Eric and Christine reached Ogden-town a few hours before dawn, and tied up their stolen horse in a small copse of trees overlooking the approach to the town(s gates.  The snow had died down, and the temperature felt like it had dropped about 10 degrees, and a light wind was blowing from the west.  Their little copse of trees protected them from the worst of it, and while Eric dozed a bit, Christine watched the town gates.

 

      Some plan.  She thought.  Get close to the gates, wait for the soldiers to arrive with Maeve and Kai, and follow them into town to see where they’re being held, and then create a distraction and rescue them.  “Just a little short on details there, Eric.” Christine muttered.  Normally she would be frightened - but Eric was right; there wasn’t a lot of difference between dying here in a jailbreak than dying in woods trying to flee to an unknown location with no guarantee of assistance - and both were preferable to being caught by this heretic Bishop Vargas.  I guess after a while you just stop being afraid and deal with things as they come, since there’s no point in being scared.

 

      As she watched, four horses and three riders emerged from the woods.  The riders looked weary, and the fourth horse had two or more bodies slung over it instead of bearing a rider.  Looks like that might be the people we’re waiting for - I’d better wake Eric.

 

      She shook Eric awake, and whispered “They’re here, Eric.”   Eric woke, and quietly nodded and moved over to their vantage point to see the group of them approach the town. 

 

      “I had a thought, just before napping Christine.  It might be better if we don’t follow them in - Andred or his followers might see us if they get lucky, and then we’d be screwed.  I’ll bet if we ask Anvi he’d know where the jail is anyway.”

 

      “Maybe - but didn’t Maeve take us away from Anvi’s to protect him?  Why would you want to put him back into danger?  If we follow them, we only put our lives on the line - not his and his wife’s as well.”

 

      “Well, yeah.”  Said Eric.  “But there’s another reason too...  Think back to just before we disappeared from your front lawn in Toronto, to when we woke up in Anvi’s place.  Didn’t I have a handgun and a couple of spare magazines from cop in the police car?  Unless I dropped them in the Void, either Maeve found it or Anvi did, and that might give us an edge in rescuing Maeve and Kai.” 

 

      Christine thought back, and realized Eric had a very good chance of being correct.  “Why didn’t she give us the gun back?”

 

      “Either she didn’t know it was a weapon, and thought it wasn’t important.”  Eric said, “Or more likely, she knew it was a weapon and purposely hid it from us, either to pay Anvi for these amulets or to make sure we were unarmed.  I’m not sure why she would want the second - maybe she was afraid if I fired it, it would make too much noise?”

 

      Christine had a third reason come to mind.  “Maybe she didn’t want us to be armed so if she had to kill either of us, we couldn’t stop her.”  Christine looked grim and sour, as if the idea tasted bad to her.  She didn’t fully trust Maeve, but even she didn’t know if Maeve would kill them to keep Bishop Vargas from getting them.

 

 

      Eric started to argue, but stopped.  When they went into battle with the knights and houndsmen the last thing Kai said was ‘We cannot let you be taken prisoner.’  He felt small and cold when he realized what that might have meant.  “Even so, we don’t have much choice.  They are our only hope of living long enough to get out of here, and maybe even of getting home.  No one else has any reason to help us and at least a hundred reasons to turn us in.  We need to save them - and if they try to harm us, I’ll have to shoot them - simple as that.”   Simple as that, he thought.  Ha!   I don’t know if I can shoot them.           

 

      Below, the small party of riders had entered the town’s gates, and had disappeared from view, while several farmers in the valley outside the town had begun doing chores in and around their homes.  Some children played in the snow, and they smelled woodsmoke and cooking food over the air.

     

      “Okay - I guess we don’t have much choice.  Once they get inside the town, they’re probably going to get more soldiers and dogs - so we’d best be to Anvi’s and into the city as soon as possible.”

 

      “I agree.  Let’s go.”

     

*          *          *

     

      Anvi was cutting wood, and wondering how Maeve and the strangers she arrived with were doing, when he noticed Eric and Christine approaching - alone - in the thick winter cloaks he had given them.   He didn’t need a crystal ball or a magic spell to realize something had gone very wrong.  As they approached, he gestured for them to join him under the awning covering his firewood.

 

      “What happened?” he said, quietly.  “What went wrong?  Your leg, Eric?”

 

      Christine shook her head.  “We were caught about a day out of town.  A Huntsman named Andred found us - he had dogs and about four men with him.  We fought, and Maeve and Kai killed two, and the two dogs - but were knocked out and we were forced to flee.  Eric got bitten by a dog before killing it.”  

 

      “And you came here for safety?  I cannot hide you.  Maeve knew that.”  Anvi said.

 

      “We didn’t come here for safety,” said Eric.  “We came for my gun - the weapon removed from my stuff when I was sleeping.”

 

      Anvi looked surprised, then nodded.  “I didn’t expect you would figure it out.  Did Maeve tell you I had it?”  Something had changed about these two - when he first met them they were scared, alone - and seemed vulnerable.  This time it seemed they had been tempered somewhat, stronger than before - and maybe more dangerous than before too.  His hands tightened on his axe handle as he struck another piece of kindling from a stump, the chunk of wood falling off his chopping block.

 

      “No.”  Said Eric.  “We figured that one out on our own - a little too late to do any good, but still.”

 

      “What do you intend to do if I give it to you?”  Anvi felt tension in the air - like you feel when a fight is about to break out - a sense of barely repressed violence. 

 

      “I intend to walk into town, figure out where the jail is, and find a way to free Maeve and Kai, and then leave here as fast as possible.  If I can help it, Christine and I won’t come back here - we didn’t want to be here now - but you have my weapon, and I intend to leave with it.”

 

 

      Anvi knew there was nothing he could do.  Maeve asked me to keep the gun hidden, for whatever reasons of her own, but surely she never meant for it not to be used to help her get free?  “You can have the gun, Eric.  I’ll go get it - and when I get back I’ll take a look at that leg too.  Come on inside.”

