A/N: Okay, before I begin, I would like to say just one thing: who the Sithing heck is 'Fluffy'? (Must… not use… chat smilie… to express… confusion) I read half of the first Harry Potter book and promptly threw it away. (Literally. Mainly because I'm a Christian, and besides, I find Lord of the Rings to have MUCH better wizards, clearly demonstrated by a list comparing Gandalf/HP that another LotR-loving-HP-hating friend and I made. Mwuhahahaha – oh, sorry.) Ahem. Anyways, the only book I've ever read that has a basilisk in it is the Tortall series by Tamora Pierce (You will read them. This is not a Jedi mind trick), so the only basilisk I've ever heard of is Tkaa. (And if you've never read the Daine books, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, huh?) I had to think of a weakness for my basilisk, since I can't have a kangaroo-pouched lizard just fry Val and Shean into stones (I'd have to end the story there, and what fun would that be?). For no apparent reason, I was thinking of some of those Looney Tunes clips that they still show on Cartoon Network where Daffy is able to calm Taz with music, so I figured I'd use that.

Anyways, I guess the point of the above super long and rather pointless monologue is that I have no idea what you're talking about if you ever reference HP, so I definitely didn't steal it from Rowling, heehee.

P.S. Sorry 'bout the Jedi mind trick comment. I just got my new Star Wars Insider magazine issue last week bounces up and down in chair, and one of the ads had that comment in there and I just had to use it. Heehee.

Chapter Twenty-six: Unexpected Developments

We had breakfast with our hosts the next morning before setting out once again to find this cave the little girl had told us about. She had explained how to reach the cave, and it appeared to be a rather long ways off. We probably wouldn't reach it until just a little while before dark if we started now, just after dawn. We'd have to stop for lunch along the way again, too.

Knowing this, we set off as soon as we could, thanking our hosts before we left. We did indeed end up stopping for lunch at the edge of a stand of trees that stood off the side of the road. We tied the horses to trees to graze and propped ourselves up against the trees, rummaging through our saddlebags for anything good to eat.

We talked for a while as ate, then I got up to see if I could find any water for the horses and for the thermoses Shean and I had gotten from the O'Connors. I had thought I had seen a stream or something from the road, so I listened for the sound of water. I soon heard it and found it where I thought it probably would be, at the other end of the trees. It was a small stream, but clear and looked like it would be fine to drink.

I crouched down next to the stream, holding the thermoses on their sides facing opposite the flow of the stream so the water would run into them. I started to stand up, having screwed the lid on the first thermos and placing it on the bank, and having the second thermos and cap ready to screw on. I screeched in surprise and, by reflex, threw the water from the thermos into the face of an old man who was suddenly sitting across from me, crouched over the stream and looking at me. He closed his eyes as the water flew at him, but didn't move, except to wipe the water out of his face.

Immediately apologetic, I crouched back down, apologizing profusely.

"No, no, it's all right. I've gotten worse from others," the old man replied in a surprisingly youthful voice for someone so old, using a corner of the big robe he was wearing to mop his of the last of the water.

Now that I knew he wasn't offended, I gave him a good look. He looked old, and yet he didn't look old. He looked… ageless. Like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, I guess. In fact, that was something like what he looked like. Not his face, maybe (except for the fact that the both looked to be about the same age), but the way he was dressed. He had on the kind of robes that I, as a fantasy fanatic, would term 'wizards robes'. He had white hair that fell a few inches past his shoulder, and a neatly trimmed white beard, once again similar to Gandalf's, only strengthening my guess that he was a wizard of some sort or another.

"Um, w-would it be rude of me to ask who you are? I'm Vallem." I used the alias that Shean and I had made up so that I had a boy's name, but he could still call me Val so that he wouldn't slip up and blow our cover.

The old man stood up, but I took my thermos again and started to fill it.

"Of course. I am Relakk."

"Are you a, um, a… wizard?" I stuttered. I couldn't believe how badly I was stumbling over my words. I had read about so many wizards in the fantasy books I'd gotten from the library in Washington, but I'd never thought I might meet a real one. Oh, sure, there were some at RingCon, but they were all fakies dressing up as Gandalf or Saruman, and that didn't count.

The old man almost looked offended for a moment, then must have seen the awe in my face and his eyes softened. "No, I'm not a wizard." He snorted. "The very idea! I am a mage. Wizards are a bunch of weaklings who claim to be a branch of magery." He shook his head. I filed away the fact that wizards were not a favorite of mages'.

I finished filling the thermos and screwed the cap on when Relakk spoke again. "What are you doing in these parts, boy?"

