

The Cloud Magician

Copyright © 2013 by   
Matthew Peter Crowe   
Smashwords Edition

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Chapter 1    
 Cloud Castle

Chapter 2    
 Off To College

Chapter 3    
 Meet Bruzaal

Chapter 4    
 Xikkossas Go To College

Chapter 5    
 The Lost Isles

Chapter 6    
 Acclimation

Chapter 7    
 Antaru Forest

Chapter 8    
 Camping

Chapter 9    
 Nofijad Dajifon

Chapter 10    
 Wandering

Chapter 11    
 Riverton

Chapter 12    
 Night On The Town 
Chapter 1

Cloud Castle

Rodin was old.

Asleep in a thick purple chair surrounded by books and magical objects in his private reading room in Cloud Castle's library, Rodin was almost dead.

The fur covering his body, once fair and golden, had turned gray, and in some spots was missing altogether. His fingernails, or claws, you might say, were no longer sharp weapons, having been worn away by time to flaky little stubs. His feet, large and furry, peeked out from beneath an elegant green robe. And a shaggy mane of white hair spilled over his head — a head that hung like a cadaver's against his sunken chest.

With the aid of magic, Rodin had cheated death for many, many years. But death is patient, and Rodin was old.

Lost within the halls of sleep, he dreamt of a distant land. He was sitting in the dining room of his childhood home, his arms resting on the wooden table he had helped his father build. The bright day was streaming in through the open windows at his back, as were the sounds of the forest, and the air was rich with the smell of boiling meat.

He turned toward the kitchen. His mother was standing at the stove, stirring a large pot. She was swaying in harmony with her stirring, making rays of sunlight dance across the back of her tattered cooking apron.

He turned toward the main room. His father was there, lounging on an albock-skin rug. His father was lying on his side, his right shoulder and leg sunk into the rug, his face hidden behind his mane of golden hair.

Light taps, followed by heavier thuds, ran across the ceiling. Rodin looked up and scanned his eyes across the ceiling's wooden slats. A smile spread across his furry face as he realized that his grandfather must be playing a game of predator and prey with his little sister Arla.

Wanting to join the game, he started to stand up, but his body felt heavy and unresponsive, so he sat back down.

Am I too tired to stand? And if I can not find the strength... to stand... then how can I hope... to climb... the stairs? His thoughts were becoming increasingly sluggish. All I need... is a little... rest. Then everything... everything would be... perfect.

Why not... take nap... at table?

In his dream, Rodin yawned, exposing fearsome teeth. He looked around him. His mother was still standing at the stove, stirring her pot, while his father continued to lounge on the rug. Watching his father rest so peacefully helped Rodin make up his mind. He yawned again, and as he did his head tilted forward, and his eyes closed.

In the north wing of the castle, next to a large staircase, Oureen said, "That's not going to work, Val."

"Why not?" Val asked.

"Because it's too damn heavy." Oureen was a burly man, which was a good thing for the castle's head caretaker to be. He was wearing a brown one-piece work suit, a utility belt bristling with little tools, and a black cap on his bald head.

Towering over the caretaker was Val, who had long ago gotten used to people staring at him because of his near freakish size. "It's not that heavy," he said, an antique orange velvet sofa resting atop his left shoulder.

"Yes it is. Now put it down."

Val followed orders. THUMP

Oureen winced. "Careful!" He shook his head. "Just what are you doing in the north wing anyway? Nobody comes over here during winter."

Val brushed off his knee-length gray overcoat. "Avoiding someone."

"And who might that be?"

"Someone old, mean, scary—"

"Mixlarnonax?"

"You guessed it."

"Oh." Oureen crossed his arms. "So what does Mixlar want with you?"

"He wants me to go hunting for a jantoch. Ever heard of them? Well I hadn't either until a couple of days ago. According to Mixlar, they're easy to track down, but they're also incredibly vicious. And while I might get lucky and find a lone one, they mostly live in packs. Anyway, Mixlar needs one for a potion he's cooking up — he told me he just needs a tongue." Responding to Oureen's gestures, Val pushed the sofa back against the wall. "Now don't get me wrong, I love to hunt, but do you know where these jantoch creatures live? Deep, and I mean deep, in the mountains."

"And it's the middle of winter."

"Exactly. So I was hoping you could use some help."

"Thanks for the offer, Val, but I don't need your help. Why don't you go bug somebody else? Like the Soens."

"The Soens?" Val pulled his large, muscular left hand, which was missing its pinky finger, back over his short blond hair. "I don't think I'm welcome over at the barracks right now."

"Why's that?"

"I made the mistake of telling a Soen woman she was pretty."

Oureen laughed. "You didn't."

"We were sparring," Val acted out the encounter, "and she had me pinned against the ground — of course I let her pin me — in any case, she was lying on top of me, and I found myself staring up into the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen."

Oureen laughed again. "I can't believe you told a Soen woman she was pretty."

"But she was pretty — they all are!"

"You're lucky she didn't bite your nose off."

Val nodded agreement. "So what do you say? Need an assistant?"

"No, Val, I don't." Oureen rubbed his chin. "And remember that sculpture? The big one with the wings?"

"Sure I remember it. But... but that wasn't my fault."

"Of course it wasn't." Oureen turned and walked away.

Val sighed. "All right." He headed for the staircase. "Hey, I'll be on the third floor if you change your mind."

Without looking back, Oureen said, "I won't." He then shouted, "And do me a favor, Val, try not to steal anything."

Val froze, his left boot planted on the first step of the staircase. "Funny." He resumed up the stairs, Oureen's words burning his ears. He didn't appreciate the joke. He wasn't a thief.

Or at least he wasn't a thief anymore.

As a street kid growing up in Nemor, the capital city of Rydallya, he hadn't had many careers to choose from. It was either steal or do something even more distasteful, and so he had become a thief.

At the top of the staircase a serpent with green gem eyes regarded him from a recessed niche. Val smiled. Here he was, surrounded by valuable artifacts, and they meant nothing to him. Stealing had never been about the money; it had been about survival, and later on, adventure.

He started down the wide hallway. An artful display of ornate daggers hung along the wall to his right. Up ahead, a row of waist-high pedestals lined the wall to his left.

He walked up to the first pedestal.

Atop it was an animal, a hand and a half high, chiseled out of marbled red stone. The wiry creature had six long legs and a long neck. Val doubted the sculpture had any magical properties, but it was still a nice piece, one that would fetch seventy, maybe even eighty—

"Daydreaming, boy?" a crackly old voice asked.

Val jumped. His hip hit the pedestal and he grabbed the sculpture to prevent it from falling. He spun around, the sculpture in his hands. The old man standing there looked more like a zombie than an old man, his faded black robe only enhancing his corpselike appearance.

"Mixlarnonax!" Val exclaimed. "Uh, good... good to see you."

"Is it really?" Mixlarnonax rasped.

"Uh, sure..."

Mixlarnonax did not respond.

"Unfortunately, I, uh... I need to... get going. I'm... I'm supposed to be—"

"Quit your prattling, boy. You would think you were the old man here."

"Oh, sorry. If this is about that tongue—"

"Shut up. Shut up and listen," Mixlarnonax snapped. "Rodin is in danger."

"Rodin is in danger?"

"That's what I just said."

"And you—"

"Don't strain your little brain. Just go help him."

"But—"

"Hurry! Or everything will be ruined." Mixlarnonax turned to leave, and as he did, Val heard him mutter, "Not that I really care." The elderly magician moved quickly down the hallway, his black robe flowing across the floor as if he were floating.

Val was confused, but also relieved, seeing as Mixlar had not made a fuss about the jantoch tongue. And as far as Rodin being in danger... well, it couldn't be that serious; Rodin was the Cloud Magician and this was his castle.

Val suddenly remembered the sculpture in his hands. He turned around and carefully placed it back atop the pedestal. "Rodin is in danger?" he asked the empty hallway. Then why hadn't he mentally summoned him, like he usually did? And why had Mixlar made it sound so urgent?

Not that it mattered what he thought. If it weren't for Rodin he would still be rotting in the dungeons beneath King Darvo's palace in Nemor. Or more likely, dead. His life belonged to the Cloud Magician — literally, as he was magically enslaved to Rodin.

"So where are you?" Val bowed his head and relaxed his mind. It took him only a few seconds to locate Rodin, somewhere to the southwest. "Hmmm, in the reception hall... no, above it — ah, you must be in the library."

He started back down the hallway. He walked past tapestries and paintings, past doors that led into guest suites, and past a couple of sitting areas, but not past people, as the north wing was rarely used during winter. At the end of the hallway was another staircase and on the left wall just before the staircase was a thick metal door. He walked up to the door, released the siege bolt, and then pushed the door open, the well-oiled hinges making no sound. A gust of cold air whipped over him as he stepped out onto the north upper walkway, prompting him to fasten a few buttons on his overcoat.

The walkway was three floors up, railings to either side, and as he tramped through the shin-high snow he could not help but aim his fierce blue eyes toward the Eidoroc Mountains. The towering, jagged, snowcapped peaks surrounded the castle to the north, west, and south. To the east stretched the Vilk Forest, with only one road, aptly named the East Road, cutting through it. The terrain was a formidable obstacle. No one had ever attempted to assault Cloud Castle — no one that Val knew of in any case — and he could not imagine anyone trying.

He arrived at the end of the walkway and found the door unlocked and as he pulled it open a wave of heat and sound escaped into the crisp winter air. This part of the castle was almost always busy, primarily with servants shuttling back and forth between the guest rooms and the kitchens below, and today was no exception.

"Excuse me," Val said after closing the door and entering the flow of traffic. He headed to his right. The flow was mostly against him. Leading with his right shoulder, he knifed through the bodies. Several of the servants softly cursed him. One of those servants was a young boy struggling with a wooden bucket full of soapy water. The boy was leaving a trail of splashed water behind him. Val looked down to check his footing. After stepping around the puddles, he looked back up — a fat woman holding a serving tray piled high with blue dishes was walking straight toward him. He tried to avoid —

CRASH!

"Oh... sorry about that."

The woman was on her knees, surrounded by shards of blue porcelain. "Get out of here!" She gestured menacingly with her serving tray. "You big oaf!"

Val did as he was told, and after knifing through the traffic for a little ways more, turned down an empty hallway on his left. At the end of the hallway was the swinging door that the servants used to access the library. He passed through it, and then navigated through the bookcases and furniture as he headed for Rodin's private reading room at the back of the library. He walked up to the dark-stained wood door — carved into which was an image of the planet and its five moons — and came to an abrupt stop.

Rodin had not summoned him.

He could sense the Cloud Magician's presence, and he was definitely in the room, but what if he did not want to be disturbed? What if he was in the middle of casting a spell? What if... what if he had just conjured up a monster? Or what if he had just opened a portal to some remote hellhole? It wasn't as if Val had never seen him do those things. And the room was soundproof, so knocking would be pointless.

After standing like a statue in front of the door for a few moments, Val realized that it wasn't what Rodin might be doing that worried him. No, what worried him were the spells that guarded the room. Deep down, he knew that the spells would recognize him and deactivate, but he still felt an icy ache in the pit of his stomach, as he had never entered the room without being summoned.

The copper, turn-style door handle was shaped like a bird's wing. He reached for it, and as his skin made contact with the cold metal a shiver danced up his spine. His muscles tensed as he carefully turned the handle, and then pushed the door open.

After opening the door (without being turned into a pile of goo or some equally horrible fate) Val gave a silent thanks and looked into the room. He saw Rodin in the back right corner, asleep in his reading chair, his face hidden behind his mane of white hair.

"Magician," Val called out. He started across the room, and as he approached Rodin, noticed how lifeless he looked. "Magician," he said again.

Rodin did not react, not even the slightest of twitches.

"Magician!"

Still no reaction.

Val walked directly up to Rodin's chair, which normally he would not do, and then cautiously placed his left hand on Rodin's green-robe-covered shoulder. "Wake up," he said as he gently shook the shoulder.

The flesh beneath his hand felt wrong: too soft, too giving.

"Rodin, wake up!"

He shook the shoulder harder.

"Wake up! Rodin! Wake up!"

The white mane jerked slightly and Val pulled his hand back.

Rodin's head slowly lifted, his eyes thin slits.

Under his breath, Val muttered, "For a moment there..." He then said, "Sorry to disturb you, but Mixlarnonax—"

"Val?" Rodin's voice was hoarse and weak. For several heartbeats he stared at the man standing before him, as if trying to convince himself that he was really awake. "I am in debt to you... my friend." His eyes opened wider and Val saw his reflection in golden pools. "A little while longer, and I would have been gone. Gone forever."

Val was speechless; he had never seen the Cloud Magician vulnerable. Eventually, he said, "Well, sure, you're, uh, getting old." He looked away from Rodin's gray, tired face. "But not that old. If anyone is 'that old' it's Mixlarnonax. Come to think of it, maybe he could—"

"No. I have no more time."

Val watched as Rodin's furry right hand reached out to grasp his left arm.

"Val, I said I am indebted to you. I will repay you now, if you will let me. I... I will free you from my service. You will not have to retrieve the next Cloud Magician."

Val reacted with an uneasy laugh. "What? And miss out on the adventure of a lifetime?"

"You do not understand." Rodin sighed. "I have made mistakes." He released Val's arm and looked down at the floor. "And my old enemies, the Zaruuls, are planning another invasion. They are just waiting... for me... to die."

Val opened his mouth, but then shut it without saying anything. After a few moments, he said, "Well, I've never seen you make a mistake. And even if you have, so what? The future will take care of itself."

"Such optimism."

"If I wasn't an optimist," Val said with a grin, "I would have given up on life a long time ago."

Rodin's white mane lifted. "You are certain? You still want to do this?"

"Yes." Val nodded. "Most definitely yes."

Rodin sat up straighter. "Very well." His voice still frail, but also clear and commanding, he said, "Go to the barracks. Tell Kelron that it is time for his Soen warriors to leave the castle. Lacia will organize the others. If Mixlarnonax told you to come here, then he will be preparing the focusing chamber. After you have seen to your other duties, join him." With a touch of tenderness, he added, "And, Val, may the future bring the adventure you seek."

"Now? This is happening... right now?"

Rodin slumped back in his chair. "It is."
Chapter 2

Off To College

"I'm going to be late," Jack warned himself, his pen racing at top speed.

Review Question 14) A forty-kilogram ball falls thirty-eight meters and then travels 0.2 meters into the ground. What is the impact force?

(Disregard air resistance and use 9.8m/s2 for gravity)

The dorm room door flew open. Jack did not look up as his roommate, Tom, shuffled into the room. Tom dropped his backpack onto the floor before flopping down on his bed — the bed on the extremely messy side of the room. "Dude, that biology exam was brutal, SEVERELY brutal!"

"Do you have something against closing doors?" Jack asked. He reached for the bottle of Fruit Punch Gatorade that was acting as a paperweight for his Western Civilization homework.

Tom was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Dude, you need to relax. Besides, I left the door open because I know you have physics at eleven, and as per usual, you're going to be late. So, like the good, magnanimous roommate that I am, I left the door open — so that you would not have to waste time opening the door — and hence I have improved your chances of making it to class on time."

"Thanks a lot, Tom." Jack took a swig of Gatorade, and as he set the bottle back down, said, "I mean really, thanks for caring."

"That's what I'm here for." Tom looked at the alarm clock on the window ledge next to his bed. "Dude, it's 10:54. You're going to be late."

Jack jumped up from his chair. He tucked his white T-shirt into his jeans, buttoned up his brown flannel shirt, reached for his blue North Face jacket on the back of his chair, but then left it, threw his physics textbook and homework into his backpack, and then slipped his arms through the backpack's straps. As he raced out of the room, Tom called out, "Bring back a pizza!"

Jack alternated between a fast walk and a jog. It was early November and a light snow was falling on the University of Colorado campus — just enough snow to dust the sidewalks.

CU had not been his first college choice; he had originally hoped to enroll at either Cal Tech or UCLA, but those schools hadn't accepted him. In retrospect, he was glad that the California schools had turned him down. Sure, he had fantasies that involved beach babes rubbing suntan lotion on him while he studied, but how realistic was that? Besides, the University of Colorado was just about perfect: the professors were good, the town of Boulder was laid-back, and the mountains were only minutes away.

Coming from Chicago, the mountains were a new experience. Hiking to the summits of all the nearby peaks had become his latest ambition. And while none of them were Everest or anything, they were all high enough to make his lungs burn and his legs ache, which added to the sense of accomplishment he felt when conquering a peak.

Just to the west of campus were the Flatirons, which is where he did most of his hiking. The Flatirons were sheer rock formations that separated Boulder from the Rocky Mountains. They were called 'Flatirons' because they looked as if a giant had pressed a giant iron into the mountainside several times, leaving behind smooth rock faces. Or at least that was what Tom had told him, and knowing Tom, that could be a bunch of crap.

If Jack were to look up and to his left he would be able to see the Flatirons, which were still visible despite the lightly falling snow. But he wasn't paying attention to the scenery, only on not being late, yet again, to General Physics 1.

He approached the east entrance to the physics building, jerked open one of the large glass doors, and then hurried past the pockets of students hanging out in the wide hallway. Along the left wall were four doors, set widely apart, all of them leading into the lecture hall. He walked up to the second door, and as he carefully pulled it open, heard a murmur of voices. With a sigh of relief he relaxed and shifted into a lower gear, as the noise meant that the lecture hadn't started yet.

The stadium-style lecture hall had four hundred and five seats, making it one of the largest classrooms on campus. Jack walked down the steps as he looked for a place to sit. He finally spotted an empty seat on his left, at the end of a row, next to a guy who was wearing shorts (despite the cold day).

Jack took off his backpack and set it down beside the empty seat. He started to sit down, when he got a closer look at the guy he would be sitting next to. He was a girl. She was wearing clogs with thick mustard yellow socks that were pulled halfway up her calves, bunching up some of her leg hair. Her khaki shorts matched her khaki jacket, both looking as if they had come from the Salvation Army. The Medusa-like nappy dreads crowning her head finished off the ensemble, and she reeked of incense.

Jack cringed. He had nothing against hippies, but did have something against strong smells. He scanned the nearby rows, looking for another empty seat, and then noticed the brunette. She was sitting across the aisle, five rows down, on the end of the row, with an empty seat to her right. The brunette: the girl he had admired from afar, but had never spoken to.

Having no idea what a huge difference his changing seats would make, he picked up his backpack and walked five rows down. As the brunette looked up, he pointed at the empty seat. "Anyone sitting there?"
Chapter 3

Meet Bruzaal

Fire Valley had once been a calm, serene place. Wild flowers had covered the valley floor and small springs had poured from fissures in the rocks to nourish the valley's diverse wildlife. And beings of many races had lived in the valley, peacefully and without fear of attack — for they had lived among the Rugars.

The Rugars were humanoids, with rock-like skin, nose-less faces, and heads that sloped up to a dull point. They were fearsome fighters, but despite their size and strength they were not aggressive. The valley was their ancestral home and they were the custodians of its great magic.

No longer.

On one otherwise unremarkable day, approximately one hundred and seventy years ago, an invasion took place. In the middle of that day, as the valley's inhabitants went about their daily routines, dozens of portals opened above the valley floor. Those portals provided a pathway to the valley from their origin on the Zaruul home world of Dest, and through them came charging thousands of Zaruul warriors

With the aid of the Firestones and the giant Geo, the Rugars repelled wave after wave of the invaders. The fighting continued for several days. Then Bruzaal arrived. Like a raging inferno he struck the defenders down. Geo's right arm disappeared in a column of fire. The leader of the Rugars fell soon after. So ended the calm, and the serenity, of Fire Valley.

The wild flowers are long gone, as are all signs of plant life. Piles of crudely stacked bones, some still fresh with connective tissue and blood, testify to an ongoing violence. And high above packs of flying Zaruuls patrol the green skies.

To the north the valley runs into a sheer cliff wall, as if eons ago a cataclysmic event had split the land in two. In the midst of the cliff wall an enormous cave mouth yawns open. The cave rises nearly to the top of the cliff wall, and then slopes downward as one journey's deep into its interior.

And if one WERE to journey deep into the cave — past the hordes of Zaruul warriors, past the cavernous chambers filled with demonic monstrosities, and then down far below the valley floor — one would find a prison.

Beings of various races were held captive throughout the vast, cell-less prison chamber: shackled in chains, racked across slabs of rock, and confined in cramped cages. Whimpering sounds echoed off the roughly textured walls, interspersed with pained cries, but most of the prisoners kept silent, cringing in fear. For through the middle of this horror strode the terror of the valley, and in truth the entire world, the mighty Zaruul Lord, Bruzaal.

