Unpredictable Fortunes (The Memory Stone Series Book 3)
Author: Quyle, Jeffrey
Date: 2017-06-20

“Amelia, it’s me, Theus.  I’ve come to rescue you,” he explained as he tried putting the second key in the lock.  It fit, but didn’t turn.

The room looked strange, as the light on the floor illuminated all things upward, and long shadows stretched up towards the ceiling.  No light breached Amelia’s door, and her window remained dark.

“Theus?” her voice was husky and full of wonder.  “How did you get here Theus?  Why are you here?  I’m so glad to see you!”

Theus tried placing a third key in the door lock.  As he did, he heard boots stomping the floor, a single set of boots approaching the prison corridor.

Theus jiggled the key frantically, and it turned.  There was a click, and the door started to swing open.  At the same time, the door to the corridor, the door from the outside, also began to swing open.

Amelia started to leap out of the cell, but at the same time, Theus was frantic to get out of sight.  He pressed her back and leaped into the prison cell with her, pulling the door shut behind him, and locking them both into place.

“Theus!” the girl cried.  Theus felt confused in the darkness.

“What mischief do we have here?” a deep voice asked from out in the hallway.  It was Donal.

“Amelia?  Is that you?” Theus asked.

“I sense something has changed,” Donal’s voice sounded very close.

“Oh Theus!  You’re a captive too!  I’m so sorry,” Amelia answered.

“Come here and hug me,” Theus demanded.

The door to the cell began to rattle.

Theus felt the girl’s body press against his.  Something was different.

The room filled with light, as the door opened.

Theus grasped his energy in panic, and took a step forward.

Fantasy Series by Jeffrey Quyle

The Memory Stones Series

1. Journey Through the River Cities
2. The Deadly Magician
3. Unpredictable Fortunes

The Inner Seas Kingdoms Series

4. The Healing Spring
5. The Yellow Palace
6. Road of Shadows
7. A Foreign Heart
8. Journey to Uniontown
9. The Guided Journey
10. An Unexpected Deity
11. A Marriage of Friends

The Ingenairii Series

1. Visions of Power

2. At the Seat of Power

3. The Loss of Power

4. The Lifesaving Power

5. Against the Empire

6. Preserving the Ingenairii

7. Rescuing the Captive

8. Ajacii and Demons

9. The Caravan Road

10. The Journey Home

11. The Cloud of Darkness

12. The Past Revisited

Alchemy’s Apprentice Series

1. The Gorgon’s Blood Solution
2. The Echidna’s Scale
3. Scarlet from Gold
4. The Southern Trail

The Southern Continent Series

1. The Elemental Jewels
2. Perilous Travels
3. The Greater Challenge
4. Out of the Wilderness

Also by Jeffrey Quyle

The Green Plague

For more information, visit the Ingenairii Series on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ingenairiiseries

Unpredictable Fortunes

The Memory Stones Series

Book 3

Jeffrey Quyle

Index

Chapter 1 Page 1

Chapter 2 Page 13

Chapter 3 Page 26

Chapter 4 Page 30

Chapter 5 Page 33

Chapter 6 Page 37

Chapter 7 Page 45

Chapter 8 Page 54

Chapter 9 Page 58

Chapter 10 Page 67

Chapter 11 Page 77

Chapter 12 Page 94

Chapter 13 Page 102

Chapter 14 Page 108

Chapter 15 Page 117

Chapter 16 Page 120

Chapter 17 Page 132

Chapter 18 Page 140

Chapter 19 Page 150

Chapter 20 Page 160

Chapter 21 Page 163

Chapter 22 Page 166

Chapter 23 Page 171

Chapter 24 Page 175

Chapter 25 Page 183

Chapter 26 Page 204

Chapter 27 Page 207

Chapter 28 Page 218

Chapter 29Page 228

Chapter 30Page 233

Chapter 31Page 246

List of Characters

Theus (Prometheus)

Thera, Theus’s sister

Cern, father of Theus

Allise, mother of Theus

Eiren, caravan worker girl

Vanline, caravan leader

Coriae, daughter of Great Forks nobleman

Alsman, river priest in Great Falls

Forgon, son of nobleman from Great Forks

Warrell, father of Coriae and Forgon

Marvin, gardener at Warrell’s estate

Blanche, kitchen servant for Warrell

Lorinse, steward for Warrell’s mansion

Glory, Great Falls apprentice bottle painter

Trey, weaver apprentice

Beren, head priest of Currense’s temple in Greenfalls

Torella, slave in Southsands palace kitchen

Duchess Holstem, noblewoman of Stoke

Montuse, officer of Southsands army

Alamice, officer of Southsands army

Amelia, princess of Steep Rise

Amory, prince of Steep Rise

The Gods of the Land

God of healing, Baccoso

River goddess, Currense

Mountain god, Limber

Flat land/soil god, Plever

Persepho, goddess of crops

Darkness goddess, Scurtisse

Stone god, Trinte

God of thieves, Maurienne

Light god, Incand

Air goddess, Bellance

Gelate, goddess of love

Flat land/soil god, Plever

Ind’Petro, god of evil

Prologue

The city of Limber, on the eastern slopes of the Wallchick Mountains, was lost in the terrible cataclysm that raised the Jewel Hills far out on the eastern frontier.  The destruction of Limber unsettled the balance of power among the four great cities that dominated the lands from the Wallchick Mountains to the ocean that washed the western edge of the civilized world. Over the following generations, the city of Stoke came to control nearly all the lands.

Limber’s sacred ruling family was nearly extinct, as only a few surviving members of the blood line sank into obscurity and decline over time.  One such minor branch of the family settled in the poverty of the Jewel Hills, where farmers and residents of small villages eked a poor living from the distressed land.

But when evil began to arise and ascend towards a conquest of the south, as a prelude to a conquest of all the land, the dormant god of Limber struggled to resurrect the partnership between the royal blood and himself, as the likely best protector of the lands that faced the hidden threat.

Theus, the son of a woman who was a distant progeny of the Limber royal line, did not know or understand any of the divine maneuverings taking place.  When his poverty-stricken family was forced to sell his services to a traveling merchant, Theus was placed on a path that will require worldliness far beyond what he has experienced in his sheltered corner of the world.

His travels take him down the Landwide River, a might stream of water and commerce, through two of the greatest cities of the nation, Greenfalls and Great Forks, both subject to Stoke’s rule.

He settles in Great Forks, and learns not only the art of treating memory stones, but he finds that he is subject to visitations from a mysterious, all-knowing Voice that advises and reasons with him.  And he falls under the enchantment of the Lady Coriae, offspring of an ancient, noble family of the city.

Theus and Coriae have a falling out, as he is ordered by the mysterious Voice that commands his activities to leave Great Forks and set out on a long, deadly adventure.  And the Voice gives him his first taste of the power of white magic to help him in his impossible quest.

Chapter 1

Theus left the city of Great Forks by walking through the southern gate of the walled city at mid-morning on a chilly winter day.  The sun was shining, and the wind was only a gentle breeze, so the weather was unseasonably mild as he walked along the road that ran from Great Forks along the Westlands River.

He was familiar with the road; he’d passed over it three times in the past month, coming to the city twice, and leaving the city once.  All three times, the other end of his journey had been Stoke, mighty capital of the kingdom, and all three times he’d been in the company of Coriae, the extraordinary daughter of the Warrell family, ancient aristocrats of Great Forks.

His latest trip though, did not involve Stoke.  Nor did it involve Coriae.  Nor was any future trip that Theus took likely to include her traveling with him ever again, not after he had been caught removing a valuable stone from her room while he was running away from her home.  Not that he’d really been running away from her home, nor had he been stealing the jewel for its material value, but he knew that was how the passionate girl was likely to see and portray the events of recent days.

He shook his head ruefully as he thought of Coriae for the twentieth time that morning.

He’d only awoken a few hours earlier, and left the home of his friend Glory an hour earlier.  And Coriae had been on his mind constantly – not exclusively, but constantly.

He’d also been pre-occupied with his thoughts about white magic, the unique powers that were now allegedly incorporated into his very soul.  His mind was struggling to consolidate the things he thought he already knew about the world – the everyday world of reality, the world of facts and known truths, the world he had grown up in – with the things the knowledge of white magic required him to accept.

“Voice,” he spoke aloud, as he walked by himself along the road.  “Tell me about white magic please.  Where does it come from?”

“It comes from within you,” the Voice responded promptly, Theus was pleased to hear.  He didn’t understand the answer, but he was glad that the Voice was going to speak to him.

“You carry the capacity to focus energy beyond that of typical mortals,” the invisible speaker told him.  “You can take your effort and shift it into the plane of angels, so that it is amplified in its impact here in your terrestrial world.”

“’The plane of angels’?” Theus asked in confusion.

“You, and humans, live in a form of reality, a world, which you have known all your life, with all the rules and limitations and confinements that shape every action you take, every concept you have,” the Voice was explaining something important, Theus realized.  But it seemed complex and impossible to grasp.

“The gods live in a different plane, a reality of their own, from which they stray to tend to affairs in your world.  And between the two, there exists the plane of angels, the realm in which there once was a race of companions and assistants to the gods,” the Voice spoke with a note of sadness.

“Where did they go?” Theus asked, struck by the anguish the Voice conveyed.

“They were victims of a long-ago civil war,” was the answer.  “A core of them grew so confident of their own abilities, they began to plot their future independent of the gods.  They spread discord and rancor among their own kind, and then were so corrupted by their egos, they began a savage war, and uprising.  They allied with the demons of the darker plane, and killed virtually all the others of their own race, before the gods stepped in and banished them from the lighter reality.

“But,” the Voice paused, “that sad history is not what we need to discuss at this moment.

“You have the ability to project your efforts through the plane of angels.  As your intentions leave your reality and pass through the other reality, they are augmented and strengthened, so that when they return to your world to achieve fruition, they are greater and more than they could ever be in your mortal world otherwise.”

“And black magic?”  Theus asked.

“Yes, very perceptive,” the Voice spoke up, as Theus adjusted the jacket he wore to keep the breeze off of his neck.  “Black magic does not pass through the realm of the angels; it is darkened and strengthened by intercepting the demons’ plane, and relying upon their foul desire to stain and damage the human world.”

Theus walked in silence as he considered the weighty topic they had discussed.

“So how does white magic have the power to go through the land of the angels?” he asked.

“It is a realm, in a metaphysical sense, but not a land in the sense you think of a land,” the Voice corrected him.

“What does that mean?” Theus’s features were scrunched in confusion.

“Never mind,” the Voice stopped the discussion.  “Your efforts, or commands, or actions, using white magic, can travel though the angels’ realm because you have the ability – and the knowledge – to be able to add energy to your command.  That is what your spells are; through the spell, your spirit enhances your desire with the energy to rise beyond your world.”

“And that energy comes from inside me,” Theus said.  “Or from the world around me.

“But not from other people,” he added, repeating the knowledge he had gained through the white magic stone.

Correct.  Never, ever, will you be able to take the life energy from another person and use it to send your spells through the plane of angels,” the Voice agreed.

“I think I’m ready to try it,” Theus impulsively decided.  “I’m ready to use white magic.”

“As you wish,” the Voice seemed skeptical to Theus.   “Use the implanted memory of the spell for traveling in this first effort to open your mind to this use of power.”

Theus closed his eyes as he walked along, the better to allow his memory to fully see the details of the implanted new concepts related to white magic.  There were other people on the road, a few at least, but not a heavy pattern of traffic, and more were heading in towards Great Forks than outward, away from the city.  He wasn’t likely to jostle any other travelers if he walked briefly with his eyes shut.

He was going to travel.  He was going to use his new power to allow himself to travel an entire day’s distance of travel in a single step.  He focused on visualizing himself as a traveler, and superimposing a vision of a long distance within the same picture.  Then he reached into his own soul, into the niche of his being that he had discovered through the implanted memories, and he brought out the white energy, a soothing sensation of accomplishment, opportunity, and promise.

He inhaled deeply, then thrust the two together mentally, and opened his eyes to see the result.  He wanted to watch the world turn into a blur as he raced across its surface.

His right foot was forward, taking the next leading step of his travel, and suddenly he felt it seized by incomprehensible power, and pulled forward, leading his body up and forward and away.

For about ten feet.

And then he stumbled back to the ground, and tripped on the surface of the road.  He windmilled his arms to regain his balance, and then stopped in place once he felt he had his equilibrium.

He had used white magic.  It had been a dud.  It had been like a bad morning back on his family farm, when he had reached under a hen, expecting to pull out an egg, and instead discovered that a snake had taken the whole egg, leaving only emptiness, and less food for his family’s breakfast.  It was disappointing and frustrating.

“Of course it wasn’t perfect the first time,” the Voice spoke in a calm and rational manner.  “You weren’t a tournament winner with blades after the first time you fenced with Vanline, were you?  No, it takes practice.”

“Huh,” Theus harrumphed.  He started walking again, keeping his head down.  He didn’t want to see how many people on the road might have happened to see his long, fast stumble forward.

In one sense, it had been a success.  He had actually accelerated his movement somewhat.

“That is an accomplishment.  It’s very good for your very first time to try, especially considering you have no earthly teacher to instruct you,” the Voice spoke up to commend him.

“What did I do wrong?” Theus asked through clenched teeth.

“You didn’t really seize the white energy within you and truly pull it out to serve your needs.  As the results show, you barely grasped it,” the Voice counseled him.  “You have to truly apply a great deal of the energy to the end goal you seek, and that requires dedication, and focus, and practice.”

Theus snorted is dismay.  “I’m in a hurry here.  You’ve told me I have to hurry to save Amelia; that’s why I’ve thrown away my entire future of happiness with Coriae, to do as you tell me,” he blamed his unseen companion.  “I’m trying as hard as I can.”

“And with every effort you’ll figure out how to do things a little better and a little bit more better and a bit better beyond that.  It will happen, and I trust that you will master the white magic – or at least parts of it – by the time you reach your young friend,” the Voice answered.

“I better, or I’m going to die!” Theus said hotly.  A family riding on the bench of an oxcart headed towards the city looked closely at him as they passed.

“I better learn before I have to face Donal,” Theus spoke in a softer voice.  “You didn’t have a great deal of luck helping me when I was in Southsand, around Donal.  I recollect you found his black magic to be strong and powerful.”

“We’re talking about you, not me,” the Voice said primly.

“Now, try again.   Reach deeper, and make sure you truly grasp the energy within you as you transfer it to your wish,” it instructed him.

Theus edged over towards the fringe of the roadway, where the dirt and gravel and weeds all merged with one another away from the center of the road, and he closed his eyes again, so that he could focus on reaching deep into his soul to accomplish what his implanted memories and the Voice both told him to do.

He let his mind go deep into his psyche, back down to the place where his own life energy resided.  Was it prudent to touch the power there, he wondered momentarily.  He’d seen what had happened to the victims of Donal’s touch, when the wizard had consumed a portion of the life energy from those unfortunate captives.  But he wouldn’t do that to himself, he was sure.  White magic would not allow him to harm himself so severely – the Voice would have warned him.

Theus found the window that provided the strange access to his life force – was it the place where death could or would enter his soul someday, he idly wondered for a moment.

The newly minted white magician grasped the power and willed it to come forward, to leave the confines of its nature place.  He brought his life force forward into the moment when he wanted to use it, then combined it with the wish he had, his desire to move forward, his spell and command to carry him a great length.  He melded the two together, wish and the way, then he released them as he took his next step on the dusty road next to the river.

He found himself in a different place.  It was a moment of exhilaration – he had managed to control the white magic!  And he found that he didn’t feel exhausted, as he might have expected to; it was not the consuming use of power that he had expected to leave him weak and tired.  He felt fresh, so fresh that he turned and looked in all directions surveying the territory around him, wishing that there was someone present to see his victory.

As he looked about, his face lost its triumphant expression, and took on a look of puzzlement, and then disappointment.

The landscape was little changed from what he had been surrounded by just before his attempt at the use of the magic.  He saw the same hills on the horizon, and even the same farmstead home on top of one hill, though he had at least traveled far enough that it was slightly behind him instead of slightly in front.

“I could have walked this far in ten minutes!” he exclaimed out loud.

“Yes, you could have,” the Voice agreed in a deceptively mild tone.

“This is hopeless!  I’m never going to control this,” Theus stewed.

“You have to practice.  Keep trying.  You’re going to improve with every effort you make,” the invisible companion was encouraging him.

“I’ll try,” Theus harrumphed, desperately wanting to believe that he was just a moment from finding success, a moment from finding some door open that would make the magical powers simple and easy, just as healing remedies had become so simple and easy.

Although that had actually required hours and hours of studying the ancient memory stone he had found in Falstaff’s shop, he contradicted himself by remembering.

He walked determinedly back to the road, which his efforts had taken him a hundred yards away from, and he let his mind focus one more time on the process of finding his personal energy, then applying it to his desire to travel.  He focused on the energy within himself, and he wrestled and wrung and let no other matter affect his soul’s focus, then he single-mindedly applied that energy to his expectation to move forward.

He took his step, and the landscape changed around him once again.

But the same farmhouse was still in view, more distant, but still no more than a half hour’s walk further past.

“This isn’t easy!” Theus exploded.  “There’s no way this really works!  I’d like to see someone who’s really used this white magic.

“The reason there are no white magicians is because there’s nothing you can do with white magic!” he shouted in frustration.  “It doesn’t do anything besides stupid tricks to entertain the crowds at festivals.  And it probably only entertains the drunkards at that!”

“Take a step forward,” the voice told him, as he walked back to the road surface one more time.

And then suddenly, he was in a different place, with different looking hills, and clouds in place of the bright blue sky he had previous walked beneath.

“What happened?” Theus asked in astonishment.

“I used white magic to move you one day’s walk forward,” the Voice answered.   “See, it does work.

“Now,” his instructor said, “let’s move you back and see what you can do.”

And Theus was suddenly back on the road by the farm house on the hill, under the blue sky.

“What happened?” Theus asked.

“I put you back where you were.  Now it’s your turn to make the step forward,” the Voice answered.

“Well, that was stupid,” Theus fumed.  “Why send me backwards?  I’m supposed to be hurrying to get to Amelia, remember?  That’s the whole point of why I’m using this magic, why I took that stone from Coriae’s ring, why I gave up my whole future and the woman I love.”

“Don’t be bitter.  You’re doing the right thing,” the Voice said mercilessly.  “Now try again to see if you can do better.”

And so Theus tried again, and again, and again.  Each effort produced slightly further progressions, but by the early afternoon he was too frustrated to try any further.

“If you can manage a full day’s travel in a single step, I will add another day’s travel to it,” the Voice resorted to bribery.

“I’m going to do it,” Theus careened from his sense of defeatism to a steely determination to prove his ability, and to reap the reward.

He proceeded to try again, and then again.  Neither of the white magic movements succeeded in accomplishing a full day’s travel.

“Why can’t I do this?” he yelled.

“What do you imagine you’re traveling for?” the Voice finally asked.

“What am I traveling for?  What does it matter?” he responded in annoyance.

“Perhaps you could better harness your energy if you knew what you are expending it on,” the invisible being offered.

“I’m traveling for the purpose of showing I can do this?” Theus asked more than he answered.

“Can’t your soul tell itself what the purpose is of your travel?” The Voice challenged him.

“Well, it’s to get from one place to another as quickly as possible,” Theus sputtered.

“Is that all?” the Voice asked.

“It’s to go to aid Princess Amelia.  She needs help,” Theus said more firmly, sure that he was giving the right answer, the factually correct answer.

“Is that all?” the Voice asked again.

“What more do you want?” Theus asked through gritted teeth.

“Oh,” he muttered in a softer tone a moment later, as a broader interpretation occurred to him.  “It’s to do the right thing.  It’s to help someone who deserves my help.  And it’s to fight against the evil of Donal.”

“The evil of Donal and Ind’Petro,” the Voice modified his answer.  “Very good.

“Remind yourself.  You’re not trying to use this energy just for your own sake.  This isn’t a vanity trip.  This trip is for something bigger, something bigger than yourself, or any few people.  This is about principles that allow all people to live life with freedom from many threats.”

Theus listened to the high-sounding reinterpretation of his journey.  The Voice made it sound as if he were a hero, doing something above and beyond his own actual motives.  In fact, the Voice made him sound heroic and selfless.  And, he told himself, in a way he was.

He really did want to help Amelia.  He really did want to defeat Donal and Ind’Petro.   He really did want all people to have better lives.  He didn’t want anyone to ever live in miserable poverty, or have to sell their children into slavery.  He could prevent it, if he really could master the white magic, and make the long journey, and save Amelia, then figure out more to do from there.

He focused again on his personal energy, the energy that he wanted to spend on pursuing safety and justice for the world.  Using that determination, he pulled his energy forward and upward and melded it to his goal of traveling, as he stepped forward on the road.

And his step landed in a place that was overcast, and on top of a hill, looking down at the relatively distant river valley far to his left.  He felt exhausted, and his shoulders sagged.

“That was very well done,” the Voice complimented him.  “You certainly achieved your maximum success with that step forward.

“Behold world!” the Voice spoke mockingly, except that there was no hint of mockery as the Voice seemed to make a formal declaration in a strong voice.  “A new White Magician has arisen!  The truth keepers of old have returned to the world!  There is a power to balance and defend against the lies and pain of black magic again!”

The words were inspiring, Theus thought.  But he felt completely drained from the instantaneous use of a day’s worth of his energy.

“How can a white magician do anything after taking a step like that?” he asked.

“Many couldn’t do very much else,” the Voice replied.  “The best learned ways to compensate.  In time, perhaps you will too.”

“Where can I rest?  Where’s the nearest village?” Theus asked. “No, wait.  I’d like for you to give me the extra day of travel you promised now please, and then I can rest someplace.”

“Move forward then,” the Voice instructed.

Theus took another step, and was suddenly standing in a light rain, in the middle of an open pasture.

“Where is the nearest village?” Theus asked, in a hurry to find shelter from the moisture.

“About ten miles behind you,” the Voice answered.

“Humph,” the boy snorted.  “How far ahead is the next village?”

“There is a shepherd’s camp fifty miles ahead.  These are empty lands.  There are no cities.  There are no villages.  There are very few people.”

Theus looked at the sun, which was exposed in a sliver of open sky very close to the western horizon.  A grove of trees was within sight, an easy walk, but less easy after the effort of using the white magic for the first time.

He began to tread determinedly towards the trees, keeping his head bent and the rain out of his eyes.

“How long will it take for me to reach Amelia?” he asked.

“At the rate of a day’s travel every day, probably two weeks, possibly three,” came the answer.

“How can that be?  She’s captive of Donal!” Theus’s voice rose in pitch.  “She said in the last dream that he’s used her once.  In another month of having her life energy sucked away, she’ll be an old woman, or dead

“You’ve got to give me more help.  Send me forward another day’s worth of distance,” Theus demanded.

“No,” the Voice replied

“I’m trying to save her.  I’m trying because of you,” Theus spoke forcefully.  “Now you’re saying that you’re not going to help me do your work?”

“I’m saying there are limits to what I can yet do,” the Voice said evenly.  “I hope someday that I will do more, but that time, when and if it comes, is not yet here.  I have stretched my abilities already.

“But you have not,” it added.

Theus reached the verge of the woodlot, and felt a lessening of the wind, as the trees and their branches broke the force of the strong breezes that drove the rain.

“You said I can only travel one day’s worth of travel a day.  I’m going to need a month to travel a month’s worth of travel,” Theus knew his words sounded convoluted and circular, but he’d had a point to make, and he’d made it hurriedly.

“I didn’t say that precisely.  If you go a few yards to your right, there’s a hollow tree that will protect you from the rain,” the Voice advised.

Theus turned.  “You did say that,” he rebutted.  “A day’s travel takes a day’s energy.  You said it.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t carry out more than one day’s travel in a single day,” the Voice shocked him.  Theus reached the hollow tree and entered the cozy cavity, then turned to face outward.  He dropped to a sitting position on the damp pile of soft rotten wood in the center of the cavity floor.

“That would drain me!” Theus said, stunned by the suggestion.  “Wouldn’t it?” he asked uncertainly.

“There have been heroes in the past who traveled two or even three days’ worth of travel in a single day,” the Voice told him.  “Prince Patria crossed the Wallchick Mountains in two days when he returned to fight the demon spawn of the north.

“But you are brand new to all of this.  Tomorrow we will work on a single day’s travel, and then perhaps you can begin to learn the other tools as well.  You will need more than just the first step.”

“Let’s start tonight,” Theus countered.  “Teach me something tonight.”

“What would you like to learn?” the Voice responded.

“I don’t know what I can learn.  Can you teach me a spell to bind Donal in chains?  Can I make knives fly at him out of thin air?” Theus thought of his most urgent need, the need to defeat the deadly magician on Ind’Petro.

“Such deadliness is not typical of how white magic is used.   Consider something more positive, such as producing light,” the Voice decided to provide direction.

The world inside his forest glade was growing dark, as the sun set in the rainy evening.  “Light would be useful,” Theus agreed amiably.

“Light is all around you,” the Voice began to lecture.  Theus looked at the gloom, disapproving of the assessment.

“Not much,” he corrected the Voice.

“You’re sitting on light.  You’re wearing light.  You’re being housed by light.  All these things, even your own body, are largely the result of sunlight falling upon the world.  The Great Creator enabled the plants of the world to take the light and store it away, turned into leaves and roots and stems and fruits.  And in turn, the animals take that reshaped light, and it becomes fur and muscle and bone and skin.

“This tree,” the Voice said, “it would not grow and produce wood were it not storing light.”

“Okay,” Theus interrupted what sounded like the beginning of a long lecture.  “But what does that have to do with my white magic?”

“It has to do with all white magic.  It provides the structure for your life energy.  And it is light.  It is really the easiest of the white magic tools to use.  Simply imagine the source of the light, the sunlight, and imagine it is like steam turned to water when it is your life force.  You simply cause it to return to its natural state when you release it,” the Voice said.

Theus’s mind wandered down a side path.

What about the black magic of Donal and his companions?  What do they do with the light?  Do they use it, or do they use something else?” he asked.

“Ah, such a perceptive question.  It is far afield from the subject, of course,” the reply came softly.

“They use the light, but they suffer.  It is alien to the demonic plane – in fact, it is harmful to the demons.  The irony that they must use light to carry out their evil plans only increases their angry and sullen ways.  But their minions, the black magicians, must suffer the pain of causing light energy to pass through their dark paths.  It is painful, and it is inefficient.  They must use a great deal more energy than a white magician in order to carry out their tasks.  And thus they must prey upon so many victims,” the Voice had managed to deliver a lecture, but Theus hadn’t cut it off; the topic had been fascinating.

“Donal looked pained at times when he was taking power,” Theus blurted out.

“I imagine so, especially when I was able to intervene to make your energy particularly light-infused and painful for him,” the Voice concurred.

“So, now that it is virtually dark, would you like to raise some light?” the Voice returned to the topic of the lesson.

“I suppose,” Theus felt suddenly tired.  He’d had a long day.  And although he’d only made one complete day jump through space, he’d also made a number of smaller steps, each of which had required the expenditure of some amount of his energy.

“Go back to your source of energy,” the Voice directed.  “Focus within yourself on your power, and then think of that power as light.  Follow the formula in the spell in your head.”

Theus let his mind sift through the memories he had received, and he allowed the spell for light creation to guide him, as he mentally followed the steps and preparations, once again guiding his soul to the source of his inner power.  He gently grasped the power for this spell – the purpose was not challenging, not a great consumer of his life force.  With the small amount that he was able to easily take under his control, he imagined it as the spell that the Voice suggested; he imagined the substantial stuff of his energy devolving back to its fundamental component, light energy.   And then he imagined and directed that it exhibit itself from his fingertip.

He looked in wonder as his fingertip began to glow with a steady light.  “This is wonderful,” he murmured appreciatively.  “I can really do this,” he felt pleased with himself.

“Yes, now get your rest.  Tomorrow is another day,” the Voice said calmly.

The soothing words reminded Theus of how tired he was.  He let the light at his fingertip fade away, then he shut his eyes, and he listened to the rain drops endlessly striking the ground all around him, as he descended quickly into sleep.

Chapter 2

When Theus awoke, he felt a crick in his neck, from sleeping at an odd angle inside the hollow forest tree he had been guided to for shelter.  The rain had stopped falling during the night.  In the dim light under the forest branches, Theus could see puddles of water sitting among the detritus of the forest floor.

“I don’t want to have to splash through that,” he told himself as he stood up, looking out while firmly massaging his neck to reduce the discomfort.

He’d try to do something extraordinary, he decided.

He’d use his white magic, his new-found power, to take his first great traveling step of the day as his very first step.  He’d completely escape the sodden woodlot, and take his first step onto a drier spot.  And he’d have plenty of time to recover during the morning, so that he could take a second day’s step forward later in the day.  He’d have a chance to shock the Voice by packing two – or perhaps even more! – days of travel into his second day of practicing the new magical talents he was exploring.

He hoped.  He wasn’t feeling particularly refreshed, after sitting in the tree trunk and trying to sleep; it was far removed from the cot he’d slept in while staying at Glory’s, which had been less comfortable than the bed in the Warrell mansion before that.

Theus took a deep breath, and put the past aside, as he focused on his present need.  He wanted to use the white magic power to move towards Steep Rise.  He recalled the implanted memory that the hidden memory stone had given to him, the spell that triggered the ability to travel a day’s distance in a single step, then he searched within his soul and found the point through which he could access his life force.

Was it dangerous to be able to find one’s very life force so easily, he wondered?  Perhaps it was, given the way in which Donal and the black magicians were able to reach in and steal energy away from victims.  But was there a way to prevent such a magician from reaching in?  Was there a riposte – as in fencing – that would allow him to defend himself from the fatal theft of his life?  He wondered about the possibility, but realized that he knew too little to conjecture on the matter, and he turned back to his own immediate desire to move forward.

He grasped the power, firmly, as firmly as possible, alerted by the previous day’s multiple failures.  He would do his magic the correct way, and he would succeed with his first effort, he told himself determinedly.

And then he brought his efforts to a climax, and took a step outward from the tree.

He landed in another open pasture, a pair of startled deer, prancing away from his arrival spot.  The sun was shining on the eastern horizon, and the ground was firm and dry.

“I did it Voice!” he crowed.  “First thing in the morning, and I’ve done it!”

He was breathing heavily, and stooped over, he realized.  He felt exhausted, but jubilant.

There was no answer from his companion, so after three minutes of catching his breath, he started walking south.  That’s when he realized that there were mountains in front of him.

“Voice,” he called again.  “Do I have to go over those?”

“Did you ever look at a map?” the Voice replied for the first time that morning.

“No,” Theus answered shortly.

“Those are the Westland Mountains.  They run from Stoke almost to Great Forks, and they make the Westlands River run along their eastern roots,” the Voice explained.

“Do I have to go through them?” Theus asked plaintively.

“It would be the shortest route, a direct line.  But you could go slightly west and skirt the edge of the mountains.  They are a narrow range,” his advisor answered.

“And congratulations on your work this morning,” it added.

“I plan to make a second step later today,” Theus reported.

“That’s ambitious,” the Voice said in a neutral tone.

Theus began walking to the west, away from the sunrise, wanting to angle himself away from a path that might lead him into the mountains.  He soon felt hunger pangs, and realized he hadn’t eaten in over a day.  He kept his eyes aimed at the ground, searching for plants he would recognize as edible, and slowly found select items scattered in one spot or another, enough to alleviate his hunger.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, Theus felt ready to try to make a second long trip through the power of white magic.  He was no longer huffing and puffing, though he didn’t have any zest in his step as he trudged across the empty countryside.

He once again went through the process of invoking the memorized spell, then seizing his life energy, and applying it to the trip he would undertake with his next step.  He deliberately aimed himself towards the southwest, to make sure he would cut around the corner of the end of the Westland Mountain chain, then he released the spell, and strode forward.

He found his step completed on the banks of a small stream, at the boundary of where the stream exited from a forest and entered a quiet, sun-drenched glade.

He immediately knelt in exhaustion, breathing heavily and feeling weariness in his soul.  It was only the middle of the day, so he knew that he would have all afternoon to recover.  Even so, he knew he wasn’t ready to try a third extended magical step as part of the day.  The two days’ worth of energy had drawn enough of his stamina to leave him nearly paralyzed.

After a minute, he groaned and forced himself to his feet, then started trudging slowly southward, across the open glade.  Within a half hour he was back in the surrounding forest, and he followed the stream as it headed generally southward.

He didn’t leave the forest for the rest of the afternoon.  He remained under the shade of the collection of trees, passing through a forest that was slightly warmer than he expected, thanks to the sunlight that passed down beneath the mostly leafless trees.  He walked slowly as a result of his fatigue from making two of the white magic trips across the countryside, but his confinement to the forest was a result of the size of the majestic arboreal spread, not due to his slow pace.

“I’m going to stop now to rest,” he finally declared aloud.

“No, you’re not,” a voice declared, startling him.

Three men materialized, seemingly from nowhere, as they stepped out from hidden positions among the trees and bushes near him.

“Where’d you come from?” he asked in astonishment.

“We’ve been following you for two hours while you’ve been crossing our clan’s land,” one of the men said.  “You’re trespassing across our territory without the permission of our high chief.  We’re taking you as our captive to our village so that you may be tried and punished.”

The words and the posture of the men were ominous.  Although Theus had a sword, he felt too tired to attempt to fight his way to freedom.

But he could perhaps muster enough energy to make one last use of the white magic, a way to safely extricate himself from the unexpected captivity he had just stumbled into.  He began his internal efforts.  He wasn’t going to find nearly enough power within himself to make a full day’s trip, he knew.  But he didn’t need to; he wasn’t trying to travel far at the moment, only far enough to leave his captors behind.

He found his power and grasped it, then took a step forward, and suddenly he was alone in the forest once again.  And he was kneeling again, exhausted again.

“Voice?” he gasped out the word between deep, ragged breaths.  “How far did I just travel?”

“A fair distance.  Less than a full day’s worth, much less, but still a very good distance, especially for your third long step of a single day.  You should find someplace to go sleep right now,” the Voice praised and advised.

Theus raised his head and looked around the forest.  A patch of shrubs was nearby, still sporting green foliage amidst the wintery nakedness of the larger trees around and above him.  He dragged himself over to the patch and made a cursory search for the best spot, then curled up beneath the long canes that arched above the ground.  He quickly fell fast asleep.

He awoke in the middle of the night, once, when he felt something on his collar.  He brushed at it sleepily, then, without even thinking, or meaning to, or knowing what he did, he made his fingertip glow, providing illumination to show that he had brushed a mouse off his neck; he came to an immediate state of wakefulness as he squeaked a gasp of surprise.  He sat up straight and looked around wildly, waving his finger in all directions as the startled mouse scampered to safety among the leaves and litter on the forest floor.

Minutes later, his heart rate settled down to a slower pace, and he willed the light in his fingertip to extinguish.

“Did you see that, Voice?” he asked in the darkness.  “I made my finger glow without even trying!”

“Yes, very good.  Now go to sleep.  You stressed yourself with all that you did today,” the Voice answered curtly.

Theus felt dissatisfied with the lack of enthusiasm in the Voice’s reaction to his unexpected display of white magic, but he did lay his head back down, resting on his hands, and he quickly nodded off to sleep again.

When he awoke in the morning, the sun was shining through the tree boughs, having risen above the horizon.  As soon as he sat up, Theus felt hunger gnawing at his stomach.

“Voice, can I find a place to eat today?  Is there a tavern I could travel to?” he asked as he stood up and scratched at spots that itched, where bits of leaves and sticks had penetrated his clothing overnight.  He shivered in the cool air as he waited for a reply.

“If you travel one step to the southwest, you’ll be near a fishing village on the Wedded River,” the Voice answered.  “But you’ll be out of your way as far as making a straight trip to Steep Rise to save your friend.”

“I’ll make it up,” Theus pledge earnestly.  “I’ll take a second step later today, and I think a third one as well.”

“One step at a time,” the invisible advisor murmured.

Theus stepped out of the patch of bushes, then oriented himself from the position of the sun.  He spent a minute going through the process of preparing for his use of white magic, then released his power as he stepped forward, and found himself a split second later atop a treeless bank, looking down upon a river valley that flowed towards the west.  There appeared to be a slight pall of smoke in the western sky, which Theus hoped indicated the village of homes and hearths where he might find a cooked meal.

He began walking along the top of the ridge that looked down at the river, strolling slowly as he collected his breath after his long, magical stride.  The landscape was empty and beautiful, he thought to himself, though flatter than the Jewel Hills.  He walked for half the morning, then saw a pair of small boats on the river, and soon afterwards, he saw a mill on a stream that fell into the river, while the village that was his destination came into view.

He gave a sigh of relief at the sight of the settlement.  He’d eaten a variety of grasses and other plants he found as he crossed the prairie, but he longed for anything with more substance.  He thought about the meals he’d eaten in Stoke while he’d been with Coriae, and later her brother too.  It was the first time he’d thought of Coriae since he’d begun to experience the extraordinary white magic powers, he realized, and he grew despondent at the recollection of the ruined relationship, something he silently dwelt on until he reached the edge of the village.

“Where did you come from?” a woman in the window of the outermost house of the village asked him as he walked past.  There was no road per se in the settlement, but a long open gap between the buildings seemed to provide a general corridor that ran parallel to the river bank.

“I’ve been walking for a few days,” Theus said non-commitally.  “Is there a place to eat?”

“The green painted building is the tavern,” the woman replied.  “I’ve never heard of anyone walking in from the east.  It’s a regular wonder, I tell you,” she smiled at him and waved before she turned back to her chores in the interior of the building.

In the center of the village, Theus entered the building described as the tavern.

“Who are you?” a servant asked bluntly.  “We don’t get strangers in here...ever.”

“I walked in from the east,” Theus said cautiously.  “I’m hungry for meat.  Do you have any bacon or chops or a roast?”

“We’ve got some fish stew, and there’s a mutton roast from last night,” the man answered.

“I’d like both,” Theus settled himself into a table by a window, and watched as people hurried through the village, hustling to visit each other.

“I’ll have those for you in a minute,” the servant agreed, and he disappeared into the kitchen.

At the same time, the door of the tavern opened, and a woman looked in.

“Yes, it’s a real stranger,” she shouted back out to the street, where Theus saw a number of people were gathered, apparently drawn by the fascination of a new person arriving in the isolated location.

“Do you accept gold?” Theus asked the servant a moment later, when the man came back to his table, carrying a platter with a large wooden bowl filled with soup, beside a heap of slices of slightly dry-looking mutton meat.

“Gold?  Gods in the river, no, we don’t take gold.  We couldn’t make change if we did.  We take copper and brass,” the servant answered.

Theus dug into his purse and pulled out the smallest coin he could find in the cache that he still carried around, the supply of money given to him by Lord Warrell during happier days.

“We can’t accept that,” the servant shook his head as he saw the coin.

“What about if I give you some healing craft work then?” Theus asked.  “I’ll try to put together a remedy for an illness, if you’ve got the things I need to mix the remedy up.”

“My master’s daughter has a cough,” the servant said.  “Let me go ask him what to do,” the man answered, then headed up the stairs to the upper floor of the tavern.  Theus greedily gobbled down his meal while the man was gone, pleased to have the chance to eat the meal.

“Come see the girl,” the servant directed five minutes later.  There were local men sitting at a couple of the other tables in the common room, observing Theus closely.

He was glad to avoid their scrutiny as he went up the stairs behind the servant.  The servant knocked on a door, and a man opened it, then motioned for Theus to enter.

“Since you’re a visitor and all, we won’t make you pay if you can’t afford,” the man inside the room said.  There was a bed, and a girl lying under a tattered gray sheet, her eyes closed as she rested.  “You don’t need to do anything here.  There’s nothing to be done,” he spoke softly as he stood with his back to the girl.

“What are her symptoms?” Theus asked.  It was a question he had heard time and time again among the healing memories stored on the stone he had examined so often in Falstaff’s shop.

“She started feeling weak ten days ago, and coughed a great deal.  She doesn’t eat anything, and only drinks water.  She hasn’t woken up since yesterday morning,” the father said tearfully.

“What did she do before this all started?” Theus asked.

“She was swimming in the river, then we served dinner to the fishermen, and she started feeling ill right after that.  She’s been poorly ever since,” the man answered.

“Did anything happen while she was swimming?” Theus had no clue about the illness, based on the answer, and decided to ask more.

“No, nothing out of the ordinary,” the father said.

“May I examine her?” Theus asked.

“I’ll stay here to watch you,” the father said firmly.

“Of course,” Theus agreed.  He stepped over to the bedside and lifted the blanket off the girl.  She was wearing a shift that ended at her knees.  He dropped the blankets by her feet on the bed, then lifted one foot slightly to examine it, without finding anything remarkable.  He leaned over and lifted the other leg, and as he did, he saw a pair of faint red bumps on her calf.

“Did something cause this?” he turned to ask the girl’s father.

The man shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I didn’t notice it before.  Does it make a difference?” he asked.

Theus didn’t hear the rhetorical question as he stood absorbed by his inner dialog while he perused memories of healings, sensing that an insect bite might have such an impact, and might require a certain remedy.  He stood static, still holding the foot elevated as his eyes stared aimlessly at a corner of the ceiling, until he found the memory that provided the answer.

“This was a bite by a spider that lives at the edge of the water, along a river or a lake or a pond.  It can cause some people to have an allergic reaction,” Theus said.  “What’s this girl’s name?” he asked.

“Halcyon,” the father answered.

“There’s a cure,” Theus reported.  “We can save Halcyon.  We need several ingredients for the remedy.”  He wondered if the isolated village would have all the things needed.

“Are you a doctor?  How do you know?” the man asked, but Theus could see hope in his eyes.

“I worked in a shop in Great Forks, and I learned many remedies there,” Theus gave his patented response.  “We’ll need turmeric, blue straw poppies, feathers from a kingfisher, some river water, a drop of her blood, cat tail tubers, and one of the spiders that bit her.  Can you gather all that?” he asked.

“Perhaps, but are you sure this will really create a remedy?” the father asked.  “I hate to put everyone out looking for all these things and build up false hope.”

“If we wait much longer, it’ll be too late,” Theus said harshly, stunned by the man’s answer.

“I’ll go down to the river and look for the tubers and the spider, if you’ll get the other things.  Can I meet you in your kitchen?” he asked.

“You believe this truly, don’t you?” the father asked.  “It makes no sense, but so do I.  I think I can trust you.”

“You can,” Theus said earnestly.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said.  He finally lowered the limp leg of the girl Halcyon, then left the room.  He went down the stairs, out the door, and paused, as he oriented himself and recollected that the river would be behind the tavern.  He went around the corner and down the slope to the river, drawing stares as an outsider in the village where every inhabitant knew every other inhabitant.

When he reached the water’s edge, he found a number of small docks had been built, so he strolled upstream along the bank, away from the settlement, and he soon came to a patch of cat tails growing along the bottom of the bank.  He knelt so that he could pull the plants up by their roots, and tossed the tubers higher up on the bank, then turned his attention to the water, looking for one of the spiders that had bitten his new patient.

Halcyon was unlucky to be allergic to the spider bite, Theus thought, because not everyone was allergic to it, at least not to such a degree.  And that was good news, because the spider was fairly common, though he wasn’t able to make his eyes fall into a pattern to see and recognize the spider, at least not immediately.  He slowly strolled along the riverside, his eyes focused down, then he turned and started back towards the village, before he finally saw one of the targets of his attention.  He stepped on the creature, then gingerly picked up the dead creature, and carried it and the fresh tubers back into the tavern.

The girl’s father was standing in the kitchen, lining items up on the counter.  “Here are the things you asked for,” he told Theus, as the servant looked on from a distance with discreet curiosity.

“Thank you.  Can I use your stove top?” he asked as he placed his items next to the father’s collection.

“Sure,” the man shrugged, still torn between hope and doubt about Theus’s ability.

Theus grabbed a nearby knife and began to hastily cut apart the tubers he had plucked from the moist riverside soil, then he began to measure and mix the other items in the remedy, as the father and the servant occasionally stood and watched.

He mashed it all together, and placed it in a pan on the stove top, then added some water as he heated and stirred it to cause the ingredients to blend and interact.  When he took it off the heat minutes later, he poured it into a bowl, to let it cool.

The father was not present, so Theus grabbed his bowl and a spoon, then climbed up to the girl’s room on his own, and took up his position next to the patient’s head.  He was distracted; he knew he was spending time that he wanted to spend traveling towards Amelia, but he felt determined to treat the girl and give her a chance to live again.

He propped her head on her pillow, then pulled her chin slightly to create a gap between her lips, and he began to patiently spoon his medicine into her mouth, tilting her head back to cause her to unconsciously swallow the concoction little by little.  Ten minutes later he was finished, and he placed the spoon in the empty bowl on the bedside table, satisfied with his work.

There was nothing more for him to do to help Halcyon.  She would recover on her own, he knew.  And he felt ready to move on.  He’d spent hours since his first white magic traveling step of the day, and he felt recovered – ready to take another step and move on.  He looked out the window to find the position of the sun, oriented himself accordingly, then engaged his magical use of his own energy and stepped out of the room, the building, and the village.

He arrived in an empty prairie further to the south.  He bent over at the waist, his hands on his knees, gasping for breath as a result of the use of his energy to make the journey.

The weather was pleasant, sunny and warm.  After momentarily collecting himself, he began to trudge south, unimpeded by hills or valleys or animals or men.  It was an empty expanse of land, with dormant grasses growing thigh-high.

By late afternoon, he felt largely recovered from his last great step, and he contemplated taking a third one.  He remembered the pain he’d felt the previous night, after a third journey in a day, but he felt stronger.  Perhaps it was a case of his body adjusting to the rigors of the energy usage, or perhaps it was the strength he had gained by eating a full meal at the tavern.  In either case, he knew he had decided to make the third step

He prepared himself, then delved into his own interior and grasped his energy.  It felt once again as though he was gaining an incomplete hold on the energy, but for the third step of the day, it was satisfactory, he felt.  He released his energy as he stepped forward, and then landed on his knees once again, his strength consumed by what he had done.  He eyes were cast straight downward, and were only inches from the pavement beneath him.

“What’s happening here?  Had too much to drink?” a man’s voice asked roughly.  “Get yourself in the alley at least before you get sick all over yourself; have some decency,” the voice commanded, and then Theus heard steps walking away on the pavement.

The reality of his situation suddenly registered.  He was on a paved street, with other people.  He raised his head and looked around.

He was in a narrow street, one that was lined with tidy-looking buildings made of stone and brick.   A few people were walking, though they were circling wide of his position on the side of the street.  There was no apparent end to the street.  He was in a large city, it seemed.

“Voice?  Where am I?” he asked hoarsely.

There was no answer.

Could he have reached Steep Rise already, he wondered. He might have surpassed the expectations of the Voice and traveled farther south than seemed reasonable.  He had managed to make three jumps that day and the day before, little short of a week’s worth of travel.

He hoped he hadn’t already reached his destination.  Steep Rise would be a dangerous, deadly place, and he was in no shape to defend himself.

Using the nearby wall, Theus pulled himself upright, and stood with slumped posture, as he wearily surveyed his surroundings once again.  The street he was on appeared residential, but the nearest cross street had shops, and therefore at least some promise of an inn where he might stay for the night, as well as discover his location.

The man who had chastised him on the street seemed to express the opinion of everyone else on the street who encountered him staggering along the walls of the houses, as they all gave him a wide berth, and several added looks of disgust.  Theus kept his head down and marshalled his strength as he slowly plodded forward, until he reached the corner, where he looked in both directions of the intersecting road.

He saw shops that were closed, and a pair of taverns that were open, but no inns.

The nearest tavern was very close.  It offered a place to sit, and another meal to eat, he hoped, and so he slouched his way in that direction.

When he opened the door, the room was packed with men, and a very few women.  The air was thick with smoke from both the fireplace and pipes, he judged from the aroma.  He spotted one open seat, at a table where five other men were sitting, drinking wine from a bottle they passed among themselves.  There were no other open seats visible, and his legs felt very tired, so he stepped over and sat down quietly.

“May I share your table to get dinner?” he asked the nearest man.

“Help yourself, bucko,” the man said.  “Want a swig of wine?” he took the bottle from his companion and offered it to Theus.

“No thanks,” Theus declined.

The others at the table talked among themselves and paid no more attention to Theus after he declined their wine.  A minute later a servant passed and Theus asked for a bowl of stew.

When his meal arrived several minutes later, he ate it ravenously, then breathed deeply in satisfaction.

“You didn’t offer to share with us?” the man across the table laughed.  “You look like you need another one of those!”

“I do,” Theus smiled, feeling better after his meal.  “I’ve had a long day traveling.  I just arrived in town a little while ago.

“What town is this, anyway?” he asked.

His neighbor put down the wine bottle he had been about to drink from to turn and look at Theus.  “You don’t know where you are?  Where were you trying to go?” he asked incredulously.  “Where did you come from?”

“I’ve been walking here from Great Forks,” Theus replied.  “It’s been a long, lonely trip.”

“Nobody walks from Great Forks,” the man across the table exclaimed.

“I can see why,” Theus said wryly.  “There’s nothing between here and there except for forests and grasslands, and a village or two.”

“Why didn’t you sail?” his neighbor asked.

The servant passed by at that moment, and Theus ordered a second bowl of stew.

“So why didn’t you sail?” the man repeated.

The truth wasn’t going to be the answer, Theus knew.  But a partial truth might serve.

“The last time I was sailing, pirates attacked our ship, and we were taken to Southsand,” Theus answered.

“Great gods of the waters!  And you’re still alive to tell the tale?” the man on the other side of the table exclaimed.

“I’ve got a couple of scars as a result,” Theus assured him, as his bowl of stew arrived.

He began to spoon the food into his mouth.

“Well, you’re in Exlive,” his neighbor answered the earlier question.  “Welcome.”

“How long will it take me to get to Steep Rise?” Theus asked.

“You don’t want to go there,” the man on the other side of the table said.

“There aren’t any good stories; it sounds frightening down there.  Hardly anyone goes in or comes out, but they say there are new temples to a new god, a mean and angry god, with human sacrifice,” he embellished his answer dramatically.

“Human sacrifice?” Theus asked weakly.  It was believable – unthinkable but horrifically believable.  He’d learned enough about Donal and Ind’Petro to believe that the ugly, ancient god of the south would crave sacrifice and worship, even human sacrifice.

“I have a friend there,” he spoke aloud.  “A friend who needs my help.”

“No ships sail there directly, or from there directly,” the man next to him said.  “All shipping from Steep Rise has to go through Southsand.  That’s why there’s so little news of what’s happening.”

Theus sat in silence, contemplating the news.  He suddenly had no appetite to finish his half-eaten bowl of stew.

“Is there an inn close by, some place I can spend the night?” he asked.

“Down the street to the right, near the harbor, there are plenty of inns,” one of the other men at the table spoke up.

“It’s been a long day.  I think I’ll go get a room,” Theus stood up.

“You take care young visitor.  Those are dangerous places down south; some worry they may try to move up into our city as well,” his neighbor said.  “Don’t you go down there unless you’re prepared to deal with serious trouble.”

“Thank you,” Theus appreciated the genuine concern the man expressed.  He pulled extra coins out of his purse.  “You have an extra bottle of wine on me, okay?” he plunked the coins on the table.

“Whoa ho, a generous visitor!  We’ll drink a toast in your name.  What’s your name?” the man across the table laughed.

“Theus, drink a toast to Theus, and to Amelia,” Theus answered.  “And drink a toast to Coriae too,” he impulsively added a moment later, then he turned and left the tavern.

Where had the reference to Cory come from, he wondered as he began slowly walking in the direction of the harbor.

Chapter 3

Theus awoke the next morning, sleeping in a narrow bed in a small and shabby room.  He felt refreshed, despite the state of his surroundings.  The full night’s sleep, in a warm and dry room, had been good for him, and given him renewed strength.  When he went downstairs and left the sailors’ flop house near the harbor, he saw that the sun was well above the horizon, and the morning was passing quickly.

He was in Exlive.  He’d visited the city once before, with Amelia.  Her uncle presumably was still the ambassador from Steep Rise, or perhaps not.  Once upon a time, Theus had thought he’d reach Exlive with Amelia and Amory and Redford, their guard.  The reception would have been less suspicious, he believed, if he’d had three witnesses to vouch for him.  Instead, young Amelia had simply warned him of the suspicion and intent to harm, and he’d slipped away from the embassy.  There was no point in going to the embassy to ask for news or advice, he knew.

Theus walked to the first bakery he found, and asked for a fruit tart.  A random memory of the bakery he had visited on his first day in Great Forks floated to the fore of his consciousness.  He’d never tasted such a refined and satisfying baked good as the tart he’d received on that day, a day that was only a few months past in respect to the calendar, though it felt like a lifetime in terms of the experiences he had gone through in the meantime.

He ordered a loaf of bread as well, and stuck it in his small pack.

Coriae would be appalled at his state of dress and hygiene, he was sure.  He’d not changed or washed in several days, nor was he likely to for several more.  He saw an alley across the street, and he dodged wagons and carts to step into it, while he looked up at the sun and tried to guess what direction he would travel in.  His goal was to reach the vicinity of Steep Rise without actually entering it.  He wanted to sleep outside Steep Rise, so that he could enter the city in the morning on foot in the usual manner, full of the energy he would need to be able to escape in a hurry once he found Amelia.

“Voice,” he suddenly spoke out loud.  “Voice, I have a question for you.”

“You seem to be getting along quite well,” the Voice spoke to him.

“I think so,” Theus agreed.  “I’m learning; it doesn’t feel natural, but I know what to do now.

“But I only know two things – how to travel and how to make light.  There are other things – other white magic power spells – that I should know.  What are they?

“I think I might need them soon,” he explained without pause.  “I want to know every trick possible before I get to Steep Rise.

“I hear it’s terrible there.  They say terrible things are happening in the city,” Theus reported.

“I can no longer see in the city,” there was terrible sadness in the tone of the Voice.  “Many more people are suffering because of Ind’Petro.  It is a great sadness.  I hope we will see this through,” he said.  “I will go all the way – as far as I must or can – with you to put an end to this evil madness.”

Theus paused, respectful of the pain the Voice felt.

