Into the Moral Darkness: (Now a Completed Story!)

The rest of the night passed quickly, and in spite of the promises of safety made by the life energy within the cave they continued their watch rotation. The sun rose well into Semeion’s shift, although nothing had even dared to enter into the cave with the earthen guardian standing watch. When the sun rose, the guardian melded once more with the wall and vanished from sight.

Ischarus stood and stowed his sword. He had kept it out beside his bedroll after fending off the assault from the wolf and the first earth guardian. “I suppose we should be headed out of the cave while the morning is still young. If the frove was any indication, we may be getting closer to the druid’s grove.”

Rhema sat up and stretched before rising further and speaking. “The presence of the cave is a good sign as well. I’d imagine even a misaligned druid would see the importance of having a place for communing with spirits of the earth. This is the kind of thing that would attract a druid – or so I’d imagine.”

The party quickly prepared to leave and organized their equipment. As it was, they didn’t need to travel far in the morning. They each only managed about ten steps out of the cave before spotting a man standing amongst an eclectic mixture of animals. Immediately to the man’s right stood the frove from the previous night. On the man’s other side stood the ape and baboons from the attacks in the previous day. The animals appeared to have been treated and healed of their wounds.

The druid wore a cloak made from the hide of a frove. The frove’s hide had been large enough to encompass the man’s frame entirely. The hide from the front legs had become sleeves and the frove’s head rested above that of the druid as if it were the hood of a traveling cloak. The hide of the frove was long enough that the legs had been able to be removed and still allow the end of the cloak to trail along the ground. The tail had remained attached to the hide and it trailed along the ground as the druid walked.

Charis paused in mid step as she saw the druid’s cloak. “It’s strikingly beautiful!”

Rhema nodded in agreement. “I’d personally have it without the head on top, but the fur on that cloak is gorgeous!”

The long dark hair of the frove hide was thick. It was as though the frove had been well cared for its entire life. There were no scars or marks where the hide might have been violated by tooth or blade. As the druid lifted up a hand to signal to the party, the hair along the cloak moved like leaves being blown gently by the wind.

The druid spoke in a deep rumble. “You have violated my territory, abused its protectors, and you still come to challenge me directly?”

Semeion smirked at the greeting. “Well, so far so good. At least we’ve made an impression.”

Charis chuckled at Semeion’s sarcasm. Ophee glanced to Semeion out of the corner of her eye and rested her hand upon the hilt of her sword. Semeion’s face was solid in its reflection of his inner confidence.

The druid continued to speak when it was clear that the party was not going to offer up a reply. “My children around me tell me that your skill with your weapons is admirable. But do not think that your weapons can overcome my abilities. The magic coursing through these trees and my body will surely devour you.”

Ischarus lifted his voice in reply as the spokesman of the party. “Are you not impressed that your animals can tell you anything at all? You should note that they were allowed to return to you. They could have been slaughtered entirely, but we allowed them to live. We do not seek their death – or even yours. There is no reason that death need to be experience even on this day.”

The druid’s face told of a moment of confusion within the druid’s mind. “If you do not seek my death, then why have you intruded upon my domain?”

Charis spoke next, shifting the druid’s attention from Ischarus to herself. “I once came from Quehalost and I once thought like you. But now I have learned a different way. There can be more to life than power and conquest, mighty druid. I have been taught the ways of other lands.”

The druid laughed. “You speak of the civilized lands? Do you know what the civilized lands would do to my children? They would label them as freaks of nature and hunt them down. They would hunt them because of their prowess and ability to protect themselves. Your civilized lands fear the minds of my children.”

Charis spoke again. “Not all of us. These three have taught me to be different. I do not dispute your claim for all the people of the civilized lands, but I do dispute it as it pertains to us. We fear the minds of your crea – children. We fear their minds because it enables them to be more powerful opponents. But we do not fear them so much as to kill them. We fear them enough to respect them.”

Ophee spoke, adding her voice to the weight of the party. “I can attest to these words, master of this land. When we were first attacked, my associates made it a point not to kill because of the heightened intelligence of your children. They respect life, although they fear it enough to defend themselves when necessary.”

The druid smiled and replied with a mocking tone. “Is that so? Did you respect the life of the earth guardian that you destroyed last night?”

Rhema smiled and returned a reply. “The spirit in the cave gave us no choice! The spirit in the cave told us that the guardian must be dispatched before we could earn its favor.”

The druid nearly replied, but Semeion managed to beat him to the punch. “Come now, druid. You do not think us foolish, do you? I know that your knowledge of the earth and its elements far surpasses my own – and likely the collective knowledge of my friends. But even I know that earth guardians are never destroyed when encountered here. Earth guardians are sent back to their own place of existence. If we wanted to truly destroy the earth guardian, we would have needed to meld with the stone and chase the guardian to its place of origin. Only then could we truly destroy its essence.”

The druid lowered his hand and nodded in agreement. “Perhaps there is more to you than I thought. You understand and respect the powers of the land more than most intruders into my domain. You have earned a chance to speak further.” As if the animals surrounding the druid could understand the druid’s declaration, they all howled and grunted in response. It was clear that the animals were not in agreement with the druid allowing the party more time to speak.

Ischarus turned his head to observe the many animals that had come with the druid. In addition to the ones that they recognized from the prior day, the druid had a collection of large cats, bears, and froves. It appeared that the druid also was followed by normal wolves, although the difference between an adult wolf and a sub-adult frove was hard to tell from a distance. Most of the animals gathered around the druid appeared to be yearning for combat.

Charis breathed in deeply and continued the parlay. “We have come for a root, and that is all. We do not wish to take any life, and even the plant who offers to give up its root we are willing to respect and take only what will it can grow back without difficulty. As Ischarus said earlier, nothing need see death this day.”

The druid lifted his hands out to calm his menagerie. “Tell me, what root do you seek? How do you know that I have it?”

Ophee grinned. “My master is highly trained in the art of gathering knowledge. There is little that he desires to know and cannot discover. He knows that you cultivate this root in your forest. We seek the Black Arum. You may know it as the Stink Lily.”

The druid’s face contorted with curiosity. “I did not realize such a plant has come into popularity, especially given it’s periodic smell.”

Rhema curled her lip in disgust. “Smell?”

Even across the span of the twenty or so yards between them, the druid heard Rhema’s rhetorical comment and laughed. “Yes, smell. Most plants spread pollen by way of smelling sweet to attract birds, beetles, ants, and even butterflies. But not the Black Arum. Its pollen is spread by flies. In order to attract flies, one must smell of dung or rotting garbage. When the plant is flowering and spreading pollen, it raises a slight stench so that flies come to it. That is why it is called the Stink Lily.”

Ischarus appreciated the lesson, but wanted to keep the conversation headed in the proper direction. “Can a sample of roots be drawn without killing the plant?”

The druid nodded in the affirmative. “It can be done. I keep the plant around my grove because of its odd appearance; and as your master certainly knows, I keep it for its medicinal usefulness. It is currently dormant, so a sample should be retrievable. But the sacrifice of the plant will require a sacrifice of your own.”

Semeion pursed his lips in disapproval. “Isn’t there always a catch?”

Charis spoke more loudly to the druid. “Tell us your terms. I am sure we are prepared to meet them.”

The druid’s face took on a menacing appearance. He looked as though he were a frove descending upon a wounded deer and drawing out the kill out of sheer enjoyment. “What you are asking of me is akin to removing an appendage to several of my plants. I ask of the same sacrifice. If you want the root, one of you must be willing to sacrifice an appendage.”

Each of the party members except Ophee balked at the suggestion. Semeion called out loudly, “You want us to do what? You want us to give an arm or a leg for this?”

The druid licked his lips in anticipation. “Precisely. Either that, or I will release my children upon you and you will all be torn limb from limb. Either way, it makes no difference to me.”

Ophee stepped firmly toward the druid. “Take my left arm, druid. It is my master who is being served, I will make the sacrifice.”

Rhema and Charis both objected in horror, but it was Ischarus who yelled the loudest. “No, Ophee. We don’t need to listen to this brainless demand! No root is worth an appendage! The plant can grow its root back, but you cannot!”

It was too late. The baboons fell upon Ophee as soon as she moved. They dragged her to the druid. In an instant the druid parted the flaps of his furry cloak and slipped the edge of a falchion between her left arm and her body.

Ophee bit her lip in expectation of the coming pain. The blade surged upward and severed her arm completely. Blood spurted out from her shoulder, and the froves standing at her feet quickly licked it off the ground as soon as it fell. Ophee cried out in obvious pain. The druid motioned to the ape, and the beast clamped his mighty fist down hard upon Ophee’s shoulder. The compression of the ape’s mighty fist helped to slow the bleeding.

Ophee soon collapsed from pain and blood loss. As she fell into the body of the phrenic ape, she could hear the growling of the froves. Charis had run toward Ophee to help her with a spell of healing, but the froves quickly perceived her approach as a threat. They instinctively encircled their druid master and snarled until she backed away. The rest of the party stood in shock at the proceedings, unable to move.

The druid turned and began to walk away. “I will go and collect samples of Black Arum root of an equitable weight to the sacrifice. That should appease your master.”

Ischarus drew his sword as the druid turned to walk away. “I’m going with you! There is no way we can trust you to keep your word after what you demanded from Ophee!”

The druid turned and smiled. “You are welcome to join me. But my bears are under the command to attack any who follow me. Defeat my bears, and you may come to the private sanctity of my grove.”

Ischarus looked on in horror as the bears began to move to intercept any route that he could take. These bears were large even for the rough wilderness of Quehalost. Many of them were taller than Ischarus even while still on all fours. Ischarus was helpless, and now he was cut off from Ophee even further.

Semeion approached him from behind and spoke softly over his shoulder. “Something despicable has happened here, Ischarus. But as evil and misaligned as the druid is, we must believe that he honors his word. We cannot fight and win. Ophee knew that. You know that. She has served us better than any of us could serve ourselves. She was more willing than any of us to give.”

Ischarus grimaced at Semeion’s words. “That sacrifice was not worth it!”

Semeion nodded, although Ischarus couldn’t see the gesture behind his back. “And I agree. Rhema and Charis agree as well. But Ophee felt it important for her master. To argue the necessity of the sacrifice at this point only detracts us from what is to come. The sacrifice is done. We must move forward and ensure that the sacrifice gets back to the wizard.”

Rhema joined the conversation as the bears finished moving into position. “I agree. Let’s get home and be done with this wizard. I haven’t trusted anything that has happened since we approached Eberdeen and Ophee tried to affect the guards. From that point on, this whole trip has gone from terrible to ghastly.”

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The rest of the night passed quickly, and in spite of the promises of safety made by the life energy within the cave they continued their watch rotation. The sun rose well into Semeion’s shift, although nothing had even dared to enter into the cave with the earthen guardian standing watch. When the sun rose, the guardian melded once more with the wall and vanished from sight.

Ischarus stood and stowed his sword. He had kept it out beside his bedroll after fending off the assault from the wolf and the first earth guardian. “I suppose we should be headed out of the cave while the morning is still young. If the frove was any indication, we may be getting closer to the druid’s grove.”

Rhema sat up and stretched before rising further and speaking. “The presence of the cave is a good sign as well. I’d imagine even a misaligned druid would see the importance of having a place for communing with spirits of the earth. This is the kind of thing that would attract a druid – or so I’d imagine.”

The party quickly prepared to leave and organized their equipment. As it was, they didn’t need to travel far in the morning. They each only managed about ten steps out of the cave before spotting a man standing amongst an eclectic mixture of animals. Immediately to the man’s right stood the frove from the previous night. On the man’s other side stood the ape and baboons from the attacks in the previous day. The animals appeared to have been treated and healed of their wounds.

The druid wore a cloak made from the hide of a frove. The frove’s hide had been large enough to encompass the man’s frame entirely. The hide from the front legs had become sleeves and the frove’s head rested above that of the druid as if it were the hood of a traveling cloak. The hide of the frove was long enough that the legs had been able to be removed and still allow the end of the cloak to trail along the ground. The tail had remained attached to the hide and it trailed along the ground as the druid walked.

Charis paused in mid step as she saw the druid’s cloak. “It’s strikingly beautiful!”

Rhema nodded in agreement. “I’d personally have it without the head on top, but the fur on that cloak is gorgeous!”

The long dark hair of the frove hide was thick. It was as though the frove had been well cared for its entire life. There were no scars or marks where the hide might have been violated by tooth or blade. As the druid lifted up a hand to signal to the party, the hair along the cloak moved like leaves being blown gently by the wind.

The druid spoke in a deep rumble. “You have violated my territory, abused its protectors, and you still come to challenge me directly?”

Semeion smirked at the greeting. “Well, so far so good. At least we’ve made an impression.”

Charis chuckled at Semeion’s sarcasm. Ophee glanced to Semeion out of the corner of her eye and rested her hand upon the hilt of her sword. Semeion’s face was solid in its reflection of his inner confidence.

The druid continued to speak when it was clear that the party was not going to offer up a reply. “My children around me tell me that your skill with your weapons is admirable. But do not think that your weapons can overcome my abilities. The magic coursing through these trees and my body will surely devour you.”

Ischarus lifted his voice in reply as the spokesman of the party. “Are you not impressed that your animals can tell you anything at all? You should note that they were allowed to return to you. They could have been slaughtered entirely, but we allowed them to live. We do not seek their death – or even yours. There is no reason that death need to be experience even on this day.”

The druid’s face told of a moment of confusion within the druid’s mind. “If you do not seek my death, then why have you intruded upon my domain?”

Charis spoke next, shifting the druid’s attention from Ischarus to herself. “I once came from Quehalost and I once thought like you. But now I have learned a different way. There can be more to life than power and conquest, mighty druid. I have been taught the ways of other lands.”

The druid laughed. “You speak of the civilized lands? Do you know what the civilized lands would do to my children? They would label them as freaks of nature and hunt them down. They would hunt them because of their prowess and ability to protect themselves. Your civilized lands fear the minds of my children.”

Charis spoke again. “Not all of us. These three have taught me to be different. I do not dispute your claim for all the people of the civilized lands, but I do dispute it as it pertains to us. We fear the minds of your crea – children. We fear their minds because it enables them to be more powerful opponents. But we do not fear them so much as to kill them. We fear them enough to respect them.”

Ophee spoke, adding her voice to the weight of the party. “I can attest to these words, master of this land. When we were first attacked, my associates made it a point not to kill because of the heightened intelligence of your children. They respect life, although they fear it enough to defend themselves when necessary.”

The druid smiled and replied with a mocking tone. “Is that so? Did you respect the life of the earth guardian that you destroyed last night?”

Rhema smiled and returned a reply. “The spirit in the cave gave us no choice! The spirit in the cave told us that the guardian must be dispatched before we could earn its favor.”

The druid nearly replied, but Semeion managed to beat him to the punch. “Come now, druid. You do not think us foolish, do you? I know that your knowledge of the earth and its elements far surpasses my own – and likely the collective knowledge of my friends. But even I know that earth guardians are never destroyed when encountered here. Earth guardians are sent back to their own place of existence. If we wanted to truly destroy the earth guardian, we would have needed to meld with the stone and chase the guardian to its place of origin. Only then could we truly destroy its essence.”

The druid lowered his hand and nodded in agreement. “Perhaps there is more to you than I thought. You understand and respect the powers of the land more than most intruders into my domain. You have earned a chance to speak further.” As if the animals surrounding the druid could understand the druid’s declaration, they all howled and grunted in response. It was clear that the animals were not in agreement with the druid allowing the party more time to speak.

Ischarus turned his head to observe the many animals that had come with the druid. In addition to the ones that they recognized from the prior day, the druid had a collection of large cats, bears, and froves. It appeared that the druid also was followed by normal wolves, although the difference between an adult wolf and a sub-adult frove was hard to tell from a distance. Most of the animals gathered around the druid appeared to be yearning for combat.

Charis breathed in deeply and continued the parlay. “We have come for a root, and that is all. We do not wish to take any life, and even the plant who offers to give up its root we are willing to respect and take only what will it can grow back without difficulty. As Ischarus said earlier, nothing need see death this day.”

The druid lifted his hands out to calm his menagerie. “Tell me, what root do you seek? How do you know that I have it?”

Ophee grinned. “My master is highly trained in the art of gathering knowledge. There is little that he desires to know and cannot discover. He knows that you cultivate this root in your forest. We seek the Black Arum. You may know it as the Stink Lily.”

The druid’s face contorted with curiosity. “I did not realize such a plant has come into popularity, especially given it’s periodic smell.”

Rhema curled her lip in disgust. “Smell?”

Even across the span of the twenty or so yards between them, the druid heard Rhema’s rhetorical comment and laughed. “Yes, smell. Most plants spread pollen by way of smelling sweet to attract birds, beetles, ants, and even butterflies. But not the Black Arum. Its pollen is spread by flies. In order to attract flies, one must smell of dung or rotting garbage. When the plant is flowering and spreading pollen, it raises a slight stench so that flies come to it. That is why it is called the Stink Lily.”

Ischarus appreciated the lesson, but wanted to keep the conversation headed in the proper direction. “Can a sample of roots be drawn without killing the plant?”

The druid nodded in the affirmative. “It can be done. I keep the plant around my grove because of its odd appearance; and as your master certainly knows, I keep it for its medicinal usefulness. It is currently dormant, so a sample should be retrievable. But the sacrifice of the plant will require a sacrifice of your own.”

Semeion pursed his lips in disapproval. “Isn’t there always a catch?”

Charis spoke more loudly to the druid. “Tell us your terms. I am sure we are prepared to meet them.”

The druid’s face took on a menacing appearance. He looked as though he were a frove descending upon a wounded deer and drawing out the kill out of sheer enjoyment. “What you are asking of me is akin to removing an appendage to several of my plants. I ask of the same sacrifice. If you want the root, one of you must be willing to sacrifice an appendage.”

Each of the party members except Ophee balked at the suggestion. Semeion called out loudly, “You want us to do what? You want us to give an arm or a leg for this?”

The druid licked his lips in anticipation. “Precisely. Either that, or I will release my children upon you and you will all be torn limb from limb. Either way, it makes no difference to me.”

Ophee stepped firmly toward the druid. “Take my left arm, druid. It is my master who is being served, I will make the sacrifice.”

Rhema and Charis both objected in horror, but it was Ischarus who yelled the loudest. “No, Ophee. We don’t need to listen to this brainless demand! No root is worth an appendage! The plant can grow its root back, but you cannot!”