Standing half again as tall as the tallest man and weighing five times as much, Bruzaal was a picture of pure power. His head was wide and ape-like. His shoulders, chest, and arms rippled with muscles that were covered by dark reddish-orange skin. Below his hulking chest bulged a large belly, stretching out as if he had just satisfied his carnal desires by stuffing an entire family down his throat. And his muscular legs ended in black-clawed feet.

The red monster tromped through the prison, the faint light glinting off his naked, hairless body. He looked down at the prisoners as he passed them by. There a man was pulled tight across a rack, softly weeping to himself. There a Rugar lay sprawled across the floor, its hard body unmoving. There — there was a prisoner that captured Bruzaal's interest.

The thuds of heavy footfalls resounded through the prison as Bruzaal headed for a man with short black hair, olive skin, and a lean, athletic build. The prisoner, his only clothing a pair of tattered brown pants, sat on the floor, his legs outstretched, his arms suspended above him in chains. "Human," Bruzaal violently declared, "you are a Soen warrior."

The man painfully lifted his head. He looked up at the monster standing over him, and in a near whisper, said, "Piss... off."

Bruzaal laughed. "Oh, little one! How your kind amuses me!" His words sounded unnatural coming from his beastly mouth: like a deep-voiced fat man trying to imitate a small child. "I will enjoy killing you." He raised his massive right foot, placed it atop the man's hip, and then slowly pressed down.

The man groaned through his teeth. He yanked on the chains supporting his arms as if trying to rip them out of the ceiling. The chains then clanged against each other as he whipped his arms back and forth, thrashing like a fish on a hook.

The Zaruul home world, Dest, is a planet of active volcanoes, foul oceans, and continent-spanning swamplands. Dest's rulers, the Zaruuls, inhabit the planet like pests and diseases might inhabit a hot, humid, manure-filled garden. And just as pests and diseases are of many types, so are the Zaruuls.

The warriors of the Zaruul armies are Xikkossas, a Zaruul species that specializes in soldiering tasks. But they lack intelligence. Jobs requiring that trait would be performed by Molmizes.

A dark red, human-sized Zaruul ran into the prison chamber, coming to an abrupt halt several paces behind Bruzaal. "Master, Master!" the Molmiz exclaimed in the Zaruul language.

Speaking in the same language, Bruzaal growled, "You dare disturb me?"

The Molmiz fell to its knees, its stubby snout pointed toward the floor. "But Sep... Septeno sent me, Master." Each hissed word was laced with fear. "To... to tell you... that the Lost Magicians... they have found him. Our contact, Master, he says... says they have found him — found the one you seek, Master."

Bruzaal did not respond, and so the Molmiz continued, "Master, they have located Rodin's hiding place."

"The Cloud Magician? Impossible." Bruzaal raised his foot, placed it atop the man's left thigh, and then shifted his weight.

SNAP!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

Bruzaal turned and took a thundering step toward the Molmiz. "Impossible!"

The Molmiz pressed its head closer to the floor. "Master, please, Sep... Septeno sent me... to, to tell you... tell you they have found him. The Lost Magicians, they... they have located Rodin's hiding place. It is a remote world, far removed from the streams of magic, where time is very slow." The Molmiz looked up at Bruzaal, its excitement temporarily overriding its fear. "Master, the Cloud Magician is a young human! And he lives on a world without magic!"

Bruzaal bellowed, "Could he have been so cunning? A world without magic? And in a different time stream?" He looked up at the ceiling. "The Cloud Magician still alive? And hiding on a world without magic?"

The tortured man lifted his head. "Cloud... Magician?"

Bruzaal spun around. "You understand our language?" The towering red monstrosity looked somewhat surprised — and then completely evil. "Good, then let these words accompany your death. Perhaps it is true. Perhaps the Cloud Magician lives." Bruzaal flashed a gruesome smile. "If he does, I will capture him. But you! You little man! You will never see that day!" His smile grew wider. "You will burn!"

A low, evil chant flowed past Bruzaal's monstrous lips. The chant grew louder, the inflections and tones changing in time with the movements of his clawed fingers.

The entire prison fell silent, prisoners and guards alike frozen in silent expectation.

The man's left pinky ignited. He jerked his chained hand through the air. Instead of going out, the fire spread, encompassing his entire hand. It raced down his arm. With newfound vigor, he jerked his body about. Black smoke was wafting off his arm, as was the smell of his burning flesh. Once the flames reached his chest they spread evenly, heading for his legs, right arm, and head. The man was frantically floundering about, but amazingly, he did not scream. As the flames reached his chin he extended his neck — at that moment the flames shot toward the completion of their journey, encompassing him from head to toe, his hair disappearing all at once in a brief cloud of gray smoke.

The man, barely visible behind the flames, convulsed several times, and then collapsed into a heap of burning flesh.

Bruzaal stopped chanting. "We know the location of this world?" He turned toward the Molmiz. "And where the Cloud Magician hides on it?"

"Yes... yes, Master. But the Lost Magicians, they... they only know his approx... approximate location. They have sent someone... someone to find him. Someone named... Val."

"I have heard that name before!" Bruzaal boomed. "Then it is true, the Cloud Magician is alive! And he will be mine!"
Chapter 4

Xikkossas Go To College

Larry Jeffries was what you might call a typical Boulder resident: physically active, environmentally friendly, and originally from someplace else. He had first visited the city three years ago while on a business trip, only to fall instantly in love with the Rocky Mountains. His subsequent move had not been without its difficulties, but after convincing his girlfriend (who was now his wife) that it was the right thing to do, they had uprooted from the East Coast and made the move west.

Larry was a salesman, and a good salesman at that — the type of clean-cut, sociable guy who could sell binoculars to blind people. Which is what he was supposed to be doing all day today. He was supposed to be calling each and every one of his clients to let them know that the 7.0 software upgrade was ready to go. He was supposed to be getting them excited about the added features and productivity enhancements. He was supposed to be making sales.

But something else had come up. Larry's mistress had just called. She had let him know that she was ready to go. She had gotten him excited about the fact that she was wearing only high heels and a tube top. She had sold him on making love.

With his phone pinned to his ear, and with his eyes fixed on the snow-dusted sidewalk in front of him, Larry hustled off to his tryst. "Wanda, baby, it's me.... I'm on my way over right now. Tell me something — is it red? Is the top red?" He grinned as he listened to the reply, and then in a sexy voice, said, "Don't worry, baby, I'll warm you up."

Larry swung his phone out to look at the screen. The name of the incoming caller made him grimace. "I have another call," he said as he returned the phone to his ear. "It's from the office, baby. Besides, I'm almost at your place.... Bye, baby." He switched over to the other call. "Hi, honey bunny.... Meet you for lunch? Sorry, Cindy, but I can't. I have to meet a client for lunch.... Uh, someone from Micro Data. In fact, I'm on my way over there right now."

Not knowing the exact location of his quarry, Bruzaal decided to open multiple portals around the target area. One of those portals just happened to materialize on a sidewalk, less than a block in front of Larry. Six beastly creatures stepped out of it, but Larry did not notice. He did not notice anything until his progress was impeded by the portal.

Larry stopped walking. He lowered his phone as he stared at (actually, through) the rift in space. Alien hands grabbed him. He struggled — weakly at first, and then like a housecat that was about to get a bath — as he was rudely escorted through the portal.

His last words to his wife had been, "I love you too, honey."

The last words he ever heard were, "Xizzon za tuur eezzz!"

"Can you believe it? She ditched me!" Suzy Landers yelled into her phone. "Sorry. It's just that I'm really pissed off. And it's like snowing. And do you know what's crazy? Tara and I are supposed to be secret sisters for homecoming."

Suzy stood up from the bus stop bench and paced about. If anyone else had been there, or at least if any young men had been there, they would have no doubt ogled the attractive blonde in the black yoga pants and tight-fitting white leather jacket.

"I don't care! That's no excuse. I don't care if her parents were like... like killed in a traffic accident. An Alpha Phi doesn't ditch one of her sisters! Especially when it's snowing!"

Suzy sighed as she sat back down on the bench. "I'll be back at the house soon — if the stupid bus ever gets here.... Sorry, it's just that I'm SO pissed.... OK, but do me a favor, if you see Tara, tell her she's a witch. A witch with a capital B." Suzy laughed at the reply. "Yeah, we should do that.... OK, talk to you later.... Bye."

Suzy leaned back against the bench. She looked at her phone and started browsing through her address book. Her face puckered as she got to Tara's number. She didn't know how she was going to get back at the little slut, but she would. Without a doubt, she would.

Her pink backpack sat to her left on the bench. She unzipped the front pocket and dropped her phone down into it.

CRACKLE -- CRACKLE -- CRACKLE -- CRACKLE -- CRACKLE

"What the—?"

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

A warm breeze washed over Suzy, ruffling back her blond hair and melting the nearby snow. She was suddenly — impossibly — staring at a hole in the air, outlined by pulsating red and purple lines.

A naked eight-foot tall monster with oily-wet orange skin and a face that looked as if a hyena had mated with a python stepped out of the hole. It was followed out by five more monsters. Bony protrusions were scattered across their muscular bodies, the most noticeable of which were the arm spikes that curved out from the sides of their forearms like blades.

Suzy's first instinct was to run. That instinct was immediately overridden by her second instinct, which was to remain very, very still. Suzy's third instinct was more of a reaction than an instinct and she tightened her pelvis as she tried not to pee herself.

Bruzaal had given his Xikkossa warriors simple instructions: find the Cloud Magician, subdue him while making sure not to harm him, and then wait for their master to open a portal back to Fire Valley. To find the Cloud Magician they had been instructed to first find Val, and they had been told to track him by scent — for in a world where everything smelled different, Val should smell a little like home.

The Xikkossas began sniffing the air. They spread out. One of them walked toward Suzy. It brushed past her.

"Oh... oh... oh my," Suzy mumbled, her eyes tightly shut. "All... all right... calm... calm down." Trembling, she forced her eyes open.

The monsters were still there, sniffing the air and looking around.

Suzy fought the urge to close her eyes again.

The monsters continued to sniff the air, but they didn't seem to be paying her any attention.

She thought about running, and part of her wanted to start screaming — then she remembered the camera on her phone. If she took a picture she would have proof of... well, whatever it was she was seeing.

Slowly, very slowly, she reached her left hand over to her backpack. She slipped her hand down into the front pocket. The phone's hard surface tapped against her fingernails. She carefully wrapped her fingers around it. Without moving her head she pulled the phone out, raised it to the level of her chest, switched it to camera mode, and then gently, ever so gently, pressed her thumb against the action button.

She angled her eyes down and the phone up, and... yes! She had a picture!

Rapidly moving her thumb, she switched her phone over to video mode, but before she could start recording she noticed two things: the first being that one of the monsters had stepped off the curb and into the street, and the second being that a large brown truck had entered her peripheral vision from the left.

The UPS truck slammed on its brakes, locking them up as it skidded loudly across the slick pavement.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCHHH!

SMACK!

The monster was sent flying down the street. The truck had hit the orange beast in the back and from the way it was flying limply through the air Suzy guessed that it must have been knocked unconscious. The monster did a half-somersault, and after skidding a few feet on its head, landed in a motionless lump, spread-eagled alongside the gutter.

The other monsters looked at their fallen comrade only briefly before returning to their bizarre sniffing behavior. Then one of them grunted, pointed toward something in the distance, and in response the entire group left at a run.

With his hands up, as if professing his innocence, the UPS driver walked around the front of his truck. He turned his shocked face toward Suzy. "Doesn't that costume have eyeholes?"

Suzy didn't answer. She looked down at her clenched fists — and realized that she was still holding her phone. She tried to calm her shaky hands as she dialed 9-1-1.

A woman, sounding young and inconvenienced, asked, "Nine-one-one. Is this an emergency?"

Suzy opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"Nine-one-one. IS THIS AN EMERGENCY?"

Suzy forced her head to move, nodding it up and down. "Yes, I... I think... uh... EMERGENCY!"

Across campus students were walking along snow dusted sidewalks, heading north, south, east, west, and all directions in between. Among these seekers of knowledge — wearing their sweaters, jackets, ski caps, and backpacks — marched a large gray parka. The parka's long arms were swinging back and forth, and its hood was up, hiding whoever, or whatever, powered its movements.

With a jerk, as if having heard some anticipated sound, the parka came to a sudden stop. Its hood slowly tilted up, and then slowly turned left. It aligned itself toward this new bearing, and with an increased pace, marched straight ahead.

The parka approached a set of glass doors that led into a large building. After entering the building the parka raised its left arm — and decapitated itself. The newly uncovered human head was bald and heavily scarred. Tight pink flesh stretched from the man's chin back to the melted remains of his left ear. And looking like he had long ago bobbed for apples in a barrel full of razor blades, his face was crisscrossed with cut marks.

The scarred man certainly looked out of place among the backpack-laden students milling about in the wide hallway, although he too carried something on his back, something beneath the parka. After a quick scan of his surroundings he headed for a door across the hallway. A beefy young man, nearly as massive as himself, was standing in his path, and he tossed him aside as if he were made of cardboard.

Roy Thompson's idea of fun included football, wrestling, drinking beer, and being known as the wildest partier in his frat. Getting bowled over by some crazy-looking bald dude wasn't what he considered fun.

"Hey!" Roy exclaimed from his horizontal position on the white linoleum floor.

The Second Team All-Conference Left Tackle stood his bulk back up, his eyes fixed on the door into the lecture hall that was swinging closed. "Crazy bastard must have had too much Viagra for breakfast," he said to his friends, to which they responded with confused chuckles.

The professor was energetically scribbling equations onto a projector surface.

Jack was taking notes. Sneaking a quick glance to his left, he noticed that the brunette wasn't writing anything down. After copying the last few equations, he turned to look at her. She had fallen asleep. Her head was tilted toward him and her mouth was slightly open. Her cheeks were sunburned, which made him wonder if she had been skiing recently. Her hair was dark brown and straight, her face more round than oval, her nose small and turned up at the end, and if he remembered correctly, she had green eyes. She was wearing a black sweatshirt, which was bunched up so that he could just barely make out the University of Colorado logo on its front, and tan pants. He looked back up at her face. She was pretty. Not in a supermodel, 'oh my gosh' way, but in an honest, 'girl next door' way. And there was something else about her — something that made his heart beat faster.

He felt weird staring at a girl whose name he didn't even know, but he couldn't help himself, and so instead of paying attention to the professor's lecture, he tried to come up with a conversation starter that wouldn't sound like some cheesy pickup line.

Wow, talk about a boring lecture.

Or maybe...

I'm sure glad I came to class today, got some good notes. Oh really, you didn't take any notes. Want to copy mine?

Or...

Do I know you from somewhere? No? He would then casually hold out his hand, which the brunette would of course shake. My name's Jack. What's yours?

Or maybe he should say something witty, like...

So, come here often?

Being honest with himself, he seriously doubted that he would —

His train of thought was abruptly broken by a giant bald man, his face badly scarred, who had appeared out of nowhere to stand at the end of the aisle. Jack looked up from the brunette and into the man's fierce blue eyes — eyes that did not have eyebrows above them.

The man didn't say a word; he just stood there, beaming a crazy smile.

After a few moments, he blurted out, "Magician." (Jack heard, "Crexal.")

Several of the nearby students turned to look at the intruder.

"Magician, it has been a long time."

Jack didn't know how to respond.

"A very long time," the scarred man said in his strange language, his voice rising in volume, "a hundred and seventy-two years to be exact!"

The brunette jerked awake and her notebook fell to the floor. She lethargically bent down to pick it up.

More students were turning to look at the intruder. The professor had noticed the disruption as well. After setting down his pen, he spoke into the small microphone clipped to the collar of his shirt. "May I help you, sir?"

His eyes still locked with Jack's, the scarred man said, "Or at least that is what Telemor told me — I lost count after a hundred." His smile dissolved into a scowl. "When I agreed to come find your new self you failed to mention that you would be on a world without magic, and in a different time stream. But that was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

The brunette was staring up at the scarred man. In a sleepy voice, she asked, "Huh?"

Jack leaned over toward the brunette. "I'm not sure, but I think he's talking to me." He looked up. "No comprende. You speak English?"

"I married, Magician. I watched my wife grow old and die. Then my children. I went mad. In a fit of suicidal rage I stormed Korimain Castle. The guards stabbed me over and over again until I collapsed from the pain. But I didn't die!" The scarred man pulled down the front of his parka, revealing a finger-width scar that ran across his throat. "They hanged me and left me to rot! But I didn't die!"

The professor asked, "What is going on here?"

Jack looked across the lecture hall at the professor. He shrugged, and then turned back to the scarred man. "I think you have me confused with somebody else."

"For many years I dreamed of killing you. Oh yes, many, many years. Not that I thought I would ever find you, but I dreamed of finding you, and of killing you." The scarred man's tone suddenly changed. "But I no longer care. I just want to be done with this accursed life. And on this world there is no magic. Here I can be free of your spell." He reached into his parka. "The items you entrusted to me, they are all gone. I sold them a long, long time ago. The only things I kept were this bag," he pulled out a black bag, which he tossed at Jack, "and this pendant." He removed a circular stone pendant from around his neck. He then leaned across the brunette to drape the pendant's cord over Jack's head. As he stuffed the pendant underneath Jack's brown flannel shirt, their faces only inches away, the scarred man said, "If they were worth anything I would have sold them as well. But they must be worth something to you, eh, Magician?"

Mr. Football was still trying to recover from the embarrassment of getting bowled over by the crazy-looking bald dude, so when five people came walking toward him dressed in monster costumes, Roy stepped into their path. "Dude," he said as the first Xikkossa came to a stop and looked down at him, "that has to be the ugliest costume I've ever seen!"

His friends tentatively chuckled.

"What are you supposed to be? The Incredible Turd Monster?" Roy raised his right hand and touched the costume's chest. "What's this junk made of?" The smart-ass look on his face turned into one of confusion as his fingers pressed against the Xikkossa's warm, sticky-wet skin. His look of confusion then turned into one of fear as the Xikkossa wrapped its clawed hands around his neck.

With only a slight grunt of exertion the Xikkossa lifted Roy into the air.

The small crowd in the hallway, which had quieted as the monsters approached, fell completely silent, awed as they were by the unreal display of a three-hundred-pound football player being held two feet off the floor, regardless of who, or what, was doing the holding.

The Xikkossa bent Roy's head back at an angle until it faced the wall behind him.

CRACK!

The professor had had enough. "You are disturbing my classroom, sir! I am going to have to ask you to—"

A girl's muted scream rang through the air, coming from the hallway. Nearly every student in the lecture hall turned to look behind them.

The scarred man turned as well. "Damn! I must have been followed." He reached into his parka and pulled out a small glass vial. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the vial to the floor, shattering it. "They better be quick." He ripped off his parka. He had a black bow and a quiver of arrows strapped across his back. By the time the Xikkossas entered the lecture hall he already had an arrow cocked — which he sent flying into the first Xikkossa's chest.

The reaction from the students was a mixture of surprise and disbelief. Many in the room gasped as the arrow struck the guy in the monster suit, while others laughed at the absurdity of it.

The Xikkossas moved forward against the assault of arrows. A young man sitting on the end of a row stood up to get a better look, only to have one of the monsters punch him in the stomach with its right arm spike. The Xikkossa lifted the impaled boy above its head, and then flung him six seats deep into a section of gawking students, showering them with blood.

With that the mood in the room changed. Pandemonium broke out as students began fleeing for the doors. Another young man was tore open, this time by a Xikkossa's claws. He screeched in agony. The scream of a terrified girl immediately followed.

The professor held up his arms as if about to take charge of the situation. Apparently changing his mind, he sprang into action, running for the nearest exit.

Jack stood up. He picked up his backpack and threw his arms into the straps.

The brunette stood up as well, a thin green jacket in her left hand. She took a step into the aisle, but then the air above the spot where the scarred man had broken the vial started crackling and she stepped back. Then, with a WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH, an opening, outlined by wispy silver lines, flashed into existence.

The scarred man reached across the brunette and grabbed Jack by the arm. "I know you cannot understand me, but maybe you will remember some of my words. I have spread news of your return, so seek out your allies — they will recognize the pendant." He beamed his crazy smile. "And don't worry about me, I came to this world to die."

