls of the tunnel. Incredibly, she did not. Some unseen force kept her traveling directly at its center, as if she were traveling on the invisible tracks of an insane roller coaster. The speed increased. Now a strange wind howled in her ears. The colored streaks on the tunnel walls became undistinguished smears of color. She began tumbling quicker than before. Now she spun. She felt as if she would be pulled apart at any moment. Flashes of colored light from the tunnel began shooting into her tightly shut eyes, creating angular, sharp, broken glass-snowflake images of colors. She became terrified. She was living the stuff of nightmares. The howling grew louder until it segued into a sustained scream. Just when she thought she could not take anymore, everything went black and silent. Chapter 28 - The False Homecoming Chapter 28 The False Homecoming It was the dead of night. Connie awoke with a start. She found herself in a dark place, and all was silent except for the mechanical ticking of a clock nearby. She was lying beneath the covers in a soft bed in a bedroom. The door was ajar, which admitted a feeble sliver of light from somewhere outside the room. She lay still in the bed for a while, taking in her surroundings. The bedroom was completely unfamiliar to her. Seeing that she was alone, she sat up. At once, the acrid scent of ozone filled her nostrils, and she felt a sense of vertigo, as if she had just stepped off a merry-go-round that had been turning just a little too quickly. There was also a slight ringing in her ears. She turned her head to see an old-fashioned, wind-up alarm clock on the nightstand. Its painted numerals and hands read 3:34. She smiled to herself. For all the magic she saw on Cerinya, it comforted her to see a mechanical object that ran on nothing but the natural laws of physics and a little ingenuity. The acrid scent and the dizziness gradually disappeared, but now her body felt numb and tingly, like she was heavily intoxicated with both coffee and alcohol. Gingerly, she sat up, bracing herself to prevent falling over. The connection between her spirit and her body felt thin and tenuous to her. It was a feeling she¡¯d felt in her first days in Cerinya. She thought the sensation might be a side effect of the spell that Snow had cast, but at least she was back in her own body again. A pang of sadness flowed through her at that thought. Although she was relieved that she had left Cerinya, she remembered Sind and her promise to him that was left undone. Connie pulled away the covers and got out of the bed. In the feeble light, she saw she was wearing a dainty, white nightgown. She turned her arm around as she examined its gauzy sleeves. This was nothing she would have chosen for herself. She wondered what Alyndia had been doing with her body. Now on her feet, she walked over to the doorway. Her legs felt different. As she walked, she felt as though her movements were now being done by remote control. She felt as though she were floating instead of walking. She then wondered if Alyndia had gone to bed drunk or taken a heavy sedative before she turned in for the night. She opened the door to see a short hallway. For all its dark wood trim and old-fashioned flower wallpaper, this was an old house, entirely unfamiliar to her. To her left was a staircase leading down. Dim, yellow light from an incandescent lamp shone from somewhere at the bottom of the staircase. The house was silent except for the rushing sound of air from the heating vents. To her right, beyond one of the doors, she heard heavy breathing. She listened hard. The slight ringing in her ears had not diminished since she woke up, and it deafened her somewhat, so she was not sure whether it was one or two breathers she heard. She wondered who slept there. Now Connie was ambling down the hallway toward the stairs and the source of the light. She braced herself against the papered walls of the hallway as she went. She looked down from the top of the stairway. The staircase curled around a living room area furnished with antique furniture. The living room was empty and still; there were no pets about. A pewter lamp with a stained-glass lampshade had been left burning by the doorway to another room. Surrounding the multicolored lamp, she saw a soft, prismatic halo. She realized, at that point, how fuzzy her vision was. She made her way down the carpeted stairs, clutching the railway as she went. Then she made her way through the living room, past the lamp. She flipped on a light switch and found herself in the kitchen. She scanned the kitchen for some clue as to where she was. The cabinetry in the kitchen looked old, though the appliances were modern. Her mouth felt dry, and she had a bad taste in her mouth. She opened some cabinets to find a glass. As she did so, she noticed a burn scar on her left wrist. She took a moment to examine it. The burn had healed nicely, although the scar would likely remain forever. She found a glass and filled it with water from the tap. She took a cautious sip. At first, the water tasted oppressively bitter to her. She nearly choked on it. Then the flavor subsided to what she believed tap water normally tasted like. She leaned against the counter while she sipped on the water while wondering where Alyndia had taken her. She pulled aside the curtains covering the window over the kitchen sink. Outside, it was black. A lone streetlight shone on the street at the end of a long driveway. This house appeared to be located in some rural neighborhood, certainly not Jersey City. Connie turned away from the window. A wave of vertigo washed over her again. Spots appeared before her eyes. She thought she would faint. At that moment, the glass of water slipped from her hand and shattered loudly on the ceramic floor. The loud noise immediately jolted her out of the vertigo. She gasped and immediately turned to the kitchen doorway, where she watched, having no idea who might appear there. To her relief, the house remained silent and still. Then she spotted a telephone affixed to the wall. Her first thought was to contact the agency and inform them of her whereabouts. Then she thought it best to call MacGregor first to get the scoop on what had been happening to her since she left. No doubt, he would be able to fill her in so that she could address any changes Alyndia had made to her life in the time she assumed her identity. Supporting herself in the kitchen to keep from falling, she guided herself over to the phone, avoiding the broken glass on the floor as she went. Once at the phone, she picked up the handset and dialed the number for her apartment. While she waited for MacGregor to pick up the phone, she studied the numbers written on a pad hung next to the phone. With her blurred vision, she had trouble making out the hastily scribbled notes and phone numbers there. The phone rang nearly ten times. She was beginning to think she¡¯d dialed the wrong number when MacGregor finally answered. She knew it was him in an instant, but his voice sounded strange to her, perhaps because he had woken him up. She glanced at a digital clock on the microwave. It read 3:48. ¡°Hi, Will. Connie here,¡± she said. Her old voice sounded much huskier and fuller than Alyndia¡¯s. It was like listening to the voice of an old friend. ¡°Connie?¡± he asked. ¡°Is that really you?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s nice to hear your voice again.¡± ¡°Where did you go? When we showed up at the hospital, they said you¡¯d checked out.¡± ¡°Will, you won¡¯t believe what I¡¯ve been through,¡± she began. ¡°Remember that case we were investigating with Professor Layton? He was telling the truth.¡± ¡°What do you mean Layton was telling the truth?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t believe this, but there¡¯s a planet sharing Earth¡¯s orbit on the other side of the sun.¡± ¡°What?¡± he asked, incredulous. ¡°You heard what I said. And that story Layton gave us about meeting this woman from another dimension. Well, it¡¯s also true. Only she¡¯s not from another dimension at all. He just found a way to contact these people. It was some sort of spell-technology interface he ran across. He was right, too, about them breathing chlorine and drinking hydrochloric acid. And they use spells the same way we use machinery.¡± Connie told him briefly about her experience of going to Cerinya and how she got involved in the quest. When she finished, she listened on the line for his reaction, but Will had gone silent. For a moment, Connie thought she heard a woman¡¯s voice on the other side asking who the caller was. Connie broke her train of thought. ¡°Is someone there with you?¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s the television. The television is on.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Connie said, suspecting a truer truth but not ready to deal with it at the moment anyway. ¡°Let me go turn it off.¡± Before Connie could respond, the line went silent for a moment. About ten seconds later, MacGregor returned. When he spoke again, he sounded more awake than before. ¡°How do you know all of this, Connie?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been there, you numbskull. Do you think I¡¯m making all of this up?¡± Will¡¯s failure to believe her didn¡¯t surprise Connie. Still, she thought she could convince him later if she could come up with the proper proof. ¡°For starters, Connie, you very well know there¡¯s no other planet in the Earth¡¯s orbit. Jeeze. You sound worse now than you did before you went into the psych ward.¡± This was a strange turn in the conversation. ¡°I was in a psychiatric ward? Where?¡± ¡°At Mercy. You know that already, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Why was I there?¡± she asked, trying to sound calm as she spoke. ¡°You were committed.¡± Those words sent a faint but unmistakable shiver through her anesthetized body. ¡°For what? What did I do?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t well when you woke up from that coma. I thought you would have realized that by now.¡± ¡°But it wasn¡¯t me, Will!¡± she said, her voice almost a plea. ¡°That was Alyndia. That was the sorceress Layton contacted with his machine. Our souls swapped bodies when I put on that bracelet he intended for his wife.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t really expect me to believe this, do you?¡± His disbelief vexed her. She thought they¡¯d had a better relationship than that. She clenched her teeth, realizing it would take longer to convince him than she at first assumed. She decided to change her tune for the time being and do some damage control. ¡°Okay,¡± she said in an attempt to calm herself. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about all the nonsense about the planet for now. Does the agency know about me getting committed?¡± Connie heard MacGregor gasp on hearing the question. It then occurred to her how pointless it was to ask, as the omniscient agency knew everything. ¡°You know as well as I do that the agency sent you there.¡± ¡°It sent me? By whose orders? Watson¡¯s?¡± ¡°Partly.¡± ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m just going to have to give that bastard a call.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± he said abruptly. ¡°You¡¯ve already been retired from the agency.¡± ¡°I have?¡± On hearing this, white-hot fury compounded by hatred for all living things surged through Connie¡¯s bones. So intense was the fury that, for an instant, she had the sensation of leaving her body. ¡°They kicked me out of the agency? Are you telling me they kicked me out?¡± Now her eyes were wet with tears of rage. The line stayed silent. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Mental noncompliance.¡± ¡°What kind of noncompliance?¡± ¡°Your mental state was called into question after your accident,¡± he said, speaking haltingly. ¡°You were evaluated by the agency. When the results came in, you were found to have changed. I don¡¯t know the details, but you were deemed unfit to continue your work with the agency.¡± ¡°How could they do this to me?!¡± ¡°How do you think I feel, Connie? You were my partner. We¡¯ve been through a lot together. Connie tore a paper towel from a dispenser and wiped her eyes as she rallied control of her emotions. ¡°Why did Watson do this to me?¡± she asked, her voice nearly a cry. ¡°Just wait until I get my hands on him!¡± MacGregor paused before he spoke again. ¡°It wasn¡¯t only Watson¡ªit was me who reported you.¡± ¡°You turned me in? Why¡ªwhy did you do that?¡± ¡°I was worried about you. You were so different after you woke up from the coma. I thought maybe the doctors would be able to help you out, to find out what was wrong with you.¡± Now he sounded choked up. ¡°Things just got out of control when Watson got involved. He jumped into it with both feet. There was nothing I could do for you after that.¡± ¡°What¡¯s my recourse? I can protest the decision, can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that opportunity has passed. While you were at the hospital, you signed a document saying that you agreed with the findings of the board and that you willingly resigned from the agency.¡± ¡°So, not only did they kick me out, I also quit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°I would never have done that. I loved my work. You know that. Will, you¡¯ve got to get me back into the agency. You¡¯ve got to help me fix this thing.¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°This might sound funny, but I have no idea where I am. I can only say it¡¯s a private home in a rural area.¡± ¡°You have an out-of-state number,¡± he replied, probably reading the caller ID at the apartment. ¡°Looks like Wisconsin.¡± ¡°Wisconsin?¡± Connie was shocked to hear that. She hadn¡¯t been to Wisconsin since she left her family years back. At that moment, Connie noticed a pile of unpaid bills resting on a small tableau by the dining room table. ¡°Just a moment. I can find out.¡± Holding the cordless phone to her head, she walked over to the table and picked up a few of the folded papers. She managed to focus her vision well enough to see that the bills were addressed to James and Joy West. Shocked by what she saw, she again felt her spirit leave her body, this time further and more completely than before. For an instant, she thought she saw the image of an angry Alyndia standing next to her. Connie shook off Alyndia¡¯s image and the feeling of disembodiment. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this!¡± she said, wringing the bill in her hand. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at my sister, Joy¡¯s house. Can you believe that? Alyndia actually brought me to my sister¡¯s house!¡± Connie followed this statement with a string of expletives. ¡°Now you¡¯re sounding like your old self again, Connie,¡± Will said. ¡°What the hell am I doing here, Will? Tell me why I am here.¡± Before MacGregor could answer, a woman¡¯s voice came from behind Connie: ¡°You already know why you¡¯re here.¡± Startled at the sound of the voice, Connie spun around to see her sister Joy standing at the entrance to the kitchen, looking sleepy, dressed in a powder-blue bathrobe. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Joy asked. Connie stared at her, jarred by seeing her sister in the flesh for the first time in fifteen years. ¡°I¡¯ll call you right back, Will,¡± she said into the phone without removing her eyes from Joy. She hung up without waiting for him to respond. ¡°Where¡¯s Alyndia?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she be here by now?¡± ¡°Calicus didn¡¯t say how long the process was supposed to take.¡± Rahl leaned over the woman he knew as Connie. He placed his cheek to her nose and mouth. ¡°I do not detect her breathing.¡± He covered her nose and mouth with his hand. The woman did not stir. Rahl moved his hand to her neck to feel for a pulse. ¡°I do not feel her heartbeat.¡± ¡°She was fine a moment ago.¡± Snow said, sounding slightly concerned. She knelt next to the body across from Rahl and placed her hand at the woman¡¯s throat. She verified what Rahl had found. ¡°Calicus!¡± she called into the air. ¡°Calicus! Something is wrong!¡± she called out again when she heard no response. All remained silent except for the gentle sigh of the astral wind that blew across the Wild. Rahl shook the woman. Her body was limp like a rag doll. ¡°Alyndia! Can you hear me? Wake up!¡± Theo stepped forward as Rahl continued shaking her. ¡°She is dead,¡± he said. ¡°Her spirit has departed. I sense it from here.¡± He withdrew his curved humor extraction knife from his belt. Tristana stepped forward with a heart-sized metal box cradled at her breast. Snow glanced at the knife. ¡°What are you planning to do with that?¡± ¡°We must take her humors while she is freshly dead,¡± the spirit mage replied. ¡°She¡¯s not dead. She can¡¯t be. I cast the spells correctly. It should have worked. Calicus!¡± she called out again into the ether. Theo took another step forward. ¡°Be gone, Theo,¡± Snow said, ¡°or we shall be taking your humors.¡± Theo looked to Rahl on hearing Snow¡¯s threat. Rahl looked down at Connie. ¡°We must do CPR on her.¡± Rahl said. ¡°We must do it now before her brain dies. Perhaps we may resuscitate her.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Snow said. They quickly got into their positions to perform CPR as Connie had taught them. Snow began pressing rhythmically on Connie¡¯s chest while Rahl periodically breathed air into her lungs. Theo and Tristana stood over them while they did this, him holding the knife and her holding the box, both ready to extract the vital humors that lay within the woman¡¯s heart should her spirit not return. Connie stared at Joy, momentarily unable to speak, while she tried to sum up her feelings of the moment. ¡°Interesting conversation. You told me you were Alyndia earlier. Who are you now?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I¡¯m Connie, your sister. Alyndia was an impostor.¡± Joy stared at Connie with a look of both irritation and sleepiness. Connie glowered back at her with years of pent-up anger, unsure how much of her conversation with MacGregor Joy had overheard or what Alyndia had told her. She waited for Joy to speak. ¡°Enough of these games, Connie. Come to bed.¡± ¡°What do you mean, come to bed? I don¡¯t even want to be here. Where are my things? I¡¯m going home.¡± At those words, Joy threw off some of her sleepiness. Her gaze fell on the shards of broken glass on the kitchen floor as she spoke. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re going back to New Jersey? It¡¯s not even 4:00 in the morning. Besides, you said you were going to see Mom later today.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m not going anywhere near her.¡± Joy knitted her brow at Connie. ¡°What has happened to you since you went to bed?¡± A few seconds later, James appeared at the doorway beside Joy, wearing a light blue bathrobe that matched hers. ¡°I heard you talking down here. What¡¯s going on? And who broke the glass?¡± he asked. ¡°Connie says she wants to go back to New Jersey,¡± Joy said, clutching her husband like a teddy bear. ¡°She also doesn¡¯t want to see Mom anymore.