Chapter 10: The Pyronomicon

Eager to get moving, now that she and the other mages had thought of a plan to rescue Jaania from inside her crystal, Serenity hurried upstairs to get her mage robes and backpack, and to wake up her pet laundry golem. The little creature was still asleep, sprawled out on her bed just like it had been earlier that morning.

"Let's go," Serenity said quietly, shaking the golem gently by the shoulder to wake it. Turning its head a little, it mumbled something and gave her a bit of a confused look. Then, seeming to fully wake up, it bounced upright on the bed and threw its floppy arms around her waist in a cheerful hug. A moment later it hopped down to the floor and stood looking up at her with bright eyes and a big smile, clearly ready for action once again.

Serenity laughed. The laundry golem was just too cute! "I don't think I even wake up that fast!" she told it, and it straightened up and looked rather smug. Shaking her head, Serenity went and got out her mage equipment. She dropped the mage robes on over her dress, put on her backpack and settled the straps around her shoulders, then quickly went back downstairs to the main room of the Inn.

"Don't forget your potions this time, Serenity!" Cysero said helpfully, as she walked up to join him and Xan and Warlic.

"Oh, thanks!" Serenity answered. She had indeed forgotten to refill her potion bottles after using most of them up during yesterday's quest. Now she quickly did so, scooping up the red and blue magical potions from the big jars behind her counter where she kept them to give to visiting Adventurers.

"No problem," Cysero said. "I figured I'd better make sure I didn't overlook that again, like I did last time. You're a great student, and I have to make sure I'm a good teacher!"

"Come on," Warlic said eagerly. "Let's hurry to Oaklore Keep and get the Pyronomicon!"

Xan, standing next to him, nodded fiercely. "Jaania can't wait any longer! We have to free her now." For once, he and Warlic were showing no signs of the usual tension between them. Instead, they were obviously motivated by the same thoughts and the same goal to work as a team.

"All right," Serenity said, starting towards the door. The three other mages followed her as she continued speaking. "I think I know the quickest way to get there. All the Adventurers talk about it. Why don't we catch a ride with the travel griffin?"
"Great idea, Serenity!" Cysero said. By now, they were outside, and they turned left around the side of the Inn and headed up the slope toward the Guardian Tower's hill. That was where the friendly, responsible griffin kept his post, waiting to help Adventurers to make their way quickly around Lore.

"Yes," Warlic said. "But the griffin can only carry three people and one pet at a time. I don't think he can take us all to Oaklore in one trip."

"That's okay," Xan said. "You three go ahead and ride the griffin to Oaklore Keep. I'll meet you there." Without waiting for an answer, he said a few quick spell words in a very practiced voice. That same instant, he disappeared.

"Oh," Serenity said, a bit startled. "I guess he must have teleported! Now that I think of it, Xan is very good at that, isn't he? I mean, he teleported himself and Jaania away from Swordhaven when he was still a student, and yesterday he sent both of you all the way back here from his fortress when he wasn't even in the room with us!"

"Yes, Xan has always been a very skilled teleporter," Warlic confirmed. "And as he said, this does take care of our current problem. Now the griffin will have no trouble carrying the rest of us to the Keep."

Just then, the party was turning east to walk past the magical portal they'd used yesterday. A few steps later, they reached the proud brown-and-red griffin who stood on the edge of the hill, overlooking the majestic view beyond the steeply dropping cliff.

"Oh, hey there," the griffin said, turning his noble white eagle face to look at them. "Can I do you all a favor, young Adventurers?" Then he blinked, seeming to look at them more carefully. "Now then, if it isn't Warlic and Cysero! And Innkeeper Serenity, my young miss!" He dipped his head in a courtly gesture of respect. "I've always wanted to offer you a ride one day, miss, if I may say so. And you do look to be an Adventurer now, in those spanking new Mage robes! So maybe I'll be seeing you more often?"

"Hello!" Serenity said. "Yes, you might be. But for today, Cysero and Warlic and I need a ride to Oaklore Keep. We're on an important quest. Would you take us there?"

"But of course!" the griffin said agreeably. "I'm always pleased to be able to help out you Adventurers on your quests." He moved his near wing back and out of the way. "Do hop aboard!"

