

A World Within

James Somers

Smashwords Edition

2010© James Somers

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Dedicated to my loving wife, our children and to my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ who gave me eternal life through his precious sacrifice for sin.

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

—1 Cor 15:26

PROLOGUE

Thunder echoed across the plain as the Wielder called for lightning from the ominous clouds above the battlefield. A plane of gray earth and barren, black trees stretched to the horizon in every direction. Countless thousands lay dead across the desolate landscape.

Many had been killed in battle by one another. But many more had been killed by the Wielder himself and his powerful opponent. "You will never win, Mortis!" the Wielder crowed defiantly. "I will continue the fight no matter how many must die in order to be victorious!"

"You fool!" Mortis said. "You never had a chance of defeating me. Only when this contest is over will you realize. Only when it is too late to be saved will you finally understand the true nature of this conflict."

The Wielder screamed furiously, commanding the lightning to strike. Bolts of electricity connected with Mortis, flinging him backwards. He quickly recovered and stood to his feet. Mortis seemed to gain strength as the battle continued. Every attack the Wielder threw at him only made him stronger.

The ground beneath the Wielder erupted. He tumbled through the air, but managed to somersault and land back on his feet. This epic battle had taken its toll on him. He felt himself growing weaker.

The rock, coming forth from the ground, took shape as a giant man. It lurched toward the Wielder. He dodged to the side as it brought down a mighty fist of granite. The ground shook with the force of the blow, nearly knocking him off his feet as he ran. The rock man stood nearly thirty feet tall and the ground rumbled when he took up his pursuit. Another gigantic arm swung toward the Wielder as he ran from the creature. It scooped him up along with a huge divot of gray earth and sent all flying through the air.

The Wielder tumbled across the ground, trying to recover as another powerful fist from the beast tried to hammer him into the ground. He caught the boulder sized fist with renewed vigor, then set his other hand flat against the stone. The Wielder used his power to send a hyper-sonic pulse through the rock man's body. The creature shattered into pieces before him. Once again, only he and Mortis remained on the battlefield.

Mortis waited. The Wielder only had so much time. He stood there allowing his opponent to recover. Smashing the rock creature had bolstered his confidence.

Mortis shouted to the man fifty feet away from him. "Is that all the fight you have in you, Wielder?"

The Wielder gathered his fierce energies. Mortis had to be stopped. So many had died in this war. His friends lay among those dead on the vast battlefield. The Necrom Void had spread across the entire Living Land despite their best efforts to stop it. How many people lay dead in the wake of this conflict: men, women, and children? The carnage on both sides had been catastrophic. Those who had allied with Mortis from the Land were all dead as well.

A maelstrom of power surged through the air and swirled around the Wielder. He gathered every last ounce of his power, preparing to make a final assault. This is all I've got. I must make it count or all will be lost.

The Wielder thought about his dead friends, allies who had fought by his side. They now lay strewn across the landscape around him—all for nothing if he lost now. His anger burned and his hatred for the malevolent presence before him strove to be unleashed.

The vortex of power gathering around him swelled to the breaking point. He had to attack now or be destroyed by his own destructive energies. The Wielder focused upon Mortis. He simply stood there, laughing at the carnage. He doesn't even have sympathy for those who fought for his cause.

The Wielder thrust his hands, indeed his entire body, toward Mortis, unleashing the power caged within his being. A multicolored surge of energy burst away from the Wielder, pushing him back with such ferocity that he carved a ten foot trench into the gray earth. The full force of the blast slammed into Mortis like the shockwave from an atom bomb.

The explosion hurled Mortis away from where he had been standing along with a six foot divot of soil. The blackened, dead trees of the Necrom Void burst into splinters. The bodies littering the landscape, as far as the eye could see, scattered like autumn leaves blown by the wind. Moreover, the very rocks of the mountains, which lay on either side of Mortis' fortress burned and shattered. His power unleashed sounded like a hundred tornadoes all vying for supremacy.

As the fury of the moment settled, it became apparent that even more destruction had now come upon the Living Land than had been before. It stood completely devoid of any life at all now—the catastrophe complete. Nothing moved except dust and smoke.

From a trench in the earth, the Wielder climbed out from under a mound of gray soil and debris. He crawled across the ground, trying to survey the devastation. Total destruction surrounded him on all sides. The Wielder sobbed—the scene too terrible to look upon.

Though too weak to stand, he tried anyway. The Wielder found a boulder nearby and used it to climb to his feet. He felt as though the slightest breeze might drive him to his knees again. As he leaned with both hands upon the rock, the Wielder opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

There, upon the stone, was an inscription. It was just like many other cryptic messages from Iam he had seen before. He had never been quite able to understand what they meant. In truth, he had never really cared what they meant. But this one was different than the messages he had seen before. It read, "Because I have called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and you regarded not, but discounted all my counsel and my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh and your destruction comes as a whirlwind."

The message inscribed upon the stone terrified him in a way he had never experienced before. His life flashed before his eyes and he saw only vanity. He had never accomplished anything of true purpose. He had followed his own way his entire life and now the dread of it ending fell upon him.

The Wielder looked up and saw Mortis approaching from the clouds of dust still trying to settle back to the ground. "No! It can't be! I defeated you!"

"You fool!" Mortis bellowed. "You never had a chance. You never paid any attention to the truth around you and so you had no way to win. Now your time is over."

"No, I'm not finished yet!" the Wielder said defiantly. He barely managed to stand.

The Wielder pushed out with his power, but there was nothing—no response on any level from the energies he had commanded for so long. He felt exhausted. Pain threatened to overtake him. Everything had gone wrong.

Mortis moved in and seized the Wielder by the throat. He hoisted him off the ground. "You are mine."

The Wielder looked into the face of Mortis and saw the face of a fifty-five-year-old man—the hair nearly gone. The eyes were black as night and his face seemed as pale as death itself. The Wielder was looking into a ghastly reflection of his own face.

"No, this can't be happening. It can't end this way. I'm a good person. Please, somebody help me! God, help me!" He pleaded through the tears now staining his cheeks.

"The battle has been long, John. But you've lost and now you are mine forever," Mortis crowed. These were the last words he spoke to the Wielder. Mortis reached within the man and pulled the very soul of John Harrogate away from his physical body.

He let the lifeless form fall to the earth. Then, with the essence of the man in his possession, Mortis disappeared within a flash of green and red flame. He left behind a Living Land completely devastated: devoid of life, devoid hope, and beginning to fade from existence completely.

Within the law offices of Mesner, Reynolds and Harrogate, a team of paramedics worked to save a man's life. The passport monitor, which was attached to EKG leads, which in turn were attached to John Harrogate lying on the floor, began to beep long and steady. The waveform flat-lined on the small screen.

One of the paramedics performed chest compressions while his partner used a portable Ambu-bag to provide oxygen. "He's not responding," said the man bagging John. The paramedic doing the chest compressions did not stop, but John's condition did not change.

"He's gone, we've lost him," the second paramedic said.

The first paramedic finally ceased his chest compressions. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Just outside the door, John's partners looked on. John had been a good lawyer. He had been one of the best trial attorneys they had ever seen.

Some of the secretaries and paralegals cried. They had worked late nights with John on important cases. If anyone deserved to live, they supposed, it was him. He had always been a good man.

At least one of John's partners was sad about his passing. Where were they going to find someone to replace him and keep up their practices' revenue? The other partner casually surveyed the room. This was going to make him a nice new office with a great view. He would wait a week before mentioning anything about it.

Now, despite all of his money, power, and friends—despite his being physically fit and maintaining a healthy diet—John Harrogate was dead from a massive coronary at the age of fifty-five. He had fought for life, but death had come anyway.

WHERE TO BEGIN

Daniel Harwick sat hunched over, elbows to knees, cupping his cherubic face within his hands. "This is boring," he moaned. His best friend, William Harding, gave him a jab to the ribs.

"Sit up, Daniel," he hissed.

Daniel rose up with all the enthusiasm of a slug and leaned toward William. "I'm dying. How long is this going to last?"

"An hour. Chapel always lasts an hour. You should listen to what the minister has to say. It can save your soul."

Daniel rolled his eyes and pretended a little snore for William's sake. William tried not to laugh at his friend. He was always clowning around and getting into trouble. "The trouble with you is you think you're too smart for God, Daniel," he whispered.

"Well, too smart to sit here when I could be doing something more fun."

The minister's voice resounded throughout the auditorium. "For he hath made Him to become sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

"How can you stand to sit through this all of the time?" Daniel groaned.

"My father is a minister, Daniel." William's annoyance began to show through. He didn't find Daniel's disrespect funny.

Daniel poked at William's side with his finger, trying to get a giggle from the boy. But William refused to respond, holding up an open hand to Daniel, letting him know he wasn't going to play along.

"Fine," Daniel sulked. "Well I'm not going to hang around here all day."

The boys sat in a modern auditorium at Ekhart Academy for Boys. Row after row of uniformed schoolboys remained at attention as the minister expounded from the Word of God. The auditorium contained theater seating in a semicircle with a wooden pulpit at the center of a raised platform located at the front. Daniel had chosen the very back of the auditorium for a good reason. He liked to goof off.

At any rate, sitting way back where the lighting was less effective granted him an advantage. When the minister focused his attention on the other side of the auditorium, as he preached his sermon, Daniel quietly ducked behind the last row of seats where he and William sat and then impolitely snuck out.

William gave Daniel a stern look of disapproval, but he wouldn't embarrass them both by making a scene. He had hoped, ever since the two boys had become friends, to interest Daniel in the Savior. But thus far, Daniel was patently uninterested. And so, Chapel would begin with him and Daniel in mandatory attendance, but conclude with William walking out alone.

Daniel made his way down the empty halls of Ekhart Academy. This wasn't the first time Daniel had done this, so he knew which routes could be taken at what times to get where he wanted to go undetected. Chapel may have been mandatory for the kids at Ekhart, but the professors only took note of one's attendance on the way into the auditorium.

Classes remained in session across the campus. The halls were devoid of people for the most part. Daniel cruised down the halls with their marble tile and chair-rail, oak paneling. Lockers were the only thing about the halls of Ekhart that weren't highly adorned, but even those had to be free of personal decoration and graffiti.

He walked up several flights of stairs. Along the way, Daniel noticed one of the school's many trophy cases. The large glass case displayed all manner of trophies for track and field activities, rugby, and soccer (of course). Daniel leered at the awards as he passed.

None of the trophies in the case had his name engraved upon the brass plating. The irony for him laid in the fact that he was a straight "A" student and yet he was virtually invisible at the school. Only the bullies gave him regular attention, but that was attention he could do without.

He continued up several more flights until he came to the top level. Daniel found the wooden door he was searching for—the fourth floor, east wing boy's bathroom. He listened at the door briefly before entering. Hearing no internal movement, Daniel went inside.

Each of Ekhart's bathrooms in the east wing had a small sitting area with a couch and a chair. The school was very well to do. This was one of Daniel's favorite places to come when classes were out or when he skipped Chapel. Most of the boys did not come to use the east wing bathrooms because they were considered a bit on the frilly side. So, they avoided them and the stigma incurred by being found there.

Daniel went to the couch and slipped his hand down between the armrest and cushion on the right side. There you are. He retrieved a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and sat down. He had saved his place at page number 300 with a bookmark containing a picture of Frodo Baggins, from one of the movie adaptations. He looked at the wee hobbit portrayed on the bookmark and thought of how small they were in their world compared to everyone else. And yet the fate of all Middle Earth had depended upon a single hobbit. I'm such a geek, he concluded.

Daniel settled in for one of his favorite pastimes—reading. He estimated having nearly thirty minutes before he had to vacate and get back for a dorm check. William would be angry at him for the rest of the day, but he would get over it. He always did.

That was one of William's most endearing qualities. He forgave people very easily. Even when confronted with someone he didn't care for, like Derek Wentworth and his cronies, William always showed kindness to them. Daniel had often daydreamed of ways he might get even with Derek, but it seemed nothing could have been farther from William's mind.

Daniel heard a noise coming up the hall—the sound of boys trying to whisper to one another, and doing a bad job of it. He leaped off the couch, taking his book with him and slipped into the farthest stall from the door—the handicapped stall. He slipped up as quietly as possible onto the horseshoe shaped commode seat. Daniel calmed his breathing and waited.

The bathroom door eased open cautiously and several boys slipped inside. "Is there anybody in here?" Derek Wentworth asked.

His voice even sounds like he should be a bully, Daniel thought.

Derek led their small group and was the biggest among them. The rest were lackeys and glom-ons. They only hung around with Derek, feigning their worship of him, so he wouldn't beat them up.

Daniel just wasn't the type to follow someone around like that. He enjoyed being a real thinker and the kind of boys who followed Derek did whatever he said—slaves.

Derek led his pack beyond the seating area and around the corner where the stalls and urinals lined the wall. A counter with four sink basins adorned the opposite wall and held a dish with mints in the corner.

Daniel watched them from a crack between the door and its frame. Derek pulled out a pack of cigarettes and jostled one of the white sticks into position to remove it from the pack. Two of the three boys with Derek giggled. The third boy looked nervous. This was initiation time.

Any of the smaller boys who wanted to run with Derek had to undergo some form of ritual to prove their loyalty. Daniel had seen them undergo all sorts of humiliating things just to become one of his lackeys. For the younger or smaller boys who wouldn't throw away their dignity, Derek bullied them and took it anyway.

Daniel groaned silently. Derek favored him for stuffing into lockers and swirleys. He was a little older and a lot meaner and he just happened to be Daniel's neighbor back home. Their parent's estates happened to border one another.

Daniel's family possessed more wealth than Derek's family. They had a larger home and they owned more land. But in the topsy-turvy world of teenage boys, what difference did it really make?

"Check the stalls first," Derek commanded.

Daniel carefully maintained his perch upon the toilet seat, squatting there like a bird on its nest, desperately hoping not to be found. Just smoke your old cigarettes and get out of here!

One of Derek's crew began to go, one by one, to each stall looking under the doors. "No, you don't do it that way," Derek scolded. He kicked open the first stall door with his big size eleven foot. The metal door slammed hard against the stall partition, sounding like a gun going off. His cronies gasped. Derek might draw teacher attention making that kind of racket.

Derek went to each of six stalls knocking each of the doors open. They each swung closed after the blow. Daniel panicked. The handicapped stall was the only one left. He ducked under the partition as silently as he could. It paid to be small for your age. Derek kicked open the last stall door. No one was there.

"All right, boys, time to light up," Derek said. Most of the others laughed. One of the boys took a peek out from the bathroom door just to make sure no one was coming down the hall to check on the noise.

Daniel hunched over with his feet on top of the commode pipes inside the stall next to the handicapped stall. He expressed his relief with a big silent exhale. And then his right foot slipped off of the pipe.

Derek flicked his grandfather's World War II Zippo lighter as the toilet behind them flushed. He kicked the door open and there sat Daniel Harwick squatting on the silver pipes coming off the back of the toilet. "Hello, Danny boy," Derek said with a delightfully vicious grin on his face.

"Hey, Derek, how's it going?" This is it. I'm dead.

"Oh, it's going great...now." He caught hold of Daniel's uniform shirt collar and pulled him down from his perch. "Look what we've got here, boys."

The other boys were elated. They knew Daniel well. He was the nerdy kid who was always reading his fairy tale books. Daniel earned far better grades than the other boys and that hadn't earned him any fans.

"I think it's time for a swirley, boys!" Cheers arose from all, except Daniel. "Hey look, Daniel's got one of his prissy story books. They grabbed it from Daniel's hands and began to slowly rip the pages away from the binding, giving him wicked looks the entire time.

Derek grabbed the thick novel and tossed it into the toilet bowl. "Here you go, Daniel. Let's go bobbing for books! Pucker up, buttercup."

Derek forced Daniel back into the stall, holding him by the back of his neck. Daniel tried to resist the older boy by pushing his hands against the sides of the stall, but it was no use. It never helped. Derek kicked the flusher and sent the water into motion.

Daniel watched as the torn pages of his favorite novel circled around the bowl. The binding, along with all of the remaining pages, threatened to stop up the flow. Derek pushed Daniel down by the neck and kicked the flusher again. The water began to rise. At least it's clean this time, he thought. It had not always been the case, but that had never stopped Derek.

"Uh hmm!" Someone cleared their throat loudly behind them.

The boys turned to find William Harding standing in the doorway. Derek released Daniel and looked out of the stall. "Harding? What do you want?"

"Let him go, Derek...NOW!"

William stood about the same height as Derek, but he was faster and more athletic. Derek knew not to mess with him. William's size and the little fact he was a black belt in Tai Kwon Do were nice assets to have at Ekhart if you didn't have a wealthy family. Derek had learned that lesson the hard way.

Daniel pushed past Derek and emerged from the stall. He left his book behind, shredded into a soggy mess inside the porcelain bowl. Fortunately, it was only the paperback edition. Daniel walked over to William. His uniform looked a bit disheveled, but he was all right.

William gave him a stern, fatherly look that made Daniel feel about two inches tall. He had ditched William and made him mad. And now William had to bail him out of trouble again because of it. Daniel hung his head low and walked out of the bathroom. William gave the other boys and Derek a look which said, Beware. Then he followed Daniel out.

"Thanks for coming to the rescue, William."

William looked flustered. "Well, I don't know why I did. It serves you right for ditching me and being so rude to the minister. One of these days, God is going to teach you a lesson, Daniel, and I won't be there to bail you out."

"Ah, come on, Will. Don't be mad at me. We'll be leaving for Christmas break tomorrow and you'll have a miserable time if you're angry."

William sighed. "I'm not mad. I just wish you would take your life seriously. You're constantly getting yourself into trouble. If you keep ditching me, like today, then one day Derek is going to find you by yourself and there won't be anything I can do about it."

Daniel pooched his bottom lip out and looked at William with puppy dog sad-eyes. "Come on, Will...buddy? Let's get back for dorm check before we both get into trouble."

HOLIDAY

Daniel scratched at the creamy, beige upholstery covering his armrest. He had worn a spot there over the years. It was always a depressing time for him when he had to go home.

The Bentley rode as smooth as glass. William had never ridden in such a fancy car before. His dad had a Chevrolet pickup which had been given to him by a church. It needed new springs and a host of other items, but even if it were dipped in gold it would never be this classy.

William flipped the switches just to see what they did. Daniel watched the partition window go up and down as his friend relentlessly toggled the switch, fascinated. Parker, the family butler and driver for Daniel, sighed heavily, voicing his frustration with William's curiosity. Parker was a man of thinning hair and pale complexion somewhere in his early fifties and very kind.

Daniel caught sight of Parker's eyes looking at him through the rearview mirror and gave him a sheepish grin with reference to William's complete amazement with a simple Bentley. What was the big deal, anyway? They had five, after all.

Daniel couldn't remember his family not having money. His father had taken their life savings and made some very wise investments. The man had parlayed his meager wages into a small fortune.

William soon discovered the collection of DVDs in one of the rear seat compartments and settled in on the vehicle's small television for awhile. Daniel stared past his reflection in the window to the dark countryside passing beyond. He strained to catch glimpses of the snow as it blew sideways under the streetlights. The flakes each caught a glimmer of orange light and then blew away into obscurity. That was his own life in a nutshell—a faint glimmer and then obscurity.

William had been easily dazzled by the Harwick family's wealth because he was one of the few students at Ekhart Academy that didn't have much money. William had won a scholarship for under privileged children at his previous school, in part, because he was a promising soccer player—a genuine student of Pele himself, if Daniel had ever seen one. He was one year Daniel's senior at a strapping fifteen and a good six inches taller than him. With bushy blonde hair neatly trimmed off of the school uniform collar, William was perhaps Daniel's only real friend at Ekhart.

Yesterday's near swirley had been only the latest event. It had cost Daniel a new paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings, but it was a small price compared to having your head shoved into a commode. Once again, William had arrived just in the nick of time. And once again, Derek Wentworth had backed down from him.

With William's family currently on a mission trip, Daniel had invited his friend to spend Christmas vacation at his home. The boys had the option of staying on campus, but most of the buildings would be shutdown, so it wasn't a very appealing idea for anyone. "I can't wait to see where you live, Daniel. I bet it's awesome," William said.

Daniel sighed, keeping his gaze out the window into the night. "I suppose," he said as he spotted the gate. Parker tapped a remote button on the dash and the gate opened up enough for the Bentley to pass through. Parker drove the luxury car down the tree lined drive winding up to the main house. The wind had calmed down by now and the snow fell in huge flakes, making the slightest crackle upon impact.

Only the tallest trees remained to break up the vast expanse of perfectly manicured lawn. The snow-covered ground stretched out on either side of the drive like a vast white carpet. "Good snowball fighting, eh, Daniel?" William said. Daniel didn't respond. His mood had changed completely since leaving school.

The burgundy Bentley made its way up to the large manor house. The driveway terminated just beyond at a ten bay garage. Parker stopped at the stone steps leading to a set of large doors. Another butler greeted the car, wearing a dark overcoat and cap. He opened the right rear passenger door for the boys.

"Evening, Master Daniel, sir," he said as Daniel stepped out of the car.

"Thank you, Aleister," Daniel replied. He stepped up onto the first step and waited for William. He slid across the leather upholstery and stepped out after Daniel.

"Evening, Master Harding," Aleister said.

William grinned at Daniel, clearly impressed that the butler already knew his name.

Daniel pushed his wire-rim glasses up on his nose and turned to lead the way up the walk to the house. Two identical stone griffins stood guard for the family on either side of the walkway. Blankets of snow had formed upon each of their backs. Aleister took time to remove the boy's luggage from the Bentley and then followed them into the house.

They stopped to remove their coats in the foyer where two glass doors stood between them and the rest of the house. Once inside, they came into a large open room that extended into a long hallway straight ahead. A curved staircase started at their left then proceeded to the upper level over the hallway. Everything in view spoke of quality. No expense had been spared for even the smallest things.

Daniel led William into a large room to the right which contained a massive fireplace. A set of matching leather chairs and sofa sat before the hearth. The river stone fireplace held a roaring blaze within and the mantle was tall enough so that Daniel could have walked upright into the inferno had he wanted to.

A tall, decorated Christmas tree stood beyond the couch situated near one of the room's cathedral windows. Presents galore had been placed under the tree, but Daniel remained uninterested in them. He knew his parents had probably shopped for none of them personally. And, as caring as Parker and the other staff were, it just wasn't the same.

Daniel walked over to one of the high-back leather chairs and fell into it, placing his feet upon the matching ottoman. William walked over more slowly, taking in as much of the huge room as he could on his first inspection, then settled into the other chair across from Daniel.

"This place is great, Daniel! I can't believe it. You're so lucky to live here."

That had never occurred to Daniel. Usually, coming home left him feeling even lonelier than staying at school.

"Where are your parents, Danny boy?"

Daniel stared into the fire. "Probably in Paris by now," he said solemnly.

"Paris? Aren't they going to be here with us for Christmas?"

"They had a trip scheduled to Europe instead. They're not exactly what you would call hands on with their parenting." It had taken some time, but Daniel had come to the conclusion that he was simply an imposition.

"I'm sorry, man," William said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's not like I'm not used to it," Daniel said, trying to sound more upbeat now.

"Daniel! How has my boy been doing?" said a slightly portly, older woman as she entered the room.

Daniel perked up. "I'm fine, Mrs. Trumble."

The woman wore a black dress with a pressed white smock. She carried a silver serving tray with two steaming, ceramic tumblers balanced on top.

"Ah, and Master Harding as well," Mrs. Trumble said. I'm glad you both had a safe trip. I made your favorite, Daniel, my own special hot chocolate." She presented the tray's contents on the table between their chairs.

"Wow, that looks great," William said. He picked up his mug and sniffed the sweet vapor rising off its contents. It smelled of rich dark chocolate with the slightest hint of something unknown but wonderful.

"Mrs. Trumble definitely makes the best hot chocolate." Daniel grabbed the other mug and settled back into his chair.

"Stop teasing," Mrs. Trumble said. "We're glad you're home for Christmas. If you boys need anything further, just call. I've already got your beds turned down."

"Thank you," they said as Mrs. Trumble walked back out of the room.

They sank down into their chairs, sipping from their mugs and soaking up the fire's warmth. The boys kept quiet as they watched the flames dance before them.

The wind whipped the snow around outside. The boys slurped hot chocolate as the clock on the mantle ticked, and the fire in the hearth warmed their bones. Before long, they both drifted into sleep.

When morning broke upon Daniel's window, he grumbled and shuffled beneath his covers. Normally, he liked to snuggle under the blankets for a good half hour, enjoying the warmth and still of early morning. But this morning he got up promptly. He supposed that Parker must have somehow carried him and William up to his room last night, but the fog of sleep had stolen the memory of it from him.

Daniel went to his window and faced the day's new sun. Frost covered the rim of the window and he felt the sharp chill of winter beyond as it tried to invade the room through the clear pane. A hefty blanket of snow covered everything in sight outside. Tree branches bent low under the weight of accumulated powder. Small animals flitted about, conducting their daily routines despite the weather.

The pond would almost certainly be frozen by now, and Daniel grew anxious to get out on the ice. He searched in his walk-in closet and soon found some appropriately warm clothes and his ice skates. He watched William sleeping as he got himself dressed. His friend looked like he would be dozing in a blanket cocoon for at least another two hours, so he decided not to disturb him. This first time on the ice this season would be all his. Daniel finished his preparations and ran downstairs with his skates in tow—the laces tied together and hung upon his right shoulder.

As he descended the staircase to the ground level, he smelled the aroma of bacon, eggs, and coffee coming from the kitchen. Mrs. Trumble had already been busy cooking for the entire household. Daniel peeked through the door. Sure enough, the kindly maid had whipped up his favorites for his first breakfast back home.

Parker sat in the kitchen in his butler's uniform, a dark vest and trousers, white shirt, and striped tie, eating breakfast while reading the day's paper. He held a cup of coffee in his right hand and the paper open in his left. He offered a "Good morning, Master Daniel," without removing his eyes from the news.

"Good morning, Parker, Mrs. Trumble."

"Up a bit early this morning, aren't you?" Mrs. Trumble asked. "Where's your friend, William?"

"I left him asleep—thought he might like the extra time. They make us get up so early at Ekhart."

"Heading out to the pond already?" Parker asked.

"Yes, I've missed it."

"Well, not without a hardy breakfast you're not." Mrs. Trumble placed a well portioned plate of bacon, eggs, and jelly biscuit on the counter in front of him.

He took it and sat at the kitchen table with Parker. It was pointless to argue with Mrs. Trumble. She had his best interests at heart. Truth be told, Daniel adored her constant mothering—a quality lacking in his real mother. He tore through the delicious breakfast, then replaced the empty plate on the island countertop where he had retrieved it.

"I'm off," he said. "I'll be back later. Oh, and let William sleep in a bit, all right?"

"If he can resist the smell of my breakfast, then he needs the rest." Mrs. Trumble said, returning to her cooking.

"Mind the ice, Daniel." Parker said. "It's been solid for about a week now, but you never know."

"I will." Daniel ran out of the house and into the frigid air. It bit at his ears until he pulled on his toboggan and gloves. His breath clouded the air before his face and then disappeared. It reminded him of something William had told him a few times. "Life is but a vapor," he would say. "Here one second and gone the next."

Daniel had always loved winter. Only the absence of his parents made Christmas a painful time, but he had learned to live with the fact that, despite his existence, they simply weren't going to settle into a family lifestyle. They enjoyed traveling and spending money and that, simply, was the way things were and had always been. He'd stopped trying to grumble and complain about the situation to his parents long ago.

When Daniel arrived at the pond, he saw that Parker was right. The pond had transformed into a gray and white layer of ice. It looked like a thousand spider webs were stretched across its surface. Daniel trudged through the new snow and made his way to the bank of the pond. He removed his skates from his shoulder and untied the laces. Then he made the switch from shoes to blades and took a first cautious step onto the ice. It appeared quite solid.

The pond had only a four foot depth at its center, so there was no real danger of drowning in it. Daniel had plunged through on several occasions, coming home soaking wet and freezing cold. But the fire and Mrs. Trumble's mothering had taken away the chill.

The Harwick's pond measured nearly fifty yards across, more than enough room for a good game of hockey or Daniel's penchant for the dramatic on the ice. He loved speed and even had a wild side when it came to tricks. Parker had decided early on that it was best for him not to watch the boy. It only made him nervous.

Daniel pushed off from the shore, gliding out onto the ice. He tried to get his bearings before doing anything foolish—that would come in a few minutes. A biting chill hung in the air, but out on the ice, Daniel never noticed. Here he felt free. Had he been bigger, he might have done very well at sports, but he wasn't going to even try with the way things were for him at Ekhart.

Daniel made his way around the outskirts of the pond, picking up speed and launching into jumps over small branches cast from their trees hanging over the pond. He spun and came around backwards. The icy wind made the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. Then, the exposed portion of his neck, between toboggan and jacket collar, exploded with cold.

Daniel spun around as the snow infiltrated around his shoulders and down his back. He saw a blur of motion from a person on the shore and then another snowball smashed into his face, sending his glasses flying out somewhere on the blurry pond-ice. An incessant laughter broke out among several children on the shore. Daniel recognized one voice in particular: Derek Wentworth.

Derek had obviously come home for the Christmas holidays as well. And unfortunately the Wentworth's property bordered his own. Derek's voice broke through the laughter of his cronies. "Where's ole William Hardcase now, Danny boy?"

Everything appeared blurry without his spectacles, but Daniel saw the bodies of several boys, closer to his size than Derek's, encircling him on the ice. He thought about shoving through them and making a break across the pond where he had the advantage, but without his glasses, he wouldn't get far.

"This is my family's property," Daniel said with feigned confidence, "you're trespassing."

"Woo!" The other boys followed Derek's mocking lead. "I'm real scared, Danny-boy."

Derek walked cautiously out onto the ice in his sneakers and came right up to Daniel, towering over him. With the other boys around him, he had nowhere to run. Daniel imagined Derek pounding his ungloved fist into his face. This is going to hurt.

If he had ever needed William, it was now. But Will was nowhere in sight.

"I told you, if I ever caught you without that beggar around, I'd make you pay," said Derek. Then, he lunged at Daniel and shoved his shoulders with both hands. It came so fast and hard that Daniel had no time to react. His skate-laden feet flew up as his upper body succumbed to the force of gravity and the force of Derek. The blurry white world spun around him, and Daniel came crashing down backwards onto the pond.

The back of his head smashed into the ice with such force that his vision flashed like fireworks. A terrible ache hit him like a railroad spike splitting the back of his skull through to the front. A tingling enveloped his body rapidly. Daniel couldn't feel his hands and feet anymore, and in his vision faded to black. Within seconds he lost consciousness completely.

Daniel lay on his back on the ice. He did not move. For the first time in his short life, Derek Wentworth feared he may have just gone too far.

"Oh man, Derek!" said one of the boys. "His head is really bleeding, and he's not moving."

"Maybe he's dead," one of the others said in a panic. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Derek said. He bent down at his victim's side on the ice. A gooey red puddle had formed under Daniels head—the bleeding slowed by the cold.

"Daniel! Wake up!" But Daniel did not respond.

"I'm gettin outta here," said one of the boys. The entire group of four, plus Derek, degenerated into pure cowardice. They shuffled clumsily off of the ice and then hit the snow covered shore, running with all of the strength they had, leaving Daniel unconscious and alone on the pond.

HELPLESS

By the time William got out of bed it was already approaching noon. Mrs. Trumble had laid out some winter clothes for him which had been specially bought for the occasion. Daniel had snuck out ahead of him, and William wanted to go find his friend and explore this magnificent estate of his. He hoped it might take Daniel's mind off of his problems with his parents.

William waited for Parker to arrive outside with him in order to show him where the pond was where Daniel had gone to skate that morning. The temperature remained quite cold even with the noon sun. The pair chugged along through the snow, puffing out steam like locomotives as they went.

They had to walk about three hundred yards from the manor house in order to get to the pond. William spotted the ice and expected to see Daniel cruising around, showing off. Instead, Daniel lay there still and spread eagle on his back.

"I wonder what he's doing, just lying there?" William said.

Parker took notice of the boy then and stopped for a moment. He called out to Daniel, but there was no response and no movement. Parker broke into a sluggish run through the snow to get to the pond and Daniel. William, realizing there must be something wrong, sprinted for Daniel even faster. He passed Parker and got to the pond first.

Daniel lay there on the ice unconscious with a small puddle of blood around the back of his head. The blood had already frozen to the ice. Daniel's broken glasses sat on the ice thirty feet away. William began to panic when he saw his best friend's condition. "Daniel, wake up!" he shouted, but Daniel did not respond to his pleas.

Parker arrived right behind William and immediately shook Daniel lightly to rouse him. When he did not respond, Parker checked for a pulse. He did have a good steady pulse and he was breathing, only unresponsive. Parker examined his head and began to work at trying to remove the icy blood holding him stuck to the pond.

"William, go back to the house as fast as you can and have Mrs. Trumble call for the paramedics."

William instantly complied and set every bit of athletic skill and strength he had to making it back to the house quickly. When he arrived, William informed Mrs. Trumble of Daniel's condition and Parker's request. She trembled while dialing and barely remained composed on the phone asking for emergency help. "I knew something like this would happen someday. That pond is no place for a child to be playing alone." She kept saying it over and over.

By the time the paramedics arrived and made their way down to the pond to retrieve Daniel, Parker had freed his hair from the ice. He had removed all but the bare essentials of his own clothing in order to keep the boy warm with it. The paramedics brought a portable stretcher to the scene. And once they had placed a neck brace on Daniel and deemed him moveable, they slid a spine board underneath his body and lifted him to the stretcher.

William and Mrs. Trumble watched as the ambulance sped away with his best friend. Parker had gone with Daniel inside the ambulance and promised to call back with information as soon as he had news to give them on his condition. Daniel's glasses dangled from Williams fingers. The frames were bent on one side and one of the lenses had been knocked out.

"We had better go inside and wait for Parker to call," Mrs. Trumble said.

"If it's all right, ma'am, I think I'm going to walk outside for just a bit to calm down."

"Well, I suppose. But don't stay out too long, dear."

Mrs. Trumble shuffled back inside the house to wait by the phone and worry. William, on the other hand, had been thinking. They had supposed that Daniel must have fallen backwards and hit his head while skating on the pond. But when William examined his friend's glasses, it just didn't make sense to him.

If Daniel had simply fallen backward the way he had been found on the ice, then his glasses probably would have still been on his face and not in the condition they were now. For the spectacles to be found busted in one place on the frame and lying so far from where Daniel lay sounded like foul play to him.

Daniel had often bemoaned the fact that a certain unfriendly person's family estate bordered his own. William decided to investigate. If his theory proved right, then mischief was the reason for his friend's condition and not an accident. As he walked back toward the pond, William whispered a prayer for Daniel.

When William made his way to the edge of the pond again, he started to scan around. He found Daniel's tennis shoes where he must have changed into his skates, but nothing else. Then he noticed other depressions in the snow about twenty feet around on the bank. There must have been footprints for at least three boys of varying size. They had come in one way, but had evidently left in haste. They had torn up the bank so that the muddy earth mingled with the snow.

The footprints all led away from the pond and away from Daniel's house. William took up the trail like a bloodhound. The tracks stayed together and the spaces between the prints grew longer from running until they reached the trees bordering Daniel's property.

When William followed them into the woods, he noticed they stopped briefly out of sight of Daniel's home. There on the ground next to a tree lay four cigarette butts. Derek Wentworth's calling card, he thought.

William continued to follow the tracks until they met the tree line again on the other side. There, beyond the woods, stood another large home several hundred yards in the distance. Not quite as far away, William saw several boys having a snowball fight. It amazed William how easily they had continued their normal play while his friend lay bleeding and maybe even dying back on the icy pond.

William's anger burned hot—a righteous indignation against a bully who had now gone too far. He stormed out of the woods and marched straight for the boys. When he got within one hundred yards of them, they finally spotted him. The snowballs stopped flying and the younger boys gathered hastily around Derek Wentworth. They looked to him like chicks gathering to their mother's wing for protection.

The closer William got, the angrier he became. He felt like he might just strangle Derek right here in the snow.

"What do you want, Hardcase?" Derek said. "Get off of my family's property before I call the police. We don't allow any beggars around here."

William ignored the warnings and went right for him. He ran at Derek and tackled the boy, knocking him off of his feet and onto his back. William landed on top of him with his fist raised in the air, hovering over Derek's face. "I know it was you, Derek!" he screamed. "You could have killed him—he might die anyway!"

"What are you talking about, I didn't do anything!" Derek looked like a deer in the headlights—terrified.

"I followed your tracks from the pond. I know you attacked Daniel—you and your boys here. I ought to tear you to pieces right now!"

Two of the other four boys started to cry. "I told you, Derek! Daniel's gonna die and were gonna go to jail for life."

William felt like he might lose control of his fury at any moment. But then he calmed down a little. A still small voice reminded him not to hurt this boy. It wouldn't do Daniel any good now. Be angry, but sin not.

William lowered his fist. Derek's fear showed plain on his face. William slowly let go of Derek and got up to his feet, leaving the boy lying there. "You had better hope that Daniel turns out all right, because I'm going to make sure the police know who did this to him—all of you."

William backed away from the boys, turning to head back through the woods toward Daniel's home. It was better for him to let things stand the way they were. The authorities would take care of punishing Derek and the other boys. Maybe, he might even be expelled over the incident. Your will be done, Lord, he prayed as he walked. And please let Daniel be all right.

INTO THE LIVING LAND

Daniel lay on the ice, his face numb from the cold. He became aware of his clothes being wet across his front as he lay face down on the pond. He had difficulty discerning if his eyes were open or not, but he only saw black. The air felt strangely warm and smelled of grass and flowers—more like spring than winter. He heard a definite rustling, like wind forcing its way through the full foliage of tall trees.