¡± James gave Connie a concerned look. ¡°Connie, Faith went through a lot of trouble to get you out of that psychiatric ward. You hated it there. Remember? And if you go back, there¡¯s no telling how long they¡¯ll keep you there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back. And if anyone tries to force me, I¡¯ll break their arms.¡± ¡°Where do you want to go, then?¡± ¡°Back to my partner and my job. Most of all, away from this place.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already told your mom you¡¯ll visit her. She¡¯s expecting you later today.¡± Connie narrowed her eyes at them. ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t give a damn. By the way, how did I obligate myself into doing this? Did you trick Alyndia into coming here, or was it her idea? Did Calicus have something to do with this?¡± ¡°Who is Calicus?¡± James asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Joy added. ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± Joy looked at her husband. ¡°She different than she was yesterday. You see it, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If she¡¯s that bi-polar, maybe she should go back to the ward. Didn¡¯t Faith say she was a suicide risk?¡± Connie could not believe she heard those words. ¡°Who¡¯s a suicide risk? Me? Did Alyndia try to commit suicide while she was in my body?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know what actually happened,¡± Joy said. ¡°I just heard something about it from Faith.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯ve heard it all,¡± Connie said, covering her eyes. ¡°No wonder they kicked me out of the agency.¡± ¡°You really didn¡¯t know any of this?¡± Joy asked her. ¡°This is all news to you?¡± ¡°Yes. I just woke up in your bed upstairs a little while ago. I had no idea where I was or how I got here.¡± ¡°So you, or rather, Alyndia, was telling me the truth earlier in the evening in that she was not you, and you were occupying her body in her world.¡± ¡°At least that part of what she told you is true.¡± ¡°Then, you don¡¯t know anything about Mom?¡± ¡°What about her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s dying, Connie. She¡¯s at the hospital as we speak. She doesn¡¯t have much time left. She wants to see you one last time before she passes on.¡± Joy explained briefly the circumstances of the illness. Connie listened in silence as she took in the information. ¡°She¡¯s suffering horribly, but she says she won¡¯t go until she sees you again.¡± ¡°Why does she want to see me so badly? So that she can lay another guilt trip on me? Or leave a horrible memory that will torment me the rest of my life?¡± A tear rolled down Joy¡¯s cheek. ¡°My God, Connie! That happened so long ago. Can¡¯t you just let it go?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never forget how you all made me feel, how you all shut me out. Don¡¯t you know that I loved him too? Don¡¯t you know I would never have done anything to hurt him?¡± ¡°I was young, Connie. So were Faith and Felicity. We never knew you were hurt so badly.¡± ¡°I loved him,¡± Connie said, her eyes welling with tears. She felt the glacial ice within her heart beginning to melt. The emotion was ripping her apart inside. The image of her father floated into her mind. I love you, Dad. Joy walked up to Connie, her arms outstretched. ¡°Let me hold you, Connie. Be my sister again. Let us love you. Let God love you.¡± At Joy¡¯s approach, Connie felt a tightening in her chest. Once Joy had breached her personal space, almost automatically, she grasped Joy by the shoulders and shoved her away. Joy fell backward. James caught her just before she hit the dining room table. At once, she began to cry in his arms. He glared at Connie. ¡°What the hell did you just do to your sister?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not my sister,¡± Connie shot retorted. ¡°Not after she held me responsible for my father¡¯s death.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t accuse you, and you know I didn¡¯t,¡± Joy said, crying. Connie gazed at her sister¡¯s tear-streaked face. For an instant, she felt pity for her, but she shook off the feeling. This is what you get for bringing me into your house against my will, she thought. ¡°Perhaps you did not accuse me outright, but you didn¡¯t defend me, either. And for that I will never forgive you,¡± Connie said. ¡°Nor will I forgive the rest of you.¡± ¡°Will you at least see Mom tomorrow? You don¡¯t have to stay long, and you don¡¯t have to tell her anything. Just show up. It would mean so much to her. And if you do it, I promise to never try to contact you again. You¡¯ll live the rest of your life without ever hearing from me. What do you say? Will you do this one thing?¡± ¡°What did I just tell you? Were you listening?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t even think about it?¡± ¡°No.¡± James broke in. ¡°Connie, you ought to listen to your sister. Go with her to see your mom today. You may never have a chance to do this again.¡± ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have to put up with this. I didn¡¯t ask to be here. I¡¯m going to get dressed now.¡± Connie walked through the kitchen toward the staircase. James grabbed her suddenly by the forearm as she walked past him, halting her. She glanced at his hand on her arm. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± she asked him. ¡°I want you to apologize to your sister for shoving her.¡± ¡°I will not,¡± she said. ¡°Yes, you will. I don¡¯t care who you are. No one comes into my house and pushes my wife around.¡± He spun Connie around to where she was facing Joy while retaining his grip. ¡°Now apologize.¡± ¡°Let her go,¡± Joy said to James before she could answer. ¡°But I don¡¯t like the way she pushed you.¡± ¡°You better listen to your wife, or you¡¯re going to get hurt,¡± Connie said, gazing coldly at him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget¡ªI have my strength back now.¡± James responded by tightening his grip on her arm. ¡°Apologize. Now.¡± ¡°James, let her go,¡± Joy said again. ¡°If she wants to leave, that¡¯s her choice. She¡¯ll regret this someday.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he said, releasing Connie. ¡°Wise move, James.¡± ¡°You make me sick.¡± James embraced Joy, who began sobbing again. Connie turned away from them and headed slowly for the stairs, feeling emotionally drained. Once she reached the foot of the staircase, she turned to them. ¡°I¡¯ll need a taxi to the airport. Do me a favor and call one for me.¡± Rahl and Snow had spent almost five minutes doing CPR on Connie. Now they were getting tired. Still, the body refused to breathe. They paused in their ministrations while Rahl felt for a pulse. There was none. ¡°She¡¯s not coming around,¡± he said. ¡°Her heart refuses to beat.¡± ¡°Are we doing this wrong?¡± Snow asked. ¡°This is the way she taught us.¡± ¡°I told you both: Her spirit is departed,¡± Theo said. ¡°She no longer bears an aura.¡± Rahl looked up at Snow, who now seemed resigned to quit. ¡°You say the spells were cast properly?¡± ¡°Rahl. You know me better than that.¡± ¡°Then why did this happen?¡± Snow shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. For what I can tell, Alyndia¡¯s spirit was not drawn back. Perhaps we cast the wrong combination of spells. I¡¯m not one to fix the blame, but perhaps Calicus made a mistake. I only did what he instructed me to do.¡± ¡°Then where is Alyndia?¡± The sorceress shrugged. ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. She¡¯s drifting in the Wild for all I know.¡± ¡°Very well. Then you have to reverse what you have done.¡± ¡°You mean cast the inverse of the spells?¡± ¡°Yes. Can you do it?¡± ¡°Of course, I can do it.¡± Then Snow brought a pensive finger to her nose. ¡°But before I do, I need to think about how to do it for a moment. It won¡¯t be easy, and if I fail on even one of the spells, then both of them are doomed.¡± ¡°We do not have a choice. So do it now. And hurry.¡± Rahl looked up at Theo with his knife and Tristana with her box standing over them. ¡°I need one of you to help me with the CPR. We must do this until Snow casts her spells.¡± ¡°You want me to do CPR on her?¡± Theo asked, bemused. ¡°You must not forget I¡¯m a spirit mage. Death is a natural process. Reviving her from imminent death is against my philosophy.¡± ¡°Pooh on your philosophy,¡± Snow said. ¡°She did CPR to save your life. You can do it to save hers. Now get to work.¡± Theo handed his knife to Tristana and knelt before Connie, taking Snow¡¯s place. Moments later, he massaged her heart while Rahl continued the breathing into her lungs. Upstairs, Connie dressed quietly, fuming. The only clothes she could find were dresses. It was a minor thing, but it irritated her more than she already was. While she was getting dressed, she noticed blood on the wooden floor and carpet. It appeared she had tracked it in from the hallway. She reached down to the floor and felt it in her fingers. It was fresh. She wondered where it came from. On a hunch, she sat down in the chair in front of the vanity and checked the bottom of her feet. There, in the arch of her right foot, she found a shard from the broken glass in the kitchen. The shard hadn¡¯t penetrated deeply, despite how much it bled. What surprised her was that she felt no pain at all from the wound. She pulled out the shard and felt nothing when she did. She rubbed her legs, then her arm, and realized that she could hardly feel her own touch. This discovery made her uneasy. She got a tissue paper from a box on the vanity and applied pressure until the bleeding stopped. Joy appeared at the doorway, now more composed and resolute than she¡¯d been earlier. She leaned against the doorframe and watched Connie with a forlorn expression. On seeing her, Connie got to her feet and resumed dressing. The room remained silent except for the ticking of the alarm clock at the bedside. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding,¡± Joy said finally. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Do you want me to get you something for it?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied curtly, zipping up the dress. ¡°You know, Alyndia had the worst taste in clothes. How could she dress me this way? I look like Mary Poppins.¡± ¡°Those are my clothes. I gave them for her to wear because she didn¡¯t bring a change of clothes with her.¡± ¡°And look at this roll on my belly. I didn¡¯t have this before. She made me fat.¡± ¡°Connie, you should stay a little longer¡ªat least until daylight.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± she asked as she adjusted the dress at her hips. ¡°Do you have any money?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call my partner before I leave. He can wire me some.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. James and I will drive you to the airport if you¡¯d like. We¡¯ll even pay for your flight back. Just stay a little longer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea. Like I told you earlier, I didn¡¯t ask to be here. Besides, Alyndia has really screwed up my life¡ªbig time. I need to get back to Jersey ASAP and try to get my life back.¡± ¡°Gosh, I didn¡¯t believe her. What a difference I see now.¡± Connie looked up at Joy from slipping on her shoes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Now I see the difference between you and Alyndia. You¡¯re totally different people.¡± ¡°Maybe I am Alyndia,¡± Connie said, humoring her. Joy shook her head. ¡°How do you know I¡¯m not her? Is it the way I act?¡± Joy gave her a sad smile. ¡°It¡¯s more than that. I sense a different person in you. Call it intuition or whatnot, but it¡¯s a definite feeling.¡± Connie laughed derisively as she tied her shoes. ¡°Viva la difference, baby. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not her, and I wouldn¡¯t want to be her.¡± ¡°Have you ever met her?¡± ¡°No, but I know quite a bit about her. In fact, I have intimate knowledge about her.¡± Shoes tied, Connie stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. ¡°I get this impression that you liked her. Am I right?¡± Joy shrugged. ¡°She did seem friendly and easy to talk to.¡± ¡°Maybe you think she¡¯s a better person than me. Well, I¡¯ll bet she didn¡¯t tell you that her trip to this world was one way. By coming here, she was essentially committing suicide. She left behind some people who really loved her.¡± ¡°She said she came to be with the one she loved.¡± ¡°No. She ran away from her pitiful life. That¡¯s what she did. As for myself, I never run away.¡± ¡°I disagree with you, Connie.¡± Connie looked up at Joy, startled by that remark. Joy continued, her voice absent of malice, ¡°You¡¯re the one who ran away years ago, and now you¡¯re the one running away again.¡± Connie froze on hearing that remark. It cut into her breast like a knife, wounding her deeply. After the sting subsided, she felt the strongest urge to punch her sister in the mouth for that statement. She remained still while repressing the anger she felt. Then, regaining her senses, she got to her feet and scanned the vanity and desk. ¡°Whatever you say, Joy,¡± she said in a carefully controlled way to hide her wound. She picked up a hairbrush she saw lying on the vanity and began brushing her hair. ¡°It¡¯s a minor issue to me. Is there a phone in here? I need to call a cab.¡± ¡°You can use the phone in the kitchen,¡± Joy said quietly. ¡°I think I have it now,¡± Snow said as she stepped up to Rahl and Theo, who still performed CPR on Connie. ¡°You¡¯d better. I don¡¯t think her body can take much more of this, and neither can I,¡± Theo said out of breath as he continued pressing rhythmically on the woman¡¯s chest. ¡°Are you sure you have it?¡± Rahl asked her. ¡°I think so, but it will be tricky,¡± Snow replied to Rahl with uncharacteristic uncertainty in her voice. ¡°We will only have one chance to do this. Either I do this right the first time or Theo will have a few more humors for his collection.¡± Snow knelt before the dying woman and laid her spell book before her. She waved her hands for the two to part. Taking the cue, Rahl and Theo stopped working on the woman and stepped aside. Now Snow clasped her hands flatly together, the tips of her fingers grazing her chin. Her eyelids fluttered as she fell quickly into a deep, meditative state. After a few moments, she placed her hands a few inches above the dying woman¡¯s chest and began the lengthy incantation needed to recall Connie¡¯s spirit¡­ Connie hung up the phone. The taxi had been called. It would take him fifteen minutes to get there. Now Joy and James sat at the table, staring at Connie. James was making a pot of coffee. She was about to call MacGregor back, but she was beginning to feel woozy again. The feeling swept over her like a wave in slow motion. She fought it off momentarily, hoping it wouldn¡¯t occur periodically as it did when she inhabited Alyndia¡¯s body in Cerinya. Fearing she might lose her balance, Connie took a seat at the table with James and Joy. At once she felt awkward with both their eyes upon her. ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t stay?¡± Joy asked her again. ¡°There is nothing in the world that would make me stay,¡± Connie said, rubbing her forehead. The lightheaded feeling was intensifying. The room appeared to rotate around her. It was the same as when she put on the iridium bracelet at the hospital. She clutched the table to steady herself. Joy observed this. ¡°Are you feeling all right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just¡ªfeel¡ª¡± She had trouble moving her mouth. It felt as if it were filled with molasses. There came a creeping feeling of numbness in her feet, then her legs. She thought she might fall off the chair at any moment. ¡°I used to feel this way in Cerinya. Why do I feel it now? Was there a problem with the¡ª¡± She could not find the word. ¡°¡ªthe spell?¡± She lost consciousness momentarily. When she opened her eyes, she was lying partially prone on the floor of the dining room. James held her in his arms, having caught her just before she hit the floor. Joy sat on the floor at her side. Although James was nearly embracing Connie, his voice came to her from what seemed a place far away: ¡°Are you okay, Connie?¡± ¡°What should I do?¡± she heard Joy ask him. At once, Connie heard an intensely loud, almost deafening ripping sound in her ears. The sound was reminiscent of the tearing of a large sheet; only she sensed the ripping sound in her arms, legs, and then her trunk. There was the brief feeling of inertia, and then the clarity of her thought returned in an instant. She opened her eyes. She was now peering down herself, lying on the floor of the dining room with James still holding her and Joy nearby. ¡°Connie!¡± came Joy¡¯s voice from what seemed a long tunnel. Connie had left her body completely. She looked at her astral hands as her body lay sprawled at her feet. Her hands were not hers, nor were they Alyndia¡¯s, but an amalgam of the two. This mystified her. She looked at Joy now. She kept shaking her in James¡¯ arms. Connie watched the scene with detached amusement. ¡°Oh, God! She¡¯s not breathing,¡± James said. ¡°Is she having a heart attack?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Quick¡ªcall 9-1-1. Tell them to send an ambulance!¡± As James prepared to perform CPR on the ashen-pale woman, a flustered Joy scanned the room for the telephone, as if she had forgotten where the phone was located. She grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle on the wall. A nervous wreck, she dropped the phone. She picked it up again, dropped it again, picked it up, then hurriedly dialed 911 in while clutching it tightly in her trembling hands. At that moment, James and Joy paused and looked at each other. Their eyes and nostrils began to burn. ¡°Oh, my God,¡± she said, covering her nose and mouth. ¡°What¡¯s that awful smell?¡± ¡°It¡ªit smells like chlorine!¡± he said, coughing. As Connie watched the scene unfold, she slowly began drifting upwards and away from it. She willed herself to return to the scene but found that something was pulling her away. Now the kitchen appeared as a disembodied square of light, floating, insignificant, in the middle in a swirling ocean of grainy darkness. Connie then became aware of a presence beside her. She turned to see Alyndia floating next to her in a robe of hazy blue light surrounded by a yellow halo. The sight of her floating there surprised Connie. Alyndia appeared as an amalgam of Connie¡¯s body, a mixture of both women. ¡°Alyndia! It¡¯s you!¡± ¡°Yes, it is I.¡± Connie looked around at the swirling blackness around them. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°This is what we call the Wild. Your people call it the Astral Plane. It¡¯s the plane of existence that envelops and connects all worlds.¡± Connie took in this concept while she tried to fathom the meaning of the blackness. The two spirits gazed at each other for a moment. ¡°Why are you here and not back on Cerinya?¡± ¡°I do not know. I believe that something has gone wrong with the spell. I cannot return and am trapped here.¡± Connie, then recalling all she had learned on Earth, became angry. ¡°You wrecked my life,¡± she said to Alyndia in a baleful tone. ¡°What do you mean¡ªI wrecked your life?¡± ¡°Because of you, I lost my job, my partner, my sanity, and who knows what else.