The Horde: Mantidom, #2

By Vincent Trigili

Smoke returns to the homeland of his people to find its cities in ruins and barbarians sweeping through the land. Raven and the others find themselves bogged down in the political dealings of their new family and all the while, the darkness plots its next move...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vincent Trigili
• Release date: Sep 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393319245

Vincent Trigili

Vincent, father and husband of nearly two decades, holds degrees in both Math and Computer Science. In addition, he has published an astronomy journal, numerous articles, poetry and other works.    He got his start in writing fiction as a small child, losing himself in the worlds he dreamed up in order to escape the doldrums of normal life. Now, using his formal education and extensive career experience, he excels in creating fictional worlds of depth and rich fantasy, while maintaining a foundation of reality based on science and technology.    To be notified about new releases and other news sign up for Vincent's email list: http://www.losttalesofpower.com/subscribe-to-annoucements/    For more information on the series, and other news, stop by the official website at:  http://www.losttalesofpower.com

Book preview

Prologue

Acrid smoke filled the city as the great buildings burned around us. It was hard to breathe and even harder to see, but I knew this city and could navigate it blindfolded. It was my city. It was where I’d grown up and lived before meeting up with Raven, Crag, Rock and Kira, and now it was my home again.

Or it had been.

I’d found my way back here quickly after leaving them in the Enchanted Forest. Rock had foolishly been insisting that we should have let that bandit run away. An arrow in the rogue’s back was exactly what he deserved; he’d attacked us, after all. Honor was a fine concept for stories and drinking games, but on the field of battle you did what it took to win or else you ended up dead, just like that bandit.

Smoke, this way! Blade’s voice came from somewhere off to the left.

A loud crash resounded at a distance. The once-proud buildings of the city were falling as the barbarians swept in. The walls should have kept them out; they were magnificent, impenetrable and heavily-guarded. These walls had stood for five hundred years, a testimony to the engineers who had designed and built them.

But someone had betrayed us. Someone had opened the gate just as the attack began and thousands of barbarian warriors had flooded into the city, an unstoppable tide of destruction. With most of the guards up on the walls, there was nothing to slow their advance and they had taken full advantage of that.

Now the fighting was moving from house to house and no one was safe.

Ducking around the corner, I found Blade and Slash crouched in the shadows watching an intersection. Those weren’t their real names, of course; no thief went by their original name. I’d assigned those names when they’d joined my crew a few weeks prior. If they ever moved to a new crew, they would change their names again. That’s how it worked among thieves. Your identity was tied up with your crew; you were nothing without them.

What do we have? I asked.

Looks like our safe house is in flames, said Blade.

Kind of stretches the meaning of ‘safe house, commented Slash.

Just a bit, I agreed.

A warrior yelled behind us; turning, I saw a group of barbarians charging our position. I guess that answers the question of whether they’ve made it this far into the city.

There were six of them. They wore no armor and not much in the way of clothes, just some furs stretched over their massive frames. They had pale skin with light-colored hair and eyes, and wielded great war axes which they held high overhead as they charged.

Take them, I said. They dared burn my city? They would pay. These barbarians might be the greatest warriors on the open hills, or on the ice plains, but this was the city; this was our domain.

Blade broke away and ran left, sprinting sideways up and across the wall using a thief skill known simply as ‘wall run’. Slash ran to the right and did the same. They would come at the barbarians at an angle perpendicular to the normal line of combat. This was a very useful tactic for disorienting bigger and stronger foes.

I stood there, drew my trusty knives and waited. As they closed in, all three of us attacked at once. I stepped into the shadows and came out behind the lead attacker. His unarmored back was an easy target. A quick thrust up between the fourth and fifth ribs with a twist, and the battle was over for him.

As I struck, Blade leapt from the wall and drew his knife across the neck of another barbarian, opening the jugular. Slash executed the same move, dropping his target.

As I slipped back into the shadows, Blade and Slash used the walls to flip around. All three of us came out behind the remaining three warriors, who joined their fellows on the ground. So much for their vaunted strength at arms.

Let’s clear out before more come, I said.

Where to? asked Blade.

The tunnels.