It was too late. The baboons fell upon Ophee as soon as she moved. They dragged her to the druid. In an instant the druid parted the flaps of his furry cloak and slipped the edge of a falchion between her left arm and her body.

Ophee bit her lip in expectation of the coming pain. The blade surged upward and severed her arm completely. Blood spurted out from her shoulder, and the froves standing at her feet quickly licked it off the ground as soon as it fell. Ophee cried out in obvious pain. The druid motioned to the ape, and the beast clamped his mighty fist down hard upon Ophee’s shoulder. The compression of the ape’s mighty fist helped to slow the bleeding.

Ophee soon collapsed from pain and blood loss. As she fell into the body of the phrenic ape, she could hear the growling of the froves. Charis had run toward Ophee to help her with a spell of healing, but the froves quickly perceived her approach as a threat. They instinctively encircled their druid master and snarled until she backed away. The rest of the party stood in shock at the proceedings, unable to move.

The druid turned and began to walk away. “I will go and collect samples of Black Arum root of an equitable weight to the sacrifice. That should appease your master.”

Ischarus drew his sword as the druid turned to walk away. “I’m going with you! There is no way we can trust you to keep your word after what you demanded from Ophee!”

The druid turned and smiled. “You are welcome to join me. But my bears are under the command to attack any who follow me. Defeat my bears, and you may come to the private sanctity of my grove.”

Ischarus looked on in horror as the bears began to move to intercept any route that he could take. These bears were large even for the rough wilderness of Quehalost. Many of them were taller than Ischarus even while still on all fours. Ischarus was helpless, and now he was cut off from Ophee even further.

Semeion approached him from behind and spoke softly over his shoulder. “Something despicable has happened here, Ischarus. But as evil and misaligned as the druid is, we must believe that he honors his word. We cannot fight and win. Ophee knew that. You know that. She has served us better than any of us could serve ourselves. She was more willing than any of us to give.”

Ischarus grimaced at Semeion’s words. “That sacrifice was not worth it!”

Semeion nodded, although Ischarus couldn’t see the gesture behind his back. “And I agree. Rhema and Charis agree as well. But Ophee felt it important for her master. To argue the necessity of the sacrifice at this point only detracts us from what is to come. The sacrifice is done. We must move forward and ensure that the sacrifice gets back to the wizard.”

Rhema joined the conversation as the bears finished moving into position. “I agree. Let’s get home and be done with this wizard. I haven’t trusted anything that has happened since we approached Eberdeen and Ophee tried to affect the guards. From that point on, this whole trip has gone from terrible to ghastly.”
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Chapter Six: A SNARE OF THEIR OWN

It had now been a full week since the party returned from Quehalost. The druid had indeed returned with a look of pure enjoyment on his face. The bears parted when they saw him coming in order to allow the druid to approach Ischarus and deliver the Black Arum root. Ischarus and Semeion each had less than pleasant things to say about the agreement, but they held their strongest emotions in check. There was no sense aggravating the druid.

Ophee had collapsed from pain and blood loss, but she was not dead. Surprisingly, the ape had managed to take reasonable care of her once she had fallen into his chest. Either the ape had been well trained or it was smart enough to realize that Ophee’s life was important to the completion of the druid’s deal. Once the Black Arum root had been delivered and the druid had retreated from Ischarus and Semeion once more, the ape brought Ophee and laid her at Ischarus’ feet. Charis immediately approached and revived her through a healing spell. There was little she could do with regard to Ophee’s arm.

The druid insisted that the party be escorted out of his land until they could arrive at a place where Ophee’s master could safely teleport them back to Eberdeen. Froves made up the largest portion of the force, but several apes and baboons served as sentries and scouted ahead under the cover of the trees. Nothing in the land challenged the party with the phrenic host watching their exit from the land. When they reached the edge of the druid’s forest, the teleport was completed by Ophee’s master.

Of course, Ischarus and Semeion had less than polite things to say to the wizard upon their return. Most of the dialogue focused around Ophee’s great sacrifice. The wizard’s reaction to Ophee’s sacrifice was considerably odd. As Ischarus and Semeion were offering a great display of anger, the wizard merely laughed. He then proceeded to explain that a wizard of his magnificence had many connections throughout the land, and many of those connections were to high ranking officials in some of the priestly orders.

The wizard examined Ophee, and found her sacrifice in his service to be genuine. One of the wizard’s connections was summoned and an agreement was struck. Ophee’s arm was regenerated over the course of several hours through the use of healing magic far beyond Charis’ understanding. The wizard supplied the full payment of over one thousand gold pieces as a donation to the priest’s order in exchange for the service.

That was the last that the party saw of the wizard for the week. They had been told that the Black Arum root would need to be examined and tested for its purity. And the process would take a week. The party was invited to spend their time within the wizard’s quarters until the examination had been completed. Only once the root was confirmed to be a pure enough sample would the wizard agree to reveal the name of the connection that the party sought within the Ephistaemi.

Surprisingly, the week had passed by quickly. The entire party spent several stunned days at Ophee’s regenerated appendage and her quick ability to relearn its use. None of the party had known that such a powerful magic existed in the land, and once Ophee was restored they each felt a bit sheepish in their original objection to the wizard and even the misaligned druid’s requirement of sacrifice. If nothing else the wizard’s devotion to Ophee’s servitude could not be doubted when he hardly blinked at the cost of restoring her to wholeness. Yet, over the course of the week they had come to grips with their reactions and the realization that they would likely react that way to any physical sacrifice again even knowing what they learned from the experience.

After the full week of time had expired, the wizard summoned the party to his office and laboratory within the wizard’s college. In truth, the party was more or less teleported without their permission. Fortunately, they were summoned at a time when they were simply relaxing and not out in the public.

The wizard greeted the party before any of them could object to the manner of their summoning. “I have done significant testing of the Black Arum root and am pleased with its results. It would appear that your quest and Opheiluka’s offer had pleased the druid enough that he gave you a terrific sample of root. This is one of the most pure samples that I have ever been able to procure.”

Semeion looked up to the wizard and smiled honestly. “Well, thank the gods for that. The past weeks have not been exactly a highlight of our lives, and I’d like to think that a sufficient ending like this might make it worthwhile.”

Rhema nodded in agreement and continued to speak. “I completely agree. And now that you know the sample is excellent, I hope that your end of the bargain with help us just as much as you have already been helped. I would like to find out who in the Ephistaemi are responsible for what was done to my father’s villa. So, what can you tell us?”

The wizard motioned for the party to be seated, and once they were comfortable he took a chair himself. “As you know, the Ephistaemi are difficult to break into their ranks. However, can I assume for a moment that you still have access to Darkbringer?”

Semeion and Ischarus exchanged looks and then nodded. Semeion spoke again with confidence. “I believe that is a reasonable assumption. Those who hold Darkbringer are easily contacted and we have an equal exchange of trust. We shouldn’t have too much difficulty arranging for another time of interrogation.”

The wizard smiled. “Good. If that is the case, then your work will be made much easier. Interrogate Darkbringer again. As her work with the Ephistaemi should no doubt indicate, she has been given an absolute failsafe that will free her tongue. I was unable to uncover who she received her orders from, but I understand that her command word was Phoenix. I believe that choice was appropriate considering what has actually happened to the villa.”

Charis sighed at the connection. “Let’s hope that the use of the word Phoenix is more appropriate than they expect. The villa will rise again from the ashes caused by the great fire that destroyed it.”

Ischarus chimed in with a more tactical response. “So, you are telling me that all we need to do is go to Darkbringer and tell her the command word Phoenix? That word alone will get her to spill her guts?”

The wizard nodded in the affirmative. “Indeed. I am sure of it. But, might I suggest taking a different form when you do interrogate her? She already knows your forms and likely wouldn’t believe you when you use the command word. But, I have need of Opheiluka here for a few more days. You would be free to use Opheiluka’s image as a disguise when you re-interrogate Darkbringer.”

Ophee’s face crossed with a look of disgust. “You send me to Quehalost but you won’t allow me to help them in return? They are headed back to Fingerdale. Is that not still to be my area for gathering the information that you seek?”

The wizard looked lovingly into Ophee’s eyes. “My dear Opheiluka, your sacrifice to my cause has shown your loyalty to me. Of course you will be returned there. You have more than made up for your earlier blunders. I need you to remain here for a few days before you return to Fingerdale. I have a need for you to gather some significant information for me, and I need to train you specifically for that mission. I did not think it important enough for you to join them to delay their mission for a few days. Once you have completed your training here and begun your mission in Fingerdale, you would be welcome to join them on the side if they have you. It would just mean that you miss the interrogation of Darkbringer, that’s all. You would be welcome to help them in any further capacity, of course. I trust you to manage your time between my needs and your hobbies.”

Charis and Rhema both felt their stomachs turn at the wizard’s tone. As women, they were affected by some of the wizard’s control over Ophee, but only so much as to have deeper insight into its presence than either Semeion or Ischarus. The wizard was obviously controlling Ophee to some extent, but it was not clear as to if the control was simply from a charismatic leadership or from a magical base. They watched as Ophee’s face melted into his tone and lost the expression of disgust that she had earlier worn. Her face now appeared as one eager to do the bidding of the wizard.

Ophee replied, “Yes, sir. So long as you assure me that I will be able to help them in the future, I suppose I can miss out on the interrogation. I have your word that I can help them?”

The wizard smiled and reached out a hand to caress her chin. “My word, Opheiluka, is as good as a promise. I guarantee that you will be able to rejoin their efforts.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Chapter Six: A SNARE OF THEIR OWN

It had now been a full week since the party returned from Quehalost. The druid had indeed returned with a look of pure enjoyment on his face. The bears parted when they saw him coming in order to allow the druid to approach Ischarus and deliver the Black Arum root. Ischarus and Semeion each had less than pleasant things to say about the agreement, but they held their strongest emotions in check. There was no sense aggravating the druid.

Ophee had collapsed from pain and blood loss, but she was not dead. Surprisingly, the ape had managed to take reasonable care of her once she had fallen into his chest. Either the ape had been well trained or it was smart enough to realize that Ophee’s life was important to the completion of the druid’s deal. Once the Black Arum root had been delivered and the druid had retreated from Ischarus and Semeion once more, the ape brought Ophee and laid her at Ischarus’ feet. Charis immediately approached and revived her through a healing spell. There was little she could do with regard to Ophee’s arm.

The druid insisted that the party be escorted out of his land until they could arrive at a place where Ophee’s master could safely teleport them back to Eberdeen. Froves made up the largest portion of the force, but several apes and baboons served as sentries and scouted ahead under the cover of the trees. Nothing in the land challenged the party with the phrenic host watching their exit from the land. When they reached the edge of the druid’s forest, the teleport was completed by Ophee’s master.

Of course, Ischarus and Semeion had less than polite things to say to the wizard upon their return. Most of the dialogue focused around Ophee’s great sacrifice. The wizard’s reaction to Ophee’s sacrifice was considerably odd. As Ischarus and Semeion were offering a great display of anger, the wizard merely laughed. He then proceeded to explain that a wizard of his magnificence had many connections throughout the land, and many of those connections were to high ranking officials in some of the priestly orders.

The wizard examined Ophee, and found her sacrifice in his service to be genuine. One of the wizard’s connections was summoned and an agreement was struck. Ophee’s arm was regenerated over the course of several hours through the use of healing magic far beyond Charis’ understanding. The wizard supplied the full payment of over one thousand gold pieces as a donation to the priest’s order in exchange for the service.

That was the last that the party saw of the wizard for the week. They had been told that the Black Arum root would need to be examined and tested for its purity. And the process would take a week. The party was invited to spend their time within the wizard’s quarters until the examination had been completed. Only once the root was confirmed to be a pure enough sample would the wizard agree to reveal the name of the connection that the party sought within the Ephistaemi.

Surprisingly, the week had passed by quickly. The entire party spent several stunned days at Ophee’s regenerated appendage and her quick ability to relearn its use. None of the party had known that such a powerful magic existed in the land, and once Ophee was restored they each felt a bit sheepish in their original objection to the wizard and even the misaligned druid’s requirement of sacrifice. If nothing else the wizard’s devotion to Ophee’s servitude could not be doubted when he hardly blinked at the cost of restoring her to wholeness. Yet, over the course of the week they had come to grips with their reactions and the realization that they would likely react that way to any physical sacrifice again even knowing what they learned from the experience.

After the full week of time had expired, the wizard summoned the party to his office and laboratory within the wizard’s college. In truth, the party was more or less teleported without their permission. Fortunately, they were summoned at a time when they were simply relaxing and not out in the public.

The wizard greeted the party before any of them could object to the manner of their summoning. “I have done significant testing of the Black Arum root and am pleased with its results. It would appear that your quest and Opheiluka’s offer had pleased the druid enough that he gave you a terrific sample of root. This is one of the most pure samples that I have ever been able to procure.”

Semeion looked up to the wizard and smiled honestly. “Well, thank the gods for that. The past weeks have not been exactly a highlight of our lives, and I’d like to think that a sufficient ending like this might make it worthwhile.”

Rhema nodded in agreement and continued to speak. “I completely agree. And now that you know the sample is excellent, I hope that your end of the bargain with help us just as much as you have already been helped. I would like to find out who in the Ephistaemi are responsible for what was done to my father’s villa. So, what can you tell us?”

The wizard motioned for the party to be seated, and once they were comfortable he took a chair himself. “As you know, the Ephistaemi are difficult to break into their ranks. However, can I assume for a moment that you still have access to Darkbringer?”

Semeion and Ischarus exchanged looks and then nodded. Semeion spoke again with confidence. “I believe that is a reasonable assumption. Those who hold Darkbringer are easily contacted and we have an equal exchange of trust. We shouldn’t have too much difficulty arranging for another time of interrogation.”

The wizard smiled. “Good. If that is the case, then your work will be made much easier. Interrogate Darkbringer again. As her work with the Ephistaemi should no doubt indicate, she has been given an absolute failsafe that will free her tongue. I was unable to uncover who she received her orders from, but I understand that her command word was Phoenix. I believe that choice was appropriate considering what has actually happened to the villa.”

Charis sighed at the connection. “Let’s hope that the use of the word Phoenix is more appropriate than they expect. The villa will rise again from the ashes caused by the great fire that destroyed it.”

Ischarus chimed in with a more tactical response. “So, you are telling me that all we need to do is go to Darkbringer and tell her the command word Phoenix? That word alone will get her to spill her guts?”

The wizard nodded in the affirmative. “Indeed. I am sure of it. But, might I suggest taking a different form when you do interrogate her? She already knows your forms and likely wouldn’t believe you when you use the command word. But, I have need of Opheiluka here for a few more days. You would be free to use Opheiluka’s image as a disguise when you re-interrogate Darkbringer.”

Ophee’s face crossed with a look of disgust. “You send me to Quehalost but you won’t allow me to help them in return? They are headed back to Fingerdale. Is that not still to be my area for gathering the information that you seek?”

The wizard looked lovingly into Ophee’s eyes. “My dear Opheiluka, your sacrifice to my cause has shown your loyalty to me. Of course you will be returned there. You have more than made up for your earlier blunders. I need you to remain here for a few days before you return to Fingerdale. I have a need for you to gather some significant information for me, and I need to train you specifically for that mission. I did not think it important enough for you to join them to delay their mission for a few days. Once you have completed your training here and begun your mission in Fingerdale, you would be welcome to join them on the side if they have you. It would just mean that you miss the interrogation of Darkbringer, that’s all. You would be welcome to help them in any further capacity, of course. I trust you to manage your time between my needs and your hobbies.”

Charis and Rhema both felt their stomachs turn at the wizard’s tone. As women, they were affected by some of the wizard’s control over Ophee, but only so much as to have deeper insight into its presence than either Semeion or Ischarus. The wizard was obviously controlling Ophee to some extent, but it was not clear as to if the control was simply from a charismatic leadership or from a magical base. They watched as Ophee’s face melted into his tone and lost the expression of disgust that she had earlier worn. Her face now appeared as one eager to do the bidding of the wizard.

Ophee replied, “Yes, sir. So long as you assure me that I will be able to help them in the future, I suppose I can miss out on the interrogation. I have your word that I can help them?”

The wizard smiled and reached out a hand to caress her chin. “My word, Opheiluka, is as good as a promise. I guarantee that you will be able to rejoin their efforts.”

[/Sblock]

Another week slipped by as the party journeyed from Eberdeen to Fingerdale. Their meeting with the wizard had actually gone better than expected, and in spite of being a bit eccentric he did seem to show a legitimate amount of compassion for Ophee in healing her arm. As for his eccentricity, there was hardly a wizard on the face of Enigmatica who didn’t display certain amounts of eccentricity. Even Semeion could be seen as having begun the early stages of eccentric behavior. They would no doubt increase as he gained in power. If he continued to adventure into Quehalost, the hope was that the eccentricities could be kept to a minimum.

The party passed Fingerdale on their return trip. As far as anyone was concerned, there was simply no reason to waste time in Fingerdale without knowing what had happened at the villa. Rhema felt an urgent call to return home and make sure that the villa had not been attacked once more in their absence. Everyone else knew that Rhema’s father would feel better knowing about the successful return of the adventuring party from Eberdeen and the mission to which Ophee had called them.

They found the villa in good order, and the plans for construction had moved along quite successfully. Trees had begun to be cut and many of the foundation rocks had been polished and tested to ensure that the fire had not done irreparable damage. Most of the rocks had been large enough to resist the searing heat, but the rocks that had been affected were broken into smaller rocks so that the damaged sections could be removed. This meant that Rhema’s father would need to purchase a small load of larger rocks from a nearby quarry, but that cost would easily be absorbed. The majority of the damage had been done to the parts of the villa that were flammable. That would be easily enough replaced by cutting into the forest around the villa.

The beginning of the construction wouldn’t start until the rocks from the quarry arrived. They would need to be further cut and shaped, and while the rocks were undergoing their transformation the foundation could be cut and laid. As the party sat and talked with Rhema’s father on the evening in which they returned, they knew that there was little to be done at the villa for a few days. It would give them the perfect opportunity to head into Fingerdale and speak to whoever was in charge of keeping and interrogating Darkbringer.

