by Jamie Davis
“Who’s alive? You mean your wife? Your daughter? Who?”
“It was Mona. She's somewhere with the Emperor. I overheard her talking to someone telling them to relay a message to his Majesty that she couldn't bring the baby to him right then.”
“What about your daughter? Did you see her?”
Hal turned to Kay. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn’t care.
"I didn't see Cari, but I know she was there. Mona told the messenger she was sleeping.”
“Hal, that's great news. Don't you see? This means they're alive. Describe to me what you saw. Describe the room she was in.”
Hal related every detail he could remember about the room and its contents. He described the scenes displayed on the various tapestries and the pattern on the mosaic floor.
Kay nodded. “I know that place. It is in the east wing of the Imperial Palace. It used to be reserved for the royal family’s chambers when in residence in the palace.”
“How could you possibly know that, Kay from just my description? You act like used to live there.”
She stared back at him not saying a word and Hal didn’t know why there was suddenly this silence between them.
From across the clearing Gareth answered the question hanging between the two companions.
“She knows those rooms, Hal Dix, because she used to call those rooms her home. Did you not know Princess Karina was the eldest daughter of our former Emperor?”
Hal realized his mouth was hanging open, but he didn’t care right then. His gaze shifted back and forth between Gareth and Kay. Finally, his eyes settled on Kay.
“You were the Imperial Crown Princess? I mean, I knew you were of the nobility, but I had no idea you were part of the Imperial family.”
“That's because I didn't tell you. You would've treated me differently and I enjoyed having a friend who only knew me as a simple traveling companion and a comrade in arms. I told the others who knew to keep it from you. I’m sorry.”
“So many things make more sense now,” Hal said. “That's why everyone important knows who you are. That's why everyone defers to you.”
“But not you, Hal. You treat me like Kay, a thief and sometimes warrior. That is important to me.”
“So, all this fighting is to put you and your family back on the throne? But won't that give everyone just another Emperor or Empress? How does that make this world a better place?”
“It makes it a better place, Hal, because unlike Emperor Kang, my family has always seen our place as servants of the people. We took our role being members of the royal family as a sacred duty.”
Hal's thoughts spun in circles. He tried to wrap his mind around new information about Kay. All that time the two of them spent running around Tandon, Hal wondered how many people knew who she really was. As he looked back at it, he realized the signs were there that there was more to Kay than met the eye. He chose not to see them.
A hopeful thought occurred to him.
“Kay, if you grew up in the palace, then you must know a secret way to where my family is being kept. You know, like the courtesan’s entrance we used to sneak into the Duke’s palace in Tandon.”
Kay shook her head. “There are two secret passages I know of into the imperial palace. However, neither of them lead to the east wing and they both will be guarded against intruders.”
“But…”
“No, Hal, we must stick to Tildi’s plan. Only when you're are strong enough to breach the palace’s magical defenses, will you be able to rescue your family from a position of strength and safety.”
Hal stood, gripping the staff with both hands to help lever himself to his feet.
“If that is what we must do, then I will use the staff and crystal to find the mage Theran’s location. Bronwyn seems to think he's in hiding somewhere. Let’s see if I can fire this thing up and find the missing mage.”
Hal took the staff in both hands and pushed the base into the earth at his feet. Leaning forward, he stared into the milky depths of the crystal trying to replicate the magic that showed him his wife on the other side of the continent. This time, however, he focused on the name Theran, trying to impress the strength of his need on whatever magic the crystal used to show a location.
The crystal was dark. No matter how hard he tried, how could not get the internal spark to light within the center of the translucent stone. He tried everything he could think of, including shouted commands trying to summon the magic. He even tried pressing his head painfully against the side of the crystal. None of it worked.
After many minutes of attempts to open the magic within the staff and stone, Kay placed a hand on Hal's shoulder.
“Give it a rest, Hal. Maybe this stone needs to recharge. I have heard of magic that can only be used every so often. Perhaps the crystal must wait a day or even a few days before it's magic can be used again.”
“But that doesn't help us find the fire mage, does it? Just because Mona and Cari are all right now doesn’t mean they will remain that way.”
Kay opened her mouth to continue arguing with Hal but was interrupted when Chance came running into the clearing. The elf sergeant was out of breath pointing behind himself into the forest beyond.
“Men are coming. Many men on horseback. I spotted them searching the forest a mile away from here. I think they are imperial mage hunters.”
Gareth got up, his arm pressing against the wounds across his abdomen.
“We have to go, now. If they find you, Hal, all will be lost. Everything mistress Bronwyn has done to train you will be for nothing.”
Kay and Hal ran to their bedrolls. As Kay shouldered her backpack, she looked at Chance.
“Can we outrun them? We have no mounts.”
“They slowed when they reached the edge of the forest. I believe they’re having trouble navigating the thick brush that has grown up overnight as the forest comes to life again. If we slip away now, we should be able to evade them and exit the forest to the south.”
“How did they find us?” Hal asked. “They are supposed to be chasing after the final four great mages, not me.”
