38. CITY OF ILLUSION (ANGELA)

Whatever day it was, there were enough hours left to get to the city of Pedan. Or at least, the jungle where it was located.

Flammie set them down in a clearing in the thicket of tropical plants, even smaller than their landing spot in the Forest of Wonder. She hovered awkwardly as the party helped each other off, then fought to surface the treetops as she left.

They followed Carlie on blind faith, the girl insisting she knew the way. Hawk knew he had the best sense of direction of any of them, but he had the uncomfortable feeling that they were going in circles. Worse still, when they returned to what he thought was the start of the circle, it was in fact an entirely new place. Maybe Dryad was doing something crazy with these trees.

"It could be," Angela responded to his query. "Altena does not usually study moon or tree magic, it's a little too weird. And there is definitely some weird Mana in this forest."

With his sense of direction completely shot, he knew they had no choice but to follow the Bishop. And to cross their fingers that she really did know the way. She seemed sure enough of herself, skipping ahead happily, until eventually they came to a clearing - with nothing but a ruined stone building in the middle.

Carlie ran to the door and peered in as if there could be a city hiding somewhere inside. "Wh- what? It was supposed to be here! Heath wouldn't lie to me!" The tears started to form, and Lise moved to comfort the increasingly agitated girl, while the others gathered together.

"I knew it, we're lost," said Angela.

"It's getting late," observed Kevin. By the largest moon, it must have been almost midnight.

"Well, this looks like as good a place as any to spend the night. We can't venture further into the jungle tonight anyway," Duran decided.

--

There were only three beds in the hut, but the rough-woven blankets seemed serviceable enough. Hawk nobly volunteered to sleep on the floor. The other men were just behind him, arguing for who wanted to sleep on the hard stone, but Lise was already laying out some of the extra blankets for the two of them.

Lise might not have herself chosen to sleep on the floor, but if Hawk would do it, she would do it right there with him. For herself, Angela was glad that Hawk had eventually won over the others. She herself would have gladly let Duran spend the night on the floor without her. She plopped herself on the somewhat substandard accommodations, and, placing her staff neatly against the wall, curled up in one of the scratchy blankets.

Carlie was already snoring on the middle bed when Duran wrapped his arms around her. Having him there made it easier to sleep on the less-than-soft pallet, she thought, as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off.

--

Hawk awoke, a short while before dawn, the color of the sky outside no longer jet black but now a navy blue. Something in him did not want to sit still.

He gently extracted himself from the blankets; he carefully removed Lise's head from his shoulder, not wanting to wake her. She did not stir as he slid out. He stepped outside, and breathed into the night air -

He thought he had seen it all.

Wheeling around, he zoomed back in to shake Lise awake.

--

"What - " Lise murmured, eyes opening to see Hawk above her wearing an urgent expression.

"You've got to see this," he told her. "There's a city outside."

"What? Am I dreaming?" Lise's shout woke the others. Kevin slid neatly to his feet, while Angela sleepily told them to be quiet.

"No, come see!" He pulled her to her feet and towards the door. Duran was waking the sleepy Angela, while somehow Carlie had appeared fully alert next to him. "I told you! It's Pedan!" the girl said petulantly.

Lise looked out at the city beyond, ancient gold-bricked buildings catching the early dawn light as far as the eye could see. Even the outside of their ramshackle structure gleamed, somewhat age-worn but still bearing the marks of ancient construction. It couldn't be anything else but the city of magic.

Lise and Hawk stood guard slightly superstitiously, in case the illusion chose to disappear, while the others grabbed their things. Lise felt Kevin sliding her leather armor over her tunic, and her spear was pressed into her right hand. She stepped out of the no-longer-decaying building as the sun broke over the horizon.

--

"Where to?" wondered Lise.

"The Temple," Carlie announced determinedly. "They must have a temple if they have all this magic."

Altena did just fine without a temple, Angela thought, but their belief system was a little different. She did not want to be the one to correct the Wendelic Priestess - no, wait, Bishop.

Especially after they found the temple in question.