Below the city was a network of tunnels known only to a select few in the underground. These allowed safe movement through the city, no matter how many guard patrols were out.

We sprinted through the city until we found an entrance to the tunnels that was not blocked by debris. Down in the darkness and relative safety, Blade asked, Where are our human allies?

The attack was too fast. They couldn’t get here in time, replied Slash.

They’re bogged down in their own war. No help will come from that quarter anytime soon, I said. That war was with goblins; a war I should have helped to stop but had run from. I had run all the way to the homeland of my people, the solitudinem, and right back into war.

What a fool I’d been. I should have stayed with them and put up with Rock’s disapproving glare. Raven had needed me and I’d abandoned him. What kind of friend does that?

Now what? asked Blade.

That was a good question. The town was lost, which meant I no longer had the network of thieves and political figures which I had built up here. My allies and enemies alike would be dead or scattered. Beyond Blade, Slash and what remained of my crew, there was probably no one left for me to call on.

Except Raven. He’d probably take me back into his crew, but then I’d have to face Rock again. It might yet come to that, but could I abandon my homeland now?

Illustria, great goddess of the dark, please send me a sign.

Let’s get out of the city. We can head towards the capital and start again there, I said.

They nodded, and we slipped into the tunnel system that ran underneath all the key locations in the city. Very few knew of their existence and no one knew how they had come to be, but these tunnels allowed those familiar with them to come and go as they pleased anywhere in the city.

More than once my crew had used them to get around or to evade roaming guard patrols. Now they would get us safely past the barbarians and out of the city into the desert.

Blade hissed an alert as we approached an intersection. Looking where he indicated, I saw the shadows move; before I could react, a man stepped out and gave the hand sign of our crew. One of mine, then.

Two more joined him and approached us: Ranar, Eran and Listra.

This way, I said and continued moving through the tunnels. I now had five surviving members of my crew. I didn’t know if any of the others had survived or not, but there was no way I was going to search the city for them. That would be suicide.

No, I would just have to start over with these five.

The night wore on as we moved through the tunnels. We came across several other crews leaving the city by different routes. I chose to go east, because no one else seemed to be moving in that direction.

Soon we came to the exit and I peered out. About two hundred yards away was the barbarian army. While their primary force ravaged the city, the rest of their force had camped outside with their supplies, wagons and beasts of burden. The numerous campfires created a bright red glow that resembled an early-morning dawn.

Red Dawn.

Smiling, I sent a prayer of thanks to Illustria. She had answered.

Wolverines! I whispered involuntarily.

What? asked Blade.

I turned back to my crew and said, Yesterday we were thieves; it was us versus the guards. That has changed; tonight our enemy is the barbarian invaders. I plan to strike back. Are you with me?

That might not have been a fancy speech, but it covered all the points I wanted to make.

They each nodded.

Then we start now, I said. I explained my plan, then removed the grate which obscured the entrance to the tunnels and climbed out. When we were all out, I signaled ‘follow’ and ‘leave no trace’.

The barbarian camp was well-lit with torches and campfires. This meant that we could easily move through the shadows completely unseen. The fools thought that all this light would make them safer, when it actually blinded them to the night.

We slipped through their numbers undetected until we found my target: a big, well-guarded tent which flew the flag of the barbarian attackers.

Smiling, I used a hand sign to indicate the target and slipped around the back of the tent. There I waited in the shadow until everyone was in position and gave the signal to strike.

As one we cut through the tent wall and rushed the people inside. There were four of them, all very large men with light skin and blond hair. They probably had blue eyes to match, but I never saw their faces.

Before they could react we swept in, killed them and slipped out. They didn’t even have the chance to cry out in pain. Four clean kills, then we faded back into the shadows.

Later their bodies would be discovered, and rumors would begin to spread of demons or some such. My crew of five couldn’t take on the entire army, but that didn’t mean we were powerless.

They would learn to rue the day they’d come to my homeland.

I

City Under the Mountain

1

Day 119

As the kitchen faded away, the display on the game showed a final message. I couldn’t be sure I’d read it correctly, but I thought it said:

Starting Chapter Two … The Horde.

That may not have been accurate, but it felt right. It also fitted into the concept of this being a game world, although we had already concluded that this wasn’t the case. It was too real and too detailed for any game world. Somehow this had to be real, even if that seemed impossible.

