Chapter 8: The Way of Wishes
Hot white sparks flew every which way as Thoth's instruments struck the work table before him and a terrible grinding echoed throughout the chamber. He wore a set of safety goggles to protect his eyes, but he'd rolled up his sleeves and left his arms bare. He never flinched as the sparks landed on his flesh even as they began to sizzle. The flesh of his arms, like so much else in his life was long past feeling.
Nag's long tangled blue hair brushed the edges of the table as it swung back and forth, suspended upside down from the ceiling.
"Nag, you're disrupting my work. Did you find anything out?"
"Only that Volrac has gone away to gather the final piece. That gives us plenty of time to have some fun." Its red eyes drifted over the object of Thoth's attention. "How's it coming?"
Thoth grinned. "I have only a few minor preparations left."
Nag smiled. "Liar. You've been done for a while now. Are you teasing Fay again?"
"I simply wanted to see how long she could keep herself from disturbing me." Thoth confessed. "She may act aloof but underneath that porcelain mask she's positively giddy with anticipation."
"I hope it was worth it." Nag chided as it leaped from its perch on the ceiling onto its feet. "Here she comes now."
"Is it ready yet?" Fay's black heeled boots click-clacked on the stone floor.
"Can't rush perfection, Fay." Thoth grinned enjoying his secret victory. He turned his head and raised his goggles. Her face was blank as always and her hands remained at her sides, but he could see her violet-nailed fingers were writhing and her black tail swished back and forth like a metronome. "I must thank you again for allowing me to have the delightful assignment of constructing this beauty all to myself."
"I didn't want to be accused of cheating. I'll allow your theory to fail on its own."
"We'll see." Thoth reached for the object that lay on his work table, the subject of tireless tinkering, and lifted it high in the air. "Let's see your 'strongest magic' stand up to this!" In his hand he held a long-sword. The blade was as wide as a man's hand and looked heavy. The steel was black with red markings where it met the hilt. The hilt was connected to the blade by an upside-down crescent with two red serpents set into the middle. And tied around the ring that stuck out from the pommel was a tassel of white hair. Thoth swung it expertly and it made an almost musical hum as the blade cut the air.
"Feast your eyes my dear on what I lovingly call the 'Serpent of Fortune'. The steel of this blade I reinforced with the Luckdragon's fang. It shall never miss. Within the hilt is one of the Luckdragon's claws. It cannot be thrown from its wielders hand. And here at the hilt, and melted down into the steel itself is hair from the Luckdragon's mane. Whoever grasps this sword in their hand is guaranteed fortune in all of his endeavors so long as his luck holds out." With a proficient thrust, Thoth pointed the very tip of the blade just an inch from Fay's nose. "Impressed?"
Fay stared at the blade in much the same manner that a savvy shopper might view merchandise. "It will do."
Thoth lowered it. "Is that fear I detect?"
"Doubtful." Fay answered. "You've handled my amygdala yourself."
Nag circled her, sniffing the air near her. "Nope, I don't smell any fear. She's serious Thoth."
"Ah but you cannot deny your worry that I might just win this one. I hypothesized that luck magic would win against your 'strongest magic' and I've put every effort forward to prove your theory wrong. All that is left is to find a suitable subject."
"I've already found one." Nag declared with pride.
Thoth raised his eyebrow skeptically. "You?"
"You never said I couldn't. And why should you and Fay have all the fun."
Thoth looked to Fay who had nothing to say. "Very well Nag, let's hear you out."
"Well as we know, Luck Magic is at its strongest when the odds are stacked against it. So that sword will do the most damage in the hands of someone who's, shall we say a little down on their luck. We did disgrace a soldier in our ranks recently."
Thoth's features brightened. "Ah, him. Yes of course! Fay how does that sit with you?"
"As well as it would with any other."
"You really are quite confident in this aren't you?" Thoth kept his eyes locked with hers as he handed the sword off to Nag.
Nag strapped the blade to his back and bounded from the chamber on all fours. "Now the real fun starts!"