¡± ¡°You should thank me for what I did,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°I have rid your life of all that was unwholesome. Now, I am restored for you what is most valuable.¡± This remark incensed Connie further. Alyndia seemed to sense her anger, and it momentarily startled her. ¡°How the hell do you know what is valuable to me? Isn¡¯t it my life?¡± ¡°I saw what you did while you were talking to James and your sister. I saw everything.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Your sister and her husband are good people. You should be ashamed of yourself for conducting yourself the way you did.¡± ¡°I am not ashamed," Connie retorted. ¡°They brought it on themselves for bringing me to their home.¡± ¡°But what about your mother? Doesn¡¯t she matter to you?¡± ¡°Of course she matters to me. I hope she burns in hell, if there is one.¡± Alyndia shook her head in disbelief. Now her aura blushed from blue to purple, to pink, and then to red. She shook her head as she spoke, ¡°You¡¯re evil. Do you know that? You¡¯re so evil. You¡¯re vain. You¡¯re proud. You don¡¯t care about anyone but yourself.¡± ¡°So you think I¡¯m evil? I¡¯ll show you what evil is.¡± At those words, Connie brought her spirit into Alyndia¡¯s. The elemental sorceress reciprocated, and now the energy of the adversarial spirits mingled and swirled in a crazy, iridescent tornado of crimson light, each seeking to consume the other. Meanwhile, back in Cerinya, Snow had cast the last spell. Now she raised her hands to the sky, formed her hands into fists, and pulled toward her the spirit of Connie to bring her back to the body. Connie¡¯s and Alyndia¡¯s spirits came together, and they began fighting in the ether. Their spirits flowed and ebbed, their life¡¯s energy flowing between both as each gained an upper hand, psychically wounding each other with their own anger and pain. Alyndia then felt the flux of magic in the ether, followed by the cloying tug of Connie¡¯s earthly body. She now tried to break away from Connie to return to it, but Connie held her fast, wrapping around her spirit like a great serpent, keeping her in the ether. Then Connie also felt a force tugging hard on her spirit, pulling her away from Alyndia. She resisted the tug. Alyndia spoke to Connie. ¡°Release me¡ªrelease me now.¡± ¡°No, I will not. You will pay for ruining my life.¡± ¡°Someone has reversed the spell. Our bodies are calling us back. Don¡¯t you feel it? Release me, and go back to Cerinya.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Connie, if we do not return now, we will both surely die.¡± Now for the third time, Snow tugged on the fabric of the spirit of the plane to guide Connie back. To her surprise, the body remained inanimate on the ground. Snow opened her eyes and got to her feet. She stared down at the body. She shook her head, puzzled. ¡°What is wrong?¡± Rahl asked finally, seeing that Snow had quit concentrating. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± a bemused Snow answered. ¡°The spells felt like they worked. I thought I had her, but for some reason she won¡¯t come. It is if she is fighting me. Why, I do not know.¡± ¡°Perhaps a demon has caught her spirit,¡± Theo said. Snow looked down at the pale, unmoving woman. ¡°If so, her spirit will be consumed, and there is nothing we can do.¡± Snow turned away. ¡°We may never know what happened to her spirit.¡± Without another word, head bowed, Snow began walking away toward the rest of the party. Theo retrieved his knife from Tristana. He looked to Rahl, who remained behind, gazing down at the body. ¡°May I?¡± Rahl looked up at Theo, strongly dismayed at his persistence in wanting her humors. Then he looked away from the body and Theo as he spoke. ¡°Do as you wish, Theo,¡± he replied. ¡°Take them for the good of the party. Then we will set her on a pyre.¡± ¡°Thank you, Rahl.¡± Rahl left them to join the rest of the party. Now with a knife in hand and Tristana close beside him with the box, Theo knelt over the body and began pulling aside the robe to expose the woman¡¯s chest. Now with her bare chest exposed, Theo placed the knife at the dead at the top of the rib cage in preparation to cut her open to extract her heart. At that instant, the body gave a mighty heave, and the woman beneath his knife began gasping for air. Theo jumped back, so startled that he nearly dropped his knife. ¡°Rahl! Snow! She¡¯s waking up!¡± Theo called out toward the party. An instant later, the entire party was running toward the scene. Connie sat up and looked around. ¡°Oh, God!¡± were her first words as she clutched her chest. Theo picked up his knife. ¡°Connie!¡± Connie shook her head to fight off the feeling. She felt incredibly dizzy and could scarcely maintain her balance. She was seized by enormous pain and tightness in her chest. For an instant, she thought she smelled chlorine in the air. She quickly forgot about this when she caught sight of Theo standing over her with his curved knife. She immediately jumped to her feet despite the dizziness she felt. Rahl was there immediately to catch her in case she fell. ¡°Don¡¯t you come near me with that thing!¡± she told Theo. ¡°We thought you were dead,¡± he said. ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m not!¡± she said with a strong note of irritation in her voice. ¡°I had returned to my body on Earth. Why am I back here?¡± Snow stepped up to her. She gazed into Connie¡¯s face as if not quite able to believe she was not an illusion. ¡°I called you back.¡± ¡°Why?¡± she asked, perplexed, as she steadied herself in Rahl¡¯s arms. The feeling of vertigo was beginning to subside. Her chest still hurt like hell. It felt bruised and sore, as though someone had been beating on it with a baseball bat. ¡°Something went wrong,¡± Snow replied after some hesitation. ¡°Perhaps we did not cast the proper combination of spells to move you and Alyndia back to your bodies. Your body here was dying because Alyndia was never drawn back here the way she was supposed to.¡± ¡°I saw her.¡± ¡°You saw Alyndia? Where?¡± ¡°She was trapped in the Wild.¡± Connie recalled the spiritual struggle between her and Alyndia. Although it happened only a moment ago, the memory of it resided in a place in her mind that made it seem like it happened years ago. ¡°I was starting to think that a demon had caught you on your journey back,¡± Snow continued. ¡°I see that your aura has changed. It has become brighter. This can¡¯t be an effect of the spells I cast.¡± Now Snow gazed deeply into her eyes. ¡°Did something happen when you encountered Alyndia?¡± Connie did not want to talk about it. Without a word, she turned away from Snow and shook herself from Rahl¡¯s grasp. Just then, she realized her robe was still pulled open and her breasts were out on display. She nonchalantly drew her robe shut and then briskly walked away from the group to sort out her feelings. Chapter 29 - All About Constance Chapter 29 All About Constance Alyndia sat weak and trembling at the dining room table with the hot cup of coffee before her as the first light of dawn shone through the large curtained window there. The ambulance had left just a short while earlier. By the time they¡¯d arrived, Alyndia had already recovered, and she¡¯d refused transport to the hospital over the episode. Now, she stared despondently into her cup of coffee, the gloom she felt inside tempered by the intense pain in her right foot where Connie had stepped on the glass. James and Joy sat next to Alyndia, watching over her with a look of concern. Joy placed her hand over Alyndia¡¯s. ¡°We were so worried about you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m glad we were able to bring you back.¡± ¡°I suppose you believe me now.¡± ¡°I should have believed you earlier,¡± Joy said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I doubted you when you tried to explain everything.¡± ¡°You mustn¡¯t blame yourself. Magic does not exist in this world, so you had no pretext to believe me.¡± James addressed his wife. ¡°You were right about your sister, hon. If you don¡¯t mind me saying so, I¡¯m glad she¡¯s gone. I¡¯ve never met a more hateful woman in my life.¡± ¡°Connie has not changed one bit.¡± ¡°I fought her in the Wild,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you won,¡± James said. Alyndia shook her head. ¡°No, James. I did not win.¡± Joy and James looked at Alyndia in surprise. ¡°She let me go.¡± ¡°You mean, she beat you?¡± James asked, sounding as though he¡¯d just learned that his favorite football team had unexpectedly lost the playoff match. ¡°I cannot say she beat me,¡± Alyndia said, ¡°but I was certainly losing.¡± She gazed deeply into her black coffee as if it were a portal into the Wild. ¡°And there¡¯s more to it than that. The spells that send Connie¡¯s spirit back to this world were cast by a powerful sorceress from my city named Elenglea Vanexay. She¡¯s the former apprentice of an old wizard named Calicus.¡± Joy and James both nodded at the mention of Calicus¡¯ name, having heard Connie say it. ¡°Elenglea must have realized that something had gone wrong with her spells when I didn¡¯t return, and so she cast reversals of them. At least that¡¯s what I think. But Connie¡¯s spirit was so strong that she was able to resist the sorceress¡¯s power to call her back, and by doing so, she remained behind to fight me. Connie¡¯s anger toward me was so great that she actually began sapping away my soul energy before we separated.¡± A worried expression swept over Joy¡¯s face as she visualized the scene. ¡°What would have happened if she hadn¡¯t stopped?¡± ¡°I might have remained trapped in the Wild for a while longer, unable to leave. It would have been long enough for her body here to die.¡± Joy knitted her brow. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain this as best I can for you. You see, a spirit¡¯s life energy gives it presence in the Wild. If a spirit loses its energy while there, it becomes trapped and unable to move. Draining life energy from spirits is the way demons, vampires, and other monsters that wander the Wild can kill. If a spirit loses all of its life energy while in the Wild, it becomes a shade¡ªa sprit with no presence. In such a state, even spells cannot affect it. In my case, Connie¡¯s body would no longer have been able to attract me, and I would have been lost.¡± Alyndia looked up at Joy. ¡°Your sister took mercy on me. By doing so, she saved us both.¡± ¡°Why do you think she let you go?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s still hurting too badly to see your mother today. But she knows I endeavor to do so. I believe this was Connie¡¯s ultimate intention for releasing me¡ªso that I will visit your mother on her deathbed in her guise to ease your mother¡¯s suffering.¡± Joy squeezed Alyndia¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯d be eternally grateful.¡± ¡°But before I do so, I need you to tell me why Connie feels the way she does. Why is she so bitter toward you and her mother? Has it something to do with the death of your father?¡± Joy shifted uncomfortably in her chair as this request. She withdrew her hand from Alyndia¡¯s and stared at her husband. Her expression questioned him. James responded to her non-verbal interrogative. ¡°Yes, I think you should tell her, especially if she¡¯s going to see your mother tomorrow.¡± Joy returned her attention to Alyndia. She sighed. ¡°Well, you must understand, Alyndia, that Connie and I come from a religious family. This was due mostly to my mother. She was very strict with us children. Dad wasn¡¯t religious or strict on his own, but I think he kind of went along with it because he loved mom. Connie was always the rebel, the black sheep, the tomboy who hated wearing the flowery dresses that mom made us wear to church. I think Dad had been hoping for a boy when Connie was born, but he loved her just the same. And Connie adored him. They did everything together. He even took her on camping trips. Just the two of them. I remember being so jealous. She was Daddy¡¯s girl, and both of them liked it that way. Now that I look back on it, mom might even have been a little jealous of their closeness. ¡°Dad was in the Air Force when us girls were born.¡± Joy smiled. ¡°Each one of us was born in a different part of the world. We moved around a lot while we were growing up. One year it was Japan; next it was Germany; then it was Greece, and so on. It was nice living in these countries, but because we moved every few years, we girls never had the chance to form any lasting friendships. Dad retired from the Air Force after twenty-four years. We settled here in Wisconsin, which is where Mom is from originally. Dad found work as an aeronautical engineer. He loved his job. Unfortunately, he had a heart attack while working late one night. He would have died if not for a quick-thinking co-worker who knew CPR. I remember Dad was pretty shaken up by the experience. He retired for the last time shortly after that. From then on, he spent his days tending his vegetable patch and building these remote control planes. He and Connie would take the planes out on Saturday mornings. I also recall Dad holding a part-time job as a cross-guard at a local elementary school. Sometimes, he¡¯d invite some of the kids he met there to fly the planes with him and Connie.¡± Joy took a deep breath. ¡°Anyway, by this time Connie was a teenager. She fell hard for a boy in her junior class. His name was Byron, you know, like the poet? When I first met him, I said to myself, ¡°Gosh! He¡¯s just like Dad.¡± Connie and Byron got pretty close. Closer than we suspected. Then in the summer, a few weeks before the start of her senior year, Connie called the family together into the living room. She said she wanted to make an announcement.¡± Joy cleared her throat and took a sip from her coffee. ¡°I remember that day very clearly. Once the family had been gathered together, Connie stood in the middle of the room and announced that she and Byron were going to get married. We were all flabbergasted, of course. She was only seventeen at the time. And with her good grades and possibilities for college, we thought she would have better sense than simply drop it all just to have a husband. But Connie was so very serious about this. My sisters and me, well, we thought she was acting kind of funny at the time, so we just laughed in her face. And oh, did she ever get so angry! Then mom started in on her, too. She thought the whole thing was a farce, especially since Byron wasn¡¯t there to join in the announcement. We realized afterward why Byron wasn¡¯t there. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°At this point, I want to mention that the only one who didn¡¯t laugh at Connie was Dad. While we were carrying on, he just looked at her in a pensive sort of way. And it was obvious that she cared mostly what he thought. Finally, when we all settled down, he spoke. He told her flat out that she was hardly old enough to be married, and if she really loved the guy, she should wait until she finished college before marrying him. But Connie didn¡¯t go for this. She persisted, speaking only to Dad, saying that she really loved this guy, Byron, and that they would make a wonderful couple. Still. Dad held his ground. ¡°Now comes the worst part. For as much as she loved him, Connie was not above being angry with my dad, and by this time, she was already bristling with anger at all of us. Finally, probably in exasperation, she blurts out that the reason she wants to marry Byron is because she is pregnant. Oh, God. You should have witnessed the silence in the living room after she said this. All eyes went to Mom. I cannot begin to describe to you the expression on her face. She has always been a devout, God-fearing woman. So, you can imagine how she felt on learning that her oldest teenage daughter had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. After that day, mother got very hard on Connie. They couldn¡¯t be in the same room without arguing. Plans were made for a wedding to take place at the end of the school year. Then one day, Byron came to the house when Connie wasn¡¯t there. He was supposed to meet her there, but she hadn¡¯t yet come home from school. I was home with the flu that day. From my bedroom, I overheard mom giving Byron the third degree about how and when he got Connie pregnant. She asked some really inappropriate questions. At first, he was reluctant to tell her about it, but then, I guess, he gave in and told her what she wanted to know. Mom then blew up and began calling him names like ¡°sinner¡± and ¡°fornicator.¡± Then she threw him out of the house. When Connie came home later and found out what happened, she ran away for three days. ¡°Well, from that day forward, Byron never came back to the house. The incident also caused some bad blood between his family and ours. A few weeks later, Byron broke off the engagement to Connie. She was heartbroken. She stopped going to school and stayed in her room all day. She came out only to get food from the refrigerator.¡± Alyndia shook her head. ¡°This is awful. What about your dad?¡± Joy took another sip from her coffee. ¡°Dad remained warm with Connie throughout the whole affair. He was very supportive of her. I think then, at some point, they had a long father-daughter talk. Then, Connie comes home a few days later and tells them she had an abortion. Mom flipped out over that. On hearing the news, she slapped Connie around the room, threw a bunch of things at her, and called her a murderer. She began beating on Connie so much that Dad had to pull her off of her. Connie ran up to her room in tears and locked the door. What an awful day that was. My dad had a sudden heart attack that evening. He died a day later at the hospital without regaining consciousness.¡± Joy wept softly as she recalled the experience. James fetched her a dishtowel from the kitchen counter to wipe her eyes. ¡°We were devastated by all that happened, but no one took it worse than Connie. She was inconsolable. She cried alone in her room for days. Then, to make matters worse, our mom started telling everyone that Connie had killed Dad, because he was devastated over her murdering her baby, his grandchild. The rest of us kids, feeling bad about what happened to Dad and looking for someone to blame, sided with our mom. Poor Connie! How cruel we were to her!¡± Joy wiped her eyes again. ¡°Connie retaliated by saying that it was Dad¡¯s suggestion that she have the abortion. He wanted her to have an education and a career. Mother would not believe this for one minute and focused the blame of his death squarely on her shoulders. ¡°After things had settled down a bit, Connie changed. Before she had been outgoing, but then she became very introverted. Her seriousness turned into a kind of strange, obsessive determination about things. She never laughed or joked anymore. Her friends stopped coming around. Eventually, she went back to school, then she just threw herself into her schoolwork. Though she had gotten behind earlier in the school year, she made up for it and then some. She graduated months early at the top of her class. She also picked up a few college grants and scholarships along the way. That summer, she took a job at a bookstore. She used to bring home all these crime and spy novels. She¡¯d lock the door to her room and read them until the wee hours of the morning. Then, early one autumn day, she packed her bags, got on a bus, and left the house for good. ¡°In time, us girls got over the grief of losing our dad. We came to our senses and realized it wasn¡¯t Connie¡¯s fault he passed away. We tried to get a hold of our sister again. We found out she was attending a college in another state. Though we tried contacting her, she never returned our calls. Then on her twenty-first birthday, the three of us decided to pay her a surprise visit and throw a little party for her. She somehow figured out we were coming and made herself scarce. We never did see her. We expected that she might come home after she graduated, but she never did. Instead, she simply vanished. None of us saw or heard from her again until the CIA called and said an accident had occurred and she was in a coma.