70

Magic, or No Magic

DeFrantis

The morning had dawned, but the rain fell on. It was still dark, but some light was getting through the clouds, the trees, and, ultimately, the windows. DeFrantis could finally see across the dim and hazy room. It was not as large as an open hall in a castle, but it had a high ceiling and walls, each decorated with several tall windows. Tapestries and curtains hung around in the shadows of the room. It looked like the place had once been a manor for a well-to-do noble, but it hadn't been cared for in years. There were no furniture pieces, only a few pillars reaching upward into the darkness from the stone floor.

Karendle was slouched against the far wall, with her wrists and forearms dangling by the chains in front of her. Her head was tipped, and her breathing was heavy.

Well, I'm glad one of us can sleep, at least. I guess it's about time we figure out what we're going to do.

"Hey!" She called out, trying to rouse Karendle. There was no response. "Hey! Wake up!" Her head bobbed a little.

"Karendle! Hey!"

"What? Wha -?" Karende raised up and blinked.

"Wake up!"

Karendle lifted her hands and ran them over her face and through her hair, shaking the chains as she did. DeFrantis could barely see the outline of her face and her short, stocky form in the shadows. She heard a grunt.

DeFrantis spoke first, "I'm hungry and I want to find my kids. I don't know why they didn't just kill us outright, but we're here, we're alive, and I'm wanting to get out of here."

There was silence for a moment, as Karendle shook herself awake. " OK, great. I'm all for that. How do we do it? Can you wizard up a way out of these shackles?"

"Not with all this mage's bane in the air."

"Huh? Mage's bane? What's that?"

"It's what's making all the smoke that's been choking up your lungs. It blocks your ability to use magic."

The wind had picked up a little and was blowing the rain more fiercely against the windows. There were no thunderclaps, though, with this storm. Karendle mumbled, "Do you think they'll bring us anything to eat? If someone does, maybe one of us could overcome him and get a key." She yanked on her chains either to test them or simply to punctuate her thought. "That would be pretty difficult, though."

Karendle continued, "Maybe Antonerri or that Giant guy have been looking for us. Maybe we'll get rescued."

DeFrantis wasn't very hopeful. "I don't even know where we are. How would they find us?" How would they find us. Are they even looking? Did Antonerri even survive the fight? She shook her head, her heart sinking at that thought.

Karendle interrupted her dark reverie. "Too bad we can't send them a message, right?"

Send them a message! DeFrantis' head shot up, her eyes suddenly alert. "Hey, when you were back in town, how did you contact the men who had hired you?" Her voice was quick, suddenly intense.

"What?"

"You said you told them you'd caught a wizard, right? And they told you to go back for Thissraelle, right?"

"Yesss...."

"So how did you contact them?"

"I used an oculus. A blue gem. I just focused on it, and I spoke with them."

"Great!"

"But isn't that magic? I thought you said we can't do magic with all this something bane smokey stuff!"

DeFrantis' mind was rushing through a thousand thoughts at once. "But the priest used powers! He blasted Antonerri over and over! How did he do it?" Her mind began running through her memories of that night.

"What priest?" Karendle sat up, confused. "What are you talking about?"

DeFrantis pictured the Confessor Priest, standing outside her cell, in an elaborate white robe. She saw him turn and shout at Antonerri, and raised his staff. His staff had a glowing gemstone! "An oculus! There was an oculus on the staff! Maybe the mage's bane doesn't stop powers from oculi!"

Karendle's confused look made DeFrantis say it again. "I think we can use your oculi! If that's true, we might be able to contact them! Thissraelle uses the powers of the mind, maybe we can reach her with your blue gem!"

"Well, that may well be, but I don't have it. They took my pouch when they captured us." Karendle slumped again. She had gotten a bit caught up in the excitement.

"Well, maybe they didn't."

"Come again?"

DeFrantis shifted her weight, raising herself up on her legs. She reached through her collar, deep under her shirt. It was tricky to reach, because the chains restricted her movement, but in a moment she pulled out her hand and a leather pouch with a drawstrap. She held it out toward Karendle.

"Is this what you're talking about?"

71

A Gem of an Idea

Karendle

"That's it!" Karendle gasped. "That's my pouch! How did you get it?"

DeFrantis smiled. "I picked it up off the floor after I healed you. I didn't know what it was, but you were reaching for it when I got to you. I figured it was important. I didn't even have a chance to look in it."

"They didn't take it from you when they hauled us away?"

"When you're a street kid, you learn where to hide stuff that's been stolen." DeFrantis chuckled. "I've got your dagger, too."

Karendle looked surprised. "I didn't have a dagger..."

"Yes, you did. Stuck between your ribs. It's a pretty small one." She shifted on the floor. "I'm not sure I could reach it right now, though."

She held the pouch in her hands in front of her and began to untie the leather strap. It wasn't easy with her hands suspended by the chains. She looked in the pouch. "I can't see very well. There looks like one, two, three stones."

They looked at each other for a moment, and Karendle nodded. "I'd like to fix this. Can you throw me the pouch?"

DeFrantis nodded and re-tied the strap. She wound it up into as small and tight of a bundle as she could, then tossed it. The chains rattled and snapped her arm back. The pouch flew about halfway across the room, then slid a few more feet, still a good distance from Karendle.