 

      The three went inside.  “Please, sit down - I’ll tell Maria you’re back.” Anvi said, and went upstairs, after putting his wood axe down at the door.

 

      “Do you think he’ll help us?”  Eric asked Christine.

 

      “Yes.  But I think He’s more than a little conflicted about it.  He obviously wants to help Maeve, but he seems like he feels he betrayed her by admitting he has the gun - and he just as obviously doesn’t want us here any longer than he has to, probably because He’s afraid of the consequences.”

 

      “Great...”  Eric looked unhappy, but had to admit they had little choice.  The two sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for Anvi.   They couldn’t help but hear raised voices above them, as Anvi obviously was trying to explain their presence to his wife Maria. 

 

      A few moments later, Maria came downstairs.  She wore a simple brown linen dress with an embroidered belt and decorated sleeves, and her hair was tied back - she had obviously just been woken.  “Eric, Christine, welcome back to my home.  Anvi told me something went wrong.”   Maria was upset and concerned at the same time - obviously Maeve was a good friend of the family.

 

      “It did, very.”  Said Eric.  “We need something Maeve left here - something of mine, so we can help her and her friend Kai.”

 

      “Anvi told me.”  Maria said.  “Would the two of you like some decent food?  I know you have to leave shortly - but you can at least leave well fed!”

 

      Eric looked at Christine.  It had been more than fifteen hours since they ate last.  Christine nodded, and said “Thanks, Maria.”  Eric thanked her as well, and Christine got up to help Maria in the kitchen.

 

      As Maria and Christine fixed some tea and began breakfast, Anvi came down the stairs.  In one hand was the 9mm handgun Eric had taken from the dead policeman in the O.P.P. cruiser - and in the other were the two clips of bullets he had stuffed into his pockets just before the demon had attacked them.   Anvi looked at it, and then Eric and Christine.  “I didn’t feel good having it here anyway.”  He said.  “Take it - and I hope it helps you save Maeve.  She’s been a good friend - she deserves better.”

 

      Eric stood and took the gun, glad he wouldn’t have to take it against Anvi’s will.  “Thanks Anvi.  I’ll make sure she knows why you gave it to me - and that I forced your hand.”  The heavy weight of the gun made Eric feel a bit more confident, a bit safer.

 

      “Thank you, young man.  Now let’s have a look at that dog bite.”  Anvi went to his cabinet of healing supplies and started to dig for bandages and salves, while Eric put the gun away and sat down so he could pull up his pant leg to let Anvi check the wound.  Anvi came over, and looked at the wound, prodding it and checking to see how badly Eric was torn or cut. 

 

      “The good news is that it’s not a bad bite.   It may hurt, and look pretty bad, but no muscles or ligaments were torn as far as I can tell.  Can you walk on it?”  Anvi asked.

 

 

      “Yeah - it just hurts a lot.  I limp a bit from the pain, although the Wensin Root balm seemed to help a lot.”

 

      “It would.”  Said Anvi.  “It’s made to be used on wounds, not just sore feet.”   Anvi cleaned the wound, and applied a cool cloth to wipe off the dirt, then applied a smooth ointment that stung slightly over the wound, and re-bandaged it with linen bandages.  “Next time you get into a fight, try not to get hurt, okay?”

 

      Eric nodded.  “It’s not like I was trying to get bitten this time, Anvi.”

 

      “I know - but I can still ask, right?”  Anvi smiled.  “There - you’re good to go.”

 

      Eric stood up, and let his pant-leg fall over the dressing.  His leg was sore, but better than before.  “Thanks Anvi.  Now Christine and I owe you one too.”

 

      “You can pay me back by eating breakfast and rescuing Maeve and Kyrodin - and not leading the people responsible for Maeve’s situation to my home, alright?”

     

      “Alright.”  Eric agreed.

 

      Anvi sighed.  “The Jail is down the main street from the gate, on the corner of Lantern Way and Dove’s Crossing.   There’s a cobbler on one corner - on the other a bakers.  On the opposite sides of the street are the Jail and a small park.”

 

      Christine came back from the kitchen a few minutes later with a small bundle of something that smelled of meat and baked bread.   “Eric, we’ve got some food - but I think we should go.   I know it’s not exactly polite, but if the hunters are using dogs we don’t want to be here if they catch our scent.  It would be safer for Anvi and Maria if we left now.  Maria didn’t want to admit it, but she agrees too.”

 

      Eric nodded, and looked at Anvi who seemed relieved, although Eric was sure Anvi would not admit it if he was asked.  “Good idea, Christine.  The sooner we’re away from here, the sooner we can try and rescue Maeve and Kai.”  He turned to Anvi, and said “Thanks.  For helping us - I know it’s been dangerous for you, and I apologize.  Thank you.”

 

      “Ditto.” piped in Christine.  “We really owe you both.”

 

      Maria and Anvi nodded.  “Ladies of Mercy bless you both, and may the Twins watch over you in your battles to come.”  Maria said.  “I’m sorry we can’t do more.”

 

      Christine took Eric’s hand and led them both from Anvi’s house - there really wasn’t anything more to say.   The two headed out into the snowy field, now starting to come alive with people from other nearby farms and cottages, and headed towards the town(s walls. 

 

      As Eric and Christine approached the town’s gates, Christine muttered “Hold up, Eric.  We need to talk - we need a plan.”

 

      Eric stopped, and turned to Christine.  “I know we do.  I’m just not sure I have one.”

 

 

      “What were you planning on doing?  Walking in and either scaring or killing all the guards, then running out of town?”  Christine could tell she hit a nerve from Eric’s wince.  “We need a better plan than that, or we’ll all be fugitives for a reason - we’ll deserve it.  Are you really the kind of person who could kill someone else because it was expedient?”

 

      Eric slumped.  “No.  I just didn’t know what else to do.”