The party rode into Fingerdale early on the next day, after spending a peaceful night at the villa. The stone walls greeted them once more from a distance, and the gate underneath the guard tower had already been opened. The city was open for business, but it was too early for a considerable crowd to be moving into the city. At this hour, only the merchants were moving their goods into the protective city walls.

With relative ease the party made their way to the temple. To save time, they had done this trip on horseback. They left their mounts tied to the hitching post outside the temple and ascended the steps. Once more they passed in between the pillars carved in the form of humans and dragons. Once more they opened the large heavy doors and entered the temple.

The acolyte on duty appeared to not be expecting anyone quite so early. The acolyte had been resting on a stool, daydreaming off into space when the heavy door creaked open. In a flash of movement his head snapped in the direction of the entrance and he stood in order to brush away any wrinkles from sitting that had developed upon his acolyte uniform. “Good day, sirs and madams. You appear to have come with urgency first thing in the morning. How may I direct your inquiry into the temple?”

Ischarus smiled at the obvious attempt at the language of the highbrow. “No worries, acolyte. You need not impress us with your speech. We are here on business, and our loyalty to the temple has already been earned by Master Brandt.”

The acolyte relaxed, but he still kept the strong air of servitude about him. “Is that who you seek today? I ask because Master Brandt has not yet arrived for the morning. He is expected, but not usually this early.”

Ischarus nodded in understanding and spoke again. “Several weeks ago Master Brandt and my friends here were involved in apprehending a woman called Darkbringer. She was held over for interrogation. We need to know what has happened to her. We have found a few more questions to ask her.”

The acolyte bowed slightly. “We do not have a means of retaining prisoners here at the temple, although we do have a means of interrogating them. If you know that she has been retained, I would suggest that you turn to the city jail and ask Warden Ferrotte for permission to interrogate. If you had a hand in her capture, I am sure that your name has been attached to the prisoner’s file to allow you permission to interrogate. It is likely that the warden will demand to be present, of course.”

Ischarus smiled with hesitation, remembering his last visit to the prison. “Of course. Being in charge, I am sure that he will make sure that those who interrogate his prisoners do so honorably.”

The acolyte bowed deeply. “Is there anything else I can do for you this morning?”

Ischarus began to shake his head, but Semeion spoke before Ischarus could reply. “Actually, I believe that there is something you could do for me. Could you let Master Brandt know that we came looking for him? I would like to update him on the new information that we found regarding our prisoner.”

The acolyte nodded agreeably. “Of course. If you would like, I can give him the message myself.”

Semeion shook his head and held out a hand with his palm facing the acolyte. “I would rather speak to Brandt myself. He has been a mentor for much of our group here, and it would be a pleasure to see him in person again.”

The acolyte replied, “Very well. Shall I have him look you all up in the prison during the interrogation?”

Rhema smiled with a bit of a mischievous look in her eyes. “No. In fact, why don’t you ask him to locate us sometime after the dinner hour. He’ll know where to find us. That way we can debrief him on what we found out during the interrogation.”

The acolyte nodded. “I’ll give him the message, then. You are sure he’ll know where to find you all?”

Rhema nodded in the affirmative. “I am sure. But just in case, tell him to look in Huetown.”

The acolyte nodded knowingly. “Very well. I believe Huetown is small enough that he’ll be able to find you there.”

Semeion smiled at the acolyte’s innocence. “Oh, he’ll know exactly where to meet us.”

The party turned around in the lobby and left by the front doors through which they had entered. Once they were outside, Charis reached a hand inside Semeion’s elbow as they descended the steps. “Why didn’t you want Brandt to join us at the prison for the interrogation? I would think that Brandt might have a few spells in his bag that could help us out.”

Semeion replied, “Well, if we are going to use a disguise to get the information out of Darkbringer, it’ll be tricky enough to get the warden to buy into a plan in a way that he sees the deception as necessary. I figured adding Brandt to that mix would only make our job more difficult.”

Rhema added to the rationale of Semeion. “Besides, Darkbringer already connects Brandt to us. If Brandt is in on the interrogation, our disguise will not seem as genuine. We need to make Darkbringer believe the illusion in order for it to work.”

Charis nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. Besides, if the wizard in Eberdeen is correct, the key word should get us what we need anyway. Maybe Brandt’s spells aren’t quite as necessary as I first thought.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Another week slipped by as the party journeyed from Eberdeen to Fingerdale. Their meeting with the wizard had actually gone better than expected, and in spite of being a bit eccentric he did seem to show a legitimate amount of compassion for Ophee in healing her arm. As for his eccentricity, there was hardly a wizard on the face of Enigmatica who didn’t display certain amounts of eccentricity. Even Semeion could be seen as having begun the early stages of eccentric behavior. They would no doubt increase as he gained in power. If he continued to adventure into Quehalost, the hope was that the eccentricities could be kept to a minimum.

The party passed Fingerdale on their return trip. As far as anyone was concerned, there was simply no reason to waste time in Fingerdale without knowing what had happened at the villa. Rhema felt an urgent call to return home and make sure that the villa had not been attacked once more in their absence. Everyone else knew that Rhema’s father would feel better knowing about the successful return of the adventuring party from Eberdeen and the mission to which Ophee had called them.

They found the villa in good order, and the plans for construction had moved along quite successfully. Trees had begun to be cut and many of the foundation rocks had been polished and tested to ensure that the fire had not done irreparable damage. Most of the rocks had been large enough to resist the searing heat, but the rocks that had been affected were broken into smaller rocks so that the damaged sections could be removed. This meant that Rhema’s father would need to purchase a small load of larger rocks from a nearby quarry, but that cost would easily be absorbed. The majority of the damage had been done to the parts of the villa that were flammable. That would be easily enough replaced by cutting into the forest around the villa.

The beginning of the construction wouldn’t start until the rocks from the quarry arrived. They would need to be further cut and shaped, and while the rocks were undergoing their transformation the foundation could be cut and laid. As the party sat and talked with Rhema’s father on the evening in which they returned, they knew that there was little to be done at the villa for a few days. It would give them the perfect opportunity to head into Fingerdale and speak to whoever was in charge of keeping and interrogating Darkbringer.

The party rode into Fingerdale early on the next day, after spending a peaceful night at the villa. The stone walls greeted them once more from a distance, and the gate underneath the guard tower had already been opened. The city was open for business, but it was too early for a considerable crowd to be moving into the city. At this hour, only the merchants were moving their goods into the protective city walls.

With relative ease the party made their way to the temple. To save time, they had done this trip on horseback. They left their mounts tied to the hitching post outside the temple and ascended the steps. Once more they passed in between the pillars carved in the form of humans and dragons. Once more they opened the large heavy doors and entered the temple.

The acolyte on duty appeared to not be expecting anyone quite so early. The acolyte had been resting on a stool, daydreaming off into space when the heavy door creaked open. In a flash of movement his head snapped in the direction of the entrance and he stood in order to brush away any wrinkles from sitting that had developed upon his acolyte uniform. “Good day, sirs and madams. You appear to have come with urgency first thing in the morning. How may I direct your inquiry into the temple?”

Ischarus smiled at the obvious attempt at the language of the highbrow. “No worries, acolyte. You need not impress us with your speech. We are here on business, and our loyalty to the temple has already been earned by Master Brandt.”

The acolyte relaxed, but he still kept the strong air of servitude about him. “Is that who you seek today? I ask because Master Brandt has not yet arrived for the morning. He is expected, but not usually this early.”

Ischarus nodded in understanding and spoke again. “Several weeks ago Master Brandt and my friends here were involved in apprehending a woman called Darkbringer. She was held over for interrogation. We need to know what has happened to her. We have found a few more questions to ask her.”

The acolyte bowed slightly. “We do not have a means of retaining prisoners here at the temple, although we do have a means of interrogating them. If you know that she has been retained, I would suggest that you turn to the city jail and ask Warden Ferrotte for permission to interrogate. If you had a hand in her capture, I am sure that your name has been attached to the prisoner’s file to allow you permission to interrogate. It is likely that the warden will demand to be present, of course.”

Ischarus smiled with hesitation, remembering his last visit to the prison. “Of course. Being in charge, I am sure that he will make sure that those who interrogate his prisoners do so honorably.”

The acolyte bowed deeply. “Is there anything else I can do for you this morning?”

Ischarus began to shake his head, but Semeion spoke before Ischarus could reply. “Actually, I believe that there is something you could do for me. Could you let Master Brandt know that we came looking for him? I would like to update him on the new information that we found regarding our prisoner.”

The acolyte nodded agreeably. “Of course. If you would like, I can give him the message myself.”

Semeion shook his head and held out a hand with his palm facing the acolyte. “I would rather speak to Brandt myself. He has been a mentor for much of our group here, and it would be a pleasure to see him in person again.”

The acolyte replied, “Very well. Shall I have him look you all up in the prison during the interrogation?”

Rhema smiled with a bit of a mischievous look in her eyes. “No. In fact, why don’t you ask him to locate us sometime after the dinner hour. He’ll know where to find us. That way we can debrief him on what we found out during the interrogation.”

The acolyte nodded. “I’ll give him the message, then. You are sure he’ll know where to find you all?”

Rhema nodded in the affirmative. “I am sure. But just in case, tell him to look in Huetown.”

The acolyte nodded knowingly. “Very well. I believe Huetown is small enough that he’ll be able to find you there.”

Semeion smiled at the acolyte’s innocence. “Oh, he’ll know exactly where to meet us.”

The party turned around in the lobby and left by the front doors through which they had entered. Once they were outside, Charis reached a hand inside Semeion’s elbow as they descended the steps. “Why didn’t you want Brandt to join us at the prison for the interrogation? I would think that Brandt might have a few spells in his bag that could help us out.”

Semeion replied, “Well, if we are going to use a disguise to get the information out of Darkbringer, it’ll be tricky enough to get the warden to buy into a plan in a way that he sees the deception as necessary. I figured adding Brandt to that mix would only make our job more difficult.”

Rhema added to the rationale of Semeion. “Besides, Darkbringer already connects Brandt to us. If Brandt is in on the interrogation, our disguise will not seem as genuine. We need to make Darkbringer believe the illusion in order for it to work.”

Charis nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. Besides, if the wizard in Eberdeen is correct, the key word should get us what we need anyway. Maybe Brandt’s spells aren’t quite as necessary as I first thought.”
[/Sblock]

The foursome headed to the jail next. It was still early, but knowing Warden Farette he would already be at his post in the jail. Ischarus smiled nervously as the jail appeared before him. “Well, with any luck at all Captain Jacobseille won’t be present in the jail today.” His displeasure regarding the jail was quite evident through his tone and volume. He spoke quietly with hesitation.

Rhema’s eyes left the building and her face turned to look upon Ischarus’ worried demeanor. “Just remember, you’ve done nothing wrong this time. I’m sure we’ll come out as easily as we went in.”

Semeion joked with his friend, “You’ve never shared much with us about your experience in there with Grick. You sure you can handle going back in?”

Ischarus cast a sharp look in Semeion’s direction. “I can handle my own. The pain that I endured because those idiots demanded that I prove my innocence is behind me.”

Semeion smiled once more and raised an eyebrow. “Apparently not, but that’s okay. You’ll not be the one doing the interrogation anyway. I’d suggest that you stay in the lobby with Rhema and Charis.”

Ischarus wanted to speak out and defend his pride, but he knew Semeion was right. He hadn’t yet forgiven the captain and warden for their need to arrest him. He still carried the grudge for the incredible pain that Grick was allowed to thrust upon him in the jail cells. He wouldn’t be himself again until he passed through the process of interrogation and emerged from the jail a free man once more. He breathed in deeply before speaking. “I know, and you’re right. Are you sure you can handle the interrogation, Semeion?”

Charis decided that it was Semeion’s turn to endure a bit of teasing. “Yeah, you don’t exactly make a convincing woman, Semeion. Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

The foursome had a good laugh before Rhema spoke. By this time they were in the process of tying up their horses to the hitching posts and entering the building. “Are you sure you need to change while you are in the interrogation room? Because none of us will get a chance to see your feminine side as it comes out!”

The party continued to laugh as Semeion replied with a mocking tone of sarcasm in his voice. “Yeah, I’m really sorry that it has to work out that way and all. It’s just too bad that the interrogation would be more convincing with me changing to Ophee and back inside the room with Darkbringer.”

The door creaked open and Ischarus paused for a moment. He took a deep breath and entered the building slowly. They were greeted with the same cold entrance as before. The window with the protective bars showed a receptionist as it had the last time Ischarus entered with his friends.

The receptionist greeted them flatly with a nasal tone. “Can I help you today?” Her eyes immediately went to the weapons that the party carried in with them.

Semeion stepped forward and smiled. He placed his hands on the small window sill and spoke. “I was wondering if Warden Farette is in and could be bothered? I have a request for an interrogation for a prisoner named Darkbringer that is rather urgent. I am working in conjunction with the Temple of Reah, specifically Pater Brandt. Could you see if he has time to see me? My friends will be staying in the lobby until I return.”

The nasal voice passed through the bars and into the lobby once more. “I’ll see if he can be disturbed this morning, sir. He is already in for the morning, though.”

Several minutes later the large security door between the lobby and the prison jerked open. Warden Farette walked through the door, and he had a contingent of five heavily armed guards with him. He looked at the party and paused when his eyes met Ischarus’ face. “You have returned under the direction of the Temple of Reah?”

Ischarus knew better than to respond. The warden had clearly worked in the prison system for long enough to understand that reform was difficult, if not impossible. In his eyes, Ischarus would always represent trouble.

Instead, it was Semeion’s voice that directed the warden’s gaze away from Ischarus. “Actually, sir, we have been working with the Temple of Reah loosely ever since our last meeting. And for the moment, we are working with them strongly. I wish to interrogate a prison of yours by the name of Darkbringer. She should have been brought here several weeks ago after having been interrogated by the temple priests. We have just returned with new information and I would like a new audience with her.”

The warden nodded and looked down upon the docket he carried in his hand. “And you are, specifically?”

Semeion smiled. “My name is Semeion, and I come from Huetown currently but Reignsburg originally. My friends here are Ischarus, whom you already know, and Charis and Rhema.”

The warden nodded in agreement as Semeion read off the names. He turned and spoke to the guards. “Axitta, take Semeion to my office. The rest of you are to remain here and watch these three until my business with Semeion has been completed.” Each of the guards nodded and the warden waited until Semeion had disappeared into the prison before speaking to the remaining three. “My guards have access to a magical weapons case. If you are to remain here in the lobby, I am going to have to ask you to disarm and surrender your weapons.”

Ischarus paused, but Rhema’s voice filled the void and answered firmly. “Of course, sir. We will comply with your regulations.” Her hand immediately went to the fastener that held her scabbard around her waist. She slipped the scabbard through her hands and passed it to the guard.

The guard drew the deep blue crystalline sword out of the scabbard to inspect it. It was clear that he was impressed by the weapon as he pushed it back into the scabbard. Another guard removed a small wand from a chest pocket in his uniform. He waved the wand in the air in the shape of a large rectangle. When he had completed the gesture, a small empty cabinet appeared. The guard opened the cabinet and took Rhema’s scabbard and sword from the guard who had received it. The guard in charge of the cabinet hung the weapon within the cabinet and accepted the weapons from Charis and Ischarus as well. When the warden was pleased with their cooperation, he nodded to the guards and disappeared behind the security door. The trio could hear the protective locks securing themselves in the wall once the door had closed.

Inside the prison, the warden found Semeion sitting in the warden’s office with Axitta standing guard over him. As the warden entered the office and closed the door, he spoke to Semeion in a commanding voice. “Your request for interrogation is approved, but I would like to be present. Tell me what you plan to ask of my inmate.”

Semeion smiled politely. “Actually, sir, I believe that once you have heard my plan you may not want to be present. Instead, do you have magical spying devices that I might wear to allow you to completely observe the interrogation without being present?”

The warden nodded, but a look of concern immediately appeared on his face. “We do, but it would need to be a special interrogation to use it. Tell me what you propose and I will tell you if I can accept it.”

Semeion returned the nod. “Fair enough, warden. You see, the woman you hold is called Darkbringer, and she was working in conjunction with one called Bloodseeker. We were never able to find Bloodseeker, partially because we believe Bloodseeker to be protected by Lord Ironblood himself. However, we performed a small service for a mage of the wizard’s college in Eberdeen in order to have him use his information gathering magic to find any more information that we might find useful. He was able to discover a code word: Pheonix. The Darkbringer is supposed to know this word as a command word that indicates that the person who speaks the word is safe.”

The warden smiled. “And you believe that my presence will make Darkbringer see that you have learned the word in a disreputable manner and thus she wouldn’t trust you?”

Semeion again nodded. “Quite. Actually, I plan on being more deceptive than you think. I plan on entering the room as you see me now and then using my magic to transform myself into the presence of another person. Of course, it will be a disguise, but I’ll tell her quite the opposite. I am hoping that my deception of her will actually appear as though I have deceived you.”

The warden chuckled; he was obviously enjoying the plan. “It sounds as though you have put some thought behind this. I will do as you ask and view the interrogation through magical sensors. I should note, however, that the magic sensors are already in place and would be active regardless of whether I was in the room or not. But I must have your agreement to submit yourself to a magical scan from one of my own officers. We wouldn’t really want you to be deceiving us, after all.”

Semeion again smiled politely. “Of course. You wish to eliminate the possibility that I am deceiving you currently in hopes to get to Darkbringer for a malevolent purpose. You wish to determine that my current appearance is not the actual deception?”

The warden nodded, and Semeion answered the nod with his voice. “Very well, then. So long as your officer tells me the precise magic that he is going to use on me I will freely submit myself.”

The warden looked up to the guard standing over him. “Axitta, is Teja on duty this morning?”

The guard nodded in the affirmative. The warden continued to speak. “Would you be so kind as to call her to my office. Tell her what is to be expected so that she can prepare her spells.”

The guard left the room without a sound. Ten minutes later, the guard returned with an identically dressed female. Semeion’s experience around Ischarus and Charis told him that Teja was a Drakontos by race. By the look of her metallic tinted eyes, she was of the heritage of a dragon included in the Assembly of Virtuous Dragons. He relaxed as she prepared her spells.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
The foursome headed to the jail next. It was still early, but knowing Warden Farette he would already be at his post in the jail. Ischarus smiled nervously as the jail appeared before him. “Well, with any luck at all Captain Jacobseille won’t be present in the jail today.” His displeasure regarding the jail was quite evident through his tone and volume. He spoke quietly with hesitation.