The aching in his head began to subside. Maybe he hadn't been hurt so bad after all. Daniel noticed he did not hear Derek or any of the other boys' jeering anymore. Perhaps they had gotten their kicks and decided to leave for more exciting game. Then it happened.

He felt a poke at his body, Derek finishing the job no doubt. Then, he felt it again, two pokes to his ribs this time. Daniel might have laughed at the ticklish sensation if his head had not been throbbing so badly. Then, the finger poked at his head and he heard the distinct sound of someone close to his face, biting into something like a piece of fruit. The juice squirted onto his cheek.

Daniel winced and opened his eyes, expecting to find his bullies, but instead a thing stared at him. It spoke with fruit juice dribbling down its furry little chin.

"What are you then, big nose?" the creature asked.

Daniel screamed. His head throbbed hard, turning screaming to wincing.

"Well, I'm not that ugly," the creature said, placing his curled little hands on his hips, a piece of half eaten fruit in one of them.

Daniel realized his jaw must be dangling agape. The creature sat on his haunches, but wouldn't have been more than four feet tall on his tip-toes. He had a lemur-like face, but long ears like a rabbit falling back behind his head with ringlets and bangles hanging on them. His short silver fur covered most of his body, and his hands and feet were ape-like and appeared good for climbing things.

"What are you?" Daniel asked, bewildered.

"I asked you first, big nose," the creature said gruffly.

Daniel realized he'd been insulted. "I'm Daniel and I haven't got a big nose."

"Well, it's bigger than mine," said the creature. "I'm Meineke."

"Are you a monkey, Mr. Meineke?"

"Look, if you don't want me calling you big nose, then don't go calling me a stinking monkey! I'm a Wil, of the noble family too."

"A Wil, what's that?"

"What's a Wil? Oy, you're not from around here are you?"

"Oh yes, I am. This is my family—" but suddenly Daniel realized the world around him had changed. The frozen pond remained the same, but everything beyond its edge had changed dramatically. No more did a wide clearing sparsely populated by trees encircle the water's edge. This had been replaced by a thickly planted forest of trees that looked centuries old, twisted malevolently by time. The winter wonderland had been transformed into a fog-laden forest of gnarled trees where evil itself seemed to hang in the moist air.

The tree-bark was gunmetal gray spotted with black, and the trunks of the trees were monstrous in width. The branches looked like grisly claws raking the sky in opposition to the sun, and great roots covered the entire forest floor like a nest of snakes within the crag of a rock. The dark clouds above seemed married to the treetops while wisps of fog created a murky veil that made it impossible to see what lay in the distance.

"Where am I?" Daniel surveyed his new surroundings with a mixture of fear and awe. Had he hit his head this hard? Where was his home, his families land? All of it had disappeared, except for the pond, and had been replaced by a nightmare forest from a world he could only have imagined.

Meineke continued chewing on his fruit, speaking as his food sloshed about. "Why, you're right there," he said, pointing a finger at him matter-of-factly.

Daniel blinked slowly, becoming exasperated with the little creature's literality. "I mean, what is this place?"

Meineke stood up and spread his arms to the forest around them. "This awful place is Parengore Forest. It's the home of the Spider Elves—scary huh?"

Daniel kept his eyes searching the various layers of the forest, expecting something terrible to erupt from the murk at any moment. He felt like a hundred pairs of eyes might be watching him from the veil of fog and shadows.

"It's not so bad," he lied.

"Yeah, right. Well, I normally wouldn't be caught dead around here if it weren't for the Wielder."

"How did I get here? Last thing I remember, I was getting beat up by Derek Wentworth."

"I haven't a clue," Meineke said. "I left my companion to find a place to conduct nature's business and you were lying here, gone to the world."

Daniel racked his brain. None of this made any sense—the Wil, this forest, Spider Elves, and his house no longer anywhere in sight. Perhaps, I am dreaming. "Who is this Wielder person you said you were with?" If he was dreaming, then he might as well find out what the dream was all about.

"Oh, I'm not traveling with him. Me and my companion are looking for—" Meineke paused, listening. His ears twitched and perked up over his head. The little creature became as tense as a cat caught in the act of raiding a garbage can: ready to bolt at the slightest threat.

"What is it?"

"Shush!" Meineke hissed. He bent his head low, allowing his ears to pick up the vibrations traveling through the ground. He reminded Daniel of an old Indian scout listening for the cavalry. His eyes widened. He straightened quickly. "Come on, they're coming!"

"Who?"

"The Spider Elves—run!" And with that, Meineke bounded away from Daniel and the approaching rumble. Daniel watched the Wil run, but he wasn't sure what to do. Was this real? He took another fraction of a second to consider it. Whatever a Spider Elf is, I don't think I want to meet one!

Daniel started to run after the Wil when a thunderous explosion of gnarled tree branches delivered a monstrous creature into the short clearing around the edge of the pond. A gargantuan, hairy spider, the size of a Clydesdale, appeared. It carried a man of some sort riding upon a makeshift saddle just behind the crown of black eyes upon its head.

The rider's hair flowed silvery white down across his shoulders with pointed ears protruding through. He wore a thin beard of the same color and his skin was a ghastly, pale gray. A silver breastplate made of layers of metal scales adorned his torso and shimmered with violet color. He carried a long, intricately crafted lance in his right hand and brandished it in Daniel's direction. The elf's form appeared beautiful and terrible all at once and his steed made him all the more dangerous. Daniel froze in fear.

More ghastly riders appeared, coming through the trees behind the first with their horrid mounts—their eight legs traversing the surface of the mighty, forest root system with ease. Daniel tried to run, but he slipped on the ice.

His skates had transformed into his normal shoes. The elf rider urged his spider-mount forward to attack the boy with its two foot long fangs. Daniel saw the venom dripping as its mandibles opened to reveal the black daggers.

A large gray bird snatched Daniel away from the jaws. It bore him up swiftly, carrying him by the shoulders. Was he now to be this predator's next meal? "Don't worry, lad, I'll get you out of here," Meineke's voice said through the bird.

"Meineke, is that you?" They soared up toward the twisted branches of the nearby trees.

A blast, like a clear bubble, flew off of the end of the elf's lance. It hit Daniel and Meineke in flight, sounding like a thunderclap. Daniel fell away and landed among heaps of decaying leaves within the gaps in the massive tree roots. Meineke tumbled in the air on a collision course with the thick trunk of a craggy, old tree. His form morphed almost faster than could be seen and he righted himself in time to land on the vertical face of the tree trunk. Meineke hung there in his original form—claws set into the porous bark like a defiant squirrel.

He leaped down to the ground with the same elegant agility and found Daniel among the smelly, old leaves where the roots hung over them both like prison bars. "Come on, Daniel." He led the boy back into the leaves and intertwining roots.

The Wil tunneled, finding their way through the labyrinth created by the roots. Pockets of dead space appeared here and there among the leaves as they tried to keep moving away from the Spider Elves. The spaces between the roots were too small for the spiders to enter, but Daniel heard them moving around above, searching for their prey.

Meineke spotted a patch of light and they rushed toward it. The pair came up through a rotted out trunk that had a large enough hole in its side for them to emerge onto the forest floor again. They ran again with the Spider Elves about twenty yards behind them. Daniel did his best to keep up with Meineke. The Wil seemed a natural for such an environment, leaping from root to root and ducking under others to stay ahead of the elf riders and the nightmares they rode upon.

As they ran through the dense forest, Daniel noticed a distinct groaning emanating from all around them—as though the forest moaned in agony over the situation. The harder Daniel ran and the closer he and Meineke's pursuers got to them, the louder the noise became.

The trees swayed their craggy top branches, yet Daniel felt no wind. Could the trees be moving on their own, he wondered. He ran into an area where the roots heaved up in tight bands, becoming a wall before him. Meineke had circumvented it while Daniel was paying more attention to the movement of the forest than his way. He realized, too late, that he was cornered next to a huge old tree with massive boughs.

One of the elven riders came to a halt behind him. His mount hissed, baring its venomous fangs for the kill. Meineke had disappeared. Daniel turned, attempting to climb, but he couldn't find a purchase anywhere for his incapable child's hands. The tree vibrated beneath his palms and he heard the sound of wood twisting under duress. The giant spider lunged forward with fangs dripping deadly venom. Daniel screamed as the sleek black daggers came at him. He had no defense.

The ground shook like an atom bomb unleashed, throwing Daniel back on his side into the dirt. He looked back at the fiendish predator, only to find one of the massive branches of the tree above him grinding the spider and its rider into the ground, like a man squashing a bug under his thumb.

The branch lifted slowly, revealing a ghastly residue from the kill. Daniel thought he might vomit, but only before the rising branch revealed another elf rider twenty yards away. The rider looked aghast at his former companion's remains dropping from the branch, intermingled with hunks of arachnid pulp, back into the stew surrounded by eight splayed legs.

The elf rider howled a war cry, leveling his exquisite lance at Daniel's position. A glint of light caught his eye as an object sailed over his head in the direction of the elf. The warrior pulled his lance back to defend against a long, curved fighting knife. The blade whirled at him and clanged off of his weapon.

A sleek figure, veiled by billowing crimson robes, glided to the ground in front of Daniel with the elegant fighting knife's twin in hand. Emerald eyes flashed with the stranger's beauty from beneath her hood as she turned and noticed Daniel before moving on into the fray with the Spider Elf. Daniel was instantly captivated. Had he been able to take his eyes off of her, he might have seized the opportunity to run.

The mysterious woman evaded a strike by the elf's lance, then rolled across the ground and under the deadly spider. Her blade, cuffed behind her arm, unfurled as she came to kneel beneath the beast as it reared up on its back legs, trying to find the elusive prey. She took the opportunity and drove the blade deep into the joint between the sternum and the joints of its legs and then leaped away as it reflexively jerked its appendages inward. The other knife lay nearby on the ground. She retrieved it quickly as the startled elf tried to recover from the collapse of his mount.

At this distance, the long lance was of little use to the elf. The female warrior maneuvered inside his line of attack with her second blade. She finished him off while he sat entangled in his spider's harness. She then returned the knife to its place somewhere under her robe. The woman retrieved the companion blade from the spider's corpse and then walked toward Daniel.

He hadn't noticed the Wil standing next to him again, until he felt the creature's small hand leaning against his hip. "She's something, isn't she?" Meineke said with a sigh.

Daniel looked at him and noticed blood staining his short fur. Startled, he asked, "Are you all right, Meineke?"

Meineke inspected his body. "Oh, don't worry, it's not mine."

"Oh," Daniel said, trying not to imagine where the stain had come from.

The woman approached with her other weapon, sheathing it with its twin under her cloak. She pulled back her hood, revealing auburn locks that hung around her shoulders like arms guarding her virtue. She was beautiful, yet strangely menacing at the same time, and again, her emerald eyes fixed Daniel where he stood.

Meineke stepped forward and said, "Thanks for the save, Marissa, I thought that Spider Elf had me for sure."

Marissa disregarded Meineke's gesture, walking past him to Daniel. "Man child, are you injured?"

Is she speaking to me? "Oh, yes, I'm fine, thank you for saving me, ma'am."

Marissa looked at the tree above them. It had settled back into its place of stillness. Her gaze shifted behind her to the remains of the first Spider Elf. "It would seem that I'm not the only one that helped you."

Daniel looked up at the tree and the mess it had made of his attacker. "Oh, yes, ma'am. I'm not really sure what happened. It was the strangest thing I've ever—well honestly, this whole day has been strange for me. I'm still not sure how I got to this place or even what world I'm in."

Marissa looked intently at the young man, studying him in search of any deceit in his expression, but appeared to find none evident. "You are in the Living Land, man child," she said, looking around the forest.

"I'm thirteen."

"What?"

"I'm thirteen now, nearly fourteen. I'm not a child anymore," Daniel said boldly.

A slight grin appeared on her lips and then faded quickly. "So you are."

"Marissa, this is Daniel," Meineke said. "I found him face down, back there a ways, on top of a frozen pond."

"We've no time to discuss this now," she said. "One of the riders escaped and he'll return with reinforcements quickly." Marissa pulled her hood up over her head, preparing to depart. "I trust, young Daniel, that at nearly fourteen, you will have no trouble keeping up with our pace."

No sooner had she said this then she leaped away, scaling the roots like she was born to the task. "Let's go, lad," Meineke said, running after Marissa.

Daniel set out after them, trying to hold the pace with Meineke. The Wil obviously went slower than normal on Daniel's behalf.

"Who is she, Meineke?"

"Marissa is a princess, Daniel, of the Bard Elves that live in the North Country," Meineke said. "That's where we're headed once we meet up with the others beyond the forest."

"Others?"

"Of course. You didn't think it was just me and Marissa taking a stroll through the woods, did you? No, we're on our way to consult Marissa's father, King Nicholas."

"How far is it to the North Country?"

"A long journey, Daniel, a long journey, but we'll be safer after we meet up with the others. At this pace, we'll reach the forest edge by nightfall and the others will be waiting for us, if nothing has befallen them."

DRAGON IRE

The sun retreated and the darkness gained strength as the trio reached the borders of Parengore Forest several hours later. Daniel supposed that Marissa and Meineke must have journeyed through the greater portion of the forest before coming upon him. Daniel recognized nothing about his surroundings, and yet it all seemed strangely familiar to him, like a dream he had never been quite able to remember.

Marissa kept her thoughts to herself along the entire journey, while Meineke was more than glad to share his thoughts on any subject that happened to jumped into his little head. Daniel appreciated the Wil's company. Meineke helped him not to dwell on the fact that he had no idea how he was going to get home.

When they had passed the boundaries of the forest, Marissa stopped. She began searching the horizon. Daniel and Meineke stood with her, trying to see what had caught her attention.

"Hey, look, is that a campfire in the distance?" Meineke asked. "I sure hope the others have something prepared for our supper."

"I don't think it's a campfire, Wil," Marissa replied.

"I have a name, you know?"

She ignored his comment and headed toward the light in the distance. "Come along."

Daniel and Meineke followed after her. The Wil continued to voice his personal frustration with the Bard Elf Princess. "My mother calls me, Meineke...and so does my father. Everybody calls me Meineke. Hey, Meineke, how are you today? Why I'm fine and you? Hey Meineke let's get something to eat....Sure, no problem, friend," the Wil ranted as he walked. "But not me, I'm a princess and you're just a Wil," Meineke continued, his voice mockingly female.

Marissa never acted as though she even heard him. After twenty minutes of walking, the group realized the reason for the fire they had seen. A small human village had been destroyed recently. There appeared to have been, perhaps, thirty lodges in the village. Now, only rubble and char remained.

Marissa, Meineke, and Daniel stood at the edge of the village. Then Marissa started walking into the scorched area.

"Where are you going?" Meineke asked, clearly surprised at Marissa's investigation.

She didn't answer him.

"Marissa?" he hissed.

"I need to see something," she said finally without stopping. Meineke and Daniel looked at one another and then at the darkness closing around them. Sit in the dark, or follow the warrior princess—it was an easy decision for them.

As they walked into the village, they remained cautious, despite the absence of those who had caused the destruction. The main road into the town was littered with small fires, debris, and burned-to-a-crisp bodies. Daniel thought this sight might be worse than the remains of the Spider Elf and his mount. The smell sickened him—burnt flesh and the putrid, lingering odor of whatever had done this.

Meineke and Daniel kept out of Marissa's way as she surveyed the remains of the village. "Why did we have to come in here?" Meineke complained. He scanned around nervously. Marissa stopped to investigate a large scorched area of ground. She was obviously puzzled and disturbed by what she was looking at.

"Your Highness," Daniel flattered, "What is it?"

"Man chi—Daniel," she corrected herself, "What do you see in this burn pattern?"

Daniel tried to study it the way she had. The fiery impression appeared in many other places in the village. It fell on rooftops, upon the streets and across the remains of the people littering the street. The pattern looked like water blasted from a hose on a dry sidewalk—splayed in the same way. "It looks like the fire came down from above," Daniel said.

Marissa frowned at the blackened area. "Exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"Do you know anything about Dragons, young Daniel?"

"Dragons!" Meineke erupted. "Why would Dragons be involved with Mortis? They stand to lose just as much as the rest of us if Mortis is successful in bringing the Necrom Void here."

"That's something only time can tell us," Marissa said. "But it would appear Mortis is seeking allies from among the inhabitants of the Living Land to help him win the war."

"I don't understand. Who is Mortis?" Daniel asked.

"You really aren't from around here, are you?" Meineke said.

"Mortis is the enemy of every inhabitant in the Living Land," Marissa explained. "He is a bringer of death. He has the ability to animate the inanimate, to a certain extent. Mortis hails from a place known as the Necrom Void. All life withers within the void and this is what he is attempting to spread across the Living Land. If we do not find a way to defeat Mortis, then I fear all life in our great world will be lost."

"How big is the Living Land?" Daniel asked.

"Very few know its boundaries. My father is one of them," she said. "He's a great king, the mightiest warrior in the Living Land, except for the Wielder, of course."

"Who's the Wielder?"

"No one knows who he is, but as for what he is, the Wielder is a legendary figure that has all of the power of the Living Land at his disposal."

"You mean like God?"

"Well, not exactly. The Wielder isn't a god. But he does possess the power to destroy Mortis. The legend says, When the Wielder comes to fight with death, through arm of flesh or power of mind, the ways of death shall not prevail, or have strength to turn the tide. But when by faith the Sovereign be seen, then hope, too, will be in sight, oh cast thyself upon this rock, and sacrifice thy might.

Daniel rubbed his chin. "It certainly is a cryptic riddle, isn't it? How will you find him?"

"There is a prophetic scroll which holds the secret of his location. I have already been successful in retrieving the scroll from the location my people had kept it hidden. But it must be translated from the ancient language and my father is one of the few who can do it."

A roar broke through their conversation from somewhere nearby. They looked across the charred remains of the buildings toward the source and saw a plume of fire erupt skyward.

"Come on!" Marissa bolted toward the scene. Meineke and Daniel dashed away after her. They ran through the burnt shells of buildings which had once served as quaint homes for families. Now, they remained no more than charred wood and ashes—their former inhabitants strewn throughout the blackened streets.

When they rounded one of the last sets of buildings, they saw a dragon bellowing out flame against an odd combination of attackers. The sight amazed Daniel. The dragon had gunmetal gray scales that resembled plates of armor. The beast had a long neck and a row of horns which were larger at the head, growing smaller as they trailed down the back of its neck. It may have looked like a typical dragon, but seeing it up close in all of its fury frightened Daniel beyond anything he had ever witnessed. He stopped short of the battle, frozen in place by terror.

Several different types of warriors fought with the great monster. There were several human warriors, a group of creatures with the appearance of cherubs, a group of elves similar in dress to Marissa, and two great cats, twice the size of a normal African lion. Marissa fearlessly joined the fantastic scene as the group battled against the dragon.

The great cats climbed about on the beast, attacking it and shredding the leathery membranes of its powerful wings. The others fired arrows and hurled long spears, trying to land a hit at one of the dragons few vulnerable spots along its armored hide.

The dragon caught sight of Daniel. He saw a fierce bloodlust in its expression as the creature fixed its gaze upon him. Daniel felt like the dragon had stared right into his soul. He couldn't move. The terror felt like ice running through his veins. The creature's eyes mesmerized him—a serpent toying with a mouse just before the death strike is delivered.

A long spear jabbed under a scale, breaking the beast's concentration. It howled with fury and shook the large cats free of its body in a blur of motion. One of the more tenacious giant felines had to be knocked away with a nose swipe by the dragon. Then the monster turned its full focus on Daniel again.

The wind began to blow hard over the village—it grew to a gale in seconds. The dragon gathered itself, poised to strike across the fifty yard space between it and Daniel. Meineke pulled at Daniel's shirt, urging him to flee. "Daniel, run!"

Marissa understood the dragon's intent, but was not close enough to get to Daniel in time. She hurled one of her long fighting knives at the dragon. Nearly three feet of forged steel bounced off the creature's tough, scaly hide as it released the coiled tension in its muscles and sprang toward Daniel and Meineke. A microburst of wind instantly surged through the streets of the village. It leveled the structures still standing and slammed into the dragon with massive force.

Marissa and the other warriors were thrown to the ground by the sudden wind. The dragon slammed sideways into a nearby pile of debris—Godzilla falling onto cardboard Tokyo skyscrapers.

Daniel lay face down on the ground with Meineke, terrified. As he turned over, Daniel noticed ominous clouds hovering low overhead, illuminated by multiple flashes of heat lightening. The wind still blew hard, but not with the intensity it just had.

The Dragon scrambled to its feet amid the debris of the burnt building and surged after Daniel again. It leaped through the air while the warriors tried to recover.

A white flash erupted around the dragon as it came at Daniel and Meineke. He expected to be engulfed in dragon fire, but it had not originated with the creature. Multiple flashes of lightning arced away from the dragon, connecting with the charged clouds above in a process faster than the eye can register.

The beast screeched horribly in agony and then fell silent as it slammed into the dirt in front of Daniel and the Wil. Daniel had trouble seeing after the lightning flash. When his vision cleared again, some of the warriors, including Marissa, approached the beast cautiously with their weapons ready to strike.

The dragon did not move. Smoke rose from its still form as though someone had just taken it off a grill like a well done steak. A burnt stench, more potent than that present in the destroyed village, quickly filled the air, wrinkling their noses. Meineke helped Daniel to his feet. The group of warriors gathered around the dragon, surveying the kill and discussing the incident among themselves. But Marissa stood transfixed on Daniel rather than the dead reptile before her.

The warriors asked what in the world had happened. Daniel wondered the same thing, though he was glad to be alive. He had never been more terrified than when the dragon lunged after him. Why is this happening to me? I've only been here, in this strange place, for a few hours and already several monsters have tried to kill me!

"Are you all right, Daniel?" Meineke asked.

Daniel shook all over. He thought he might break down and cry at any moment. Only Meineke and Marissa paid any attention. "NO! I'm not all right," he shouted. "I've got to get home. I can't stay here!"

Daniel turned and ran away from the group of warriors. "Daniel, don't go," Meineke said. "It's dangerous!"

But Daniel didn't listen to the Wil's pleading. He had had enough of this strange and terrifying world. Daniel only wanted to get back home. He would gladly face Derek's taunting a hundred times a day if he could just get back to his own world. He ran as hard as he could and soon found himself beyond the border of the village. There was only enough moonlight to allow him to see the edge of Parengore Forest about four hundred and fifty yards ahead of him.

It looked like a monster in its own right and suddenly Daniel was overcome by the fear of entering it again. But how else could he get home? The pond had been the only thing from home here in the Living Land. Daniel supposed that in order to get back home he would have to get to that pond again. But Parengore's trees looked like the horrid teeth of a nightmare waiting to consume him as soon as he entered.

"Going so soon?" a voice said from behind him. Daniel recognized the voice immediately; he had longed to hear it again ever since coming into this world.

"William!" he erupted as he turned and saw his young friend sitting on a rock a few yards away. William dressed like the inhabitants of the land, wearing a cloak with the hood pulled back. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because you're here, Daniel."

Daniel walked over to him. "You were pulled into this world too?"

"Not exactly, I'm a Mem, Daniel."

"A What?"

"You remember me and so I am here in the Living Land."

"I don't understand."

"Take my hand, Daniel," William said, extending his own right hand.

Daniel reached for his friend's hand, but passed right through the flesh unhindered. "You see me in essence, Daniel, but I have no body with which to aid you."

"Then why come to me now? Are you here to torture me with your memory?" Daniel sighed heavily and slumped down on the rock next to William. "What am I going to do?"

"I've come to advise you," William said. "You can't go home the way you came here. You have a journey to make, my friend, and though it will be very difficult for you, there is no other way."

"I don't want to go on here, William. It's a horrible place. I've almost died twice in half a day's time. There's dragons and huge spiders and I'm really scared."

"You must. If this land should perish at the hands of Mortis then you will perish with it. There is a connection which cannot be broken and things must be done here which only you can accomplish, Daniel."

"I don't understand, William. What things, and why do I have to do them?" Daniel asked, exasperated.

"That I cannot tell you, but you will know when the time comes."

"Master Daniel, are you all right?" Marissa said.

Daniel whirled on his rock, finding the Bard Princess standing there, her crimson cloak bathed in the moonlight, giving it a violet hue. He looked back to William, but the apparition of his friend was gone. Daniel had almost expected it to be the case. The disappointment showed on his face when Marissa came closer to him.

"I wanted to see if you were all right," she said with much more compassion in her voice than before.

"Yes, I suppose. I'm sorry for freaking out back there."

"It can be very unsettling to face a dragon like that. If that burst of wind and the lightning strike had not occurred, you surely would have perished."

"Yeah, that was weird wasn't it?"

"Indeed, do you have any idea how those things happened?" Marissa asked.

Daniel considered it for a moment and then shook his head. "I don't have a clue, but I'm glad they did."

"Of course, but I must say these are very intriguing things happening around you: first, the tree killing the Spider Elf, and now the wind and lightning come to your aid. This is unlike anything I've ever witnessed."

"I don't know what to tell you, Marissa. Every bit of this is new and strange to me. Honestly, I'm terrified just being here. But apparently I have a journey to make in this world and the only thing I can do is keep moving forward. I used to imagine how great it would be to live in a fantasy world like this, but now I'm not so sure."

Marissa put her hand on Daniel's shoulder. "That's all any of us can do now, Daniel. And since we're all going in that same direction, I hope you will join us as you take this journey through the Living Land."

Daniel glanced back at Parengore Forest—at the trees like terrible teeth bared at him. He sighed and then turned back to Marissa. Daniel nodded his acceptance of her invitation and they began walking back through the darkness toward the others. He thought of William and his friends at home. It was going to be a long road to get back to them.

A CURIOUS COMPANY

The Wil waited for Daniel and Marissa as they began to reach the burned out village again. He paced nervously and looked pleased to see them appear out of the darkness. "You got him to come back," Meineke said to Marissa. "I'm glad, Daniel. You know Parengore Forest is no place to be walking about in the full light of day, let alone at night."

"Thanks, Meineke," Daniel said. "I just freaked out a bit, I guess."

"Not a problem. Why you should have seen me when this giant carnivine got its ropes around me—"

"Meineke," Marissa interrupted, "we really should get Daniel back to the others and refresh ourselves with some food."

"I'm all for that," Meineke said. He took hold of Daniel's hand and led him back through the village to where the others had set up camp.

They passed through the carnage, as before, but Daniel was even more haunted by the destruction. Now he knew the beast which had done it—a dragon that had taken a particular interest in him. But why, he wondered. Why would such a creature be so intent on the destruction of a harmless, almost fourteen-year-old boy?

At any rate, Daniel remained grateful for the freak lightning which had killed the creature just before it had reached him. The stench of dragon hit their nostrils well before they saw the creature again. But when they did come upon the carcass, it was a grisly sight to behold. The dragon had frozen into position like rigor mortis with its extremities flailed out against the pain of electrocution. Numerous tendrils of smoky vapor rose from the body. Daniel saw what appeared to be cauterized wounds where the creature's torso had been struck with such power that the entrails had burst forth, gushing upon the ground in a gory heap.

The contorted expression on its face, with eyes squeezed shut, the mouth partially open, and the tongue dangling out the side of its toothy jaw horrified him. Even in death this beast evoked fear in Daniel, and he sped up to get beyond it. He half expected the dragon to get back up and come after him again.

"Ugh!" Meineke snorted. "Smells like wet dog on a spit! He nearly had us, didn't he Daniel?"

"Yeah," Daniel replied, rather wishing to put the experience out of his thoughts at the moment.

"Hoo-hoo, I nearly let go of the ole' bladder when that thing came after us! Praise the Maker for that lightning strike. Can you just imagine what he would have done to us had he gotten those giant choppers into our wee bodies. Makes my flesh crawl just thinking about it."

Daniel wondered why the little Wil seemed so intent on reliving the experience. He acted like he had just survived the best rollercoaster ride of his life. They kept walking. Soon the glow of a fire and the smell of meat roasting found them at the edge of the village on the other side. Voices issued from inside one of the less dilapidated huts. It still had a roof and most of its walls standing. One of the men Daniel had seen fighting the dragon earlier stood just outside as a sentry.

Six human men took part in their company: three men with dark skin and three with fairer skin. The sentry nodded to Marissa as she, Daniel, and Meineke approached. They passed through into the shelter with the others.

The men had a fire going in the midst of the largest room with a spit propped up and meat roasting upon it. Daniel didn't know from what sort of animal it might have come, but it smelled delicious. He noticed the rumbling in his belly and the moisture welling in his mouth. Whatever it had been, he wanted some of it.

"Boy, oh boy." Meineke rubbed his small furry hands together in anticipation of the savory sweet meat. "I can't wait for a bit of that."

"Hold your appetite and your grubby mitts, Wil," said the small warrior turning the spit.

The childlike warrior and two others traveled in their company. Daniel had seen them fighting with the dragon. They appeared to be children of possibly seven or eight years of age, all with bushy curls and cherubic faces, but the voice of this one was as deep as any man's. Meineke gave the little boy a resentful stare. "Bossy cherub, who do you think you are ordering me around, Louie?"

"You're a cherub?" Daniel asked innocently.

"Aye, and what of it, runt?" Louie said.

"Who you callin runt," Meineke said. "You ain't even as tall as he is, Louie."

The cherub shot Meineke a snarl completely at odds with his angelic appearance.

"I didn't mean to pry," Daniel said. "I've just never seen a real cherub before."

"Well feast your eyes on three of the finest cherubic warriors to come out of the Falewood." Louie stood as he gestured to the two small warriors seated around the fire with him.

The cherubs carried small swords, and they each had quivers slung diagonally across their torsos, over their right shoulders, full of three quarter size arrows. They also wore brown kilts, beige shirts and dark green ponchos which split down the middle of their backs, allowing their folded wings to push out freely for flight. Listening to Louie reminded Daniel more of a burly steel worker than a cherub.

"This is Mickey and Bob," Louie said as he sat back down upon the log the cherubs shared.

"You don't look at all like the pictures I've seen, and I wouldn't have expected your names to be Louie, Mickey, and Bob," Daniel said.

"Well what did you expect our names to be?" Mickey asked.

"Something long and pretty, eh lads?" Louie said. They all three broke into hardy laughter.

Daniel didn't know what to say.

"What did these pictures of cherubs look like?" Bob asked.

"Oh well, usually wearing just a diaper or nothing much at all and shooting little heart tipped arrows to make people fall in love with each other, like Cupid," Daniel explained.

The cherub's laughter instantly fell silent as a tomb, and their faces became like stone. Meineke, on the other hand, appeared on the verge of a full-on fit of explosive giggles the likes of which might kill any mere mortal.

"Boy, do you take us for a bunch of pansies or something?" Louie demanded.

"Well, you are wearing cute little dresses!" howled Meineke. He could contain his amusement no longer and burst into a spree of laughter.

The cherubs reacted instantly. Louie pulled his small sword in anger. "Watch your tongue, Wil!"

Meineke went on the defense, his razor sharp claws ejecting from his plump little, pink fingers as he growled at the cherub commander like a bobcat.

"I'll take your wretched furry hide for a new coat," Louie threatened.

A low, guttural growl rumbled from the darkness just beyond the fire. Daniel became aware of the two big cats he had seen fighting the dragon earlier. The Larger of the two spoke in a menacing tone from behind Louie. "Be careful of your words, little fly. There are more fur-bearing creatures within earshot, besides the Wil, who might take offense at your threats."

Louie's eyes widened as he realized the big cat was breathing down his neck.

"That's enough, all of you," Marissa said. The whole lot of them quieted their bickering. Daniel stared at Marissa. Despite her beauty, she commanded complete respect from the others. She returned his gaze briefly and then continued with her conversation with the other Bard Elves and five men of their escort troupe. From what Daniel heard of their conversation, they were trying to decide which path to take on their journey north to Marissa's father, the king.

Louie's demeanor relaxed along with the others, and Meineke took his seat with Daniel. He turned his attention back to the more important task at hand, getting some meat into his belly. "All right, Louie, let's divvy up the tasties before it gets too crispy. I like it juicy, you know," he fussed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Louie removed the meat from the fire and began to carve pieces away for them all. To Daniel's surprise, Louie handed him the first and biggest piece. "Welcome aboard, lad. Don't mind our bickering. We usually carry on like this with Meineke. You know how Wil's are."

"Yeah, hungry," Meineke interrupted as he accepted his piece of steaming meat.

"Better watch him," Louie said. "With this Wil's appetite we're liable to catch him in the middle of the night out there 'aving himself a helping of that roasted dragon."

They all enjoyed a good laugh over the joke as they relished the wonderful meal. All the while, the larger members of their company remained huddled together in the small adjoining room just away from the fire, making plans for their journey tomorrow.

ON TO THE HIGH ROAD

Sleep remained uneventful in the makeshift shelter that night. The next morning everyone awoke early. The dew still lay on the grass and there was a chill in the air. The storm that had whipped up around the dragon the night before had gone, leaving no trace of ever having existed apart from the giant reptilian corpse. The village still smoldered in a few places, but for the most part the embers had gone dark.

Daniel felt uneasy. He had trouble remembering the dream from the night before. He only remembered a man with power beyond anything Daniel could comprehend. And yet, for some reason not revealed by the vision, the man had allowed himself to be beaten nearly to death. Daniel understood that in some way he had sacrificed himself for others who could not save themselves. He tried to remember the rest of the dream, to see the man's face, but it eluded him.

Daniel helped Meineke and the cherubic warriors dismember the camp. They made their best attempt to hide the evidence of there ever having been there, just in case an enemy came upon the village searching for them.

The two giant cats appeared on the edge of the village, walking toward their company, and Daniel found himself in awe of them. They both had similar markings and appearance, but one was larger than the other. Different shades of jagged stripes ran down the length of their bodies like a tiger. As they came closer, their short fur bristled and the pattern of stripes changed. Like the skin of a chameleon, the fur became more like their present surroundings.

The largest of the great cats stood easily as tall as a horse, but with far more power pent up in its muscular body. "They've been out hunting while we were sleeping," Meineke said.

"In Parengore Forest?"

"Yeah, of course, Bon and Jale aren't afraid of anything in Parengore. They're the kind people usually fear in those sorts of places. Fortunately they're loyal to King Nicholas and our cause."

"Are they both males?"

"Oh yeah, father and son they are. They're pantheras—great cats. The only things that would dare to tangle with pantheras are dragons, griffins, or the giant spiders like the ones you already saw in Parengore."

"Griffins?" Daniel asked.

"Oh yeah, the griffins live in the cliffs of Ardath-Rage, part of the Balor Mountains over against the eastern border of the Waron Sea. They're the natural enemies of the dragons and loyal to the cause as well."

"And what exactly is this cause?" Daniel asked.

"Fighting Mortis, of course. He's a mighty enemy who's trying to take over the Living Land. But we have to find the Wielder."

Daniel nodded and continued packing up the camp. Marissa appeared out in the street along with the men and elves. The others gathered to her as they prepared to depart from the village. "We'll be traveling by sea in the shadow of the Balor Mountains by way of the Ardath Pass and then through the Deadwood near Mt. Doom," said Marissa.

Daniel noticed some trepidation among the cherubs and Meineke at the mention of Mt. Doom. The men also looked unhappy with the choice, but had known about it since last night and were set to the task. The elf men remained stoic regarding the choice. After seeing Marissa in action, Daniel wondered if it wasn't simply their way to express less emotion.

"Would it not be better to seek shipping across the sea?" Louie suggested.

"There are dangers upon the sea as well," Bon, the larger of the two pantheras, said.

Louie raised an eyebrow. "But to go in the shadow of the Dragon Hold?"

"I would rather face a dragon on my four feet than to be cast into the water and face the horrors of the deep out of my element," Bon said.

"I admit passing anywhere near Mt. Doom is going to be very dangerous, but I agree with Bon," Marissa said. "We face numerous dangers if we try to cross the sea and at least on dry land we stand a better chance of making a defense. If any are unwilling to commit to this journey, you are free to take your leave." Nevertheless, she had said it as a challenge.

The cherubs straightened, not willing to appear as cowards before the others, especially before the princess. Marissa met the eyes of them all with a steely gaze, assuring them she was not afraid. "Very well then, gentlemen, let's be on our way. We have much ground to cover, but keep your wits about you. The dragon killed here may have been out searching for us when he attacked the village. We should be ready for anything. Mortis will almost certainly realize that King Nicholas has sought to find the Wielder and he may have more of his servants looking for us."

They set off on their journey to the North Country and King Nicholas. Daniel wondered what Marissa's father would be like. She had claimed he was the mightiest warrior in the land, apart from the Wielder whom they searched for.

After their troupe had covered quite a bit of distance across the grasslands toward the Waron Sea, Daniel's legs began to ache. "I never appreciated a car more than now," he said to Meineke. "My legs are killing me."

"What's a car?"

"It's got four wheels and you ride in it."

"Oh, like a wagon?"

"Not exactly," Daniel said. They're probably weren't any of the modern conveniences he was used to in this world, so he decided it was probably best to try not thinking about what he missed.

The three Bard Elf men walked in the point position, with Marissa walking several paces behind them. Three of the human men walked just behind her, with the other three taking up the rear of their company. Daniel wondered how intentional their order was. It appeared that he, Meineke, and the three cherubs were all being protected by the others. Bon and Jale, the two pantheras, walked in flanking positions on either side of him.

"I've never seen cats as big as you," Daniel said to Jale, the younger panthera.

The great cat, whose back was nearly as high as the top of Daniel's head, gave him a sidelong glance that did not appear friendly in the least. Jale gave him an indifferent snort, then turned back to the path.

"Don't mind him," Bon said. "My son doesn't always have the manners he should." Bon had clearly said this to be heard by both Daniel and Jale. Bon had a deep menacing voice, yet he spoke with an elegance Daniel never would have expected from such a mighty carnivore. It made Daniel think of having tea with Darth Vader. He wasn't sure if he should agree with the remark for fear of offending Jale.