 

      “Neither do I, yet - but I’m sure murdering guards who are just doing their job is not the way to do it.   Why don’t we go to the park Anvi mentioned, eat our breakfast, and work out a plan?   If we’re lucky maybe Maeve and Kai will get a cell with a window and we can plan with them.”

 

      “Ha - next thing you’ll say is that maybe if we ask nicely, they’ll let them go?”  Eric’s snort and laughter was good natured, and broke some of the tension - and his embarrassment at his lack of a real plan.  I can’t believe that was my plan.  Jeez.

 

      The two pulled their cloaks tighter, and approached the gate.  Two guards stood nearby, huddled against the wooden walls to avoid the worst of the winter winds.   One was a man with ash-blonde hair in his late forties, and the other a woman in her late twenties.  Both wore thick wool cloaks over what appeared to be a leather breastplate, and had strong leather bracers and greaves strapped to their forearms and shins.  Wooden shields were laid to one side of the door, and each guard had a spear close at hand, as well as a belt knife and a truncheon.   The two guards gave Eric and Christine a long look as they approached, but apparently figured they were harmless, and made no motions to stop them.

 

      Inside the walls of Ogden town, Eric expected to find... well he didn’t know exactly, but he thought it would resemble one of those ren-faire recreations parents take their kids to see, to see what life was really like back then.  He was shocked to see it was far more - and less - than he expected.

 

      The street was cobbled stone, with small patches of melting snow - wet in some places and slushy elsewhere.  The houses were made of brick and wood, painted and clean, with windows either made of poor colored glass, or shuttered tight against the cold winds.   The roofs were mostly shingled with wood - maybe cedar, maybe something else - and a few were even roofed with straw thatch.   Most buildings had a wooden porch, and there were wooden awnings over most of the porches - like miniature apartments.   Oddly, it seemed as if many of the houses had smaller floors with doors, porches and windows where their attics should be.  Thin ropes - like laundry lines - criss-crossed the streets, most with laundry dangling from them.  Everything smelled of woodsmoke, damp wool and cotton, human sweat and filth.   The last was easy to fathom why - a thin trail of waste dribbled down the center of the street into a shallow gutter that carried the filth to god knows where, and clumps of horse dung dotted the street here and there like sprinkles on a cake.  

 

      Eric stopped a moment at the smell, but recovered quickly - it wasn’t too different from being in the alley with Dave and Norm when he was on the street, and he had to bite down to resist giving in to too many hot salty tears over his friends’ fate.  Christine on the other hand, seemed like she’d been slapped.  Eric guessed it must smell much stronger if you’re not around it much.

 

      “Hey Christine, it’s not that bad - it could have been summer when we got here...”  Eric quipped.

 

      Christine made a face as she looked around.  “I know, but it’s still a shock when it hits you - the smell I mean.  I never really believed the town would be this... this...”   She looked like she wasn’t sure what to say.

 

      “Dirty?” 

     

     

      “Yeah - that’s it.  Dirty.”  She groaned as a local woman opened her shutters on a second floor window down the street and called out “Halloo!”, right before she dumped what could only be described as a chamberpot onto the street below. 

 

      “Try not to look.”  Said Eric.  “It helps if you pretend it’s not there.”

 

      “It does?”

 

      “Yeah.”   Eric nodded, and pulled Christine to one side as a cart drawn by two horses passed by, carrying stacks of hay.   “Lets go find that little park and eat, like you said and figure out what to do next.”

 

      “Good idea.  I’m just not sure I’ll be able to eat.”  Christine’s face looked a little pale.

 

      “Great - more for me.”  Eric was only partially kidding - the last time he ate was when they made camp last night, over twelve hours ago.  His stomach rumbled as if to punctuate his comment, and he chuckled.  “Come on Christine - you need to eat something, if only to keep up your strength.”

 

      “No...”  Her plea seemed half-hearted, even less so when Eric pulled out some of the food - long loaves of buttered bread filled with spiced sausages and waved them in front of her face so that she could smell it.  Against her will, her stomach growled loudly, and even she couldn’t help but grin.

 

      “Your stomach disagrees.”  Eric said, waving the hot rolls in front of her.

 

      “Fine.” Christine said.  “I’ll eat - just stop dancing about like a mad fool with that food.”

 

      “Heh heh.  Okay.”

 

      Eric stopped capering with the food, and the two headed down the street.  There were a fair number of people in town, most fair skinned with brown or blonde hair, and most dressed in clothes that would look at home in a historical epic(s movie set back home.  The most common garments for men seemed to be either trousers or a woolen kilt, topped by a linen shirt and a wool coat, while most women seemed to be wearing linen and cotton dresses embroidered with various designs, skirts or trousers and chemises, similar to the men.  Most wore leather shoes or boots, and everyone who looked like they could afford a cloak or coat had one. 

 

      They walked, wide eyed at the difference between here, and now, with what they had taken for granted back home.  There was no power, no lights beyond what lamps people decided to hang from their porches, and no background sound of automobiles or Jet engines passing overhead.  Even though the air stank of wet wool and sweaty human, Eric and Christine noticed after a few moments a few things they didn’t smell - the omnipresent stink of burnt gasoline or scent of hot asphalt, and the scent of rotting garbage.  It was a strange kind of dichotomy they noticed - one you normally wouldn’t until every last vestige of modern life was stripped away.

 

      I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep without all the light pollution of downtown Toronto?  Eric thought.   It never really gets dark at home.  Not really dark.

 

 

      Looking around, they found the streets Anvi had told them of - Lantern Way and Dove’s park.  Lantern way was rather unimaginatively named for the twin rows of lanterns leading down its length to a large and imposing structure that could be a small castle or medieval church, although the architecture was different from churches at home.  Dove’s park was a small enclosed park, ringed by a short wall of fieldstones and mortar.  A wooden bench sat under a tree, its branches bare with small spring buds poking out beneath its bark.  It a few weeks, it would be covered in greenery.  There was a small spring opposite the bench, covered in a thin skin of ice, except for its center where the water was clear.      Across the street they could hear the tapping of the cobbler’s hammers, and smell the sweet smell of baking bread and cooking pies.  The park was mercifully distant from the gutter in the street, and the stench of city waste was much less here.  