With strength that caught Jack completely by surprise the scarred man threw him toward the opening in the air. The brunette was standing in the way, and he plowed into her, sending them both through the opening.
Chapter 5

The Lost Isles

Jack stumbled forward. He lost his footing, falling to his knees and banging them hard against a marble floor. He winced from the pain and took a sharp breath and immediately wondered at the vanilla scent in the moist, salty air. The brunette was standing directly in front of him. He stood up. They were in a large room — a large, domed, circular room — with thin window-like slits every few feet along the walls. Between the slits hung oval paintings, or tapestries of some kind, and the air hummed with energy. The entire scene felt odd, but what he found really bizarre were the twenty or so robed people, spread out in a wide circle, surrounding him and the girl.

The robes were white with black cuffs and black trim. Some of the hoods were up, but most were thrown back, exposing the faces of ordinary men and women.

Ordinary that is if it weren't for the silver waves that flowed from their outstretched hands. The waves were wispy and translucent, and they arched upward, joining together at a point somewhere behind him.

Jack looked over his shoulder, and there, only a couple of steps away, was an opening in the air, identical to the one the scarred man had thrown him through — he could see the lecture hall on the other side, frantic students stepping over the seats in slow motion. His first instinct was to jump back through the opening, but he hesitated, remembering the girl. "Hey," he said.

She slowly turned toward him, her expression one of total shock.

"Hey," he repeated, his right thumb pointed behind him, "you thinking what I'm thinking?"

The girl's expression didn't change.

Jack wondered how she would react if he tried to drag her back through the opening, but before he could do more than wonder one of the robed people — a very short, middle-aged man — stepped forward and started speaking loudly in a foreign language. Streaks of gray ran through the little man's mop of black hair, the hair framing a pudgy-cheeked face.

"Welcome home, Magician." The little man sounded stuffed up. "I hope you can appreciate how difficult it was to find you on that non-magical world. Your choice of a world so far removed from the ethereal streams of magic was pure genius. Who would think to look for a legendary magician on a world without magic? And even if they discovered your location, how could they reach you? Why, just to open a small portal to that world required all our efforts." The little man gestured toward the other robed people.

With their arms still outstretched, several of those people spoke foreign words of greeting.

"Welcome."

"Magician, welcome."

"It is an honor, Magician."

The little man asked, "And where is Val?"

Having seen enough, Jack wrapped his right arm around the girl's waist. "Let's go." He started to take a step back — but as he did he heard something come flying through the air behind him. Whatever it was hit the marble floor with a THUD. He instantly knew that the THUD was way too loud to have been made by the scarred man and so instead of pulling the girl back he took a step forward and swung both himself and the girl around.

One of the monsters from the lecture hall was standing there, three arrow shafts protruding from its chest. It roared and charged across the room. With an uppercut motion it punched its left arm spike into the stomach of a robed person (an older man with gray hair).

The man had been wearing a welcoming grin. For a split second, his grin remained — in fact, his grin turned into a toothy smile. But it was only for a split second and as the involuntary smile melted off his face it was replaced by a look of pure agony.

Another monster came flying through the opening, to land with a THUD directly in front of Jack and the girl. It reached for them and Jack pulled the girl back and their feet tangled and they fell to the floor.

Jack's tailbone hit hard against the marble floor, and something in his backpack, maybe a corner on his physics textbook, jabbed him just below the neck. Through a pained grimace he looked up. The monster loomed overhead like some comic book nightmare come to life: oily-wet orange skin covered pumped muscles; sharp bones curved out from the sides of its forearms; and red eyes glared from a face that looked part serpent, part dog.

Standing beside the monster was the little man. His arms were spread wide, as if he were about to embrace the monster in a big hug. But instead he chanted, "Lehhhhh hoooo mahhhhh, tehhh sooooo, rohhhhh chaeeeee."

A sound like a dolphin's cry pierced the air, and as the cry intensified, a swirling blue mist enveloped the monster's head. It yelped and clawed at its face.

Men in black armor rushed in. They stabbed and hacked at the monster with short swords. Across the room a similar scene was playing out, as armed men hacked away at the first monster.

"Close the portal!" the little man shouted.

One of the other robed people — a pasty white obese man with a horseshoe of brown hair edging his otherwise bald head — protested, "But, Telemor, Val is still there."

Telemor calmly replied, "That madman has long wished to die, and I believe his wish has finally been granted." His voice changed to a forceful shout. "Now close the portal!"

The robed people lowered their arms. The wispy waves that had connected their hands to the portal disappeared, as did the portal itself.

Telemor turned to Jack. "Magician, I sincerely apologize."

The girl suddenly came out of her comatose state. She looked over her shoulder at Jack, and then down at his arm encircling her waist, which she proceeded to throw off as she stood up in a huff. "Just what the hell is going on here!"

Telemor stared at her for a moment, and then said to Jack, "Oh my, you have not understood a word that I have said. How utterly stupid of me." He waved one of the other robed people over: a freckle-faced young man with a ponytail of blond hair. "Jolee, I need you and Torvin to cast the translation spell on our distinguished guest."

"With all due respect, sir," Jolee's voice was so light and soft that it was almost girlish, "I don't think that I—"

"I know, I know — you are not worthy of the honor," Telemor quipped, "but it is yours nonetheless. Now hurry up."

"Look, we... we can't understand a word you're saying," Jack said as he stood up. "And... and... and this is crazy. I mean, where are we?"

Telemor pointed at his mouth, at his ear, and then at the freckle-faced young man. He then turned around and walked off toward the other robed people.

The other robed people whom Telemor approached were the other Lost Magicians. They had gathered here, all twenty-two of them, to open a portal to a world far removed from the ethereal streams of magic. So far removed that opening just one small portal had required their combined might. Now those magicians were huddled around the filthy remains of a Xikkossa warrior, and also around their dead colleague who had been gutted by it.

They must be terrified. Telemor thought.

Approximately one hundred and seventy years ago a mighty Zaruul Lord known as Bruzaal invaded their planet, Mirae. After cementing his base of power in Fire Valley, Bruzaal set out on a campaign to eradicate anyone, or anything, that could oppose him. None of the magicians, kings, or magical beasts that had the misfortune of being attacked by Bruzaal would end up surviving. For all practical purposes, Mirae had been conquered.

The world was vast, however, and although Bruzaal's armies were unrivaled in battle, they could not hope to occupy every corner of the globe.

Located just off the southern tip of the small continent Rasandwo, the Lost Isles were about as far away from Fire Valley as was geographically possible. Up until now Bruzaal had left the area alone, and probably not considered the Lost Magicians worth the effort to destroy.

Telemor smiled. I wonder what that evil monstrosity thinks about us now.

The gathering of white robes parted for Telemor as he walked up to the blood-soaked lump that was the dead magician. "My friends," he said, "today we have finally achieved our goal."

The obese man — the one who had protested leaving Val behind — exclaimed, "Vordray is dead, Telemor! Dead!"

"Yes, Tricius, I can see that."

"And do you know what this means?"

"Of course I do. It means that Bruzaal is aware of our plans, which means that our plans must change."

One of the robed people standing before Telemor was a tall, lean, olive-skinned man, with a rigid bearing that suggested a military background. The tight cut of his black hair lent severity to his handsome face, and his brown eyes were sharp as a bird of prey's. "It means something else as well," he said in a deep voice.

"And what is that, Folan?" Telemor asked.

"It means that we have a traitor among us."

Several of the other magicians gasped.

"Yes, Folan, you may be correct. Unless Bruzaal can spy on us magically — which would seem impossible given the precautions we have taken — then someone here is spying for him."

A petite woman, with delicate features and blondish-gray hair, protested, "This is an outrage! Are you saying that a Lost Magician has betrayed their oath?"

"My dear Elen," Telemor said with calm authority, "there are hundreds of people on the isle. Any one of them could be working for Bruzaal."

Patting the sides of his large belly, Tricius asked, "Who is to say these are Bruzaal's warriors? What if they belong to Morigon, or even Asmogon?"

"Morigon works from the shadows," Folan said. "This attack is not his style."

Telemor added, "And Asmogon only concerns himself with the Zaruul home world." The little man motioned toward the hacked up Xikkossa that had killed Vordray. "Tricius, open your eyes — this beast's hip has been branded with Bruzaal's insignia."

"So what would you have us do, Telemor?" Elen asked. She looked across the room. "If that boy truly is the Cloud Magician, then he is in danger from both Bruzaal and the traitor." She gestured toward the other magicians. "We are all in danger!"

"Elen, I do not believe that I have ever seen you so flustered. The answer is simple. If everyone is in danger if the boy stays," almost imperceptibly, the sides of Telemor's mouth lifted into a slight smile, "then the boy must leave."

"What is going on here?" the girl demanded.

Jack was standing to her right, his hands tightly gripping his backpack straps. "I have no idea."

"Well," the girl pointed at the robed person standing in front of them, "it looks like that guy is talking to you."

The blond, freckle-faced young man was looking at Jack and speaking in a soft, apologetic manner, as another robed young man (shorter, with wavy black hair) walked over to join him. After a brief exchange between the two the black-haired young man looked at Jack and started speaking.

"See, now that guy is talking to you."

"Yeah, but like I understand what he's saying."

"What is going on here! Where are we?" The girl pointed at the monster that had attacked them, which lay in a pool of black blood. "What is that thing? And... and just what the hell is going on here!"

"You're asking me?"

The freckle-faced young man spilled the green, powdery contents from a vial onto the floor. Both young men then started chanting.

The girl took a step back. "What are they doing?"

"Um... hopefully nothing bad."

Green symbols flickered into existence around their heads. The symbols spun in circles and flowed up and down like rides on a merry go round. They swatted at the symbols as if being attacked by bees. Almost as soon as they had appeared, the symbols were gone.

"What was that?" the girl asked.

"That was the translation spell," the freckle-faced young man said. He was beaming a pleasant smile, his attention focused on Jack. "Oh, great magician, what an honor it is to meet you. I am Jolee, a junior acolyte of the Lost Magicians, as is my friend Torvin here."

His smile more constrained, Torvin said, "Although we do not know your language, the translation spell should still work."

Jolee explained, "The spell bypasses the physical act of hearing and works directly on the speech areas of a person's mind. It also has an illusory effect, making it appear as if others are speaking in your language."

Torvin added, "But it will only work if the conversation involves one of the eight languages incorporated into the spell."

The girl looked like she wanted to scream — and she almost did. "Just what THE HELL is going on here!"

"Oh my," Telemor said as he walked up to the group. He asked Jack, "Who is this girl?"

"Who is this girl?" the girl shot back. "Who are you?"

Jack said, "Look, there's... there's been a mistake. I don't know what you want... or who you think I am, or... or anything." He pointed at the girl. "I don't even know who she is."

"My name is Elizabeth."

"Jack," and despite the chaos, he managed to flash a smile, "nice to meet you."

While Jack and Elizabeth exchanged greetings, Telemor addressed Jolee and Torvin. "Captain Rigel is preparing his men. Join him in the instruction room. Your journey will begin immediately." As the two young magicians departed, Telemor turned back to Jack. "Yes, I realize now that you are unaware of who you are. I probably should have expected as much," he shrugged, "but then, I have never met anyone from a world such as yours."

"This... this can't be..." Elizabeth shook her head. "Whatever is going on here, you need to stop this ride and let me off!"

"If you do not know this girl, then why is she here?"

"Why is she...? We're here — both of us — because that crazy bald guy pushed us through that... that..."

"Portal. It was a portal, Magician. And yes, the bald man was quite crazy. I would know, seeing as I had to put up with that lunatic while I searched for you. But Val had a special link to you — a spell that you created, one that worked even on that world."

"I created?"

Elizabeth shouted, "What are you talking about?"

"So the girl is here by accident." Telemor glanced at Elizabeth. "Perhaps we should consider a sleep spell."

"What? No." Jack sliced the air with his hands. "Look, you've made a mistake. I'm not the guy you're looking for."

"Oh my, this is going to be more difficult than I thought." Telemor's little body deflated. "But unfortunately there is no time for pleasantries, as your presence here endangers us all."

Elizabeth exclaimed, "If he is the one you want, then I shouldn't be here! Send me back!"

Clearly annoyed, Telemor turned to Elizabeth. "Opening a portal to your world required the power of twenty-two magicians, one of whom is now dead." He motioned toward the blood-soaked lump. "And without Vordray's assistance it might not be possible to open another."

"I don't care! We need to try!"

"No, no we do not!" Telemor's calm demeanor was completely gone. He looked up at Jack. "Control this girl! Or I will!"

Elizabeth jabbed her left index finger at Telemor. "Listen here, you little jerk. You are going to send me home. Right... now! Or... or else... else... I... I..." She swayed unsteadily.

Telemor had been softly chanting. He stopped and said, "You may wish to catch the young lady."

Elizabeth shifted her feet. Her head tilted lazily forward.

Jack positioned himself behind her, his hands mimicking her movements, and as she collapsed he grabbed her by the shoulders. Her weight dragged him down and he dropped to his knees. "What did you do to her?"

Telemor sighed. "She is only sleeping." He gave Jack a patient smile. "As I said before, we do not have much time. You see these horrid beasts? More will be coming. We must get you someplace safe."

Still on his knees, Jack stared at Elizabeth's unconscious face. "This is... messed up."

Telemor waved a pair of black-armored guards over. "Pick up the girl," he commanded.

The guards followed orders, each taking an arm and draping it across a shoulder. As soon as Elizabeth's feet were off the floor, they headed for an arched exit, following Telemor.

Jack watched the guards carry Elizabeth away. He looked down, and noticed her green jacket, spread across the floor in front of him. He stood up, his legs wobbly. He was suddenly alone, standing in the middle of a strange room, surrounded by strange activity—

Hardly realizing what he was doing, he picked up Elizabeth's jacket, took off his backpack and stuffed the jacket down into it, and as he put his backpack back on, followed the guards.
Chapter 6

Acclimation

Jack couldn't think; there was way too much happening and it was all happening way too fast. Was he really in another place? On another world? Trailing a little ways back, he followed the guards past the spot where a man had just died. A man HAD just died, hadn't he? It seemed so unreal but there was no denying the smell of blood mixed with the putrid animal stench of the monster. The combination made his stomach turn.

He walked past the corpse and the robed people congregated around it. Most of the robed people were staring at him, their expressions ranging from adoration, to suspicion.

His right foot slipped and he threw his arms out to catch his balance. As he regained his balance he looked behind him — to see that he had just stepped in a puddle of blood.

The room swayed.

He unsteadily followed the guards into a downward sloping hallway, and as he did he realized that something (actually, several things) didn't seem right: the air smelled funny (like vanilla and salt); the walls looked wrong (they were stone walls, but the stone was dark blue); even his steps felt wrong (they felt light, like he was going down in a slow elevator).

It was all too much. His heart beat faster. A sweat broke across his forehead. His throat expanded—

In mid-step he bent down and vomited a watery red stew that tasted like Fruit Punch Gatorade.

He spit a few times, clearing out his mouth, and then wiped the left sleeve of his brown flannel shirt across his lips. After burping up a pocket trapped air, he continued following the guards.

They eventually led him through a door-less archway and into what appeared to be a classroom. A dozen small tables were aligned in the front half of the room, three rows of four, some with unfinished projects sitting atop or beside them. One item in particular caught his attention: a two-foot tall model of a silver and green dragon-like creature.

A raised oval platform took up the entire middle of the room, and that was where the guards headed with Elizabeth. They laid her down next to Telemor, who was talking with three of the other robed people. At the back of the room were six more guards, as well as Jolee and Torvin; under the direction of Torvin, the guards were packing up sacks of gear.

Jack burped again, the taste of fruit punch and vomit on his breath. He came to a stop about twenty feet away from Telemor and the other robed people. He hesitated getting any closer, as they were having an argument.

"Certainly you do not intend to send this young man to the castle without the protection of a senior acolyte," the obese man protested.

"And what would you suggest, Tricius?" Telemor asked. "That I send you?"

"Yes. Thank you. I will go."

"Absurd! It would take four guardsmen just to carry your food."

"Then I will go," the tall, brown-eyed man said.

Telemor scoffed, "Perhaps if I trusted you, Folan."

"Then send me at least," the petite woman with blondish-gray hair said.

"No, no, and no!" Telemor took a deep breath, and after calming himself, apologized to the petite woman. "You must understand, Elen, I cannot take any chances."

"Sending your two pet students with only a handful of guardsmen, that is not taking a chance?" Folan asked. "This issue is too important for you to decide by yourself. I say that an emergency meeting of the council is in order."

Tricius nodded. "Folan is correct. Let the council decide."

The room went silent. The rage building inside Telemor showed on his clenched, reddening face. "You seem to forget that it was MY quest to find the boy." The little man looked up at his much taller colleague. "This discussion is over. Is that understood, Folan?"

With a biting stare, Folan replied, "It is."

Jack's stomach had started to untangle itself. He no longer felt nauseous, just disoriented. He tried to get a mental grip on the situation but it was like trying to figure out the theory of relativity after being pushed out of an airplane wearing a parachute without a ripcord. It was a little hard to concentrate. And why bother?

And what about the girl? What was her name? He squinted. Elizabeth?

"Magician," Telemor waved him over, "please join us."

"As I told you before," Telemor said as Jack stepped onto the oval platform, "we do not have time to fully explain matters to you, and for that I do apologize. But you are in danger. And if you stay here you will put all our lives at risk. Therefore, we have decided—"

"YOU have decided," Folan interjected.

"Yes," Telemor shot Folan an angry look, "I, the grand acolyte of the Lost Magicians," the little man calmed his tone as he turned back to Jack, "have decided that your journey must begin immediately." Telemor pressed his hands together, his fingertips at his lips. "Although we need to move quickly, I feel compelled to enlighten you as much as I can. You see, this world has been invaded — in fact, conquered — by the Zaruuls." His face scrunched up. "Horrid, foul creatures. And the foulest of them all is their leader, a mighty Zaruul Lord known as Bruzaal." Telemor cleared his throat, and then continued, "The invasion began on the other side of the world, in a place called Fire Valley. The valley is now the center of Bruzaal's empire, and for obvious reasons. First and foremost because of its magical properties, but also because of its proximity to Cloud Castle. You see, Bruzaal would like nothing more than to gain access to the castle, and the secrets that lie within. But you — or your former self if you prefer — placed some sort of spell over the area. Magic becomes unstable as you near the castle, and no one, not even Bruzaal, has been able to penetrate the deadly mists that surround it."

Telemor paused, his eyes far away.

"My own father," he finally said, "along with three other Lost Magicians, set out for the castle, many, many years ago. I was but a boy at the time. They had hoped to find some knowledge — something that would prove useful against the Zaruuls." The little man bowed his head. "We do not know if they ever made it to the castle. All we know... is that they were never heard from... again."

Telemor kept his head bowed and a reverent silence fell over the room.

The silence dragged on.

Jack, looking dazed — looking like he had just woken up from neurosurgery where the doctor had removed part of his brain with an ice cream scooper — said, "Um... that... that sucks."

Telemor lifted his head. "Thank you, but that is in the past. You are here now, and you can unlock the castle. Our plan is simple—"

"This is your plan, Telemor," Folan interrupted. He aimed his sharp brown eyes at Jack. "You must insist that I come with you. I can help you rediscover your power."

"You are excused, Folan!" Telemor shouted, his little body shaking with rage.

"You are not a king."

Telemor pointed toward the archway. "Your status as a Lost Magician will be debated by the council. Now leave us!"

"The Zaruuls will attack soon," Folan argued. "The council will cease to exist!"

"Leave us!" Telemor commanded, his voice laced with venom. "Or suffer the consequences!"

Folan hesitated. He then started walking toward the archway — but before leaving he paused in front of Jack and whispered something.

Jack almost replied with a 'huh?' as he had barely heard the whisper. After replaying it in his head, he realized the man had said, "Trust no one."

Telemor bitched, "The things I have to deal with." He looked up at the ceiling. "Now where was I? Ah yes, the plan. My colleagues and I will be opening a portal to the other side of the world — to the forest just south of the town of Riverton. That is as close to the castle as we can send you without risking detection by the Zaruuls." He sighed. "It is unfortunate that Val is not here, as he knew that part of the world better than anyone, but now that I think about it, a suicidal madman might not make a very good traveling companion. And of course I would go with you, were it not for my physical limitations." Telemor resumed his terse manner. "You and you alone can get past the spells that surround the castle. Once inside you will activate the portal anchor that I have given to Torvin. With the anchor in place it will be possible for us to open a portal, despite the surrounding magic." The little man spread his arms wide. "Together we will unleash the secrets hidden at the castle, and finally rid this world of the Zaruul scourge!"

Jack said, "That... sounds... like... a great... plan. Except, um... I'm not who you think I am."