Rhema’s eyes left the building and her face turned to look upon Ischarus’ worried demeanor. “Just remember, you’ve done nothing wrong this time. I’m sure we’ll come out as easily as we went in.”

Semeion joked with his friend, “You’ve never shared much with us about your experience in there with Grick. You sure you can handle going back in?”

Ischarus cast a sharp look in Semeion’s direction. “I can handle my own. The pain that I endured because those idiots demanded that I prove my innocence is behind me.”

Semeion smiled once more and raised an eyebrow. “Apparently not, but that’s okay. You’ll not be the one doing the interrogation anyway. I’d suggest that you stay in the lobby with Rhema and Charis.”

Ischarus wanted to speak out and defend his pride, but he knew Semeion was right. He hadn’t yet forgiven the captain and warden for their need to arrest him. He still carried the grudge for the incredible pain that Grick was allowed to thrust upon him in the jail cells. He wouldn’t be himself again until he passed through the process of interrogation and emerged from the jail a free man once more. He breathed in deeply before speaking. “I know, and you’re right. Are you sure you can handle the interrogation, Semeion?”

Charis decided that it was Semeion’s turn to endure a bit of teasing. “Yeah, you don’t exactly make a convincing woman, Semeion. Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

The foursome had a good laugh before Rhema spoke. By this time they were in the process of tying up their horses to the hitching posts and entering the building. “Are you sure you need to change while you are in the interrogation room? Because none of us will get a chance to see your feminine side as it comes out!”

The party continued to laugh as Semeion replied with a mocking tone of sarcasm in his voice. “Yeah, I’m really sorry that it has to work out that way and all. It’s just too bad that the interrogation would be more convincing with me changing to Ophee and back inside the room with Darkbringer.”

The door creaked open and Ischarus paused for a moment. He took a deep breath and entered the building slowly. They were greeted with the same cold entrance as before. The window with the protective bars showed a receptionist as it had the last time Ischarus entered with his friends.

The receptionist greeted them flatly with a nasal tone. “Can I help you today?” Her eyes immediately went to the weapons that the party carried in with them.

Semeion stepped forward and smiled. He placed his hands on the small window sill and spoke. “I was wondering if Warden Farette is in and could be bothered? I have a request for an interrogation for a prisoner named Darkbringer that is rather urgent. I am working in conjunction with the Temple of Reah, specifically Pater Brandt. Could you see if he has time to see me? My friends will be staying in the lobby until I return.”

The nasal voice passed through the bars and into the lobby once more. “I’ll see if he can be disturbed this morning, sir. He is already in for the morning, though.”

Several minutes later the large security door between the lobby and the prison jerked open. Warden Farette walked through the door, and he had a contingent of five heavily armed guards with him. He looked at the party and paused when his eyes met Ischarus’ face. “You have returned under the direction of the Temple of Reah?”

Ischarus knew better than to respond. The warden had clearly worked in the prison system for long enough to understand that reform was difficult, if not impossible. In his eyes, Ischarus would always represent trouble.

Instead, it was Semeion’s voice that directed the warden’s gaze away from Ischarus. “Actually, sir, we have been working with the Temple of Reah loosely ever since our last meeting. And for the moment, we are working with them strongly. I wish to interrogate a prison of yours by the name of Darkbringer. She should have been brought here several weeks ago after having been interrogated by the temple priests. We have just returned with new information and I would like a new audience with her.”

The warden nodded and looked down upon the docket he carried in his hand. “And you are, specifically?”

Semeion smiled. “My name is Semeion, and I come from Huetown currently but Reignsburg originally. My friends here are Ischarus, whom you already know, and Charis and Rhema.”

The warden nodded in agreement as Semeion read off the names. He turned and spoke to the guards. “Axitta, take Semeion to my office. The rest of you are to remain here and watch these three until my business with Semeion has been completed.” Each of the guards nodded and the warden waited until Semeion had disappeared into the prison before speaking to the remaining three. “My guards have access to a magical weapons case. If you are to remain here in the lobby, I am going to have to ask you to disarm and surrender your weapons.”

Ischarus paused, but Rhema’s voice filled the void and answered firmly. “Of course, sir. We will comply with your regulations.” Her hand immediately went to the fastener that held her scabbard around her waist. She slipped the scabbard through her hands and passed it to the guard.

The guard drew the deep blue crystalline sword out of the scabbard to inspect it. It was clear that he was impressed by the weapon as he pushed it back into the scabbard. Another guard removed a small wand from a chest pocket in his uniform. He waved the wand in the air in the shape of a large rectangle. When he had completed the gesture, a small empty cabinet appeared. The guard opened the cabinet and took Rhema’s scabbard and sword from the guard who had received it. The guard in charge of the cabinet hung the weapon within the cabinet and accepted the weapons from Charis and Ischarus as well. When the warden was pleased with their cooperation, he nodded to the guards and disappeared behind the security door. The trio could hear the protective locks securing themselves in the wall once the door had closed.

Inside the prison, the warden found Semeion sitting in the warden’s office with Axitta standing guard over him. As the warden entered the office and closed the door, he spoke to Semeion in a commanding voice. “Your request for interrogation is approved, but I would like to be present. Tell me what you plan to ask of my inmate.”

Semeion smiled politely. “Actually, sir, I believe that once you have heard my plan you may not want to be present. Instead, do you have magical spying devices that I might wear to allow you to completely observe the interrogation without being present?”

The warden nodded, but a look of concern immediately appeared on his face. “We do, but it would need to be a special interrogation to use it. Tell me what you propose and I will tell you if I can accept it.”

Semeion returned the nod. “Fair enough, warden. You see, the woman you hold is called Darkbringer, and she was working in conjunction with one called Bloodseeker. We were never able to find Bloodseeker, partially because we believe Bloodseeker to be protected by Lord Ironblood himself. However, we performed a small service for a mage of the wizard’s college in Eberdeen in order to have him use his information gathering magic to find any more information that we might find useful. He was able to discover a code word: Pheonix. The Darkbringer is supposed to know this word as a command word that indicates that the person who speaks the word is safe.”

The warden smiled. “And you believe that my presence will make Darkbringer see that you have learned the word in a disreputable manner and thus she wouldn’t trust you?”

Semeion again nodded. “Quite. Actually, I plan on being more deceptive than you think. I plan on entering the room as you see me now and then using my magic to transform myself into the presence of another person. Of course, it will be a disguise, but I’ll tell her quite the opposite. I am hoping that my deception of her will actually appear as though I have deceived you.”

The warden chuckled; he was obviously enjoying the plan. “It sounds as though you have put some thought behind this. I will do as you ask and view the interrogation through magical sensors. I should note, however, that the magic sensors are already in place and would be active regardless of whether I was in the room or not. But I must have your agreement to submit yourself to a magical scan from one of my own officers. We wouldn’t really want you to be deceiving us, after all.”

Semeion again smiled politely. “Of course. You wish to eliminate the possibility that I am deceiving you currently in hopes to get to Darkbringer for a malevolent purpose. You wish to determine that my current appearance is not the actual deception?”

The warden nodded, and Semeion answered the nod with his voice. “Very well, then. So long as your officer tells me the precise magic that he is going to use on me I will freely submit myself.”

The warden looked up to the guard standing over him. “Axitta, is Teja on duty this morning?”

The guard nodded in the affirmative. The warden continued to speak. “Would you be so kind as to call her to my office. Tell her what is to be expected so that she can prepare her spells.”

The guard left the room without a sound. Ten minutes later, the guard returned with an identically dressed female. Semeion’s experience around Ischarus and Charis told him that Teja was a Drakontos by race. By the look of her metallic tinted eyes, she was of the heritage of a dragon included in the Assembly of Virtuous Dragons. He relaxed as she prepared her spells.
[/Sblock]

Darkbringer had been awakened out of a deep sleep early in the morning. Guards had come to her and secured her in shackles that prevented the use of her magic. The cell that she had been given was already warded against magic, but the prison guards knew that once she left the confines of the cell her powers would return. By using the warded shackles, they could prevent her from using magic upon them in transit.

She arrived and was placed in a room with no windows. In fact, within the perfect eight foot cubical room were two simple chairs, a very small square table, and a solid iron reinforced wooden door leading out of the room. The walls had been painted a light gray to match the color of the cellblock below. This room was no escape from her daily tradition of imprisonment.

She was only present for five minutes before Semeion and the warden entered the interrogation room. The warden looked to Darkbringer and smiled as if he derived some sort of pleasure in the proceedings. “You received a visitor today, inmate. I expect you to play nicely and answer all of this mage’s questions.”

Darkbringer sneered, but she knew enough to not respond. She looked upon Semeion with disgust. He was one of the ones that had gotten her imprisoned here. She knew that if she didn’t have the warding shackles around her wrists and feet that she could take him in a duel. But that was unlikely.

Semeion turned to the Warden and nodded in a common act of dismissal. “I think you have made your point clear, warden. With those shackles, I don’t think she has much choice but to play nicely. So it is merely up to her to answer my questions. Besides, if she chooses not to answer my questions I am sure that the priests of Reah, who handled her prior interrogation, would be more than willing to convince her to change her tone.”

Darkbringer’s words lashed out in anger. “I have told you all that I know! If you think you can do more to me than the magical aura of truth that the priests used on me weeks ago, then you are welcome to try. But they got all that they could get out of me then. Do not expect anything else to come out of me, mage. Your power is not as great as theirs.” The statement was more than a threat. It was a confession of truth. Darkbringer had responded in honesty regarding everything the priest had asked; and Semeion’s powers were nowhere near as powerful as the priests upon whom Brandt had called.

The warden smiled and put his back to Darkbringer. “Have fun with her. There will be three guards posted in the hallway. The door will be locked from the outside. Inform them when you are done and they will unlock the door.”

Semeion nodded and waited for the warden to leave. As he stood in silence, Darkbringer once more lashed out in irritation. “What have you got for me today, mage? Let’s get this over with. Even without my magic there is little you can do to me without your friends. I have felt your power already and you are nothing without them.”

Semeion smiled as Darkbringer finished her sentence and he heard the locks click shut. “I personally wouldn’t know, Darkbringer. For you see, I am not who you think I am. Your eyes have already deceived you. Be silent and watch.”

He turned his head to look into all the corners of the ceiling before smiling broadly. Once he was sure that he had Darkbringer’s attention, he smiled and waved his hands in front of his face. “Parzuhs Egro.”

Darkbringer’s face took on an aspect of confusion as Semeion changed from his own appearance to match that of Ophee. He had enough experience around Ophee to be able to make a considerably accurate representation. Semeion smiled at Darkbringer and spoke quietly. “You see, they needed to be deceived in order to come and visit you. If you would like, I can return my voice to normal as well.”

Darkbringer looked upon the image of Opheiluka with suspicion. “No, this is strange enough. Just tell me what you have come to say and let me return to my cell. I could care less about what your voice sounds like.”

Semeion sat down in the chair opposite Darkbringer. He wasn’t sure if it mattered or not, but he was sure to mimic Ophee’s speech pattern as best as he could. “My master has sent me to inform you that the time for Phoenix has come.”

Darkbringer’s eyes glazed over at the mention of the code word. Her bitter grimace vanished entirely. “Phoenix? It has come to that already? Very well, I’ll give you want you request.”

Her tone changed from resentment and anger to that of simplicity. Between her change in tone and the change in her facial expressions Darkbringer looked as one under a charm spell. It appeared and sounded as if she was no longer under her own control. “If the time has come for the Phoenix command, then the one you now seek is called the Whetting One.”

A look of simple confusion crossed over Semeion’s face. He misheard Darkbringer’s words based on his own experiences over the course of the last week. “Wedding One? Is that some kind of riddle based upon the fact that the villa was commanded to be destroyed over the time when it was vacated due to the weddings of the four?”

Darkbringer shook her head slowly from side to side, but continued to show no emotion. She did not even smile with Semeion’s mix-up of words. “Not wedding, you imbecile. I said, ‘Whetting.’”

Semeion moved from intellectual misunderstanding to being perplexed. “The Whetting One, then. That is most interesting. And do you have any instructions for me regarding this Whetting One?”

Darkbringer blinked slowly, as if to recall more information. “The Whetting One is simply found. At noon on any given day, you will need to stand beside the statue of the first Lord Ironblood. The statue of which I speak is the one found in the town square. When you stand beside the statue, you will need to send out a magical or telepathic message. The message is simply the name, ‘Whetting One.’ Once you have sent the message, you are to stand beside the statue in the exact place from which you sent the message for five minutes. Once the five minutes are expired, you are free to leave and go about your business. Assuming that you follow these directions perfectly, you are halfway to finding the Whetting One.”

Darkbringer breathed in slowly and closed her eyes as if to retrieve more hidden information. After a few moments her eyes opened once more and she began to speak again. “There is a white barn exactly two miles south of Fingerdale. The Whetting One will meet you in that barn at noon on the third day from when you sent the message. To indicate that you are ready, you are to speak the name of the Whetting One once more.”

Semeion frowned. “Sounds like a chase full of hocus pocus to me. What are we, summoning some kind of demonic presence?” His immediate dismissal of the Phoenix command was intended to throw Darkbringer off, but it failed.

Darkbringer continued to answer in her flat tone. “I assure you, the Whetting One is indeed quite real – and as personable as you or I. But there are two more instructions that must be followed completely once you have said the name by the statue.”

Semeion sighed. He felt like the already convoluted plot was about to get even deeper. His fears were confirmed as Darkbringer spoke again. “Once you have sent out the message from the statue, you must be careful that nobody speaks the name of the Whetting One until noon on the third day. To speak it early will immediately break the agreement and the Phoenix order will be permanently countermanded.”

Semeion nodded. “Understood. And the second order?”

Darkbringer closed her eyes once more. “The Phoenix order is given, and it is not without suspicion. The one who taught me these commands also instructed me to inform you that you are welcome to lay any kind of protective measures in the white barn as you feel necessary. The presence of protection, magical or physical, will not hinder the Whetting One’s coming.”

When Darkbringer had finished speaking, her eyes closed and the scowl once more appeared on her face. “So, are you going to just sit there or are you going to ask me something? I told you that I don’t have anything else that the priests couldn’t get out of me! So let’s get this over with.”

Semeion stood from the chair. It was clear that the Darkbringer had now told all her secrets about the Phoenix command, and she apparently didn’t remember doing so. His eyes darted left and right as he tried to ensure that he remembered all of the conditions regarding the Whetting One. The experience was not at all what he had anticipated. “Actually, I believe you. My master needed me to hear it from you directly. You have confirmed his thoughts, and he will be dealing with the situation accordingly. Now if you don’t mind, I need to disguise myself once more so that I can leave without drawing attention to myself.”

Darkbringer shook her head in disbelief. “You disturbed me and brought me up here for this? And you aren’t even going to ask me anything? Tell your master to not even bother anymore! Just let me rot in this jail for all I care!”

Semeion muttered a few nonsensical words as a cover for the dismissal of the spell that had made him appear as Ophee. He gestured again with his hands as his appearance changed. He called for the guards and indicated that he was finished in the room. As he left the room, he saw Warden Farette approaching him from down the hallway. Both Semeion and the warden carried looks of confusion on their faces.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Darkbringer had been awakened out of a deep sleep early in the morning. Guards had come to her and secured her in shackles that prevented the use of her magic. The cell that she had been given was already warded against magic, but the prison guards knew that once she left the confines of the cell her powers would return. By using the warded shackles, they could prevent her from using magic upon them in transit.

She arrived and was placed in a room with no windows. In fact, within the perfect eight foot cubical room were two simple chairs, a very small square table, and a solid iron reinforced wooden door leading out of the room. The walls had been painted a light gray to match the color of the cellblock below. This room was no escape from her daily tradition of imprisonment.

She was only present for five minutes before Semeion and the warden entered the interrogation room. The warden looked to Darkbringer and smiled as if he derived some sort of pleasure in the proceedings. “You received a visitor today, inmate. I expect you to play nicely and answer all of this mage’s questions.”

Darkbringer sneered, but she knew enough to not respond. She looked upon Semeion with disgust. He was one of the ones that had gotten her imprisoned here. She knew that if she didn’t have the warding shackles around her wrists and feet that she could take him in a duel. But that was unlikely.

Semeion turned to the Warden and nodded in a common act of dismissal. “I think you have made your point clear, warden. With those shackles, I don’t think she has much choice but to play nicely. So it is merely up to her to answer my questions. Besides, if she chooses not to answer my questions I am sure that the priests of Reah, who handled her prior interrogation, would be more than willing to convince her to change her tone.”

Darkbringer’s words lashed out in anger. “I have told you all that I know! If you think you can do more to me than the magical aura of truth that the priests used on me weeks ago, then you are welcome to try. But they got all that they could get out of me then. Do not expect anything else to come out of me, mage. Your power is not as great as theirs.” The statement was more than a threat. It was a confession of truth. Darkbringer had responded in honesty regarding everything the priest had asked; and Semeion’s powers were nowhere near as powerful as the priests upon whom Brandt had called.

The warden smiled and put his back to Darkbringer. “Have fun with her. There will be three guards posted in the hallway. The door will be locked from the outside. Inform them when you are done and they will unlock the door.”

Semeion nodded and waited for the warden to leave. As he stood in silence, Darkbringer once more lashed out in irritation. “What have you got for me today, mage? Let’s get this over with. Even without my magic there is little you can do to me without your friends. I have felt your power already and you are nothing without them.”

Semeion smiled as Darkbringer finished her sentence and he heard the locks click shut. “I personally wouldn’t know, Darkbringer. For you see, I am not who you think I am. Your eyes have already deceived you. Be silent and watch.”

He turned his head to look into all the corners of the ceiling before smiling broadly. Once he was sure that he had Darkbringer’s attention, he smiled and waved his hands in front of his face. “Parzuhs Egro.”

Darkbringer’s face took on an aspect of confusion as Semeion changed from his own appearance to match that of Ophee. He had enough experience around Ophee to be able to make a considerably accurate representation. Semeion smiled at Darkbringer and spoke quietly. “You see, they needed to be deceived in order to come and visit you. If you would like, I can return my voice to normal as well.”

Darkbringer looked upon the image of Opheiluka with suspicion. “No, this is strange enough. Just tell me what you have come to say and let me return to my cell. I could care less about what your voice sounds like.”