 

      I’ll bet this park is packed come summer-time.  Eric thought.  “I’ll clear us a space, okay?”

He used his arm to shovel what little snow was left on the bench, and both he and Christine sat down to eat the breakfast Maria had made them. 

     

*          *          *

 

      Great, thought Maeve.  Another fucking jail.  I’d ask how I get in these kinds of messes, but I wouldn’t really enjoy the answer, would I?   She looked over at Kai’s prone body, his head and hair covered in dried blood from where Sir Andred’s mace had nearly caved in his skull.  At least He’s breathing steadily - he should be okay.  I always thought he was hard-headed.   She winced both at her own humor and at the pain from the huge welt and bruise the knight they had fought had left on her jaw.  She wasn’t pleased to be making jokes about their situation, but was happy that Kai’s wound was not so serious that she could not make a little joke or two at his expense.

 

      “I suppose as cells go, this is an improvement.” she muttered.  The cell she and Kai were in was fairly large - about 10 feet by 12 feet, by 8 feet high - and it had two long wooden benches that were wide enough to sleep on, if you were careful.  Kai was stretched out on one of these.  There was a barred window high up on the wall - above Maeve’s field of vision by at least a foot and a half, but at least it let some light and air in.  The cell was cold and drafty - without the thick cloaks Anvi had given them, they would be freezing right now.  The door to the cell looked as if it were both sturdy, and fashioned with a decent lock.  Whether or not it had other enhancements, Maeve would leave for the moment. 

 

      From the pale light filtering into their cell, it seemed that it was just after dawn.  As she listened, she could hear the sounds of a town slowly coming to life after a night inside safe, warm homes.  She heard shop doors open and close, the sound of tapping hammers and the clip-clop of horses drawing wagons, and could smell freshly baking bread from the window.   Ogden town...  It’s the only place we could be this far north.  Great.  Maeve heard her stomach growl, and realized all the smell of fresh bread was doing was making her hungry. 

 

      I wonder where Eric and Christine are?  Maeve mused.  Did they get captured too?   Damn!  They’re probably either captured, dead, or wandering around lost in the woods.   There wasn’t much point in worrying at the moment - Maeve knew if she didn’t get herself and Kai out of the jail cell soon, all four of them were as good as dead. 

 

 

      “Let’s see if this cage has any cracks.”  She said to herself.  Sitting one of the two benches, she concentrated and tried to enter the Nairya, and focussed her Sight.  The room took on a pale glow of various colors, superimposed over the objects and people within it.  The walls were a shiny charcoal, and the bars a russet - and neither showed anything in the way of weaknesses beyond age, while the door and bunks were a mix of silvery and green lights.  Old bars and new wood, she thought.  Not likely we’ll be able to break either of them.    Tricking a guard was not feasible - there would simply be too many to sneak out, and fighting their way out in the shape they were in was tantamount to suicide.  Unsure what to do next, Maeve sat down to think.  

 

*          *          *

 

      A few moments later, Kai groaned a bit and put his hand to the wound on his head, wincing in pain.  “Ouch!”  He muttered.  “Did they have to nearly cave my head in?”   His eyes opened and he closed them again immediately - the room was swimming and he couldn’t focus clearly.  Instead of looking around, he tried to sit up - and found himself assisted.  “Maeve?”

 

      “In the flesh.”  A familiar voice said.  “I’m glad you’re alive; that knight hit you pretty hard.”  Maeve’s voice sounded clear and strong, although not particularly cheerful to Kai.

 

      “Actually, he did, didn’t he?  My eyes are still reeling from that blow.  I think he may have actually intended to kill me.  Do you always make so many friends?”   Kai tried again to open his eyes, and this time the room wavered into blurry focus, and didn’t dance or spin about.  Confident he wouldn’t be overtaken by vertigo, he tried to focus.

 

      “More, usually - although they usually aim for me, and not my friends.”  Maeve said, her concern on her face apparent.

 

      “Ah - just lucky I guess.  Oh well.”  Kai tried to smile a bit, and succeeded.  It wasn’t the first time he had been wounded while working with Maeve - she seemed to attract enemies like honey attracted ants or flies.  “Remember the time one of your friends knifed me in Yaskar for trying to book you passage out of the country after you um... ‘liberated’ some trinkets from one of their ancient cairns.”   He still had the scars to prove it.

 

      She smiled sadly.  “Yes... and the time the fey prince ensorcelled you to track me down after I ‘assisted’ the Valdan Ambassador out of Rillian with some well-hidden state secrets.  If I hadn’t been able to break that spell, either you would have killed me - or I would have killed you.   I’m sorry I got you in this mess, my friend.”

 

      “Well, Maeve - what’s life without a little excitement, eh?”  Kai smiled, thinking of old times.  It had been 5 years since he had worked with Maeve - since her brother had died to an assassins dart when she was off duty.  She had dropped out of sight for a while, and he had heard she still worked for the Church, but it seemed her duties always took her away from home for a long time.   “Why did you disappear for so long, after Nile?”

 

      Maeve paused - she didn’t like thinking about that day.  “I have a bad habit of getting the people close to me killed, Kai.  You and Anvi are some of my only real, true friends I have left, as well as maybe a handful of others that aren’t family.  I didn’t want to put either of you into danger if I could avoid it - great job I’ve done, huh?”

