by Chris Africa
Nita nodded. "Cherise, why don't you tell the story, so I don't have to be rude and spit cheese all over everyone."
Cherise told of their trip to Ralph Geared's farm, the uneventful entrance into Lyesfare, and the announcements at the two pubs. Chassy blushed as she listed all the well wishes from people he'd never met. He felt like an imposter—Chassy, the morph who couldn't morph. But the parts about Martu disturbed him.
"Do you think Erise is going to Waet Tree Village?" he asked.
"I think Martu is a big liar who would say anything to try to throw us off. There's no way Erise can get to the village, because he's locked up in the Underworld," Nita insisted.
"What if he has somehow broken free?" William said. "There's no 'evil god is free' alarm to warn everyone. We need to find those boots as soon as possible and prepare to face him."
"Do you think there's a way he could break free? Maybe we should return to Waet Tree Village to give everyone a chance to arm themselves."
Cherise's head swung down in front of them; she was hanging from one of the ceiling joists. "Do not believe Martu! He lies to sow chaos."
Several people started to offer opinions at once, but Andrev interrupted. "I agree with Cherise. Besides, if the Spell of Mysteries hides the village and we go back there, that may cut a clear path for anyone who wants to find it, including Martu. We can't take a chance like that."
Spell of Mysteries? "What are you talking about, Andrev?"
Andrev began to talk, more than Chassy had ever seen him talk in his life. He passed on Granny's history of Waet Tree Village, including what he knew of the Spell of Mysteries, and brought them current on what he knew of his own heritage. All this time, Andrev had a story to tell, but no one bothered to ask him anything about his weeks with Granny. Chassy felt his face coloring.
"What should we do Andrev?" he asked. "What do you recommend, based on what you've learned?"
"Chassy, you need to continue your healing and re-learning how to use magic with Xander. Put your back into it, so to speak. We need you and those boots. If Erise has escaped, they should help us fight him."
Chassy nodded. "I'm in, magic or no."
"The prisoner is securely in his—" Xander stopped in the doorway. "That's a lot of serious faces. Cherise, dear, come down from there, your cheeks are quite brilliant from being upside down, and I'm afraid you'll be dizzy."
"With Gnarkvetch gone, we're deciding what we will do next."
The cleric joined them in front of the fireplace. "Will you be leaving right away? At least let me prepare for you an adequate meal of roast squab."
Chassy smiled. Xander always liked to call his food 'adequate,' but some of Jam's techniques must have rubbed off on him.
"I think we may need to do some research in your library before we go, with Andrev's help," Chassy said. "We'd be happy to join you."
"Most excellent! Then I'm off to the kitchen to begin preparations. Andrev, you know where to find the books."
Andrev nodded. "I have a good idea of a couple of places we can start. Thankfully, Xander's shelves are quite organized."
"I imagine you would be interested in the volumes that the elf was reading when Quon came to retrieve him," Xander suggested. "It was quite a large pile, and I haven't returned them all to their shelves yet. Come, I'll show you."
Xander took them to the room Lyear had occupied, just next to the one where Alystra was being held. As he unlocked the room and motioned them to enter, Nita's eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"Why did you have to ward another room, if this one was already protected?" she asked.
"Where are the books?" Andrev asked.
Something was definitely off. Chassy turned to see Xander with his back against the door and his hands raised in front of him.
"I'm going to have to ask you to wait here for a while."
"What are you talking about?" William demanded. "Are you taking us prisoner?"
"Xander, what's going on here?" Nita's voice was sharp.
William raced forward, pulling his sword at the last minute. The merchant plunged through Xander's body into the door with a solid thud. An apparition!
"You will have a better time of it if you remain calm and try to relax," the apparition said. "I'll bring you some food and books you can read to pass the time."
Chassy pounded on the door. He had expected betrayal from William, but Xander had always treated him like a friend. "Let us out of here!"
"That's not going to happen, Chassy."
"Fine, bring us books, then," Andrev ordered. "Everything you have on prophecies, the mountain people, and the gods."
"That's a lot of books. It will take me some time to collect them."
Andrev glared. "I told you, I'm a fast reader. Besides, there are five of us now. We need something to do while we wait to meet whatever enemy is behind all of this."
As Xander disappeared to get the books, Chassy slumped into a chair and peered around the windowless room. There was only one small bed and not a lot of floor space, which made him think Xander didn't plan to keep them long. His friends dropped to the floor or the bed, except for Andrev, who was using his bo to prod what Chassy assumed was the protective field around the room.
"Why would Xander be doing this?" Chassy asked. "This behavior from him doesn't make any sense."
"Maybe he is being blackmailed or paid a lot of money for something. But he was always a member of the resistance, so I still don't understand." Nita sounded frustrated.
"He claimed to support the resistance," Andrev said. "Now I cannot be so sure."
"Well, we're going to need an escape plan," Chassy said. "Something creative and risky, but without the option of magic." They'd faced bandits, half-giants, and Martu, and they thwarted the plans of an evil wizard. A magic room should be nothing by comparison.
"I have an idea." Nita frowned in concentration. "We're going to need a lot of books, the bed, and some fire."
That sounded like a recipe for disaster. But he had to admit, Nita's ideas always worked. Mostly.
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About the Author
Chris Africa was born in a U.S. Army hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, and grew up with 5 younger siblings in a small Ohio town. She has a Political Science degree, decades of web project management experience, and a successful job at a digital agency.
Chris lives in Michigan with her husband, Mike; daughter, Olivia; cats Ninja and Artemis; and Harvey the dog.