Atreyu gathered some more logs for the fire and carried them to ring they'd made. They were both too tired to journey much further after the sea nymphs brought them back to the shore of the Ocean of Whispers. The only firewood they had was what had been tied to their horse. Adair had felt relief at seeing that their stallion had remained where they'd left him after they'd been taken to Spook City. She'd gotten over her initial fear of the creature and had actually grown fond of him in the last three days. Being a proud war horse, she'd learned that he responded well to direct and abrupt orders as well as compliments, drawing attention to what a strong and capable steed he was. Anything too gentle made him uncomfortable. She didn't know how she knew this, she just did. She'd become exceptional at communicating with their horse, but with her traveling companion she had made little headway. She knew he was worried about Falkor and she'd given him his space, but he still seemed distant. She'd done everything shy of actually bringing the subject up. Perhaps he just needed to vent. But she still restrained herself from prodding. He'd talk when he felt like it she told herself. Still, it had been several hours since they'd made camp and he had barely spoken a word.
"We'll find him."
He looked confused. "Who?"
"Falkor." She answered. "I know you're worried about him."
"Oh." He nodded. "Yes, but I'm sure he's fine. We've been separated before and he always finds me. He is a Luckdragon after all."
That wasn't it, she realized. What else could be making him act this way? "Then what's wrong?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You've been acting weird since we left the Ivory Tower."
"How do you mean?"
"I don't know you've just…" she thought about how to word this. "You stopped talking."
A look of realization dawned on him. "Oh that." Then she grew more confounded than ever because now he looked embarrassed. "It's nothing really."
"Well you're killing me."
He looked horrified suddenly and jumped to his feet. "I am? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for you to—"
She sighed. "That's not what I meant. It's an expression. It means I can't stand not knowing. Now what's eating you?"
"Nothing's eating me. I'm completely…" he stopped when he heard her sigh. "Oh… was that another expression?"
"Yes."
He looked more abashed than ever. "I guess you already know my problem then."
"What, that you can't read sarcasm?"
"No. I just… I don't know how to act around… girls."
Adair felt as though someone had struck the back of her head with a two-by-four. It wasn't typical of her to think of herself as a girl, at least not in that sense. She'd certainly never noticed any of the boys she went to school with get nervous around her, and she was convinced they didn't notice her at all.
She couldn't help but smile. "You're serious. That's what this has been about?"
"Please don't laugh. I've been traveling since I was ten. I've never really spent time with one before. Not this much."
"What about Deisha?"
"Deisha's more like a little sister. We grew up together." He explained.
Adair didn't know much about girls herself despite being one, but she knew enough to know how Deisha felt about Atreyu. She'd come to expect he felt the same way, but no boy would describe the girl he cared for as his little sister.
"Wait, so you two aren't…"
He frowned when she hesitated. "Aren't what?" Then he blushed. "Oh no, nothing like that at all."
"Never mind. Forget I said anything." Could he really not be aware of Deisha's feelings? No wonder the plains girl looked so bitter all the time. "Well I don't think of you that way either, so you don't have to be so nervous."
He sighed with relief. "Oh, okay good." She shot him a look that made him stutter. "I mean, not really good, I mean, I wouldn't, you're very pretty, but—"
She held up her hand. "It's fine. I know what you meant." Had he just called her pretty? Now his wasn't the only face that was turning red. They went back to what they'd been doing before. She took the stallion's reins in her hand and ran her fingers over his snout.
"Arian!" she said suddenly.
Her outburst had been so sudden that Atreyu dropped all the logs he'd been carrying at once. The fire crackled and hissed as if resentful of the sudden drop. "What?"
"Sorry. It just sort of came to me."
"What did?"
She looked back to the horse. "We've been riding him for three days now and we've never given him a name."
Atreyu nodded. "Right. I'd forgotten."
"I know it's kind of a weird name, but it's still better than the one I picked out for my cat when I was eight. Can you think of a better one?" She asked.
"No, I think Arian's a fine name. Besides, Fantasians can't create new names. Only a human can do that."