 

 

      “It’s not like you locked us in here.”  Kai said.   “And as far as I’m concerned, the last fifteen months have been so boring it was a godsend to be able to do something exciting again.   I mean the normal grind of hunting is pretty bland, and sometimes scouting the borders between here and Yaskar and Rillian is exciting - but more often all it is, is more miles beneath my feet, and several pairs of worn out boots.  I’m glad you came to me for this job - I was bored silly, and the money is much better than trapping furs or hunting game.”  He paused, and took a breath before continuing.  “I have to admit though, I’m not sure why the dreamers or Eric and Christine are so important to your mission.  Weren’t we sent to find out what the church of Lady Delirium was doing with the dreamers, and that’s all?  How does that figure in with Vargas and Hrask’s mate?”

 

      “I’m not exactly sure, Kai.”  Maeve said.   “All I know is that Vargas and Mistress Awai from the House of Broken Dreams have been collecting mageborn dreamers, and that some sort of link exists between one of them - a red headed young Valdan woman he called a bridge- and Eric, who he called an anchor.   Christine is here only by accident.   I think Vargas believes that somehow the dreamer forged a link with Eric, and that Eric may know where he can find Tiamat, Hrasks’ mate.”

 

      Kai shuddered without meaning too, unable to shake a pall of fear.  The only reason mankind had been able to break free of the grip of the Dragonlords of Hserin three and a half millennia ago, was because without Tiamat at Hrask’s side, no new true dragons could be born.   Hrask alone could not defeat the Divine Familia, and so humanity won its freedom. If Tiamat was to return, there would be war in Heaven, and perhaps this time, mankind would fall.   “Is it true... does he know?”

 

      “I don’t know - things have been so crazy I haven’t been able to tell.  I think on his world he was in their version of a sanatorium, albeit one for the very rich.  Maybe he has an education?”   Maeve looked lost in thought.  “I’m not sure what he can tell us.  He seemed disturbed when I arrived - more than you would expect - and I had to use magic to calm his mind.  He seemed ‘crazy’ to me, and yet since He’s been here He’s been fine and I overheard him telling Christine his voices are gone.  I’m not sure what to make of it, Kai.”

 

      “He seemed friendly enough - and not crazy like you’d expect someone from a madhouse to act.  Is it possible his using magic to bring you, Christine and himself here may have cured his illness?  We both know that a young sorcerer who isn’t taught how to control his magic can be driven mad by the Call.  Perhaps his actively using his magic removed that insanity?”

 

      “I don’t know Kai - it seems far-fetched.  An untrained sorcerer takes years to get over his or her mental problems once they’ve been trained - never instantly.  This must be something else - something different.”  Maeve looked deep in thought, and then shook her head.  “I suppose it doesn’t matter a damn unless we can get out of here, though.”

 

      Kai nodded.  “There must be something about Eric or the dreamer linked to him that Vargas needed - something they both share.  Is it possible Vargas found Eric by following whatever magical link exists between the dreamer and Eric?  Or Eric being able to find Mercia out of all the worlds in the Void, by following that link back here - to where the other half of his link exists?”

 

      “That must be it, Kai!  You’re a genius!   That’s why Vargas wants the Mageborn dreamers - maybe they’re ALL linked to other people, on other worlds.  Vargas and Awai are using the dreamers to find other worlds where Tiamat may have fled to when she left Hrask at the dawn of time, and Eric was the other half of one of those links.   So if we kill the dreamers, then Vargas can’t find Eric’s world without Eric himself - and can’t find Hrask’s mate!”

 

      “I just foresee one problem with that, Maeve.  If we kill ALL the dreamers in the House of Broken Dreams, wouldn’t that leave Eric and Christine stuck here?  If the dreamer is acting as a beacon in the Void, Eric won’t be able to find his way home, right?  And even if he can find his way home, we still have a problem because unless Eric gets trained - quickly - and leaves of his own accord.  If he doesn’t, then Vargas can still find Eric’s world through him.”  I don’t like the direction this conversation is going, Kai thought.

     

     

      Maeve considered that for a moment... “Which means to be totally sure, we might have to kill the dreamer and Eric.  Frankly, as pragmatic and effective as it might be, I’m not sure I can do it.  He reminds me of what I imagined Nile would be like, if he had survived to grow up.”

 

      Kai breathed a sigh of relief.  “I’m glad to hear it - I don’t want either of them to be hurt.  They didn’t do anything to deserve this.  I wish Nile could have been here too, Maeve.   If he was anything like you, he’d be a good man.”

 

      Maeve chuckled.  “I assume you don’t mean that literally.  Thank you, Kai - I think Nile would have been a good man too.  Another thing the Hserinyar took from me...  I didn’t keep them from killing my brother, but I can at least try to keep them from getting their claws on Eric.”   She shook her head.  “As for not deserving it, most people never do, Kai - it’s not fair, not in the least.  Still bad things keep happening - all we can do is make the best of them.   If you’re against killing Eric, I agree with you - but the other dreamers have to die.  If Tiamat is not on Eric’s world, she may be on another and I will not allow Vargas to keep using those poor souls as his instruments of destruction.”

 

      “I understand.  So what’s our priority then - killing the other dreamers to stop Vargas’s research, or getting Eric and news of Vargas’s treachery to Arathel and the Council of Hierarchs?”  Kai asked.   “I think it would be safest to flee with Eric to Arathel.”

 

      “Perhaps it would Kai, but I don’t think we have enough time to take Eric safely to Arathel, and then return in force - and still stop Vargas from finding Eric’s world and perhaps Hrask’s mate.   We must strike quickly and decisively - I think the only way we can stop Vargas from finding the information he seeks without killing Eric, is by killing the Dreamers in the House of Broken Dreams, including the young woman that is linked to him.  It’s not pretty, and I feel bad about it - but we both have a mandate to do whatever it takes to protect our country and our gods interests, and in this case it meets both criteria.  Perhaps Eric will be able to find his way home on his own, once He’s trained.  Either way, being here on Mercia and alive is better than being dead in the Void or dead at Vargas’s hands.”

 

      “I hope he sees it that way when you tell him.”  Somehow, I don’t think he will.  Kai thought.  “Couldn’t we solve both problems by killing all the dreamers but his - then take her with us, when we leave?”

