by RW Krpoun
“I can’t believe we’re considering changing to another sphere,” Shad sighed.
“It won’t extend our time away from home,” Jeff pointed out. “In fact, depending on the time of year in the Isle we could get home quicker by not having to sit out the winter in Bloodseep.”
“Why are the spheres out of sync in terms of time differences?” Fred asked. “Our world I can see, but with each other?”
“It has to do with the transport magic involved,” Shad explained. “They’re not really out of sync, it just seems like that. E=MC2 sort of stuff.”
“So Cecil has spent three to four days on the Isle and has no idea where we’ll come through,” Fred mused.
“We won’t be another continent away,” Derek explained. “The potential target area is probably the size of a county, say nine hundred square miles.”
“All we need is a day to get acclimatized to our skills and options and we’re good to go,” Jeff nodded. “Cecil wasn’t eager to face us here, and he couldn’t send word ahead so its not like the Death Lords can flood the area with Undead.”
“He can’t really choose the target area when he set this up, either,” Derek agreed. “Unlike a road its petty random, subject to some arcane issues. Its powered from this end, unlike when he brought us here and had to steal mojo from the Tek.”
“I don’t like flying blind,” Shad rubbed his scar. “On the other hand we’re stuck here for months at least, and there might not be any more Death Lords being sent here now that they accomplished their plan. Hunting them could turn into a lengthy process. The Isle is a sure thing in that regard, although if Cecil summons this ‘Wind’ we could find ourselves in the middle of something terrible.”
“You mean like Iraq?” Fred asked.
“Or the Prison?” Jeff grinned.
“Or here?” Derek nodded.
“Points,” Shad nodded. “And all three places regretted us being there.” He started at the ‘tapestry’. “We should take these books and scrolls.”
“We can. I’ll cut off the tracking beads and then we just have to toss them through first,” Derek assured him.
“Will Cecil know we followed?” Fred heaved himself to his feet.
“Probably,” Shad nodded.
“Definitely,” Derek confirmed. “He built this jury-rig.”
“Shots down below,” Jeff cocked his head. “Sounds like the Bloody Sash are winning.”
“I guess we’ll go, then,” Shad grumbled. “But I’m not being a healer again. Once was enough.”
“Me, too,” Jeff agreed. “Too much of a headache. Nor will I do magic.”
“I’m not taking magic this trip,” Derek grinned broadly. “I am going to be a swordsman. With a katana.”
“Fred, you have healing,” Shad looked around. “I’ll take magic. Is there any more of that red cord? Can we take something else with us?”
“I don’t know how to do the proper binds,” Derek sighed. “There’s a scroll, but its really above my pay grade.”
“OK. I’ll take a couple levels in thieving to round out the package. We missing anything?”
“We’re up against Cecil, so magic will be important,” Derek objected. “Maybe you shouldn’t multi-class.”
“Look, even if we get a hundred per cent crossover and I single-class, Cecil will out-gun us in a toe-to-toe fight,” Shad shrugged. “If we do him in, we’ll do it by fighting dirty, same as always. Besides, he’s not the target, the Staff is. If we’ve learned one thing so far it is that we need all the healing we can muster and two good combatants.”
“We’ll need wilderness skills and research skills, guys,” Jeff reminded them. “This time from the start.”
“I’ll take Undead,” Derek volunteered.
“Let’s hold off on Otherworld Lore; I’ll take history,” Shad decided.
Jeff and Fred played rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock and established that Fred would take Creature Lore and Jeff Humanoid Lore.
“Who takes Appraise? Jeff asked. “And should we take horse riding?”
“Derek, take Appraise. We’ll leave horse riding to next level because we’ll need to see the terrain and conditions; we might not need it.”
“At least we’ll arrive more organized,” Fred pointed out. “And with a little idea of what is going on.”
“It still feels like we’re rushing,” Shad complained. “Being stampeded from one event to another.”
“Think how Cecil must have felt when he got the note,” Jeff chuckled.
“Damn, Sammi gets a pass,” Derek shook his head angrily, and then snapped his fingers. “That’s why Cecil has been so paranoid about us, and made it easy for us to leave the Realm: being outlanders we can follow him. This thing stays open for hours, days in its original form, and this is exactly what he was worried about all along.”
“Huh,” Jeff frowned at the ‘tapestry’. “That makes a lot of sense. He was hoping we would take the easy way home.”
“We are,” Fred shrugged. “There is lots more Death Lords where we’re going.”
“So this is it, we’re really going to rush into that thing and hope we end up on the Isle?” Shad looked at the other three.
“Yeah,” Derek grinned and the other Talons nodded.
“Well, take a moment for one last consideration,” Shad said grimly. “It’s a long hike up those stairs for the Bloody Sash. Derek, cut the beads off the bundles. For the rest of us, a prayer would not be out of order.”
A few minutes later there was a sudden volley of shots from the direction of the stairs, sounding fairly close. “I guess there was at least one spider left,” Jeff said thoughtfully. “And from the size of that volley they’re coming up to see us with a considerable honor guard.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to lose faith in the fidelity of the Bloody Sash,” Fred nodded. “The Isle is looking better and better.”
“Time to go, then,” Shad systematically heaved the bundles into the ‘tapestry’, where they vanished. “Last chance to change your minds.”
Shoulder to shoulder, the Black Talons walked into the shimmering sheet of arcane force and blinked out of existence.
************
Dream Three: The Wind of Souls is expected to be released in the winter of 2016.
You can find my blog at: https://imadeitup.wordpress.com/blog/
I would like to say it is a treasure trove showcasing my incandescent writing skill, but since you’ve gotten this far in at least one of my books, you already know better.
About the Author
Born and raised in the icy wastelands of North Dakota, RW Krpoun joined the US Army, serving two enlistments before being honorably discharged at Fort Hood, Texas. Delighted to discover a land where snow was a novelty, he settled in Texas and took up a career in law enforcement, serving twenty-nine years to date and counting. His service includes a Sheriff's Office and two Municipal police agencies, as well as two enlistments in the Texas National Guard as a Criminal Investigator.
RW lives on lakeside acreage with his lovely and amazingly tolerant wife Ann, and a band of ill-mannered animals who are all highly photogenic. His hobbies include reading, history, various forms of shooting, collecting battle-ready examples of medieval weaponry, and learning to use such weapons.
Dream II is his thirteenth published work.
