"Letters from the Front"

Chapter 4

Dear Molly,

You have officially been nominated for the title, "Best Apprentice Ever"! I was about to mail my last letter when the courier handed me the large care package. Between the magazines, cookies, cupcakes and peanut brittle, I've become quite popular around here. Also I won't have to pull KP or night patrol duty for at least two weeks. I hid the sardines and crackers, even Carlos doesn't know about them. You're so awesome! The peanut butter, jelly and bread were a Wonderful idea as was the new toothbrush and rolls of TP. Dirt get's into everything down here.

I told you about what happened and how my partner was abducted by the Red Court. I'm still beside myself over that. I don't know when or how, but I'll be sure to pay those jerks back for what they've done. For now though, I'm working on a project for Listens-to-Wind. I'm making a focus for him that's similar to what I did with Little Chicago only on a much smaller scale.

… … … …

It took me an hour of digging and hunting but eventually I found enough natural clay to mold a small replica of the temple with the small stone shard embedded in the middle. I had to do some work in a circle to clear the clay of any affinity to the area it was dug from so the model was truly representative of the temple itself and not the materials the model was made of. It was tedious work but after a few hours and a small but intense fire it was finished.

I carried the still warm model to the command tent where I found Anastasia pacing and rubbing her chin.

"You look worried boss." I said as I watched her pace.

"Oh, Harry." She said as she looked up, just noticing that she wasn't alone. "Not worried, just a little ambivalent about this spirit walk. I've been racking my brain trying to remember all I could about this sort of thing to try to come up with as many safeguards as possible. The last thing I want is for a senior council member to get hurt on my watch." She said sounding tired.

"He's a senior council member for a reason. If he says he can do it safely, then I'd take him at his word." I replied reassuringly, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"I know, but still. He's one of the good ones. I'd hate to see anything happen to him, he's too valuable to risk for a scouting expedition like this."

"I know what you mean, but he's also the only one who can pull it off. You said yourself that we can't risk entering physically. This should be a quick in and out mission. He's only scouting, it's not like he's going to take his time sightseeing."

"Harry, logically I know what you're saying is right. However, call it intuition or nerves or whatever, but I have a bad feeling about this. My gut's telling me it's too risky." Her face looked older than it really was, the concern and lack of rest was starting to show.

"Normally I'd tell you to go with your gut, but this time I don't see any other way. That and he has already made his decision, I don't think you could change his mind. Still though, if it's bothering you, tell him so. Maybe it's the reality check he needs to find another way." I said.

"Good idea, but unfortunately it's the only way to search the temple without dropping the wards." Listens-to-Wind said from the doorway of the tent.

I don't know if it's just him or if they teach this stuff in shaman school, but this guy moved so quietly I had to wonder if his feet really touched the ground. Could he have enchanted moccasins? The idea was intriguing.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to second guess your decision. It's just that…" Anastasia blurted out as she turned to face the senior council member with a mixture of shock, terror and embarrassment on her face.

"No need to apologize. If you didn't worry I'd wonder if you were the right person for your job. It makes me happy that you think for yourself and are concerned with everyone in your charge. You do your job well Anastasia, but this time I am afraid I must insist you do this my way." He said with a warm smile.

"Of course sir." She said, her face quickly falling back the flat, no-nonsense, business as usual look of not only a soldier, but that of a leader.

"Harry, do you have the item I asked for?" He said looking at the bundle of cloth in my hand.

"Yes, it just cooled." I said handing him the bundle.

He unwrapped the small clay model and then turned it over in his hands and then smiled kindly.

"Very well done, I like the attention to detail Wizard Dresden." He said as he examined the tiny steps in the stairway leading up the side of the temple.

"Thank you. I thought you'd want it as realistic as possible." I said feeling a little proud of myself.

"Very well then, I think we're ready. Harry would you come with me please?" He said as he turned to leave the tent.

I gave Anastasia a final look and quick smile over my shoulder as I left the command tent, then followed the aged shaman to another tent across from the command tent.

When we entered the tent I could smell the sweet scent of sandalwood burning along with the smell of various herbs and dried plants that were hung or laid out in the room with meticulous care. Joseph started double checking things with a quick glace around the room he turned to me with a serious look on his face.

"Harry, I asked you to watch over me for a reason." He said in a soft voice that carried the weight of a freight train. "I feel your anger and pain over what's happened. You need to understand that everything is not your fault. You must learn to come to peace with your past before you can truly move forward."

I felt a flush in my cheeks at his kind words, but it still didn't stop the memories and anger from the past from welling up in my brain and my belly.

