A/N – And lots of dialog. Hey, I had to have something to do during class. Err… don't tell my teachers. Look Ver! TWO chapters, and no brownies. :cries:

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The fire crackled off to the side as Jack stared up at the darkened canopy of tree branches. A rock dug into her hip, and the blankets wrapped around her were scratchy. Thinking about the rock and scratchy blankets distracted her from the cold lump that had been growing in her stomach for the last two days.

"So, this guy in Tantras can send me back?" She had plopped down next to Rasien while he unstrapped his armor.

He undid a couple buckles before answering. "Lord Banbrax is a very wise man, and a high priest of Torm. He will commune with Torm, and know what to do with you."

"He can't send me home." Jack stared at the paladin. Not meeting her eyes, Rasien tugged off his bracers. "Who can?" She watched the paladin fiddle with his armor and avoid her gaze a bit longer. "Who, dammit!"

Rasien finally dragged his eyes up to meet hers. "I don't know."

Across the fire, the shadows rustled, resolving into Jen. Jack closed her eyes and pretended to sleep as the ranger glanced across the camp at her.

"Mandier. Wake up." A soft thump and muffled noise that might have been a curse. "Mage-boy. Wakey-wakey. It's your watch."

The cursing gradually became more coherent, until Mandier finally managed a "Burn in the Abyss, I'm busy sleeping."

"Get up." A thunk and a startled yelp from the mage later, Mandier was up and Jen was curled up against a tree, instantly asleep.

"If you'd just get up," Rasien remarked sleepily from his bedroll, "The rest of us might be able to sleep through the start of your watch."

"Bite me." The paladin just laughed, and the camp quieted down again.

Jack opened her eyes and resumed staring at the tree branches. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out Mandier sitting cross-legged, staring out at the darkness.

"Mandier?" she whispered, "Is there anyone who can get me off this rock? There's not, is there?"

Cloth rustled as Mandier adjusted his robes. "I can think of five mages that could send you to worlds entirely removed from ours. What I can't tell you is if any of those worlds would be any better then this one." He paused. "It's possible that one of them knows of a place that you could find one of those… contraptions."

"It's a spaceship."

"Whatever. If nothing else, there are the Spell Jammers."

"The what?"

Mandier looked smug. "The more civilized version of that flying contraption."

"Spaceship. And since when was this world civilized? Anyway, if these people can help, why aren't' we going to see them?"

The mage shot her a sardonic look. "Because, of the five of them, two are undead, one is insane, and neither Elminster or Khelben Blackstaff are likely to cast such difficult and complicated spell simply because we walk up and ask. So we go see Banbrax, and he convinces them to help us." He paused thoughtfully, watching the darkness. "Or Torm tells him to do something inconvenient, and we get to try to convince Rasien to let us try to convince Elminster to listen." He flicked a glance at her, then became utterly fascinated with a nearby tree. "Not that I care what happens to you, wench. I'm only thinking about it because it's an interesting puzzle."

"And Rasien'll drag you along, wherever we end up going."

"Well, that too."

Jack sat up and wrapped the blankets around her shoulders. "What if I said I don't believe in magic?"

Shock colored a few moments of silence. Then, "You don't believe in magic? How can you not believe in magic!" He jerked his chin towards the fire. "You were standing right there when I lit that. Did you see me pull out a flint and steel? And if that… spaceship… doesn't use magic, how could it fly?"

"Physics. And just because I didn't see how you lit the fire doesn't mean it was 'magic.' There's no such thing."

Mandier sputtered. "No such thing? What are you, a lunatic? Oh, so if there's no magic, I suppose your friend from the 'spaceship' just blew himself up? And the little blue lights that came from my fingers and drilled the neat little holes in his chest were figments of my imagination, were they?"

"You had to use some sort of device." Mandier just looked at her. I doubt these people know what a toaster is, much less a plasma rifle. How could they make guns? Rasien's the leader, and he fights with a sword! Jack thought in confusion. But come on, magic?

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Mandier spoke up suddenly, hesitation written all over his face. "But what is this… physics? Surely it has to be a form of magic."

"It's science. Like when you use a flint and steel, and it makes sparks, that's physics."

Mandier stared at her without comprehension.

"Look, that fire isn't magical, right? It doesn't use magic, it uses physics."

His face cleared instantly. "Like psionics, then. Not magic, but similar."

"Psionics?" Jack yawned.

"Powers of the mind."

"Isn't that magic, too?"

"Bah." Mandier waved a hand. "There's three forms of power normally called 'magic.' Arcane magic, the true magic that I use, divine magic that priests and our friend with the big sword over there use, and psionics, which aren't really magic at all. Arcane magic comes from the Weave, divine from the gods, and psionics, which come from the mind."

"Right." Jack felt her eyelids drooping. "What if I told you I don't believe in gods, either?"

The mage just shook his head. "Go to sleep and stop bothering me, wench." His voice was gruff, but Jack could hear a hint of… something… in it.

"Mandier…"

"What now?"

"Do you think I'll be able to get home?"

He sighed. "Why's it so important, anyway? It's not like this is such a bad place, anyway." He paused. "You have family back there?"

"None that I want to see. But I've got to get back to searching." She yawned. "I'm looking for a man, and I have to find him."

"You scare him off with your looks?"

Jack chucked a twig at the mage and curled up again.

Mandier listened to her breathing even out. He looked up at the stars, and wondered.