I hid a grin as I stood up, even though I already knew that my disguise worked fine. "I'm travelling with a friend. We're in search of a basilisk that's supposed to be in these parts."

I saw something in his eye when he replied, but I didn't think anything of it. "Would you introduce me to your friend, Vallem?"

I nodded. "Come on, this way."

I led the way back to the other edge of the trees.

"Shean," I yelled, "oh, Sheanie. We've got a visitor."

Shean's head popped out from over the top of a bush. "Oh, hey, Val. Who's this?"

"He's… um… um… uh…" I snapped my fingers, trying to remember the mage's name.

"Relakk," the mage supplied, extending his hand to Shean. "Glad to meet you Shean."

Shean took the proffered hand, but looked suspicious. "How'd you know my name?"

Relakk grinned. "She was just shouting it to the world a few minutes ago." Shean looked relieved, but I started. How did the mage know I was a girl? My voice was naturally kind of deeper and scratchier than most girls' voices, so I only disguised it a little, and with my chainmail on, most people wouldn't have been able to tell right away that I was a girl if their life depended on it. And hadn't he said 'boy' just a little while ago? I decided to let it go, though.

"So, Shean, Val tells me you two are travelling. Is it just a jaunt, or are you looking for something?" I was spacing out and didn't catch it until it was too late and Shean was already answering.

"We're looking for a basilisk lair that we heard was near here."

I glared at Shean and when he caught my eyes, he looked chagrined, seeing what I had before. This was a mage. We didn't know which side of the war he was on, if any, but if he was on Ferrel's side, then he'd probably recognize what we were looking for and he'd probably kill us at the least.

Relakk smiled. "Don't worry, Avalla Shirra, I'm not in this with Ferrel."

I gasped. How did he know my real name? I was pretty darn sure Shean had only called me Val as he always did for the whole trip. My fingers tightened on my sword hilt and I saw Shean's knuckles turning white on his own hilt.

Relakk shook his head. "No, don't pull your swords on me. I'm not going to do anything to you. I know what you're doing and I want to help you. I'm supposed to 'check in on you' with the shepherd." He rolled his eyes. "I scried to make sure you were there, but you weren't, so I searched you out. Believe you me it wasn't easy. It took me several days. I have a letter from your mother, if that will make you feel any better. She said that that should explain me."

"Then she doesn't know that I'm not where I'm supposed to be?" I asked, still suspicious. Relakk shook his head.

"She still believes you're safe in the mountains. If only she knew," he muttered under his breath so softly I just barely caught it, rolling his eyes. "I was supposed to pose as your uncle who's come to stay with you for a while, and I had a letter for the shepherd too, but I guess I don't need it. So now I suppose I'll stay with you and help you, if you'll permit me." He handed me the letter and I opened it and quickly read it. I looked up.

"The fairy commands."

"And Lucinda follows."

I smiled. "Very good!"

Shean looked confused. "What the heck was that all about?"

I grinned at him. "Mom and I have a passcode that we made up when I was little. I say, 'The fairy commands' and she replies, 'And Lucinda follows'. It's obscure enough that unless you know the passcode, you probably won't be able guess the reply, so it's pretty safe. And, don't ask me how, but Mom swore that she found a way so that even if she's tortured, she can't be made to tell the passcode if she doesn't want to, so Relakk must be safe."

Shean nodded. "Sounds fine by me, though I'm still trying to figure out this crazy world of yours."

I grinned. "Don't worry, so am I."

Shean just rolled his eyes. Relakk cleared his throat, bringing our attention back to him.

"Well, since I've apparently passed inspection, am I safe to travel with you two?"

I nodded. "Though we'll probably benefit from it much more than you," I warned Relakk, giving him an evil grin.

Relakk pretended to be scared. "I am warned, fair lady." Good, at least we didn't have to travel with a dry college professor-type mage with no sense of humor.

"Then I guess we have ourselves a party," I commented after a pause, not sure what to say. Relakk nodded.

"You do indeed. You also have yourself a teacher."

I stared at him, confused. "What in Faranth's first egg do you mean?"

Relakk looked somewhat surprised. "You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"I was not only supposed to check to make sure you were all right, I was supposed to teach you basic magik."

"What?"

A/N: sigh Geez, that whole chapter sounded SO lame to me. Did it read that way? I'm still struggling to think of a better way to introduce Relakk. If anyone has any ideas, they'd be welcomed, heehee. By the way, sorry I haven't emailed you yet, Gayle, I'll do it as soon as I don't forget. And yes, that helped, Guinevere, thanks.