Kingdom of Magicians

by Timothy L. Cerepaka

  Chapter Thirteen

  Just as Sherf said, about five blocks down from The Overflowing Mug was yet another old-looking, trashy building, with a bloodshot eye painted on its surface. There were no people standing around outside it, but if Sherf was telling the truth, that meant nothing except that Old Cyclops apparently didn't see the need for outside guards.

  Keo immediately walked up to the door and slammed his fist on its a few times. He was in no mood for niceties or pleasantries, because he knew that the consequences for losing Gildshine would be absolutely catastrophic.

  “Hello?” said Keo. “Anyone in there? Let us in or else!”

  A second after he said that, a silt in the door opened and two eyes peered out. The eyes looked angry and annoyed, but Keo did not back away.

  “Who the hell are you?” said the eyes. “One of Cy's customers?”

  “No,” said Keo, shaking his head. “But I want to speak with Old Cyclops anyway. He might have something of mine that was sold to him.”

  “Lots of people fit that description,” the eyes said. “But sorry, if you're not here to buy or sell, then you can just go and head on right back to where you came from, kid.”

  With a harsh laugh, the slit closed, leaving Keo standing there fuming.

  Keo stepped back and said, “Dlaine, help me. I'm going to knock down the door and fight anyone who gets in my way.”

  But Dlaine grabbed Keo's arm and said, “Hold on, kid. That's suicide and you know it.”

  “Suicide?” said Keo, looking at Dlaine in annoyance. “What are you talking about?”

  “Listen, kid, I know how these types of thugs operate, and believe me when I say that they don't take kindly to uninvited guests,” said Dlaine, shaking his head. “They'll do more than just beat you. They'll kill you and hide your body. We don't even know how many guys Old Cyclops has anyway, although I can assure you that they are all probably armed and wanted for murder.”

  “But they have Gildshine,” said Keo, wrenching his arm out of Dlaine's hand. “I can't just let them have my sword and sell it to the highest bidder. I need it to get it back and I need to get it back now.”

  “I'm not saying you shouldn't try to get it back,” said Dlaine, holding up his hands. “But I am saying that you should be smart about it.”

  “What do you mean?” said Keo.

  “We need to sneak in without them noticing,” said Dlaine. “Then we locate Gildshine, grab it, and run.”

  Keo looked back at the eye on the door. Although it was merely the painting of an eye and not the real thing, Keo felt like it was mocking him, as if amused by his frustration.

  So Keo said, “All right, then. But let's hurry, because we have no idea if Naye has sold Gildshine to Old Cyclops yet.”

  -

  Keo and Dlaine found the back door of Old Cylcops' building, although it was locked. But then Dlaine picked the lock with a lock pick he happened to have on hand (which Keo did not question, as he knew it was another one of those things that Dlaine would not explain) and opened the door, allowing them to enter silently.

  The two of them entered a dark backroom that was empty of other people. Keo found this odd because he thought that Old Cyclops would have guards everywhere, but perhaps he thought that the locked door would be enough to keep out any potential intruders. Of course, it was too dark to see if there was anyone in there with them, but considering how no one had jumped out of the shadows to attack them yet, Keo figured they were alone.

  The only source of light came through the crack of another door, which Keo and Dlaine silently approached. Voices could be heard from within, voices that sounded like they were arguing over something. Dlaine gestured for Keo to be quiet and Keo nodded to show he understood. He pointed at the crack, trying to indicate that he was going to look through it to see who was talking, and Dlaine gave him the thumbs up to show that he understood.

  So Keo walked up to the crack and peered through it. He could not see much due to how tiny the crack was, but he did see that it was a large living room, with a sofa and several chairs scattered around, plus a couple of bookcases leaning against one wall.

  Then Keo saw four people in the center of the room. Two looked like Old Cyclops' bodyguards, because they stood behind an elderly-looking man who had only one bloodshot eye and a cane. The bodyguards were tall and large, with scars on their faces that made them look fierce and deadly. Both of them carried thick clubs at their sides, which looked heavy enough to turn a person's head into pulp.

  As for the old man, he actually looked tougher than them, even though he was smaller and skinnier than them. As Keo had noted before, the man only had one bloodshot eye, with a black eye patch covering his other. Keo guessed that the man was Old Cyclops, mostly because of his one eye, but also because the man sat with an air of authority that was obvious even from a distance. Old Cyclops carried a silver cane in his lap that looked quite fancy and expensive, which made Keo wonder where he could have gotten it, because it looked even more expensive than the building they were in.