“Don't you see, Hal?” Kay said. “Now that you have begun your training, you are one of the great mages, too. Somehow, they have detected the use of your magic. That is the only way I can think of that they could be tracking you.”
“Great, now I have to fight off mage hunters while I try to train and learn new magic. Maybe it makes sense for us to stand and fight rather than run away.”
Kay shook her head.
“Now is not the time to try and be a hero, Hal. Mage hunters are trained from a very young age to capture and kill magic users. It is better if we run.”
Hal pulled on his backpack. “Fine, which way is south. The sooner we get away, the sooner I can try and find Theran again.”
“This way,” Chance called, setting out across the clearing to the far side of the ring of trees.
Gareth untied the pack mule and followed. Hal and Kay brought up the rear. He hated running away from a fight, but he knew he had a lot to live for now that he knew his family was alive and well.
With a last glance over his shoulder, Hal hefted the staff and followed the others into the depths of the forest beyond.
16
Chance was right, by slipping away to the south the four of them were able to evade the mage hunters. It took them just over two days to travel to the southern edge of the fallen forest. Each night, Hal held the staff and attempted to locate the fire mage, Theran. The crystal refused to glow even a little bit.
It was midday on the third day after they left the central grove of the forest when they emerged onto a grassy plain of rolling hills. Gareth suggested they stop to rest.
Hal sat down on the grass with the staff across his knees and stared off across the hills lying between them and their return to Bronwyn and High Forest. Kay walked over and handed him a slice of jerky she'd carved from the slab in her pack.
“Here, tr
y this. It'll help you feel better.”
“How is chewing on this shoe leather going to make me feel better, Kay?”
“It will make you feel better because we all have to keep our strength up to do the things we are destined to do. I am not giving up on you and you better not give up on yourself, either.”
“I'm not giving up, Kay. I'm frustrated. How am I supposed to be some sort of great mage or wizard when I can't even get my staff to work?”
“I don't know, Hal. I only know that you will figure it out just like you've figured out everything you had to accomplish since we've known each other. What happened to the guy who always had a clever plan? That guy wouldn't give up. That guy would keep going no matter what happened until he figured out how to make that stupid staff work.”
Hal thought about what she said. During his time in Fantasma, he’d always been able to remain positive by focusing on what he needed to do to beat the game. But this wasn't a game anymore. This was his family. This was real-life. He shook his head.
“It was different back then, Kay. I didn't have so much riding on whether I succeeded or failed.”
“That's ridiculous. There was just as much riding on our success fighting against the wardens of Tandon. There was even more riding on our success when we built an army of escaped slaves and fought off Baron Norak outside of Hyroth. Both times you found a way to beat everything no matter what the odds were. I don't know why you doubt yourself but now is the time to dig deep and find strength where you thought you had none because you have to.”
“Those times were different, Kay. All I had to do was hack and slash my way through the game, or what I thought was a game. Using magic is different. It's like solving a new and more difficult puzzle all the time without a break. I don't think my mind works that way.”
“Nonsense! When Tildi kicked you through that portal into the snow with nothing but the clothes on your back, you found a way to unlock your magical abilities despite the odds against you. If your mind didn't work that way, we would've found you frozen and dead when we finally caught up with you.”
Kay sat down across from him and ducked her head so she could meet his downcast eyes.
“We are out of the forest now. We couldn't go chasing off after Theran before anyway until we escaped the mage hunters. But now we can think about locating him. So, think Hal. What haven't you tried to get that crystal to fire up again? Now's the time to step up and be the Opponent we all know you have the ability to be.”
“I’ve done everything but bleed on the damned crystal, Kay. What do you…”
Hal stopped. He thought back to when he had used the crystal before. Gareth's blood covered his hands after tending the elf's wounds. Could it be that simple?
There was only one way to find out. Hal pulled out one of his daggers and pricked his thumb with the tip. A drop of blood welled up at the end of his thumb.
Standing, Hal held the staff in front of him and pressed the base down into the thick grass at his feet. Then, he smeared his bloody thumb across the top of the translucent crystal. Instantly, the glow returned to the center of the stone.
Kay cleared her throat. Hal looked down and gave her have a smile. He felt more than a little embarrassed at the way he’d been acting over the last several days. She didn’t seem to care, though. She nodded, smiling back.
Closing his eyes, Hal held the staff out away from himself with both hands pressing the base down into the grass, grounding it. He cleared his mind of all additional thoughts and focused his energy on everything he knew about the fire mage and where he might be hiding. The magic worked the instant he concentrated on Theran. Once again, he fell forward into the crystal.
Hal didn't fight the sensation. Instead, he went with it. When he “landed” he opened his eyes. Hal stood in a small room. There were wooden slat walls with a rickety table and two wooden chairs situated in the center of the wood floor. Netting and rope hung from the walls. In the distance outside, he heard seagulls crying out their piercing calls as they fought and argued over food and position. A man dressed in a dirty, red robe stood on the other side of the room staring out the single cracked window.