"One day we will laugh about this conversation." Telemor turned around. "Elen, Tricius, if you will assist me."

"Hold on! This... this isn't..."

Telemor turned back to Jack. "We do not have time to discuss the matter further."

"But—"

"Would you prefer to take a nap?"

"No!" Jack shook his head. "Look, at least tell me why you think I'm the guy you're looking for."

"That is easy — I can sense your power." Telemor stared up at Jack. "Trust me, young man, you are the Cloud Magician."

Jack nervously laughed. "OK, maybe we should just, I don't know... stop and think about what's going on here. What if—"

"Enough." Telemor raised his right hand to get Torvin's attention. The dark-haired magician headed in their direction, followed by Jolee and the guardsmen.

"Sir," Torvin asked, "is the girl coming with us?"

Telemor glanced at Elizabeth, lying on her back with her face turned toward them. "No, leave her."

Jack stared down at Elizabeth. "Leave her? Did you say leave her?"

Telemor smiled. "Fine, if that is what you want, then the girl goes with you." After positioning himself he stretched his arms out toward Tricius and Elen and joined them in their chanting. The three magicians formed a triangle, a few paces apart. Wispy waves flowed from their fingertips. The waves met at a point equidistant from them and slightly above the level of their hands. The waves flowed into each other and then downward, creating an oval. The two sides of the oval joined together just above the floor, and as they did, the center shimmered. Fuzzy images phased in and out of the oval. Jack could see the tops of trees, which were getting closer with each new image, and then tree branches, as the images passed through a forest canopy. Amidst the trees a clearing came into view. The magicians changed the tone of their chanting and the image became sharper — and then with a WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH — crystal clear.

His arms still outstretched, Telemor said, "Take care, Magician. Put your trust in Torvin and Jolee. They will see you safely to the castle."
Chapter 7

Antaru Forest

Jack's head hurt.

Two of the guardsmen had already stepped through the portal and two of the others were moving to pick up Elizabeth. After the guardsmen carrying Elizabeth had stepped through the portal, Telemor said, "Your turn."

He didn't want to do what this little man was telling him to do, but did he really have a choice? And besides, Elizabeth was now in the forest.

In a half-daze, he walked up and stood before the hole in the air. He could hear and smell the strange forest on the other side; it was as if the forest was right there in the room, and maybe in some crazy, convoluted way, it was.

He raised his hands and carefully pushed them into the portal, expecting to encounter a barrier, but there was no resistance or obvious delineation as to where the room ended and where the forest began.

Something pressed against his lower back. It pushed him forward. His weight shifted and he stepped through the portal. Twigs snapped loudly as he took several shuffling steps across the forest floor.

He turned around — to watch Jolee, the last two guardsmen, and finally Torvin — step through the portal. Telemor was left framed within the wispy waves. The little man lowered his arms and with a WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH the portal was gone.

Jack swallowed hard.

"Are you feeling all right, Magician?" Jolee softly asked.

"Not really," Jack replied in a constrained voice, "and the name's Jack."

"Jack. Would you prefer that I call you... Jack?"

Jack nodded.

Jolee stood staring at him, an admiring look on his freckled face. "Jack it is then. And, Jack, if I can do anything for you, just let me know."

"OK, how about making one of those portal things so I can go home."

"If I could, I would." Jolee sounded sincere. "But I cannot."

Torvin walked over from where the guardsmen were organizing themselves. He appeared to be around the same age as Jolee, but the manner in which the shorter young man carried himself made him seem older. "I suggest we wait for the girl to wake up before moving on."

Jack lightly coughed, as if he had something tickling the inside of his throat. He then asked, "And where are we moving to?"

"The town of Riverton."

Jack bent forward and put his hands on his thighs. After taking a deep breath, he slowly raised back up. "Oh man... not feeling good."

Torvin looked Jack over, as if seeing him for the first time. He then motioned for Jolee to join him as he walked away. "Can I speak with you?"

Jack continued taking deep breaths. Like fizz from a freshly poured soda, little dots appeared in his vision. He remained still as the dots multiplied, and then faded away. As his head cleared his surroundings started coming into focus, which made him realize just how dazed and confused he had been. He tried to gather himself further by concentrating on the sights and sounds of the forest.

For the most part the trees looked like trees, but instead of being brown, the bark was black. And the trees were shiny, as if they oozed large amounts of sap.

Covering the forest floor were patches of bushes, some red but most green, and scattered among the bushes were bulbous white things. The white things had thick stems that curved up about a foot off the ground, each stem ending in a fat white bag. They looked soft, like mushrooms, but they were shaped like beans: like giant white beans.

The sounds in the forest background were mostly insect sounds. There was something that sounded like a cricket, except it was making two distinct chirping sounds, a low-pitched chirp first, and then three high-pitched chirps in rapid succession. There was also a constant buzzing that every few seconds would change its tone and flash louder.

Leaves rustled off to his left and Jack jerked his head to the side. He scanned the forest floor, trying to locate the source of the rustling. He thought he had glimpsed a small purple paw... or maybe a tail...

The forest was alive, as any forest is, but it was filled with life that was unfamiliar, and because it was unfamiliar, life that was a little scary. He took a step back, away from the strange forest and closer to the other humans. He—

BURP

The burp was unexpected and rude. It tasted like fruit punch and acid. It also tasted like it might have friends, perhaps one of them named puke, not too far behind it.

"Get your hands off me!" a feminine shout rang through the forest. Followed by, "Where am I?"

Jack turned around. "Elizabeth," he called out, "it's OK."

She spun toward him, almost losing her balance. "Who... who are you?"

"Jack. Remember? From physics class."

Elizabeth was breathing heavily.

"Everything is OK."

"Everything... is... OK?" Elizabeth looked into the forest. "Seriously?"

"Well, maybe not everything."

Torvin and Jolee reappeared from wherever it was they had walked off to.

"Time to move out," Torvin declared. "Captain Rigel, have one of your men scout up ahead and have another man bring up the rear. Our goal is to reach the riverbank before nightfall."

"What is going on here? Who are you people? Just... JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"

"We need to get moving," Torvin said. "Although Fire Valley is far to the north, it is still possible that Bruzaal detected the portal."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"Your questions will have to wait. Right now, we need to get moving." Torvin grabbed Jolee by the arm and whispered something. They then walked away, and all but one of the guardsmen followed them.

Jack walked over to Elizabeth. "I guess we should... follow them?"

"Follow them! Follow them where? Where is here? Why am I here?" Before Jack could reply, Elizabeth continued, "And who are those people? And why should we follow them? Do you know? Because I don't!"

"I don't know either."

Elizabeth took a step closer to Jack and looked him hard in the eyes. "Just what THE HELL is going on here?"

Jack returned Elizabeth's hard look with a blank stare. After a few seconds, he said, "I really don't know much more than you do." He squinted. "Let's see, after the little guy put you to sleep, we, um... we went into a different room. And then... and then the little guy made another portal thing and sent us here. And now... now I guess we're supposed to hike over to some town."

Elizabeth's mouth was hanging open.

"That's all I know."

"That is ridiculous!"

Jack looked at the last remaining guardsman. The man was staring into the forest and didn't seem to be paying attention to their conversation. "I agree," he said as he turned back to Elizabeth, "this is all... pretty frigging ridiculous."

In a quiet, frustrated voice, Elizabeth asked, "Just what is going on here?"

"I have no idea. And I hate to say it, but I don't think we have any options." Jack pointed in the direction the others had gone. "So maybe we should just... follow those guys?"

Elizabeth crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere."

Jack stared dumbly at Elizabeth, and then looked past her and into the trees. He felt out of sorts. Like that time he had gone to the county fair and eaten a funnel cake and two corndogs, and then gone on the Zipper ride, and then thrown up, and then gone back on the Zipper, and then nearly thrown up again. He was starting to come out of it a little — a yellow blur streaked through the top of his vision. He raised his head. The yellow thing had flittered between the trees. Like a bat? Whatever it was it had either jumped or flown — there it was! On a tree trunk. And it did look like a bat: a big yellow bat with a woodpecker sort of head.

"We really should get going," the guardsman called across the clearing. "We don't want to get lost out here."

"Yeah," Jack said to Elizabeth, "we don't want to get lost."

"Like we are not lost already."

Jack nodded. "True. Um, I'm... I'm going to catch up to them. And ask them to stop." With apologetic body language, he left.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth. She watched Jack disappear into the forest, and then turned to look at the guardsman, who immediately looked away from her. She sighed and started shaking her head.

Eventually, she sighed again, raised her left hand to her face, pinched the bridge of her nose, and then took a slow, small step forward.

The guardsmen set a brisk pace through the forest, making Jack thankful for his habit of hiking in the mountains near Boulder. It wasn't like he was in Olympic shape or anything, but at least he could keep up. Then again the guardsmen were wearing armor and had duffle-style bags strapped across their backs.

Some internal voice of curiosity, still active despite the madness, wanted him to get a better look at the armor. It wasn't metal but instead a shiny black material that looked like hard leather. He made a mental note to get a closer look at it later.

In the morning, before walking over to the dining hall for breakfast, he had almost laced up his sneakers. The flakes of snow collecting at the base of his dorm room window had changed his mind, prompting him to put on his hiking boots, a decision he was grateful for now. He checked Elizabeth's shoes; she was wearing silver Nikes with a light green swoosh.

About an hour into the hike he asked her how she was doing. She responded with an angry look so he decided to leave her alone for the time being. Having nothing else to occupy his mind, he tried to make sense of the situation, but his thoughts went nowhere. His internal conversation would go something like:

"Is this really happening?"

"What can I do about it?"

"What will Tom do when I don't come back to the dorm? Will he call the cops? Wait — that mess in physics class — the cops must already be involved. I wonder how long it will take for them to realize it's me that's missing. Once they do, they'll probably call my parents. Oh man, they're going to freak out."

"What can I do about it?"

"Is this really happening?"

He felt groggy. But then a tree branch would scrape across his arm, or he would hear some strange animal noise off in the distance, then his surroundings would come into sharp focus, momentarily overwhelming him with the craziness of it all.

After hiking for several hours, they stopped to eat. One of the guardsmen handed him three purple things that looked like plums and two strips of dried meat. The plum-things were extremely tart. He didn't try the meat.

While they were stopped he realized that his shoulders were sore. He unzipped his backpack, and his humongous physics textbook looked like an anchor. He pulled it out. Metal balls zoomed across the cover. He stared at the book, remembering how it's nearly hundred dollar price tag had freaked him out, and then tossed it into a bush.
Chapter 8

Camping

It was starting to get dark by the time they arrived at the banks of a fast-moving, boulder-strewn river. Jack stood at the river's edge, looking up at the sky, which was overcast with a solid blanket of thick white clouds. After examining the clouds for a little while, he turned to walk back to the clearing Torvin had chosen for their campsite. He headed for a fallen tree on the edge of the clearing to his left. The trunk of the tree was nearly as high as his waist. He looked for a sturdy section of the decaying log, and then sat down, facing the campsite.

Two guardsmen were hauling rocks from the riverbank, which they were using to build a fire pit in the center of the clearing. Across the way the white-robed form of Jolee was strolling through the trees, his hands clasped behind his back. No one else was in sight: not Torvin, the other guardsmen, or Elizabeth.

She didn't run off, did she? Jack asked himself. Then he remembered that there wasn't anywhere to run off to.

He looked down at the tree trunk and the patchwork of bark covering it. He picked at it. The bark was soft, almost like... moss? He continued picking at it, and then ripped off a palm-sized piece. It was definitely bark, but it was also definitely a different kind of bark. For one, it was black. Not pure black, but more of a dark gray with a smattering of light gray flecks. It was also compressible, like a sponge. The outer surface was—

"Having fun?"

Jack looked up. Elizabeth was standing in front of him, hands on her hips.

"I don't know if 'fun' is the right word."

"We need to talk."

"OK," Jack tossed the bark aside, "talk away."

"We need to start figuring things out."

"Like what? Not to be a jerk, I was just wondering if you had something in mind."

Elizabeth looked past Jack and into the forest behind him. "Not yet." She turned around to face the campsite. "This is... ridiculous. About the only thing I know for sure is that we can't trust these people." She turned back around. "I'm not even sure I can trust you. But at least you are... you know..."

"From Earth?"

Elizabeth looked up at the overcast, darkening sky. After taking a deep breath, she said, "We can't trust these people."

"Hey, I totally agree. And we have other things to worry about. Like the food. I mean, that stuff they fed us earlier — that was gross."

Elizabeth nodded. "I could only eat a few bites."

"And what do you think's for dinner? More fruit and beef jerky?"

"That wasn't beef."

"Exactly!"

"Let me get this straight. You are on an alien world, being herded around by this freak show." Elizabeth gestured toward the campsite. "And you are worried about the food?"

Jack thought for a moment, before replying, "Yeah."

"Great, just great." Elizabeth shook her head. "You're a wimp."

"Hey," Jack sat up straighter, "I'm no wimp."

Elizabeth shouted, "Then what are you?"

"Um... that doesn't make any sense."

"None of this makes sense! I have a geology paper due tomorrow! I am supposed to be picking up my car from Meineke tonight!" Elizabeth dug her fingers into her scalp. "And I have tickets... to see... The Flaming Lips... on Saturday!"

Jack stared blankly at Elizabeth for a few seconds. He then asked, "The Flaming Lips? Are they a band?"

Elizabeth groaned. She looked like she was about to go off — but before the words could come out Jolee interrupted them.

"Is everything all right?"

"No! Everything is not all right! I want answers, starting with HOW I GET HOME!"

"I will be happy to answer any questions you might have, Elizabeth," Jolee replied in a gentle voice. "Those that I can answer at least." He gave her a reassuring smile. "As far as traveling back to your world, that would require a portal like the one you came through today, and that required the power of twenty-two magicians."

"I don't care what it takes! Send me home!"

"I cannot."

"So what are you saying?"

"I am saying that I do not have the ability to send you home."

"Then who does?"

"As I just explained, opening a portal to your world required the power of many magicians."

Elizabeth crossed her arms. "Just tell me how I get home."

"By opening a portal to your world. That is the only way."

Elizabeth looked around them, her eyes playing over the foreign surroundings. With a mixture of disbelief and reluctant acceptance, she said, "So to get back home... we need... a portal."

"Yes," Jolee confirmed.

Jack said, "Let me see if I understand this. We need a portal, and those are hard to make, so we're going to have to convince someone like the little guy to make one for us."

"Telemor. His name is Telemor."

"So how do we get 'Telemor' to make us a portal?" Elizabeth asked.

"Hmmm... perhaps if Jack were to help him defeat Bruzaal."

"Bruzaal?"

Jack was the one who answered. "He invaded this place and killed Telemor's dad."

Elizabeth looked confused. "He killed Telemor's dad?"

Jolee said, "No, Bruzaal did not.... Well, I suppose he might have."

Elizabeth looked even more confused. She didn't say anything and their conversation fell silent.

Eventually, Jack asked, "Is there some other way for us to go home?"

"You could find someone with great magical powers who would be willing to help you. But don't you see, you have already found that person."

"Who?" Elizabeth pointed at Jolee. "You?"

Jolee shook his head. "Of course not me. But perhaps the Cloud Magician is powerful enough to open a portal to your world."

"It's Jack. Remember?"

Elizabeth turned her arm so that she was pointing at Jack. "Are you trying to tell me that he can make those portal things?"

"Yes."

"Jack? Jack can send us back home?"

"Well, no, not at this time."

"Not at this time? Then what? At some other time?"

"Yes. If he had the proper training."

Elizabeth stared at Jack, and then asked Jolee, "And you can train him?"

"Me?" The freckle-faced magician smiled. "No, I am afraid not. He would have to study with someone like Tricius. But perhaps there is an easier way. Perhaps we will find answers at the castle."

Elizabeth motioned for Jolee to stop. "Castle?"

Jack quipped, "Oh yeah, didn't I tell you? I own this castle — it's up in the clouds. The commute takes forever, but hey, you can't beat the view."

"A castle? In the clouds?"

"Cloud Castle is its name," Jolee explained, "but it is not actually in the clouds."

Elizabeth froze in place and closed her eyes. She held her left hand in front of her face as if shielding herself from a bright light. Neither Jack nor Jolee said anything as she silently mouthed a few words. After she was done talking to herself, she opened her eyes, and then with a sigh, asked, "So how do we get to this... castle?"

Jolee squinted. "Torvin can answer that question better than I can. Perhaps we can discuss the matter at dinner?"

"Dinner?" Jack stood up from the log. "What's for dinner?"

Jolee looked to his right, into the forest. "Torvin has taken some of the guardsmen hunting." He turned back to Jack. "And if they are unsuccessful, we have plenty of dried rations."

"So it's either dried crap," Jack limply gestured toward the forest, "or mystery meat."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."

Jolee looked at Jack as if expecting a response, but none was forthcoming. "We will talk more at dinner," he said, before walking away.

Jack spread his arms apart. "Hey, I'm sorry, but no joke, I'm seriously worried about what we're going to eat."

"You need to grow up."

"I need to...? Why would you say that?"

"WE — HAVE — BIG — PROBLEMS — HERE."

"No. Really?" Jack sat back down on the log. "You don't think I realize that?" He rested his left elbow on his left knee and his head on his left hand, and as he rubbed his forehead, quietly said, "And the last thing I need is for you — some girl I just met — to be riding my ass."

"What!" Elizabeth had daggers in her eyes. "Listen, JACK, I am here because of you. You are the one they want, not me." She stabbed at him with her eye daggers. "And you are the one who pushed me through that... that portal! So you know what? Screw you! SCREW! YOU!"

"I didn't push—" Elizabeth turned and marched off. Jack watched her go, unable to ignore the sway of her hips and how her shoulder length brown hair bounced as she angrily stomped away. He was attracted to her, even after what she had said, and he was disgusted with himself because of it.

He lowered his head and dwelled on the unfairness of life. He continued brooding until his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Torvin and two of the guardsmen. The guardsmen, one walking in front of the other, were carrying a tree branch on their shoulders, tied to which was a dead animal. The animal looked something like an aardvark — a neon pink aardvark — with six stubby legs and a long tail.

"Oh jeez." Jack cringed. "I hope that tastes better than it looks."

Not long after dusk the blanket of clouds started to recede toward the west, exposing the night sky, the sight of which shocked Jack and Elizabeth. Perhaps they had started to accept the fact that they were on another planet, but it was the night sky that removed any doubt. There was no Big Dipper, no Orion's Belt, no North Star — just a disturbingly strange sky filled with an unrecognizable jumble of stars. And there were three moons (or at least three they could see) all of them light green. Two of the moons, both smaller than Earth's, were almost directly overhead. The other moon, maybe twice the size of Earth's, was hanging over the eastern horizon.

Jack found it hard not to stare up at the sky, and the more he did, the smaller he felt. He had felt that way before, staring at the stars back home, and realizing that each star, each little point of light, was a sun: a giant burning ball that in one second emitted thousands of times more energy than mankind had consumed in all of human history. And as he gazed up at this new sky, with an even greater number of stars shining in the blackness, he felt very, very small. For a brief moment his troubles slipped away, buried beneath the awesome might of the universe.

The guardsmen had constructed a spit over the fire. Two of them were cooking the pink-thing (as Jack had decided to call it), turning it above the flames. Juices from the pink-thing were dripping into the fire, which would then crackle, filling the campsite with the smell of barbecued meat.

Jack's observations about the universe were soon forgotten, as, despite his misgivings about the mystery meat, his stomach growled and his mouth watered.

The camping provisions included tents, but because the weather was mild the guardsmen had not set them up. Instead, ten bedrolls encircled the fire. Jack sat on his, staring into the flames. Elizabeth sat to his left, Torvin and Jolee to his right. The two guardsmen in charge of cooking the pink-thing were now cutting it up, while the others kept a respectable distance from the magicians on the opposite side of the fire.

Elizabeth shuffled around on her bedroll to face Torvin and Jolee. "So," she asked, "what's the plan?"

"The plan?" Torvin responded.

"Yeah, how do we get to this... castle Jolee was telling us about?"

"Ah, a good question."

"And?"

"And it is quite simple. We will travel to Riverton and from there arrange transportation to the castle." Torvin looked into the forest. "It would appear that we were sent farther south than I was expecting, so it may take us another day or two to reach the town, but nothing to be concerned about."

"What do you mean by 'arrange transportation'?" Elizabeth asked.

One of the guardsmen started walking around the campfire, handing out skewers of meat. He offered a skewer to Jack, who unenthusiastically accepted it.