When the purple smoke cleared, we were all standing around a small table in the room I had rented in the inn. I silently counted the people in the room: four others besides myself. All were accounted for, and there was still no sign of Smoke. I really hoped he was okay, wherever he was.

So, that happened, said Crag.

Aria was still holding the pizza she had been eating, and Crag had a glass containing soda from which he absent-mindedly drank.

Some things came with us this time, I said.

Kira gave a whoop, drawing all eyes to her. Yes, they did! She held up some bundles of paper.

Our notes? I asked.

User’s guide to the universe, she said with a sly grin.

Man, I knew having her along was a good idea, said Crag, whistling.

I didn’t have much time, so I just grabbed every paper I could as the smoke closed in. It’ll take some time to go through them and see what I managed to snag, she cautioned. Putting down the papers, she began to organize them into a neat pile.

We should put preservation and protection spells on these right away, and also copy them into one of our books. We can leave the originals in the Library when we return there, I said.

She nodded. Good thinking. They can go in that box with the scrap of paper, and we can put a copy of the other piece with it, she said.

What is this all about? asked Aria.

These papers were the instructions and lore we were originally given when we were told about the game. They also contain notes we made as we went through it, I said.

She stopped eating and nodded slowly. These are pages from Mantis’ library? Information about this world and the Gate?

Essentially. There was a lot of information, far more than we could remember from the single night we were given to look it over, I said.

That is a remarkable find, then! she said, wide-eyed. She took another bite of her pizza. But not as remarkable as this pizza. I insist you make it for my family when we get home.

Kira looked hopeful. Can you make it here?

Well, I made it from scratch all the time so I don’t see why not, assuming I can get my hands on all the ingredients and a stone or brick oven, I replied.

You can work with the cooks at my father’s place. They will have access to all your requirements, I am sure, said Aria.

Crag smiled. Yeah, what good is saving the world if you can’t have pizza?

Indeed, said Kira.

Smiling, I sat at a small writing desk in the corner. Okay, we need a plan. We have promises to keep and a team to rebuild. I looked at each of them and met their eyes, trying to give a more serious tone to the conversation. Crag, Rock, tomorrow find Tharn and the other monks. Tell them what happened and ask them to meet with us at sunset in three days’ time, here in this room. Then find the Flowers and ask if they want to stay with us and fight this threat. If so, tell them about the meeting also.

Crag nodded.

Rock said, That’ll barely take a morning. What then?

Go hunting for meat to sell. We’ll need to pay for these rooms long-term, I’m sure, I said.

Aria frowned. The lands around the city will be largely hunted out. I doubt if they can provide a stable long-term income.

They probably can’t, but we’ll work out a long-term plan when we meet up again. Right now, I’m just trying to keep all the promises we made. Speaking of which, Kira, you and I will travel to meet with the Elders. We need to let them know everything that’s happened since we left, and to deliver the message from the night elves, I said.

Aye, we do. A big smile lit up Aria’s face. While we are there I will see that my father adopts you, as promised.

We also need to send a message to your uncle, said Kira.

Good point. The Elders must have a way to do that. We’ll ask them for assistance, I said. Looking around the room, I said, From this point onward, we five are the core team. Monks, Flowers and others might come and go, but we five are in this until it’s finished. Agreed?

Everyone nodded.

Good. Now, it’s very late. Get some sleep and we’ll meet for breakfast before heading out on our missions, I said.

It was wasteful, but we paid for three rooms for this first night. After Kira, Aria and I had left we would only pay for the room that Crag and Rock were using. It was the largest of the three, so we could share with them when we were in town. Aria was sure she could find us free lodging in the elven lands with which the town shared a border, and the monks could stay at the temple, so that only meant finding rooms for the Flowers if they returned to our group.

Soon everyone filed out, leaving just Kira and me. She looked weary and watched them leave with an expression of relief. I would have to find a way to take her out of this for a couple of days, even if that meant sending her somewhere with Aria. I would much rather take her somewhere myself, though; all this constant fighting, training and traveling by foot was taking a toll on us all, emotionally and physically.