She stopped stroking Arian and turned to him. "What? How do you get your names then?"
"The ones that dream us give us names." He replied.
She thought about what that meant. For some time she'd come to understand that Fantasia and her world were connected, but she'd never really understood how. Atreyu had said that the two worlds needed each other, but beyond that she had much to learn of the two worlds' connection. "I wanted to ask, what do you mean the ones that dream you? Gaya said that too in Spook City. What does that mean?"
Atreyu sat by the fire and stared into it as if he hadn't heard her at first. "Fantasia," he began slowly "is the world of human fantasy. Every dream or thought the people of your world create is here. You're the ones that give us life."
"So everyone here, everyone I've met, they're all dreams?" She felt something contract in her chest. "Do they know?"
"Some of them do. The ones like me who have seen Moon Child have all learned at some point or another how our world and the human world are connected."
She wanted to ask more, but she hesitated. She couldn't wrap her head around the idea that she was talking to someone's dream. "Does it bother you?"
"Does what bother me?"
"That you're… you know…" she stumbled over the words until they tumbled out of her. "Not real."
He looked up then and his dark eyed gaze made her flinch. "Is that what you think?"
"But you just said you're a dream."
"Yes that's true. I am someone's dream. Someone in your world imagined me because I represent what they see in themselves and everything they want to be. Why would that make me not real?"
"I don't know, I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to say." She said at once. They were quiet again for a while and she wondered how deeply she'd offended him. She wondered what she would say if someone had told her she wasn't real.
"So is it true what Gaya said?" Atreyu asked after a long silence.
"What do you mean?" she asked unnecessarily. She knew exactly what he was referring to. The very mention of the Dark Princess brought back that horrid image the broken maiden had shown her.
He seemed to sense her aversion to the subject. "I wouldn't take everything she said so seriously. Whatever her intentions are, she's still a Creature of Darkness. It's their nature to tell only half of the truth. She might not have told us everything. I know she said you were Moon Child's mirror, but that might not be the whole story. But there is one thing I'm sure of. If you stop yourself from dreaming then we don't stand a chance."
"I didn't stop myself." She snapped. She glowered at him, but her expression softened when she saw her words hurt him. She hadn't meant to be hostile, but he had been wrong. "Something stopped me."
"Is this about what Gaya showed you?"
"Yes." She said softly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "She was right. The Ivory Tower wasn't the first time I saw him."
"Him? You mean Volrac?"
She sighed. "Yes." It had been a long time since she had told anyone this story and she was more reluctant now than ever to share it.
"Adair, whatever he did to you, it's the cause of everything that's happening right now. I understand how you must feel, but—"
Those were not the right words to say to Adair, and Atreyu knew it too late. Adair's eyes turned fierce. She felt a wave of anger push out through her chest and soon it came crashing out of her mouth. "You understand how I feel? How could you know how I feel? How dare you! You have no idea what he did to me!"
"My parents are dead too!" He shouted.
Adair stopped short. "What?" She stumbled over her thoughts. How had he known? "I never said anything about my parents."
"Yes you did, at Spook City. You were screaming for them."
She stared at him for what felt like a long time, and then all her energy left her. She knelt down by the fire, unable to speak.
"I'm sorry Adair. It was wrong of me to say that."
"No I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out on you like that." She hesitated. She had no right to ask this. Not when she was so unwilling to share herself. But she did anyway. "So how did it happen?"
"It was when I was very young. They were both killed by a buffalo soon after I was born. I was raised by all the men and women of my village. That's why they called me Atreyu. It means 'Son of All'." Adair vaguely remembered the way Gaya had addressed him by that title. "So perhaps I don't know how you feel since I was never able to meet them. But I have felt the pain of loss, and I know that a good place to start healing," he sat down beside her and she felt the warmth of his hand against hers. "A way to move forward is to talk."
She was resentful of the tears that were trying to break through her eyes. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep them from getting through. She swallowed and tried to compose herself so she could speak. All the while Atreyu waited patiently.