"Sir" I started but he continued.

"Not everything happens for a purpose, but everything does happen for a reason. The reason leaves fall in the autumn is because the cold weather kills the chlorophyll and the leaves die. The purpose for this is to make room for new leaves and growth in the spring and the leaves on the ground decay to give nourishment to the tree and other plants around it, which is their purpose. However a glass can fall from a table because it was accidently bumped with no purpose for its fall. If you wish to learn the truth of things, find the reason first and then look for a purpose. If things are by design, the pattern should become clear and you can learn from it, if there is no purpose, then there's nothing more to find and you can learn from that as well. Once you do this you can understand and then put things where they belong and let the past rest. You must never forget the past, but you can't cling to it either. You must make peace with your past to have peace in your present young wizard. Then you can begin to grow and move forward with your life again." He said and gave me a kind smile.

"I think I understand what you mean, but what does this have to do with why you chose me?" I could feel my brows knitting and he looked at me and gave a soft laugh.

"Because you are strong and trustworthy, I know you'll do your best to watch over me. That is my reason, if I told you everything, it would defeat my purpose." He said with a kind, knowing smile.

His words rang in my ears, let the past rest and move forward with my life. Until this moment I hadn't really given it much thought, but even though I had great friends and worked hard, I was really going through the motions of living and not fully embracing it as I used to. Like when I met Suzan…

Even though I was with Anastasia now and cared for her deeply, it wasn't the same. I felt that we weren't as close and often wrote this off to her being the Captain of the Wardens, but now that I give it some thought it was also because I always held back a part of myself. I hid the part of me that I couldn't let get hurt again. I was standing in my own way, blocking myself from having what I wanted most.

"Enough philosophy for now, you'll have time to muddle it over later. Now let's begin." I was lost in thought and his words pulled me back to the here and now. Listens to wind gave me a quick smile then turned to the task at hand cheerfully.

'Harry, please go to the kitchen tent and tell them I will require six freshly picked ears of white corn, an ounce of finely ground salt, three one inch thick cuts of beef from the loin two pints of green tea, steeped for three minutes no more, no less and one ounce of sweet butter. I don't need these right now but they will be needed at the end of the ceremony. Also, if you would be so kind, bring back three Danishes from this morning and a large thermos of coffee with plenty of sugar and creamer when you come back."

I went to the kitchen tent and gave them his requirements list and let them know he'd need them in one and a half to two hours from now. As they were scrambling to make the list and figure out who would go where to gather his supplies I helped myself to the coffee and pastries and headed to where the ceremony was being performed. The more I thought about it the more I had to laugh. The things he asked for I had originally assumed he wanted for offerings to finish the ceremony. Corn is often used as an offering but its dried corn and usually yellow corn at that. Meats were rarely ever used and then it was normally dried or cured buffalo or fish, not beef. The only conclusion I could come to given his ingredient list was that he was ordering his lunch. The amounts he had ordered made me think he was planning a picnic.

As I came into the tent Listens-to-Wind was just seating himself in the middle of a small assortment of burning herbs and incents. The smoke made my head spin for a moment as I came in. Something smelled spicy like a smoked chili, others sweet or savory and something smelled like the fresh mud from a stream.

"Did you get everything I asked for?" He said quietly.

"They're working on gathering the stuff for later but I have the coffee and pastries here." I said giving him a wry smile.

"Those are for you, to stay alert while I'm away." He said pointing to the coffee and pastries. "The rest is to replenish my strength after the ceremony. You and Captain Luccio are welcome to join me when we finish here." He told me solemnly. "For now I need you to be still."

"Yep, lunch." I thought to myself.

Listens-to-Wind waved his hand and the tent flaps closed and tied themselves shut. Then he lowered his head and picked up a small round drum with figures drawn upon it. He began to chant softly and hit the drum with his fingertips rhythmically. The smoke coming from the bowls, shells and flat dishes set about him began to circle his waist. As he continued to chant and hit the drum his voice and the drumbeat became louder as the smoke continued to circle him but expanded to form a circle that encompassed the wizard and the burning offerings as it began to glow. The smoke circle began to show colors flowing through the smoke, yellows, reds, browns, purples and blues. As the colors spun around the circle they also playfully entwined and circled around each other until they lowered and touched the ground where the circle turned brilliant silver and solidified.

