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"Revenge, Renewal and the Promise of a New Year" (Boot Hill/D&D)
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1923259" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter Sixty-seven, “Teachers and Students”, Sunday, January 8th, 1882:</strong></p><p></p><p>Kate went upstairs to her room and fetched the box of jewels and pictures she'd found at the caves. She had forgotten to bring them earlier when she went to see Mr. Gonzales, and from what Sonoma said it was obvious the old gentleman knew something about what was to come. She hoped it wasn't too late to be disturbing him. Kate went into his room, exposed the door and went into his beautiful rooms. "Mr. Gonzales?" she called. Gonzalez joins her, coming out of the room that he had said was his bedchamber, attired in a wizard's robe that she suspects may also be his bedclothes. "Yes, my little sandpiper, how can I help you?" he asks.</p><p></p><p>"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I had wanted to show you something and I forgot earlier." Kate paused a moment. "I admit I would have waited until tomorrow, but when you sent Sonoma to us.... I wondered why." Kate came over and placed the box in his hands. "I found this in the cattle rustlers caves. I wondered if you might be able to tell me anything about it. They seem to have been important people, people who might have been widely known."</p><p></p><p>Gonzalez examines the jewelry. He tells her that one of the rings appears to be magical but that the others are not, although they all seem to be well made and valuable. He does not know any of the people in the photographs. He takes the pictures into his workshop and conducts a few experiments on the photographic paper without damaging them. He says that the specific paper and chemicals used were from some of the earlier photographic techniques and that the pictures are at least twenty years old, possibly older. </p><p></p><p>He tells her that most of the books written in Spanish in the library that she had obtained list publication dates prior to the Civil War, so those books probably originally came from the same source as the books. He then spends a while examining the pile of paper money and says "Here is the answer". These bank notes show the engraving dates on them. The earliest of these is from 1825 and the latest from 1853. These are from different South American counties - Equator, Bolivia and Peru. He then shows her one of the oldest bills, an 1826 Bolivian note that has the picture on it with the caption 'President de Sucre'. "Does he look familiar?" Manuel asks. Kate looks at the note and recognizes the face as the man wearing the military uniform in one of the photographs.</p><p></p><p>Kate exclaims, "Oh my. So this box belonged to someone in President de Sucre's family? What was it doing in a rustler’s hideout? The rustlers were too young to have gotten this from the source. The insides of that cave were very well appointed. This box was tucked behind all those books. Even the beds were ornamented." "I feel I shouldn't have this. It belonged to someone, it's part of their life, their memories. It doesn't belong with me."</p><p></p><p>Manuel says "Well, we now have a name and a face. If he is still among the living I can use magic to determine his current whereabouts." </p><p></p><p>Manuel first takes Katherine over to the library. She had not been in this room before and is amazed. All four walls are filled with marble shelves to hold books, going from floor to ceiling, around half of them filled. Small step stools are near the bookcases, and as Manuel steps on one he concentrates and it extends into a ladder of the appropriate height. </p><p></p><p>He takes down a large tome with magical runes on the cover. He says "I keep my magical texts on the higher sheves....just in case. There is magic contained in these, which my apprentices should not attempt unless I am present. I say that not as a warning for you but for your friend, she has a curious nature about her." He returns with her into the other room and looks up a particular spell. He checks the 'recipe' for it and then gathers various components, which he places within a metal brazier. </p><p></p><p>He then casts a spell and the brazier erupts into flame, with green smoke above. The flame then cease and within the brazier he and Katherine both see an image of the elf tending to a horse in a stable. Manuel casts another incantation and acts as though he is hearing something. Katherine watched fascinated as Mr. Gonzales cast the spell to locate President de Sucre. Someday I will be able to do this. The green smoke floated up and the imagine of an elf appeared. He speaks aloud...."He is in Mexico.....at a village known as Sahuaripa....at an inn known as the El Toro.....that is not his home.....he is traveling.....his destination is." Manuel then abruptly stops the spell and has a surprised look on his face.</p><p></p><p>Everything about the spell seemed to freeze, as if it were waiting to see if it was still required. "What is it, Mr. Gonzales? Where is he going?" "Here. The El Parador Hotel and Cantina, here in Promise City. He will be here in three days time." </p><p></p><p>'Here?" Kate ran her fingers over the box. "I will return this to him, of course. But why would he be coming here? Somehow I don't think it's to retrieve stolen property." He replies "I do not know. The spell is one of location, from it I cannot determine intent. But we will know soon enough."