Karendle swore an old dwarvish curse. She reached out with her leg to try and scoot it towards her, but couldn't reach it.

"Try again," DeFrantis called out. Karendle scooted herself as far from the wall as she could and tried to lay flat on the ground. She stretched her legs out and pointed her toes at the pouch. It was close, but still not enough.

Grunting with pain, she pulled against the chains and reached again, this time able to nudge the pouch with her toes. She carefully pressed on it and shifted it slightly toward her before her foot slipped off. Her arms were hurting in their sockets, as they had to both reach and support her weight. She reached again and was able to move it closer a few more inches.

She slouched, gasping for breath.

"One more try!"

As she drew in breaths, the smoke from the incense made her cough. She took in a breath, and held it as she reached her toes past the pouch and drew it toward her. Then, panting, and coughing, she shifted back to the wall, moving the pouch with her foot along the way. Finally, she sat again, with the pouch in front of her.

"Great. Now how am I going to pick it up?" She looked at DeFrantis, who just shrugged. There's gotta be a way to do this. She looked down at the pouch on the floor between her outstretched legs, right between her knees. My knees...

She used her feet to push herself and the pouch as close to the wall as she could, then, using the chains as a support, pulled her legs behind her and got up until she was kneeling. Yes! Yes, this can work!

"What are you doing? Are you getting it?"

Karendle didn't answer. She moved her knees together, pressing the pouch between them. She pressed hard, gripping it as tight as she could. Then, with a grunt, she pulled on the chains, lifting herself up off the floor slightly. She flipped her legs out from under her and dropped herself back to the floor. She closed her knees to her chest, and fell back against the wall, again panting and coughing from the exertion and the smoke.

"What did you do?"

Karendle opened her eyes and saw the pouch sitting snug between her upraised knees. She reached down with one hand, straining against the chains and took the pouch in her fingers. She gingerly lifted it up and took it securely in both hands and finally relaxed her back and legs. As she slouched, she untied the strap and shook the stones out onto her hand. Two gray stones and a blue gem.

"I got them!" She held them up for Karendle to see. "I got them!"

She looked at them and held them as if she was holding her whole life. The red one's gone. I must've dropped it when he attacked. Oh, well. The blue one's right here. And here's the stone with the wizard. She looked at it intently, as if she were trying to see him inside of it.

She shook off her thoughts and put the two gray stones back in the pouch, holding tight to the sapphire. She set the pouch on her shoulder and held the blue stone up before her. She looked across the dim fog at DeFrantis. Her friend smiled and nodded slowly.

OK. Here we go.

She turned her focus to the gem, and to Thissraelle.

72

They Went That Way

Thissraelle

"What are you waiting for, child?" Brother Mathazar's question interrupted her thoughts. "Eat! Eat!"

She startled, then looked back down at her bowl of stew. The smell of the rich brown broth wafted up into her face, and the meat and vegetables looked appetizing as well. Beside her steaming bowl was a torn half-loaf of bread. She picked up her spoon and smiled. "Thank you!"

"What has your mind so enraptured?"

She looked over at him, then at the others. Next to him were two other monks each dipping into their own bowls, and across from them sat Antonerri and Granthurg. The giant was, at least, eagerly slurping on his stew, alternating mouthfuls with the bread. The sight of him stuffing his mouth made Thissraelle giggle.

He stopped for only a moment. "What?"

She smiled and took a spoonful of stew. It was delicious and full of savory flavors. She swallowed and reached for her bread.

"I've just been thinking of all that's happened to us. How we all came to be in this place, and now all that we are finding out about the Dragon's Flame." She raised the bread. "It's kind of overwhelming." She took a bite.

"True. You'll no doubt be wanting to find your other friends as well."

Antonerri raised his gaze as he heard that, and Thissraelle nodded. She lifted her spoon again.

"Are you there?"

Thissraelle's head jumped up and looked around, confused.

"Are you there? Can you hear me?"

She dropped her spoon with a clatter and stood up from the table. She looked frantically around the room.

Granthurg said, "Thissraelle! What's wrong?"

"I know that voice!" She whispered. "Where is she?"

"You CAN hear me! Talk to me!"

Thisraelle shook her head and closed her eyes. She's in my head.

"Yes! I am!"

Where are you? Are you well?

"DeFrantis is with me! We're captured! We need your he--"

"Where are you?" The others at the table stared at her outburst. Her mind fell silent. Frantically, she cleared her thoughts and opened herself up. She looked around the table, trying to find support. "Where ARE YOU?" She shouted again.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorr--"

No! Come back! Talk to me! Where are you? Her mind, her thoughts were silent. The connection was gone.

She stepped away from the table and closed her eyes. She raised her hands out to her side and began slowly turning.

Granthurg stood. "Thissraelle, are you OK?"

"They reached out to me. They contacted me."

"Who?" All eyes were on her as she slowly turned. Her hands and head began to slowly glow with an azure halo.

"Karendle." She kept turning, then stopped. "And DeFrantis."

Antonerri jumped to his feet. "DeFrantis! Where?"

Thissraelle moved one arm before her to point. "That way. I don't know how far, but they're that way." They all looked where she pointed, out the rain-spattered window into the cloudy dark beyond.