  Sitting across from Old Cyclops was a teenaged boy who Keo recognized as Naye. The boy looked a little nervous, probably because of the way in which Old Cyclops was looking at him, but he also looked like he had been here many times before and so was familiar with the way things were done. The boy did look a bit like Sherf, except younger and with less hair and in much better shape.

  But what caught Keo's attention the most was Gildshine. His sword lay on the table between Old Cyclops and Naye, still sheathed and apparently undamaged from what he could tell. Keo wanted to dash out, grab it, and run right away. Indeed, he almost opened the door before Dlaine grabbed his wrist, causing him to look at Dlaine.

  “Don't,” Dlaine whispered. “Not yet.”

  Keo bit his lower lip, but he nodded. As much as he wanted to grab Gildshine right away, he also understood that it would not make sense to show themselves just yet. While Keo could only see Old Cyclops' two bodyguards there, that did not mean there were not other men in the nearby rooms who would be more than willing to teach Keo and Dlaine a lesson about interrupting their employer's business deals.

  So Keo listened to Old Cyclops, who had a deep voice like a well, as he spoke with Naye.

  “So,” said Old Cyclops, his one eye flicking between Gildshine on the table and Naye sitting before him. “Where did you say you got this sword from again?”

  “I stole it,” said Naye. His voice cracked, which made him sound even more nervous than he usually did. “Stole it from a traveler from out of town.”

  Old Cyclops reached over and lifted up Gildshine, which made Keo angry, but again he stayed where he was. He watched as Old Cyclops brought the sword closer to his eye, his veined hands wrapped tightly around its sheath and handle.

  “Was he a rich man?” said Old Cyclops, turning the sword over. “Because this blade looks quite unique. Reminds me of the swords used by the Knights of the Old Kingdom.”

  “I don't know, but he didn't look rich to me,” said Naye. “I think he was a bounty hunter or mercenary or something.”

  Old Cyclops pulled the sword out of its sheath partway and his one eye widened when he saw Gildshine's shiny surface. Then he looked up at Naye, suspicion in his eye.

  “This doesn't look like the kind of sword that a mere bounty hunter or mercenary would carry,” said Old Cyclops. “Looks like something that a Magician would use. And not just any Magician, but one of the members of the Magical Council.”

  “I'm telling you what I saw,” said Naye. His voice kept cracking, like he was going through puberty there and then, though it was probably because he was afraid of Old Cyclops. “And he didn't look like much. He almost looked like a beggar, even.”

  Dlaine suppressed a chuckle, causing Keo to glare at him, but then he returned his attention to the business deal as Old Cyclops spoke again.

  “Must have been a thief, then,” Old Cyclops said. He sheathed the sword again and placed it back on the table. �
��Probably stole this sword from a rich person or maybe from a Magician. That means it's valuable. Intensely valuable, in fact.”

  Naye actually smiled when he heard that. “Really? How much will you pay for it, then?”

  Old Cyclops rubbed his chin. “Thirty lems.”

  Naye's smile vanished. “Thirty lems? That's not much more than what you paid me for that box of old books I stole a week ago.”

  “And?” said Old Cyclops. “Why should I pay you any more than that? Thirty lems.”

  Naye reached for the sword. “Well, if you are just going to pay that much for it—”

  A knife slammed on the table between Naye's fingers and Gildshine, nearly taking the boy's fingers off. Naye jerked his hand back and held it close to his chest as Old Cyclops—who had drawn and stabbed the knife into the table even faster than Keo's eyes could follow—snarled like a beast.

  “Sorry, boy, but I want this sword and I will take it and you will accept my offer of thirty lems,” said Old Cyclops. “Besides, I know how poor you and your father are. I don't think you have the right to be so picky about how much money you get.”

  “But thirty lems is hardly more than what my dad makes in a day at his tavern,” said Naye. “It's almost nothing.”

  “I don't care,” said Old Cyclops, shaking his head. “Besides, what are you going to do with that sword if you won't sell it to me? There's no one else in this town that is willing to buy stolen goods from snot-nosed brats like you except for me. Are you going to give it back to the man you stole it from and then get arrested by the Enforcers? Or perhaps you are thinking of starting a sword collection and you simply haven't mentioned that to me before?”

  Naye licked his lips and stuttered, saying, “W-Well, I—”

  “Thirty lems,” Old Cyclops interrupted. “Take it or … well, actually, you don't have much of a choice in the matter, so just take it. Unless you'd like my boys here to escort you out, of course.”