</p><p></p><p>"I had another question for you," Kate said, still exploring the outside of the box with her fingertips. "Why did you tell Sonoma she was to stay with us? What's coming?" He replies, "For you I do not specifically know. My Granddaughter Dorita had concerns about your Indian friend Nanuet and his interest in my Great Granddaughter. I cast some informational spells to see what I could find out about him and received some odd answers. The magic indicated that he has only been alive for the last two days, which makes no sense at all. So I then cast spells regarding Sonoma and her future, and it indicated that her path and Nanuet's were linked in some way.”</p><p></p><p>Kate waited to answer. The matter of Nanuet was a strange one, but they had known what had happened, and did not seem to hold it against him. "The Apache erased the memory of Nanuet from anyone who was not present, or is not his blood-kin," Kate began. She briefly explained their encounter with the Apache, including her own pledge to assist Nanuet, and the need for his disguise, including the fact that Mr. Gonzales had performed the disguising magic. </p><p></p><p>“Beyond that I know not, some things can only be known as they occur," He concludes. She says, "It is those things that frighten me. So much has changed so quickly I hardly know where I am. Sometimes I think I should have returned to Boston. But there have been good things too," she said, smiling at the gentleman. "Like meeting you and your family. And learning about magic."</p><p></p><p>Across the street, Nanuet sees no one in the church, so he quietly goes outside to the nearby grove. From there he concentrates and pictures the wolf, his new companion, in his mind. His consciousness wanders out over the nearby landscape until it reaches Maska. He calls to her using this mental connection, then sits down and waits for her to come to him. </p><p></p><p>Several minutes pass before the wolf enters the grove and finds Nanuet. Nanuet kneels down and pets the wolf lovingly. "Very good Maska, very good." he says in Apache. Nanuet and the wolf play together for a few moments before Nanuet settles down and prepares himself for reverie. "Maska, guard!" he says, commanding the wolf to stand guard over him as he meditates. Although being an elf he doesn't sleep he still must rest his mind and enter the trance like state of reverie each night. Before he does Nanuet tries to recall what Kajika taught him and he searches the spirits for Storm Goldeneye. Storm stands on a green grass plain hair blowing in the wind. </p><p></p><p>She says to him “Your choice and your changes have become more than I expected. You seem willing to do what needs to be done. I come to you with advice. Remember fear causes people to see evil if they do not understand what is there and fear is a power that people have used for centuries to control others. Do not expect everything to be as it is seen by others and follow the logical road to overcome your fears. Watch those that you trust they may see things in another way that they do not understand if you see through their eyes you can calm their minds. </p><p></p><p>On your travels you will find things you may be able to use the tricks of the shaman that can be used to distract or as a weapon if needed. Copper dust and gun powder will create a green flash power that can blind for a short time but not cause true damage, a pouch of cactus needles can be placed in a pouch that will burst open in the face of another causing blindness and damage. Follow the energy web that all living things create take what you need to heal from the web and return it when there is more than you need. Remember, the raven is the trickster but he also saved the world by returning the sun. I will answer what questions you have with the information I know but there is much I can not tell you.” </p><p></p><p>He states, “A man named Riley has come to Promise City because of his visions. He sees the company from the stage ride that you accompanied to Promise City where we met in his vision, including you.” Storm answers, “Kajika drew me to Riley on the same day that my physical body perished. His life as many parallels to your own. I do not know what the future has in store but I sense that he will be instrumental in helping to keep you alive to fulfill whatever destiny awaits you. You, in turn, will help to heal the blackness in his heart.” </p><p></p><p>Nanuet says, “He sees us defending a creature he cannot name against other monsters and then a second time against humans. He names Kajika as a blood brother. Do you know of Riley or of the monster he sees us defending in his visions?" Storm answers, “A monster is in the eye of the beholder. I sense that there is a creature in this region that does not belong here. It has a spiritual connection to the elvan people but not the Apache. That is all that I am aware of at this time but I will continue to concentrate on this.” She then fades away. After Nanuet has his vision of Storm, he then enters his nightly reverie. During this time he revisits the memories of his life and refreshes his mind and body. </p><p></p><p>Back at the El Parador, Katherine was undergoing an experience every bit as intimate and exhilarating as what was transpiring in Jake's room. She had never imagined the physical and mental sensations that channeling magic through her would create. While the experience was in no way sexual in nature that was the only comparative