¡± ¡°So, Connie never again contacted you in all those years?¡± Joy nodded. ¡°I think maybe once. Many years later, after I had gone away to college, the phone rang back at home in the middle of the night. Felicity, who still lived there at the time, answered it. The operator asked if she could accept a collect call from Nepal for my mother. Felicity accepted. A woman was then put on the line. She didn¡¯t give her name, but Felicity says the voice sounded like Connie¡¯s. Anyway, mother picked up in the other room. A few minutes later, she heard her mother shout something awful into the phone, then she slammed the handset down. When that happened, Felicity immediately picked up the handset and held it to her ear. Felicity says that for a few seconds, she heard a woman¡¯s sobs. ¡°Connie?¡± she asked into the phone. ¡°Is that you?¡± Felicity says the sobbing abruptly stopped and the line went dead.¡± * * * Alyndia and Connie¡¯s three sisters, Joy, Faith, and Felicity, entered the private hospital room while the husbands, children, and extended family waited outside in the hall. The four daughters, attired in somber-colored dresses, stood in silence, two to a side, at their mother¡¯s bed. Alyndia peered at Pamela Bain, who lay on the bed, her ashen pale face sunken into the starchy white hospital pillow. The woman¡¯s breathing was unsteady, belabored by the cancer that invaded her body, appearing very close to death. When they arrived, she was either sleeping or comatose. Alyndia stood at the head of the bed. Joy opened the window blinds to let the early afternoon light shine into the room. Faith took her mother¡¯s emaciated hand and cradled it gently in both of hers. Felicity gazed at her mother from the foot of the bed, tears streaming down her face. As Alyndia gazed into Pamela Bain¡¯s face, distant memories of her own mother entered her mind. Now her eyes became moist. Joy rejoined the others at the bed. She rested her hand gently on her mother¡¯s forehead. ¡°Mom?¡± she asked the woman gently. The woman¡¯s eyelids fluttered at the sound of her name, but she did not rouse from her drug-aided slumber. ¡°Mom?¡± Joy repeated. ¡°It¡¯s me. Joy.¡± ¡°Joy?¡± the woman asked. Awoken from her sleep, her face tightened with pain. Her body arched, then half-curled in the bed. She looked as though some demonic phantom were twisting a dagger into her belly. ¡°Mom!¡± Felicity spoke, her voice nearly a cry. Alyndia looked over at Felicity, from whose eyes tears flowed freely. She thought Felicity was ready to bolt from the room at any moment. Alyndia looked to Faith, who showed no outward sign of grief but only gazed into her mother¡¯s face without emotion. Alyndia surmised that Faith, just as Joy, had made peace with the fact their mother would soon leave their lives. Only Felicity could not accept her mother¡¯s act of death as an inevitable, though unpleasant, part of life. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± Joy sighed gently, keeping her hand on her mother¡¯s forehead. ¡°Joy, you have come to see me,¡± Pamela said, her eyes remaining closed. ¡°Yes, all of your girls have come to see you.¡± The woman weakly shook her head. ¡°No, not all of my girls,¡± she said slowly. Joy drew very close to her mother and whispered something in her ear. Then she withdrew to check the result. A few moments later, Pamela blinked and opened her eyes. Hazily, she looked at those standing around the bed. When her eyes rested on Connie¡¯s face, they brightened. ¡°Constance? Is that you?¡± she asked. Despite her best intentions, tears flowed freely down Alyndia¡¯s face. Now she was Constance Bain. She took her mother¡¯s hand. ¡°Yes, Mom. It¡¯s me. I¡¯ve come to see you.¡± At those words, Pamela rallied her strength, and though she was in enormous pain, she sat up in her bed. The two women embraced. And both began to cry while rocking each other, the mother and the child. Now Felicity cried openly. Even the stoic Faith became misty-eyed. Pamela drew back to have a look at her wayward daughter. ¡°Look at you! You¡¯re a woman now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m thirty-four years old, mom.¡± ¡°Has it been that long?¡± she asked in wonder. Then, acting as if someone had struck her, she fell back to the bed. Alyndia caught her and lowered her the last few inches. Now, as she lay writhing in agony, Felicity panicked. ¡°Mom!¡± she cried out. ¡°Someone get a nurse!¡± ¡°No!¡± her mother said, her voice taut with pain. ¡°No. It will do me no good. They can¡¯t help me anymore.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ll get you something for the pain,¡± Joy said. ¡°No. I don¡¯t need anything at all,¡± she managed a weak, bittersweet smile despite her pain. ¡°I have all my daughters back.¡± She looked up at her oldest daughter. ¡°Constance, I have longed to speak with you again for so long. The Lord has answered my prayers by bringing you here to me. But now he calls me to come home. My heart compels me to speak to you before I go.¡± Pamela took Constance by the hand. ¡°Please, daughters. I want to be alone for a moment with your sister.¡± Joy, Faith, and Felicity looked to each other. Then, one by one, as though it were choreographed, they embraced their mother and exited the room. Joy left the room last. Just before she did, she turned and gave Alyndia a solemn nod before quietly shutting the hospital door behind her. Chapter 30 - Blue Day Under a Green Sky Chapter 30 Blue Day Under a Green Sky Connie kept to herself for the remainder of the day. She sat on an outcropping of rock that overlooked the village and the valley, gazing at all she saw below. She brooded over her brief, painful experience back on Earth and what Alyndia had done to her life. Not only had Alyndia stained her credibility by getting her thrown into a mental institution, she had ruined Connie¡¯s career with the CIA. Then, to make matters worse, Alyndia made contact with her sisters. And who knew what MacGregor now thought of her? But what did she really expect? The air grew chilly once twilight arrived. She remained on the rock, now shivering, somehow hoping the cold would make her a better person by freezing away the anger she felt. She pondered the possibility that her mother was truly dying. She¡¯d always known this day would someday come, and only circumstance allowed her to even know of its occurrence. Still, Connie could not find it in her heart or mind to see her mother, even if it were possible. If Alyndia wanted to do it, that was fine. All the power to her. Connie was content to just let sleeping dogs lie. That was all, and she refused to let her feelings traverse similar tangents. There was little she could do about it anyway. Connie sighed as she stared across the darkening valley and the frozen lake below. For all she knew, she could never return to Earth anyway. Thanks to Alyndia¡¯s meddling, all she had was now broken. She bit her lip. For all the murderous Chaos and bloodshed she had witnessed so far on Cerinya, this was her world now. And if it was hell, then she would declare it her heaven. And these people were her companions. ¡°So be it, Cerinya,¡± she said aloud. Twilight came, and now a cold blanket of stars became visible. A lone, fur-clad figure broke away from the camp and started heading her way up the mountain. The figure carried a lantern, no doubt lit with a Light spell cast on its wick, as she knew the lamp oil had run out a week ago. The figure was almost at the rock when she saw it was none other than Rahl. He brought for her a remnant of dinner, a rib of the jule he and Yalden chanced upon shortly after breakfast. Connie said nothing to Rahl as he placed the rib, partially wrapped in a leaf, down on the rock next to her. The meat was still warm having been freshly cooked, and its aroma beckoned her. Nonetheless, she continued staring into the starlit valley and the nocturnal silhouette of the jagged peaks beyond. Though she sat with her knees brought up to her chest, cradled by her arms, she shivered from the cold that invaded her robe. Rahl stood above her. She felt his eyes scrutinizing her. ¡°You¡¯ve been sitting out here all day. Everyone is worried about you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right. I just need some time alone.¡± ¡°Would you like me to bring you anything?¡± Rahl asked her in a deep, subdued voice. Connie shook her head. ¡°You are trembling. I can bring you some of your fire nodes so you can warm yourself up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Rahl. Thank you,¡± she said as icily as the cold air around her. He stood next to her for a moment longer, his eyes lingering on her. Connie frowned as she wondered what he was thinking. She looked away from him, not quite ready to meet his gaze, keeping her eyes fixed on the horizon. Then there came the rustle of clothing behind her. She did not know what he was doing, but she resisted the temptation to look at him just the same. Moments later, she felt warmth on her back as he draped his fur coat over her shoulders. She closed her eyes when he did this, touched by his simple display of kindness. She felt the wetness of tears in her eyes. The frigid air heightened the sensation of tears at the corners of her eyes. Without further ado, Rahl slipped off the edge of the rock and began walking back to the camp. An acute, dark feeling rose up in her on seeing him walk away. At that moment, she very badly wanted to be near him. ¡°Swordbearer,¡± she called to him, wiping the tears from her eyes before she spoke. He stopped and looked back at her with an expression of concern. ¡°Stay with me for a while,¡± she said softly. ¡°Protect my spirit.¡± Rahl moved back to her on the rock. Connie moved aside the rib of jule as a cue she wanted him to sit next to her. Now he sat, as she did, with his knees to his chest, his legs framed by his arms. She did not speak for a moment, and neither did he, so both of them sat in still repose as they regarded the shimmering stars overhead. ¡°Things did not go well today,¡± she said finally. She pondered this disclosure for a few seconds, then corrected it to the pejorative. ¡°No, things went terribly.¡± ¡°We made that assumption,¡± he said. ¡°A few in our group are fearful of disturbing you, including Snow. We drew lots on who would be the one to bring you dinner. I lost.¡± Connie could not help but smile to herself on hearing Rahl say this. This meant that at least the party respected her to a degree. Knowing they respected her gave her a modicum of satisfaction, for it was not altogether a bad thing. ¡°What happened on Earth if you don¡¯t mind that I ask?¡± ¡°Everything has changed. Alyndia has made a mess of my life. I¡¯ve lost everything, and everyone thinks I¡¯m a kook.¡± Connie turned to Rahl. ¡°My partner didn¡¯t believe me when I told him about this place. Though he didn¡¯t tell me so, I knew he thought it was crazy.¡± ¡°You said you did not believe Professor Layton when he first told you about Cerinya.¡± She sighed. ¡°Yes, Rahl, you¡¯re right. But the circumstances were different back then. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up with him. I was only caught up in the thrall of being back. I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡± The two of them sat in silence for a minute. Small puffs of mist appeared with each time they exhaled. Rahl spoke first, ¡°It is fortunate that you taught us CPR. We thought we had lost you.¡± ¡°My heart stopped?¡± ¡°Yes. You nearly died.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Snow assured me she knew how to cast those spells. What went wrong?¡± ¡°She told us it had to do with Alyndia being firmly bound to your body on Earth and us being unable to sever it from here. She said that some additional spells needed to be cast to release her hold on your body, but these could not be cast from here. I do not understand the magical arts, so I cannot tell you exactly what this entails. But do not worry¡ªshe and Calicus will find out how to do everything properly, and you will soon be back on Earth.¡± ¡°No, Rahl,¡± Connie responded tersely. ¡°This is now my home.¡± ¡°Perhaps you do not have a choice. Snow says Calicus ordered her to cast the spells on you. It has something to do with a spiritual law being broken. And, of course, we need Alyndia¡¯s celestial spell abilities.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad for all of you,¡± Connie retorted. ¡°By screwing up my life, Alyndia has forfeited her right to return here. You can tell that to Snow. I will not allow her to cast another spell on me. No way, no how¡ªnot if I can help it. And I don¡¯t care what Calicus says. He has no right to intervene. I am Snow¡¯s apprentice, not his. So, you had all better get used to me.¡± Connie turned to Rahl to check his reaction. To her surprise, he was smiling. Connie immediately became suspicious. ¡°Why are you smiling? Are you underestimating me again? Do you not think I can resist Snow and Calicus?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it at all.¡± ¡°Then why are you smiling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just glad you decided to stay with us.¡± Rahl¡¯s reply caught Connie off guard. ¡°You are?¡± He turned to her. His dark eyes glinted in the starlight. ¡°Yes. And so do the others. Don¡¯t tell Snow I told you so, but she mentioned that she seriously regrets casting the spells on you. Although she doesn¡¯t say it, I think she¡¯s worried you are angry with her because it ended badly.¡± Connie laughed. Instantly, the level of tension in her body dropped a few notches. ¡°I¡¯m not angry with her all. I just don¡¯t want her to send me back.¡± ¡°As leader of this quest, you have my word that she won¡¯t.¡± ¡°What if Calicus insists?¡± ¡°Snow is on my quest. As long as she remains on my quest, she must follow my orders, not those of Calicus. But, as I said, Snow regretted sending you back, so I don¡¯t think she will insist on it again.¡± Rahl¡¯s assurance put Connie at ease. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you to share, Rahl.¡± She looked back at the stars. They twinkled cheerfully in the sky for her, raising her mood in the chilly air. Her ribcage ached from the CPR they¡¯d done on her earlier. She noticed Rahl shivering from the cold, though he seemed to be making a macho attempt at hiding it. She scooted herself closer to him and wrapped his coat around the both of them. Now the warmth of their bodies mingled beneath the furry coat.¡± ¡°I have a question for you, Rahl.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Calicus told me that he gave Elenglea the name ¡®Snow¡¯ while she was his apprentice. Why did he name her that?¡± ¡°I do not know.¡± ¡°You have no idea at all?¡± Rahl shook his head. ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°I just assumed you would know, being that you two have a history.¡± ¡°Of what history do you refer?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you two lovers once?¡± He looked away. ¡°It is not something I wish to discuss.¡± ¡°Of course not. But we women have a way of sensing such connections, and I do sense that there was something between you and her.¡± ¡°It is not worth discussing.¡± ¡°I understand that. Maybe it¡¯s because you were married, but not to each other, while you were together. Why did you tell me you were married earlier?¡± He turned to her, seeming quite surprised by her question. He did not immediately answer but ruminated over his response. ¡°The question did not come up. I suppose you know about Jenada.¡± ¡°Yes, I know about her. I think you loved her, but she married your brother instead. Am I right? That¡¯s why you wanted to return to Zeranon¡ªto see her again. It¡¯s also why you were so affected by her death, even more than Yalden, her own husband.¡± He turned away from her and said nothing. Connie instantly sensed she should not have said what she did. She feared Rahl was now upset at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rahl. Don¡¯t be angry with me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry with you,¡± he said, still looking away from her. A long, lingering silence passed between them. To Connie, the silence was too long. She could not resist maintaining the feeling that she was angry with her, or at least hurt by her statement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I said that,¡± she said finally. ¡°That¡¯s your business. It was wrong of me to bring it up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry.¡± He turned to her and gazed into her eyes. ¡°What you said is true. She was the only woman I ever loved.¡± Connie saw that tears had welled up in his eyes. Now a single tear streamed down his face to his beard. She brought a finger to his face and touched the tear. Its wetness chilled the tip of her finger. All at once, this sensitive man before her touched her heart. For all his strength and unwavering courage, he was also a kind man, a good man. He was a man torn between love for his brother and the woman most precious to him, and in loving both of them, he could be close to neither. At that moment, Connie wanted to melt into his arms. Without thinking, she embraced him. The Rahl the Swordbearer sobbed wholeheartedly. Connie felt he¡¯d obviously bottled up his feelings far too long, and though she¡¯d long suspected, she never understood the depth of his love for both of them. Now she did. ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± she cooed to him as she stroked his hair amidst his sobs. Connie kissed his forehead once tenderly, then rested her lips there. Peeling back the pages of her memory, she recalled that no man in her world had ever been sensitive enough to cry in her presence, not since Byron came to her at the bookstore after he learned she¡¯d had the abortion. She¡¯d broken his heart as his mother had broken his spirit. She took a deep breath and gazed up at the stars. She wanted this fragile moment to last. Her eyes caught sight of a shooting star. At that moment, she direly wished the fable of wishing on a star was a reality. Then she wondered if the magic of this world extended to earthly fables. Rahl raised his head to her. Now he gazed into her eyes, and she returned it. At once, they brought their lips together. Their lips suckled together in a gentle, soulful kiss. Remembering Jalban¡¯s words, she lightly drew his breath into herself. She held it there within her lungs, allowing its warmth to sink outward to her ribs. Now she slowly exhaled, tasting an oddly sweet scent on her tongue. The overall experience was exquisitely pleasant. She drew back to where she could see his face fully. