Review Response:
No more Tony the car: Ya, they're back...sorry about Tony by the way...
Timra: Hm...I haven't quite figured it out yet.
Jadestar123: You'll just have to wait and see what he does I suppose, and of course I'll keep going! For a little while at least...I have a trilogy to finish up!
Conty: Wow! Thanks very much for the review! I really appreciate it!
Rubber Duck: Ya, ya...I couldn't leave her dead (for very long anyway). They've got to kill Trycos do they? Hm... Do you really think that's possible to do?
Mango Sam: Thanks for the review! It's always nice to hear that I actually was able to send some kind of emotion to my readers through my writing!
OoOoOoO
Devic (o) pursed his lips thoughtfully, pondering Will's question, "It seems to me that the four of you have two choices; one, travel all the way back to Corus with us and have Numair return you to your home..."
Phi nodded, "And the second option?"
Devic (o) frowned, "The second choice I can think of is once again searching for Trycos so that he can send you back."
Alex whipped his head around and sputtered, "That's our second option?!"
Phi turned to Luke and Devic (y), "I have a feeling that we're about to start a long and boring adult conversation..."
Devic (y) shrugged, "That's all right, there's nothin' better to do than listen to you talk anyways..."
Devic was about to reply to Alex's incredulous outburst when Phi turned back around and interrupted him, scoffing, "There's no way that he would take us back! He brought us here, remember?!"
"However, if I learned anything from chasing after that man for more than a decade it is that Trycos follows his own agenda and will often surprise you by what he does or what he is willing to do, despite the fact that he is homicidal and psychotic..."
Alex indignant frown deepened into a scowl, "So what do you suggest we do? Find the guy, walk up to him and say 'Hey, we're sorry for trying to kill you earlier, what do you say to let us go home?'!"
Devic (o) shrugged and nodded and Alex sighed in frustration and stared at the ground. Will glanced around into the thin trunks of trees and murmured, "How would we even begin to look for Trycos? It seems that he can disappear whenever he wants, traveling so quickly from place to place it is as if he had grown wings. I think it would be easier to catch smoke with your bare hands than to catch that man..."
Devic (o) rolled his eyes, "He may be sly and quick on his feet, but he is no puff of smoke, and he is no god...He is human like the rest of us and therefore can be captured or found...It is just a matter of tactics and timing..."
Phi frowned, "Well it sounds so easy when you say it like that..."
"I am afraid that is more easily said than done; however, with all of us here it should be a less difficult task..."
Alex nodded, "And do you think that going after Trycos would be easier or harder than just traveling back to Tortall, because, truthfully, and I think I speak for all four of us, we just really want to get home as soon as possible..."
Devic nodded slowly, "I understand...It must be difficult for you all to be in such a strange land as this, so different from your own...The time it will take to complete both tasks varies greatly on circumstances beyond my control, and therefore it is hard to tell which would be faster. Traveling back towards Corus may take three weeks if we are lucky, however if the weather is bad or a fell tree blocks a road it will take longer than that. Finding Trycos depends completely on what he is planning and how predictable he decides to be...If he had nothing planned after this little escapade of his, he may go into hiding for a while and he would stay stationary, but if Trycos has something else planned we will have to wait until he is spotted and then go track him down from there..."
Suddenly Phi felt something tugging on her pants and she looked down to find Luke staring up at her, "Mommy...I don't like it in here...Can we leave now?"
Phi smiled softly and turned to face Alex, Devic, and Will. Devic and Will, having no idea what they child just said because he spoke in English, looked curiously at Phi, "He wants to know if we can leave..."
Will smiled lightly and raised his eyebrows, "Of course! For a moment I forgot we were still in this haunted thicket..."
After getting a nod of consent from Devic (o) Alex lifted Luke up into his arms and Phi grabbed Devic's (y) hand in hers and the group began to head out of the woods back up to the moors.
OoOoOoO
The old man watched them disappear into the fog, perched on his marble steps with his walking stick lying beside him. His face was drawn into one of peaceful contemplation, his cloudy eyes mostly hidden from view by his bushy white eyebrows. He let out a long sigh and muttered, "I am so thankful that I was able to bring those two young people back to our world after what their kin went through to restore my beast back to its stone cage...It would have been a true catastrophe if the hound had managed to get lose and was able to reek havoc upon the world once more...Do you not agree Trycos?"