"I was seven." She began. "My mother's name was Diane, and my Father's name was Richard. We lived in this small town by these woods that I used to play in all the time. They would warn me not to go there alone, but I would anyway. Then one day we got in a fight. I don't even remember what it was about. I just remember I was angry. I remember running away to hide in the woods. I was so angry." She took a shuddering breath as she began to lose control. This was the worst part of the story for her. The memory made her feel shameful and ugly. It was why she couldn't meet his eyes. "I remember I wished they would just go away. And then they did." There was no holding them back now. She felt tears slide down her face in hot streams. Her throat grew tight but still she persevered. "They came to those woods to look for me. It was getting dark. I was afraid. I called out to them. I heard them coming. Then he appeared. He was standing behind them. He looked worse then. He was all hunched over, and he couldn't speak. He just growled like a monster. But I remember those fangs and those eyes. They haven't changed. They screamed. They told me to run and I did. I ran and hid while he took them. There was an old tree house I used to play in. That's where I hid. I could hear them screaming. I covered my ears. I covered my ears and hid while he killed them. When they finally stopped, when I finally climbed down he was gone, and they were dead."
Dead. The word was like the final wave against a dam that would cause it to come crashing open. All her control was gone then and soon she was sobbing. She didn't know if she had thrown herself at him, or if Atreyu had chosen to place his arms around her, but it really didn't matter to her.
"It was my fault! It was all my fault! They'd still be alive if it wasn't for me!"
"That's not true." He whispered.
"Did I wish for it to happen? Is that why he came?"
"No."
"Then why? What else could it be? I said it out loud; 'I wish they would go away'!"
"You were a little girl who got upset and didn't know what she was saying. I know that you would never make that wish. You may have said it in a moment of anger, but you could never really mean it. What he did was not your fault. You loved your parents and they loved you. I know they did because they protected you. And if you didn't love them you wouldn't hurt so much."
She let his words sink in and cried until she felt she'd cried enough. When she'd quieted herself she shrugged out of his embrace. "I'm sorry." She said with a raw throat.
"It's not something you need to apologize for. People need to cry. Do you feel any better?"
"Hard to say." She admitted. "Right now I just feel tired."
"So you haven't made a wish since that day?"
"Not really. I don't think I wanted to."
"Do you think you'll be able to try now that you understand?"
"Are you talking about that 'way of wishes' thing again?"
"Not only will it save Fantasia, it's your only way home." He said firmly.
She looked away from him, suddenly very aware of the cool feel of silver from the ring on her finger. "Atreyu, someone told me something about AURYN. They said that every time I made a wish on it I'd lose a memory. Is that true?"
He bore no reaction to her statement. "Who told you that?"
"Is it true?" she said again with a little more force.
Still Atreyu's face did not change. "Yes it's true."
"Then why would I want to make a wish on it? Isn't that dangerous? What if I lose everything? What if I forget my name? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Adair, it is true that AURYN takes a memory as a price for each wish. There have been those who have gone through what you just said and were left with no way to return. They were careless with their wishes. Most of them wished for power or other things out of greed. It is possible to want too much. But you face the opposite danger. I didn't tell you because I wasn't worried you would make too many wishes. I'm afraid that you won't make any. If humans stop dreaming then Fantasia dies."
Adair narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "So this is all for Fantasia?"
"And you. Humans need Fantasia as much as we need them. Without dreams you can't move past this block you've put up for yourself."
"Maybe I don't want to."
Atreyu sighed. "The sadness in your eyes tells a different story."
"My eyes are just fine thank you!" she snapped.
"I know that, I was just making an expression."
"Now you're making fun of me."
Again Atreyu was struck speechless. That was the second time this evening. "I am not! I was just trying to—"
"You know what, forget it." She grumbled, rising to her feet and dusting herself off. "I'm going for a walk. I need to think."
"But…" Atreyu wanted to follow her as she stalked away from the camp but thought better of it. He sat back down by the fire and shook his head. "Girls." He muttered to himself. "You were right Falkor. All the luck in the world couldn't help me with her."