“Can you teach me these other spells, and how to use them?” he asked again.

“They are right there in your own mind,” the Voice pointed out.  “The powers you have not accessed are invisibility, ventriloquism, and control of the wind.”

“What does ventriloquism mean?” Theus asked, puzzled by the word he had never heard used before.

“It means,” the Voice suddenly seemed to be speaking from a point behind him.  Theus whirled about at the unexpected sound, but saw no one.

“It means you can make your voice seem to come from,” the Voice spoke again, from his left side.

“Different locations,” the Voice finished from a point on his right.

“That was a demonstration,” it finished.

“That is a power?  It seems more like a trick,” Theus said doubtfully,

“I’m going to move now, then look into such powers,” he said.  “Which direction should I go?”

“South-southeast,” the Voice recommended.

Theus aimed his direction, straight at a building wall just four feet in front of him, then engaged his energy, and stepped forward, out of the city, and into a land of settled farms and ranches.  He stood in a fallow field, and saw fences that confined grazing herds of cattle.

The climate had grown warmer as he had travelled south, he realized.  He was scores of miles south of where he had begun the previous day, and the air held none of the chill that Great Forks had contained.

He saw a woodlot of mature trees on the other side of the field he stood in, and he walked towards it, tired from the use of the white magic to leave Exlive.  Once inside the forest, he sat against a tree, and closed his eyes as he sorted through the memories that had been deposited within him by the stone he’d taken from Coriae’s ring.

There were many, many memories.  Yet they all were tantalizingly blurred beyond recognition.  He could sense them but not grasp them.  Except for a few, the few he was allowed.  What was behind that curtain, he wondered.

Then the breeze spell was suddenly in the center of his attention.  He saw it, and digested its requirements, then suddenly grasped how it worked.   He would use his own body’s energy to move the air around.  It seemed as though it should be a simple spell, one that would require little use of his energy.  But it was an indirect process, he realized.

To make the air move, he had to warm the air at a different place, which would cause that air to rise.  Then the new air that would flow in to replace it would be the breeze he would create.  But in order to carry out the task, he not only had to use his own energy to heat the original air, but he then had to control the flow of the replacement air, to make sure it moved where he wanted, at the speed he wanted.

He raised his hand experimentally, and looked at the simple sight.  Then he focused on his intention to move the air around it.  He grasped his inner energy, which he found to be in short supply while he was recovering from his recent step away from Exlive.  With what he was able to grasp, he warmed the air on the back of his hand.  He felt the warmth there, and he felt the air rising.

Then he focused on replacing that departing warm air with a supply that breezed between his fingers and around his hand.

It worked.  It was simple.  At least on such a small scale.

To use it on a larger scale, to cause a wind to blow through a village, or even to blow over a single person, would require a great deal of energy he realized.  It would be the same as traveling a day’s worth of distance in a single step.

He blew air out noisily, and searched for other forms of magic.  He found the invisibility spell, and examined it as well, then practiced it.  He felt no different as he applied the spell to himself, but when he held his hand up in front of his face once again, he could not see it, nor was his view of anything beyond it obscured in any way.

He stood up.  His energy level had recovered enough to resume walking south, until he was ready to take another long step with white magic.  He wasn’t sure how far the distance was to Steep Rise – when he and Amelia had walk much of the distance they had needed a week, but they had followed the shoreline, not walked in a straight line.  Regardless, he wasn’t going to attempt more than two magical steps for that day.  He would not risk entering Steep Rise unable to defend himself.

After walking through another empty field, Theus found a narrow country road, and began to slog south at a determined rate.  He passed farm houses where people waved as he walked by, and he thought the country was a pleasant district, one that he enjoyed observing.  If the fields of the Jewel Hills had been fertile, he imagined his own part of the world would have looked very similar, with prosperous farms instead of the hard-scrabble ones he had known.

Late in the afternoon he felt ready to take his second magical step, and he propelled himself forward another score of miles, into a land that was still occupied, but more sparsely than what he had left.

He felt the whammy of decrepitude that came with the second magical movement of the day, but he kept himself from falling to the ground, as he locked his knees to stay upright.

There were mountains directly ahead of him, on the horizon in the south.  They were well lit by the setting sun in the west, a golden hue making their icy glaciers glow beautifully.

Steep Rise was built where the mountains met the sea, he remembered.  He might not be too terribly far away from the city in such a case, he knew.  He’d continue to walk, he’d graze on edible plants he found along his way, and then he’d spend a night sleeping somewhere to get a full evening’s rest before he moved towards danger the following day.

Chapter 4

In the morning, Theus rose from his resting place at the foot of a tree, ready for the beginning of his assault on Steep Rise.  He’d thought about what he would do in the city; the question had kept him awake late into the night.

The palace was his target.  He assumed that Amelia would be held in the palace.  Donal had stipulated that the palace was to have been a prime target of the invasion, and Theus guessed that the magician had set up his own residence in the royal building.  It was logical to assume that the evil acolyte of Ind’Petro was staying in the building, and holding Amelia there as well.

He intended to take a single magical step towards the city, and then find a way to enter the city, and maneuver towards the palace.  He would use the invisibility spell if needed – he suspected it would be needed.  That would allow him to get past guards and to explore the palace structure to do one, or perhaps two, things.

He would search for Amelia.  Once he found her, he would simply take the young girl in his arms and take a magical step out of the city.  He hoped.  He hoped that the white magic powers would not be thwarted by the addition of a second person; he was counting on the ability to move miles in a moment to be the key to his passage to freedom.

Whether the magical step worked or not though, if he was to find himself invisibly prowling about the palace, and he were to happen to cross paths with Donal, he would not hesitate to assassinate the monstrous magician.  In a single stroke he would be able put an end to Amelia’s anguish, as well as deprive evil Ind’Petro of his greatest proponent.  And Theus would also be able to gain some personal satisfaction from the revenge of stopping Donal.

Yet there were things that could go wrong, he knew.

“Voice, can I carry someone away while using the white magic to take a step over many miles?” he asked as he stood and faced south.

“Yes, you may do that.  You may not travel as far as you would on your own, but you will still have instantaneous travel,” the Voice’s answer was reassuring.

Satisfied, Theus looked at the mountain peaks ahead of him, and then he took his magical step forward.

He found himself breathing heavily as he stood on the side of a mountain, looking down at the city below.  The scene below seemed normal.  The chimneys belched smoke, or in many cases did not.  But there were not pillars of smoke emerging from doors or windows or burning ruins.  People seemed to walk placidly about the city, or in a few cases bustled hurriedly.  But no one seemed to be subject to pursuit or capture.

There were ships moving about in the harbor, the harbor that had once upon a time been an impregnable fortress, but now was merely an extension of the Southsand harbor, according to the men he had spoken to in Exlive.

Theus began to climb and slip down the mountainside, until he reached a trail, one that seemed suitable for mountain goats and deer.  The trail was a narrow path that wove its way downward, then merged with another path that crossed another that became a casual road into the top levels of the city at the north end.

Theus walked through the city streets, nervously and apprehensive at first.  But no guards bothered him – though guards were present in greater numbers than he had grown accustomed to seeing in Stoke or Great Forks.  He walked with ease down towards the harbor, watching and listening, finding little out of the ordinary for a city, until he reached the harbor.

One shipping warehouse had been converted to a new temple for the god Ind’Petro.  There were dark stains on the road in front of the building’s entrance, and Theus shuddered as he wondered if the stains were the blood of the victims who had been sacrificed.  Theus scuttled to the opposite side of the harbor front plaza to stay as far from the building as possible, and he noted that most others along the roadway did the same.  Once he reached the harbor, he paused and looked out at the docks.  He began to break into a cold sweat, as he thought of Donal; at that very spot, on a ship that had berthed violently at the central pier, Theus had managed to escape from Donal.  Had he not escaped, Theus had a premonition that he would have died at the hands of the evil magician.

“Voice, can you hear me?” he asked very softly, as he stood and looked out at the water.

There was no reply, as he had expected.  The power of evil, evil from Ind’Petro, or perhaps just from Donal himself, had been a barrier to the Voice, and it still was.  As fear started to invade Theus’s heart, at that very moment, he confirmed that he was once again cut off from the ally whose help he so much relied on and needed.

He could flee.  With one step he could leave the city, and go back outside its boundaries.  That would allow him to talk to the Voice to seek advice, or report on what he’d seen.  Then he could return a day later and start his infiltration of the palace anew.

But that would leave Amelia in the hands of Donal for another day.

Theus sighed.  He was nearly ready to retreat in fear from the task of rescuing Amelia.  But the girl needed his help, desperately.  And she had rescued him once, giving him the tip to flee before her uncle took action against him.  She was a young child; he felt sympathy for her, remembering that he had been her age not many years earlier.  He was still aware of the power of fear in a young child’s life.  And his own younger siblings were ranged around her age; she could have easily been one of them.  Instead, she was being fatally and painfully used by the evil magician.

But it could be a trap set for him, because Donal must have created the circumstances to allow Amelia to send a message to him.

Yet Donal wouldn’t know to expect Theus on this day, or so Theus had to hope and pray.  Because, he had decided, he was going to the palace at that moment.

Chapter 5

Theus began to stroll upward, up the broad road that wove back and forth as it climbed the hill directly from the harbor to the palace on the hillside, looking over the harbor and the city that it had ruled before the conquest by Southsand.

He walked slowly, taking his time, wanting to preserve his strength, while also delaying his arrival at the palace that he didn’t want to visit.

When he arrived at the grove of ornamental trees in front of the palace he took a turn, and began to circle around the exterior wall of the palace grounds, examining the opportunities available to enter the facility and start his search for Amelia.  The back entrance, where the wagons of goods were delivered, and wagons of waste were removed, appeared to offer the best chance.   He stepped behind a tree, out of sight of the guards at the gate, then focused on his white magic ability to turn himself invisible, and pressed the spell into action.

The energy he drew from himself felt like very little, and he knew how little it was at any one moment.  But the cumulative drain would over time grow exhaustive, he feared, and would reduce or compromise his ability to take the important magic step, the step he might need to flee to safety if his plans went astray.  He would have to try to walk about the palace without using invisibility if possible.

He hurried to the gate and right through the center of the open space, unseen by the passive guards.  He followed a drive that led to the stables of the palace, hidden behind the palace, as had been the case in Southsand too.  He wondered if that were true of all palaces, or just coincidentally a matter of the two he had seen.

The palace was a large building, though not as large as Southsand’s palace had been.  Theus opened a small side door to invisibly enter the palace, and found that he was walking into the steamy confines of the laundry.

“Who’s there?” a man’s voice asked.

Through the swirls of steam, Theus saw three men stirring vats of clothes, and running a pressing set of rollers to wring water out of items.

“Is that a shadow standing in the steam?” one of them asked.  Theus saw that the man was pointing directly at his location.  In a panic, he ducked low, then scooted away from the door.  He found himself next to a number of blue uniforms hanging on hooks; they matched the outfits the laundry workers wore.  If he posed as a servant, he reasoned, he might be able to walk the halls of the palace unchallenged, at least long enough to narrow his search down to a probable location for Amelia.

Theus released his use of the invisibility spell.  He crouched down, hidden by the steam and rows of shelves.  He quickly changed his clothes, happy to wear something new and clean.  He grabbed a pile of folded linens to carry, and slid his sword and knife in between the layers of clothes, then walked quickly to a door and departed from the warm, moist surroundings of the laundry.

“I’m new here,” he boldly decided to tell a woman several minutes later, after he roamed the halls of the palace cluelessly; he wasn’t making any progress, he realized.

“Aren’t we all?” she muttered, as she pushed a cart with a tray of food and a pitcher of drink.

“I’m supposed to deliver these for the care of the prisoners.  Which direction should I go?” Theus asked plainly.

“Which prisoners?” the woman asked.   “The ones in the dungeon, or the ones in the royal suites?”

“The royal suites.” Theus replied.

“I’ll take you part of the way there.  Follow me,” the servant shrugged.

Theus fell in behind her, glad to have the guide, and glad to have an improved disguise, as it appeared to guards at checkpoints that the two servants were traveling together.

“You just go through those doors there,” the woman pointed to the right as they passed through a lavish rotunda.  She indicated a pair of doors where two guards were stationed.

“Those doors?” Theus asked, pointing demonstrably at the pair of large gilded doors.

“Aye, that’s your place,” the woman pointed as well.

Theus stepped away from her, satisfied and hopeful.  He dawdled and watched her until she left the rotunda, then he sauntered to the checkpoint.

“She told me to deliver these linens to the prisoners,” he told the pair of guards moments later.

“Make it quick.  The magician will be here in less than an hour,” one guard said in a bored tone, as the other stepped aside and pulled the door open.

And with that he was inside the royal residential space.   He’d been blessed with extraordinary good luck, beyond belief.  In less than a half hour’s time he had entered the palace grounds and been led directly to Amelia’s cell.  Just in time too – the magician was only minutes away from visiting as well.

Theus walked down the hall, then knocked on the first door he found.

“Amelia?” he called hoarsely, without receiving a reply.

He went to the next door, and repeated the call.

And then crossed the hall to the third door.

At the fourth door, a voice responded.

“Who’s there?”  It came from an interior room, one he couldn’t see as he stood at the threshold of the entry to the royal suite.

“I’m looking for Princess Amelia,” Theus answered as he entered the first room of the suite.  The voice hadn’t sounded right; it seemed too deep to be Amelia, though there was some familiar note that sounded close to the voice he remembered the girl having.

Around a corner he stopped as he entered a large room.  Two people were in the room, and he knew them both – Amory and Redford.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in astonishment.

“You!  What did you do with my sister?” Amory asked in equal astonishment.  “You are a traitor!  You’re here working for the Southsand scum!” he charged at Theus, hands balled into fists.

“I did not betray her!” Theus answered heatedly.  He dropped his linen decoy and held his knife before himself protectively to stop Amory’s charge.

“Redford!  Attack him!” Amory commanded as he stopped beyond the range of Theus’s weapon.

“Lad, he didn’t betray Amelia; we both know that,” the body guard replied, rising from the chair where he sat.

“What are you doing here though, Theus?” Redford asked.

“I had a dream that Amelia was calling me, asking for help,” he said forthrightly.  “I have some special abilities,” he paused for a moment, then continued.  “She said that Donal the magician was taking her life powers.

“I came back to save her.   How did you get here?” he asked.

“How did the two of you even survive that storm?” Redford asked.  “I saw the girl go flying out, then you jumped in after her, and we barely were able to keep the boat from being swamped,” he explained.  “We were blown far out to sea.   Then we were picked up by a Southsand pirate of all the luck, and brought back here as prisoners.”

“We saw Amelia, from a distance,” Amory spoke up.  “Southsand raiders went to Exlive and kidnapped her from the embassy, then brought her back here.”

“We need to get all of you out of here now,” Theus declared.  “The guard told me Donal will be here any minute now.  Where is Amelia?  We can go join her, then all escape.”  He calculated that he might carry three passengers to safety, though they might only travel a few hundred yards.  Nonetheless, he could carry them all out of the palace, and out of the way of immediate danger.

“Donal’s not coming to see us.  Maybe some other magician is.  Donal is back in Southsand,” Redford told Theus.  “And he took Amelia with him.  They left a fortnight ago.”

Chapter 6

“Donal and Amelia aren’t here?” Theus repeated stupidly.  “They’re in Southsand?”

“Yes, Theus.  And we’re going to be taken there too,” Redford spoke.

There was a noise, a door that slammed in the hallway.

“That must be them coming to get us now,” Amory pronounced.  He was trying to appear brave, Theus could tell.

“We have to get you out of here,” Theus spoke urgently.  “Listen,” he looked from one to the other.  “I’ve been taught some of the secrets of white magic.  I know how to get us out of here.  We have to go now.  What direction do you want to go in?  Where can you find refuge?” he asked.

“White magic?” Redford asked skeptically.  “Maybe Amory was right to start with.  Maybe you are in cahoots with them.”

“I’m not!  This is completely different,” Theus said.  He heard the door from the hallway open.

“Come here!  Come to me now!” he urged.  He spread his arms wide in a gesture of invitation.

“Let’s go Amory,” Redford stepped up behind his orphaned prince, then pushed the boy toward Theus, as he followed.  “Better to trust the unknown with him that see what the evil ones bring.”

They reached Theus, and he wrapped his arms around them.  A man in black came through the doorway, with guards visible behind him as he entered the room.

Theus didn’t stop to check direction or consider distance or to plot his action.  He simply squeezed the two prisoners tightly against himself, then engaged his energy, and moved his foot forward.

And then they were standing at the bottom of a narrow canyon, greenery growing around them, and a small stream burbling across its rocky bed.

“Great Currense and Trinte!” Redford sacrilegiously swore.

Theus released his two sprung prisoners and stepped back, then dropped to his knees in exhaustion.

“Theus!  Are you alright!” Amory asked in alarm.

“I, just,” Theus gasped.  “That was hard.  I’ve never carried someone else before.”

“You did it – you really got us out of the palace!” Redford exclaimed.  “Where are we?”

“I don’t know; what direction was I facing when we left the palace?” Theus asked in return.

Redford squinted his eyes as he reconstructed the scene.  “You were facing east.”

“That’s the direction we traveled in, then,” Theus told him.

“We’re on the north side of Lord Krabel’s estate,” Amory concluded.

“Can you walk, Theus?” Redford asked, kneeling down next to his rescuer.

“I’ll be able in a few more minutes,” Theus replied, putting on a brave front.  He felt wrung out; the additional burden involved in transporting the two extra people had been extraordinary.  He closed his eyes and gasped for breath, while he wondered if carrying Amelia was going to be easier.  He hadn’t truly digested the fact that he would apparently have to go to Southsand to find the girl and rescue her – that in itself terrified him.  But knowing that he would suffer such pain every time he moved with her only added to his fear.

“Help me stand up, Amory,” Theus asked.  He held out a hand, and relied on the boy to help him rise to his feet.

“Lord Krabel will give us shelter and protection,” Redford mused.  “He’s been a friend of your family for a long time.  We’ll be safe tonight.  Let’s start moving to reach the castle,” he suggested.  He stepped up to take one of Theus’s arms, gripping it firmly to help the boy make the rugged trek up the canyon.

They arrived at the gate of the castle near sunset, and hid in the bushes near the entrance, debating how to enter.  They finally settled on sending Theus to the gate to ask to see the nobleman; he carried Amory’s ring as a sign of his hidden companions.

The meeting was tense at first, but Theus soon came back with cowled robes, and Redford and Amory walked in with hoods up and identities disguised, then were quickly led to an isolated corner tower, where Krabel joined them.

“How did you get here, and who is this?” the elderly nobleman asked Redford bluntly.  “The whole city knows you’re captive in the palace.”

The trio had agreed during their walk that there should be no mention of white magic.

“Theus brought disguises that helped us sneak out of the palace, and we’ve been working our way through the mountains off the road to seek refuge,” Redford explained.

“I can hide you for a night or three,” Krabel offered.  “But you know they’ll send soldiers here looking for you.  They did come to see me right after the conquest, when they were looking for the prince and princess.  They’ll be back,” he said with surety.  “You need to go further east, up into the mountains.  Many who fled the invasion have taken refuge in the district of Eastcrag.”

“If you’ll give us provisions, we’ll leave first thing in the morning to head that way,” Redford agreed.

“And if you can have some dinner sent to us here, we’ll stay quiet and out of sight tonight,” he added.

“My grand-daughter will bring a tray to you shortly.  It’s good to know you’re free, your highness,” Krabel spoke to Amory directly.  “And thank you for your help in setting him free,” he said to Theus.  He left the room, and the three escapees were alone.

“Do you trust him?” Theus asked Redford.

“I trust him.  I don’t know his staff.  He must think there’s one or more he can’t trust, because he’s sending his own flesh and blood to carry out the tricky work of delivering our food,” the guard answered.

They received a tray of hot food and ale from a young woman who kept her eyes averted when she arrived silently several minutes later.  She departed immediately without any conversation.

“If we have to flee in the middle of the night, can you carry us away?” Redford asked Theus as they sat and ate their meal.

“I’ll need some more rest to recover,” Theus explained.  “By midnight I’ll be able to take you someplace else.”

“We’ll take turns keeping watch during the night,” Redford directed, “And you can go last Theus, so you can rest, in case we need you again.”

Theus nodded gratefully.   He soon went to bed and slept soundly, until shaken awake by Amory during the dark hours of the early morning.  Theus sat by the door and watched, but nothing happened until shortly after the first rays of daylight began to creep over the horizon.

Theus sat drowsily near the door, when he heard a thumping on the door, and then it opened.

“We’ve brought food, my lord,” a serving man explained, and two other servants placed large canvas sacks on the floor next to Theus’s feet.

“Give them a tip to keep them quiet,” the Voice weakly advised.

“Hold a second,” Theus told the men.   He fumbled in his purse, and pulled coins out.  “This is for you.  Please don’t mention being here or seeing anyone here,” he said as he distributed the money.

“We’ll stay mum, your grace,” one of the men said sincerely, as they all bobbed their heads and shuffled out of the room, clutching the coins.

“It’s good to hear you, Voice,” Theus whispered.

“The power of the evil of Ind’Petro is not as strongly established in the countryside of Steep Rise yet.  I can still penetrate.  I would advise that you carry your two friends out of the castle your way, so that they are not seen, nor can be followed.”

“It takes a great deal to carry them,” Theus pointed out.

“It does, and it will delay you.  But it will make them and you and your host safer,” the Voice pointed out.

“Alright,” Theus agreed, as he bent and opened the first bag of goods.  There were hard-baked breads, sausages, and cheeses in the canvas sack.  He went and awoke the other two, then explained.

“Let’s leave now,” Theus suggested.  “I’ll use my magic to carry you to the east.”

“That’s sound thinking,” Redford agreed.  “No one will know we’re here, hardly, and Lord Krabel will be safer,” he immediately understood the reasoning.

They heard boots climbing the stairs.

“I say we go now,” Redford said, as he lifted both the sacks of food.  Theus spread his arms wide and took a deep breath.  A part of him wanted to hesitate, to protest about the pain he was about to suffer, but his two companions came into his arms, and he closed the hug.

The door latch began to lift.

Theus grasped his energy, then stepped forward, and he saw the door start to shiver open, just before he saw and stood upon a mountain trail, covered in long shadows from trees to the east.

“Well done, lad,” Redford said, holding on to Theus, who was in danger of collapsing from the strain.

“Have a seat over here,” the guard advised.  He and Amory helped Theus to a fallen tree, and all three sat down in the cool mountain air.

“Who was that coming into the room?” Amory asked.

“We’ll never know,” Redford said.  “Not until you’re on the throne and we can visit the earl again.

“When will you be able to travel?” he asked Theus.  “We’ve got a long day’s trip ahead of us, not that I want to hurry you, after what you’ve just done for us.”

“You can go on without me.  You don’t need to wait,” Theus decided.  “I’m not going east.  I still need to go south, to find Amelia.”

“You’re going down to Southsand?” Amory asked.  “It’s a deadly place!”

“You forget that I was a slave down there for a while.  I know my way around, a little bit,” he countered.  “And your sister is the reason I came in the first place.”  He thought of Great Forks, and Coriae.  He had sacrificed a great deal to rescue Amelia, a very great deal, he thought sadly.  He had to finish the mission to make it all worthwhile.

“You go on,” he urged.  “I’ll just rest until I can go my own way,” he assured them.

“You’ve been a blessing lad, a real blessing,” Redford said appreciatively.

“When I’m the king, I’ll name you as an earl, or a baron,” Amory said loyally.

“When you’re the king, maybe I can come live in the palace with you and Amelia, and be her personal bodyguard,” Theus grinned at the boy.  He was glad to hear Amory voicing the belief that he would be king someday, would overcome all the adversity he faced.

Redford lifted the bags of food.  “Do you want some of this for your own journey?” he asked.

Theus selected some of the hard bread and a sausage.  “It won’t take me long to reach Southsand,” he explained why he took so little.

“Here,” he suddenly realized that they were both weaponless.  He gave Redford his knife, and the man thanked him again.

They wished one another good luck again, and then the two escapees lifted their bags of supplies onto their backs, and they began to walk east on the trail, out into the mountains that hemmed Steep Rise up against the harbor, out in search of safety among the refugees and followers they hoped to lead.

Theus sat alone, resting, and listening to the birds sing, and the sounds of small animals rustling among the leaves on the ground.  He would have to start soon.  He could begin to walk back towards the west, or he could simply sit and rest.

He closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as his body recovered from holding down the third shift of the overnight watch, followed by the strain of the white magic escape from the castle.

When his chin slid off his hand he jerked awake, over an hour later.  The sun was higher in the sky, and he sat alone on the trail.  He felt better, refreshed but not yet fresh.  He needed more time to restore his energy.  For the first time, for just a moment, he had an inkling of why the black magicians resorted to stealing energy from other people.  It removed the limitations that constrained their abilities.

He shook his head, ruefully knowing that it was a horrible thing to think.  But there had to be some way to overcome the limits of the amount of energy a person could produce and use, he felt sure.

Theus stood up.  He felt too restless to sit still.  The path beckoned him.  He would walk some distance, just to make some progress, primarily to help the time pass until he felt ready to take one of the great magical steps to the south to resume his journey towards Amelia.

He thought about Amelia, the sweet little girl who he had known.  They had spent days together walking to safety, and he had gotten to know her fairly well.  She was in the process of growing up, sometimes shy, sometimes bossy, sometimes free and open, while at other times conscious of her dignity and station.  He felt personal pain as he imagined her suffering from the attacks by Donal.

When he had walked long enough and far enough, he decided he had regained enough energy to engage his magical powers.  He prepared himself and then stepped towards the south.  He found himself on a different mountain, one that was steeper, and rockier, less clad in green.  He fell down onto all fours, and bowed his head as the bright sun poured down upon his back, its powerful rays warming him as he gasped for breath.

Two trips.  He’d already taken two trips with the white magic that day, and the sun was not yet even to high noon.  He was going to drive himself to travel a third time, he knew.  He’d wasted one trip going east.  The trip had not been wasted, he told himself, and he knew it was true.  He’d helped to save two lives.

What would it be like to return to Southsand, he wondered.  And how would he approach it?

Could he risk appearing in the palace kitchen, to ask for help?

Some would help him.  But some would be too fearful to.  And anyone who was caught helping him would suffer terribly, he had no doubt.

He wouldn’t put any of his friends at risk if he could avoid it.  Better to keep them safe from harm.  And he was still a good distance away from them, in any event.

When he finally felt his strength had returned, he rose to his feet and started to walk in a southerly direction.  He found a path, one that happened to lead him south.  Even better, it happened to have a long downhill incline, and he was happy and able to follow it as it twisted and slanted and turned.  It always followed a general direction south, even though it sometimes twisted east or west as the topography of the mountainside directed.

By midafternoon, he had reached the bottom of a valley, and the path turned to the west, following a watercourse between the mountains.  Theus stayed on the path, pleased to walk in the cool shade that enveloped the valley.  He stopped to drink the water, and ate plants he recognized along the way, while snacking on slices of the sausage and bread that Redford had given him from the travel food they carried.

He thought he felt ready to try to carry out his third white magic travel step of the day.  Once he accomplished it he would be wrecked for the rest of the day – without the energy to find shelter or protect himself in the event of need, and so he hesitated to commit himself to the next stage of travel for a long stretch of time.

Finally, as Theus thought of Amelia being touched and tortured by Donal, he concluded that he had to push himself.  Without giving himself time to reconsider, he hastily grasped his energy, faced south, and took a step.

He landed on a stony shoreline, in a desolate place where waves crashed against the base of rocky cliffs and sea birds circled overhead, crying raucously under a cloudy sky.

Theus was so exhausted he collapsed flat on the shingles of stone that paved the beach.  The waves were rising along the shoreline to within twenty feet of his position as he lay drained by his journey; he didn’t move as the tide slowly came in and the waves stretched higher and higher, until they started to splash their salty foam into his face.  Then he struggled to rise to a crawling position, and moved himself up the beach to the base of the cliff, several yards away.  He sat with his back against the face of the stones, atop a pile of rubble, and watched the tide continue to rise for another hour.

The foaming water began to recede before it reached him, and once he saw that – despite his wet and weary state – he fell asleep with the setting sun shining in his face.

Chapter 7

When Theus awoke, the waves on the western sea were reflecting the sunlight from the rising sun in the east, causing flashes of light to appear briefly across most of his field of vision.  He sat and sleepily stared at the lights until the sun rose to a higher angle and the reflections no longer splashed their prismatic colors.

It was time for him to move on, he knew.  He would do best to make his first step of the day as early as possible, so that he would have time to recover.  He opened his small pack of supplies, nearly empty, and drew out the sausage again, then took bites directly from the piece of meat, not trying to preserve any of it for a later meal.  He was hungry, extremely hungry, a result of making so many magical steps and draining so much of his body’s energy away.  His stomach looked small, and when he ran a hand along his torso he felt his ribs beneath his skin.

Theus remembered his upbringing on the farm in the Jewel Hills.  There had been many days when he’d only had a few bites of potatoes for a meal, and even a few days when he’d had two meals instead of three.  Times had often been lean on the farm.  He thought of his family, and hoped he’d be able to get back to visit them again.  Maybe after Amelia was rescued, he told himself.  He no longer could imagine himself going back to Great Forks; that future was gone.

At last he stood up and stepped out onto the beach.  He turned and faced southeast, hoping he was pointed in the right direction, then engaged his powers, and took a step.

He found himself on another beach, one where fisherman’s boats were pulled up on a sandy beach.

“Where’d you come from?” a fisherman was sitting in the prow of a beached boat, mending his nets.  Theus had emerged onto the beach scene little more than ten feet from the man.

“I was up north,” Theus answered vaguely, between gasps, as he doubled over in fatigue from the strain of the magical exercise.  After a second of recovery, he slowly unbent himself.

“Are you feeling okay?” the man asked, concerned by Theus’s posture.

“I’m going to be okay,” Theus took a deep breath.  “I just need to keep walking,” he spoke as he prepared to continue.  “Which way is it to Southsand, and how far?”

“I don’t know if you can walk,” the fisherman told him, “but if you can, you’ll need an hour to get to the fishing docks that way.”

“I’ll make it,” Theus grunted.  “Thanks,” he began as he started a stiff-legged gait past the boat and along the dunes of the sandy beach.

The trip took him an hour and a half, but he arrived back on the fringes of the city that had planted so much pain and terror in his soul.  He walked past the fishermen’s docks to the city wall, and passed through a gate without being questioned as he entered the city proper.

He was near the commercial docks, and he found his way to the fish market that he had visited on several occasions with Molly and Torella and Kurfa.  From there he knew he could meander through the city to the vicinity of the palace in a matter of several minutes.  And once he was there, his fears and nightmares would await him on the other side of the palace wall, daring him to enter and face Donal.

He bought a serving of hot fried fish and potatoes from a vendor at the market, then sat on a half wall and watched people walking by while he ate the sustenance and continued to rest his body, so that he might regenerate all the energy he would need to carry out his scheme to find Amelia in the lair of the deadly magician.

He finished his meal, wiped his hands on his pants, then began walking towards the palace.  He crossed over the Kipping Bridge, and passed the blue housing square where Gance the doghandler and Losa his wife lived, in the apartment where Theus had treated Losa’s deadly goiter.

He entered the market there, and saw a vendor selling staves.  He quickly bought one with little haggling.  He didn’t care about the price, but the feel of having the staff as a weapon in his hands gave him great comfort, and he walked on towards the palace with slightly more confidence.

When he reached the vicinity of the imposing gate through the palace walls, he stepped into the shadows of an alleyway and stood, staring at the place that he feared would become a death trap for him.  Not until his final hours there had he realized how completely evil and dangerous Donal had been, a feral being that spread pain and death and destruction and evil.  He dreaded the need to go inside the palace, yet it was the place he was destined to enter.

He looked around to ensure that no one was watching him, then he turned within himself and brought his energy out to allow him to grow invisible.  It would get him through the gate; it would get him into the palace.  But would it fool the powerful black magician?  Theus had no illusions that he would be able to fool Donal; the evil man undoubtedly knew every trick and deceit that had ever been practiced.

He lifted his staff over his head, to avoid knocking it against any of the other people walking in the plaza or through the gate, and he started walking carefully towards the gate, swerving and turning and slowing as needed to avoid collisions with people who did not see or react to his approach.

He darted into the center of the gateway opening, the guards and the other travelers at the gate oblivious to his passage, and then ten steps later, he was inside the palace walls.

His fear made him stop and listen, to see if any alarm went off.  If the powers of the magicians were such that they could track and punish runaway slaves via the enchanted collars such as Theus had been made to wear, he suspected and feared that some magical sentry would detect his entrance.  He stepped forward to avoid a wagon pulling out of the palace, and waited longer, but no evidence of detection arrived.  At last, he concluded he was safe to move on.

Theus turned to the left, and began to follow his usual path along the outside ring road that circled the palace.  He walked slowly as he pondered taking a risky chance.  He could feel the use of the invisibility spell slowly seeping his stored energy away, faster than his body was replenishing his supply.

He could cease to use the invisibility power for a while.  The chances were good that he could walk visibly, and be assumed to simply be one of the palace slaves running an errand.  He could conserve his energy.

There was a way to use such a ruse to even gain entry to Donal’s chambers, without using any of his white magic energy in the process, he suddenly considered.  He had once been able to deliver a meal to Donal’s tower, and penetrated deep inside the chamber by simply carrying a platter of plates.

No one would doubt that such a delivery was expected; no one would believe that anyone would go to the magician’s tower voluntarily.

Theus could save his energy, he realized, by walking with a plate of food, as if it were a delivery, and thus not use any power until he was inside the tower.  Once there, he could become invisible and search for Amelia, then when he found her, the two of them would exit by the use of a magical step.

It sounded plausible in his head.  He continued to walk and think, moving around the palace grounds while he tried to poke holes in his concept.  If he were discovered early, he’d be able to whisk himself away to freedom before capture.  He could analyze his mistakes, and try again.

There was no one nearby, no one to expose him if he became visible.  He looked around in all directions, at the wall on one side, and the yard and palace on the other, with the roadway empty behind him, and someone traveling away from him in front.

He stopped, ceased to create his invisibility, then stood and waited for a reaction.  No reaction occurred.  There were no shouts.  He breathed another sigh of relief, happy to no longer be draining his power.  Someday he would fill an entire memory stone with the story of his quest to save Amelia, he promised himself.

He began to walk, heading towards the kitchen, the friendly confines that he knew relatively well – better than any other part of the palace.  He would face some difficulty in explaining what he was doing back in the palace, but he felt sure that no friends would betray him; no one would have time to before he would already have let himself into Donal’s realm.

He might get to see Letta again, the kind and wonderful overseer who had trusted him and allowed him to thrive.  And he would see Torella, the slave girl who had been as close to him as the circumstances allowed during their few days together.

His heartbeat accelerated momentarily at the thoughts, and he lowered his head, then increased his speed, and continued his walk to where the delivery drive offered a path directly to the kitchen.  Minutes later he arrived at the steps that led up to the kitchen, the steps he had stumbled up on his first day of arrival as a new slave in the palace.

He recollected the bloody mess he’d made on the paving stones after he’d sliced open his infected limbs and allowed the pus and blood to drain.  Afterwards, he had concocted the salve necessary to heal the wounds and stop the infection.  And after that, Letta had considered him a healing genius, and had applied his skills to many challenges.

He climbed up the stairs, then entered the storage room between the kitchen proper and the door.  And then, with tense muscles and tight lips, Theus stepped into the kitchen and looked around.

The first person he saw was Torella, working at a counter, prepping some food that was to be cooked in the future.  It was likely to be part of the dinner that would be served that night, Theus guessed.  He ignored everyone else in the kitchen as he kept his head low and his face hidden while he quietly snuck up behind the girl and placed his hands over her eyes from behind.

“Guess who,” he whispered softly.

“I know that fragrance, but it can’t be,” Theus felt her tremble, and he heard the excitement in her voice before she twisted around and freed her eyes from his fingers, then threw her arms up around his neck and hugged him tightly, with a squeeze so tight that it began to hurt.

“You’re alive!” she screamed loudly.

“Sssh!” Theus immediately hissed.  “Stay quiet!”

“You’re alive,” she repeated softly.

“What are you doing here?  Where have you been?” she asked.  Torella backed away from him, only far enough to gaze upon his face.  “We all thought you were dead.”

“I will be if Donal hears that I’m here,” Theus told her.  He shifted his position so that he slouched down, and had his back to the rest of the kitchen while facing Torella.

“I escaped from Donal when he took me as his slave to Steep Rise for the invasion.  When I was there, I met a little girl and her brother, and I helped them escape too.  But now Donal has the girl, and I’m here to try to set her free,” Theus explained quickly.

“Theus, run for your life!  Run while you can.  You’re never going to see that little girl again, not if Donal has her.  You know that, and I know that,” Torella said fervently.

“I’m going to run, as far and as fast as I can,” Theus confirmed.  “But I’m going to try to set Amelia free first, and I need help.

“Will you help me?” he asked.  “It’s just a little thing.”

“Oh Theus, how can I have anything to do with the magicians?  After they took you, Ruune and I were in pain for a fortnight after the things they did to us.  They terrify me,” she whispered.

Theus heard sounds behind him, as someone else began to work in the kitchen.

“Just give me a couple of plates of food,” Theus lowered his voice.  “I just want a couple of plates to carry into Donal’s tower, so I look like I’m making a delivery.  Once I get in the tower, I’ll search to try to find her.”

“Do you remember what it was like in that tower?” Torella hissed.  “How can you even think of going there?”

“Just help me Torella, please,” Theus was fearful – Torella was playing to his fear.  But he was determined to see the task through after coming so far.  “I healed Ruune for you, didn’t I?”

“Oh Theus,” the girl was hurt by Theus’s decision to pressure her with the reminder of what he’d done for her.  “Of course you did.  I’ll help you.  Do you want the plates now?  I’ll go get them.”

Theus nodded, and Torella left him.  He felt both sorry that he had pressured the girl by bringing up Ruune’s healing, and sorry that he’d had to use it, sorry that she hadn’t instantly volunteered to assist.

A minute later Torella returned with two plates carrying complete meals.

“They’re ready.  Let’s go,” she said.

“You don’t have to go,” Theus explained.  “I just wanted the plates; I’ll carry them.  You don’t have to go.  I wasn’t expecting that.”

Torella’s eyes widened, then began to tear.  “You’re not going up there alone, are you?” she asked.  “You’ll never come down.”

“You may not see me, but I’ll escape,” he assured her.  “I’ve learned some tricks.  Now,” he looked over his shoulder at the butcher who was carving chops from a slab off meat.  “Go distract him so he doesn’t see me go.

“And thank you Torella,” he added.  “I wish the world was different.  I wish I could have known you,” he paused, “better,” he failed to come up with a word to describe the sense of potential that was unrealized in their relationship.

The small girl, began to tear up again, but rose and kissed him gently, then left him to carry out her task of distracting the butcher.

Theus lifted his plates, and began to walk slowly as he watched Torella walk over to the butcher, then take a position on the opposite side of the man and begin to speak to him in a low voice.  Theus hastened his pace and passed by.  He and Torella exchanged a momentary glance, one that was interrupted as the girl shut both her eyes for a long moment, as if holding back tears, and then Theus was at the door and out of the kitchen.  He was on his way to Donal’s tower.

He kept his head down, and facing towards the wall as he walked, not wanting anyone to recognize him by chance.  He remembered the way through the palace, passing the landmarks he recognized, and minutes later he ventured down the passageway that led to Donal’s tower.

There were guards at the foot of the stairs, but they negligently waved Theus past as he lifted the plates to demonstrate his reason for approaching the tower, and he began the lonely climb up the steps that led to the chambers of evil.  He slowly climbed each flight of stairs, then paused to rest.  He wanted his energy level to be as high as possible once he entered the magician’s rooms, and he wanted his legs to feel as fresh as possible so that he could run and sprint to evade detection or attack, if needed.

He entered the darker upper portions of the stairwell, and slowed even more, but at last reached the top level, where the walkway to the door circled around to reach a guard in front of a torch-lit doorway.  His staff was strapped on his back, but he took no comfort in the presence of the physical weapon; it was of little use in Donal’s world.

The guard was a different man from the one Theus had seen before, but he had the same empty-faced expression, and gestured mechanically in the same way as the previous guard, allowing Theus to take his deceitful delivery inside the chambers of Donal.

It happened sooner than he realized.  Theus stepped through the doorway, the door closed, and he found himself within the lair of his worst nightmare.  His throat was suddenly dry, and his heart felt as though it was racing.  Theus paused, trying to recollect his travels within the confines of the magician’s chambers in the past.

He had seen a dead victim of Donal hauled away from a door on the very floor he was on; he had only to travel a few feet around a corner to reach that door.  And he had found himself a prisoner in the tower, but he didn’t know what level he had been held on.  He only knew that he had climbed several sets of stairs to ascend from his prison cell to the formidable chamber at the crown of the tower, the chamber where windows gave views in all directions from the round space; it was the chamber where Theus had tried to fight back against Donal, and been painfully put in his place.

Theus heard a set of boots walking in a hallway somewhere nearby, and panic rose in his throat.

He stepped forward, impetuously deciding to try to seem as if he was simply making a delivery.  The short hallway he was in ended at a tee crossing, and as he turned right, headed towards the door he had decided he would enter, a voice called out from the hallway extension on the left.

“What are you doing here, boy?”

Theus gasped, and then fell to his knees and kept his face down.

“I was told to deliver these meals from the kitchen, my lord,” he spoke in a voice with a higher pitch than his own, wanting to disguise every aspect of his identity.

“Who ordered them?” the man asked.  Theus refused to look up at his face.

“They didn’t tell me, my lord.  They said to deliver them as quickly as possible.  I’ve hurried here.  Where would you like me to put them?” Theus asked.  “Shall I leave them here and leave your chambers?”

“I can’t tell you where to put them if I don’t know who ordered them,” the magician’s servant said in annoyance.  “Stand up and follow me; we’ll find out where they belong.”

Theus slowly rose to his feet while still holding the plates and still keeping his face down.

“And look at me, you ragamuffin!” the servant added in annoyance.

Theus raised his head, and looked at the servant.  His eyes widened, just as the servant’s did.  They recognized one another.  The servant had been one of the men who had followed Donal on the trip to Steep Rise; he had manhandled Theus as needed.

There was no time for anything but an instinctive reaction.  Theus slammed the two plates of food together on either side of the servant’s head, a messy, noisy splatter and clatter that dropped the man to the floor, unconscious.

Theus stared down in astonishment, unable to comprehend that he had acted so quickly.  Doom was about to descend upon him, he was sure – his muddled wits told him so.

He listened for sounds of reaction and outrage to emerge from the walls around him.

There was nothing.

His senses restored themselves, and he began to react to the unexpected confrontation.  He looked up and down the halls, then ran to the nearest door, the door he had planned to explore in the first place – the door he had seen a dead prisoner carried out from.   It would be a good place for him to hide his unconscious first victim, if it was nothing else.

Theus opened the door, and as he did, a man stood on the other side, his own hand reaching for the latch to open it.  The pair looked at each other in astonishment.

“Who in the name of Morienette are you?” the man asked.  He glanced down the hall and saw the recumbent figure of the man Theus had knocked unconscious.

It was time for a fight, Theus knew.  He reached over his shoulder to draw his staff free, with a plan to swing it directly from his back into the head of his new nemesis.

But instead, the man raised his hand, and Theus vaguely saw a flash of light, then felt terrible pain.

“Warders!” the man shouted, as Theus fell to the ground in excruciating pain.  “Warders, to the main hall at once!  At once!” he shouted.

“I don’t know who you are, or why you’re here.  We don’t have many visitors, and none who are voluntary.  We’ve certainly never had anyone stupid enough to try to break into Donal’s tower,” he spoke in a softer voice as he bent low over Theus.  “But I believe we’ll have to question you to find out what this is all about.  In the meantime, you can stay in our guest quarters and contemplate your remaining, short life.”

Theus heard the tramp of boots approaching rapidly.

And then he passed out.

Chapter 8

Theus woke up in a cell, and vomited in a corner.  He was in pain, terrible pain, as a result of the magical attack by the magician he had run into.  His cell was pitch black, and all he could do at first was moan and crawl across the floor until he quickly ran into a wall.

His memories came back to him, and he understood where he was, and what had happened.  He was in a cell, one probably like the one he had been held in before.  And he was there because his poorly-planned venture into Donal’s territory had run into trouble.

He sat against the wall, in pain, and rested, trying to find the strength to improve his circumstances.  After several minutes, he heard a noise, and a light appeared at the barred window in his door.  He sensed a person behind the light, though he could not see the person through the glare.

“Well, you’re apparently quite a special find,” a voice rasped.  “They say that Donal himself is hurrying back to the palace to see you.  He’s very, very interested in you,” the voice cackled, and then the light faded away.  “He’s been outside the city sending a group of the lesser magicians on a quest to a place far away, but he wants to get back as quickly as he can – just for you.”

Theus felt new fear, and the fear was a motivation.  He was not going to let himself be subjected to Donal’s torture, he told himself.  With full focus of his attention, he forced himself to stand up, then he forced himself to grasp his energy, and he made the tip of his finger glow, giving him illumination in the prison cell.

He tested his cell door; it was secure and unmovable.  He could simply take his magical step and leave the cell, he decided, as he checked on his ability to grasp sufficient energy within himself.  But once he left, he was not going to ever come back to the tower, he knew.  Never.  If he didn’t find Amelia at that moment, he would never be able to steel himself to voluntarily enter the tower of horror again.

“Amelia?  Amelia!” he shouted out through the portal in his door.  “Amelia, are you here?”

“Shut up down there!” the guard shouted.  Theus heard a chair scrap across the floor, and then the sound of boots walking towards his cell.

He hastily dowsed his light, then turned his energy to a new task, making himself invisible.

Perhaps he could trick the jailer into opening the door, he reasoned.

He became invisible, which is what he had planned to do in the first place, when he had first imagined that he would enter the tower.  If he had been invisible, he wouldn’t have been caught and thrown into a cell, he told himself.

The jailer’s light suddenly was at the window in his door, illuminating his cell.

“Hey, where is he?” the man asked in surprise.  “Where did he go?” the note of surprise was replaced by a note of panic.

The light left the door, as the jailer began to hurry back down towards his desk.

Torella would be crying for him if she saw his situation, Theus oddly thought of the girl from the kitchen at that moment.

He dropped his use of his energy for invisibility, then decided to try something risky, something he hadn’t practiced.

He would see if he could command the ventriloquism spell.  He hadn’t tried it, but he had heard the Voice demonstrate it.  It would be useful at the moment he was imprisoned.

He found the spell and applied his energy to it.

“Where is my prisoner?” he focused his voice down at the far end of the hall.  “I want to see him.  Bring him to me.”

“My lord, where are you?” the jailer shrieked out the question, caught by surprise by the bodiless voice.  Theus saw the light from the lantern swing wildly as the man twirled about looking for his master.

“My location is of no consequence to you.  Go open the cell and bring the prisoner to me,” Theus thundered.

“My lord, the prisoner is gone.  His cell is empty.  I do not know what happened to him.  I checked on him just moments ago,” the jailer pleaded.

“If he is gone, you will suffer.  Go find him and bring him to me,” Theus ordered, his voice relocated to a spot near the ceiling by the jailer.

“I’ll try, my lord,” the jailer vowed.  “I’ll try my best for you.”

Theus heard boots walking again.  He released his ventriloquism spell, and stood expectantly by the door.

“How did you get back?  Where did you go?” the jailer asked in astonishment as he peered in at Theus.

“I’ve been here all along,” Theus answered mildly.  He was in a hurry, a desperate hurry; he could not afford to be present when Donal arrived.  But he had to maintain a calm appearance while dealing with the unfortunate guard.

Theus focused his energy, ready to throw his voice again.  He turned his head away from the guard, to hide his lips, as he spoke words that sounded in the hallway immediately outside the cell.  “Bring my prisoner to me now!”

“Come on you, out of the cell now, and no tricks!” the guard immediately snarled.

Theus complied as the guard backed out of the cell, holding his lantern.  The pair emerged out in the wide corridor that was lined with cells.  Theus was a step closer to freedom.

As soon as he cleared the doorway, Theus grasped his energy, and cloaked himself in invisibility.

“Where are you, boy?” the jailer rasped angrily.  “You come out of that cell, now!”

The jailer started to step back towards the doorway, as Theus stepped to the side and studied the man intently.  He spotted the large ring of keys on the man’s belt, and grabbed them, ripping them away from the jailer, while a moment later Theus slammed the jail door closed; it struck the jailer with full force and knocked the man unconscious.

Theus hurriedly dragged the jailer into the cell he had just vacated and closed the door.  He picked up the lantern the man had dropped on the floor.

“Amelia?” he called loudly, his voice echoing through the long chamber.  He stepped over by a pair of doors.  Amelia?” he repeated.  “Where are you?  I’ve come to save you!”

“Here!” a voice answered from down the hall.  “Who is it?  I’m here!”

Theus walked down several steps in the direction of the answer.

“Call again,” he shouted.  There were sounds of movement and voices in several cells, he realized.

“Amelia?” he called.

“I’m here!  Help me!” the answer was nearby; Theus identified the direction, and ran to the cell door.

“I’m here.  Just a moment,” he spoke excitedly as he selected one of the keys from the jailer’s ring and placed it in the lock.  The key didn’t fit.  Theus put down the lantern on the floor, so that he had both hands free, then he selected a second key.

“Amelia, it’s me, Theus.  I’ve come to rescue you,” he explained as he tried putting the second key in the lock.  It fit, but didn’t turn.

The room looked strange, as the light on the floor illuminated all things upward, and long shadows stretched up towards the ceiling.  No light breached Amelia’s door, and her window remained a dark square.

“Theus?” her voice was husky and full of wonder.  “How did you get here Theus?  Why are you here?

“I’m so glad to see you!”

Theus tried placing a third key in the door lock.  As he did, he heard boots stomping the floor, a single set of boots approaching the prison corridor.

Theus jiggled the key frantically, and it turned.  There was a click, and the door started to swing open.  At the same time, the door to the corridor, the door from the outside, also began to swing open.

Amelia started to leap out of the cell, but at the same time, Theus was frantic to get out of sight.  He pressed her back and leaped into the prison cell with her, pulling the door shut behind him, and locking them both into place.

“Theus!” the girl cried.  Theus felt confused in the darkness.

“What mischief do we have here?” a deep voice asked from out in the hallway.  It was Donal.

“Amelia?  Is that you?” Theus asked.

“I sense something has changed,” Donal’s voice sounded very close.

“Oh Theus!  You’re a captive too!  I’m so sorry,” Amelia answered.

“Come here and hug me,” Theus demanded.

The door to the cell began to rattle.

Theus felt the girl’s body press against his.  Something was different.

The room filled with light, as the door opened.

Theus grasped his energy in panic, and took a step forward.

He and Amelia left the prison cell.

Chapter 9

Theus was standing on a mountainside, amidst scrubby bushes, holding a beautiful woman in his arms.

She was not Amelia.

She had honey brown hair that barely reached her shoulders, and a tattered green gown that was stretched tightly across her body, splitting open at some seams.  She was nearly as tall as Theus.  She was beautiful.

Theus began to cry.  He was exhausted from the use of the white magic, and he felt weak.

He’d done so much, and pressed his own courage beyond its limits to go into Donal’s lair, in order to save Amelia.  He knew he’d never be able to make himself undertake the nerve-wracking ordeal again.  And he’d failed to set Amelia free.

“What is it dear?” the woman asked soothingly.  Her hands began to stroke his cheek and his hair.  “What’s wrong?  Where are we?  How did we get here?”

“I went to rescue Amelia, the princess of Steep Rise, and I’ve set the wrong person free,” Theus sniffled, as he brought his crying under control.  “I’m glad you’re free, but you’re not the person I went to rescue.”

“I am Amelia!” the woman answered.  “Don’t you recognize me?”

“Amelia was a girl, a sweet young girl,” Theus replied with ragged breaths.  “And you’re a woman, a beautiful one.”

“It’s me, Theus,” the woman said insistently.  “The girl who you made walk in the wilderness in her shift.  The girl you took to Exlive.  The girl who warned you to escape from my uncle.

“Theus, it’s me!” the woman exclaimed.  She grasped him in a tight, intimate hug.  “And you’ve rescued me.

“But how did you do it?  Where are we?  How did we get here?” she asked.

Theus slumped.  He removed himself from her hug, then settled down to the ground, dropping into a sitting position, his head propped up by hands holding his face.

“Are you alright?” Amelia asked, crouching down low in front of him, her hands soothing his head once again.

“I’m exhausted,” he answered.  Confusion was like a thick, impenetrable cloud in his brain.  He couldn’t think, he couldn’t decipher, he couldn’t reason.

“Using the magic to move like that exhausts me, especially when I carry someone,” he told the girl.

She sat down beside him.

“You used magic?” her voice was full of awe.  “Of course you did; that’s how we got here, wherever here is.  What did you do?  Did you steal some of Donal’s?”

Theus raised his head and stared at the girl.  Her face was full of wonder.  She was looking at him with an openness that showed no guile.  She was Amelia, he realized.  She was still a young girl inside, still innocent in ways, still trusting him.

“Donal used his powers to steal some of your life, didn’t he?  He made you age; you’ve grown up, at least your body has,” Theus explained to her, but really to himself as he spoke out loud.

“Yes,” Theus saw the pain in her face, and he heard it in her voice as she spoke.  “Please, let’s not talk about that.”

“I know,” Theus stretched an arm around Amelia the woman, and hugged her warmly, protectively.  “I have felt it too, I know.

“I have some white magic abilities now,” he told her, to change the subject and to answer her earlier question.  “The biggest thing I can do is move a long way in a single step.  But it takes a lot of energy out of me.  I’m a wreck right now,” he admitted.

“You did this all on your own?” Amelia asked wonderingly.  “Did you come to fight Donal?  To use your white magic against his black magic?”

“I came to save you,” Theus answered softly.  “I heard you in my dreams, and I came back to save you.  I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner to protect you.”

“Oh Theus,” Amelia said softly.  She leaned in against him and kissed his cheek, then pressed her cheek against his.  “You are the greatest hero ever!  You’ve saved my life over and over.

