Skip took my hand again as we teleported back to Mashasca Abbey. I didn't really have the heart to tell her that Lamneras had lied to her in a vain attempt to be a good wingman. He thought that Skip could get past the whole 'husband' thing if we just spent enough time together. But he hadn't been there that night as she gingerly creaked the box open. He hadn't seen the heartbreaking look in her eye as she gazed on that one charred legbone and still saw her husband. She was his forever.

Lamneras was waiting on a squarish lump of stone in the ruins of the Abbey. He must have zipped back to Bermatora, because he was there with a whole chest full of ingredients and a large black cauldron simmering over a low fire. He'd also brought Skip's redwood box with her husband's bones. I knew that was the whole reason we were here, but I guess a tiny part of me was still hoping that she'd forget about that. Behind him, Mog was slumped against a shattered stone wall, snoring so loudly that it sounded like the rocky outcropping was crumbling into the sea. Looks like our vague instructions to Lamneras on where to find Mog had been clear enough. 

"Honey, I'm home!" Skip called to him. He stirred, looked up, and jumped to his feet causing the wall behind him to crumble and collapse. 

"SKIP!" Each massive step caused more and more of the ruins to fall apart as he ran over to greet Skip. He grabbed her by the waist in his massive hands and held her up to his eye level. "Back!"

She laughed and hugged his thumb. "Yeah, I'm back, buddy. Good to see you again. Hope things went well in the woods while we were out exploring the city."

Mog nodded. "BORING."

"Well well!" Lamneras chimed in, coming up behind Mog's tree trunk of a leg. He seemed strangely at ease with the big ogre; it had taken me a good while to get used to him. Not that I was really given a choice. "Can it be? Were you successful?" 

I held up Professor Magdat's blood and sapphire with a grin. 

My old friend shook his head and smiled back. "I don't know how you do it, Winston."

Skip laughed. "He was a real charmer. Made quite the impression on this Professor Magdat."

I crossed the empty ruins toward Lammy's fire, handed him the blood, and lingered by the warm flames for just for a bit. I could still feel the chilling wind from the Academy in my bones. Lamneras promptly added the blood to the potion, turning it from a thick black ooze into pure, shimmering liquid gold. 

"That was the last ingredient I needed," Lamneras declared. He knocked the handle of the wooden spoon on the edge of the cauldron, spattering drops of molten gold back into the mixture. "We're all ready to turn you into Professor Magdat, Skip."

She looked down at the potion, clearly skeptical. "That's all? We're done? Ready to face Amcerlizar?"

Lamneras and I both nodded. "That's it," I told her. "I just need to resummon Lirk and we're all set. You turn into Professor Magdat for a few minutes, you give Amcerlizar a call, and then Lirk attacks him. As soon as he fights back against Lirk, the Ruby will fry him. Then the Dragonheart is ours, and Amcerlizar is defeated."

"Sounds so simple." She tried to force a smile, but I could tell that she was uncomfortable with something. Her eyes never left the boiling pot of golden potion. "Let's hope it is." I didn't quite know how to respond to that, and Lamneras stayed quiet as well. "So," she continued. "All I have to do is drink some of this?"

Lamneras and I traded looks. "Not quite," he told her. "You... need to bathe in it."

She rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." She dipped one finger in, and it came out all wrinkly, just like Professor Magdat's. Not hot, young, blonde Professor Magdat, either: 700-year-old-and-wrinkly Professor Magdat.

"It's not that bad," Lamneras told her. "It's like a nice warm bath! Just maybe a little... more sticky."

She ground her teeth together. "Fine." She shed her long brown coat, revealing a sheer white undershirt and smooth dark skin on her narrow shoulders. Then her hands reached to undo the knot on her trousers, and she must have noticed me gawking. "Oh, turn around, the both of you. Mog, keep an eye on them. If either one so much as glances over his shoulder, step on him."

Mog laughed, but took one gigantic step overhead and turned back to face us with a determined, dutiful grimace.

Lamneras and I did as we were told and turned back to face the summoning Pedestal. My old friend cast a sly grin my way and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Mog didn't seem to notice. We heard Skip's garments fall to the grass, and then a moment later, a soft plunk as she gently dipped herself into the giant cauldron. Then we heard some splashing and bubbling, presumably as she made sure to cover every inch of herself. In my mind, I could clearly picture her slathering the potion all over her smooth bare chest. As uch as I knew I shouldn't be thinking about that, I really couldn't help it. 

"OK," she called out. "Now what?"

"There's a towel in my bag," Lamneras shouted back, still not turning around. "Try to wipe as much of it off as possible."

We heard the sounds of rummaging and bottles tinkling, followed by a long moment of silence when Skip was presumably drying off. Mog was still glaring suspiciously at us like a cat just waiting for its prey to move again. 

"Oooh boy," Skip said. "Damn. I do not want to get old. Ok, now what? Are there any clothes for me?"

"In the bag," Lamneras shouted back. "I took the liberty of finding something in Lady Berman's wardrobe for you."

More rustling sounds, then Skip's loud bark of laughter. "All right," she finally called. "You can turn around now."