  Naye bit his lower lip. He looked like he was agonizing over whether to accept the paltry amount of money that Old Cyclops was offering him or if he should reject it. Although Keo was still angry at Naye for stealing Gildshine in the first place, he had to admit that he felt a little sorry for the kid, given that he appeared to be in over his head.

  Finally, Naye said, “Deal.”

  Old Cyclops smiled, revealing a bunch of old, rotting teeth that Keo was surprised still hung in his mouth. “Wise choice, kid. Give him the lems.”

  One of Old Cyclops' bodyguards tossed a small brown bag at Naye. The bag landed on the table right in front of Naye, who looked at the money with the most regretful expression on his face.

  “Now take your money and go,” said Old Cyclops. He pointed sharply out of Keo's view, probably toward the door. “Or else I will have my men escort you out.”

  Naye reached for the tiny bag of money, but then stopped.

  “What are you waiting for, kid?” said Old Cyclops. “You got your money. Just take it.”

  Naye looked like he was steeling himself for whatever he was about to do next, and then he pushed the money bag back to Old Cyclops. “No. You take it back. I want the sword. I'll find someone else to sell it to and make twice as much from that sale as I could from you.”

  For a moment, Old Cyclops looked genuinely surprised. His mouth hung open and his one eye widened. Even his bodyguards looked surprised at this audacious act. And again, though Keo was still annoyed at Naye, he had to admit that the kid had balls.

  “Kid, I don't think you were listening earlier,” said Old Cyclops. He leaned forward, his one eye fixed on the kid. “So let me repeat that again in words you might understand: There is no one in town like me. Thirty lems is the most you will ever make from this sword.”

  “I heard you before,” said Naye. “And I still don't want your money. I'll figure out how to sell it. Just you wait and see.”

  “Perhaps you also forgot what I said about you rejecting my offer?” said Old Cyclops. He nodded at his bodyguards. “They will be more than happy to show you the exit … by force.”

  Old Cyclops' bodyguards did not move, but Keo could tell that they were ready to drag Naye out of here and give him the beating of a lifetime for daring to refuse their employer's offer. And, while Naye may have been a brave kid, Keo knew that there was no way that Naye could hope to stand against Old Cyclops' bodyguards even in a fair fight, which this clearly was not.

  “I remember,” said Naye. “But I still don't accept. And you'll just have to live with that.”

  Old Cyclops slammed his hands on the table and actually stood up. He leaned across the table toward Naye and grabbed the collar of his shirt, his good eye bulging from its socket.

  “Live with that?” Old Cyclops hissed. “No way. No one ever says no to my offers. Especially not stupid kids like you.”

  Naye was shaking, but he still said, “I-I'm not changing my mind. Sorry.”

  Old Cyclops growled, let go of Naye's collar, and then looked at his bodyguards. “What are you two waiting for? Beat the kid's head in and then dump his body behind his old man's tavern as a lesson to anyone who wants to even think about refusing my offers.”

  Keo and Dlaine exchanged alarmed looks.

  Now? Keo asked through his face.

  Dlaine nodded.

  So Keo wrenched open the door to the living room, causing Old Cyclops, his bodyguards, and Naye to look at them in surprise. Old Cyclops and his bodyguards merely looked confused, while Naye seemed to recognize them, though he appeared too stunned by fear to move just yet.

  “Who the hell are you guys?” said Old Cyclops.

  “I'm the owner of that sword that you two were haggling over like a couple of Hasfarian merchants,” said Keo, pointing at Gildshine. “And I'm here to take back what rightfully belongs to me.”

  “And I'm his friend,” Dlaine added. “Not that that means much, but hey, at least you know who I am.”

  “See?” said Naye suddenly, pointing at Keo. “I was telling the truth. I really did steal that sword from a bounty hunter.”

  “I'm not a bounty hunter,” Keo said. “I'm just someone who wants his sword back.”

  “Actually, I'd say he looks more like a beggar,” said Old Cyclops. “I mean, just look at his clothes and hair.”

  “Yeah, I agree,” said Dlaine, nodding. “Granted, I don't look much better, but—”

  “Enough!” Keo shouted. “I am going to get my sword back now.”

  “Sorry, but the sword's mine,” said Old Cyclops. “And I really don't appreciate it when people barge in on my business deals without my permission.” He gestured at his bodyguards. “Boys, teach these two idiots what happens when you get on my bad side.”

  The two bodyguards nodded and drew their clubs. They then started walking toward Keo and Dlaine, looking eager to kill them.