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked her softly. ¡°I feel like I¡¯d never been kissed before now,¡± she said, her voice nearly a whisper. ¡°It feels like the very first time.¡± Connie brought her lips to his again. At that moment, Snow called out to them from somewhere between the camp and the outcropping of rocks. ¡°Rahl? Connie? Is everything all right?¡± The enamored mood between the two dissolved in an instant. Connie and Rahl unwrapped their arms from around each other. Rahl got to his feet. ¡°It is cold here,¡± Connie said. ¡°I want to sit by the fire.¡± At that, he held out his hand to her. She took it, and he raised her to her feet. Snow appeared at the base of the rock a few seconds later. For the light from the lantern and her proximity, Connie assumed Snow had most likely seen everything. Realizing this made Connie feel momentarily awkward for reasons she could not quite pinpoint. ¡°I was worried about you two,¡± Snow said as she scrutinized the two of them. ¡°You walked all the way up here in the dark?¡± Connie asked. ¡°I cast a Darksight on myself.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Connie said. ¡°We need back to the camp,¡± Snow said to the swordbearer. ¡°There is some contention over who will not be taking watch tonight. Despite what your brother says, I¡¯m certainly not. I need my rest after casting those spells today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± Rahl helped Connie off the rock where Snow waited below, even though all three of them knew without question that she was able to get off the giant rock herself. He then picked up the lamp and she the rib of jule he¡¯d brought for her. The three of them walked back to the camp in silence. Connie wondered what Snow was thinking. It occurred to her that perhaps Snow had still designs of her own on Rahl, and Connie had just committed a major faux pas by kissing him. The possibility of a confrontation with the sorceress over Rahl disturbed Connie, but she tried not to let this trouble her. She decided to wait to see what happened before jumping to conclusions. In any case, there were bigger problems at hand, such as how they were going to get across the vast chasm without the use of magic if they could not go around it. Chapter 31 - A Possible Solution to an Impossible Problem Chapter 31 A Possible Solution to an Impossible Problem The next morning, Connie woke up early before the others. The sky above the jagged eastern horizon had scarcely begun to turn a hazy blue-green with the coming of sunrise. Tristana and Jalban were still on watch. Connie lay for a while in her blanket while she ruminated over the loss of her earthly identity and the possibilities that lie ahead if she were to choose an alternative path. She concluded that if she was going to play the part of a sorceress, she¡¯d might as well become the real thing¡ªwith her own style, of course. She decided she was going to do something different this morning as a sort of baptism into her new identity on Cerinya. On rising, she approached Jalban and Tristana, who, nearing the end of their watch, huddled close to the fire. ¡°You have risen early,¡± Jalban said on seeing her. Connie cut directly to her request. ¡°Do you know how to cut hair?¡± ¡°Just a little,¡± he replied, unsure. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I would like my hair cut.¡± He frowned at the sound of this. ¡°But why would you want to do such a thing? You have such a lovely river of hair.¡± Connie brought her hair around to the front, twisted it into a tight bundle, and then she let it fall over her shoulder. ¡°I just want to take off a little here and there.¡± ¡°Can it wait until it is light out? The others have yet to rise,¡± he said in an blatant attempt to forestall something he found distasteful. Without wasting time on him, Connie rested her gaze on Tristana, who had obviously been listening. She gazed back at Connie with her usual composed, enigmatic expression. ¡°Do you know how to cut hair?¡± Connie asked her. Tristana responded by pulling out her long, jet black hair around her shoulder. She gave Connie a single nod. ¡°Might I talk you into cutting mine?¡± Tristana nodded once again. ¡°Yes? That is good.¡± Connie reached into the Threshibian bag. She pulled out someone¡¯s heavily ornamented spare dagger with a Keenness enchantment on it and a small metal mirror. On seeing the dagger, Jalban stood up. ¡°You are going to have Tristana cut your hair? Are you insane?¡± ¡°Lower your voice, Jalban. Do you want to wake everyone up?¡± ¡°Maybe we should tell Rahl first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. Why should we tell Rahl? Whose hair is it, anyway?¡± Jalban brought forth no immediate response. ¡°I thought you would see it my way,¡± Connie said. She turned to Tristana and said, ¡°Come. Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± The party had awoken and breakfast was being prepared when Connie, followed by Tristana, reentered the small, roofless cottage where the party had set up camp. She stood in the doorway and waited for someone to notice her. Yalden was the first. He was dutifully rolling up his blanket. He stopped what he was doing, got to his feet, and stared at her. Snow noticed next. Her jaw fell open. ¡°Connie! What did you do?¡± Maltokken said when he laid eyes on her. Now the eyes of the entire party rested on her. ¡°What did you do to your hair?¡± Snow asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Connie asked all comers. ¡°Don¡¯t you all like shoulder-length hair? Tell me, do I not look like a woman who is ready for business? Oh, yes¡ªfrom this day forward, you will address me as Connie the Elemental Sorceress.¡± She paused so that she could gauge the facial expressions of her fellow party members. She received a variety of looks. ¡°So what do you think of the haircut? Comments, anyone?¡± ¡°You are insane,¡± Jalban said. ¡°Thank you, Jalban,¡± Connie said, smiling at him. ¡°Any other comments?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different, but I like it,¡± Yalden offered. Maltokken nodded in agreement. ¡°I can get used to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it, boys.¡± Connie gave them a warm smile. ¡°Any others?¡± No one else responded. Snow shook her head and turned away. Jalban went back to cooking breakfast. Connie caught Rahl stealing glances at her, a slight smile on his lips. Connie winked at him. ¡°Where¡¯s Tristana?¡± Theo asked. Connie moved aside. Tristana stood shyly at the doorway next to Connie. To the party¡¯s shock, her sheen black hair had been bobbed just as Connie¡¯s. ¡°By the gods! Look what Connie¡¯s done to Tristana!¡± Jalban cried out. Theo was speechless at the sight of her, his face drained of all color. Connie thought he was going to faint. ¡°Tristana! What has she done to you?¡± Connie answered for Tristana. ¡°Tristana did such a good job on my hair, I decided to return the favor.¡± ¡°You have disgraced her!¡± Theo shouted. Now his gaunt face was visibly turning from white to a deep purple. Connie leaned to the side to have another look at Tristana. ¡°I think she looks cute. As a matter of fact, the haircut looks better on her than it does on me.¡± Theo pointed a bony finger at Connie. ¡°You¡¯ve ruined her!¡± ¡°You should be grateful to me, Theo. The Barbie I once owned never had a haircut this nice. But don¡¯t fret over it. Unlike my Barbie, the hair on yours will grow back eventually.¡± Theo wrinkled his brow in confusion, momentarily forgetting his anger. ¡°What are you talking about? What is a ¡®Barbie¡¯?¡± After breakfast, the party broke camp and headed back up the slope to the ridge. Once at the tip, they traveled east along the edge of the chasm. The going was slow and treacherous during the day. The nights were freezing, and only the copious use of fire nodes for warmth preserved the party on nights when they slept on little more than ledges at the edge of a precipice that seemed to drop into a hazy green eternity. As Connie requested, each party member was tethered to another with a line of thick rope. Just the same, there were many close calls as they made their way slowly along the unforgiving, jagged mountain topography. After four days, the chasm remained more or less the same distance across. The haze below remained just as hidden by the fog as when they first laid eyes on it. Many in the party speculated on what horrors the fog obscured within its depths. By the evening of the sixth day, the party consensus was to turn back to the west to try their luck in the opposite direction. They broke for camp another abandoned village they had found, this one bigger than the first they''d encountered, its buildings in somewhat better condition. Some even had partially intact roofs. At the break of dawn, they started west. After three days, they had a tangle with another ice serpent while investigating a cave they chanced upon while crawling along the ledges. They defeated this serpent much more easily than the first, with Rahl receiving a bite on the metal plating on his left shin, a bite that did not penetrate the magically Lightened and Tempered metal. They used the serpent¡¯s cave as shelter for the evening. The next day, they plodded on. Just as in the east, the chasm seemed to stretch endlessly. The next day they came to the sheer stone face of a mountain that was impassable without sophisticated climbing gear. Having no other choice, they turned back toward the village, once again staying for the night in the shallow cave they¡¯d wrested from the ice serpent. Eventually, exhausted from the daily hiking along the rim of the chasm, the party stumbled back into the cold comfort of the village. Every member was covered with cuts, scrapes, and bruises from all the underbrush they¡¯d passed through. The expeditions to the east and west had been a dangerous, miserable waste of time and energy. The only benefit from the trip was the odd Wind and Crystal nodes Connie acquired as the party made their way across the stony terrain and the phlegmatic humor that Theo had extracted from the dispatched ice serpent. Once camp had been set up in the village. Jalban spent most of the next day applying healing salves to the exhausted party member. The day after that, the party sat around a small, smoldering campfire while they took stock in the situation. No one spoke much, and most stared transfixed at orange embers while despondently contemplating the next move. Connie spent the latter part of the day exploring the forested countryside around the village searching for more nodes. By the end of the day, persistence had yielded a huge number of Wind nodes and a collectively equal quantity of Crystal, Metal, and Wood nodes. That evening, she perused her spell books to determine if there was a practical way to use the nodes to get them over the chasm. She went through each book page by page. She closed her last spell book deep into the evening with a sigh of disappointment. On their own, the elemental spells just didn¡¯t seem to have the power to carry them over the great chasm that separated them from completion of their quest. His eyes fell upon the cover of the metal spell book. She smiled to herself when she saw the rune. Something about the symbol reminded her of the numeral 4, a symbol in a language she used to be able to write, a language she found herself no longer able to articulate since she woke up in Alyndia¡¯s body. The symbol reminded her of a child''s crude, one-dimensional picture of a plane. She ran her finger over the letters. Then Connie had an idea. It struck her with the power of one of Snow¡¯s ninth-order spells. Quickly, she pulled a blank page from one of the spell books. She dipped her quill in ink and began to draw the image she saw in her mind. After a lackluster breakfast consisting principally of dried jule, Rahl, Snow, and the other party members sat around a smoldering campfire, bundled in fur, trying to keep warm in the frigid air. The sky remained cloudy. A few snowflakes fell from the sky, a grim reminder that snow was already long overdue at the altitude where they now waited. Connie sat down between Rahl and Snow. ¡°I have an idea,¡± she announced to the group. All eyes turned to her. Connie took a deep breath before she began. She was unsure how this was going to go over with the group. ¡°We shall build a flying machine,¡± she announced. ¡°We will sit in its back and fly it to our destination.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°A flying machine,¡± Theo repeated slowly, not quite believing he¡¯d heard her right. ¡°Yes. In my world, we call it an aircraft¡ªor simply a plane.¡± ¡°What does it look like?¡± Rahl asked. Connie withdrew the parchment she had bought with her to breakfast and unrolled it against the ground. The party clustered around her to have a look. ¡°This is what I propose we build,¡± she said. The party gazed at the drawing. Connie pointed out a few of the major features of the aircraft and gave a brief explanation of its mechanism of flight. This craft was to be a glider-shaped vehicle with a propulsion device in its tail. She drew the picture as a crude type of ramjet. She did not know what the party thought of it. She was afraid to hear their responses. ¡°I will not sit in it if it uses magic,¡± Yalden said after Connie had described it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t use magic to fly. It uses the laws of physics.¡± Something that you all know nothing about, Connie thought haughtily to herself. ¡°How do the wings move?¡± Theo asked. ¡°They don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then how can this contraption fly if the wings do not flap? It will only sit on the ground. It will take us no where.¡± Connie smiled. ¡°Theo, this flying machine can take us hundreds of leagues. With this craft, we can sail over the mountains.¡± She arched her hand away from her in a gesture to illustrate her point. ¡°Where are we going to find a craft such as this?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t. We are going to build it.¡± A low mutter rose up from the party. ¡°What shall we build it with?¡± Jalban asked. ¡°Wood. We have an endless supply of it in the forest surrounding the village.¡± ¡°We cannot build it,¡± Yalden said. ¡°If it¡¯s as big as you describe, it would take us a year to complete it¡ªmaybe even longer.¡± Connie raised her eyebrows at Yalden. ¡°Do you have anything better to do?¡± she asked him. ¡°I think we ought to return to Roggentine,¡± Maltokken said. Connie scowled at the Maltokken, bristling at the thought of giving up. ¡°What? And abandon the quest? Run home with our tail between our legs while Chaos wrecks our world? Nonsense. We must never give up this quest¡ªnot if the civilized world is depending on us.¡± ¡°We can find another way around the canyon,¡± Yalden said. ¡°We¡¯ve already traveled twenty leagues in both directions,¡± Snow said to Yalden. ¡°How much farther do you want to go?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s be rational here,¡± Connie said, addressing the party. ¡°We can never reach the Atranox until we cross the canyon. If any of you have a better idea, speak up now.¡± Connie scanned the party. No one ventured a suggestion. ¡°So there we have it,¡± she concluded from their response. ¡°If we build this craft, do you believe it will fly?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°I majored in¡ª¡± she began. She wanted to say aeronautical engineering, but she could not find the words. She improvised instead to put her meaning across with her Cerinavian tongue. ¡°I learned how to build flying craft in the academy.¡± Rahl narrowed his eyes at Connie. ¡°I did not ask you for your education, Connie; I asked you if you believed it would fly if we built it.¡± ¡°Yes. I believe it will,¡± she said. ¡°So you believe,¡± Theo interrupted. ¡°Have you ever built one of these before?¡± ¡°Not one of this size,¡± Connie answered with reluctance, ¡°but I used to help my father build model crafts of a similar design. They flew just fine.¡± ¡°But as you said, none this large. How do you know it will fly?¡± ¡°I would apply the mathematical principles I learned at the academy to build this craft for us. Though some factors would have to be accounted for, such as the weight of the materials we use and the density of the air in this world, it could be done. The propulsion system might require some thought, however, since we don¡¯t have a lot to work with. We might have to use a few enchantments to get the right effect. I have some ideas we might try.¡± The party searched each other¡¯s faces for reaction. Eventually, all eyes fell upon Rahl. The swordbearer picked up her illustration. He studied it carefully before he raised his eyes from the parchment to address the party. ¡°We will build it,¡± he said. A few gasps came up from the party. His brother, Yalden, was the most vocal. ¡°This is a fool¡¯s folly.¡± Jalban spoke next, addressing Connie. ¡°No offense to you, Connie; although I admire you for your idea, I do not want to trust my life on that contraption.¡± Maltokken nodded. ¡°No magic works over the chasm. If we push it from the cliff, we will all plunge to our deaths.¡± Snow withheld her comments but gazed only at Rahl, who in turn looked to his brother. ¡°Yalden, if we were to build this, you would be most instrumental. Both of us are carpenters by trade. And you are far more skilled than I am. I could not undertake this without you.¡± ¡°It is a fool¡¯s folly,¡± he repeated. Connie fell back to her haunches at the general lack of enthusiasm shown toward her idea. She shook her head. She felt like walking down the mountainside and leaving them all to rot where they stood. Snow came to her rescue. ¡°Well, does anyone have a better idea? Or are we going to rot on this mountainside until Chaos gets us¡ªor we all die of starvation?¡± Connie winced at Snow on hearing her say that, shocked that her words had echoed her thoughts so precisely. Then she wondered if the sorceress were actually reading her mind. ¡°We ought to return to Roggentine,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°Nothing will be left of Roggentine by the time we return. Besides, they are depending on us. We have yet to retrieve even one of the three artifacts. To return to Roggentine now without casting the spell at the Atranox would be a disgrace there, that is, if anyone in Roggentine still breathes.¡± ¡°They can send someone else to cast the spell,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of time to do that.¡± ¡°No. That someone else is you and me¡ªand the time is now. We must succeed. And if we must build Connie¡¯s flying machine in order to succeed, then I say we do it.¡± Astonished, Connie looked up at the celestial sorceress after she heard her say this. Snow responded with a smile. Connie thought she saw subtle admiration in the sorceress¡¯s eyes. Just the same, she wasn¡¯t sure if the sorceress really thought her idea was workable or if she was just being contrary, as she often did to amuse herself. ¡°I agree with Maltokken,¡± Jalban stated. ¡°We should try to make our way back to Roggentine. They can send us back later if need be. Perhaps on our next expedition we can find an alternative route to the first artifact so that we do not have to cross this canyon. Or maybe we can bring a more useful set of spells.