Cysero, as might be expected, jumped on first. Warlic followed, moving more sedately but with equal confidence.

That left Serenity. She stepped right up next to the griffin, and only when she raised her foot to step up behind Warlic did she feel a sudden nervousness. He's going to fly! she realized, even though she had already known it. Now, the prospect actually registered. Levitation spells are one thing, but will I be able to hold on? But she didn't hesitate for more than a few seconds. After everything else she'd faced, a fear like this was not about to slow her down. Breathing out sharply, she swung her leg across the griffin's back and hopped up behind Warlic. A second later, her laundry golem jumped up and stuffed itself into her arms. It gave her another of those very expressive looks: You better hold me tight! was the definite message this time.

"Don't be nervous, miss!" the griffin said in a voice of cheerful reassurance, turning his head back towards her for a second. "I won't drop you!" Almost at the same time, he took one mighty stride forward and then another. His great brown and white wings swept up and down with each step. In the next pace after that, he gathered himself and leaped off the edge of the cliff into open air.

Serenity gasped at the sheer swiftness of the movement, feeling the wind of that motion blowing her long hair suddenly back from her face. She clutched the laundry golem to her chest with her left arm, and flung her right arm around Warlic's waist for balance.

Without saying anything, the Blue Mage put a calm, strong hand over her own. Serenity felt reassured, and at the same time there was something about his gesture that also made her feel deeply respected. He did not look down on her for being alarmed; it was simply a matter-of-fact expression of companionship. Serenity got the idea that he would have readily accepted the same type of gesture from her, if he had been the one who was anxious about something.

By the time Serenity felt composed enough to look around, they were soaring westward away from Falconreach, swiftly passing over a deep, wild-looking forest. A moment later, a truly enormous oak tree surrounded by much smaller white towers came into view in a large open area. As they neared it and began to swoop downward, Serenity realized that this must be Oaklore.

"Hey, would you stop back here for us in a little while?" she heard Cysero asking the griffin.

"Count on it!" the flying beast agreed.

The griffin landed just inside the wide, gradually curving outer wall of the keep, a short distance in front of the mighty oak tower itself. "End of the line, friends!" he announced. Standing quietly, he waited until all four of them had dismounted. Then, with a quick but very courtly and correct bow, he sprang back into the sky. Apparently, without passengers for the return trip, he did not need a running start in order to take off.

Serenity looked around, curious and amazed at the sights and sounds of this new place. Oaklore seemed to be a busy town, just as many Adventurers had told her when they arrived in Falconreach from this direction. Several knights and other townsfolk were running here and there, with a cheerfully urgent sound of hustle and hubbub and a certain amount of armor-clanking. Below it all, in a surprisingly harmonious contrast, was a low whispering rustle from the thousands on thousands of leaves in the high branches of the Keep's central oak tree.

The Innkeeper smiled. She loved Falconreach too much to ever permanently move away, but she could imagine that the people of Oaklore must find this a very happy place to live.

Xan, of course, was already there. "Hello!" he said, walking forward to meet them. "You're here, so let's go see Maya right away."

At that moment, Cysero seemed to catch sight of someone he recognized. "Heya, Cousin Rolith!" he exclaimed. He was striding quickly forward to greet a very tall, sandy-haired knight with serious olive-colored eyes.

The knight looked startled, then his businesslike face relaxed into a wide smile. "Cysero!" he said in a warm voice. "It's good to see you! How have you been? Laundry monsters treating you all right?"

"Never better!" Cysero replied cheerfully, as Serenity, Warlic, and Xan all stared in surprise. "In fact," the inventor mage went on, "my friend Serenity's got one of 'em right here. Come on, Serenity, show my cousin Rolith your laundry golem!"

"He's your cousin?" Serenity asked, finally finding her voice. She stepped forward, leading her golem by the sleeve. "Cysero made it for me. It's a wonderful pet! But - you're really Cysero's cousin, Sir Kinght?"

"Sure!" Cysero said. "The one and only Captain Rolith, leader of the knights of King Alteon."

Rolith smiled down at the laundry golem and patted its head in greeting, not seeming the least bit intimidated or alarmed by it. The golem beamed up at him and squeaked happily in reply.

Meanwhile, Cysero pulled out his Oak Staff from his backpack and held it up in front of himself. "And he's a very talented weaponsmith, too! He's the one who gave me this staff when I graduated from Swordhaven."