Semeion sat down in the chair opposite Darkbringer. He wasn’t sure if it mattered or not, but he was sure to mimic Ophee’s speech pattern as best as he could. “My master has sent me to inform you that the time for Phoenix has come.”

Darkbringer’s eyes glazed over at the mention of the code word. Her bitter grimace vanished entirely. “Phoenix? It has come to that already? Very well, I’ll give you want you request.”

Her tone changed from resentment and anger to that of simplicity. Between her change in tone and the change in her facial expressions Darkbringer looked as one under a charm spell. It appeared and sounded as if she was no longer under her own control. “If the time has come for the Phoenix command, then the one you now seek is called the Whetting One.”

A look of simple confusion crossed over Semeion’s face. He misheard Darkbringer’s words based on his own experiences over the course of the last week. “Wedding One? Is that some kind of riddle based upon the fact that the villa was commanded to be destroyed over the time when it was vacated due to the weddings of the four?”

Darkbringer shook her head slowly from side to side, but continued to show no emotion. She did not even smile with Semeion’s mix-up of words. “Not wedding, you imbecile. I said, ‘Whetting.’”

Semeion moved from intellectual misunderstanding to being perplexed. “The Whetting One, then. That is most interesting. And do you have any instructions for me regarding this Whetting One?”

Darkbringer blinked slowly, as if to recall more information. “The Whetting One is simply found. At noon on any given day, you will need to stand beside the statue of the first Lord Ironblood. The statue of which I speak is the one found in the town square. When you stand beside the statue, you will need to send out a magical or telepathic message. The message is simply the name, ‘Whetting One.’ Once you have sent the message, you are to stand beside the statue in the exact place from which you sent the message for five minutes. Once the five minutes are expired, you are free to leave and go about your business. Assuming that you follow these directions perfectly, you are halfway to finding the Whetting One.”

Darkbringer breathed in slowly and closed her eyes as if to retrieve more hidden information. After a few moments her eyes opened once more and she began to speak again. “There is a white barn exactly two miles south of Fingerdale. The Whetting One will meet you in that barn at noon on the third day from when you sent the message. To indicate that you are ready, you are to speak the name of the Whetting One once more.”

Semeion frowned. “Sounds like a chase full of hocus pocus to me. What are we, summoning some kind of demonic presence?” His immediate dismissal of the Phoenix command was intended to throw Darkbringer off, but it failed.

Darkbringer continued to answer in her flat tone. “I assure you, the Whetting One is indeed quite real – and as personable as you or I. But there are two more instructions that must be followed completely once you have said the name by the statue.”

Semeion sighed. He felt like the already convoluted plot was about to get even deeper. His fears were confirmed as Darkbringer spoke again. “Once you have sent out the message from the statue, you must be careful that nobody speaks the name of the Whetting One until noon on the third day. To speak it early will immediately break the agreement and the Phoenix order will be permanently countermanded.”

Semeion nodded. “Understood. And the second order?”

Darkbringer closed her eyes once more. “The Phoenix order is given, and it is not without suspicion. The one who taught me these commands also instructed me to inform you that you are welcome to lay any kind of protective measures in the white barn as you feel necessary. The presence of protection, magical or physical, will not hinder the Whetting One’s coming.”

When Darkbringer had finished speaking, her eyes closed and the scowl once more appeared on her face. “So, are you going to just sit there or are you going to ask me something? I told you that I don’t have anything else that the priests couldn’t get out of me! So let’s get this over with.”

Semeion stood from the chair. It was clear that the Darkbringer had now told all her secrets about the Phoenix command, and she apparently didn’t remember doing so. His eyes darted left and right as he tried to ensure that he remembered all of the conditions regarding the Whetting One. The experience was not at all what he had anticipated. “Actually, I believe you. My master needed me to hear it from you directly. You have confirmed his thoughts, and he will be dealing with the situation accordingly. Now if you don’t mind, I need to disguise myself once more so that I can leave without drawing attention to myself.”

Darkbringer shook her head in disbelief. “You disturbed me and brought me up here for this? And you aren’t even going to ask me anything? Tell your master to not even bother anymore! Just let me rot in this jail for all I care!”

Semeion muttered a few nonsensical words as a cover for the dismissal of the spell that had made him appear as Ophee. He gestured again with his hands as his appearance changed. He called for the guards and indicated that he was finished in the room. As he left the room, he saw Warden Farette approaching him from down the hallway. Both Semeion and the warden carried looks of confusion on their faces.
[/Sblock]

Semeion and the warden locked eyes as the warden motioned for Semeion to return to his office. Once they were both inside, the warden closed the door. “Would you like for me to go and retrieve your friends once Darkbringer has been properly returned to the lower levels?”

Semeion nodded appropriately, surprised by the sudden generosity expressed by the warden. “Sure. If nothing else, it will save me some time explaining everything over to them again.”

The warden waited until Semeion sat down and then left him alone in the office. He returned to the office a half dozen minutes later with the rest of the party in tow. Since there were only two chairs in the office besides the warden’s chair, Semeion rose in order to allow both Charis and Rhema to occupy the seats.

Charis reached out a hand and rubbed it along Semeion’s shoulder as she sat down. “The warden said that you could fill us in better than he could since you were actually in the interrogation. Did it go well?”

Semeion pulled his lips to the left side of his face as he thought about the manner in which he wanted to describe the interrogation. “The interrogation was successful, yes. And I have the appropriate information – which I can share with you all later on so that the warden doesn’t have to listen to the details again.”

Rhema could tell that Semeion was choosing his words carefully and that there was something about the interrogation that had bothered him. “Just say it, Semeion. I can tell by the way that you are dancing around the words that something didn’t go right. Just say what it was.”

Semeion took a deep breath and thought a bit more about his words before speaking again. “Well, it is just that I don’t think Darkbringer knew that she gave me any information at all.”

The warden’s head bobbed slowly in agreement. “Yeah. When Darkbringer was giving the information that Semeion asked for by using the code word, her tone was flat and emotionless. Yet before and after Darkbringer gave the information she was combative in tone. She was convinced that she didn’t have anything else to say at all.”

Semeion continued where the warden left off. “What’s weirder still is that even after she had finished giving me all the information she didn’t seem to remember doing so. She acted as though the time spent giving me the information was lost to her. It is as if once I said the word Phoenix her brain quit keeping track of memories.”

Rhema has listened intently, and the scenario sounded familiar to her. “Well, it sounds as though it was some kind of mental trick. The question that I have is whether or not it was some kind of mental game she was playing on you or if it was some kind of brainwashing that she had been subjected to.”

Both the warden and Semeion nodded in agreement, but it was the warden who spoke first. “Brainwashing was my own first thought, personally. She was acting as though someone else had taken over control of the interrogation.”

Semeion looked more and more disturbed as the warden’s quick interjection gave him time to think about Rhema’s conjecture. Charis noted Semeion’s look of disapproval and questioned the young mage on it. “Semeion, you look even less happy than when we came in. What’s going on in that mind of yours?”

Semeion smiled briefly. “I hadn’t considered that we were being played. Up until now I had assumed that I had tapped into some unconscious memory that had been planted within her mind in case something went wrong with the plan. I had assumed that much because the mage in Eberdeen was able to determine this course of action. I assumed that he had discovered the Phoenix command in his research. But what if we have been played to be the fool?”

Charis turned in her chair to completely face Semeion who was standing behind her. “By the mage of the wizard’s college or by Darkbringer?”

Semeion merely shrugged. “I don’t know. My gut instinct is to say Darkbringer, because we fulfilled the mage’s request of us. He’d have no reason to cross us as far as I can tell.”

The warden interjected a thought as he recalled the interrogation. “Do you think that another interrogation might answer that? We saw how she responded to the Phoenix command. Would subjecting her to the command once more prove anything useful?”

Ischarus nodded in agreement, “Perhaps. We could validate her story through another trial. If the effect was identical, we could count on it being a form of brainwashing. If she had made up the effect in order to play us, we would know that as well.”

Rhema smiled and shook her head in disapproval. “Tell me, how did the time when she didn’t seem herself end?”

Semeion turned to look at Rhema. “Suddenly. As if when she had said everything that she was supposed to say then she automatically snapped out of her trance.”

Rhema looked to the warden for confirmation and received it in the form of a nod. “Well, if that is true, then a second pass at the effect may prove nothing.”

Ischarus looked to Rhema and inquired further out of his lack of understanding regarding the mind and ways to charm it. “What do you mean, Rhema? If Darkbringer was trained for a response like a dog is trained with tricks, shouldn’t her response be the same?”

Rhema and everyone else chuckled at Ischarus’ analogy. “Yes, if Darkbringer was trained through repetition. If Darkbringer was charmed magically or subjected to hypnotism, the process could have been completed by ordering that the knowledge be eliminated at the end of the sequence. So a second interview might not gain any results at all.”

Charis’ eyes danced back and forth as she thought through the possibilities. “Wait a minute. If Darkbringer was given the message without her realizing it, then it seems like it should either repeat identically or else it shouldn’t work at all, correct?”

The warden smiled and nodded as he followed Charis’ thought. “Indeed.”

Charis continued. “So, if we interview her again and either of those options happen then we could assume the message was a plant without her knowing the actual content. As to whether the message was legitimate or not is another question in that case. But, if she tries to mimic the original presentation and doesn’t get it right, then we’ll know that she was playing us for the fool.”

Ischarus nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Semeion shook his head. “It isn’t so easy.”

Charis turned again in her chair and feigned a frown in Semeion’s direction. “There’s always a deep thinking mage to ruin a decent plan.” Semeion responded to her tease with a smile of his own.

Rhema finished Semeion’s thought for him in order to give his interjection a little credence. “Actually, he’s right. If Darkbringer is skilled in the methodology of interrogation, hypnotism, or even charm magic she’d know everything I just said. She could easily feign it and say nothing. Then she’d have played us twice.”

Ischarus looked down upon his wife. “You enjoy making life complicated, don’t you?” He added a loving smile to the end of his accusation to soften the tone.

Rhema replied with a smile of her own and pointed to Semeion. “Don’t look at me. He’s the one that started it all with his doubting of her sincerity.”

Semeion smiled at the exchange. “Yeah. That is the interesting thing that most people don’t understand about magic. I used my magic to try and deceive her. If she knows enough about magic in return, she could use that knowledge to deceive us as well. Magic seldom solves problems. Often, it simply creates more problems than it solves.”

Charis looked up to Semeion and asked an honest question. “So, why do you do it?”

Semeion smiled sincerely. “Because it’s fun!” A mischievous look of amuzement passed over his face as he smiled at Charis.

The warden interjected into the party’s excursion from the topic at hand. “Either way, I want another interrogation, and this time I’m doing the interrogation and you all can watch through the magical sensors.”

An hour later the party left the jail. They were no closer to knowing if Darkbringer had told the truth or had played them. Darkbringer had not given any indication that the word Phoenix had any meaning for her at all. In fact, the mention of the Phoenix command only agitated her because she claimed to not have any useful knowledge and that the warden was wasting her time.

The party’s work in Fingerdale was now done, however. It was time to return to the villa and plan. Semeion would describe to the party what Darkbringer claimed the Phoenix command entailed on their way to the villa. Then it would simply be a matter of waiting for Brandt to show up.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Semeion and the warden locked eyes as the warden motioned for Semeion to return to his office. Once they were both inside, the warden closed the door. “Would you like for me to go and retrieve your friends once Darkbringer has been properly returned to the lower levels?”

Semeion nodded appropriately, surprised by the sudden generosity expressed by the warden. “Sure. If nothing else, it will save me some time explaining everything over to them again.”

The warden waited until Semeion sat down and then left him alone in the office. He returned to the office a half dozen minutes later with the rest of the party in tow. Since there were only two chairs in the office besides the warden’s chair, Semeion rose in order to allow both Charis and Rhema to occupy the seats.

Charis reached out a hand and rubbed it along Semeion’s shoulder as she sat down. “The warden said that you could fill us in better than he could since you were actually in the interrogation. Did it go well?”

Semeion pulled his lips to the left side of his face as he thought about the manner in which he wanted to describe the interrogation. “The interrogation was successful, yes. And I have the appropriate information – which I can share with you all later on so that the warden doesn’t have to listen to the details again.”

Rhema could tell that Semeion was choosing his words carefully and that there was something about the interrogation that had bothered him. “Just say it, Semeion. I can tell by the way that you are dancing around the words that something didn’t go right. Just say what it was.”

Semeion took a deep breath and thought a bit more about his words before speaking again. “Well, it is just that I don’t think Darkbringer knew that she gave me any information at all.”

The warden’s head bobbed slowly in agreement. “Yeah. When Darkbringer was giving the information that Semeion asked for by using the code word, her tone was flat and emotionless. Yet before and after Darkbringer gave the information she was combative in tone. She was convinced that she didn’t have anything else to say at all.”

Semeion continued where the warden left off. “What’s weirder still is that even after she had finished giving me all the information she didn’t seem to remember doing so. She acted as though the time spent giving me the information was lost to her. It is as if once I said the word Phoenix her brain quit keeping track of memories.”

Rhema has listened intently, and the scenario sounded familiar to her. “Well, it sounds as though it was some kind of mental trick. The question that I have is whether or not it was some kind of mental game she was playing on you or if it was some kind of brainwashing that she had been subjected to.”

Both the warden and Semeion nodded in agreement, but it was the warden who spoke first. “Brainwashing was my own first thought, personally. She was acting as though someone else had taken over control of the interrogation.”

Semeion looked more and more disturbed as the warden’s quick interjection gave him time to think about Rhema’s conjecture. Charis noted Semeion’s look of disapproval and questioned the young mage on it. “Semeion, you look even less happy than when we came in. What’s going on in that mind of yours?”

Semeion smiled briefly. “I hadn’t considered that we were being played. Up until now I had assumed that I had tapped into some unconscious memory that had been planted within her mind in case something went wrong with the plan. I had assumed that much because the mage in Eberdeen was able to determine this course of action. I assumed that he had discovered the Phoenix command in his research. But what if we have been played to be the fool?”

Charis turned in her chair to completely face Semeion who was standing behind her. “By the mage of the wizard’s college or by Darkbringer?”

Semeion merely shrugged. “I don’t know. My gut instinct is to say Darkbringer, because we fulfilled the mage’s request of us. He’d have no reason to cross us as far as I can tell.”

The warden interjected a thought as he recalled the interrogation. “Do you think that another interrogation might answer that? We saw how she responded to the Phoenix command. Would subjecting her to the command once more prove anything useful?”

Ischarus nodded in agreement, “Perhaps. We could validate her story through another trial. If the effect was identical, we could count on it being a form of brainwashing. If she had made up the effect in order to play us, we would know that as well.”

Rhema smiled and shook her head in disapproval. “Tell me, how did the time when she didn’t seem herself end?”

Semeion turned to look at Rhema. “Suddenly. As if when she had said everything that she was supposed to say then she automatically snapped out of her trance.”

Rhema looked to the warden for confirmation and received it in the form of a nod. “Well, if that is true, then a second pass at the effect may prove nothing.”

Ischarus looked to Rhema and inquired further out of his lack of understanding regarding the mind and ways to charm it. “What do you mean, Rhema? If Darkbringer was trained for a response like a dog is trained with tricks, shouldn’t her response be the same?”

Rhema and everyone else chuckled at Ischarus’ analogy. “Yes, if Darkbringer was trained through repetition. If Darkbringer was charmed magically or subjected to hypnotism, the process could have been completed by ordering that the knowledge be eliminated at the end of the sequence. So a second interview might not gain any results at all.”

Charis’ eyes danced back and forth as she thought through the possibilities. “Wait a minute. If Darkbringer was given the message without her realizing it, then it seems like it should either repeat identically or else it shouldn’t work at all, correct?”

The warden smiled and nodded as he followed Charis’ thought. “Indeed.”

Charis continued. “So, if we interview her again and either of those options happen then we could assume the message was a plant without her knowing the actual content. As to whether the message was legitimate or not is another question in that case. But, if she tries to mimic the original presentation and doesn’t get it right, then we’ll know that she was playing us for the fool.”

Ischarus nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Semeion shook his head. “It isn’t so easy.”

Charis turned again in her chair and feigned a frown in Semeion’s direction. “There’s always a deep thinking mage to ruin a decent plan.” Semeion responded to her tease with a smile of his own.

Rhema finished Semeion’s thought for him in order to give his interjection a little credence. “Actually, he’s right. If Darkbringer is skilled in the methodology of interrogation, hypnotism, or even charm magic she’d know everything I just said. She could easily feign it and say nothing. Then she’d have played us twice.”

Ischarus looked down upon his wife. “You enjoy making life complicated, don’t you?” He added a loving smile to the end of his accusation to soften the tone.

Rhema replied with a smile of her own and pointed to Semeion. “Don’t look at me. He’s the one that started it all with his doubting of her sincerity.”

Semeion smiled at the exchange. “Yeah. That is the interesting thing that most people don’t understand about magic. I used my magic to try and deceive her. If she knows enough about magic in return, she could use that knowledge to deceive us as well. Magic seldom solves problems. Often, it simply creates more problems than it solves.”

Charis looked up to Semeion and asked an honest question. “So, why do you do it?”

Semeion smiled sincerely. “Because it’s fun!” A mischievous look of amuzement passed over his face as he smiled at Charis.

The warden interjected into the party’s excursion from the topic at hand. “Either way, I want another interrogation, and this time I’m doing the interrogation and you all can watch through the magical sensors.”

An hour later the party left the jail. They were no closer to knowing if Darkbringer had told the truth or had played them. Darkbringer had not given any indication that the word Phoenix had any meaning for her at all. In fact, the mention of the Phoenix command only agitated her because she claimed to not have any useful knowledge and that the warden was wasting her time.

The party’s work in Fingerdale was now done, however. It was time to return to the villa and plan. Semeion would describe to the party what Darkbringer claimed the Phoenix command entailed on their way to the villa. Then it would simply be a matter of waiting for Brandt to show up.
[/Sblock]

The party was able to ride into Huetown and arrive at Rhema’s father’s villa in the late afternoon. They had stopped at a few local merchants in Huetown to pick up some food in addition to a few other building supplies that might be needed over the course of the next few days. As they turned off of the road and began to walk their horses up the long dusty path that lead to the site of the old villa, they could see Iasho walking steadily towards them. In a few minutes they dismounted from their horses and greeted Iasho with smiles and hugs. Iasho replied with an equally warm welcome.