Now that we were alone, I could see her drop her guard and let her strength sap away. It was nice that she could relax like that around me, but it was concerning how quickly her demeanor deteriorated.

Just one bed again, I commented. I thought I had requested two, but by now the innkeeper was likely to be fast asleep. It was probably unwise to wake him and start out on a bad note.

Kira smiled. Suddenly afraid to share a bed with me? There’s always the floor.

Since coming to this world we had spent most of our nights on separate bedrolls under the stars, but there had been a few occasions like this when we’d shared a single bed.

Back on Earth we took great pains to avoid this situation, but it was starting to seem normal here. This was both desirable and undesirable at the same time. The trip back to Earth had reminded me that Rick and Mary were real people; when this was all said and done, they would be left to deal with whatever choices Raven and Kira had made. Would they be happy, or would it drive a wedge between them? I wanted to believe that Raven and Kira’s budding relationship was also Rick and Mary’s, but Rick and Mary had taken pains to prevent this very thing for the sake of their friendship.

For the sake of their friendship.

That seemed so short-sighted right now, and unreasonably limiting; but we have to sleep in the bed we’ve made, as the old saying goes.

Smiling to cover my conflicted emotions, I said, I just didn’t want to keep you awake with my tossing and turning.

As I said, there’s always the floor.

No, I refuse to ask you to sleep there; that would be very ungentlemanly. You’ll just have to suffer my tossing and turning until we can rectify this problem, I fired back.

She gave me a look that said, Nice try, and got ready to turn in. Her body sagged and her voice slowed a little. I’m exhausted. Are you coming to bed?

Turning my back on her while she got ready, I picked up the pile of papers. Soon. I just want to skim through this pile.

She groaned. So you’re going to stay up all night making noise while I try to sleep?

Nah, I’m just going to see what you’ve got, then I’ll turn in too, I said.

"Do you believe these lies you tell? We both know you’re going to find something interesting and stay up all night studying it. Just walk away now while you still can," she persisted.

I chuckled, as I had just picked up a page with a type of magic on it that I didn’t recall from my lore readings. It wasn’t one I could personally cast, so it hadn’t been in the papers associated with my character. This could come in very handy in our current circumstances.

I know that chuckle, she said with a deep sigh and walked over. Seriously, put down that page and come to bed. There aren’t many hours left until sunrise.

I was tempted to refuse, but something in her voice or demeanor alerted me that it would be unwise. Her coldness was elevated; not to ice level, but something was up.

Replacing the sheet, I said, For you, I’ll put down this very interesting and possibly critically important piece of paper.

Thanks, she said wearily.

That wasn’t the response I’d been expecting. I was expecting to be cuffed on the back of the head or receive some snarky remark. The amount of emotion in that Thanks made me almost wish she had cuffed me instead.

It was probably just the result of weeks on the road and the constant fight for survival. A proper night’s sleep would do us both good.

A few minutes later found us in bed. Kira was holding me, and I could feel her ice against my skin even through my clothes. It should have been off-putting but I found it relaxing. The room around me started to blur as I succumbed to sleep. The darkness that came over me was comforting and very welcome.

Raven, I’m scared, she whispered.

Huh? What’s wrong? I said, fighting my way back to wakefulness.

I almost killed her, she said. She was shaking now. "She’s my friend, I love her like a sister and I almost killed her."

There was only one person I could think of who fit that description: Aria. What? When? My sleepy mind raced, trying to get a grip on the conversation.

She was hanging on to you, and ice rose up in me demanding that I kill her where she stood. It almost got out before I regained control! She was sobbing now.

What was she talking about? Oh. When we’d come through the portal, Aria had hitched a ride by hanging on to me. Jealousy? That was going to be a problem, more so considering Kira’s dragon nature. I squeezed her against me and said, Hey, you didn’t. That’s a victory. We’ll work with the monks and figure this out, okay?

You mustn’t tell her! Promise me! she said.

I won’t. I promise. It would have been stupid to tell Aria. That could have driven a wedge between them and broken up our group. We might have to tell the monks, though that would be a conversation for another day.