“And of course, I saved your life too,” she spoke in a more practical tone.  “I warned you about my uncle’s plan,” she separated their faces, then rested her head on his shoulder.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“I have to recover.  When I take a step like that, I need hours to get my energy back.  We can walk for a while, starting in a few minutes, and later today,” he looked up to check the position of the sun.  It was only midday; he would have time to regain his strength so they could take another magical long step.  “Later today we’ll move by magic.”

“Where will we go?  Are you taking me someplace safe?” Amelia’s voice had a note of trepidation; the girl was fearful, still affected by the horror of being in Donal’s control.

“We’re in the mountains north of Southsand now.  I was planning to take us north,” he told her.

“These are the Greentree Mountains.  I learned that from my tutor,” Amelia told him.  “They go from Southsand past Steep Rise and all the way up to Greenfalls.  They change names there and they’re called the Wallchick Mountains.  Isn’t that a funny name?”

He could feel her voice, as her head rested on his shoulder; it resonated within his own flesh.  It felt intimate.

“We’ll go to Stoke,” he decided on the spur of the moment.  She would be safe there.  It was someplace he could take the girl and find a refuge for her.

“That will be fun; I’ve never been there before,” she murmured.

“Theus?” she asked a moment later.

“Yes?” he waited for her question.

“Will you get me some new clothes?  These are so dirty, and they feel so uncomfortable,” she switched topics with surprising speed.

Theus rose up, dislodging her head from his shoulder, and he swung his pack off his back, then opened it and reached inside.  He pulled out a set of clothes, clothes that he had carried since he’d left Coriae in Great Forks.  They were sized to fit him, but in her new physical state, they would be approximately correct for Amelia.

“These are man clothes,” he warned.  Her dress was tight on her, he could see.  It must be uncomfortable.

“Oh, thank you!” she squealed with delight like a little girl.  She was a little girl, he had to remind himself, despite the very undeniable evidence to the contrary.

She snatched the clothes from his hand and unrolled them to inspect them, then turned her back to him.  “Would you please unbutton my dress?  I can’t wait to change!”

Theus looked at the line of small buttons that descended from her neck to the small of her back.  He awkwardly fumbled with the top button, and took several seconds to finally open that first button.  He fumbled his way down the row, his fingers brushing against her skin with each effort.

“Are they difficult, or do you have sausages for fingers?” Amelia giggled as she teased Theus.

Her flesh felt soft and vibrant to his fingers, and he blushed as he sat behind her and struggled with his task.

“There, is that enough?” he asked after opening slightly more than half the buttons.

“Turn around and I’ll see,” she instructed him.  Though still physically wrung by the use of the white magic, he gladly rose from his seat with a groan, then slowly stepped away from Amelia.

There was a rustling sound, and a series of soft grunts, then more rustling, and more grunts.

“How is it going?” Theus asked.

A mass of cloth struck the back of his head, then flowed and draped over his face.  He reached up and pulled it away, seeing that it was Amelia’s former dress.

“You can look now,” she said primly.

Theus turned and stared.  Despite the shapelessness of the wrinkled clothes, Amelia’s unnaturally age-advanced appearance managed to shine her femininity through the drab outfit she sported.

“You make those clothes look so much better than I ever could,” Theus tried to conceal the impact of studying her pose.

“Well, I hope so,” she declared pertly.  “You just slouch along, without even trying to stand straight or use good posture,” she accused him.  He felt mildly insulted, and his face must have displayed his feeling.

“I mean that you’re such a hero, and no one would ever know.  You don’t swagger about,” Amelia skipped over to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.  “And you are a wonderful hero,” she reassured him.  “You’re my hero; I think I’ll make you the champion someday – the queen’s champion.

“I’ll have to be queen someday, when we win the war and reconquer Steep Rise to set it free.  I know Amory must have died at sea with Redford,” her face was pained as she admitted she had lost hope for her brother.

“No!” Theus interrupted her excitedly.

“No, you won’t be my champion?” Amelia asked in shock.

“No, ‘no’ you won’t be queen – Amory is alive!  I saw him and Redford.  I helped set them free!” he told her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Amelia exclaimed.  She hugged Theus again, a tight rapturous embrace, then kissed him on the cheek again.

“That’s one good thing about being older, I suppose,” she mused.  “I’m the right height to kiss you whenever I want.”  She proceeded to peck him on both cheeks, the nose and the chin.

“Amory is alive?” she asked at last.

“And Redford too.  Their boat was picked up and they were made prisoners in Steep Rise; they said they saw you there.  I went there first looking for you, and I found them instead, so I helped them escape,” Theus explained.

“You’re the best!  You can be Amory’s champion,” Amelia declared.  “Or I suppose Redford will do that, so you’ll still have to be my champion,” she kissed his face innocently once again.

“You have to stop doing that,” Theus said uncomfortably.

“Oh, that’s right, you have a girlfriend.  Did you see her?  What was her name – Coriae?” Amelia asked.

“She’s not my girlfriend any more. We,” he paused, not wanting to admit that he had left Coriae because of Amelia herself, “we went our separate ways.”

“I’m sorry Theus; I’m so sorry,” Amelia sounded truly sympathetic.  “Once we have a court again, you can have your choice of any lady-in-waiting,” the girl seemed satisfied with her solution.  “You won’t even remember old Coriae.”

“Let’s get going, shall we?” Theus suggested.  He was ready to move.  Any step and every step they took away from Southsand would be a good step.  He wanted to increase the distance from Donal by the greatest amount possible.

He picked up his pack, and they prepared to go.  Amelia had nothing to carry; she had only escaped from the prison cell with Theus carrying literally the clothes on her back, the dress that lay on the ground nearby, a discarded piece of cloth.

“Which way?” Amelia asked.

Theus looked up at the sky and studied the sun.  “North, that way,” he pointed to their right.

The pair of thankful escapees began to hike, moving slowly to accommodate Theus’s exhaustion.

“Theus?” Amelia asked after five minutes of walking.  “I’m hungry; can you find food for us here, like you did when we were on the shore?”

“I’ll keep an eye peeled,” he promised, sure that he could find edible products anywhere.  Half a minute later he stopped and pulled a fern leaf frond, then plucked away the browned edges, and presented it as the first of many small items that they grazed on throughout the afternoon.

They made slow progress in the mountain landscape, especially as they descended from a rise into a gulley, then had to ascend a steep path back upwards.

“Come on Theus,” Amelia said playfully as she scampered ahead of him, then looked down with a challenging expression on her face.

He looked up at her, and saw both the physically mature young woman she had been transformed into, as well as the still young girl in spirit who dared to play games in the middle of a flight to safety.  He grinned as a trick occurred to him, then he engaged his weak energy, and used a fraction of it to throw his voice to a spot just behind Amelia’s head.

“You’re my captive now,” he growled as he hid his mouth with his hand.

Amelia’s face revealed her shock at hearing an unexpected voice behind her, and she shrieked as she plunged down the hill towards Theus, then took up a position behind him.

What was that?” she asked cautiously as she looked around their location, trying to find the being who had threatened her.  Then she noticed Theus’s laughter.

“What’s so funny?  What did you do?” she realized she had been tricked, and she delivered a soft punch to his kidney.

“I can throw my voice with magic too,” Theus explained.

“Well, aren’t you mister fun and games?” she muttered, as she left him and stalked back into the lead ahead of him.

They continued to make their way during the afternoon.  As evening approached, Theus began to consider their options.  He had the energy to make one more long, magical step, he felt confident.  But after he made it, he would be weakened to the point of complete vulnerability for himself and Amelia.  And while the jailer at Donal’s tower had allowed him to retain his pack and his purse for some reason, Theus had no weapons – no sword, no knife, no staff; all had been confiscated when he’d been thrown in the cell.  He would be unable to offer Amelia any type of weapon at all for self-protection.

But he wanted to travel badly, as far and as fast as possible.

“Amelia,” he called to her as she walked ahead of him through the wilderness, “I’m going to move us forward with more magic, but it’s going to cost me a great deal of my own energy, and I’m going to be ready to collapse when we arrive.  So you’ll have to be the grown up who takes care of us wherever we are.  One night when I did this I slept in a hollow tree, and another time I just slept on the ground under a bush,” he explained.

“I can be the grown up; I’ve got a grown up body, don’t I?” the girl asked proudly.

“It’s,” Theus paused, “yes, a very grown up body.  I just want to make sure you make good choices for us.  I’ll be counting on you.”

“How long will it be until we get to Stoke?  Could you take me to where Amory and Redford are?” the girl asked.

Theus paused to consider the request.  There was some logic to the thought, and he knew she’d be excited to rejoin her brother and guard.  But the two were in a wilderness that Theus didn’t know, and were likely to be in a state of battle with the occupants of Steep Rise, in dangerous and fraught circumstances.  He still thought of Amelia as a little girl to some degree; he’d rather protect her in the safety and civilization of Stoke, he decided.

“I don’t know exactly where Amory and Redford are.  We’d have to spend a lot of time in the wilderness looking for them.  It’s better just to go to Stoke,” he answered aloud.

“Why does your magic make you so weak?” Amelia pursued a tangential thought.

“All the magic I can do comes from the energy inside me, my own life,” he explained succinctly.  “The black magicians like Donal, they take life energy from other people – like he did to you,” Theus continued.  “They take a lot of energy from a lot of other people – they kill them,” he continues soberly.  “I can only take and use the energy I have.”

“Don’t take so much that you kill yourself!” Amelia exclaimed in horror.  “But isn’t there any place else you could go to get energy – not from other people?”

“I don’t know enough about it yet,” Theus told her.  “I’m pretty new at this.

“I didn’t have time to learn a lot; I found out you were in danger, and so I came as fast as I could.”

The expression on her face softened, and she came over to place an arm around his shoulder and lean against him as they strolled along the mountain path.  “I love you; you’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had,” she told him.

“You’re a good kid.  You’re a special friend too,” he agreed.

“Well,” he said a moment later, after a silent pause, “are we ready to leave?”

“Ready,” Amelia agreed.

Theus wrapped his arm around her in a snug embrace, then embraced the energy he had, and he pressed his leg forward between Amelia’s legs, in a step that ended in a mountain stream valley deep in shadows.  He immediately collapsed, and the embrace he shared with the girl brought her toppling down on top of him as well.

“Oh Theus, are you all right?” she immediately asked as she raised herself to her feet.

He breathed heavily for five seconds.  “I’ll be fine,” he grunted.  “Go; find a place for us to sleep.”

Amelia stood up, and looked around in the dim light that reached down into the crevasse between mountains.  There was no trail evident, only the sounds of the water that flowed in a brook off to her right.  She chose to walk to the right, lifting her feet high to step over the ferns and plants that grew in untrammeled profusion in the moist soil of the valley floor.  She reached the edge of the floor, the line where the mountains asserted themselves and began to rise upwards.  There was a jumble of lichen-covered boulders that pressed against one another, with many crevasses and ledges, a suitable place for the two refugees to spend the night, Amelia decided.

She tramped back to Theus with her news.

“Can you walk just a little way?” she asked.  “I found a spot.”

He weakly rose, and with substantial assistance from Amelia, he accompanied her across the short stretch of land to reach the stones.  She helped him up onto a low ledge of stone, and then lay down beside him.

“Thank you Theus,” she murmured as she pressed her body against his, wanting the comfort of human contact.  “You have done so much for me.  I’m so glad you found Amory and me in that basement in Steep Rise on the day of the invasion.”

“You’re welcome, my friend,” he said gently, and then he fell asleep.  Minutes later, with an arm extended across Theus’s chest, Amelia followed suit.

Chapter 10

The next day was simply a day of travel.  When Theus awoke, he was ready and restored adequately to resume traveling.  Together, the pair made three more of the magical steps, one immediately after awakening, one at midday, and one again in the evening.  And at the end of the third jump, taken in the waning light of the setting sun, they reached the northern edge of the mountain range.

“Theus, these look like hills, not mountains,” Amelia reported.

“I’d love to see flat lands again,” Theus wheezed in exhaustion.

The following day, the beginning of Amelia’s third day of freedom from Donal, they determined they were leaving the mountains.  Theus had tried to maintain a course heading as northerly as possible, and with his first jump of the third day, they left the mountains completely, and found themselves beginning their walk for the morning, in a gently rolling landscape.

Theus found walking sticks for each of them, and they had a pleasant stroll during the morning as they foraged for plants to eat and talked about their lives growing up.

They made two more of the magical transitions during the day, so that in the evening they were far out on the savannah, far from the mountains – which were no longer even in sight on the southern horizon.  And while Theus slept that night, he had a vivid dream, a message from his companion the Voice.

“Theus, it is time for you to prepare to face the serious challenges,” the Voice told him.

“What could be more serious than walking into Donal’s own tower to set Amelia free?” the boy demanded to know.

“There are great challenges ahead, greater than the individual adventures you have known.  You are to be a champion now, and on your success or failure will ride the lives and future of multitudes and generations,” the Voice spoke words that were powerful and frightening.

“You must go to Limber,” the Voice began to explain.

“What about Amelia?  Can’t I at least take her to safety first?  Doesn’t she deserve a chance to be safe and comfortable somewhere, instead of being sent off on painful adventures?” he asked with a trace of bitterness.  He still thought of Coriae, and the destruction of his planned engagement to the desirable girl.

“Leave her as you plan to,” the Voice agreed.  “Then come to Limber.  Your duties there will be waiting.  But don’t you wait too long; the need grows urgent.”

“What duties? And why Limber?  It doesn’t exist anymore,” Theus asked, but there was no answer.

When Theus awoke, the dream was a vivid memory, and he felt disturbed by the thought that the Voice had decided to send him on another mission.  He longed for an end to the pain and fear that he encountered through his activities – the types of activities that he never expected to ever experience.  As a farm boy, he had always believed that he would live and die as a farm boy.  And though his immersion in the unbelievable adventures of his journey had brought him many positive accomplishments, it had brought him the heartache as well as the pain he had suffered so recently.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked Amelia as he gently raised her off his chest, and sat up.

“I’m not even awake yet,” she answered grumpily.  “Can’t you let me wake up?”

“You need to wake up,” he answered as he stood up.  He felt soreness in his hips from sleeping on the stony surface.  “I’m going to stretch my legs.  We should leave soon.  The earlier we leave, the earlier I’ll be ready to make the next magical step.”

“You’re looking awfully thin, Theus,” Amelia commented, looking up at him.

“It’s part of trying to travel so fast,” he told her, without mentioning that carrying an extra person along only added to his labor.  “Don’t worry.  We’ll get to Stoke, and I’ll get to rest for a couple of days.  So will you, as a matter of fact,” he told her with a smile.

“Well, you need to eat more,” she admonished with a matronly tone.

Theus smiled.  She was a young girl, in a young woman’s body, speaking as though she were his mother.

The two of them soon grasped one another, and took their first magical step of the day, landing in a continuation of the open savannah of untamed prairies that were dotted with trees.  They walked and ate the various wild plants that Theus found that were suitable for consumption.  Near noon time, Theus provided the second great jump of the day, then spent a half hour lying on the ground resting, before he was ready to get up and start walking.  When he rose, they did walk, slowly, across the gently rolling countryside until late in the afternoon, when Theus made his third and final magical movement across the flat lands.  They decided to simply lie out under the stars at the spot where he landed that night.

They awoke once, when Amelia heard something prowling through the grasses nearby, and she grabbed Theus for protection.  There was no further noise or activity though, and they soon fell back to sleep.

The next morning, after Theus transported them further north, they discovered they had entered a countryside where people were in evidence.  They saw herds of cattle, and a fence line.  As they walked during the morning, they even came upon the road that connected Exlive to Stoke.

“This is the road I walked on when you warned me to flee from your uncle,” Theus explained.  They turned right and began to walk due east along the road.

When a wagon of goods bound for Stoke passed them on the road during the morning, they received a ride on the wagon – Theus on the back and Amelia up on the front bench with the bashful farm boy taking his family’s goods to market.  They learned they were only a few hours away from the city.  Theus confirmed that information soon after, when hills that were the foothills of the Westland Mountains came into view; Theus had seen the hills on his previous trip to Stoke.

He thought about his first trip to Stoke, when he had arrived in the capital city, and run into a road block, literally.   It had turned out to be a part of the process of trying Forgon for murder, and it had proven to be the event that had allowed Theus to reconnect with Coriae.  And from that reconnection, many remarkable events had sprung.

They all were past and irrelevant, he knew.   For him, the past – everything in the past – seemed to be irrelevant.  His life was being driven by the Voice.  And the Voice had a plan that involved preparing Theus to battle against Donal.

Theus didn’t think that his future seemed very bright, if it was going to lead to such a battle.

“There’s the city, Theus!” he roused from his drowsiness at the sound of Amelia’s voice speaking brightly.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then turned and saw the city walls ahead.  There were buildings inside the city that rose above the walls, and buildings outside the wall as well, with heavy traffic moving in both directions on the road.

Once inside the city, the two travelers parted ways with their ride provider when he reached the fringe of the farmers’ market.

“You’ve been in this city before?” Amelia asked as they wandered away from the market.

“I have, and I know a few things we can do here before we move on,” Theus agreed.

“Move on?  I thought we were going to stay here,” Amelia protested as they walked on.

“We’re going to the estate of a noble woman who lives in the country outside Stoke,” Theus explained.  Coriae had once pointed out the estate as she and Forgon and Theus had ridden past it while on their last journey to Great Falls.

The noble woman Theus had in mind was Duchess Holstem, the aunt of Prince Holco, a close friend of Forgon and Coriae.  Theus had sat next to the Duchess at a dinner one evening at the Prince’s home, and had learned of her allergies.  He’d gone to the kitchen of the palace at that very moment, and produced a remedy to relieve the allergy symptoms.  The duchess had been very appreciative, and had proven to be a gracious woman as well.

“She owes me a favor,” he explained.  “I think she’ll be happy to have company at her estate.”

“Is she nice?” Amelia asked.

Theus thought back to the dinner and ball at Prince Holco’s palace.  The duchess had been a friendly dinner companion, and seemed well-liked by the others at the party.

“She seemed nice to me,” he agreed.  “Shall we go find some better clothes for you?” he asked.

“Oh Theus, could we?” Amelia’s eyes lit up, and she was once again the little girl he had gone to rescue.

“We will, and then we’ll get some good food, and then we’ll go to see the Duchess,” he offered a plan for their day.

They walked towards the clothing shops he had gone to with Coriae.  When they walked past the Warrell family home in the city, Theus scrutinized the windows carefully, looking for evidence that the family might be in residence.  There was no sign of habitation however, and Theus didn’t know if he was glad or disappointed.

When they reached the dress shop Theus had as a destination, the shop girl recognized him.

“Hello Theus?  Where’s Coriae, and who is this – your sister?” the girl asked.

“Coriae is in Great Forks still, I think,” Theus replied awkwardly.  “And this is my friend Amelia, from Steep Rise.  We’d like to buy a nice outfit for her to wear, instead of my extra clothes.”

“Are you and Coriae separated?” the girl shrewdly asked.

Theus bit his lip, and silently nodded his head.

“I see,” the shop girl said.  She looked at Theus, the looked at Amelia.  “You’re beautiful; you deserve something much better than what Theus put you in!” she told her new customer brightly.  “Come with me to the back for some measurements.”

“I’ll just step outside and wait out on the street,” Theus reported, as he recognized what would happen next, a long session between the women discussing colors and styles and sizes.

There was a bench in front of the shop, and Theus took a seat, glad for the chance to sit and relax.  He hadn’t relaxed in some time, he realized, not for several days, as he had pushed himself to travel as quickly as possible using the white magic.

“I hadn’t heard you were back!” a voice called.  It was Galeci, one of the young nobles who he had met through Forgon and Coriae, someone he had practiced against at the armory.  Galeci was directing his horse off the road, over towards Theus.

“Just arrived,” Theus shared.

“Cory is inside?” Galeci asked as he reined his horse to a stop so that he could talk easily to Theus.

“She’s not here in Stoke, I think,” Theus said.  “I left Great Forks several days ago.”

“Was Forgon feted and celebrated at home?” Galeci asked a new question, without considering that Theus might have broken away from the tightly-connected Warrell clan.

“He was a hero!” Theus smiled in recollection of his friend’s homecoming, when they all had returned to Great Forks together.

Just then the door opened, and Amelia leaned out, holding up a green blouse in front of her torso.  “Do you like this color, Theus?” she asked.

Theus turned to look.  “It looks nice,” he said encouragingly.  “You should get it.”

“It matches my eyes!” Amelia said happily, then withdrew back into the shop.

“Who was that?” Galeci asked in astonishment.

“She is the princess of Steep Rise, Amelia,” Theus answered in an even tone.

“She’s with you?  A princess? And you say Coriae is in Great Forks?” Galeci sought to make sense of the news, without asking any embarrassing questions.

Theus knew he needed to be open about the status of his broken relationship with Coriae.  He needed to admit it to everyone, including himself; he needed to say it out loud.  But he hesitated.  It hurt; it hurt to no longer be loved by the girl, and it hurt to know that he no longer could look forward to her friendship as the best feature of every remaining day of his life.

He couldn’t do it – he couldn’t make the admission yet.

“I’m sure she’ll be here any day now,” Theus said.  “And Forgon too, of course.  I better go inside and check on Amelia,” he stood from his seat on the bench.  “We’ll see you again soon,” he waved, then hastily entered the shop.

“Oh good,” Amelia spoke as she looked at Theus’s reflection in the mirror she was studying.  “Do you like this outfit?” she asked of the blouse and skirt she wore.

“I do.  We’ll take it,” he told the clerk.

“We added some, um, foundational items,” the clerk tried to be discreet.

“My underthings,” Amelia explained.

“That’s all fine,” Theus opened his purse and pulled out more coins.  His supply of funds was beginning to noticeably diminish.  But he hoped he’d need to spend little more while traveling to the Voice’s designated destination of the lost city of Limber.  He wasn’t even sure where to find the lost city, he reflected.

“My lord?” the sale clerk caught his attention and pulled it back to the shop.  He dropped the coins in her hand, and waited as she quickly made change, then returned the small coins to him.

“I hope we’ll see you again soon, my lord,” she told him.

Theus did a double take; he wasn’t likely to be a customer at the dress shop again any time soon.  He gave the girl a weak smile, then led Amelia out to the street.

“Now we can eat?” Amelia asked, to the point.  “And thank you for these clothes!  These are just the right kind!” she added, then hugged him.  “It feels ever so nice to wear good clothes.  When we lived in the palace, before the invasion, we had to wear such heavy gowns so often, or other clothes to impress people because we were the king’s family.  You know how that is,” she explained.

“Not really,” Theus replied with a grin.

“Oh, that’s right,” Amelia recalled the stories Theus had told her when they had spent days together walking through the wilderness, stories of his upbringing on a poor farm.

“That servant in the shop said so many wonderful things about you, I’m sure she thinks you’re nobility,” Amelia mentioned.  “Besides the fact that you’re a white magician and my very favorite rescuer hero!”

“Would you like to eat a late lunch here?” Theus asked, as they reached the restaurant that Forgon and Coriae and he had visited on several occasions.

“If you think it’s appropriate,” the girl demurely agreed.

Inside, they were seated at a table by a front window, as Theus was recognized by the staff as a local celebrity among the young nobility of the city.

“What should we eat?” Amelia asked.

“The lamb chops are always good here, and the noodles,” Theus recommended.

They ordered mugs of juice, bread and lamb and noodles and cake, then watched the flow of traffic outside the window.  More than one person going by recognized Theus and waved, and a few came in to welcome him, to ask about the Warrells, and to be introduced to Amelia.

“You’re very popular in this city,” Amelia spoke to him when they finished their cake and prepared to depart.

“Probably not for much longer,” Theus assessed.  “Once everyone knows that I’m not engaged to Coriae, they’ll forget all about me,” he said in a well of self-pity.  “Let’s go visit Duchess Holstem.”  He took her arm, and led her around the corner of the building and into an alley, then tried for the first time to intentionally reduce the amount of his own energy that he applied to his white magic movement.  The Duchess’s estate was not so far out of town that he needed to take a long step.

The pair disappeared from the city alley, and found themselves out in the countryside north of Stoke, just off the road that ran to Great Forks.  He didn’t know precisely where the estate was, but he felt confident he knew the road after riding up and down it so many times in recent weeks.

“We need to go a little further north,” he recommended.  His knees were weak, but he felt only a fraction of the exhaustion that a full step took from his stamina when he exercised the white magic mode of traveling.

“I can’t walk very far in my new outfit; it will get dusty and dirty,” Amelia protested.

Theus acceded to her wishes, and carefully used his energy to transport the pair just another mile up the road.  They were in front of the estate of the duchess, so the walk up the drive was all that was needed to arrive at the front door and ask to see Duchess Holstem.

“We wish to call upon the Duchess,” Theus advised the servant who stood at the door observing them walk up the drive from the road.  “Please tell her that Theus who prepared her allergy medicine is visiting to ask a favor.”

The visitors were led to a small parlor near the front door and asked to wait.  They sat in the room for five minutes before the door opened, and a servant entered.

“Can you tell me about the allergy medicine you fixed for the duchess?” the young lad asked.

Theus sat, puzzled for a moment about the meaning of the question.  “Well,” he slowly began, “it had crushed blue sunflower seeds, and baking soda, and olive oil, and saffron in it.  Is that what you meant?”

“Just a moment; let me go check,” the servant didn’t seem sure, and left the doorway.

Two minutes later, the duchess herself entered the room.

“It really is you!” she exclaimed.  “I couldn’t decipher the identity of my visitor; they said a man and a young lass, but the description didn’t sound to be Coriae, so I doubted it was you,” she explained as she glided across the parlor to give Theus a hug and to take Amelia’s hand.

“Let us go to the large parlor, since you really are friends,” the older lady suggested warmly, and she led them out of the room and down the hall to a room where she asked for refreshments to be delivered.

“So, tell me what brings me the honor of this visit, and who is your beautiful young friend?  Where are Coriae and Forgon?  And finally, will you provide more of your remedy for allergies?” their hostess asked with a laugh after her last question.

“I would be happy to make more of the allergy remedy for you,” Theus assured his hostess, as a maid hurriedly entered and deposited a tray of tea and cakes on the table.

“I’ll have to visit your kitchen of course,” he smiled, making the duchess laugh.

“You should have seen us at the dinner in Holco’s home – we got up from the table to go to the kitchen right then and there,” she told Amelia as she laughed.  “I thought to myself, ‘this isn’t your typical young nobleman – he’s worth keeping an eye on!’”

“Oh he is,” Amelia agreed.  “He jumped out of a boat to save me from drowning, then found food for us to eat in the wilderness for a week!”

“You rescued this beautiful creature, Theus?” Holstem asked.  “What will Coriae say about that?”

It was another moment of truth – another opportunity for Theus to admit that he and the spirited girl from Great Forks were no longer together.  It was another time when he decided he was not going to force the words from his mouth, the words that said that he and Coriae had severed their relationship.

“I only saved Amelia, and then became her friend – nothing more,” Theus explained.  “Coriae won’t mind that.

“The reason we’re here is that Amelia is homeless for a while.  This is Amelia, the princess of Steep Rise,” Theus finally introduced his companion.  “Her home was overthrown by an invasion from Southsand.  She needs a safe place to live for a while, and I thought of you.”

“Gracious!  A princess!” the Duchess was impressed, even though her own nephew was a prince.  “Of course Princess Amelia is welcome to stay with me!  This big old house is so lonely.  And I’ve got extra rooms in my place in the city too, of course.

“We’ll have to go to the city often so that you can charm the boys!” she spoke in a mock conspiratorial whisper to Amelia.

“Ugh, boys!” Amelia replied, screwing her face in an expression of disgust.

Duchess Holstem looked puzzled.

“Amelia is, younger than she appears,” Theus said awkwardly.  “She’s not had beaus or romance yet.  You’ll want to,” he paused wondering what to explain.

“Be a chaperone?” Holstem asked helpfully.

“Yes, that’s it,” Theus agreed.

“A chaperone to protect them, not me.  I’ll hit them if they try to kiss me!” Amelia said passionately.

“We’ll protect them from you,” Holstem said affectionately, with a wink at Amelia.  “But as pretty as you are, and as stupid as young men tend to be around pretty women, there’s going to be a great deal of opportunity for protection.”

“I’d appreciate the opportunity to stay here with you this evening as well,” Theus spoke up.  “I need to leave tomorrow to,” he paused again.

“To run an errand?” Holstem offered words.

“Yes, it really is an errand, an assignment,” Theus agreed.  “I’ve got to go east.” He wasn’t sure where he’d find Limber, but he knew it was somewhere in the mountains to the east.

“Gracious!  You’re going to Greenfalls?” the duchess asked.

“That’s it,” he agreed.

“Well,” Duchess Holstem stood up.  “Let me tell the servants to prepare.  We’re delighted to have guests for dinner, we need to have rooms shaken clean for guests, and,” she stopped to look at Amelia.  “Did you bring any other clothes with you?”

“No, this is all I have.  Theus just bought this for me today in a shop,” Amelia answered as she stood up.

“It’s a lovely outfit; it looks darling on you.  We need to find some other suitable clothes for you as well.  I’ll have Terese go with you to look through our closets and see if we can give you a proper wardrobe.  Would that be acceptable?” the duchess asked.

“I’d love it!” Amelia squealed.  “Wouldn’t that be fun, Theus?” she turned to look at her protector.

“For you,” he agreed noncommittally.

“What do men know about such things?” Holstem said dismissively.  “Let’s be off.”

They met servants in the hallway, and the duchess soon had her household scurrying to carry out their assignments.  Theus followed a maid to his room, then followed her down to the kitchen, where he began mixing together the materials needed to recreate the allergy remedy the duchess had requested.

When he finished, he left the mixture on the counter, and returned to his room.  He bathed and relaxed, feeling greater physical comfort than he’d known since he’d left the Warrell mansion in Great Forks so many days prior.

Chapter 11

Theus heard a knock on his door, and a servant informed him that supper was ready.  He rose from where he’d been drowsily relaxing on his bed, and followed the man down to the dining room.  The duchess entered the room soon after, then turned to Theus.

“Tell me what you think of your traveling companion,” she said.

Amelia entered the room, dressed in a formal gown that exposed her shoulders and upper chest, a dazzling deep blue dress that somehow seemed to sparkle and shimmer.  It made her appear even taller than Theus knew she was, after days of travel together, and it endowed her with a sense of regality that Theus had never considered, though he’d called her a princess numerous times.

“She’s gorgeous,” Theus stammered.

“She certainly is,” Holstem agreed.  “She reminds me of the balls we used to have here, when I was younger, and the Duke was still alive, and our son and daughter were eligible members of the nobility.  Such parties!” she sighed.

“I have a memory stone with memories of how our ball room looked when it was filled with candles and music and dancing couples.  It was elegance beyond belief!” the older woman was lost for a moment in the rapture of the memories of days gone by, as the two young guests smiled at one another.

“Have a seat, have a seat,” she directed them.  “And after dinner, if you’ll indulge me, I’ll show you the memory stone and you’ll see how happy we were here in those golden days.

“You’ll have golden days of your own someday, someday soon, I’m sure,” she told them.

The three of them sat at the dinner table and ate an elaborate meal, then went to a parlor.  Within a few minutes, the Duchess had a memory stone jewel delivered to the parlor.

“Here, let me find the best memories,” she offered, as she placed the stone to her forehead.  Seconds later she handed it to Amelia, who was sitting near her.  Amelia raised the jewel to her own forehead and closed her eyes for nearly a minute, before handing the stone back to Holstem.

“It reminds me of my parents’ balls at the palace,” she said softly.  “It’s a very lovely scene.”

Theus took the stone, and watched the memory that immediately entered his view, a large room where food was piled on tables along one wall, and people sat at tables at one end, while a large open floor space was filled with two lines of people in rich clothes.  The lines of men on one side and women on the other approached one another as music played, then withdrew, then closed upon each other and moved in unison.  Candelabras filled with candles glowed warmly, and laughter was common.

It was a lovely scene.   Theus imagined what the scene might have been like if he and Coriae had become married someday, in the destiny that he was not going to enjoy.

He removed the stone and returned it to the duchess.  “It was wonderful.  May we see the ball room?” he asked.

‘Of course! What a splendid idea,” Holstem smiled.  “Come along with me,” she directed, then led them to the back side of the house.

“Here it is,” she said as they opened a set of double doors.  “It’s not easy to see it all in the darkness,” she apologized.  There were large arched windows on the far side of the room, and the red rays from the setting sun came streaming in through them.

“I think I can help.  I know a bit of magic,” Theus impetuously said.  After seeing the memory of the room, he wanted to see it all.  He raised his hand and focused his inner energy, then caused his fingers to blaze with brilliant light, erasing the shadows in the room and illuminating it from end to end.

“It’s a beautiful room!” Amelia gushed.  “Thank you for lighting it Theus.”

“What are you doing?  That’s extraordinary!” the duchess was stunned by the sudden display of light.

“I learned some secrets of white magic,” Theus said.  They had seen enough of the ballroom, he decided, and he let the light in his fingers drop in brilliance, until there was no glow at all.

“May I see your hand?” the Duchess asked in a quavering voice.

Theus extended his arm and held the hand for her to see.  She carefully touched it, then ran her own fingers across it.

“It’s not even warm,” she commented.  “Your medicines – are they magic too?” she asked.

“No, they’re just remedies,” he answered, “and my magic isn’t black or bad.  It’s something I’ve learned recently.  I hope you’re not worried.”

“No, not at all. I’ve seen you do good things; you’re a good boy,” she replied, grasping his hand with her fingers to display her trust.

“Shall we go back to the residence?  I’m fast approaching my bed time,” the duchess said then.

They all decided to climb the stairs to their bedrooms for the night, and parted at the second-floor hallway.

“I’ll leave early in the morning,” he told the duchess.  “I want to thank you for your hospitality, and especially for opening your door to Amelia.  She’s a wonderful girl, and I couldn’t think of a better place for her to be safe until I return.”

The duchess acknowledged his words with a smile, then left the other two together.

“I’m going to miss you Theus,” Amelia had moisture in her eyes.  “Are you going to be safe?”

“I think so.  I’m going into the mountains where there aren’t any other people, and there won’t be any black magicians to worry about,” he assured her.

The princess came to stand by him and rested her head upon his shoulder.  “I’d do anything in the world for you, anything to help you be safe.  I want to see you back here in one piece, soon.”

“You can say prayers for me,” Theus felt suddenly inspired to advise her.  “Pray to Incand and Scurtisse and Currense.  Pray to Limber,” he added.

“I’ve never heard of him before; him or her?” Amelia asked.

“Him.  He’s the god of the mountains,” Theus explained.

“I’ll say prayers to all of them, every day,” Amelia promised.

Theus wrapped his arms around the girl, and felt the warmth of her body.  It was comfortable and reassuring.  She was a friend, one who trusted him, and would give anything for him.  She would be truthful with him, which was more than Coriae had been, when it came to the matter of Monsant’s death at least.

But none of that mattered.

“Good night Amelia,” he told his friend.  She raised her face, and they kissed on the lips, for a moment that lingered slightly longer than necessary.

With that they stepped apart, and walked in different directions down the halls of the mansion.

And Theus slept well, with only a single dream, in which Coriae became Amelia, while Amelia became Coriae, and Theus was at a loss as to which he loved more.

Theus awoke early the next morning. He felt awake and alert immediately.  He rose, and went to the kitchen, then asked the kitchen director for food he could pack to eat on a trip to the mountains. Ten minutes later, loaded with additional breads, dried fruits, and salted meat, he softly said good bye to Amelia – who wasn’t there to hear his words – took a step to the east, and disappeared from the estate on the river.

He found himself in a cultivated field, amidst farmlands that were still in morning shadows.  Low mountains not far to the east blocked the view of the rising sun.  He was in the bread basket country of Stoke, a wide valley of the Westlands River that grew produce and grains for the capital.

He could recover from the strain of his first step of the day with relative ease, he found.  He stood panting, but ready to go, his arrival improved by the fact that he was not carrying Amelia as a passenger with him, and his body was familiar with the process of making the long magical step.

The landscape was peaceful.  He hitched his pack up higher on his back and began walking through the field, heading east, stepping carefully through the furrows of the freshly plowed soil.  He unconsciously reached down to pat his hip, and discovered that he didn’t carry a sword, or even a knife.  He’d had his weapons confiscated while he’d been imprisoned in Donal’s tower in Southsand, and he’d never replaced them.  He hadn’t had any opportunity to find a blade until he’d reached Stoke, but he chastised himself for not making a purchase there.

He’d have a chance in Greenfalls, he told himself.  That was his destination, his first destination.

“Where do I go after I get there?” he spoke aloud, asking the Voice.

“Go north, into the mountains.  There was a road once, though it is only a few fragments left in the valleys now.  But go north, and you will be guided,” the Voice assured him.

“And what will happen when I arrive there?” Theus asked.

“You will gain knowledge.  You will receive further direction.  And you will learn of a weapon you must have to fight the evil that grows,” his guide explained.

“Is there anyone else who can fight the evil?” Theus asked.  “Do I have to do it alone?”  He had suffered enough adventures.  He wanted to live in relative peace, the way other women and men did.

“There are many others, but you are the one with the ability to play the crucial role.  Without you, the efforts of the others will fail,” the Voice told him.

“Who are the others?” Theus found the Voice’s focus on him to be ominous.  Better to ignore that for the time being, and seek to understand more about the people who could fight against Donal and Ind’Petro.

“You have met many of them already,” the Voice surprised him.  “And there will be others, some who you may not meet, but your fate and theirs will be tied together.”

Theus stumbled over a high furrow in the field, just as the sun breached the top of the mountains on the near eastern horizon.  He caught his balance, and resumed walking with more attention to the ground, until he reached a narrow lane.  His stride grew longer and more sure after he gained the relatively smooth, dusty surface, and he continued his trip to the east.

Throughout the morning he wove a crooked line among the intersecting, twisting roads of the farm belt, bearing easterly as much as he could.  By the late morning, he felt ready to use the white magic to jump once more, and he sprang forward into the east.

He found his step ended in the gentle mountains he had seen all morning, an ancient and narrow mountain range that ran between the valleys of the Westlands River and the Landwide River.  And he found that he landed in a heavy rain storm.

He was wearied by his second use of power that morning, and he went down to his knees, his pants becoming soaked by the puddle he had landed in.  He sputtered in disgust, took a deep breath, then pushed himself up to his feet and looked around.

He was on the slope of a mountain, and there were large trees and weathered outcroppings of rock all around.  The sun was lost in the heavy cloud cover overhead, and the only sounds were the sounds of raindrops striking the early leaves that were starting to bud out on the small trees of the forest understory, as well as the sound of water in a nearby stream rushing over rocks.

Theus assumed the direction he was facing was the direction he had intended to travel – to the east.  Given the clouds, there was no way to tell from the position of the sun.  The direction he concluded he needed to go was straight down the slope of the mountain, and offered a challenging course amidst the wet and slippery conditions.  He attempted the challenge, and was soon covered in mud from the falls and slides he suffered on his way.  He followed the banks of a broad stream as it flowed south, hoping to find a way to cross and resume his eastern trip.  The watercourse turned and twisted before he crossed, and the gulley he tried to climb twisted and turned as he struggled up, so that by the time he was atop the next ridge, he had no idea which direction was which.  He knew which way the rain was slanting from the breeze that blew it across the land, but that was the limit of his knowledge.

“Voice, which way do I go?” Theus asked.

“East, then north,” the Voice responded.

“Which way is that?” Theus asked in exasperation.

“To your left,” the Voice told him.

Theus stumbled forward, and found a game trail that seemed to weave its path in the appropriate direction.  When the path began to switchback along a descending slope, and when it carried a heavy stream of runoff with it, Theus decided he’d had enough of the unpleasant weather.

“I’m leaving this,” he muttered to himself as he wiped rain from his eyes, while more water streamed down from his unprotected hair.

He triggered his magical powers, and stepped forward, into a farmyard, where his sudden appearance made a flock of chickens squawk loudly.  He stumbled to the dirt in exhaustion.

“What in the name of Trinte?!” a woman exclaimed, and a motherly figure emerged from the nearby barn.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my hen yard?” she asked angrily.  “And why are you dripping wet?”

“I’ve been traveling through the mountains, and I was in a rain storm,” Theus tried to explain as he gasped for breath.  He’d taken his third step of the day; it hadn’t been a full step, a complete grasp of his energy.  It had been far enough to get him out of the weather.  And it had been far enough to exhaust him.

He looked around, hoping to find the mountains he had left behind, to gesture towards them.  He was in a place that was dry, with tattered clouds exposing occasional patches of blue sky.  The ground was dry beneath his feet.

The mountains were visible, just a few miles away.  But the landscape around him was uniformly flat, in a way that made no sense.

“Rain in the mountains?  Maybe down south,” the woman answered scornfully.  Theus quickly deduced that he had traveled in the wrong direction.

“What’s wrong with you?  Get up, and get out of my farm,” the woman reached into the barn, and grabbed something out of sight, then produced a hoe.

“A moment, please,” Theus pleaded.  He breathed heavily.

“Are you drunk?” the woman asked without sympathy.

Theus pushed himself upright, then tottered over to the low wooden fence that enclosed the chickens, and he rolled across the top of the fence, landing in a sitting position on the ground.

“Are you okay?” the woman asked again, with less hostility than before.

“I’ll be fine,” Theus groaned as he rose to all fours, then caught his breath.  He pushed himself upward and staggered forward.

“The road’s out that way,” the woman shouted.  Theus stopped, looked at her, and saw her pointing in the opposite direction.  He was exhausted, but he managed to wobble in a half circle and plod forward, down a lane and out of the farmstead vicinity.

He was no longer in the rain at least, he told himself.

And then he fell into a ditch, too worn out to keep moving.

“Are you dying?” a voice asked a minute later.  He opened his eyes and saw that the farm wife was standing over him, looking down.

“No, I’m just worn,” he answered slowly.

“Can you get up?” she asked.

“I will.  Let me be.  I’ll be gone when I can,” he promised her.

“No,” he felt her tugging on his arm.  “You can come with me.  I’ve got room for you in one of the stalls in the barn.  I don’t need a traveler dying in front of my farm,” she complained.

“Better that I should die out of sight in the barn?” Theus tried to joke.

He acceded to her efforts and slowly rose to a sitting position.

“You don’t have to help me,” he told her as he sat with his head hung tiredly.

“Come on,” she told him, giving him another tug that encouraged him to rise.  Then, leaning on her heavily, he walked back to her barn and lay down in the dim interior, atop a layer of straw.  He felt her spread a blanket over him, and he gave a half smile.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

“I’m already nurse maid to one, besides running a farm.  I might as well take on one more,” she spoke to herself.  Then she was gone, and Theus was fast asleep.

He slept all night in his wet clothes, and when he awoke in the morning as dawn spread light into the barn interior, he sneezed violently.  He sat up, feeling stronger, but shivering with a mild fever.

He sneezed again.

“Well, I can tell you’re alive still,” the farm woman told him as she entered the barn.  She passed by him to sit on a stool and start milking a cow across the aisle.

“Thank you for letting me sleep here,” Theus told her.  He picked up his lent blanket as he stood, and folded it, then laid it across a wooden plank.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.  “Do you have someone else who is ill?  Can I help?” he offered.

“My husband is wasting away,” the woman answered without looking.  “I’ve got to run the farm all on my own.”

“Is he in the house?  Can I go look at him?  I know some cures and remedies,” Theus explained, as the rhythmic sound of the squirts of milk struck the bottom of the pail the woman used.

“Give me a minute and we’ll go to the house together.  There’s nothing you can do for Martle, but I can give you some breakfast before you go,” she told him.

When the cow was finished giving milk, the woman led Theus towards the small farm house.

“What’s your name?” Theus asked her.

“Gretki,” she answered.  “Gretki the farmer.  And what’s your own name?” she asked him in return as they stepped onto a shallow porch and then directly into the kitchen and dining room.

It reminded Theus of his own family farmstead.  He recognized the signs of too little – too little money to buy things, too little material to repair things, too little time to decorate things.

“My name is Theus,” he answered.

“Martle is in the bedroom,” she nodded her head to the back as she placed the pail on a table.

Theus followed the direction and opened a door that showed a small room almost entirely taken up with a straw mattress on a rope frame.

The room smelled bad.  It reeked of illness.   There was a thin figure of a man lying on the bed, with open sores, a pale complexion, and clumps of loose hair on the pillow beneath his bed.

“Throw out that milk,” Theus told the woman, speaking over his shoulder.  “Have you drunk any of it?” he asked.

“I get indigestion when I drink milk,” Gretki replied.  “I haven’t had any in several years.”

“It’s killing your husband.  The cows are eating weeds that are noxious; the milk is like poison,” Theus told her authoritatively.

“Do you have lavender and vinegar and sharenstone and rose hips?” he asked, knowing the answer in advance.  His own poor farm family had never been able to afford to keep rare or seldom-used items in the pantry.

“What are you talking about?” Gretki was puzzled, and perhaps annoyed.  “We don’t have any of that.”

“How far are we from Greenfalls?” Theus asked.

“You are just full of nonsensical questions,” the woman was clearly annoyed by the inexplicable questions Theus was pestering her with.

“I used to work in a shop in Great Forks.  I know some remedies.  I know how to help Martle.  I’ll have to go to the markets in Greenfalls to get the things he needs,” Theus explained.

“Greenfalls is a day’s walk south of here.  The river is a couple of miles east of here, and the river road runs along it, right down to the city.  Martle and I went there a time or two, when we were young.  There are too many people there for his tastes,” Gretki calmed down as Theus explained.

“I’ll go there to get some ingredients for his cure and be back,” Theus promised.  “He’ll be okay.”  Theus edged into the room and opened the window in one wall, helping to air the room out.

“I won’t hold my breath waiting for you,” Gretki said skeptically.

“You just wait and see,” Theus sneezed again, then left the house.  He oriented on the rising sun in the east, turned towards the south, and then used his white magic once again.

He found himself on a roof top in a city.  The sounds of the life in the streets of the city floated up around him – mules braying, people talking, wheels turning over pavement, a dog barking somewhere.  He stood and gasped for breath, turning his head to look around.  The rooftop was flat, with a laundry line full of dark clothes fluttering in the mild breeze on one side of him.  On the other side he saw the top of a ladder extending above the lip of the roof, and he trudged over to the ladder.  Below was an alley, where children were playing with a puppy.

Although his legs were shaky, Theus climbed down the ladder.

“Hey, what were you doing on my roof?” a man called from a window as Theus reached the alley.

Theus decided to ignore him and started to walk away.

“I asked about you on my roof,” the man came out of a doorway and blocked the alley.  One of the children picked up the puppy, and all of the children melted away from the scene.

Theus gaged his energy levels.  He’d made one trip with white magic, and had little left in the way of reserves.  But he thought he had enough.  He closed his eyes, and became invisible.

“What in Maurienne’s name!” the man exclaimed.  Theus cautiously edged towards the wall on his right, and backed along it, avoiding the befuddled man.

“What just happened?  It’s black magic!” the man exclaimed.  “More black magic right here in the city!”

Theus passed the man, feeling the effects of the incremental power usage draining away from his body.  He turned a corner onto a street, and then released his invisibility.

“Where did you come from?” a woman on a horse asked him after she controlled her horse, which reared up from the sudden appearance of Theus in the animal’s path.

He would never use his magic to try to step into a city again, Theus told himself in exasperation.

“Sorry, my lady,” he grunted an apology, then stepped past the rider and the horse, and walked slowly down the street.

He needed to find a market.

He didn’t know the city, Theus realized.  He didn’t know where the markets were located, or how to reach them.  “Can you help me?” he asked the first person he passed, a man dressed in rags, pushing a can on wheels, with a shovel and a broom held on the side by loops of leather.

The dustman provided directions to a market that was just five minutes’ walk away.  Theus walked slowly, letting his body gradually recoup from the white magic process that had transported him to Greenfalls in the first place.

When he reached the market, he was able to buy the supplies he needed within ten minutes, and he bought additional items to make a treatment for his own developing head cold.  Then, for good measure, he bought several vegetables and a pair of chicken carcasses, and bundled all his goods together in a piece of cloth he bought as well.

He asked for directions to leave the city by walking north along the river, and then followed the directions.  He spotted the roof of the temple to Currense, the goddess of waters, and he thought of Alsman the priest who had been so kind to him when he had wandered into Greenfalls for the first time, after he had fallen off a bridge and lost contact with his caravan of friends.

Theus promised himself he would return to the temple to thank the priest and the goddess when he finished helping Martle and Gretki on their farmstead.  And he would walk from the farmstead back to the city, he told himself wryly, to avoid landing on anyone’s roof, or even inside a home.  He passed through the city, one where he was completely anonymous, but stopped at a pawn shop near the city gates, where he impulsively purchased a sword and a knife, further depleting the funds that Lord Warrell had given him a lifetime earlier, it seemed.

He promised himself he’d acquire a staff soon, to complete the arsenal he wanted and needed.  The staff would be useful in the mountains when he ventured north to find Limber.

The young adventurer continued on his way.  He passed through a gate in the city walls, very near the river, and he was absorbed in watching the barge and boat traffic on the river as he walked on the road parallel to the Landwide.  He thought of his crew mates on the Swaigg, and wondered if they all still sailed the river together.

Two hours later he grew tired of watching the traffic around him, and decided to take a short magical step forward to draw closer to his destination.  He would return, fix the medicine he had in mind and administer it, then hope to sleep in the barn for another night, and walk back to Greenfalls the following day.  He could afford to spend the day taking care of his hosts; there was no deadline for his arrival in Greenfalls or Limber.

“I won’t miss anything if I wait a day, will I Voice?” he casually asked.

“Time is a luxury, young acolyte.  Make prudent choices in how you spend it,” the Voice rumbled.

Theus was surprised by the cryptic answer.

“I’m not wasting time; I’m helping people with troubles,” he stoutly defended his decision.

“Yes, I understand and agree.  Just beware that there can be unexpected scenarios that arise,” the Voice counseled.  “I am calling you to Limber for reasons related to power, politics, society, and magic.  But there is a weapon involved as well.  You will need to recover the weapon, and I expect that you will need to use it in your campaign against evil.

“Do not dawdle too long, or complications may arise,” the Voice warned.

“What complications?” Theus asked, surprised, interested, and worried by the information the Voice had revealed.

“There is a darkness moving across the land.  I cannot tell what it is, but it moves in our direction.  I fear there may be complications if it interferes with you,” the Voice answered.

“But you’ll help me, won’t you?” Theus asked.  Darkness meant one thing to him.  When the Voice spoke of darkness, it meant Donal and his black magic.

“As best I am able.  And hopefully, you will increase my abilities through your actions,” his guide spoke.  “But that is neither here nor there,” it added, as if to dismiss the topic.

“I didn’t know that I was doing this for you,” Theus blurted out.

“Only to the extent that it is good for you, and good for all, will you do good for me,” the Voice dismissed the comment.  “Now, do not worry.  Do your duty to your hostess, then begin your journey into the mountains.  You will find the remains of lost Limber on the eastern slope of the range, facing the rising sun and the beginning of every day’s good news.”

There was nothing else added by the Voice, though Theus waited several minutes.  The other travelers on the highway were looking at him with trepidation; he had been carrying on an extended one-sided conversation as he walked along the road, he realized.

He had enough energy to make a fractional step forward.  He looked at the wide valley the road cut through.  The distance from the river and the road to the mountains on the western edge of the valley was several miles of flat farmland.  He judged that Martle and Gretki’s farm was closer to the mountains, and several miles further north.  He pointed his stride in the direction he guessed was best, then grasped his energy, and he disappeared from the road, leaving a wondering cluster of travelers shrieking and gasping in surprise.

He landed on an empty farm lane, next to a stone wall that he leaned against while he caught his breath.

There was a young farm boy driving a herd of sheep through the field on the other side of the fence.

“Do you know where the farm is that belongs to Martle and Gretki?” Theus called loudly.

“They’re over that way,” the boy pointed north.

Theus waved thanks, and slowly began cruising along the wall, propping himself up every so often as he walked slowly, his back bowed.  Half an hour later, he came to the end of the stone fence.  He stopped at the corner and rested, then examined the road ahead.  The second farm down appeared to be a ramshackle, rundown stead, leaving Theus to guess and hope that it was his destination, at a distance not too far from where he stood.

He inhaled deeply, wished he had a staff to use as a walking stick, then left the security of the fence and began to move down the road, growing steadier as he progressed.

The house and barn he had seen were Gretki’s, and he walked straight to the house and into the kitchen, where he dumped his cloth of belongings on the floor, then sat down next to them.

“What are you doing back here?” the farming wife asked as she stood in the doorway.  “I thought you were either going to Greenfalls or running away.”

“I went to Greenfalls.  I got what I needed.  I came back,” Theus said succinctly.  “And I got some extra things too.   Can you cook a chicken stew with these?” he held up a chicken carcass and some carrots.

“You did not go to Greenfalls and get back here in half a day’s time,” Gretki answered.  She took the chicken carcass from him.  “This is a nice bird – where’d you get it?” she asked.

“The same place I got all of this,” Theus answered as he opened up the cloth and began to spread his booty around him.  “Where are your bowls?” he asked.  “And spoons?” he added.

Gretki pulled a lone bowl down from a shelf.  “We don’t use spoons,” she answered as Theus took the bowl she handed to him.

Theus raised his hands up to her with the other vegetables he had acquired.  She took them all and tucked them together under her arm.

“What is this all about?” she asked.

“I would like a nice chicken stew tonight,” Theus answered.  “You cook that, and I’ll fix the medicine for Martle.”

He opened his containers of ingredients, and began to measure out needed amounts, relying on his infallible memory and his best judgement of the portions that he added to the contents of the bowl.  Gretki looked down at him, then went to the other side of the small kitchen and started working on the stew.  Theus used a finger to stir his remedy ingredients all together, taking longer than usual, but applying himself diligently until he felt the job was done.

His energy was recovering.  He managed to lift himself up, then let himself back into the bedroom without comment.  He looked at Martle, squeezed around between the bed and the wall, and carefully poured small doses of his medicine into Martle’s mouth, a little at a time, waiting until the ill man swallowed each small dose before he administered the next one.