Adair walked a good distance off, but not so far that she would lose sight of their fire. She marched until it was nothing but a glimmering speck on the darkening horizon. She found a rock near the shore and sat down on it listening to the waves softly beat against the sand. Who did he think he was telling her what to wish for anyway? She had told him the story of what had happened to her parents, the darkest most secret part of herself, and immediately after he had turned it into a way to make her do what he wanted. And worst of all he had claimed it was to help her. How was simply wishing going to help her better than the careful defense she had built up around herself for ten years? In her world wishing seemed pointless and foolish. In this world it sounded downright dangerous. Who knew what memories she could lose? What wish could possibly be worth one of her memories?
It just goes to show you she thought you can't let anyone in. It had been her philosophy for years, and a decade of experience had only given her more proof that it was true. She had loved her parents but had been shown that no matter how constant or real people may seem they would all leave eventually. That was just a matter of time. She'd learned from her Aunt Rosemary that the people you trust can betray you. After her parents' death her aunt had been the first and last person she had ever told what happened aside from the police who questioned her. Being as young as she was she had been foolish enough to think she would be believed. But what had Aunt Rosemary done? Had her carted off to visit a shrink for hours on end until she finally admitted to having made everything up, that's what. Both Rosemary and the therapist had put all their energy in forcing her to recant what she knew, and finally she had. She had never forgiven her aunt for that. There had been other times, too many to number where her trust had been thrown back in her face until she had stopped altogether. Now she fumed over the realization that Atreyu might be the same. Why had she been stupid enough to believe he'd be any different?
Furthermore he had been wrong. His precious "way of wishes" was not her only way home. She looked down at the silver ring once more. It would be so easy to use it. All she would have to do was wait for Atreyu to fall asleep, take just one lock of his hair, whisper a name and then she'd be home. But that would mean putting her trust in those three sinister characters she'd met at the tower. So who should she put her trust in at this point, at least enough to try something; those three freaks or Atreyu? She sighed and started running through her head for the pros and cons of each.
Both parties had promised to help her. The three in the tower had been upfront with her and told her what would happen to her if she wished on AURYN. Atreyu had hidden it from her in the hopes that she would wish, and no matter what his reasons were he had still kept the truth from her.
Actions speak louder than words. She couldn't remember where she had heard that from. It sounded like something Aunt Rosemary or her mother might have said. She didn't know what had made her think of that. She decided to blame it on the Ocean of Whispers since that was what it felt like to her, just a still small whispering. Still it meant something to her now. She'd just compared what the two parties had said. This time she decided to think about what they'd done. Beginning with the mysterious trio, the girl with the purple streak in her hair had tricked her into reading the book which had landed her in Fantasia. The boy with glasses had claimed it had been for some experiment of theirs. The idea that they had tricked her didn't sit well with her. Not only that. Everything she'd seen them do had been highly clandestine. Even their simple meeting had only happened because she'd been led cloak-and-dagger-style to some abandoned tavern that she never would have felt safe meeting in.
Then she thought about Atreyu. The first time she'd met him, when she'd first landed in Fantasia had been loud and chaotic but that hadn't stopped him from protecting her. That first time and every time after that he had leaped to her defense without a second thought. Not only had he protected her from monsters, he'd also defended her decisions when others had questioned them. And when she voiced a thought or an idea he had followed her without a hesitation. Maybe he really was trying to help her. He had listened to everything she had to say thus far. She owed him the same courtesy to at least try what he had suggested.
Closing her eyes, she took AURYN in her hand and squeezed it.
A short while later she returned to camp. Atreyu was on his feet the moment he saw her. He too had been given time to think about what he would say when she came back.
"I should have told you about AURYN." He admitted. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah you should have." She agreed.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to scare you, and also because I believe in you. But that's no excuse."
"You're right," She agreed, then sighed. "And I'm sorry too."
Atreyu had looked braced for a strike, and after she had exploded at him perhaps he was right to. But he was not braced for an apology. "For what?"
"You may be right. I can't let what happened to me or what might happen to me keep me from dreaming. I can at least try."