Listens-to-Wind had his eyes closed and his hair was covering most of his face. When the circle touched the ground he reacted as if an electric current briefly went through him and the tempo and rhythm of the chant and drumbeat changed. His chant became more melodic and the smoke was once again lifting into the air giving off stronger and more pungent smells. Each was easily identifiable but together they made a scent like nothing I had ever experienced.

This smell seemed to balance me. It calmed my nerves and settled my mind. I felt my thoughts becoming more clarified and organized. I felt something deep inside me that ran through my whole body, something that I didn't recognize, that I had never been consciously aware of before, but somehow I knew it was always drawn tight as a bow string. I felt it relax and begin to grow stronger finally being given a chance to rest.

I felt alive and strong, I could feel my heartbeat, my magic, my sense of self and the tangled jumble of my past and present surround me as I began to gain a perspective I'd never known before. My life and entire existence for just a moment seemed to be laid before me like a poorly crafted blanket on a loom, still being added to with each passing moment. I wanted to start pulling and adjusting things here and there to give order and sense to what I saw, to make the blanket properly organized, stronger and just better. As I was feeling this I felt something else. I felt a feint and subtle magic brush over my body. It was then that I realized that my eyes were closed and although I wasn't asleep I wasn't paying attention to the task at hand either.

I was so caught up on what I was feeling that I didn't notice the chant and drumbeat had changed yet again. His chant had become soft and steady, the drumbeats continued softly but in perfect rhythm to his chant. As I came back to myself I looked at the shaman and his image through the smoke and circle began to become fuzzy, as if I was looking at him through a moderate fog. I saw his shape and even though the smoke was light I couldn't clearly see his features. Then I saw what looked like another, insubstantial image of him shift and stand. All I could see of the 'other' him was a feint outline as he turned and silently began to walk away. Once he left the confines of the circle I could no longer see his outline and he was gone.

His voice and hands continued to mete out the chant and drumbeats but I knew that part of him was no longer in the tent. I couldn't feel his vibrant vitality or the depths of his knowledge that he wore like a comfortable shawl. I was at the same time shocked, worried and amazed at what I was seeing.

Now it was my turn, I began to set wards and glyphs around the tent, meticulously and intentionally intertwining them as my newly sharpened mind drew on my knowledge, training and instincts to these things together to create a strong wall of defense around the vulnerable shaman. I created the wards to keep out and ward away anything and everyone except for the shaman who they were designed to protect. As I poured power into the wards I felt them mesh and spring to life creating a thick wall like a tall briar patch between us and the outside world.

Although I'm normally not good with subtle or intricate magic, my mind was sharper than normal and working small threads of magic felt like weaving a basket of small reeds and my hands simply followed the image in my mind as I set each in place like stones in a wall until all were safely and properly in place. Then I carefully touched each lightly with magic and then continued to feed them until they were fully charged.

Through the wards I felt people and animals lightly brush against my wards and unconsciously move to avoid them. I smiled to myself feeling proud of myself for a job well done. Just as I sat down I felt a wave of fatigue wash over me. I wasn't too tired but the concentration and spells did take a toll on me. Just as I became aware of this my eyes fell on the tall thermos of coffee and snacks that the Shaman had instructed me to bring.

"Those are for you." He had told me. I had to wonder exactly how much he knew, was it simply wisdom and experience on his part or was it something more that caused him to prepare so well for this moment. He had said he had a purpose he couldn't tell me about for having picked me to look over him, I had to wonder what he meant. Regardless neither mystery would be solved until he returned so I simply sat cross legged on the floor and made myself a strong cup of coffee and decided to wait.

After my second cup of coffee I guessed we'd been here for at least two hours and still he hadn't returned. I was starting to wonder if I should be worried as he said it would take an hour and a half to two hours to complete his mission and we had to be close two hours by now.

As I was thinking this I felt something enter through my wards. I felt the shaman slip through the wards and into the tent. Then I could see his feint outline stepping into the circle but instead of stepping into himself and sitting down as I had expected, his outline simply put its hand on (possibly into) the head of his body.

"The wards are nearly failing, it's trying to escape. I will shore up the magic and wards as best as I can but we must not let it escape." He stopped for a moment as if to catch his breath, then continued to explain what he had just said seeing the confusion on my face. "The temple is a prison, it draws energy from the outsider trapped within to sedate and contain it, but they've grown weak and it's now awake. I must return, tell Anastasia and bring help. I'll do what I can, but be careful, they will be coming." He said with fear in his voice, his eyes never opened and his body never moved except for his mouth. It was a creepy sight to say the least. Then his outline simply turned and left quickly. I felt it rush out through my wards and he was gone.