After ten minutes he stopped, and he carried his mostly full bowl back out to the kitchen.

“We’ll dose him again tonight, then tomorrow too, and in another day or two he’ll be back at full strength and ready to go.  But you’ll have to stop giving him milk as long as your dairy cows eat the blue lead thistles.”

“We’ll see about all your fancy reports,” Gretki harrumphed doubtfully, “but this stew you’ve brought will be the best meal I’ve had in months.  We need to let it cook for a bit,” she reported.

“I’m going to go lay down in the barn for a while,” Theus said to the woman.  “Call me if you need anything.”  He walked across the yard to the barn, and lay down on the thin pile of hay.  His sword dug into his leg, so he removed it and his knife for good measure, then lay down and began to nap.

He dreamed he was in the mountains, and he dreamed that a brutal snow storm was pummeling him with wind and snow and frigid temperatures as he stumbled along a trail.

“Come to me,” a familiar voice called, and Theus saw himself suddenly discover a narrow cave opening.  As he squeezed into the cave, the world outside turned dark.

“It is the passing cloud of darkness,” the voice told him.  It was not his companion’s voice, Theus recognized.  But it was familiar, a voice he knew for some reason.  Theus raised a hand to provide illumination, and made his fingers glow, revealing a large, long chamber that stretched far back into the mountain, beyond the reach of his light.

“You’ve become quite talented, I see,” the voice told Theus in the dream.

And then Theus awoke abruptly, as a wandering chicken plucked a scurrying insect off his arm.

He rose and walked back to the kitchen, where Gretki was stirring a pot on a burner on the small stove.  The aroma in the kitchen was enticing.

“It smells good,” he commented.

“It does, and it tastes good too.  I’ve sampled it,” the woman agreed.

“Would you go out and milk the cow for me?  Do you know how?” she asked.

“I milked a goat on our farm growing up,” Theus said assuredly.

“The cow’s a little bigger,” Gretki cautioned.

“I’ll do it,” Theus replied, and he turned to return to the barn.  He used the pail Gretki had used before, and found that the principle of milking the goat did apply to the cow, once he made allowances for the size of the animal.

“This milk, did the cow graze in the same pasture it’s been using?” Theus asked when he took the pail into the kitchen.  “If it has, it’s still bad milk to drink.”

I moved her to a new pasture today.  I had to trade our old pasture to the neighbor for the new pasture.  He’s going to plant crops in the old pasture next week,” Gretki answered.  “I would have liked to have planted crops in that pasture – it’s sat fallow for two seasons and had all the manure fall on it from the cow, but we don’t get all our wishes, do we?”

“The milk should be good then,” Theus confirmed.

“We’ll find out.  The stew is ready,” Gretki informed Theus.  She poured some into a small bowl for him, then poured some into another bowl for herself.  They went outside and ate the stew by drinking it from the bowls – there were no spoons.

“This is very good,” Theus said contentedly as he finished his serving.

“Go have more; there’s plenty left,” Gretki suggested.

Theus stood up and replenished his bowl.  He felt good.  The nap had helped, and the food was helping too.   Even having a sword and a knife helped him feel better.  They also drew comment from Gretki when he sat down.

“I noticed you have blades now; you didn’t have them before.  I wouldn’t have let you stay in the barn last night if I thought you were armed,” she told him.  “You say you went to Greenfalls today, which no one on foot can do.  But you’ve got foods and blades that I don’t know you could have got anywhere else.  And you’ve given us the best food we’ve seen in a month of moons, and you say you’re going to keep Martle from dying.

“You’re a mystery to me.  I don’t know whether to be thankful or scared that you came stumbling up to me,” she finished her soliloquy.

“It seemed to just be an accident that I came to your farm, but I didn’t want to miss the chance to do right by you,” Theus said.  He didn’t see any need to explain more.  She either believed he’d been to Greenfalls or she didn’t, and it didn’t really matter to him if she did believe him.  He felt better about himself for having done what was right; he’d followed Eiren’s commandment to do the right thing in the case of his farming hosts.

Soon afterward, still feeling some weariness from his activities, he excused himself and went back to the barn to get a good night’s sleep.

Theus awoke in the morning when Gretki prodded him.  The barn door was open, showing sunlight outside.  He had slept well throughout the night; his stomach had been amply satisfied with the chicken and vegetable stew that Gretki had produced with the items he had provided.

“You’re a miracle worker, or awfully lucky with your timing,” Gretki told him as his eyes looked up at her.  “Martle is sitting up in bed today, talking like he feels alive.  It may be that medicine of yours is doing some good after all.”

“He has another dose he needs to take today,” Theus spoke.  “Did you give it to him?”

“Just now, right before I came to tell you,” she affirmed.

“I think he’ll be alright.  Just keep that cow in the new pasture,” Theus advised.  He rose to his feet.  “I’m ready to leave,” he told her.  “I need to get to Greenfalls.”

“Are you going to go there and back in less than a day?” Gretki asked.

“No, I’m just going there.  I don’t expect I’ll be back this way,” Theus told her.

“I hope you’ll do well.  I expect with Martle healthy, you’ll be able to get more out of the farm,” Theus tried to sound encouraging, knowing as he did that farms could demand endless work without great reward.

“We’ll try.  I don’t know what else we’d do.  If you ever hear of a better place to farm, you let me know,” she said gruffly, emotion in her voice.  She held out her hand and shook his vigorously.

“Good luck in whatever you’re doing.  I expect it will be something special,” she bid him farewell.

Theus left the barn and walked out into the farm lane, then began walking south along the lane towards Greenfalls.  He could take one of the small steps, a partial call upon his energy, as a way to shorten his trip, he decided.  But he would not allow himself to end up stepping into some wild and unpredictable situation within the urban center itself.  He prepared for his trip internally, then grasped a portion of his energy, and stepped forward, into the middle of another field.

He could see the traffic of those with vehicles and those on feet, traveling on the main river road just one hundred paces to his east.  He angled over as he walked across the field, feeling little discomposure from his limited use of his own energy.  Once he was on the road, he let the pace of the people around him dictate his pace.  An hour later he reached the walls of the city and entered through the gate.

Chapter 12

Theus stayed close to the river, and followed the roads that followed the busy waterway through the heart of the city.  He was headed to the temple of Currense.  He wanted to meet the priest there, Alsman.  The man had been kind and generous with Theus when the boy had been at a loss in the city.   Alsman had provided shelter, food, and a sense of normalcy for Theus.  The wandering boy had gotten his wits together, and advanced from that point onward, down the Landwide River on a freighter, and to Great Forks.

Alsman had also introduced Theus to Coriae for the first time, forgettable as the encounter had been for the noble girl.

He spotted the temple before he reached it.  The building was a massive structure, one that towered above the surrounding buildings.  Even amidst the narrow lanes of the city, Theus could see it above the city a he trod towards it.  When he arrived in the plaza in front of it, the appearance was just as he remembered; the building was a faithful interpretation in stone of the great waterfall of the Landwide River nearby.

Theus reached the temple shortly before midday, and entered the lobby where people came and went without any apparent pattern.  Theus approached a priest and asked to speak to his savior from his previous visit.

“Alsman is serving inside the temple,” the man replied.   “You’ll have to go inside and find him.”

Theus nodded his understanding, then walked to the large sets of double doors that led into the sanctuary.  As he stepped across the threshold, the building began to tremble, and sounds of stones grinding against stones filled the air.

People throughout the building shrieked and screamed and began to run outside the building.  Theus joined the throng; he had to, or he risked being run over.

“Welcome honored visitor,” a deep, melodious feminine voice spoke from inside the temple as the people hastily exited.

Theus joined a throng that loosely congregated in the massive plaza in front of the building.  Minutes passed, and Theus watched as a cluster of priests, all wearing matching ceremonial robes, emerged from the temple and stood together at the top of the stairs.

“The temple is open, and all are welcome to return.  The goddess spoke to welcome one of you, whoever her honored guest may be.  Please come and call upon us, whoever you are, so that we may add our respects to hers,” a central figure called out from among the priests.

The crowd in the plaza began to walk forwards toward the entry to the temple, Theus once again among them.  He kept his eyes on the temple priests, who were walking in small groups of twos and threes back into the temple as well.  Alsman was in one of the clusters of men, and Theus bumped and cut and maneuvered to reach the other side of the steps up to the temple entry.

Alsman left the other priests and walked through a side door.  Theus reached the door moments later and slipped in as well, then called as he spotted the shadowy figure of the priest ahead of him.

“My lord Alsman,” Theus called.  “My lord,” he repeated.

The priest stopped, paused, then turned.

“Who calls?  How can I help you, my friend?” he asked.  He was squinting, Theus could tell, trying to see in the dim light that illuminated the hallway in theory more than practice.

“It’s me, my lord.  My name is Theus.  You took pity on me last year and gave me food,” Theus re-introduced himself.

Alsman was drawing nearer.

“Theus? Yes, I remember you quite well.  You were a very handy young man to have during the rainbow festival.  You worked very hard.  We loaned you out to a member of the nobility even, if I recollect?” the priest arrived and extended his hand.

Theus shook hands warmly as he answered, thinking of that first encounter with Coriae, when he’d had no notion of how important the girl was to come to be to him.

“That’s true,” he agreed belatedly.

“I thought you were going to leave the city,” Alsman mentioned.

“I was; I did,” Theus agreed.

“But you’re back?  Come have a seat and tell me about your life,” Alsman suggested.  He waved his hand for Theus to follow, then he resumed strolling down the hall.

He led Theus to a doorway that led to a long set of rising stairs that led to a room with narrow windows.  Theus went over to the windows and looked out; it was a view down at the temple’s sanctuary, giving a view of a large flowing fountain surrounded by many worshippers who knelt at the railing.  A few pitched coins as offerings into the fountain, while others placed small pieces of boat-folded paper onto the surface of the water inside the railing, and they watched the subtle currents slowly carry the small boats over the edge of the fountain and into the unknown darkness below.

“Those are folded up prayers people write down and send to the goddess,” Alsman observed as he came to stand next to Theus.  “Or did you know that?  Are you a follower of the goddess now?”

“No, I think I follow Limber now,” Theus said hesitantly.

“I don’t think I know of anyone who follows Limber; I’m not sure there are even any temples in Greenfalls,” the priest replied.

There was a loud splashing noise from the sanctuary, and they both looked down to see that the fountain was spraying water unusually high into the air.

“What in confoundment caused that?” Alsman wondered.

“So, what brings you to Greenfalls?  Can we do anything to help you?” the priest turned his attention back to Theus.

“No, I don’t need help.  I just wanted to tell you thank you for being so kind to me,” Theus reported.  “It helped a lot.  I went to Great Forks, and I’ve been to many other cities too.”

“A well-traveled young man, eh?  Well that’s good.  I’m glad things have turned out so well.  Will you be staying here long?  Do you need a place to stay again?” Alsman asked.

Theus considered.  It was only the middle of the day.  He could begin his travel towards Limber if he chose to leave then.  He had no sense of urgency, other than the Voice’s persistent pestering.

The room began to suddenly glow with a warm blue light that came from every direction.  There was a sense of presence.

“Stay a day.  Share your talents with my followers,” the deep feminine voice spoke again, emanating from within the room that the priest and the visitor occupied.

“Provide healing help to the worshippers, stay and enjoy our hospitality as our honored guest, and then follow your guide tomorrow,” the voice instructed.

Alsman was down on his knees, a worshipful expression on his face.

“My goddess, we will do as you command,” the priest spoke with deepest reverence.

“Do as this boy commands,” the goddess spoke.  “He has a heavy burden to deliver.”

The door to the room burst open at that moment, and three other priests burst into the room.

“What’s happening up here?  We can see the lights glowing through the windows from the sanctuary!” one of them asked as they all looked in wonder at the bluish illumination that engulfed the scene.

“Holy mother!” the man exclaimed.

“I am the mother of the river, and I accept your worship,” the voice spoke.

The new arrivals grew pale.  Two of them immediately knelt, while the third fainted.

“We are yours to command, my goddess,” spoke the second new arrival.

“Treat this boy respectfully.  Help him today, as he goes out to heal our supplicants,” the goddess instructed.

“And when he returns, be prepared to aid him and his master and his people,” the voice commanded.  “Do these to please me.”

“As you command,” all three of the kneeling priests immediately swore.

“I will be pleased,” the voice concluded.

The light dimmed, and the room suddenly felt emptier.

“Currense, great mother!” one of the priests wailed.  “I have felt your touch!  I am blessed!”

The sound of other feet trampling up the stairs grew, and Theus suddenly recognized that there was a murmur coming through the windows from the people in the sanctuary below.

“Theus, my son, I had no idea you were such an exalted visitor!” Alsman exclaimed.  “You are the favorite of Currense!  We are blessed by your visit!  How may we assist you?  What would you have us do?”

More priests came stumbling into the room, and multiple conversations broke out as those who had been present excitedly try to explain what had happened.

“Alsman, bring your guest and come down below,” one of the men instructed.  An aisle cleared through the crowd of men, and Alsman and Theus walked to the stairs, then followed the speaker down, through a number of halls, and into a sumptuous chamber that was lined with shelves of scrolls, books, and curious objects, as well as a statute of a divine woman rising out of water.

Theus watched the man gesture towards chairs, and all three sat down together.

"What has happened in our temple this morning?" the man asked Alsman.

"Your grace, the goddess herself spoke to us," Alsman answered.  "It was extraordinary!"

"And unprecedented," the high priest replied.  "Are you sure? Do you vouch for what you saw?  Who is your young guest who generated such an event?"

"This is Theus, "Alsman replied, and he proceeded to give a concise summary of Theus's previous visit and present visits.

"Thank you Alsman; your credibility is unquestionable, but these things are beyond what we ever expect to see," the priest replied.

“I’ve been listening to a Voice,” Theus spoke up.

The head priest looked at him with a wrinkled brow.  “You’re going to tell me that Currense has been talking you?” he asked.

“No,” Theus said calmly, trying not to be manipulated by the man’s tone of disbelief.  “It is more of a male voice, I think.  It has helped me in my control of memory stones, and it has helped me learn white magic, and now it is sending me to the lost city of Limber to carry out a task.”

“Memory stones?  White Magic?  Limber?  That’s quite a perfect collection of mythical properties.  Why not raise a rebellion against Stoke while you’re at it?” the priest asked caustically.

Despite the provocative language, and despite having just been called out by a goddess, Theus felt calm.  He had only come to the temple as a courtesy to visit Alsman, and the goddess had been kinder to him than her priest seemed to want to be.

Theus focused inwardly, and found his energy, then he called upon the spell that created invisibility.  He silently stood up, and as the others watched him expectantly, he turned himself invisible.

Great goddess!” Alsman exclaimed.  “Theus, where are you?”

“This is some trick,” the head priest tried to sound calm, though Theus thought the man looked paler than previously.

Theus walked towards the man and examined a jeweled pendant the man wore, one that appeared to Theus to contain a memory stone.  Theus reached out and jerked on the pendant, breaking the chain that held it around the priest’s neck, as the man cried out in pain and surprise.

“Theus!  Was that you?” Alsman asked.

Theus looked at the stone.

“Yes, it was me,” Theus confirmed, as he stepped away from the priest.  He stood near a wall and examined the stone’s interior, looking at the distribution of stored memories.

“Give that back!” the priest said angrily.

Theus placed the stone against his head, and let a memory flow into his soul.

The priest was speaking before a conclave.  It was a word Theus had never heard before, but the memory called the assembly of men and a few women a conclave.

“We will need to be more frugal in our functions,” the priest was saying to the group.  “We can use the savings for our other projects, for reaching out to people in all parts of the province, not just the city.  We will work with the royal governor to help spread word of Currense’s blessings.”

The priest looked across the stage he stood on.  In the wings, unseen by the audience, a man nodded approvingly, and made motions of clapping silently in approval.

Theus roamed to the next memory.  The man who had been in the previous memory was in an office, along with another man wearing opulent clothing.  They were huddled over a desk, as the head priest stood nearby, examining himself in a mirror with a self-satisfied atmosphere.

“These are excellent funds, Bened,” the new man at the desk said.  “Our treasury is indebted to you for your support.  I’ll write most favorably to the palace about your assistance.”

“Governor Pince, I’m pleased to help you serve,” the high priest, named Bened, Theus had learned, replied.

“Your temple can continue to supply this level of funding for a while, so that we can meet our obligations to the palace?” the governor asked.

“Indefinitely,” Bened agreed.  “We will find ways to provide you with funds.”

Theus pulled the stone away from his forehead and ended his invisibility.

“Why are you giving the money from the temple to the governor?” Theus asked.  “Why does the governor give it to the palace?”

“Those are ridiculous claims!  I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bened responded loudly.

”You recorded the memory of being in a room with a man who had been in the temple when you told the conclave you were cutting expenses, and he was with the governor, counting money you gave him, so that he could send it to the palace.”

“Don’t believe any of that, Alsman!” Bened exclaimed.

“I don’t know what to believe!  Theus, how did you turn invisible?” Theus’s friend asked.

“I was given the gift of white magic.  I was told I’ll need it to fight against the black magicians in the south.  They’ve already invaded one country – Steep Rise.  They worship a new god, an evil god, Ind’Petro,” Theus explained.

The temple began to rumble as soon as Theus mentioned the resurrected terrible deity.

“Alsman, Bened, you must help the white magician.  Do anything he asks,” the voice of the goddess spoke for the second time that day in her temple.  “Every member of the priesthood shall help this boy, any time he requests it.  Bened, do you understand?” the goddess was direct in her question.

Both the priests fell to their knees.  “I shall do as you say, my goddess,” Alsman immediately called out.

“He will fight against the great evil.  Bened, I did not hear you – will you help this warrior?” the goddess asked.

“As you wish, my goddess,” the high priest replied.  His voice sounded sullen to Theus.

“I am pleased,” the goddess addressed the temple one last time.  The building shuddered again, and then her presence was gone.

“Theus, were you like this when you visited us before?  Was your poverty and naivety just an act?” Alsman asked in awe as he began to rise to his feet.

“No, there’s been no act.  I still don’t understand it all; there are many things happening in the world, and they are too complicated for me.  I just know that I have to go to Limber, but first I’m going to help heal people here in the temple,” Theus replied.

“How will you carry out this miraculous healing?” Bened asked.  The head priest clearly did not relish providing support or assistance to Theus in any way.

“I’ll go down and meet people, and find out what they need,” Theus answered.  “And then I’ll get the items needed to mix their remedy, and give them a cure,” Theus laid out a simple plan.

“You won’t be able to treat many people if you’re going to treat them one at a time,” Alsman considered thoughtfully.  “Maybe we can make it work better,” he suggested.

“With your permission, my lord, we’ll be on our way to carry out the goddess’s wishes,” he told the head priest.

“We can have temple scribes write down the list of items you want for each patient, and then gather them together so that you don’t waste a lot of your time,” Alsman suggested as the pair walked the halls out of the office.

“My lord,” a priest knelt at the sight of Theus.  “We heard the goddess tell us to help you.  What can I do?” he asked.

“You heard?” Theus asked in surprise.

“Everyone in the temple heard.  We all heard what she had to say.  We’ll all obey her, and you,” the priest declared.

Theus ended up working his way through a throng of priests, and out to the front steps of the temple, where Alsman’s plan of action was carried out, saving time as Theus mainly evaluated claims of illness among the worshipers who came to the temple seeking treatment of their health.  He called out lists of ingredients and directions for blending them, while scribes and priests took notes, then escorted the patients away for treatment.

Hours later, as evening started to fall, Alsman came and called an end to the service.

“It’s time that you have a meal and rest,” he told Theus.  “So that you can be on your way as the goddess wishes.”

Theus accepted the advice.  He ate his meal with Alsman and over a dozen other priests who were eager to listen to Theus speak as if he was a holy man.  Sometime later, Theus finally went to a comfortable bed in a quiet room, and he fell soundly asleep.

Chapter 13

Theus awoke the next morning rested and relaxed from his night of comfort.  He was ready to head north towards Limber.  He didn’t know where Limber was, but he counted on the Voice to lead him.

He had one wish to fulfill before he left Greenfalls, and he went in search of Alsman for help.  Servants who recognized him as the extraordinary guest who had brought the voice of their goddess to the temple were extremely helpful, directing him to a dining room while at the same time searching for Alsman, to direct him to join Theus.

As he waited for the priest to arrive, he asked the servants to provide a supply of travel food he could pack for his mountain expedition.  Within minutes he received a generous package of goods from the kitchen, which he arranged in his pack.

“Theus, has the goddess spoken to you with new commands?  The servants said you wanted something,” the priest spoke to Theus as he sat at the table where the boy was devouring slices of bacon for breakfast.

“I just want a staff to use before I go in the mountains to look for Limber,” Theus explained.  “Is there a good market nearby where I can buy one?”

Alsman laughed.  “The servants were sure you had another sacred communication!  That’s why I hurried down here, to find out what you and the goddess were planning.

“And all you want is a walking stick for climbing in the mountains.  Well, there is a morning market that is held in the plaza right in front of the temple most days.  If you step out the front door, you should find it,” Alsman explained.

“What do you and the goddess talk about at night?” the priest lowered his voice as he asked the question.

“I’ve never talked to the goddess before, except to pray to her sometimes,” Theus replied.  “Yesterday was the first day anything like that ever happened to me.”  He thought of his experience visiting the temple of Limber in Great Forks.  “Almost the only time, anyway,” he corrected himself.

“Well, Currense certainly changed the way people here at the temple think.  I’m not sure that all our priests here actually even believed in her before yesterday,” Alsman said.  “But a lot of them have a much deeper faith in her now.  And many believe in you, as well.”

“I’m not anyone to believe in.  I don’t even know what I’m doing.  I’m just following a voice and my luck and hoping nothing goes wrong,” Theus protested, then ate his last strip of bacon.

“I better get going,” he said, and stood up.  “Thank you for hosting me.”

“We thank you for the visit, and we thank the goddess for her visit and yours,” Alsman stood up with him.

They walked to the front of the temple, as a sprinkling of patrons entered.  The plaza had a large collection of stalls where vendors were selling a variety of goods.  Alsman and Theus said farewell, and Theus received a chorus of farewells from others as he stepped down the stairs and entered the marketplace.

He was anonymous once he was among the vendors, no longer recognized as the special guest of a goddess, as he had been known among the temple priests.  He preferred the anonymity, he decided.  He’d found the rasher of bacon, and the sack of trail food to be marvelous advantages of divine acknowledgement.  But he enjoyed the freedom of walking without eyes watching him.

“Voice?  How far do I have to travel?” he asked his companion.

He spotted a vendor with walking sticks, and darted through the crowd to visit his table.

“About four days of travel,” the Voice replied.

“Four days of real travel, or four days for me to travel, going through magical steps?” Theus asked for clarification.

He paused in the conversation so that he could examine the bundle of sticks that stood erect in a basket.  He liked the look of one that was a light-colored, almost honey-colored wood.  He lifted it from the basket to inspect it.

“Good gods, this is heavy!” he exclaimed.

“It’s got a metal core,” the vendor explained.  He grabbed the end of the staff and raised it, so that Theus could see the plug in the end.  “It won’t break.”

“It would do a lot of damage in a fight,” Theus muttered.

“You could think of it that way too, I suppose, but I prefer to sell these as walking sticks.  There’s a special tax on sales of weapons, so I’m not selling a weapon,” the vendor winked at him with a grin.  “And you won’t pay the tax.”

Theus chuckled at the man’s tactics, and soon bought the stick.  It would be especially useful for him to carry when he had to walk through the mountains.

“How many days of traveling?” he asked the Voice again, as soon as he walked away from the staff-seller.

“Two days for you,” the Voice answered.

Theus looked up over his shoulder, oriented himself with the sun so that he faced north, then grasped his energy, and took a step.  He disappeared from the center of the market crowd, making a pair of women scream, though he didn’t hear their reaction.

He arrived in a mountain meadow, where a goat with curled horns bleated and leapt away as Theus appeared suddenly in the empty patch of grasses.  Theus stood and breathed deeply, leaning on his new staff for support.  The sun was bright in the deep blue sky above.  The horizon was defined by a ring of mountain peaks, a few of which had patches of white snow mixed with the greenery and gray stones that defined the landscape.

Theus caught his breath minutes later, and began to walk north.  He was glad to be back in a world of solitude and isolation, after experiencing the dense population of the city of Greenfalls.  He needed to feel freer to move about, and not be under scrutiny.

His movements along the path drove the goat further away, though it chose to run in the same direction that Theus was heading.  After three bursts of movement, the goat bolted directly upward, up the precipitous slope of the mountain, and out of sight.

Theus kept moving, trudging forward through the mid-morning light, enjoying the views around him.  The mountains were lighter and more inviting than the Greentree Mountains had been when he’d traveled into and out of Southsand to rescue Amelia.  He stopped and sat on a stone at midday, enjoying some of the food the temple kitchens had packed for him.

“Voice, are you the goddess Currense?” he decided to ask the question that had troubled him since he had dismissed it in the temple.

“Do I sound like the goddess?” the Voice sounded irritated.  “No, of course not,” it answered its own question.

“Currense is a wonderful goddess, and she has been good to you along the way.  I foresee that she might be good for you in the future as well.  But she and I are separate.  Now, get on with your journey,” the Voice directed him.

Theus rose and began walking.  He was rested enough to travel once again, and within three more steps his magic had propelled him further north.

The second magical step of the day sapped him more deeply of energy, just as it always did.  He hung onto his staff desperately, relying on it to hold him upright as his legs tried to recover from the distance he had traveled.  He looked around as he waited for his body to reach a state of readiness to travel.  The mountains seemed less green.  They had more stone and fewer trees growing, as well as a greater amount of snow and ice covered the peaks of practically all the mountains he saw in the vicinity.  The sky seemed to have a darker shade of blue.

He was breathing heavily, and for a longer time than he expected.

“The air at higher altitudes is thinner,” the Voice said.  “You’ll need to go slow all afternoon.  But not too slow; there is something complicating the situation, something I can’t explain yet.”

Theus silently nodded his head in acknowledgement, then continued to hold on to his staff and rest.  Much later, he began to move north.  The metal center to his staff no longer seemed like a positive modification; the staff felt heavy, and often contributed to his sense that he was carrying too much weight as he stumbled along the stony path he followed north.

When night began to fall, Theus decided he wasn’t able to take a third magical step; he was still unrecovered from his afternoon step.  He found a cluster of large boulders, and settled down among them for his evening resting place.

While the sun set, he ate more of his travel supplies.  The air cooled quickly as the sun’s rays disappeared, and Theus regretted that he had not purchased a blanket to keep him warm.  He curled up and shivered as he slept fitfully throughout the night.

In the morning, he woke and rubbed his hands on his arms and legs to warm up.  He stood and ate breakfast, then faced towards the north, and exercised his energy.

He arrived in a valley between peaks.  The air felt cool, but also seemed to fill his lungs more satisfactorily as he inhaled.  After a few minutes of standing still, Theus started moving again.  He walked along the bottom of the valley, using his staff to step over fallen trees and wet springs.  The valley turned towards the east, and so Theus began to climb the steep slope on the north side.

The slope was a difficult climb.  He found a few trails that switched back and forth for parts of the climb, and he climbed straight up part of the time, while he also resorted to traveling east and west for part of the time, as he tried to cope with and overcome the high ridge that blocked his northward path.

By noon, he had gained several hundred feet in elevation, but he faced much more of a climb overhead.  In addition, low gray clouds had moved in overhead, so low they brushed across the tops of the mountains – when he could see the mountain tops through the trees overhead – and they promised rain.

It was time to move on, Theus decided.  He’d take his second magical step of the day.  He could cease facing the mountain barrier that he could barely climb over, and he could escape from the rain that threatened to fall.  He was traveling slowly, perhaps falling behind the Voice’s predicted two days of travel, but he continued to make progress.

He grasped his energy once again, invoked the magical spell that was inscribed in his memory, and stepped forward.

The world was white.  It was blinding.  It was cold and windy.

Theus arrived in a blizzard on a mountainside.

Despite holding onto his staff, he felt his weakened legs give way to the powerful forces of the blizzard, and he was blown to the ground.  He felt snow on his face and his hands, while he tried to catch his breath from the effect of the magical step.

He rolled onto his knees and hands, then slowly raised himself up, using his staff as a prop.  His teeth began to chatter.

In the whiteout conditions that surrounded him, he could make no sense of which way to go, nor could he see any of his surroundings to know if shelter was available nearby.

“Voice!” he wheezed.  “Voice, help me!  What do I do?”

“Go to your left, and look for the cave entrance,” the Voice replied.

Theus put his hand to shield his eyes from the snow and wind that were flying at his left side.  He put his head down, thrush his walking stick out in front of himself, then began to slowly plow forward.

His hands felt heavy and non-responsive.  He’d only been exposed to the cold temperatures for a few minutes, but his body was suffering quickly from the terrible conditions.  He needed to find the cave quickly.

“How much farther to the cave?” he called out to the Voice.

“It’s right over here, my lord.  Come this way,” a voice called him.  It wasn’t the voice of the Voice.  It was a different kind of voice.  But Theus didn’t care who it was, as long as they called him to a place of shelter out of the storm.

Theus turned to his right, and stumbled into a large, irregular pillar of stone that pressed out from the mountainside.  He placed his hands on it to stay balanced as a gust of wind deflected off the stone and blew into him.

“Back here – come to the cave,” his new guide called.

Theus stumbled further to his right, and suddenly the stone came to an end.  He circled around it, and found that he was sheltered from the wind and the snow.  It was a life-preserving relief.  He pressed one of his frozen hands to his face and wiped away the ice that had caked on his cheeks and eyelashes.

He could see once again.  He could see that darkness loomed ahead.  He had reached the entrance to the cave.

Chapter 14

Theus stumbled forward into the darkness.  Within a few feet, he found that the cave turned sharply to the right, and bore directly towards the center of the mountain.  Every step inward reduced his exposure to the blizzard outside.  The sounds of the blowing wind and the temperature from the freezing high altitude air diminished, as did the bright white light of the cloudy mountainside.

Theus sat on the floor of the cave.  He was exhausted.  He had barely recovered from the energy-draining magical step that had brought him to the northern blizzard, and then he’d been subjected to the brutal treatment by the weather itself.  He laid his head on his pack, and he quickly fell asleep.

When he awoke, there was a glimmering of light to indicate the direction of the entrance to the cave; he’d slept through the night.  Theus sat up, and pondered what to do next.  He’d have to go back outside, but he didn’t relish the thought of trying to trudge through deep snow on a cold mountainside.

“Voice, how much further to Limber?” he spoke out loud.

“We can take you there in less than a day,” a voice answered.  Once again, Theus realized that it was not the all-knowing Voice that he relied on.

“Who are you?” he asked, rising rapidly to his feet and grabbing his staff.

He looked around in the dark, but could see little.  Feeling refreshed from his sleep, he raised one hand and let it glow brightly with the white magic power.

“He is a magician!” the voice spoke brightly.  “This is such good news!  The prophecy lives!”

“Where are you?  Show yourself,” Theus demanded, looking around and seeing nothing except stones and shadows in the cave.

“Here I am, right here,” Theus caught a movement out of his eye, and looked to his left.  There were stones there.

“Where?” he asked.

“Right here!” one of the stones lifted slightly, then moved towards him; it was a squat shape, a bit taller than his knee height, and bigger around – in a squarish way – than Theus himself.  “I expected the prophecy to deliver someone who would have figured the world out a little better by now,” the stone muttered.

It had a vaguely face-like structure to it.  Theus was astonished and horrified by the prospect of being attacked by a living rock.  He swiveled and raised his staff defensively.  “Don’t come any closer!” he barked.

“What?  This is how you speak to your rescuer?  I’m hurt,” the stone stopped its advance.  “And after I called you to come into the cave.”

“Thank you for helping me,” Theus said cautiously.  “Who are you?  What are you?”

“I am a granitine,” the stone answered.

“A what?” Theus had never heard the term before, and had never heard of a talking rock before, either.

“A granitine, a child of Limber,” the stone said.

“I didn’t know there were people in the city, or live stones,” Theus replied.  “I thought the city was lost.  I’m on a mission to find it.”

“Not a child of Limber the city; I’m a child of Limber, the god,” the granitine replied.  “After the two gods were separated,” he began.

“What two gods were separated?  How?” Theus asked.

“The two gods who once shared a body – Limber, the god of the mountains and Trinte, the god of stones,” the granitine answered shortly.

“After their separation, Limber was lonely, and so he created us as his children to entertain him and serve him,” the stone explained.

“Is the blizzard over, do you think?” Theus interrupted to ask.

“Yes, it is.  Why do you ask?” the stone asked him.

“I have to get to Limber.  That’s Limber the city,” Theus replied.

“I can take you there,” the stone told him.  “There’s an easy way, through the caves.”

Theus looked into the darkness, where the cave ran beyond the reach of his illumination.

“I don’t know,” he said doubtfully.

“This way is direct, it is easy, it is warmer than the world outside, and there is no rain or snow,” his rescuer pointed out.

Theus thought about it.  It sounded unsafe.

“You are a magic wielder; if there is any problem, you can escape.  But there will be no problem,” the granitine told him.  “This is a simple way.”

He didn’t want to trudge through snow, Theus knew.  The way through the caves sounded possible, and he could always use his abilities to escape.  He had the means to light the way, he reflected.

“Okay, I’ll follow you, and you’ll lead the way to the lost city of Limber.  How long will it take?” Theus asked.

“If you travel at my speed, we’ll be there before sunset,” the stone estimated.

“If your speed is reasonable, let’s try it then,” Theus agreed.  He stepped aside, and watched warily as the stone’s face gave an approximation of a smile, then the being began moving across the floor of the cave, with no visible signs of legs or other mechanism to propel it forward.  It began to move at a fast pace, equal to a fast pace that Theus would set for himself if walking someplace in a hurry.

He quickly began moving to keep up with the Granitine, and they chugged along through the wide cavern for some time without speaking.  Theus was breathing heavily as he followed the creature, and he began to yearn for a break, or a reason to stop and rest.

“We have to drop down here,” the creature said a minute later as it came to a stop.  Theus looked and saw that they were at the top of a cliff, and the cave dropped a considerable distance downward before continuing.

“Can you jump down?” his guide asked.

“Not in one jump,” Theus replied, as he breathed heavily and examined the side of the cliff, looking for shelves he could step upon to work his way down.  “It looks difficult.  How will you get down?” he asked.

“I’m a granitine,” the creature answered, as if that explained it all.  “I am of the stone.  I simple move with the stone and upon the stone and through the stone.”

The answer didn’t mean anything to Theus, but he decided it didn’t matter.

“Are there shelves or ledges I can use?” he asked.

“Do you mean protuberances?” the granitine asked him in return.

“What’s a protuberance?” Theus asked.

“It’s stone that sticks out,” the creature sighed.

“Yes, I need protuberances,” Theus agreed.  “Nice big ones.”

“We can arrange that,” his guide decided.  There was suddenly a very low-pitched grinding noise, one that lasted for several seconds and undulated.

The noise ceased.

“What was that?” Theus asked with real concern.  He prepared to switch his use of white magic so that he could escape from the cave before a collapse buried him.

“Why do you call?” a voice spoke from behind him.

“What is the need?” another voice asked from his side.

“I offer my help,” a third voice further surprised him.

“Granitine, what is all of this?” Theus demanded.  He swiveled around, looking at the stone beings that suddenly populated the top of the cliff.

“You said you needed protuberances, so I have called my fellows to assist,” his original guide explained.

“Who is this human?” one of the new granitines asked the first one.

“This is a white magic wielder, the first to walk the earth since the old city fell.  He has been called to the City to carry out a mission.  I was told by the Father,” the original granitine explained.  “And he cannot descend this cliff face without help.”

“If he wields white magic, why cannot he help himself down?” another block of stone questioned.

“Why can you not attend to this?” the guide asked Theus.

“I, I don’t know a lot of magic,” he stuttered, caught off-guard by the question.  “I only know a few things.

“Many things are blocked,” he hadn’t thought about what he couldn’t do.  It hadn’t mattered – he had done quite a bit with the abilities he did possess, abilities he had never dreamed of having.

“Why doesn’t he know his magic?  Is he really a white magician?” one of the granitines asked.

“Well yes, he’s a magician.  Look at his glowing hand,” Theus’s guide pointed out defensively.

“And it doesn’t matter.  I was told by the Father to come and fetch him to Limber.  Do you want to help carry out the Father’s orders or not?” the stone grew testy.

“We’ll help.  What do you want us to do?” the granitine on the right asked.

And so, just minutes later, Theus was stepping down a cascading series of granitines that attached themselves to the cliff’s face in a stair step manner.  As Theus left one to drop down to the one below, the granitine he had just left would slide lower and take a spot at the bottom of the ever-moving pathway they provided for him.

Minutes later, Theus was at the bottom of the long drop.

“Thank you all for your help,” his guide told the others.

“What is this magician’s name?” one of the assistants asked.

“My name is Theus,” he introduced himself.  He wondered if the stone creatures had names of their own, and so he asked.  “Do you have names?”

“I’m Crystal,” responded his guide first.

“I’m Gem,” another said.

“I’m Sandy,” added the third.

“My name is Rocky,” finished the last.

Theus laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Gem asked.

“It’s your names; they’re so perfect,” he answered with a smile.

“Thank you.  We like them.  What kind of a name is Theus though?” Sandy spoke.

“Um, it’s a nickname.  My parents named me Prometheus, but everyone just calls me Theus,” he replied hesitantly.

“Well Theus, are you ready to get moving?  We still have a long journey left,” Crystal spoke up.

“I’m ready,” he replied, and they started in motion, following the lower level continuation of their journey in a cave chamber that was much smaller than the first chamber had been. The pace continued as briskly as before.  With four granitines now smoothly galloping along, Theus felt determined to not ask for a rest break; he didn’t want to appear weak in front of the full gang of creatures.

They traveled for hours, it seemed to Theus, and he felt his energy starting to grow diminished as he both traveled rapidly and continued to illuminate the path in front.  He first cut back on the amount of light he produced, then reduced it again in an effort to conserve his power.

The path in the cave began to tilt upward, and Theus began to pant loudly as he labored onward.  When the granitines came to an abrupt stop, he stopped immediately and flopped to the ground, gasping loudly.

“I’m so tired!” he exclaimed.  “Why are we stopping?

“It doesn’t matter,” he immediately spoke to his own question.  “I need the break.”

We must go up a chimney,” Crystal answered.

“A chimney?  You have a fireplace here?” Theus asked in confusion.

“Look up,” Gem answered.

“There’s a big crack in the ceiling,” Theus observed.

“That’s where we have to go,” Crystal explained.

“How?” Theus was at a loss.  “Are there steps?”

Together, he and the granitines decided on a way for Theus to climb, and the creatures proceeded to assist him as they formed a base for him to stand on, then became steps on the walls of the chimney, letting him slowly climb to the next chamber.

“Now, you will have to stay low,” Crystal explained the obvious when they reached the top of the chimney, and Theus found that the next chamber was only three feet tall.

“You will have to go much slower,” he panted.  “I can’t crawl as fast as I run.”

“And you don’t run fast to start with,” Sandy pointed out.

“Thank you,” Theus said grumpily.

The group set in motion, and within five minutes Theus had informed them all three times that they needed to slow down.

After that, they held a steady pace.  Theus grew sore, but the plane of their cave began to slope steadily downward, so that he labored slightly less.

But he grew exhausted nonetheless.

“I need to stop,” he told the granitines.  “Is there any water nearby?”

“We’ll find water in the next chamber,” Crystal replied.

“And there’s only one more chamber after that,” Rocky added.

They moved on after Theus gave the okay to resume traveling, and they reached the water chamber within minutes.

It was a large, underground lake, in a chamber that was high-ceilinged.

Theus drank the cool water in large gulps.

“That’s good,” he exclaimed.

“It’s good you like it,” Crystal said.  “This is the water that the whole city of Limber drinks.   It forms a stream that runs through the city.”

“I’ll drink it again when we get there,” Theus said as he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.

The granitines proceeded to move to the left, circling around the lake on a narrow ledge of stone that was barely above the level of the water, until it wasn’t.  Theus found himself walking in the water.  As he walked, he noticed that the level slowly rose, while the guides began to become submerged as they progressed.

“We have to stop!” Theus shouted, when he saw that the granitines were about to go completely beneath the water.

“I can’t breathe water; can you?” he asked.

“We can live beneath the water.  You do not know white magician tricks to breathe the water?” one of them asked, their voice masked by the lake.

“We will not take you to a place where the water is so deep you cannot reach the air in this chamber.  And in the next chamber,” a different one of the guides spoke, then stopped.

“Hmm, yes, the last chamber may be a challenge,” agreed another one.

“We aren’t going to go any further if we can’t get through – if I can’t get through,” Theus spoke.  “This water is freezing; I’m cold and tired.  I can just go back to the shore and rest, then use white magic to leave the cave.”

“If you don’t control the white magic any better than it appears, how do you know you can use it to leave the cave?  What if you just travel to another cave, or what if you put yourself in the solid middle of one of the other mountains, hm?” a granitine asked.

“Just come with us; we’ll take care of you,” a voice insisted.  “We promise you’ll be fine.  If the Father wants you, we’ll deliver you safely to the city.”

After the brief conversation, they moved on.  Theus was growing too cold to stand still in the water.

“Voice, is this going to be okay?” he asked as they began moving.

“Trust your guides; you are almost home,” the Voice sounded pleased.

“Stop,” he called a few minutes later, when he could no longer see the guides in the dark water.  “Where are you?   It’s too dark to see you,” he explained, speaking loudly.

There were suddenly four glowing balls of light in the water in front of him.

“Can you see us now?” one of them asked, the words so garbled by the water that Theus could barely understand.

“I see you.  If you can glow, why didn’t you glow all along, instead of making me use my own energy to light up the way?” he asked.

“He is a weak magician, isn’t he?” Theus understood one of the granitines to ask.

He puffed his cheeks out in frustration, then extinguished his light and followed the glowing guides for several more minutes, until the cold water crept noticeably higher up his body.

Theus took off his back pack, and attached it to his staff, to keep his supplies dry, then carried the load with arms raised above his head.  Keeping the pack dry reminded him that he carried supplies given to him by the kitchen in Currense’s temple, which caused him to dwell on the fact that he had gone hours without eating.

Just as he was about to say something to the granitines about the need to eat, he felt a current begin to tug him forward.  The glowing guides stopped, then one of them suddenly crept up the side wall and rose out of the water.

“What’s happening?” Theus asked.

“This is the end of this chamber.  We’re about to take you to the exit,” Crystal spoke.  The granitine made another of its low-pitched messages to the others of its race, and two of them moved forward, then partially up an unseen stone wall.

“Follow them and step up on the ones on the wall.  When you reach the top of the ledge, sit down quickly, and let the current carry you through the chamber,” Crystal instructed.

“I don’t understand,” Theus answered.

“You will.  Now do as I tell you,” the granitine said no more, but instead slid across the wall and back into the water to join the others.

Theus slowly edged forward, sliding his feet carefully as the current pressed against his back.  He passed the stationary granitine, then stepped cautiously up onto the first of the steps in place, and then the second.

He was largely out of the water, leaning forward to feel the stone that he was supposed to sit on.  He balanced his staff and pack with one hand, while the other helped him maneuver, and then he slipped into a sitting position and began to be pressed by the current behind him.

Theus started to slide forward.  The stone floor of the new chamber slanted slightly downward; it was slick and smooth, and he picked up momentum quickly.  He was soon alarmed by the speed with which he flew along in the darkness.

And then the glowing granitines suddenly joined him in the headlong sprint.  They accompanied him as the chamber floor rose and dipped slightly, or twisted and turned from time to time.

And suddenly, just as he was accepting the ride and starting to find it exhilarating and enjoyable, he rounded a turn, saw bright light ahead, and shot out of the cave.  He flew through the air for a moment, then splashed into a shallow pool, lit by the reflected red light from a setting sun.

He had arrived in Limber.

Chapter 15

Theus sat in the basin of water, feeling the shower of water from the cave splash down on him, and he looked around.  He was sitting among large stone structures that were seated in a mountain valley, with peaks rising far overhead in every direction and the red western sky was behind him.  He heard a series of splashes, and turned momentarily to see the four granitines land in the basin behind him.

The buildings he saw appeared to extend off in the distance.  He saw a large, wide road that drew a straight line leading south away from the water-filled, white stone basin he sat in.  Along the road were uncountable buildings, testifying to the grandeur and immensity of the city he had entered.

Yet it all sat empty, and all of the buildings showed signs of decay and disuse.  Weeds grew in some seams between blocks of stone, a few columns had toppled over, and some roofs had collapsed.

“This is Limber?” Theus asked in awe.  He stood up and stepped forward, out of the spray of the water that was striking him.

“This is the city of the Father, the city where once there were a great many people, the city where the temple once was daily filled with worshippers,” Rocky confirmed.

“I did it; I reached Limber!” Theus exulted.

“With a great deal of help,” Crystal pointed out.

“Voice, I’m here!” Theus shouted aloud.

“And there are no other people here, none anywhere in the city?” Theus asked.

“You are the first to arrive in centuries,” one of the granitines confirmed.

“So, what should I do now?  Voice, what do I do now?” Theus asked out loud.

“Who is this Voice you talk to?” Gem asked.

“He is the guide who had been telling me things to do and places to go for several months,” Theus answered.  “He told me to come to Limber.  He says that I will have to fight the black magicians,” he added in a lower voice.

“You’re not a very good white magician; how can you fight the black magicians?” Sandy asked.

“Coming here will help me fight them,” Theus answered uncertainly.

“I’m here.  For the moment, that’s all that matters,” he said more confidently.

The light in the city was mostly coming off the peaks of the mountains in the east, reflections of the sun as it set in the western sky.  The sky overhead was growing darker with every passing minute.

“Where should I spend the night?” Theus asked.  “I want to eat, and I want to get dry and warm.”

“We should take him to the temple,” Crystal spoke to the other granitines.  “He can rest there, and be ready when he is called.”

“To the temple!” the others cried in agreement, and they all moved forward, rolling up to the walls of the basin, then over them and out into the city.

Theus followed, and was led out into the wide boulevard, and then down the center of the road for several minutes, until the group of moving stones veered to the left.

The building they approached could only be identified as a temple.  It was faced in white stone, with heavy, wide dark columns that lined it on all sides.  The central doorway was massive, and still held colossal metal doors that were sealed, while numerous human-sized doors were open on either side.  Theus followed the granitines as they rolled up the short set of steps to the temple, then entered one of the side doors.

Inside the temple was without any light, until the granitines began to glow brightly.  They bustled on through the antechamber, and entered a side door, then led Theus down a hallway, and into an empty room.

“Here, we think this is a good room for you,” Crystal informed Theus.  He put down his staff and his pack, then removed his sword and his knife.

“It’ll do,” he agreed.   “And in the morning I’ll have to get someplace where I can sit in the sun to warm up,” he commented.

The room grew suddenly dim.  Theus looked up from the pack he was opening, and discovered that Rocky and Sandy had ceased to glow brightly to illuminate the room, and instead had begun to exhibit a ruddy red glow.  As he looked at them, he began to feel warmth.

“We can provide some heat for you,” they announced.

“Thank you,” Theus said enthusiastically.  “That feels wonderful!”

He sat contentedly and ate a meal while the warmth from the stones warmed his body and also his clothes.

He lay back on the floor when he was done with the food, and propped his head on his pack.  He was tired.  He’d come through a long and uncertain day of travel, and now he was at his destination, though he didn’t know what to do.

He could sleep, and worry about it in the morning, he decided.  And so he quickly fell asleep.

Chapter 16

Theus work up early the next morning, arising because his room had grown too warm from the granitines’ ongoing efforts.  He caused his hand to glow, to add his own light as a supplement to the reddish light the stone guides were providing.

“Shall we go out and see the city?” he suggested.

The quartet of creatures filed out of the room and down the hall, leading Theus back to the open space where the temple fronted the street.

“Voice, what should I do?   You said I’d learn things here, and you said something about a weapon,” Theus tried to recollect the predictions his guide had made over the course of his recent adventures.

He waited for an answer, and looked around the city in the meantime.  The sun was rising in the east.  The mountains to the east of the city were hardly elevated very much above the level of the city, so that Limber was afforded a good view of the eastern horizon, and Theus could see the sun rising, already streaming its rays in hues that were yellow and golden.  The parts of Limber that he could see were inspiring, sights that indicated there had been great commerce and vitality in the city once upon a time.

“How could this city have ever been beaten?” Theus softly asked himself, imagining what it must have been like when it was alive with humanity.

“There were so many plagues,” Gem replied.  “There were the deadly illnesses and the infestations.”

“And don’t forget the assassinations,” Rocky pointed out.

“And the blizzards in the last winters,” Sandy said.

“And then the earthquakes and the upheavals; our poor city,” Crystal summed up.  “It suffered so terribly.”

“My mother’s family came from Limber,” Theus told his companions.

“Of course!  That makes sense.  That’s why the Father would be willing to allow you to come,” Crystal said brightly.

“Would you show me around?” Theus asked.

And so began a day of tourism, of getting to know the city, as the small group wandered about the city, from location to location.  As they went, more granitines popped up into view, curious to know about the human that had come to the city, the first in centuries.

The number of granitines that traveled with Theus grew as more of them learned about him, and by midday over a score were on the move, sometimes making it difficult for Theus to walk into the palace or the market or the library or the court building.

“How many of you are there?” he asked in a slightly exasperated voice at midday.

“Three hundred and two,” Crystal replied.  “Would you like for me to call them all together for you to see?”

“Heaven, no!” Theus quickly replied. “It’s hard enough to get around now.”

He sat down atop a fallen column on the edge of an empty plaza and ate his lunch, while the stone creatures mostly sat in place, or a few of them slowly meandered about.  The sun was shining, and the city felt warm and strangely welcoming.

“I almost think the buildings are happy to have a person here again,” Theus said idly to Crystal.  He could imagine a lunch time crowd at the plaza, similar to the lunches he had enjoyed in Great Forks, where apprentices had eaten food from vendors, while businessmen had strolled through, and a market had drawn shoppers.

“They are; we all are.  We hope your appearance means that the city is going to come back to life someday soon,” Crystal agreed.

“You should go visit the temple now, and study it well.  You will need to know it intimately very soon,” the Voice spoke to Theus unexpectedly.

“The temple?” he asked.

“We’d love to show you the temple,” Crystal said brightly.  “We’re going to the temple, everyone,” she announced to the crowd.

The crowd of granitines broke into a flurry of movement and noise, then they started racing ahead of Theus in the direction of the great boulevard that led to the temple location.

He followed the herd to the temple, and then found with amusement and appreciation that every one of the creatures turned into a beacon of illumination, bringing the brightness of day light to the interior of the temple, in every hallway, room, and corridor he inspected.

The main sanctuary was a vast hall that contained a stylized miniature mountain in a central space, one that had a ramp that allowed worshippers to climb to the top and then climb back down, while four levels of balconies ringed the room on all sides to allow more worshippers to look at the mountain and observe ceremonies.

When his tour of the facility was finished, Theus went back to the room he had slept in the night before.  Most of the granitines scattered, except for the four from the journey through the cave, who stayed with him.

His clothes were dry, the room was warmer, he had food to eat, and he hadn’t used his energy for white magic at all that day.  Theus felt good.

He hadn’t learned anything urgent or surprising.  The Voice hadn’t given him anything to consider, do, think about, or worry upon.   He was surprised, but willing to wait.

He readily fell sleep, and slept without dreams.

And then the Voice awoke him in the morning with an ominous warning.

“There are black magicians in the city Theus.  They come to ransack the temple.  You must defend it!” the Voice spoke shrilly in his ear.

Theus sat up, wide awake and in shock.

“Granitines!” he shouted.  “Wake up!”

“How did this happen?  How did they get here?  Why didn’t you tell me sooner?  What are they looking for?  How do we stop them?” he fired off question after question to the Voice.

“What is it?” all four of his companion granitines lit up, and moved in close to him.

“There are black magicians in the city.  They are coming to the temple.  We have to fight them,” Theus said.  He stood up and grabbed his sword and his staff.  “Let’s go see what’s happening and where they are.”  He lit up his own hand, then stepped out the door and began to run down the hall.

He heard sounds, and then all four of the granitines were racing along beside him.

“What is happening?  How do you know this?” one of his stocky companions asked.

“The Voice, the Voice that speaks to me.  It just awoke me with the news.  Can you check with the other granitines to ask them if they’ve seen the black magicians in the city, and where they are?” he asked.

“We will send out a message,” Crystal replied.  Theus heard and felt the deep notes of the strange language throb through the stones of the temple, into the bedrock that the city rested on.

He reached the front of the temple and stepped outside.  The sun was fully above the eastern horizon.  There were no signs of any magicians moving in the city.  Theus stepped back into the shadows of the doorway, and tried to collect his thoughts.

“What would they come to the temple for?  What is there here that they would want to steal?” he asked the granitines.  “Where is it in the temple?”

“There is the great mystery, a weapon that the Father himself has placed in the temple for safekeeping.  He used it once in the ages long past, in a great war, and he said he hoped it would never be needed again,” Gem reported.

“What is it?  Where is it?” Theus asked, ready to pin down the answer.

“We do not know.  We have never seen it,” Sandy answered.

A new granitine came into view, racing across the street and directly into the temple door.

“They are very near; I have seen them,” the granitine reported.

“How many are there?  What do they look like?  What should we do?” Theus asked, suddenly feeling fear for the first time.  The adrenaline of the moment was fading away, and he was growing aware of the reality of the situation.

“There are six of them.  They walk with confidence,” the granitine replied.

“Call all the granitines you can.  Tell them all to come to the temple, but do it stealthily,” Theus suddenly had a notion.  “Make them hurry.”

He peered out into the street again, and saw a movement, then the group of six dark figures suddenly came around a corner.

“I’m going to show myself to them, and draw them into the temple,” Theus told his companions.  “In the meantime, get all the others here.  Bring every granitine inside the temple, and we’ll trip them up and pick them off here in the darkness.  They’ll have to make lights so they can see, and we’ll be able to fight them.  Can granitines crush people?” he asked, wanting confirmation that his plan would work.