I held her while she cried, the enormity of all that had happened finally piling up on her and breaking through all at once. The incident with Aria was like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I knew how she felt, although I wished I didn’t. I suspected I might not have had the self-control to back off as fast as she had. We definitely needed to see the monks when we got back after visiting the Elders. If they couldn’t help us - well, I preferred not to think about that.

Eventually Kira fell into a fitful sleep.

2

Day 120

Icouldn’t sleep for a long time after that conversation, and occupied myself by trying to figure out how long it had been since we’d first come to this world. None of us had thought to note the date when we’d arrived, and we didn’t have smartphones or any other device with which to track time. Calendars did exist here, but we didn’t own one.

It was hard to calculate what date it might be on Earth. I was pretty sure it was early June when we’d come here, so that would have been the middle of spring back home. It was now late autumn here. Seasons are roughly ninety days long each, so if all of spring and all of summer had passed that would mean we’d been gone for one hundred and eighty days. I didn’t think that was right, though.

After hours of trying to count days, I was reasonably sure that it had been one hundred and nineteen days since we’d left Earth. That number sounded very precise but it really was just a rough estimate based on my recollection of our travels. It was probably close enough.

Almost four months. We still had no idea what that meant back on Earth. When we’d been there earlier today, it seemed as if no time had passed. My pizza was still warming in the oven and all our notes were still there; yet a door that had no lock had been locked, and we’d remained in our new bodies. Magic had worked, which was impossible on Earth, and Aria had been there too, all of which convinced me that it had not really been Earth and left us with no answers on that front.

If we were still there, then we must be in a coma or some similar condition. My parents would have found us like that when they’d got back from their trip and called emergency services. If that had happened, that meant we were all lying in hospital beds hooked up to various machines.

I didn’t think that was the case. Rick, Mary, Eric, Mike and Bob were our identities on Earth, but I think our bodies came with us and changed to the form they would have taken had we been born here. Not that it mattered just now; first we must deal with the darkness.

I should start writing a journal: something to help me keep track of dates and the passage of time. It would be good to have a record of events for future generations. I would start it on day one hundred and twenty and fill in the earlier events as soon as I could, before I forgot the details.

Kira slipped quietly out of my arms in an effort not to wake me, but I was only dozing. Her words had haunted me all night. What would happen if we both lost control? Would we become the darkness that we were fighting? Was that what had happened last time?

As she slipped away, I gently brushed her hair, allowing her movement to pull my fingers across it. It was messy, full of tangles from travel and sleep, but still soft to the touch. I was careful not to let my fingers dip into it and catch any tangles.

She looked around and said, Sorry.

For waking me? Nah, it’s time for tea, I said, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and trying to banish the images from my dreams.

She nodded. Yes, let’s have some tea. That would be nice.

Kira moved over to the fireplace. A fire had been set for us by the inn, but we hadn’t lit it the previous night. The cold of winter hadn’t set in yet, so it hadn’t been needed.

She set a pot on the hanger. Would you be a dear and light this?

I set a tiny ball of blue-white fire into the kindling and it caught right away. If nothing else, I guess it was good to be Fire-Born for that skill alone. Sliding out of bed, I took care of my most pressing morning needs and then moved over to the pot on the fire.

I’m really sorry for dumping on you last night, she said.

I pulled her into a hug. No, don’t be. I’m here for you, in good times and in bad. You dump whenever you need to.

She sniffled. You’re really something, you know.

A dozen smart replies came to mind, but I decided the greater part of valor was to remain quiet. I just hugged her until the kettle began to whistle, then she pulled away to make her special morning tea.

Today we go home, she said.

You mean to Aria’s?

She nodded. That’s our home and family here. We should get to know them better.

By ‘better’, you mean ‘better than not at all’?

According to my memories, before we came here Kira and Raven never considered anyone to be family. They - we - decided that we were all the family we needed.

That’s not like Mary at all, I pointed out.

She nodded and poured me some tea. "Mary would never do many of the things that I’ve done since coming here. It really is strange having a bona fide dual life."

I sipped some tea. Man, this stuff was good. Just inhaling the steam helped clear my mind. Ah, yes. If we go back to Earth, you must bring this recipe with you.

She smiled. I would have to grow the herbs myself, I think. I don’t know where I could buy them.

