"So now what do we do?" asked Kazyr.
"We wait here, like sitting ducks until that friggin' Maker tells him what to do with us," spat Sadoul, the other two having brought him up to date on their adventures prior to resurrecting him. "Unless you can break these chains... And we only have until tomorrow!"
"I've got to hand it to Jeal, he doesn't take any chances on us using our magic," Ghaleon admitted, examining the steel cuffs pinning his wrists against the far wall of their cell.
Kazyr's eyes took on a distant look. "But what if we don't use our magic? Do you think that would work?"
"Whaddya mean don't use it?" slurred Sadoul.
Kazyr took a deep breath as if his lungs were about to collapse. "This." The silver wolf's head amulet around Kazyr's neck glowed brightly, bathing the youthful wizard in a soft glow even whiter than his hair. Kazyr closed his eyes as his body began shrinking. His robes melded into him as his arms and legs slipped free from the restraining cuffs. White fur sprouted around his elongating face, spreading down his changing body. He snarled involuntarily as a sharp-toothed muzzle grew from his face and a tail emerged from the end of his spine. Although it all ended within a few seconds, Kazyr's breath came hard, the transformation being much more painful than it had ever been before.
But regardless of that, the lithe white wolf tottered free of the chains around him, slipping through them far more easily than the person he had been before.
"An induced shapeshifter," Ghaleon said softly.
The wolf sniffed the air, head turned back towards the direction of the dungeon exit. His ears perked, but relaxed a moment later. And then he returned to his human form.
"There are no guards close enough to hear us," Kazyr hissed in obvious discomfort.
The white-haired wizard gestured and the chains unlocked themselves from around Ghaleon and Sadoul.
"What's wrong with you?" asked Ghaleon.
"Feels like my bones are throbbing," Kazyr grumbled. "The reconfiguration of my body isn't an easy thing to accomplish. The first few times I changed it felt like something was trying to crush my bones; a discomfort, but not a major one. But I improved upon my amulet's magic enough that it no longer caused me any pain. However, this time there's something wrong." Kazyr gazed surreptitiously around the cell. "Something is trying to block the magic. The amulet normally doesn't need to display that much power to change me, nor is the transformation supposed to be that painful."
Sadoul huffed and brushed the dirt from his bright blue sleeves. He stared intensely at Kazyr as if he could read something else in the white-haired mage's expression.
"So what do you think we should do next?" Kazyr asked, turning towards Ghaleon.
The former Magic Emperor rubbed his wrists where the cuffs had chafed him. "Well, since this Jeal doesn't seem to believe our idea about a white beam of light shooting you out of the sky. His country probably wasn't the one that did it."
"No other country has that kind of technology, or magic," Sadoul said sharply.
"Perhaps. But I think I know someone who could tell us." Ghaleon locked gazes with Sadoul. "Lucia."
"But do you think she still exists?"
"If you're still alive a thousand years after she contacted you, there's no reason she couldn't be too."
"How are we going to find this Lucia?" asked Kazyr.
"That's the problem. Since the people of the Blue Star don't recall their past, no one alive likely knows where Lucia's tower is."
"Actually," Sadoul said, his face dead serious, "I think I know where we might be able to get this information. One of my companions, Krager, Magician of Wind, spent his last years in the kingdom of Kerzalt doing research. I understand he accumulated many ancient books in his library hidden in the cave systems near Hayhill Downs. If we could find this library, it might lead us to Lucia's tower."
"But if this library has as much stuff as you say, it'll take us forever to search it; if the books don't crumble when we touch them!" said Kazyr.
Sadoul shrugged, his expression returning to a devious grin. "What's time to people like you and I? We are immortal, or nearly so."
Ghaleon frowned. "Time may favor you two, but the Danek won't. Once they've found out we've escaped..." He shook his head. "This Maker... If he's helping Jeal we can't count on being safe. The Maker seems pretty good at garnering powerful allies and making them even more dangerous."
Kazyr nodded. "I suppose that means we'd better get going."
"I'll teleport us to the remains of Mount Bole," offered Sadoul. "The caves are just a bit northwest of there."
The Magician of Fire raised his arms to call his magic to him. And nothing happened. The arcane words of the spell hung limp at the end of his tongue.
"I don't understand it!" A note of hysterical frustration crept into his voice. "Kazyr's amulet worked. His unlocking spell worked. Why can't I teleport?"
Ghaleon raised his hand and began to trace the sigil of transfer magic into the air. He likewise tried calling the syllables of magic from his memory. But they refused to leave his mouth as though his tongue had swollen from dehydration.