‘Yes, we can,” Crystal agreed, as one of the others began to send out another of the deep messages to rally all the granitines to the temple.

Theus looked out and saw the magicians were closer, when they suddenly stopped and appeared attentive, as they heard the granitine message being broadcast.  He stepped out into the sunlight, and raised a shouted exclamation from the magicians as they spotted him.  One of them raised a hand and pointed it at him, while he quickly ducked back into the doorway.

A bolt of light flew at the doorway and struck the stones, causing a shower of sparks and an explosion, while Theus retreated deeper into the temple entry, then stopped.

He had his full supply of energy available, and he was going to use it, he decided.  He grasped his energy and made himself invisible.  It was a drain on his energy, but an important part of his strategy.

He stood and waited.  “Spread out and stay discreet; don’t let them realize you’re alive until it’s too late for them,” Theus told the granitines.

“How do we hide being alive?” one of them asked.

“Just,” he paused, “just stand against the wall like you’re ordinary rocks, the kind that don’t talk or move or glow,” he explained.

“As soon as they see us they’ll know we’re granitines.  They’ll attack us,” Gem’s voice protested.

“They’ll think you’re just stones if you hold still.  They won’t know the difference,” Theus hissed.  “Be quiet – they’re here,” he hissed one last admonition, as the shadows of the magicians darkened the doorways, and then the evil men entered.

“I don’t like being here; it doesn’t feel safe,” one of them told the others.

“Stop complaining.  Just start ripping the place apart; you heard what Donal said we’re looking for – don’t give up until you find it, and kill anyone you see.  I don’t know who we saw in the doorway, but we won’t leave him here alive,” the evident commander directed.

The group split into two groups of three, and started to the left and the right, with those on the left heading straight towards Theus’s spot.

He held his sword ready.  He didn’t want to fight three; he wanted to fight two.  Given that he was invisible, he thought he could defeat two before they knew what had happened, whereas three would take longer, and quite possibly give one of them time to use his magic against Theus.  Or, he could try to split up the threesome, and then take them on.

Each of the magicians suddenly raised their hands, and glowing balls of light floated up into the air over their heads.  For a distracted moment as he followed his prey, Theus wondered if he could do the same – detach the glow that he had learned to carry in his hand and raise it outside of his flesh.  It would be better than a glowing hand that he raised and lowered, sometimes detrimentally to his view of the place he wanted to illuminate.

His three nearest targets walked past him, and into the hallway that skirted around the outside of the sanctuary.

“I sense something,” one of them said in a low voice as he passed Theus.

Theus’s eyes widened, and his grip on his sword tightened, as he prepared for battle.  Something had given him away.

“Maybe there’s some trace of the old, dead god left here,” the leading magician answered dismissively.  “It’s nothing to worry about.  Once we’ve ripped this place apart, there won’t even be a whimper to worry about.”

The building rumbled with a low frequency noise for a second.  Limber was unhappy, Theus was sure.  He would help give the god some vengeance on the evil magicians who planned to desecrate his temple.

Theus followed the priests into the hallway.  They weren’t looking backwards, checking for dangers behind them, he noted.   They were confident in their own power, hopefully over-confident.

He ceased his invisibility as they passed a doorway, then regrasped the power to use for the ventriloquism trick he possessed.  He threw his voice into the hallway ahead of the trio, just whispering a soft shushing noise, then immediately threw his voice into the room they were passing, calling softly “in here”.

The leader of the trio moved forward eagerly, while the hindmost member involuntarily stepped partially into the empty room Theus had baited him into.

Theus closed his own eyes, then flared the brightest light he could imagine into his own hand that held his staff, hoping to momentarily blind the magicians.

Their voices cried out in surprise.  Theus ceased the light, opened his own eyes, then swung his sword at the man who had stepped into the doorway and was blind.  The blade struck the man in the chest, and he gave a sobbing noise, as the light over his head flickered out.  Theus released his hold on the hilt of the sword as it stuck in the man’s ribs, and then Theus placed both hands on his staff and pressed it forward as hard as he could, with all his weight ramming it forward.  He struck the nearest magician in the gut as the man turned in reaction to happenings behind him – even though his eyes could not yet see in the aftermath of Theus’s bright flash.

The magician was hurled backwards, and fell into the leading magician, sending them both tumbling down to the ground.  Theus raised his staff and slammed it down at the head of the nearest man, striking a fatal blow.   His light overhead flickered out as well.

The third magician blinked his eyes rapidly to clear his vision. He saw Theus standing over him, raising the staff again, and the magician extinguished his light, plunging the hallway into darkness and depriving Theus of sight of his quarry.  Theus smashed the staff downward, while at the same moment, an angry red beam of light erupted.  The beam seared across the edge of Theus’s arm, leaving him in pain.  His momentum carried the staff downward, but it only struck an empty spot on the floor from which the magician had rolled away.

And then Theus heard a grinding noise and a scream.  He flung himself protectively against the wall of the hallway and listened.  There was no sound near him.  He thought of the black magicians’ trick of projecting a light away from their bodies.  If he could do the same, he might be able to illuminate the hallway for a moment and see where his opponent was, without giving his own position away.

But his arm hurt, and it was distracting him.

The hallway suddenly lit up, lit from lights down below his knees, and he saw that a pair of granitines were in the hallway, on either side of the bloody body of the third magician.  He and the other magician in the hallway had fallen fatal victims to the attack of the stone sentinels of the temple.

“Theus friend, are you well?” Crystal’s voice asked.

“My arm hurts, but that’s all.  Thank you for your help,” he answered.  He stepped over and worked his sword free from the body of the first invader he had killed.

“Where are the other magicians?” Theus asked.

“They are being taken care of,” Gem answered.  “The temple is safe.  Thank you for your help.”

“No, thank you for your help!” he answered.  He wiped his blade clean on the robes of his dead opponent, then placed the sword in his belt.

“Let’s get these bodies out of here.  Where should we take them?” he asked.

“You go out; we’ll rid the temple of this garbage,” Crystal told Theus.

More granitines were coming down the hallway to assist.  Theus gritted his teeth in pain, then created a light, and walked onto the porch in front of the temple, where he sat on a step.

His arm was bleeding.  He knew it wasn’t a serious wound, but it would need to be tended.  In Limber there were no markets, no apothecaries, no kitchens he could go to for supplies to create one of his remedies.  He would deal with those matters later.  He used his knife to slice a strip of cloth from the bottom of his tunic, and he then awkwardly tied it around his wound.  When finished, he stepped back in the open, under the blue sky of the morning.

Theus stood on the steps in front of the temple, and watched as dozens of the granitines approached him, coming from the surrounding city as well as from inside the temple.

He felt compelled to thank them.  He would not have been able to defeat the black magicians without them.  Although he had felt slightly uneasy about the strange creatures during his first day of acquaintance with them, they had proven to be invaluable allies.

“Granitines, thank you,” he called out.  His words seem to disappear into the empty city, and he decided to try again.

“Granitines!  My friends!  Listen to me!” he shouted the words, and pounded the end of his staff on the stones loudly to gain attention of the unusual crowd.

“Granitines!” he called again.  Movement was ceasing, except for those who were still moving in closer to him.  He was encircled by the stumpy stone beings.

“Thank you!  You saved me, and you saved the temple.  Limber is safe because of you.  I never heard of you before I got here, but I’m glad to know of you and to work with you!” he kept his voice loud, and felt his throat growing scratchy.

“You are faithful servants.  The people who lived here before were fortunate to have you,” he added.

“Tell them you are going to bring new people back to the city,” the guiding Voice suddenly spoke to him.

“What?” he screwed his face in an expression of puzzlement.  The voice had thrown him off his train of thought.

“My next mission for you is to send you to the Jewel Hills.  You will go and invite the farmers and others there to move to Limber, to re-inhabit the city, to bring it back to life,” the Voice expanded.

“And while you go on that journey, ask the granitines to prepare the city for humans to return.  Ask them to prepare fields where humans can plant crops and pasture herds.  Ask them to repair the buildings.  And most importantly, tell them to restore the temple, so that worship can begin again,” the voice was commanding in its dictation to Theus.

“Is all that going to happen?” Theus asked in astonishment.  It seemed beyond what could be practically achieved.

“If you bring the first settlers back to the city, the granitines, and fate, and other powers will make this city come back to life.  It will be restored, and it will become the kingdom that helps to protect humankind once again,” the Voice spoke with astonishing passion.

Theus didn’t believe it was possible, but he couldn’t resist the powerful persuasion of the Voice.  Perhaps it was possible, a small part of him whispered.  Perhaps he could live in the city when it was restored, and open his own shop dealing with healing cures and memory stones, and he could find a wonderful woman who could fill the empty spot in his heart where the memories of Coriae continued to dwell.

The granitines began to shuffle, as they sensed that he had run out of words to speak to them.

“Granitines, you have been heroes,” he tried to find the right way to introduce the incredible new message he was about to deliver.

“Granitines, I want to ask you to be even greater heroes now.  You have already kept me alive,” he told them.  “Crystal brought me in out of the blizzard when I would have died.  And then many of you helped defeat the black magicians in the temple,” he added.

“Now,” he paused, not to be dramatic, but simply because he couldn’t believe he was going to try to offer them such an audacious, unobtainable goal.  “Now, if you will help me with a great, great dream, we can do something bigger than we could have ever hoped for.

“I am going to leave the city now, and go to the people who live in the Jewel Hills.  I will invite them to come with me, to move into Limber and bring the city back to life, with humans who will live here, and work here, and,” he knew the Voice and the granitines wanted him to mention the last item, “they will worship here, in this temple.”

The small beings began to buzz, and then numbers of low-pitched throbbing messages began to pulse through the ground.  The bottoms of Theus’s feet vibrated with the feel of all the energy being broadcast.

“I will bring people here, but you all have to prepare the city to receive them while I am gone.  You must repair the city, and restore the temple, and create fields and pastures where they can raise crops and herds of animals, so that people can live here once more.  Can you do that?” he asked.  He didn’t know what to expect in the way of an answer.

“You are asking us if we can fulfill our destiny?” Crystal came up beside him.  “Of course we can do these things!  We were made by the Father to serve and preserve the city and its people.   If you can bring humans back to the city, we will have the chance to serve once again.  And the Father will have worshippers in his temple once again!  He will return, and he will grow in power!

“This is a great promise; look,” she urged him, and he saw that the gathered granitines were beginning to speed away from the temple, spreading out in all directions.

“What’s happening?” Theus asked.

“They are going to work.  They are ready to start now.  When you bring your humans back, we will have at least part of the city ready.  We will have the temple ready.  We will work on preparing the fields and the pastures again.  We will even start to rebuild the road through the mountains, so that the humans from outside can easily come here, and the humans here may travel away,” Crystal astonished Theus with her rapid delineation of plans.

“How long will it take you to bring your humans here?” Crystal asked.

“I don’t know,” Theus replied in confusion.  He hadn’t expected to be sent back to the Jewel Hills on a mission.  He’d imagined returning several times, but never to run an errand.  And he couldn’t imagine that he would have great success in persuading people to leave the Jewel Hills.  He doubted his own father would even follow.  Perhaps Thera would, and perhaps some other local farmers – those who were adventurous and those who were failing.  But to spend time among them begging them to leave everything to come to a city that was only a mythical name, a lost city?

“I’ll be gone at least a month,” he reckoned.

“That’s not much time for us to repair the entire city,” Crystal had a frown in her voice.

“There won’t be that many people at first,” he tried to ease her worries.  “There won’t be enough to use the whole city.”

“How many will there be?  How long will it take you to fill the city?” the granitine asked.

“I don’t know.  Maybe a handful at first,” Theus tried to set modest expectations.

“We will be ready for them when they arrive,” Crystal sounded decisive.

“I’ll let you get to work,” Theus didn’t know what else to say or do.  He might as well proceed with his travels, he decided.

“Theus,” the Voice spoke to him again.  “Before you go, you’ll need provisions.  There is a hoard of treasure remaining from the old kingdom.   Go to the palace and take as much as you need to purchase the supplies your people will need.

“Gem will lead you there,” the Voice instructed.

“Where’s Gem?” Theus asked Crystal.

“Over here!” the granitine spoke up from the spot where it sat quietly.

“Can you take me to the palace to find money and treasure?” Theus asked.

“Why not?” Gem asked as she glided over to stand next to him.  “It won’t take but a minute,” the creature said casually.  “Let’s go.”

Theus followed her down the boulevard just a few hundred yards, to a gated wall.  He had a momentary flashback to Southsand, and the fearsome wall that had surrounded the palace there.  The Limber wall was protective, but not as ominous and frightening as the other.

“Let’s go,” Gem glided through the open gate and into the palace grounds, followed by Theus.  They entered a small side door, then wandered through halls and into a large underground chamber.  Gem began to glow, and within minutes, Theus stood looking at stacks and piles of coins that appeared dull.

“Just shine them and they’ll gleam,” Gem told Theus.

Theus stood looking at the treasure in astonishment.

“I can’t carry all of this!” he spoke in bewilderment.

“You don’t have to take it all at once,” Gem pointed out. “What do you need it for?”

“I need to pay for provisions to feed the people who move here,” Theus answered.  He tried to estimate how much he could spend to buy food and supplies, and how to transport it.  He needed a caravan, he thought wistfully.

“I could buy a whole caravan!” his mind flipped form wishing to realizing.  He could afford to charter an entire caravan to carry wagonloads of food from Greenfalls towards the Jewel Hills, then he could meet it and lead it in the direction of Limber.

He placed his bag down and poured handfuls of coins into it.  When he tried to lift it, the seams began to bulge.  He quickly emptied out a portion of the booty, leaving more than enough still in the bag for his use.

“Is there anything else, Voice?” he called.

“You are prepared.  Carry out your duties, and do not dawdle.  More storm clouds are gathering, more horror will be unleashed, and there are many ancient wrongs that you must undo,” his mentor told him.

“I’d just like to live a simple life here in Limber with friends,” Theus said softly.

“I have to go now,” he told Gem.  “Which way is south?”

The granitine showed him the direction.

“Tell everyone I said good bye, and I’ll be back with friends as soon as I can,” he told her, and then he disappeared.

Chapter 17

Theus’s first step took him into the foothills on the southeast side of the mountains on his way to Greenfalls first, and then to the Jewel Hills after he’d secured delivery of supplies.  He was worn from having fought and used his power during the morning before he’d taken the magical step south, but he still was able to walk, thanks in part to his sturdy staff.  He ate food from his pack, after digging down through the coins he had carelessly poured into the pack, and he ate a few plants he found growing along the way.

His mind darted energetically through the many extraordinary discoveries he had found thrust upon him in the past day.  The granitines, Limber itself, the plan to repopulate the city, the battle with the magicians – they were all like adventure stories he might have learned as a child, yet they were all happening to him, in his own life, and all within the span of a single day.

He hoped he could persuade people to leave the Jewel Hills to settle in Limber.  Once he had a caravan contracted in Greenfalls, he would head east to test his luck in recruiting.  There would doubtless be a few who would go, but when they arrived in the lost city, their numbers were likely to be swallowed up by the vast emptiness of the city.  It would feel lonely.  And the Voice would blame him for the lack of people who made the decision to inhabit Limber.

He brooded on the topics as he walked, trying to imagine different ways to make Limber sound appealing to the people of the Jewel Hills.  When he reached the mid-afternoon, he decided he had enough energy restored to move again, and he made another magical jump that happened to land him directly on a large road.

There were no vehicles or travelers in his immediate vicinity when he arrived, which gave him time to lean heavily on his staff and gasp for breath.  He began walking west at a slow pace, letting his body adjust to the consumption of so much energy.  As he walked, he heard distant noises behind him, and he turned to see several wagons slowly gaining on him.

He moved over to the edge of the road, and within half an hour the wagons caught up with him and began to pass him.  There were many of them, he saw, and he realized that it was a caravan.

“Are you heading towards Greenfalls?” he asked the driver of one wagon that drew even with him.  The driver was a grizzled older man with a bushy beard and a large, floppy hat.

The man looked down at Theus, then took off his hat and wiped it across his brow, revealing a bald head above a gray fringe of hair.

He put the hat back on.  “We’re going to the only place this road goes – to Greenfalls.  Where the river did you think we were going?”

“I want to go to Greenfalls too,” he said.  “I’m glad I’m going the right way.  How much further is it?”

“We’ll be there tomorrow afternoon,” the driver told him, as the wagon began to pull ahead of Theus’s slower pace.  Theus nodded his thanks for the information, and continued walking as the wagons continued to roll by.

“Who’s in charge of this caravan?” Theus asked a man astride a horse when he came riding along the side of the train a few minutes later.  “Is it Vanline?” Theus asked.

“No, Vanline’s probably in Greenfalls right now, preparing to take his next caravan to Great Forks.  He should be in that part of the delivery cycle,” the rider answered easily.  “Do you know something about caravans?”

“I worked in Vanline’s caravan once, on the way from the Jewel Hills to Greenfalls.  That was the only time I worked in a caravan though,” Theus answered.

“We could use a hand to help us bring this group home to the city; they’ve been a little needier than expected,” the man told Theus.  “I’ll ride up to see Carswile to ask him if he wants help, if you want to join us.”

“Sure,” Theus shrugged.  He’d travel a little more slowly than he would if he journeyed on his own with magical powers, but he might get some information about how to find other caravans and arrange for one to carry goods for him.

The man rode his horse forward, while the rest of the caravan slowly inched past Theus.  Minutes later, the horse rider came back.

“You really know how to do this job?” he asked.

“Yes,” Theus nodded.

“Then you’ve got the job.  Climb on the last wagon when it comes by and ride along.  When we set up camp, help set up the corral and handle and feed the animals.  You’ll stand a watch of guard duty, and tomorrow you’ll help us get the corral emptied and closed up.  Are you sure you still want the job?” the man asked Theus again.

“I’m in,” Theus agreed, and he waited for the last wagon to provide a ride.

The driver on the wagon was a young man, accompanied on his bench by a pretty young woman holding a baby.  Theus explained his new job and was waved onto the back of the wagon.

He carried out his duties without incident that evening, and ate the plain and plentiful meal with the other members of the staff, answering or avoiding questions about how he had come to join the group in the empty lands outside Greenfalls.

“I went up into the mountains to try to find the lost city of Limber,” he told them, knowing that no one would believe him if he told what he had found.  “Now I’m on my way back.”  His words set off conversation about myths about Limber, and then myths about other treasures that were waiting to be found by treasure hunters and adventurers.  The conversation carried on around a camp fire until sunset, when the staff members drifted off to sleep.

Theus slept near the wagon he had ridden on, and slept comfortably until awakened to stand his turn on guard duty.  He was accompanied by two others, a man and a woman named Pat and Tirne.

“We don’t expect any problems; we haven’t seen any trouble on the whole trip from Waterspot,” Pat told Theus as the three of them strolled casually around the perimeter of the camp.

“No bandits?  Not even around the bridge?” Theus asked.

“No, nothing anywhere.  We had a horse break a leg in a gopher hole, and a wagon break an axle, and that’s about the worst we’ve had,” Tirne confirmed.

“Sshh,” Theus said suddenly, placing his free hand on Tirne’s arm.

“Don’t ‘sshh’ me,” she said indignantly.

“Did you hear something?” he asked.

“No,” Pat answered.

There was a scrabbling noise on pebbles nearby.

“What was that?” Tirne asked in a near whisper, suddenly alert to the sound.

Theus was considering something new.  He had seen the black magicians create lights, and detach them from themselves.  They had floated balls of light in the air overhead to illuminate the halls and rooms of the temple of Limber while they had invaded it.  If Theus could disconnect his own white magic light from himself, he could explore the area in the vicinity of the caravan camp to check on possible robbers.

The magic would have to come from him, but not maintain its connection to him.  He thought about the words in the spell that converted his energy into light.  He could try to change the words, he told himself.  The words would change the meaning of the spell and the outcome.

And the moment when he was on guard duty was the perfect time to try, he decided.

He grasped his power and thought through the altered words of the spell, ready to extend the light to a spot several yards away.  And then he combined and engaged the power and the spell together, then released the results.

“What in the?” Pat exclaimed.

“Look at that!  Mother Currense, help us!” Tirne shouted.

Theus had made himself glow throughout his entire body.

He shut the energy off.  His two companions had backed away from him, and drawn swords.

“What are you?” Pat asked.

And then a squad of robbers sprung their attack.  Theus saw Tirne go down first as a man stabbed her with his sword.  Theus resumed his use of power to create light, lighting up only his hand and holding it high as he held his sword with his other hand and started to battle back against the attack.

“Robbers!  Sound the alarm!  Robbers!” Pat began to scream.

“Robbers!” Theus severed a part of his energy, and spun it off instinctively to a different use; he used ventriloquism to send the word off in all directions throughout the campsite and the nearby vicinity.

“Who was that?  Who’s behind us?” one of the robbers shouted.

“Who cares?  Why is that one glowing?” shouted another.

Theus swung his sword forcefully, while he considered what to do with his sword and his white magic, if there was anything he could do to make the caravan safe.

His thoughts and actions were occurring in the midst of the activity around him.  He was reacting and relying on instinct.

His instinct told him he should be able to release his light from his body so that it would rise into the sky.  He believed it was possible, even while he focused on swinging his sword.

He re-tweaked the light spell in his memory then recited it silently again, and the light correctly left his hand and floated up into the sky, lighting the land beneath, letting Theus see where the robbers were coming from and how they were infiltrating the camp site.

He was buoyed by the success, but he immediately swung his sword defensively, and stepped into a battle against two robbers, who challenged him for a pair of heartbeats, then looked up in fear at the glowing orb and ran from the contest.

Theus pivoted and ran to help Pat against another pair of robbers, defeating one by himself, then helping Pat take down the other.  He then heard the animals in the corral sound alarmed, and he took a small step using his magical powers, to place himself on the other side of the camp, where three robbers were trying to empty out the corral.

“Stop!” he shouted, as his orb of light came floating behind him to illuminate the scene.

“What is that?” a robber asked.

“What do the robbers have in the sky?” he heard someone else ask.

“Get away from the animals!” he shouted, and he swung his sword at the closest of the thieves, forcing the man to step back.

“You’re surrounded.  Drop to the ground lay down with your hands on your heads,” he pitched his voice with ventriloquism again, acting without thinking, so that it sounded as if ten men were in the vicinity of the corral.

The robbers fell immediately, with Theus standing over them.  Within five minutes, the robbery attempt was over, the robbers vanquished or captive.  Many men and women with lanterns hustled around the camp site, and Pat stood with the caravan leader, looking cautiously at Theus, as he remained guarding the prone corral rustlers with his light floating above him.

“What is that?” Pat asked.

“It is simply a light,” Theus began.  He would have to explain something, in some way, he realized.  “I am a white magician, a good magician,” he told the two caravan leaders, and the few others who gathered behind them observing.

“But I’m only an apprentice magician,” he added.  It was a true characterization, he realized.  Just as he had been an apprentice memory stone worker, so he was an apprentice at magic.  The exception to his analogy was that he didn’t really have anyone teaching him how to be better at magic.  He was just doing the few things he knew how to do, and starting to figure out new things.

“And you’re not here to rob us yourself?” Carswile the caravan leader asked cautiously.

“I was truly only passing from one place to another, on my way to Greenfalls, when we met.  You are no concern of mine, except that I work for you,” Theus answered.  The light of dawn was beginning to break on the eastern horizon, behind a mountain ridge, he noted.

“How is Tirne?  Have you checked her?” he thought to ask.

“She’s gravely injured.  We have no medic,” Pat answered.

“May I look at her?” Theus asked.

“Are you a surgeon too?” Carswile asked in response.

“No, but I know a few formulae that may help her recover.  Let’s go look,” Theus answered.

They walked together to the other side of the caravan, when Tirne had been lifted onto boards that provided an impromptu examination table.  Theus looked at the stab in her midsection.  He didn’t know how to perform any surgery or procedures to heal the woman, but he could guess at which organs were wounded, and might be helped with remedies.

“Do you have pumice, graceleaf powder, turmeric, saffron, vinegar, asparagus root, stay leaf oil, and audiadelpha?” Theus asked.

“Maybe someone in the caravan does,” Carswile said doubtfully.

“Go find out; send people around looking for all the things I just mentioned,” Theus directed.  Within an hour, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he had the ingredients he needed, and he carefully mixed four different cures for Tirne’s wounds, as the caravan prepared for departure on its final day of travel.

Theus administered his remedies as they started moving, some given orally, some applied directly to the wound, while Tirne lay strapped to the top of the wagon of the young couple Theus had traveled with.  Once he finished those activities and could do no more, he hopped off the wagon and trotted to the front of the traveling troop to report to Carswile.

“I’ve treated her,” Theus reported.  “I think she’ll be okay, at least to get to Greenfalls to see a real doctor.”

“You’ve been an amazing find on this trip,” Carswile got down off his horse to walk beside Theus and speak to him.  “You’re frightening, but unbelievably helpful.  We would have lost our herd of animals to those rustlers if you hadn’t been with us.

“If there’s something I can do to help return the favor, you just need to let me know,” the leader told Theus.

“I do need something,” Theus said bluntly, surprised by the offer of assistance, but willing to take it.  “I need a caravan to take a load of food towards Waterspot for me.”

“A caravan?  You mean a whole caravan?” Carswile asked, perplexed.

“Yes,” Theus confirmed.  “I need lots of wagons full of food, and I need someone to take them east.”

“I’d like to help you, but I’m already committed to the western leg to Great Forks,” Carswile didn’t seem sincere in his apology to Theus

“Can you help me find a caravan?  Is there someplace you can take me to find caravan drivers?” Theus asked.  “What about Vanline?  Could you help me find Vanline to see if he’d work for me?”

“If he’s in Greenfalls, I can connect you to him,” Carswile agreed.  “But as I said, he should go north next, not east.

“Just out of curiosity,” he began after a pause, “how would you make the down payment on a caravan?  Are you related to the governor or one of his cronies?  That’ll take a lot of money.”

Theus swung his heavy backpack off his shoulder with a grunt, then opened the flap to reveal the metal coins inside.  “Is this enough?” he asked.

“Great Bellance and Plever!” Carswile swore.  “I’ve never seen that much money!

“Who in the world are you?” he asked Theus in astonishment.

“I’m an agent for someone else, someone powerful,” Theus couldn’t bring himself to try to describe an invisible voice that spoke in a lost city.

“That’s powerful,” Carswile agreed with a shake of his head.  “You’d have every man in this caravan trying to knock you over the head to take that pack, if they hadn’t seen or heard about you in the battle this morning.

“I’ll find Vanline for you, or someone just as good,” he promised.

Theus wandered back to his wagon in the back after the conversation, and sat next to the recumbent Tirne.  She seemed to have regained some of her color as she lay on the boards on the wagon.  Theus gently took her hand in his and held it for comfort, then exclaimed in surprise as he felt her fingers lightly squeeze his hand.

“She woke up a little while ago and we talked a bit about what happened,” the wife on the buckboard turned to tell Theus.

“She’s a strong lady to be reviving so quickly,” he replied, and he felt Tirne give another light squeeze.

Theus sat silently and watched as the scenery they passed evolved from wilderness to sparsely settled lands to more densely built properties as they approached Greenfalls.  He pondered the bits and pieces of history that he had heard, from the Voice and elsewhere, that Greenfalls had once been an independent nation, not ruled by Stoke.  Had it gone to war with Limber, he wondered.  Or could the two city-states have been allies?

“Theus, Carswile wants you up front,” a rider came back to fetch Theus when they passed through the gate in the city walls early in the afternoon.

Theus bid farewell to the driver of his wagon and the man’s wife.

“Theus,” he heard Tirne whisper his name; he bent over her.

“You take it easy and heal,” he told her softly.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and she opened her eyes briefly to look at him as she gave a brief smile.

“Here’s your payment,” Carswile dropped coins in Theus’s hand when they were rejoined at the head of the caravan.  The group was pressing its way slowly through the traffic of the city streets, and there was no trouble for Theus to catch up with the leader.

“At the next cross street, Vanline’s base will be a hundred yards to the right. You can go there on your own when we pass, or you can wait until I get our arrangements made later tonight or tomorrow,” Carswile advised.

“I’ll look for him on my own,” Theus accepted the offer.  He watched as the caravan neared the intersection, then said his farewells and broke away.

Chapter 18

Once Theus shouldered his way through the crowd on the main street, he reached a less congested area, and walked easily forward.  It struck him for the first time in a meaningful way that he was about to potentially reunite with the group of people he had known on the first chapter of his adventures in leaving home in the Jewel Hills.  What would the reunion be like, he wondered?

He’d see Vanline himself, presumably.  Sooner or later there would be a discussion about swords, and the two of them might even end up in a match, practicing against one another.  Theus wasn’t sure how that competition would turn out.  He’d improved as a swordsman during his life in Great Forks, but since that time he’d had little practice.

There were no signs of caravans along the street, only storefronts and apartments.  Theus examined the doors and windows, looking for some sign of Vanline as he slowly walked through the area.  He went as far as he thought he should, then turned and came back even more slowly, re-examining the scenes along the way.  Again, he found nothing.

Finally, he went to a small shop and entered, walking in among the barrels and containers of spices.

“I’m looking for a caravan leader named Vanline.  Is he around here?” Theus asked the elderly woman who sat on a stool.

“All the caravan leaders are in the office two doors down.  I don’t know any named Vanline,” the lady informed him.  “They come and go so much there’s no telling one from the other.”

Theus thanked her and left the building, then entered the correct address.  An attractive girl sat behind a counter, sorting papers among several piles.

“What do you need?” she asked without looking up.

“I’m looking for a caravan leader named Vanline,” Theus replied.

“He’s not here,” the girl said dismissively.

“Can I find him somewhere, or will he be back?” Theus asked.

“He’s a busy man.  He’ll be here when he gets here,” the girl was pointedly not paying any real attention to Theus, and showed no interest in helping him.

“I want to challenge him to a sword fight,” Theus decided to at least get the girl’s attention.

She paused, a piece of paper in her hand held in the air above a pile.  She didn’t drop it in place, but remained frozen for a moment, then looked up.

“He’s the best swordsman along the river,” her eyes finally looked at Theus.

“I used to work for him and practice with him.  I’m better now,” Theus was pleased to have finally won the girl’s attention.  “I’ll surprise him.”

“He’ll be here at closing time to pick up his shipment vouchers,” the girl patted one of the piles of paper she was sorting.

“I’ll be back to meet him.  Tell him Theus is looking for him,” Theus said.  “I’m going to the market to get something to eat.  Can I get anything for you?” he offered.

She looked at him with a quizzical expression.  “No, thanks,” she decided to answer.

Theus left the building, glad to know he had only a little time to wait until he would have a chance to see Vanline again.  He wandered over to the closest market following directions from people on the street, and bought a skewer of roasted meats, then bought a small sweet cake to give to the girl at the counter.  As he walked back to the storefront with the cake, and thought about the girl, he suddenly realized he hadn’t thought about Coriae in days.

Perhaps, he told himself, he was slowly moving past the hurt he felt from the loss of his relationship with her.  He felt a pang in his heart, and decided to hope that he was nonetheless moving past that irreversible disappointment.  He continued on his way until he had returned to the shop of the caravan leader once again.

Theus walked through the door, carrying the small cake.  The girl at the counter continued to focus on her papers, until Theus walked up and placed the small treat directly in front of her.

“What’s this?” her eyes shifted to the cake, then to Theus’s face, while her hands ceased their motions.

“I thought you looked like you needed something nice,” he told her.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s done for me this week!  Thank you,” she gushed.  She set her papers down and picked up the cake, inspecting it appreciatively, before she closed her eyes and took a bite from the baked good.

“Oh, um, very nice,” she said.  She smiled as she chewed the bite of cake, and her eyes sparkled.  She turned the cake and lifted it towards Theus.  “Here you try a bite too,” she insisted.

Theus nodded his head, and she raised the cake up to his face, so that he had only to open his jaws and then take a bite.

It had an unexpected flavor, a berry taste that was a surprise and an enhancement of the cake’s texture and moistness.

The girl pulled the cake away and watched him, then giggled.

“You’ve got icing on your nose!” she informed him.  One finger extended gingerly towards his face, and his eyes went crossed as he watched the tip of the digit gently swipe away a small spot of sugary goodness, then press itself between his lips.

“There, you got it all,” she murmured.

Theus felt a strange tingling, a feeling of weakness in his knees and a warmth in his cheeks, as he looked at the girl from their close range to one another.  She was a pretty girl, a woman really, he noted, slightly older than he was.

“So this is the impostor who came to seduce my employee and challenge my reputation as a swordsman,” a voice suddenly spoke behind Theus.  He felt something jab him in the back.

Theus turned, and saw that Vanline was behind him, holding a sword against Theus’s back.

Vanline saw Theus’s face, and the caravan leader suddenly paled.

“It’s a ghost!” he exclaimed.  “There’s a walking dead man right here in front of me!”

Vanline backed away from Theus, who turned to face the man.  Theus heard a noise behind him, as the girl at the counter ran in fright after hearing her employer’s extraordinary claim.

“What are you?” Vanline whispered.

“I hope I’m going to be a customer,” Theus said, starting to grin, as the ludicrousness of the situation became apparent.  Vanline did not believe that Theus has lived after falling off the bridge.

“I’m alive,” he said more vehemently.  “I’m real,” he repeated his claim.  He held out an arm.  “Pinch me, you’ll see,” he offered.

Vanline stood, sword still extended, but beginning to droop slightly.

“What?  You can’t be real.  No one could have survived that fall from the bridge.  And even if you did survive, why are you just showing up here now?  That happened a year ago,” the caravan leader laid out his logical explanation.

“I’m not just getting here.  I’ve been in Greenfalls three times in the past year, and a whole bunch of other places.  I just happen to be in Greenfalls because I’ve been,” he stumbled, then stopped.  He couldn’t blurt out all that he had done, he realized.  He would sound preposterous.

“Wait, stop,” Vanline spoke into the awkward silence.  He reached out and touched Theus’s arm.

“By all the gods, you are real!” he exclaimed.  He thrust his sword into his belt and grasped Theus’s hand in both of his, pumping up and down with a firm grip.

“Dinner!  Come to dinner with me!  Tell me everything that’s happened.  I want to hear what you and Grant did after you left the caravan.  It makes sense now, why the old man left us,” the caravan leader enthused.

“What?  Wait!” it was Theus’s turn to be amazed.  “What happened to Grant?”

“You tell me,” Vanline responded.

“I don’t know; I haven’t seen him since I fell from the bridge,” Theus protested.  “I waited in Great Forks, expecting him to show up there.  I was there for months.”

“Great Forks?  Grant wasn’t with you?  He left the caravan the day after you fell off the bridge.  We woke up the next morning, and Grant was gone; there was no clue, no sign.  I chewed out the sentries pretty good for letting him sneak away in the night,” Vanline explained.

“I don’t know what to say,” Theus said softly, stunned by the news.

“Well, come to dinner.  I’ll ask Eiren to join us,” Vanline suggested.

“Meet us at the Blue Coach tavern on Broad Street, will you?” Vanline asked.  “Now, where did that dratted girl go?” he asked.  “I don’t know why I keep her around.  Well, I do,” he answered his own question.

He moved toward the counter and around it.  “Dinner?  Blue Coach?” he sought confirmation from Theus.

“I’ll be there,” Theus agreed.  Vanline nodded, and then disappeared out the back, searching for his employee.

Theus found that he was grinning, delighted to know that Vanline was alive and well, and due to have dinner with him.  Then the grin disappeared as he remembered that Grant had gone missing.  The kindly old man who had treated Theus so well was gone. Theus couldn’t imagine what could have happened.  It made no sense.  Few things in his life did though, he told himself ruefully.

He left the shop and walked down the street.  A vendor gave him directions to Broad Street, and the Blue Coach.  Theus strolled slowly, casually observing the city as he walked.  There were numerous guards and members of the patrol about the city, he was surprised to see – many more than he’d seen in Great Forks or Stoke.  And the people of the city seemed to scurry away from the patrols, or ignore them; there was no friendly interaction.

He thought of the conversations he had heard in Currense’s temple, the evil works of Bened that he had learned by reading the high priest’s memory stone.  It was all connected somehow, he vaguely knew, but he didn’t truly understand.

Coriae would have known how to put the pieces of information together, he told himself mournfully.

When he reached the Blue Coach he was the first of the trio of caravan members to arrive.  He took a seat at a table, and ordered a mug of wine.  It wasn’t the sweet kind of wine that he had shared with Torella in Southsand, but after a few sips he determined that the dry wine wasn’t bad.

“Theus!” the voice in his ear was loud and high and full of emotion.  He felt arms squeeze him from behind, and then Eiren was with him.  He stood up into a smothering embrace, and he unexpectedly found his lips pressed against hers.

“You taste like wine,” she murmured, and then they sat down side by side on the bench.

“Theus, you’re really alive!” Eiren was quieter as she repeated the phrase.

Theus studied her.  Her hair was longer, and her face was slightly thinner, slightly more mature.  But she still seemed the same.

“Tell me everything that’s happened to you since we lost you,” she insisted.

“Everything would make you think I’m a liar and crazy,” he grinned.

“Tell me just the good parts then,” she grinned back.

“I stayed alive,” he began.

“Out in the big, wide world.  That’s pretty good.  I thought you’d be too soft,” she told him.

“I learned to read memory stones,” he said.

“Memory stones?  That’s nice; lots of people use them.” Eiren responded, not understanding the nuance of Theus’s claim.

“I learned a lot of healing remedies; I can help people with most sicknesses,” he tried something else.  He wasn’t sure he was going to admit to any of the truly extraordinary claims.

“Maybe you could sell them at the market,” Eiren sounded as if she was trying to be helpful with her suggestion.

“So, tell me about your life,” Theus decided to put the girl on the defensive.

The waiter came by, and Theus motioned for two more cups of wine to be delivered.

“I’m making my last journey as an indentured servant for Vanline,” the girl was breathless as she pronounced her biggest news.

“After this trip, I can go where I want, when I want,” she emphasized.

“Where are you going this time?” Theus asked with great interest.

“We’re taking a small caravan down to Great Forks,” Eiren answered.  “It’s an easy trip.”

“When do you leave?” Theus wanted to know.

“Oh, in a couple of days.  Why are you so curious?  Are you ready to come back and ride with us?” she asked with a smile.

“No, I need to go somewhere else,” he replied, erasing her smile.  “But I would like to work with Vanline on a project,” he decided to hint discreetly at his need.

“If it pays well, he’ll be interested,” Eiren told Theus, “as long as it’s not bridge-jumping!” she laughed at her own humor so hard she snorted, then covered her face with both her hands as she blushed in embarrassment.

“So, do you have a girlfriend?” she asked Theus after a pause in the conversation.

“I did, for a while,” Theus told her.

“There they are,” Vanline’s voice spoke heartily as he arrived and stood at the table.  “Look at my two favorite caravan workers,” he smiled as he pulled a chair out on the side of the table opposite the other two and swung his leg high over the back to sit down dramatically.

“Of course, you can’t tell the forty-seven other caravan workers I’ve had that you’re my favorites.  I can’t have jealousies, you know,” he warned them.

“Theus, I found Shimma – the girl in the office who you scared away, you know,” Vanline continued.  “And once I calmed her down and assured her that you weren’t a walking death figure, she said that you were very confident in your swordsmanship.  I told her of course that I taught you everything you know – which is why you were one of my all-time favorite caravan workers; no one else would have put up with that much sword work for that long that consistently.

“But she said that you arrogantly claimed that you’d beat me if we matched in a challenge.  That can’t possibly be true, can it?” Vanline motioned to the waiter for a new round of mugs of wine while he leaned in to challenge Theus, an intent look on his face.

“I’ve had the chance to practice more since I left the caravan,” Theus spoke a little more freely than he might have without so much wine in his belly.  “I think I’ve gotten pretty good.”

The waiter arrived, put more wine on the table for all three of them, took their meal orders, then departed.

“Gotten pretty good, eh?” Vanline asked with a feigned casualness.  “So, you’d be up for a match to test?” he asked.

“I haven’t done much in the past month.  I’d want a bit of practice to knock the rust off,” Theus agreed.

“There’s an armory just a hundred paces west of here,” Vanline was watching Theus carefully.  “Let’s meet there tomorrow at noon, shall we?”

“For a friendly match?  That sounds fun,” Theus suddenly felt the need to downplay the importance of the match.  Vanline clearly intended to take it seriously, while Theus knew he needed practice.

“Enough of you two trying to deceive one another,” Eiren slapped her hand down on the table top.  “Theus tell us about your life!”

He stumbled at first, but then began to slowly tell an abbreviated version of surviving the fall from the bridge and going first to Greenfalls, and then by barge to Great Forks.

“We lost time getting to Greenfalls after we lost you and fought the robbers, then delayed looking for Grant,” Vanline explained.  We were two days late getting into the city.  You’d probably already shipped out on the easy barge cruise,” caravan workers didn’t hold barge workers in high esteem, Theus discovered, since the sailors were believed to just lazily let the current carry the boat down the river.

Theus told of working in Falstaff’s shop, and practicing swords with Forgon, then entering the city tournament.  “I didn’t win,” he said modestly.  Nor did he mention Coriae, and his romance with her.

Then he turned to the story of Southsand, and the black magician and evil he saw in the palace and in the invasion.  The two caravan members listened raptly to the extraordinary tale, after which he glossed over the details of traveling to Stoke and Great Forks and Southsand again, and mentioned white magic and Limber not at all.

“You’re not the same green farm boy who started his first trip with us, are you?” Vanline asked in disbelief.  “You’ve seen just about the entire known world.

“The black magicians – are you exaggerating some of that, or is it that bad?” Eiren asked.

“They frighten me.  A sword won’t do much good.  And I can tell that they plan to spread their evil,” he emphasized.  “Our gods and our people need to fight back.”

The three of them sat in contemplative silence for a while.

“There are cheerier things to discuss after dinner, so that we end on a happy note,” Vanline broke the quiet.  “Eiren is learning swordsmanship now from the master, the best teacher in the empire,” he stated.  “Perhaps after I beat you, you can contest with her to see who is my prize pupil!”

“Perhaps she’ll beat you after I do,” Theus teased back.

“Perhaps you’ll both lose to me,” Eiren joined in the baiting.

“We’ll find out tomorrow,” Vanline said.  “Now, I need to go finish up a few things,” he started to rise.

“One more thing,” Theus decided on the spur of the moment to make his plea.

“I need a caravan,” he blurted out, as Vanline half stood over his chair, poised to listen to him.

“Can you put together a caravan of food supplies and goods and take it towards Waterspot as quickly as possible?” Theus hastened through the words.  “I’ll pay you immediately.”

Vanline gaped at him with a mouth hung half-open.

“What’s the punch line?” the man asked after an awkward pause.  “I don’t get the joke.”

Theus grunted and raised his heavy pack up onto the table, then untied the cover and opened the mouth of the pack to reveal the hoard of coins he was carrying around.

“This is heavy and my back aches from carrying it.  It’s to pay for the caravan and the supplies,” Theus began.

“Close that thing up!” Vanline’s hands slapped the pack closed.  “Don’t be flashing that around here – you won’t make it out alive!

“Gods above, below, and all around!  Where did you get that!” the leader hissed.

“Theus!” Eiren added in astonishment.

“It was given to me.  I’m supposed to buy supplies for people in the east,” Theus answered warily.  He still remained convinced that if he used the name of Limber, he’d be called insane.

“In the east?  Are you going to go feed the population of the entire Jewel Hills?” Vanline asked.

“Not exactly.  Will you do it?” Theus asked.  “As a favor?  I trust you,” he added.

“We’ve got a contract to take a group of merchants to Great Falls in just a couple of days,” Vanline responded.  No, there’s no way.”

“Couldn’t you give them to some other caravan leader, so that you could lead this caravan for me?” Theus asked.  “I could get more money if you needed,” he offered.

“Theus, what are you doing, stealing from the governor’s vaults?” Eiren asked.  Her hand was gripping his arm, he realized.

“I can’t tell you, yet,” Theus replied.  “But if you do this for me, I’ll tell you the story, the whole story,” he offered emphatically.

“I tell you what,” Vanline answered.  “If you can beat me tomorrow, I’ll do this for you.  I’ll contract out my clients to someone else, and I’ll put together a caravan for you, and I’ll lead it for you.  If you beat me tomorrow in the first match we have against one another.”  He was sitting again, and he leaned back in his chair, wearing a smug air of satisfaction that he had won.  “And if I win, you’ll still have to tell us the whole story of what’s going on.

“And,” he offered magnanimously a second later, “I’ll even help you find a crew to work your caravan.”

Theus thought about the proposal.  If he had faced Vanline at the time his skills had been honed for the Great Forks tournament, he would have been ready to take the bet.  But without training, even with the light fog of wine swirling in his mind, he knew he’d have trouble fighting against the caravan leader in a fair fight.  Except, he suddenly thought, maybe he could make the fight less fair for Vanline, and more fair for himself.

“Alright,” he agreed.  He held his hand out for Vanline, who grasped it and shook firmly.

The caravan leader shook his head.  “You’ve had too much to drink.  Watch out for him tonight Eiren!” he grinned as he stood up.  “I’ll see you at noon at the armory,” he pledged again, and then he was gone.

Theus exhaled.

“What have you gotten yourself into?” Eiren asked, sitting back against the bench.

“Things that are way over my head, it feels like,” he confessed.

“You’re a smart boy, and a lucky one, if you can fall off the Ester Road bridge and survive,” she patted his shoulder as she spoke.  “Whenever we take a caravan across that bridge, we pause to tell people about the time one of our workers fell to death fighting the robbers there.  It sobers them all up.

“I suppose we’ll have to change the story.  It might even be better now,” she mused.

“I’m ready to go.  Where are you spending the night?” she asked.

“I don’t know.  I just got to town today and I haven’t made arrangements,” Theus answered.  He began to consider.  He could go to the temple of Currense and ask for Alsman, to spend the night there.  He thought about the contentious currents at the temple though, and wondered if it was a good idea or not.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, or I will use a sword on you,” Eiren spoke up.  “You can spend the night with me – just in my flat, that’s all I’m saying – not in my bed!

“It’s clean and safe and not far away,” she explained.  “I can put some blankets down on the floor for you.”

“Thank you,” Theus answered.  “I won’t make you regret it.”  It was a simple answer, and he was grateful for her trust.  But when she got up to lead the way out of the tavern, he couldn’t help but momentarily study her figure as she walked towards the exit.

Chapter 19

Eiren led Theus through the streets of Greenfalls.

“This is where the armory is,” she told him as she stopped after a five minute walk, They were in front of a trio of double doors in a plain, brown brick building; the faint sounds of practice swords striking one another slipped past the doors for them to hear.  “I brought you this way so you’d know where we’re headed in the morning.”

They walked on three more minutes, then entered a building and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor.  Eiren opened the door and let Theus in.

“Curse it all!” she exclaimed.  “Where is my flint to light the lantern?” Theus heard her fumbling with items on a table.

Without pausing to think, he illuminated a pair of fingers and held them high.  “Does that help?” he asked.

“Thank you,” she turned.  “Where did you find it?” she looked up at the fingers in the air, then gasped, and fainted.

He knew he’d made a mistake.

The flint was visible in the light from his glowing hand.  Theus picked it up from where it’d fallen onto the floor behind the table, and he lit a lantern, then extinguished his fingers.  He knelt and rubbed her cheeks and shoulders without successfully rousing her.  He sighed with discouragement, then slipped his pack off, and grunted as he picked his friend up, to carry her to her bed.

Once he had laid her on the thin mattress, he pulled her boots off her feet, and spread her blanket over her.  She appeared to be slumbering peacefully, and he stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind himself.

He took cushions from a chair, placed his pack in the floor, and lay down on the impromptu bed.  His mind was drowsy but not ready to sleep.  He had to beat Vanline, he told himself, to have a caravan.  And he could win, although there might be consequences.

He fell asleep soon thereafter, and only awoke in the morning when he felt Eiren’s sword pressed against his throat.

“What are you?” she hissed.

He blinked in shock.  “Eiren, it’s me, Theus,” he slowly moved his hands away from his body to demonstrate his peacefulness.

“Whoever, or whatever you are,” she stopped speaking as she failed to find words to express her fear or anger or distrust of the person whose hand had inhumanely glowed the night before.

“You told me once, in the caravan, that we had a responsibility to do the right thing,” he told her, paraphrasing a lesson she had taught him, one that had drilled deeply into his psyche and influenced his subsequent actions.  “Hurting me would not be right.  You know it.”

His words didn’t sound convincing, he knew.

“I never said that,” Eiren hissed.  “That proves you’re not the real Theus; you’re making things up.”

She was about to press his sword through his neck, he sensed.  Theus took a desperate step.  He called upon his white magic, and moved himself just a few feet to the side, away from Eiren, and into a spot where he could stand up safely.

The girl screamed at the instantaneous disappearance of her captive, then whirled around in wide-eyed disbelief and spotted him rising to his hands and knees on the other side of the room.  She charged towards him, her sword held in front of her.

Theus desperately moved himself again, into her bedroom, and as soon as he landed on her bed, he made himself invisible, then stepped to the door and looked at Eiren in her front room. She was whirling and circling and spinning, holding her sword competently as she searched for him.

Theus refocused a part of his energy, and cast his voice into the kitchen doorway.

“Eiren, you don’t have to fight me.  I’m not here to hurt you or anyone.  I’m not a threat to you,” he tried to sound reasonable.

The girl charged towards the kitchen.

“I’m not over there,” Theus broadcast his voice from his own location, and allowed himself to become visible once again.

“I’m here.  And I’m not going to fight you here,” he tried to defuse the situation, to calm down the frantic girl.

“What are you doing?” Eiren screeched the question.  She didn’t try to move forward on the attack, but she didn’t show any sign of reducing her hostility.

“Eiren, I learned a lot about the memory stones, and one of the ancient stones I found taught me a little bit about white magic,” Theus tried to explain.  “I don’t know a lot – I can only do three or four things.  And you’ve seen almost everything I know.  But I’m not trying to hurt you.  Just knowing how to do things doesn’t make me bad,” he was pleading with the girl to trust him.

“I never heard of white magic,” the girl didn’t trust him any more at all.  His words were not having any impact.

“Neither did I until this happened to me.  Won’t you trust me?” he asked.

“If I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it last night, after you fainted.  But I didn’t; I just put you to bed.  Why do you think that you need to attack me?” he asked.

“Your hand,” she sputtered.  “It was glowing like it was on fire.”

“We needed a light to see, and I just accidentally made my hand glow.  It wasn’t a bad thing,” he insisted.

“It wasn’t natural!” Eiren pointed out.

“Would you put that sword down,” Theus demanded angrily.  “I’m not going to hurt you.  Stop threatening me.”

“Put it down or what?” Eiren retorted.

“Fine,” Theus said after a pause.  “If this is how it is, just step aside and let me leave.”

“Based on what I’ve seen, you don’t need to go past me to leave,” she answered.

“Why are you so mad at me?” he asked, baffled, and increasingly annoyed and tired of the situation.

He cautiously stepped forward into the room, towards where his belongings sat on the floor, then stopped when Eiren raised her sword.

“I don’t know why I’m mad,” she answered his question moments later.

She lowered her sword, finally.  “Maybe you’re right.  You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Theus began to edge forward cautiously, watching her sword as he approached his own weapons, and his pack that was full of his riches brought for the purpose of shipping goods to Limber.

He reached his things without Eiren attacking, though she continued to watch him like a cat watching a mouse.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked.  He was confident he knew the answer, and he mentally prepared to depart.

“What is white magic?  Do you have to suck blood from victims to make it” the girl asked.

“No, it comes completely from me.  I have to use my own energy to make it.  It wears me out.  Sometimes I can’t stand up after I’ve used it too much,” he told her.  “Black magic is when you take power from other people,” he explained.

“I never have done that,” he insisted.  “I’ve seen and felt black magicians do it; I’ve seen the results,” he paused as he thought of Amelia, then thought of the girl he had seen on his first turn as a prisoner in Donal’s tower.  She’d said she was the same age as Theus, but she looked ancient.  She was undoubtedly dead a long time ago, and he felt his throat tighten with the sadness he felt for the unlucky girl.

“Eiren, the things I’m doing, they are all part of a bigger plan to fight against Donal and the black magicians and their evil god.  I have to carry out my mission for everyone – for you and Vanline and the people of all the cities and farms and places.  We all face a terrible future,” he pleaded.

“Theus, you were just a simple country boy in the caravan when I met you.  Now you’re all these things,” Eiren’s shoulders slumped in defeat.  “But as I listen to you, I can’t believe you’d lie to me about this.  She let the point of her sword drop to the ground.

“You’re in something I can’t even imagine,” she walked over and sat on a chair.  “I think it’s hard enough avoiding merchants pinching my bottom or trying to do more; that’s why I want Vanline to teach me to use the sword.  But all of this,” she waved her hand in the air.

“What did your girlfriend think of you being the world’s hero?” she asked, looking at him.

“She never found out.  I, we, broke up before it all became so serious,” he thought of Coriae, and wondered what she would have thought had she found out about him stumbling from disaster to disaster.

“Would you like some breakfast?” Eiren seemed to sense his brewing emotional funk.  “There’s a bakery just down the street.  We can get some rolls, then go to the armory,” she suggested.  “Unless you magical beings don’t need food – no, you ate dinner last night, so I suppose we’re good,” she corrected herself.  “Let me clean up and change clothes, then we can go.”

Minutes later they were down the stairs and back on the street, walking amidst the traffic bound for the market places in the city.  They passed a pair of stationary guards that watched them walk past.

“There are a lot of guards and patrols in the city,” Theus commented.

“More than we see anywhere else,” Eiren agreed.  “And there seem to be more every time we come back here.”  They reached the bakery and went inside, then sat and languidly nibbled on their breakfast goods, before heading on to the armory.

It could have been any armory in any city, as far as Theus could tell.  There were wooden practice swords, practice mats on the floors, and a familiar odor of long, physical work outs.

He and Eiren began to practice, and Theus discovered that the girl was very accomplished with the sword.  Her long hours of work with Vanline produced the same excellent attention to detail and mechanics that Theus had suffered to have drilled into himself.  They were nearly evenly matched.  The balance began to tilt in favor of Eiren as Theus made mistakes and miscues in their early rounds, but then grew better able to respond and anticipate as their work stretched out longer.