"Oh, come on!" Rolith protested, seeming just a little embarrassed now at all the praise. "I couldn't have made it by myself. Sir Jing and Sir Vey put a lot of their expertise into crafting this weapon."

"I know," Cysero said. "But complimenting you is fun. It makes you smile, and you need that. I always said you're way too serious! When was the last time you went to a party?"

"Ummmm..." Captain Rolith said, thinking. "About three weeks ago...?"

"Good enough," Cysero decided. "I'm proud of you, cousin! You need to keep that fun going. Otherwise you'll turn into a stuffy old prune!"

"Cysero?" Serenity asked. "How come you know so many people here?"

The green-robed mage turned to look at her. "Don't you know? This is my hometown. I used to hang around with Sir Jing all the time when I was a kid." Cysero grinned even more widely than usual. "That guy sure had some interesting ideas about weaponmaking! I learned a lot from him. Haven't talked to him in a while, though. Wonder what he's been up to?"

"Not now," Xan said sternly, as Cysero began to show every sign of being about to whoosh off in some random direction and look for his childhood friends. "It is time to go and get my Pyronomicon back from that little librarian. Come on!"

"Indeed," Warlic said. "We must speak with Maya. I do hope she will allow us to take back the book."

"Right-O," Cysero said. "Bye, Rolith! Make sure you keep taking care of yourself and don't get too boring."

"Okay," Captain Rolith said, as they walked away.

Warlic led the party up to a white tower that stood just to the west of the main oak-tree that formed the central part of the Keep's castle. A normal-sized door, its sides curving up to a point at the top, led into the side tower. Above it was a shield painted with the image of a sturdy beeswax candle, partly melted and with a bright fire burning on the wick. It looked like the perfect kind of candle to study by.

I wonder what Warlic meant about Loremaster Maya? Serenity thought to herself, as they walked into the tower. First he said Xan couldn't have taken the Pyronomicon from her, and now he says she might not give it to us at all. But why not?

Serenity had heard of Loremaster Maya from some of her Adventurer guests. The young librarian of Oaklore Keep was said to take her work very seriously, and to be a responsible chronicler of Lore's events. But Serenity had never heard anything to make her suspect that the Loremaster could have stood against a determined attack by the very dangerous Xan.

Inside the library, they came face to face with a girl in a fancy beige-and-purple dress with long white gloves, holding a large blue book in her arms. She looked several years younger than Serenity, but had a very serious and composed air about her. She wore her brown hair in two short, puffy ponytails on the sides of her head, and her deep gray eyes looked solemnly at them through a pair of oversized wire-rimmed glasses. She was, of course, Loremaster Maya.

"Welcome to Oaklore Keep!" she said. "I am the Loremaster here. How can I help you?" It sounded almost like a ritual, as though she had used these very same words many times before to greet countless Adventurers. Her even gaze went from one to another of the party members, until she looked down at the small blue laundry golem who stood by Serenity's side. Then her eyes somehow went even wider than usual.

"That is a laundry golem." Maya spoke quietly, sounding very alarmed. "Keep it away from my books!"

"Don't worry," Serenity said quickly. She found herself feeling indignant on her little friend's behalf, even though she understood that Maya's concerns about laundry golems in general were justified. "This isn't a wild laundry golem. It's my pet. Cysero made it for me."

"Cysero..." Maya repeated dubiously. "That isn't very reassuring, but we'll go with it." She leveled a stern finger at Serenity. "As long as that creature doesn't eat any of my books. If it does, I will expect you to go out and quest for replacements."

Serenity couldn't see how her laundry golem would ever eat anything, with its painted mouth, but she figured Maya had a right to be skeptical. "Fair enough," she agreed.

"Now, what may I do for all of you?" Maya asked.

"Warlic said you have the Pyronomicon," Xan said bluntly, striding forward to lock eyes with her. "Give it back. We need it for something very important now."

Maya narrowed her eyes, staring back at him. For an instant, Serenity thought she caught a glimpse of something old and deeply powerful in those eyes.

"Xarymandias," the Loremaster said in a quiet but almost challenging tone. Obviously, she had recognized Xan without difficulty. "You have not exactly been a force for good in Lore. Of course, I do not stand for good either, but I am at least in favor of order. You will have some convincing to do if you want me to give back the book that you have done such damage with in the past."