"I'm sorry, sir. I only meant that I'm in awe of your size and power. The largest of the big cats back in my world wouldn't stand a chance against either of you," Daniel said, trying to be as complimentary as possible.

Bon seemed to smile. "Really?"

"Oh yes, we have lions and tigers that are pretty fierce looking to me, but none of them are as big as you two. And I really think your camouflage is cool too. There are some small reptiles that can do similar things with their skin, but none of the mammals can blend the way you two can."

"That's very interesting, Daniel," Bon said. "Tell me, do the men of your world live in peace with these great cats?"

"Well, not exactly, sir," Daniel admitted. He felt ashamed when he thought about it. "The men of our world fear the great cats. They're very dangerous and not civilized and intelligent like you. Some of them are caged in zoos so that people can go and see them without being attacked."

"You see, Father!" Jale interrupted furiously. "Our kind is hated of men even in his world." Jale snarled at Daniel, startling him, then with a last look at his father, he ran off through the thick grasses. He soon disappeared as his chameleon-like fur changed to match his surroundings.

"Boy, what's eating him?" Meineke asked.

"I'm sorry for my son's behavior, Daniel," Bon said. "He is still grieving the loss of his mother at the hands of men, nearly a year ago."

"I'm very sorry," Daniel said. "What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all. She was taken in a pit and killed by a tribe of men who sought fur to trade."

Daniel immediately glanced at the three men walking ahead of them a few paces. "No, Daniel, it was not any of these men or their kin," Bon assured him. "This happened far to the east of the Balor Mountains. But Jale blames all men for the loss of his mother."

"I don't blame him," Meineke said, clutching his own gray fur as though someone might take it from him.

"Meineke's right, I can't really blame him for feeling that way," Daniel admitted. "I'm surprised that you are willing to be so forgiving."

"I only recognize that not all men are the same, Daniel," Bon said. "I would not expect that sort of attitude from someone like you, but Jale is allowing his passions to govern his actions. In times like we live in, Daniel, we must be willing to band together against our common foes."

"You mean Mortis?"

"Yes, and those who have foolishly allied themselves with him. They hope to gain power from him, but they are fools. Mortis will never share his power and they will all perish who serve him. He fills their minds with lies and they choose to believe those lies to their own hurt."

"This Wielder who we are supposed to be searching for..."

"Yes?"

"Can he really defeat Mortis?"

Bon seemed to consider it for a moment before answering. "I hope so, Daniel." The panthera's answer lacked the confidence Daniel had hoped to hear.

Marissa stepped to the side of the line, waiting for Daniel and those around him to catch up to her. "Bon, where has Jale gone?"

"My son is sulking, Marissa. He will return when he has satisfied his need for solitude."

Marissa nodded. She turned her attention to the Wil. "Meineke, I need you to fly ahead and scout the path for us. We don't want to be surprised by anything."

"You got it, Marissa." He tapped Daniel on the shoulder. "I'll see you in a bit, eh?"

The Wil leaped into the air; morphing into the same predatory bird he had been when he snatched Daniel from the fangs of the giant spider in Parengore Forest.

"Hey, why does he get to fly off and scout?" Louie complained.

"Because he's faster than you are," Marissa said. Then she gave Daniel a sly wink and walked back to the front in order to assume her former place in the line.

THE METAMEN

Jale smelled the strong odors of the sea. His stomach rumbled its desire for food as the aroma of fish penetrated his nasal membranes. He had managed to put nearly a half hour between him and the others. The running felt good, like being on the hunt.

Jale had enjoyed some fun along the way, chasing grouse from the tall grasses and leaping after them. It had been too long since he had gotten to play with his other young peers. The quest for the Wielder took precedence with his father, taking them far from home.

Jale's head penetrated the edge of the tall grasses. He saw one of the human villages beyond near the sea. The men there earned their living as fishermen. There would almost certainly be a fresh catch around somewhere. With careful planning, he might help himself to a few tasty morsels.

He knew his father would have been appalled to find his son even considering thievery. But Jale hated humans because of what they had done to his mother and he wasn't above taking from them if given the chance. The foul odor of men mixing with that of the sea disgusted him.

To his delight, Jale noticed that none of the fishing vessels rested on the shore. The men must all be out on the sea after the day's catch. Only the women and children will be left in the village. Maybe I can have some fun putting a little fear into them before I leave with my snack.

Jale crept from the tall green and yellow grasses, stalking ever so slowly toward the village. His fur blended perfectly with the environment, holding a dark green hue intermingled with flecks of straw colored yellow. Adrenaline surged through his veins like lightning. There was no feeling like this one. Every muscle felt like a wound spring waiting to be released.

Strangely, he heard no sound of people talking like he might have expected. He watched carefully, but saw no one. He heard no movement in the village at all as he approached. Jale paused as he came to the main path running through two rows of houses. Something is wrong. Jale caught wind of another smell just then—blood. And it wasn't the blood of fish or animals, but the blood of man.

Jale's coat took on the appearance of the ground around him: a grayish mix of sand and soil. Nothing moved in the village except things blown by the wind coming strong off of the Waron Sea. His hunger had been replaced by curiosity and a hint of fear.

Jale began again, stalking low and slow along the wide path. He continued sampling the air for new scents, hoping to catch the presence of anything else out of place in the village. The smell of human blood became more prominent as he advanced.

Unwillingly, Jale followed the smell. He came to what appeared to be a lodge where the men of the village might congregate. All of the huts had been fashioned from tall thick reeds that grew among the tall grasses. They were tough and daubed with pitch to protect those residing inside from the weather.

The smell grew very strong now. Jale reluctantly peered inside the lodge. The sight horrified him. The bodies of men, women, and their children lay piled in large heaps inside the lodge. They had been murdered in gruesome fashion. The ground inside the lodge was soaked like a sponge with their life-blood.

Images of Jale's mother, when he had found her killed, exploded into his mind. He backed out of the lodge, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. He made a run for the end of the path through the village. Jale stopped abruptly as he came upon a huge hole in the road. A Metaman tunnel!

Jale turned back the way he had come, intending to make a run for it, but it was too late. A thickly sewn net sprang toward him from figures blocking his way. The stench of Metamen, with their rotting flesh wounds and cybernetic limbs, pummeled his nostrils. He felt something sharp stab into his hindquarters. The rush of dark figures around him became blurry. Tranquilizer dart!

Jale tried to fight the effects of the drug now coursing its way through his veins. But his struggling only quickened its pace through his blood. His eyes refused to stay open any longer. Darkness closed in on him. The last sound he heard was laughter and the distinct click and whir of gears meshing with one another.

Everyone smelled the odor of salt and fish as they drew nearer to the sea. The group approached the trail leading up the coast toward the Ardath Pass. Conversation had become sparse. The men and elves tended to keep to themselves, but Bon kept Daniel company while Meineke scouted their way up ahead from the skies. Louie had even begun to loosen up a little and had questioned Daniel a bit on where he came from.

Daniel found the cherub leader to be much friendlier than he had originally supposed. He was a ruffian to be sure, but good natured. Daniel still had a hard time placing his demeanor and his voice with the meek appearance of the cherubs. But they had been battling a dragon, so maybe there was a real edge to them not seen unless provoked. Daniel remembered his favorite bookmark. Louie looked very much like the Hobbit, Frodo, from his favorite book and movie series.

Daniel received a quick lesson in cherubic swordplay as they walked. Bon suddenly stopped next to them. He took in a deep breath of air through his nose. Daniel and Louie left off their lesson and came back to the big cat.

"What is it Bon?" Louie asked.

The panthera sniffed up at the air again and then his eyes grew wide with fear. "Jale!"

Bon shot away from them and ran to Marissa. "Highness, there is danger ahead!"

"How do you know, Bon?"

"Jale's scent...a pheromone we release to alert others of our kind!"

The entire group had stopped. Everyone grew tense and ready for battle, drawing weapons and fitting arrows to their bows.

"I must go to him," Bon said.

"Wait, Bon." Marissa placed her hand on the panthera's great shoulder. "We should all go together. We don't know what has happened. It might be a trap and it won't do Jale any good if we're caught in it."

Bon tried to calm himself.

"Let's move quickly and quietly," Marissa said to the others. "We're coming near to one of the fishing villages. We'll pause at the edge of the grasslands and spy it out before we make any other move."

"I wonder why Meineke hasn't returned with a report of danger," Daniel whispered to Louie.

"Maybe he's not able," Louie said.

Daniel swallowed hard. "I hope nothing has happened to him."

"Yeah, me too, kid...me too."

A bird of prey sailed high upon thermal updrafts with the whole landscape open before him. The Waron Sea lay on his left, stretching out to the horizon. On his right the grasslands stretched far back toward Parengore for miles and miles. And below him the coastline and villages nestled the sea, looking to the Waron for their livelihood.

The large bird spotted a line moving just beyond the beach along the well worn path between the fishing villages. He sailed downward, gracefully spiraling in for a closer look. Up ahead, perhaps a good ten miles away, he noticed smoke rising above the sparse treetops and tall grasses bordering the sea.

Meineke swooped in to a nearby tree ahead of the line of men. Few trees grew near the sea in this area, but it provided him decent cover to spy from. He landed on a thick bough and his shape returned to that of a gray-coated Wil. He recognized the line of men at once. "Metamen," he whispered. "And they've got Jale!"

Indeed, fastened to a pole between four of the metamen, hung the young panthera. He appeared to be unconscious or dead. Meineke had difficulty telling. Jale hung suspended by his four legs to the horizontal pole as the metamen marched steadily on the path toward the smoke miles ahead in the distance.

"I've got to tell the others!" Meineke said to himself, yet he hadn't gone unnoticed. Being a mere twenty yards above and away from the path had given him a good view of the twenty metamen, but his talking had been picked up by their auditory receivers.

A keen cybernetic eye scanned the tree, searching for the voice. Then the eye spotted a Wil upon a branch. Meineke noticed the metamen halt their march and look his way. Bullets clattered into the tree bark around him. He had been seen. One of the metamen blasted metal slugs from his cybernetic arm—a fully mechanical appendage bearing several rotating attachments. Shell casings sprang out of the metal forearm like popcorn from a popper.

Meineke launched out of the tree behind the trunk, attempting to use it for a bit of cover. He landed back in the tall grass and took on the form of a long gray snake. Meineke put his form to work, slithering like mad through the tall green and yellow grass, causing only the slightest disturbance to the stalks.

The gunfire ceased behind him. When he thought he might have gotten far enough out of range, Meineke shot upward out of the grass in the form of the bird he had been before. I've got to get back and warn the others. I just hope Jale is still alive down there.

Bon, Marissa, Daniel and the others stood outside of the village lodge where Jale had been captured not long before. They waited for Sellik, one of the elf men escorting them, to emerge from the lodge. He appeared from the shadowy doorway, his long blonde hair pulled behind his head and held by a bronze circlet. Sellik's face betrayed the grim scene left inside the lodge.

He nodded and the others understood his meaning. Everyone had been killed. Bon asked the question he had hoped never to need to ask. "Is my son dead as well?"

"He was not among the dead," Sellik said.

Bon breathed a sigh of relief.

A call resounded from the sky: a bird of prey on the wing. Daniel watched the sky and spotted Meineke coming into view overhead. He was moving fast, diving down toward the village.

Daniel stood about twenty yards back from the lodge. Marissa had asked Louie to keep him away from what was surely going to be a horrific sight.

One of Louie's Cherubs, Bob, gave him a nod from the lodge entrance. Daniel saw it and the grim look Louie returned. "They're all dead, aren't they?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, lad, they're all dead." There was no use sugarcoating the truth as far as Louie was concerned. Daniel didn't react the way Louie might have expected him to. He considered that the lodge was probably a more grisly reality than he could imagine, but he was not afraid. He felt genuine compassion for the people. Their lives had been wasted and that was a terrible reality. If only someone had been able to save them.

Meineke swooped down from the sky just up the village road from the others standing next to the lodge. Daniel ran past Louie. The cherub jumped up, surprised until he also saw Meineke land near the others on the dirt road. Meineke pulled up at the last second to soften his landing. He hopped a few paces on his razor sharp talons, wings out, acting as airbrakes. Then he morphed before their eyes into the Wil they all knew and perhaps a few even loved.

"Marissa!" he panted. "There are metamen up ahead on the seashore path and they've got Jale!"

Bon roared his contempt for the creatures, startling some of the others. "Where are they, Meineke? I will tear them to pieces if they have harmed my son!"

Marissa bent down to the Wil's height. "Were you able to discern if Jale is alive, Meineke?"

"They're about a mile up the road. I'm not sure of his condition. They had Jale fastened to a beam between four of them. He didn't appear to be conscious."

The great cat sneered again, his fury welling up to a point almost beyond his control to restrain.

"How many are there?" Marissa asked.

"I saw twenty of them moving north in a line along the seaside road. But I also saw fires a few miles up from their position. Some of the other villages may be under attack by more metamen."

The men and elves gathered closer to Marissa as she stood up and considered the information. One of the men, Han, spoke softly to her. "We need not engage the metamen, Highness. If we are killed trying to save one of our party, then who will find the Wielder and defeat Mortis?" Some of the other men nodded in agreement.

Bon growled his disapproval. "Jale is my son, Marissa! I will not abandon him to those accursed cyborgs. If you are unwilling to risk the quest, I concede to your wisdom, but I will not leave him. I cannot."

That a debate on leaving Jale behind even existed surprised Daniel. "I'll be going with Bon to rescue his son!" he said to everyone's surprise, including Bon.

Before anyone reproved the boy for his spirited outburst, Meineke hopped to Daniel's side and seconded the motion. "I'm with Bon and Daniel too!"

Then Louie stood forth, as though he might chastise the two of them himself, but he did just the opposite. "Well, I'm not staying behind while a long-winded Wil goes off to rescue the young cat. He might talk the poor metamen to death." Louie strode over beside them, winking and grinning at Daniel and Meineke just before he turned to face the others. Mickey and Bob, the other cherubic warriors, quietly took their places next to their captain.

Marissa smiled at the defiant group—a great cat and five halflings with more heart than a hundred men. "Gentlemen, I cannot say that your decision is the wisest course of action, but I concede that in my heart I cannot bear leaving Bon's son while we have a hope of saving him."

Bon and those on his side of the road smiled at the princess. The men still did not agree, but Marissa was in charge and that was that.

THE RESCUE

Marissa, ever the master strategist, like her father, had produced a plan very quickly for Jale's rescue. Everyone had a role to play, even Daniel. Beyond the last known position of the metamen raiding party, there stood a swathe of trees which grew between the rocky hills below Mt. Balor and the sea. The seaside road followed the edge of the Waron through these green pockets and through the trees in particular.

They had to reach these trees where the path went through them before the metamen did. Marissa had selected Meineke and the cherubic warriors for this part of the rescue. They all possessed natural flying ability that could get them ahead of the metamen in haste. The problem of getting Jale out of harm's way, once the battle ensued, still remained. Provided the young panthera still lived, it would be no easy task lugging around an unconscious twelve hundred pound cat. Daniel had been selected to help with this task.

Daniel stepped up into the wooden wagon found in the village. He took his place on the bench seat. A control lever to his right side operated a coaster brake, but the reins were missing. He wouldn't need any.

Bon grumbled in low guttural tones, making no attempt to hide his great displeasure over his given assignment in Marissa's rescue plan. The princess finished cinching the last buckle on the harness which connected the great cat to the wagon.

"A great pantheran king reduced to pulling a cart like a mule," Bon grumbled.

"You want to save your son, don't you?" Marissa gently chided. She patted his neck and Bon sighed with reluctant acceptance. "Good then. You know I wouldn't ask it of you if the metamen had spared any of the livestock. But we have to be able to carry Jale out safely. And if he lives, then he's surely been tranquilized."

Bon's tone changed then. "Marissa?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for taking the risk to go after him."

The Bard Princess smiled and turned to the others. "Louie, it's time."

The cherub captain ruffled his wings out from under his split-back cloak. The silky white wings matched his gentle features. "Right, lads, you know what to do!"

Bob and Mickey also unfurled their wings, and the three cherubs took to the air swiftly and gracefully. Meineke followed right behind them, morphing back to the form of a predatory bird. He launched into the air and soon caught the others despite their short lead.

Marissa turned back to Bon and Daniel with the wagon. "All right, Bon, give us a good lead before you set out after us with the wagon and try to keep the noise to a minimum. We'll approach in stealth ahead of you and engage the metamen after Meineke springs the trap on them. Daniel, I want you to help Bon. Once we have Jale loaded into the wagon, you can steady him during the escape." She handed the boy a short sword. "Use this on any metamen who try to get into the wagon with you or who attack Bon while he's attached to the wagon."

Daniel took the sword, his first, and set it next to him on the wooden seat. He nodded to Marissa, but suspected that this was an unnecessary position and one meant only to give him something to do. Beggars can't be choosers, he thought. I certainly don't have the abilities these warriors have.

"We'll take it easy on our speed and give you enough time to engage the metamen before we approach with this rattle-trap," Bon said.

Marissa turned to her three elf bodyguards and the six human men, then they began a steady jog down the dirt road. If all went according to plan, the metamen would be walking slowly, having Jale's weight to bear. This would give Marissa time to catch them from behind with Meineke and the cherubs ahead of them in the trees.

The metamen skulked down the well trodden dirt road running parallel with the Waron Sea. Their raids of the coastal fishing villages had been fairly successful. Not so much in booty taken as in fear instilled. Their leader, Hannibal, wanted a clear message sent to the fleshies: "Be afraid, very afraid!"

They rarely obtained any real money in these poor villages since most only managed to sustain themselves. This fact alone had been enough of a reason to keep the metamen out of them before. But the positions of power in the land had been in flux recently and the metamen desired a piece of the pie.

A few of the villages had grown into vibrant communities and even well fortified merchant towns like Gennedy. This city had become one of the main seaports on the Waron. And they owned a formidable militia. Hannibal had never been able to take it before. King Turin, who ruled the city of Gennedy, had been a mighty warrior in his younger days. He had soundly thrashed more than a few metamen leaders on the battlefield.

And he had wisely built his city in such a way so that tunneling metamen could not get beneath it in order to invade. Every attempt had failed. The sea water flooded the tunnels burying whole regiments of cyborgs beneath tons of sand. The city had been built with foundation pillars set far into the earth beyond the moist sea sands near the surface. These pillars had been set into rock where the metamen could not tunnel and so they had simply given up the effort. But Hannibal was a new leader and he did not give up.

The cyborgs lumbered along at a slower pace than usual. Today, they had managed to capture a great prize. A young panthera had been caught, but this was no ordinary great cat. This one happened to be Jale, the son of Bon, a great leader among the pantheran prides of the northeast. This panthera was exactly the kind of trophy Hannibal would be pleased to have, and Lieutenant Argle intended to hand-deliver him.

Argle had been defeated when it came time to appoint a new leader for their nomadic people. Today, he hoped to gain even more favor with his leader by bringing him this prize. Someday, he would make a challenge again for leadership and he would win it.

Gears whined on their prosthetic limbs as they marched. The metamen cyborgs carried a foul stench with them. The flesh around the implants and prosthetic limbs had become putrid. And metamen had a poor reputation for their personal hygiene.

The great cat swung slightly on the pole between four cyborgs: two in the front and two in the rear. The pole itself bowed in the middle due to the weight of the cat, looking as though it might snap at any moment. The panthera was so large in comparison to the cyborgs that his head nearly scraped the ground.

The metamen passed under the large boughs of a tree hanging over the path. Lieutenant Argle heard a sloshing and looked up to find a gray wil sitting about twenty five feet above them on one of the overhanging tree branches. He ate a piece of fruit in the most obnoxious manner imaginable: sloshing the pulp in his wide-open mouth as though he meant for all to hear it. This looked like the same foul little wil they had taken shots at earlier.

"Aye, ugly, are you the bunch of half-men-half-stew-pots what was shooting at me awhile ago?" Meineke shouted. He sloshed a bit of the fruity pulp over his bottom lip, dribbling it onto the metamen below. "Just who do you think you are Tin-man?" Meineke lobbed the fruit core down at the lieutenant, planting it right on his matted head.

"You're dead, wil!" Lieutenant Argle threatened. A prosthetic limb resided on his left arm, containing three weapons. A gun barrel rotated over, clicking into place as he raised it and took aim at Meineke's position on the tree limb. Other cyborgs followed suit—a few of them having gunpowder weapons while others used pneumatic spike guns.

Meineke hurled his nimble body away into the dense branches, seeking cover as the deadly metal projectiles clattered into the tree with him. Chips of wood rained down on the metamen as they pounded the boughs with their weapons. Meineke launched himself out the back of the tree, changing his form to that of the bird before swooping down low along the ground and through the ranks of cyborgs still searching the branches for their target.

Metamen absently fired on the wil, hitting a few of their own comrades in the process. One of the cyborgs holding Jale took a hit to the chest from a pneumatic spike gun. He slumped to the ground, leaving his companion straining under the panthera's weight. The ranks of metamen quickly broke into chaos as they tried to pinpoint the wil in the confusion.

Meineke soared upward again and made haste for the large trees ahead where the seaside road entered a patch of forest. "Come and get me you tin-plated goons!"

Argle sneered at the wil as he flew out of their range, then he turned back to his men. "Stop it, you oafs! I want that wil's head!" Argle's prosthetic arm rotated weapons again, locking a three foot double edged blade into position. One of his men had been wounded in both legs and another, assigned to help carry the panthera, lay dead at his post.

"You, Bartle, help them hold the cat!" he ordered. The rest of you come with me after that little wind-bag!"

Fourteen metamen ran down the dirt road, clattering and clicking gears the whole way as they went. The gray bird flew ahead of them and entered the tall trees flanking the road below the rocky outlying hills of Mt. Balor. Lieutenant Argle and his cyborgs followed—guns and blades at the ready.

Four metamen remained standing with the pantheran prisoner fastened to the pole between them. They wore disheveled clothes, tattered and full of filth. None of the four seemed particularly happy about their appointment, or for their being left behind while the others got to enjoy the chase. But none of them had any desire whatsoever to face their leader, Hannibal, to be reprimanded. The cyborg leader only had one punishment for disobedience, and they all knew it well.

Each of them wore, upon their bodies, a piece or part from those which had been reprimanded in the past—a cyborg cast to the fury of the whole group and torn apart like sharks rending one of their own in a feeding frenzy. Parts were scarce commodities, and metamen obtained them anywhere they could.

The sea sent a strong wind across the road, which blew through the tall grasses growing in great fields to their right. The green and yellow stems of the grasses appeared to roll in waves as the wind currents pushed and released them again and again.

The cyborgs watched as the last of their raiding party disappeared into the trees one hundred yards down the dirt road. A distant rumbling on the road caught their attention. They maneuvered their heavy prisoner in order to view the path behind them. A wagon approached from the distance. Those among them having optical implants saw a boy sitting in the seat of the wagon and a huge panthera pulling it like a horse.

Many thoughts ran through their minds: should they drop the prisoner to fight, should they run away, or try to call the others back? But they never had the chance to implement any of these possibilities.

Out of the tall grasses, several figures emerged with blades. They assailed the cyborgs quickly. By the time Daniel and Bon had arrived with the wagon, four metamen lay dead on the road and Marissa and one of the Bard Elves had cut Jale's unconscious body free from the pole.

The men quickly hoisted Jale up onto the wagon. "Daniel, I want you to try and rouse Jale from his slumber," Marissa said, her auburn locks blowing with the breeze coming off of the Waron Sea. "We're going on ahead to help the others with the rest of these cyborgs."

She and the others took off down the road. Daniel and Bon remained with the wagon, Jale, and the stench of dead cyborgs. Then again, metamen smelled bad enough when they were alive.

AMBUSH

Shots from the metamen's guns pierced the trees behind Meineke. He remained just beyond their range. They used weapons that weren't terribly accurate. The wil passed the place where Louie and his cherubs remained hidden. The cyborgs followed.

Louie, Mickey, and Bob waited with baited breath for the metamen to pass the trees where they perched. When the group of fourteen cyborgs clamored by them, still chasing the wil, they let fly the arrows from their bowstrings. The cherubs may have been small of stature, but they had a reputation for deadly accuracy with bow and blade. No sooner had one arrow flown before they nocked another arrow and fired again.

Their arms moved as blurs of motion. In mere moments, a hail of arrows from Louie and his cherubs reduced the cyborgs to pin cushions. Lieutenant Argle slumped to his knees, several arrows protruding from his back and chest. Meineke landed ten yards up the road. He returned to his normal state as he walked toward Argle. "Never take the friend of a wil, cyborg!"

Argle grunted, slobber dribbling from his lips. He summoned the faint energies still coursing through his cybernetic mainframe and raised his pneumatic weapon, giving a last ditch effort to at least silence the pretentious little wil. Three arrows, one from each cherub, sank into Argle's back. He fell forward to the ground, gurgling through his last breath.

By the time Marissa and the men of their company arrived on the scene, Meineke and the cherubs stood down on the ground, surveying their handiwork. She and the others stopped running when they realized what had happened, lowering their weapons, surprised to see the task already performed so efficiently. Louie and Meineke simply smiled at her, each of them with one arm around the shoulder of the other as though they were the best of pals.

"Oy, did you fellows come to clean up the little mess we made?" Louie asked sheepishly.

The men eyed their work, chuckling amongst themselves as they sheathed their blades. Marissa simply smiled and said, "Well done, friends." Then her manner took on a more serious tone as she spotted the smoke beyond the tree line coming from villages up the coast a few miles away.

"That may be other metamen conducting raids on the fishing villages," she said. "We certainly cannot afford to wage an all out assault in order to get by them to the Ardath pass. We'll have to backtrack and seek shipping across the Waron as Louie suggested before."

Louie perked up. "And I know just the place, too."

"Of course, Gennedy!" Mickey finished.

Marissa nodded. "I agree. It's not ideal, but we have no choice."

The group left the cyborgs on the road among the trees, hoping it would be some time before Hannibal, their leader, came looking for them. When he came he would have thousands more cyborgs with him.

The cherubs retrieved their spent arrows from the victims, wiped them clean, then replaced them in their quivers. Arrows were precious commodities and they needed every one they could get for the journey ahead.

When they arrived back at the wagon, Jale was still unconscious. "How is your son?" Marissa asked.

"Still down," Bon said. "They must have used a potent drug to tranquilize him, but at least he is alive. I have all of you to thank for my son's life."

"Bon, there are countless more cyborgs up the coast. We can't afford to risk a fight with them, so we've decided to travel to Gennedy and seek transport across the Waron."

Bon nodded, but he didn't like the thought of being out on the sea. "I know you don't care for sea travel, but we still need your company in order to make it to my father," Marissa said.

"A panthera is not exactly going to be welcome aboard a ship in close quarters with other passengers," Bon said thoughtfully. "And I've an aversion to being cramped up for so long. There is nowhere to run or hunt on one of those leaky ships."

Marissa appeared disappointed. "I understand."

"But I still intend to see you to King Nicholas," Bon continued. "I will wait with my son until he recovers from the metamen's venom and then we will make our way around the Waron Sea and meet you at Corsica."

The suggestion clearly pleased Marissa. "Thank you, Bon. That would be very helpful, but what about the metamen?"

"We pantheras can move silently and swiftly, taking paths not used by men. We'll most likely be waiting for your arrival when you get to Corsica. Look for us beyond the city walls and, the Maker willing, we'll be there."

Marissa smiled. "Very good. I would also suggest you retreat with the wagon to the tall grasses until Jale has recovered. Hannibal and his cyborgs may come hunting for this raiding party sooner than we expect. He's not going to be happy with what he finds."

Daniel stepped down from the wagon and patted Bon's shoulder. Then he unfastened the buckles on the harness to free the great cat. "Thank you, Daniel, for your courage. I have my son alive because of your willingness to risk your life."

Daniel nodded. He wasn't really sure what to say. He hadn't actually risked his life much in the doing, but he had been willing. He joined Meineke and the others as they set off for the town of Gennedy. Daniel watched Bon as he grabbed the harness up in his teeth, using it to pull the wagon back up the hill and into the tall grasses. Their camouflage would allow them to remain unseen even if the metamen happened to come along.

The great cat soon disappeared among the grasses with his unconscious son. Daniel wondered if Jale would understand and appreciate what these people had done to rescue him. Hopefully he would feel kinder toward men for the kindness which had been rendered to him.

GENNEDY

The day had begun to wane by the time they spotted the spires of Gennedy's guard towers poised atop the high defensive wall of the town. The wall stood nearly one hundred feet high and was made from tall, thick trees with black bark.

"Nothing gets into Gennedy unless they allow it," Meineke said as they continued their trek along the seaside road.

"It certainly looks well defended," Daniel said.

"Aye, it should," Bob said. "Those trees come from the Deadwood."

"The Deadwood?"

"Yeah, the Deadwood lies on the other side of the Waron Sea," Louie said. "The trees there give the forest its name because they're petrified."

"So, it's a forest of dead trees?"

Louie smiled. "Well, not actually dead. It's a defense mechanism the trees have. Their outer bark petrifies once the trees reach a certain age—makes them nearly impossible to cut down and useless for timber."

"Then how did the people of Gennedy get them for their wall?"

"Ah, very clever they were," Meineke said. "They actually took trees of a young age and transplanted them into the soil here. The petrified portion is on the trunk below the living boughs, so they just cropped off the tops along the wall except for the towers."

As their group drew nearer, Daniel noticed that the towers were actually pruned tops of the trees with bushy branches and man-made battlements constructed among the large boughs. "Do you suppose the people will let us in?"

"That depends," Louie said. "They generally don't allow weapons inside of the city. Any traders or shipping passengers are made to leave weapons behind with the keeper of the armory. But it wouldn't do for us to be caught on the other side of the Waron without any weapons."

Daniel contemplated that possibility. They had already encountered so much danger along the way in just two days time. Daniel may not have had any skill with weapons, but he had been put more at ease by the knowledge that these capable warriors were well armed.

Each of the human men carried a broadsword or battleaxe and an assortment of daggers. The elf men had outfitted more like Marissa with pairs of long fighting knives and bows. None of these warriors had been very talkative, certainly not as friendly as Louie and his cherubs, or Meineke.

"Meineke," he whispered, "how come the men don't talk very much?"

Meineke leaned in a bit to explain as they walked. "Well, it's not really the friendliest of alliances, you see. The humans and the elves tend to not get along very well. But with all of the Living Land at risk from Mortis's invasion, they really don't have much of a choice. We either fight against him together as allies, or we all perish together."

"Not a very tough choice is it?"

Meineke shrugged. "Not for me and my people anyway. We halfling types, like wils and cherubs, tend to be dismissed by the taller folk anyway. So, you probably won't find them chatting it up with us."

"That's a shame. I guess they don't want to bother with a kid, either."

"I wouldn't take it personally. After all, everyone is pretty tense on this quest. Everything depends on finding the Wielder. Without him to fight Mortis, there won't be any of us left to be friendly with one another."

When their group reached the gates of Gennedy, Daniel was taken by the sheer size of the wall. It reminded him of an impenetrable forest reaching for the sky. A few other travelers stood waiting at the gates, some speaking with the gate keeper.

An older man with a weathered, tan face spoke to travelers from a small window situated high and out of reach. The man questioned the people in front of Daniel's group, then, evidently satisfied with the answers, they were allowed to enter a vestibular area behind an iron gate situated in the wall. Anywhere an interruption in the wall occurred, due to the inclusion of a window or doorway; it appeared the trees had grown around the object. This must have been a magnificent undertaking, Daniel thought.

Once the travelers were inside the vestibular area, behind the iron gate, they stopped for a few minutes and then a cage let down. It reminded Daniel of an elevator of sorts. The travelers entered the cage and were promptly hoisted up by a great chain, disappearing out of view.

Next, came their group's turn to answer the gatekeeper's questions. The man stared at them sternly, seeking any obvious signs of danger or deception in the group of travelers before him. He finally settled his gaze on Marissa as their leader.

"What's your business in Gennedy?" the gatekeeper snapped. His tone seemed deliberately harsh, while the wall made it clear they didn't exactly welcome visitors.

"We are come to Gennedy seeking passage across the Waron Sea to Corsica," Marissa said.

"There are no ships selling passage right now," he said.

"No ships, are you sure?" She didn't believe him. "Not even the Andromeda?"

The gatekeeper looked surprised to find this woman having knowledge of the ship called Andromeda. "That one is exclusive. It's only for the king's personal guests and not for the likes of—"

Marissa interrupted him. "We'll pay whatever price is required. Our business is urgent, and the seaside villages below Mt. Balor are under attack by metamen raiding parties."

"Metamen?" His face became pale. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."

"Well, weapons aren't allowed inside Gennedy. You'll have to check them in the vestibule, or you don't go no further."

"Of course."

The iron gate began to rise before them. Marissa led the group into the vestibular area, which was only slightly larger than it appeared from the outside. Marissa removed her weapons and placed them inside the large wooden box provided for them. The others followed her lead and soon the container nearly overflowed with blades and bows.

On the left wall of the vestibule, at the same height, another window appeared with the gatekeeper peering through. Another man stared into the vestibule, studying their group intently. Marissa returned his penetrating gaze. The man reacted to her as though some unheard exchange had just taken place between them. The man appeared fearful, then regarded the gatekeeper. He nodded nervously. The gatekeeper responded by lowering the iron elevator on the thick chain from the top of the vestibular wall in front of them.

"Who is that man?" Daniel whispered to Meineke.

"He's a seer. Some of these fortified cities began hiring them to discern the motives of people before they were allowed to enter. I guess Gennedy is doing the same thing. I hear they can see right through to a person's true intentions. You can't lie to a seer and get away with it. And if they find you out, you'll never get into Gennedy alive."

Daniel considered that information along with the response the man had when discerning Marissa's intentions for her group. Whatever secret the seer had seen, his look told Daniel it wasn't anything good. He wondered if they would be going inside, or into prison.

The sun sank slowly toward the horizon in the west—a hot coal soon to be doused in the warm waters of the Waron Sea. Various shades of orange and red intermingled to form new colors altogether. It was a very beautiful sight to behold. Bon's eyes were transfixed, but not on the sunset.

The great cat's attention centered upon the large village below his rocky perch. One hundred yards of scrub and rock lay between him and the commotion taking place below. The town teamed with the foul cyborgs. Their stench had found its way up the hillside to Bon's disgust.

Beside the pantheran elder lay his son, Jale, having recovered not long ago from the metamen's tranquilizing dart. He was a near perfect duplicate of his father, though slightly smaller. The two cats remained completely motionless, like stone statues painted to precisely blend with their surroundings.

They waited within an area of scrub grass, eyes peeled toward the activity below. Even the muscular contraction and relaxation necessary for breathing remained slow and muted so as to be only barely perceptible. Bon had spotted the cyborg leader, Hannibal, only minutes before and took careful note of everything he did. The panthera's keen hearing brought him every word with clarity.

The village had been utterly destroyed. Its inhabitants lay strewn in the streets—a bloody morass of human suffering. The sight of the massacre sickened even Jale. Many of the townspeople had been impaled upon long staves and set into the ground like ghoulish shish kabobs. No one other than the brutal cyborgs appeared to be alive.

Aubrey had once been a thriving coastal fishing village. Bon remembered it as one of Gennedy's strongest allies. Oftentimes, the king of Aubrey had sought aid from King Turin in Gennedy and they had fought side by side on the battlefield. Aubrey's ships had engaged the enemies of Turin on more than one occasion, and it seemed as though they might one day come to be as great a port as Gennedy now was. But that hope lay smashed in the streets with her people. The dream was dead.

A cry from the southwest caught Bon and Jale's attention along with everyone in the village below. A dragon carrying a cyborg rider glided into view, silhouetted against the diminishing sun. The beast landed gracefully in a small clearing near the perimeter of the village. Bon watched Hannibal seek it out. He knew the scent of this heinous mass murderer very well. The pantheras had had dealings with him before. Hannibal reached the clearing as the rider dismounted the dragon.

Bon thought this extremely unusual: to find dragons in the company of the tunnel dwelling metamen was unheard of before this day. This must be another alliance under Mortis's command. How many more will ally themselves with that devil before this war is finished?

This dark colored dragon sniffed at the air as its rider walked toward the metaman leader. It was a good thing for Bon and Jale that the wind was blowing off of the sea. Otherwise the dragon would certainly have been alerted to their presence. The dry weeds blew back at their feline faces as they tried to discern the message the rider carried to Hannibal. The cats set their keen ears to the conversation taking place below them.

"What news of the last raiding party, Ven?" Hannibal asked. Bon saw the half-man's features well from his position. He looked very similar to the others with two prosthetic legs and one arm hosting various devices and weaponry. However, his face and head truly set him apart as a nightmare beyond them all. Hannibal's face, on the right side, had been blown away and a chrome skull lay exposed beneath the lost skin.

On the left side of his grisly face, the natural eye, skin, lips, and part of his teeth remained. But on the right side an electronic eye glowed red as though it were a window into his hate-filled soul. From mandible to teeth to forehead was metal. It reflected the dusky rays of the sun. Hannibal looked more like a partially disguised Grim Reaper than a man—more machine than human.

"Sir, the raiding party has been massacred several miles back along the seaside road. Their bodies were left in the woods, apparently ambushed by bowmen from the trees," Ven said. Several metamen close by looked at their leader quizzically—ready to loot the corpses for parts.

"Did you find tracks?"

"I found an abandoned cart among the grasses and multiple tracks leading toward Gennedy, sir."

"Gennedy, huh?" Hannibal mused.

"Do you think King Turin seeks war, Master?"

Hannibal laughed. "Turin hides behind his wall. He has no appetite for war. So long as his city remains impenetrable, he will not venture outside its gates. But whoever these people are, they've sought sanctuary from us there. We can expect them to remain in Gennedy for as long as they think we're searching for them."

Bon would have smiled at the ease with which he pulled Hannibal's conversation from the air, had he possessed the facial muscles to do so. Then something unexpected and unfortunate happened.