analogy she could make. </p><p></p><p>Manuel Gonzales had begun with the various introductory spells. Before they had begun he said that he would teach her one or two, but once they had started she had an insatiable thirst to learn the next, and then the next, and then the next. </p><p></p><p>They ran through his entire repertoire of spells for novice mages and she mastered them like a fish takes to water. There was no task that he could put to her that she did not grasp - within a matter of hours she could emit frost, create lights and flares, open and close doors, mend items, create sounds and even perform minor attempts at telekinesis. </p><p></p><p>When they stopped she did not feel at all exhausted but rather felt elated. Manuel told her that the feeling was an adrenaline rush and would soon end but she would not have that. She told him of the past three months, how the only solace to her grief was found within a bottle, and how she desperately needed for this training to continue. </p><p></p><p>Kate sat quietly and waited for his answer. For the first time in months her heart was beating. Since she’d lost Tom, while she smiled and even laughed, there had been a darkness she couldn’t lose, not even at the bottom of a bottle. There was joy in feeling the magic flow through her, something she never thought she’d feel again. </p><p></p><p>He took a magical elixir, which he said would physically revitalize their bodies so that they could continue. She drank the oddly hued potion and felt as though she had just awoken from a full night's sleep, noticing a similar reaction in her teacher. </p><p></p><p>Next he taught her about magic, how to detect it and then how to read magical script. He taught her the history of magical writings, that it was the ancient language of the people of Atlantis. Katherine had heard of the ancient lost kingdom from the writings of Homer. Manuel explained that the Iliad and the Odyssey were not the only writings of Homer. He had produced a third volume on the writings of Atlantis, a race of wizards who first channeled magic. Most copies of that manuscript had been destroyed during the wars fought between clerical and wizard magics. He explained how all magical books are written in that same secret script and how being found with such a book is usually punishable by death in most pro-Clerical countries. He concluded by teaching her how to inscribe magical runes. </p><p></p><p>Manuel then said that a meal was in order before they continued any further. He cast a spell on the far end of his laboratory and a wood stove, pantry and ice chest appeared. He took from the box some chicken parts and prepared a cornmeal coating and then fried them up. He told her how cooking is similar to the creation of magical items, but even more satisfying in some ways, as the mundane is as important to life as the fantastic and how life must be balanced between the two. </p><p></p><p>He poured her a sweet grape beverage from a wine bottle, which was tasty but totally devoid of alcohol. As they ate he told her that if they were to continue their relationship would change. He would not just be her teacher, as he was to Sonoma and would be to Ruby, but that he would become her mentor. He said that she had a special spark that he had not seen in many decades and how he would be honored to have an opportunity to fully teach her the gifts of magic. </p><p></p><p>They finished the meal in silence, and for a moment Kate thought of how comforting it would be to sit at his feet and lay her head on his knee, as she had done with her father when she was a little girl. She felt very close to Manuel Gonzales just now. She had no doubt he would be a central figure in her life from now on. </p><p></p><p>Following the meal he began instruction in her first true magical spells. He began with an enchantment spell used to magically turn one into a trusted ally. The spell would not control another but would make their perceptions of actions and suggestions be seen favorably. He said that he suspected that she would soon need this. He said that this particular spell was one that Sonoma had already mastered, and he speculated that Ruby had as well, so it was important for Kate to recognize and understand it if her companions chose to use such magic. </p><p></p><p>The final spell that he taught her was one to create a magical field of protection around her, essentially a form of armor. He said that the spell had been around since the days of armored knights, but over the years had been modified to blend in with the attire as fashions had changed. In her case, when cast the armor would visually appear to be dark leather clothing, boots, pants, gloves, coat with the collar turned up and a hat, thus the only part of her that would not appear to be protected would be her face but the magic would even extend over it. He said that the magic would not stop a bullet fired point blank directly at her, but had the power to deflect those that would graze or cause minor injury. He said that he hoped that she would be studying with him for years to come, so learning that spell could help to make that possible, given the dangers that she and her companions found themselves in. </p><p></p><p>He finished and said that he would teach her another spell on each of the next two days, but that now they both needed rest and to be revitalized with another elixir would not be wise. He headed back to his bedchamber and she departed the mansion. </p><p></p><p>The cantina was dark and quiet as Katherine made her way back to her room. She entered, locked the door, and changed into her bedclothes. She was asleep within moments of her head hitting the pillow, and therefore missed seeing the first light of dawn now rising in the east.