It wasn't a terribly impressive temple, just a single building no larger than the structures that were presumably residences. Inside, the interior was dominated by a huge tablet written in some ancient language, not the current Mana Tongue. It seemed to call to Angela, and she leaned forward towards it, fingering the carved letters. The same script, the same feeling, as the Forbidden Book…

Carlie was poking at the lower right corner. "What does it mean?" she asked, irritated.

"Angela? Are you getting anything out of this?" asked Hawk.

"Hush," she murmured absentmindedly, caressing the stone slowly. It was taking longer than the book, but it was perhaps even older. Nevertheless, as she touched the letters...

Some of the images were hazy. Trees, castles, mountains.

But every once in a while, she would touch a letter, and an image popped up, clear as day. The first thing she saw was a palace, deep in the jungle. She couldn't explain why, but it seemed like it was, but wasn't there.

She wanted to pull away, but forced herself to keep "reading".

A castle, high on a mountain, reachable only through a maze of caves. Storms wailed overhead. Even though it was day, it seemed dark as night.

The next flash. She knew where this was. A silvery silicon desert, sparkling like glass, and a blood red mountain above it. The shadowy shape of a dragon flying overhead. She knew this place, at least, from Altenan lore.

The last line, she sensed a Mana Stone, but it seemed to swirl with the other images. She could not say where exactly it lay.

She stood up, shaking her head to clear it. Duran looked at her, and stepped forward to put a hand around her shoulders. She was feeling a little dizzy.

"Well?" Kevin asked simply.

"It was very strange... it was like the Dark Stone was in all three places at once... like there was a possibility of its being there, but it wasn't certain."

"So how do we find it?" asked Lise.

"I don't know," admitted Angela.

--

Since the mysterious city appeared to be surprisingly populous, they figured it couldn't hurt to ask around. Not that it was really populated by… people… despite broad daylight, they had a definite ghostly aura to them. Most likely, they were the spirits remaining for the population's extermination… but they seemed rather personable, all things considered.

"Somewhere in the twisted maze of trees outside Pedan, there's a structure called the Mirage Palace," one man told them. "But I don't know anyone who has ever found it."

"If that first vision was indeed the Jungle of Illusion, then it could be the Mirage Palace we're looking for," Lise whispered to the rest.

"The Dragon Emperor is hiding at Dragon's Hole, making plans to destroy the city of Pedan!" another man gleefully told them.

"He seems strangely excited about it," noted Hawk.

"These are ghosts of the past!" Angela retorted. "Who knows what they think?"

"Dark castle? Not sure. There was once a Castle of Light, though... it was a bright, shining castle on an island north of Rolante. But the rumor is, it became the home of a prince who destroyed his own kingdom... perhaps that is what you are looking for," a woman told them.

"North of Rolante... Does this sound familiar, Lise?" asked Duran.

She thought for a moment. "A bit. I think that's the story of the prince who sold his soul to the demons... the one from the Ancient City of Light… but I hadn't heard that was where he was making his new stronghold."

"Demons? I bet that's where Bigieu will be found!" Hawk tensed angrily, in contrast to the Nightblade's usual deadly calm.

"But where first?" asked Carlie.

Good question. Shrugs were seen all around.

"Well, we're here... maybe start with this Mirage Palace, and take it from there," Duran suggested.

--

It was a small, blue-haired boy that ran across their path, stopping them in their tracks as they walked back to the "inn", that stopped Duran dead in his tracks.

"Prince Richard and the Golden Knight! They're here, buying supplies!

Duran knelt, and grabbed the boy's arm. "What did you say? Who's here?"

"Prince Richard and the Golden Knight, Loki! They're in the armor shop! It's that one!" the boy said, pointing to a building across the square before wriggling free. Wordlessly, Duran turned in the direction the boy had pointed, striding away, and Angela rushed to catch up with him. She had a feeling he was about to make a big mistake. Breathless, she entered the shop just in time to see Duran talking to a young, tall blond man, who looked oddly familiar.

"King Richard?" Duran asked, as she heard her friends arrive behind her.

"King? No, I'm his son. My father may be getting old, but he's still the king!" The blond man laughed.