"You don't talk like a little girl!" Serenity said, before thinking it through. "I'm sorry - I don't mean to be rude but you really don't!"

"Loremaster Maya is far from being a little girl," Warlic put in seriously. "In fact, Loremaster Maya is not really 'Maya' at all."

Xan turned his head to look suspiciously at Warlic. "What do you mean?" he asked rather aggressively. Meanwhile, Cysero just stared at everyone, especially Maya, with a look of intense interest and curiosity.

It was the Loremaster who answered. "I think it's time for me to introduce myself." As Serenity watched, not sure what to expect, the librarian suddenly transformed. In the teenage girl's place, there was now a tall and rather ageless-looking man who appeared to be an elf. He was wearing an oddly anachronistic dark gray suit, over a classy-looking purple vest and tie and a deep red shirt. The same pair of gray eyes, though somewhat narrowed and more cynical-looking now, stared at them from a thin face framed by long gray hair and two pointed elven ears.

"I am Falerin Ardendor," the elf who was obviously the same person as Maya declared. "Known by many as the Loremaster, and by others as a powerful deity of evil." He focused his eyes directly on Xan, who was looking somewhat taken aback but not remotely daunted. "Xan, I greatly respect your powers as a mage but you could not have challenged me and won."

"Hello, Falerin," Warlic said calmly. His tone, though formal, was that of greeting a friend he had known for years.

Cysero grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, hi, Falerin! I didn't recognize you."

The Pyronomicon has been in the hands of a god of evil? Serenity thought, stunned. And this is what Warlic considers the safest place on Lore?

"In his case," Warlic said, "the title of Loremaster does not merely refer to the keeping of knowledge and history in books. In a very real sense, Falerin is the master of the world of Lore itself."

"I suppose you could say so," Falerin replied gravely. "But I try not to abuse that power. I'm happier just being Maya, in this timeline at least." His body flickered and wavered for a second, then changed back to the appearance of the wide-eyed, studious young girl who had first greeted them. In Maya's voice, the Loremaster concluded, "You heroes should get your chance to shape the destiny of Lore on your own."

"We appreciate it," Warlic said. "Now, about the Pyronomicon. Xan is right, we do need to ask you to give it back. I know you must remember what happened to our classmate Jaania years ago."

"I do," Maya said. "She's still trapped in that crystal, correct?"

"Yes, she is!" Xan said fiercely. "That's what we need the Pyronomicon for. Cysero gave me and Warlic the idea of fueling a wind spell with its power." Facing off with Maya, he finished, "I'm not going to burn down more of the world with it. I just want to help Jaania. But if you don't believe me, I will fight you!"

Serenity, looking at Maya and thinking about the things the librarian had said, was starting to get the idea that this particular god of evil was not really all that evil at all. Maya, or rather Falerin, just looked very skeptical and cautious right now.

"You should listen," Serenity said quietly. "Look, my laundry golem hasn't done anything to your books, even though you were afraid it would." She looked down at her pet, and it smiled up and her and gave a very responsible nod. Then Serenity looked back at Maya's face. "Xan did all those bad things because he was hurting so much. He's okay now. You can trust him... just like you can trust my laundry golem."

"Yeah," Cysero said. "Serenity's right. If Xan says he won't abuse the power of the Pyronomicon, then he'll keep that promise."

Maya stood quietly for a minute, obviously deep in consideration. Then she smiled at them. "All right," she said. "I believe all of you, and I won't be responsible for Jaania remaining trapped any longer. I will give the Pyronomicon back to you."

"Thank you," Warlic said.

Xan nodded curtly, then suddenly seemed to relax. Serenity realized that he had been standing in the same tense posture as when he'd been on fire, ever since Maya told them her true identity. "About that battle," he said to Maya. "I'd love to prove you wrong and defeat you right now, but we don't have time."

"Maybe after you and Warlic have freed Jaania," Maya said with a tiny smile. "A battle of Pyromancer versus deity will be an interesting challenge for both of us."

"Accepted," Xan said.

"So, where d'you have it?" Cysero asked, drawing everyone's attention. The wacky mage was looking at the books on Maya's library shelves, picking them up and checking their titles one after another.