From out of the shadows Trycos emerged, his hands clenched behind his back. He walked calmly over to where the old man sat, his deceptive nonchalance given away by the disappointment in his brown eyes, "It is honestly a shame...For the first time in nearly a decade I was going to have some real fun, and you go and ruin it...For shame..."
"Unfortunately your horrific sense of humor does not suit everyone..."
Trycos sighed and sat down next to the old man, spreading his black cloak out behind him, "If you are referring to the bit of amusement I indulged myself in with those four, I did not necessarily mean for anyone to die...that was just a bonus."
There were a few moments of silence before the old man spoke up, "They are looking for you..."
Trycos sneered, "I know; it would have been very difficult not to hear them bickering about nonessential details and trivial matters. I am glad they have shut up, they were giving me a headache..."
"They are right you know...you are not a god. They will catch you eventually and some day you will have to answer for all of the crimes you have committed against the human race..."
"Than in the meantime I guess I shall just have to enjoy my freedom to its utmost..."
The old man was silent for a few moments more before asking, "So what have you planned to do now?"
Trycos grinned, and a mirthless chuckle escaped his lips, "Oh, do not worry...I have my own agenda to keep...This whole ordeal was just a slight bother in the grand scheme of things..."
The old man sighed, "That is what frightens me the most I think..."
"I would not be surprised, you always had such a weak constitution..."
"And I see your heart has grown no softer."
"Well, I must say I am flattered. This must be one of the first times that you admitted the fact that I actually do have a heart. Usually you just curse me and call me heartless!"
"Some of us mature with the coming of old age; two things that you would know nothing about..."
"Are you calling me immature? Please, would not you be if you had so much free time on your hands? Now, I really must be off...But before I go I have one last piece of business that needs to be addressed..."
Turning to face the mage, the old man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What else do you want of me?"
"Nothing that you were not about to give up anyway..." With a lightening quick movement Trycos revealed a dagger from behind his back and plunged it into the other man's chest.
The old man gasped in pain and surprise, a trickle of blood beginning to run down from the corner of his mouth, "...Why...?"
Trycos's face was calm but his eyes were burning, "You know I hate to kill in such a low manner, but I was left with no easy alternative..." He tugged the blade out and stabbed the ancient man again in the shoulder, "You see, you know much to much about me; who I was, what I have done, what I was like, my weaknesses...And I do not like that. It is unacceptable..." He watched as the old man writhed in pain at his feet and loosened his dagger once again, "I knew that if I released your dog, not only would I get to see a good show, but after it had killed Alex and Devic, two people I have had nothing but bad encounters with, it would then kill you, its master. After you were dead, there would be no spell to hold it in this miserable thicket and it could be free..."
The other man spoke with a wizened voice, gasping desperately for air as his gray robe was stained with red, "So much trouble...for such a simple goal..."
Trycos sighed and began to clean his blade with his cloak, "Yes well, that is the way I usually tend to do things...You see I just have so much time on my hands there is no reason to do it differently...Now, it is about time for you to die..." With a quick kick, Trycos slammed his foot into the old man's side sending him rolling down the stairs. When he reached the bottom he was already dead. Trycos grinned, "It makes you feel so young when people ninety years younger than you die of old age..."
OoOoOoO
Phi felt a cold shiver run down her spine and rubbed her arms with her hands nervously. Alex wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, resting his head against hers. They were walking behind Devic (o) and Will who had engaged themselves in a serious conversation about returning to Corus, an idea that seemed slightly unwanted from Devic's point of view and a topic of anxious worrying for Will. Alex leaned closer to Phi and kissed her cheek softly, "Hey...You all right?"
She nodded and nuzzled up against him, "Ya, I just got this creepy feeling."
"It's all right, we're almost out of the woods."
"Good. The sooner we get outta here the better..."
Alex kissed her tenderly on the lips and felt Luke squirm in his arms. He glanced down at his youngest son, "What?"
Luke frowned up at him, "That's gross..."
Phi smiled and rolled her eyes as Devic (y) grinned wearily before letting out a loud yawn. Will glanced back and smiled gently, "Perhaps we should think about setting up camp soon?"
Devic (o) nodded, his mind once again drifting off, "Of course, but let us wait until the sun is about to set. We should use as much daylight as we can."
Will gazed up at the thinning branches overhead, "Soon we may even begin to be able to see the sun shine again, instead of all this dead wood everywhere..."
Devic (o) glanced up and nodded again, "Of course. Soon, this will all be but a bad memory..."
OoOoOoO
A/N: Sorry I have to cut this kinda short, but my computer time's being limited. I assure you my next one will be longer. Enjoy!