The weed stalks, which had accosted his face, now began to blow away from him toward the village and the sea beyond. The wind direction had changed. Bon immediately tensed like a viper ready to strike. Jale had not noticed. But Bon knew a change of wind could cause one's prey to be alerted, or one's hunter.

Neither Bon nor Jale moved, but it happened anyway. The dragon below sampled the air and found them. The huge creature whipped its head in their direction and screeched a warning cry. Hannibal and his cyborgs were instantly alerted to the presence of intruders.

"Find them, dragon, and bring me their bones!" Hannibal cried.

The dragon took flight as Bon and Jale sprang away from their position like rabbits discovered in the grass.

"Split up, Jale!" Bon said, hoping to keep the dragon with him and allow his son to escape.

The two pantheras divided their ranks as the dragon arced in the air toward their position. Bon lingered just a second longer than his son, so that he would appear to be the closer target and draw the predator's attention. The ruse was successful and the dragon veered toward him baring its massive talons.

Bon ran and heard the beast swoop down upon him. He came to a rocky outcrop as the talons reached out to snatch him from the ground. Using his tremendous strength, Bon hit the face of the rock and sprang hard back underneath the talons as the dragon tried to grab him.

The beast screeched as it realized the mistake of pursuing the cat so closely. The outcropping of rock stood too tall to avoid completely. The dragon slammed into the stone while trying to pull up. Bon saw the tables turned and leaped to its back. He scaled the dragon's hide in moments.

The beast lay there dazed and wounded. Bon didn't taking any chances. He quickly set to slashing the leathery membranes on the creature's wing. The dragon had very little vulnerability, but its wings were key. The dragon screeched in pain as Bon shredded the right wing efficiently. Even with one good wing, the beast would never get off of the ground, and they were notoriously clumsy and slow in a ground fight.

Bon leaped away, following the scent of his son into the hills. Jale was near. The metamen tried to climb the hillside, but had little success. Their clunky forms hindered their efforts, and their guns were ineffective at such a long range. Bon escaped their feeble pursuit within seconds and soon found Jale crouched underneath an overhang of rock—a good place to avoid a flying dragon.

"Jale, are you all right?"

"Yes, Father. Thank you for leading the dragon away," Jale said.

"You're my son. I would do anything to protect you."

Bon looked at Jale's hiding place and began to laugh, shaking his head.

"What's the matter? Why are you laughing?"

"You're hiding in a good place to end up a pile of charred bones...they do breath fire you know."

"Oh, yes...I forgot about that...thank you, again, Father."

Bon laughed again. "Don't worry, Jale, experience comes with time. Now, we need to get around the Waron Sea and hope the others are able to get to Corsica safely.

The older panthera began to walk off. "Father?" Jale said, still standing with his head hung low. Bon turned.

"Thank you for coming after me. I was angry because of Mother's death at the hands of the humans. But I shouldn't have run off like that."

Bon gave his son a slight nod. "True, but it isn't me you should be thanking. Had it not been for the courage of the boy, the others would not have been convinced to join me in your rescue. Even though you vented your anger at him, Daniel eagerly risked his own life for yours against the cyborgs."

Jale stared at the ground. "I've treated the boy unfairly."

"So you have, but I'm sure he will forgive you as I do."

Jale nodded but kept his head low.

They began walking. "You really should get to know the boy better. In human terms, he's probably about your age. And you both could use a good friend."

Jale looked up at his father, acknowledged his advice. His eyes brightened at the prospect. "I look forward to it, Father."

STEWARD OF TURIN

Once the iron cage elevator had set their group down inside the wall of Gennedy, Marissa and the others found themselves faced with a thriving seaport city. Gennedy stretched about one half mile in width from the gate to the docks and the sea beyond and was perhaps ten miles long running with the coastline.

Daniel had never seen anything like it. The city buzzed with activity and the people all looked happy and healthy. All of the buildings stood shorter than the perimeter wall which even extended to the sea, shutting it out. It was constructed in such a way that the docks lay beyond the seaside face of the wall, allowing easy access to ships, but affording defenders the ability to cut off the dock area in the event of a seaborne attack on the city.

The buildings had been constructed of a curious material. Upon closer inspection, Daniel realized that every building had a covering of large dragon scales. Even the side walls were shingled with them. "Is that what I think it is?" Daniel asked Louie.

"Aye, if you're thinking dragon scales then you're right. You're probably wondering why they did that, eh?"

"Think about it, Daniel," Marissa said, taking interest in the boy's curiosity. "You need to learn to reason these things out. One day there may not be someone around to just hand you the answers."

Daniel remembered the dragon's scorch marks from the burned out village near Parengore Forest. Marissa had wanted him to reason that out too, and he had come up with the right answer. He studied the buildings further for a moment and then the answer hit him. "Are the scales fireproof?"

"They are indeed," Marissa said. "Now, what else."

Daniel tried to reason it out. "The only obvious portion of the city which remains unprotected is from above. The scales would hopefully protect the city from an attack by dragons."

Marissa smiled. "Very good, Daniel. Gennedy has been through real life dragon attacks and this tactic is very effective for preventing widespread fires during such an event."

No sooner had their group been set at liberty from the elevator cage than a group of soldiers approached. A total of seven men encircled their group. They carried spears and swords, but they didn't seem intent on doing harm—at least not yet.

The lead man spoke with Marissa briefly. She, in turn, relayed his instructions to the others. "We are to go with these men for a special meeting. Apparently King Turin would have a word with us." Marissa smiled when she said this, alleviating Daniel's concerns. If Marissa was happy to meet with this King Turin, then he must not be any threat to them.

The soldiers were dressed in elaborate polished, black armor. Daniel wasn't sure exactly what kind of material it was. The armor gave them the appearance of ancient samurai warriors. Their group of humans, elves, cherubs, and one wil followed after the lead soldier while the rest marched on either side. Daniel still wondered if this escort was provided to them as dignitaries, or as criminals.

The soldiers escorted Daniel and his companions to an imposing building. What the structure lacked in beauty it appeared to make up for in practicality. The building had high turrets scattered along the corners on the rooftop. From these, soldiers could rain down a barrage of arrows upon anyone who managed to storm the walls and overrun them.

No other building in the city looked like this one. The dragon scale shingles had been laid doubly thick upon its every surface. This must be Turin's castle. Daniel leaned over to Louie. "That place looks like an old dragon itself."

"Aye, lad, but I hope the king living within it is fairer tempered. I've never met this Turin personally, but I've heard of his many battles."

Daniel patted his shoulder and smiled. "If he's a friend of Marissa and her father, then he couldn't be bad."

Marissa crept up beside him without Daniel even realizing it. "That is Turin's Keep. And you're right, Daniel, Turin is an old friend and a great man."

"It's not quite a palace, like I would have expected a king to dwell in," Daniel said.

"No, but then you would have to know King Turin," she said. "He's a soldier through and through and doesn't care much for the pomp or fanfare of royalty. I like and respect him for that. In many ways he reminds me of my father."

"What do you think he will tell us?"

"I'm not sure, but being an ally and friend of my father from years ago, I would say he intends to ferry us on our journey without causing us further delay. Hopefully, we'll also have our weapons returned to us for the voyage."

The group continued their march until they entered Turin's Keep. It suddenly struck Daniel how many dragons must have been slain to get all of these skins. He wondered how the dragons must loathe this town and its king. Their skins, after all, covered all of Gennedy's buildings.

On the other hand, he imagined what sort of king, Turin must be. He had to be a mighty warrior indeed to have taken all of these trophies. And yet his practicality shone through as Marissa had said by his use of those trophies to protect his people from attack.

As they proceeded deeper inside the building, it became much brighter. Daniel noticed a number of skylights where light filtered through. Carefully placed mirrors mounted to the walls high over their heads brought more sunlight into the keep. They had so many beams of light being redirected around the large chambers that it almost seemed like the roof had been lifted off for the brightness of it.

Flat, smooth stones covered the floor and ornate rugs bearing scenes of battle upon them directed their path through the keep. Daniel wondered if the history of Gennedy played out here, direct from the weaver's loom. Elegant tapestries hung from the walls and similar scenes had been captured in their heavy fibers for all to view.

The soldiers led them through another hall which terminated into a throne room. Turin's throne stood at the far end of the room. Daniel stared at it. He wondered why the seat remained empty when they were expected. Could the king actually be late?

From somewhere among the shadows and tapestries, hanging beyond the throne, a man appeared. He was somewhat short and thin with salt and pepper colored hair, at least what was left of his hair: wispy on top and fuller on the sides. The man walked with a cane and instantly Daniel felt let down by his expectations of King Turin.

Daniel noticed Marissa watching the man, but she didn't look very pleased to see him. "I am the king's steward," the man said, leaning now upon the head of his cane. "My name is Horace Scribble, but you may call me Mr. Scribble."

Marissa stepped toward the steward, away from the others. "Mr. Scribble, I was under the impression we were meeting with King Turin."

"The king is indisposed of late and has entrusted me with handling his affairs," he said.

"Is King Turin unwell? My father and he have been—"

"Miss," Mr. Scribble said with mild annoyance, "as steward I'm quite busy, obviously. Now, if I might know your business in Gennedy?"

Marissa fumed silently. She had been dismissed by a lackey. Nevertheless, they needed his help if it was the only help to be had.

"Mr. Scribble, I am the daughter of Nicholas, King of the Bard Elves," she said, trying to contain her frustration. Horace Scribble remained indifferent to her title. Daniel recognized a turf war when he saw one.

Marissa continued. "My company and I are on a quest to find the Wielder so that he may join us in our war against Mortis. We request passage across the Waron Sea to the city of Corsica."

"I'm afraid that is quite impossible at the moment," Mr. Scribble said with a wave of his hand. "All shipping across the Waron has been temporarily suspended. There have been numerous attacks by pirates, of late."

"But what about the king's ship, the Andromeda?"

"The king's personal vessel is not for use by anyone except the king and those personally designated by the king," he said.

"But this is a matter of dire importance to the entire Living Land. Without the assistance of the Wielder, none of us has any hope of defeating Mortis. We must—"

Mr. Scribble held up his hand to silence Marissa—big Mistake.

"Mr. Scribble, I will not be dismissed by an executive assistant," Marissa said, unable to contain her irritation with the man any longer. The others simply gawked at the exchange taking place.

"Executive assistant, indeed!" Mr. Scribble fumed.

"This is a matter determined by King Nicholas himself. My father has been a valuable ally to King Turin for many years, and I'm sure he would be very upset to know the kind of disrespectful treatment I have received today.

"Metamen attacks along the coast have made it quite impossible to journey to Corsica by the seaside road. But it is of vital importance that we get there and continue our quest for the Wielder before Mortis overruns our cities...including Gennedy!"

"Be that as it may, I am still in charge of the king's affairs within this city, and it is quite impossible—"

"HORACE!" a voice boomed from the back of the room. Marissa and Mr. Scribble both hushed instantly. Everyone turned to find King Turin emerging from an antechamber door.

The king appeared poor in health. A young woman, apparently a nurse of some kind, supported him by the arm, walking with him on his left side.

"Your Highness," Mr. Scribble said, his demeanor immediately turning submissive. "You should be in bed, Sire. I'm more than happy to handle this matter for you."

The king remained stone-faced, his bushy white brows furrowed in consternation. A long white beard hung to his chest, partially obscuring his royal robes. The intricately designed crimson was velveteen in appearance with the crest of his family embroidered upon the arm. He leaned upon a crutch under his right arm. The once mighty King Turin had become a frail old man.

"The Bard Princess is a personal friend of mine," King Turin said. "She will not be dismissed with such apathy!"

"But, Sire—"

"You will remember your place, Horace Scribble, or you will be dismissed from my charge."

"I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness," the steward said, bowing low before the king. He turned to Marissa with the same humility. "Please accept my sincere apologies, Your Highness. I meant no disrespect."

"Yes, you did," Marissa said calmly. "However, I'll overlook it this time."

"Thank you, My Lady." He turned and bowed himself again before the king, then went out from them in haste.

"It's so hard to find good help these days," King Turin said lightheartedly. "Now, come, Marissa. Let us go to my study and discuss your needs in private."

"And my companions?" she asked, looking at Daniel and the others.

"Marie," he said to the nurse, "if you would be so kind, please escort the others to my personal dining hall and have Cook fix them whatever they like while we discuss this business."

She immediately complied, leaving the king in Marissa's care. She took up the place where Marie had been standing in order to help the king as the two walked back into the king's antechamber.

Daniel watched Marissa leave as the king's nurse, Marie, asked them all to follow her. Meineke nudged the boy when he lingered after Marissa. "Come on, Daniel, Marissa can take care of herself. We've got a meal fit for a king waiting for us. Guess who's coming to dinner," he chuckled and rubbed his furry little hands together as Daniel followed after.
THE KING'S FAVOR

Within King Turin's study, shelves stood all around the walls filled with books of every sort. Books half the size of a man contained handwritten parchments on many subjects. Marissa supposed that much of the history of the Living Land might be contained within the dusty tomes lining these walls.

The furnishings within the room were of good quality, but none of them spoke of royal ownership. True to his personality, Turin's personal affects were ordinary. King Turin looked weary, and it seemed that perhaps his age had caught up to him.

Turin sat across from Marissa in one of the upholstered chairs sitting in front of the room's hearth. A modest fire blazed within. Marissa noticed the king's armor fastened to a mannequin in one corner of the room. His sword sat on a display stand. Turin's days of war were over.

"Not what you expected, eh?" King Turin asked.

"Excuse me, Sire?"

"I'm not nearly as old as your father, but you elves handle your age better than we humans do."

Marissa nodded. She felt embarrassed for allowing her thoughts to be displayed so plainly in her expression.

"Even my servants, like Mr. Scribble, would have me to sit back and let them rule the city without me."

"What of your son, Jonathan?"

"His vessel was taken by pirates over a year ago," King Turin said. "We've heard nothing since, no ransom demands or anything. I can only assume that treacherous Captain Blackborne killed him when they took the ship. He's been a menace to our shipping lanes ever since he appeared five years ago."

"I'm truly sorry to hear of your son. Is there no way to pursue this pirate and bring him to justice?" she asked.

"Alas, we've tried a number of times. This Nathaniel Blackborne was once a military man by trade and he is very clever in battle. He began his pirating career with one frigate and turned that into another three at our expense. With the Andromeda on the water we have managed to sink one of those, but that's all.

She's a fast ship with a hide tougher than any on the water. Even Blackborne hasn't been able to take her. This is the ship I will have ferry you across the Waron Sea to Corsica."

"Then you'll help us?"

"Of course, my dear. I could never deny the daughter of my closest ally and friend," King Turin said. "Your father has saved my life many times over the years. This is the least I could do. Tell me, Marissa, how is Nicholas these days? It has been far too long since I've seen him."

"He is well, but the trouble with Mortis has caused him great distress. My father is attempting to raise an army. I believe he intends to call the Griffin Riders back into service to fight against our enemy."

"Ah, the glory of the fight! I wish I could join him one last time on the battlefield. I was never much for riding griffins, but I did well upon a horse, you know?"

"I remember, Sire. You both were matchless warriors and clever strategists without compare. It is sad that Mortis has come during this time and not those days when you rode with your mighty army and were undefeated."

The king seemed to reflect upon those days of glory. A glimmer of sadness flashed in his eyes. "Time is the real enemy, isn't it, Marissa? Every high hill and mighty city and every proud warrior will fall given enough time."

"Sadly, this is true, Sire."

They sat for a moment, listening to the crackle of the fire. "Well, my ship and anything else I have that might aid you is at your disposal," King Turin said.

Marissa smiled "It will be much appreciated."

"I will have your weapons returned to you after dinner and then tomorrow you will depart with the Andromeda. We lost her former captain recently, but the crew still managed to repel the attack and get the ship back home safely. It would be a dreadful thing to lose so mighty a vessel to those awful pirates. We'd have no hope of stopping them then."

"So, you have a new captain?"

"Yes, he arrived in our port two days ago and went straight to the task of examining new recruits for his crew. His name is Samuel Hester and he comes highly recommended by the King of the Eastern Realm. One of his finest sea captains, I'm told. You will meet him. He's seems a decent fellow and is quite the dashing ladies man as well. I'm told all the young maids are pining after him. You should consider marriage yourself one of these days, young lady. I'm sure Nicholas would be pleased to have grandchildren playing at his feet."

Marissa blushed at the suggestion. She had no time for such matters. Her thoughts were briefly taken back to a suitor she had declined. He too was handsome and powerful beyond any mere mortal's abilities, but she had a duty to her people and to the Living Land. With war upon them, all other matters had to be delayed. Defeating Mortis was the most important thing right now and all other considerations were subordinate to it. If she could not find the Wielder, all would be lost.

"I thank you for your concern, Sire, but my duty defending the Land must take precedent over my personal aspirations," Marissa said, respectfully. "I would warn you as well, Sire. We are come to Gennedy because the way around the Waron has been overrun by metamen. They are apparently engaged in a campaign against the coastal fishing villages, but they could just as easily make their way to Gennedy."

King Turin smiled. "I appreciate your concern, Marissa. However, we are quite safe from Hannibal and his cyborgs behind these sturdy walls. He has tried many times to take this city, only to be fiercely repelled on each occasion. Now, you will join your companions and have a fine meal with me. Then, tomorrow, you will all board my magnificent ship, the Andromeda, and Captain Hester will see you to the port of Corsica."

"My lord, there is one other matter I would ask you about," Marissa said. "Do you know anything about the coming of the Wielder, how we will know him, and so forth?"

"Only what the legends tell us, my child. Despite my many years, the coming of the Wielder is as much a mystery to me as any. I've seen other legendary warriors appear and disappear from the Land, but none of them could be compared to the Wielder in the scope of their power."

"Do you suppose it is possible that the Wielder might already be among us in the Living Land and we simply have not recognized him?"

King Turin scrutinized the question. "You suspect someone in particular, my dear?"

"I'm not sure, my lord. I've seen things in the past few days which I've never witnessed before, and it troubles me," Marissa said.

"These troubling events...they are focused upon a particular person?"

Marissa leaned even closer to the elderly king. He responded in kind, his eyes darting about the empty room as though someone might be listening in on their private conversation. "It's the boy, my lord...when we first happened upon him, he knew nothing about the Living Land or how he came to be here among us. The wil found him unconscious on the surface of a frozen pond in the middle of Parengore—frozen despite the warm weather of spring which is upon us."

Turin eyed her curiously, "And?"

"And we were attacked by Spider Elves within the forest. The boy is courageous of heart, but not a warrior in the least sense of the word. However, whilst he and the wil were on the run from the Spider Elves, the trees of Parengore groaned and swayed as in travail. The closer the harm came to the boy, the more pronounced this became. I was mystified by this at the time and thought more of saving the boy from danger than examining the circumstances. Before I could get to him, one of the Spider Elves was upon him. To my astonishment, one of the old trees of Parengore became as animated as any living being and with one of its great branches it crushed the Spider Elf upon his mount."

Turin looked astonished. "I must admit, I've never heard of such a thing. The power Mortis possesses to animate non-living things is the closest thing I've encountered to what you speak of. Did the boy conjure these happenings in some way?"

"If he did, I was not aware of it," Marissa said. "Daniel seemed just as mystified by what happened as I was, but that's not all."

"Pray continue, my dear," Turin insisted eagerly.

"When we reached the outskirts of Parengore, our group encountered a farming village completely burned out. We fought with a dragon that had apparently carried out the massacre. But when the beast laid eyes on the boy, it immediately left off fighting with us to attack him."

"And?"

"Air as calm as that in this room whipped up to gale force in a matter of seconds, sweeping the beast away from the boy before it could have him," Marissa said. The retelling of the events actually sent chills of excitement up and down her spine. "When the dragon regained itself and immediately went for the boy again, ignoring all others, it was struck down by a fierce barrage of lightning which slew it."

Turin sat with his mouth agape and his eyes wide. "And you're sure the boy is not a conjurer of foul spirits and wicked devices?"

"I've always been able to discern such things in people. The boy appears to be clueless as to how these things happened. Frankly, my lord, he was scared to death on both occasions and claims to know little more than the fact he is to make some quest through the Living Land in search of answers. I don't even think he was aware of Mortis or the war we are fighting."

"These are strange circumstances indeed. Tell me, do you believe this boy could be the Wielder?"

"I'm not sure what to think. It just seems that the Wielder would be aware of his power and be a mighty warrior at the least...this boy is neither."

King Turin considered the matter for a moment, scratching at his long white beard. "I'm afraid we don't really know enough about the coming of the Wielder to make any sure judgments in the matter. However, if the boy is the Wielder, then perhaps Iam has placed him in your capable hands to prepare him for the task."

"What? My king, surely you jest with me."

Turin's face gave no indication of any such frivolity. "My dear, I'm quite serious. Iam often does things in such a way as to be mysterious to us until we look back and are able to see the wisdom of the matter. We do not know for certain that this boy is the Wielder, but it certainly appears that strange powers are at work around him. He could, at least, be a powerful ally in this war with Mortis."

"Even if that were the case, he has no skill with that power. He's not a warrior."

"But, my dear, he does find himself in the company of warriors."

Marissa considered that statement. The king, as always, saw through to the heart of the matter and to the possibilities. At that moment she was reminded that the strength of great kings such as Turin was not merely contained in their arms, but in their minds.

"Marissa," King Turin continued, "consider that a diamond begins as a simple lump of coal. It is only with sufficient pressure that the gem inside is realized and released. And then it is the hardest of substances known to us."

Marissa smiled and placed her palm over the King's withered hand. He was frail and feeble, but he still reminded her of her father. And she hoped to be back within the courts of the Bard King very soon. She had much to consider. Still, the only sure way of knowing the identity of the Wielder was to get to the realm of her father's people so he could decipher the ancient document she possessed.

A CURIOUS DINNER

Marissa and King Turin made their way slowly down the arched hallway leading from his personal study to the king's main dining hall. Marissa kept pace with the elder man, allowing him to lean upon her arm for support as needed. He patted her hand along the way, jabbering the entire time about days long gone when Turin and Marissa's father, Nicholas, were young men fighting side by side in various conflicts across the Land.

Marissa listened politely and did not interrupt him. She supposed that, like her father, Turin simply didn't have many people with which he could share his stories and thus relive his youthful days as a mighty man of valor. Such were the days of those who grew old—looking back to what was and realizing, sadly, that days spent could never be lived again.

The pair came to the large archway leading into the formal dining room and entered. The entire band of Marissa's company sat at a large circular table in the middle of the room. Daniel sat between Meineke and a man she did not recognize. The man was polished and handsome, for a human, and he wore formal military clothing. His sandy hair hung just below his shoulders and had been secured in a ponytail by a gold circlet.

The man had chiseled facial features and his dark blue uniform with its tan trousers and gold buttons upon the breast gave him a regal look. When her emerald eyes met his sparkling sapphires from across the room, she thought she might have actually blushed. Marissa avoided his gaze at that point, pretending to take stock of her group of warriors. All of them seemed oblivious and greeted the Bard Princess with salutations through the food stuffed inside their mouths.

Their group had not had such splendid food and drink in some time and the lot of them were thoroughly enjoying the king's hospitality. Turin stared at Daniel until he realized Captain Hastings was present, having accepted an earlier invitation. The king began to point out the handsome stranger to Marissa, furthering her embarrassment.

"Marissa, this is our new captain of the Andromeda. May I present Captain Samuel Hastings," Turin said. Marissa and the king made their way around the table to where the man was sitting next to Daniel. Captain Hastings responded immediately to the introduction. He stood and took Marissa's hand, gently lifting it to bring his pursed lips to the flesh.

A shiver overtook her when the captain made this gesture. No one had ever done this before and it made her inquisitive and nervous all at the same time. "My lady, the pleasure is all mine," Captain Hastings said. He kept eye contact with her the entire time of the introduction, and Marissa felt almost powerless to turn away from him.

What am I doing? she wondered.

"Captain Hastings, may I present Marissa, daughter of King Nicholas of the Bard Elves," King Turin said.

Captain Hastings looked genuinely intrigued. "A princess?" A devilish smile played across his lips. "Your Highness." Hastings bowed low at the waist with an exaggerated sweeping motion of his hand, almost touching the floor in the process.

Marissa felt instantly embarrassed. She considered herself a warrior first and a princess incidentally. The captain was toying with her.

"Captain Hastings," she responded, trying to maintain perfect monotone in her voice and an air of polite indifference. Hastings grinned again. She wondered if her eyes had given away her curiosity with the man.

Daniel got up from his chair next to Captain Hastings and motioned for Marissa to accept it. "Here you go, Princess. I'll sit over here on the other side of Meineke."

"Really, Daniel, that's quite all right—"

By the time she had completed her protest, Turin had already delivered her into the chair. Captain Hastings quickly maneuvered around to the high-back of her chair and scooted her up to the table. She reluctantly complied. Everyone stared at her.

Marissa's elf companions observed the exchange curiously. On the other hand, the human warriors remained too interested in their food to care. Daniel and Meineke tried to compose their giggling as though a private joke had just been shared between them at her expense. And Louie gave her a look which let Marissa know he was especially enjoying her discomfort with the situation.

"Now, what were you discussing before we interrupted?" King Turin asked.

"Love," Louie grunted under his breath.

If looks could kill, Louie might have just found himself a victim of Marissa's penetrating stare. Daniel and Meineke howled out loud with laughter, unable to contain it any longer.

Garth, one of the elf warriors, remained passive. "I believe, Sire, we were discussing the possibility of having to face this pirate, Nathaniel Blackborne, in battle on the open sea." Garth had little use for joviality.

Everyone became serious at the mention of the dread pirate's name. "The Andromeda is a fine ship, the best I've ever known," King Turin said confidently. "She's the mightiest ship sailing on the Waron Sea to be sure and a fast seabird. Blackborne hasn't taken her yet."

"Neither shall he have her while I'm commanding her, Sire," Captain Hastings added.

"Who is Nathaniel Blackborne anyway?" Daniel asked. "Are there really actual pirates here: Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum, flying the Jolly Roger, and all that jazz?"

"I'm not sure about that Yo-ho-ho thing, Daniel, but they're definitely drunkards," Meineke said with unfeigned seriousness.

Louie shook his head at the wil. "Blackborne is a scourge upon the seas. He takes no prisoners: man, woman, or child," he said, looking now at Daniel. "He's a ruthless killer; a bloated fat pig of a man who feasts upon the flesh of his victims."

Daniel tried to swallow a lump in his throat with difficulty. The thought of potentially running into such a person on the open sea with a gang of bloodthirsty pirates at his command did not appeal to Daniel one little bit.

"Well, I don't hear anything about wils in there," Meineke said as he patted Daniel playfully on the shoulder, looking at Louie. "But you guys are toast!"

"No, what he does to wils if far worse, I hear," Louie continued. "For Blackborne comes by his name honestly. It's said he was born of a jackal mother and raised by a black hearted sorcerer. He conjures over a wil, invoking demons to shape shift the poor things with such ferocity that they eventually die. Their forms are nothing but mush when he's finished with them."

Captain Hastings coughed on the drink he had just taken from a golden goblet, almost spewing the wine across the table. The pink flushed right out of Meineke's cheeks. The visions Louie's tales stirred in his mind were terribly unsettling—enough to ruin his appetite. And it was quite an accomplishment for a wil to lose his appetite.

"I'm sorry, Captain Hastings," Marissa said. "My companions tend to exaggerate a bit." She wasn't quite sure why she had bothered to apologize, or at least she wasn't willing to admit the reason.

Captain Hastings leaned in close to Marissa, whispering to her as normal conversation began among the others. "Don't worry, dear lady, I hear this Blackborne is actually more of a dashing scoundrel than an ugly brute."

Marissa smiled. She noticed the Captain smelled quite good—certainly better than most of her companions, weary from a difficult quest. She had come to appreciate the fact that one's sense of smell usually lost interest in an odor very quickly. So, she had become accustomed to the fragrant aroma of animal fur and man-sweat.

At last, everyone became quiet again as King Turin's voice cut through the chatter. "Princess, you have a difficult journey ahead. If anyone can keep you safe on the sea, it is good Captain Hastings here. His naval record is impeccable. My Andromeda has withstood Blackborne before and I trust that, if necessary, she will do it again.

The group smiled at King Turin's faith—even if they did so half-heartedly. King Turin would not be the one out upon the sea in the battle if they did happen to face Blackborne. The only true consolation was the fact that they were making a straight two day voyage across the Waron Sea to Corsica. The odds of this dread pirate, Nathaniel Blackborne, actually finding them in that short time were abysmal at best.

When they had finished their meal and conversation, Captain Hastings escorted Marissa to the archway where she bid him a good night. He would have walked her further, but she politely refused. The others, along with King Turin himself, had been retiring to their bedchambers at different intervals, and now only Louie, Meineke, Daniel and Captain Hastings remained.

"Are you ready to hit the sack, Daniel?" Meineke asked, rubbing his full, little furry belly.

"Not really," Daniel said. "This is all so exciting—like a dream."

"Well, I'm bushed," Louie said. "I can't keep up with you night owls any longer."

"Yeah, me too," Meineke said.

"I sure would like to see the Andromeda," Daniel said. "It really sounds awesome!"

Meineke scratched the fur on the back of his neck. "Tomorrow, Daniel. Now let's go get some sleep."

"Daniel, how would you like to take a peek at the Andromeda tonight?" Captain Hastings asked.

"Whoa, really? That would be great."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Meineke asked.

"Oh no, that's okay," Daniel replied, admiring the good captain. "You get some rest. I don't want you cranky all day tomorrow because I kept you up."

"Yeah, me neither," Louie said.

Meineke appeared reluctant. "Well, all right then. You two have fun...together...without me."

Daniel and Captain Hastings walked out through the archway with Daniel clearly excited that the regal captain would even ask him. Meineke followed them with his gaze, not feeling very good about them going off together. He liked Daniel quite a bit already. Daniel was his friend. Not many people were his friend.

Louie slapped him on the back and tugged him onward toward the female servants who stood by to escort them to their rooms. "Don't worry, Meineke, he'll be all right." Louie wouldn't admit it, but he actually liked the wil.

Meineke shrugged his small shoulders and followed the cherub captain and the servants to the suites King Turin had graciously provided for their overnight stay in the city.

CAPTAIN'S DISCRETION

Daniel supposed it must have been around the midnight hour by the time he and Captain Samuel Hastings made their way to the shipyards. Guards stood on night-watch duty all over the city along the way, but they seemed to know who the new captain was. Each one had greeted the captain with a salute as he and the boy approached, with one even giving Daniel a wink for his privileged place by the captain's side.

The smell of the sea wafted stronger, the closer they came to the docks. Streetlamps spaced at regular intervals provided the only available light. Most of the buildings stood dark. The occupants had been asleep for hours now.

The moon cast its pale glow upon everything and revealed the first glimpse of the ships stationed in the shipyard. With masts jutting up into the sky and sails tightly furled, the ships had the appearance of trees in winter—their branches bare of foliage.

The shipyards unfolded before the pair as the captain led Daniel down to the docks. Daniel's eyes fixed wide like saucers. He'd never seen so many sailing ships and nothing of this caliber. They're beautiful.

"Whoa, there are so many," Daniel said. "I sort of expected that most of Gennedy's ships had been sunk, or captured by Captain Blackborne."

"Well, you can't believe everything you hear, Daniel," Captain Hastings said. "Blackborne is a very real threat to shipping on the Waron Sea, but many cities like Gennedy have simply stopped sending ships out as a result. If you look closely, you can see Gennedy's locks which prevent attacks here at the docks."

Daniel squinted through the darkness to catch a shadowy glimpse of the wooden locks which every ship had to pass through to get to the sea beyond. "Wow, how does that work?"

"Since the wind is barred to some degree by the protective walls, each of Gennedy's ships has a modified bilge system which can act as a water jet. It's powered by ten men and allows for maneuvering speeds—enough to get the ships into the locks. The gate closes on this side and the ship passes through the lock to emerge from another gate on the other side. Even if an enemy vessel were to get into the lock it would be suicide. Trapped away from the wind with Gennedy's soldiers sending down fire on the ship, it would be burned out before ever getting within reach of anything inside the city."

"That's really amazing," Daniel said. "Gennedy seems so well defended."

"Oh, it is."

"It's too bad that ole Captain Blackborne doesn't try to get into this city with his ships. Then he would really get it, and no one would have to feel threatened by him anymore."

Captain Hastings chuckled a little as they continued walking down the length of the docks. "I'd give the man a bit more credit than that, Daniel. After all, he obviously didn't get to the place where he is feared by everyone by doing foolish things. Maybe this Captain Blackborne is cleverer than the people realize, and that's why he hasn't charged Gennedy head-on. I'd give credit where credit is due, though. He has managed to instill fear and has stopped all shipping on the Waron Sea."

"Yeah, I guess that is true. He'd probably have to be a pretty smart guy to accomplish all of that," Daniel considered. "But he is evil and everything."

"Now why do you say that?" Captain Hastings asked.

"Well, I guess because of all of the things he's done and being a pirate and all. Besides, you heard all of the things they were saying about him at dinner. He sounds pretty evil to me."

The captain laughed again, this time more heartily. "Oh, lad, you are quick to believe aren't you?"

"Well, don't you believe those things are true?"

"Honestly? No, I don't really believe those things. This Nathaniel Blackborne is merely a man, and men are motivated by different things. Some are motivated by money or power. And some men happen upon those things while in pursuit of something else entirely."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Daniel said, puzzled.

"It's not really important, lad. Only, we should not be so eager to pass judgment on a man without knowing the whole story and what his motives are."

"You almost sound like you admire the guy."

"Admire?" Captain Hastings seemed to consider that choice of words. "No, I can honestly say, I don't admire the man, Daniel. But I do sometimes pity people like Blackborne who get themselves in so deep into treachery that they simply don't know how to get out of it and so they continue on the way they are."

"Well, that may be, but no matter what, he's still responsible for his own actions."

Captain Hastings stopped and looked at Daniel. He wore a grin on his face, admiring the boy's insight and wisdom. After an awkward moment of silence, Hastings said, "You know, Daniel, you remind me of my own son, Justin."

"Really, I didn't know you had any children, sir."

"Yes, but only the one boy. He would have been about two years older than you by now."

"Would have been...do you mean?"

Captain Hastings stopped walking and looked at Daniel again. "Yes, Daniel, my Justin was killed several years ago. He was very much like you: insightful, willing to speak his mind, and so forth."

"How did it happen?" Daniel asked, hoping he wasn't being too nosy.

Captain Hastings became misty-eyed as he recalled the tragic incident which had claimed his son from him—the pain of the memory evident on his face.

"Justin had been captured by a band of rogues, but it was the military that was actually responsible for his death. You see, rather than negotiating for his release, they raided the pirate's encampment and killed everyone in sight including all ten of their prisoners and my Justin."

Daniel felt very bad for the captain—such a tragedy for this great man to have gone through. Captain Hastings looked as though he was fighting back tears at the recollection of the events.

"I'm very sorry, sir," Daniel said. "Didn't anyone do anything about them killing the hostages along with the pirates?

Captain Hastings looked past Daniel, into the night, remembering. His face broke into a very odd smile—almost sinister.

"Oh, yes, justice was eventually served on the men responsible." He looked back at Daniel. "Oddly enough, it was a band of pirates that made those men pay for their crimes. Isn't that ironic?" he mused.

The captain began walking down the docks again. Boards creaked beneath their feet while the pungent smell of the ocean permeated everything.

"Do you know who the pirate was who killed those men?"

Captain Hastings smiled at the boy again. "Yes, I know him very well, as a matter of fact. But it's not really important what his name is."

"But—"

Hastings interrupted further questioning with a view of something magnificent. "Look, Daniel, it's the Andromeda!"

One hundred yards away sat the most spectacular sailing ship Daniel had ever laid his eyes upon. He had always been very interested in such vessels, ever since seeing replicas on display of old British and French warships. Daniel had made studying them one of his favorite pastimes at Ekhart Academy.

As he and Captain Hastings drew nearer to the ship, he could clearly make out a raised forecastle and quarterdeck with multiple levels of windows and cannons rising above the main hull. "She appears to be a large frigate," Daniel said confidently.

"Aye, that she is, lad. I'm impressed. You seem to know something about these glorious seabirds."

"It's a hobby. I've never gotten the opportunity to actually sail on one, but I've always wanted to."

"Well, why hasn't your father ever taken you? I'm sure a lad like you would adore the open sea. There's really nothing quite like it."

"My father...well, he doesn't have time for things like that...doesn't have much time for anything with me," Daniel confessed. For some reason, he felt very comfortable around the captain. He seemed so fine a man and deserving of admiration.

Captain Hastings was different. He showed genuine interest in what Daniel had to say. Daniel had longed for that same thing from his father, but it had never manifested in their relationship.

Captain Hastings gave Daniel a thoughtful look. "Well then, lad, tomorrow will be a real treat for you."

The pair continued walking past several men guarding the loading platform leading onto the vessel. The magnitude of the Andromeda became even more apparent as they came near the bow. The figure of a beautiful woman made of carved wood and overlaid with gold and silver adorned the bow. Her hair and robes flowed back against the ship terminating in the rich stain of the wooden planks which made up the outer hull of the vessel.

"She's so much bigger than a normal frigate though...how many guns does she have?" Daniel asked.

"The Andromeda is a very advanced weapon, Daniel. She's three times the size of a normal Frigate class ship and has one hundred and twenty cannons altogether. And we use explosive rounds for an extra punch. The cannons themselves are long-barreled for greater accuracy and we use shells which are cone shaped at the tip for maximum penetration. These cannons are then set to spring loaded recoil tracks instead of heavy rope."

"Whoa, that sounds really cool."

"Not only that, lad, but we also have our marines armed with muskets and, more importantly, crossbows. If we don't wish to board a vessel and take her, then we can fire arrows dipped in pitch and set ablaze over to their deck or into the hull. We can burn them out with such a barrage before they even come within accurate musket range."

