After this, they flew to Morcanon, the dwarven kingdom. It had taken some convincing to get to the queen, mostly by using the remaining piece of the Orb of Dominion to convince anyone of their identities. She had been freed of her enthrallment and been in contact with King Orin, and thus were they given an audience. It was here that they wanted to leave the other piece, figuring the dwarves had learned a hard lesson. This had resulted in their second feast, this time for lunch and once again haphazardly arranged. The dwarves had reminded her of Rognir, her Honyn friend and mentor, but their offered tours of their underground world seemed too much of the Kirii Cave, an apprehension that vanished before long. Their stonework skill had her and the others in awe, but there was little time to enjoy it. They soon departed for a short flight to Castle Arking.
They told King Orin a riddle that Eric and Matt devised. No one was to know where the three pieces of the slave Orb of Dominion lay in case someone brought them together again. But since it was possible that they might need this and the four Ellorian Champions were no more, they decided on leaving a clue. The result was a quest they devised for someone else to complete. Even Ryan and Anna didn’t know where the first piece lay and found the clues to be suitably cryptic.
In ruins lies the first of three
Where once stood man but nothing be
Entombed in stone for none to see
In high noon’s light it can be free
Where monsters swim and darkness lies
The second piece it does reside
All arms and wings, two deadly foes
Beneath the waves that one must row
The third lies in the tunnels of stone
Among those who were once overthrown
Now free again they have all sworn
To hide the shard and keep it torn
Anna wasn’t sure which of the two came up with text because they looked equally proud of it when reciting it the first time, and they had cared little for her suggested edits. The thought made her smile. With danger over, they had returned to being like two boys playing Dungeons and Dragons. She wasn’t one to stifle someone’s entertainment anyway, and certainly not after everything they just went through. On the first quest, they had thought they would just go back to their lives after some initial attention, but this time they knew better.
Now Eric and Matt had created a quest instead of solving one. Maybe one day someone else might go on the quest to recover the slave Orb of Dominion, but hopefully it wouldn’t be the Lords of Fear, or anyone else during their lifetime. The orb pieces would not be unable to come together on their own, and only someone who knew the location of each piece could find them. Only Eric, Matt, and Jolian knew. They trusted the dragon.
Anna grew nervous as they neared the Quest Ring, the path to it lined by torches, an honor guard lining the way. The ring itself had been lit with more flames that illuminated those standing near it. Despite efforts to keep the crowd at bay, they were getting a hero’s send off, and she got the impression the guards had given up on keeping people away. The mood was positive but quiet, as if the night sky hushed everyone, kids jostling for position. She had learned that the champions had never been here before and with their summoning happening in secret, no one had seen the spectacle. They weren’t going to be denied this time.
The group dismounted and said their farewells, accepting some gifts despite knowing they wouldn’t arrive with them. What happened to them they didn’t know. Did they just fall to the ground here on Rovell? They would likely never get an answer. This was the first time they were supposedly bringing something they hadn’t arrived with back. Before going, Anna asked Jolian to please come find them if she heard that they had arrived on Rovell again. They could use a friend.
Then they mounted the dais as people cheered, Ryan turning to them and assuming the role of a heroic knight that he played at RenFest. Who knew he would ever get to do it for real? He might have been the only one who truly enjoyed the pomp and ceremony of it all. And his wealthy upbringing had sort of prepared him for it, with the fancy balls and other stuff his parents had made him go to. Anna couldn’t relate, but she could admire the way he worked the crowd. Better him than her. They hadn’t really talked about it, but they knew Eric was their actual leader, the man with a plan, but that Ryan was the public face of the group. It seemed to work for all of them. The shy Matt could hang back as the intimidating Soliander while Anna could smile and try to soften their fearsome reputation. Taking the edge off boys and their sometimes-unruly leanings was something girls did anyway.
But she was faking it this time. It wasn’t until they had said last goodbyes that everyone but them stepped off the dais. King Orin made a final brief speech, the dwarven queen did the same, and a shout went up from the King’s Guard. Then everyone fell silent, Matt having decided to use Soliander’s staff to trigger the return spell. He did the deed as people watched, then resumed position, the floor beneath them lighting up just as the pillars did. The crowd cheered and for the first time, Anna felt the weight on her lift. She hadn’t let herself feel the gratitude or happiness until now and tried to cut herself some slack. Maybe Raven, Heather, and Jade were fine, and all this anxiety wasn’t worth it. Then the Quest Ring and those outside it disappeared.
The familiar vortex of light and sound roared around her. This time she remembered to cover herself as Eriana’s robe vanished, making her nude before her Earth clothes returned. She felt the lump of her smartphone in one pocket and briefly wondered what would happen if she tried to make a call. How soon would it get a signal to let her know how many texts, calls, and emails she hadn’t seen? Across from her, the others looked excited, if tense. Whatever happened to feeling safe now that they were going home? The three of them disappeared before her along with the noise, but the bright light remained, blinding even more, the sound of a car horn blaring, followed by the screech of skidding tires.
Then the darkness took her.