This had to be the fire mage, Theran, the man for whom he was looking. His magic had worked. Now, all he had to do what's figure out where here was. There was no way to tell which city or town this room was in from its contents. He only knew he was along the coast somewhere.
Crossing the room, Hal tried to open the door but his hand passed right through the door’s latch. Thinking about his ethereal nature, Hal theorized he could just walk through walls. He took a step forward to go through the closed door. He smacked his face up against something hard and unyielding only a half inch from the wood panel of the door.
That wasn't going to work.
Not knowing how much time he had before the scrying spell wore off, Hal walked over and stood behind the man in the red robes. Peering over the other man’s shoulder, Hal saw a harbor filled with tall-masted ships. Across the harbor, on the point of land opposite their position, there was a tall castle atop a cliff overlooking the harbor below. Above the battlements, Hal saw a banner flapping in the sea breeze with a crest he did not recognize. It was light, sky blue with some sort of fish emblazoned across it.
Hal was still trying to gather in more details about his location when the man in the red robes turned around and stared directly into his eyes. To Hal's surprise, the man's eyes widened, and he screamed in alarm, throwing up his hands in Hal’s face. The next thing Hal knew, flames shot out of those hands and fire burned all around him.
Screaming and beating at his head to put out the flames, Hal let go of his staff and fell backward, returning in an instant to the grassy plain outside the forest to land on the grass at Kay’s feet. His head was not burning. He didn't have any injuries at all from the fire spell.
Kay had an amused look on her face at his antics to put out the fire that was no longer there.
“He could see me. Theran tried to burn me with a spell. Mona couldn't see me when I traveled to where she was but Theran could.”
“Maybe he could see you because he’s a mage, too,” Kay surmised. “Were you able to see where he was?”
“All I could see was the limited view out a window. He’s in a harbor town with a castle opposite the village on a cliff overlooking the harbor.”
“That could be anywhere,” Gareth said. “Every harbor of any size has a castle overlooking it.”
“This was flying a banner I've never seen before. It had a blue background. Light blue, like the sky on a summer’s day. And there was a fish across the banner.”
“What kind of fish?” Kay asked.
“How do I know what kind of fish? It was a fish. It was big, and it had a pointy nose, kind of like a spear sticking out of its face.”
“You mean a marlin?” Gareth asked.
“What’s a marlin?” Hal replied.
Kay rolled her eyes. “A marlin is sometimes called a sword or spearfish because of the long spike extending from its upper jaw.”
“Oh, then maybe it was a marlin fish.”
“I know that banner,” Gareth said. “It belongs to the Baron of Morton Creek.”
“Morton Creek has got to be more than two weeks away from here and we don’t have mounts. Are you sure?” Kay asked.
“I’m sure, and it is more like three weeks from here if my reckoning of where we are is correct.”
“If we know where this place is, we need to get there as soon as possible,” Hal said. “Are you with us Gareth?”
“I'm afraid this is where we must part ways, Hal Dix,” Gareth said. “Morton Creek is in the opposite direction of my lady Bronwyn’s High Forest. Chance and I must return there and tell her of the success of your quest to restore the Fallen Forest.”
“I understand,” Hal said, trying not to let his disappointment show. The elf captain and sergeant had grown on him. “You have to do what your mistress would want. Do me a favor, thou
gh. Tell no one of where we are going except Bronwyn, and do that in private. Do you understand?”
“I will do as you say, Hal Dix. Your secret is safe with me. One more thing you should know. Theran the fire mage is difficult at times. I have witnessed his disagreements with my mistress on several occasions. I do not think it will be easy to convince him to take you on as a pupil.”
“Good. According to Kay, I love a good challenge. Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to bring him over to my side.”
Quest accepted — convince Theran to teach fire magic
Hal clasped wrists with the Elven captain.
“Until we meet again.”
“Until then.”
Chance and Gareth shouldered their packs again and turned West towards the high Forest and Lady Bronwyn. They waved once and set off at a quick pace. Hal watched them go until they disappeared over a nearby hill. He turned to Kay.
“I guess we’re off to Morton Creek.”
“I guess so, Hal. It lies along the coast southeast from here. Ready for another exciting adventure learning magic?”
“I am. This time I'm not letting anything get in my way or distract me from what I need to do.”
Hal spared a final glance to see if he could spot the two elves one last time as they returned home to Bronwyn. Failing to locate them, he turned and followed Kay southeast. They had several weeks of hard travel ahead, and he wanted to hurry. There was no telling how long Theran would remain there in his hiding place in Morton Creek.
17
The next two and a half weeks were a blur for Hal. He and Kay traveled as fast as they could, but they had a little money between them and they were holding on to what they had because they knew they would need the few gold and silver coins when they got to Morton Creek.
That meant they spent many nights outdoors sleeping under the stars or at least they would've been sleeping under the stars. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was the rainy season in this part of Fantasma.
By the time they got to Morton Creek, Hal felt like he'd never be dry again. While Kay didn't complain much, he was sure she felt the same way. It was near dark when they passed through the city gates. There was no time to begin their search for Theran tonight, so they started to look for an inn.