 

      “Maybe.  I doubt it, though.  I don’t think the staff of the House is going to just let us waltz in, slaughter the dreamers, and waltz out with a hostage - at least, not without a serious fight.  How are you at fighting or shooting a bow with a young woman tossed over your shoulder?”  Maeve smirked at the comment, enjoying Kai’s discomfort at the mental picture.  “Besides, we may have other problems involved in escaping as well.”

 

      “What problems?  The followers of Lady Delirium from the House of Broken Dreams fighting us off, or the guards from Ogden town dogging us all the way to Arathel on Vargas’s orders?”  Kai was flippant, but only because if he followed Maeve’s line of thought far enough, he was afraid he knew what she was going to suggest next. 

 

      “Exactly.  The only way to get from here to Arathel quickly is travel by riverboat, which we don’t have and likely will not be able to get - or we try to see if we can travel by Moongate.”

 

      “By the Unblinking Eye, you’re crazy Maeve!” Kai sputtered.  “The Council of Hierarchs declared they were forbidden to use - that they were dangerous!”

     

     

      “Kai, I know what the Council of Hierarchs said - but in the past I’ve discovered that sometimes the Council of Hierarchs sometimes put their own agenda before the well being of the Faith.  It’s not right for them to do so, but it’s human nature.  It is possible they wanted use of the Moongates restricted for their own reasons, and not because of any real dangers.”

 

      “Do you know that for sure?”  Kai asked

 

      “No, but is there a better, faster way we can get all four of us - or five of us if we keep Eric’s dreamer alive - back to Arathel in time to bring charges against Vargas and stop him or catch him in case he attempts to flee?” 

 

      “Better, yes...  Faster, no.”  Kai sighed.  “If speed is of the essence, then you’re right.  I just hope you know what you’re doing.  Have you ever travelled by Moongate before?”   We’re going to have to spend the next thirty years doing penance for this, I just know it.  Thought Kai.  The Moongates were relics left from the First Age, after the Twelve Heroes of Legend led the tattered remnants of mankind from slavery in Hserin to the lands that were now settled by humans.  No one knew how to craft them now, or even harm one - and knowledge of their use was strictly controlled for it was said they allowed instantaneous transport between different places across Mercia.

 

      “Once.  I was told how to control the gates by an old friend, a sorcerer that had once been a Bishop.   He told me the trick of using them, said that each one was different - but the principle behind them was all the same.”

 

      Kai was going to make a smart-assed retort about the wisdom (or lack thereof) of Maeve’s plan, when he heard something outside the cell’s window, carried by the wind.  “Hsst!  Maeve!  Listen - do you hear something?”  It sounded like nearby voices - familiar voices.

 

      “By Askeline’s Bow, it sounds like Eric and Christine!  What in the gods name are they doing here?”  Maeve looked stunned.   “The last time I saw them, they were fleeing into the woods after Christine sprayed venom into the face of that knight that struck you.”

 

      “Well I hope it stung.” said Kai.  “Let’s see if they’re really there, and we’re not going mad.   Let’s pull a bench over to the window to stand on so we can see out.”

 

      Maeve and Kai grabbed a bench and moved it over to the window - which even with the bench was about a half-foot or so too high for Maeve to see out the cell window, even on tip-toes.  Kai took her place, and looked out.

 

      “What do you see?”  Maeve asked.

 

      “Damn.  It’s Eric and Christine alright.  They’re in a park about fifty feet away.  They look fine... and they’re eating breakfast.”   Kai looked at Maeve, and his stomach growled. 

 

      Maeve felt the same way.   The smell of baking bread had been making both Maeve and Kai progressively more and more hungry all morning.  “Get them over here.  I have an idea.”

                 

*          *          *

 

 

      Eric was just polishing off the last of his breakfast, and Christine was well into hers when they heard Kai’s voice, calling to them from one of the prison cell windows.  Kai looked bloody and beaten, and both Eric and Christine could hear Maeve muttering in the cell.    The cell was recessed into the ground, so that the window was very close to the ground on the outside, much like a basement apartment.   The iron bars looked sturdy and quite thick.

 

      Damn!  Eric thought.  Christine must have a golden horseshoe crammed up her butt - they ARE in a jail cell with a window.  “Hey Christine...”

 

      “Yeah, I see him.”  Christine said.  “Let’s go.”

 

      “Christine, when we get there, just lean up against the wall and pretend we’re talking.  That way if anyone comes by and sees us, it won’t look like we’re trying to figure out a jailbreak.”  Eric said.   “It worked pretty good in Toronto, when I didn’t want to be hassled by people.”

 

      “You organized jailbreaks in Toronto?”  Christine asked

 

      “Um... No.”  Eric said, smirking at the idea.  I could just see myself a month ago trying to bust people out of old city hall jail... Heh!   “It just worked well when Norm and Dave and I didn’t want to be noticed by security guards or cops - just pretended to be doing something boring and unimportant, and they left us alone.”

 

      Christine nodded, probably wondering what else Eric learned on the street.  The two got up, and walked over to the window of Kai and Maeve’s jail cell, and leaned nonchalantly against the wall next to the bars. 

 

      Eric blanched in concern when he saw Kai’s head, covered in dried blood where it had coagulated on his head wound.  He also noticed Kai looked a little dizzy too - it was obviously tiring for him to try and reach the window.  He’s hurt!  Eric thought.  “You Okay, Kai?”

 

      “Depends on your definition of okay.”  Kai replied, smirking.  “I’ve got a hell of a headache, and I’m not seeing totally straight yet, but I’m well enough to walk, and fight if needed.  Maeve’s much the same way, except that the bruise on her mouth hasn’t kept her from talking.”

 

      “Hey!”  Maeve’s voice called up from the cell below.

 

      Kai continued.  “Maeve has a plan that might get us out of here without being noticed, if you can help.”   Kai’s stomach rumbled and groaned again.  “Oh, and if you can spare some food, we’d both really appreciate it.”