Oh, I’m sure some hippie store carries them, I said.

We sat side by side in front of the fire. She leaned up against me and I put my free arm around her.

Rick’s hair is way too short to go to a hippie store, she said and turned to look at me. With her free hand she reached up and ran her fingers through my hair.

I suspect he’ll be growing his hair out a bit, I said as a tingle ran down my spine. Rick had always preferred close-cut hair that required no effort to maintain. Raven took care of his shoulder-length hair with magic, so I guess that wasn’t much different.

Good, she said.

We sat there quietly for a while. She absently played with my hair as I stared into the flames. There was something magical about just sitting there in silence, magical and intimate. I felt more relaxed than I had all night. I don’t know how long we sat like that, but around sunrise a knock came on the door.

That will be Aria, I guessed.

Kira extricated herself and grabbed her bag before proceeding to the door. She opened the door and gave Aria a hug, saying something quietly to Aria that I missed. Aria squeezed her hard and then they separated.

I’ll be right back. I’m going to freshen up in Aria’s room, said Kira as she left.

Aria asked me, Is everything all right?

I brought her some tea. I think so.

Is there anything I can do? she asked, gratefully taking the tea and inhaling the steam.

I took her shoulder in my hand and looked her in the eye. Yes, go on being Kira’s friend. She needs you.

She smiled gently. And you.

I gave her shoulder a little squeeze and said, Aye, I need you too, but she has come to count on you. You’re like the sister she never had.

She blushed a little. I meant that she needs you. I think if she lost you, it would be a major blow to her.

I turned back to the fire. Aria, back on Earth, Kira and I were drifting apart. Life was pulling us away from each other. This adventure here has left me ... well, anxious. I don’t know what to do. I can’t see how this will end. Will we be here for years? Decades? At some point, will it become impossible to return home? If we go back, will we still be Raven and Kira? I sighed. I think you get the idea. I just don’t know what to do.

It sounds as if you have made up your mind who you are, she said.

I nodded. I had, but couldn’t quite bring myself to say it aloud. I was Raven. I was sure of that, at least for now. Sometimes I felt like Rick, but really Rick was now more of a distant memory. Looking back through Rick’s memory was like reading a story; it held all kinds of useful information, but it was as if someone else had lived it. I understood logically that I had been Rick, but I was Raven now.

She moved up behind me and placed her hand on my shoulder. Then everything else will work itself out in time. Honestly, I can’t imagine a better match than you two. I expect to attend your wedding one day.

I laughed nervously but a knock rescued me from having to reply.

I will get that. It must be the tanks, said Aria.

Careful, you’re picking up our lingo, I said.

She smiled. Flowers, monks and tanks. Seems fitting.

When she opened the door, Rock and Crag came in bearing food.

Breakfast is served, said Crag as he put down a platter of bread, eggs and cheese.

Rock put several pitchers on the table. Water, though you should probably purify it before anyone drinks it. It’s not exactly clear.

That was an understatement. It looked more like cheap, artificial maple syrup than water.

I purified the water and all the food. It amazes me that anyone can survive here without these spells.

That’s probably why they drink so much alcohol. It’s safer than the water, commented Rock.

We normally pour the water through cloth to filter it and then boil it on the fire before drinking it. It seems fine after that, she said.

That amazed me. There had been no mention of that in any of the books or movies I’d seen. Boiling and filtering had always been portrayed as something the modern person had brought to the world.

The others started to eat, but I wasn’t hungry. I sat down by the fire again and took out the sheet that Kira had distracted me from the previous night. What was written would entail quite a bit of effort, but I thought it just might work.

Kira walked back in, looking clean and fresh as if she’d just come out of a spa. There was no possibility that Aria had a shower and everything else she would have needed to pull off that look, so that meant she had used her magic. Yes, the naturalist line had been a smart move indeed.

Your turn, Stinky, said Kira and she tossed me the key.

Snatching it out of the air, I said, Okay. Eat and drink. When I come back, we’ll get going.

Taking my cue from Kira, I used my naturalist line of spells to clean myself and my clothes. ‘Naturalist’ seemed a poor name for the spells, as most of them had to do with survival rather than nature. It wasn’t as if I could call up a storm or quell the wind.