“Phew!  I don’t know why I bothered to clean up this morning,” Eiren said when they took a break late in the morning.  Each of them was gleaming with perspiration, and they sat on a bench to catch their breath.

“What’s this?  Sitting down, trembling in fear already?” Vanline’s voice boomed as he approached them.

“I trust you’ve been practicing and working out to get ready?  Practicing against Eiren is a wise choice – she’s good, and she’s nearly a duplicate of my own style, although I’ve got a few tricks I haven’t shown her,” the caravan leader boasted with a smile.

He stepped away to collect pads and a practice sword, as Theus stood and mentally readied himself for the match.

He hoped he could match Vanline without using his white magic.  During the previous evening, after drinking wine throughout dinner, he had decided that he could win by using any number of small exercises of his unique powers.  But his difficulty in explaining things to Eiren had reminded him that morning that the things he was coming to accept and consider ordinary were actually still far outside the norm.  Vanline wouldn’t be likely to think that Theus won fair and square if Theus resorted to flashing bright lights, or throwing his voice behind his opponent, or magically moving himself a few feet through space.

The sparring began, as they both assumed standard positions, then began probing one another’s weaknesses, jabbing and thrusting as they attempted to find opportunities to score points against one another.

“Your style has changed considerably,” Vanline commented after the first few minutes.  “You’re not entirely predictable.”

“Your style’s still the same, but you’re still too fast on defense for me to get through,” Theus complained.

Eiren stood at the side of the mat and watched the contest intently.   A few others who were finishing or starting their own practices in the armory stopped by to watch portions of the contest as well.

Theus attempted repeatedly to attack Vanline down low, where he felt the caravan leader was slowest to protect, but in each effort Vanline riposted so effectively that Theus had to backpedal to avoid suffering attack.  Their wooden swords clacked and cracked repeatedly, while Theus slowly found himself having to back up more than advance.  He was starting to lose the match, he realized.  Not with any dramatic single attack, but simply by being outmaneuvered and backed towards the end of the mat.

It was approaching the dire end.  If he was going to win, and if he was going to rely on Vanline to lead the caravan of supplies to the east to help establish Limber, Theus was going to have to resort to something out of the ordinary.  And he knew he would try it, because he needed Vanline’s assistance.

He backed up one last step, where he felt his heel inch off the rear of the mat, and he knew it was time to make his move, or accept defeat.

He launched a desperate offensive attack, trying to drive Vanline away, so that he could gain space and time.

Vanline found a flaw in his attack, and speared him with the practice sword, putting an end to the match.

“You put up a world of trouble for me!” Vanline said spiritedly, pleased with the outcome of the match.

“Why did you do that Theus?” Eiren came over and asked, as the two of them shook hands.

“Why did he do what?” Vanline asked.  “Why did he lose to me?  Because he couldn’t win.”

“He learned magic, my lord,” Eiren spoke respectfully.  “Last night and this morning he showed me things I’ve never suspected.”

“I warned you to watch out for him last night!” Vanline grinned.  “What does this have to do with this match?”

“Show him Theus,” Eiren instructed.  “He won’t believe it if he doesn’t see it himself.”

“It doesn’t matter, Theus replied in a low voice.  “We battled fairly.  He won fairly.  I’ll try to find a different caravan leader.”

“You bet I won fairly – I don’t need to cheat!  I haven’t had to cheat with a blade since I was five years old,” Vanline declared.  “What are you two going on about?”

“His magic.  He could have used magic to beat you, but he didn’t.  He fought just the way you and I do,” Eiren bumped Theus with her shoulder.  “Do something,” she insisted.

Theus looked around.  The other observers of the contest had moved on, and the midday crowd was sparse.  No one was watching.

Theus engaged his powers, then made his hand glow brightly for just a second, before he shifted the spell he used, and he became invisible.

“Great trees in the forest!” Vanline exclaimed.

Theus returned to visibility, then threw his voice to a spot just behind Vanline’s head.

“My white magic is useful for many things,” he explained, then he took a tiny step using the white magic and appeared behind Vanline as the caravan leader turned to look at the source of the voice behind him.

“Billowing Bellance!” Vanline invoked the air god. “What demon are you?”

“Not a demon, just someone who has learned a lot,” Theus answered.

“So, you could have beaten me by using some of your tricks?  But you didn’t?” Vanline stared at Theus thoughtfully.

“It wouldn’t have been fair to you,” Theus replied.  He looked down at the floor.  “Can you recommend someone I can talk to about leading a caravan for me, as soon as possible?”

“Go bathe and clean up, then meet me back at the Blue Coach tavern for a bite to eat in a couple of hours.  I’ll have someone for you by then,” the caravan leader told Theus.  “And since you have so much money, you’ll be paying, by the way!” he grinned in a cheery fashion.

“Let’s be on our way Eiren.  Our work never ends,” he said as he stripped off his protective pads.

Minutes later, Theus was alone, soaking in the lukewarm water of the armory bath.  He hoped Vanline would provide a reliable and affordable leader who could be counted on.  Theus was anxious to start the journey back to the Jewel Hills.

He was anxious to see his family.  He imagined the astonishment they all would express when he arrived.  They’d disbelieve him when he began to make his claims about moving to Limber, and bringing the city back to life.  But he would hold back on that for a day or two.  He’d just enjoy their company, enjoy the warmth of being with them, and catch up on all the news in the family and neighborhood.

Theus walked through the city to spend his idle time until he met Vanline again.  His stroll took him near the temple of Currense, but the large numbers of guards on patrol in the area made him unaccountably nervous, so he turned and ambled back to the Blue Coach, where he sat quietly and watched people until Vanline arrived.

“Will Eiren join us?” Theus asked.

“Ah, young man, that girl is busy running errands for me, earning her keep right now. We’ve got quite a bit to do to get ready for our next run.  You know how complex a caravan is,” Vanline replied.  He motioned for the waitress to bring two drinks.

“We’ve got a deal for you,” Vanline said.  “I’m going to be your caravan leader.”

“Really?  Truly?  Splendid!” Theus bubbled with unexpected happiness at the news.  “What made you decide to do it?”

“Eiren persuaded me; you’ve clearly enchanted that girl.  She agreed to be indentured to me for an extra trip if I would run this caravan for you,” Vanline said casually, then took a large drink from his ale.

“She can’t do that!” Theus was horrified by the notion of the girl surrendering her freedom on his behalf.  “You can’t let her do that!  Set her free.”  Theus also drank his ale; he didn’t like the taste, but he didn’t notice in his agitated state.

“It’s too late Theus; we’ve sealed the deal. She’s out making arrangements for waggoneers and teamsters to fill up a caravan for us.  I’ve already started transferring my contracts for the Great Forks trip to other leaders. Tomorrow we’ll make arrangements to acquire supplies,” Vanline explained.  “Which brings me to the point; I’ll need that money of yours.

“Let’s go back to my shop and count out your coins, so I can get some contracts fulfilled,” he stood up.

“You’re really going to do this for me?” Theus asked.

“Yes, yes, yes; you’re so earnest, and Eiren is so persuasive,” Vanline answered airily, with a wave of his hand.  “And besides, we just came from Waterspot, and I know the conditions of the road, so this will be easy.

“Are you coming?” Vanline asked as he started to leave the tavern.

Theus hurriedly rose, and followed after Vanline.  They wove a path to the office, where Eiren had just arrived from working on parts of the deal.   Shimma, the pretty girl who had fled the day before when Theus had been pronounced a ghost, looked at him with an air of apprehension, until he began to pull fistfuls of coins out of his pack.

“I estimate I’ll need thirty five golds to run the expedition, and another thirty golds to pay for the goods – we’ll have to pay cash upfront of course,” Vanline said, as Theus and Eiren began to sort and stack coins.  Theus didn’t know any of the coins, and Eiren discovered that she only recognized a very few as well.

“We’ll have to weigh them to make sure they have the proper value,” Vanline said, as he produced a set of scales.  “Where did you get these?  I’ve never seen most of these coins,” he commented as he held an ancient coin up high to examine.

“By golly they’re good coins; they haven’t been debased at all – they’re practically pure,” he muttered as he carefully added and removed weight on the counter side of the scales.  “Still, people will be suspicious because they’re unfamiliar.  Better give me a couple of extra golds,” he muttered as he thought through the process of working in the marketplace.

Theus found that he still had a considerable amount of extra money left over after Vanline removed the bulk of the coins from his pack.  He’d be able to bring some temporary prosperity to his family in the Jewel Hills, and to others as well, he smiled at the thought.

“Do you need anything else from me?” he asked Vanline.

“No, I’m ready to carry out the most unusual caravan trip I’ve ever been hired to take,” the man replied.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?  In private?” Theus asked Eiren.

The pair stepped out of the shop, followed by the raised eyebrows of the other two.

“Thank you for helping make this possible.  You shouldn’t have sold yourself to him for my benefit,” he told the girl.

“It’s just one more run with Vanline, and I need the additional practice with the sword anyway,” Eiren brushed his appreciation aside.  “He’ll pay for it, believe me,” she smirked.

“If you’re sure, then I thank you.  I don’t know what I would have done if this hadn’t been worked out,” Theus acknowledged, as the pair went back into the shop.

“I’m going to go now to recruit the people from the Jewel Hills.  When I have them rounded up, we’ll keep traveling east until we meet you on the road,” he explained to Vanline and Eiren

“And then what happens?” Vanline asked.  “You’ve never really explained this to us.”

“And then,” Theus paused, “is it too late for you to change your mind?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s too late.  We’re committed,” Vanline replied.

“Then we go to Limber.  We’re going to bring the city back to life,” Theus said with a hint of excitement in his voice.  His eyes sparkled at the thought.

“Is it too late for us to reverse this?” Vanline turned to Eiren to ask.

“I’m just teasing,” he turned back to Theus with a smile.  “We’ll carry out our duties, and we’ll see what happens.”

Theus was ready to go.  “I need to pack supplies for my trip, and then I’ll be on my way.  He waved farewell to Shimma, shook Vanline’s hand, then hugged Eiren.  “Safe travels everyone,” he told his friends, and then he left the shop.  He walked to the market and bought blankets to sleep in, and more than enough food for his trip.  He wanted to arrive at his farm house home with extra food that he could share with them all.

The sun was slightly west of its zenith; he would have time to make perhaps two long magical steps across the land.  He lined himself up to face east.  The journey would be risky at first, until he got east of the Wallchick Mountains; he might land in the bottom of a valley, or at the top of a peak, or on the ridiculously sloped side of a mountain.  He hadn’t enjoyed any of his trips through mountains since he’d learned of white magic, though none had been catastrophic.  And he told himself that within a day or two he would finally reach the wide, gentle prairies that reigned all the way to the Jewel Hills.  The majority of his trip would be simple.

And then he startled the people in the market place by simply disappearing from view.

Chapter 20

Theus told himself he should have bet money with someone about how he would land with his first step.

He stood on a cold rocky slope of a mountain, nearly at the top of the peak, holding on to his staff to support himself after using his energy to travel away from Greenfalls.

“I knew it,” he muttered, then began slowly picking his way down the side of the mountain, looking for trails that would ease the way.  He slowly descended to a ridge line that ran in roughly the correct direction for his travels, and afterwards trudged dutifully along the crest ridge.  At sunset he took his second long step of the day, and spent the night in a forest of small, scrubby trees on the gentle slope of a smaller mountain.  He huddled in his new blankets, and slept soundly through the night.

When he awoke in the morning he found light rain falling, and the sky gray with clouds.  He decided to make his first step before even eating any breakfast, in the hopes of arriving in drier surroundings.  He pulled his soggy blankets together in a bundle, then took a step forward to the east.

He arrived under gray and drizzling skies.  But he was on a gently rolling prairie, with small trees only in the low swales and gullies of watercourses, and he could see across the landscape to a distant horizon that was level in the east.  When he turned to look behind him, he saw the distant shape of the Wallchick Mountains in the west.  He had cleared his hurdle, and could travel freely.  Wet, but freely, he amended his thought.

By mid-day he had walked several miles, and was ready to take another magical step into the east.  The light rain had passed over, the ground beneath his feet had absorbed the moisture without turning sloppy, and Theus felt good about the journey.  In a matter of two or three days he would home in the Jewel Hills.

He took his magical step, and landed back inside the belt of rain that was moving towards the east.  He gave a mild curse, while he leaned heavily on his staff, and stood in the rain while he caught his breath, before he plodded forward, resolutely moving east.  He ate as he went, and plucked some of the local plants to supplement his needs, until he made his third jump of the day and settled down for the night at sundown, finally out of the path of the weather front that was carrying rain.

Theus repeated the grueling traveling pace the next day as well.  He was traveling to the north of the Landwide River and the parallel road, far from the traffic.  The lands he crossed were most empty wilderness, with a few occasional farm houses visible.

His fourth day of travel ended his journey.  When he made his second step at midday, he found himself among rolling hills and numerous farm fields scattered across the lands.  He was back in the Jewel Hills.

He leant on his staff and smiled broadly.  He didn’t recognize the vicinity, but it wouldn’t take long for him to find familiar landmarks.  He guessed that within an hour he’d be back at the family farmstead, listening and talking and laughing with all the others.

When he began walking, he guessed that he needed to go south, and he did.  He slowly wended his way towards sights and locations that brought back memories of his childhood.  He waved in friendly fashion to farmers he saw working in their fields or on their ditches and fences.  And he finally came within sight of his own home at mid-afternoon.

He felt like a young boy at home once again; yet he also felt as if he were a stranger looking upon a life that wasn’t his.  It never would be his again, he knew.

He watched Thera cross the farmyard and enter the barn while he was walking down the hill through the fields, and he veered to encounter his sister first.  He rounded the corner of the shabby building and entered the dim interior, where Thera was milking the goat – a new goat.

“You can go faster than that, can’t you?” he asked.

She turned to look at him, and saw the outlined figure of a man standing in the doorway, the details of his appearance obscured by the brighter light behind him.

“Who is it?” she asked, standing to see.

Theus stepped closer, and to the side.

“Who are you?  Oh gods of all parts of the universe!  Theus?  Is it really you?” her voice rose dramatically in pitch and volume, and then she ran to him and hugged him as she burst into tears.

“You are still as ugly as ever, but you’re the most beautiful sight I’ve seen in months,” she sobbed.

“Let’s get you inside.  We ought to hurry,” she told him.  One of her hands grabbed his, while the other began to wipe away the tears on her cheeks.

“What’s the hurry?” Theus asked as he was dragged away.  The unhappy goat, its udder still uncomfortably full of milk, bleated in dismay at being abandoned, but Thera hurried on towards the house.

“It’s for father,” Thera told Theus as she pulled him along.  “I want him to see you while he’s still awake.

“He’s dying Theus.  He’ll be gone any hour now,” she shocked Theus by whispering, just as they reached the door.

Chapter 21

Theus was stunned by the pronouncement.

“Wait! What?” he asked.

“Thera, who is that with you?” Theus heard his mother’s voice call from the small side room that was his parents’ bedroom.

“Mom, dad. It’s Theus!  Theus is home!” his sister called as she led him through the kitchen and towards his parents.

“What?  What’s that you say?” Allise asked in confusion, unable to believe what she had heard.

Theus stepped into the bedroom door, and took in the scene in the room in a glance.  He’d seen slavery and warfare and black magic, but he’d seen nothing that affected him as deeply as the room in his family homestead.

His mother looked thin and care-worn as she sat on a stool that was crammed into the narrow space between the wall and the mattress.  She was holding the hand of her husband in the bed, but her eyes were wide and focused on the doorway.

“Oh heavens!  Oh heavens, you’re alive!  Theus,” his mother stood as she released Cern’s hand and edged out into the open space in the room.

“Theus, you’re a blessing,” she told him in an emotional tone as they hugged one another.  “It’s so good to have you back.  We’ve all missed you so much.  I’ve missed you so much.”  She held him in a tight embrace.

“What’s happening to father?” he asked after several seconds of silence.

“He had bad pains in his back for a few weeks, and lately it’s turned worst.  He hasn’t been out of bed in a month.   He’s barely awake now,” she said.

“What’s this?” the hoarse shadow of Theus’s father’s voice sounded.

Theus looked over the top of his mother’s head; he didn’t remember her being so small.  His father’s eyes were open.  They were dull and sunken and his face was yellow and gaunt.

“Dad, I’m home dad,” he said simply.  He released his mother and stepped over to his father’s side.  The man was horribly ill.

Theus let his memory open wide, and he let the information about his father’s condition sift through the healing knowledge he held.  It wasn’t food poisoning; it wasn’t an insect bite.  It was a disease, a deadly one.

He needed a number of items and elements to put together a remedy that might save his father’s life.  He was sure that none of them were present in his parents’ home; most were probably not even available in the Jewel Hills.

His father’s hand moved slightly on the cover, and Theus reached over to gently grasp it.  He felt his father’s fingers wrap round his own, and the two gave a slight smile to one another.

“Take care of them for me Theus.  Take care of them,” Cern whispered.

“I’m going to watch out for them.  I’ll keep them safe,” Theus promised.

“Is Theus here?” he heard the younger children in the family spilling into the bedroom doorway to confirm the astonishing news of the return of the lost eldest son.

His mother took her seat on the stool again, and Theus gently released his father’s hand.  His vision was blurry, as he turned and stepped out of the room, into the middle of the pack of siblings.

“Theus!  Is that a real sword, Theus?”

“Where have you been?”

“Are you staying here?  Did you hear that dad is sick?” the questions and comments came fast and furious as Theus was mobbed by the small bodies crowded into the kitchen.

Theus heard his mother give a heart-breaking sob, and tears began to fall from his own eyes.

“Cern, oh Cern,” his mother wailed.

Chapter 22

The family buried Cern the next day.  There was no priest available in the Jewel Hills, and Cern had never been a religious man.  A number of neighbors in the region stopped by as word of the death spread among the Jewel Hills farmers, and gifts of food were freely given to the surviving family members.

The return of Theus drew a number of comments, and the change in his appearance likewise became a topic of approving discussion.  Theus hadn’t realized that he’d grown taller during his time traveling around the cities of the western lands, nor had he realized that his constant work with sword and staff had developed his muscles and changed his figure.  He did know that he carried a sword, and that too was a topic among the Jewel Hills residents, where such weaponry was seldom seen.

Theus was pleased to see the amount of support that was offered to his family.  The neighbors were kind, and he hoped they would be willing to listen to him when the time came to ask them all to migrate to Limber.

His arms were sore that evening, as a result of his work to dig the grave for his father, and then refill it atop the simple coffin that help his father’s remains.  He sat out on the porch after the sun set, a rare moment of solitude, and thought about the healing he could have offered his father if he had known about the illness even a week sooner.  It was a cruel trick of fate to let him see his father on the last day of the man’s life.

“It may seem cruel to you, but it was a great kindness to your father.  It let him believe that you would take care of and provide for the family he left behind,” the Voice spoke to him for the first time in many days.

“Your mother is so happy to have you around in these trying times, and you are going to provide the strength for her to make the right decision,” the Voice informed him.

“Should I go tell her my plans?” Theus asked.

“Not tonight.  Go talk to your sister.  Tell her everything – leave nothing out.  It is critical that she understand everything and come with you,” the Voice informed him, and then it said no more.

Theus stood and looked up at the stars, just as he heard the door in the farmhouse open.

“Theus, is everything okay?  Shouldn’t you come inside?” Thera asked.

“Come here,” he replied.  “I want to tell you my story.”

“Mom is lonely,” Thera replied as she stepped out next to him.  “We shouldn’t leave her alone too long.”

And then Theus began his story, the whole story, telling Thera everything that had happened, from the caravan to the temple and festival in Greenfalls to the river barge.  He told of Lord Warrell, and Forgon, and Coriae, especially Coriae.  Then his story continued to the fearful time in Southsand and his terrible encounters with Donal, and then his escape with Amelia and Amory and Redford.

He told her about the Voice, and he told her about visiting the temple in Great Forks, and he told her about learning to see and understand the memory stones.

“Theus, that’s unbelievable!” she said when he stopped to contemplate all that he remembered.

“I’m not even to the most unbelievable part yet,” he told her softly.

“Wait!  Let me go see mother, and see that the little ones are in bed.  I’ll be right back,” she rose to her feet and sprinted into the house.  Several minutes later she came back and sat down again.

“Everything’s under control.  The kids are in bed and quiet.  Mother is sitting quietly.  We’ll need to talk to her tomorrow; she put up a strong front today for all the neighbors, but she’s tired; we all are.  It’s been so hard to watch dad grow weaker,” Thera’s voice trailed off.

Life on the farm had been harder for everyone than Theus had expected.

“So tell me more; is there more?” his sister asked.

He proceeded to tell the story of Forgon’s trial and his engagement with Coriae.

“Oh Theus!  That’s so wonderful – I hope that someday I can meet her,” Thera placed her hand on his arm as she spoke warmly.

Then Theus told of the fateful night he had been instructed to learn about white magic, and had made the fateful trip to Coriae’s room.  He hurried his monologue then, to prevent any questions, and proceeded through the rescue of Amelia and his journey to Limber.

“It’s like a story a peddler would tell,” Thera said finally, when he was done.  “It’s all so unbelievable.  You think you could have given dad something to save him?”

“If I had more time – time to go to the shops in Waterspot or even Greenfalls to get the ingredients.  I’m sorry,” he told her.

“You didn’t know,” Thera forgave him.  “And you’ve been pretty busy anyway,” she added.

“So you plan to take all of us and move us to Limber?” she asked.

“Everyone I can.  Now seems like a good time to give mom a new home and a new beginning,” he answered.  “I just don’t know how to tell other people.”

“You’ll find a way,” Thera said reassuringly.

“Let’s go inside and go to bed.  It’s been a long day,” Thera stood up.

“I’ll go check the barn; you head on in,” Theus proposed.

“You can’t check the barn – it’s dark in there!” Thera pointed out the obvious.

Theus held up a finger, and it began to glow, growing brighter and brighter as the seconds passed.

“Oh, I see,” she said in a small voice.

Theus found that the goat and the implements in the barn were secure, and then he entered the house, ready to sleep after the emotional day.

“Theus,” his mother called, “come talk to me.”

He nodded his head and obliged her.

“I’m so grateful you came back when you did, Theus.  It gave your father comfort, and it gives me comfort.  Your father cried after you left.  He felt terrible about letting you go, but there was no choice.  He loved you, truly loved you, even if he didn’t say it.”  Theus believed her.

“I know you’re doing well.  You look so much more like a man now!” she smiled gently.

“We’re going to have to decide what the future holds,” she told him.  “You don’t feel like someone who is going to stay here in the Jewel Hills being a farmer.  You want to go back out into the world, don’t you?” she asked.

“Mom, there are things I have to do,” he told her gently, but with conviction.  “I have a place I want you to come to.  I want the whole family, and all the Jewel Hills to come start over in a better place.

“Mom, I’ve been to Limber.  It’s real!  There is a city in the mountains, and it’s waiting for people to come live there again.  The god Limber wants people to come to the city and worship him again.  The other gods want us to go there too,” he spoke about far more than he had intended to on the night after his father’s funeral.

“Limber?  Theus, what are you talking about?” his mother looked puzzled.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow, I promise,” he decided to save the evening.  They didn’t need to have the conversation – and probably confrontation – then and there.

“I’m glad to see you again.  I thought of you a lot while I was gone,” he told her.  ”We’re going to make everything work out.”

They hugged each other, then Theus went back to the bunk that awaited him, and lay awake for a long time before he fell asleep.

In the morning he helped perform some of the chores around the farm, while he thought about Vanline and Eiren, who were perhaps already gathering together wagons of food supplies to carry east, on the way to Limber.  He needed to begin his recruitment of people to go to Limber, and he had little time to spare.  He needed to find a way to speed up his actions, even though he had no real plan for his recruitment actions.

Speed and timing – Theus feared they were going to be his downfall.  He was going to fail in the vital assignment he had been given.  He had already failed once, in a sense, because he hadn’t arrived back at his home in time to save his father’s life.

He looked up at the sky overhead, full of regret and despair.  The sun was shining brightly, and he thought about all the sunlight that was bringing life to the world with all its energy.  If he could tap into energy like that, he could travel further.  He could have taken his long, magical steps without draining himself completely.  He could have taken four or five or six or more massive leaps across the landscape daily, instead of staggering through three steps in a day.  If only he had been given the ability to use that energy, instead of being limited to his own, he mourned.

Life was unfair, he thought.  He pressed his shovel down into the ground to dig out more of the drainage ditch that had become blocked with debris, and threw the dirt aside.  It was unfair that dark magicians could take energy from another source, especially from other people, while he was limited to only taking energy harmlessly from himself.  He ought to be able to take the sunlight up in the air, on the cloud tops, in the field around him, just for a moment or two, and use it.

He recollected the horrible feeling he had experienced, when Donal had reached into him and attempted to take energy away.  It had felt incredibly painful; he knew why, he realized.  Donal had reached into him in an aggressive manner, as though he were entitled to take the energy, and had shown no gentleness, no subtlety.  The deadly magician had practiced no regard for matching the method of capturing energy to the availability of the energy.

If he would have been Donal, Theus began to think, and then he froze.  His foot had pressed the shovel back into the ditch blockage, but he moved no further.

He realized that he understood how the dark magician had taken energy from him.  The method was about the transfer of power, about the alignment of the energy within the source with the channels within the recipient of the power.  It seemed like something that he could use, something he could modify and apply – apply to the sunlight around him.

Theus closed his eyes, and took time to examine himself, to look within his soul and spirit to understand how he found and received and used energy.  He saw signs of an ability to change; he could manage to adjust himself to receive the power from a new source, as long as he truly understood the source and matched himself perfectly to it.

He opened his eyes again and looked around.  The sun was in a different place; it had moved as time had passed.  He’d spent more time than he realized in his inward exploration of himself.

Theus looked at the sunlight, then let his psyche explore the patterns of the raw energy that was spread across the countryside.  It was unfocused and unfiltered.  He sensed how it fell upon the leaves of the plants, and he sensed how the plants were reflecting away what they didn’t use from the spectrum of light.  He’d never realized that light had so many components, he thought in momentary wonder, and then he realized that there was a way for him to mimic the plants and capture a portion of the sunlight to provide energy for himself.

“Theus, what are you doing?  You’ve been working on that one spot in the ditch for hours,” Thera’s voice was behind him.

He began to adjust himself.  He internally, selectively modified the paths that energy followed within him, and then closed his eyes.  He felt the warmth of the sunlight falling upon him.  It was only a part of the sunlight, he realized.

“Theus, did you hear me?” he heard Thera.  She was directly behind him, perhaps only a few steps away.

He opened his systems up, and began to reach out, to embrace and gather a fraction of the energy that was flying through the air.

“Theus!  Great heavens, you’re glowing!” he faintly heard Thera scream as he felt the energy from the sunlight flood into him.

And then he passed out.

Chapter 23

Theus awoke to the sound of Thera calling his name.  He was cold and wet.

“Theus, that’s it, you’re waking up.  That’s a good boy.  Come on Theus,” Thera called him.

“I’m okay,” he told her as he eyes fluttered open.

“You’re not okay if you’re lying in the water of the drainage ditch.  You passed out Theus.  You were glowing!” she told him.

He looked at her as he awkwardly pushed himself out of the muddy ditch.

“I think I found a way to have more power,” he told his sister.  “I was trying to collect the power in the sunlight.

“Do you know that sunlight has many different colors in it?” he asked in a wondering aside.

He twisted around and stood up, while Thera rose to her feet beside him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

“Just a second,” he murmured.  He closed his eyes and examined himself.  He felt it; he felt the residual traces of the sun’s energy.  It had entered his body; his spirit had reached out and absorbed it.  And once it had entered his body it had needed to leave; he had no way to contain or store it.  It had exited him by turning into an expression of light – he truly had glowed, just as Thera had shouted.

He could do better.  He could coordinate his collection and consumption of the energy.  He would have to.

“I’m so stupid,” he muttered as he realized the obviousness of the matter.

“I could have told you that,” Thera was obviously feeling less worried about him, if she was willing to joke with him about the situation.

“Come here,” Theus told her, as he looked across the valley to where their farmhouse stood.  He reached out to draw her into a hug.  He was going to demonstrate to her – and to himself – the monumental breakthrough he had achieved.

“Theus, no, you’re all wet and muddy!  Stop it!” Thera struggled against his clinch. He extended his reach out into the sunlight once again, while also calling upon the spell for translocation, and he focused on just a small step, enough of a step to carry himself and his sister back to the farmhouse.

He gave Thera a tug, and she came against him, as he stepped forward, and they were suddenly in the farmyard between the house and the barn.

“Oh gods!” Thera shouted.

She clung tightly to him for a moment, then pushed away from him, and stared at him, wide-eyed.

“What did you just do?” she whispered the question.

Theus took a moment to explore his own status.  His personal energy level was undiminished.  He hadn’t used any of his own power at all to move the two of them – it had been accomplished completely by relying on the sunlight.

“I just moved the two of us from the hillside to the house, just using sunlight.  I’ve never done that before,” he answered in a tone of wonder.  “Thera, if I can do this, if I can use sunlight, I can do so much more now.  The limits will fall away.” He told her excitedly.

Thera stared off at the hillside they had left moments earlier, then looked at Theus.

“Can you teach me to do this?” she asked eagerly.

“I don’t know,” he replied, caught completely by surprise by the unexpected question.

She displayed a crestfallen expression on her face.

“I need to have a specific memory stone, the one that taught the secrets of white magic to me,” he quickly explained.  “If I have that stone, then maybe I could help you become a magician too.  But it’s a long way away,” he told her.  “In more ways than one,” he added, as he thought of the mystical stone that he had given to Glory to give to Coriae.

“When we have a chance, we’ll try,” he promised her.

“I’ll go finish the ditch work, then be right back,” he told her.  He reached out into the sunlight, and took a magically enhanced step back to the hillside, where his shovel laid on the ground.  He set to working energetically on the blockage in the ditch, and soon had it cleared away, allowing the water to flow rapidly away from the soggy field on the hillside.  With drier soil, the field would be able to produce a crop, and provide food.  Not that he expected anyone to be living on the farm to tend the crop or consume the food, he reminded himself as he thought about the need to move his family to Limber.

That night he invited his mother outside, and he demonstrated his ability to produce light, and to become invisible, and to throw his voice.

“Mother, I’ve been given these powers, and I’ve been told to do important things.  I’ve got to move people to Limber.  I’m going to start recruiting people tomorrow,” he told her.  “And I want my own family to be the first ones who agree to follow me.”

She protested about leaving the farmstead that her husband had labored so mightily to build from the raw, untamed soil of the land, but in the end she agreed to follow him.

And the next day, using the abundant energy that was available even on a cloudy day, Theus traveled around the Jewel Hills to talk to people he knew, and he continued his conversations on the following two days, giving everyone a date to gather at the road beside the river.

When those two days were finished, he returned to the farmhouse and spent time with his younger siblings, taking them on magical jaunts from one hilltop to another, while Thera and his mother packed their meager belongings into a small cart that the goat would pull.

And on the next day, Theus went into the center of the Jewel Hills, in search of more potential settlers to take to Limber.

He recollected the time Grant had taken him along a stream and shown him desperate miners panning for raw memory stones.  They were people who had no chance of success, people who were just one step away from caving into the large mining conglomerates and becoming virtual slaves who worked for the companies while earning next to nothing.  They were people he needed, and people he wanted to save from their dismal future.

“You know you aren’t going to find anything,” Theus told a pair of desperate stakeholders who were shaking boxes with screens, as they sifted through the mud and stones at the bottom of a stream.

“There are some memory stones here, but not many, and even fewer that are any good, and you wouldn’t know a good one if you found it anyway,” he told the startled man and woman after he appeared in front of them.

“We’ve got as much of a chance to find stones as anyone else!” the woman protested defiantly, ignoring the fact that Theus had materialized in front of her, as she defended her right to pursue her futile quest.

“What have you found today?” Theus asked.

“Those over there,” the man motioned towards a dingy cloth on the ground beside the stream, where a half dozen small stones had been placed.

Theus picked up the stones one by one and studied them with his abilities to judge memory stones.  None of them were memory stones.

“These are worthless; they don’t hold memories,” he told his small audience.  He reached his hand into the gravel bank on the side of the stream and pulled out a handful, then sorted through them.  One small pebble would serve as a memory stone, and he tossed it on the towel.  “That little fragment is the best stone you’ll see in a week, and it’s only worth two pence out here,” he told them.

“There’s a better way to live, and a better place,” he began to tell his story.

Minutes later he had convinced the despondent pair, and told them to make the offer to move to Limber to anyone else they knew in the area.  He left them and moved on to find other miners to convince.

Two days later, he was done with his recruiting, and was ready to help his own family move to the rendezvous spot on the riverside road.  His mother cried a steady stream of tears as they walked away from the place where she and her husband had tried so hard to make a life, while the children pranced in excitement at the beginning of the adventure.

Chapter 24

The next day, Theus found himself with a collection of scores of people who were assembled, and relieved to see him arrive. For some, such as the miners who were on their last legs of hope, the offer of a new life was a miraculous opportunity for a new beginning, while for others, such as members of relatively prosperous farming families, it was a gamble to find new prospects for life in a different place.

He wore himself out organizing the group and sorting them as best he could along lines that he thought Vanline would have used, then setting them all in motion to the west, traveling along the same road that he had covered when he had been Grant’s indentured servant in Vanline’s caravan.  The group moved at a slow pace at first, until slow reorganization and sharing of rides allowed the oldest and weakest and slowest to sit in wagons, as the fleeter afoot kept easy pace with the procession.

Theus placed responsibilities on Thera as his chief assistant, and together they established a watch system and sentries and general safety for all their wards.  After a handful of days, they reached Waterspot and passed through the settlement.  Theus marveled at his memories of his first visit to the collection of buildings, which he had thought was substantial at the time he had first experienced it while with Grant.  It was an average-sized village, perhaps slightly larger, he realized with a grin and a shake of his head.

He stopped at the local market and bought several supplies, though not everything he wanted – he wasn’t able to find many items in the remote, small city.  But he mixed remedies for several of the common ailments, fed some travelers who were low on supplies, and improved the spirits of the pioneers who were on the move.

And the day after they left Waterspot, Theus’s group of travelers rendezvoused with Vanline’s caravan of goods.

They spent half a day and the night in one place, resting and celebrating the meeting of the two parts of the new population of Limber.  They feasted in a great meal in the evening, and the skeptics among the Jewel Hill refugees grew greater faith in Theus’s myth of restoring Limber.

“You really found people to leave, didn’t you?” Vanline asked Theus that night as they sat together and ate.  “I didn’t think you could find more than a handful out there in the woebegone wilderness,” he admitted.

“So where do we go from here?” the caravan leader asked.

“We turn around, and start going west again,” Theus replied.  “I’ll need to go find out some directions on where we go and how we deliver all this to Limber.  I’ll leave in the morning, then come back to find you as soon as I know,” he promised.

“You and Eiren can help Thera get our group moving.  With all your wagons, we’ll be able to move a lot faster,” Theus reckoned.

The next morning he bid his family farewell, and eagerly began to use his new abilities to travel towards Limber.  He made one sunlight-powered step to the northwest of the caravan, then a minute later made another, and a minute after that he took a third step. In less than five minutes’ time he’d traveled as far as he would in a full day if he traveled under his own power, and as far as he’d travel in three days if he didn’t possess the abilities of white magic.

“How am I doing, Voice?” he asked.

“You are impressing me, young acolyte,” the Voice answered in a deep tone.  “I am impressed by all that you are accomplishing, and my companions have greater hopes now, because of the potential that you are bringing to life.

“Finish your trip to Limber, and talk to the granitines, as you plan,” it instructed him.

Theus journeyed on to the eastern range of the tall Wallchick Mountains, then began to take many small steps to scout around, looking for Limber among the valleys.

“Where is it, Voice?” he asked in frustration an hour later.  He’d seen no sign of the city after a score of investigations.

“You are too far north.  Go south, and look for the tallest peak in the range.  The city lies in a valley on the east side of that mountain,” the Voice provided guidance.

Minutes later, Theus saw the towering mountain, and stepped towards it, then walked in the conventional manner along a goat path that led him to the east side, and down to the city center.

“Crystal, Gem, Rocky, Sandy?” he called out the names of members of the race of stone figures that guarded and maintained the city.

“Lord Prometheus?” one of the creatures appeared around a corner and raced towards him.  “We had no warning of your approach, I apologize.  How may we serve you?” the granitine asked.

“The city looks very well,” Theus commented.  The columns were all upright, the paving stones had no weeds growing between them, the roofs were all intact, and the city looked as though it were already lived in.

“This part of the city has seen all repairs complete, as we hope that you are bringing us humans to inhabit the city?” Rocky asked hopefully.

“The caravan is on its way here.  We will have a few dozen people to start with.  From what I see, you have provided plenty of space for us all to move in.  But I need to know about the road; will it be ready for caravan to travel upon it?” Theus asked.

“A great many of us are working in the mountains, rebuilding the ancient road that used to lead to Limber,” Rocky said.  “It is very near to being finished.”

“Where can I find it?” Theus asked. “I need to know where it will join the river road.  My people and supplies are traveling on the river road now, and I need to tell them where we will turn to take the way to Limber.”

“Go to the south side of the city, and you will find where the road begins.  Then simply follow it until you reach the constructors who are rebuilding it,” Rocky advised.  “Crystal is in the south working on the road.  She will be pleased to see you,” he offered.

The two of them walked through the city to the south side, where Theus found a massive wall had been constructed, and an elaborate gate had been built to provide entrance from the road into the city.  Theus said farewell to his friend, and then began to travel along the road, taking small steps of a few miles at a time as he tried to stay directly on the path of the thoroughfare in the mountains.  He walked across impressive bridges that reminded him of the very bridge where he had fallen from his caravan, and he passed through tunnels that were long and dim with light that entered from either end.

By the approach of mid-afternoon, Theus reached the end of the reconstructed road, and he was greeted by dozens of granitines who swarmed around him when he arrived.

“Lord Prometheus,” Crystal pressed her way to the front of throng and addressed him.  “What great honor brings you to visit us?”

“Hello Crystal,” he greeted the granitine who had first met him, and offered shelter from a mountain blizzard.  “I have travelers on the way to Limber,” he replied.  “I need to know when your road is going to connect to the river road, and where.”

“We are working diligently,” Crystal replied.  “We can reach the river road in three days.  Will that be soon enough?” she asked.

“It will,” Theus concluded, “Depending on where the two roads will meet.”

“We are approaching a valley, just on the other side of this mountain,” she leaned toward the massive monolith in front of them.  “We will tunnel through the mountain, and then follow the valley to the road.”

“How can you inform me of the location of the road?” Theus asked.

“I could show you.  If you want, you and I can travel to the point where the valley meets your present road, and then you will know,” Crystal offered.  And so the two left the other granitines behind and followed meandering paths around the mountain and along a gentle-walled, small valley that carried a stream all the way to the road beside the river.  The stream passed beneath the road through a large stone culvert, and then dropped down to fall into the waters of the Landwide.

“This is the spot,” Crystal said.  “When you arrive here, the new road will join with this road, and Limber will be accessible to the world once again.”

Theus looked at the western sky, where the sun was starting to set.  He needed to make his way back towards the caravan, so that he could spend the night with them and travel with them through the rest of the journey.

“I thank you for your assistance,” Theus told his friend.  He patted her on top of the head.  “I will return to my people now and guide them here; we should arrive in just a few days.”

“We will greet you in Limber,” Crystal said earnestly.  “Bring as many as you can and we will have the city ready for all of them!”

Theus reached out and gathered in the sunlight.  There was less energy available from the setting sun, especially as Theus began the trip in the shadows of the mountain.  He took one step, and knew that it was a shortened length, then took a second, and found himself back in the flatter lands of the prairie.  He tried to match his journey to the road, so that he could stay as close to it as possible with each step, able to see and look for his companions in the caravan he had left that morning.

His steps along the road grew shorter and shorter, and he resorted to using his own energy to supplement the quickly dropping levels of energy from the fading sun.  His last step into the east drained him of power as it brought him to within a half mile of the camp site of the caravan, and he slowly walked in towards the ruddy light of the campfires, where he was welcomed back among his crew.

For the next week, he and the others traveled steadily along the road, experiencing rain for a day and a half, but not suffering any other problems.

Theus traveled with his mother as often as possible, telling her some stories about the things he had seen in the world, trying to distract her from memory of her husband’s death.  She listened to most of his stories with few comments, and he shielded some stories from her, telling her little about Coriae, except his descriptions of her as Forgon’s sister.

“She’s the one you were in love with?” his mother asked.

“I cared for her, a lot,” Theus fumbled to answer.

“What did you like about her?” his mother asked.

“She’s lively; she has good spirits, and a good heart.  She understands what’s going on, and she’s passionate,” his memories fell back to the last time they had seen each other, when she had concluded that he was only courting her for access to her family’s wealth.

“And she’s pretty?” his mother asked.

“The prettiest girl I ever saw,” he agreed.  “And she is strong; she can handle a sword or a staff as well as almost anyone in this caravan.”

“So why aren’t you two still a couple?  It sounds like you still love her,” his mother asked gently.

And that’s when the band of robbers struck the caravan.

Theus heard shouts from the front of the string of wagons, while he rode with his mother in a wagon near the rear.

“I’ve got to go,” he excused himself urgently, then hopped down and started running forward.  He reached out to collect the sunlight that filtered down through the clouds overhead, and then became invisible as he hurried to observe the situation.

A score of men on horses were lined on both sides of the leading wagons, and the men were armed with knives and swords and bows and arrows.  Vanline was astride his horse, speaking to the leaders of the robbery gang.

Theus edged closer to listen.  He didn’t see an obvious way to battle so many thieves at once, and hoped that Vanline could negotiate a reasonable price to pay for the free passage of the caravan.

“What do you think will happen?” he heard one of the thieves ask another in a low voice as they sat astride their animals on the periphery of the action.

Theus slowed down to listen to the response.

“We’ll collect a reasonable amount of toll from them, then ride away.  Tonight we’ll come back while they’re asleep and we’ll kill the men, and sell the women as slaves,’’ the other answered matter-of-factly.

Theus felt his heart start to pound faster and faster at the thought of the planned attack upon the harmless caravan.  He ran up to listen to Vanline’s negotiations.

“That sounds like an acceptable price,” he heard the caravan leader tell the leader of the thieves.  “I’ll have the money for you in five minutes.”  He turned his horse and headed back to his wagon, Theus trotting behind him, unseen.

When they reached the wagon, Theus spoke up.

“Vanline,” he called hoarsely.

“What?  Who?” the caravan leader’s head rose from his bent conversation with Eiren.

“It’s me, Theus.  I’m invisible.  I overheard some of the robbers talk.  They plan to take our money now, then come and strike tonight to kill us and plunder us,” Theus informed the pair of leaders.

“That’s dirty,” Eiren gasped.

“How many fighters could we put together?” Vanline asked Theus softly.

“Perhaps a dozen and a half,” Theus launched a wild guess, as he thought about the Jewel Hills people he knew in the group.

“Do we have enough to set up an ambush for their ambush?” Vanline asked Theus.

“What’s the hold up?” the robbers’ leader called.

Theus’s unseen head nodded yes, and then he spoke.  “Yes, we could do it.  I’ll follow them out of here to see where they go, and then we can pick a spot to cut them off before they come back to the caravan.”

Vanline lifted the two bags of coins that he and Eiren had assembled during the conversation.

“I’ll pay them off; you follow them.  Eiren will start collecting warriors,” he said, then turned his horse and rode back towards the men blocking the road.

“Be careful Theus,” Eiren called to the unseen presence, then turned and started walking back along the line of wagons to recruit fighters for their mission.

Theus moved past the robbers and started down the western road to get ahead of the gang while the payment was settled.  He felt his anger growing as he considered the double dishonesty of the men.

He was reasonably far down the road when he heard the sound of the horses’ hooves trotting towards him, as they left the caravan after successfully extracting the payment.  Theus edged to the side of the road as the animals clipped by him, but he kept them in his sight, and when they started to pull too far ahead he took small magical steps to close the gap.

Half an hour later the men turned off the road and rode up a path that led into the steep foothills of the mountains.  Theus saw an opportunity to act, to begin to extract revenge, and to weaken the group before they even began their attack.

He moved to the upper path ahead of the riders, and when they began to pass him, he swung his invisible staff with all his might, striking at the head of a rider, and knocking the man out of his saddle, his skull crushed by the heavy weapon.

There was a burst of shouts and confusion as the robbers tried to explain the inexplicable death of their partner.  At last, they bundled his body in the saddle of his horse, and resumed climbing the hillside.

They reached a large glen in the hill, where a few crude buildings and a corral were constructed.  Theus struck another man as he climbed down from his saddle, and then Theus brained another man who had walked over to the latrine.

“What is happening to our men?” one of the survivors shouted, as all the men started to grow nervous.

“Maybe there’s a curse on us,” one said.

“Maybe that caravan put a curse on us,” another clarified.

The sunlight began to fade, and Theus realized he needed to return to his companions to set up the ambush that was planned for the double-cross.

He took a magical step down to the eastern road, then walked further east until he reached the caravan’s campsite for the night.  The wagons were parked unusually close to one another, he noted, in a defensive posture.

“We worried you might not come back,” Vanline commented.

“Do we have ten men?” Theus asked, and they proceeded to put together the squad that began to trot up the road to protect the caravan.

They stopped at Theus’s recommended narrow stretch of road and strung ropes across the darkening road at chest height to unsaddle the attackers, then took positions in the forest trees along and above the roadway.

Within an hour of the establishment of the ambush, the sound of horses approached from the west.  Theus waited in the road, and after all the horses were passed him, he swung his staff at the rumps of two of the animals, making them scream and shoot forward.   The unexpected movement caused a brief stampede, so that the horses were running at high speed when they passed beneath the taunt ropes that knocked the riders loose.

Men from the caravan descended on those who fell and finished them off quickly.  One or two managed to get past without losing their seats, and one or two managed to halt their horses before striking the rope, but soon all were dead, and all the horses were rounded up for use by the caravan.

The next day, Vanline sent an early morning crew to the battle scene to clear away the dead robbers’ bodies before the caravan came riding by.  The caravan stopped when they reached the trail up to the hideout, and Theus led Eiren and Thera and several others up to salvage goods and riches from the cabins of the former robbers.

And later that day, they reached the intersection where the new road to Limber stood wide and smooth and ready to be trod by humans for the first time.

Chapter 25

The appearance of the roadway was another feather in the cap that helped cement the reality of Theus’s claims that the caravan was going to the lost city of Limber.  The wagon drivers who had ridden to the east on previous trips swore that the road had never existed before.

The road was an improvement upon the traditional riverside road.  The granitines had built a smooth, even pavement of fitted stone blocks, with long, gradual slopes that were easy to navigate.  It vastly overshadowed the dirt and gravel of the long-used trading road that stretched from Greenfalls to the Jewel Hills.

Theus was eager for his recruits to see the restored city of Limber, to see their splendid new home.  Already, he felt a strong kinship with the city, a feeling of loyalty that he couldn’t explain.  And he longed to see the reaction of the new residents when they met the granitines.  The strange, stony race of caretakers would startle, then delight the people who were moving into Limber.  They would play the roles of hosts, as they showed the humans around their city, providing direction to where markets could be established, fields where crops could be grown and livestock maintained, housing and parks.

He rode easily atop one of the horses that had been confiscated from the vanquished bandits, as did many others.  The caravan passed through the marvelous tunnels and across the wide bridges, and at the middle of their second day on the road they rounded a curve and came into view of the city of Limber, sitting on a plateau beneath the tallest mountain in the Wallchicks.

“It’s beautiful, Theus,” Thera breathlessly praised the appearance of the city as the caravan momentarily stopped to appreciate the view.

“I didn’t completely believe it existed until now,” Vanline sheepishly admitted.  “It feels like I’m seeing something from a fairy tale, except it feels more special than that; it’s like a promise fulfilled.”

The caravan picked up speed as it rode towards the open gateway in the massive wall, and the string of wagons and riders and walkers entered the city in profound silence as the people grappled with the notion of truly stepping into an empty city that they had believed only existed as a fairy tale.

“Come directly to the temple; bring your followers with you, and ask them to worship Limber,” the Voice spoke with profound clarity as its words rang in Theus’s mind.  He obediently led them straight along the main boulevard, as the people began to point at architectural features of the buildings and spaces along the way.  The quiet procession gave way to an increasing volume of whispers and conversations among the arrivals.

Theus rode in the front of the caravan, leading the way to the temple, then halting and dismounting upon arrival in front of the temple plaza.

He walked across the plaza and up the steps of the front of the temple, unsure of what to expect.  He expected the granitines to appear; they had been strangely absent since the arrival in the city, much to Theus’s surprise.

The other members of the caravan halted their advancement, and stepped into the plaza, walking towards Theus and forming a semicircular audience that faced him.

He was at a loss.  He had brought the caravan members to the temple as directed.

“This is the temple of Limber, the god of the mountains, who is the god of this city,” Theus spoke.  He was biding his time, waiting for some event to occur, because he was at a loss as to what to do upon arrival in the city.

“Let us all give him thanks for providing this great city,” Theus proposed.

“Lead the prayer to Limber, Theus,” his sister called from the front of the audience.

“Great Limber,” Theus began.  He saw the heads of all the watchers bow down respectfully.

“We thank you for this city, this new home for all of us.  We ask for your guidance and comfort and protection as we seek to start a new life here in your domain,” he fumbled to try to express what he felt.

“For all this we thank you and pray to you, amen Lord Limber,” he clumsily closed his prayer.  The words were far from elegant, but they were heart-felt.

“Amen, Lord Limber,” his followers responded.

And then there was a loud creaking noise behind Theus.  He turned to see that the large doors in the front of the temple – doors far larger than any human – had swung open.

A transparent figure stood in the center of the opening, arms wide spread from having opened the doors.  The figure was a man, a man three times as tall as Theus.

The figure began to walk towards Theus.

“Bow down to me,” the Voice spoke in Theus’s mind.

Theus turned his body to fully face towards the advancing entity, then bowed, and as he did, he heard the crowd in the plaza bowing as well, the swishing of their clothes and the gasps of breath telling him what was taking place behind him.

As the gathering bowed, the transparent figure strode forward.  And it gained substance, transforming from a cloudy figure to a solid one, a man whose strength and wisdom were evident in his appearance.

“I am the god Limber, restored to strength in our world by the giving of your worship and thanks,” the voice spoke in strong notes.  It was the Voice that had spoken so often to Theus.

“Yes,” the god seemed to know Theus’s thoughts, and his shock of recognition.  “I have been with you throughout your journey, as best I was able to be.”

“Let me welcome you all to Limber.  Your new lives here are the beginning of a new golden age for the city, and for you, and for the triumph of goodness over evil,” the god’s voice boomed as he spoke to the full crowd.  “You are the first of the many who we hope will return to live in our fabled city, and bring health and strength to our quest to defeat evil.

“To help you, I wish to introduce my special race of children, the granitines, who will help you by maintaining and grooming the city and the landscape around.  Come forth, my children, and be welcome to meet your neighbors,” Limber pronounced.

The god came to stand just a few steps away from Theus, who looked up at massive figure with a sense of overwhelming awe.  And then the human-scaled doors of the temple opened, and a flood of granitines came scurrying out, flowing like a flood of water as they rushed across the front of the temple and scattered in all directions.  Some went directly towards the people who still knelt in the plaza; the granitines wove among the surprised humans.  Other granitines went left or right, and four of them headed directly towards Theus, and formed two pairs on either side of him, facing towards Limber as they leaned towards Theus.

“We welcome you back, and thank you for bringing these new subjects of the restored kingdom,” Crystal told Theus gaily.  “I hope you found the road?”

“It was easy to find, and a wonderful piece of work,” he told the granitine fondly.

“All of you will establish your places to dwell.  The granitines will provide guidance for those of you who wish to be farmers; they have prepared fields all around the city.   You will learn to live here and support the city, while new people will arrive and settle here to bring more hands to labor in the city and the fields,” Limber told them.

“And you shall be ruled by one of your own,” he said next.  “Now, I will give you your first monarch, to rule over you while bringing back to the throne the old family bloodlines that ruled here in ages long past,” Limber announced, causing some in the crowd to gasp.  “I call forth one of your own to be your ruler.”

Theus felt his heart start to race with shock, as he digested the comment.

“Thera, sister of Theus, daughter of Allise, come stand beside me,” Limber called.

Theus heard Thera scream in shock from her location behind him.

“Come Thera, first queen of the restored royal line,” Limber insisted.

There was a scuffling noise behind him, but Theus managed to remain facing in the direction of Limber, as his sister approached.

“My lord Limber, I am not worthy,” Thera responded as she knelt next to Theus.

Limber suddenly help a sparkling tiara.  “I place this upon your head in recognition that your reign has begun,” the god spoke.

Theus watched the unfolding dramatic ceremony as he remained on his knees, stunned by the inexplicable elevation of his younger sister to becoming a queen.  Just days earlier, she had been milking a goat on a farm in the Jewel Hills, and suddenly she was the new ruler of the city that he had labored to resurrect.

“You will be the queen, so that the ancient Limber tradition of royalty and ability may resume passing from mother to son to daughter to son,” Limber told her.  “You will choose advisors and nobles who will assist you in the task of rebuilding this nation.

“And there will be no one more important to you than your brother, Theus, who shall be the Marshal of your nation, the leader of your armies, and the champion of the causes that I send him to triumph in,” Limber turned his massive frame to face Theus.

“I present these marks to you,” he suddenly held two golden arm cuffs, long tubular cylinders that the god reached down and affixed to Theus’s arms, covering them from the wrist almost to his elbows. Each protective device was finely etched with images of mountains and a shining sun above the peaks.

“Everyone shall know you as my special champion by these marks, and they will help to protect you as you wage battles on behalf of our nation and our world,” Limber told Theus.  The boy felt himself tremble as he received the full force of the resurrected god’s attention.

“You have served me so well and faithfully in your trials and duties thus far, Theus,” Limber said.  “And all the people of the nation, granitine and man, shall honor you for your service, and the sacrifices I know you have made.”  The god was talking about his loss of Coriae, Theus knew.