"You can? You will?" his face brightened.
"Sure. I figure there are a couple memories I wouldn't mind losing. But first I have a question. I thought of a wish I could make and it's not for me. I wanted to test it out first before I tried anything big. When we were in Spook City you practically begged me to let Shadeseeker go. Why did you do that?"
Atreyu wondered what she could be getting at by asking this. "Because she is someone's dream. As twisted as she is she is still part of Fantasia, and part of someone in your world. She wasn't a danger to anyone so why not let her go?
"Do you think there's hope for her? I mean can she turn into a good dream again?"
Atreyu smiled. "I believe that's one of the reasons that Moon Child allows dreams like her to exist. There's always that chance."
"Then I know what my first wish is. I did choose to let her go, but it wasn't just because you asked me. It was because I felt sorry for her. There are people like her in my world where the only thing that matters to them is their beauty. But that kind of beauty doesn't last forever, and when you're faced with losing it then I guess I can understand why she acted the way she did. When we saw her in Gaya's court she looked totally destroyed. She has nothing now. She doesn't know what real beauty is. I'm going to wish for her to find it; the kind of beauty that can really make her happy. There's just one problem."
"What's that?" he asked.
"I don't know how."
Atreyu smiled again. "You just did."
Thanks to Adair's wish, the once feared witch Shadeseeker would one day find the true beauty Adair had spoken of and it would make her very happy. But how she found this beauty and what she did with it is another story and shall be told another time.
A fierce roar shattered the silence in the old bookshop as Jason shot up from his chair and hurled the book across the room. He didn't care that he had startled Mr. Bux, or that Iole had been violently thrown from his lap where she had been curled up peacefully. Because at that moment he was overcome with a feeling he was very unfamiliar with. Even so he knew what its name was; jealousy.
"Jason what has gotten into you?" Bastian came around the counter and reached to put a hand on the boy's shoulder but stopped short.
"How dare you." He growled through gritted teeth. "How dare you!"
"Who? What is it Jason?"
"Him! Your friend Atreyu! I don't care what you say about him he just used her! All to save his precious Fantasia!"
"Slow down, slow down. Now tell me what happened."
"He made her tell him! She hasn't told anyone! She never wanted to! She shouldn't have to! It's horrible!"
"Tell him what?" This time Bastian did seize Jason by the arms.
His touch seemed to bring him back to himself. In that moment of clarity Jason realized he had said too much. It was true he was furious that Adair had been coerced into sharing the story of her parents' murder to Atreyu, but that didn't give him the right to turn around and tell Bastian. He dropped his voice and tried to keep calm.
"He made her tell him something very personal about her life that she's never told anyone."
"That doesn't sound like him. Are you sure she didn't just tell him?"
"Yeah she told him, but only after all of his waiting and trying to weasel it out of her. And now he's making her wish!"
"I don't see the crisis there. What's the problem with wishing?" the old man asked.
"Don't play dumb! You know she'll lose her memories!"
A look of realization dawned on Bastian. "Ah, you mean AURYN. Yes it's true those wishes come with a price." The old man waited for the words to come to him. "That is true with all of our dreams. At least the ones we wish to make real."
"She shouldn't have to pay a price that high no matter what he says."
Bastian gave him a sad smile. Jason had been sputtering only fragments of the story so far, but Bastian didn't need the whole story to know what this was really about. "Tell me Jason, why are you really upset? Is it because she's learning to share and wish? Or is it because she is not doing so with you?"
Jason looked up at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Now who's playing dumb?" Bastian said. "You love her don't you?"
Jason felt his face flush. "What? That's crazy." Those words weren't enough to convince anyone who would have heard, certainly not one as wise and experienced as Bastian Balthazar Bux.
"My boy I guessed a very long time ago. You're always talking about her when you're here, even before any of this happened. I know how much you care for her. It must be hard to have to hear about her feelings this way and not face to face like you may have hoped. But even so, if I understand you correctly this is the first time Adair has opened up at all in a very long time. If you truly care for her this should make you happy. And when she has the chance I'm sure you will get to see all those sides of her that she never showed you before that you so desperately want to see. In the meantime she has some growth to undergo and Atreyu is helping her along. If he says he's going to help her it's because he means it."