The elderly man spoke with a strong voice. “Your trip was successful, I see! Even if it was not successful in gathering the information it was surely successful with regard to the bounty with which you have returned to us!”

Rhema smiled proudly, allowing her lips to part as she beamed under her father’s attention. “Our trip was good on all fronts, if not a bit strange. We brought the food and supplies out of celebration. We figured the workers could use a good hearty meal once the sun goes down tonight. If we start right away, we can get the pit smoking and the meat cooking in under an hour!”

Semeion smiled. “Rhema, I think we can manage to do it quicker than just under an hour. Between the matches that Ischarus bought and a few other resources, we can have the meat cooking in far less time than that, don’t you think?”

Iasho grinned at the playfulness of the foursome. By all appearances they seemed to be enjoying themselves. In truth, they had come a long way both spiritually and emotionally in their journey back to Huetown. They decided that in spite of the delays, it might be best to wait a full day before initiating the Phoenix command. By waiting until noon tomorrow, they would give Brandt an opportunity to hear the details without having to worry about countermanding the Phoenix command through speech. Brandt might be able to accomplish some research and at least help them narrow down the various possibilities which the Phoenix command might bring about.

Rhema turned back to look at Semeion, and the memories from last summer’s battle flooded back into her mind. “Oh, I think I know what you mean.” Her eyes glinted with a slight twinkle. She hadn’t needed to use her powers for a few days and it would feel good to exercise the mental muscles once more.

The party continued on foot until they reached the remains of the former villa. Ischarus gathered up some of the supplies that they had purchased and brought back with them and guided Elistra to the opposite side of the ruined villa. He found the undamaged pit in the ground that had served the villa in cooking food for many years. With luck, it would continue to serve the villa for years to come.

Ischarus knelt down to the ground and pulled loose dirt away and into a small pile. Just underneath the surface of the ground he found two metal handles within a cooking pit. He pulled upwards hard in a jerking motion and the scraping of metal upon metal rang across the length of the villa’s plowed fields. Many of the workers who were in the process of tending the fields and cutting trees to use in the construction of the villa turned in recognition of the sound. Many of them applauded briefly at the realization that the sound would mean a healthy meal of smoked meat for dinner.

Ischarus lifted the handles, bringing the large metal smoking oven to the surface. He slid his hand across the top of the oven until his fingers caught on a lip. The oven lid slid along the remainder of the top and presented an opening in which to arrange the meat. Once the oven was opened, Ischarus turned and laid along the ground in order to reach into the three foot deep pit. He easily lifted a dozen eight inch diameter volcanic stones to the surface.

Rhema brought Shauvry to stand alongside Elistra and released the reigns. She smiled as her husband had struggled to lift the heavy oven out of the ground and onto the surface. “If you are going to stock the meat, I’ll start working on the fire.”

Ischarus nodded and smiled. He knew that Rhema was no pyromaniac, but he also knew that she enjoyed playing with fire from time to time and there was no better fire starter than his wife. Rhema left his side and gathered a small stockpile of wood and kindling. It didn’t take her more than a minute to stack the wood in the small chamber so that a fire could take.

Rhema looked pleased when she finished with her work. “Alright, the wood is ready. Care to light a match for me?”

Ischarus reached into a pocket fastened to the belt which held his scabbard. He pulled out a small wooden box and slid the top of the box open. The box opened with a click and Ischarus removed a single match. He winked to Rhema as he struck the match along a gray striking plate glued to the wooden side of the box.

As the match flared into flame, Rhema focused her eyes upon its center. The yellow flame engulfed the round end of the wooden match. As Rhema focused on the flame, she mentally called the flame away from the wood that fueled its flickering. Even as the flame left the wood it did not diminish in intensity. The flame leapt magically through the air as Rhema’s mind sustained its essence.

Rhema used her mind to move the flame down into the pit until it passed into the midst of the kindling and wood that she had stacked at the bottom of the pit. She held the flame in place with her mind until the kindling began to smolder and smoke. An instant later the kindling burst into flame. Rhema moved the flame from the match to several secondary locations in order to catch the wood in the underground oven on fire faster than normal. In only a matter of minutes the wood in the bottom of the oven blazed so high that the flames licked the top edge of the three foot pit.

Rhema was pleased with the ease that the fire caught. “There now, give the fire a few more minutes to burn the wood into ashes and then throw the stones upon the ground.”

Ischarus knew the routine well enough to roll his eyes at the instructions of his wife. “I’ve cooked many meals in this pit. I know how to do it!”

Rhema snickered and replied with a tease in her voice. “Of course, dear.”

Ischarus grabbed a four foot metal rod that rested comfortably against a pile of rubble from the villa and waited a few more minutes. “I do believe that we’ve let it burn quite long enough now.” Ischarus thrust the end of the rod into the burned wood and many of the pieces broke apart as the ash within crumbled. Ischarus peered into the bottom of the pit and smiled as red hot embers shimmered back. “I think the embers are ready for the stones now.”

Rhema lifted one of the volcanic rocks from where Ischarus had stacked them earlier. She handed them one by one to her husband, who gently sat them upon the red hot embers. He watched for a moment once all the stones had been replaced inside the pit.

Rhema stood over him and spoke confidently. “Well, I think we’ve done it once again. Now, I’ll watch the fire while you stack the meat into the oven with the hickory chips.”

Ischarus nodded. He reached into Elistra’s saddlebag and pulled out a small bundle of wet towels. With a few simple strokes of his hand he unraveled the wet wrappings. Several small well moistened chips of hickory sat inside the bundle. Ischarus smiled as he arranged the chips in the bottom of the smoking oven.

Semeion and Charis led Thana and Abijou around the side of the burned down villa once they saw that the fire had caught and the oven was ready to be filled. They bid Iasho goodbye with a promise to have dinner ready shortly after the sun set. Once they had joined Ischarus and Charis on the far side of the villa, they began to untie the fowl and large cuts of beef that they had purchased at the market.

Ischarus received the meat and arranged it in the oven, making sure that the hickory chips remained uncovered so that the smoke would penetrate the entire oven. Once he was pleased with how the meat was arranged, he slid the oven door lid closed and made sure it was tight. “Don’t want any dirt to get in and spoil the meat, do we? Charis, would you mind giving me a hand to put the oven back in the ground?”

Charis smiled and clasped the handle nearest to her with both hands. Together, Ischarus and Charis lifted the oven and lowered it into the ground until it rested upon the well heated volcanic rocks. With a little effort the oven lid was covered with loose dirt that rested beside the pit for just this purpose. The ground would seal in the heat that was given off by the volcanic stones.

A familiar voice spoke from the opposite side of Elistra and Shauvry. “Well, that looks like a mighty feast. I’m glad I came! Should be ready in a few hours, no?”

Ischarus and Semeion both stood and looked with expectation in the direction of the voice, yet it was Rhema who spoke first. She had been standing and in good position to see the newcomer approach. “Brandt? You got our message!”

Brandt smiled at the greeting and shook hands with each member of the foursome. “Yep, I got your message. Trust me when I say that it was difficult to stay away all day. But your message said to seek you out here at the villa in order to find out what you all learned in Eberdeen. I figured that I’d come a little early and see if there was anything that my magic could do to help with regard to the villa’s reconstruction.”

Rhema nodded. “Of course. Why don’t we let the meat cook and absorb the smoke while we go find something to do? We can return to this discussion around the fire this evening when our bellies are full and our muscles are tired.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
The party was able to ride into Huetown and arrive at Rhema’s father’s villa in the late afternoon. They had stopped at a few local merchants in Huetown to pick up some food in addition to a few other building supplies that might be needed over the course of the next few days. As they turned off of the road and began to walk their horses up the long dusty path that lead to the site of the old villa, they could see Iasho walking steadily towards them. In a few minutes they dismounted from their horses and greeted Iasho with smiles and hugs. Iasho replied with an equally warm welcome.

The elderly man spoke with a strong voice. “Your trip was successful, I see! Even if it was not successful in gathering the information it was surely successful with regard to the bounty with which you have returned to us!”

Rhema smiled proudly, allowing her lips to part as she beamed under her father’s attention. “Our trip was good on all fronts, if not a bit strange. We brought the food and supplies out of celebration. We figured the workers could use a good hearty meal once the sun goes down tonight. If we start right away, we can get the pit smoking and the meat cooking in under an hour!”

Semeion smiled. “Rhema, I think we can manage to do it quicker than just under an hour. Between the matches that Ischarus bought and a few other resources, we can have the meat cooking in far less time than that, don’t you think?”

Iasho grinned at the playfulness of the foursome. By all appearances they seemed to be enjoying themselves. In truth, they had come a long way both spiritually and emotionally in their journey back to Huetown. They decided that in spite of the delays, it might be best to wait a full day before initiating the Phoenix command. By waiting until noon tomorrow, they would give Brandt an opportunity to hear the details without having to worry about countermanding the Phoenix command through speech. Brandt might be able to accomplish some research and at least help them narrow down the various possibilities which the Phoenix command might bring about.

Rhema turned back to look at Semeion, and the memories from last summer’s battle flooded back into her mind. “Oh, I think I know what you mean.” Her eyes glinted with a slight twinkle. She hadn’t needed to use her powers for a few days and it would feel good to exercise the mental muscles once more.

The party continued on foot until they reached the remains of the former villa. Ischarus gathered up some of the supplies that they had purchased and brought back with them and guided Elistra to the opposite side of the ruined villa. He found the undamaged pit in the ground that had served the villa in cooking food for many years. With luck, it would continue to serve the villa for years to come.

Ischarus knelt down to the ground and pulled loose dirt away and into a small pile. Just underneath the surface of the ground he found two metal handles within a cooking pit. He pulled upwards hard in a jerking motion and the scraping of metal upon metal rang across the length of the villa’s plowed fields. Many of the workers who were in the process of tending the fields and cutting trees to use in the construction of the villa turned in recognition of the sound. Many of them applauded briefly at the realization that the sound would mean a healthy meal of smoked meat for dinner.

Ischarus lifted the handles, bringing the large metal smoking oven to the surface. He slid his hand across the top of the oven until his fingers caught on a lip. The oven lid slid along the remainder of the top and presented an opening in which to arrange the meat. Once the oven was opened, Ischarus turned and laid along the ground in order to reach into the three foot deep pit. He easily lifted a dozen eight inch diameter volcanic stones to the surface.

Rhema brought Shauvry to stand alongside Elistra and released the reigns. She smiled as her husband had struggled to lift the heavy oven out of the ground and onto the surface. “If you are going to stock the meat, I’ll start working on the fire.”

Ischarus nodded and smiled. He knew that Rhema was no pyromaniac, but he also knew that she enjoyed playing with fire from time to time and there was no better fire starter than his wife. Rhema left his side and gathered a small stockpile of wood and kindling. It didn’t take her more than a minute to stack the wood in the small chamber so that a fire could take.

Rhema looked pleased when she finished with her work. “Alright, the wood is ready. Care to light a match for me?”

Ischarus reached into a pocket fastened to the belt which held his scabbard. He pulled out a small wooden box and slid the top of the box open. The box opened with a click and Ischarus removed a single match. He winked to Rhema as he struck the match along a gray striking plate glued to the wooden side of the box.

As the match flared into flame, Rhema focused her eyes upon its center. The yellow flame engulfed the round end of the wooden match. As Rhema focused on the flame, she mentally called the flame away from the wood that fueled its flickering. Even as the flame left the wood it did not diminish in intensity. The flame leapt magically through the air as Rhema’s mind sustained its essence.

Rhema used her mind to move the flame down into the pit until it passed into the midst of the kindling and wood that she had stacked at the bottom of the pit. She held the flame in place with her mind until the kindling began to smolder and smoke. An instant later the kindling burst into flame. Rhema moved the flame from the match to several secondary locations in order to catch the wood in the underground oven on fire faster than normal. In only a matter of minutes the wood in the bottom of the oven blazed so high that the flames licked the top edge of the three foot pit.

Rhema was pleased with the ease that the fire caught. “There now, give the fire a few more minutes to burn the wood into ashes and then throw the stones upon the ground.”

Ischarus knew the routine well enough to roll his eyes at the instructions of his wife. “I’ve cooked many meals in this pit. I know how to do it!”

Rhema snickered and replied with a tease in her voice. “Of course, dear.”

Ischarus grabbed a four foot metal rod that rested comfortably against a pile of rubble from the villa and waited a few more minutes. “I do believe that we’ve let it burn quite long enough now.” Ischarus thrust the end of the rod into the burned wood and many of the pieces broke apart as the ash within crumbled. Ischarus peered into the bottom of the pit and smiled as red hot embers shimmered back. “I think the embers are ready for the stones now.”

Rhema lifted one of the volcanic rocks from where Ischarus had stacked them earlier. She handed them one by one to her husband, who gently sat them upon the red hot embers. He watched for a moment once all the stones had been replaced inside the pit.

Rhema stood over him and spoke confidently. “Well, I think we’ve done it once again. Now, I’ll watch the fire while you stack the meat into the oven with the hickory chips.”

Ischarus nodded. He reached into Elistra’s saddlebag and pulled out a small bundle of wet towels. With a few simple strokes of his hand he unraveled the wet wrappings. Several small well moistened chips of hickory sat inside the bundle. Ischarus smiled as he arranged the chips in the bottom of the smoking oven.

Semeion and Charis led Thana and Abijou around the side of the burned down villa once they saw that the fire had caught and the oven was ready to be filled. They bid Iasho goodbye with a promise to have dinner ready shortly after the sun set. Once they had joined Ischarus and Charis on the far side of the villa, they began to untie the fowl and large cuts of beef that they had purchased at the market.

Ischarus received the meat and arranged it in the oven, making sure that the hickory chips remained uncovered so that the smoke would penetrate the entire oven. Once he was pleased with how the meat was arranged, he slid the oven door lid closed and made sure it was tight. “Don’t want any dirt to get in and spoil the meat, do we? Charis, would you mind giving me a hand to put the oven back in the ground?”

Charis smiled and clasped the handle nearest to her with both hands. Together, Ischarus and Charis lifted the oven and lowered it into the ground until it rested upon the well heated volcanic rocks. With a little effort the oven lid was covered with loose dirt that rested beside the pit for just this purpose. The ground would seal in the heat that was given off by the volcanic stones.

A familiar voice spoke from the opposite side of Elistra and Shauvry. “Well, that looks like a mighty feast. I’m glad I came! Should be ready in a few hours, no?”

Ischarus and Semeion both stood and looked with expectation in the direction of the voice, yet it was Rhema who spoke first. She had been standing and in good position to see the newcomer approach. “Brandt? You got our message!”

Brandt smiled at the greeting and shook hands with each member of the foursome. “Yep, I got your message. Trust me when I say that it was difficult to stay away all day. But your message said to seek you out here at the villa in order to find out what you all learned in Eberdeen. I figured that I’d come a little early and see if there was anything that my magic could do to help with regard to the villa’s reconstruction.”

Rhema nodded. “Of course. Why don’t we let the meat cook and absorb the smoke while we go find something to do? We can return to this discussion around the fire this evening when our bellies are full and our muscles are tired.”
[/Sblock]

The remainder of the day’s labor seemed to pass by slowly on account of anticipation of the coming meal. Fortunately, the underground nature of the cooking oven prevented the aromatic smell of the hickory smoked meat from tempting people’s minds and stomachs even further. There was little that could be smelled of the meat until after sun down when Ischarus dug the ground out from above the oven. The metal oven had grown as warm as the volcanic stones within the ground and required the handles to be wrapped in hide in order to lift the oven out from the ground. Once the oven was removed and the lid was opened, the smell of the smoke and hickory flooded the entire villa. It wasn’t long before hungry servants had gathered around and the meat was enjoyed.

Charis had carried in several melons from the market, and their orange pulpy flesh was particularly sweet in contrast to the more biting hickory and smoke flavor of the meat. She had taken to slicing the melons into quarters and removing the inner seeds while the meat was cooking underground. She had also purchased several long loaves of bread that she quickly sliced as Ischarus uncovered the underground oven. By the time she was needed to lift the oven out of the ground, the melons and the bread were set on a table and ready to be served buffet style.

The meal was quite satisfying for the servants of the villa after the long day’s labor. The meal was also satisfying to the adventurers as they celebrated their safe return and continuation of their quest to find the individual or organization that was responsible for the destruction at the villa. It was to this topic that the conversation between Iasho, Brandt, and the party turned once the food had been consumed.

A light breeze passed among the six as Brandt reintroduced the topic. “So, you left a message saying that you had news and I was to seek you out. Fortunately for me you asked me to come for dinner, too! But seeing as how dinner has now passed, tell me of the news. What have you managed to learn from Darkbringer – and how did you find it?”

Semeion smiled, knowing that magic had a great deal to do with their discoveries. Magic was necessary for the travel to Quehalost; and magic had been necessary for the wizard in Eberdeen to discover the Phoenix command. “We were approached by a servant of a wizard who works within the wizard’s college in Eberdeen. He was a self-proclaimed master of information and indicated to us that if we exchanged services he would be willing to use his talents to help us out. He needed a group of people to collect some spell components, largely because I think that his time in the college has made him soft for adventuring. But in exchange for the collection of spell components, he gave us what we have come to call the Phoenix command.”

Brandt’s eyebrows wrinkled as Semeion spoke the cryptic name. “Phoenix, as in the bird?”

Ischarus nodded. “The one and the same as far as we can tell. Of course, that was part of why we asked you to come. We assumed that you would have more knowledge about these kinds of names than we would.”

Brandt chuckled at Ischarus’ compliment. “Certainly a wise precaution, especially when dealing with strange magicians and cryptic names. So what did this Phoenix command earn you all?”

Rhema took over the telling of the story for a short while. “Well, the wizard in Eberdeen informed us that while he could not discern Darkbringer’s true purpose or the ones who had sent her, he did tell us that he was able to discover a command word that would unlock some of her instruction. Hence, we learned about the purpose of the Phoenix command. The wizard in Eberdeen said that if we used that command in the presence of Darkbringer that she would divulge more private information.”

Iasho asked the next question well before Brandt found himself ready. “Well, what did the Phoenix command get from Darkbringer?”