"It is not in the library," Maya said. "Come, I will show you."

She carefully set her blue book down on the table behind her and then led them to a small door in the east wall of the room. Opening it, she went through and stepped aside for the party to follow.

On the other side of the door, Serenity saw that they must have entered the main tower that was built in and around the oak tree. White stone walls reached up about three times her height, but at that point they gave way to the living wood of the tree itself. This vast empty space, she thought, must be here because the tree was so majestically old. And this was what the human founders of Oaklore had been able to work with when they designed their stronghold. The effect was daunting and beautiful at the same time.

"Over here," Maya said simply. She pointed out a normal-looking door in the west half of the tower's back wall. "This is where I have stowed away the Pyronomicon.

"In here?" Serenity walked up to the door. A message appeared in the air in front of her eyes. You must be Level 999 to enter the empty storage closet.

"That's right," Warlic said, totally unsurprised. "Falerin - the only person in all of Lore ever to have reached Level 999 - is the only person who can open or enter the closet, so the book is safe because Falerin can be trusted with it."

"Ingenious," Cysero said. For once, he seemed to be amazed out of making any longer comment.

By now, Xan was staring at the door with a burning focus. He looked as if he might start trying his fire spells to see about blasting a Xan-sized hole through the wood at any second.

"Don't waste your spells," Maya said. "I'll get the Pyronomicon." She walked quietly to the magically sealed door, lifted the metal ring handle, and opened it. As Maya walked through, Serenity saw a brief purple ripple in the air of the doorway. She suspected that even now, with it open, no one else really would be able to get in at all.

"Let's see..." she heard from inside the storage closet. "Not in here... no, this is not even a book! I know I put it right around here..."

Just how empty is this 'empty storage closet'? Serenity wondered.

"Aha!" Seconds later, Maya emerged triumphantly holding what had to be the Pyronomicon. It was a very large and slightly battered-looking bright red book, with yellow trim and flame-shaped patterns along the top and bottom. On the front of the book was a big round ruby, set in the middle of a large swooping orange and yellow flame design. A golden latch with a small keyhole held the tome firmly closed. The entire book was surrounded by a red and yellow glow of heat, and it seemed to be trying to float right out of the Loremaster's hands.

"Wow," Serenity said. She could literally feel the magical power of fire that seethed, barely contained, within the pages of that book.

"Here it is," Maya said steadily, handing the book to Xan. After a surprised instant, Serenity understood why the Loremaster had done it. If she had handed the book to Warlic, it would have been like saying he had to babysit Xan with it. This way, Maya's proving that she believes Xan himself can be trusted.

Xan also seemed to understand. "I'll keep my word," he said. "Not that I would want to do anything else. Jaania is too important to me."

"And me as well," Warlic said. "We will do everything we can to free her, now that we have the Pyronomicon."

Maya shifted back into her true form as Falerin Ardendor once more. "I must warn you that, succeed or fail, the attempt will unleash magic so powerful that the book itself will be destroyed."

Xan and Warlic exchanged a look. "Meaning the danger of the book is removed from Lore..." Xan said.

"But also that we only get this one chance to free Jaania this way," Warlic finished.

The Loremaster nodded, then returned to the young girl Maya's appearance.

She does look much more relaxed and at ease in this form, Serenity thought. I guess being an evil deity could be a stressful job.

"Right," Maya said seriously. "I hope you can save her! Good luck!"

As if the griffin had known the exact moment they would need him, he flew into sight and arrowed down out of the sky just as they were leaving Oaklore Keep's central tree-tower.

"Right on schedule, then!" the feathered creature said brightly. "Hop on!"

"Thank you for coming back," Warlic said politely as he, Cysero, Serenity, and her laundry golem all climbed on board. Xan stood back a pace, out of the way of the griffin's sweeping wings. He was still holding the Pyronomicon as if no force in all of Lore could take it from his hands.

"No trouble at all," the travel griffin assured them. "It's what I do, because I love doing it. Now, where to?"

"If you'll just drop us back off at Falconreach, that'll be perfect," Cysero said. "We can take the portal from there."

"Sure thing," the griffin said, and took off. Below them, Xan cast his teleportation spell again and disappeared from sight.