At the end of a trail of golden footprints,  'Professor Magdat' stood before us in all her shriveled, sun-spotted glory. The clothing that Lamneras had taken from Lady Berman was.... quite revealing. I can understand why she was so 'well-regarded' with all of the other men in Bermatora, but it was not quite as flattering on a 700-year-old figure.

I reflexively flinched and must have made some grossed-out face, because Skip burst out laughing. Coming from ancient Professor Magdat, it sounded like an evil cackle.  She wiggled her hips and struck a modeling pose. "I like it!" she said. "I think I'll stay like this!"

"Please," I told her, thrusting the sapphire into her hand. "Put this on, for all our sake's."

She put the chain over her neck and transformed instantly back into the gorgeous, young blonde Professor Magdat. Now I was more appreciative of the skimpy piece of lingerie that Lamneras had picked out for her. Maybe a bit too appreciative. "Ok, boys," she said "Enough gawking! Let's get this over with."

"Yeah," I finally conceded. My gaze was somehow still stuck on her cleavage though. "Ok, Lamneras, let's do this. Where's Lirk at?"

"Over there," he said. His eyes were still glued to Skip, but he pointed to my bag of ingredients slumped against a broken column across the room.

"You guys are gross." Skip reached for her jacket on the floor and pulled it around her arms to hide her breasts. "Show's over."

I poured Lirk's remains onto the floor and reached for one of my summoning potions. But they were all gone.

"I've got a surprise for you," Lamneras said. He held out a bottle with a bright orange liquid inside. "Figured it was time you made old Lirk a bit more of a permanent companion. You know, instead of constantly resummoning him."

I took the bottle in my hands. Back when I was living in my crypt I'd been saving up to do this for so long... and I felt a little twinge of guilt when I realized how much time I'd spent in Lamneras's lab without even thinking of asking for all the ingredients to bring Lirk back to life for good. I was so caught up in this business with Skip and Amcerlizar that I'd just plain forgotten all about poor Lirk. Well, I'd have to make it up to him somehow. Particularly given how important he was to our plan.

I drank the potion in one gulp and cast my spell over his bones. They clacked together in a furious whirlwind as bones locked into the correct sockets and joints, and Lirk soon stood before me.

"Thank you, Master." Same old greeting. I'd honestly kind of miss that.

Skip approached, and Lirk stepped forward to greet her. "Hello! I am Lirk, servant to Master Winston!"

She laughed. "It's me, Lirk. It's Skip."

He looked back at me with those vacant sockets. Somehow I could always tell what emotion he was feeling; right now was clearly confusion. Then he turned back to Skip. "No you're not."

I laughed. "It's her, Lirk. Just trust me."

"Yes, Master." He couldn't refuse an order like that, and instantly warmed up to her. She removed her knife from her cloak and pressed it into his bony hands. 

"Ok, Lirk. Your job here is pretty simple," I explained. "An evil man is going to teleport here. His name is Amcerlizar. You remember him, right?" You can never really know what memories the dead will keep when you bring them back, but Lirk nodded.  "As soon as I give the order, you just run at him and stab him with the knife, OK? KIll him. You got it?"

He gripped the delicate handle between his fingers. Once he was actually given a command, he was generally pretty good at following them. And stabbing someone isn't too complicated. "Yes, Master," he said firmly. He turned toward the Summoning Pedestal and crouched in his 'ready to attack' position.

Lamneras and I traded glances. Then Skip and I traded glances. As beautiful as she was as sexy young Professor Magdat, I have to say that I missed the old Skip more. I just wanted a confident smile from her to let me know that everything would go well.

"Well..." Lamneras said slowly. "I think that's about everything."

I nodded. It was a pretty simple plan. Skip was ready to lure him here, Lirk was ready to attack him, and the Ruby around my neck would turn him to dust as soon as he reacted. The end. 

"I think so," Skip said. She rubbed her hands together quickly, trying to burn off some of that nervous energy. "Let's do this!"

Lamneras grimaced. "As much as I'd love to stick around..."

"Yeah, yeah. Go on back home," I told him. Lamneras was no fighter; never was. Which just made Amcerlizar and his friends bully the two of us even more back when we were at the Academy. And really, this wasn't his fight anyway. He had a nice life in Bermatora. "Thanks for your help, man. Really. I owe you." I shook his hand warmly.

"Of course, of course." He waved a hand dismissively. "I mean, I just wish I could do more."

"No, no. We've got a good plan here. Next time you see me, I'll be the Undead Heir!" I tried to fake enthusiasm, just like he'd expect. Who wouldn't want that?

He tried to look confident for us, but failed. It felt like we were saying our final goodbyes. "Good luck, then," he said as he stepped onto the Summong Pedestal. He muttered the incantation to return back to the city, and gave one last wave as his body dissolved into little grains of sand and disappeared. We were on our own. 

"Ready?" I asked Skip.

She nodded. "Ready!"

"READY!" Mog rumbled from overhead.

"Ready, Master!" Lirk chimed in, not wanting to be left out.

I took a deep breath. "All right, Professor Magdat. Let's make a call."

===================================

I hope you liked it! If so, remember to vote on the chapter and follow me for more updates!