2

Explosions

It was almost a week before Gerundi arrived in Luskan. In that time, Laero had shown Kaetlynn the wizard's home, a large two-story building in a secluded part of town. Kaetlynn and Laero had broken into the house, and explored it a bit to get a feel for the surroundings. It reminded Kaetlynn much of the wizard's tower back in Demara, very plain on the first floor and colorful on the second. She found all of the wizard's books and tomes, looked in many of them for some clue as to why he had wanted to kill her. He had given her a reason, yes, but it was just not logical. The young woman could not understand why.

And so it was that Kaetlynn was standing in Gerundi's study when she saw the caravan moving into town. She smiled slyly and rushed to the door. She leaned over the stairwell and yelled down to Laero, who was exploring the second floor.

"He is here!" she said. "Get out of here, but stay nearby." She said. Laero nodded and left the house. Kaetlynn returned to the window to watch the approaching caravan. She watched for several minutes, and when the old man was heard entering the house, Kaetlynn was nowhere to be seen.

She could hear the old mage enter the house from her hiding place. She listened for his footfalls coming up the stairs. He was alone, it seemed. Kaetlynn smiled as he entered the study. He left the door open, and headed to the desk, apparently too preoccupied to notice anything out of the normal.

Kaetlynn waited for a few moments before she swung the door closed with her hand. When it slammed shut, Gerundi spun around and saw the young woman leaning against the door frame with a smirk on her face. The wizard gave a nervous jump.

"K-Kaetlynn!" he sputtered. Kaetlynn smiled and removed her hand from the wall, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Greetings, Gerundi." She said casually. Gerundi tried to respond, but only a dry croak escaped from his mouth.

"I'd say you screwed up, Gerundi." She said smugly. The wizard shook nervously.

"I had the wrong wand," he said. Kaetlynn raised an eyebrow.

"I'd say." She said. The wizard trembled visibly when she approached him slowly. "So, are you going to take me home now?" she asked as she walked toward him.

"Hell no," the man said. "I went to kill you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do," he said. Slowly Kaetlynn retracted the scimitar from its hilt and brought it to Gerundi's neck easily. He eyed the blade with sweat beading on his forehead.

"You think about it." Kaetlynn said softly. "Because if you refuse, you'll go to sleep one night and never wake up." she added.

"Ah, but then you'll have no way to get home." The old man sneered. Kaetlynn gave a half-shrug.

"Then you'd better accept, you think?" she asked. Gerundi's brow furrowed.

"Why?" he said.

"Because, if you don't, not only will you be dead, but I'll haunt you in the afterlife." She said smoothly. "And as for me getting home, I'll find a way. I do seem to run the streets in Demara." She snickered, repeating his words. Gerundi did not reply. Kaetlynn removed the blade and turned all in one smooth motion, replacing the scimitar at her hip as she walked away. She slammed the door shut as she left, leaving the old man to worry.

Outside, Kaetlynn found Laero waiting for her in the alley.

"What happened? Is he going to take you home?" he asked. Kaetlynn shook her head.

"When he refused, I threatened him with his life. Smooth talk." She said with a shrug. Laero glanced up at her-she was easily a half a foot taller than he.

"I've known him-even worked for him. I don't think he'd be intimidated by that, especially when he could blow us apart with a wand." He said.

"So I've noticed. Growing up in Demara, you don't take anything as a joke." Kaetlynn said. "Maybe there's something I could do to make him take me seriously." She muttered. Laero licked his lips, thinking.

"Perhaps you could break into his house at night, and scare him into taking you back." he suggested. But Kaetlynn shook her head.

"He'd be too prepared, I know him. He's always got some sort of magical trap rigged." She said. They had been talking so long she didn't realize they had arrived at the inn. Kaetlynn did some quick thinking.

"Meet me back here at nightfall. I've got an idea." She said excitedly. Laero looked speculative, but he didn't ask any questions. He only nodded and walking away, heading to his own home. Kaetlynn and Laero went up to the old wizards house that night, knowing that he was not to be found there. Laero was somewhat speculative about it all but he followed Kaetlynn down the dark alley nonetheless.

"What are you doing?" he whispered harshly. Kaetlynn looked back at him. "Going to give the old man a little gift." She said. Laero's brow furrowed. He didn't like the sound of that. He waited for her as she quietly walked up to Gerundi's house and opened the door without a sound. Laero followed her in. "

What are you going to leave him?" Laero asked. Kaetlynn did not look at him.

"Well, I thought about blowing up some of his work." she said simply. Laero's eyebrows raised. "You know, potions, the like." She added. Laero nodded, still speculative, and began walking down the hallway. Kaetlynn could not help but wince after every one of his steps, coming down loudly on the wooden floor. Each step made a creaking sound, and the young woman partially worried if the floor were stable.

She had to worry even more when the floor beneath Laero collapsed, and he fell down through the wood. She rushed up to the spot where there now was a great hole. She hit her knees and looked down the hole.

Laero seemed fine, and he was looking up at her.

"Are you all right?" she whispered. Laero nodded.

"Fine," he said. "Come look what I found!" he said happily. Kaetlynn jumped down the hole and landed next to the young man, looking around.

"What?" she asked. Laero led her to a corner of the room, where there were several sacks of what appeared to be flour. Laero grinned.

"You were talking about explosions?" he remarked. Kaetlynn's face lit up when she realized what it was in the sacks.

"Smokepowder," she said softly. Laero nodded. She looked at him. "Good work. This will give him a shock, for sure. Laero nodded. Kaetlynn looked up, toward the hole Laero had fallen down. Kaetlynn looked up, toward the hole Laero had fallen down. "If we pull the bags over there, and light them, they will go off and the whole house will explode!" Laero nodded again, and they started pulling the heavy bags of smokepowder toward the hole.

"What does he need all this for?" Laero groaned as they heaved them together. Katelynn shrugged.

"Experiments, no doubt." She said. When they had finished, Kaetlynn instructed Laero to get out of the house and as far away as he could. She would get out alone after lighting the smokepowder. She waited until Laero had gone to light them. She lit the corner of the bag, so as to give her more time to run. She would need it. After the bag was burning, she hefted herself up the hole, but she was on the wrong side, too far away from the door to jump. There was simply no time; she had wasted enough trying to lift herself out of the hole. The bags would go off soon.

Instead the young woman turned and bolted for the stairs. She would jump out the window of the mage's study. She skidded into the room and ran to the window. There was glass in it, but that was a risk she was willing to take. She ran for the window and leapt through.

Just as she jumped from the window, the house exploded.