He frowned and then wove a much simpler spell with a greater amount of ease. A small ball of fire floated like a torch in front of the three.
Ghaleon quickly snuffed out the flame and turned his attention to his companions. "I think it's because somehow all our spells are taking a greater amount of effort to cast in this place. Our more powerful spells won't work simply because we cannot draw enough magic to ourselves to use them."
"'We' and 'can't' don't belong in the same sentence," Sadoul said dryly.
"Be that as it may, we can't teleport out of here."
Kazyr peered back out through the cell bars. "I guess that means we'll have to fight."
"Oh but we'll be better prepared this time." Sadoul smirked. "Magic or no, I can use a sword as well as any Danek soldier. We'll just have to raid the armory. That's probably where they're keeping your sword, Ghaleon," he swiftly added to prevent any argument.
Torene waited on the balcony of Jeal's study for him. She knew he would be spending some time with the prisoners before her debriefing, and he wouldn't mind her entering without his express permission. They had known each other long enough. And if the Danek Emperor could trust anyone these days, he placed his faith in her.
"Nice view?" Jeal asked, his previous anger dissipating at the sight of her. He closed the door to the hallway behind him and crossed his study in a few easy strides. Jeal stepped out on to the balcony beside Torene, marveling at how the breeze ran through her long burnished hair.
"As always," she replied, continuing to stare out over the western ocean.
"The interrogation wasn't as fruitful as I thought it would be. I kept talking to them for several more minutes after I showed them what the Maker has shown us. They don't deny it, butŠ" He shook his head. "Sadoul and his companions seem so ignorant of their purpose. They claim that they are merely looking for a power source that shot the white-haired one of the the sky. And the elven one even says he comes for the moon."
"Do you believe them?"
"I'm not certain. But the Maker was correct in telling me about their arrival. Sadoul is definitely no friend of Danek's. And any allies of a man like him should not be trusted either."
"But can we trust the Maker?" she sighed.
Jeal wrapped an arm around her and drew her close. "Torene, isn't any effort to truly be rid of Sadoul worth it? Sadoul wrenched this nation apart after we worked so hard to unite it. He used magic to influence my thoughts and make a puppet out of me, bringing out desires that never should have been acted upon. I wanted Danek to finally be recognized by the Four Kingdoms as an equal. Sadoul twisted that thought into one of superiority. And he convinced me to launch our people into a war." He sighed. "And they were only too happy to follow me."
"The Danek are a fierce and proud people; they will always be willing to follow you," she said, gently leaning against him, "as I was eight years ago when you decided that our king was only ruining the health of the our tribe and that a united Danek nation, composed of all tribes, was our best chance for survival."
"Yes." Jeal recalled the fateful day he and his soldiers stormed the castle in a revolt to seize power from an incompetent monarch. He remembered bursting into the throne room, his followers only steps behind him. And he remembered lifting his crossbow, and taking that fateful shot that had changed the face of Danek forever. "And you were at my side."
"As I am now," she added softly. "Even if I doubt this Maker, I know you're only following his orders to secure our country's safety."
"Torene..."
She lifted a hand to stop him as he bent to kiss her. She could feel his concern for her, but she did not let that cloud her judgment.
"Jeal, we've gone over this before..."
He sighed. "I know. Eight years ago..."
Torene continued to look out over the ocean, and when she spoke, she spoke softly. "You've been both my captain and my lord, but don't think you could ever be my husband. I'm not cut out to be an empress, nor would you forgive yourself if I ever became the target of your enemies. It's better to remain as we are; you, the emperor, and I, your soldier. The health of our nation could not come without sacrifice. We knew that when we chose the path we took."
She drew her arms closer about her, feeling the chill of the late afternoon air. "Come," she murmured. "We'd better go inside before someone sees us together like this."
Jeal nodded, but kept his arm around her as he escorted her inside.
Ghaleon raised his newly reclaimed sword as he stood at the head of the trio of wizards. "It looks like they've found us," he remarked, looking at the group of guards and mages heading their way.
"Ah, let them come," said Sadoul. "It's their loss."
"Sure you don't want a weapon?" Ghaleon asked, glancing back at Kazyr.
"I don't need one," came the reply.
The eyes of Kazyr's amulet glowed and again Kazyr's features became more lupine and his bones rearranged themselves. But this time the transformation stopped early, and his body mass did not shrink. If anything Kazyr gained muscle. Now he stood, still in his magician's robes, as a somewhat taller white-furred and wolf-headed humanoid.
"I find natural weapons more to my liking," he offered by way of explanation, his voice deeper and more guttural due to his altered mouth shape and vocal cords.