“Now, the granitines shall lead all of you who have come here to be the new face of Limber, and they will take you to find the new homes that suit your wishes,” Limber spoke to the crowd, his arms open wide in a symbol of his embrace of the new residents of his city.

“I shall retire to my temple again.  You all are encouraged to come to temple each day to pray to me, to tell me your troubles and victories, and to share strength as we fight against evil and challenges,” the god instructed his new subjects.

“Thera and Theus, you two shall come with me into the temple, to receive further instruction in the tasks that lay ahead of you,” the god looked down at the siblings.

“May I bring my mother?” Thera asked fearfully.

“You may bring the queen mother, through whose bloodlines you have inherited your throne,” the god affirmed in a kindly tone.  He turned and began to walk back towards the temple.

“Mother, come on!” Thera called back to the plaza urgently, in a near panic at her sudden elevation.

“The other children!” her mother called back, motioning to the other four young siblings who clustered around her.

“We will take them to show them their new palace home,” Gem spoke up, as several granitines hovered nearby.

“You can trust the granitines,” Theus vouched.  “Especially Gem,” he pointed out the small granitine.  “And Rocky and Sandy too,” he motioned to two other of the stony entities who were close.

Allise accepted Theus’s recommendation as she tried to comprehend the extraordinary occurrences that were changing her family.  Thera beckoned, and after a moment to hug her children, the mother let them follow the granitines away as she hurried up to meet her daughter.

Theus looked out across the plaza.  Most of the people there were still standing and staring at the temple in disbelief of the scene they had just witnessed; a god had come to life, appeared before them, and spoken.  But others in the group were already starting to gather their belongings, and were speaking to granitines, explaining what they wanted.  Some gestured towards the livestock they had brought with them, while others were simply lifting their belongings from wagons so that they could control their possessions once again.

Vanline stood near the front.  “Theus, my lord, what do we do with the supplies we have?” he asked.

Theus looked around, and saw Crystal resting nearby.

“Crystal, can you lead these wagons and their supplies to the proper places?” Theus asked his acquaintance.

“The granaries?” Crystal asked.

“What’s that?” Theus didn’t recognize the word.

“It’s where people store grains and farm goods,” Vanline answered.  “Yes, that’ll do for now,” he told Crystal.  “You lead the way, and we’ll follow.”

Theus watched Vanline turn, and then he saw Eiren, staring at him from further back in the crowd.  There was confusion on her face, and awe, and perhaps something else.  Theus tentatively raised his hand in a small waving gesture, then turned and hurried to catch up with his sister and his mother, who were on their way into the temple behind the god who had already entered.

“Theus, what have you done?” his mother asked as the three of them walked together to enter the temple.

“I never understood what was happening, not completely, until this moment,” he answered.  He thought back to the very first time he had head the Voice speak to him.  He had been newly introduced to Grant, and had been in a rainstorm wanting to help catch run away livestock in the camp of the memory stone traders.

Ever since that time, through his adventures, except when he had been in the darkness of the evil lands where Ind’Petro and Donal had influence, the Voice had directed him and coached him and advised him.  And the whole time, the Voice had actually been the god Limber.

“Follow me,” Limber pronounced in his deep, rich penetrating voice, as his figure suddenly shrank to a size little taller than a human.  He led the way into a small side chapel off the larger sanctuary, and sat in a seat that suddenly seemed like a throne.

“You are the heirs to the tradition of lost Limber, and now your birthright is available.  But you will have many labors awaiting you along the path to securing your legacy,” the god said.

“Thera, my queen, you will lead the people of the city.  You will help them recreate the thriving vitality that is the potential of this city.  There will be many hard decisions, many sleepless nights, much information to gather, but I know that you will do it.  Find advisors who you trust, such as your mother, and spend many long hours getting to know the city and the people well.  Rely on the granitines to give you information as well,” the god directed, as he looked at Thera.

“I will do as you command, my lord,” Thera bowed.

“And Theus, you too will have difficult work ahead of you, just as you have come along a difficult path already.  I am pleased with you, my son.

“More work remains, for the evil remains alive and at large.  As we speak, Ind’Petro has driven Donal to seek to invade a new land, to capture more territory and more riches, and to perform more sacrifices, as a means of advancing Ind’Petro’s plans; if the invasion of Great Forks succeeds, there will be blood in the streets of the city, and many of your beloved friends will die,” the god warned in a stern voice.

“You must go to Greenfalls, and first fight a battle there, to help your friends throw off the shackles of hypocrisy and corruption, which will also deal a blow to Ind’Petro’s desires.  And when that is accomplished, you will lead an army from Greenfalls to Great Forks, to help in the battle against Donal’s forces from Southsand.

“You must win those two battles, Theus, so that you can go to Southsand once again, and go to Donal’s tower in the palace, to destroy the temple to Ind’Petro that has been sanctified there.  Destroy that temple, and you will destroy Ind’Petro once again, returning his evil to the obscurity that can pose no further danger to our world,” Limber instructed Theus.

“I will do my best, my lord,” Theus tried to accept the daunting tasks that the god had placed upon his shoulders.

“Destroying the temple in the palace, the final task, will be the most difficult, for you will be fighting the forces of a god, one who is desperate to endure.  You will need this special weapon,” Limber reached up, and pulled an object down from the shadows near the ceiling of the enclosed chapel.  It was a horn.

The instrument appeared to be an ordinary brass trumpet, something that Theus remembered seeing musicians play for dances while he had been in Stoke, back when his relationship with Coriae had granted him access to the lifestyles of the nobles and royals and wealthy.

“Just use this to destroy Ind’Petro’s temple?” Theus asked in bewilderment, after he received the bequeathment of the horn from Limber.  He held it in both hands, slightly elevated so that he could study the sacred device.

“It will be a simple task,” Limber assured him.  The god suddenly rose to his feet.

“You Allise have served all mankind.  Through you the ancient blood of Limber was preserved, and these children you have raised have the good hearts and strength of character that will be required for them to carry out the great challenges that await them.  I honor you for the love and time and concern you have invested.  Your life has been well-lived,” the god told the awestruck mother.

“Now, all of you depart and prepare to carry out your actions that will rebalance the world, and bring freedom to people throughout our lands,” he added.  And then he was gone.

“Where is he?” Thera asked in astonishment.

“He’s wherever he wants to be,” Theus answered.  He rose to his feet, and extended a hand to help his mother rise as well.

“Hey, what about me?  I’m your queen now,” Thera stated indignantly as Theus ignored her outstretched hand.

He grinned, then helped her rise as well.

“If you’re a queen, I ought to be an emperor or something,” he retorted to his sister.

“You’re not; you’re my marshal,” Thera said calmly, then stuck her tongue out as they walked, and Theus angled the horn so that it fit inside the pack he wore.

When they emerged from the temple, there were still several people standing on the plaza, watching.

“Mother, what do I do now?” Thera asked in a low voice.

“You go to the palace to find out where you live.  You go find out where the caravan of supplies that Theus provided is stored, and you go find Vanline, and you ask him to work for you as your royal steward,” Allise offered advice.

“Why Vanline?” Theus asked.  “He runs caravans.”

“He’s organized, he knows how to handle goods and complicated situations, and he’s just seen a god come to life.  I think he’ll be impressed by that, and will want to help,” Allise advised.

Eiren cautiously walked up the steps to join the group.

“Theus, are you truly going to lead an army?” she asked him.

Theus stood and listened to her question, while he examined the gleaming ornaments on his arms.  They had some weight, but seemed lighter than he expected; they had no effect on his arm movements at all.  And they seemed to fit his arm so snuggly that he could barely detect the seam where they met his flesh.

“Lord Limber has told me that I must go to Greenfalls and fight a battle there, and then take an army from there to go to Great Forks to fight another battle,” Theus answered.

“Will you take me with you?  Will you let me serve you?” Eiren asked.

Theus looked at the girl in surprise.  He hadn’t anticipated the question, hadn’t anticipated that Eiren and Vanline might separate.

“Are you free of your contract with Vanline?” he asked to temporarily stall giving an answer.

“Yes, I offered to work an additional trip.  I worked one trip going east with the supplies, and then the extra trip coming to Limber, so my work with him is done,” she smiled, proud of her ability to interpret the agreement on terms favorable to her point of view.

“I’ll go tell him myself if you like, just to prove that I’m right,” she asserted.  “And then you’ll have no choice but to take me along.”

They started walking in the direction that Vanline had taken the wagons of supplies, but soon spotted the caravan leader walking back alone.

“The granitines are directing the unloading of the wagons, so I thought I would go talk to your sister, the queen,” Vanline explained to Theus when they met.  The trio turned and walked back past the temple and toward the nearby palace.

“What will you talk to Thera about?” Theus asked curiously.

“And by the way, I’ve completed my contractual obligation now,” Eiren quickly inserted her comment, interrupting the conversation.

Vanline turned to look at her as the group crossed through the gate in the palace walls.  “I suppose you have, haven’t you?  You’re counting the trip to Limber as a second journey?” he asked, and she nodded.

“How may I help you?” a granitine appeared to ask the visitors.

“We want to see my sister,” Theus explained.  “Will you lead us to her?”

“You mean the queen?” the granitine clarified.

“Yes, my sister, the queen,” Theus agreed with a slight degree of annoyance.

“Follow me,” the granitine spun and began to speed away, then led them through a number of corridors to a sunny area where they found Thera and Allise and Crystal.

“This will be our residential wing!” Thera told Theus in delight when the two groups met.  “Can you imagine each of us living with our own room?   With privacy?” she asked her brother with a laugh.

“We came here because Vanline wants to talk to you,” Theus explained their appearance.  He was curious to see how the conversation would proceed.

“Your majesty, we’re unloading the caravan loads of supplies at the granary.  The work will be finished soon.  I presume there are other things you need done around the city,” Vanline spoke up.

“I don’t know; I haven’t thought about it,” Thera answered.

“You need someone to help you run things here, and I believe you should name me as your steward to make sure that the operations of the palace and the kingdom are carried out appropriately,” the caravan leader proposed.

Thera cast a sideways look at her mother.

“Well you are organized, my brother tells me, and you know how to handle complex situations,” the young queen appeared to be considering the proposal.

“I accept your offer.  You are hereby named the steward of the palace.  I don’t know exactly what that means, but we’ll work it out,” Thera agreed.

“And what about you Theus?  What are your plans?” she asked.

“I believe that Eiren and I will be leaving very soon,” Theus answered.

“So that’s why you’re finished working for me?  You’re chasing after this boy?” Vanline asked in astonishment.

“It’s not like that,” both Theus and Eiren said in unison, then looked at each other in astonishment.

“Well it’s not,” Eiren spoke first.  “I think you need help, and I know I’d like some adventure, which it sounds like you’re going to go looking for.”

“I’m just taking her along because she asked me to,” Theus reinterpreted the situation.

“You’re going to need me; you know it,” Eiren spoke up.

“I,” Theus began to refute her, then paused, as he recollected the assistance he had needed unexpectedly at various times – from Amelia warning him to leave, to Torella helping him disguise his entrance into Donal’s tower, to Coriae walking with him through the market in Great Forks, looking for ingredients to fight his injuries.  “I may need a hand from time to time,” he agreed.

And we’re ready to go, aren’t we?” he asked her.

“I’m as ready as you,” she affirmed defiantly.

Theus looked out the window at the sunlight that was shining upon a garden outside.  There appeared to be enough light available to allow him to make the journey to Greenfalls, carrying Eiren as his passenger.

“We’ll need some money.  Can you take us to the treasury to have some coins for this trip?” Theus asked the granitine that stood nearby.

“With her majesty’s permission,” the creature agreed.

“I have a treasury?  With money I can spend?” Thera asked alertly.

“And you’re going to have to spend a lot of it,” Theus warned.  “I used some of it to purchase the caravan of supplies that Vanline brought.”

“As your steward,” Vanline spoke up, “I suggest that you and I should go visit your treasury to see what the royal riches look like.”

The whole group followed their granitine guide into a lower level of the palace, where Theus raised a glowing hand to provide illumination.  The other members of the group gasped when they saw the sizable hoard of coins that lay in the treasury chambers, while Theus directed Eiren to collect a handful for use on their trip.

Once they were all back on ground level, Theus was ready to depart.

“Do you need to collect anything else before we go?” he asked Eiren.

“I travel light,” she answered.  “I’m ready.”

“Let’s go then,” Theus told her.  He hugged his mother and his sister.  “Good luck settling the city.  I’ll be back when we’ve carried out the tasks Lord Limber has assigned,” he told them, as his mother held him for a long time.

“You be careful Theus.  I love you,” she told him with great emotion.

“Come here and hold on tight,” Theus told Eiren, who approached him, then tentatively placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Tighter,” he told her, then wrapped his own arms around her, pulled her into an intimate hug, winked at his sister and Vanline, then used a magical step to disappear from the palace.

“Great heavens!” Eiren said in astonishment, as they suddenly were transported to a spot on the empty new granitine highway through the mountains.  Theus gathered in another share of the sunlight’s powers, and advanced his foot between Eiren’s two legs again, and they moved once again, arriving at an untamed spot in a shady valley between two peaks.

“Theus!” Eiren exclaimed.

He took a breath; with two traveling together, even using the sunlight he captured was still a slight strain.  He paused and recovered, then sought more energy, and they took another step.

They were in a sunny location once again.

“You’re astonishing!” Eiren told him.  She stared directly into his eyes as she spoke.  Her eyes were wide with wonder. “How far have we come?” she asked.

He swallowed and breathed.

“Each step is about the same as one day’s worth of walking,” he told her.

“So you’re telling me that in the past few minutes we’ve traveled as far as three days’ worth of walking?” she asked skeptically.

Theus took another step, and Eiren gave a soft shriek, as she tightened her grip on him while she buried her face in his shoulder.

“I wasn’t expecting that one,” she explained as she raised her head.

“We’re done,” Theus told her.

She released her hold on him and stepped away.  A quick survey of their surroundings showed that they were on a hillside, not far above a wide road, where a few people walked, and a pair of horses pulled a small wagon.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Probably not too far outside Greenfalls.  I suggest we walk the rest of the way,” Theus answered.

“Okay.  You can’t just carry us right into the city?” Eiren asked.

“It gets complicated to try to be too precise,” Theus recollected the time he had arrived on a roof in Greenfalls.  “Maybe someday I’ll be better, but it won’t hurt us to walk.”

As they began to walk, Eiren began to ask Theus questions about his family, and he answered with stories about growing up on the farm.  Within an hour they reached the city gate, and passed inside, back into Greenfalls.

“So, what exactly are we going to do here?” Eiren asked as they began to walk the broad main boulevard.

“Limber told me we’d fight a battle here,” Theus revealed.  “And after this, we have to go fight a battle in Great Forks.”

“Limber told you we’d win this battle?  He can guarantee that?” Eiren asked.

“No,” Theus answered slowly, as he tried to recollect the god’s words to him.  “He didn’t guarantee it, but he made it sound like it would happen.

“He told me we’d help friends fight corruption here,” Theus began to explain.

“There’s plenty of that,” Eiren snorted.  “We’ll be here for the next ten years trying to clear that out.  It starts with that governor and trickles down. Why try to tackle it now?”

“I don’t know,” Theus felt mildly annoyed.  He was merely repeating the words of a god, not making decisions himself.  He hadn’t asked such questions when Limber had given him orders.  Perhaps, he admitted to himself, he should have asked questions to have more information.

“It’s not important now,” he tried to brush away his own ignorance.  “We can ask some questions around the city.  You know a lot of folks here.  You go ask them, and I’ll go to Currense’s temple and ask Alsman,” he said.

“Shall we meet at the Blue Coach?” Eiren suggested.

They agreed to meet at the tavern for dinner, then went separate ways.

Theus walked down towards the river as the sun began to fall in the western sky.  It would be falling in Great Forks as well, Theus thought to himself.  Coriae would see a setting sun.  And soon, according to Limber’s prophecy, Great Forks would see an invasion by Donal and the forces of Southsand.  It seemed audacious and improbable for the southern nation to attempt to travel so far to invade such a large and prosperous city, and to risk waging war upon the great kingdom of Stoke.  Donal and the evil god of Ind’Petro seemed to have no limit to their hunger for conquest, death, and destruction; and they seemed to have the power to succeed.  Which made the future scenario of Theus being sent to battle against Donal seem all the more daunting.

With such apprehensive thoughts, Theus arrived at the front of the temple of Currense, and went inside, recollecting the extraordinary attention the goddess herself had given him on his last visit.  He entered without any attention paid to him, just one of the steady stream of worshippers who came to the temple.  He walked through to the sanctuary, then knelt at the railing, and began a brief prayer.

“You are here to help my true believers.  I thank Limber, and I thank you,” a melodic woman’s voice sounded in his ears.  “Alsman is held captive in the lowest levels of the temple.  You must go and set him free; he is scheduled to be executed at daybreak tomorrow,” Currense spoke to him.

“My goddess!” Theus exclaimed in a low voice, as he remembered to keep his head bowed so as not to look different from the other worshippers.  “Why?  He is a true believer of you.”

“He is, but the head priest is much less so, and Alsman has asked many questions and raised suspicions lately,” she answered.

“How can I find the way to his prison cell?” Theus asked.

“Go out to the temple front, and look for a priest wearing a blue and red cassock, then follow him.  He will take you to Alsman’s cell.  You must set him free, and help him to cleanse my temple of the troubles that have grown here; it is further evidence of the evil that Ind’Petro has infected the world with,” Currense growled.

“Yes, my lady,” Theus accepted the command.  He started to rise.

“And Prometheus,” Currense spoke again.

Theus returned to his knees and bowed his head.

“Yes, my lady?” he asked.

“Limber has made a wise choice in selecting you to be his marshal as he returns to strength.  I know that you will do well, my young friend,” she soothingly heartened him.

Theus felt uplifted by the words of encouragement from the goddess.

“Go now, and let this duty be carried to its complete fulfillment,” the deity spoke.

“Yes, my lady,” Theus answered.  He remained on his knees, head bowed, waiting to hear any further instructions from the goddess.  After a minute, he concluded the interview was finished, and he rose, he turned and left the sanctuary, then stood in the front of the temple, and observed the flow of traffic as people walked in all directions.

“You were certainly at the altar for an extended time.  I hope the goddess will answer your prayers,” a young priest in an ankle-length robe of deep blue, with red stitching at the cuffs spoke to him in passing.

Theus immediately fell into step a few paces behind the man, and followed him through a doorway that went into spaces not open to the public.  They went through a hall, down steps, into a dim room, and then down a steep, dark set of steps which ended at an iron-bound door.

“Your goal is on the opposite side of this door,” the priest said to Theus.  Without hesitation, he immediately began to climb back up the stairs, leaving Theus alone in the dim light.

Theus pressed his ear to the door and listened for sound from the other side, but detected only silence.

He was in darkness, and would have only his own energy to use if he practiced any of his white magic powers, but they seemed prudent to exercise.  He turned himself invisible, then slowly opened the door in front of him.

“Who’s there?  Trank, is that you?” an unrecognized voice asked.

Theus stepped through the open door into a room where a lantern on a wall and one on a desk provided the illumination for a room that was a wide, long hall with several closed doors on each side.  A pair of men sat at desks at either end – one quite close to the door Theus had opened, and the other at the far end of the hall.

The man nearest to him stood, looking at the door, looking through the invisible Theus.  He stepped over and pushed the door shut.

“The hinges must be loosening.  We’ll have to have them tightened,” the man said as he pushed the door shut.  Theus stood off to the side and examined the scene.  The multiple doors could be cells where prisoners were held, and if so, Alsman was in one.

Theus moved to the center of the room, then prepared to throw his voice to the far end, where the guard with the lantern on his desk sat.

“Alsman,” He called loudly, “where are you?  It’s Theus,” he called.

The guard sitting next to the spot where Theus’s voice sounded jumped up in alarm.

“What are you doing down there?” the other guard called.

“Theus?” Alsman’s voice sounded from a cell on the opposite side of the hall.  “What are you doing here?  Have they caught you too?”

Theus redirected his voice to come from the guard near the exit door.

“No, I’m not caught.  I’ve come to help release you,” he called out.

The second guard jumped up as well.  Theus felt amusement at the way he was frightening the guards, as well as some sympathy that he resolved to ignore.

“Alsman, what are you doing?” one of the guards called out angrily.

Theus closed his eyes and further focused his attention on his white magical powers.  He caused his energy to produce a glowing white ball of light that began to float through the air in the dungeon.

The guard at the far end of the prison left his desk and began to edge down the hallway towards the door.

“Which of you have the keys to the cells?” Theus spoke from where he stood.  “Throw them on the floor and you may leave alive.”

A clanking clash of metal on stone followed immediately, and both guards fled through the door to the stairs.  Theus released his invisibility use of the energy, while leaving the ball of floating light to continue to illuminate the hallway as he retrieved the keys and stepped over to Alsman’s cell.

“I was told to come rescue you,” Theus said.

“I could kiss whoever told you to do that!” the priest said enthusiastically as he stood at the door and stared out.  “How did you manage to get here?”

“The goddess provided a guide, and I used some white magic,” Theus answered as he began to slip keys in and out of the door lock, looking for the correct match to turn the locking mechanism in the door.  He felt and heard a click with his fourth key, and the door opened.

“We should escape quickly,” Theus suggested as Alsman embraced him.  “Those guards will bring others soon.”

The pair pelted up the stairs to the level above, and when a squad of guards came into view, Theus once again used his energy to become invisible, then wrapped his arm around Alsman’s shoulder, enveloping the priest in his protection as the approaching guards exclaimed in wonder at the disappearance of the pair.  They stepped aside in a doorway while the squad passed by, then they worked their way out of the temple and into the dark evening of the city.

Theus released his white magic, glad to no longer feel the strain that providing invisibility had imposed on him.

“We’ll go to the Blue Coach and meet Eiren there,” Theus told Alsman when they were out of sight of the temple.

“Who’s that?” the priest asked.  “And thank you again for saving my life.”

“Eiren and I met in a caravan.  She came back with me to Greenfalls to help me carry out my duties,” Theus explained.

Theus provided a long explanation to his friend as they walked to the tavern, astonishing the priest even further with his tale, as he talked of Limber, the god and the city, and explained the metal cuffs that he wore on his arms, their edges visible as they stuck out beneath his sleeves.

“Theus!  Where have you been?” Eiren demanded indignantly when the pair arrived and joined her at the table she kept.  “I’ve had four men try to get friendly with me while I’ve been waiting here.”  She examined Alsman curiously.

Theus introduced the pair, and they all sat down to eat and talk.

“You’re traveling with a remarkable friend,” Alsman told Eiren.  “The goddess Currense has spoken about and spoken to him.”

“So has the god Limber,” Eiren responded in kind.

“Theus tried to explain to me that Limber is real?” Alsman questioned.  “In our theology classes we were told that Limber had been the leader in the fight of the gods against great evil, but he had vanished from the earth, as his city and his temples had vanished.”

“He came back to life,” Theus said simply.  “We have begun to re-populate his city, and to worship at his temples.  He knows that great evil is alive and spreading.  He is going to fight against it.

“The evil god Ind’Petro is driving the black magician Donal to lead Southsand in invasions of the other lands and cities of the world.  Ind’Petro and Donal have spread their influence into other cities, even into Stoke, and Limber tells me that they will invade Great Forks soon,” Theus explained.  “I’m supposed to lead an army from here to Great Forks to help fight the invasion.”

“And you are supposed to fight corruption here in Greenfalls too, right?” Eiren prodded.  “I hope so,” she said, “because I’ve heard an awful lot about how much worse the corruption is getting – worse by the week.”

“It is – it must be cleansed away.  I spoke out against it, and was thrown in the dark cells,” Alsman declared.  “There are many people ready and waiting for a sign that they should rise up and fight.”

“What kind of sign do they need?” Eiren asked.

The man serving the food placed their plates in front of them and they paused.

“What they really need are leaders,” Alsman said thoughtfully, picking up a piece of fried meat to eat, as he looked off into the distance thoughtfully.

“I think you’re right,” Eiren agreed.  “The people I talked to, they all said they would fight if there was someone worth fighting for.”

“I’m ready to fight too,” Theus added.  “I’ll fight for Alsman.”

“My friends would fight for him too,” Eiren said shrewdly, studying the priest closely through slitted eyes.

“I don’t need anyone to fight for me; Theus already set me free,” the priest pointed out.

“I have something different in mind,” Eiren said.  “What did I tell you once that made such an impression on you, Theus?” she asked.

“You said not to stand by, but to stand up for the right thing,” he told her.

“And getting rid of the governor is the right thing now in Greenfalls, my friends say.  If we can give them Alsman as a replacement for the governor, they’ll all help in the fight,” she placed her hand on Theus’s arm on the table and squeezed it to hold his attention.

“Wait a minute,” Alsman protested.  “I’m just a priest.  I’m not someone who can run a government.”

“You will be a symbol,” Eiren had an answer ready as Theus listened.  “I heard about a priest who was arrested for being too honest and good while I talked to people.  They know about you.

“Just let Theus do his impossible tricks to put you on the governor’s throne, and you can make life better for everyone in the city,” she said.

“I’ll fight for you,” Theus agreed.  “And people will trust you.  You can make the corruption go away, and you can make the city feel like a better place for the people who live here.”

“That’s a big commitment,” Alsman remained unconvinced.

“The goddess wants this to happen,” Theus pointed out.

“That’s important, very important,” the priest conceded.

“The people of the city would be better off if they didn’t have to pay bribes or suffer extortion from the governor’s people,” Eiren pointed out.  “They all tell me about how common those problems are growing to be.

“And the governor lies about everything.  It’s like the truth isn’t important.  He just makes things up to justify whatever he wants to do or take,” she added.

“I understand the fear and frustration in the city; we have felt it in the temple as well,” Alsman conceded.

“Then you should do this,” Eiren urged him.

“Even if I did it, even if I said I would be the leader, I’d just be a symbol.  I don’t know how to run a city and assign duties and provide the leadership the city needs,” Alsman continued to resist.

“What if Eiren was your aide?  She knows how to organize and plan and carry out complicated activities.  She can practically run an entire caravan by herself,” Theus contributed to the conversation.

Eiren’s eyes grew large at the unexpected turn of conversation.

“She certainly is passionate, and she seems to understand the needs of the city,” Alsman agreed.

He turned to look at the girl, who altered her facial expression to stare back at him with a look of confidence.

“You could help me?” Alsman asked doubtfully.  “You’re not much more than a child yourself.”

“I’m older than Theus, and look what he’s done,” Eiren answered quickly, with some warmth in her voice.  “I’ve been trained and trusted to set up contracts and operations for a caravan that would pick up and drop off freight, wagons, drovers, and passengers in five cities.  I can help you pick up the reins of this city and make it run right.  It ran pretty well for a long time before this governor came; it’s just a matter of putting the right people and the right expectations back in control.”

Alsman seemed taken aback by the strength of the girl’s spirit.  Theus bit his tongue at the use of him as a comparison; he was special, he reminded himself, endowed with skills and powers.

“You are persuasive,” Alsman said, shaking Theus from his reverie.

“If the two of you can prepare a credible plan, I’ll be a figurehead to help the city shake off the shackles of corruption and self-serving leaders,” he told them.

“Now,” he suddenly yawned.  “It’s getting late.  I know I should be full of energy after all this wild discussion, not to mention being rescued by a boy who is the goddess’s own chosen instrument, but the truth is – I’m exhausted.  Do we have some place we can sleep for the night?”

Eiren and Theus looked at one another.

“We didn’t make any plans yet,” Eiren said.  “Theus, give him some coins so he can get a room here at the inn next door,” she directed.

After Theus complied, she spoke again.  “We’ll meet you down here for breakfast, and plan how we’re going to make this happen,” she told Alsman as he rose to his feet.

“What did you think you were doing, volunteering me to run the city?” she leaned into to Theus and hissed the question as soon as Alsman left.

“You can do it,” Theus told her confidently.

“Maybe I can, maybe I can’t, but that’s not the point.  You’re trying to tie me down here so that I don’t go on with you to the next adventure, and you didn’t even ask me,” she confronted him.

“I was just answering his concern,” Theus was taken aback.

“It’s lucky for you that I can do it – run the city.  If working with Vanline has taught me anything, it’s been about how to run complicated operations,” Eiren seemed satisfied to have momentarily vented at Theus.  “And he does seem like a good man.  If he needs help, I don’t think I’ll mind helping him.”

“And you’ll make the city a better place,” Theus pointed out.

“We’ll see how that turns out.  If I do manage to make it work, people will just expect more to be done,” Eiren harrumphed.  She sat back and silently watched the people in the tavern after that, as Theus sat next to her.  The dinner guests were largely departed, so that only those who were there to drink remained.

“We better go to the inn and get some sleep too,” Eiren announced after several minutes.   “We may have a big day tomorrow.”

They rose and walked to the inn next door, and stopped at the front desk.

“We’d like two rooms,” Eiren told the clerk.

“I’ve only got one room left,” the clerk said.

Eiren looked over at Theus.  “Great!” she shot him a dark look.

“This isn’t my fault!” Theus protested.

Another customer entered the lobby.  “Do you have any rooms available?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” the clerk spoke to the man.  “Do you want the room or not?” he asked Eiren.

“Yes,” she answered angrily.  “We’ll take it.”

“I’ll need to see your money,” the clerk immediately informed her.

“Give him some money, Theus,” Eiren was unhappy with the situation, and it showed, even after Theus handed coins to the clerk and got a key in return.

The pair walked in silence up the dim stairs to their room.

They opened the door and stepped into the darkened space.  Theus use his white magic to create a ball of light that illuminated the chamber.  The room was adequately sized, and decently furnished, but it only had one bed.

“The rules are the same as the last time; I’ll let you sleep here, but it’s only to sleep.  Don’t get any ideas, or white magic or not, I’ll clout you upside the head,” Eiren growled.

“That’s fine,” Theus replied.  He was feeling weary and not in the mood to argue.  The use of his energies, and the day chock full of surprises and activity had taken its toll on him.  He was ready to sleep.  He took off his staff and his sword and his knife, then his boots, and finally stretched out on one side of the bed.

“You can turn off the light now,” he heard Eiren say as he faced the wall.

He extinguished the light, then felt the bed shake as Eiren climbed in.

“Theus?” she said after several seconds.

“Yes?” he replied.

“Can you believe that this morning we were in the caravan, riding through the mountains?  Do you realize everything that has happened in the past few hours?  We’ve been in Limber – we’ve seen a god! – we’ve traveled through the mountains all the way to Greenfalls in a matter of minutes – and now we’re planning to overthrow the governor!  It’s impossible to believe!” Eiren exclaimed.

“And it will get more complicated before it gets easier, I fear,” Theus commented softly, before he dozed off to sleep.

Chapter 26

When they awoke simultaneously in the morning, the pair of travelers were facing one another, their faces close as they shared a pillow.

“Theus, back off!” Eiren sat up as well as pressed Theus’s shoulder away.

“I’m just sleeping!” he retorted.

“Well, stop sleeping.  Go clean up and then go down to the tavern and wait for me, and Alsman,” Eiren dictated.

Theus grumbled, but complied, taking his weapons and his pack with him as he went downstairs and next door to the empty tavern.

“We’ve got fried corn mush and oatmeal for breakfast today,” an elderly waitress told him.

“Do you have any bacon?” he asked hopefully.

“It’s bad for you – you don’t want that,” the woman said, then shuffled away.

“I do want that,” Theus muttered under his breath, dissatisfied with the prospect of not having bacon.

He sat at the table and waited.  The platter of slices of fried corn mush and bowls of oatmeal arrived at the table at the same time that Eiren and Alsman sat down.  The waitress returned immediately afterwards with honey and a pitcher of milk.  Theus grumpily added honey to his meal, and listened as Eiren and Alsman began talking.

“I need to go to the warehouses and talk to the stevedores about rounding up some muscle for our people to use,” Eiren began the conversation.

“If you can provide me with writing materials and messengers, I can send notes to several priests and noblemen who will be ready to help us,” Alsman chimed in.  “We need to get someone inside the palace to report on what is happening in the governor’s court, too.”

“I can do that,” Theus said confidently.

“You can, that’s right,” Alsman said thoughtfully.  “With your invisibility, you do offer amazing opportunities to wreak havoc in the palace.  Could you steal the great seal of the city?”

“I think so,” Theus answered immediately.

“What is it?” he asked in embarrassment a moment later, causing Eiren to guffaw.

“The seal is a large metal stamp, something the governor uses to print on official documents to show that he approves of the things they say, like when he creates a new edict or writes a new law,” Alsman explained.  “It’s larger than your oatmeal bowl, but not much, and it has a handle.”

“It probably tastes better than the oatmeal,” Theus mutters.

“The oatmeal must not have been too bad; I notice that you ate all of yours,” Eiren pointed out.

“It was good with the honey and milk,” Theus admitted.  “This seal sounds like something I could take,” he said.

“It would agitate the governor and cause an uproar in the palace, if it disappeared,” Alsman explained.  “They would distrust one another even more.”

“Could we use it?” Eiren asked.

“To crack open nuts?” Theus asked with a laugh.

“No,” Eiren shoved his shoulder.  “We could print something of our own, some story about corruption, and then print the governor’s seal on it, and spread it around the city,” she said.

Alsman began to laugh.  “That would infuriate them!  And there’s nothing they could say!  They can’t admit that the seal got stolen from inside the palace, and they can’t say the document’s one of theirs!”

“I’ll go get the seal today.  Where will I find it in the palace?” he asked.

“I’ll go start spreading the word that we’re going to change things; give me some money, Theus,” she commanded as she stood up.

“What’s this for?” he asked blankly as he opened his pack and began to hand her a portion of the funds they had brought from Limber.

“It’ll be useful when I talk to the people down on the docks and in the warehouses; they listen better when money is involved.  And give Alsman money so that he can buy paper to write his messages,” she told him.  “Theus, go back to the inn and pay for our rooms for another night.  Let’s all meet back here at the tavern at midday,” she handed out directions.  “Alsman,” she paused, “my lord,” she appended the title respectfully, “give Theus directions on where to go in the palace to get the seal.

“Now, I’m off, and I’ll see you soon,” she waved and then was out the door.

Theus and Alsman looked at one another.

“She knows how to take charge of a situation, doesn’t she?” Alsman observed.

“I think you could say she’s bossy,” Theus agreed.

“Well, I like the way she’s handling the situation.  I almost believe you could be right, and we may be able to organize our way into this coup to save the city. Now,” the priest said, then began to give Theus a description of the way into the administrative center of the palace, where the seal was kept in a vault.

“I’ll be back soon,” Theus said nonchalantly as he stood, after listening to the directions.  He counted on the sunshine outside the tavern to provide the energy he would need to move invisibly around the palace grounds.

He went back to the inn and paid for retaining the rooms.  He was oddly pleased that Eiren hadn’t thought to tell him to ask for separate rooms for the two of them.  With that errand accomplished, he walked through the city to reach the palace, which stood atop a slight hill, allowing it to look down upon the neighborhoods surrounding it.

It looks simple to Theus.  The walls were not as imposing as the walls around the dark palace of Southsand, and there were several gates open within view, offering him a choice of which route to enter through.  He selected his preferred gate to his right, then stepped back into an alleyway entrance and wrapped himself in invisibility.  His task accomplished, and his energy coming from the diffused sunlight that filtered down through the thin clouds overhead, Theus set in motion and walked into the palace grounds.

Chapter 27

Theus entered the center of a lightly-traveled gate and walked through into the palace grounds.  Alsman had given him directions for the way to navigate to the offices in the back of the palace where the seal was maintained, and Theus set about walking around the building to enter it as close to his goal as possible.

He walked for several minutes, invisible and unnoticed, until he reached the rear of the palace.  Two guards stood beside a door that was closest to the part of the palace Alsman had told him to visit.  Theus threw his voice to the shrubbery closest to the steps.

“Can you come help me climb out of this mess?” he requested assistance from the shadows under the bushes forty feet away from the guards.

“Help me too; I’m stuck,” he called also from the sculpted shrubs on the other side of the guards.  He watched the pair start down the steps, then bump into each other as they tried to go to opposite sides.  The collision knocked one to the ground, and Theus laughed at the sight, making both guards look sharply in the direction of the invisible laughter.

Theus stepped away from his position, then threw his voice once again to the left, and added to the comment by forcing a breeze to rattle the leaves of the bush in that location as well.  The guards rose to their feet to investigate the disturbance, and Theus darted up the steps and through the unguarded doors to enter the palace building.

The floors were a checkerboard of large marble squares, white and black, and the ceilings were painted with scenes of war battles.  The building was quiet elegance, filled with few noises other than the sounds of genteel conversations in rooms with closed doors, and boots that echoed as they walked along the halls.

He had to go upstairs to find the seal.  He followed the instructions Alsman had given him, and climbed up a series of wide marble stairs, passing quietly and invisibly by a loitering guard who was talking intently to a maid.  Theus walked along a hallway with numerous doors on either side, and he reached the end of the corridor, where a single door filled the end wall.

Theus listened at the door and heard nothing from the other side.  The interior of the palace hall was dim, and he was drawing upon his own energies to maintain his invisibility, but he’d used little of his reserves thus far, and so he reckoned he could do more before he went outside once again.

He conjured a breeze, then opened the door and let the breeze blow in as an apparent reason for the door to open.  He stepped inside, and realized that his ruse had been a wasted effort; no one was inside the room on the other side of the door.   It was an antechamber, with an unmanned desk and chair, and three other doors.

Alsman had told Theus to pass through the center door, and he carefully did so.  Inside the room there was again no one.  There was only a single window set high, a small window that allowed only a minimum of light to enter.  And there was a large table.  And there was a curtain drawn across the far end of the room, hiding what was kept in the back space.

Theus released his use of invisibility in order to preserve his slowly draining power, then walked to the rear of the empty room, and pulled the curtain open in the center.  It was a heavy, dark piece of drapery that hung from ceiling to floor as effectively as if it was a wall.  Theus pulled open a gap several feet wide.

Behind it, Theus found a single marble stand, a half column of stone that had a flattened, squared off small table top at approximately waist height, and standing on the top of the column sat the seal, a metallic half ball with a handle that pointed straight upward as it rested on the table.

The seal glowed, compared to the rest of the space behind the curtain.  It glowed with a noticeable light, and Theus was fascinated by the sight.  He walked closer to the seal, staring at it intently.

Alsman had made no mention of magic powers for the seal, something Theus was certain the priest would have mentioned.  Theus studied the seal closely, and noticed that motes of dust visibly glided through the air above it, as though caught in a strong sunbeam.  He carefully moved his hand above the seal, and saw a sharp line of illumination falling from the ceiling onto the seal.  Looking up, he saw a pair of angled mirrors imbedded in the ceiling, and looking around, he saw a second set, a pair of slightly curved mirrors where the wall met the ceiling.

It was a clever arrangement of mirrors that focused light from a window onto the seal.   There was no magic, Theus saw with relief.  He reached out and picked the seal up.

It was heavy.  For just a moment, that was all that he thought.

Then a suddenly bright light filled the room, and painfully loud bells seem to be ringing in the very room where he stood.  He held onto the seal as he clapped his hands over his ears and instinctively bent at the waist.

“Aaah!  So you are alive and foolishly interfering where you should not,” an oily voice spoke to him.  The sound of the rasping voice filled his heart with dread and real fear.  It was the voice of Donal.

Theus stood upright and pulled his sword free with one hand as he held the purloined seal in the other, and he looked up in a state of fearful resignation.

The bright light that shone upon him came from no source, but hovered in the air, and within the bright light sat a black core.  And within the black core he saw a shadowy image of Donal staring intently at him.

“You’ve set off the alarm that has summoned my assigned Greenfalls wizard to the room where you stand, so that you may be dealt with as a thief, little ex-slave,” Donal said.

“Why you are in Greenfalls will be interesting to find out; you should have kept running when you escaped, running as far as you could, in the hopes that I would never find you, as I have.

“I look forward to watching you be subjected to interrogation.  I’ve grown strong enough to be able to do this, to establish a window that allows me to observe a city that is half a world away,” Donal still spoke, while Theus still remained frozen in fear.

“And you’ll have to explain how and why you came to my very tower in Southsand and stole my pet princess.  That was a very bad decision.  You made me very angry,” Donal’s filmy visage was contorted in anger as it spoke.

The door from the hall suddenly burst open, and a man wearing a dark red robe stood there taking in the view.

“Master, your presence is no longer required,” the magician spoke to Donal as he sauntered into the room.  “I’ll blast this foolish thief.”

“Be careful my student,” Donal warned.  “This particular thief is no ordinary being.  Somehow this creature has evaded my capture twice.”

Theus instinctively lifted the heavy seal over his head and threw it, not at the live magician, but at the image of Donal.  As the seal breached the space where the circle of light shone brightly, there was a loud explosion that knocked Theus from his feet.  Dust fell from the ceiling, and Theus saw as he propped himself up that the image of Donal was gone, and the other magician was also prone on the floor.

There were noises outside the room, faint but undeniable.  Others were coming to join the fray, and Theus was trapped.

He shook his head, then looked and saw that the magician in the other part of the room beyond the open gap in the curtain wall was starting to lift himself up as well.  Once he did, Theus knew that magic would become a weapon, and he would lose.

Theus lifted himself and sprinted forward, raised his heavy, reinforced staff, and swung it at the head of the magician just as the man turned to look at him.  The staff struck the man’s skull with a solid connection, and the man was knocked unconscious.  Theus ran past him and picked up the heavy metal seal he had come for originally, then stood gasping.

He stood in a small square of sunlight and felt the warmth of the rays that bathed his chest and thighs.  The sunlight was energy, he realized.  He could resume his invisibility cover without draining his own declining power.

There were noises that were louder and closer outside the seal room; Theus reached for the sunlight, and resumed invisibility.  A moment later, a squad of four guards opened the door and entered the room.

“The advisor is down!” one of them exclaimed.  The group hurried to reach the man and bend over him.

“He’s dead!” Theus heard a surprised voice speak.

“The seal is gone!” another observed a moment later.

Theus stood in the sunlight, letting the energy sustain his invisibility, as he tried to assess the situation.  He needed to escape.  He needed to find and stay in sunlight as long as he could while he was trapped in the palace; his own energy was low, and needed time to restore itself.  His recollection was that the hallway outside the room he was in was windowless hall, but windows existed in the corridor beyond, and once he was there, he might be able to stay safe in enough ambient energy to maintain his invisibility, and escape.

He took a breath, then walked at a quick pace to the still-open door to the room, and slipped out.  He found a number of guards loitering in the hallway, causing him to slowly wind his way among them, avoiding contact until he came to the closed doorway that exited from the hall.

When he opened the door, numerous eyes turned to look, and as he slipped out, he heard several murmured questions about the inexplicable movement of the door.

There were guards in the hallway he entered, but servants too, and most importantly, there were windows.  Theus stepped over to the wall by the windows, and let the full stream of sunlight relieve his stress.  He felt a lighthearted joy, a belief that he was nearly free.

He was right.  By noon he had woven a trail out of the palace grounds and back into the city.  He cut through an alley and released his invisibility, then emerged as a non-descript person on the street and walked back to the Blue Coach tavern, carrying the palace seal in his pack.

Both Alsman and Eiren were seated at a corner table when he arrived in the mid-afternoon.

“Where have you been?  What took so long?” Alsman asked.

“There was a magician at the palace!” Theus hissed.

“Did you get the seal?” Eiren asked.

Theus lifted his pack and opened it, then partially pulled the seal out to display it to his companions.

“Did you hear me?” he asked them sternly.  “There was a magician in the palace.  And Donal was able to see me using some black magic powers!”

“Who is Donal?” Alsman asked.

“He’s the supreme black magician, and he’s the head of Ind’Petro’s evil worshippers.  He’s from Southsand.  And he hates me,” Theus told them in a voice that hinted at his fear.

“Are we in trouble?  Will the magicians attack us?” Eiren asked.

“I think we’re okay,” Theus said.  “As long as there aren’t any other magicians in the city.”  He waved to the waitress and ordered food; he was famished, he realized.

“You killed one; can’t you just use your magic to kill others?” the girl suggested.

“The one I killed I did with my staff,” Theus patted the long weapon beside him, “not with magic.  I don’t have magical strength equal to theirs,” he said.  As he said it though, he wondered at the truth of the statement.  With access to the energy of sunlight, he speculated, he might have more power than the black magicians, at least within the limited range of magical functions that he knew.

But he also considered the possibility that Donal might be on his way to Greenfalls.  Theus had learned to travel great distances in quick time, and perhaps Donal and the black magicians would be able to do the same.

He drew a sharp breath as he considered the possibility.

“What is it?” Alsman asked.

“If Donal decides to come here, we’ll all be in trouble,” Theus said.

“Should we give up now, or hurry up and carry out our plan?” Eiren asked.

Theus froze for a moment as he tried to weigh the consequences of the alternatives.  He thought about what might happen to his own life, and the lives of Eiren and Alsman, then he thought about the impact to the city.  Then his mind seemed to expand, and he found himself thinking about all that might feel the results of the battle to cleanse Greenfalls of corruption and foul leaders – Limber, which sat isolated from the rest of the world, except via roads that must pass through Greenfalls, Stoke the wealthy capital of the kingdom, through who Greenfalls’s own purloined riches passed, and from where Greenfalls’s corrupt governor and black magician had perhaps come.  Theus even found himself thinking of Great Forks and Coriae, and the ways in which the girl’s life depended on the decision he had just been asked to make.

“We’ll fight,” he said grimly.  “We ought to move fast, and try to win control of the city swiftly, before Donal gets here and consolidates power, if he is on his way,” Theus decided.

“How fast can we make this happen?” he asked.

“I just sent notes this morning,” Alsman protested.

“I can have a mob ready to go first thing tomorrow,” Eiren responded positively.  “Let me take that seal to a place I know, and we’ll have copies of offensive proclamations up before night fall.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Theus asked.

“No, I want you to figure out how you can immobilize the palace defenses so that they can’t fight back when we attack,” the girl replied.

“Well, if you’re determined to do this so prematurely, I need to get to the nobles’ mansions along the northern slopes across the river, to make sure we’ll have nobles who will join our cause,” Alsman bowed to the apparently inevitable conflict.  “They can provide resources and leadership and weapons; if they persuade one another that a coup is needed, they’ll stay out of our way and help us when we need them.

“I’ll go start talking to them now,” he stood up from the table.

“I’ll go start getting broadsides printed with the seal of the palace on them,” Eiren said.

“I’ll finish my lunch,” Theus noted the plate of food that had arrived.  “Then I’ll go see where I can make it easiest to break into the palace tomorrow morning.”

His two companions left the tavern together, and Theus started to shovel food into his mouth, then left minutes later.  He walked back to the vicinity of the palace, then once again collected the energy of the falling sunlight and turned invisible.  And for the next hour he walked around the inside perimeter of the palace walls, observing where the gates and the guards and the defenses were.

That evening, when the three conspirators met again, they concocted their plan, and then separated to go inform their followers one more time about the details and the timing of the events planned for the following day.   Theus went back to the palace to sneak inside the walls once again, and he secretly disabled the lock on a little-used gate he had found in the back of the palace grounds.

When he returned to the inn, he arrived at the same time as Alsman, and the two walked upstairs together.

“It’ll be good to get a couple of hours of sleep,” Alsman admitted.

“Come knock on my door when you wake up,” Theus suggested.  “Just to make sure I’m awake too.  I’m in the room with the blue door.”

“I’ll do that,” the priest agreed.  “Should I knock on Eiren’s door as well?”

“She’s sleeping in my room,” Theus said without thinking about the implications of the comment.

“Oh,” Alsman said in a softer voice.  “I didn’t know it was like that between the two of you.  She’s a fine companion for you – I find that I admire her greatly.”

“No, no, no,” Theus immediately corrected the mistaken assumption.  “It’s not like that.  There was only one room left when we checked in.  No, she wouldn’t have me as a mate, I’m sure, and my heart still is hung on another hook,” he admitted.

“That’s good to know,” Alsman answered with inexplicable cheeriness.  “If, you both feel comfortable with it,” he added in an apologetic tone.

“Good night,” he reached his door and entered, while Theus continued down the hall to enter his own room.  Eiren was lying on top of her side of the bed.

“I’m exhausted,” she spoke as he lay down next to her.

“Me too.  I told Alsman to be sure to knock on our door to wake us up in the morning,” Theus informed her as he raised a foot to pull off a boot.

“You told him we were sleeping together?  You idiot!” she punched his arm angrily.

“No!  I said we weren’t like that; I told him you wouldn’t want me,” Theus tried to mollify her.

“That’s better,” she said, mollified.  “I wouldn’t want him to think poorly of me.”

“What’s so poor about liking me?” Theus asked, partially with hurt feelings, partially out of sheer curiosity.

“Oh, you know, nothing really.  It’s just that you’re who you are, and we’re different.  When we first met, it might have seemed likelier – we were closer to being the same type of people, but we have different directions to go now.  We’ve gone in different directions,” she tried to vaguely explain.  “If there were some girl I knew and really was close to, and she said she was falling in love with you, I’d tell her there wasn’t a better man in the world for her than you.

“And I mean it,” Eiren seemed to feel that her rambling excuse was a positive spin, though Theus felt little comfort.

They quickly fell into uneasy states of sleep, and Theus awoke before dawn, aware that he needed to head to the palace.  He dressed and shook Eiren.

“I’ll go open up the gates; everything will be ready when your group arrives,” he pledged.

He left the room and walked down the hall, just as Alsman’s door opened.

“Already on your way?  Good!  Is Eiren awake?” the priest asked.

Theus didn’t know why, but he felt that he needed to let the priest awaken Eiren again.

“Go give her door a knock and push it open; I left it unlocked,” Theus advised, and then he hurried on his way.

He went to the palace, hurrying through the streets in the darkness before dawn.  There were few others on the streets, and he casually cloaked himself in invisibility while on the plaza outside the main palace gate, a gate that remained partially open throughout the evening and morning.  He quietly passed through the gate, then began to circle around to the rear of the palace.  He went to an unmanned gate and unlocked the doors, then went to make sure the gate he had disabled the night before was still unnoticed.  Finally, he went to the main gate in the back of the palace campus, an opening that was large enough for wagons to easily enter.  Or mobs of attackers, Theus thought to himself.

He climbed a tree, settled into place, then released his use of his energy while he waited for the attack on the palace to begin and for the sun to rise.  He thought about the brief exchanges with Alsman and Eiren the night before.  He had admitted to himself that through the emotional ups and downs of the recent weeks, he found himself still holding on to some hopeless dream of Coriae.

And he thought that he had detected some level of interest by both Eiren and Alsman in the affairs of each other.  Perhaps he had read too much into the tones and facial expressions he had detected, he told himself, but perhaps not.  They were an odd couple to consider, separated by age, background, and temperament, he thought.  But he and Coriae had seemed just as unlikely, and for a while, they had meshed well.

The sun was giving a pink glow to the eastern horizon, he realized some minutes later as he continued to brood over his lost love, and then he saw movement in the distance, at the gate he had promised to disable for the rebel forces that Eiren had raised.  Theus reached out and gathered together as much energy as he could from the faint pink rays of light, then added his own power, and slipped down from the tree.  It was time for him to move into action

“Please Lord Limber and Lady Currense, let us find success today without great losses,” he whispered the prayer, then began to move towards the guards on duty at the gate for the wagons.

Theus placed himself between the guards and the infiltrating rebels, then approached the unsuspecting guards with his staff lifted, ready to swing it as needed.  Two guards were soon unconscious before the other two even realized something was amiss, and then the other two lost their consciousness from swift blows delivered to their heads by the unseen assailant.

Theus regained his visibility, then opened the wide doors, and waited for the bulk of the men Eiren had recruited.  Within moments she arrived and led the group into the palace.

“I see you’ve done your work,” she spoke softly.  “Well done so far.

“Now come with me in the lead.  We’ll follow Alsman’s directions about the layout of the palace and try to take the governor captive.  And you watch out for magicians and defeat them for us if you see them,” she commanded him.  “I want to deliver this palace to Alsman as quickly and bloodlessly as possible,” she explained, then started walking towards the palace.

“I may not be much good against a black magician,” Theus warned her.

“I’ve seen what you can do.  You’ll win,” Eiren dismissed his worries.

They entered the palace with dozens of men behind them, and dozens more spreading over the palace grounds to take control of the stables and gates and other facilities.  When Theus and Eiren led their men into the palace, they quickly overran any opposition, and soon had control of the palace, with no magician involved, and the governor captured and chained before noon.

“Send for Alsman and his nobles,” Eiren instructed one of her aides she had recruited from the docks, as she and Theus were surrounded by their supporters in the governor’s throne room at midday.  “We’ll let him make the decisions about what comes next.”

Alsman arrived an hour later, with a dozen members of the nobility around him.

“Where is the former governor?” he asked Eiren.

“We’ve locked him in the prison cells below the palace.  We also set several men free who we found there,” Eiren reported.  “We’ve sent guards to secure the treasury as well.”

“Send men over to the temple of Currense,” Alsman ordered.  “Take the high priest Bened under arrest, and bring him back here to be put in jail with the governor.”

“We’ll do so immediately,” Eiren promised.  “In the meantime, there is a large crowd gathered outside in the plaza, wanting to know what is happening in the city.  You should go address them, my lord,” Eiren advised.

Alsman and the nobles, accompanied by Eiren and Theus, made the trip to the palace walls and climbed to the top, so that he could make a speech to the assembled population, promising fairer treatment and a better future for everyone in the city.

When they returned to the throne room they received the news that Bened the high priest of Currense had escaped from the temple and ridden away from the city in a hurry when the first reports of Alsman’s ascension to power reached the temple.

By evening, the city was calm and the palace was firmly controlled by Alsman, his nobles, and the impromptu guard of waterfront ruffians Eiren had raised.

“You need to go find a room and get some sleep,” Alsman interrupted one of his conversations with the nobles to tell Eiren, as he saw the girl yawn.

“If you’re still awake working, I will be too,” she replied.

Alsman smiled at the response.  “I won’t stay awake much longer.  We’ve about wrapped up our work for today.  We just need to hold a prayer vigil and give thanks to Currense for the great fortune she granted us today.”