  “Can you distract them both while I try to get Gildshine?” said Keo to Dlaine, without taking his eyes off the bodyguards.

  “Sure,” said Dlaine. “But I don't want to, because they look big and their clubs look like they will hurt if they hit me.”

  “Do it anyway,” said Keo. “All right?”

  Dlaine sighed. “Okay. But next time we're in this situation, you distract the big guys with clubs, all right?”

  Keo nodded. “Fine.”

  Dlaine then ran toward the bodyguards, swinging his fists at them and forcing the two bodyguards to hold up their clubs defensively.

  Meanwhile, Keo went around the fight between Dlaine and the bodyguards in an attempt to reach the table where Old Cyclops and Naye sat. But Old Cyclops grabbed Gildshine and ran out of the room, causing Keo to run after him as quickly as he could. He didn't spare Naye—who was still sitting in his chair with a surprised look on his face—a second thought as he pursued the old man out of the living room.

  Although Old Cyclops was clearly a very elderly man, he was surprisingly quick, managing to keep ahead of Keo as he ran up the stairs of his house to the second
floor. Gildshine certainly didn't seem to be weighing down Old Cyclops, either, which meant that he was also a lot stronger than he looked.

  Old Cyclops reached the second floor before Keo did and vanished around the corner. Keo jumped the final few steps onto the second floor, but then he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and had to step back to avoid getting his skull bashed in by another one of Old Cyclops' men who was stepping out of another room, a large, burly man who carried a large club, similar to the bodyguards below. The burly man had tried to bash in Keo's skull, but because Keo had dodged, the man's attack missed.

  The man raised his club again, but Keo had no time to play with this man. He kicked the man in the gut, causing his opponent to gasp in pain and drop his club. But Keo caught the club before it fell and slammed it into the man's face. His enemy immediately fell over onto the floor, unconscious, but Keo did not stand around long enough to confirm that. He jumped over the man and ran down the hall in the direction that Old Cyclops had run, his enemy's club still in his hand.

  He saw Old Cyclops reach the end of the hall, rip open a door, and rush inside, slamming the door behind him as he entered.

  He's locking himself into a room on the second floor? Keo thought. What an idiot. Does he want to be caught?

  Deciding that this was an opportunity not to be wasted, Keo reached the door, opened it, and dashed inside. The room was as black as night inside, but as Keo entered, he heard something flying through the air toward him and jumped to the side. He felt something cut through the air and heard an old man curse, which he identified as Old Cyclops' voice.

  And then, by the light streaming in from the open door, Keo saw Old Cyclops had drawn Gildshine from its sheath and had tried to slash him with it. But before Keo could try to take the blade from Old Cyclops' hands, the old criminal raised Gildshine and pointed its blade at Keo's chest, too close for him to avoid without getting stabbed.

  “Don't move,” said Old Cyclops. His breathing was hard, likely because of the physical exertion of having to run and swing Gildshine. “Or I'll stab you through with your own sword.”

  Keo stayed still. Although he was younger and faster than Old Cyclops, the fact was that the tip of Gildshine's blade was too close to his chest for Keo to risk trying to disarm him at such a close range. Old Cyclops' grip on the blade's handle did not even shake under his grasp, even though Old Cyclops himself was sweating and panting rather hard at the moment.

  So Keo, speaking as carefully as he could, said, “Listen, Old Cyclops, I just want my sword back. I don't care about whatever else you might be doing here. Just give me my sword back and my friend and I will leave you alone and never bother you or any of your men ever again.”

  Old Cyclops shook his head. “Never. I have been in the business of selling valuable items for decades and I know a valuable object when I see it. This sword … it's special. It's a magical sword, isn't it?”

  Keo froze. “How did you know?”

  “Because I can feel the magical energy flowing through it,” said Old Cyclops. “I have handled magical weapons before, although I don't know what this particular weapon's power is. Still, magical weapons are very rare and in high demand in the black market, so I would be a complete and utter fool to return it to you.” He grinned. “Unless you'd like to buy it back, but you don't look particularly wealthy to me.”

  Keo could not believe what he was hearing. Old Cyclops offering to sell his own weapon back to him? That was the most audacious thing that Keo had heard in a long time. And he would have said so, but he was aware of how precarious his current situation was. If he said the wrong things, Old Cyclops might just impale him without another thought.

  Instead, Keo said, “If you murder me, the Enforcers will find out and haul you to jail.”