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 1923259, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter Sixty-seven, “Teachers and Students”, Sunday, January 8th, 1882:[/B] Kate went upstairs to her room and fetched the box of jewels and pictures she'd found at the caves. She had forgotten to bring them earlier when she went to see Mr. Gonzales, and from what Sonoma said it was obvious the old gentleman knew something about what was to come. She hoped it wasn't too late to be disturbing him. Kate went into his room, exposed the door and went into his beautiful rooms. "Mr. Gonzales?" she called. Gonzalez joins her, coming out of the room that he had said was his bedchamber, attired in a wizard's robe that she suspects may also be his bedclothes. "Yes, my little sandpiper, how can I help you?" he asks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I had wanted to show you something and I forgot earlier." Kate paused a moment. "I admit I would have waited until tomorrow, but when you sent Sonoma to us.... I wondered why." Kate came over and placed the box in his hands. "I found this in the cattle rustlers caves. I wondered if you might be able to tell me anything about it. They seem to have been important people, people who might have been widely known." Gonzalez examines the jewelry. He tells her that one of the rings appears to be magical but that the others are not, although they all seem to be well made and valuable. He does not know any of the people in the photographs. He takes the pictures into his workshop and conducts a few experiments on the photographic paper without damaging them. He says that the specific paper and chemicals used were from some of the earlier photographic techniques and that the pictures are at least twenty years old, possibly older. He tells her that most of the books written in Spanish in the library that she had obtained list publication dates prior to the Civil War, so those books probably originally came from the same source as the books. He then spends a while examining the pile of paper money and says "Here is the answer". These bank notes show the engraving dates on them. The earliest of these is from 1825 and the latest from 1853. These are from different South American counties - Equator, Bolivia and Peru. He then shows her one of the oldest bills, an 1826 Bolivian note that has the picture on it with the caption 'President de Sucre'. "Does he look familiar?" Manuel asks. Kate looks at the note and recognizes the face as the man wearing the military uniform in one of the photographs. Kate exclaims, "Oh my. So this box belonged to someone in President de Sucre's family? What was it doing in a rustler’s hideout? The rustlers were too young to have gotten this from the source. The insides of that cave were very well appointed. This box was tucked behind all those books. Even the beds were ornamented." "I feel I shouldn't have this. It belonged to someone, it's part of their life, their memories. It doesn't belong with me." Manuel says "Well, we now have a name and a face. If he is still among the living I can use magic to determine his current whereabouts." Manuel first takes Katherine over to the library. She had not been in this room before and is amazed. All four walls are filled with marble shelves to hold books, going from floor to ceiling, around half of them filled. Small step stools are near the bookcases, and as Manuel steps on one he concentrates and it extends into a ladder of the appropriate height. He takes down a large tome with magical runes on the cover. He says "I keep my magical texts on the higher sheves....just in case. There is magic contained in these, which my apprentices should not attempt unless I am present. I say that not as a warning for you but for your friend, she has a curious nature about her." He returns with her into the other room and looks up a particular spell. He checks the 'recipe' for it and then gathers various components, which he places within a metal brazier. He then casts a spell and the brazier erupts into flame, with green smoke above. The flame then cease and within the brazier he and Katherine both see an image of the elf tending to a horse in a stable. Manuel casts another incantation and acts as though he is hearing something. Katherine watched fascinated as Mr. Gonzales cast the spell to locate President de Sucre. Someday I will be able to do this. The green smoke floated up and the imagine of an elf appeared. He speaks aloud...."He is in Mexico.....at a village known as Sahuaripa....at an inn known as the El Toro.....that is not his home.....he is traveling.....his destination is." Manuel then abruptly stops the spell and has a surprised look on his face. Everything about the spell seemed to freeze, as if it were waiting to see if it was still required. "What is it, Mr. Gonzales? Where is he going?" "Here. The El Parador Hotel and Cantina, here in Promise City. He will be here in three days time." 