Confused and worried, I was in a rush to tell Anastasia what I had just been told. Not thinking clearly I dismissed the wards instead of simply lowering them at the door, to exit the tent. As I reached for the tent flap I heard a ripping sound behind me.

I spun on my heel and reached for my blasting rod but it was too late.

"Don't move wizard." She hissed at me.

I saw what appeared to be Molly standing at the edge of the circle that enclosed Listens-to-wind holding a particularly nasty looking obsidian dagger in her hand.

"You Patasola just don't know when to quit do you?" I roared as my shield bracelet hung loosely against my hand.

"I am NOT Patasola I am Chullachaqui, but I wouldn't expect you to know the difference Wizard. You are trying to release the Devil from his tomb. You are just like the abominations that fed on this village all those long years ago. You only seek power but have no idea of the consequences of your actions. I will stop you…" She hissed with a fire and rage in her eyes that I'd never seen before.

"What?" I said intelligently sounding a little confused. "We're not trying to release that thing." I shouted.

"You lie! I can feel this one's spirit tampering with the wards as we speak! Don't lie to me Wizard!" it screeched. Sparks flew from the dagger as it made contact with the circle that surrounded Listens-to-wind, holding the creature and its weapon at bay.

"Just listen to me, I can explain." I roared at the creature. "He's trying to strengthen the wards, he said the thing is awake and trying to escape, he's trying to contain it." I bellowed. As I stared at the thing it took a step back as if weighing my explanation with its own suspicions.

While we stared at each other I heard the flap to the door rustle and Mouse came into the tent and took a position between myself and the creature. Mouse simply looked from the shaman to the creature and started to wag his tail. Mouse stood as a mountain of fur between me and the creature but also close to the circle around the shaman. His intentions were clear, he was there to protect us but at the same time he was not being aggressive towards this creature. In fact he seemed to be trying to make friends.

Seeing Mouse standing there Molly took another step back. Molly's face showed both amazement and confusion. She simply looked between Mouse and me as if something didn't fit quite right.

"Is he with you?" Molly said in a quiet voice, but she wasn't talking to me she was talking to Mouse.

Mouse gave a doggy grin as his tongue fell out of his mouth and he cocked his head to one side then the other.

"But how, why?" Molly's doppelganger asked perplexed. As if in answer Mouse simply looked at me and Listens-to-wind and stretched and let out a low moan followed by quiet bark.

"I see. I would have never guessed such a thing." Molly said as her face began to lighten up and give a small smile. "Although I don't fully understand your reasoning, I do accept your decision." She said and bowed slightly to Mouse.

At this Mouse moved over and nuzzled her hand as his tail began to wag in earnest. Molly simply smiled brightly and scratched his large head.

"I don't know why such a magnificent being would choose you as his companion but he has made it clear that this is his choice." Although I was glad that the creature was backing off I still took some offense at his words. "Although I don't trust mortals or Wizards for that matter, I trust this creature implicitly and he has assured me that you are speaking the truth." Molly said glancing at me only briefly as she continued to pet Mouse.

"If what you say is true then the situation is dire and your friend is in great danger. If the protections fail, the Devil will be unleashed and destroy all in its path. I will do what I can to prevent this but I am not as strong as I once was. I fear the abominations that feed on humans have something to do with this and they will likely be coming to stop us. Can I count on you and your friends to hold them off to give us time to do what must be done?" Molly asked looking in my face seriously.

"We will do all we can to hold them off and protect you while you and my friend work to restore the wards." I told him honestly.

Molly looked down at Mouse who gave her a wet lick on her hand, then she turned to me gave me a brief smile.

"Then I must be off. Hurry to the temple as I fear time is short." With that Molly vanished and in her place stood a short old man in ragged clothes. It seemed to have a limping gate as I noticed that one if its legs were human and the other seemed to be that of a goat. I was shocked at how nimbly it moved as it quickly slipped under the back wall of the tent and was gone.

Mouse turned and walked over and leaned his shoulder into my thigh and looked up at me with satisfaction. I scratched behind his ears and then petted him down his back.

"Thanks buddy, I appreciate your help! We have to go tell Anastasia and the others about this and get moving." I said patting his shoulder, then turned and rushed out of the tent.

…. … … … …

So you see although I haven't been home in a while I did at least get to kind of see you. It reminded me how much I miss your bright smile and positive energy. Hopefully I'll be able to come home for a while when this is all over.

Please be sure to feed Mister and as always give my best to your family and our friends.

I miss you all.

Sincerely,

Harry