by Kris Kramer
~~~~~
Riordan stared blankly at his old friend, lying weakly on the centnar's cot, and wondered if he'd found him after all this time, just to see him lost to madness.
"Damhran is dead, Landon," he explained, like a parent would to a child. "He died almost twenty years ago."
Landon shook his head. "I saw him. He told me he was in trouble. He said he needed help."
"You saw him... in a dream?" Riordan asked hopefully.
"No! No, he was there. I could – I could touch him."
Riordan sighed heavily. As a sentinel, he’d learned spells that muddled the mind, but not any that reversed such a state.
"Let me heal you. It will help you relax, and clear your mind. You'll feel better."
Landon smiled weakly and laid his head down. "He told me others were coming, Riordan. I knew it was you."
Riordan smiled back as he started casting his spells. "I'm glad you thought so." A question came to him just then. "What about Andreas? Or Tholstan? Did you see them, too?"
Landon closed his eyes and grimaced as Riordan clasped his left hand and let his healing magic course through the Wizard's body. "No. Are they still down there?"
Riordan tried to be careful with his answer. He wanted to know if either of them had been spotted going back to those caverns, to help prove his suspicions, especially about Andreas. But he didn't feel the need to get Landon caught up in his worries until he knew it to be true. "They escaped with me."
"Are they here, too?"
"No. " Riordan shook his head. "It's a long story." Riordan pulled his hands away and watched as Landon opened his eyes and slowly lifted himself up. His strength seemed to be returning quickly, Riordan noticed, and his eyes were clear and alert. He sat on the edge of the cot and rubbed his face.
"How long was I down there?" he asked.
"About three months."
His expression didn't change at first, but then understanding slowly seeped in and Riordan saw surprise on his old friend's face. "Are you sure?"
"I am," Riordan nodded.
"It didn't feel that long."
"It did for me," Riordan whispered, thinking back to his captivity. He heard muffled shouts outside the door, and the sound of armored footsteps running by, and he knew the significance of that.
"What's that noise?" Landon asked. He looked around the room as if he'd just realized where he was.
"Anduains are attacking. Sounds like they're almost through the door." Riordan raised an eyebrow at his old friend. "If I remember correctly, this is the kind of situation where your talents are quite useful."
Landon stared at one of the maps on the wall nearby, though he seemed to be looking through it rather than at it. "How was I gone that long?"
"I don't know." Riordan was suddenly jealous of Landon, envious of the fact that he'd not known the passage of time during his ordeal. But that only steeled his resolve. Once he returned, he could do the same, and his pain would be forgotten. "Do you remember your dreams?"
Landon looked confused at that question. "What dreams?"
"You don't remember what you dreamt of down there?"
"I, uh... " he began. His eyes darted back and forth, as if remembering something, but then he blinked and snapped out of it. "I don't really remember much of anything. I don't even remember sleeping. But I must have, somewhere down there."
"But you remember Damhran? Alive?"
"I do," he nodded, not looking at Riordan. "That wasn't a dream, Riordan. Everything that happened down there is still hazy. But I remember that at least. He came to me, and he told me I would be the one to save him. Me, Riordan." Landon shook his head at the thought. "He said I'd find help, and I have. So now it's up to us to do what comes next."
"What comes next?" Riordan asked carefully.
Landon stood up slowly and groaned, stretching his sore muscles. Riordan stood to help him, but the wizard waved him off. "I'm going to go kill some Anduains." He smiled then grabbed Riordan by the shoulders, suddenly confident in his demeanor. "And then we're going to save Caldera."
Landon opened the door and walked out. Riordan frowned. His entire plan had just become much more complicated, and he worried how it would affect those around him. And what he might have to do if they wanted to stop him.