'Here?" Kate ran her fingers over the box. "I will return this to him, of course. But why would he be coming here? Somehow I don't think it's to retrieve stolen property." He replies "I do not know. The spell is one of location, from it I cannot determine intent. But we will know soon enough." "I had another question for you," Kate said, still exploring the outside of the box with her fingertips. "Why did you tell Sonoma she was to stay with us? What's coming?" He replies, "For you I do not specifically know. My Granddaughter Dorita had concerns about your Indian friend Nanuet and his interest in my Great Granddaughter. I cast some informational spells to see what I could find out about him and received some odd answers. The magic indicated that he has only been alive for the last two days, which makes no sense at all. So I then cast spells regarding Sonoma and her future, and it indicated that her path and Nanuet's were linked in some way.” Kate waited to answer. The matter of Nanuet was a strange one, but they had known what had happened, and did not seem to hold it against him. "The Apache erased the memory of Nanuet from anyone who was not present, or is not his blood-kin," Kate began. She briefly explained their encounter with the Apache, including her own pledge to assist Nanuet, and the need for his disguise, including the fact that Mr. Gonzales had performed the disguising magic. “Beyond that I know not, some things can only be known as they occur," He concludes. She says, "It is those things that frighten me. So much has changed so quickly I hardly know where I am. Sometimes I think I should have returned to Boston. But there have been good things too," she said, smiling at the gentleman. "Like meeting you and your family. And learning about magic." Across the street, Nanuet sees no one in the church, so he quietly goes outside to the nearby grove. From there he concentrates and pictures the wolf, his new companion, in his mind. His consciousness wanders out over the nearby landscape until it reaches Maska. He calls to her using this mental connection, then sits down and waits for her to come to him. Several minutes pass before the wolf enters the grove and finds Nanuet. Nanuet kneels down and pets the wolf lovingly. "Very good Maska, very good." he says in Apache. Nanuet and the wolf play together for a few moments before Nanuet settles down and prepares himself for reverie. "Maska, guard!" he says, commanding the wolf to stand guard over him as he meditates. Although being an elf he doesn't sleep he still must rest his mind and enter the trance like state of reverie each night. Before he does Nanuet tries to recall what Kajika taught him and he searches the spirits for Storm Goldeneye. Storm stands on a green grass plain hair blowing in the wind. She says to him “Your choice and your changes have become more than I expected. You seem willing to do what needs to be done. I come to you with advice. Remember fear causes people to see evil if they do not understand what is there and fear is a power that people have used for centuries to control others. Do not expect everything to be as it is seen by others and follow the logical road to overcome your fears. Watch those that you trust they may see things in another way that they do not understand if you see through their eyes you can calm their minds. On your travels you will find things you may be able to use the tricks of the shaman that can be used to distract or as a weapon if needed. Copper dust and gun powder will create a green flash power that can blind for a short time but not cause true damage, a pouch of cactus needles can be placed in a pouch that will burst open in the face of another causing blindness and damage. Follow the energy web that all living things create take what you need to heal from the web and return it when there is more than you need. Remember, the raven is the trickster but he also saved the world by returning the sun. I will answer what questions you have with the information I know but there is much I can not tell you.” He states, “A man named Riley has come to Promise City because of his visions. He sees the company from the stage ride that you accompanied to Promise City where we met in his vision, including you.” Storm answers, “Kajika drew me to Riley on the same day that my physical body perished. His life as many parallels to your own. I do not know what the future has in store but I sense that he will be instrumental in helping to keep you alive to fulfill whatever destiny awaits you. You, in turn, will help to heal the blackness in his heart.” Nanuet says, “He sees us defending a creature he cannot name against other monsters and then a second time against humans. He names Kajika as a blood brother. Do you know of Riley or of the monster he sees us defending in his visions?" Storm answers, “A monster is in the eye of the beholder. I sense that there is a creature in this region that does not belong here. It has a spiritual connection to the elvan people but not the Apache. That is all that I am aware of at this time but I will continue to concentrate on this.” She then fades away. After Nanuet has his vision of Storm, he then enters his nightly reverie. During this time he revisits the memories of his life and refreshes his mind and body. Back at the El Parador, Katherine was undergoing an experience every bit as intimate and exhilarating as what was transpiring in Jake's room. She had never imagined the physical and mental sensations that channeling magic through her would create. While the experience was in no way sexual in nature that was the only comparative analogy she could make. Manuel Gonzales had begun with the various introductory spells. Before they had begun he said that he would teach her