Chapter 9 – In the Dead of Night
“What is this?” Soliander asked, holding up a plastic card with numbers embossed on it. A credit card, he suddenly realized, knowledge from his previous mental contact with Matt surfacing. Pieces were falling into place, but many of them weren’t particularly useful. Still, he needed to know how to get around in this world. No magic portals existed, not that he couldn’t cast him and his apprentice somewhere. But he grew eager to experience this place he’d only seen in Matt’s memories before arriving on Earth himself. And then there was the question of seeming like they belonged here while avoiding suspicion. He had admonished Darron not to gawk, but part of him knew he was doing it, too. It was one reason they were in a Gaithersburg, Maryland hotel room now, gathering intel out of sight, with fewer bright lights and fantastic sights to make them stare.
“My credit card,” answered Joe, a middle-aged, portly man who seemed typical of those encountered so far. He sat before them on the lone chair, tan slacks and a white button-up shirt at odds with their jeans and t-shirts. Darron had asked about the differing clothes, but Soliander wasn’t inclined to explain trivial details, which he only sensed the significance of from Matt’s memories. The fourth-floor hotel room had two queen beds and furnishings that the wizard suspected were normal. Joe’s bag, or suitcase, lay open on one bed, the contents already rifled through.
“How does it work?” Soliander asked, images of using it to pay for goods flashing in his head. “You purchase things with it?”
“Yes.”
“What sorts of items?”
“Almost anything. Food, hotel rooms, merchandise.”
“Homes?”
“No, that requires a mortgage, a home loan.”
“Explain.”
Soliander and his apprentice listened as Joe explained about credit, banks, and the housing market. They had been at this for ten minutes, the spell Soliander had cast on Joe making him compliant and honest to a fault. This world was unlike anything he’d known. By morning, they’d likely know e
verything they needed. The information was overwhelming, and Soliander was growing impatient, because there was so much that was so different. He finally made Joe stop talking, grabbed his apprentice’s hand, and cast the Mind Trust spell on Joe. It allowed both of them to sift through Joe’s memories, which they did for hours, gorging on intel. They had previously done this to a hotel maid, then made her forget the encounter.
It had not taken long for Darron to contact him via the orb from a local park, then cast a cantrip to make a ball of light appear. Soliander had arrived moments later, but as strong as he was, magic was not without a cost and he felt a little weakened by the exertion. He recognized the sight of Matt’s house, or that of his parents, technically, but he didn’t go in. The lights and movement inside had not deterred him so much as the recollection, courtesy of Matt, of what lay inside. The memories returned more concretely now that he was here, his eyes going to one house or another, to places where Matt had experienced pain or pleasure, or where childhood friends had lived. And that’s how he realized the parents of Anna lived next door. That could also be useful.
It was partly for this reason that the pair had spent hours walking around town and sometimes sitting on a bench, watching people, and quietly remarking on observed details great and small. Everything became more distinct for Soliander, as if the disjointed nature of his Mind Trust spell with Matt was undone by being in the places where those broken memories had originated. It was all more fantastic than Soliander had envisioned. Darron had been less prepared for it and so wide-eyed that Soliander had finally cast a spell to calm the dark elf.
Arriving at night had been helpful, as fewer people had been around to encounter, and they had spent until morning getting a feel for life on Earth. The need for sleep and a quiet base for further exploring had led to this hotel and Joe, who was in town for business. The right spell had resulted in Joe going about his day job while the wizards slept in his room with the “do not disturb” sign on, with breaks for exploring, then Joe dutifully returning to them for the night. Tomorrow would include trips to Anna’s condo, Eric’s place, and the home of Ryan’s family, with much information falling into place. But one subject Soliander most wanted to know, he found nothing on, so he returned to the inquisition to ask directly.
“What do you know of Merlin?” he asked.
“Merlin?” Joe asked with a frown.
“The wizard.”
Hesitating, Joe asked, “You mean the legend guy? From Arthur’s Court? Knights of the Round Table? That’s just a myth.”
Soliander scowled in frustration, for his spells had rendered Joe helpful, and yet here he was not being so. It suggested the information was beyond his reach. “From what year is this myth?”
“I’m not sure. The 11th century maybe.”
“And it’s… the 21st century?”
“Yeah. It’s after 2000.”
Soliander stepped back. “A thousand years.”
He had half-expected something of this sort, but not nearly that long. It explained the weathering at Stonehenge, which he was curious to visit, but it could wait. Matt’s memories were quite clear on that one, being so recent. He asked Joe about the myth but learned little until Joe offered to look it up on his laptop, so they did. But for all the legends, there was nothing about Stonehenge in them, or Quest Rings, and no mention of himself, Eriana, Korrin, or Andier. And while Morgana appeared in quite a few of the tales, he found nothing about the Ellorian Champions. Or Merlin’s Pendant. Or faerie creatures vanishing along with magic to their own world. It was as if none of it had ever happened.