"Well, Elizabeth," Torvin replied as he was handed a skewer, "by 'arrange transportation' I mean that we know of someone in Riverton who will escort us to the castle."

"That's it?" Elizabeth accepted a skewer from the guardsman. The meat was the same shade of pink as the creature's skin. She glanced at Jack, to see him sadly examining his dinner. With a contemptuous huff she sunk her teeth deep into her skewer and ripped off a big bite.

After taking a drink from a canteen, Torvin said, "Yes, that is 'it'." He then asked Jack, "Do you not like the quanto?"

Jack looked up from his skewer. "Um... how long did you say it will take?" He looked back down at his skewer. Holding his breath, he bit into the pink meat.

"It is hard to say exactly how long it will take. We should reach Riverton in another day or two." Torvin again looked into the forest. "But as I said before, I do not understand why we were sent this far south." His voice faded, "I know Telemor entrusted Val to..." The dark-haired young magician sat in silence, his eyes probing the blackness between the trees. He turned back to the others. "Five, maybe six days — it should take us no longer than that to reach the castle. Barring any unforeseen difficulties."

Jolee said, "Like if we are discovered by Bruzaal."

"Which is why you and I are here, Jolee, to prevent that from happening."

With his face even more screwed up, Jack swallowed his first bite of pink meat. He then asked, "Could you pass the water?"

As Torvin handed Jack the canteen, Elizabeth turned to stare into the fire. "So the plan is for us to meet somebody in the town up ahead, and they are going to take us to the castle." Looking confused, she asked, "But why am I going with you? Why didn't you leave me back at that other place?"

"Because Jack insisted that you come," Torvin replied.

"Jack insisted?"

The topic of conversation was taking a drink of water.

"You insisted?"

Jack lowered the canteen. "Um, yeah. What, would you rather be back there?"

"No! I would rather be here — wherever here is — camping with you and eight other guys I don't know!"

"Hey, sorry. I... I just figured we'd stick together."

"Stick together? Why would we stick together?" Elizabeth looked on the verge of exploding. "I can't believe—" She jumped up and stormed off, quickly disappearing into the forest.

Torvin shook his head. "She should learn to control her temper."

"Yeah, well," Jack tried to catch a glimpse of Elizabeth between the trees, "she's had a rough day."

"And so she behaves like a child?"

"Hey, cut her some slack." Jack looked at Torvin. "She doesn't want to be here. Any more than I do."

Torvin sat in silence, his face a stone mask. He finally said, "I will try to remember that." He stood up, brushing off his robe as he did.

As Torvin marched away, Jack looked across the fire at the guardsmen. It was impossible to make out what they were saying over the crackling flames, which in turn meant that Jolee was the only person who would be able to hear the crazy thing he was about to say. "So... I'm supposed to be... a magician."

Jolee gently tossed his empty skewer into the fire. "Of course."

"Then how does it work?"

"Magic? How does magic work?"

"Yeah."

"Hmmm, there is so much for you to learn." Jolee turned to stare into the fire. "Perhaps I could start by explaining the origins of magic."

"OK."

Jolee beamed. "To think, me teaching you the magical arts." His expression turned into one of deep concentration. "Magic," he said in his soft voice, "comes from the ethereal streams, which flow among the stars. Ethereal power surrounds us everywhere we go. At least it does here, on Mirae. On another world, such as the one that you come from, there might not be nearly as many, if any, streams nearby." A flying insect the size of a dragonfly, with a glowing tail, buzzed in front of Jolee's face. He nonchalantly swiped at it and the insect flew away. "Although the ethereal streams are a great distance from the planet, they emit energy — much like the sun does, bathing us in their raw power."

"And that's where magic comes from?"

Jolee nodded. "But that energy has little value in its raw form. It has to be transformed into something useful, just as sunlight is transformed by plants into leaves and fruit."

"So you take this energy... and then what? Make a spell?"

Jolee nodded again. "Or at least that is one way of using magic, an advanced way that can only be done by a person who possesses magical aptitude." He used his hands to represent two groups. "You see, there are two kinds of magicians, those that can directly manipulate ethereal energy, and those that are limited to using potions and objects to harvest ethereal power."

"And you think I can..."

"Well, you certainly have the ability to manipulate ethereal energy." Jolee smiled. "Let me try to explain this better. You see, ethereal energy is used not only by magicians, but also by plants. An example would be... the veen bush. The veen bush is a plant that transforms ethereal energy into... how could I describe it... a miniature bolt of lightning. If you try to cut a veen bush down, it will shock you. And it can be quite painful. In fact, it is not unusual to find small animals lying beneath the bushes, killed by repeated shocks."

"OK—"

"I think I need to fully explain," Jolee politely interrupted. "You see, that is but one of a thousand examples that I could give you. Some plants — not all, but some — use ethereal energy. Whether it is to create an improved method for spreading seeds, or to create a defense mechanism. Animals as well." Jolee pointed at Jack's skewer, which still had most of the meat on it. "Take the quanto we are eating for dinner. It is a slow-moving plant eater that is nearly defenseless. It can disguise itself, though, by transforming ethereal energy into mental waves. It then uses those waves on predators, fooling them into not seeing it." Jolee again smiled. "But unfortunately for the quanto, Torvin and I are immune to such manipulation. So you see, some plants and animals use ethereal energy. And it can also be used — or perhaps I should say absorbed — by objects. I have even heard of there being enormous structures, constructed solely for the purpose of absorbing ethereal energy."

"So if—"

Jolee gestured for Jack to wait. "Just to finish my point, magicians WITH aptitude use ethereal energy to create spells. Magicians WITHOUT aptitude use other methods, such as creating potions from plants and animals."

"And you think I have aptitude."

Jolee nodded. "And perhaps additional abilities." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "It is rumored that the Cloud Magician can directly interact with absorbed ethereal energy."

"And that's good?"

"Oh yes." Jolee leaned back. "A magician who could do that would be extremely powerful."

"Then how do I do it?"

"I have no idea." Jolee shook his head. "But I could teach you how to create a simple spell that requires aptitude. Hopefully in a few days you will have learned enough to be able to cast the spell. After that—"

"A few days?"

"You need to understand, the art of spell creation is very complicated. It requires a great deal of skill and knowledge. I have studied for nearly seven years, and yet I am still only a junior acolyte." Jolee gave Jack a sympathetic look. "I do not mean to make it sound as if I cannot teach you anything. I certainly can, but it will take some time." He tapped his chin. "Let me see... where to start. Perhaps a spell that creates a sound? Yes, that would be a good place to start, for safety reasons if nothing else." Jolee cleared his throat, and then said, "Now, creating a sound requires — whether it be just a light ringing or a thunderclap — the art of tones. We will start with the mid tones. The first is fohw, and it is said like this, fooooooooohhhhhhhwwwww." The air hummed, causing the guardsmen on the other side of the fire to look in their direction. "Of course you need to manipulate ethereal energy to activate the tone. I would explain how to do so, but it is an acquired skill." Jolee's face scrunched up. "Hmmm, now that I think about it, we cannot start a lesson until you have learned how to interact with ethereal energy. That alone may take a few days, perhaps even weeks." He rubbed his chin. "Interesting, coming from a world without magic — no magic whatsoever." He stared into the fire, and then said, "Torvin has more experience than I do in certain areas. He may know of a way to boost one's awareness of..."

As Jolee continued speaking, Jack spotted Elizabeth. She was standing alongside the riverbank with her shoulders slumped and her hands stuffed into the front pockets of her pants. He couldn't see her expression, but her posture said plenty. A wave of guilt washed over him.

"...and does that make sense?" Jolee asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure."

"Well, without going into detail, you might want to consider..."

Jack looked back at Elizabeth. She was facing away from him, staring across the river. She tilted her head to look up at the sky, and then slowly turned, moving her gaze from one section of the sky to another. The moonlight lit up her profile: her soft face was edged by her shoulder-length, supple brown hair; her black sweatshirt did little to hide the pleasant curves of her body; her tan pants were loose in the legs, but hugged tightly to her bottom—

"How about we take a break?" Jack stood up. "I think I should go say something to Elizabeth."

"Oh, uh... certainly."

Elizabeth did not look away from the sky as Jack walked up to stand beside her. He softly asked, "See any shooting stars?"

"Not yet. Listen, about before," she sighed, "I'm not usually like that."

"Hey, I totally understand." Jack stared up at the sky. "I mean, who wouldn't be freaked out."

"Then what about you?"

"Me?" Jack turned his head to glance at Elizabeth. "Oh, I'm freaked out." He looked back up at the sky. "But what can I do about it? And it could be worse, right? We could be dead."

For a time they stood in silence, staring up at the alien sky.

Eventually, Elizabeth asked, "So what are we going to do?"

Jack yawned — a yawn that was somewhat forced, but real enough once started. "I don't know. Get a good night's sleep. And figure things out tomorrow?"

"A good night's sleep?" Elizabeth scoffed. "Yeah."
Chapter 9

Nofijad Dajifon

Jordinni was exhausted. He had just returned from a five-day furlough, the last night of which had started out as a party, and ended up as a blur. A blur that contained images of a bar fight, a potion of ecstasy, and a wealthy merchant's daughter. A blur that made his head ache.

Now... now all he wanted to do was sleep.

His original plan had been to coast through the day, maybe even take a nap while on guard duty. Which is exactly what he had been doing. Right up until Captain Rigel yelled into his ear, "Wake your ass up, boy!"

The next thing Jordinni knew he had been running to the summoning hall, hacking up a Xikkossa warrior, and then carrying an unconscious girl through a portal and into this miserable forest. The excitement had certainly woken him up, but the adrenaline rush had long since faded. And to make matters worse, Captain Rigel had assigned him the first watch.

Jordinni drifted through the trees. There was a clump of tall bushes off to his left. He stopped once the bushes were between him and the campsite. Yawning, he scanned the forest.

All was calm.

With great pleasure, he closed his eyes. Having teased himself with a taste of sleep, he opened his eyes. The moonlight was streaming through the tree branches, allowing him to see far into the forest. Nothing moved. It was quiet as well, the only sounds coming from the crackling campfire and the nocturnal insects. It was very peaceful.

Jordinni resumed his patrol. He looked back toward the campsite and the sleeping bodies arranged around the fire. He had been silently praying for everyone to fall asleep, and everyone had. Everyone except for Captain Rigel. Instead, the old fart had been prowling through the forest, which really irked Jordinni, as he could have easily taken the first watch. But the captain must have finally come to the conclusion that he too needed rest, as he had been lying on his bedroll, unmoving, for some time now.

Mindful of his footsteps, Jordinni walked over to a large tree. He unbuckled his sword and leaned it against the tree. He bent over to stretch his legs, and then brushed his hands across the ground to clear off a butt-sized patch of forest floor. He sat down, making sure that the tree completely hid him from the campsite. Grimacing, he thought about how angry Captain Rigel would be if he caught him sleeping again. But what could the captain do to him? Out here, in the middle of nowhere. And the captain was asleep. And the forest was peaceful. And his eyelids felt SO damn heavy.

The distorted, squishy insect noises woke Jordinni up. He lethargically opened his eyes — the forest had changed: the night was darker; the sound of the crackling campfire was gone; the air smelled like dung and rotting flowers; and the moonlight had turned blood red.

A chill crept up his spine. His fatigue was chased away by a rush of adrenaline. He picked up his sword and unsheathed it (the TING sound as the blade exited the scabbard reassured him slightly). Holding his sword poised to strike, he stood up. He scanned the forest — there was a man, standing beneath a tree, less than a dozen strides away. His face was hidden within the shadows and Jordinni would not have spotted him were it not for the strips of red moonlight that sliced across his body. The moonlight was cutting into him, exposing his insides. It looked like he had open wounds.

"Who... who are you?"

The man said nothing.

Jordinni stood perfectly still, his heart beating madly in his ears. Fear had paralyzed him. His brain cried desperately as it struggled to regain control of his body, but it was the man in the shadows who made the first move. Slowly, very slowly, he raised his left hand to his stomach. He traced his hand along one of the red moonlight cuts, playing his fingers into the wound.

The hand was abnormally large, extremely hairy, and clawed.

Jordinni sprang into action, yelling as he ran back to the campsite. "To arms! To arms! Hurry! There is someone..." But there was no campsite. No fire. No one at all.

He slid to a halt.

A twig snapped behind him. He spun around.

The man — or whatever it was — was standing at the edge of the clearing. And he was not alone. Spread throughout the forest were dozens more like him, their faces hidden within the shadows, their bodies covered in moonlight cuts.

Jordinni weakly shouted, "Where is... is everyone! What... what have you done with them!"

There was no reply.

The man closest to Jordinni stepped forward, moving out of the shadows and fully into the red moonlight. The creature that stood before him had the body of a man, but it was something else, something horrible. Its face looked as if some crazed necromancer had taken parts from an assortment of animal heads and haphazardly stitched them together to form this hideous abomination. The left side of its face looked piggish, the right side apish, and its mouth projected out from its face like the muzzle of a gray-haired dog.

Jordinni felt a warm sensation in his crotch.

One by one the other monsters stepped fully into the moonlight, to reveal a multitude of abominations, each uniquely gruesome.

The first monster laughed again. It then tilted its head back and howled, "Hooooowwwrrrrruuuuuuuuuu!"

The others joined him, filling the night air with terror.

Jordinni didn't wait around to see what the monsters would do next; he was already gone, dashing madly through the forest with only one thought on his mind.

RUN!

Jack blinked his eyes open. He had been having the craziest dream. He had been at a castle.... And there had been these guys in silver armor.... And they had been under attack.

He suddenly remembered where he was. He lifted his head and looked around. His clothes, everything except his underwear, were piled atop his backpack at the end of his bedroll, right where he had left them. Elizabeth was a few feet away to his left. Torvin was the next closest person, about ten feet away to his right.

He laid his head back down against the thin padding of the bedroll and closed his eyes. His mind foggy, he tried to recall his dream.

The old man. Wow, that guy was creepy. Almost looked like a zombie. Jack shuffled his shoulders, adjusting the bedroll. What was he trying to tell me? Something about being in danger. And that I needed to wake—

A gust of wind ripped through the campsite.

Jack lifted his head.

Another gust ripped through the campsite, this time with enough force to snatch the top flap of the bedroll off his chest. The gust turned into a steady wind, sending leaves flying over the sleeping bodies arranged around the campfire.

Jack sat up. He raised his right arm to shield his face. "Hey!" he shouted. "Wake up!"

No one moved.

"Elizabeth! Wake up!"

"They cannot hear you, Magician," a deep, metallic voice boomed. "But I can!" The wind died, but not above the campfire, where the black smoke was violently swirling. The smoke thickened and expanded. It filled the space above the campsite and as the smoke spread outward a nebulous shape took form.

Jack was left staring up at a black blob, featureless except for two glowing red eye-slits. The sides of the blob flowed up and down like the wings of a manta ray.

"Long have I waited, Magician," the black smoke creature's metallic voice reverberated through the clearing. "You promised to free me from this cage. Now keep your promise. Free me!"

Jack sat in silent shock. He finally, and tiredly, asked himself, "Am I going insane?" And he was surprised to find that he wasn't all that frightened by this... this black smoke thing. A little freaked out, sure, but he was more confused than anything else. He stifled a yawn. He felt hazy, like he wasn't fully awake. Wait a minute, he thought, am I still dreaming? "That's it," he said, "I'm dreaming." He tapped his cheeks.

"Free me!" the black smoke creature demanded.

Jack stared at his palms. "This is a dream."

"FREE ME!" A burst of wind accompanied the metallic yell.

"This IS just a dream, isn't it?"

"Just a dream? No dream is just a dream!"

Jack sat up straighter and gave himself a hard slap. "Wake up!"

Metallic laughter rang through the night air. "Awake, asleep, what is the difference? Reality is what you think it is."

Jack slapped himself again.

"Do you not recognize me, Magician? Do you not remember our battles? Has it been so long that you have forgotten the Lord of Dreams?" The metallic voice boomed through the clearing, "Is it possible to forget NOFIJAD DAJIFON?"

Jack started pinching his left arm. "That's a crazy name."

The red eye-slits glowed brighter. "You are in my realm, Magician. Perhaps I should remind you of it."

Jack stopped pinching his arm as he heard something rustling through the leaves behind him. The something was long and fast: flashes of white and gold sped past his right side.

The creature, as thick as a fire hose and with hundreds of little black legs, made a sharp left turn. It crawled onto his bedroll and then up and over his shins. He badly wanted to jump out of the bedroll, but he just as badly didn't want to startle the creature.

It looked like a centipede, with alternating white and gold segments. But it was thicker than any centipede could possibly be, and much, much too long. And the pressure from its little legs pressing against his legs made him feel as if what was happening was really happening.

The centipede-thing passed over him and headed away, disappearing into the forest. Jack started to take a relieved breath, but stopped as he heard more rustlings around him. He scanned the forest floor. It was alive! The forest floor was alive!

He looked at Elizabeth. A green, hairy, fist-sized, ten-legged thing — something like a spider — was crawling onto her right shoulder. She was lying on her back, face up, and the spider-thing crawled from her shoulder, to her neck, and then onto her head.

The spider-thing straddled Elizabeth's mouth. It raised a hairy leg, holding it suspended above her left eye for an ominous moment. It then pressed its leg down against the yielding surface of her eyelid.

She didn't move.

"Why don't you lay down, Magician?"

A giant misty hand shot out of the black smoke. It smacked Jack in the chest, throwing his torso back to the ground. The blow forced the air from his lungs. He struggled to inhale, squinting from the pain —

Something bumped against his right arm. Too scared to move the arm, he tilted his head —

Something bumped against his left arm. And then another bump. A bump against his right leg. Two more left. Things — many things — were bumping against him. One of those things was crawling through his hair. He could feel whatever it was exploring his scalp with multiple appendages that might be arms, feelers, or legs.

Other things were climbing onto him. He lay still, softly panting and trying not to move, as hundreds of little creatures crawled, slithered, and squirmed across him.

Then an orange spider-thing — an orange spider-thing the size of a small dog — crawled onto his stomach. The spider-thing's legs pressed heavily into him as it crawled across his stomach and onto his chest. It came to a stop with one of its legs resting at the base of his throat.

"FREE ME!" the metallic voice boomed.

Jack barely moved his lips. "I don't know... what you're... talking about."

"Do not toy with me, Magician!"

"I'm... not..."

At the top of his vision Jack could see the thing in his hair raise a twig-thin appendage with a moist pink sucker at its end. Just as he dreaded it would, the thing lowered the sucker onto his forehead. "I'm not lying! I swear!" he cried out as the sucker sucked on his skin.

"FREE ME!" A burst of wind ripped through the campsite.

After a few seconds, the wind died. In a distinctly calmer tone, the black smoke creature said, "Perhaps you speak the truth. I have rummaged through your mind, and I see strange thoughts there." It then asserted, "But you are the Cloud Magician."

Jack quickly agreed. "Yeah, that's... that's what these guys have been saying. But I need to go to some castle. To unlock it or something. That's all I know!"

A silence fell over the clearing. Several moments passed, and then the spider-thing at Jack's throat lifted its leg. With leisurely movements, it crawled off his chest. With a PLUCK the sucker came off. The thing in his hair then moved away, as did all the other creepy-crawly things.

Jack took a deep breath. He made sure there weren't any things lingering on him, and then slowly, carefully, sat up. He looked up at the black smoke creature and thought about what he should say next. Obviously nothing that would piss the monster off.

As Jack thought about what he should say the black smoke started shrinking... and then turned lighter... and then flowed downward. A new shape was taking form, something as bright and shiny as the other thing had been dark. The black smoke creature was gone. In its place was a silver (translucent silver) man-shaped creature with petite features and a shiny bald head. In a sharp, effeminate voice, the silver man asked, "So what should I do with you?"

Jack carefully replied, "I don't know,"

"You don't know?" the silver man snapped. He wore a robe of liquid mercury; the robe mirrored the night sky and as he moved so did the celestial patterns decorating his robe.

"Um... no. Why... why would you want to do anything with me?"