  Old Cyclops chuckled. “The Enforcers? They don't care about me. If they did, they would have thrown me in the Dark Prison years ago. No, I sincerely doubt they will investigate the murder of a traveler like you. The Enforcers don't usually investigate the deaths of foreign travelers with any real effort.”

  Keo gulped. The idea of his murder being ignored by the Enforcers made him nauseous. He wished that Dlaine or Jola was here, but he could still hear Dlaine fighting off Old Cyclops' men below and Jola was still out in the rest of Torgan looking for Naye. By the time either of them got here, Keo would probably be dead.

  “Now,” said Old Cyclops, smirking, “it is clear to me that you are going to keep coming after me until you get your precious sword back. And as I dislike it when the original owners of my wares bug me about their stolen property, I think I'll just end you right here and now, with your own sword, you little—”

  Old Cyclops was interrupted by the sound of someone dashing in from the hall into the room. Keo looked just in time to see Naye's young form barrel through the open door way, causing Old Cyclops to look as well and say, “What the—”

  With a cry, Naye drew something from his belt—the knife that had belonged to Old Cyclops—and drove it into Old Cyclops' side with all of his strength.

  Old Cyclops howled in pain, dropping Gildshine to the floor. He clutched his side and staggered backwards, yanking the knife out of Naye's hand, but Keo took advantage of this opportunity to punch the old criminal in the face. Keo's fist connected with Old Cyclops's jaw and the elderly criminal fell backwards onto the floor, where he lay still with the knife in his side and blood leaking from his wound.

  Breathing hard, Keo picked up Gildshine (plus its sheath, which he found lying on the floor nearby) and, sheathing his sword, looked at Naye. Naye, however, was looking at his hands, which had blood from where Naye had stabbed Old Cyclops. He was looking at his hands like he had never seen the blood of another man on them before.

  “Are you all right?” said Keo.

  Naye suddenly looked up. There was fear in his eyes, which reminded Keo far too much of how he had looked in his younger years when he had first killed a living creature. “Y-Yes.”

  “Good,” said Keo. He looked around, but could not see much due to the darkness of the room. “We need to get out of here now.”

  “But what about Old Cyclops?” said Naye, gesturing at the old man, who looked almost dead now. “He's—”

  “Not our problem,” Keo interrupted. “Anyway, we need to find my friend, Dlaine, who was fighting Cyclops's men. Then we can leave.”

  Just as Keo said that, he heard the sound of someone running down the hallway outside and an instant later Dlaine stumbled through the door before he turned and slammed it shut behind him. He then locked it and turned to looked at Keo and Naye, though it was hard to see him in the low light conditions of the room, which were only somewhat alleviated by the sun light peeking through the curtain of the window.

  “Old Cy's got at least a dozen men out there,” said Dlaine, panting like he had just run a mile. “I just barely managed to distract 'em long enough to come up here and see how you were doing.” Then he looked at the floor and noticed the unconscious Old Cyclops lying in an ever-widening pool of his own blood and his eyes widened. “What the hell happened here?”

  “Naye did,” said Keo, gesturing at the kid, who still seemed stunned by his own actions. “He helped me get Gildshine back, so I promised I'd help get him out of here.”

  Dlaine looked like he was about to yell at Keo for agreeing to help the kid who had gotten them into this mess in the first place, but before he could, the sounds of several men beating against the door behind him made him look over his shoulder in alarm.

  “Get back here!” shouted one of the men on the other side of the door. “Let us in or else!”

  Dlaine looked at Keo again. “Okay, the kid can come with us, but how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?”

  Keo looked at Naye. “Do you know any way out of here?”

  Naye shook his head. “N-No. I've never even been up here before, so I don't know if there's some way out onto the streets from here.”

  Keo scowled and l
ooked around the room for a possible exit. Then he noticed the window, which was closed and covered by curtains, and he ran over to it. Pushing aside the curtains, Keo lifted up the window itself, which creaked from lack of use, and poked his head out of the window. The street below was empty of people, but there was nothing soft to land on to break their fall. Even so, Keo realized that it was the only possible avenue of escape opened to them right now.

  Looking over his shoulder at Dlaine and Naye, Keo said, “I think we will have to either climb or jump down the building. It's our only chance of making it out of here alive.”

  “Is there anything soft to land on out there?” said Dlaine.

  Keo shook his head. “Just the hard street.”

  Dlaine groaned. “Oh, these legs of mine are not going to like this. Are you sure there isn't another way?”