Jason couldn't listen anymore. As furious as he was at the moment he knew he shouldn't be taking it out on Bastian. But there was someone at fault here, someone he could take this to, someone who had a lot to answer for. He collected the book from where he had thrown it and made for the door. Iole followed at his heels.
"Jason, where are you going?"
"To Adair's house. There's someone I need to talk to."
Banishment did not suit Chember the Butcher in the slightest. He was a being that was used to being feared. It was a status he was not only accustomed to but one that he craved. To be dismissed like refuse the way Lord Volrac had was more than he could bear. For the first time in his life he had been subjected to shame and experienced fear himself. Now not even murder and bloodshed brought him the joy it used to. He sat alone in the tavern with his melancholy mug of liquor surrounded by the bodies of all the patrons. The bartender lay slumped over the counter he'd been cleaning. Not one death had lifted Chember's spirits. Slouched over his drink he kept himself occupied with a set of darts and a target mounted on the wall. But not a single dart struck the board.
"How has the army not caught you yet?" The voice made Chember's three gill-like nostrils scrunch together in disgust. "Do none of them know how to follow the scent of blood?"
"Come to humiliate me further?" He hissed.
"Why would I do that? You're doing a fine job of it yourself."
Chember shot his hand out and four fleshy white cords snaked out of his sleeve. They wrapped around the arm of the one who spoke.
The creature Nag grinned as it pulled the cords taut. "You've gotten slower. Did all the booze go to your brain?" Nag's arm glowed azure blue and the cords snapped as easily as string. Nag stepped closer to him, leering at him with that fanged smile. "Or did you just not have one to start with?" Despite the drunken haze he was in, Chember still felt that uneasiness he'd come to associate with the Circle of the Night.
"What do you want?"
"Food. I'm starving. And drink if you have it."
Chember tossed his half empty mug at the creature. "Enjoy you filth."
Nag not only caught the mug, but used it to catch the ale that escaped. Then it guzzled the drink greedily. It licked its lips when it was through and wiped its mouth with the back of its hand.
"But let's not talk about what I want. It's what you want that brings me here."
"What are you talking about?"
"Our Lord Volrac has thought about his decision to banish you. He's decided to give you a second chance."
Chember's red and yellow eyes glistened with excitement. "He has?"
"Oh yes. And all you have to do is what you failed to do last time."
"Oh I will, I swear it. Atreyu will suffer. Tell him so!" Chember stumbled to his feet. The sudden rush had begun to clear his head of the alcohol. "I will peel the flesh off of him and make him scream for mercy."
"Yes be as cruel as you like." Nag spoke encouragingly as though the notion pleased it. "But be warned, the human now has the Glory."
"The Glory?" Chember faltered.
"Tsk tsk." Nag chided. "Are you wavering already?"
"No! But… The Gem? How could anyone hope to fight against the power of the Childlike Empress?"
Nag winked one of its smoldering red eyes. "With luck." It held its hands out as a blue light began to form between them. It waved its hands out in front of itself and from the dark blue light came a magnificent sword; one with a black blade with red markings where it met the hilt. Twin serpents were inlaid on the hilt, and tied to the pommel was a tassel of long white fur.
"A sword?" Chember studied the weapon that lay across Nag's hands.
"An enchanted sword." Nag clarified. "We fused it with luck magic." The creature licked its lips. "Luck magic from Atreyu's own dragon."
Chember could feel his mouth watering as he reached for it. He took it by the hilt and held its blade skyward. A strange sensation flowed from the blade into his arm, and then through all of him. He smiled with his rows of needle sharp teeth.
Nag watched him as he hefted it, getting a feel for its weight. "How do you feel?"
Chember reached for the last dart on the counter and threw it without even looking at the target. It struck a double bull's eye.
"Lucky."