When I entered the room, everyone was sitting around the table laughing at some joke. Kira looked up and greeted me with a smile that lit up her whole face.

So, Raven, we have a problem, said Rock.

I sat down and grabbed a chunk of cheese. Just one? That’s a nice change.

Frowning at my lame humor, he said, It seems that the king is still ordering all humans to be pressed into service.

Why? They won, I said.

Yes, the goblin army has been routed; a bird brought that message several days before we arrived. The problem now is that we have very large bands of goblins wandering the region. The king has broken up the army and sent the soldiers to hunt them down, he said.

But you’ve been out and about in this city. The guards have seen you on several occasions and no one tried to press you into service, said Kira.

"True, but while we were getting food this morning they came by to talk to Crag and me. It seems that some time ago a representative of the king came through here and took most of the guards, leaving the town hard-pressed to find enough people to man the walls, skilled or otherwise.

As you can imagine, they weren’t happy with this and filed a complaint. The king then told them that any human fighters inside their walls were to be pressed into service to defend the town if it was attacked.

So you’re free to move about the city, but can’t leave? I asked.

Exactly. It’s no big deal, really; if the city was attacked, we would flock to its defense anyway. However, it does prevent us hunting, he said.

I nodded and got up to pace around. We didn’t have enough money to last the week. Kira, Aria and I could hunt, but we had to get messages to the Elders, which would take us away from the city for some time.

Then my eyes landed on my practice staff. Kira, would you mind donating your practice staff to feed Crag and Rock?

Sure, but I doubt it would sit well in their stomachs, she said.

Always a joker. Aria, can you take Rock down to the market and find out how much we can get for a staff enchanted with some basic enhancements? I can enchant these two and probably have them done before you come back. I hope we can sell them for enough to cover Rock and Crag’s stay for a week.

Aria nodded. Much more than that, unless I miss my mark.

Excellent. We’ll move out of this room so that we don’t get charged for another day, then Kira and Crag can guard me while I work.

I can do one staff while you do the other, pointed out Kira.

I’m sure you could, but need I remind you that you’re our only healer, and as such we can’t have you running out of mana?

She grumbled, With great power comes great responsibility.

3

Day 120

Kira’s buffs were far superior to mine, but the naturalist line of magic had a few minor buffs with which I could enchant each staff. In truth it would have been better if she had enchanted the staves, as they would have been far more powerful with her spells, but as our only healer it didn’t seem wise to drain her mana.

It took several hours, nearly all of my mana and most of what remained of my red dust to perform the two minor enchantments on both staves. When I’d finished I collapsed into a chair and sat there, holding my head. I knew there was something I should be doing but I couldn’t remember. It was something really important. The only thing I could think of was the pain that was my head.

Here, drink, said a voice that stirred my fires, although I couldn’t quite place it.

A canteen was pressed to my lips and at first I almost choked on the water, then my throat remembered what to do and I guzzled it down greedily. Food followed. I’m not sure what I ate, only that I ate as much and as fast as I could. I continued until my stomach felt as if it would explode from the pressure.

Kira - yes, that was her name - brushed hair out of my eyes and asked, Feeling better?

Ugh, next time only one staff at a time, I said. The food was doing its job and my mind was slowly clearing.

The door opened and Aria and Rock came in. Aria dropped a bag on the table; it clinked as it went down. Down payment for the staves.

I took the liberty of paying for this room and meals for the next week, said Rock.

The bag seemed to have a lot of coins in it. Or were there two bags? Focusing was hard work. And that’s just the down payment?

Aria nodded. Yes. He didn’t want to risk us selling to anyone else.

Kira handed Aria the staves. Please go and deliver the goods, then. Sparky here needs to rest and regenerate mana for a while.

Aria took the staves and turned to Rock. Ready to be my escort again?

He gave an exaggerated bow and held the door open, then pronounced in the most sycophantic voice I had ever heard him use, Of course, my wondrous and noble lady, against whom all others pale by comparison.

Kira cracked up, clutching the table for support as Aria threw her head back, tossed her hair with great flair and pranced out of the room with her chin stuck out. Rock winked at us before following her out.