"That's so cool," Daniel said. "I'll bet you've seen some amazing battles, huh?"

"More than I care to remember, Daniel. But we do what we must do."

"Captain, do you think you could teach me? You know, to sail and fight and stuff. Marissa and the others are all great warriors. I'm just this kid who isn't much help to them at all."

Captain Hastings bowed slightly at the waist. "Lad, it would be my privilege. Now, let's get you back to your comfortable bed. We'll both need our rest for tomorrow's voyage and though the Andromeda is the king's ship, I trust we'll find softer beds waiting for us back at his stronghold."

Daniel took another long look at the regal war bird and then set off with the good captain back toward the king's palace. As the pair passed by one of the guards, standing at attention with his musket, Captain Hastings glared at the man and gave him a nod of confirmation. The guardsman, who was stationed to this post from among the newly handpicked crew, returned the nod.

ANDROMEDA SETS SAIL

Captain Hastings sat at the finely crafted wooden desk in his appointed suite within King Turin's stronghold. A piece of parchment lay before him, nearly filled with details he knew would be of great importance and concern to King Turin. He dipped his quill into the inkwell and laid down another line of script. What he had written drew a sly grin across his face.

The captain finished the document with his personal signature, then rolled the parchment into a scroll. He then retrieved the candle burning next to his desk. He poured some of the wax into a silver ring which was set to the leading edge of the parchment, then allowed the wax to set before removing the ring. It left a soft but perfectly circular piece of red wax behind. The captain pulled a gold ring from his waist pocket and pushed the curious raised symbol on the ring into the wax, leaving its impression behind for the king.

Captain Hastings then placed this sealed scroll into a silver tube, made for the purpose of carrying important documents, and closed the lid at the end of the cylinder. The captain retrieved his tricorn hat; an elegant deep blue rimmed in gold and placed it upon his head. He then retrieved his cutlass from the bed and fastened the scabbard to his uniform at the waist. With a last look and primp at the mirror, Hastings went to the door of his private room. When he opened to the hall beyond, a royal courier stood waiting for him as requested.

"I want you to deliver this important document to King Turin the moment the Andromeda clears the outer locks. This is an urgent matter requiring the king's personal attention. However, we need not spoil the launch celebration with the news this document bears. So, not until the Andromeda has cleared the final locks to the sea...understand?"

"Oh yes, sir," said the young man. He was dressed in a uniform bearing the king's personal crest, indicating his role as a royal courier and one able to approach the king. "This document will be delivered only after the Andromeda has cleared the last sea lock, sir."

"Very good." Captain Hastings handed the young man the silver cylinder. The captain then walked past him down the hall toward the stairs leading outside the stronghold to the launch ceremony taking place at the docks.

"Oh, sir?"

"Yes?"

"Good luck on your voyage to Corsica. Everyone knows the king's passengers are in good hands with a man of your renown."

Hastings nodded and tugged the brim of his tricorn hat. He turned and continued on toward the ceremony, another sly grin crossing his face as he thought upon the courier's kind words.

Daniel thought today was probably the most perfect day he'd ever seen for sailing. The bright sun beamed hot rays down on the launch celebration for the Andromeda, her new captain, and the special passengers—friends of King Turin himself. A steady wind blew off the sea and the Andromeda's sails flapped haplessly like wings begging to take flight.

Daniel and the others had been given changes of clothing by the king, and he was now dressed in the garb of the Living Land: trousers and a collarless loose fitting button up shirt. A velvety, deep blue waistcoat, just his size, finished the look. The king had even given Daniel a highly polished naval short sword. Marissa had complimented him on how sharp he looked and, coming from the Bard princess, it was high praise indeed.

They all waited for the arrival of the naval hero of the hour, Captain Hastings. Daniel knew he would appear as a paragon of virtue, courage, and comeliness. Remembering Marissa's embarrassment over the captain's flirting the night before, gave Daniel cause to chuckle to himself. Meineke gave the boy a curious look, wondering what might be funny. Daniel waved him off, dismissing his own amusement.

The Andromeda towered over them, a bright, shining jewel of human achievement. Daniel couldn't wait to board her and set sail on the magnificent ship. This was, perhaps, the most exciting moment of his young life. As he and Meineke followed behind King Turin and Marissa, walking up the ramp to the high loading platform, Daniel wondered what was keeping Captain Hastings. After all, he had to give the speech before boarding and departure.

Meineke followed Daniel's sweeping gaze, knowing that the boy was looking for his new bosom companion and hero, Captain Samuel Hastings. "He'll be here," Meineke said sarcastically. The others in their party followed them up the ramp as they ascended the high scaffolding to the place where the people would see them off on their voyage.

Hundreds of interested spectators had assembled for the launch. Inside the walled city, shut away from the outside world, this came as close to an exciting social event as they ever got. It wasn't very often they got to meet a war hero, and their own King Turin had been sequestered away in his stronghold for months following an illness.

Surveying the crowd, Daniel noticed the people beginning to part as a royal cart, like a rickshaw, came through to the docks. A strong lithe, young man pulled the personal buggy by a cross bar attached to two staves connected to either side of the cart. The young man delivered the handsome captain to the base of the loading platform.

Daniel noticed Marissa perk up as she watched Samuel Hastings bounce out of the personal carriage and make his way up to the landing where they all waited. Captain Hastings stopped in front of Marissa and bowed himself to her with the same flirtatious look in his eye. Marissa tried to appear disinterested, but Daniel knew it was a ruse. It was obvious to everyone that she liked the man, even if she was unwilling to admit it.

And why not? Captain Samuel Hastings was handsome and courageous with a solid military record, just the sort of man Daniel hoped he could become some day. The captain caught Marissa's hand as he began to straighten and kissed the flesh again. Meineke rolled his eyes, making no bones about his growing annoyance with the captain's charms. "Does he ever stop?"

Louie nudged the wil with an elbow. The captain then turned his attention to King Turin and bowed himself at the waist again, sweeping his blue tricorn hat in a wide swathe just above the floor of the platform. "My king, what a wonderful day Iam has given us for the beginning of our voyage. I appreciate the excellent turnout of the people as well, my lord."

"Captain Hastings, we appreciate a man of your military background taking on the task of stamping out the scourge of pirates which trouble our waters," King Turin said. "If you wouldn't mind to address the people, then we will allow you and your passengers to get underway."

The captain bowed again and then turned to the podium which had been set up on the landing for the occasion. It was made of honey colored wood, and there was a brass, acoustic megaphone built into the top on a swinging arm. The crowd began to cheer and clap when the captain stood forth to address them.

He raised his hands to quiet the people and then spoke through the megaphone. "Good people of Gennedy, your well fortified city has stood the test of time against enemies of every sort. With your valiant King Turin, you have defeated unnumbered foes which have assayed to take these mighty walls and you have always been victorious."

The people cheered again, until the captain quieted them. "But in recent days, your waters have been plagued by villainous pirates and their leader, Captain Nathaniel Blackborne."

Jeers and howls arose from the crowd at the mention of Blackborne. Captain Hastings continued. "Pirates may have taken your ships and those of other coastal cities, effectively halting trade, but with the Andromeda under my command we will thwart Blackborne and his band of thieves. I will personally bring this man to justice, alive or dead!"

The crowd erupted in loud cheers at this point and Hastings left the podium. The others began to board the ship, along with Daniel, Meineke, and Louie. To Daniel's surprise, Marissa even allowed the captain to escort her, holding his crooked elbow.

Their group boarded the great vessel and the crew withdrew the gangplank. The crew members all dressed in similar apparel, signifying their appointment aboard the king's personal vessel. They wore beige shirts with knee pants and deep blue fearnought sailor's jackets suitable for the windy weather and occasional sea spray. Apart from their royal clothing, Daniel noticed the men appeared a bit seedy. Some were missing teeth and had scars upon their faces.

Daniel was drawn away from the crew to the ship itself. "Have you ever seen anything like her, lad?" Captain Hastings called.

"Never, sir," replied Daniel as he turned round and round to take in as much of the magnificent ship as he could. The others of their party did the same. The Andromeda was worth the effort—a legend at sea with a reputation well deserved.

A man appeared at Captain Hastings's side, apparently of higher rank than the others. "Ah, Mister Skulk," Captain Hastings said. "Please, get us underway, sir."

"Aye, Captain, straight away," Mr. Skulk said.

The man walked across the long deck and began barking orders through a handheld megaphone.

"Mr. Skulk is my first mate, Daniel," said the captain. "We'll soon be away and heading through Gennedy's locks for the open sea."

Mr. Skulk gave orders through another tube which was fastened to the deck, extending to levels below. He ordered the water jet to be activated. The unit would propel them through the locks to the sea beyond. Then they would be able to fill Andromeda's sails with wind.

The mighty ship began to move away from the docks after the crew released all her moorings. Daniel looked over the railing to see swirling currents churning on the surface of the water near the rear of the ship. That must be the water jet system in action, he thought.

The Andromeda careened away from the docks and lumbered out into the large man-made harbor, making her way toward the high seaside portion of the city's wall and the dual gates of the lock. Daniel and Meineke stood gazing as at least one hundred men flew aloft on the rigging; a colony of frenzied spiders setting their nets to catch the wind once they reached the sea. Their coordination and precision teamwork amazed Daniel. Evidently these men had lived their lives at sea, doing exactly these essential tasks countless times.

Daniel wanted to learn their ways and become a part of this kind of life—to belong. He hoped the captain might have some of the answers he sought on this journey through the Living Land. Perhaps, he would remain with the good captain when the others let off at Corsica. This whole business with the Wielder and Mortis held no importance to him. With the wind at their backs and the sea as their ally, Daniel imagined a grand life one might have as a sea captain.

Within minutes they had begun to enter the first pair of doors to the locks. These massive doors, set into the wall, opened to reveal a holding area of sorts and another set of massive doors. They would enter here and then the first doors would close. The city was then protected and the second set of doors could be opened to the sea. The Andromeda passed through the first set of doors successfully.

The lock held enough space for two ships like the Andromeda. They paused for several minutes as the doors behind them closed completely. Then the doors ahead began to groan and open, allowing more seawater to pass within. The Andromeda's water jets propelled her forward again at Mr. Skulk's command through the piping in the deck.

Mr. Skulk was a much older looking man than Captain Hastings. His silver hair was long and stringy looking. When he briefly removed his tricorn hat to wipe the sweat from his brow with his forearm, Daniel noticed the hair was very thin on top and long on the sides from ear to ear around his head. The man had a natural sneer planted on his face and a long scar down his left cheek coming nearly to his lip. Daniel supposed it was only his imagination, after all Captain Hastings was surely a good judge of character, but he didn't trust the man.

The Andromeda continued to pick up speed and soon she passed through the outer lock-gate of the city. As the magnificent seabird met with the landward surge of the sea, the sail crews tied off the billowing white canvas and the Andromeda took the wind and it took her. Off they went into the open sea and whatever adventures awaited them on their way to Corsica.

King Turin and his nurse, Marie, descended the high landing of the loading platform and began to make their way through the people with the king's guards flanking them on either side. A young man intercepted them. He wore a royal courier's uniform and King Turin recognized him immediately as one of his most loyal and trusted couriers.

"Michael, how are you today?" King Turin said.

"Your Highness. I have an urgent message for you from Captain Hastings."

"But Hastings has just departed. How could he have already sent me a communiqué?"

"Sire, Captain Hastings asked me this morning to deliver this important document at precisely the time the Andromeda reached the second set of sea doors," Michael said, trying very hard to sound official enough.

King Turin accepted the courier's silver cylinder and opened the end where it latched. He tilted the tube enough to reveal its contents and let the rolled up scroll inside slide out into his hand. A red wax seal had been set to the document. The seal of Captain Nathaniel Blackborne had been impressed into the wax—two crossed cutlasses overlaid by the capital letters "NB." Turin was shocked. Why would Captain Hastings use such a seal? Or, perhaps Samuel had merely passed on a document which had not been unsealed...he hoped.

The elder king broke the red wax seal and unfurled the parchment to read the words written within. What he found sent a cold chill through the man's very soul. His eyes flew wide open, and his breathing became labored. Turin clutched his chest as the parchment page fell to the ground. Turin's nurse and his bodyguards swarmed around their king, trying to help if they could. Turin heard their voices, but the sound was muffled and distant. He began to succumb to unconsciousness and his last cohesive thoughts were of the writing on the parchment and what it meant for his people in Gennedy and his guests aboard the Andromeda.

As the people gathered around to help tend to the king, the captain of the guard picked up the unrolled parchment and held it out to read the news which had shocked the king so greatly. It read:

"My dear, King Turin, I have enjoyed your royal hospitality for too long and now it is time to go. I and my men will be taking the Andromeda in order to put her to good use. And you might do well not to send your ships out upon the Waron Sea anymore, now that I have the greatest fighting vessel in the world at my command. Thank you for this kind gift, Sire."

"P.S: You may find the real Captain Samuel Hastings's body about twenty miles back on the Gennedian road. Look for the grave marked with my name in the Dubois Cemetery there...Yours Sincerely, Captain Nathaniel Blackborne."

NATHANIEL BLACKBORNE

The Andromeda rose and fell with the swells on her way across the Waron Sea. Captain Hastings turned to Marissa and said, "I hope that you and your companions will join me in my quarters for dinner, Princess."

She shot a quick glance at the others and then accepted. "We would appreciate that very much, Captain."

He smiled. "Very good. Now, I'm sure that you and the others would like to settle into your cabins. King Turin had all of your effects sent onboard ahead of you. While I attend to my duties up here on deck, Mr. Skulk will take you all below and help you get settled into your quarters."

Marissa gave him a nod of thanks as Captain Hastings signaled for his quartermaster. Mr. Skulk hurried over to their group, surveying them all with a weary eye that sent a chill down Daniel's spine. For some reason the man just didn't appear trustworthy to him.

"Mr. Skulk, please show our guests to their individual quarters and see to it they all have a proper change of clothing for dinner in my cabin this evening."

"Aye, Captain."

The quartermaster made his way around their group and motioned for them to follow as he led them below deck. Daniel took a last look at Captain Hastings who was now speaking with several members of his deck crew. They were brutish looking men and smiled with apparent satisfaction as though the captain were sharing a private joke with them.

Marissa and the others descended three levels and then followed Mr. Skulk down a narrow passageway illuminated by lamplights mounted upon the wall. Small tags bearing each of their names hung on some of the doors lining the corridor. "These are your rooms, My lady," Mr. Skulk said to Marissa. "I took the liberty of laying out dinner clothing for each of you. You'll find a wash basin and toiletries inside and there is a latrine at the end of this hallway. Dinner will be in two hours. I will return then to escort you all to the captain's quarters."

"Thank you, Mr. Skulk," Marissa said. "I think we can manage from here."

Mr. Skulk nodded and then made his way past the group and back up the stairs. "Well, gentlemen, let's find our rooms and get settled in. Be sure and be ready in two hours. We don't want to keep the captain waiting." Marissa found the suite with her name tag upon the door.

"Aye, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Meineke whispered. Daniel placed his finger to his lips to hush the wil before the princess heard him. Then they each found their individual quarters and went inside.

Daniel went into his cabin and closed the door. There he found a single porthole window. The room was clearly meant for one occupant only. Still, it was very nice, considering the sorts of conditions he'd read about on these types of vessels. After a quick scan of the room, Daniel settled in next to the window. He watched the sea pass by as the Andromeda made her way across the Waron.

Watching the constant bobbing motion of the waves, Daniel barely noticed his sudden desire to sleep. He felt so tired. Before Daniel realized it, he had fallen asleep leaning against the window sill.

When Daniel awoke, he heard the sounds of laughter—the hardy laughter of men—particularly men who've just pulled off something quite clever and are gloating about it. Daniel's eyes opened to half slits. He still felt so tired. Daniel's blurred vision settled upon Marissa. The Bard Princess sat tied securely to a chair with a look of pure hatred upon her face.

Daniel's eyes snapped wide open. The Bard Princess sat directly across from him. They were both seated at an ornate, finely crafted table of considerable length. At this point, Daniel realized he too was fastened to his chair.

"What have you done with Captain Hastings?" she demanded. "He'll see you mutinous dogs hanged—every one of you!"

The men, actually members of the Andromeda's crew now that Daniel saw them clearly, all stood around the table, laughing at Marissa's threats. Louie and his cherub warriors, Mickey and Bob, were seated several chairs away, fastened in the same manner. They were all awake, but held their tongues while Marissa continued to spit venomous threats at the men.

Then Mr. Skulk entered the room, which Daniel supposed may have been the captain's dining room because of the costly decoration and lengthy dining table. Marissa looked relieved to see the burly quartermaster.

"Mr. Skulk, these men are committing mutiny against the captain!" she screamed.

Mr. Skulk leveled an eye on the princess and then at the men present in the ornate chamber. "Is that so, lass?" he said with unmistakable sarcasm in his voice. "These men are loyal to their captain, but it is not Captain Samuel Hastings who commands this vessel, my dear."

"What are you talking about? What have you done with Captain Hastings?"

"I've done nothing with him, ma'am," Mr. Skulk confessed. He stepped aside in order to reveal another man standing in the doorway. His silhouette was unmistakable, even before he entered into the light cast by the oil lamps in the room. But when he did step forth and the light revealed him completely, a horrible sinking feeling washed over Daniel.

Captain Hastings stood there, but not in his royal naval uniform. He wore the attire of a very successful pirate. "Allow me to introduce the true captain of this vessel, ma'am: Captain Nathaniel Blackborne," Mr. Skulk said.

Daniel stammered. How could it be? His hero, who had assured King Turin and the people of Gennedy that he was out to destroy this scourge of the seas, was actually the dread pirate himself!

"My lady," Captain Blackborne said. "I trust you are well."

Marissa's eyes burned like coals of fire. "I should have seen through your pomp and circumstance you villainous dog!"

"Princess, Princess, you must control your temper. This is very un-lady like. Not you at all." Blackborne circled behind the table on Daniel's side, patting him on the shoulder as he did so. "Well, Daniel, I seem to have riled the princess up a bit, eh?"

"How did you capture us like this?" Daniel asked. "I don't remember a thing."

"Of course not, Daniel. A bit of knockout gas piped into your cabins did the trick very nicely."

"I can't believe you," Daniel said. "I thought you were my friend, but you're nothing but a stinking pirate."

"Come now, Daniel, don't take this so hard. You weren't a part of my plan, only the Andromeda and Captain Hastings. Your presence here is just an unfortunate coincidence."

"Yeah right, and I sat and listened to all of your boloney about your dead son and everything."

Blackborne slammed his fist on the table next to Daniel, silencing his protest. The gold candelabra in the middle of the table nearly spilled over. "All of this is about my son!" he said, flustered. He quickly regained his composure and continued more elegantly. "My son was killed as I told you, Daniel, but it was Hastings who was in command of that military operation.

He was the man who decided it would be best to risk the hostages in order to take down the band of pirates. There were three other men responsible and Hastings was the last. As I told you, Daniel, it was a pirate who ultimately brought those men to justice for what they did to my son and that pirate is me."

"So why all of this with King Turin and the ship?" Louie asked.

"Very simple, cherub...this is the one sailing ship which threatens my dominion. When I was informed that King Turin had commissioned Captain Hastings to command the Andromeda, I knew this was the perfect way to get two birds with one stone."

"You killed the man who killed your son and then took his place and commission to get the mightiest sailing ship there is?" Daniel said.

"Very good, Daniel, and?"

"And no one will be able to stop you with this ship..."

"Exactly, and—"

"But someone will stop you."

"What?"

"Someone will eventually stop you," Daniel said, more confidently. He felt betrayed by this Captain Blackborne, but he was no longer afraid of him. Daniel suddenly realized that Blackborne was merely a man, less than the legends, more fragile.

Blackborne had been acting out of revenge because of the loss of his son. No wonder he had said, we shouldn't judge people without knowing their motives. Blackborne the legend held people in fear, but Blackborne the man was altogether a different creature and with such weaknesses would eventually come defeat.

"Where are the others?" Marissa asked.

Daniel had missed the fact that half of their company was not present. The elves and human men were all missing and so was Meineke.

"The men were a potential threat, so we cast them adrift with enough provisions to get them safely back to Gennedy. As I said, Princess, it was not our intention to have you as guests. However, with your men, a skirmish might have ensued and we would have had blood spilt unnecessarily. This is the best way, and your companions will be fine."

"What about the wil?"

Blackborne looked at Skulk, then back to Marissa. "The wil has gone missing, Princess. I doubt he would be much of a threat, but it would still be in your best interest to have him return to you. After all, if he's found loose on the ship, he might come to harm, and we wouldn't want that now would we?"

"Why have you kept us here?" Marissa asked. "What use are we to you? You could just let us go and keep the ship."

Blackborne mused, a sly grin on his face. "Princess, I would not be deprived of your company just yet. You may come to be very useful to me."

"But we are on a quest for the Wielder. Without him, we will not be able to win this war against Mortis. You may be the doom of the Living Land just by preventing our progress."

"Princess, I have little interest in the war with Mortis. Out here on the sea, we are free. Even Mortis cannot threaten us here."

Marissa leveled her stare on Blackborne. "Not yet, pirate."

THE KRAKEN

Meineke clung to the mizzen mast. Below him, pirates swarmed the deck and forecastle, possibly searching for him. He had already witnessed the others being taken unconscious from their rooms and carried back toward the rear of the ship. All of the human and elf men had been taken to a dinghy and set adrift. What to do? Meineke had no idea. He knew he couldn't fight a whole band of pirates.

Meineke considered himself fortunate. Earlier he had taken a quick visit to the latrine right after being left to his room. He wasn't sure, but something must have been present in the rooms meant to incapacitate everyone in their group—some sort of sleeping potion or something. The others had been carried out by the crew members within ten minutes of their entering into those cabins. But Meineke's smaller size and climbing claws had afforded him the ability to hide above the lintel of the restroom door when they came looking for him.

Now, the flag of the dread pirate, Captain Nathaniel Blackborne swayed in the breeze from the main mast and a flag pole at the stern; two cutlass swords and the letters NB upon a crimson sea. The well known standard commanded fear.

Meineke waited for several pirates on the poop deck to move away. Then he leaped away from the mizzen mast toward the stern. Meineke sailed through the air like a flying squirrel, gliding down with speed to the flagpole at the stern railing. The wil caught the red pirate flag as it flapped in the breeze and, with one fluid motion, he used his own momentum to swing down and around to the back of the ship.

Meineke clung to the hull just outside of the captain's cabin—claws set into the wooden beams. Peering inside the window, Meineke saw Marissa, Daniel, Louie, Bob, and Mickey all tied to chairs at a long dining table. A man dressed in flamboyant apparel, apparently Captain Blackborne himself, stood with his back to the window. More pirates filled the room, encircling the table and their prisoners. The pirate captain argued back and forth with Marissa.

Meineke heard a bell sound on the deck. He scanned the dark sea all around them and could clearly make out two ships coming into close quarters with the Andromeda. Their lamps gave their position away, but they didn't appear to be hiding their approach.

Meineke launched himself away from the hull and morphed into bird form. The wil caught the air with his large wings and headed for the other ships to investigate. Meineke sailed over the main mast of the first vessel and saw the same pirate standard flying over the ship. A pass over the second vessel yielded the same—Blackborne's flag. Being this high up, Meineke also saw several more ships on approach, only farther out. No doubt, they were also part of this mass rendezvous with the stolen Andromeda.

Somehow, Blackborne had masterminded the theft of the king's prize vessel and his passengers. Meineke wondered what lay in store for them now. Would it be a ransom demand or something far worse, like the gruesome stories Louie had told of Blackborne's appetite for torture and destruction?

Meineke made his rounds to investigate all of the ships as they approached the Andromeda. None of them acted hostile in any way. It was just as he had suspected on every pass. They all flew the flag of Captain Nathaniel Blackborne.

Meineke soared high over the group and then headed back for the stern of the Andromeda. The huge frigate towered over the other ships. All ten smaller vessels came into a loose circle around the majestic seabird and appeared to be preparing emissaries to launch to their new flagship. Dinghies began to fill on each sister ship, then they lowered themselves into the sea. Oil lamps carried on each small craft were the only illumination for the ten or so men onboard.

As Meineke passed the window, before landing, he saw Marissa, Daniel, and the cherubs being led out of the dining room with the flamboyant Blackborne following. The wil sailed away from the ship and then high up into the air. Seeing no one in the crow's nest, he lit upon the main mast, just under Blackborne's crimson standard. Meineke resumed his natural form and watched as the prisoners were led out onto the deck in preparation for their visitors from the other ships.

Captain Blackborne and his guests stood on the quarterdeck, awaiting the arrival of the other captains from Blackborne's fleet. The dinghies crossed the sea between their ships and the Andromeda. "What's going on now, pirate?" Marissa asked with unfeigned contempt.

"My dear, this is a simple formality. My men simply want to lay their eyes on the prize. They were unsure I could pull this off, and there is a good bit of treasure in the hold of this ship which needs distribution."

"Nothing but a common criminal, as I suspected," Marissa said. "So much for your noble ideas of justice for the dead."

Captain Blackborne fumed, but managed to control an outburst. He laughed instead to thwart his temper. "Ah, Marissa, you do know how to push a man's buttons...not to mention boil their blood."

Marissa shot the captain a hard look. He smiled, quite pleased that he had angered her as well.

The sea drew Daniel's attention away from the bickering pair. The calm water which had been present a moment ago began to churn in the reflected moonlight. The men in the dinghies started to struggle against the current.

Daniel watched a huge area beneath the small craft flash glowing white light then crimson red just below the water's surface. Daniel's flesh began to crawl, though he wasn't sure why.

A massive boom, like a cannon shot, sounded from the water as sea spray filled the air. One of the small white dinghies sailed into the air, scattering its human cargo into the Waron Sea. The small boat hit the water again, nearly twenty yards away, smashing into kindling as it landed.

All eyes fell upon the smashed vessel and then back to the foaming cauldron of water encompassing the remaining dinghies. Panic began to take the sailors as they scanned the foam looking for the next attack. A slimy tendril lunged out of the deep toward one of the men and caught him around the throat and upper torso. As quickly as the man began to scream out in the dark, his call fell silent as the appendage pulled him out of the little boat and into the water.

Many other tentacles emerged from the dark water, like vipers striking out at multiple prey. Man after man disappeared from the dinghies in mere seconds. Cries called out from the decks of the ships to the lost men. Daniel shook, terrified; not by the loss of the pirates, but of what lay just beneath the surface of the moonlit water. He couldn't see it yet, but a terrible foreboding attacked his senses, like a nightmare vision as yet unrealized.

The sea suddenly erupted like a volcano, sending sea spray up in a massive plume which cascaded down upon all of the ships like a fresh, salty rain. Tentacles of massive girth flew outward from the eruption, latching onto several of the ships including the main mast of the Andromeda. Marissa dodged out of the way alongside Captain Blackborne. The captain hit the deck in a roll and came to his feet again quickly.

"THE KRAKEN!" Blackborne shouted. He whipped his twin cutlasses from their scabbards on either hip and launched toward the massive red tentacle. Daniel stumbled backward into Louie.

"Turn round, lad," Louie said. They backed up to each to each other and Daniel felt Louie using his own tied hands to work on the knots binding Daniel's wrists. In moments he had the boy loose and then Daniel went to work on Louie's bonds. Mickey and Bob got busy working through the same process.

A huge octopus-like head pushed through the surface of the churning water, following its arms. Mass panic ensued among the pirates. Most had their weapons drawn and some fired muskets and pistols at the great beast. Captain Blackborne attacked the tree-sized tentacle which began to pull the ship over by the main mast—nearly thirty degrees of tilt so far. Gear and people on the decks rolled toward the sea as the Andromeda leaned over. Blackborne hacked furiously into the horrid appendage dragging them toward the depths.

Daniel now had the Bard Princess free as well. She snatched a fallen cutlass from the deck. Blackborne caught eye of Marissa and yelled for help. "Marissa, help me! We must cut it loose, or we'll all die!"

Daniel saw her approach him from behind and raise the long sword above her head. He knew she was about to strike the pirate kidnapper down. If she did not do it now, they might never escape. Marissa let out a war cry and swung the glinting blade down on the captain's position. The blade sunk deep into the crimson flesh of the Kraken, barely missing Blackborne's head in the process.

Marissa hadn't taken the opportunity to kill Blackborne. Somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Daniel sighed with relief. She pulled the blade free and surged forward again, hacking at the beast with all of the fury she could muster.

The creature's tentacles splayed out in all directions—many more than eight arms in all. The body extended well below the surface. Numerous sucker cups ran the length of each arm. Daniel noticed that each suction cup looked like a lion's jaw with sharp teeth lining the rim—able to take a man's head clean off.

Marissa and Blackborne hacked completely through the Kraken's tentacle. The Andromeda immediately righted herself in the water, sending everyone still standing down onto the deck in the opposite direction. Meineke, who still clung to the main mast, launched away from the beam like a circus performer shot from a cannon.

"EEEYA!!" Meineke cried as he sailed out over the water and away from the ship. Daniel and Louie both spotted his screaming, gray, little form arcing out and then down into the water. Meineke dropped with a ploosh into the sea about eighty yards away, like a pebble into a pond.

More of the mighty arms launched toward the Andromeda. The Kraken would not give them up just yet. Some of the tentacles snatched men from the deck, pulling the screaming pirates below the surface of the water near the massive, bulbous head of the Kraken still protruding out of the water. The chilled seawater covered their vain cries for help with darkness. Had it not been nightfall already, they might have noticed the churning foam around the Kraken's body turning red.

Huge tentacles scoured across the deck of the great ship, searching for solid anchor points to latch onto. The massive head of the kraken pulled closer toward the hull of the Andromeda as the arms pulled on the ship. The Andromeda tilted again with the weight of the beast's body surging through the seawater. The hulking monster tried to bring its body up to the Andromeda or the ship down to its body.

Those people still standing, including Daniel and his companions, found the deck literally dropping out from under them as it leaned hard over. Daniel slid across the wooden planks as the deck turned into a ramp leading down into the sea and the waiting maw of the Kraken.

The monster's black beak crashed through the railing and surrounding hull. Its fishy eye seemed fixed on Daniel as he tumbled toward the nightmare waiting to receive him. Daniel thought of the dragon which had hungered for him, its eyes set to his destruction in the same way. The question in his mind again was, why me?

Daniel tried desperately to stop his advance toward the snapping, black beak of the Kraken. One chomp would easily crush him and snap his body in two. Daniel's feet fought for purchase on the deck. His hands waved about over his head as he slid down, trying to find anything tangible to grab onto.

A hand snatched him from the air and abruptly halted his advance toward certain death. Daniel swung against the deck, his booted feet still trying to find a place of purchase. Daniel looked up to find Captain Blackborne at the end of the rescuing arm. Marissa clung to some of the rigging nets next to the pirate with Louie and his cherubs fluttering about among the great sails.

"Don't drop him, Nathaniel!" Marissa pleaded like a mother for her child. Daniel noticed the use of the pirate's first name. She lost every ounce of venom in her voice as the captain dangled Daniel over the snapping beak of the Kraken.

Captain Blackborne grunted as he tried to lift Daniel's weight. "Don't worry, lad, I'm not letting go of you...not again."

Daniel saw in Blackborne's expression such determination. This man meant to do for him what he had not been able to do for his own son years ago. Nathaniel Blackborne would pour every ounce of strength through that arm to save him, or die trying. Every thought of this man's villainous career as a bloodthirsty pirate faded in Daniel's mind and only the picture of a desperate parent trying to save a child remained. Daniel's own father and his lack of concern for the boy all of these years passed through his thoughts as well. Had he not been so terrified, Daniel might have wept at those images.

Nathaniel groaned to bring Daniel's one hundred and ten pounds up. Daniel grabbed onto the captains velvet jacket as he came within reach and Marissa latched onto him as well. They got the boy into the rigging nets as the monster watched them hungrily from below. The severe damage to the hull made it clear the Andromeda was going to sink.

The Kraken had all but abandoned the other pirate ships by now, focusing its energies on the mighty Andromeda. Still, a number of the beast's tentacles remained wrapped around parts of the other ships and they were brought into close proximity to its body and the fatally wounded Andromeda. Several of the smaller vessels collided with one another and began taking on water.

Cannon fire joined the barrage of muskets already shooting into the kraken's smooth crimson-toned flesh. The writhing leviathan lashed out with more tentacles at the smaller ships as though swatting at a swarm of mosquitoes.

"Try to make your way up to this side of the ship!" Bob shouted.

Louie, Mickey, and Bob pushed one of the battered white dinghies off the deck and over the railing above them. "If we can get this into the water and not have it smashed to bits, then we might have a chance!" Louie shouted.

Captain Blackborne, Marissa, and Daniel all nodded and tried to climb up the deck. It had become a sheer wall now with the Andromeda half capsized. Men screamed as they fought for their lives while others dumped into water and tried to swim away from the writhing mass of angry tentacles. Several of the smaller pirate ships were half submerged and going down fast. Their crews had been left with little choice but to jump into the water and try to swim for one of the ships still afloat.

"Meineke!" Louie shouted.

The wil appeared on the railing above them where the cherubs worked to get the dinghy over. He seemed in good shape despite the launch out into the sea from the main mast. Still, he looked like a drowned rat with his grey fur soaked with seawater.

"Meineke!" Daniel shouted. "I thought you were done for!"

"Don't count me out yet, lad. It was a good swim to get back over here, but I'm up for it. Now, all of you, climb for your lives!"

They grabbed for ropes and anything else they could get a solid grip on to pull their weary bodies up the steep deck. Tentacles whipped into the air around them and one of them grabbed hold on Daniel's lower leg.

He screamed in pain as the toothy sucker lacerated his flesh through his leather boot. The tentacle pulled, and Daniel descended back down the sheer face of the deck despite his best efforts to hold on to anything he could find.

"DANIEL!" they all screamed.

Meineke grabbed a harpoon from the inner hull of the dinghy and leaped away from the railing like a rabid base jumper, screaming all the way down. The wil sailed past Daniel, still trying to slow his own descent toward the snapping, black beak of the Kraken.

Meineke allowed the wind to catch his arm pouches, filling the fleshy membranes and pushing him hard to the right just as one of the Kraken's tentacles flew up toward him to intercept. He corrected again, a master of air current manipulation, and brought his body back over the great fishy eye of the Kraken. With the heavy harpoon tip aimed straight down, Meineke folded in his small arms and dropped like a bomb again.

The Kraken's lidless eye came up to meet the wil like a skydiver landing on his target. The harpoon sank into the cornea releasing clear aqueous fluid. The tentacles relinquished everything they had a grip on including Daniel's leg as the beast went into a thrashing spasm. It may not have held a grip on Daniel, but now the timber-like tentacles smashed wildly into everything in sight.

Meineke took flight in his bird form, dodging several tentacles thrashing nearby as he made his way back to Daniel. The wil caught hold of Daniel and lifted him with powerful wing strokes. The others had gotten the dinghy over the railing by now and it was literally sitting on the face of the hull, which was now horizontal up in the air.

"Stand clear everyone!" Blackborne said as he heaved with all of his strength and pushed the dinghy across the wet hull. When it reached the point of inward curve on the face of the hull, it sped up and he stopped pushing. It continued sliding under its own momentum and then away from the hull altogether. It wobbled in the air like a leaf on the breeze and then, to their amazement, landed upright on the water.

"Right, let's go!" Louie said as the cherubs took flight and headed for the boat.

A mist began to fill the air around them. It seemed to be coming right off of the surface of the sea. Meineke carried Daniel over the horizontal hull face and toward the small dinghy sitting alone on the water. "Where in the world did this fog come from all of a sudden?" Meineke said as he carried Daniel. But the boy did not answer. He was nearly unconscious and in a daze. Blood covered his left leg, but it didn't seem enough to cause this reaction. "Daniel? Daniel, wake up, what's wrong?"

Meineke hastened to get the boy to the dinghy where the others had congregated. Captain Blackborne and Marissa climbed in from the water having dove over the side of the Andromeda's hull. The cherubs sat inside and helped to pull them in as Meineke arrived with Daniel.

"Marissa, something's wrong with Daniel!"

They examined him, particularly the injured leg, for bleeding which might explain the faint condition. To Marissa's surprise, when she removed the shredded boot and tore away the fabric around the wound, the flesh already looked partially healed. "What's going on?" she muttered under her breath.

Daniel's head rolled back and forth as though he was fighting for consciousness. "Wake up, lad," Captain Blackborne said. He patted the boy on the cheek lightly.

The fog billowed up around them, consuming the dinghy. It happened too fast to be natural. They could only make out the very top of The Andromeda's capsized hull now. They heard the fierce battle still raging somewhere beyond, but they could no longer see it. More importantly, the Kraken could not see them. Meineke may have wounded its one eye, but it still had another.

Daniel remained in a daze as though all strength had been sapped from him. Then another amazing thing happened. As they sat in the boat, seven of them with no oars to speak of, the boat began to move on its own. They saw nothing, made no effort to paddle, and yet the boat moved of its own volition in some unknown direction. Only the fading screams of pirates, cannons, and musket fire and the smashing of wooden planks by thick tentacles gave them any indication of which direction they were going...away from the Kraken.

MORTIS

A lone fortress stood in the midst of an area of ground completely devoid of any living foliage. Gnarled, black trees bent low to the ground like withered flowers. They appeared burnt and dotted the landscape for miles in every direction. The gray soil starved for moisture and nutrients.

All life withered in the embrace of the Necrom Void or became twisted and malevolent—evil and dead in spirit just like Mortis himself. Mortis ruled the Necrom Void. And where he claimed dominion, the void spread its decay and death. Here, in this place, Evil was called good and good was called Evil.