He led the prayers to the goddess, and then dismissed most of his advisors and guards.

“Theus, you’ve been quiet today, but I know you helped make this incredible success possible,” the new ruler of Greenfalls commented.

“I’m glad we didn’t find any more magicians,” Theus said in a tired voice.  “There is a favor I have to ask.  I need to depart for Great Forks as quickly as possible.  I need to take as many fighters as I can.  Can you give me a force that can fight the invasion approaching Great Forks?”

“We’ll provide as much as we can,” Alsman looked at Eiren as he spoke.  “Can you arrange forces to help our friend?” he asked.

“First thing tomorrow morning,” she pledged.

Chapter 28

By the following nightfall, Theus was leading four river barges loaded with fighters down the Landwide River.  The members of the force were a mixture of men from Eiren’s recruited force of muscular men from the docks, as well as several of the regular guards of the palace, who were eager to face the opportunity to fight in a true war, especially after the confusion of seeing control of the governor’s office unexpectedly flipped over.

Theus was named as leader of the outing, with a captain of the Greenfalls palace guard assigned to assist him.  He found that his youthful appearance forced him to have to prove his worth over the next few days of the journey down the river, but his magical powers, along with his competence with the sword and staff, soon persuaded the warriors to accept his leadership, as he told them of the prophecy that Limber had given him, of an invasion by Southsand forces.

Theus described the evil nature of the Southsand regime, especially Donal, and warned the fighters of the dangers they would face, thought he couldn’t describe any particular details before they arrived at the city and learned the facts on the ground first hand.

The trip down the river had taken Theus three weeks when he had experienced it as a barge hand on board the Surprise, as that ship had stopped to pick up or drop off goods in a variety of towns along the river.  Captain Jack had sparred with Theus at swords, and an older crewman named Kiltik had tutored Theus in the ways of the world.

And Theus had learned a bit of history, knowledge that carried a faintly ominous tint during his second voyage down the river.

“This valley is called the Battle Valley,” Theus explained to the palace officer who was his nominal second in command.  “There used to be wars fought by armies from Greenfalls, Great Forks, and even Limber and Stoke, all along this valley,” Theus described the peaceful terrain between two mountain chains.

The talk of long ago battles excited the imaginations of the soldiers, and gave them something to talk and conjecture about, as they endured the crowded conditions of the decks of the transports.  The soldiers agreed to take turns rowing and pulling the vessels to relieve their boredom and to speed the journey.

And so it was that the vessels rounded the great curve at the end of the valley and followed the river as it turned to flow eastward towards Great Forks; they passed by the small village of Northside, and Theus recollected the adventure he’d had in the city, fighting off a trio of inept armed robbers.

As they sailed on past the settlement, Theus felt a sense of urgency to arrive at his destination as soon as possible, to help defend Great Forks as early as possible.  He knew the city well enough to feel attachment to its landmarks and people, and he wanted to prevent damage as much as possible.  And even though he wouldn’t have any personal connection with Coriae, he would feel better in his heart for having protected her and her community.

The ships moved rapidly, and reached the vicinity of Great Forks in a week’s time.  As they approached the city early one morning, traveling towards the city from the east, they spotted pillars of smoke rising.

“Is that usual for Great Forks?” a soldier asked Theus as he intently studied the scene in the west.

“I’ve never seen it like that before,” the ship’s captain commented, as he happened to be standing nearby, studying the horizon as well.

“I think the invasion may already be underway,” Theus said soberly, shaking his head.  “We better prepare for war.”

Messages passed among the ships, and excitement seized the expeditionary force, as they prepared their weapons.

“Where do you think we should disembark?” Theus asked the captain of the leading ship.

“We don’t know where the Southsand forces are, and I don’t think we want to bring our ships in close enough to suffer any loss of life or vessel.  There’s a fishing village a mile outside the city where we could release you and wait for you,” he proposed.

Theus accepted the suggestion, and the river barges pulled up to the village dock, one by one, unloading their armed passengers and then pulling to the opposite side of the river.  There was no sign of any river traffic trying to move upriver, which the captain reported was an ominous sign that traffic had been cut off.

Each boat unloaded, comparatively quickly, though it seemed a frustratingly slow process to Theus as he and the officers moved out towards the road that lead from Great Forks to the village and further beyond.  They waited for their entire troop to leave the ships and move through the village to the road.

And while the river was empty of traffic, the road was full of panicked refugees fleeing from the invaded city.

“Unfurl the flag,” the captain of the Greenfalls guards ordered.  A member of the leading squadron unwrapped a green and white flag with the blue curls of the waterfall in the heart of the city, the symbol of Greenfalls.

“We’ll have trouble making much headway through this crowd,” the captain concluded with despair as he looked at the crowd flowing in the direct opposite of the army’s intentions.

“Let me see if I can do something,” Theus suggested after studying the situation momentarily.  He opened his abilities to find and absorb the energy of the sunlight, then increased to his uttermost limit the amount of energy he could draw in.

At the same time he began to produce a steady breeze, one that he caused to drop down from the sky above and to strike at the center of the road just beyond the front ranks of the waiting army.  As the flows of air struck, the crowd began to unwillingly respond by moving aside as the wind forced an opening that began to stretch forward.

“Let’s lead the way,” Theus said through gritted teeth as he focused on absorbing all the energy possible, and then using it in the taxing work of moving great masses of air.

The arriving army wove to the center of the road, then picked up speed, as Theus’s magical application moved ahead of them, continually pressing the opening closer towards the city, while the people around then cried in anger and fear and confusion.

Theus and the army leaders pressed the speed of the force to move faster, as the smoke from the city fires rose higher and darker in the sky ahead.  After twenty minutes, the refugees who were fleeing from the city diminished in number, and Theus was able to cease to blow the road open.

The force entered the city proper, and heard the sounds of combat in the distance.

“Theus, stop.  Enter the shop on the left, and take the cloth that awaits you on the counter,” Limber’s voice spoke to him.  It was Limber speaking, the god of his city, Theus knew now.  It was not simply the Voice, the unnamed guide who had looked after and directed him through so many adventures.  It was the voice of a god, one who had reached out to him on a personal level.

Theus stopped his procession and ran to the designated shop, a tailor’s shop, he saw.  On the counter he found a large folded sky blue cloth, and he picked it up.

“Now, take the pole standing in the corner, and tack the flag to it, then carry it alongside the flag of the city of Currense,” Limber told him.

Theus picked up several tacks that were resting on the counter next to where he had picked up the flag, and then he found the tall wooden pole that had been promised.  He snapped the flag open, crudely fastened it securely to the pole, then took it outside and raised it high as he walked back to rejoin the waiting column.

“Behold the flag of Limber, not seen for hundreds of years, going into battle once again,” his god’s voice was clear in his soul as the god spoke.  It was a golden mountain line, outlined against the blue background.

“I’ll fight for it proudly,” Theus pledged.

“I know you will,” Limber replied.

Theus explained what he had brought out, and a member of the column offered to carry it for him.

“It might seem silly to carry a flag for just one soldier in an army, but you might be just the single soldier to deserve it,” the enlisted man grinned at Theus as he accepted responsibility for the flag pole and moved into the front ranks beside the Greenfalls flag bearer.

The column moved on for five more minutes, then stopped at the order of the Greenfalls captain.  The officer sent a man with good eyesight up into the tower of a local temple, then waited for the man to return.

“There are forces falling back over there,” the man pointed to the left.  “They’re being pushed by a group that looks bigger.  They’re going to be pushed into a trap soon it looks like.

“There’s a bigger battle going on past them, another thousand paces beyond, but we can’t get there without going through the near one,” the observer reported.

“Can we join the closer battle and turn the tide?” the commander asked.

“If we could sneak into place, but there’s not enough cover to really envelope the Southsand invaders, not before we’d be seen and fought,” the observer explained.

Theus looked up at the light from the still rising sun.  It sparked an idea, one that stretched his likely capabilities.  But he saw no other way.

“I may be able to turn everyone invisible, for long enough to let us circle around and attack the Southsand force,” Theus surprised the Greenfalls commander, who was considering options.

“Would this be with your magic?” the man asked.  “Would it be safe for my soldiers?”

“Yes,” Theus answered simply.  He reached out and took the hand of the man next to him, then lifted it and placed the hand on Theus’s own shoulder.

“Watch this,” Theus told the nearest bystanders, and he turned invisible.

As he turned invisible, so did the man whose hand was on his shoulder.  The crowd around them gasped and muttered.

“Now someone else put their hand on this man’s shoulder,” Theus referenced the unseen soldier standing invisibly next to him.

A nearby man bravely reached out to where he expected the shoulder to be.  As his hand made unseen contact, he too disappeared from sight.

The men nearby gasped again, then several called out to their missing companions.

“We’re right here, right as rain, right next to you,” one of the invisible men replied, then knocked the hat off one of his chums and laughed.

Other soldiers began to disappear and laugh as they reached into the small vortex of invisibility and make contact with those who were unseen.

Sensing that his point was made, Theus discontinued his white magic display, bringing the full body of men back into view.

“If we can all line up and march forward with a hand on the shoulder of the man in front of us, we can move around the Southsand forces and ambush them,” Theus told the Greenfalls leader.

Minutes later, the men were scrambling to gain places in a long, then line.  Theus waited impatiently at the head of the line.

“We’ll pass behind the Southsand forces, curve around the far side, then become visible and attack,” the Greenfalls commander repeated for the last time, and then Theus reached out for the energy of the sun, and began to spread his invisibility back through the line.  He could feel the long string of bodies drawing the energy away from him, as he consumed more and more sun power, and transformed it all through his white magic.

He felt himself reach his limit at last, and knew he could do no more.  He hoped it was enough to hide the men who needed it most.  It was more than he had ever done before; he knew that his abilities were evolving rapidly as circumstances forced him to stretch himself to meet critical needs.

“We’re going to start now,” Theus warned, and then he took a measured step forward.  He felt the captain’s hand on his shoulder slip a half inch, then grip more tightly, and hold in place.  Theus grew confident and took another step, and then another, and then fell into a steady pace of walking.  He walked, not ran, towards the rear of the Southsand force, which was inching forward as it continued to make the Great Forks defenders retreat.

Theus walked closely past the hindmost ranks from Southsand.  It was tempting to begin to fight them, to immediately swing his staff and slice his sword, but he knew the overall victory in the battle depended on the patience to bring the rest of his small force into the proper position.  He tried to increase his pace slightly, to hurry their next step.

Minutes later he was moving as quickly as he dared, and was drawing forward along the side of the battle.  In the distance behind him, he could hear the larger dominant battle raging.  It was in the direction of Glory’s home, and Coriae’s.

“I think we need to attack now – things look desperate out there,” the Greenfalls leader urged Theus.

“I’ll release my invisibility now,” Theus gladly agreed, and he ended his use of the white magic, breathing in relief.

The perimeter of armed men suddenly became visible, a few score of men newly added to the battleground.  They were not enough to tilt the balance of power in the arena, but in the smaller, particular engagement they joined, their dramatic appearance changed the nature of the combat.

“Greenfalls!  Men of Greenfalls, advance and engage!” their captain shouted loudly.

A bugler pulled out a horn that Theus hadn’t known was part of the journey, and blew an exhilarating song of notes that urged the men into battle.  On three sides of the battle where a regiment of Great Forks soldiers were being trapped, it was suddenly the Southsands’ invaders who found themselves surrounded.

The newly-arrived line of men in rumpled green uniforms began to close in, while the men in Southsands’ black uniforms began to hastily try to turn their attention to the new swarm of attackers who faced them on all sides.  And the men of Great Forks, some wearing blue uniforms, many just civilians in everyday clothes, raised their weapons with renewed energy as they sensed the dramatic change in the desperate atmosphere, and their hopes began to grow.

Theus stepped forward with the men of Greenfalls, next to the man who carried the flag of Limber for him.  He carried his staff in his hands, while his sword remained on his hip.  It was appropriate that while he was in Coriae’s city he should use her favorite weapon, he thought with a grim smile.

The two fronts of stern-faced men moved towards one another, and then collided, and in that moment, Theus experienced true war for the first time.  It was like the battle aboard the Swaigg, the ship on which he had been captured, wounded, enslaved, and sent to Southsand.  But the battle in Great Forks was different.

Theus used his staff to block the mighty sword swing of a Southsand soldier; the metal core of his staff gave it the strength to withstand the powerful blow, and then Theus pivoted the staff to strike the man in the temple, knocking him unconscious, while Theus turned and swung the other end of his staff at the Southsand soldier to the right of his first victim.

On the Swaigg, the battle had been confined by the borders of the ship, and the number of fighters had been limited by the size of the crews.  As he fought in Great Forks, it felt as though there were no boundaries – he could sense that fighting was taking place far to his right and far to his left, as well as in front of him and behind him.  He had to be on guard for attacks that might come from any direction.

And the number of fighters was far, far, far greater that the number who had battled on the ship.  Theus alternated between spans of time when he swung his staff wildly to defend himself from rains of blows that fell in rapid succession around him, and other moments when he seemed to stand in a brief island of inactivity, as wounded and dead bodies littered the ground around him and no one else stepped into the space.

He fought with adrenaline and force, often besides a soldier or two or more from Greenfalls.  Sometimes, as the battle progressed, he found the blue uniforms of Great Forks soldiers beside him, helping him as he helped them.

And then he found a moment of astonishment, after an hour of the vicious combat, as the forces of Southsand were clearly losing and shrinking into a smaller core of desperate survivors, when he found that he was fighting alongside Trey, his friend the weaver’s apprentice, as the young man clumsily swung a sword and managed to stay alive.

“Theus!  By all the gods, it’s good to see you!” Trey managed to gasp out the words despite his exhaustion, as the two of them fought against a trio of Southsand soldiers.  “Where did you come from?” he asked.

“I came with the men from Greenfalls,” Theus answered.

As they spoke a squad of Southsand soldiers erupted out of a melee in front of them and charged directly at the two young friends.

Theus used his staff to defend himself, and then tried to help the overmatched Trey, and as he did, he received a stabbing wound in the thigh, one that made him momentarily drop to one knee before he raised his staff and struck his attacker with deadly force beneath the chin.

And then the encounter seemed to evaporate.  Theus heard cheers, and looked around to see that there were no more of the Southsand forces left on the field.

“Theus, are you okay?” Trey asked.  He bent and offered a hand to help the wounded boy up.

“It’s not a bad wound; I just need some material to bandage it,” Theus grimaced.  He drew his knife and cut cloth from a dead man’s uniform, then wrapped and tied it around his leg.

Together, they slowly walked towards the knot of leaders from the two successful forces; Theus limping due to his leg wound, Trey’s slow pace revealing his exhaustion.

“We were very, very lucky you arrived,” the leader of the blue-clad Great Forks forces was explaining to the Greenfalls leaders as Theus and Trey walked up.  “We got cut off from our main force, and had to retreat in a different direction, as you saw.

“The main encounter is going badly – the invaders have a magician who is dealing out terrible punishments to our people.  This group here didn’t have a magician – they just had so many more fighters than we did,” the Great Forks man explained.

“And then you arrived out of nowhere somehow, already deployed before anyone even knew you were coming to the battle!  That shifted the momentum, however you did it,” he said.  “And seeing those flags, the Greenfalls flag and the other one, those were like prayers being answered!”

“We brought a magician of our own!” the captain of the Greenfalls forces spoke excitedly.  “And the flag is his – the flag of Limber.”

“Limber is a fairy tale,” the Great Forks captain began to protest.

Theus gathered in the sunlight above the group, then made balls of light appear to dance over them.

“Limber is no fairy tale, not anymore,” he spoke up, as the eyes of the gathered officers turned to look at him.

“You’re a magician from Limber?” one of the Great Forks officers asked.  “You don’t even look old enough to be a recruit.

“You should see the way he uses that staff of his,” a different Great Forks officer responded.  “I saw him out on the battlefield, when he saved my life with his spinning and swinging and chopping of that hunk of wood.  He can be a recruit in my squad anytime.”

“The magician they have is powerful,” Theus spoke up.  “He’s more powerful than I am; I can’t defeat him.”

He saw the slump in the shoulders of the men who were listening to him.  He was telling them the truth; he knew he had to.

“But I can keep him occupied; perhaps long enough for your forces to change the course of the battle with their forces.  And perhaps I can keep him so focused on me that an archer of yours can use an arrow to put an end to him,” Theus suggested.

“I can turn invisible again, and get close to him, while the rest of you fight the way men are supposed to fight,” Theus told them.  “Give me a head start, while you get organized, and I’ll go distract him from the battle for the city, and make him engage in a battle with me.”

It was a frightening proposal, and Theus felt the bile rising in his throat after he said it.  But it was the only way to try to win the war in Great Forks. Already, Theus could see that the invaders from Southsand had captured a larger portion of the city’s territory than he had expected.  They had penetrated far inland from the waterfront, and that success had to be due to the works of Donal.

“You’ve won the battle of Greenfalls, and you’ve won the first battle of Great Forks, Theus,” the captain from Greenfalls told him encouragingly.  “I believe you can win the big battle here as well!

“Go with the gods’ blessings,” the man offered.

Theus waved his thanks.  He patted Trey on the shoulder as he turned to go.

“We’ll get the old gang together after you win this next one, and it’ll be just like old times,” the weaver said with false cheerfulness.

Theus flashed a grin, and then he limped away, headed in the direction of the next battle.  He heard the officers barking orders as he left them behind, but he paid no attention.

He looked ahead, to the south.  Over and between the buildings in his path he saw smoke rising, and he heard the terrible sounds of distant battle.  He found a city street that seemed designed to take him directly towards the battle, and he hobbled along it as quickly as he could, sometime walking, sometimes trotting.  And he thought about the last comment the officer from Greenfalls had offered.

He was going with the blessings of the gods, he realized.  Truly and really.  Both Limber and Currense had encouraged him and supported him.  They not only approved of his goal, but had placed him on the path towards it.  That had to count for something in his favor.

The sounds of battle grew louder.  The street he walked was deserted.  The sun shone overhead at high noon.  Mature trees spread their long limbs across the street, making it a shady tunnel of green.

And then Theus saw Glory’s home.  He thought of Glory, and her mother Glenda, who had so kindly allowed him to stay in their home while he experimented for the first time with the stone that had granted him the knowledge to exercise white magic.  The house looked empty, and Theus hoped the two women had safely fled the city and stayed away from the battle.

He saw movement between a few houses, as soldiers tried to creep around the fringes of the battle.  It was time to grow invisible, he decided, and so he reached up above the trees and into the air that was full of sunlight, and he collected the energy he needed to hide himself while he walked towards his particular fate in the battle of Great Forks.

Chapter 29

Theus found that the battle was raging across a large swath of the city, as columns of soldiers from Southsand advanced along every street and alley and water ditch they could, while the collection of defenders fought heroically, but were often outnumbered, or found their flanks turned, and were caught in deadly attacks from multiple fronts.

There were loud booming sounds that came from some spot in the very near distance, and Theus suspected he was reaching the place where Donal was inflicted his unfair and evil abilities upon defenders of Great Forks.

And then he came upon a small open plaza, one that must have usually hosted a neighborhood market.  It had become the center of the war between the armies of the two nations at the moment when Theus stealthily entered it.

He slipped through the open spaces between and behind combatants, not interfering in any particular struggle as he limped in a hurry to find Donal and to begin to wage his own personal war against the black magician.

Theus saw a fiery gout of flame suddenly fly across the battlefield, followed by screams of pain and terror.  It had to be Donal, he was sure.  Theus reached out to find more sunlight and to grasp a greater portion of the energy that was being released upon the world, just as he saw Donal for the first time.

The black magician stood upon some type of small platform that raised him above the line of soldiers in front of him, and from his vantage point he saw and attacked the forces that he judged were the greatest impediments to Southsand’s advancement.

A group of Great Forks fighters were maintaining their spot on the far side of the plaza battlefield, even though their fellows nearby had retreated; the brave, embattled salient was providing an unbreakable barrier that the black-clad soldiers of Southsand could not defeat or pass further by.  The defenders were fighting with heroic abandon, swords and staves brutally defeating the waves of invaders who crashed against them.

“No!” Theus heard himself shout.  He saw Donal studying the point of contact.  And he saw that Coriae stood among the warriors in the confrontation, her staff flickering and pivoting with uncanny speed and accuracy to strike any opponent who came within her reach.  There were no other obvious women fighting in the battle, but Coriae had discarded convention – as Theus knew she was bound to do – and had made a place for herself in the defense of her homeland, wearing inelegant and nondescript leathers as she blended in among the warriors around her.

Donal raised his hand to attack the valiant group of fighters.  Theus was still too far away to strike Donal.  But he could still make an effort to help.

He took a small step with white magic, a carefully-controlled fraction of a step forward, one that successfully placed him where he wanted to be, between the magician and Coriae.  Even as he landed, Theus pivoted physically so that he faced Donal, while he also invoked a different spell and seized hold of great quantities of air in the sky overhead.

Theus pulled the air down in a massive blast of power, then deflected it off the pavement of the plaza.  Stones cracked and buckled as they suffered the cyclonic force of the air hitting them, then bouncing away.

Theus released his stream of tornadic wind towards Donal.  As a powerful flare of flame and heat left the magician’s hand, it flew into the barrier of air that Theus had created, and instantly changed direction, spiraling straight upwards in the twirling, swirling defense that Theus had erected.

The whole battlefield grew momentarily silent, stunned by the incredible sight of the bright flames twisting upward and dissipating into the atmosphere overhead, and further stunned by the fact that an attack delivered by the unstoppable magician had somehow been defeated.

“No!  No!” Donal roared with an angry voice that was magnified by his grasp on energy.

“You will not foil me!  I feel your presence, and I see your puny surprise!” the magician screamed with such emotion that it strained his voice.

“Theus!  I know you’re here!  I will destroy you,” Donal said.  “You have grown too impudent with your childish strikes.  I will punish you!”

Theus had the man’s attention.  He could begin to lead the magician away from the battle; Theus could distract Donal just as he intended and needed to.

Theus released his invisibility spell, and he heard a scattering of gasps from members of the two armies, who remained momentarily frozen by the spectacle of the dramatic departure from the script of the battle.

“Theus!” he heard his own name shouted by Coriae, who stood in the army that was behind him, where he could not see, though he could be seen.

“Donal!  Leave this city now!  Run and sail and hide away, and take this army with you!” Theus shouted.  He grasped his energy and took a small step to the side, traveling twenty feet in a split second, and making a few more voices murmur.  He created a swarm of balls of bright light, and flung them at the magician as well for a visual effect, though he knew they could inflict no harm.

The voices behind him cheered at the sight, until Donal flicked his wrist and a wall of darkness absorbed the lights and disappeared.

“What childish games you play, little one,” Donal sneered.  The black magician flicked his wrist again, and a stream of flame leapt toward Theus.

Theus wasn’t ready.  He couldn’t invoke the spell to move another torrent of air quickly enough; all he could do was move to safety.

Theus took a microstep to the side again.  He felt the heat of Donal’s attack strike the spot he departed from, and he saw the flames splatter away from the ground a moment later as Theus stood in a new spot.

“Anyone who stands in support of Donal’s evil will perish with him!” Theus threw his voice and spread the curse among the ears of the men closest to the magician, then he turned invisible and walked towards the Southsand front as quickly as he could limp.  He swung his staff across the faces of three men, who fell instantly to the ground, and then Theus took another white magic step backwards into the plaza again.

The two fronts of armies were incrementally edging away from one another, Theus noted, and the men who had stood in front of Donal were now beside him or behind him, and moving away.

Theus let himself become visible again as he stood isolated and alone in the no man’s land between the armies.  He grabbed his knife and he threw it at Donal.  The magician lifted his hand and pushed it forward.

As soon as Donal acted, the knife reversed course unexpectedly, while taking on an evil red glow.  Theus saw it flying back at him, aimed at his own chest.  He leapt to the side, but not quickly enough, and he felt the knife strike his right shoulder, and embed itself there.

“Now what does the little boy playing with magic have to say?” Donal asked in a deadly voice.

There was a shouting from somewhere in the middle distance, the shouting of a new conflict breaking out.  Perhaps the Greenfalls soldiers and their rescued allies were having an impact on the battle.

“I don’t know what you did or how, and I’ll give you credit for trying.  But you should have come to me and asked to be my acolyte,” Donal told Theus.   The magician raised his right hand and pointed it at Theus.  “If you had, you’d have more than a few seconds of life left in you.”

More flame was coming, Theus knew with certainty.  He felt the pain in his leg, and the pain in his shoulder from the two wounds he had suffered, but he knew he had to focus on Donal.  He had to reach out and find energy, then use it effectively.

He directed his abilities up into the sky and gathered the sunlight, as much as he could in a split second; it would be the most that he had ever held.  He began to mentally recite the spell to control the breeze again, but then his mind told him to use the spell to control light, and without realizing, he mentally recited both simultaneously.

He looked at Donal, and time seemed to slow down.  Theus was on his knees, and Donal towered as he stood in front of the army that had fearfully crept behind him.  The first gouts of flame began to fly away from Donal’s fingertips.

Theus took his muddled spell and infused it with the energy he had collected, as he held his good hand up.  Limber’s golden cuff around his wrist grew suddenly warm, then glowed.

Gouts of flame emerged from his palm, and flew in the direction of Donal.  The light he had called and the air he had called mixed and merged and reacted and became the same weapon that Donal used.  It was a beam of burning, bright heat.  It was a cold blue color, while Donal’s was tinted with a hot reddish hue.

The two beams struck in the air, the front of one striking the front of the other.

Theus saw and heard and felt the concussive explosion the contact of the two created, but he held his beam steady, and so did Donal.

Theus closed his eyes and bowed his head, then reached out even further afield to gather more energy from sunlight, and he pulled the energy in, feeling agony from the strain his soul felt in the ongoing effort to overachieve in the harvesting of the energy.  He felt his own energy reserves begin to dwindle, as he realized he was contributing them to the battle with Donal as well.  He was all in, leaving nothing behind.  There would be no next round of the battle for him.

And then he heard screams and shouts and cheers from the soldiers in the plaza.

His eyes were closed, and he didn’t dare open them.  He needed no distractions as he tried to feed his spell with more energy and power, so that he could counter Donal’s unbeatable assault.

The confrontation went on for five more seconds, then ten more, then twenty more.  Theus could withstand the attack no longer.  He was serving as the conduit for more energy than he had ever handled before, and it was wringing him bereft of ability to go on.

He tried to prepare himself to lean to the side as his power faltered, in the vain hope that Donal’s beam of deadly force would miss him when there were no more defenses.

And then there was a powerful scream.  It was Donal’s scream.  Theus’s eyes flew open.

He saw his own blue flames striking Donal’s hand.  There was an explosion, one that shocked Theus as much as the sight of his overpowering Donal shocked him, and then made him falter.  His blue ray of energy disappeared, but Donal’s own reddish ray disappeared too.

Instead, Donal held his right hand up, his left hand clenched around the wrist.  The hand was on fire, burning brightly – in a light blue flame.

As Theus watched in stunned amazement, the flame on Donal’s hand sputtered out, revealing a blacked piece of flesh at the end of his arm, and then Donal passed out, crumpling to the ground.  The soldiers around him cried out in horror at the loss of the magician who had made their victories possible.

And then Theus passed out, and toppled over onto the pavement.

Chapter 30

Theus woke up in a soft bed.  The ceiling was dimly lit.  He painfully turned his head on the soft pillow, and saw a small candle burning in a lantern on his bedside table.

Coriae sat in a chair beside the bed, her eyes closed, her chin resting on her chest.

She looked very tired, but very beautiful.  Theus closed his eyes and opened them again, then stared at her, looking for anything that had changed.  A few hairs appeared out of place, and she carried dark circles under her eyes, but she was still the mesmerizing beauty he remembered.

She seemed to sense his study, for her eyes fluttered, then opened.

“Theus, you’re awake!” she said softly.  “What do you need?  What can I get you?”

“I know!” she answered her own question with more energy, as she shook out her sleepy cobwebs.  “I can make a healing ointment for your wounds.  Tell me how to make it; we’ll have it for you immediately, unless it needs things more exotic than our kitchen holds.”

She made him aware of his wounds.  He had seen her face, and thought of nothing else.  But now he felt the pain of the wounds in his shoulder and his thigh.  And he felt weariness in his soul, a great exhaustion.

“Let’s see,” he found that his memory was reacting on its own accord, beginning to examine what was needed to treat the pain and potential infection of the wounds while promoting healing.  “I need,” he began, then stopped.  His soul overrode his memory, and demanded to state its own concerns.

“What happened?  Where are we?” he asked.

“We’re right in your own room, here at home, in my father’s mansion,” Coriae told him tenderly.  She leaned forward, closing the narrow gap between them, and speaking in a voice that was soft, and intimate.

“And as for what happened, well, I can tell you some things, but not everything.  The city is still in chaos, and no one is completely sure what all is happening.  The governor fled as soon as the invasion began, and my daddy is taking control of the city for now, trying to give orders and reorganize the chaos,” she told him.

“But you are our hero!  You won the war!  You stopped the invasion!  You beat their magician in your battle of great magic!” she gushed the compliments with genuine admiration evident in her voice.

“If I had known you could do such things, I would have treated you differently a time of two, let me admit,” there was a sparkle in her eye, and perhaps a humorous note of caution.

“Oh Theus,” she softly began in an intimate voice, then checked herself, and bit her lip.

“What happened to Donal, the magician?” Theus asked.  He wanted to hear her intimate thoughts, but he also needed to know if Donal was alive or dead, a threat or only a memory.

“He fell when you did, you probably know that,” Coriae told him.  “His soldiers grabbed his body, and pulled it into their ranks.

“That was right when the new forces were starting to attack their flank, and they were in a panic, trying to fight and readjust their lines and not having him able to help them.  They pulled back to a defensive position, and are crouched down there in a bit of a stalemate.  They raised a flag to parley,” she informed him.

“They asked to speak to you,” she told him.

If he had any color, he imagined he turned pale as he heard her words.  If he was already pale, as he suspected he was, he undoubtedly grew paler.  He had no desire to go face Donal in a parley.  It would be an ambush, he was sure, and he would lose.

He could not grasp the energy needed to fight with white magic, he was sure.  That was the pain he felt in his soul – pain or emptiness or vast overuse, and now inability.  He could not grasp his energy, and he didn’t even want to try to.  If he faced Donal, he would be defenseless.

“I’m not ready to parley,” he replied.  “Not just yet,” he tried to hide his vulnerability from her.  “Maybe later.”

“Of course, Theus!” she said with greater energy, and abundant sympathy.  “We’re not going to drag you out of bed and throw you to them.”

“I do need to heal,” he told her.  “Let me give you that remedy, and then we can talk.  Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes, whatever you want Theus,” she spoke with a subservience that he knew was unnatural to her.

“Whatever I want?” he grinned as he gently mocked her by repeating her own words.

“Oh you!” she took the jibe.  She lightly slapped his good shoulder.  “You’re incredible; able to fight better than any man in the city, a mighty magician, I’m not sure what else, based on all the wild rumors, and still here able to tease me.”

“I need,” he closed his eyes, and recited the list of ingredients.  She asked him to wait so that she could write it down, and minutes later she did, then gave the list to a servant, and finally returned to telling him what she knew had happened since he fell unconscious.

“We haven’t seen any sign of their magician, if he’s even still alive, and he certainly took worse from you than you took from him.  Oh my goddess, the sight of him standing there with your fire burning his hand!” she exclaimed.

“Well, they are hunkered down, and they want to parley with you.  I heard the officers reporting to my father; they said to tell you that Alamice and Montuse of Southsand wish to negotiate a withdrawal with you, and they trust you,” Coriae reported.

Theus’s eyes opened at the sound of the two familiar – and relatively friendly – names.

“I’ll talk to them,” he said.  There could be a safe way to do it.  “Give the two officers a pass and an escort and bring them here.  I’ll talk to them here, as soon as they can arrive.  He threw off his covers and struggled to sit up, then realized that he was undressed beneath the cover while he sat with Coriae.

She smiled at him, pressed him back down into his bedding, then lifted the cover back over him.

“I’ve seen you before, mister shy magician, don’t worry,” she tried to humorously put his modesty at ease.  “Stay here.  I’ll go tell father’s council your suggestion.  It won’t happen immediately, but they’ll get it started.  You stay here.  You will stay here, won’t you?” she asked.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Theus replied.  “Not until I get some clothes, at least,” he smiled.

“I may just try to keep you here for a long time,” Coriae reached over and stroked his forehead tenderly, then rose and left.

She was gone for minutes.  Theus closed his eyes and rested, then opened them and looked around at the room.  He had been so happy during the days he had stayed in the room in the mansion, in the aftermath of helping to set Forgon free through his trial in Stoke.  He had been on the verge of a public announcement of an engagement to Coriae, he had been accepted by the nobility, and he’d been unaware of so much that was happening in the world, or was fated to happen.

He needed to focus on the present, he told himself.  He needed to focus on the war and the battle and the facts that were shaping his life presently.  He needed to know about Donal and Southsands and Montuse and Altamice.  But his mind kept thinking about Coriae.

He had studied her as she sat with him.  He had watched her lips move and her eyes shift while she spoke.  He had watched her fingers gently stroke the long tresses of her dark hair away from her cheeks when it distracted her.

She had been so gentle with him.  He saw no signs of lingering resentment or hatred or anger towards him.  He felt rising hopes, hopes that once the needs of the immediate crisis were passed, he’d be able to talk to her as just a friend, and then perhaps as more than a friend once again.  It seemed possible; it had to be possible.  So many other impossible things had come to pass that it seemed like a relatively easy certainty for the two ill-fated lovers to repair their relationship.

The door opened, and Coriae re-entered, carrying a small tray.  She set the tray down on the table beside his bed.

“This is your medicine.  Don’t raise a fuss; let me apply it to your wounds and I’ll tell you what I’ve learned,” she spoke in a no-nonsense tone.

He nodded his assent.

“Okay,” she flipped the cover off him in a no-nonsense manner, and spoke in a businesslike fashion.  Her fingers dipped into a bowl on the platter and then began to rub the liniment into the wound on his shoulder.

“Father agreed to send the message to the Southsand forces.  We should receive them here, if they agree, before noon,” Coriae told him.

“What time is it now?” Theus asked.

“It’s early in the morning; why you always have to be an early riser is beyond me,” she spoke with mock exasperation.  “So we’ll expect that you’ve got a couple of hours before the emissaries arrive from Southsand.”

“I know them,” Theus spoke up.  Her fingers were no longer truly applying the medicine on his wound; she was massaging the muscles of his shoulder and upper arm, and it felt relaxing.  “I use to practice swords with them, when I was a slave in the Southsand palace.

“They’re good men.  I trust them to tell me the truth, if they come, if they can come,” he said wondering what the dynamics were within the Southsand camp as Donal was awake, or dead, or unconscious.

“Where’s Forgon?” he asked abruptly, then suddenly regretted springing the question upon her.   The absence of Coriae’s beloved brother might be explained by some tragic occurrence during battle.  He felt his throat constrict at the thought of his friend dying to protect Great Forks.

He saw a strange expression cross Coriae’s face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” he said.  He lifted his left hand and grasped her hand as she massaged his right shoulder, then he squeezed her hand to comfort her and share her grief.

“No, no, it’s not that,” she said quickly, while her hand twisted to press her palm against his, and she returned his squeeze.

“He, Forgon, wasn’t here when the battle started yesterday morning.  He was still in Stoke,” she stuttered and paused.  “He, he hasn’t been coming back to Great Forks with me in recent weeks; I’ve been traveling back and forth on my own.  He, he met a girl in Stoke, and he’s absolutely infatuated with her.

“But,” Coriae paused, seemingly stumped about what to say.  “But I’m sure he will put an end to it.

“We sent a note to him already this morning, telling him there’s been a battle, but it’s over and we’re all safe.  You know he’ll come galloping back down here,” she turned breezier in her tone.  “You and I both know what that ride is like!  He’ll be here in three days, four at the most.

“You’ll still be here then, won’t you?  Of course you will,” she asserted, and urged.

“The girl he’s so entranced with Theus, it’s your princess, Amelia,” she told him carefully, then paused and tried to assess his reaction.

Theus looked at her with an expression of incomprehension.

“He met your princess when he went to Stoke, not long after,” she faltered, “after you and I had broken up.  He stopped at Duchess Holstem’s estate and met her.

“I wasn’t with him, I only heard the story later.  I was up in,” she faltered again, “Thuro,” she let out a deep breath.

She was unsettled, and starting to ramble, Theus thought.  She was nervous.  They’d just come through a deadly battle hours before, which would explain her scattered thoughts.

“Forgon is okay then?”  he asked.  “And he’s met Amelia?” his own mind was distracted.  He hadn’t given much thought to the lovely princess since he’d taken her to her haven with the Duchess.  Forgon would be a good friend to Amelia.  Yet Coriae was implying something more than a friend for the princess who was younger than she appeared.  Theus would discuss Amelia’s unique condition with Forgon, who he knew would appreciate and understand his concerns.

“I’ll look forward to talking to your brother about Amelia,” Theus told Coriae, who was studying him, looking for a response.

“He didn’t know where you were.  Amelia didn’t know either.  No one knew if you’d ever return.  I’m sure that he’ll step out of the way if you and Amelia desire to rekindle your romance with each other.”

“Oh!  Oh, oh, that’s what you mean,” Theus was growing more alert, and he smiled as he deciphered her nervousness

“Let me put this medicine on your thigh,” Coriae suddenly looked away from him and dipped her fingers in the healing ointment.

“Amelia and I aren’t in love.  We’re just acquaintances, friends I guess.  I had to rescue her from Donal, the black magician.  That’s why I left you, I mean here,” Theus was stumbling suddenly.  “I came to your room that night to learn the white magic; did Glory return the stone to you?” he asked.  “You know it’s the only reason I left you.”

“That apprentice girl?  She is such a sweet girl.  She didn’t know if you’d ever return either.  She said you had given her family money, in a way that seemed like it was a, parting gift,” Coriae said.  “Oh Theus, we really thought you had left forever!  And I’m so sorry for acting the way I did,” the girl began to cry, as she softly applied ointment to the stabbing wound on his leg.

“I’m so stupid sometimes.  I know I don’t control my temper very well,” she told him, as she held one hand to her face.

“Coriae, don’t cry.  You’re full of life, and that’s what I love about you,” he tried to calm her.

She looked at him.  “There’s something I need to tell you,” she began, before there was a knock at the door.

Coriae hastily pulled the sheet up over Theus and moved her chair away from the edge of the bed.

“Come in,” she called.

Lorinse, the household steward pressed the door open.  “I’m so glad to see you awake, my lord,” he said, looking at Theus.  “We’re all in a state of utmost gratitude to you; words cannot express.  Is there anything we can do for the two of you?  The staff, especially the kitchen staff, wanted to know.  They’re most anxious to make sure you’re being treated well.

“I apologize for interrupting,” he added, with a nod towards Coriae.

“I am a bit hungry,” Theus spoke as he realized.  “Anything you bring would be appreciated.”

“Certainly, my lord.  And my lady, I’ll send something up for you as well, and a maid to provide a chaperone,” Lorinse told Coriae.

The girl blushed profusely, making her honey brown complexion even darker.

“Of course Lorinse, now that Theus is awake, that’s appropriate.  Thank you.

“And I’m so sorry for not asking if you wanted anything to eat,” she told Theus as Lorinse closed the door.

She pulled her chair back to the bedside, and began to massage the healing cream into Theus’s leg, as they both sat silent for a moment.

“Theus, there are so many mysteries about you – the rumors from the Greenfalls soldiers are beyond belief!  Can you tell me the truth of what you’ve done?” she asked as she shifted her gaze from his leg to his face, and stared intently.

Her hands drifted to his good arm, and stroked it.  “These cuffs on your arms are beautiful,” she spoke of Limber’s gift to him.

He closed his eyes and gave a wistful smile.

“How much time do you have?” he asked.

“Until your Southsand officers arrive, and even after, Theus,” the girl said softly.  “I’ll make time to hear your story.”

And so he began.  “I used to hear a voice talk to me, but I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” his story started.

Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door.  Coriae moved her seat back once again and covered Theus once again, then bade the door open, and a maid brought in a tray of food.  Theus recognized the girl, though he did not know her name, while she curtseyed, then set the tray down, and placed a plate of food beside him.

“Are there any of Theus’s former clothes left?” Coriae asked the girl before she could sit down in her chaperone role.

“You ordered that we burn them all,” the girl began to say.

“Yes, yes, I know, but would you go see if there are any, or any clean clothes the approximate same size, or anything of Forgon’s that will do?” Coriae quickly cut the girl off, and sent her out of the room.

“You burned my clothes?” Theus asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh stop it!  You would have done the same in my place,” she dismissed his comment, blushing once again.  “Continue with your story,” she ordered, as she plucked a piece of fruit from his plate.

He recited the broad outlines of his incredible journey, and was just up to his departure from Limber when Coriae interrupted.

“The god made your sister the queen?” she asked in astonishment.  “Why aren’t you the king?”

“You can ask Limber, if you want to question a god,” Theus answered calmly.  “I’m a marshal, and either marshal or king, it doesn’t matter, they’re better titles than indentured servant, or apprentice, or slave,” he pointed out.  “And the gods don’t seem to want to allow me to live in peace in one place anyway.”

There was another knock on the door, and the maid entered before Coriae could move her chair back from the intimate proximity to the bed that she seemed to crave so much.  She hastily removed her hand from where it had rested on Theus’s chest, as though she had touched a hot stove top.

“I’ve found these clothes that were in the room my lord previously had in the servants’ wing,” the girl said, and gave Theus a winsome smile.

“I’ll take them.  Please excuse us while we dress Marshal Theus for his meeting,” Coriae shooed the girl out of the room again.

“Tell me the rest,” she commanded Theus as she knelt to help him put his pants on.  He found that he had grown inured to letting her see him without clothes, while he was a patient in the bed, but as soon as it became a matter of getting dressed, he felt differently.

“Turn your head,” he said primly.

“Oh Theus, this is ridiculous,” she said.  “Just step in here and pull them up.”

“It’s different now,” he insisted.  “Turn your head, and I’ll tell you the rest.  There’s not that much more,” he told her.

“Fine,” she relented.  “But you’ll pay for your stubbornness the next time we match staves, be sure!” she told him as she looked away and shut her eyes.

Theus continued the story as he dressed with difficulty (his shoulder wound remained painful), and brought it up to date when he finished with the arrival of the Southsand forces at Great Forks.  He finished just as the maid knocked one more time.

“The military gentlemen are here.  His lordship is requested to come down, if he’s able, which I don’t know if he is, since I haven’t seen him all morning,” the maid spoke in a critical tone.

“I’ll walk him down, Staecie,” Coriae dismissed the girl one more time, then acted as Theus’s human crutch, his arm thrown over her shoulder as she led him down the grand staircase of the Warrell mansion, to a round of polite applause from the small assembly of faces that looked up at him from the entry hall.

He saw Lord Warrell, and he saw Alamice, one of the Southsand officers he had fenced with, as well as Montuse, another officer.  They were the two who had been most engaged with him, and practiced with him the most.  There were other officers and leaders from Great Forks, none of whom Theus knew.

“Lord Theus, we’d accept wounds in battle too, if we were given such attractive opportunities for assistance,” Montuse spoke first, as Theus reached the floor and Coriae reluctantly disengaged from his arm.  A young officer in a military uniform stepped forward and handed Theus his own staff.  Theus felt a warm happiness spread throughout him at the sight of the familiar weapon that had traveled so far with him, and seen so much action.

Theus used the staff to support himself as he awkwardly went around the room, shaking hands with everyone present, until he completed the circle and came around to Lord Warrell and Coriae, who were the last two.  Lord Warrell greeted him with warm words and an extended handshake, while Coriae gave him only a brief, demur smile, a momentary curtsey, and nothing more.

“Is there a place we can sit down to talk?” Theus asked the lord of the mansion.  His leg was hurting.  The leg actually hurt less than the wound in his shoulder, he realized, but both were uncomfortable.

“We’ll go to the dining room, if that’s acceptable?  It’s large enough to seat several parties,” Warrell replied.

Theus looked around at the people who stood in the entry hall.  “That’s fine with me.  I know that the Southsand officers and you and I will fit.  The others can join us as they choose.  Will there be anyone from Greenfalls in the talks?” he asked.

“We thought you’d represent them,” an officer from Great Forks spoke confidently.  “You fought as one of them.”

“Actually, I fought under the other flag, the flag of Limber,” Theus replied.

“Limber!” the exclamations of astonishment rose from Great Forks leaders as well as from the two Southsand officers.

“You fought as a warrior from Limber?” Montuse asked in astonishment.

“I did.  Let’s go be seated, and talk,” Theus urged.  He wished he had asked Coriae to produce a different healing lotion, one that would have done more to help with pain relief, though less to do with healing the wound.

“Let me help you,” Coriae said in a quiet voice, and she shifted herself under Theus’s arm once again, then helped him proceed to the dining room.

When everyone was seated, the head of the Great Forks leadership spoke.

“Limber doesn’t exist my lord, though it’s inspiring to call upon its legend,” the man said.

“Limber has arisen, both the great god of the mountains, and the lost city of the mountains. “I’ve been there twice now, and my own sister has been named queen of the city by the god himself,” Theus tried to speak in a deep, serious voice.

“Theus, you’re a prophecy come to life!” Montuse said excitedly, as soon as Theus finished.  “Donal told us on two separate occasions that prophecies said that Southsands’ armies could not lose to any army but Limber’s, an old city was dead.  He even sent a squad of his own best magicians to take possession of some ancient weapon, to protect his power.”

“I know,” Theus said.  “I met them in his temple in the city.  They’re all dead.”

Montuse turned pale.

“Do you come to seek terms of surrender?” Lord Warrell asked after seconds of unnerved silence.

Coriae was sitting quietly in the room behind her father, Theus belatedly realized.  She had slid down to sit on the floor, visible only to those who made a determined point to look.  She gave Theus a serious, small smile as their eyes locked momentarily.

“What does Donal say about the proposal to surrender?  Will he honor a peaceful surrender?” Theus asked.

Alamice spoke for the two officers.  “He is no longer with us.”

“Donal is dead?” Theus asked in astonishment.  The others in the room murmured.

“We don’t think so,” Alamice said.  “Your battle with him left him unconscious, and we carried him away from the scene of the battle.  When he awoke he was in great pain, and very angry.  We tried to stay away from him in that mood.

“When we went back to his tent a few minutes later, he was gone.  No one knows where or how,” Alamice related.

“We are on our own without him to lead us.  We knew we had seen you in battle with him, and we knew you were an honorable man, so we asked to parlay with you,” Montuse assumed the position of speaker.

Theus felt sympathy for the two men.  He knew that they were professional soldiers, and he knew they disliked Donal.  They were, in some ways, victims of Donal’s warlike ways as much as Great Forks was.

“As the only surviving magician from the battle then, these are the rules I propose,” the boy decided to speak up and offer his proposal as quickly as possible.

I suggest that we accept your surrender.  On behalf of Limber, I accept your surrender,” Theus said.  “I offer the following terms.  By noon tomorrow you will peacefully reload all of your men on the ships that brought the men to Great Forks, and you will sail directly back home to Southsand.   You will never attack Great Forks or Greenfalls or Limber ever, and you will release all your prisoners of war immediately.”

“This is irregular!  Who are you to dictate the terms of surrender right here in our very own city?” the officer from Great Forks demanded.

“He’s the person who saved our city from destruction,” Lord Warrell pointed out.  “As the temporary leader of the city, I think that accounts for a great deal.

“Can you remove all your men within twenty-four hours?” Warrell asked Montuse.

“We can, and we will,” the officer pledged.

“You’re satisfied that they will honor their pledge?” Warrell turned to Theus.

“As long as Donal doesn’t come back and force them to do otherwise, I know that these officers and the others will behave honorably,” Theus agreed.

“I don’t think Donal will come back looking for a fight with you,” Montuse said with deceptive quietness.  “You burned his hand off; your power was greater than his.  You’re a mighty master of the arts of magic, Theus.”

The statement hung in the air.  The people at the table fidgeted silently, and several stole surreptitious glances at Theus.

“You’re satisfied with this?” Warrell asked Theus again.

“Completely,” Theus confirmed.

“Then the terms are agreed.  Begin the immediate withdrawal of your forces.  Go directly to the docks; do not detour or cause any harm or damage on the way.  Leave behind all captives and plunder your men have in their possession, and leave behind two of your ships as partial payment for the death and damage you caused,” Warrell spoke firmly.  “I understand that it was the magician who caused this invasion to occur, so you will not be held responsible.  But the magician Donal is held responsible, as is your king.  Each will be subject to demands for justice,” Warrell stated.

Montuse and Alamice both stood up, and extended their hands.  Alamice shook with Theus, while Montuse shook with Warrell, then they exchanged partners.  Afterwards, the others in the room shook hands as well, and they all paraded out of the room into the hallway, and the two defeated officers were officially escorted on their way back to their beleaguered forces.

“You’ll send orders around to all our men immediately, telling them to allow the Southsanders to return to their ships, but to tolerate no deviation from that path whatsoever,” Warrell told his small band of commanding officers.

They agreed and departed, leaving the hall much less densely populated.

“Theus,” Warrell turned to his guest when the others were gone.  “I had no idea how remarkable you would prove to be when you delivered those jewels to me months ago,” the nobleman said.  “Did you see any of this coming in your future?”

“No, my lord, I would never have dreamed of anything greater than being an apprentice,” Theus smiled.

“I would like to rest a bit longer, then go see my companions from Greenfalls later this morning, my lord.   My I continue to use your home as a resting place today?” Theus asked.

Warrell laughed.  “For as long as you want Theus, for as long as you want!  Coriae, would you call servants to come help our hero to his room?  I have to go attend to a number of matters now,” Warrell patted Theus’s uninjured shoulder, then departed.

“I’ll help you up myself,” Coriae told Theus in a determined voice, once her father was gone.  She proceeded to help him manage his way up one step at a time.

“Thank you,” Theus grunted when the pair of them returned to his room, and he was able to sit in his bed.  He felt tired.  Even the simple act of going down stairs for the meeting had exhausted him.  His shoulder still ached worse than his leg, and he felt the strain in his soul, a strain that made him shy aware from even considering trying to grasp his powers for any use of white magic.

“What else can I do for you?” she was kindness personified, and she was deeply committed to his comfort, he was gratified to see.  When he healed, and when he was ready, he would be prepared to see if they could resume their relationship.

“I’m tired,” he told her.  “I just need to rest.  Come wake me at lunch time please, and I’ll see if I can make it out to see the men from Greenfalls,” he smiled, then closed his eyes and lay back on the pillows.

“As you wish, my lord,” she sounded disappointed, but complied immediately, and Theus heard her walk across the floor, then close the door.

Theus fell asleep instantly, his body and mind still struggling to recover from the trials of the battle the day before.

Chapter 31

The occupants of the mansion allowed Theus to sleep until mid-afternoon.  His friend from the kitchen staff, Blanche awoke him when she brought in a fresh pitcher of water and a plate of cut fruit.  He opened his eyes and saw her adjusting the things on the table by the window.

“Who’s that?” he teasingly asked, as he momentarily struggled to recollect the name of her gardener boyfriend, then remembered Marvin.  “Is it Marvin’s favorite kitchen helper?”

She turned with a smile, and Theus saw that she was pregnant.

“I hope I am!” she laughed, and walked over to the bedside.  “We’ve been married long enough that he better know to call me his favorite!”

The pair chatted briefly, then Blanche left, and Theus struggled to pull his boots on.  His wounded leg was feeling better, but his shoulder felt no different.  It throbbed with a dull, continual pain.

He was ready to go find his companions from Greenfalls.  He carried his staff and walked downstairs.  He didn’t know where his sword, or his other belongings when he arrived in Great Forks were, and decided that he didn’t need to carry a sword through the city in the aftermath of the battle, especially if he did have his staff as a weapon.

There were several people downstairs on the main level of the home, people he didn’t recognize, people he assumed were part of the provisional government that Warrell was heading during the conflict in the city, while the duly-appointed government was still absent after fleeing the city.

He was able to walk among the busy crowd without comment or recognition, and he stepped out through the main door without comment.  Then he walked down the drive and through the gates, with a wave to the guards, and he was free to limp through the city without further notice, a single man with a staff and a limp and nothing notable to draw attention to himself from the residents of the city who were scrambling to recover from the horrors of the invasion.

Theus guessed that the Greenfalls soldiers were camped out on the east side of the city, near where their river barges had docked and discharged them.  They had left their supplies in the ships, and would want to go back there when the active hostilities of the battle with Southsand was over.  He walked in that direction, and spent his time thinking about all that had been revealed to him in his conversations with Coriae.

The lovely girl still sparked his heart, and he had no doubt that she still cared for him, deeply.  The gestures and attention and time she had given him were all signs that he could ask for her heart once more, and receive it, he was confident.  He had explained why he had left her the way he had, and the circumstances of the Southsand invasion, and the revelations of Amelia to Forgon simply corroborated everything he had said and lived and acted upon.

The strange chance that Forgon and Amelia had met and become attached made him shake his head; it was the only reaction he could have.  He knew Forgon would treat the girl with the consideration due to someone who was really still a child in a nearly-grown woman’s body, and he could think of no one who would be a better match for the girl than the gentlemanly and trustworthy Forgon.

He walked past Glory’s home as he cut through her neighborhood on his trip to the eastside of the city.  He was glad she had delivered the small, magical stone back to Coriae, and he was glad Coriae had spoken so well of Glory.

His leg felt better for having the exercise of walking, he decided as he enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon sun.  It was a late spring day, and everything felt right in the world, in his world at least.  Everything except the continued presence of Donal and Ind’Petro, but they were challenges for the far future; and, they were less daunting in appearance than they had been before.

Theus had bested Donal with magic.  He repeated the thought to himself, and then looked down at the road and let himself smile as he repeated the internal comment.  He had defeated Donal.  He had done it with an accidental experiment in the use of the white magic, but it had been powerful enough to overcome the power of Donal’s black magic.  It had been enough to do real and painful damage to Donal, and Theus hoped that the damage would be permanent and crippling, so that when their next confrontation occurred, it would be to Theus’s advantage.