"Why would I want to do anything with you? You, the one who bound my life force to these woods, confining me to this tiny forest. Me, the Lord of Dreams, who can travel between lands as easily as a mortal can walk down a road. You have to ask why?" The silver man casually strolled over. He stopped at the end of the bedroll and looked down at Jack. Like glowing pimples a few stars shined through his translucent head. "You told me after our battle that one day I might be given an opportunity to assist you, and that if I did, you would free me from this cage. At first my only desire was to kill you — I admit that — but after spending year after boring, pointless year confined to this dreadful forest, my attitude changed. I begged for your return. I pleaded either for you to return or for my immortal existence to end. Your errand boy, what was his name? Sal?" The silver man started strolling about. "In any case, he visited me ten nights ago. He told me an incredible story, the main point of which was that he had arranged for you to camp in my forest. He then rambled on about how you had cheated him, and how maybe I should just go ahead and kill you. And then he asked me if I thought I could kill HIM. I assured him that I could, at which point he started laughing hysterically. He was obviously insane. Anyway, here you are, only to claim that you cannot free me — that you do not even remember our arrangement." The silver man stopped next to one of the guardsmen, and after looking him over like someone shopping at the meat counter, turned to stare coldly at Jack. "So tell me, Magician, why should I let you live?"

"Um, let's see, um... maybe... maybe I can't help you now. But... but if I go to the castle... and do what I need to do... then I'll know what's going on. And then... and then I can help you." Jack summarized, "So if you let me go, I'll go to the castle, and then come back here."

"Ha! As if I would trust you." A devilish smile lit across the silver man's face. "But perhaps there is a solution. Yes, I will hold your companions hostage. They can entertain me."

Jack looked at the bodies arranged around the campfire. "OK, but that guy," he pointed at Torvin, and then at Jolee, "and that guy — they're the only ones who... who know how we're supposed to get there." He pointed at Elizabeth. "And Elizabeth, she shouldn't even be here."

The silver man walked over to Torvin. He squatted down beside him, and then lifted the young magician's head by his black hair. As if he were manipulating the head of a corpse, he turned it to face Jack. "This one? This one dreams of killing you." The silver man twisted Torvin's head around so that it faced him. "I like him." He let the head drop back to the ground. "And I plan on getting to know him very well."

His mouth slightly open, Jack blinked a couple of times. "OK, but... but I won't be able to make it to the castle by myself."

"You are in no position to bargain."

Jack looked at Elizabeth. He was scared, but the thought of being all alone — all alone on an alien world — scared him even more. "How about you just let Elizabeth go."

With a smirk, the silver man said, "Sorry."

"Just her," Jack reasoned, "and keep the other guys."

"How delightful," the silver man chuckled. "Let me guess, you are in LOVE with this girl."

"Um... just her."

The silver man shook his head. "She stays."

Jack stared at Elizabeth. He didn't know if it was the fear of being all alone, or the guilt of getting her into this mess, or maybe some other reason, but there was no way he was leaving without her. "You have to let Elizabeth go. I can't do this alone."

"Alone? What do you know about being alone?" The silver man spread his arms wide. "I have spent nearly two hundred years in this forest — ALONE — with nothing to play with but animals." The silver man laughed an effeminate, and yet sinister, laugh. "I would almost rather torture myself."

"You're not going to torture Elizabeth."

"I'm not?"

"No. You're going to let her go. And then the two of us will go to the castle. And then I'll come back here." Jack vehemently added, "And I will come back here. I swear."

The silver man stood frozen in place. "I am so sorry to disappoint you, but the girl stays."

"You have to let her go."

"I do?"

Jack nodded.

"And what will happen if I don't?"

Jack shrugged. "Just let her go."

"And what... will happen," The silver man's tone matched the intense stare he was giving Jack, "if I don't."

"Then... then I guess I'll go to the castle by myself."

The silver man's translucent cheeks glowed red. "And then... what?"

"And then, I don't know... I guess... I guess I'll come back here."

The silver man's voice turned metallic. "And then... what?"

"And then..."

The silver man's entire face glowed bright red.

Jack looked down at his hands. "...um..."

The silver man's head swelled larger.

"...oh no."

A thunderous rumbling shook the campsite. The silver man's upper body suddenly swelled to monstrous proportions, looking like a balloon being squeezed at one end. His features smoothed out. He continued to expand, his translucent skin stretching thin. He looked like he was going to explode.

And then he did.

With an ear-shattering BANG! the silver man burst apart.

Jack snapped his eyes shut as droplets of silver goo splattered across his face.

The ground abruptly stopped rumbling.

Jack sat unmoving, his surroundings unnaturally calm. He raised his hands to wipe off the goo droplets, but froze as the air started swirling. The swirling intensified. He was engulfed in a maelstrom of leaves. He shielded his face with his right arm and looked up — the black smoke creature was back.

"I should kill you now!" the metallic voice boomed over the rushing wind.

Jack was scared, but also tired and confused, and some internal voice of reason assured him that this... whatever it was, wasn't going to kill him. He shouted, "But I'm the only one who can free you!"

A metallic scream of frustration filled the clearing. The black smoke creature rose up, and as it did, the wind grew stronger. Jack could feel twigs and leaves slicing across him. He curled into a ball as the forest debris ripped his skin open. His only sensations were the sound of the wind and the pain from being cut: as if by a thousand paper cuts, as if by a thousand little knives. He screamed, but nothing could be heard over the rushing wind.

Then everything went black.

Jack's mouth took the form of a silent scream as he opened his eyes. He sat upright and frantically examined himself for cuts that no longer existed. He looked into the forest. The creature was there. He couldn't see it, but it was there, full of hatred, watching him.

"Elizabeth!"

He scrambled over to her. Her face was scrunched up as if she had just reached into a pile of French fries and pulled out a fried finger. "Wake up." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Wake up!"

Elizabeth's eyes snapped open.

"It's OK. It's over now."

Elizabeth sat bolt upright and clenched Jack in a big hug. "It was horrible!" She panted on his shoulder, nearly crying. "So... horrible!"

"I know. It's OK. It's over now. It's all over."

After a little while, Elizabeth regained her composure. She released the hug and slowly pulled away. "It was a dream?"

Jack shook his head. "It was controlled by something." He looked into the forest.

Elizabeth followed Jack's eyes into the forest. Her voice unsteady, she said, "We need to get out of here."

Never looking away from the forest, they quickly dressed. Elizabeth had slept in her sweatshirt and tan pants and only had to put on her socks and shoes. As she laced up her shoes, she asked, "What about the others?"

Jack already had his jeans on and was lacing up his boots. "I don't think they're going anywhere." He slipped into his white T-shirt, and then into his brown flannel shirt, and as he buttoned up his flannel, walked over to Torvin. He nudged the young magician with his right boot, and then gave him a sharp kick. "He's not waking up."

"Which way do we go?" Elizabeth asked.

"Um..." Jack scanned the forest. "Follow the river?"
Chapter 10

Wandering

They walked alongside the river for several hours, using the moonlight to navigate through the varying densities of bramble and trees that lined the riverbank. And besides being startled by the occasional odd insect or animal noise, their late-night hike proceeded without incident.

The stars were beginning to fade and the horizon to glow by the time they arrived at a rope bridge. The bridge's wooden steps were set widely apart and looked extremely old. A narrow dirt road curved into the bridge from the north, and as soon as they saw the road they dismissed the notion of crossing the river. After a brief rest they gladly traded the bramble-laden riverbank for the relatively smooth surface of the road (more of a path really) and continued their journey north.

With the dawn came the sun, or at least a sun, and the very fact that it was not 'the sun' shocked them. This world's sun was more orange than yellow, and it occupied nearly twice as much of the sky — a sky that was more green than blue.

As they continued their journey the rays from the giant orange sun felt strange on their skin.

By late morning several strips of high clouds had moved in, partially obscuring the unsettling appearance of the alien atmosphere.

Elizabeth, clutching her bedroll to her chest, turned to look at Jack. "Are you hungry?" she asked as they continued walking.

"Am I hungry? Hmmm... I guess I should be."

Elizabeth looked down, and then back at Jack. "Did you grab any food before we left?"

"Um... no."

"So what are we going to eat?"

Jack squinted. "Good question." He shuffled his shoulders, repositioning his backpack. "Maybe we'll make it to the town soon."

"But what if we don't?"

Jack stopped walking and turned to face Elizabeth. "I guess we need to figure something out."

"Well," Elizabeth looked at the river, which was about fifty feet away through the trees, "at least we have water."

Jack looked at the river as well. "I've been thinking about that, and what about bacteria, or whatever else might be swimming around in there? I mean, I don't know if I'd drink from a river in Colorado, let alone from a river here." He made a sour face. "Ever hear of Giardia? I can't remember exactly what it is, but I know you can get it from drinking river water. And it gives you BAD diarrhea. Can you imagine walking around this place with BAD diarrhea?"

"No," Elizabeth said with a laugh, "or at least I don't want to. But do we really have a choice? And as far as food goes, didn't, uh, what's his name — Jolee — didn't he tell you those white plants are safe to eat?"

"Yeah," Jack took a quick look around them, "but I haven't seen any in a while."

"I saw some near that bridge back there." Elizabeth motioned with her head.

"OK, then I guess we have a plan. We'll go as far as we can without water," Jack made his face again, "and then drink from the river. If we see any of those white plants, we grab some. Hopefully we'll make it to the town, but if we don't... let's say by the time it gets dark, then I guess we camp out again. Unless you want to keep—"

"I just realized something! We should have never left those guys!" Elizabeth shifted her bedroll to her right arm so that she could count with her left hand. "Number one, they have food. It might not taste great, but at least it is food. Number two, they have tents. The only reason they didn't set them up is because the weather was nice." Elizabeth looked into the forest, and then back at Jack. "And number three, they were going to protect us. And number four, they are the only ones who know where we are going! We have to go back!"

"We can't go back." As if to preempt an argument, Jack asked, "What did you see in your dream last night?"

Elizabeth bowed her head. She stood unmoving, staring at the ground. "Please don't ask me about that." She raised her head. "Yes, I had a nightmare last night," her voice grew stronger, "but it is daytime now. How about we go back and see if they are still asleep. And if they are... then at least we can grab some supplies."

"They're not going to wake up. Not until that thing is done playing with them."

"How do you know they won't wake up? And who is to say that 'thing', whatever it is, didn't follow us here."

Facing in the direction of the campsite, Jack said, "No, it's back there, and I'm pretty sure it can't reach us here."

"How do you know?"

Jack softly replied, "I just do."

"How? How could you possibly know where that thing is."

"I don't know how to explain it. It's almost like I can feel it. Like some kind of... black stain."

"Black stain? You feel it? Like some kind of black stain?" Elizabeth held up her left hand. "Wait — are you trying to tell me that this magician business is for real?"

Jack stared blankly at Elizabeth for several seconds. He then said, "Maybe."

"Maybe? What do you mean maybe?"

After taking a deep breath, Jack said, "I've been feeling strange ever since we got here. At first I thought it was just the air, and... and you know, how the gravity feels a little light."

Elizabeth slowly nodded. "Yeah, it does." She tested her weight by rocking up onto her toes a couple of times. "Or at least it did, I must have gotten used to it."

"Exactly — we're used to it now, so we don't notice it anymore."

"But that doesn't explain—"

"No," Jack interrupted, "you see, the gravity was one weird feeling, and that one went away. And now... now I feel the other weird feelings more. Like sensing where the dream monster is." He explained, "You know how you can feel when someone is standing right behind you, or you get the feeling someone is staring at you? It's like that, only farther away."

"And you think it's... magic?"

"I don't know. I was talking with that Jolee guy last night." Jack played with his backpack straps, adjusting them. "He said it would take a few days... to teach me how to... make a spell."

"Make a spell? Did you just say 'make a spell'? As in you really are a magician, and you can make magic spells?"

Jack innocently replied, "Those guys obviously thought so."

Elizabeth's mouth was hanging open. She closed it as she turned to look in the direction of the campsite. The distant sounds of animals talking to one another filled the forest around them. "So the dream monster is back there," she finally said, "which means we can't go back to the campsite. And the only other option we have, is go to the town."

"That's it."

Elizabeth turned and started walking. She kicked at a small rock, sending it skipping down the road.

Jack fell into step beside her. After they had gone a little ways, he gestured toward her bedroll. "Hey, maybe that will fit in my backpack."

Elizabeth immediately handed over the bedroll. "About time you asked."

They continued walking down the narrow dirt road until sunset and then found a secluded spot near the river for their campsite. Jack left his backpack with Elizabeth before heading off into the woods, searching for the white bean-shaped plants.

Elizabeth was constructing a pile of twigs and leaves when a crunching sound prompted her to look up. Jack had returned, cradling at least a dozen of the bulbous white plants in his arms.

"Check it out." Jack dropped to his knees as he laid the plants down. "Dinner is served!"

"My, my, aren't you the hunter-gather." Elizabeth looked the plants over. "Have you tried one?"

"Nope, but I will if you will." Jack motioned toward the pile of twigs and leaves. "Are you making a fire?"

"That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on whether or not you have any matches. Or a lighter."

Jack patted his pockets. "Um... no."

"Crud." Elizabeth tossed a twig over her shoulder.

Staring at the pile of twigs and leaves, Jack said, "If the sun was out and I had a magnifying glass, then I could start a fire. I've done that before. And I know you can start a fire with two sticks. You have to rub one against the other really fast and the friction will create a spark... something like that."

Elizabeth sat unresponsive, looking tired.

"You want me to rub some sticks together?"

"Forget it." Elizabeth pointed at the plants. "Just take a bite out of one of those things and tell me what it tastes like."

Jack picked up a plant and ripped off two small chunks, the chunks coming off the plant as if it were a loaf of dry French bread. After handing a chunk to Elizabeth, he sniffed his. "Doesn't have much of a smell."

"I don't even want to look at it. So are we going to do this at the same time?"

"Sure."

"On three," Elizabeth said. "One, two, three."

They simultaneously popped the plant chunks into their mouths and chewed away, cringing in disgust.

Jack smacked his mouth open. "Exactly what I thought it would taste like."

"Stale crackers?"

Jack shook his head. "A Styrofoam mushroom."

Elizabeth looked at the river. "It's just dry." She looked back at Jack.

He shrugged.

After getting what sleep they could, they continued their journey the following morning. Jack could still sense the dream monster to the south, but as the distance increased the sensation dulled. In fact, he found himself so immersed in conversation that he was almost able to ignore the green sky and orange sun.

"But you are not seeing my point," Elizabeth said while combing through her disheveled hair with her fingers. "How did humans get here?"

"Um... through a portal. Like we did."

"How? Isn't it supposed to be super hard to open portals to Earth?"

"But not impossible. We're here."

"Because humans opened a portal! How could that happen it there were no humans here?"

"Maybe... maybe it wasn't a human who opened the first portal. Or maybe Earth was more magical in the past. Like back when they built the Pyramids... and Stonehenge. Yeah, maybe that was what Stonehenge was for — opening portals."

Elizabeth scoffed.

Jack's eyes were fixed on the road ahead. "I'm just saying that you could come up with a bunch of theories to explain why humans are here. And if you think about it, you also have to wonder about the air. I mean, how many planets in the universe have oxygen?"

Smiling, Elizabeth said, "And I bet you have a theory about that too."

"I don't know if it's a theory. I was just thinking that if people were going to travel to another world, they'd have to be able to breathe the air. So maybe there are lots of worlds with magic, but the only ones where humans live are the ones with oxygen."

"By Jove, you've solved the mystery, Mister Holmes."

"What was that?" Jack asked with a laugh. "Was that supposed to be a British accent? Because if it was, it could use some work."

"Look!" Elizabeth pointed straight ahead.

In the distance — walking perpendicular to them and approaching a crossroads — was a group of six people. All six were wearing red robes with the hoods up.

Jack raised his arms and called out, "Hey—" But before he could say anything else Elizabeth pushed him off the road and behind a large bush.

"What the...?"

"Shhh!"

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"They could be anybody."

"So?"

"So," Elizabeth argued, "they might be friendly, but what if they aren't?"

Jack looked down, and as he looked back up, said, "But maybe they know how far the town is."

Elizabeth was now the one looking down. She tentatively nodded.

Jack stepped out from behind the bush. Peering through the trees, he could see the red robes: they were past the crossroads and over the river, apparently on a bridge. "Let's catch up to them."

"Just don't shout out."

The other road at the crossroads was twice as wide, and clearly more used, than the one they had been traveling on. A weathered wooden signpost, with arrows pointing down each road, stood off to the left of the crossroads. The largest arrow was about ten feet off the ground, and it pointed in the direction that the robed group (which was now completely out of sight) had traveled from.

Jack was standing directly in front of the signpost, his head tilted back. "I wonder if it says Riverton."

Elizabeth was standing a few feet behind him. "I bet it does."

Jack turned and started walking toward the bridge.

Elizabeth stopped him, by asking, "Wait, if the arrow is pointing toward the town, then why would we follow those guys?"

"Um... because they can tell us for sure."

"I think we should go that way." Elizabeth pointed away from the bridge.

Jack pointed toward the bridge. "But what if the town is that way?"

"What else would the arrow be pointing toward? And if we are going to talk to strangers, I would rather do it with other people around. Not out here, in the middle of nowhere." Elizabeth looked around them. "Where no one can hear you scream."

Jack smiled. "Where no one can hear you scream?" He pointed away from the bridge. "OK, I guess we go that way."
Chapter 11

Riverton

Riverton was a thriving town, with a large lake bordering it to the east, hills to the west, and the forest Jack and Elizabeth had just trekked through to the south. Once a simple fishing village, the town had grown after the destruction of the Rydallyan capital, Nemor. But despite its having grown in both size and importance, Riverton remained a simple place. Daily life still revolved around the harvesting of fish from the bordering lake, Lake Morn, and all the town's festivals celebrated the lake and its bounties. The festivals were misleading, however, as the real driver of Riverton's economy was no longer fishing, but trade.

The shifts in Riverton's economic fortunes were due almost exclusively to its location: it was in the center of the continent, halfway between the larger cities of the east and those of the west, and more importantly, just south of the rocky lands now controlled by the Zaruuls. Commerce with the Zaruuls (most locals knew the Zaruuls only as 'demons') was a fact of life in Riverton; a fact the town's citizens did not like to think about, but profited from all the same.

Because of its proximity to the Zaruul controlled lands, and its trade with them, Riverton was home to several Zaruul legions. Bands of Xikkossa warriors could be seen prowling the streets (and the streets cleared when they did, as the Xikkossas found it hard to restrain themselves from killing) and Molmizes (known by the locals as snitch demons) frequented the docks and other areas of commerce. This intermingling naturally led to a certain amount of conflict. But the Zaruuls valued the trade activities, and because they did, the town was allowed to operate with minimal interference. And for their part the locals ignored their gruesome neighbors — or at least they pretended to, as everyone knew who was really in charge, and what would happen if the Zaruuls ever decided Riverton was more trouble than it was worth.

Jack and Elizabeth entered the town from the south, which was populated by humans, a smattering of non-human sentient creatures, and relatively few Zaruuls. The two earthlings looked around in wonder as they walked past the first small buildings, the oddly dressed locals, and the occasional strange-looking alien creature.

Elizabeth, her eyes jumping from one sight to the next, asked, "Now what?"

Jack absently replied, "Look for a restaurant?"

"It's going to get dark soon, so we should probably look for a hotel." Elizabeth stopped walking. "Wait — did they give you any money?"

"Huh? Um..." Jack blinked several times, his mouth slightly open. "Ah man!"

"So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but there's no way I'm eating another bite of pillow fruit. I used one as a pillow last night, did I tell you that?"

Elizabeth reached up to massage her neck. "I wish you had. My neck is killing me."

"OK, so we need to find food and a place to sleep." Jack raised his hands, palms up. "I say we wing it — find a restaurant, order up some grub, and just go from there."

"Are you crazy? Do you want to get arrested?"

"Who's talking about getting arrested? Look, when they bring the check we just act like we forgot our money. Maybe they ask us to wash the dishes or something. And hey, if it gets weird, we bolt."

"Are you serious?"

"What other options do we have? I can't think of any." Jack gave his best sales pitch, "I tell you what, how about we find a restaurant, and you know, see what it looks like. If it doesn't look good then we can head back to the forest." He sadly added, "And eat pillow fruit."

Elizabeth pressed her lips tightly together. She then said, "We can take a look around, but that's all."

"OK. No problem."

Elizabeth wore a puzzled expression as she sipped from a fat wooden straw. The straw connected her mouth to a large bowl, also made of wood, on the table between her and Jack. "Hmmm," she said around the straw, "tastes salty."

"Looks nasty."

"This was your idea. Now quit being a wuss and eat."

"But I ordered fish." Jack pointed at one of the red and white spiky objects floating in the bowl of green liquid. "What the heck are those things?"

Elizabeth continued taking sips. "It is really not that bad. Tastes a little like... pea soup?"

"Pea soup? But I ordered fish."

"Maybe these are fish on this planet." Elizabeth used her straw to poke at one of the spiky objects. "Come on, try it. Or would you rather eat pillow fruit?"