Kazyr took a step forward beside Ghaleon and lowered himself into a battle crouch. Sadoul casually noticed that Kazyr's leg structure had also altered to become more lupine judging from the oddly placed protrusions beneath his robes and his additional height.
"Let's get them," Kazyr growled as the soldiers entered within six yards of him.
The wizard turned werewolf launched himself into the midst of the Danek guards, clearing the distance between them in a single leap. He tore through the soldiers like a white bullet, leaving a path of redness behind him.
"Gotta like a guy who enjoys his work," Sadoul said with a smile and a casual shrug. "Now let's not give him all the fun!"
Ghaleon's reply was joining Sadoul in a dash to mop up the path of the soldiers Kazyr's frenzied charge hadn't taken out. The two made short work of nearly all of the soldiers that presented themselves as opponents and Sadoul remarked that at this rate they wouldn't even need to use any magic.
Meanwhile Kazyr clawed, kicked, punched, and bit his way through the soldiers to the rank of mages behind them. Fighting like a demon unleashed, the mage turned darkly to the wizards before him. A lock of his still present white hair fell down over his left eye, making the remaining blue orb seem all that more intense.
One of the wizards attempted to blubber out a spell, but the words fell meaninglessly from his lips.
Kazyr didn't care whether it was because of the aura around the castle or fear of the lupine creature that stood before him. He raised a clawed hand at the group of mages and barked out the coarse words to a spell. Although the syllables came awkwardly from his lips, they held and a fiery ring surrounded Kazyr. The ring of flame whirled around him, spreading and enlarging until it struck the fleeing mages, incinerating them.
The werewolf shook his head at the waste of life. Couldn't these fools understand he just wanted to get his ship repaired? He snarled a curse about human stupidity under his breath and slammed an approaching soldier in the jaw, snapping it.
Sadoul bellowed an incantation and a wave of lightning smashed all the of remaining soldiers flat on the ground, never to move of their own violation again.
"C'mon. The exit's just ahead of us. Not much further now!" Sadoul gloated.
Kazyr nodded his head, running his tongue along his lips and over his teeth to clean the blood off them.
The three wizards dashed towards the exit, and the few guards they encountered along the way were either quick to get out of the way or suffered from the weapons and magic of the mage nearest to them.
The drawbridge loomed into view, and a small unit of soldiers still remained in their way.
"I'll take care of them!" shouted Ghaleon, shoving his sword into his sheath.
A sphere of sparkling blackness appeared between his hands. With a speed enhanced by his magic, Ghaleon centered himself before the guards. "Dragon Cannon!" Twin bolts of lavender tinged lightning arced from his outstretched hands and through the fear-stricken soldiers.
Not bothering to even slow down, the trio swiftly ran through their body strewn path to the outside.
Kazyr collapsed on a hill not far from the castle. He reverted to his human form, panting for breath. The overlord still had hold over him yet. He shouldn't have let himself go so far. He killed people and he enjoyed it! How could a dead entity exert so much control over his behavior and emotions? Kazyr had reveled in his werewolf and wolf forms back before Ulgar's time, but he had always kept his human mind and instincts. Perhaps the magic barrier around the castle influenced his behavior, not Ulgar. How he prayed it was not the overlord! The death of his last body should have freed him!
"I suppose we can stop here," said Ghaleon, breaking Kazyr's thoughts. "I think we're far enough from the castle now that we can try your spell again, Sadoul."
Sadoul nodded and glanced back towards the castle. "Hmph. It looks like you did a shoddy job, Ghaleon."
"What do you mean?"
Kazyr turned his head back towards the drawbridge and saw the soldiers Ghaleon had blasted crawling away from the flaming wreckage of the castle's entrance.
"They're still alive," said Sadoul.
Ghaleon shrugged. "So they were a little stronger than I thought. It was a weak spell anyway. We just needed something that would clear them out of our path."
Kazyr opened his mouth to something. He recalled that very spell being used against the Star Dragon, but it had done far more damage. And if the castle's barrier was blocking the Dragon Cannon's power, Ghaleon shouldn't have to cause to lie. Ghaleon must have held back on purpose. He held back when I couldn't, Kazyr thought bitterly.
"Now let's get going," Ghaleon continued.
Sadoul let out a breath. "All right. Just let me visualize our destination. These recent events have cluttered my memory a bit."
Kazyr sadly watched the fire spread from the drawbridge along the walls of Danek castle, somehow even burning the greenish stones themselves. He sighed, feeling his heart sink. The wizardly trio had indeed left a path of destruction in their wake, just as Jeal foretold.