¡± ¡°You shall return to Roggentine alone, Jalban,¡± Snow said. ¡°Then you shall build your flying craft alone,¡± Yalden added. ¡°I say we take a vote,¡± Theo said in an attempt to soothe the increasingly vitriolic exchange between the party members. All eyes fell to the swordbearer, who had the final say on all major decisions. ¡°No matter our course of action, none of us will survive if we divide in our cause.¡± Rahl gave a lingering gaze to each party member as he spoke. ¡°Yes, we shall take a vote,¡± he decreed. ¡°The majority of votes shall dictate our course of action, and all members are hereby sworn to follow the majority.¡± This decree was followed by a consensus of nods. Rahl got to his feet. He withdrew his sword from his scabbard, and with it, he drew a line on the ground away from the fire. ¡°All of those who wish to build Connie¡¯s flying craft, step on the side of the line where I stand. All of those in favor of returning to Roggentine step on that side.¡± One after the other, each member of the party took his or her place on either side of the line. Those who stepped to Rahl¡¯s side of the line in favor of building the craft were Connie and Snow. Those who sought to return to Roggentine were Theo, Yalden, Jalban, and Maltokken. It was four to three in favor of returning to Roggentine. ¡°Well, brother,¡± Yalden said gleefully. ¡°It looks as though we will return to Roggentine,¡± Yalden said. ¡°There is one party member who hasn¡¯t voted yet,¡± Connie said. She looked across the fire. Taking the cue, so did everyone else. Tristana sat there watching the party with her usual disinterested expression. ¡°No! That¡¯s not fair,¡± Yalden said. ¡°Why not?¡± Connie asked. ¡°She¡¯s not a party member.¡± ¡°So you say, and yet she eats our food and fights in our battles. She¡¯s saved the lives of a few of us. On top of that, she takes the night watch. For all practical purposes, she¡¯s part of the party. Don¡¯t you agree with that, Rahl?¡± Snow and Connie nodded in tacit agreement. ¡°Connie words are valid,¡± Rahl said. ¡°Tristana was with us even before our quest began. She must be declared a party member.¡± ¡°She takes my vote,¡± Theo said. ¡°And she votes to return to Roggentine.¡± ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t,¡± Connie countered him. Theo glared at Connie. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°Did you ask her?¡± Connie addressed the party. ¡°I agree with Rahl. Tristana is a party member. She should be allowed to vote.¡± Snow looked back at Connie. ¡°I cannot believe you said that. Tristana is Theo¡¯s conjuration,¡± she told her in a hushed tone. ¡°She¡¯ll vote the way he asks her to. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already lost the vote anyway. What could it hurt?¡± Rahl called out to Tristana. ¡°Tristana. We need your vote.¡± Tristana sauntered over to the fire around where the party stood. All eyes were upon her. Rahl spoke slowly to Tristana as if he were patiently addressing a small child, though everyone present knew this was probably unnecessary. ¡°Have you been listening to us?¡± he asked her. Tristana responded with a single nod. ¡°Do you understand what we are voting for?¡± She nodded again. ¡°Then we need you to do this. If you believe we should build Connie¡¯s flying machine to carry us over the canyon, then step to my side of the line. If you believe we should return to Roggentine to regroup, then step over to Theo¡¯s side of the line. Consider your decision carefully, Tristana. Yours may be the deciding vote.¡± Tristana stood at the line, seemingly vacillating over her decision. ¡°Tristana,¡± Theo said. ¡°You don¡¯t want us to waste our time building Connie¡¯s contraption, do you? Its wings are stiff, not like those of a bird. It would never leave the ground.¡± ¡°Hush, Theo!¡± Snow said. ¡°Think it over. Vote with your mind, Tristana,¡± he said to her, ignoring Snow¡¯s castigation. At that, Tristana momentarily looked up adoringly at Theo, then she glanced at the Connie sketch. She looked over at Theo a gain, then turned her head and stepped over to Rahl¡¯s side of the line. The four who voted in favor of building the craft now faced the four who did not. ¡°We have a tie,¡± Rahl announced. ¡°And so it is. In this case, I declare, as the party leader, that we shall build the flying craft.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Connie shouted. Gasps of shock came from the losing side. ¡°But it was a tie!¡± Maltokken shouted. ¡°Indeed,¡± Rahl said. ¡°But I am the leader of this quest. And in such situations, I reserve the right to exercise my leader¡¯s vote.¡± Yalden muttered some epithets and stormed off in a rage. Maltokken followed him. Jalban put his hand on his head as if he¡¯d just acquired a splitting headache. He meandered back to the campfire. Theo remained where he was. ¡°Tristana!¡± he said, dispirited at his assistant. The conjuration shrugged. Then a peculiar, pained look crossed her face. Connie witnessed this small interaction between the two. To her, they appeared as new lovers who¡¯d just experienced first spat; they now stared at each other in disbelief, realizing they were not a perfect couple and things would never be the same again. Connie felt sorry for the two. She approached Theo. He shook his head. ¡°How could she betray me?¡± he asked Connie. ¡°She didn¡¯t betray you.¡± Theo looked up at her, perplexed by her statement. ¡°You told her to vote with her mind. She thought it over and made her decision. She merely felt that building the flying machine was a good idea. Now if you¡¯d told her to vote with her heart, well¡ª¡± Connie paused before she continued. ¡°Well, maybe right now we¡¯d be packing for our return to Roggentine.¡± Theo stared at Connie, astounded by her words. Wishing to close by letting Theo know she held no hard feelings toward him, she gave him an affable pat on the back. As she walked back to the fire holding out her sketch of the aircraft, Rahl approached her. ¡°You have won the vote of the party, but their hearts have not been won,¡± he said to her in a low tone of voice so that none of the others could hear him. ¡°So?¡± Connie said triumphantly, rolling up her drawing. ¡°Four are bitter in that they will be forced to remain and build your flying machine.¡± ¡°But the other four of us are happy to be building it.¡± ¡°Not so,¡± Rahl corrected. ¡°What do you mean? You, Snow, Tristana. Didn¡¯t the three of you vote to build it?¡± ¡°Yes. But I didn¡¯t vote because I thought it was a good idea. I voted for your machine only because I would be disgraced as a swordbearer if we were to return, perchance we were fortunate enough to survive the journey.¡± ¡°What about Snow?¡± ¡°Snow is loyal to me. If I had chosen to side with my brother, she would have followed suit. And Tristana¡ª¡± Rahl seemed to be at a loss of words for a moment. ¡°Who knows what she thinks? I¡¯m surprised she voted as she did, being under Theo¡¯s influence and all.¡± Connie did not like the way this conversation was going. ¡°So are you trying to tell me that we should not build the flying craft and should instead die up her on the mountainside when the Chaos come in the spring?¡± ¡°No. Not at all,¡± Rahl replied. ¡°I want to help you build the craft. I want it to fly. I want it to carry us over the mountains as you say it could. I would give my life to retrieve those hidden artifacts so that we may complete our quest. I want to believe we can see this through together.¡± Rahl put his arm affectionately on Connie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°All I want to say is you must convince the others that building your crazy flying machine will truly aid us in our quest; otherwise, I sense, your plan will not come to fruition.¡± ¡°Rahl, if I didn¡¯t think the plane would fly, I wouldn¡¯t have suggested it.¡± He nodded. ¡°You have my confidence, Connie. How shall we begin?¡± ¡°I will need some undisturbed time to perform calculations and draw up blueprints. These might take a while since I¡¯ll be working without benefit of a¡ª¡± The term computer-aided drafting station, not surprisingly, wasn¡¯t found in the Cerinyan lexicon. She sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m going to have to do everything by hand. As for all of you¡ª¡± She looked at the mountainside that stretched above the abandoned village. ¡°We will need some good wood. If you cut down some of those trees with, let¡¯s say, a Chop spell or enchanted axe, you can slide or roll the logs down the slope and into the village.¡± She then pointed to a large, stone building with a collapsed roof that looked like it could have been a town hall in ancient times. ¡°We must also fix the roof of that building. That way we will have shelter from winter storms and have a place to work and store the machine until spring. By then, if all goes well, we should be ready.¡± Chapter 32 - The Lore and Magic of Cerinya Chapter 32 The Lore and Magic of Cerinya Pamela Bain¡¯s funeral was three days past. The spring weather outdoors had not yet penetrated the gloom of the home where death had visited not long before. Alyndia spent most of her time reading the box set of seven Harry Potter novels that Joy had gifted her. She enjoyed them very much, and the hours passed quickly when she read. This afternoon, while the husbands and boyfriends were outdoors doing yard work, Alyndia and Connie¡¯s sisters sat around the kitchen table sharing a Bundt cake that Felicity had baked and sipping chamomile tea. Most of the questions centered on Alyndia and her world. Alyndia disliked discussing her world with Connie¡¯s sisters, as the discussions usually degenerated into religious arguments and accusations of heresy. Of Connie¡¯s three sisters, Alyndia had formed the closest relationship with Joy. Theirs was almost a sisterly bond. With Felicity, the same was true but to a lesser degree, although Felicity tended to see everything through the lens of her faith, which rather irritated Alyndia. Her sister Faith was a bit skeptical of the metaphysical aspect of Connie¡¯s transformation; nonetheless, as did the others, she accepted the change in her sister for all it was worth. She was also the most curious and intellectual of the three. Now that the Bundt cake was nearly finished and the sisters¡¯ desultory conversation about church activities and the upcoming bake sale was winding down, the topic of the discussion turned to Alyndia. Joy took a sip of her tea. ¡°Tell us something about the world you came from, Alyndia,¡± she said. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve already told you a lot.¡± ¡°Well, tell us again,¡± Faith said. ¡°We want to hear it.¡± Alyndia sighed. ¡°Okay. Where shall I begin? At the time of creation, I mean creation of the planet, souls came and inhabited the first living creatures.¡± ¡°Who created the planet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Our Bible suggests that God created the Earth,¡± Faith said. ¡°We don¡¯t have your Bible in my world.¡± ¡°Do you have a different Bible?¡± ¡°We have religious books, but I¡¯m not an expert in religion. I can say with certainty, though, that many gods are worshiped in my world.¡± ¡°Our Bible says there are no other gods besides Him. In fact, he¡¯s the only God.¡± ¡°How do you know you have only one God?¡± ¡°The Bible says.¡± ¡°So, if we don¡¯t have a Bible in my world that says there is only one god, then we might have many. Right?¡± ¡°But our God is the God of the universe,¡± Felicity said. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that would include your world, too?¡± ¡°Felicity, how can you even be sure that your God exists?¡± ¡°Because the Bible says he does.¡± ¡°All right. What other proof do you have?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need proof. It¡¯s a matter of faith.¡± Alyndia frowned at her. ¡°Felicity, perhaps I am constrained by my study of the elemental arts, but I don¡¯t understand such reasoning.¡± Joy broke in. ¡°Maybe there is more than one universe. Some scientists say it¡¯s possible. Have you ever heard of Stephen Hawkings?¡± At this point, a heated discussion ensued between the sisters. Alyndia listened to them while demurely sipping her tea. When their anger began to rise, she spoke up. ¡°Look, girls. Maybe we should stop this theosophical discussion and talk about something else.¡± ¡°Which god do you worship?¡± Felicity asked Alyndia. ¡°That¡¯s a kind of personal question, but since you asked, I¡¯ll tell you that I myself don¡¯t worship any gods. Frankly, I think that if the gods of my world really do exist, they neither care nor want us to worship them.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Well, think about it: why does any super-powerful being need to be worshiped? So it feels good about itself? To feed its ego? No. If it¡¯s a truly omnipotent god, it has no need of worship at all.¡± The three sisters stared at Alyndia. She instantly sensed that she¡¯d offended them, though she could not comprehend exactly how. ¡°Look, I¡¯m only applying some logic to this,¡± she said. ¡°You asked me my opinion, and I told you.¡± ¡°Do you have churches in your world?¡± Faith asked. ¡°Yes, but we prefer to call them temples. Some of them do look like your churches and cathedrals. Most of them are dedicated to a single, specific deity, for example, the god of healing or the goddess of fertility. Every temple has its own unique specialty spells that are available for its members. If you¡¯re not a member and you need a spell cast on you, you have to make a donation to the temple. Spellcasters like me work at temples to cast spells on behalf of the patron deity. It¡¯s actually very common employment for mages.¡± ¡°Does the god of the temple make the spells work?¡± Joy asked. ¡°I mean, if I went to a temple to get healed, does the patron god channel his power through the mage?¡± Alyndia shook her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way. You see, in my world we have three different systems of magic. Without going into detail, I¡¯ll just say that the spells of each system draw power from a different source, none of which requires the presence of a supernatural being to make it work. All temple spells, even the big ritual ones, are one of these three types. When a mage casts a spell, its power is drawn from one of the three sources depending on the type of spell and from nowhere else.¡± ¡°So, if I understand you correctly, the effect of a spell comes only from the mage casting the spell and not the power of the god,¡± Joy said. Alyndia smiled. ¡°Yes. But that¡¯s not what the priests at the temples tell you. They also tell people that the spells will work better on them if they have faith in the patron deity and make a generous donation.¡± ¡°It sounds like a racket,¡± Felicity said. ¡°A racket?¡± Alyndia laughed. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯d prefer to think of it as more of a business in which the ¡®brand¡¯ is the patron deity. I can also say that the pay for mages at the temples is good, and it¡¯s very good at the big temples¡ªif you can get a position. You usually have to have connections for that. And as for whether the deities of the temples really do exist?¡± She shrugged. ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s whatever you want to believe.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you once tell us that the creation of our world led to the creation of yours?¡± Joy asked. ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ve already told you about that, too.¡± ¡°Tell us again.¡± Alyndia sighed. ¡°All right. After your world was created, it was struck by life. But there were not enough vessels for every being that wanted to incarnate. So, those beings who could not become part of this world decided to create one of their own that they could inhabit. You understand these beings as ¡®souls¡¯. The only problem was that there wasn¡¯t another planet that these leftover souls could inhabit, so a spiritual world was created in which spiritual matter was fixed into permanent physical form. But being built on a different system, only some of the laws of physics applied. In order for it to have cohesiveness, the power of the cosmos was powered through it to hold it together. This was done with the collective spiritual willpower of the souls. It¡¯s a focused mental force that you understand as spells.¡± ¡°You mean, magic?¡± Faith asked. ¡°Yes. So, these ancient spells were cast, and it all came together. The world created was a proto-world planet. Unlike your planet, ours never evolved. It stayed in the proto-form. Today, it retains an atmosphere of chlorine and has seas of hydrochloric acid from millions of years ago. But to us, because of the chemistry of the environment and the spells, they are just like air and water are to you. They support biological life.¡± Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°And what does your race look like?¡± ¡°In time, we have taken on your form.¡± She smiled. ¡°You look like us. Of course, biologically, we are much different in so many ways. For example, you have acid in your stomach. We have an alkali. Your physical form could not survive in our world. And we could not survive in yours. Your atmosphere is as noxious to us as ours is to you. Without chlorine, we would suffocate as quickly as if you were deprived of oxygen.¡± Felicity took a sip of her tea. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t imagine anyone here breathing chlorine.¡± ¡°But there is a problem with my world. Remember I said that my world is held together by magic? Well, you all are aware of the concept of entropy. What I mean by this is that anything in the universe that is created by the organization of matter has a finite life span. That includes spells. You see, at the time of the creation of our world, thousands of spells were cast to form the physical state. In time, these spells were improved and consolidated to form the framework of our reality. Then, at some distant time in the past, they were moved to a central location on our planet. It is a physical place, a kind of structure. We call it the Atranox. ¡°To understand how this degradation works, you need to know what a spell is. Most spells are comprised of three parts: the willpower of the caster, the forming pattern, and a source of spell energy. The energy can come from different sources: inanimate matter, living things, and the cosmos. I told you about this earlier. Really, it¡¯s all fundamentally from the same source, but that¡¯s a different lecture. Anyway, there are many types of spells, but in the most common ones, a tiny bit of this energy is captured and encapsulated in the materialized will of the caster. The energy is then channeled through the container to do the caster¡¯s bidding. After the spell is cast, it becomes its own entity and no longer needs the caster to exist; no more than a clay pot needs the potter after it is fired. Whew. Now you¡¯ve had ten years of wizard school compressed into five minutes.¡± ¡°Can we cast spells here?¡± Joy asked. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve tried. But for some reason, magic spells don¡¯t work. I don¡¯t know why.