Jack appeared to think the matter over. He then reached for the other wooden straw, placed it in his mouth, and leaned forward until the straw entered the soup. He puckered up, but before he could finish taking a sip the waiter returned. The stocky man was carrying a serving platter with a fish-like creature atop it.

Jack reversed the flow through his straw, splashing soup onto the table.

"Jack!" Elizabeth scolded.

The waiter gave no indication that he noticed the mess — he just swapped the bowl for the platter and walked away.

"Now that's more like it! Grilled fish!" The fish-creature resembled a catfish, except it was bright orange and had four eyes. "Looks kind of funky — like maybe they caught it at Lake Chernobyl or something — but that, my dear, is fish!"

Elizabeth was smiling at Jack. The smile disappeared. "Did you just call me dear?"

"Sorry about that, baby, but I haven't been this happy since my daddy bought me my first BB gun." Jack dug into the fish with one of the two-pronged utensils that accompanied the tray. Without hesitation he ripped off a piece of white meat and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Baby?" Elizabeth picked up the other utensil. She ripped off a piece of fish meat.

They chewed away.

Jack stuffed another piece of white meat into his mouth. "So... good..."

"Mmmm," Elizabeth agreed.

They continued eating in silence, savoring the fish while also digesting their surroundings. The place where Jack had finally convinced Elizabeth to eat was a small restaurant, about half full with diners. They had identified it as being a restaurant by the sights and smells, but not everything was familiar: the room was dimly lit by plate-sized glowing circles, scattered along the walls and ceiling; four blue-skinned creatures with large bulging eyes dined at a table near the swinging kitchen door; and although Jack and Elizabeth understood some of the conversations (if they concentrated on them), most of what they heard was foreign babble. Other things were less alien: a single waiter bustled about with trays of food and drink; a middle-aged couple held hands at a nearby table, sharing what appeared to be a slice of chocolate cake, frosting and all; and a young busboy was walking around the room, clearing off tables and refilling mugs.

Unsurprisingly, they had initially gawked at their surroundings. Also unsurprisingly, the other diners had gawked at them. But apparently the locals had seen oddly dressed strangers before, as no one paid them much attention after those initial stares — no one except for the man sitting alone in the far corner.

The 'fish' was little more than head and bones by the time Elizabeth decided to restart their conversation. She covertly motioned toward the four blue-skinned diners. "I can't stop looking over there."

"Where?" Jack looked in the direction Elizabeth had motioned. "At the Blue Man Group?"

"Shhh!" Elizabeth softly laughed. "Be careful, we might accidentally offend someone."

"They can't hear me. Besides, being called the Blue Man Group is a complement. Those guys are talented."

"And did you notice the guy in the corner?"

"No. Who?"

"He's sitting behind you — don't turn around!" Elizabeth leaned across the table. "He has been staring at me ever since we walked in here."

"Staring at you or staring at us?"

Elizabeth stealthily looked over Jack's shoulder. "At us I guess. At first I thought he was just checking us out, like everyone else did when we walked in here. But every time I look over there he is staring back at me... or us."

Jack leaned closer to Elizabeth. "It's about time we blew this joint anyway."

"What do you mean? Just leave?"

"Unless you have a better idea." Jack took a glance to his left, toward the front door. "Ready?"

"Are you nuts?"

"Look, we've already discussed it. So unless you have a better idea.... Ready?"

"Wait a second!" Elizabeth quietly exclaimed. "What about the 'washing the dishes' idea? Maybe if we—"

"Is there a problem here?"

They looked up — to see the waiter — standing over them with his hands on his hips and a hard look on his face.

"Anything wrong with the food?"

Jack took a quick peek toward the front door. "No, um... everything... everything was good — real good. The fish was delicious. Is it from around here?" He started to stand up, but after exchanging a glance with Elizabeth, sat back down.

"I am glad you enjoyed your meal," the waiter said loudly. "That will be twelve krons."

The sounds of garbled conversations, mugs being set on tables, and utensils scraping against dishes, all stopped, as the other diners turned to look in their direction.

Elizabeth smiled up at the waiter. "We were thinking about ordering dessert."

The waiter stared silently at her. He then turned toward the kitchen and shouted, "Brisdor!"

Something like a large man (with 'like a large man' meaning the creature was large, had two arms, two legs, and walked upright) came bursting out of the swinging kitchen door. The creature moved with lurching steps, and although not exactly frightening, it was very odd-looking: little tentacles waved below its lipless mouth; long whiskers sprouted from its puffy cheeks; and set high up and far apart on its head were a pair of solid yellow, moisture-covered eyes. Its red skin looked more like a shell than flesh, and it was also obviously the chef, as it wore a heavily stained apron and was clutching a ladle in its left claw.

"Like I said," the waiter crossed his arms, "twelve krons."

Jack and Elizabeth looked at each other. After enduring a silent 'I told you so' conversation, Jack's eyes fell down to the table. With his eyes fixed on the table he slowly reached into the right front pocket of his jeans. He pulled out his wallet. Unenthusiastically, he split it open. He thumbed through the cash, looked in the little pockets, and then with a smirk, slid out a credit card. He offered the plastic rectangle to the waiter. "Do you take Discover?"

The chef-creature snatched the credit card out of Jack's hand with its ladle-free claw and threw it to the floor.

"Twelve krons," the waiter said, "or I get the town guard."

Elizabeth pleaded, "Please, we are not from around here. We come from a place that doesn't have krons. Maybe there is some other way we could pay for our meal. Like help you wash the dishes. Or—"

"Brisdor, watch them while I go for the guard."

"Hold on!" Jack grabbed his backpack off the floor and unzipped the top. "Maybe we have something to trade." He rummaged through the backpack. "How about... a bedroll? You need a bedroll? Or... how about—" Jack stopped rummaging and reached down under his shirt. "How about this?" He pulled out the stone pendant the scarred man had given him.

The waiter leaned forward. "What? Jewelry?" He leaned closer and took hold of the pendant. "It has something etched into it — some kind of animal. Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift. So what do you say?"

"I don't know. How much is it—"

"I believe they owe you twelve krons," one of the customers said, walking up to the table. "Put it on my tab."

"Now hold on there, Ranno," the waiter protested. "This... this has nothing to do with you."

"Put it on my tab." Ranno dismissed the waiter with a gesture toward the kitchen. "And bring us some drinks."

The waiter hesitated. Muttering garbled obscenities under his breath, he then walked away, and with lurching steps, the chef-creature followed.

Ranno walked up to the edge of the table. He was a handsome man with short brown hair and a thin mustache. A lacy white shirt puffed out between the lapels of his dark purple jacket, which coordinated well with his gray slacks and shiny black boots. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said with a smile. "The name's Ranno." He offered his right hand to Jack, who did the same, only to find that he was squeezing the man's forearm instead of his hand.

"Jack."

Ranno squeezed Elizabeth's forearm.

"I'm Elizabeth."

"I have seen many strangers pass through Riverton," Ranno pulled over a chair from a nearby table and sat down, "but none quite as strange as you two."

"Seriously?" Elizabeth asked, looking surprised at the sudden turn of events.

"Well, in some ways you seem normal enough. But your clothing, your footwear — why even that pack." Ranno pointed at Jack's backpack. "I have traveled all over, but I have never seen materials like those before."

Jack and Elizabeth shared a glance.

"So where are you from?" Ranno asked.

"Um," Jack replied, "not from around here."

Ranno laughed. "Yes, I can see that."

Elizabeth said, "We are from someplace... very far away."

"How far?"

"Unbelievably far."

"Unbelievably far? I was right — you two are strange."

Jack shared another glance with Elizabeth. "It doesn't really matter, does it?" He turned back to Ranno. "We are from... a place... called Earth."

"Earth? Hmmm, sounds familiar." Ranno rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "Is it a city in the West?"

"Um... no," Jack replied.

"One of the Southern Kingdoms?"

"No."

Ranno laughed again. "And how many guesses do I get? Perhaps Earth is an island."

Elizabeth leaned across the table and whispered, "Earth is another world."

"Another... world?" Ranno looked down. After a few moments, he looked back up. He smiled, and then asked, "And what is unbelievable about that? I have met many travelers from other worlds."

"The thing is," Jack said, "we didn't want to come here."

"We were kidnapped," Elizabeth declared.

"I don't know if 'kidnapped' is the right word."

"It's not?" Elizabeth squinted. "Are you saying that because you are supposed to be—" She cut herself off in reaction to Jack shaking his head.

"What?" Ranno asked.

Jack quickly replied, "It's nothing."

Ranno leaned back and put his hands up. "I apologize if I am asking too many questions. It is just that I am a curious man, and you, my friends, are curious people. And you are wise to watch what you say — there are some unsavory sorts in this town." He looked toward the kitchen. "Speaking of unsavory sorts, why hasn't the waiter come back?" He stood up. "I should check on him... make sure he is not getting the town guard. Be right back."

Ranno headed for the kitchen. Once he was gone, Elizabeth asked, "What do you think?"

"About Ranno?" Jack tapped his fingers on the table. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think we are lost and broke."

"Ain't that the truth." Jack lowered his voice. "But let's not say anything about magicians."

Elizabeth nodded.

The sound of the kitchen door swinging open and boots tramping across the floor announced that Ranno was returning. He held a mug in his right hand and two in his left. "Daugin is still very upset," he said as he sat down, "but don't worry, I talked some sense into him." He presented the mugs. "Have you tried the poce?"

Jack and Elizabeth each took a mug and sampled the fizzy, foamy concoction.

As Elizabeth set her mug down, she said, "Thanks for the help, we really appreciate it."

Ranno smiled. "We could all use help at times. Especially when traveling." After taking a drink, he asked, "So tell me, how did you end up here? In the humble little town of Riverton."

Elizabeth looked at Jack. "Actually, we need to find someone who lives here."

"Oh yeah."

"Who?"

"Um," Jack said, "we don't know."

Ranno gave them a funny look. "You don't know? It can be quite difficult finding someone you do not know." He stroked his mustache. "Hmmm... if you do not know this person's name, then do you know where they live?"

Jack shook his head. "No."

"How about what they look like? Or what they do for work?"

"No."

"Well, you must at least know whether you are looking for a man or a woman."

"Um... no."

Ranno raised his eyebrows. "I see." He reached for his mug.

The three of them sat quietly for a time. Ranno looked lost in thought, and an uncomfortable silence stretched across the table.

"I should be going." Ranno stood up. "I have business to—"

"Wait," Elizabeth interrupted, "maybe you could help us out a little more. We don't want to impose or anything. And thank you again for paying for our meal."

"Yeah," Jack said, "thanks a lot."

Elizabeth eagerly continued, "Maybe you could just point us in the right direction."

Ranno sat back down. "My friends, I am a merchant. I know almost everyone in this town. But I do not know this nameless, jobless... sexless person you are looking for. And to be perfectly honest, I am late for an appointment." He sighed and gave them a concerned look. "How I hate seeing travelers in distress. Perhaps there is something else I could help you with?"

Jack cleared his throat, before asking, "Do you know if there are any castles around here?"

"Of course. There is a castle in Korimain. There is one in the hills above Mirse. There is a castle in Nemor — the ruins of a castle at least."

Elizabeth asked, "Have you heard of one called, Castle in the Clouds."

"Cloud Castle," Jack corrected her.

"Cloud Castle?" Ranno sounded surprised. "Why yes, yes I have. But it is in demon territory. Why would you want to go there?"

Jack reached for his mug. He took a long drink, lifting his eyebrows at Elizabeth as he did.

Elizabeth said, "We were told that we have to go there, in order to get back home."

"Ah, my friends, I hate to tell you this," Ranno laughed, "but someone is playing a game with you. Of course I have heard stories of people trying to reach the castle — treasure seekers and the like — but I do not know of anyone who has actually been there." A serious look crossed his face. "They say that the castle is surrounded by spirits, and that if you get too close, you join them."

Jack shrugged. "Whatever they say, that's where we're going. Do you know how far it is?"

Ranno shook his head — and then held up his right index finger. "But perhaps I know of someone." He touched his finger to his lips. "Yes, I think I do."

"Who?" Elizabeth asked.

"An old friend of mine who lives out near the docks. Funny that I did not think of him earlier, but after hearing about the castle—" Ranno slapped his hands down on the table. "You know what? He is probably the person you are looking for."

"Really?" Elizabeth shared a hopeful look with Jack.

Ranno sucked in a breath through his barred teeth. "But there might be a problem. My friend is... well, he is a businessman. I have never known him to do anything for free."

Jack said, "That is a problem. We don't have any money."

Ranno laughed. "So I have noticed!" He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. "Listen, I need to tell you something. The demons," he looked suddenly overcome with emotion, "they killed my wife." He tightly shut his eyes. "I hate them." He took a deep breath, and after recovering, said, "I am guessing they would not be happy if you went to the castle, which means I want you to go there. This friend of mine, he owes me a few favors. Perhaps I can persuade him to help you."

"That would be great," Elizabeth said. "We would really owe you."

"Yes, yes you would." Ranno raised his mug, holding it up as if for a toast. "And who knows," he smiled, "maybe someday you will repay me."
Chapter 12

Night On The Town

Jack and Elizabeth stood on the restaurant's front porch. A railing separated the porch from the street and Jack rested his elbows atop it, his backpack hunched up between his shoulders. Elizabeth was to his right. They were waiting for Ranno, who had excused himself to use the restroom.

After spitting out a piece of fish his tongue had discovered hiding between his teeth, Jack inhaled a lungful of night air. He decided that he was feeling much better now that he had some real food in him. Better than he had since physics class. He looked down the dark street and surveyed the happenings around them.

It was an overcast night. The air was warm and pleasant, with a moistness that made him think it could start raining at any time. And it was dark, very dark, the only light coming from the glowing circles that were attached to the sides of the buildings.

The glow-circles appeared to be constructed of the same material as those inside the restaurant. They reminded Jack of his roommate Tom's glow-in-the-dark Frisbee, only larger and brighter.

The buildings were solitary structures, haphazardly laid out at varying angles and varying distances. Some were covered with dozens of glow-circles, while others had none and were barely visible.

Down the street to his left a man was walking away from him and passing through a well-illuminated building's pool of light. The man approached the edge of illumination — and disappeared: the night had sucked him into its darkness.

Across the street was a porch-less building with a single small glow-circle placed high up near the apex of its sloped roof. Focusing mightily, Jack could make out three people standing in front of the building. While he watched the person in the middle sparked a match, revealing the wrinkled face of an old woman. The old woman then applied the match to some sort of cigarette or cigar. With a flick of her wrist the match was extinguished, leaving the shadowy figures and the glowing, trailing tip of the cig.

"Interesting place," Elizabeth said.

"Interesting." Jack nodded. "Yes it is."

The restaurant door slid noisily open (the door was a wooden board that slid along rails) and Ranno stepped out onto the porch. "I do not recommend the Acromian Soup." He pressed his right hand against his stomach. "Not unless you enjoy sitting on the toilet." He walked over to where the porch met the street. "Off to the docks we go. We will have to cut through the Weavers District, which I try to avoid after sunset, but nothing to worry about. Just stay close and keep your voices down."

"Is it dangerous?" Elizabeth asked. "Should we wait until tomorrow?"

"No, no, it is not THAT dangerous. And of course we could wait until tomorrow," Ranno shrugged, "but I cannot guarantee that my friend will still be there."

"Let's do this." Jack clapped his hands together. "Besides, we don't have a place to stay. And it looks like it might rain."

Elizabeth looked up at the dark, overcast sky. "Yeah, it does."

"It is settled then." Ranno stepped off the porch and into the street.

The sight of the lake allowed Jack's directional bearings to snap back into place. They had been walking down dimly lit streets and back alleys, and between the darkness and the unfamiliar terrain he had gotten himself completely turned around. For a while there he had been scared — frightened by the thought of being someplace utterly foreign, with no sense of belonging, with no hope of ever finding his way home. He had walked as close to Elizabeth as he could without touching her, shadowing her movements, making sure that he did not lose his one and only connection to the other world.

But the sight of the lake freed him from his fears. He was no longer lost.

Hallelujah!

The walkway that ran above the edge of the lake was a raised wooden platform. Windowless warehouses lined its western side and the large lake stretched out to the east. Or at least Jack imagined that the lake was large (his imagination was aided by the soft lapping sound of waves hitting against the walkway's supports). The lake was in fact quite dark: the only light was coming from the glow-circles placed high up on the sides of the warehouses.

Ranno turned to walk north along the deserted walkway. Elizabeth followed him and Jack followed her, past nondescript warehouses, past small docks that extended off the walkway, past long carts with wooden wheels, and past barrels that stunk of rotten fish.

After walking past several warehouses, Jack heard Elizabeth ask, "Is it much farther?"

Ranno replied, "We are almost there."

Before, back in the alleys, the darkness and fear of dislocation had locked up Jack's mind — had imprisoned his thoughts in a cage of worry and despair — and he was ever, ever so relieved to be able to think again. He made himself relax further by taking deep breaths and allowing the moist air to fill his lungs.

Vanilla bean ice cream, he suddenly thought. Yeah! Vanilla bean ice cream!

Everyplace has smelled a little different. At the Lost Magicians place the air smelled salty, like it was near the ocean, but also like vanilla. And the forest, the air smelled like trees and stuff, but I'm pretty sure there was a vanilla scent in the background. And I smell vanilla here too!

"Elizabeth, do you smell vanilla?"

She looked back over her shoulder. "Do I smell vanilla?" Squinting, she sampled the air. "Maybe a little."

Only a little? How could she only smell it a little? And the colors! Man, there are a lot of them out here. In the forest there were a few, but they were small, barely visible, like almost not there. But no, I don't think it's this place. If it was Elizabeth would have said something. Or would she not want to say something unless I said something? No, it has to be me. I mean, look at that blob of colors, rippling above the lake. Light blue. It's really dark out there, but the colors — so bright! Rippling light blue. Almost glowing. Like neon frigging lights!

Can almost hear them? Or feel them? If I could only touch them.

Maybe I can?

Concentrate man. Pull the color. Yeah — no, not like that. Have to relax. Be loose. Hang loose. Let the color FLOW back.

Did it move? Maybe a little? OK, have to slow down... and concentrate... and relax. Yeah... slow... down...

WAY down...

And feel... the color...

Like that, but slower...

Slllooowwweeerrr...

Now... gently... pull...

"What are you looking at?" Ranno called out. "We are almost there."

Jack suddenly became conscious of his surroundings. He was standing next to a small dock, his arms outstretched toward the lake.

Uh oh.

Keep it cool, man. Don't say a word. Back in line like a good soldier.

The color moved and I think I can use it. That's what it's all about. Make it flow. Make it do stuff. If only I were alone, THEN I could play with it. Maybe tonight? Yeah, after Elizabeth falls asleep. But I want to do it now! Can I do it while walking? Concentrate on it and walk, both at the same time?

Hmmm... like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Can't do it yet, but I could. Just need practice. The colors aren't going anywhere. They're so frigging cool! Got to tell Elizabeth. Who cares if she can't see them? She's cool. Who else would I tell? Besides, we're in this mess together. It's my fault she's here. I'm so glad she's here. So, so glad. She's cool. She smells good. She's my kind of girl.

Stay cool, man. Play it cool. Super cool.

What's that? At the end of that dock. Dark colors — brown and green. And there's something under the dock. Something in the water. What the heck is under there?

"Ah, here they come," Ranno announced.

Two people, wearing red robes with the hoods up, were walking toward them.

Her voice husky, Elizabeth said, "I thought it was one guy." She swallowed and smacked her mouth. "And we were going to his place."

Ranno spun around, a dagger in his right hand. "Is that what you thought?"

What the...?

Oh... no. This... this is bad. Definitely NOT GOOD. Run away? Have to grab Elizabeth.

Crap! Another robed guy behind us. It's a trap! How bad? How get out? Backward — step backward. Get on the dock. What's going on? We don't have any money. Ranno knows that. What does he want? Tongue feels fat — wait! He spiked our drinks!

"You drugged us!" Jack sounded as if he were sucking on a king-sized jaw breaker.

"Why yes, yes I did. Just a little something to relax you."

Elizabeth stepped away from Ranno and toward the dock. "Jack! What do we do?"

Ranno was the one who answered, "Whatever you do, don't jump in the lake. There are some nasty things out there. And besides, my friends are excellent swimmers."

The three robed people were now standing alongside Ranno. Elizabeth gasped as they threw back their hoods.

Their skin was dark red and oily-wet and their mouths stretched out from their faces like stubby little alligator jaws.