Soliander sighed in frustration. No answer would come soon, he realized, so he turned his mind to practical matters. He wasn’t sure how to go about acquiring his own credit card or smartphone to pay for things, and with cash still acceptable, he soon magically robbed a nearby bank by turning himself invisible, casting himself inside, and removing a small fortune in bills before leaving. Similar stunts helped prepare himself and Darron for further escapades, but with the Stonehenge Four, as he had learned they were called, gone on a quest, he had time.
He had seen news reports of Matt vanishing on camera, and the stories about Anna’s disappearance, the others reportedly missing as well. The footage of Matt had been important for understanding one thing—they weren’t going voluntarily. The expression of surprise on Matt’s face had made it plain. This came as no real surprise. After Everon’s betrayal, he and the others hadn’t been doing it willingly either. The real question now was how the four Earth friends had been substituted for them. He had wondered if Korrin, Andier, or Eriana had somehow done this, despite it being improbable, but now he knew they had not.
Like him, they had railed against the forced quests and having to pretend they were happy to solve someone else’s problem for them when no one could solve theirs—how to escape the quest cycle that only Everon and Diara knew was undesired. His friends would never have forced others to take their place even if they had known how, and if Soliander didn’t know, they couldn’t. He was the wizard who had invented everything about the Quest Rings–with a little help from Eriana for the healing elements—until Everon altered them.
His curiosity about them had only increased on learning of the quest on Rovell. They had somehow defeated the Lords of Fear, who had earned their nickname. The victory was impressive and unexpected. They seemed a threat to anyone up to no good and had surprised him twice now. This warranted respect and caution, maybe a little more reconnaissance. Had his old friends somehow trained them, or were they just getting lucky? It took more than good fortune to defeat the lords.
Aeron had suffered a loss of pride, and Garian had recovered from his wounds. Kori’s severed arm had grown back with supernatural help, but there was no way to restore Lord Voth’s previously handsome appearance. Soliander liked him better this way anyway. An undead knight who looked like a normal man wasn’t nearly as frightening as one with bones and bits of charred flesh hanging from him.
The quartet had been suitably concerned about their future well-being after the failure, but they didn’t have to explain what happened. He had seen their collapse himself, right until the moment “Lord Korrin” had slammed his sword down at the orb. After that, he lost contact, but he knew what must have happened, and the Lords of Fear had confirmed it. The slave Orb of Dominion had broken, leaving only the master. And now the subservience that had ensnared two kingdoms of the many to come had been lost. He frowned as he gazed over at a black velvet cloth atop a round object. When he caught up with these supposed Ellorian Champions, he would make them reveal what they had done with the other orb’s pieces.
The moment he sensed he had returned to Earth, Eric dropped into a defensive crouch and scanned around him. Then he relaxed and straightened. He was alone. And he had arrived where he’d expected—back at work, which was predictably deserted. He once again wore his karategi, its white pants and jacket too bright for his comfort as he stood there in the dark. A glance at the clock showed just after two in the morning, so their guess at the time had been close. He turned to where his clothes should have been but weren’t. His shoes, car keys, wallet, and phone were all gone. He searched for them, thinking his boss might have moved them, but then he went to window and looked for his car. Gone.
“Damn it,” he said, not surprised. Someone might have called the police. He had a bad feeling they were about to be famous all over again. He went into the office and dialed Matt from the landline. To his relief, the techie picked up.
“Hey, it’s Eric. I’m stuck inside at work because the alarm is on and I don’t know the code.”
“Just let yourself out anyway. Who cares if it goes off?”
Eric laughed. “Good point, but there is a problem. A couple. I don’t have my regular clothes, or my wallet, and that stuff. And my car is gone.”
“Yeah, so is mine. Is that why you’re calling from another phone? I almost didn’t pick up but figured it was you or Ryan.”
“Yeah. My parents likely have it all. Listen, I forgot I was wearing karate stuff, which is what I’m in now. If I set off that alarm, and I’m walking the streets in this because I don’t have a car, I’m going to draw attention.”
“Yeah, you’d get picked up for sure, though I’m not sure how quickly they’d know a guy in a karate outfit is the one who set the alarm off there.”
“Me either.” But an alarm at a karate place going off and a guy walking around in a karate outfit would be too much coincidence for the police to not quickly put it together, then confirm it, all after arresting him. Technically, he had done nothing wrong, but that wouldn’t stop the arrest or cause problems he wanted to avoid. It seemed obvious that his disappearance was known, so he might not get out of custody easily if apprehended. He felt like he didn’t have time for that anyway.
“Why don’t I come get you?” Matt asked.
“Still risky. I was just going to spend the next few hours here and try to sneak out in the morning or something. Hopefully, the owner won’t notice. You could pick me up then, assuming you find your car.” Eric sighed. This was getting irritating.
“Yeah. What time does the place open? I’ll try to be there with clothes.”
“Good idea. I need shoes, maybe sandals as they’ll fit better since they aren’t mine. Anyway, I think my boss gets in by 6:30.”
“Then I’ll be there by 6. It’ll give me time to go by my house for some stuff.”
The Light Bringer: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Novel (The Dragon Gate Series Book 2) Page 17