No more Tony the car: Ya, they're back...sorry about Tony by the way...
Timra: Hm...I haven't quite figured it out yet.
Jadestar123: You'll just have to wait and see what he does I suppose, and of course I'll keep going! For a little while at least...I have a trilogy to finish up!
Conty: Wow! Thanks very much for the review! I really appreciate it!
Rubber Duck: Ya, ya...I couldn't leave her dead (for very long anyway). They've got to kill Trycos do they? Hm... Do you really think that's possible to do?
Mango Sam: Thanks for the review! It's always nice to hear that I actually was able to send some kind of emotion to my readers through my writing!
OoOoOoO
Devic (o) pursed his lips thoughtfully, pondering Will's question, "It seems to me that the four of you have two choices; one, travel all the way back to Corus with us and have Numair return you to your home..."
Phi nodded, "And the second option?"
Devic (o) frowned, "The second choice I can think of is once again searching for Trycos so that he can send you back."
Alex whipped his head around and sputtered, "That's our second option?!"
Phi turned to Luke and Devic (y), "I have a feeling that we're about to start a long and boring adult conversation..."
Devic (y) shrugged, "That's all right, there's nothin' better to do than listen to you talk anyways..."
Devic was about to reply to Alex's incredulous outburst when Phi turned back around and interrupted him, scoffing, "There's no way that he would take us back! He brought us here, remember?!"
"However, if I learned anything from chasing after that man for more than a decade it is that Trycos follows his own agenda and will often surprise you by what he does or what he is willing to do, despite the fact that he is homicidal and psychotic..."
Alex indignant frown deepened into a scowl, "So what do you suggest we do? Find the guy, walk up to him and say 'Hey, we're sorry for trying to kill you earlier, what do you say to let us go home?'!"
Devic (o) shrugged and nodded and Alex sighed in frustration and stared at the ground. Will glanced around into the thin trunks of trees and murmured, "How would we even begin to look for Trycos? It seems that he can disappear whenever he wants, traveling so quickly from place to place it is as if he had grown wings. I think it would be easier to catch smoke with your bare hands than to catch that man..."
Devic (o) rolled his eyes, "He may be sly and quick on his feet, but he is no puff of smoke, and he is no god...He is human like the rest of us and therefore can be captured or found...It is just a matter of tactics and timing..."
Phi frowned, "Well it sounds so easy when you say it like that..."
"I am afraid that is more easily said than done; however, with all of us here it should be a less difficult task..."
Alex nodded, "And do you think that going after Trycos would be easier or harder than just traveling back to Tortall, because, truthfully, and I think I speak for all four of us, we just really want to get home as soon as possible..."
Devic nodded slowly, "I understand...It must be difficult for you all to be in such a strange land as this, so different from your own...The time it will take to complete both tasks varies greatly on circumstances beyond my control, and therefore it is hard to tell which would be faster. Traveling back towards Corus may take three weeks if we are lucky, however if the weather is bad or a fell tree blocks a road it will take longer than that. Finding Trycos depends completely on what he is planning and how predictable he decides to be...If he had nothing planned after this little escapade of his, he may go into hiding for a while and he would stay stationary, but if Trycos has something else planned we will have to wait until he is spotted and then go track him down from there..."
Suddenly Phi felt something tugging on her pants and she looked down to find Luke staring up at her, "Mommy...I don't like it in here...Can we leave now?"
Phi smiled softly and turned to face Alex, Devic, and Will. Devic and Will, having no idea what they child just said because he spoke in English, looked curiously at Phi, "He wants to know if we can leave..."
Will smiled lightly and raised his eyebrows, "Of course! For a moment I forgot we were still in this haunted thicket..."
After getting a nod of consent from Devic (o) Alex lifted Luke up into his arms and Phi grabbed Devic's (y) hand in hers and the group began to head out of the woods back up to the moors.
OoOoOoO
The old man watched them disappear into the fog, perched on his marble steps with his walking stick lying beside him. His face was drawn into one of peaceful contemplation, his cloudy eyes mostly hidden from view by his bushy white eyebrows. He let out a long sigh and muttered, "I am so thankful that I was able to bring those two young people back to our world after what their kin went through to restore my beast back to its stone cage...It would have been a true catastrophe if the hound had managed to get lose and was able to reek havoc upon the world once more...Do you not agree Trycos?"
From out of the shadows Trycos emerged, his hands clenched behind his back. He walked calmly over to where the old man sat, his deceptive nonchalance given away by the disappointment in his brown eyes, "It is honestly a shame...For the first time in nearly a decade I was going to have some real fun, and you go and ruin it...For shame..."