Demons! Must be demons! Different from the ones at school, but definitely demons! Ranno's a con man. Stupid to trust him. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Can't think about that now — have to get out of here. Rather jump in the lake then let those things get me. Jack stepped backward, toward the end of the dock. "Elizabeth!"

She turned to run but the Molmiz was too quick. It wrapped its right arm around her neck. A pointy little bone extended from the side of the Molmiz's wrist and it pressed it against her throat.

Might as well be a knife. This is NOT GOOD!

"Now, Jack, I am a merchant. Do you remember me telling you that?" Ranno stepped onto the dock and casually walked toward Jack. "I know you are a bit hazy from the dartwoo I put in your drink, but I want you to understand that I was not lying. You see, I AM a merchant. Only I do not sell material goods. No, I sell information." He stopped with his dagger pointed mockingly at Jack's face. "And that is what I want from you. Information."

Trapped. Maybe I could take this guy. Pop him in the nose and then grab his knife. Then take on the demons. Yeah right. Maybe I could take Ranno, but not those other guys. Some other way!

"You are not a liar, huh?" The defiance in Elizabeth's voice lifted Jack's spirits. "I thought you said you hated demons. So what are these things? Angels?"

Ranno turned around. "These 'things'," he gestured toward the Molmizes with his dagger, "are business associates. And I never said I am not a liar. I am. In fact, I am a FANTASTIC liar." He pointed his dagger back at Jack's face. "And worse. Much, much worse."

Keep him talking. Buy time. He likes to talk. Buy time for what? The colors! Feel them, pull them — make them do something. What? Anything!

"Now you aren't stupid.... Are you, Jack? You don't want to see anything bad happen to your girlfriend.... Do you? So you are going to tell me a story. A story about Cloud Castle, and why you are going there."

Have to turn a little to my right. Little more. There, in my peripheral vision. The colors, brown and green, swirling around the end of the dock. If I could only touch them. Damn! Wish I was closer!

Ranno prompted, "Story time, Jack."

Jack absently replied, "We were told to go there."

"That is interesting, Jack," Ranno said in a smarmy, smug voice. "It really is. Now, how about giving me some details. Like WHO told you to go there?"

The brown color. Can almost feel it. Just need to... reach out... to it...

Ranno repeated, "Jack, who told you to—"

"The Lost Magicians."

"The Lost Magicians?" Ranno sounded surprised. "I have heard of them. But they are on the other side of the world, are they not?" His questions as much to himself as to Jack, Ranno asked, "And why are they sending you to the castle? And why only you and the girl?"

Feel the color. Taste it.

Yeah, like sweet, slimy mud.

Disgusting.

Just need to... make... a connection...

Just... like... that...

Ranno snapped his fingers in front of Jack's face. "You still with us, Jack?"

"Open portal, send us through. Jolee, Torvin, guardsmen."

Now... pull...

Reel... it... in...

"As I suspected, they sent more than just you two." Ranno raised the tip of his dagger and tapped it against his chin. "So this Jolee and Torvin, they must be Lost Magicians." He looked down the walkway. "Why aren't they with you?"

I have it! The brown color, flowing through my hands.

What is it? What can I do with it?

Maybe if I — wait, it stretches underneath the dock. Into the water. It's connected to the thing under the dock!

Ranno prompted, "Jack..."

"Nofijad. Nofijad Dajifon captured them."

Reach out to the thing. Try to feel it.

Yes! I can feel it — and it senses me!

Be gentle. Go slow. Say hello. <<Hello>>

"Nofijad Dajifon?" Ranno's smugness returned. "Never heard of him. Hmmm... if he captured your magician friends, then why did he—" Ranno interrupted himself, "No, just tell me why the Lost Magicians are sending YOU to Cloud Castle."

It's not scared. Nothing to be scared of. Say hello again. <<Hello>>

<<????>>

<<Hello>>

<<Heeeellllooo>>

The deep response, like a bass guitar, vibrating through my mind.

<<I am friend>>

<<Friiiieeeennnnddd>>

"I must have used too much dartwoo." Ranno said with a laugh. He slowly asked, "Jack, why are the—"

"Nofijad let me go so I could free him. Lost Magicians want me to unlock the castle."

<<I need your help — bad guys here>>

<<Baaaaddd>>

<<Yes — I need help>>

Ranno looked confused. "Well now... that is interesting."

<<Will you help me?>>

<<Yeeeesssss. I Heeeellllppp>>

"Very interesting." Ranno moved his dagger closer to Jack's chest. "Very interesting indeed." He pressed the dagger's tip against brown flannel, right below Jack's heart. "But that doesn't make any sense, unless you are a magician. So tell me, Jack, are you a magician?"

"I don't know." Jack locked eyes with Ranno. "Let's find out."

<<Now!>>

The water alongside the dock bulged. Something large sprang into the air, spraying both demons and humans with water. It crashed onto the dock and Jack waved his arms about as he tried to maintain his balance. He steadied himself and looked at Ranno to see that the smarmy son-of-a-bitch had stumbled back and fallen to his knees.

Ranno was moving to regain his feet, but froze, his left knee still on the dock. His expression was one of total shock — which melted into one of total fear — as he looked at what was standing before him.

Or rather sitting.

Nearly the size of an elephant, Jack's new friend looked like a cross between a frog and a bulldog. The creature's wide mouth stretched all the way across its giant face and before anyone could react it leaned forward and engulfed Ranno in its giant maw.

All that remained of Ranno was a frantically-kicking, gray-slack-covered leg.

The creature tossed its head back and Ranno completely vanished. "Brrrrraaaaaaaaaappppp!" It burped so loud Jack covered his ears.

The two Molmizes not holding Elizabeth turned to look at each other — and then bolted off down the walkway. The Molmiz holding Elizabeth nervously swiveled its head about, but did not release her.

The dock went silent: silent except for the softly lapping waves, the Molmiz's frantic breathing, and the gurgling sounds made by the lake creature.

"What is that thing?" Elizabeth asked, squirming beneath the Molmiz's grasp.

"This is... big, um... Frogdog. Frogdog, say hi to Elizabeth."

"Brrrrraaaaaaaaaappppp."

"Nice to meet you too. Jack, think you could help me out here."

A look of concern had never left Jack's face. "Demon, your friends have run away, and now it's your turn."

The Molmiz's only response was to swivel its head about.

"Let her go, and I swear that my friend here will not hurt you."

The Molmiz took a step back.

"I don't think he believes you!"

"OK, OK. Look, just let her go, and that'll be the end of it."

The Molmiz continued swiveling its head about.

Jack turned to look into one of Frogdog's mucous-covered eyes, which was the size of a bowling ball and just as black. With the colors still flowing through his hands, he thought, <<Thank you for helping me>>

<<I Heeeellllppp>>

<<Yes — thank you — now the ones that ran away>>

<<Yeeeesssss>>

<<Sic 'em!>> "Sic 'em!" Jack said in time with the thought.

Frogdog sat motionless, its giant eye trained on Jack. Then, with compact leaps that shook the dock, the massive beast bounded off.

Jack flicked his hands toward the Molmiz. "Go. Get out of here."

The Molmiz's breathing became less frantic.

"Go on. Beat it!"

The Molmiz loosened its grip on Elizabeth, but still held her.

"Are you clueless?" Elizabeth fumed. "Let me—"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" A distant scream rang through the night air. It was followed a few seconds later by, "Brrrrraaaaaaaaaappppp!"

The Molmiz released Elizabeth and bolted away.

Jack rushed forward. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth touched her throat, and then looked at her fingers, as if checking for blood. Her voice thick and lazy, she asked, "So how did you get that... thing, to help us?"

Jack's sluggish articulation matched Elizabeth's. "It's a little hard to explain."

"But it was magic? You... you can do magic stuff?"

Jack smiled. "I guess so."

"Wow, then you—"

In the distance, "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Followed by, "Brrrrraaaaaaaaaappppp!"

"I think we should get out of here," Jack said.

"Why? Your pet — whatever it is — is eating the bad guys."

"True. But I don't know if I'll be able to control him when he gets back." Jack grabbed Elizabeth's left wrist. "And he might try to follow us." He led her down the walkway, and then away from the lake as he cut up an alley. He let go of her wrist as she kept pace beside him. He had no idea where they were going. He felt good, though, relaxed and at ease. His body was a vehicle, disconnected from his brain. Its mindless locomotion propelled him through this dark, strange night. He kept wondering if his body was getting tired. He also kept wondering why he was smiling.

They rounded a corner and there in the darkness of an alley were colors, faint orange and yellow, rippling around something hidden within the shadows. They jogged past and Jack's smile grew wider. Seeing the colors, sensing their presence — it felt natural.

"Hey," he asked, "did you see something just now?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." He slowed to a walk. "Are you getting tired? We can take a break."

"Am I getting tired?" Elizabeth acted insulted. "I play soccer." She stopped and looked around them. They had been running through back alleys and deserted streets and the street they were currently on continued up a small rise. She pointed straight ahead. "How about we race to that?" She was pointing toward a statue, in the middle of an open area, about a block ahead of them.

"Huh? Um... no thanks," Jack replied, smiling. "I don't need to race."

Elizabeth playfully asked, "What? Are you afraid to get beat by a girl?"

"Um... no. It's... it's just that I've never been much of a runner. You know, never tried out for the track team or anything."

"Come on. It will be fun."

"Um... OK. If you really want to. But what do I get if I win?"

"Hmmm, let's see, you will get, hmmm... the satisfaction... of knowing... that you are..." A light bulb lit above Elizabeth's head. "That you are the fastest earthling on the planet!"

"Wow! That's huge! I mean, we're racing for the title."

"That's right, buddy boy. So here we go! On your mark. Get set—"

"Hold up! I need to get ready." Jack stretched down to touch his toes. "And by the way," he pointed at his boots, "I'm wearing hiking boots."

Elizabeth laughed. "Trying to come up with excuses already. And you haven't even lost yet."

"No. No excuses. Just stating the facts, that's all."

Elizabeth smiled. "Ready?"

"Yep."

Jack crouched down in a sprinter's stance, which made Elizabeth chuckle. She then said, "On your mark. Get set. Go!"

Jack took the early lead, Elizabeth trailing directly behind, but halfway through the race he slowed and she blew past him. She reached the statue well before he did.

The large metallic sculpture had been erected in the middle of an intersection. It looked like a four-sided wave, which curved up and out to point down each street. Or perhaps it looked more like a flower, with four man-sized, curving petals.

Huffing hard, Jack walked up to Elizabeth. He held out his right hand. "You win."

After shaking Jack's hand, Elizabeth raised her arms to the sky. "I am the fastest earthling on Crazy World!"

The base of the statue was a knee-high round disk. Jack sat down on the edge of it.

Elizabeth started skipping around the statue — twirling about as if dancing to happy music. After skipping around it twice, she walked up to Jack. "I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. You know, about being the fastest earthling and all."

"Um, no, that's OK. You can be the fastest. As long as I can be, um... the coolest."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Jack." Elizabeth twirled about, resuming her dancing. "How about... how about the strongest?"

"The strongest?"

Elizabeth again raised her arms to the sky. "Jack is the strongest earthling on Crazy World!"

"Awesome."

drip

A drop of rain tapped Jack on the end of his nose.

He looked up.

drip

Another drop tapped him, this time on the left side of his non-existent mustache. He closed his eyes and lifted his face to greet the newborn rain.

drip

drip

drip

drip drip

drip

drip

drip drip

drip

The sound of Elizabeth humming disrupted his correspondence with the rain. He opened his eyes as she danced past. He smiled, stood up, and then turned around to look at the statue. It was a little taller than he was, made of solid metal, and had four curvy things stretching out of it. There was enough space between the things for him to be able to step into the center of the statue, which he did. He placed his head alongside one of the things and looked in the direction it was pointing. "We should probably get going. This way looks good."

Behind him, Elizabeth stopped dancing. "Listen." She raised her left arm to her side and pointed.

"What?" Jack turned around. He cocked his head in the direction she was pointing. "I don't hear anything."

Elizabeth slowly raised her right arm in a big circle, her index finger extended. Her arm stopped once her finger was resting at her lips.

After a moment of straining, Jack nodded. "Oh yeah, I do hear something." He jumped off the statue. "Then I guess we go that way."

Elizabeth skipped off toward the distant, inviting sounds.

Jack laughed as he followed her.

The buildings were more lit up on this side of town, the streets more lively. Jack held his backpack above his head as they walked down the raised wooden sidewalk that lined the street, sheltering himself from the now steady rain. He turned to Elizabeth. "Hey, you want this?"

She flashed him a wet smile. "No thanks."

They had passed several businesses that had looked (and sounded) like taverns. They were passing by the noise of another when Jack abruptly stopped to look through an open window. "This place looks good."

"This place?" Elizabeth stepped up to one of the arched, glassless windows. "This place looks dirty."

"Let's go inside."

Elizabeth shrugged. "All right." She skipped over to the entrance and slid the door open. "After you."

The tavern was large and poorly lit. Most of the tables were occupied as were but a few of the stools in front of the long bar. Waitresses bustled about with trays of drinks, and in the far corner a strange band played on strange instruments to a deserted dance floor. The band was playing softly, their music blending with the low murmur of conversations that filled the room.

Jack and Elizabeth walked over to the bar. At the left end of the bar were two empty stools. Jack set his backpack down beside the leftmost one and sat down. Elizabeth plopped down on the other. "At least we are out of the rain," she said.

Jack turned to face the main drinking/dancing area. "See anything... unusual?"

"Hmmm, I don't know."

"Just take a look around, and tell me what you see."

"All right." Elizabeth scanned the room. "Over there are a couple of short, uh... porcupine people? Sitting with a skinny... I don't know, something. And let's see, up on the stage, the band, the drummer — at least those look like drums — is really hairy, and has what? Four arms? And the singer, wow, he looks like he can sing his own duets." Elizabeth smiled gleefully at Jack. "But to answer your question — NO — I don't see anything unusual. Nothing. Nothing at all."

"No colors? A green one... a blue one... a silver—"

BAM!

The hefty black bartender had slammed two small metal mugs down on the bar behind them. "They're actually pretty good," he said, motioning toward the band. "Just not a good crowd tonight." He walked away.

After turning around to face her mug, Elizabeth leaned forward and sniffed. "Smells like apples."

Jack licked his lips. "I'm super thirsty."

"Me too."

They raised their mugs.

"Here's to the strongest earthling in the world!"

"And to the fastest!"

Elizabeth gulped down almost half her mug. "Ah," she exhaled. "Tastes like... spiced apple cider?"

Jack's face screwed up. "Lots of spice."

"So go back to what you were saying about the colors."

"The colors," Jack's eyes unfocused, "I see them everywhere. No, not everywhere, but you know, here and there. Some are strong and thick, while others... others are light... and wispy. Am I making any sense?"

"No, but go on." Elizabeth took another drink.

"OK, so the first time I saw them was at the lake." Jack shook his head. "No, that's not true. I saw them in the forest too. But those... those were really faint colors. Anyway, they're like streams of colors."

"Streams of colors? Like what, party streamers?"

"Kind of, but not all of them." Jack took a quick drink, and then said, "Some are long, some are short, and some... some look like fat blobs. Am I making any sense?"

Elizabeth squinted. "Hmmm, you are saying... what?"

"Colors. I see colors."

"Everywhere?"

"No, just here and there. Like... like some places don't have colors. Actually, most places don't have colors. But other places do have colors."

"So is that how you got that giant frog thing to help us?"

"You mean Frogdog?"

"Is that really its name?"

Jack smiled and took a drink. He set his mug back down. "It sounds like a good name. Anyway, yeah, there were these colors, swirling above the dock. So I reached out to them — pulled them. And then I realized they were connected to Frogdog." He eagerly asked, "Am I making any sense? Any sense at all?"

Elizabeth gave Jack a sympathetic, puzzled look. She then picked up her mug and took a long drink. After lowering her mug she stared intently at the space in front of her eyes. urp A petite burp escaped past her lips. "Excuse me," she said, covering her mouth. "You know, MAYBE I can understand what you are saying. Not REALLY understand. I would have to see what you see to REALLY understand. But I can sort of IMAGINE what you are saying."

Jack picked up his mug and clinked it against Elizabeth's. "Cool. So you don't think I'm crazy."

"No. A little insane? Sure. But not crazy."

Jack tilted his head back as he emptied his mug. He then called out, "Hey bartender! Zwei beir bitte!"

Elizabeth gave Jack a sidelong glance. "Did you just try to order our drinks in German?"

"Ya Fraulein, mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut, aber ich kann zwei bier... um, I can't remember what 'order' is in German."

"And you—?"

BAM! The bartender slammed two fresh mugs down on the bar.

"Would you look at that!" Jack said as the bartender hurried off to the next customer. "Maybe the bartender is from Germany."

Elizabeth laughed. "I bet he is."

While Jack and Elizabeth were busy enjoying themselves three new customers entered the establishment. Dressed in black and red military uniforms the Molmizes walked up to the bar. They then walked down its length before taking seats at a table in a dark corner. A wave of silence followed the Molmizes. The music ground to a halt. All the conversations turned into hushed whispers — almost all the conversations.

"Know what I could go for?" Jack asked.

"No. What?"

"A hot tub."

"A hot tub?" Elizabeth stretched her neck. "That does sound good."

Jack looked around them. "Did it just get quiet in here?"

"I think the band is breaking... taking a break. Back to the colors — you said you used them to talk to Frogdog. So was that... you know... magic?"

Jack smiled. "Yeah."

Elizabeth moved her head closer to Jack's. "So you really are a magician."

"Yes. Yes I am."

"No way!"

"Either that or I'm crazy. And you said I wasn't crazy."

"I said I didn't THINK you were crazy. You might be, but we would have to find a psycho... a psychiatrist to be sure."

"OK." Jack nodded confidently. "What if I proved it to you?"

"What? How?" Elizabeth sat up straighter on her stool. "Are you saying — what? That you can do magic stuff? Right now?"

Jack turned to face the middle of the room. "I don't see why not." He raised his hands, palms up, and began moving his fingers. "I just need to... pull... the colors.... Attract them." He continued moving his fingers. "Then I can... do... something.... That's... that's why I wanted to come in here. I sensed the colors. The blue and green... they're pretty bright. But the silver... the silver is tough... elusive... hard to get.... There!"

Elizabeth scooted to the edge of her stool. "What's there?"

"I made the blue one move. Now I just have to... reel... it... in..."

Elizabeth squinted, straining to see what Jack was looking at.

"OK, there we go. I have the blue one... and I almost have... the... green... one.... Whoa!" Jack suddenly exclaimed. "That feels good!"

"What feels good? Are you messing with me?"

"No. I'm serious." Jack's voice was clear and strong. "I felt a rush just now. Like slamming a shot of espresso."

"You are SO messing with me!"

"Think so? Then let's see if I can't share some of this good feeling." Jack twirled his wrists as if wrapping something around his fingers. He then motioned as if passing something between his hands.

A woman sitting at a nearby table giggled loudly. People began moving around more, and the conversations edged up a notch.

"Are you doing that?" Elizabeth asked.

"You tell me." Jack spun his hands as if reeling something in. He then spread his arms apart. The activity in the room increased. Laughter and bravado filled the air. "Another round!" someone shouted, followed by an alien party cry, "Raaaccckkkaaa Maaaccckkkaaa Yoooowwww!"

Elizabeth exclaimed, "Amazing!"

A musical beat thumped in the background; the band was playing on their instruments, apparently warming up.

Jack slid off his barstool. Mindful of the position of his hands, he turned to face Elizabeth. "Care to dance?"

Elizabeth sprang from her barstool. She skipped past Jack and onto the dance floor. The band started playing then — a rocking song that seemed out of place and yet so perfect for that moment. The entire bar was in motion. People were standing up from their chairs and sliding off their stools and everyone was heading for the dance floor.

Jack moved closer to Elizabeth as they danced, his arms spread wide. He raised his arms higher and the energy level went from boisterous, to electric. People were hooting and hollering. The dance floor was suddenly packed.

Jack wasn't himself as he danced with Elizabeth and manipulated the colors. Everything felt so right, so wonderful. And when the three Molmizes forced their way onto the dance floor, shoving people aside to get at him, he acted without thought. The silver color beckoned. He combined it with the blue and the green, twisting them together and laying them atop the Molmizes.

In a brilliant flash of light the Molmizes turned to ash.

The crowd roared.

Jack continued dancing, his attention never leaving the beautiful girl in front of him. The band played on, building to a climax — and as they finished their song Jack leaned forward, touching his lips to those of that beautiful girl.