The fortress of Mortis stood at the heart of the void—a place of desperate wickedness. Its ramparts had been formed from fused rock so black that light itself seemed to be sucked into it never to return. As the void grew the fortress moved—always remaining at the center. A droning hum, not quite mechanical, sounded in all places within the void. The noise had no discernable origin, but remained ever-present and maddening.

Very few creatures remained within the void for long. Only those bent to evil intent continually found themselves able to tolerate it and thrive upon it. In every place where Mortis had claimed dominion there were some—creatures which hate the light and despise the good. There were always some, and Mortis allied with them as their master in order to spread the void across each Living Land.

Of Living Lands, there were many to be sure—billions—and Mortis wanted them all. He desired to claim what Iam had made for his very own kingdom. He had been successful many times, but at other times unsuccessful. Iam redeemed them to his own kingdom, or Mortis took them and spread the void through and through, bringing death.

Most desired to remain willingly ignorant. And this fact alone made Mortis's task all the more simple to complete. Every Wielder he had ever encountered, in the epic struggle for their Living Land, began their journey away from Iam. They remained all too eager to possess the power which Mortis gave them. Only in the end of the matter did they understand the true nature of the struggle. And by then, it was too late. So it would be for this Wielder.

The allies Mortis made among the inhabitants of the Living Lands always believed they would have a kingdom through his dominion. And in their greed they were always wrong. So far in this Land, many creatures had already come willingly under his control.

Today, one of those creatures, a wil, roamed through the halls of the fortress. He plodded along the lonely corridors toward the Hall of Vision in search of his master. The only light within the fortress emanated from a swirl of red and green fog which hung in the air, casting its glow upon everything.

When the wil walked up to a set of massive, wooden doors they began to creak and moan, then opened of their own volition. Unsurprised, the little creature walked inside the Hall of Vision. A large circular chamber with long, jagged stalactites emanating from above opened up before him.

In the midst of the chamber stood a pedestal of stone shaped like a tall barrel. Mortis stood gazing into the pool of water contained within. A vision appeared there, just below the surface of the stagnate water.

"Come, Minion, and see," Mortis said. His voice sounded gentle like a child's, yet there was a distinct undertone resonating like a current of pure evil. Minion came to the edge of the Vision Pool and peeked inside. His short stature made it difficult, but he rested his chin upon the edge and peered within.

They watched as a mighty sea beast, the Kraken, tore away at King Turin's pride, the Andromeda. "What a monster," Minion whispered, his eyes growing wider with every passing second of destruction.

"A mindless brute, but useful," Mortis said.

"Is the Wielder among them, M' Lord?"

"He is indeed."

"Then we have him?"

"Perhaps."

As they watched, a fog billowed up from the surface of the water. It quickly obscured everything in the vision. They saw the Kraken's tentacles flail wildly in the billowing cloud, smashing the Andromeda blindly along with the other vessels within its clutches.

"What happened, Master?"

"Clever."

The thick fog permeated everything, turning the Vision Pool into pure whiteout. Mortis turned from the pool and strode across the stone floor—his robe so dark it was difficult to ascertain its borders. Only the appearance of his flesh, with its death-pale hue, gave any indication. Mortis turned to face Minion again. The wil remained by the Vision Pool, absently grooming his short, brown fur and stroking one of his long ears which fell back behind his head like a ponytail.

"The Wielder has escaped the Kraken," Mortis said.

"Where do you think they've gone, my lord?"

"Almost certainly they will continue toward Corsica, although they'll have a long journey across the Waron Sea. Assemble your companions, Minion, and meet this Wielder in the Deadwood. You must lure him away from the others and destroy him."

The little creature hopped up and down excitedly. "It will be done, Master. We'll tear him to pieces for you."

Mortis did not smile. He rarely smiled, unless something was in pain before him. Minion scampered out through the room's large wooden doors. Mortis looked back to the pool of water. It had resumed its murky blackness. The Wielder had escaped three separate attacks and each one made him stronger.

Mortis watched the water with a young boy's face—his hair like a raven's wing in flight, dark and wild. The water remained black. There was nothing to see, at least, not yet. But when the Wielder emerged again, he would find him.

DREAMING

The cold mud squished between Daniel's toes as he stood in the warm water of his family's pond. He stood chest deep in the water at this point with a cool breeze blowing. Daniel's movements created ripples upon the water.

He noticed that there was a substantial fog in place all around the pond's perimeter with only a few wisps intruding beyond the water's edge. Two toy boats floated next to Daniel in the water. One was a grand wooden vessel with great care made for the detailed carvings which embroidered it. The wooden ship even had real cloth sails upon its three masts, nevertheless the ship was broken.

Daniel lifted it from its partially submerged state and attempted to right it in the water. Two of the masts had been snapped like twigs and some of the sails were torn. The hull of the carefully crafted model had been crushed on one side so that it had no hope of floating any longer. The entire thing measured nearly half his size—beautiful despite its condition. Daniel couldn't help but think what a tragedy it was for the fine ship to end up in this condition. He dropped it back into the water, allowing it to resume its former capsized state.

Daniel noticed the second toy, a little white lifeboat, bobbing upon the surface of the water. Inside sat the small figure of a boy. Daniel mused that it might be him and took hold of the little boat. "Shipwrecked, huh?" Daniel said to the carved wooden boy. "Well, you can't stay out here on the sea where it's dangerous. We'd better get you to the shore where it's safe."

Daniel took the stern of the little dinghy between his thumb and index finger and began to push the small craft through the water. He sputtered and spit, making sounds like a motorboat in the process. Pulling up his feet from the muddy pond bottom, Daniel slogged along as he pushed the little wooden passenger toward the safety of the shore.

When he arrived on the bank with the miniature dinghy, parking it on the dry land, Daniel looked back to the beautiful but broken model of the great sailing ship. He expected to see only the smallest portion of it still visible at the surface of the water. To his surprise the ship appeared perfectly whole again. It rested gently upon the rippling current.

A horrid crimson tentacle, like that of a monstrous octopus, breached the water high, then slammed down upon the model ship. The miniature vessel exploded, sending thin pieces of wooden debris in every direction and a wave rippling out from the impact. The wave grew to an unnatural height, hitting Daniel as he lay on the shore next to the little dinghy he had rescued.

The water washed up and over him much more than it should. When it retreated from him, the pond had disappeared. Daniel stood now on a battlefield of sorts. It appeared as though a great conflict had recently taken place, and there were people watching a single man. But this was no ordinary man. Daniel did not know his identity, but felt that he should. The man seemed familiar to him, but he wasn't sure why.

Daniel watched as bewildered faces beheld this man of sorrows. In conversation with one another, the men confessed their belief that this man would fight with great power and deliver them from their enemies. But things had not turned out as they had suspected for instead of using his great power, this man had surrendered himself to the enemy to be tortured.

Daniel watched as they did unspeakable things to him. He understood, without a word said, that this man could literally have undone reality itself had he wanted to. But instead, the man had submitted himself as a sacrifice for his friends. Of all that stood by to see the gruesome sight of his death at the hands of his enemies, only Daniel comprehended that this seeming defeat was the only way to win. By his death the mysterious man with all power had saved others and defeated the enemy.

The display fascinated him. What love, he thought, that a man should lay down his life for his friends like that. The scene faded to black before him and he turned to find a full length mirror standing before him.

The mirror did not show Daniel's reflection. Instead the mirror provided a view of an arid wasteland where even the sun itself was not welcome to shine. Ominous clouds filled the sky above, and in the middle of the vision there stood a small mountain of rock. The small mountain began to zoom toward him in the looking glass. As its features became more apparent, Daniel saw that it was actually a fortress made from black stone.

The fortress faded, leaving an image of a boy with raven hair and midnight robes. This person slowly turned to face Daniel as the mirror brought his features into more clarity. He saw the whites of this boy's eyes, but the centers, where pigment of some color should be, were as black and devoid of life as Hell itself. Daniel thought for a moment he was staring into his own face, an unreal dead version of it. He closed his eyes tightly, afraid to look any longer.

When Daniel peeked again, he saw only sunlight and felt the warmth of it. He opened his eyes wide and realized he was lying on his back with the others staring down at him. They looked worried for some reason. Then the memory of the Kraken attacking the Andromeda came rushing back in. Daniel saw relief wash over some of their faces. He saw Marissa, Louie, Mickey, Bob, Meineke, and Captain Nathaniel Blackborne all around him as he lay there. "Hello," he said. "Where are we?"

WHAT CHILD IS THIS?

When Daniel felt strong enough, Captain Blackborne lifted the boy up to his feet. The others observed as Daniel brushed his damp clothes off. He appeared to be fine, despite his recent episode of unconsciousness.

Along the shore, about five hundred yards away, stood a large city with docks reaching out into the sea. "How did we get here?" Daniel asked. "Are we back in Gennedy?"

"We're on the other side of the Waron Sea," Marissa said, "at Corsica."

"Corsica?" Daniel said. He seemed to leave them for a moment as he pondered. "I remember a dream."

"A dream—you mean while you were passed out?" Marissa asked. "Daniel, what's the last thing you remember before the dream?"

"Well, I was released by the Kraken and then Meineke grabbed me—then the dream. I was standing in the pond on my family's estate and there was a model of a sailing ship lying in the water smashed up a bit and nearly sunk...the Andromeda!" he said with sudden insight.

"Go on Daniel, what else was in your dream?" Marissa asked.

"I couldn't do anything for the model sailing ship, but I saw a little boat with a carved, wooden boy sitting in it."

"Daniel was there any fog in your dream?" Captain Blackborne asked.

"Yes, there was fog everywhere. Why do you ask?"

Everyone in the group looked at everyone else and then back to Daniel. "Whoa, this is giving me the creeps," Meineke said.

"What are you talking about?"

But Marissa interrupted. "Finish the dream, Daniel. What happened to the wooden boy and the little boat?"

"Well, it was really weird, because I kept thinking the wooden boy was me. Anyway, I just pushed the little boat across the pond and parked him on the shore. Then I looked back at the model of the sailing ship and it was perfectly fine and upright in the water until a big tentacle, like the Kraken's, rose up and smashed it into little pieces."

"My men," Blackborne whispered under his breath.

"What's wrong? Why are you all looking like you just saw a ghost or something?" Daniel said, genuinely puzzled. "Did I do something wrong, Marissa?"

Marissa tried to contain the emotions battling in her mind. She laid her hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Of course you do didn't do anything wrong, Daniel. We're all just shaken up a bit after everything that's happened."

Marissa straightened, taking stock of what was left of her crew. Her eyes fell on Nathaniel Blackborne. He returned her gaze. "Princess, I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier. Please understand that my intentions were never to harm any of you. I had a debt to settle with Samuel Hastings. He was the man who made the decision and led the assault that killed my son. My Justin was murdered. Surely you can understand."

In truth, Marissa did believe him and she understood. She still tried to appear cynical to his face, however. She would never admit it, but Nathaniel Blackborne had her admiration in a twisted sort of way. She didn't hate Blackborne, but she still didn't trust him completely either. He had saved Daniel, though, and that was something.

"And what about King Turin, pirate?" she said.

"Self preservation, Madam. Turin's vessel would have been my death nail. By taking it, I avoided killing any of Turin's men."

Marissa didn't buy this excuse at all. "You may accompany us for now, Captain. Thanks to you, we are down in number and we can use all of the help we can get on this important quest. However, you can be sure that if our men have met with any harm on the way back to Gennedy, I will dispatch you myself."

She said it with as cold and serious a stare as she could manage and Nathaniel Blackborne appeared to get the message.

He nodded as much and said, "Lead on, my lady."

"We'll need more weapons, thanks to Jolly Roger here," Louie said sarcastically.

"We can refit in Corsica, before we head out to rendezvous with Bon and Jale," Marissa said.

"If they've even made it," Meineke said.

"Don't be so glass-is-half-empty, Meineke," Daniel said confidently. "I'm sure Bon we'll be there as planned."

If it had been anyone else making the statement, Marissa might not have asked her next question. "How can you be so sure, Daniel?"

"I don't know," he said. "It's just a feeling I have."

Marissa smiled at the boy. "Why don't you lead the way to Corsica for us?"

Daniel smiled back. "Sure, come on, everybody." And off he went, taking the lead with pride.

Marissa watched him go with the others beginning to follow him up the beach toward the seaport city of Corsica.

"What are you thinking, Marissa?" Captain Blackborne asked.

"I'm not sure yet. But I think there is far more to this young boy than meets the eye." Marissa turned a cold eye toward Captain Blackborne. "And captain, I meant what I said. One wrong move from you while you're in our company and you'll not see the next sunrise."
THE FIDDLER

When their group walked into the seaside city of Corsica, it became immediately apparent that the city was not at all like Gennedy. The fact that they all just walked into it was the first clue. Corsica had no wall like King Turin's city.

Daniel noticed that Corsica also lacked the locks which Gennedy employed to safeguard itself against ship attacks upon its docks and the city beyond. The houses and buildings were made of timber alone, decorated tastefully, but lacking the dragon scales employed by Turin's port city across the sea. Corsica seemed at ease.

Once their group entered the city, they began to notice some of the people were staring at them. "Perhaps we shouldn't have come here," Nathaniel said to Marissa.

"Why?"

"Surely you know some of the history surrounding Corsica." Nathaniel said. His eyes darted back and forth, expecting trouble.

"Yes, I know," Marissa said. "Corsica may be a place which caters to the lower elements, but they dwell in relative peace. What's the matter, Blackborne, don't you like associating with your peers."

"That's just it, Princess, I never was very big on friends or peers. There's a bounty of such size on my head that most would give up their right arm to capture me, alive or dead."

"Really?" she said, undaunted. "Perhaps I should cut off your head right now and collect the bounty myself."

"Believe it or not, Princess, I can probably prove myself of more value to you alive."

"I doubt it," she said sarcastically. "What skills do you have to offer? You're a wanted man, a pirate with no ship or crew and not the best dresser either."

Marissa reminded herself not to enjoy teasing him too much. Despite his saving Daniel, Blackborne was still not to be trusted. "Anyway," she continued, "we don't really have a choice. Just beyond Corsica is our rendezvous point with our friends and we have no way to change it. We need supplies and weapons, and Corsica has both available with no questions asked."

"Just be careful, Princess, and remember the element you're in."

Daniel stopped when they reached the town square. Here the road split into several different directions away from a central fountain. "Where to now, Marissa?" he asked.

"Any suggestions, Nathaniel?"

"Well," he said, scratching his five-o-clock shadow, "if it's weapons you want, you won't find them available out on the street. We'll have to go to the Fiddler."

"A friend of yours?" she asked.

"A business acquaintance," Nathaniel corrected.

The princess turned to Louie and the others. "Louie, I want you to go into that supply store and see to our other provisions while Captain Blackborne and I try to secure some weapons for our journey."

"We're on it." Louie turned to take the lead. "Come on, lads, we've got some shopping to do."

As the others headed off after the cherub commander, Marissa turned back to Nathaniel. "After you, Captain."

When Marissa and Captain Blackborne entered the establishment known as The Captain's Cabin, they found it a very nicely decorated pub with an inn over the top. There were various sailing artifacts tastefully hung up for decoration. High-back wooden booths lined the walls and there was a central bar area where a huge barkeep stalked back and forth among the patrons, filling their glasses with various kinds of liquor.

Musicians played peaceful melodies from a small stage set up in the far corner, and several waitresses moved about between the booths and tables, taking and delivering orders. As soon as they entered, Marissa had the distinct impression that everyone was looking them over. In a place like this, they probably did that to everyone who walked in. But she still felt like they had shown up at a private club without an invitation.

Nathaniel's eyes darted back and forth, searching every corner of the pub. He didn't want to be here, but they needed weapons, and he knew just who to talk to about the problem. Everyone in The Captain's Cabin dressed nicely, some even extravagantly, but Nathaniel Blackborne knew better. Despite the outward appearance of this place and its patrons, seediness ran just beneath the veneer.

"What now?" Marissa asked.

"Keep your eyes peeled," he said, taking the lead. Captain Blackborne walked toward the bar and the man behind it. The barkeep was a hulking mass of a man dressed in black pants and a blue shirt with a black vest and black bow tie. He wore a stubbly shaved haircut and moved to intercept them, wiping the counter with a wet rag.

Nathaniel slipped his hand into his pocket and returned with a gold coin he slid onto the counter in front of the goliath. "Is the Fiddler in?" Blackborne leaned on the brass rail running the length of the countertop.

The man stopped wiping the countertop and placed his large hands palms down on the surface of the bar on either side of the coin. He glanced down at the money and then to Marissa and back to Nathaniel. The captain smiled charmingly to ill effect.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here, black-buzzard," the man said in a growling tone. His scowl set on the pirate captain like screws anchored to a piece of wood.

"Can't tell you how it warms my heart to see you again, Percival," Nathaniel said sarcastically. The two men stared one another down for a moment longer before Percival lost his composure slightly, stifling a laugh.

"You ole scalawag, Nathaniel," Percival said with sudden endearment. He reached out a giant arm and met Blackborne's hand in the air. They clasped forearms as apparent friends, exchanging genuine smiles.

Nathaniel looked relieved by the exchange. "Well, I guess we don't need this," he said, referring to the gold coin.

They unlocked forearms, but Percival beat Nathaniel to the coin, placing a quick palm over it. He slid it back to himself. "Oh, I'm still keeping the money," he said. "I'm sure you owe it to me and more."

Nathaniel gave him an understanding look and said, "You're probably right."

Marissa watched the curious exchange. She nudged Blackborne in the arm and said, "The sooner we're equipped and leaving Corsica the better."

"Absolutely, Princess."

"A princess, eh?" Percival said. "You've taken up with better company these days, Nathaniel."

He rolled his eyes without Marissa noticing. "The Fiddler, Percival?"

"Aye, just hang tight, and I'll see if he's taking visitors at the moment."

Nathaniel grabbed the big man's arm before he turned. "Percival?" he whispered. "Has anyone been looking for me?"

Percival leaned in and said, "With the price on your head, who hasn't been looking for you?" Then he winked, turned, and walked down the bar. He filled one person's order quickly and then disappeared through a plain looking door behind the bar.

Marissa and Nathaniel turned to survey the people around them in the establishment. Several seedy looking individuals sitting at two tables near the door immediately drew their attention. Two other men had taken up a casual guard of the exit and all of them stared at Nathaniel Blackborne as though he were a big chunk of gold.

"Bounty hunters?" Marissa whispered.

"I told you this was a bad idea."

"What should we do now?"

"Well, I wouldn't—"

WHAM!

Blackborne and Marissa spun around at the noise behind them. Percival stood behind them at the bar with one hand palm down on the countertop. He had slapped the meaty slab down on the wood, hoping to startle them.

Percival stifled a laugh. "He'll see you now."

When Nathaniel and Marissa passed through into the back room behind the bar, they noticed the grandeur of the Fiddler's domain. The three level chamber had been decorated much like the throne room of some ancient oriental emperor. The aroma of incense washed over them as a hundred tendrils of flavored smoke migrated toward the ceiling. Costly decorative rugs lined the floor while exquisite tapestries hung from ceiling to floor. Countless racks held weapons of wood and steel sealed behind glass.

Marissa's eyes sparkled with delight. Weapons she had not seen even among her own people in decades sat on display for the taking, or at least the asking. Marissa gave Nathaniel a sidelong glance, thinking, he might just be valuable after all.

Percival sealed the door behind them. Upon a throne of cushions sat an oriental man of small stature compared to Nathaniel—who was a man of small stature compared to Percival—who was not small at all. The Fiddler wore sandy garments like those of a shaolin monk and his dark hair was shaved.

"So, the pirate, Nathaniel Blackborne, finally arrives on my doorstop again," Fiddler said.

"Sounds like he knew you were coming," Marissa said under her breath to Nathaniel.

"You would be surprised by what I know, daughter of Nicholas," Fiddler said.

Now, he had her undivided attention. Undoubtedly, she thought, he must have a vast network of spies working for him within his organization. Having such an establishment in Corsica, along with his affiliation with the notorious Captain Nathaniel Blackborne, obviously meant he was a criminal.

"How do you know who I am?" she asked.

"In time, Princess, in time..."

"Well if you know who I am, then you must know of my quest," she said.

"I do." Fiddler lit a stick of incense on a short table within arms reach. "Tell me, Marissa of the Bard, have you found the Wielder yet?"

Nathaniel looked at her. Marissa stammered for the answer.

The Fiddler observed her lightly. "Interesting," he said as he stood to his feet. Fiddler walked over to them with such effortless grace that it seemed he floated across the carpet. He walked right up to Marissa and looked her in the face. "I see a mystery swirling in your eyes." His gaze nearly hypnotized her.

"Look, Fiddler, we really need to get some—"

The Fiddler waved an open hand to stop Nathaniel's words in mid-sentence. "Please forgive Captain Blackborne's atrocious manners, Princess. I fear life aboard a pirate ship may have forever ruined him."

Marissa smiled big for Fiddler, ignoring Nathaniel's wounded pride gleefully. Marissa decided right then that she liked this Fiddler fellow already.

"Fiddler, we really need to get some weapons and get out of here in a hurry. There's a welcoming committee already waiting for me out there." Nathaniel said.

"That should have been your first expectation, Nathaniel. This is Corsica after all."

Nathaniel looked at Marissa. "Captain Blackborne has come into my employ," she said. "I'm the reason he's come to Corsica."

Fiddler looked at Nathaniel and then Marissa as though he didn't believe a word of it. "Really?" he said. "Good help is so hard to find these days, as they say."

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Fiddler, the weapons please?"

"Of course, Nathaniel. You and the princess may outfit with anything you find. Percival will also accompany you with enough weapons to supply those in your company. In fact, Percival, I would like you to personally escort the princess to her father in the Bard country."

"You would?" Percival asked.

"Of course my giant friend. Her mission is of the utmost importance to our realm. She can use all of the help she can get."

"Your offer is greatly appreciated," Marissa said. She had earlier found Percival imposing. But if this mountain of a man were on their side, that imposing effect might work to their advantage, particularly as they tried to leave with bounty hunters waiting for them.

Nathaniel moved about the room to the display cases in search of pistols and cutlasses—his favorites. "We'd better get going, Princess."

"Of course." Marissa joined him perusing the cash of weapons in the room for just the right selections. She quickly located a set of fighting knives similar to those she had lost.

Fiddler walked over to Percival before he could join them. "Percival, I want you to take special care for the boy traveling with them, Daniel," Fiddler said. "Protect him with your life, my friend."

"Of course, Fiddler," Percival said dutifully. "I won't let anything happen to him."

"Good. Now, help our friends and we'll meet again soon enough."

Percival nodded and went to help the others with gathering weapons. Fiddler watched them and smiled.

While Nathaniel, Marissa, and Percival busied themselves inspecting his armory and procuring their heart's desire, Fiddler silently left the room. He had more important work to attend to now that the boy had arrived with his friends.

Everything needed to progress steadily in his training from this point on and Fiddler was going to see to it that happened. As he walked back through one of his adjoining ante rooms, he passed a mirror. He took a quick glance at himself. His image changed, for the briefest moment, into a boy with death-pale skin, raven hair, and a devilish grin on his face. Fiddler walked past the looking glass and proceeded out of the building through one of his secret entrances.

MUTINY FOR A BOUNTY

Meineke grumbled angrily under his breath as he took yet another peek through the glass storefront window. He watched Louie, Mickey, and Bob making their way toward the cashier's counter with a load of food and other supplies. Louie, spotting the wil peering through the pane, took the opportunity to shoot him a grin and a wink.

"No wils allowed in the store," Meineke complained. "It's discrimination! I'm of the noble bloodline among my people! This is an injustice!"

Daniel stood by to console him. "It's nicer out here in the fresh air anyway, Meineke."

The shop owner, a rotund, balding man, had stopped the wil shortly after he entered his establishment, barking orders for the animal to wait outside. The whole affair had been quite embarrassing, with everyone in the store turning a suspicious eye toward the wil and his company.

Louie on the other hand clearly enjoyed the situation. Every turn around an aisle, he took a jab at Meineke through the window with his expressions, causing the wil to fume all over again. "That Louie, he's just loving this!"

Daniel turned toward the street, watching for Captain Blackborne and Marissa to emerge from The Captain's Cabin. "Of course he loves it. Louie is just trying to get you mad, and you're playing right into his hands by worrying about it."

"Oh, I suppose," Meineke said grudgingly. He turned from the store to watch the restaurant with Daniel. "I wonder how long Marissa is going to be in there."

At the Captain's Cabin establishment down the street, a body flew through one of the large picture windows adorning the front façade.

"Something tells me, not much longer!" Daniel said.

Louie and his cherubs appeared at the front door of the small store with their supplies slung in leather bags. "What happened?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Meineke shouted as he ran after Daniel toward the scene unfolding at the restaurant.

Captain Blackborne and a man clothed in black launched out the front door into the street. They hit the ground as an intertwined ball of flailing arms and legs. The man in black got on top momentarily, until Blackborne kicked him up and over his own body. The two scrambled for a single dagger dropped from the stranger's hand during the scuffle.

The stranger retrieved the weapon first and stood with a glint in his eye, leering at the captain. Nathaniel looked worried until he remembered something. He pulled a pistol from a brace hidden under his jacket and took aim at the man and his dagger. Now Captain Blackborne smiled. The man threw the blade at the captain, but Nathaniel pulled the trigger with more speed, ending the contest.

Marissa backed out of the restaurant with a pair of pistols in her hands and a load of weapons hanging from belts and braces all over her torso. Daniel and Meineke spotted a gargantuan man in the doorway. He looked like a mountain of muscle and he was walking toward Marissa.

Meineke took to the air in order to protect the princess in his bird form. He dropped on the mammoth man like a scalded cat in his original form. Meineke whacked away furiously at Percival's head as he stumbled toward Marissa, carrying another load of weapons.

"What in the world is this thing?" Percival shouted as Meineke howled a war cry and pummeled him with tiny fists and claws.

"Meineke, it's all right!" Marissa shouted. "Percival is with us!"

Meineke interrupted his assault, leaping away from the man to Marissa's side, but he was still ready to fight if necessary. "Are you sure, Princess? He looks gruesome to me!"

Percival gave his attacker a quick once-over. "Oy, it's a crazy wil."

"They're the ones we need to be concerned about!" Nathaniel said.

A group of mercenaries, all dressed in black, appeared in the doorway. They had been beaten to a pulp. Some limped about and others were covered in bruises and their own blood. "You're not going to get away, Blackborne!" shouted one of the men. "We'll find you and have the reward for your mangy hide!"

Blackborne tipped his tricorn hat to the group of mercenaries. "I think it's time for us to depart."

They backed away, keeping the mercenaries in view as they walked out of Corsica. Many people went indoors as they approached, fearing a fight might spark up again. Others stood watching as Captain Blackborne, Marissa, and the others all made their way cautiously toward the outskirts of the city. The group kept pistols and muskets sweeping the area all around them, just in case anyone else decided to take their turn at claiming the price on Blackborne's head.

"Who were those people?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, just some former crew members of mine," Nathaniel said. "While in my employ, they tried to take my ship and maroon me on a deserted island. I turned it around on them, but I guess they managed to find a way off."

"You just can't find good help these days," Daniel mused.

The group continued to inch their way out of the city. They still needed to rendezvous with Bon and Jale. Hopefully the metamen hadn't caught them.

VENGEANCE

In the pale of never-night, twelve massive wings cut through the stagnate air of the Necrom Void. It looked like the wake of a forest fire—charred trunks and grey ash for earth. The droning hum permeated everything.

Great armored, reptilian bodies glided through the firmament displacing mass quantities of air. These six predators remained noiseless in their approach toward the foreboding fortress ahead. No animals moved upon the ground and, had there been a breeze of any kind, there were no leaves to flutter upon it. Life itself seemed on hold in the dominion of Mortis.

The winged leviathans sailed on toward their target, having a singular purpose—vengeance. Six had been chosen. Their leader may have been the most feared dragon ever to roam the Living Land. Strom, the black dragon, flew out in front. Wispy tendrils of smoke evacuated from his nostrils.

Coercion had been Mortis's intent, but Strom would not be blackmailed. Mortis would not expect the dragons to take the risk they were taking now. Strom would attack the Fortress of Night, rescue his progeny and, with any luck, destroy Mortis in the process.

Strom smelled the stolen eggs. The special scent upon them acted as a divining rod to the dragons, leading them straight to the fortress.

Within the eggs lay the fragile hope of the next generation of Strom's kind. If Mortis destroyed them, then his would be the last generation. The dragons would pass from the Living Land without a fight as age slowly took them all.

As they approached the rocky spires of the Fortress of Night, Strom led his reptilian squadron into a steep dive from one thousand feet up. Six massive beasts of varying scale color plummeted toward the ground under careful control of their wings.

As they closed in, Strom noticed several guards atop of parapets. They smelled the humanoid drones and detected the heat of their bodies even from the heights at which they had been flying.

Each dragon, in turn, glided to and perched upon the parapets, snatching the zombie-like minions of Mortis up into their toothy jaws to silence them before an alarm call could be made. The drones never saw them coming.

A great maw led downward into the fortress. Stone steps lined the lower side. Strom reared back on his great haunches exposing his gray and white under belly. The markings served him well as camouflage when hunting and gave him the appearance of clouds when seen from the ground far below.

Strom led the others down into the mouth of the fortress, following the unmistakable scent of their eggs. Surprisingly, the halls were large enough to accommodate the dragons as they crept along quickly in single file.

Strom and the others followed the powerful aroma down deep into the belly of the fortress, but did not encounter any resistance. No human drones or orcs patrolled as he might have expected. Nothing appeared to be moving within the fortress at all. Disconcerting though it was, Strom pressed on for the survival of his race.

The group came to a dead end where a huge chamber opened up beyond one last archway. Strom skidded to a halt when he beheld the egg sacks suspended from the domed ceiling by thick chains. Within each of the twelve egg sacks were twelve individual eggs—the next generation of dragons.

"Retrieve our young, but be careful," Strom said in a voice deep and menacing. "A trap is surely set for us."

"Indeed."

Six dragons instantly craned their thick necks around toward the voice, like cobras disturbed from their slumber. They hissed and bore their dagger-like teeth when they beheld his form. Mortis stood alone in the hallway behind them. The red and green glowing mist within the fortress cast his face in wicked hues. "I have been expecting you, Strom."

The dragon heard his voice, but visually it was difficult to see him. He had not moved and, strangely, Mortis gave off no heat signature whatsoever. Strom placed him by scent—the scent of decay.

Mortis appeared genuinely calm, despite the fact he was only a boy standing not fifty feet from six giant, flying reptiles with malice in their hearts for him. "We have much to discuss about your service to me," Mortis said, his eyes never wavering from Strom.

"Strom, allow me to tear this boasting child apart," said one of the six taking a step forward.

Strom quickly raised his wing to halt the dragon's advance. "No, retrieve our young. I will deal with this myself."

"Really?" A devilish smile played across his pale lips.

Mortis opened his right palm to the rocky ground beneath him. Silvery trails of fluid began to seep from the ground like tendrils of mercury. They came together in a pool of liquid metal upon the rock and then drove upward into Mortis's hand, quickly forming a magnificent silver sword.

"Go now!" Strom shouted to his dragons as he bolted forward after Mortis.

Strom covered the fifty foot distance in one leap, pouncing upon Mortis. But the boy moved faster than expected. Mortis leaped up to the wyrm's great beak and caught hold of the short horn upon Strom's nose, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws full of teeth.

Strom drove his head upward into the roof of the stone hallway, but Mortis leaped away again, bounding from wall to wall like a bouncing ball. Mortis launched forward with his weapon, shooting over Strom's head, removing the middle of three large horns crowning his head in the process. The silver blade sang as it cut through the boney prominence and left it pouring blood from the stump.

Strom howled his dismay at the painful wound the boy had inflicted. He began to wonder if he ever really had the upper hand in this situation. His dragons ran inside the chamber where the eggs sacks were suspended. No one had tried to stop them so far.

Mortis landed on the ground between the chamber and Strom. He sent the sword spinning through the air at the great black dragon. It scattered blobs of silver liquid in flight, each reforming into eight-bladed shurikens. The spread pattern of silver stars dug into Strom's scales as he turned to face Mortis.

Strom's armored hide withstood the attack, but it was obvious that Mortis had intended only to toy with him. Strom heaved a stream of acid at Mortis from the glands within his lower jaw.

The stream diverted as though hitting an invisible wall in front of Mortis. He raised his hand, instantly drawing spires of rock up from the floor like prison bars to confine Strom. The great dragon howled with rage, realizing he and his group had walked into a trap.

Behind Mortis, the dragons tried to retrieve the egg sacks suspended from the ceiling. Strom roared to them, trying to warn them of the trap, but it was too late. Mortis smiled as the opening of the chamber slammed shut. A wall of solid rock fused into place, sealing the dragons and the egg sacks within.

Their stifled roars reverberated through the rock. Mortis stood there observing Strom. The canary had been caged with little effort. "Clearly you want something of me, Mortis," he growled.

"Obviously," he said. "Otherwise you and the others would already be dead."

Daniel spotted the two pantheras among the trees and brush bordering the outskirts of the city of Corsica. That fact did not go unnoticed by Marissa or Nathaniel. Something had definitely happened to this curious boy named Daniel.

The great cats ran to meet them as Marissa's group backed out of the city. Some of the citizens of Corsica had followed them from a distance to see what would become of those harboring the infamous Captain Blackborne. The mercenaries had not followed, but Marissa assumed they would be back at some point to claim their bounty.

"Bon, Jale! It's good to see both of you," Daniel said.

Bon's deep voice rumbled. "And you my young friend." He surveyed the group, taking note of the addition of Captain Blackborne and the mountain-sized Percival. "Princess, you have made some changes to our group."

"A story best told as we proceed through the Deadwood, my friend," she said as she looked back toward Corsica.

"I see," Bon said. "I have some new developments to share as well. Let's be on our way." Bon and Jale took up the front position with Marissa as they proceeded into the tree-line border of the territory known as the Deadwood. The others followed with Nathaniel and Percival taking up the rear guard.

"Into The Deadwood?" Percival said. "That's a bad sign."

"Don't worry, old friend," Nathaniel said. "Not many things we'll encounter would tangle with the likes of you."

BLACKMAIL

Within the Hall of Vision, Mortis stood gazing at Daniel and the group of warriors traveling with him. Strom's massive black head and neck craned over the Vision Pool to see the image as well. He half considered taking a quick snap at the deathly boy. But Mortis still held his brethren and their eggs within his trap.

"This whelp is why my dragons and our eggs are held captive here?"

"Do not be deceived by his appearance, dragon," Mortis said. "The boy has great power."

"Greater than yours?"

Mortis turned away from the Vision Pool allowing the comment to pass. "I want you to hurt the boy, destroy him if possible. But at the very least, I want you to take something dear to him and lure him away from the others."

"For what purpose?"

"The warriors traveling with him are of no consequence, but they would fight for him with their lives. And their presence strengthens him in ways you do not comprehend," Mortis said. "I want him to think for himself."

Strom snorted at the suggestion that there might be something beyond his vast intellect. "My only concern is my dragons. You could release the others and I would be that much more certain to destroy the boy and his companions."

"Nice try, but I'm sure you can handle this job well enough on your own. If you're able to destroy him, I'll be pleasantly surprised."

Strom realized the insult implied and growled deep within his great body. He stomped out of the chamber through the large doors and made his way toward the entrance he and the others had come into the fortress by. His massive reptilian body took up all of the available space within the hall, making the trek difficult. Mortis did not even bother to watch him go.

Daniel and the others sat around the fire built by Nathaniel. Percival perched upon a boulder jutting out of the ground. He looked like a boulder himself, sitting upon another boulder. Weapons lay strewn on the ground in various packs. Each of their group had at least one by their side. Animal noises sounded all around them in the dark, but it was difficult to tell if the sources were large or miniscule—predator or prey.

Meineke shivered as he sat next to the fire. His eyes darted around nervously at every new sound emanating from the darkness. He held a long dagger which looked like a sword in relation to his size. Each new cry from the void found the wil aiming the weapon expectantly in that direction.

"What's the matter, little one?" Percival said. "Are you afraid something big and hairy is going to jump out and gobble you up?"

"You're the only big, hairy thing I see around here," Nathaniel said.

Percival gave him a nod, "Aye, watch it." He turned to find Meineke poking him in the side. "What are you doing little guy?"

"Oh, just seeing how much meat you've got on those bones," Meineke said, still poking him. "I figure they'll take you first. Me, I'm just a snack. But you could feed a whole mess of monsters."

Everyone laughed, at least until the next loud cry from the woods sounded.

"Daniel, do you sense anything lurking that might be dangerous?" Marissa asked.

Daniel poked at the fire along with a few of the cherubs. He looked around them through squinted eyes as though scanning the darkness. Everyone leaned in toward the boy, waiting for an answer. His ability to do things unexpected had become more and more apparent to the group the further they journeyed with him.

"It's hard to tell," he said. "Nothing is jumping out in my mind."

"Hopefully that means nothing will be jumping out, period," Meineke said.

"Well, we had better get some sleep," Nathaniel said. "I'll take the first watch and then Percival can relieve me for awhile. Daylight is going to come quick and we don't want to waste any of it...unless you want to spend another night in the Deadwood."

"I'll stay up with you, Captain," Bon suggested. "My nose might detect danger before anything else can."

Nathaniel nodded to the great cat and they moved away from the others a little on opposite sides of the camp. The rest of the group used their garments and satchels to bed down upon and cover themselves.

PREDATOR AND PREY

Minion watched the group of warriors from a large petrified tree branch just beyond their camp. The fire light did nothing to reveal him among the midnight trees of the Deadwood. He saw the boy his master had sent him for. He slept below among satchels of weapons with one of Minion's own kind, a wil, curled up next to him.

Minion noticed the pantheras in the group, an older and younger male. Fortunately, he sat high enough in the tree to evade scent detection, and if one of the big cats did catch wind of him, then they probably wouldn't think much of a wil wondering around in the woods.