Crag, who was also laughing, asked, Who was that?

Kira shook her head. I think that was Eric’s personality poking through. I can’t imagine Rock ever acting like that.

How had Kira just put it? "It was really strange having a bona fide dual life." Something like that. Yes, that was the world we played in. Two sides of the same coin can never meet, and yet we had.

I must have dozed off then because then next thing I noticed was the sound of the door opening as Aria and Rock entered, carrying staves.

Rubbing my eyes and stretching, I asked, How did it go?

We told him you had enchanted your practice staves to sell, and he gave us two new ones, said Rock.

Aria dropped several bags of coin on the table. He was very impressed with your work and wants to know when he can get more.

I looked at the bags and tried to calculate how much money that was, but my mind was still working too slowly and I couldn’t connect size and shape to anything useful.

Kira scooped up the bags and began to count and divide the money.

How many more does he want? I asked. I was almost out of red dust. When we finally made it back to the forest, I would have to acquire more.

We didn’t ask, but seeing as he was the captain of the city guard, we assume he wants a lot more, said Rock.

You sold them to the guards? asked Crag.

Rock was concerned about the staves falling into the wrong hands, so he suggested we try them first. The captain recognized me, though I do not recall him, and when I told him an enchanter of my family wanted to sell some enchanted staves, he about fell over himself to make us an offer, said Aria.

It seems that the king took the best weapons along with the best fighters, said Rock.

That seemed like a horribly short-sighted move. Did you make any promises?

Only that we would pass on their request for more, said Aria.

How fast can you make them? asked Rock.

Before I could answer Kira interjected, "One every other day."

Well, that’s not …

Kira stopped my disagreement with a glare that could have frozen a magma flow in place. "One. Every other day."

Yeah, I guess I could do one every other day, I said sheepishly.

Hardly enough to make much of a difference in a city guard, said Crag.

Can you enchant other things, like swords and armor? asked Rock.

If my theories are correct about the way magic works, I should be able to enchant anything that I can engrave, I said. In fact, metal should hold a magical charge better than the wood, according to my untested theory.

So metal is out, unless we get better tools, commented Rock.

Oh, I am sure we can get tools from the captain of the city guard, said Aria.

Rock grinned broadly and looked at her. That captain would provide just about anything you asked him for.

Kira looked up at Aria. "Oh, would he now?"

Humans are easily enthralled, answered Aria off-handedly, but her face betrayed her embarrassment.

Kira finished her work with the coins and handed everyone a bag. Aria refused hers, saying, Oh, no, thanks. I do not need any.

Shaking my head, I said, Take it. This money belongs to the party, all five of us. We split it five ways and each carries a portion. That way, if one of us is robbed or worse, we don’t lose it all. Also, if any one of us needs something, they don’t have to track down a treasurer to buy it; they can just use the party funds.

She took the bag and looked around the group, smiling. I love the trust you all have in one another.

Hey, you’re one of us now. We five are a team, a family of sorts. Different backgrounds, even different worlds, but none of that matters because we’re one now, said Kira.

Aria slipped the bag into an inner pocket in her armor. Thanks. It is rare to find such trust, especially across races.

Well, we’re all a bit insane, so that probably explains it, I said. Right, here is the new plan. Rock, Crag, go find Tharn and the Flowers as planned. Give us about a week in the Enchanted Forest, and then we’ll meet back in this room. Learn all you can from the monks, but try to keep your heads down. We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves.

That guard captain will come looking for Aria, said Rock.

Aria groaned. "Men!"

If he does, tell him that Aria and her enchanter had to leave town on business but will return in a week. It may turn out useful to have a friend who is the captain of the city guard, I said.

"We are not using Aria to curry favor in that way," stated Kira flatly.

"No, no, I don’t mean it like that. I was thinking along the lines of bribing him with more equipment," I said quickly, though I had been thinking that his interest in Aria would be helpful; more helpful than the staves.

You had better not, said Kira with ice in her tone.

It is fine, said Aria with a wave of her hand.

Kira’s face and tone clearly indicated that it wasn’t. I would have to be more careful in future, but right now it would be wise to change the subject. Speaking of the city guard, the Flowers are wanted criminals, right?

"They