Semeion spoke quickly, realizing that this was really his story to tell. After all, it was Semeion who had actually been a part of the interrogation process. “To be honest, not much. At noon on any day we are to go to the statue of Lord Ironblood in the central square of Fingerdale. From there, we are to send out a magical or telepathic message for the Whetting One. Three days later we are supposed to show up at noon in a barn south of Fingerdale and meet the Whetting One. Apparently the Whetting One is the one with the next level of information that we need.”

Iasho chuckled at Semeion’s retelling of the instructions, but this time it was Brandt who beat Iasho to the response. “Well, that’s certainly interesting to say the least.” He stroked his chin as he thought about the details given by Darkbringer. “It seems rather harmless, all in all.”

Semeion looked to Brandt and held his glance for a moment before speaking. “Do you really think so? We’re not being set up to accomplish somebody else’s hidden agenda? I mean, those instruction just seem so odd.”

Rhema nodded in agreement. “Yeah. This may sound silly, but the last thing that we’d want to do is to summon something from another realm into this world without knowing what we are doing.”

Brandt shook his head in disagreement. “Well, you need not worry about being the cause of summoning something into our world. The directions that you just told me wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce through any worldly barriers with any accuracy. The directions that you gave are simple. Something has to be watching or listening for such a general broadcast. That something would have to be here in this world already – and probably not all that far from the town square, too.”

Ischarus relaxed and leaned backwards. “Well that certainly puts me at ease, knowing that we won’t be summoning some sort of other worldly creature. But what do you make of the Phoenix command? It seems a bit contrived to me.”

Brandt nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it certainly seems difficult to believe. It has been about a month since Darkbringer was first captured? Certainly there hasn’t been an agent monitoring the square in Fingerdale every noon since then. That would be an incredible waste of resources from the stance of the Ephistaemi.”

Iasho nodded in agreement. “I concur. Something about this doesn’t make sense. It is either a poorly conceived emergency plan or else there is much more about it than we can grasp from the details given to us by Darkbringer.”

Charis looked back to Brandt once Iasho finished speaking. “But, as far as you are aware the name ‘Whetting One’ is meaningless and without some kind of deeper meaning?”

Brandt nodded in assurance to Charis’ question. “As far as I know, that’s correct. I’ll happily do some research for you and let you know tomorrow. I’m assuming that you were planning on enacting the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”

Ischarus smiled briefly. “Unless you find reason otherwise, yes.”

Brandt continued to nod in agreement. “Good.”

Semeion interjected a concluding thought as the conversation about the Phoenix command seemed to be winding down. “One more thing, Brandt. Once the Phoenix command is enacted, the name ‘Whetting One’ must not be spoken until noon on the third day in the barn south of Fingerdale. Apparently the mere mention of the name countermands the Phoenix command.”

Brandt turned and watched Semeion as he described this final instruction. His eyes narrowed slightly and a look of displeasure crossed his face. “That’s the first thing you’ve told me today that I really don’t like at all.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
The remainder of the day’s labor seemed to pass by slowly on account of anticipation of the coming meal. Fortunately, the underground nature of the cooking oven prevented the aromatic smell of the hickory smoked meat from tempting people’s minds and stomachs even further. There was little that could be smelled of the meat until after sun down when Ischarus dug the ground out from above the oven. The metal oven had grown as warm as the volcanic stones within the ground and required the handles to be wrapped in hide in order to lift the oven out from the ground. Once the oven was removed and the lid was opened, the smell of the smoke and hickory flooded the entire villa. It wasn’t long before hungry servants had gathered around and the meat was enjoyed.

Charis had carried in several melons from the market, and their orange pulpy flesh was particularly sweet in contrast to the more biting hickory and smoke flavor of the meat. She had taken to slicing the melons into quarters and removing the inner seeds while the meat was cooking underground. She had also purchased several long loaves of bread that she quickly sliced as Ischarus uncovered the underground oven. By the time she was needed to lift the oven out of the ground, the melons and the bread were set on a table and ready to be served buffet style.

The meal was quite satisfying for the servants of the villa after the long day’s labor. The meal was also satisfying to the adventurers as they celebrated their safe return and continuation of their quest to find the individual or organization that was responsible for the destruction at the villa. It was to this topic that the conversation between Iasho, Brandt, and the party turned once the food had been consumed.

A light breeze passed among the six as Brandt reintroduced the topic. “So, you left a message saying that you had news and I was to seek you out. Fortunately for me you asked me to come for dinner, too! But seeing as how dinner has now passed, tell me of the news. What have you managed to learn from Darkbringer – and how did you find it?”

Semeion smiled, knowing that magic had a great deal to do with their discoveries. Magic was necessary for the travel to Quehalost; and magic had been necessary for the wizard in Eberdeen to discover the Phoenix command. “We were approached by a servant of a wizard who works within the wizard’s college in Eberdeen. He was a self-proclaimed master of information and indicated to us that if we exchanged services he would be willing to use his talents to help us out. He needed a group of people to collect some spell components, largely because I think that his time in the college has made him soft for adventuring. But in exchange for the collection of spell components, he gave us what we have come to call the Phoenix command.”

Brandt’s eyebrows wrinkled as Semeion spoke the cryptic name. “Phoenix, as in the bird?”

Ischarus nodded. “The one and the same as far as we can tell. Of course, that was part of why we asked you to come. We assumed that you would have more knowledge about these kinds of names than we would.”

Brandt chuckled at Ischarus’ compliment. “Certainly a wise precaution, especially when dealing with strange magicians and cryptic names. So what did this Phoenix command earn you all?”

Rhema took over the telling of the story for a short while. “Well, the wizard in Eberdeen informed us that while he could not discern Darkbringer’s true purpose or the ones who had sent her, he did tell us that he was able to discover a command word that would unlock some of her instruction. Hence, we learned about the purpose of the Phoenix command. The wizard in Eberdeen said that if we used that command in the presence of Darkbringer that she would divulge more private information.”

Iasho asked the next question well before Brandt found himself ready. “Well, what did the Phoenix command get from Darkbringer?”

Semeion spoke quickly, realizing that this was really his story to tell. After all, it was Semeion who had actually been a part of the interrogation process. “To be honest, not much. At noon on any day we are to go to the statue of Lord Ironblood in the central square of Fingerdale. From there, we are to send out a magical or telepathic message for the Whetting One. Three days later we are supposed to show up at noon in a barn south of Fingerdale and meet the Whetting One. Apparently the Whetting One is the one with the next level of information that we need.”

Iasho chuckled at Semeion’s retelling of the instructions, but this time it was Brandt who beat Iasho to the response. “Well, that’s certainly interesting to say the least.” He stroked his chin as he thought about the details given by Darkbringer. “It seems rather harmless, all in all.”

Semeion looked to Brandt and held his glance for a moment before speaking. “Do you really think so? We’re not being set up to accomplish somebody else’s hidden agenda? I mean, those instruction just seem so odd.”

Rhema nodded in agreement. “Yeah. This may sound silly, but the last thing that we’d want to do is to summon something from another realm into this world without knowing what we are doing.”

Brandt shook his head in disagreement. “Well, you need not worry about being the cause of summoning something into our world. The directions that you just told me wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce through any worldly barriers with any accuracy. The directions that you gave are simple. Something has to be watching or listening for such a general broadcast. That something would have to be here in this world already – and probably not all that far from the town square, too.”

Ischarus relaxed and leaned backwards. “Well that certainly puts me at ease, knowing that we won’t be summoning some sort of other worldly creature. But what do you make of the Phoenix command? It seems a bit contrived to me.”

Brandt nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it certainly seems difficult to believe. It has been about a month since Darkbringer was first captured? Certainly there hasn’t been an agent monitoring the square in Fingerdale every noon since then. That would be an incredible waste of resources from the stance of the Ephistaemi.”

Iasho nodded in agreement. “I concur. Something about this doesn’t make sense. It is either a poorly conceived emergency plan or else there is much more about it than we can grasp from the details given to us by Darkbringer.”

Charis looked back to Brandt once Iasho finished speaking. “But, as far as you are aware the name ‘Whetting One’ is meaningless and without some kind of deeper meaning?”

Brandt nodded in assurance to Charis’ question. “As far as I know, that’s correct. I’ll happily do some research for you and let you know tomorrow. I’m assuming that you were planning on enacting the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”

Ischarus smiled briefly. “Unless you find reason otherwise, yes.”

Brandt continued to nod in agreement. “Good.”

Semeion interjected a concluding thought as the conversation about the Phoenix command seemed to be winding down. “One more thing, Brandt. Once the Phoenix command is enacted, the name ‘Whetting One’ must not be spoken until noon on the third day in the barn south of Fingerdale. Apparently the mere mention of the name countermands the Phoenix command.”

Brandt turned and watched Semeion as he described this final instruction. His eyes narrowed slightly and a look of displeasure crossed his face. “That’s the first thing you’ve told me today that I really don’t like at all.”
[/Sblock]

Ischarus turned to Brandt at the sudden change in tone. “What bothers you about the fact that we cannot speak the name ‘Whetting One’ once we visit the square at noon?”

Brandt slowly shook his head. “In truth, it is nothing in particular. It is more that it just doesn’t make sense. There is nothing that you are asked to do that raises any significant flag in my understanding of how magic is supposed to work. You aren’t going to be reaching across any boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. You are going to be sending out a simple message that will only be perceivable by someone here in this world.”

Rhema nodded in agreement and asked a question before Brandt could finish his thought. “So, are you fearing that there is some dark disturbance already existing here in Tongra? Perhaps we attracted attention our last time in Quehalost through the defeat of Charis’ father dragon?”

Iasho seemed to make the mental leap to finish out Rhema’s thought before the others could draw the same conclusions. “Are you suggesting that a force might have followed you all out of Quehalsost? A force that was capable of destroying the villa?”

Brandt shook his head. “I doubt that such a force is present in Fingerdale. It is remotely possible, I suppose. However, it has been a month since the accident at the villa. It’s actually been a year since you all returned from Quehalost with the dragons and Charis’ clan. If a presence followed you back from Quehalost, surely we would have found out about it by now. Even if that presence would have only come to Tongra when the villa was destroyed, we would have undoubtedly found out about it by now. A presence capable of leveling this kind of destruction would have to leave some kind of trail in the course of a month.”

Semeion smiled to Iasho and spoke softly so that he didn’t speak harshly against his elder. “Besides, if there was a force that came from Quehalost and was capable of destroying the villa, don’t you think that it would want us dead, too? Why would a force from Quehalost wait to attack the villa when it was as vacant as it ever gets?”

Ischarus spoke next. The tone in his voice betrayed that he didn’t honestly believe what he was saying but rather that he was simply speaking about a possibility. “Well, perhaps whatever this force was came from Quehalost and didn’t need to kill us to prove its power? Perhaps simply destroying our base of operations was enough.”

Brandt frowned. “I understand what you are suggesting, but I just don’t think that it is probable. Sure, it is possible that what you are suggesting could have actually happened. It is even possible that a force could slip from Quehalost into Tongra, although unlikely. It is possible that such a force could be able to level this kind of destruction. And if such a force would have merely wanted to destroy the villa, that is also possible. But the question is really more along the lines of the feasibility of what you propose.”

Brandt paused for a moment to catch his breath. As he glanced around to the other five members of the group, he noticed that they were all focused on him and awaiting the rest of his explanation. “You have all been to Quehalost far more often than I, and so I have to ask you to speak from your experience. How many of the residents of Quehalost are going to be happy with simply destroying your house?”

Semeion smiled smugly, and then his expression broadened into that of enjoyment. “Well, we did just rescue Charis. She’s not pure evil, and she’s from Quehalost!”

The group enjoyed a hearty laugh after Charis issued a teasing strike at Semeion’s shoulder. “Speaking from my own experience, I’d have to say that the average being in Quehalost would not have such murderous intentions. But those with the power to be able to cross into Tongra unnoticed would likely desire our destruction.”

Brandt smiled at the unexpected answer given by Charis. “That is a very interesting perspective, Charis. I guess we so often think about those with the power to control that we forget that there are innocents in the land.”

Rhema nodded in agreement. “That’s why we go out there. We go because we remember the innocents.”

Iasho again agreed with his daughter. “And what better reason to act aggressively against us? We represent a danger to their control over the innocents of Quehalost. If they strike out against us, perhaps they believe they can scare us into staying in Tongra. Each time we come, we spread a new story of hope. If they can stop us from coming, they can exert greater control over their people.”

Charis disagreed with Iasho. “There is logic in that, Iasho. But it is the logic of Tongra and the free lands, not the logic of Quehalost. In Quehalost the law is domination and destruction. If a significant power came out of Quehalost to deal with us, they would have attempted to destroy us. The villa would have been the least of their concerns.”

Brandt agreed. “Of course there is always the possibility that something escaped Quehalost. But the reality of the situation is that this is not the work of something from Quehalost. If anything, Darkbringer should be proof of that. If we can trust that Darkbringer is indeed a member of the Ephistaemi, then it is unlikely that this is the work of someone in Quehalost. We are left with only more questions.”

Semeion returned the conversation back to Brandt’s original questioning before Rhema and Iasho sidetracked them along the lines of thinking that the threat came from Quehalost. “So if the threat is not other worldly and it is not likely to be from Quehalost, what does that leave?”

Brandt nodded slowly in thought. “That is precisely my question as well. If the Phoenix command is truly as you say, then what is the danger of speaking the name before it’s time on the third noon?”

Ischarus was not keeping up with the conversation. “Wait a minute. What are you saying about the Phoenix command?”

Brandt allowed a look of sympathy to rise to the surface of his face. “That’s just it, really. I don’t understand it at all. The only reason that speaking the name Whetting One before the appointed time is detrimental to your cause is if the command word was one of summoning. Then, it is possible that speaking the command word before the conditions are met could countermand the spell. But you all are not performing a summoning spell. You are merely sending out a magic or even telepathic message. Speaking the name should have no effect in the future.”

Charis stood and began to pace. “So, you are saying that it is almost as though someone wants us to believe that we are summoning the Whetting One, when really something else is happening?”

Brandt nodded. “Exactly. There is no foreseeable reason to not speak the name. Yet, until we understand what the unforeseen reason is we should respect the command anyway. I believe that is how we should proceed.”

Iasho smiled at the conclusion. “So, even knowing what you know now you would begin the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”

Brandt nodded. “I see no reason to not continue. The Phoenix command appears to be nothing particularly special. By the rules of the Phoenix command we’ll have three days to research and prepare.”

The party sat in silence for several moments, everyone nodding at the truth that was before them. Assuming that Brandt didn’t find anything out before noon, they would be walking into the unknown. Since the day of the double weddings, they had grown accustomed to no longer being able to understand their future. It was a position they were not particularly happy about, either.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Ischarus turned to Brandt at the sudden change in tone. “What bothers you about the fact that we cannot speak the name ‘Whetting One’ once we visit the square at noon?”

Brandt slowly shook his head. “In truth, it is nothing in particular. It is more that it just doesn’t make sense. There is nothing that you are asked to do that raises any significant flag in my understanding of how magic is supposed to work. You aren’t going to be reaching across any boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. You are going to be sending out a simple message that will only be perceivable by someone here in this world.”

Rhema nodded in agreement and asked a question before Brandt could finish his thought. “So, are you fearing that there is some dark disturbance already existing here in Tongra? Perhaps we attracted attention our last time in Quehalost through the defeat of Charis’ father dragon?”

Iasho seemed to make the mental leap to finish out Rhema’s thought before the others could draw the same conclusions. “Are you suggesting that a force might have followed you all out of Quehalsost? A force that was capable of destroying the villa?”

Brandt shook his head. “I doubt that such a force is present in Fingerdale. It is remotely possible, I suppose. However, it has been a month since the accident at the villa. It’s actually been a year since you all returned from Quehalost with the dragons and Charis’ clan. If a presence followed you back from Quehalost, surely we would have found out about it by now. Even if that presence would have only come to Tongra when the villa was destroyed, we would have undoubtedly found out about it by now. A presence capable of leveling this kind of destruction would have to leave some kind of trail in the course of a month.”

Semeion smiled to Iasho and spoke softly so that he didn’t speak harshly against his elder. “Besides, if there was a force that came from Quehalost and was capable of destroying the villa, don’t you think that it would want us dead, too? Why would a force from Quehalost wait to attack the villa when it was as vacant as it ever gets?”

Ischarus spoke next. The tone in his voice betrayed that he didn’t honestly believe what he was saying but rather that he was simply speaking about a possibility. “Well, perhaps whatever this force was came from Quehalost and didn’t need to kill us to prove its power? Perhaps simply destroying our base of operations was enough.”

Brandt frowned. “I understand what you are suggesting, but I just don’t think that it is probable. Sure, it is possible that what you are suggesting could have actually happened. It is even possible that a force could slip from Quehalost into Tongra, although unlikely. It is possible that such a force could be able to level this kind of destruction. And if such a force would have merely wanted to destroy the villa, that is also possible. But the question is really more along the lines of the feasibility of what you propose.”

Brandt paused for a moment to catch his breath. As he glanced around to the other five members of the group, he noticed that they were all focused on him and awaiting the rest of his explanation. “You have all been to Quehalost far more often than I, and so I have to ask you to speak from your experience. How many of the residents of Quehalost are going to be happy with simply destroying your house?”

Semeion smiled smugly, and then his expression broadened into that of enjoyment. “Well, we did just rescue Charis. She’s not pure evil, and she’s from Quehalost!”

The group enjoyed a hearty laugh after Charis issued a teasing strike at Semeion’s shoulder. “Speaking from my own experience, I’d have to say that the average being in Quehalost would not have such murderous intentions. But those with the power to be able to cross into Tongra unnoticed would likely desire our destruction.”

Brandt smiled at the unexpected answer given by Charis. “That is a very interesting perspective, Charis. I guess we so often think about those with the power to control that we forget that there are innocents in the land.”

Rhema nodded in agreement. “That’s why we go out there. We go because we remember the innocents.”

Iasho again agreed with his daughter. “And what better reason to act aggressively against us? We represent a danger to their control over the innocents of Quehalost. If they strike out against us, perhaps they believe they can scare us into staying in Tongra. Each time we come, we spread a new story of hope. If they can stop us from coming, they can exert greater control over their people.”

Charis disagreed with Iasho. “There is logic in that, Iasho. But it is the logic of Tongra and the free lands, not the logic of Quehalost. In Quehalost the law is domination and destruction. If a significant power came out of Quehalost to deal with us, they would have attempted to destroy us. The villa would have been the least of their concerns.”