one or two, but once they had started she had an insatiable thirst to learn the next, and then the next, and then the next. They ran through his entire repertoire of spells for novice mages and she mastered them like a fish takes to water. There was no task that he could put to her that she did not grasp - within a matter of hours she could emit frost, create lights and flares, open and close doors, mend items, create sounds and even perform minor attempts at telekinesis. When they stopped she did not feel at all exhausted but rather felt elated. Manuel told her that the feeling was an adrenaline rush and would soon end but she would not have that. She told him of the past three months, how the only solace to her grief was found within a bottle, and how she desperately needed for this training to continue. Kate sat quietly and waited for his answer. For the first time in months her heart was beating. Since she’d lost Tom, while she smiled and even laughed, there had been a darkness she couldn’t lose, not even at the bottom of a bottle. There was joy in feeling the magic flow through her, something she never thought she’d feel again. He took a magical elixir, which he said would physically revitalize their bodies so that they could continue. She drank the oddly hued potion and felt as though she had just awoken from a full night's sleep, noticing a similar reaction in her teacher. Next he taught her about magic, how to detect it and then how to read magical script. He taught her the history of magical writings, that it was the ancient language of the people of Atlantis. Katherine had heard of the ancient lost kingdom from the writings of Homer. Manuel explained that the Iliad and the Odyssey were not the only writings of Homer. He had produced a third volume on the writings of Atlantis, a race of wizards who first channeled magic. Most copies of that manuscript had been destroyed during the wars fought between clerical and wizard magics. He explained how all magical books are written in that same secret script and how being found with such a book is usually punishable by death in most pro-Clerical countries. He concluded by teaching her how to inscribe magical runes. Manuel then said that a meal was in order before they continued any further. He cast a spell on the far end of his laboratory and a wood stove, pantry and ice chest appeared. He took from the box some chicken parts and prepared a cornmeal coating and then fried them up. He told her how cooking is similar to the creation of magical items, but even more satisfying in some ways, as the mundane is as important to life as the fantastic and how life must be balanced between the two. He poured her a sweet grape beverage from a wine bottle, which was tasty but totally devoid of alcohol. As they ate he told her that if they were to continue their relationship would change. He would not just be her teacher, as he was to Sonoma and would be to Ruby, but that he would become her mentor. He said that she had a special spark that he had not seen in many decades and how he would be honored to have an opportunity to fully teach her the gifts of magic. They finished the meal in silence, and for a moment Kate thought of how comforting it would be to sit at his feet and lay her head on his knee, as she had done with her father when she was a little girl. She felt very close to Manuel Gonzales just now. She had no doubt he would be a central figure in her life from now on. Following the meal he began instruction in her first true magical spells. He began with an enchantment spell used to magically turn one into a trusted ally. The spell would not control another but would make their perceptions of actions and suggestions be seen favorably. He said that he suspected that she would soon need this. He said that this particular spell was one that Sonoma had already mastered, and he speculated that Ruby had as well, so it was important for Kate to recognize and understand it if her companions chose to use such magic. The final spell that he taught her was one to create a magical field of protection around her, essentially a form of armor. He said that the spell had been around since the days of armored knights, but over the years had been modified to blend in with the attire as fashions had changed. In her case, when cast the armor would visually appear to be dark leather clothing, boots, pants, gloves, coat with the collar turned up and a hat, thus the only part of her that would not appear to be protected would be her face but the magic would even extend over it. He said that the magic would not stop a bullet fired point blank directly at her, but had the power to deflect those that would graze or cause minor injury. He said that he hoped that she would be studying with him for years to come, so learning that spell could help to make that possible, given the dangers that she and her companions found themselves in. He finished and said that he would teach her another spell on each of the next two days, but that now they both needed rest and to be revitalized with another elixir would not be wise. He headed back to his bedchamber and she departed the mansion. The cantina was dark and quiet as Katherine made her way back to her room. She entered, locked the door, and changed into her bedclothes. She was asleep within moments of her head hitting the pillow, and therefore missed seeing the first light of dawn now rising in the east. [/QUOTE]
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