Minion stayed upon his perch, waiting for three wils in his company who would be along very soon. And they would bring some new friends to entertain the boy and his friends. They can all have dinner together, he thought. The wil chuckled quietly to himself as he thought about the devious plan he had conjured up. The master will be so pleased.

Daniel's sleep grew restless, but at least it was sleep. In a dream, he found himself walking. He realized he was in a desert land of some kind—a place of rocks and scrub grass. Many people in this place paid attention to something in the distance. Daniel followed the crowd as they ascended to a rock formation very similar in shape to a human skull.

Daniel heard their voices as they spoke with one another, but the faces of the people remained indistinct. Some appeared to be women and others men, but it was mostly in their voices that he could tell.

As Daniel walked through the crowd, he noticed that none of the people appeared to notice him walking among them. He felt like a ghost, held against his will in a time and place not his own.

High upon the hill above the crowd, Daniel discerned the form of a man. He had difficulty making out the details of his condition, but Daniel felt he should know who this was. He had dreamed of him before, but still did not know his identity.

The man had been made a public spectacle. Out of the collage of voices around him Daniel heard people mock the man saying, "He saved others, but he could not save himself. If he is who he claims to be then let him save himself!"

A peel of thunder shook the entire area and darkness which could be felt moved across the land. The people screamed and ran in fear as the ground trembled beneath their feet. Daniel wanted to run, to get away from this place, but he wasn't sure where to go. He turned his face back to the man on the hill. He had disappeared. But in his place a light shone and a little lamb stood within the light.

Daniel lost his footing as the Earth shook beneath him. He fell. When Daniel looked up again, the entire scene had changed, and he felt that he was in the Living Land again. The rocky desert had been replaced by a great and high mountain.

The mountain stretched away in all directions. Daniel felt cold. He saw the snow line still above him. The wind whipped at his clothes, threatening to tear him from his foothold on the cliff he stood upon.

Green valleys stretched in either direction below him and Daniel longed to be down there where it was safe. Something caught his attention. A large black object sat perched upon one of the stubby outcroppings on the face of the mountain above him.

Judging from the size of the object and the area surrounding it, Daniel guessed it to be a huge rock or egg. Nearby, a dark cave opened up. It seemed nearly a mile away from him, but it was difficult to tell for sure.

Then the object moved. Massive wings unfolded. A long neck and head, tucked under one of the wings, came out to look around. Daniel suddenly felt very afraid as he watched the black dragon in the distance. He felt as though it were looking right at him, just as the dragon in the village had fixed upon him before it tried to kill him.

The cave nearby drew his attention. He heard a cry coming from it. Daniel knew it was impossible to really tell from this distance if the cry for help came from the cave, but he felt that it was. Something inside him compelled him to go into that cave, but fear held him back, and the dragon watched.

The dragon launched itself from the outcropping of rock and plummeted several hundred feet toward the valley below before unfurling its wings. The black sails caught the wind, and the dragon arced upward. It flew straight for Daniel.

Terrified, Daniel turned to run, but he stood upon a narrow ledge of rock with only a thin trail winding back down the face of the cliff. The dragon covered the distance too fast for him. He heard it roar, ending with a piercing screech that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

Daniel clamored back down the trail. He had to get away from this gigantic predator. How had he gotten here? Why did this keep happening to him?

Daniel ran along the narrow ledge. The face of the cliff protruded too much into his path. He arched his back against the rock face, trying his best to sidestep. The height made him dizzy. He tried not to look down. The world began spinning. The approach of the dragon made his heart pound like a jackhammer out of control.

He might as well fall. The dragon would get him if he didn't fall. He only needed to choose which death would be more horrible—smashed against the stones far below, or ripped to shreds by the ferocious winged reptile closing in on him.

Daniel pitched forward as he lost footing. He tried desperately to regain balance—flailing his arms like an insane albatross. The effort did him no good. Daniel's feet left the ledge as his upper body fell over. He fell toward his death hundreds of feet below.

Daniel screamed and flailed his limbs wildly as he watched the valley approaching fast beneath him. He felt like his heart might explode at any moment. The ground came to him. And then it was over.

Daniel cried out as he jerked awake. Bon immediately came to his side with Captain Blackborne a close second. "Daniel, are you all right?" Bon asked.

The sight of the great cat nearly caused another wave of panic, until he remembered where he was and who he was with. His tortured anguish from the dream turned to relief. He tried to breathe out the anxiety. The others woke around him.

"What's the matter?" Marissa asked as she rushed to Daniel's side.

"Just a nightmare, I think," Nathaniel said as he stretched his back and arms.

"Is that right, Daniel? Was it only a dream?" Marissa asked as the boy tried to calm his breathing.

Daniel looked at her face. She searched his eyes expectantly. "I'm all right, Marissa." He wasn't sure if his next words were true, but he said them anyway to reassure her. "It was only a dream." Daniel smiled to punctuate the statement and distract her from her worrying.

Bon walked back toward the edge of their encampment. He listened and sampled the air with his keen sense of smell.

"We still need some sleep," Nathaniel said. "I know I could use some. Percival, are you ready to switch with me, mate?"

"I might as well," he groaned. "It doesn't look like I'm going to get any peaceful sleep around here anyway."

Jale walked over to his father. "What it is?"

Bon continued to breathe deeply through his powerful nose. "I'm not sure."

Minion took flight from his perch high in the trees near the warrior's encampment. The wil sailed back through the trees in the form of a brown bird until he encountered the companions he'd been waiting for.

Three plump, little pigs ran into the short clearing as Minion landed, assuming his wil shape again. "Where are they?"

The pigs snorted and morphed their forms into wils of varying color, but similar size.

"They're coming," said One.

"Yes, they couldn't resist piggys," said Two, snorting gleefully.

"Quiet," Minion hissed. "We don't want to alert the boy and his companions. By the way, you guys stink."

All three of Minion's companions had covered themselves in dried pig excrement. They bristled and clumps of filth fell from their fur. "You said to give them pig smell to follow," said Three, shrugging his small shoulders."

Minion waved his hand like a fan in front of his small nose. "Come on, let's finish the trail that will lead them to their meal."

The four wils took bird form and flew toward the encampment.

WOLVEN

Bon and Jale stood at the edge of the camp like statues. Bon sniffed the still air with his eyes closed and his ears open. He tried to let these senses take over completely and do what his eyes could not.

The others watched unmoving. They did not dare distract the big cats from something that might well save all of their lives. After all, this wasn't called the Deadwood for nothing.

Bon's eyes popped open as he caught something puzzling upon the air. "Pigs?"

Four birds penetrated the camp overhead. They fluttered over the camp raining down bits of dried pig excrement upon the warriors below.

Bon and Jale growled and roared at them.

"What is it?" Daniel asked.

The birds screeched overhead, then took up perches within the black branches of the Deadwood's petrified timber.

"What are those crazy birds doing?" Louie said, aiming his bow.

Meineke stood next to him. "Those aren't birds," he said, glaring. "They're wils!"

The four wils resumed their normal appearance cackling at the warriors below them.

"Yes, and unfortunately we're not the only company you've got," Minion shouted from his perch.

"What does that mean?" Louie said.

"I know," Bon said. He looked beyond the edge of the camp in the direction the wils had come from. Out in the darkness, pairs of twinkling red lights began to appear among the tall trees. Each pair moved as one, bobbing just slightly as they came closer.

The big cats tensed instantly. They bore their claws and flexed their muscular bodies. "Father are they—"

"Yes, they are Wolven," Bon growled.

The name cut through the others like a shockwave, except for Daniel. He alone remained unfamiliar with the term, but he knew it didn't sound promising. They all drew their weapons, swords, and pistols, ready for a fight.

"This isn't going to be pretty," Louie said as he and the other cherubs nocked arrows.

The wils continued to mock the warriors from above. They remained well out of reach. "Look at them. They're about to become lunch for the Wolven!"

The group began to back away from the approaching eyes. They heard the heavy breathing of large animals lusting for their prey. The clearing where they had their camp was a small place. The eyes approached from the trees before them.

Louie steadied his bow on the glowing red eyes. It would be impossible to find a target among trees that blended with the night so efficiently. "Stay alert, boys," he said to his cherubs, Mickey and Bob.

Bob backed into an object and turned with his bow. Large red eyes burst open in front of him. Rows of white daggers flashed out of the darkness and snatched the cherub, pulling him into the night. The feeding frenzy had begun.

Huge gray mammals, similar to wolves, shot out from the trees and into the clearing. Daniel screamed as one of the creatures came in for the kill. Bon intercepted the beast, tackling it from the side. The panthera went straight for the jugular and the quick kill. Within seconds Bon had mortally wounded one of the beasts and had moved to another, trying to attack Louie.

The cherub fired arrows like an old west gunslinger, but it took too many well placed shots to kill even one of the Wolven. Everyone fought for their lives. Swords flashed and pistols fired as a whole pack of Wolven descended upon their camp from the woods.

Daniel hacked at one of the creatures trying to defend against its gnashing teeth. Marissa threw a spinning cutlass at Daniel's attacker. The blade hit the beast just behind a shoulder joint, penetrating the heart. The Wolven stumbled to the edge of the small clearing and fell there, but more closed in from among those encircling the camp just beyond the tree line.

"Meineke, get Daniel out of here!" Marissa shouted.

The wil responded instantly. Meineke hurled the dagger-for-a-sword, he had been fighting with, at the Wolven in front of him and leaped backward in a somersault, landing on Daniel's shoulders. Meineke took bird form in a fraction of a second and, with powerful wing strokes, he hoisted Daniel off the ground.

"Marissa, I can't leave you guys!" Daniel cried.

"Meineke get him to safety! Everything depends upon it!"

Meineke grunted against gravity and the boy's weight. It took everything he had, but he got Daniel above the fight and sailed through the treetops with him.

Minion watched as Meineke rescued Daniel. "Come on, boys," he said to the others. "Our prize is flying away without us!"

The four wils took bird form and flight, then tore off after Meineke and Daniel. An arrow struck the breast of Three. He fell out of the sky, returning to his normal shape before the body hit the ground. Louie nocked another arrow and let it fly, but the others were already into the trees out of range.

"I'm going to help them, Marissa!" he shouted. His cherub's wings burst out from under his cloak. She gave him a look of acknowledgment before turning back to face the Wolven. Louie flew into the air following Meineke, Daniel and their pursuers.

With his last look back at the camp, Louie saw several Wolven closing in from all directions. Percival swung a giant sized broadsword. Captain Blackborne had maneuvered back to back with Marissa wielding a bloody cutlass and fresh pistols from a brace slung over his shoulder. Marissa exacted damage to the Wolven with a set of swords and Bon and Jale were scratched up, but giving it their all with tooth and claw. The bodies of four or five wolven lay scattered about as more closed in.

HOT PURSUIT

Meineke did the best he could to stay aloft. "Try not to struggle, Daniel. This is hard enough as it is."

"We have to go back, Meineke! The others are in danger. We've got to help them."

"You and I aren't going to turn the tide back there lad, and Marissa gave me a direct order to get you to safety. That's exactly what I intend to—"

Minion, in bird form, crashed into Meineke, gouging him with sharp talons across his back. Meineke nearly dropped Daniel upon the rocks below. Meineke descended under duress, but managed to recover. Minion laughed as he swooped skyward in preparation for another run.

"I really don't like that guy!" Meineke complained.

"We've got to get closer to the ground!" Daniel shouted over the wind. "You can't keep this up."

Meineke descended at Daniel's behest. They had been heading east toward the mountains. Mount Doom towered over them blocking the horizon completely. The petrified forest of the Deadwood seemed to run right up to the base of the nearest mountain, but it was difficult to tell at night. Only the moonlight gave them any indication of how far from the mountains they actually were.

Somewhere in the dark sky above them, Minion and his cohorts prepared to attack again. "I'm heading for the ground, Daniel. We'll have better odds on the ground in a fight."

One of the wils hit Meineke again. Daniel fell away, but they'd been close to the ground. The boy hit the dirt in a roll as Meineke morphed into another form and caught his attacker. The two wils fell to the forest floor, each scrambling for dominance. It reminded Daniel of a cat fight. High pitched growls sounded in the dark as multiple limbs and claws slashed among the chaos.

Daniel had dropped his sword in the fall but quickly located it as the moon glinted off the blade. He ran to where the wils were fighting. Someone hit him from behind. A wil, slightly larger than Meineke, clawed at his face and throat from behind.

Daniel ran backwards hoping to find one of the dark tree trunks quickly. He slammed wil first into one of the Deadwood's petrified trees, knocking the wind out of his attacker. The wil fell off as Daniel turned on the creature with his blade. He did not hesitate to dispatch the evil wil with his sword.

Daniel followed the noise of wils growling and fighting through the dark trees until he came upon them. The last of the four wils had joined the fray against Meineke. Meineke held his own, but barely at this point. One of the creatures turned on Daniel as he approached. He bore fangs and claws at the boy.

Daniel's refused to allow fear to hold him back now. His friend needed help. He kept his sword aimed at the wil as the creature tried to circle around him. The wil had blood on his face around the mouth and on its claws, probably from Meineke.

Everything happened quickly. The wil faked a jump toward Daniel causing him to slash at his target prematurely. Instead, the acrobatic creature leaped to a tree at Daniel's side and tried to use it as a springboard. An arrow struck the wil's foot as it tried to leap from the face of the tree trunk. It howled in pain, remaining pinned to the black trunk by its foot. The wil went into a frenzy, trying to free itself as it hung upside down.

Louie emerged from the darkness and grabbed Daniel, pulling him away. Meineke used the distraction to get in a good strike at Minion. He bashed the brown wil across his jaw with both of his small fists. Minion fell back into the dirt dazed, allowing Meineke to retreat and catch Louie and Daniel.

They ran with every bit of speed they could generate. The dawn approached, giving them light to navigate the Deadwood. The mountains towered ahead of them, promising sanctuary if they could only manage to get to it.

Strom circled over the edge of the Deadwood near the base of Mt. Doom. He was completely hidden by the nighttime sky and his black scales. Strom's dragon-eyes easily pierced the veil of darkness to pinpoint the boy with his companions and two wils chasing after them.

As Strom watched them below, he thought about his dragons back at the fortress of Mortis. The dragon's hope for survival hung in the balance. Strom also considered the challenge issued by Mortis to try and destroy the boy. Finally he remembered one of his own which had been killed in the boy's presence in a village beyond Parengore Forest. The great black dragon seethed with anger.

Strom descended gracefully toward the ground as the predators and prey both ran into the open rocky ground at the base of the mountain. There was a substantial gap of about two hundred yards between the boy and his companions and the wils who were chasing them. Strom landed between the two groups causing the wils to stop in a hurry when they saw the mighty dragon.

Minion quickly spied the terrain. Open fissures in the rock lay here and there where a wil could hide. Before Minion could protest, One stepped toward the dragon, ranting about their mission. "Hey, dragon, we were sent by Mortis to dispose of the boy. Move out of our way or face the wrath of our master!"

Strom settled his gaze on the tiny wil as a low growl rumbled in his throat. Minion scrambled for the closest fissure in the rocky ground. Strom blew a stream of fire, catching One just as he was about to further his threats in the name of Mortis.

Strom turned around to find the boy. The dragon took flight again as the sun began to push away the dark of night. The dragon's great leathery wings bore him up quickly as he sought to face this boy which Mortis claimed had so much power.

Strom watched them below as they ran. Catching them would not be difficult at all, but he did not intend to act foolishly. One of his kind had informed Strom of the dragon in the village as it sought to kill the boy. A mighty wind had tossed the dragon around, then lightning had fried him to a crisp.

Strom had heard also of the Spider Elves and their lost riders. Tales had been told already of a mysterious boy aided by all sorts of mysterious power. But was it true, or just folk spinning yarns—the stuff of children's fantasies? There seemed no way to be sure except to find out...perhaps the hard way. Mortis certainly had no problem claiming the boy would be nearly impossible to kill.

Strom closed in on the trio still running for their lives. They had already spotted him. Strom prepared to unleash the venom of his flame against them as they tried desperately to escape him. The flash of heat lightning in the overcast sky of early morning caught Strom's attention and he reconsidered. Not out here, he thought. Just in case the rumors are true.

Strom increased his speed and then pounced on their position. The boy, cherub, and wil nearly stumbled over one another trying to reverse their direction away from the mighty black dragon standing before them.

Strom quickly snatched the cherub commander and the wil away from Daniel's side, then launched back into the sky. The dragon carried one of them in each front claw. Meineke and Louie cried out for help, but there was nothing Daniel could do. The dragon spoke to him as it headed upward toward the peaks of the mountains before them. "If you are the Wielder, boy, then come and take them from me."

Daniel stood there gazing after them. Tears threatened to roll down his cheeks. Daniel kept them back, channeling his concern into white hot anger burning to save his friends.

As Daniel watched the black dragon soar higher toward the mountain peaks, he longed for the wings of a cherub or the ability to morph like a wil. But he possessed none of those things to aid him. This isn't going to be easy, but I've got to try.

Daniel lifted the end of his sword off the ground and began to walk toward the mountains in the direction of the cliffs he had seen the dragon soaring to reach. Daniel thought about returning to the Deadwood in order to get the others to help. But what if none of them had survived the attack? Time was already running short for Meineke and Louie. And Daniel did not know how to navigate the Deadwood. He had to face this challenge alone.

Percival tightened his grip around the neck of the Wolven. The mountainous man had the beast in a head-lock standing at its shoulder. Percival cinched up on his powerful arm as much as he could, crushing the wolven's trachea in a vice-like grip. The beast's tongue dangled from its mouth and finally all tension in its body relaxed. Percival dropped the body when he was sure it wouldn't suddenly recover.

Captain Blackborne, Marissa, Percival and both pantheras had survived the slaughter. The cherubs, Bob and Mickey, had met their end during the wolven attack. Meineke and Daniel had escaped with a pack of wils on their tail and Louie behind them all.

"We've got to find Daniel," Marissa said as she tried to gather up what supplies she could.

Percival and Nathaniel followed suit, gathering what they could carry in food, water, and weaponry. "At least it's only a few wils chasing them now," Nathaniel said.

Marissa gave him a concerned look. That fact didn't appear very comforting to her.

"It was only a few wils who caused all of this," Percival added.

Nathaniel gathered what he could and started to lead the way through the forest. "Come on, we've got to hurry." Marissa followed after him with Percival bringing up the rear. They could now see Mt. Doom beyond the tree tops towering over them. If Daniel and the others had gone into the mountains, there would be much more to fear than a few wils.

MT. DOOM

Daniel had been walking for several hours. The sun peeked just above the mountain, but the morning was still cold at this higher elevation. On the mountain above, he saw the snow line extending below the cloud cover which hid the higher peaks.

Daniel felt thoroughly exhausted. A lack of good sleep and the fight with the Wolven and the wils had sapped him completely of physical strength. Looking at the mountain before him threatened to destroy his determination. It appeared hopeless. How could he ever hope to find his friends? And even if he did, how could he ever hope to defeat the mighty black dragon which had taken them?

"It's a long way up, isn't it?" a voice said from behind.

Daniel whirled around with his sword ready. William Harding sat upon a nearby boulder, blowing into his hands and rubbing them in an effort to warm them. Daniel relaxed and smiled. It pleased him to see William, even if he was only a Mem.

"I thought you couldn't get cold?" Daniel said as he watched the Mem bristling at the cold weather.

William stopped and smiled. "Your right, I can't. Just empathizing with you ole buddy."

Daniel walked over to the boulder and sat down next to William's Mem. "Thanks a lot. William, what am I supposed to do. I can't do this. I'm just a kid," he complained.

"Iam's truth isn't always an easy thing to understand."

"Who's this Iam?"

"If you really want truth, Daniel, all you have to do is seek it with all of your heart, but it often takes some digging beneath the surface."

"I don't understand, William. I'm fighting for my life!"

"More so than you realize, Daniel."

"And who is this Mortis? Everyone keeps telling me that he's the enemy. Is he the one doing all of this to me?"

"It's true, Mortis is an enemy and he knows who you are. I can only tell you this, Daniel, we must all face Mortis, but we can have the victory over him."

"But how do I defeat him? I've never even seen him," Daniel said, cupping his face in his hands.

"There is only one person who has defeated Death, Daniel. I've told you before."

"I just don't understand, William."

"If you want truth, you will always find it in the Rock."

When Daniel looked up again, William was gone. Daniel tried to decipher what the Mem had said to him. He looked back to the mountain towering above him. "I don't have time to deal with riddles," he said, frustrated. Meineke and Louie were depending on him. The way Daniel saw it, he was the only one who could save them.

Five hours passed before Daniel felt like he might actually have been going in the right direction. He heard the faint sound of music coming from somewhere up ahead. Almost no vegetation grew in this area. Below and to his right, Daniel saw a vast valley of green trees stretching into the distance before it terminated at the base of another mountain. Whatever forest he saw now certainly wasn't the petrified trees of the Deadwood.

He walked on rocky terrain littered with large boulders. Daniel noticed the music getting louder as he walked. From what he could tell, it sounded like a lone violin playing a hauntingly beautiful melody.

Daniel knew he was going to have to rest very soon. His leg muscles burned like crazy, and he felt a number of blisters on his feet begging to pop. Up ahead the rock steepened a bit and then flattened out.

Daniel decided this would be a perfect place to stop for awhile and rest. He was hungry and thirsty. Hopefully, the violin player might give him something to eat so he could renew his strength.

Daniel found hand and footholds to climb the last few yards. When he got to the top, a small plateau half the size of a football field opened up before him. At the other end, Daniel saw a large stone gateway. It looked like it might have been carved right out of the mountain.

Two pathways of hewn steps ascended up and away behind the gateway, winding up into the mountain out of sight. Seated upon the first few steps, a man played the violin. Daniel walked cautiously toward the mysterious man. What in the world is this guy doing up here?

Daniel noticed a boulder, as tall as a man, set at the junction where the two paths began. Upon the face of the rock an inscription had been written in language he understood. It read, "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end of it is death."

He watched the curious little man seated near one of the pillars, still playing his violin as though he hadn't even noticed Daniel standing there. Daniel cleared his throat, but the man kept playing. His eyes remained closed as he swooned with the music. The man's clothing reminded Daniel of one of the shaolin monks he had seen in too many kung fu movies.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Daniel said.

The man stopped playing immediately and opened his eyes in Daniel's direction. "May I help you, young man?"

Hmm, everyone speaks English—how convenient, Daniel thought. "I was wondering if you've seen a black dragon anywhere in this mountain and, if so, which path might lead me to it."

"I have seen the dragon you speak of. He was carrying two persons."

"Meineke and Louie! Where did the dragon take them?"

"The dragon is a very dangerous foe," the man said. "You must be a mighty warrior if you're looking for him."

Daniel felt as though he had just been sucker punched in the determination. "Well—"

"Hmm. You don't seem so confident."

"I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to save my friends, even if I do find the dragon."

"You have more power than you might think," he said as he put down his violin. The man stood and offered his hand to Daniel. "My name is Fiddler."

"I'm Daniel, Daniel Harwick."

"Well, young Daniel, it appears a little training is in order to hone your abilities." He spread his hand toward the two paths on either side of the boulder with the inscription upon it. "Upon the left path you will encounter three trials which will enable your inner strength to come out."

"My inner strength?"

"Oh yes, we all have god-like qualities that you can find within yourself if you just have faith and believe," Fiddler said, smiling. "Your own strength can save you, Daniel."

Daniel considered it. "So you think I should take the left path?"

"The choice is yours to make, Daniel."

"What about the right side? What will I find on that path?"

"A road less traveled, I'm afraid. Hardly anyone ever takes that path. It's very narrow and there's certainly nothing on it that will develop your inner strength," Fiddler offered.

Daniel walked toward the head of the paths where they met. He looked at the rock again and the writing upon it. "What do these words mean, Fiddler?"

Fiddler looked at the words and then back to Daniel. "Just a riddle for the weak minded, if you ask me."

Daniel took a look down the right path and then the left. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. Thanks for your help, Fiddler."

Daniel began walking down the left hand path as Fiddler had suggested. The stone steps began to ascend quickly, taking Daniel up into the mountain. He replaced his sword in its sheath as the steepness required the use of both hands to make his way. But within ten minutes he was already completely out of sight.

Fiddler stood watching, even waving when Daniel took a last glance back in his direction, where the paths began and the boulder stood. When Daniel walked out of sight, Fiddler turned to the rock and its cryptic message. He scoffed at it and then turned an eye toward the heavens and smiled.

"He has taken the road most traveled," Fiddler whispered to the sky. His visage changed at that moment, leaving Mortis standing in his place. He looked back to the left path which Daniel had taken. "Just like all of the rest," he mumbled and then a flame of green and red enveloped his entire body and he disappeared.

ELEMENTAL EARTH

Daniel did not know what to make of Fiddler. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him which made Daniel uneasy in the pit of his stomach. This path, Fiddler had suggested, appeared well worn. I wonder how many people have taken this path for it to be this way.

After traveling nearly an hour, Daniel saw a set of steep steps which appeared to lead up to another plateau like the one he had begun at. He made the climb up and came to an alcove hewn right out of the rock of the mountain side. "Whoa," he whispered as he tried to take in the sights surrounding him.

He saw all manner of strata visible along the back wall and the ground. Daniel recognized veins of precious metals, marble, granite and sandstone running among the rock beneath his feet. Clusters of precious gems had fused with the wall in various places—emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds.

"Boy, my dad would love this place."

When he turned to look back toward the direction he had come by, Daniel immediately noticed another boulder set near the steps. "Hey, that wasn't there before," he said.

The same inscription appeared on the face of the stone. "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end of it is death."

Daniel studied it again, trying to decipher the meaning of the message. It seemed obvious someone was trying to tell him something through this riddle. Why does everything in this world have to be so difficult to understand? he wondered. Can't things just be told to me plainly?

Daniel heard a noise from behind. He turned and saw a mound of dirt rise up from the surface of the ground. It shot up taller than Daniel and then stopped. Daniel pulled his sword from its scabbard. The dirt fell away from top to bottom revealing a person underneath.

This person wore black clothing like a ninja warrior. The face remained hidden behind a traditionally styled mask leaving only the eyes staring out at him.

"Are you the warrior who is supposed to help me?" Daniel asked. He kept a tight grip on his sword just in case.

The warrior in black extended his right hand slightly out with the palm toward the ground. The ground beneath his palm began to move. Daniel saw shiny liquid, like mercury, leeching from the ground into a pool under the warrior's control. The pool of liquid metal then extended into the air toward the warrior's hand and solidified into a shiny silver sword.

"Fiddler said there would be three trials I would have to go through which would help me. Are you one of those trials?"

The warrior walked toward Daniel, but said nothing. He held the sword steady out to his right side. The light reflected off the blade into Daniel's eyes. He brought his hand up to block the flash.

"I'm Daniel, aren't you supposed to help me learn how to fight the dragon?"

The warrior continued his approach. This didn't look good. Scenes of his own dismemberment flashed through Daniel's mind. There's no way I can fight this guy.

Then the warrior cried out and leaped unnaturally high into the air toward Daniel. He held his blade aloft for the strike as he came down. Instinctively, Daniel pulled his own sword up to block the attack. It worked. The warrior's sword struck against his blade, clanging loudly. The warrior struck at him again and again driving him back. And yet, Daniel managed to block each successive strike that came at him. How am I doing this?

Daniel felt like his body acted independent of his mind. His arms and legs fought with a will of their own and they were good. The warrior in black slashed at Daniel with the silver blade and followed through in the same movement with a round-house kick pummeling Daniel across the jaw. He reeled and fell back into the dirt.

The kick to the face hurt a lot. When Daniel felt his mouth with his fingers, the corner of his lip stung. It had split open and bled down onto his chin. Daniel looked up only to find that the warrior had withdrawn. He now stood fifty feet away nearer the curved wall of the alcove. Clusters of gemstones sparkled in the light around him.

Daniel had been forced back close to the edge of the plateau. When he glanced behind him, he saw just how high up in the mountain he had come. The warrior's sword spun through the air at him. He dodged the sword easy enough.

The warrior made motions in the air around him as though reaching for, grabbing and throwing something toward Daniel. At the same moment, gemstone shards burst away from the outcroppings on the alcove wall and hurtled toward Daniel like beautiful daggers. He panicked, but his body reacted.

He copied the warrior's style of motion and reached for the ground in front of himself. When Daniel pulled upward, the earth obeyed. A wall of rock thrust upward from the ground as though shot from the core of the planet itself. The gemstones embedded into the wall.

Daniel felt the urge to attack and allowed his new awareness to lead him. He pushed at the air behind the earthen wall and it exploded forward sending the mound of rock and soil toward the warrior.

Controlling this kind of power felt indescribable. Daniel immersed himself into his new heightened sense of reality. How am I able to do this? It's amazing!

The wave of rock and soil flew across the expanse between Daniel and the warrior slamming into the back wall of the alcove with a massive boom. Dust hung in the air, but there was no other perceptible movement...yet.

The warrior launched out of the dust cloud and into the air toward Daniel. The man in black lashed out with his hands toward the ground Daniel was standing upon. The ledge of rock fractured and separated from the side of the mountain.

Daniel clamored for the solid ground. He screamed in terror as the rock he was trying to run upon fell away from the plateau. He had no solid foothold. Every kick of his legs pushed the rocks out from under him faster. The air rushed past his ears as the mountain slipped away.

Instinct took over and the euphoria returned. Facing the mountain side, Daniel pulled at the air. A shelf of sandstone jutted out from the face of the cliff below him. Daniel crashed into it hard along with much of the soil and rock which had fallen with him. Large pieces of stone landed on and then rolled off of Daniel's arms and legs before tumbling over the side of the newly formed ledge.

Daniel thought he might pass out from the pain. The drop had knocked the wind out of him and he wondered if he had broken any bones. He lay on his side on the sandstone shelf half covered in soil and gravel chips. The remainder of the rock and soil crashed into the valley below.

The mysterious warrior did not pursue the attack any further. Maybe he thinks that he killed me. Whatever the reason, Daniel had a short reprieve from the battle, but he couldn't stay here. He gathered his strength and stood up on the shelf.

The sheer face on the cliff loomed before him—no way to climb up. The warrior had been able to leap very high into the air, but Daniel didn't feel able. His body ached. Daniel bled from small cuts all over his face, chest and arms. He managed to stand, but the pain coming from several spots on his legs, told him he wouldn't be running any races for awhile.

Daniel felt for the power within and found it. He pulled at the air with his hands and applied thought to matter. Stair steps pushed out from the face of the cliff beginning next to the sandstone ledge he stood upon. Daniel completed the formations and then started climbing back up toward the plateau.

When he came to the top step, he found himself back at the stair steps cut into the mountain on the path he had originally come by. Daniel walked up and peered over the top step looking for the mysterious warrior in black. The man had disappeared.

He climbed back to the plateau and faced the same boulder he had seen earlier. Its cryptic message, "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end of it is death," still taunted him.

What did it mean? Fiddler had told him to take this path and true to his foretelling, Daniel had seen latent powers emerge. How could that be "the ways of death?" After all, he had survived and the warrior had disappeared.

Up ahead on the other end of the plateau, Daniel noticed more stair steps progressing up the mountain. He felt sure they had not been there before. With the warrior gone, Daniel assumed he was meant to begin his ascent further into the mountain. He crossed the plateau cautiously and, with no further hindrance, began his climb up the mountain again.

ELEMENTAL WIND

When Daniel came to the next level he stood before a tunnel hewn right through the mountain side. He looked around for some other way he might ascend, but the steps terminated at this place. Daniel looked down the tunnel. He saw light at the other end.

Above the entrance to the tunnel, there was an inscription, "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end of it is death."

Now Daniel began to get frustrated with these riddles. What do they mean? He put his hand, palm out, toward the inscription in the rock. I can use my power to erase these words from the stone.

He exerted force upon it, but the inscription did not remove or the face of the rock change. Daniel exerted more and more force upon it until he saw shimmers of power vibrating in the air between him and the inscription. Still it did not change.

Daniel felt like his arm would fall off if he didn't get rid of the pressure building in his body. He turned away from the tunnel and let the energy escape. Two hundred feet away, the burst pulverized a large boulder when the power wave hit it. Chunks of a stone outcropping cascaded down the side of the mountain causing a minor avalanche of stone along the way.

Daniel looked back at the inscription. Why can't I change it? It puzzled him so much, that he almost got a headache from it.

"COME!" said a voice so low and powerful that Daniel thought the mountain itself had spoken.

The voice emanated from the other end of the tunnel. Daniel took a deep breath and decided to walk on through. He glanced back to the words overhead, wondering why the same phrase kept appearing in the rock. I've heard it somewhere before, but where?

Daniel started through the tunnel. When he had stepped fully inside, where the sunlight could no longer find him, the tunnel became much darker than it had been. When he turned to investigate, he found the tunnel closed behind him as though the entrance had never existed at all. Daniel launched himself at the rock wall. He felt with his hands—solid. No turning back now.

Daniel turned around and walked toward the other end. A wind of monsoon proportions started blowing down the tunnel. he had difficulty walking against it. He leaned at a forty five degree angle toward the ground as he desperately plowed ahead.

The wind grew in strength. Daniel felt the euphoric sensation again. His power called to be released into action. He wondered how manipulating the rock around him might allow him to get to the other end of the tunnel against this wind.

Then the thought struck him. Can I manipulate the wind the same way I manipulated earth?

Daniel placed his hands together as though he were about to pray. Then he divided his hands again. He felt the power take over. As he divided his hands, the wind divided. When Daniel had spread his hands as far as the width of his own body, he found that he was no longer hindered. In fact, he continued between two halves of the hurricane and walked toward the open end of the tunnel unhindered.

When Daniel arrived at the other end of the tunnel, he found himself standing upon a semicircular ledge made of sandstone. He surmised that he must have come through one of the lower peaks for there was no other place for him to go.

A large gulf stood between the ledge and the opposite side. Daniel saw the beginning of another set of stairs leading off into the mountain again across the gulf. How am I supposed to get over there?

The wind remained very strong and Daniel thought he might actually be swept off the ledge if he continued to stand there. He turned to step back into the tunnel only to find solid rock in the place where it had been.

Daniel put his back to the rock and splayed his arms out to the wall as the wind picked up strength. The loose portions of his clothing whipped out to his side.

"I can't do this!" he shouted to the wind. Daniel hoped someone might help him. Perhaps Fiddler or even William's Mem might cause the winds to cease and show him another way to go. Daniel remembered seeing William pray during hard situations in his life and finding comfort from it. Maybe, he thought, I can bargain with God. I could always stand to be a nicer person or maybe if I promised to go to church with William more when this is all over.

The wind tore away the ledge where Daniel stood. Beginning at the outer most edge, the sandstone rapidly eroded and blew away with the wind. Daniel turned to the wall looking for a foothold or something he could hold on to. But there was nothing. When the ledge gave way, so would he.

He tried to find the power again. Perhaps he could make another ledge for himself, but the power did not obey. What's wrong? Why won't it work now?

Daniel turned back to find the ledge halfway gone already. He panicked. The urge to pray for help grew stronger. Then he felt his own strength return and the euphoria with it. In that moment he felt his own potential as the energy surged and he forgot all about prayer.

The remaining ledge crumbled, but instead of screaming and falling, Daniel launched out away from the face of the peak and into the arms of the wind. He might have expected to fall were it not for the confidence in his new ability. To his surprise, Daniel's senses went back into automatic pilot and he went with what he was feeling. The wind caught him and bore him up as though by his thoughts he could will it to obey him.

Daniel sailed down and then back up just as he imagined. The ledge on the distant peak drew closer and closer. Daniel arced upward and the wind carried him to the other side. He swooped upward in Superman fashion and the wind deposited him safely on the other side.

Daniel became elated. The elements had obeyed his wishes. He had saved himself again. It felt so right and good to him. Daniel held out his arms to his sides and the wind sheers still tearing at him ceased altogether. He smiled because of the power he had found within himself. Could what Fiddler said be right, he wondered, could mankind really be like gods? But it's not stable. It seems more in control of me than I am of it.

FIRE AND WATER

Daniel walked beyond the peak he had been brought to after the trial of wind. His mind reeled with excitement over the power he had experienced. He had been used to being picked on by Derek Wentworth and his cronies on a regular basis.

Those days are over, he thought. Just let Derek try something now and I'll blow him away on a tornado or something. Still, something in the back of his mind bothered him. The cryptic messages upon the rocks, which he had not been able to change, haunted him.

Those words in stone and the meaning of the message remained elusive to him. Daniel walked the path which had been recommended to him. Fiddler seemed like a nice enough man. Besides, these trials actually made him more powerful and surely, he supposed, there was nothing wrong with that.

Daniel mused over the message as he walked. The path steadily carried him into the higher altitudes and the snow. Daniel shivered as the frigid air rushed over him. I wish I had some warmer clothes to wear, he thought. He had ascended beyond the snow line without paying attention to it.

Cascades of water hung frozen as crystalline falls descending the face of the mountain side. On the ledges extending over his path, Daniel noticed massive icicles hanging like teeth ready to slam down into their prey. He quickened his pace to remove himself from harms way lest they should fall and end his journey right there.

The stone stairs led him up to a rise where the landscape flattened out again. The path continued before him through a long half-pipe shaped trough through the rock. Billowy white powder covered everything beyond. A winter wonderland lay before him and he thought of stopping to make a snowman. If Meineke had been with him, they might have started an awesome snowball fight. Meineke...he and Louie are still in trouble.

He had no time for childish things now. His friends needed his help. Daniel treaded through the massive half-pipe. He rubbed his cold hands together and breathed into them in hopes of warming up a bit. The snow came up to his knees in most places. If this gets any deeper I'll have to tunnel through, he thought.

Daniel heard laughter from behind. He turned to find the source, but couldn't see anything. Then a man appeared—the same warrior he had faced before. His ninja apparel changed from pure white, invisible against the blanket of snow, to a gradually darker color until it became completely black.