¡± ¡°Where is your world in relation to ours?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know that either, but since we see your sun and your stars, I can speculate that it¡¯s superimposed on your universe. When I left my world, our summer constellations were overhead. When I arrived here, I saw our winter constellations. I can speculate that our worlds orbit 180 degrees opposite each other around the sun or that there is a time shift of some sort, or maybe both.¡± ¡°How did you get here?¡± Faith asked. ¡°It was a spell,¡± Joy answered for her. ¡°Let her tell me herself. Go on, Alyndia.¡± ¡°Well, as you see, I¡¯m inhabiting the body of your sister. We traded places. A magic spell did that, too. Actually, it was a series of spells, but that¡¯s not important at this point. But it wasn¡¯t my intention to inhabit your sister¡¯s body; I was supposed to inhabit the body of Gerald¡¯s comatose wife, Elise. Unfortunately, Connie kind of insinuated herself into the process.¡± ¡°How did you and Gerald find each other?¡± ¡°I was doing some experiments with celestial spells. To be frank, I wasn¡¯t looking for anyone, but my life wasn¡¯t going very well up to that point, and I knew that Chaos would soon overcome my world. So, I was casting spells, searching for a way to escape the apocalypse, so to speak. Gerald happened to be doing some novel experiments with light, and an aperture opened between us. That¡¯s how we found each other.¡± She sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯m digressing. Sorry.¡± ¡°And where is Connie right now?¡± ¡°She¡¯s on Cerinya. She¡¯s on a quest.¡± ¡°What quest?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get back to that. As I told you, some spells decay over time. The spell of the Atranox is no different. Now, the Atranox is a powerful spell. The wizards who created it were geniuses. But over the millennia it has been cast, it has begun to weaken. Because of the bifurcated structure of the spell, another lecture, it does not simply quit working. Rather, it goes through a kind of decay. Consider it like a tower in which stones randomly crack or fall out. After enough bricks fall, the tower crumbles. The construction of these stones is also like the code of your DNA. The more parts that get broken, the more it gives rise to mutations. At the time I left Cerinya, the gradual failure of the Atranox had reached a critical level. Your Constance is on a quest to remediate the problem, to restore the Atranox. Unfortunately, she is unfamiliar with my world and knows nothing of magic.¡± Alyndia sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t predict a good outcome for her.¡± ¡°You mean, she¡¯s in danger?¡± Felicity asked. ¡°Well, yes. And there is another problem. Now, as I told you, the Atranox creates the framework of reality there. As the spell decays, it causes aberrations in the world. These aberrations are called Chaos. Imagine an intangible force of spiritual and physical randomness fed by the life forces it consumes. This Chaos is overcoming my world, spreading like cancer. As the Atranox spell decays, Chaos becomes stronger and more widespread.¡± ¡°Are you saying that if the Atranox isn¡¯t restored, your world will end?¡± ¡°As I know it, yes.¡± Felicity spoke up. ¡°Our world is destined to end too.¡± She explained to Alyndia the prophecy as outlined in the Book of Revelation. ¡°And when the devil is cast back into hell, the world will have a thousand years of prosperity.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not anything like that,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°To my knowledge, there¡¯s no supernatural power orchestrating things. And if our world ends, it¡¯s done for good.¡± ¡°Can we save Connie¡¯s spirit somehow and bring her back here?¡± Joy frowned at Felicity. ¡°You actually want Connie to come back and have her be like she was?¡± ¡°Well, she is our sister.¡± ¡°You should have been here the other night when she came back,¡± Joy said. ¡°Ask James if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°She can stay in Cerinya, as far as I¡¯m concerned,¡± Faith said. She smiled warmly at Alyndia. ¡°Alyndia here is more of a sister to us than Connie ever was.¡± ¡°Suppose you did want to bring Connie back,¡± Joy said. ¡°Couldn¡¯t someone cast a spell to do that?¡± ¡°Theoretically, it¡¯s possible, but I can¡¯t do it from here. As I¡¯ve already said, spells don¡¯t work here¡ªexcept in Harry Potter books. The process has to be reversed from that side. But Connie could never do it herself. She would need some serious help.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t the spell just expire?¡± ¡°In time it will expire on its own, but the duration of this one is such that it won¡¯t expire for a very long time. Probably we both will have died of old age before it expires, making it a moot point.¡± ¡°And what happens if one of you dies before it expires?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I can say with certainty that it probably wouldn¡¯t be good for either her or me.¡± Felicity spoke up. ¡°I have a question. You say that you were about to embark on a trip to restore the Atranox before you left. If this quest was so important, why did you choose to come here instead of going on it?¡± Alyndia paused. ¡°Why are you asking that? Are you implying something?¡± ¡°You just told us that his Atranox spell is so important that the reality of your world depends on it. Why would you leave if you are needed there so badly?¡± Alyndia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say this without sounding selfish. There are a few reasons. The first is my love for Gerald Layton, whom I¡¯ve already told you about. I wanted to be with him. I felt that my life would never be complete without him. As for the other reason, well, I have little confidence that the quest will succeed. My contribution to its success would have been minimal. Cerinya is doomed whether I am there or not.¡± ¡°In other words, you were looking to escape your world.¡± ¡°Yes. I will not deny that. But before you call me a coward, let me tell you about the situation of that quest. It¡¯s a fool¡¯s quest. There is no Atranox spell. The great wizards who cast it in the days of yore are long dead and turned to dust, and there is no longer any record of how to cast it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe how something so important could be forgotten.¡± Alyndia let out a short, ironic laugh. ¡°Oh, my! Do you think that your world has a monopoly on stupidity? Since the spell was cast, a multitude of wars, kingdoms, and social orders have come and gone. In time, the Atranox has itself been forgotten. To the average person, it¡¯s only a myth, a fairytale. Nobody thinks about it. The fact that the structure that houses lies in a remote, inaccessible location hasn¡¯t helped the situation.¡± ¡°I still find it hard to believe that such knowledge could be lost,¡± Faith said. ¡°Okay. Then think of your Library of Alexandria and the vast sum of irreplaceable knowledge it contained. What happened to it? Supposing the Atranox of Earth had been there?¡± ¡°So, if there is no Atranox spell, what is the purpose of the quest? What are they going to do?¡± Alyndia wiped her eyes. ¡°I have heard of an artifact called the Stellarad Marax. I¡¯ve never seen it myself and can¡¯t describe to you what it looks like to you, but it supposedly contains the imprint of the Atranox spell. Consider it like DNA without the cell.¡± She sighed. ¡°Well, the spell inside the Stellarad Marax is not the original Atranox spell itself; it¡¯s a reconstruction of it. You see, several centuries ago, those in the know realized that the original spell had been lost. So the wizards of the time set about to reconstruct it, knowing that this day would come. This process has been going on for centuries, with hundreds of wizards and thousands of hours dedicated to the reconstruction, like an epic math problem to be solved. Now the time has come to use it. But there are two problems. First, the spell, because of its nature, cannot be recast from the Stellarad Marax itself. It must be physically taken to the place where the original spell was cast. Second, the spell imprinted inside the Stellarad Marax has never been tested. For that matter, it cannot be tested, and nobody knows if the instructions encoded within it will work. Some wizards who have analyzed it claim that some of the instructions are incomplete or have errors. They claim that a hundred years or more of work is needed to complete it. But there is no more time. This is Connie¡¯s quest.¡± The three sisters looked at each other. ¡°Our Connie is doing this quest?¡± Felicity asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know her, though. She¡¯s not like any of us. She¡¯s like¡ªJames Bond.¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°She means Connie¡¯s as tough as nails. Nothing stops her.¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t go to church, either,¡± Faith added. ¡°Nobody could force her, not even Mom.¡± ¡°I sensed her strong will when we met,¡± Alyndia said. ¡°She¡¯s very strong in that regard. But, you understand, tough or not, Connie has no spell knowledge. She can¡¯t contribute to the quest in any meaningful way. She¡¯ll just be fodder for Chaos.¡± ¡°How did she return the other day, then?¡± Joy asked. ¡°Someone must have helped her. Maybe this old wizard named Calicus. He¡¯s likely the one organizing the quest.¡± Faith picked up her tea. ¡°So why were you chosen to go on this quest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but my father belonged to the same order as this other wizard by the name of Calicus, and I was kind of tied into this as payback for my tuition at the wizard academy I attended. You know this Harry Potter thing you have here isn¡¯t that far from reality. But to be perfectly honest, I¡¯m not all that great of a sorceress. I dabble mostly in elemental magic. The primary celestial spell I cast to get here, I¡¯ll admit, was several notches above my ability. Looking back, I¡¯d say it was a stupid thing to do. There¡¯s no excuse for it. All I can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, Alyndia,¡± Joy said, stroking her back. ¡°Can we help Connie in some way?¡± Faith asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do for Connie now except hope for the best.¡± ¡°Or pray for her.¡± ¡°Or pray if you think it will help. This quest she¡¯s on is so dangerous. And, as I told you, it¡¯s a fool¡¯s quest, quixotic at best.¡± ¡°And what are your plans now?¡± Felicity asked. Alyndia wrapped her hands around her warm cup of tea. ¡°I just want to spend my time with Gerald for as long as we have, because if she dies, and she can die at anytime, I will die with her.¡± Chapter 33 - Building Connies Aircraft Chapter 33 Building Connie''s Aircraft With the decision made to remain in the abandoned village for the duration of the winter snows, the party settled in to build crude roofs over two of the small, stone cottages, one for the men and one for the women. They used spells to cut logs from the forest. After the wood had fallen, it was an easy matter to slide and the logs down the mountain slope and into the village. The first winter blizzard hit just as they completed work on the second roof. The party stayed relatively warm and safe inside the cottages while the wind howled relentlessly outside the cottage. The blizzard lasted for nearly three days. Connie spent most of this time alone, sitting with the party only to eat those meals she did not skip. During this time, no one brought up the subject of the plane. On the morning the blizzard ended, they opened the front door of the cottage to find a swath of snow up to their knees. Rahl and Snow went out and brought back for Connie samples of the wood they found in the forest around the village. From these, she was able to gauge the weight and strength of the different varieties. Undisturbed in the second cottage, Connie worked tirelessly during the blizzard on the design of the aircraft. She estimated the weight of the party and the density of the air. From this, she calculated the necessary wing surface and the push that would be needed to push the plane over the chasm. When she had finished her calculations, she used her quill pen and sheets of blank parchment from Alyndia¡¯s partially written spell books to create a mosaic drawing of the aircraft. Afterward, she took a walk around the slope of the mountain to figure out how to best launch the craft. The morning of the fifth day, after a long night, Connie brought with her to breakfast the drawings she¡¯d created. She did not present them to the party until after the meal was over. Now she laid out the blueprints for the craft for the party to view. There were a few gasps from the group when they saw the intricate details of the drawing. ¡°This is the craft we shall build,¡± Connie said to them. ¡°It will have a wingspan of twenty-eight paces, a length of fifteen paces, and enough room to seat all of us in relative comfort.¡± Connie went on to describe the features of the aircraft and the methods for steering the plane using a rudder and flaps. ¡°If we work diligently through the winter, it should be done by the first leaves of spring.¡± ¡°What will make it move?¡± Rahl asked. ¡°We will use a combination of Push and Lightness spell enchantments.¡± ¡°What good will the enchantments be if they do not work when we sail over the chasm?¡± Theo asked. ¡°We won¡¯t need them to sail over it. We need them only to launch the craft. After that, the laws of physics take over.¡± Connie pulled out another drawing, this one of the mountain slope near where the village was located. ¡°This is what I propose. We will cut a path through the forest and up the slope. We will then launch the craft by running it up the slope at high speed using powerful Push enchantments. By the time the Push enchantment stops working at the cliff, we will have gained enough momentum and altitude that we should be able to easily sail over the chasm. After we cross the chasm, the Push enchantment should resume. From there, we can fly to the valley, where the Heptakon and the Kn¡¯all-ba-tasalb await us.¡± Low mutters came from the party on hearing this. Connie was uncertain how this was going over, but from the consensus of expressions, there was a great deal of skepticism. Snow spoke up first. ¡°What about these Push enchantments? What about their node power?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I¡¯ve been tinkering with my wind nodes and the Push enchantment. Due to the logarithmic loss in effectiveness of the enchantment at high node powers, I estimate a minimum power of about three hundred. Five hundred would be optimal. This will give us some leeway in case we run into a strong headwind.¡± ¡°Three hundred?¡± Snow said, incredulous. ¡°You want a three-hundred node enchantment?¡± ¡°Yes¡ªthree hundred. Is that a problem?¡± ¡°Why so much?¡± ¡°The plane will need to leave the cliff at very high speed in order to gain enough altitude to reach the other side of the chasm. And that¡¯s not taking into account the lightness enchantment of the craft.¡± "Three hundred power will make a very unstable enchantment. Besides, where are we going to get three hundred nodes worth of Air? It¡¯s not like we can merely walk over to the Element Bazaar, toss over a few Rezni pieces, and buy three hundred power in Air nodes.¡± Theo laughed at this. He got the joke. Most of the others only frowned at Connie, mystified. Connie smiled. ¡°We just need to pool our nodes together. I have Alyndia¡¯s nodes, plus those I¡¯ve acquired on our quest. I have seventy-eight power in Air, total. We also have Fandia¡¯s Air nodes, and whatever nodes you brought.¡± Snow shook her head. ¡°Still, even with Fandia¡¯s nodes, we won¡¯t have enough. Not before spring.¡± ¡°We will just have to hunt for them. One of us can sit on the top of the ridge where the wind blows. Many are bound to appear.¡± ¡°You do that!¡± Snow said abrasively. ¡°I will freeze while standing on top of the ridge waiting for Air nodes.¡± ¡°We can take turns.¡± Connie looked to the others. ¡°We can even teach some of you how to contact Air nodes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay up on the ridge,¡± Maltokken said. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to learn how to detect nodes,¡± Yalden added. ¡°Building that contraption looks like a lot of work. I¡¯d rather sit on the ridge waiting for nodes than drag logs down the mountain,¡± Jalban said. ¡°I have no experience working with wood,¡± Theo said. ¡°I¡¯d be useless.¡± Connie took a deep breath, then exhaled forcefully through her clenched teeth. This group was a hard sell. She stared intently into each party member¡¯s eyes. ¡°I hear a lot of reasons why we can¡¯t build this thing. Does anyone have a better idea? Does anyone even want to complete this quest?¡± Snow spoke up. ¡°So what if we don¡¯t find enough Air power? What shall we do?¡± ¡°I found a spell for cross-node enchantment in one of Alyndia¡¯s books. The spell is called Meld. With this spell, we can borrow the power of incompatible nodes to power an Air spell enchantment. If we can combine the power of all our elements, we should have no trouble reaching twelve hundred.¡± On hearing this, Snow brought her hand to her eyes and shook her head. Connie did not expect this reaction from Snow. To the contrary, she thought Snow would be impressed with her resourcefulness. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rahl asked Snow before Connie could ask the same question. ¡°Connie wants to use a Meld on a three-hundred node enchantment,¡± Snow replied without looking up. ¡°That is what¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Is there something I don¡¯t know about?¡± Connie asked, suddenly feeling unsure. ¡°Meld is an unstable spell. The chance for perversion is high, even if you cast it correctly. It is very seldom used for that reason. I¡¯m surprised Alyndia even had it in her book. You should have ripped out the page when you saw it.¡± ¡°We should at least try the spell if we cannot acquire the node power.¡± Snow looked up at Connie. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Creating a three-hundred node enchantment is dangerous enough without using a Meld spell. Didn¡¯t you read in your books that the difficulty of the enchantment increases with the amount of power induced into the item?¡± ¡°Yes, I read that.¡± ¡°Then you must also know that a mistake will most likely result in a violent reaction, an explosion. I guarantee there won¡¯t be anything left of you if a three hundred node enchantment explodes in your face.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to take the risk.¡± ¡°Very well, then. You will be the one to create the enchantment. We will watch you from a safe distance.¡± Connie smiled at this. ¡°So, you will release Fandia¡¯s nodes to me?¡± ¡°Certainly. You may have all of mine, too, though I don¡¯t bear many.¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Yalden said. ¡°How is it you expect us to sit in this thing if it has a chance of exploding?¡± Snow scowled at Yalden. ¡°It can¡¯t explode after the enchantment is done, you bonehead. It¡¯s only during the enchantment you have the problem.