 

      Christine knelt down, as if to tie her boot laces, and handed Kai the remainder of her breakfast.  Kai took it with a quick ‘thanks’, and tore the bread and sausage in half, and handed it to Maeve.  The next few minutes were quiet as Eric and Christine waited for the other two to eat.  Soon they were finished.

 

      Maeve’s voice called up.  “I can’t reach the window, Christine, Eric so please bear with me.  I need Eric to listen in particular, because he might be our best shot at getting out of here.”

 

      Eric looked puzzled.  “How come?”

 

 

      “It’s a long and complicated answer - like the one about religion earlier.  How about I explain it once we’re NOT in prison waiting to be turned over to Bishop Vargas?”  Maeve snapped. 

 

      “Sorry for asking.  What do you want me to do?”  Eric said.

 

      “Just listen for a moment.  You know that sorcerers like you and I focus Magic through Words, which I said we use to filter out harmful Void energy, right?  Well not every sorcerer has talent with the same Words.  I think you might have a talent for opening and closing things - I’ll explain in more detail later.”

 

      “Okay - go on.”  Eric looked a little confused.  I guess I can wait a bit for an explanation.

 

      “The fact you were able to bring us here - you, Christine and me - instead of just yourself, means you’re probably quite good at it.  I want to try and teach you the Word for Binding, to see if you can unlock the door to the cell over there.”  Maeve called up.  “It might not work, but it’s our best chance at escaping without notice, or without having to kill a bunch of guards.”

 

      Eric looked at Christine, and they both nodded.  “I’m glad you don’t plan on killing the guards.  What can I do - and why do I need to unlock the door instead of you?”

 

      “Like I said, not everyone has the same talent with each Word.  I can barely lift a ring of keys - maybe five pounds, tops.  You brought three people through the Void, without training.   My focus in magic is Sight and Mind - magic that affects a person’s mind and thoughts, and what a person can sense with his five senses.  I can make myself and Kai invisible, once the cell door is open, and we can walk right out of here - but not if I exhaust myself trying to unlock the door.  Understand?”

 

      “I think so.”  Said Eric.  “What do I have to do?”

 

      “I’m going to recite one of the Words of Primal Essences to you - more specifically, the Word of Binding... don’t ask - I’ll explain later.  If you’re as close as I think you might be to coming into your power, you should be able to comprehend enough of the Word to unlock the door.  If not, we try another plan.”  

 

      “All I have to do is listen to a Word and I can do magic?  That’s it?  No years of training - no books, no studying?”  Now Eric was surprised.   “Can Christine do magic too, if she listens to the Word?”

 

      “Arrgh.  I said later!   Not everyone who hears the Words can understand the Words, Eric.  It’s like listening to a different language - either you understand it, even if only a little - or you don’t.   She might hear me speak a Word, but she wouldn’t comprehend it, make it her own, and be able to use its power.  Normally it takes a long time to ready a person’s mind to be able to accept their first Word - several months or even a few years - but you’ve already handled more raw power and lived than most novices would dream of.”   Maeve sounded frustrated at Eric’s questions.

 

      Christine spoke up.  “Maybe so, Maeve but try to remember Eric is new to this.  I’m sure he wants to know what happens if he isn’t ready to learn the Word, right?”

 

      “He’ll get the mother of all headaches, Christine.  That’s about it.  Look, Eric, I’m confident you can do this.  It will take some time to speak the Word.  Can we please get started before the guards come to take us away?”

 

      Eric nodded.  “Sure.”  I wonder what learning magic will be like?  He thought. 

     

     

      “Good.  Find a place to sit, and calm your mind.  Relax and just listen to my voice.  You’ll hear things that might sound different from my voice - that’s normal.  Just try to listen and understand what I say, and we’ll see if you’re ready.”  Maeve gritted her teeth - she hated the next part.  It always left her throat raw for hours.   She focussed her thoughts and entered her Nairya, and began to speak the Word of Binding.  

     

      As Maeve began to speak, Eric wasn’t sure he was hearing Maeve correctly.  The sound of her voice seemed to expand, filling the cell and the park beyond.  There were hints of phrases, spoken all around him, like he was surrounded by a crowd of whispering ghosts, male and female, young and old.  It was almost like his voices, back home - but utterly without malice, and while Eric found that odd he also found it comforting and familiar.   He couldn’t actually hear the Word being spoken with his ears - he felt like his brain was being opened up and information - concepts and ideas - were being poured in en masse, until his head felt like it would swell until it burst.  He tried to refocus harder, to better hear the Word.

 

      The sounds of the Word moved around Eric, almost like a whirlwind of voices that both confused and enlightened him all at once.    He felt like he was being filled with the knowledge of the universe, like he could contain no more.  His vision blurred as images and concepts danced before it, obscuring his sight - and then it was over.  Eric slumped, feeling exhausted like he had just run several miles while having his head bounced off some pavement a few times.

 

      Maeve’s voice was quiet for a moment, and Kai called up.  “Is Eric okay?”

 

      Christine looked at Eric - he looked dizzy, and stunned but otherwise unharmed.  “He seems fine - just dizzy I think.”

 

      “I’m ... I’m okay.”  Said Eric, shaking his head.  “It felt strange - I can’t fully describe it, Christine.  It was like being full after a meal, but full of knowledge or concepts or something else.  It soaked into me, like a sponge, until I couldn’t hold any more.”   He stood to stretch, and had to put his hand on the jail wall or he would have fallen.   “It didn’t feel like anything I ever felt before.  I felt like I understood.”

 

      “Understood what?”  Said Christine.

 

      “Everything.”  Eric said.  “Everything.  And now I can’t remember any of it.”