Daniel tried to run, but he stood waist deep in the snow. He couldn't go anywhere quickly among these drifts. The man stood one hundred yards behind Daniel. The warrior laughed again, realizing Daniel's predicament. He raised his right arm toward one of the sides of the valley. A flame sparked just beyond the man's fingertips. The flames leaped away in bursts striking the top of the hill all along the ridge until the snow shifted and moved.

A cascade of white powder slid down the ridge into the valley. Avalanche! Daniel turned and tried to run, but it was no use. The snow was too deep. Then Daniel wondered if he had the same ability over fire the warrior had. His power had been the same as the warrior when they had battled before.

Daniel felt for the power and found it within. A semicircle of flame erupted from his mind to his hands. He felt some of the ambient heat, but the flame did not touch his flesh. Daniel threw his hands toward the snow in front of him and willed the fire forth.

The flames obeyed melting the snow in front of him. He realized the process would not be fast enough to get him clear of the avalanche moving down the side of the ridge.

Daniel lost sight of the warrior in the face of the ominous wall of snow barreling toward him. He thrust his hands toward the wave of powder trying to command the wind to halt the slide. A gale whipped up around him in seconds and surged into the snow, but its mass was too great to stop. With nowhere to go, he dove beneath the snow as the avalanche buried the area.

Daniel opened his eyes in the dark. He felt frozen and suffocated. He had no way to tell if he was upside down or how deep under the avalanche he was buried. He only knew that he was cold and he couldn't move at all.

He tried to spare what little air there was as his mind raced for a solution. There had to be an answer. He could not to give up. Not only was his own life at stake, but Louie and Meineke's lives were on the line as well. Think Daniel!

He knew he could control fire to some extent, but if he ignited fire inside his tomb of ice, he would simply burn himself up. Not a good plan. He had no way to know where he was in order to bring the wind to his aid or stone and earth. Then it occurred to him. It wasn't simply having power that was important, but the careful control of it.

Daniel concentrated upon the power and tried to measure its release. Without any reference to his surroundings, He sent heat out in every direction he could--melting heat rather than burning heat.

The temperature around him rose fast, almost too fast. Daniel reined it in. The warmth grew gradually. His body slipped and settled within the melting snow. He spread out the heat with more force, but still controlled the temperature he strived to attain.

Daniel brought the temperature up to the highest level he could stand in every direction. The heat wave liquefied every crystal of ice it came into contact with in seconds. He had solved one problem but created another.

A deluge of melted snow became a rapidly flowing river in moments. Daniel saw light and swam up toward it. His head breached the surface of the water and he saw the effect of his heat wave. A huge portion of the snow in the valley had melted and now carried him away. The warrior had disappeared again.

Daniel turned to see where the water was taking him. Behind the valley, in the direction he had come by, stood the mountain. But in front where the water carried him, there was nothing but open sky where the valley ended. The water sped up as it approached that place. Waterfall!

Daniel tried to swim, but there was no fighting the strength of the current as it pulled him toward the edge. He looked back upstream. Only a little water remained at the upper end of the valley. If he could only—

"AAAHHH!"

Daniel screamed as gravity pulled him and the water over the edge. But it had not simply spilled into nothing. He and the stream shot down an extremely sharp incline.

He watched the water flow ahead of him. The leading edge of the stream foamed white as it followed a winding trough of smooth rock. The stream snaked its way along a corkscrew path with Daniel riding along on the serpents back. Everything happened so fast. He felt sick to his stomach. I always hated waterslides, he thought.

The flow wound along the side of the mountain sloshing water over the lip of the trough. Daniel hoped he wouldn't be launched out over the side as well. Then the water sped into a tunnel going right through the mountain. Everything became dark for a moment and Daniel heard the violent echo of the water bouncing back from the roof of the tunnel.

The sunlight hit him again as he emerged from the tunnel and back into another sharp curve. Daniel tried to keep his head above the surface of the water as the amusement ride continued. A body of water appeared in the distance. The closer he came, the more Daniel realized it was a huge pond—almost a small lake. The trough leveled out in elevation, but the force of the water behind him kept the speed up.

Daniel came to the spilling edge of the trough and it deposited him into the pond. He swam with all his might and made his way to the shore as best he could. He had never been a very strong swimmer. When Daniel finally arrived at a depth where he could stand, he looked up to the shore only to find another set of stairs. "Hmm, coincidence?" he muttered. "I think not."

Daniel sloshed out of the water and onto the shore. He collapsed there as exhaustion threatened to steal his consciousness, but he had no time to sleep. His friends still needed his help.

A noise caught his ear and he turned back toward the water. The warrior stood out in the middle of the huge pond. He had perched upon a column of stone rising out of the water to a height of nearly ten feet. Daniel grew angry. The trial should've been over, he supposed.

The warrior called several man-sized boulders from the rocky shore behind him and sent them hurtling over the pond toward Daniel on the opposite side. He was tired and wet and beaten up and Daniel Harwick had now had enough of these trials.

He thrust his hand out toward the mysterious warrior and something new and unexpected happened. The water between the warrior and Daniel burst forward as though a giant palm had skimmed the surface in a kid's splash fight. The resulting wave surged forward with ferocious power and smashed into the warrior knocking him off of his rock and into the water. The boulders lost their momentum and dropped into the pond about half way across.

Once again, his new ability amazed him. He hadn't expected the water to also obey his commands. He waited for the warrior to surface, but there was no sign of him. "Now the trials are over!" Daniel shouted across the pond. No answer came.

Satisfied, he turned back to the stone steps and followed them upward again. The Fiddler had said three trials and he hoped he would be shown where he needed to go from here. But for now, the only way to go was the path.

As he ascended the steps again, he saw another stone with the mysterious inscription upon it. The same words appeared. "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end of it is death." Frustrated by his fatigue and the fact that he was cold and wet, Daniel did not pause at the stone this time.

Just above the surface of the water, a pair of eyes watched Daniel as he departed. The eyes squinted and the flesh of the cheeks rose slightly out of the water—enough so that if someone had been watching they would have known the person was smiling.

FROM WITHIN A DREAM

True to Fiddler's word, no other dangerous trials presented themselves for Daniel. Still, he ascended the last set of steps on the path with great trepidation. The steps soon gave way to a well worn path. He had descended a great way down the mountain to the pond and now the path took him back up another way.

Daniel's legs burned. He felt so tired. The scabbard which had once held his sword flopped empty at his side. He removed it and left it on the trail—anything to make the journey easier.

The trail grew narrow now. Daniel found himself on the edge of a cliff as the path wound around one of the peaks. He had barely enough room to walk. He sidestepped with his back against the rock. It seemed eerily familiar to him.

Below in the valley, green trees stretched into the distance toward other peaks in the mountain range. I've seen this all before, he thought. The path forced Daniel to inch along. He wondered if he might fall, but his fear of it was not so great.

Now that he could manipulate the elements around him, Daniel felt more assured. The trials had been very difficult and dangerous, but he was glad to have gone through them. Otherwise, he might never have known he had these abilities in this world.

If he survived all of this, he wondered if he should even try to get back home. What do I have to go back to? Daniel had been bullied by his peers with William being the big exception. And he had been utterly ignored by his parents. Here in this world, he had new friends, awesome power, and a reason to keep going.

Daniel arrived around the peak. What he saw made his blood run cold with terror. In the distance stood the cave he had seen from his dream—the same dream where he had seen a dragon coming for him. He had fallen from this very cliff to the rocks below.

Daniel tried to steady himself. He grew nervous, and nausea turned his stomach. He couldn't allow it. If he got dizzy and sick, he would certainly fall.

Daniel thought about Meineke and Louie. They were there in that cave waiting for someone to save them. That thought steadied his nerves and his stand. He completed his trek around the peak and found more sure ground on the other side where the path became wide again.

Daniel surveyed the area. He knew the dragon was almost certainly there, inside the cave, waiting for him to come for his friends. "If you're the Wielder, boy, then come and take them from me." Those words taunted him.

Does it think that I'm this Wielder person? It certainly sounded that way. But why would the dragon think such a thing? The power he had manifested since going through Fiddler's trials may have convinced somebody of such a thing, but that had occurred after the beast took his friends. There's a whole lot more going on in this world than I realize.

Daniel took another twenty minutes walking along the path which brought him to the cave entrance. A stone marker stood where the path ended. He expected to find the same message etched into the stone he had seen upon all of the others along this path, but it was different. This one said, "The arm of the flesh will fail you."

"The arm of the flesh?" It sounded like he was being warned that his own strength would fail him. "Fail me in what?"

Daniel looked up at the ominous mouth of the dragon's lair. A lump caught in his throat. "Oh."

He lost some of his confidence. Was he destined to fail in the fight he was about to undertake within the cave? What else can I do? My friends need me.

He drew a deep breath and stepped beyond the marker and the path. He stood before the cave opening. The cave looked like some giant beast waiting to swallow him alive. Only a dragon would live in such a place.

For the first time since they had been taken, Daniel wondered if his two friends were even still alive. They have to be. They just have to be. The dragon did say I was to come for them. Surely, they are still alive. Daniel tried to convince himself to take the last steps of this journey and enter the terrible looking orifice.

The sun had almost set. The cave promised only darkness within. Daniel looked back at the path he had come by. To his astonishment, the path and the stone marker had vanished completely. The mountain side no longer showed any sign that a path had ever been there.

His mouth dropped open, but somehow it didn't surprise him. He had come to expect the unexpected in this world. Well, there's no way to go now but forward.

A foul funk emanated from the mouth of the cave like ten thousand-year-old halitosis. The stench of decay curled Daniel's nose, and he thought he might become sick, even on his empty stomach.

"Just mouth-breathe. You can do this," he tried to reassure himself.

Daniel felt for the fierce energies which had allowed him to survive Fiddler's trials. He launched a burst of flame through the opening just to see if there would be any reaction. The flame roiled away just beyond his hand, but there was no response to it. Somewhere within, a black scaled nightmare, the size of a house, waited to greet him.

THE DRAGON'S HOLD

Daniel had expected the inner sanctum of the cave to be very damp and cold, but it was just the opposite. A very dry heat flowed through the dark caverns carried by a steady breeze emanating from somewhere unknown.

Either the sun had already set outside or Daniel had now ventured further into the lair than its rays could penetrate. He felt very alone and yet there seemed to be eyes watching him from every place. He had no misconceptions about whether or not he was going to surprise the dragon. It already knew he was here. He wondered why it had not already attacked him.

Daniel stumbled upon something. He knelt down to examine it, but couldn't tell what it was. He held out his hand, palm up, and a flame flickered to life above it. A horrid face leered at him from the ground. A man's skull sat inside a brass helmet. As for the rest of the man, he had been completely charred along with the remnants of his clothing.

A belt with a sword lay strapped around the waist of the skeleton. Daniel decided a little steel in his hands couldn't hurt his odds of survival so he removed it. He placed the belt around his own waist and drew the sword. The broadsword weighed more than he was used to, but he didn't care at this point.

Daniel got a feel for the sword's weight and then used it to cut through some of his shirt. He cut a strip from the bottom of the garment and wrapped it around the end of the blade. He thought flame and the material ignited, creating a makeshift torch.

The cavern seemed immense. Many smaller tunnels led away from the main. It seemed like an entire hive of dragons might live in this place. To face a many giant serpents terrified him—powers or not.

Daniel walked cautiously through the lair. The strong breeze continued to blow the foul odor of dragon into his nostrils—churning his stomach. Bones littered the sides of the path. These dragons are a messy sort, he thought.

The tunnel descended rapidly. Daniel thought he saw a faint glimmer of light below. He turned and made sure nothing was behind him. The way appeared clear. He turned back and began the descent.

At least a dozen tunnels intersected this one. The dragon might have hidden his friends almost anywhere. The way sloped downward. Light shone from behind a bend near the ceiling.

When Daniel leveled out in his descent, he saw the source of the light—a chamber up ahead. Inside the chamber, he saw what appeared to be moonlight. The closer he got to the room, the fresher the air became.

In the middle of the chamber, two individuals hung from the ceiling. Meineke and Louie! Daniel had to stop himself from shouting their names. He didn't want to alert the dragon. His friends had been encased in a gooey sort of cocoon except for their heads and legs.

The pair hung suspended from the chamber ceiling by a thick strand of the same stuff. It reminded Daniel of snot. That thought added to his revulsion. Now he just had to figure out how to get them down.

Below the place where they hung, a huge hole descended into the mountain. Above them, the moon shone through large holes in the roof of the cave. A steady breeze filtered through.

"Daniel!" Meineke shouted.

Daniel snapped his index finger to his lips in a grimace, trying to signal for the wil to be quiet. Meineke complied with a look of grief at having made the mistake. Louie tried to wiggle his way around on the taut thread of dragon mucous suspending them from the ceiling.

Louie smiled brightly when he saw the boy. Daniel surveyed the situation with an engineer's eye. He had to figure out a way to get them down without having them plunge into the dark hole beneath. He presented an open palm toward his friends. As near as he could tell, these powers were directed by his hands. Not a great theory, but it worked.

Daniel focused his energies and the wind blew. Meineke and Louie swung lightly on the mucous thread. He released the energy and the wind resumed its normal course throughout the lair. It would be close, but he felt like he could do it.

Meineke and Louie wore puzzled looks upon their faces. Daniel focused upon the rock where the mucous thread was attached to the ceiling of the cavern. He grabbed it in his mind as he pushed the air with his left hand. The rock, above the mucous, burst into fragments, allowing Meineke and Louie to fall. Immediately, Daniel thrust his right palm toward his friends and the wind pushed them away from the hole beneath.

As the pair fell away, a humongous green head sprang out of the hole, snapping its massive jaws shut. Meineke and Louie screamed as they barely escaped the deadly teeth. They landed with a painful thud upon the rocky cavern floor.

The dragon turned toward the tangled pair, meaning to go for them again before they could escape. Daniel caused the rock between the vent holes to collapse. The slab of stone smashed into the green dragon's head, sending both down into the hole accompanied with an ear piercing shriek.

He rushed to his friends. They lay on the ground, struggling to free themselves from the binding mucous. Daniel used his new broadsword to slice through the encrusted muck. Meineke and Louie rolled away from one another and stood to thank Daniel for rescuing them.

A piercing roar bellowed through the tunnels stifling their enthusiasm. "How do we get out of here?" They all looked at each other, but no one had the answer.

Another dragon appeared in the tunnel where Daniel had entered the chamber. This one was red in color and more slender than the great black dragon which had brought them here. "How many dragons are in this place?" Daniel asked.

"Too many," Louie said.

The dragon screamed a piercing cry—fingernails raking on a chalkboard to the tenth power. It took a deep breath, as though filling a great bellows and then released a chemical spray which combusted in mid-air. Daniel used his power and pulled a wall of rock up from the floor of the cavern to shield them.

They felt the intense heat as flame billowed over and around the edges of the rock. The creature took another breath, preparing to blow fire upon them again. Daniel did not hesitate. He thrust his hands toward the stone slab they were hiding behind. It flew through the air toward the red dragon.

The stone slammed into the great reptile between the left shoulder and the joint of its left wing. The dragon buckled and fell into the wall, exhaling the flammable chemical prematurely into the wall near its head. The spray splattered against the wall and onto the dragon's face, igniting immediately.

"We've got to get out of here!" Meineke shouted over the pained howl of the red dragon.

"I don't know which tunnel will lead us out!" Daniel said as he prepared for more trouble.

Louie pointed up. "The ceiling! We can fly out that way."

"I can't fly!" Daniel shouted.

"Leave it to us," Meineke said as he morphed into bird form.

Each of them grabbed onto one of Daniel's upper arms and took off with him toward the open ceiling. Out of the hole in the cavern floor, Strom's giant, black head emerged, searching for his prey.

Before the dragon could get a fix on them to intercept, Daniel sent down a fire of his own. A peel of flame leaped away from his hands, hitting Strom in the face. The black dragon jerked away from the attack, giving the trio just enough space and time to get up through the hole in the cavern ceiling and escape.

Strom roared with fury, climbing out of the hole in the cavern floor. He got his footing on the stone floor and then leaped through the hole in the ceiling after Daniel and the others.

TERROR IN THE SKY

The moon cast a pale glow over the entire land. This made navigating the treacherous peaks of Mt. Doom easier, but it didn't make it any more fun. Meineke and Louie jostled Daniel about so much he thought he might lose his lunch, had he eaten any. The wil and the cherub both jockeyed for dominance during their escape flight. "Somebody needs to lead this dance guys," Daniel complained.

They made use of gravity, dive-bombing down through the peaks of Mt. Doom. Somewhere behind them, an angry black scaled death machine closed in for the kill. "It's going to burn us to a crisp like this," Daniel shouted.

"The nice thing about flying is that dragons can't really breathe fire while in flight. Hovering sure, but anything else sends the flame back into their faces like spitting into the wind," Louie said.

Daniel saw the moon reflecting off a body of water to his right and wondered if it might be the pond he had come to during his last trial. The image passed quickly as another peak whooshed by them at a frightening speed.

"We've got company!" Louie said.

The dragon came at them like a giant black missile. He dropped toward them, gracefully evading peaks and rocky outcrops. Daniel turned his head to watch the creature. The dragon rode the wind like a champion.

"Where are we going?" Daniel shouted.

Meineke and Louie looked at one another. They didn't have a clue. They were just running for their lives. "Which way to get us back to the Deadwood?" Meineke asked.

Louie looked around. "Hard to tell. All I can see are mountains."

"He's gaining on us!" Daniel said, craning his neck to keep the great predator in view.

Strom closed the distance to within fifty yards. Soon he would be within striking distance and then it would be over. "This way!" Louie shouted.

They bolted to the right just before the dragon closed the entire distance. Twin peaks came at them fast. The dragon failed to make the sharp change of direction.

Strom roared his displeasure and adjusted his course. Meineke and Louie shot straight between the twin peaks nearly smashing into the rocks. Daniel squinted and braced for the impact. He breathed a sigh of relief once they cleared.

The black dragon shot up over the peaks and resumed the chase. In the distance, Daniel saw the reflection of moonlight upon water. He looked at the moon and, for a split second, saw something in silhouette. It looked like a giant bird of some kind, only it had too many limbs. Daniel blinked and then looked again, but it was gone. He searched, but could not locate what he had seen.

The dragon roared again behind them. He closed on the cumbersome trio much faster now. Terrible white teeth set in massive jaws opened to receive his prey. In seconds they would be dead. They had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

The land receded just below them as Meineke and Louie carried Daniel out over the water. The dragon's snarled right behind them. His foul breath would be on their necks right before the teeth sank in. Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the pain of death.

An ominous screech sounded ahead of them. Daniel's eyes popped open. It sounded like an eagle—completely different from the horrible cry of the dragon. Daniel caught only a split second glimpse of the same feathered creature he had seen silhouetted against the moon moments before.

A horrendous crash pounded the wind out of Daniel. He flew free from Meineke and Louie's grip. The moon reflected on the water before him. He felt strangely at peace drifting through the air. In the distance, he heard the cry of the dragon and that of the other creature. He heard his friend's voices as well.

The spire of moonlight upon the water vibrated quickly as it got closer. Daniel gasped as he smashed into the water. The impact felt like he had been dashed upon the rocks. He groaned at the pain.

The water swallowed Daniel. He fought for precious air, but there was none to be had. He lost the strength to struggle. He felt the current carry him away. He wanted to breathe so badly.

Daniel struggled to get to the surface, but where was the surface? The current turned him over and over like a child in the ocean surf. Everything faded.

AMONG FRIENDS

Marissa, Louie, and, Meineke hovered over Daniel as he lay on his back on the shore of the mountain pond. He shivered due to his cold, wet clothes. Marissa came with a thick blanket. "Here, Daniel, try to get warm. We cannot stay here for very long." Marissa's compassionate voice soothed him, but danger still remained.

Daniel craned his head around to make sure everyone was present. Bon and Jale stood there with Percival and Captain Blackborne. Daniel turned in the other direction, smiling. It made him happy to see his friends safe. He thought about Mickey and Bob—killed in the Deadwood by wolven.

Then, another face popped into view, staring at him. The huge face adorned in dark feathers hovered over him. Two equine ears stood erect on the head and piercing eyes with yellow irises beamed at him from behind a great curved beak. It looked like the head of a giant eagle. Daniel screamed. "Ah!"

He got to his knees, scooting away. "What is that thing?" he said, alarmed.

The creature looked sideways to Marissa. "Is he talking about me, Princess?"

The creature had a very deep voice though far from menacing. It sounded more like the voice of a college professor with no sense of humor. Daniel had not yet seen such a creature in this world. Then it dawned on him. He had seen one in a book and he had seen stone versions in front of his own house back in his world.

"Is that a griffin?" Daniel asked Marissa.

The griffin responded instead. "It is very rude to speak about someone in the third person when they are, in fact, present company, young man."

"Oh, well, I am sorry, sir," Daniel said, feeling scolded.

"Yes, well, I suppose we can make allowances for your ignorance of griffins."

Daniel felt insulted. He's just a wee bit pompous.

"Duggan, please. The boy is new to our world," Marissa said.

"Yes, of course, Princess," Duggan said.

The griffin stepped back to give them room as they helped Daniel to his feet. He was greater in size than both pantheras put together—but still only half the size of the great black dragon. The griffin had a head much like that of an eagle and front feet with talons like swords. Duggan had great feathered wings while his rear half looked like the body of an African lion with a long tail, bobbed at the end.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Meineke said. "He saved us, Marissa—Louie and me. It was amazing."

"Well, Daniel, it seems we have much to discuss. I would be very interested to see how you affected their release from the Dragons Hold."

"The Dragons Hold?"

"Yes, you entered into the lair of Strom the Black. That was the dragon we found chasing you," Marissa said.

"That's a nasty brute," Nathaniel said. "How in the world did you get inside his lair?"

"Yeah, Daniel, that's a sheer cliff, how did you get inside?" Louie asked.

Everyone stared at Daniel. "Well, after the black dragon took the two of you and flew away, I decided I had to do something to rescue you. The dragon was expecting me to come for you and—"

"Why do you think Strom expected you to come for them?" Marissa interrupted.

"Well, he told me."

"Strom spoke to a human?" Duggan asked. "I've never heard of such a thing. He detests humans, believes them to be lower than insects. I don't even think Strom likes the taste of—"

"Yes, Duggan, thank you," Marissa interrupted. Duggan was a nice enough griffin, but very talky when you let him get going. "What did the dragon say to you, Daniel?"

"He said, if I was the Wielder, then I would have to come and take them."

When Daniel told her, a spark of hope ignited somewhere behind Marissa's eyes.

"Daniel, tell us what happened after that. How did you come to get inside the Dragons Hold?" she asked eagerly.

I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but I knew I had to save them somehow. So, I took my sword and went into the mountains." Daniel liked the fact that they were all hanging upon his every word. He had started out as the insignificant member of their group. Now, his friends lauded him as a hero. This was a far cry from his days at Ekhart Academy and he liked it.

He continued with his story. "I spent a few hours hiking up and then I came to a place where this man was sitting and playing a violin."

"A violin?" Nathaniel asked.

"A violin, or a fiddle?" Percival added.

"Hey, the man did say that his name was Fiddler," Daniel said. Marissa, Nathaniel, and Percival looked cautiously at one another.

"What happened then, Daniel?"

"Well, Fiddler was sitting at this place where two paths meet one another. And he told me that I would have to face three trials on my way up the mountain."

"What kind of trials?" Marissa asked.

"There was a warrior who attacked me with all kinds of rock and stuff. He made the rocks fly out of the ground, trying to kill me. Fiddler told me these trials would bring out abilities I have inside. And do you know what, Marissa? I really do have them!"

"What sort of abilities?"

"Everything the warrior did, I could do. I made rocks come right out of the cliff to catch me when he caused me to fall. And I moved earth and stone with my thoughts."

"Really?" Marissa said. Her eyes glazed with excitement. "And what happened then?"

"I beat the warrior or at least I thought I had beaten him. He came back later for the third trial. I was in a valley of snow on the mountain, and he blasted the ridge with bolts of fire. I couldn't believe it!"

Everyone in the group soaked up the details of Daniel's fantastic adventure like kindergarteners during story time.

"This guy caused an avalanche and buried me under the snow. I thought I was really going to die."

"What did you do, Daniel?" Meineke asked.

"I made heat, like the warrior, except I controlled it very carefully so that I wouldn't burn myself. But the snow melted too fast. Before I knew what I had done, the water carried me over a waterfall. I zoomed down the mountain on the most wicked waterslide ride I've ever seen. Then it dumped me into this pond."

The others looked at the pond and then around for the place where Daniel would have come down the mountain. They quickly spotted a trough which emptied into the pond. Daniel's story, as incredible as it sounded, appeared to be true.

"The warrior was waiting on me when I got up on the shore over there," he said, pointing to the place. "I finally beat him when he hurled two boulders at me. I sent a wave into him that must have drowned him or something. I didn't see him anymore after that. After all of the trials, I followed the path until it brought me up the mountain to the entrance of the dragon's lair," Daniel said.

"But there isn't a path leading into the Dragon Hold—no path whatsoever," Duggan protested, ruffling his feathers.

"That's the thing," Daniel said, "there was a path to get me to the entrance, but then, when I turned back to look, it was just gone. I can't explain it."

"We saw him fighting dragons with this power, Marissa," Meineke said. "Daniel moved his hands in the air and a wall of stone sprang from the earth, then he hurled it at one of those brutes who was trying to burn us alive."

"Yeah and he pulled the roof down on another one just before it could have Meineke and me for lunch," Louie added. "Once Daniel had us free, we grabbed him and flew out of there with Strom on our tail."

"By the way, what happened to the dragon?" Daniel asked. "The last thing I remember, he just about had us."

Duggan cleared his throat.

"Duggan brought us into the mountain to look for you," Marissa said. "He is an old ally of my father, King Nicholas. When Duggan spotted you on the run from Strom he moved in and chased the dragon away."

"How did you fight off a dragon?" Daniel asked.

"Well, Daniel, it is a little known fact that griffins carry an intensely painful poison in our talons," he said proudly. Duggan held up one of the massive claws for the boy. Daniel saw beads of poison gather on the tips of his talons as Duggan flexed his claw.

"Dragons are especially susceptible to its potency," Duggan said.

Daniel saw a smile in the griffin's eyes though his great beak remained firm. He felt already that he was going to like this new friend very much.

"I think, Princess, that it would be wise for us to get out of these mountains before we end up with more dragons coming down on us," Nathaniel suggested.

"Yes, that is a good idea. We'll finish discussing these events once we've reached a safer place. We still have to get to the Bard country and my father. There's still the matter of translating the Wielder Scroll."

The group prepared for departure. Marissa, Nathaniel, and Percival rode on Duggan's strong back the same way they had come. Meineke and Louie escorted Daniel down. He hoped this flight would be a bit less traumatic.

As the group took to the air, hate-filled reptilian eyes watched from a distant peak. Strom growled deep within himself. The griffin's poison made his right wing ache terribly. "This battle is far from over, Wielder."

THE WIELDER SCROLL

Duggan had brought them as far as the northern border of the Deadwood. Mt. Doom still dominated the horizon though it was many miles behind them now. "I'm afraid this is as far as I can take you, Princess," Duggan said. "I must get back to the Griffin's Keep in order to inform our leader of your father's request."

"I thought you were the leader of the griffins," Daniel said.

"Oh no, dear boy, I am the griffin's ambassador to King Nicholas. I was on my way to the Keep when I spotted Marissa and the others coming out of the Deadwood near Mt. Doom. I knew they had been questing for the Wielder and were supposed to be returning to King Nicholas, so I wanted to see if I could be of assistance."

"We certainly do appreciate all of your help," Marissa said. "I shall be sure to tell Grimwing of your kindness and bravery this day. You really should be promoted among the ranks of griffins."

"Kind words, my lady, and gracious to be sure. I only wish I could further assist you by delivering the Wielder Scroll to your father for you. But he sends word to Grimwing of the need to organize an army in order to face Mortis."

"What news is there of the war, Duggan?" Marissa asked.

"I'm afraid it does not fair well for the inhabitants of the Living Land, Princess," he said grimly. "Mortis has managed to deceive many into following him by alliance or coercion. Strom and his dragons are rumored to have joined forces with Mortis and as you know, my lady, Strom's forces number nearly fifty."

"Fifty dragons?" Nathaniel said.

"I'm sorry to say, Captain Blackborne, that those numbers may only be the beginning," Duggan said. "Strom's group is simply the last known to join Mortis against us in the war. Mortis has also managed to win the allegiance of the metamen under Hannibal and several rogue factions of wils."

Percival snickered when he heard that Mortis was using wils to fight. They had always been considered insignificant.

Meineke noticed the laugh at his expense. "Hey, tubby, have you ever been attacked by wils? Oh, yeah, you just were last night. Didn't like the experience either did you?"

Percival arched his eyebrow but remained quiet.

"Has anyone else joined Mortis that we know of, Duggan?" Marissa asked.

"Well there are the Spider Elves, but we haven't been able to confirm it as fact yet. It just seems like anyone out for power or conquest joins him. It's becoming a very dangerous time in the Land. Many humans have succumbed to his spell binding deception as well. They desire to rule their own lives, in rebellion to Iam, and Mortis's promises of reward appeal to them."

Daniel considered what was being said about the humans as well as the other creatures of the Land. They all sounded a lot like the people of his world—selfish and looking out for number one. Daniel remembered a day less than a week ago when he had ditched William and the chapel service to go read his favorite book. He'd been a smart-aleck to William that day, not to mention being rude to the minister. William had still bailed him out after all of that. The more Daniel thought about it, the guiltier he felt.

"Your father believes the time has come to organize the forces of the Bard against Mortis and launch an attack on his fortress."

"But, Duggan, we don't have any information on the fortress—nothing about its armaments," Louie said. "You can't just charge in without knowing what it is you're going to be facing."

"I realize what you're saying is true, but the King of the Bard Elves is very wise. And he feels we can not afford to wait any longer," Duggan said.

"Duggan, have the Dhampirs joined Mortis yet."

"I have not received word of any such alliance, but it would not be surprising if it did happen."

"Dark-eaters, that's what they are," Meineke said.

"What do you mean Dark-eaters?" Daniel asked.

"They walk in darkness and feed upon the life force of their prey," Louie explained. "They are rarely seen walking about during the daylight hours."

"Yeah, them and the Pure Bloods," Meineke said with a disgusted tone.

"Who are the Pure Bloods?" Daniel asked.

"The Pure Bloods also feed upon the life force of their prey," said Marissa, "but the Dhampirs are half breeds. Long ago, the Pure Bloods intermarried with elf-kind like me. The resulting children were born Dhampirs possessing traits of both. They feed like the Pure Bloods, but they restrict themselves to animal prey. They do not wish to feed upon the life force of elves because they are partly as we are. In a similar way, they rarely will take the life force of a human."

"That's good to know," Daniel said, not a little relieved.

"However, the life force is stronger in elves and humans and so the Pure Bloods tend to be the stronger of the two. There was a rift not many years ago between them. The Pure Bloods sought to cleanse their ranks and a civil war ensued between them. The king of the Pure Bloods even banished his own son and the boy's elf mother."

"That's very sad," Daniel said.

"Yeah, but we have to travel right between their territories," Louie said woefully. "Very dangerous."

"Aye, but we've got ole Daniel the Terrible with us," Meineke said.

"Well, Princess, if I may be so bold, you've never quite shared with me what it is we are delivering to your father," Nathaniel said in his best brazen pirate attitude.

She shot him a coy look and then brought an object out from under her crimson robe—a cylinder made of pure gold. Marissa opened the latch and removed a scroll.

"This is what we must deliver to my father, King Nicholas, or die trying. This is the legendary Wielder Scroll. It will tell us the identity of the Wielder by name and his location."

"And you say, your father is the only one who can decipher what it says?" Nathaniel asked.

"He is the only one I know of who can still translate from the old language," Marissa said. "Meineke and I were sent to retrieve the scroll from an ancient vault in the wastes beyond Parengore."

"You've traveled from the Bard all the way to the wastelands?"

"The king would not send his eldest daughter on a quest of such importance on foot," Duggan said. "My brother accompanied her and bore the princess all the way to the wastelands."

"So what happened?" Percival asked.

"The Sand Dwellers killed Samal before we could leave the wastes," Meineke explained. "Marissa and I barely escaped with the scroll in hand. It's a terrible place."

"Who are the Sand Dwellers?" Daniel asked.

"They are elves," Marissa said. "The Sand Dwellers were one with my people many years ago. A civil war separated them when my father was still very young. The Sand Dwellers are practitioners of the dark arts. And it was by their hands that a once rich and plenteous land was left barren and desolate. Our people relocated to the Bard during the war of those days and have been there ever since."

Duggan interrupted. "My lady, I must fly. With so much enemy activity, we must be ready with the king's plan."

"Of course, old friend."

Everyone watched as the mighty griffin took flight toward the dawning sun. Duggan beat his powerful wings down and Daniel thought the resulting wind would knock him over. In that one thrust upward, he became airborne.

Marissa stood next to Nathaniel. He took a chance and put his hand between her shoulder blades. She noticed, but she did not make him remove it. Marissa had come to believe that there was more to this man, Nathaniel Blackborne, than just a mere pirate. And she wondered secretly if she was coming to appreciate those qualities for more than fellowship.

"Nathaniel," she said in a very low voice. He bent nearer to her in order to hear what she said. The others watched Duggan as he ascended into the pink sky of morning. "My father will gather his army, but I fear it will not be enough."

Nathaniel considered her concern.

She turned her head to look into his face. "I do not believe there is anything which can save the Living Land from Mortis's invasion except for the Wielder himself. The prophecies are quite clear on that fact."

She turned and looked at one member of their group in particular. Nathaniel followed her gaze toward the boy who stood with a wil on one side and a cherub on the other.

Minion filled in the last gaps in the grave he had constructed for his brother wil, One. Their father had always told him that his smart mouth would one day get him into big trouble which none of his family would be able to get him out of. That day had finally arrived.

Minion placed the last fist-sized stone into place on the grave and stood off from it. Wils always tried to bury their dead. They were a noble people despite a few bad apples like Minion. But he still carried on the traditions of his people where his family was concerned.

Now, he would have to go back and attend to his other brothers, Three and Two. Nobody had ever accused Minion's parents of being creative with names. He was the youngest of his siblings and had changed his name from Four to Minion after coming into the employ of Lord Mortis. Now, he alone remained of his family.

He considered the possibility of trying to go back to his people among the inhabitants of the Falewood in the northeast. Minion supposed that his master, Mortis, would be very angry with him. He had not killed the Wielder. If I go back to the fortress, I wonder what manner of torture will be waiting for me because of my failure.

Minion morphed into bird form and then took flight. He flew back toward the place where the boy had killed his other brother, Two, with the edge of a sword. I'm still going to make that child pay for what he has done, he promised himself.

As the wil came to the clearing, just beyond the edge of the Deadwood's petrified trees, he spotted the deceased body of his older sibling, Two. Minion landed, returning to his natural form. The boy had stabbed Two right through the chest—a fatal wound to any wil.

Minion said one of the prayers of their people for the departed. As he prayed through the short recitation, Minion heard music—violin music.

The wil left the body of his brother where it lay, for the moment, in order to follow the sound of the music. He stalked along the edge of the forest until he came to an outcropping of rock coming right out of the of the forest perimeter. A short man of oriental race sat upon the rock dressed in sand-colored robes. The man played a hauntingly beautiful melody on a violin and appeared not to have noticed Minion approaching.

Minion crept as quietly as possible, listening to the sweet sounds, for wils are well known to love beautiful music. The man quickly ended his private concert and, without turning his face to look at the wil, he said, "Hello, Minion."

The wil stopped in his tracks. "How do you know my name?" he said suspiciously.

"Oh, I know everyone's name," the man said, "but I especially know you."

The wil did not respond.

"Come now, Minion, are you so easily fooled?" The man climbed down from the rock and walked toward the wil.

"Stay back," Minion growled.

The man's appearance changed from an oriental man wearing sand-colored robes to his master, Lord Mortis. Minion fell prostrate at his feet as the sun beamed down upon them in the morning sky.

"Master, I'm so glad to see you," Minion lied. The thought of having to explain his failure had been bad enough without having Mortis leave the fortress to investigate the situation personally.

"Master, I beg your forgiveness. My brother's have failed me and been killed for their blundering. That foul Strom interfered with us as we tried to do your bidding. We warned him not to hinder us, but he would not listen.

"That's very interesting, Minion." Mortis did not sound sympathetic to the wil's plight.

"Please, Lord Mortis, I have failed you. I was unable to kill the Wielder for you. I beg your forgiveness," Minion pleaded.

"Of course you failed to kill him, you simpleton. I never supposed that you had any ability to do as I had commanded."

"Master, I don't understand."

"Also, not a surprise," Mortis said. "You see, Minion, I sent you to try to kill the boy, but I never believed you could actually pull it off. That wasn't even the point of sending you. The Wielder must be tested. He must come to know his full potential. Only then can he be defeated."

"But how will we defeat him if he grows more powerful?"

"He is already defeated, you fool. Only, he doesn't realize it yet. And that fact, dear Minion, is the key to my victory. To keep the Wielder in the struggle is the important thing and to never let him realize what he truly needs."

Minion still looked puzzled, but that was of no consequence to Mortis. "Attend to your ritual, Minion, then return to the fortress. Our work is only just beginning." With that last statement, Mortis disappeared in a flash of green and red fire.

**Thank you for reading the first novel in the Wielder Saga...I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, then please let me know at jamessremos(at)yahoo.com and please leave a review at Smashwords or whatever online store where you purchased the novel. And be sure to look for my other novels including:

Percival Strange & The Lonely Manor

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Hallowed Ground

The Realm Shift

The Order of Shaddai

The Sword of Gideon

Perdition's Gate