  “I'm sure of it,” said Keo. “Anyway, we don't have much time. Get over here. It sounds like the door isn't going to hold for much longer.”

  Keo was telling the truth. Although the door to the room held surprisingly well against the constant barrage from Old Cy's men, it was creaking and groaning, sounding like it was about to blow open at any second.

  Dlaine looked reluctant to jump out the window, but he and Naye ran over to Keo anyway. Keo opened the window as wide as he could and then stepped aside to let them jump through.

  “You two go first,” said Keo, gesturing at the open window. He rested a hand on Gildshine's handle. “I'll go last. That way, if Cy's men break down the door, I'll fight them off with Gildshine.”

  “Gee, you're such a polite young man,” said Dlaine sardonically, “letting your elders jump out windows first. Your father raised you well.”

  Naye said nothing, but he looked extremely worried about jumping into the hard streets below.

  Nonetheless, he did say, “O-Okay, I'll jump first,” and he stepped onto the window sill. He froze, however, probably worried about breaking his legs upon landing.

  “Come on, kid, get moving,” said Dlaine impatiently, glancing at the door, from which the sounds of dozens of fists pounding on it could still be heard. “We don't have time to waste.”

  Naye gulped, but then nodded and jumped out the window with a yell.

  But before Keo could watch to see if Naye would land safely, the door burst open and half a dozen large men staggered into the room in confusion for a moment before one of them noticed Old Cyclops lying prone on the floor and shouted, “Boss!”

  Half of the men gathered around Old Cyclops to see if he was all right, while the other half noticed Keo and Dlaine and the same guy who had noticed Old Cyclops shouted, “There they are! Get them!”

  Dlaine raised his fists, but Keo grabbed Dlaine and shoved him toward the window. “Leave. I'll hold them off.”

  “But—” said Dlaine.

  “Just go!” Keo shouted.

  This time, Dlaine did not complain. He simply turned, climbed out the window, and jumped. Then Keo turned his attention back to the men who were now running toward him. He drew Gildshine from its hilt and took up a battle stance, holding his sword in both hands.

  When the men were close enough, Keo slashed across at them. Two of the men dodged by stopping outside of Keo's reach, but the third was not so lucky and got cut straight across the chest by Gildshine's sharp tip. The third man yelled in pain and fell to the floor, grasping his now-bleeding chest in a vain attempt to stem it.

  While his fellows checked on the man to make sure he was okay, Keo saw an opportunity to escape. Sheathing Gildshine, Keo turned and jumped out the open window, closing his eyes as he braced for the impact of the street below.

  But then Keo landed on something solid but soft that was much closer than the street. The jarring landing shook his eyes open, allowing Keo to see that he was standing on air only a couple of feet below the window of the second floor of the building that he had jumped from.

  “What the—?” said Keo, but then he looked around and noticed Dlaine and Naye sitting around him. Naye's eyes were wide and he looked just as frightened as ever, while Dlaine was smiling and even chuckling. “Dlaine, what happened? Why are we standing on air?”

  Dlaine shook his head and pointed at the street. “We're not standing on air. Jola cast a spell and created a barrier to catch us.”

  Keo looked through the invisible barrier that they stood upon, but he still could not see Jola. He believed Dlaine, however, because it was the only reasonable explanation for this inexplicable turn of events.

  “How did she find us?” said Keo, looking at Dlaine in surprise. “We didn't even tell her where we're going.”

  “Jola knows how to find me,” Dlaine explained. Then he looked down at the street and shouted, “Jola! Lower us down, will you? You know how I feel about heights.”

  Without a word, the barrier started to lower. Keo was at first worried that he might stumble and fall, but the barrier was firm and wide under his feet, and soon he, Dlaine, and Naye stood on the street again unharmed.

  “All right,” said Dlaine. He looked up at the second floor of the building, from which the sounds of angry men yelling could be heard. “Think we should get out of here before Old Cy's men come after us?”

  “Good idea,” said Keo. He patted Naye on the shoulder. “We're taking you back to your father at the bar, all right? So you're coming with us.”

  Naye nodded, but he still looked too astonished to speak. “Was that … was that really a magical invisible barrier we landed on a few seconds ago?”

  “Yes,” said Dlaine, nodding. “Now we need to stop asking questions and start running, because I doubt it will take Old Cy's men long before they come after us.”

  So Keo, Dlaine, and Naye turned and ran down the street in the direction of The Overflowing Mug, Keo hoping against hope that they would get away before Old Cyclops's men saw where they were going.

  ***