"Unfortunately your horrific sense of humor does not suit everyone..."
Trycos sighed and sat down next to the old man, spreading his black cloak out behind him, "If you are referring to the bit of amusement I indulged myself in with those four, I did not necessarily mean for anyone to die...that was just a bonus."
There were a few moments of silence before the old man spoke up, "They are looking for you..."
Trycos sneered, "I know; it would have been very difficult not to hear them bickering about nonessential details and trivial matters. I am glad they have shut up, they were giving me a headache..."
"They are right you know...you are not a god. They will catch you eventually and some day you will have to answer for all of the crimes you have committed against the human race..."
"Than in the meantime I guess I shall just have to enjoy my freedom to its utmost..."
The old man was silent for a few moments more before asking, "So what have you planned to do now?"
Trycos grinned, and a mirthless chuckle escaped his lips, "Oh, do not worry...I have my own agenda to keep...This whole ordeal was just a slight bother in the grand scheme of things..."
The old man sighed, "That is what frightens me the most I think..."
"I would not be surprised, you always had such a weak constitution..."
"And I see your heart has grown no softer."
"Well, I must say I am flattered. This must be one of the first times that you admitted the fact that I actually do have a heart. Usually you just curse me and call me heartless!"
"Some of us mature with the coming of old age; two things that you would know nothing about..."
"Are you calling me immature? Please, would not you be if you had so much free time on your hands? Now, I really must be off...But before I go I have one last piece of business that needs to be addressed..."
Turning to face the mage, the old man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What else do you want of me?"
"Nothing that you were not about to give up anyway..." With a lightening quick movement Trycos revealed a dagger from behind his back and plunged it into the other man's chest.
The old man gasped in pain and surprise, a trickle of blood beginning to run down from the corner of his mouth, "...Why...?"
Trycos's face was calm but his eyes were burning, "You know I hate to kill in such a low manner, but I was left with no easy alternative..." He tugged the blade out and stabbed the ancient man again in the shoulder, "You see, you know much to much about me; who I was, what I have done, what I was like, my weaknesses...And I do not like that. It is unacceptable..." He watched as the old man writhed in pain at his feet and loosened his dagger once again, "I knew that if I released your dog, not only would I get to see a good show, but after it had killed Alex and Devic, two people I have had nothing but bad encounters with, it would then kill you, its master. After you were dead, there would be no spell to hold it in this miserable thicket and it could be free..."
The other man spoke with a wizened voice, gasping desperately for air as his gray robe was stained with red, "So much trouble...for such a simple goal..."
Trycos sighed and began to clean his blade with his cloak, "Yes well, that is the way I usually tend to do things...You see I just have so much time on my hands there is no reason to do it differently...Now, it is about time for you to die..." With a quick kick, Trycos slammed his foot into the old man's side sending him rolling down the stairs. When he reached the bottom he was already dead. Trycos grinned, "It makes you feel so young when people ninety years younger than you die of old age..."
OoOoOoO
Phi felt a cold shiver run down her spine and rubbed her arms with her hands nervously. Alex wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, resting his head against hers. They were walking behind Devic (o) and Will who had engaged themselves in a serious conversation about returning to Corus, an idea that seemed slightly unwanted from Devic's point of view and a topic of anxious worrying for Will. Alex leaned closer to Phi and kissed her cheek softly, "Hey...You all right?"
She nodded and nuzzled up against him, "Ya, I just got this creepy feeling."
"It's all right, we're almost out of the woods."
"Good. The sooner we get outta here the better..."
Alex kissed her tenderly on the lips and felt Luke squirm in his arms. He glanced down at his youngest son, "What?"
Luke frowned up at him, "That's gross..."
Phi smiled and rolled her eyes as Devic (y) grinned wearily before letting out a loud yawn. Will glanced back and smiled gently, "Perhaps we should think about setting up camp soon?"
Devic (o) nodded, his mind once again drifting off, "Of course, but let us wait until the sun is about to set. We should use as much daylight as we can."
Will gazed up at the thinning branches overhead, "Soon we may even begin to be able to see the sun shine again, instead of all this dead wood everywhere..."
Devic (o) glanced up and nodded again, "Of course. Soon, this will all be but a bad memory..."
OoOoOoO
A/N: Sorry I have to cut this kinda short, but my computer time's being limited. I assure you my next one will be longer. Enjoy!