 

      Maeve’s voice, hoarse from use, called up.  “That’s normal.  It takes time for the knowledge to sink in, to assimilate into you person.  It becomes part of you, on a subconscious level - like how you know when you are dreaming.  When you need to use it, it just ... comes to you.  The more you have an affinity with a Word, the more you understand and are capable of using.”  She coughed.  “Of course, the opposite is also true - if you have a particular lack of affinity with a Word, you are never able to develop any meaningful abilities with it, even if you can accomplish a few minor tricks.”

 

      “So your ability might be very different from what Eric might have, if he has more innate talent at this Word than you do?   He might have less talent in other Words.”  Asked Christine.

 

      “Yes Christine.  In fact, it’s almost certain that he will have different levels of affinity to certain Words.  That’s just the way of things... its normal.”  Maeve stood and stretched.  “We need to see if Eric can open the door.  Eric, are you alright?  Can we try opening the door?”

 

 

      Eric breathed hard for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.  “I feel like my head is pounding, but I can think clearly.  I can try - what do I need to do?”   He knelt down so he could see into the cell. Maeve had moved to the far end of the cell, and could see her now, by the locked door.

 

      “Just start by relaxing.  Look at the door, and concentrate on it.  See it.  Understand it.  Know it.  When you’re ready, just reach out to it and try to open it, with your mind.”

 

      Maeve seemed eager - almost excited - but whether it was from the thought of escape being close at hand, or the eagerness of a teacher to see if her pupil succeeds or not, Eric couldn’t tell.  He did as she said, and stared at the door.  His eyes bore into it, gathering details and imperfections in its finish.  It was solid wood - a shade of light blue and yellow-white like a tinted pine.  It was barred with rusty bands of iron, and locked with an iron lock.   Eric focussed on the lock itself, until the rest of the world seemed to fade away - until nothing existed except Eric and the lock.   He felt his mind test the lock’s structure - it was new and well kept, and he could feel the crude tumblers inside its casing.  It’s pretty crude compared to what locks are like back home, he thought.  Maybe if I give it a nudge, it should move it enough so that the lock might give.  It just needs a nudge... like that!   He felt something in his mind stretch - and then snap back into place, and was hit with a wave of nausea and fatigue that made him slump.

 

      “Eric!  Are you okay?”  Christine said, as she rushed over a few steps to try and grab Eric before he fell over or nearly fainted.  It was a few seconds before he could speak.

 

      “I... I’m okay.  Just tired.   Maeve, what the hell just happened?”  Eric said looking for Maeve.  Maeve was gone, and Kai was quickly fading from sight.  “What the ...?”

 

      Maeve’s voice came from the far side of the cell, although there was no body to go with the voice - while Eric had been unlocking the door, she must have woven a spell to render herself and Kai invisible.  “You’re feeling a draining sensation like extreme fatigue.  Its normal.  With practice, you’ll be able to do much more than a single spell before becoming tired - maybe much, much more.”  She paused.  “And Eric... The door’s open.  You did great!”  Maeve’s voice was filled with pride, and she seemed impressed.

 

      “It opened?”  Eric said, almost not believing it.  Yet there across the cell, he saw the door open.  He must have done that.  “It opened!”

 

      “It did.  Now Kai and I need to be silent and find a way out of here - my spell of invisibility won’t last forever.   It would be best if we snuck out of the city separately.  Meet us outside the city walls in the largest copse of trees north and west of the city gates.  Kai and I will do our best to meet you there within an hour.”

 

      “Alright.”  Eric said.   “What if you’re delayed?”

 

      “Then wait.”  Said Kai.  “If we know where you are, we can at least find you.  If we both move about, looking for each other we could end up playing tag for hours and get ourselves caught again.  We’ll only have a few hours at best before they notice us missing or the Bishops men come to get us.  We need to make haste.”

 

      “Well said.”  croaked Maeve, her voice still raw and sore.  “We’ll meet you within an hour.”

 

      Eric and Christine stood, and brushed the snow off their respective pants and skirt.   “I guess we had better go, eh Christine?” 

 

      “Yeah, now would be a good time.  Tell me about what just happened while we walk, once we’re outside the city walls.   It sounds like you have a lot to try and explain - and probably more than you can take in all at once.   It might help your head to try and sort it out.” 

 

      “It might... Thanks Christine.”

 

      “No problem, kiddo.  I can’t return you to Angie broken - I already lost your receipt.”

 

      “Too bad.”  Eric said.  “Am I still under warranty?”

 

      “Maybe.  I’ve had you less than thirty days.”  Christine joked.

 

      “Well, I guess I better do my part to return home whole so Angie won’t be pissed at you.  Of course, when she hears what we’ve been doing she’ll either lock us BOTH up for being crazy, or she’ll believe us and freak so hard she’ll need a couple of quarts of rum to calm down enough to understand that we’re okay.”  Eric returned Christine’s joke with his own.  “Of course, my sister and a couple of quarts of rum means we won’t be explaining anything to her until she recovers... in a few days.”

 

      “Heheh.” Christine chuckled.  “Angie never could hold her booze.”   She knew Eric had seen the pictures of Christine and Angie in college - usually at some wild party or other event.  Angie was always the one who got tanked first, and Christine was always the one who made sure Angie made it home in one piece and fell into a couch to sleep it off, rather than the floor or the house of a stranger.   Christine and Angie even had matching key chains saying BFF – ‘Best Friends Forever.’  Angie was family - family you chose, instead of family you were born with.  If Christine was able to bring Eric home in one piece, she would - or die trying.

 

      The two walked in silence, as Eric’s strength slowly came back to his limbs.   Eric tensed up as they approached the town guards at the gates of Ogden town, but as he and Christine passed them by without being hailed, he calmed down and relaxed.  Soon they were out in the fields surrounding the town.           

 

      “So... How did you open the cell door?”  Asked Christine.

 

      Eric stopped and looked at her, and said completely dead pan “Mad Jedi Skills, Christine.  Mad Jedi Skills.”

 

      Christine looked at Eric, then slapped him upside the head.  “You are such an asshole.”  She joked, smirking.   “No more internet and TV for you.  Let’s go.”