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, viper!¡± Yalden snapped back. ¡°Watch your tongue, or I shall turn it to mush.¡± ¡°How will you stop the enchantment?¡± Rahl asked, cutting through Snow and Yalden¡¯s bickering. ¡°That will be part of the enchantment. It will push the craft only for as long as it is needed.¡± Connie paused for more questions. She scanned the party. All eyes were on her. No one said anything. ¡°No questions?¡± Jalban spoke up. ¡°I do not have a question, but I admit I do not trust it. I think perhaps we should return to Roggentine.¡± Connie looked into Jalban¡¯s eyes. ¡°That has already been decided, Jalban. We will not be returning to Roggentine¡ªnot until the quest is fulfilled.¡± ¡°I do not have a good feeling about this. I do not believe that craft of this size can fly by physics alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just have to make a believer out of you, won¡¯t I?¡± ¡°When do we begin construction of this aircraft?¡± Maltokken asked. Connie looked to Rahl. ¡°With the swordbearer¡¯s permission, I say we start today. First, however, we must build a roof for the meeting hall so that we have a place to work.¡± A few moans and guffaws issued from the party. ¡°We have to build another roof?¡± Theo asked. ¡°Not if you don¡¯t mind working in the cold and the snow. I¡¯d prefer shelter if I¡¯m going to be shaving and joining wood for the next six months.¡± In response to Theo¡¯s question, Yalden turned to his brother. ¡°What do you say, Rahl? Shall we build another roof?¡± About ten minutes later, the party was out on the slope, tromping through the snow. They selected some trees for the roof of the cottage along with some stout, strong, straight trees that they would later use for the fuselage of the plane. After all the trees were selected and marked, Connie cast an octa-node Chop spell at the trunk of the first tree. The tree crashed noisily to the snowy slope of the mountainside. Fortuitously, she found a six-node of Wood within its trunk. This will come in hand for building the craft, she thought. She then removed the branches with this node, cast a Lightness spell on the trunk, and then four of them dragged the tree down the slope to the village. Within the next hour, they harvested several trees. They stacked them like so many logs just outside the ancient hall where the other party members were making slow but steady progress building the roof for the old building. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. After two days, they had harvested enough trees for the plane. The roof was completed five days later. After this, they settled in for the winter and earnestly began building the craft under Rahl¡¯s careful eye. To Connie¡¯s delight, Rahl was an excellent carpenter, almost to the level of his brother, and with his patient guidance and leadership, he was able to extract a higher quality of work from the party members than she had otherwise expected. Connie spent a greater part of her days up on the mountain slope collecting nodes of Air. She found this to be trickier than expected due to the wickedly changeable wind that blew there. But her perseverance paid off, and in only a week she was able to amass a sizable number of air nodes. A month passed. The skeleton of the fuselage was already taking shape inside the makeshift hangar. Jalban created effective rudder control lines with a hemp-like vine he found a short distance away while foraging autumn nuts beneath the snow to add variety to the meals. Snow and Yalden created a sturdy windshield from Jalban¡¯s old shield they found at the bottom of the Threshibian bag. First, Yalden pounded the metal to the desired shape, then Snow enchanted the metal with a Clarity spell. Now, effectively, it would become a windshield with the transparency of glass and the strength of steel. On some dark winter nights, Connie furtively withdrew some of Snow¡¯s celestial spell books from the Threshibian bag. Unlike the elemental spell books, Connie could only speculate on the meaning of the symbols that created these spells. They were written in an entirely different magical shorthand than those of the elemental discipline. Many of the spells had a simple number instead of a name. This did not matter much, as she could not understand the names anyway. Connie surmised that Alyndia was not a very competent celestial mage, or else Connie would have an innate ability to read the spells. How Alyndia had managed to cast the powerful spells that brought her to Earth was anyone¡¯s guess. There was no great wonder why her spell had been so easily perverted, she concluded. One night, Snow unexpectedly awoke and caught Connie flipping through one of her spell books. To Connie¡¯s surprise, the sorceress said nothing to her but only gave her a smug smile and turned over in her cot. The next morning, when Connie asked Snow for some instruction, the sorceress politely declined. She told Connie she was welcome to look at the celestial spell books any time she wanted to, as long as she didn¡¯t mark up the pages. Connie took her up on this. However, after a while, she became bored with the books and went back to memorizing her elemental spells. Inside the Threshibian bag, Connie discovered a mysterious miniature chest made of metal and wood. Inscribed into the underside of the chest held the words, Elenglea Vanexay, so she knew the chest belonged to Snow. The chest did not have a lock or a latch to hold it shut, but it did not readily open either. When the chest was shaken, it made a thunka-thunka sound. From this, Connie gathered that the little chest contained a single object, somewhat heavy, wrapped in padding. Other than that, the chest gave no clue as to what it contained. The night Connie chanced upon this container, she spent a good while trying to pry it open. No matter what her method, the box remained firmly shut. With her natural curiosity ablaze, she made a personal challenge to herself to discover the contents of the box without asking the sorceress. The second month was fraught with problems. One of the large wood struts that held the tail assembly together had split unexpectedly. This meant the tail end of the fuselage had to be disassembled and reworked. This discovery was followed by curses and fixation of blame. Meanwhile, Connie spent several hours each day up on the ridge collecting nodes. Sometimes, Theo would fill in for her. Snow even put in a few hours, although she¡¯d taken more of an interest in helping Jalban with the meal preparation. With the men in the party preoccupied with building the aircraft, she sometimes took it upon herself to do some of the foraging, once even bringing in a jule. By the end of the month, Connie and the others had thus far collected a remarkable two hundred node power of Air. By the third month, the fuselage was nearly complete. Work now began on the wings to be attached later after the fuselage was moved out of the hangar. Instead of canvas for the wings, which they didn¡¯t have, they used narrow slats of wood fitted seamlessly together to aerodynamic smoothness by Rahl¡¯s careful knife. His work here was nothing short of remarkable. Connie likewise collected another forty in node power, including a rare, ten-power node gem. This brought their total Air enchantment to over five hundred. Late in the month, Connie began coming down with a congestive respiratory illness due to the cold she endured on the mountain each day. Theo cast curative spells on her on three separate occasions. After this, he warned her to cut back her time on the mountain or else he would let her suffer with the illness for a while to teach her a lesson. Connie grudgingly responded by reducing her time on the mountain by about three hours a day. The fourth month was a terrible month for snowstorms. Almost two stories of snow fell on the mountainside. Due to the inclement weather, Connie and the others did not spend much time on the windy ridge collecting nodes. The fuselage and the wings were now complete and stacked neatly in the hangar. Now they were working on a wood sled that would sit underneath the fuselage for takeoff. This was a change from the original plan to build wheels for the craft when it was found that the slope of the mountain was too rocky and uneven. Later in the month, they coated the wings and fuselage with a resinous substance derived from boiling the bark of a local tree. This gave the wood a frosted blue appearance when it dried. Rahl explained that this would seal the wood and prevent it from warping when the air warmed up. The fifth month brought warmer air from the south. Several days of sunny weather began to melt the heavy accumulation of ice and snow. Connie went back up the mountain. In a good first week, she collected another hundred nodes. This brought the total up to fourteen hundred. They were now set for the enchantment. On one clear morning, Connie melted away most of the snow in the courtyard with spells cast from their dwindling supply of fire nodes. In a group effort, they moved the sled and fuselage wings from the wide doorways of their stopgap hangar to the courtyard. They set the fuselage on top of the sled with the nose of the craft facing up the mountain slope. With the aid of a few spells, the party was able to hoist the wings onto the fuselage. They propped them up with a few sawhorses until they could be fastened to the fuselage later. For the first time, the party and a group stood around the plane, gazing at it. Its wood looked frosty blue in the sun. No one said much, but Connie could tell by the expressions of her most vociferous detractors that even they were awestruck by their creation. Rahl spent the remainder of the day carefully fitting the contoured metal plate on the tail of the fuselage. This plate would hold the mighty Push enchantment that would propel the plane forward up the mountain toward the chasm. The next morning, Connie brought out the metal box containing the Air nodes. Very carefully, and slowly, she began the intense concentration and tongue-twisting incantation needed to enchant the metal plate. Meanwhile, the party worked on the front of the plane. Several times, the noise they made broke Connie¡¯s concentration. She shouted at them to keep quiet. After a few days of this, she began performing the enchantment during the evening hours when work was not being performed on the plane. After the first week, Connie had successfully enchanted the plate with a hundred node power. This accumulated magic was so strong that the metal took on a pale, fluorescent yellow glow that was almost visible in daylight. The plane was now complete. All that remained was for Connie to complete the enchantment on the metal while the party methodically cleared away a swath of trees from the slope to be used as a ramp for launching the plane. Caught up in the thrall of the completion of the project, Snow was visibly impressed with Connie. Perhaps wanting to be a part of this momentous occasion, she volunteered to perform more of the enchantments. Though Connie¡¯s head ached for the intense daily concentration and her fingers were worn raw from caressing the metal, she refused Snow¡¯s help. A few days later, the enchantment breached two hundred node strength. Now for all the node strength assumed by the metal plate, the magical glow was visible in daylight. Connie was beginning to find that when her concentration lapsed during the enchantment, the brightness of the magical glow would suddenly intensify, and the metal would become very warm. Snow explained to her that this avalanche effect occurred whenever a hyper-enchantment was being performed on an artifact. She said that if this avalanche effect went unchecked, the item would eventually destroy itself and everything around it. In the last few days, the avalanches were becoming more frequent and harder to stop when they occurred. Snow took to watching Connie from a safe distance when she wasn¡¯t helping out with the party chores. Snow¡¯s proximity made Connie uncomfortable. A few days later, the level of enchantments had reached 250 in strength. Snow came to Connie one night after the party had turned in for the evening. ¡°You¡¯ve been at this for many days now,¡± she said. ¡°You should stop the enchantments for a while.¡± ¡°This has to be done. And I will see it though,¡± she said with determination. ¡°Connie, the enchantment is very strong. You don¡¯t want to do this while you are weary. To make a mistake now would be dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right, Snow, but thank you for offering.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve been watching you. The enchantment almost got out of control a few times. You should let me do my part. Allow me to take over so that you can rest.¡± Connie drew a sigh of vexation. ¡°No. Now leave me be.¡± ¡°I am concerned.¡± She backed away from the metal enchantment. ¡°Snow, leave me alone. Will you please?¡± ¡°You are foolish, Connie. You cannot do this yourself. Who do you think you are? You think you¡¯re an arch sorceress just because you can cast a few simple elemental spells. Your pride shall be your downfall.¡± ¡°You should talk, Snow!¡± Connie bit her lip and returned her gaze to the enchantment while Snow stared at her, fuming. Outside of Snow¡¯s ridicule, she secretly admitted to herself that Snow had a point. This enchantment was becoming very difficult to control. It might benefit her to allow Snow to take over. Her experience would be a great benefit to the project. But she did not like Snow¡¯s arrogance toward her and her abilities. She would prove Snow wrong. ¡°Leave me be,¡± she said to Snow. The sorceress spun around and walked away from her without another word. Good riddance, Connie thought. She took a pause in the enchantment to recompose her emotions. Wearily, she contacted another Air node from the container and gently willed it into the metal. This one was a two-node, or a four-node. She just wasn¡¯t sure. She just wanted to complete the enchantment. At that moment, the magical glow of the metal began to intensify. The avalanche effect was occurring again. Feeling slightly foolish, she glanced up to see if Snow was watching her. The sorceress had gone back to the cottage and was nowhere in sight. She returned her concentration to the metal. The yellow glow intensified to where the light was becoming white. She reached out to touch the metal to cool the effect. Suddenly, a spark jumped out of the metal. It burned her hand. She let out a yell and jumped back a few paces. The magical light that emanated from the metal suddenly doubled intensity, followed by wicked snapping sounds like the sound of ten madmen cracking whips. The magical light from the plate lit up the whole courtyard like a 10,000-watt flood lamp. Fear took hold of her, but she felt she had to get the enchantment back under control. She moved close toward the angry artifact, one hand outstretched, the other shielding her eyes from the intense light. The crackling sounds intensified as she drew closer. She smelled burning wood. Connie turned around to see Snow standing at the doorway of the cottage. A few of the other party members stood behind her. ¡°Leave me alone!¡± Connie called out. ¡°I need to get it under control!¡± ¡°No!¡± Snow yelled. ¡°It¡¯s too late! Run!¡± Connie ignored Snow. Snow was playing tricks with her mind again. Connie advanced toward the artifact. Suddenly, a spark from the artifact lashed out at her. It struck her with the intensity of a lightning bolt. Her legs buckled. She collapsed to the ground semi-conscious. ¡°Connie!¡± someone called to her from the cottage. For all the crackling sounds from the artifact, she wasn¡¯t sure if it was male or female voice. All at once, someone grabbed her robe from the nape and began dragging roughly her along the ground. She tried to fight, but her body was still stunned by the bolt of electricity that shot through her body. Suddenly, there came a bright flash, followed immediately by a loud explosion. To Connie, it sounded as if a bomb had gone off. She felt the concussion on her face and belly. Wood, rocks, and metal pelted her hard. She felt herself drop to the ground. She closed her eyes tightly as she lapsed into near incoherence. Then all she heard was silence. Silence except for a loud ringing in her ears as if she¡¯d just left a rock concert. She gradually sensed her head rested in the crux of a muscular pair of legs. She opened her eyes. It was Rahl. He had grasped her and pulled her to safety in the last few seconds before the artifact went into an avalanche mode and destroyed itself. He had saved her life. Connie gazed into his face. His face and exposed arms were cut and bleeding from the debris. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Rahl asked her. ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± Theo and Snow had already rushed up to the two. Snow helped Rahl to his feet while Theo helped up Connie. ¡°Thank the gods that you two are all right,¡± Snow said. Connie felt quite disoriented from the experience. She felt a stinging on her right cheekbone just below her eye. She wiped it and found her hand covered with blood. Coming to her senses, she looked toward the plane. She could not see it well in the moonless night. ¡°The aircraft. How is it?¡± she asked. ¡°Hold still. You are bleeding,¡± Theo said as he maintained a firm grasp on her. ¡°Let me fix that.¡± ¡°Let go of me,¡± she shook off Theo¡¯s grasp. Connie staggered across the village courtyard, where the rest of the party stood looking somber, as though they were attending a graveside eulogy. She tripped and fell over twice on the pieces of wood from the plane that were scattered all over the ground. Although the light was low, it was not difficult to see the plane was in ruins. The brief second of the explosion reduced it to splinters. She put her bloody hands to her head. ¡°By the gods! What have I done?¡± None of the party members present said a word to her¡ªthey only stared. Connie fell to her knees before the wrecked plane, anguished. She looked over at the party members. Mostly, she saw blank looks, except for Yalden, whose expression laid bare his contempt for her. In his hands, he held a fragment of the wooden frame. After glowering at her for a moment, he tossed the piece of wood down to the ground and then stormed back to the cottage. Jalban shuffled along behind him. Maltokken let out a short laugh. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll finally be going back to Roggentine tomorrow.¡± He reentered the cottage, followed by Theo. Now only Tristana remained. She gazed at Connie with a blank expression for a few seconds before following the others. Now Connie sat alone on the cold ground amidst the wreckage of the plane. She cursed herself for not listening to Snow. The sorceress was right again. She could not do it on her own. She was pushing herself too hard. She needed help, yet she refused it out of the same kind of hubris she hated in Snow. It was over now. Connie drew a deep, contrite sigh. Her feelings were a turbulent mixture of regret and self-loathing. How could I do this? She covered her face and wept inconsolably. It was not like her to feel this way, but never before in her memory had she failed at anything so spectacularly.