Brandt agreed. “Of course there is always the possibility that something escaped Quehalost. But the reality of the situation is that this is not the work of something from Quehalost. If anything, Darkbringer should be proof of that. If we can trust that Darkbringer is indeed a member of the Ephistaemi, then it is unlikely that this is the work of someone in Quehalost. We are left with only more questions.”

Semeion returned the conversation back to Brandt’s original questioning before Rhema and Iasho sidetracked them along the lines of thinking that the threat came from Quehalost. “So if the threat is not other worldly and it is not likely to be from Quehalost, what does that leave?”

Brandt nodded slowly in thought. “That is precisely my question as well. If the Phoenix command is truly as you say, then what is the danger of speaking the name before it’s time on the third noon?”

Ischarus was not keeping up with the conversation. “Wait a minute. What are you saying about the Phoenix command?”

Brandt allowed a look of sympathy to rise to the surface of his face. “That’s just it, really. I don’t understand it at all. The only reason that speaking the name Whetting One before the appointed time is detrimental to your cause is if the command word was one of summoning. Then, it is possible that speaking the command word before the conditions are met could countermand the spell. But you all are not performing a summoning spell. You are merely sending out a magic or even telepathic message. Speaking the name should have no effect in the future.”

Charis stood and began to pace. “So, you are saying that it is almost as though someone wants us to believe that we are summoning the Whetting One, when really something else is happening?”

Brandt nodded. “Exactly. There is no foreseeable reason to not speak the name. Yet, until we understand what the unforeseen reason is we should respect the command anyway. I believe that is how we should proceed.”

Iasho smiled at the conclusion. “So, even knowing what you know now you would begin the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”

Brandt nodded. “I see no reason to not continue. The Phoenix command appears to be nothing particularly special. By the rules of the Phoenix command we’ll have three days to research and prepare.”

The party sat in silence for several moments, everyone nodding at the truth that was before them. Assuming that Brandt didn’t find anything out before noon, they would be walking into the unknown. Since the day of the double weddings, they had grown accustomed to no longer being able to understand their future. It was a position they were not particularly happy about, either.

[/Sblock]

Chapter Seven: THE COMING OF THE WHETTING ONE

The following day turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day along the northern shores of Tongra. A light northwesterly breeze had blown in off of the sea and carried the subtle scent of saltwater across the land. There were several bands of clouds present at daybreak when the adventurers had left for Fingerdale with Iasho, but by the time they arrived at the gates the warmth of the sun had made even the clouds dissipate. As noon approached and the party took up their positions around the city square the sky was cloudless.

Brandt had been waiting for their arrival at the southern edge of the city square. He was sitting very nonchalantly on a park bench dropping crumbs of bread from a bag onto the ground. A small flock of pigeons gathering at his feet were enjoying the free meal. Charis smiled as she was the first of the five to spot the priest of Reah. Each of the party dismounted and slowly moved in Brandt’s direction. They were careful not to disturb the birds looking to Brandt for more bread crumbs.

Rhema addressed Brandt softly from behind. “Good day, Master Brandt. Have you any news for us?”

Brandt turned slightly and allowed him arm to stretch along the length of the back of the bench. A few pigeons pecked at Brandt’s sandals once they realized that his attention was no longer on feeding them. “Unfortunately, I have to bring both good and bad news. I spent a fair amount of last evening researching in the library of Reah for any reference to the Whetting One. I looked specifically in our tomes against Duu Mahr and Yrraxea, and the good news is that the Whetting One is not a mention to any specific follower of those deities. Just for fun, I checked the greater annals of Walcea and Pohprek, but the Whetting One was given no mention in there, either.”

Semeion nodded appropriately. “Well, I guess that means that you assumptions were confirmed. The good news is that we apparently aren’t going to be stumbling into a magical rift or opening a magical doorway for some kind of otherworldly creature.”

Charis added to Semeion’s thought. “And, of course, that implies that we really don’t know what we are about to do. We can only eliminate one item from a very long list of possible outcomes.”

Brandt chuckled as he turned to toss some bread at the ever-increasingly demanding pigeons. “And that is the bad news. We are going into this rather blind, which is why I showed up. I figured that I would stay here on the park bench and observe the proceedings from a distance. Perhaps I’ll blend in with the crowd, yet still be available should something unexpected happen.”

Ischarus looked pleased at Brandt’s precaution. “I appreciate your giving the time to be here.”

Iasho bowed slightly while still holding onto the reigns of his horse. “And I, sir, am relieved going into these proceedings knowing that the justice of Reah is looking down upon us and that we have a priest dedicated to watching over my children.”

The foursome smiled as Iasho’s words embraced them all. Ischarus spoke again in his pragmatic prodding of the group. “And noon is quickly approaching. Brandt, if we can I’d like to briefly describe our plan to you. We figured that Semeion would be the most likely candidate to send the message. He has the proper spell ready.”

Semeion interrupted Ischarus to give an account of greater detail to Brandt. “The spell that I memorized is the most basic message spell that I know. It is not capable of reaching far from my position. I figured that it would be safest to use weak magic in this scenario.”

Brandt smiled and nodded in approval as Ischarus continued to speak. “The rest of us would stand along the square much like you propose for yourself. We will watch the proceedings in case something should happen. Since Charis has the ability to heal as well as having a decent ability to protect through the use of her pick, she will be the closest to Semeion as he sends out the message.”

Brandt continued to nod with every detail. “The plan seems sound enough, knowing that we have no clue as to what we are really doing. I’d like to plan a little bit of a preparation spell as well, if I may?”

Semeion nodded eagerly. “By all means! What kind of protective spell are you planning on unleashing?”

Brandt grinned at Semeion’s assumption. “Not a protective spell, Semeion. I plan on performing a preparation spell. I’ll not be warding you, I’ll be watching for magic in your vicinity. Here, I’ll show you.”

Brandt raised his hand and pointed to the statue of the original Lord Ironblood. After making a quick gesture with his fingers he spoke the magical words. “Thizzle Sooth Fundar” The party didn’t see any visible effect, but from Brandt’s perspective the area around the city square now had an orange tint.

Semeion turned the magical words over in his mind. “From what you’ve taught me and I learned from my former master, you’ve cast a spell designed to detect some kind of magical form?”

Brandt looked pleased at Semeion’s deduction. “Indeed. I’m hunting a very specific kind of magic. I’ll let you know if I should happen to find it. Until then, I suggest you all get ready. The noontime approaches quickly. Oh, and feel free to tie your horses off with me, if you’d like.”

Iasho sat down beside Brandt. “Perhaps I’ll share your bench? They brought me along to watch the horses, but I wouldn’t mind sitting beside you while you also care for the pigeons at your feet.”

Brandt scooted to the left to make room for Iasho. Semeion moved toward the statue and took up a position of admiration. Charis, Rhema, and Ischarus parted and moved about the square, occasionally stopping at merchant booths which allowed them to have a good line of sight to observe Semeion and the statue.

At the appropriate time, Semeion moved into position and very quietly spoke the simple command. “Allay.” In his mind, Semeion formed the magical words for the Whetting One and felt the message leave his mind.

Suddenly Brandt leapt off of the bench, startling Iasho. Pigeons took flight as Brandt ran through them, giving the entire square the appearance of Brandt emerging through a screen of feathers. He charged toward the statue and stopped about ten feet from its position. He was speaking in a loud voice into what seemed to be thin air.

Semeion backed away from the statue and instinctively took cover at Brandt’s sudden motion. Charis was standing near him with her weapon drawn in a matter of seconds. Rhema had moved to protect her father while her husband had his sword drawn and was standing beside Brandt in a heartbeat.

Brandt continued to mutter at something which only he could apparently see. “Don’t you run and hide from me until I am done with you!”

Ischarus gave a confused glance to Brandt before offering up an invitation to explain his actions. “Brandt, what do you see? I can’t see a thing in the direction that you are staring!”

When it was apparent that the threat was not imminent, Semeion and the rest of the party moved in to surround Brandt. They all noticed that Brandt was drawing the attention of those standing in the city square. They also had to agree with Ischarus. Brandt was talking to something which only he could see.

Brandt ignored Ischarus’ inquiry temporarily. “Oh no you don’t! I saw you spying on us and I’m not letting you go until you show me who sent you.” Brandt reached up and seemed to pull on an imaginary line. His muscles tensed as he struggled against the invisible object.

Suddenly, Brandt relaxed and a look of dejection came over his face. Charis was the first to see it and she spoke to the priest of Reah now that his attention wasn’t diverted. “Whatever it was got away?”

Brandt sighed. “Unfortunately, yes it did. I had suspected that the message was merely a command to trigger some kind of magical alarm. I was right. As soon as Semeion spoke his magical command I saw an eye appear above him. The eye began to move around Semeion at a distance of ten feet. The eye was circling him as if to examine him from every side. I’ve no doubt that the eye was under the control of the one we seek.” He was careful not to mention the name specifically.

Ischarus began to put the scenario together. “So you wanted to catch the eye in hopes of identifying the sender?”

Brandt smiled broadly. “You’ve heard that the eye is the window to the soul? So it is with magical eyes, too. If I could have controlled the eye, I could have looked into it and seen the eye’s maker. I could have identified the person as well as the location of the eye’s maker. And I almost did.”

Semeion looked amazed towards Brandt and his lost magical battle. “You were unable to master it?”

Brandt placed a hand on Semeion’s shoulder. “Alas, young Semeion. Although I am powerful, I am not all powerful. I have spent much time studying matters religious as well as arcane. My split time means that while I have great versatility, I also have less specialization. There are both priests and magicians who are more powerful than I in their own field. Whoever sent this eye is one of them.”

Rhema looked pleased with Brandt’s conclusion. “Well, that should narrow it down some, then. We know that the one we seek is a powerful user of magic – more powerful than Brandt in his own discipline. I say that we leave here and return to the villa. We’ve set the call into motion and we’ve now got a few days. I’ll buy some more meat and we’ll have another feast tonight. The spirits of those at the villa will be soaring after two good meals. And we can talk more once we are somewhere that we haven’t drawn such a crowd.”

As Rhema nodded in the direction of the crowd, the rest of the party realized just how odd the proceedings must have seemed. It was appropriate to return home to the villa now. And Rhema was right. They had a few days to figure this out.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Chapter Seven: THE COMING OF THE WHETTING ONE

The following day turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day along the northern shores of Tongra. A light northwesterly breeze had blown in off of the sea and carried the subtle scent of saltwater across the land. There were several bands of clouds present at daybreak when the adventurers had left for Fingerdale with Iasho, but by the time they arrived at the gates the warmth of the sun had made even the clouds dissipate. As noon approached and the party took up their positions around the city square the sky was cloudless.

Brandt had been waiting for their arrival at the southern edge of the city square. He was sitting very nonchalantly on a park bench dropping crumbs of bread from a bag onto the ground. A small flock of pigeons gathering at his feet were enjoying the free meal. Charis smiled as she was the first of the five to spot the priest of Reah. Each of the party dismounted and slowly moved in Brandt’s direction. They were careful not to disturb the birds looking to Brandt for more bread crumbs.

Rhema addressed Brandt softly from behind. “Good day, Master Brandt. Have you any news for us?”

Brandt turned slightly and allowed him arm to stretch along the length of the back of the bench. A few pigeons pecked at Brandt’s sandals once they realized that his attention was no longer on feeding them. “Unfortunately, I have to bring both good and bad news. I spent a fair amount of last evening researching in the library of Reah for any reference to the Whetting One. I looked specifically in our tomes against Duu Mahr and Yrraxea, and the good news is that the Whetting One is not a mention to any specific follower of those deities. Just for fun, I checked the greater annals of Walcea and Pohprek, but the Whetting One was given no mention in there, either.”

Semeion nodded appropriately. “Well, I guess that means that you assumptions were confirmed. The good news is that we apparently aren’t going to be stumbling into a magical rift or opening a magical doorway for some kind of otherworldly creature.”

Charis added to Semeion’s thought. “And, of course, that implies that we really don’t know what we are about to do. We can only eliminate one item from a very long list of possible outcomes.”

Brandt chuckled as he turned to toss some bread at the ever-increasingly demanding pigeons. “And that is the bad news. We are going into this rather blind, which is why I showed up. I figured that I would stay here on the park bench and observe the proceedings from a distance. Perhaps I’ll blend in with the crowd, yet still be available should something unexpected happen.”

Ischarus looked pleased at Brandt’s precaution. “I appreciate your giving the time to be here.”

Iasho bowed slightly while still holding onto the reigns of his horse. “And I, sir, am relieved going into these proceedings knowing that the justice of Reah is looking down upon us and that we have a priest dedicated to watching over my children.”

The foursome smiled as Iasho’s words embraced them all. Ischarus spoke again in his pragmatic prodding of the group. “And noon is quickly approaching. Brandt, if we can I’d like to briefly describe our plan to you. We figured that Semeion would be the most likely candidate to send the message. He has the proper spell ready.”

Semeion interrupted Ischarus to give an account of greater detail to Brandt. “The spell that I memorized is the most basic message spell that I know. It is not capable of reaching far from my position. I figured that it would be safest to use weak magic in this scenario.”

Brandt smiled and nodded in approval as Ischarus continued to speak. “The rest of us would stand along the square much like you propose for yourself. We will watch the proceedings in case something should happen. Since Charis has the ability to heal as well as having a decent ability to protect through the use of her pick, she will be the closest to Semeion as he sends out the message.”

Brandt continued to nod with every detail. “The plan seems sound enough, knowing that we have no clue as to what we are really doing. I’d like to plan a little bit of a preparation spell as well, if I may?”

Semeion nodded eagerly. “By all means! What kind of protective spell are you planning on unleashing?”

Brandt grinned at Semeion’s assumption. “Not a protective spell, Semeion. I plan on performing a preparation spell. I’ll not be warding you, I’ll be watching for magic in your vicinity. Here, I’ll show you.”

Brandt raised his hand and pointed to the statue of the original Lord Ironblood. After making a quick gesture with his fingers he spoke the magical words. “Thizzle Sooth Fundar” The party didn’t see any visible effect, but from Brandt’s perspective the area around the city square now had an orange tint.

Semeion turned the magical words over in his mind. “From what you’ve taught me and I learned from my former master, you’ve cast a spell designed to detect some kind of magical form?”

Brandt looked pleased at Semeion’s deduction. “Indeed. I’m hunting a very specific kind of magic. I’ll let you know if I should happen to find it. Until then, I suggest you all get ready. The noontime approaches quickly. Oh, and feel free to tie your horses off with me, if you’d like.”

Iasho sat down beside Brandt. “Perhaps I’ll share your bench? They brought me along to watch the horses, but I wouldn’t mind sitting beside you while you also care for the pigeons at your feet.”

Brandt scooted to the left to make room for Iasho. Semeion moved toward the statue and took up a position of admiration. Charis, Rhema, and Ischarus parted and moved about the square, occasionally stopping at merchant booths which allowed them to have a good line of sight to observe Semeion and the statue.

At the appropriate time, Semeion moved into position and very quietly spoke the simple command. “Allay.” In his mind, Semeion formed the magical words for the Whetting One and felt the message leave his mind.

Suddenly Brandt leapt off of the bench, startling Iasho. Pigeons took flight as Brandt ran through them, giving the entire square the appearance of Brandt emerging through a screen of feathers. He charged toward the statue and stopped about ten feet from its position. He was speaking in a loud voice into what seemed to be thin air.

Semeion backed away from the statue and instinctively took cover at Brandt’s sudden motion. Charis was standing near him with her weapon drawn in a matter of seconds. Rhema had moved to protect her father while her husband had his sword drawn and was standing beside Brandt in a heartbeat.

Brandt continued to mutter at something which only he could apparently see. “Don’t you run and hide from me until I am done with you!”

Ischarus gave a confused glance to Brandt before offering up an invitation to explain his actions. “Brandt, what do you see? I can’t see a thing in the direction that you are staring!”

When it was apparent that the threat was not imminent, Semeion and the rest of the party moved in to surround Brandt. They all noticed that Brandt was drawing the attention of those standing in the city square. They also had to agree with Ischarus. Brandt was talking to something which only he could see.

Brandt ignored Ischarus’ inquiry temporarily. “Oh no you don’t! I saw you spying on us and I’m not letting you go until you show me who sent you.” Brandt reached up and seemed to pull on an imaginary line. His muscles tensed as he struggled against the invisible object.

Suddenly, Brandt relaxed and a look of dejection came over his face. Charis was the first to see it and she spoke to the priest of Reah now that his attention wasn’t diverted. “Whatever it was got away?”

Brandt sighed. “Unfortunately, yes it did. I had suspected that the message was merely a command to trigger some kind of magical alarm. I was right. As soon as Semeion spoke his magical command I saw an eye appear above him. The eye began to move around Semeion at a distance of ten feet. The eye was circling him as if to examine him from every side. I’ve no doubt that the eye was under the control of the one we seek.” He was careful not to mention the name specifically.

Ischarus began to put the scenario together. “So you wanted to catch the eye in hopes of identifying the sender?”

Brandt smiled broadly. “You’ve heard that the eye is the window to the soul? So it is with magical eyes, too. If I could have controlled the eye, I could have looked into it and seen the eye’s maker. I could have identified the person as well as the location of the eye’s maker. And I almost did.”

Semeion looked amazed towards Brandt and his lost magical battle. “You were unable to master it?”

Brandt placed a hand on Semeion’s shoulder. “Alas, young Semeion. Although I am powerful, I am not all powerful. I have spent much time studying matters religious as well as arcane. My split time means that while I have great versatility, I also have less specialization. There are both priests and magicians who are more powerful than I in their own field. Whoever sent this eye is one of them.”

Rhema looked pleased with Brandt’s conclusion. “Well, that should narrow it down some, then. We know that the one we seek is a powerful user of magic – more powerful than Brandt in his own discipline. I say that we leave here and return to the villa. We’ve set the call into motion and we’ve now got a few days. I’ll buy some more meat and we’ll have another feast tonight. The spirits of those at the villa will be soaring after two good meals. And we can talk more once we are somewhere that we haven’t drawn such a crowd.”

As Rhema nodded in the direction of the crowd, the rest of the party realized just how odd the proceedings must have seemed. It was appropriate to return home to the villa now. And Rhema was right. They had a few days to figure this out.
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