Richard had been king for a decade. Could this be... ?

She noticed the auburn-haired knight next to Richard as Duran turned to him. The second man had a slightly angry cast to his features. She had seen that expression on another man close to her, many times.

"Father! Is that you?" Duran seemed as plaintive as a child. "Don't fight the Dragon Emperor! Please!!"

"Eh, who are you?" Loki replied. No mistaking it, just a pitch lower, but unmistakably Duran's voice. "I have a son, but he's only five years old. You do have his eyes, though. Well, I hope he turns out to be a sharp looking fellow like you!" Loki turned to his companion. "Prince Richard, are you ready? Then we shall go to Dragon's Hole!"

"Right!" Richard replied.

"Father!!" Duran cried. He lunged for the door the men were leaving out of, but Kevin had caught Angela's glance, and restrained Duran, who fought hard as the beastman held his arms firmly behind him. Angela motioned for all the rest to leave, as Duran gave in, his shoulders slumping dejectedly.

"Kevin, will you leave us, please," she asked. The beastman nodded. As he let go, Duran let himself fall to one knee, head hunched over.

Angela walked next to him, touching him on the shoulder. He pushed her arm away. She frowned. She wasn't very good at this comfort stuff, but he should know she was way too stubborn to take no for an answer.

Two, three times he flinched from her touch. On the fourth try, she dropped to her knees beside him, and grabbed him with all her strength. Physically more powerful, he could easily have wriggled out of her arms, but he did not.

Angela slid one hand softly under his chin. Easy, now, she told herself, or he'll get defensive again. It was with only the slightest touch on his cheek that she turned his head towards her.

Tears were in his eyes.

As his gaze met hers, he flinched away, but she caught his face, turning it back. Even facing her, he avoided her look, but her slender fingers held both cheeks now, and eventually he raised his eyes to meet hers.

She said nothing. There was nothing she could say. If she acknowledged his sadness he would be mortified. But they both knew it was too late, she had seen him cry. She caressed his face, then kissed him gently, his eyes, his nose, his mouth, tenderly. His eyes closed as he gave in to her touch.

His arms slid around her, and she let him pull her close.

--

Duran held Angela tightly. Amazing, with a few kisses, she had reminded him that the past was past, and the future was here. With her.

Embrace loosened, they sat together against the wall, in the now-deserted shop anteroom. He cried gently on her shoulder. Her silence was calming, but she never took her hands off him.

Eventually, it was enough. He stirred, and Angela sat up on her knees, as if to rise. "I don't know if I can face them now," he told her. No need to say who they were.

Angela did not speak for a second, looking down, seeming to consider her words. Finally she looked up and her gaze met his sharply. "I know you're brave enough to do it," she said.

It was just what he needed to hear. Getting to his feet, he squared his shoulders, and taking the hand of the woman beside him, he exited into the light outside.

--

"Shouldn't we wait?" Lise asked, as they returned to their lodging. "He might need us."

"He needs more for us not to wait for him, trust me on this," Hawk had replied. "It's the way he is, Angela can take care of him. Don't make a big deal out of it."

Lise took his advice seriously, schooling herself to stillness as the two came in. Carlie was engrossed in the house of twigs they were building, and Lise forced herself to maintain attention on the girl. Hawk had engaged Kevin in conversation, though Lise recognized Hawk's tone to be mildly forced. Rabite joke. Kevin laughed politely, a low, growling sound.

"So how shall we find this Mirage Palace, Lise?" Hawk directed the question her way. Lise looked up.

"Well," she said, forcing her tone to remain calm and even, "maybe Carlie could find the way. She seems to have gotten use here well enough."

The girl hopped up excitedly at the idea. "Of course I can! You just have to listen closely. The birds sound different if you go the wrong way. Then you get above the forest, in the hills."

What a strange sort of security system, Lise wondered.

Duran had sat to the side with Angela, and Lise forced herself to maintain the conversation, ignoring him. Gradually, Duran started joining the discussion, interjecting comments and proposals.

"It's still early. If we get going, we might be able to reach our goal today," he finally said, with an air of decision. He was back to the old Duran again.