WELCOME!!
Sorry it's been a tad late in updating but Part 2 is up and running. This, I think, is probably one of my better chapters. I couldn't have done it without my great proof-reader Kasienda. If you think the grammar is a bit better, or the read overall just seems to flow more, then you can probably thank her for that. Anyways, I'd like to thank all those that have reviewed this so far! Things start getting a bit darker, a bit more mysterious, and a bit more urgent in this chapter. But why tell you when you can read it for yourselves! I hope you enjoy it!
Trouble in Paradise
Part 2: Questions and Answers
"Tell me Gaspar, O' guru of time, the progress of the new power source for this ailing kingdom," desperately asked the Queen of Zeal upon the guru's entrance onto the palace foyer. Her sapphire blue eyes filled with worry and the red lines stood testament to the sleepless nights she had endured after hearing the news. Five days had passed since the king initiated the ceremony and only four remained before it would be complete. He wondered if she'd slept at all in the last week. The desperate look in her eyes was a marked contrast to the kind and confident ruler he knew her to be. It almost made Gaspar want to assure her that all things would work out in time, that all would be as it always had.
"It progresses your majesty," the tall guru simply answered as his two counterparts, Belthasar and Melchior, appeared from behind him and spread out to his sides. "Perhaps the question should fall to Melchior as he is a better judge of minerals and metals." The queens pleading eyes turned from Gaspar to Melchior.
"Well fielded," responded Melchior with a nod to Gaspar as he turned to address the queen, "The power source, that we are calling Lavos, is indeed immense. From the details you revealed during your initial discovery, your guess as to the amount of energy it can hold is most likely correct. So far our survey shows that it is at least as powerful as the sun stone. Because our studies have been limited to a short period of time the power of this new energy source could even be a great deal more than that of the sunstone. There is definitely enough power to suit our purpose."
"Is it possible to posses this power before the sun stone is to be refilled," asked the Queen her eyes brightening with hope."
"Not safely, no", responded the Melchior, "So far no minerals: jewel, gem, crystal, or stone has the capacity to hold the required energy to power the city for a single hour. To wield this much energy without another vessel such as the sun stone would require a direct feed to the source of power and a device to regulate the daily energy allotment for daily needs."
"This is Zeal wise guru," said the Queen suddenly with fury in her voice, "Are you telling me such a device is beyond the power of this magical kingdom?"
"Not at all your majesty," suddenly stepped in Belthasar. Melchior and the Queen, while civil at most times, were not exactly friends. The queen probably thought the Guru was obscuring the facts, but even Melchior loved the king. Better to intervene before fighting broke out.
"But it requires time we don't have," admitted the guru of reason, "Give us another moon, two at the most, and we can accomplish this task and free the Zeal line from the curse of the Sun Stone."
"That is sadly more than I can give," responded the queen woefully, "Surely there must be something the Gurus of Zeal can do! My hope, my husband's hope, lies in your hands! Please, I beseech you!"
"We'll continue our research," stated Gaspar, "We endeavor to accomplish this quickly. Please, be patient my Queen."
"Very well, go now with haste then!" exclaimed the queen suddenly, somewhat angrily, as she dismissed the trio. The three Gurus bowed as one and filed out single file. Before they were completely gone, the Queen called out once more.
"Belthasar, may I speak with you privately about another matter?" the Queen asked before the last of the gurus could leave. Motioning that the others should continue without him, he stayed behind as the nervous Queen twirled the fabric of her dress in one hand and played with a pair of meditation stones with the other.
"You love your King, do you not?" finally asked Queen Zeal.
"As my very brother your majesty!" exclaimed Belthasar, "That is why we will-"
"But you won't in time", plainly stated the queen with real sadness in her eyes, "I must know if there is any other way to refill the Sun Stone. Any other way at all! You're knowledge of the stone is only surpassed by my husband's and he tells me this is the only way. Does he speak the truth?"
"As you know, my queen," stated Belthasar as he sat in an offered seat, the queen taking one as well. "The Sun Stone requires an enormous amount of energy to refill, something the Zeal bloodline possesses, a magical ability that far exceeds anything the power of any other Enlightened ones. If you could, however, find another such compatible energy source that is similar, or suitably high to serve as a temporary solution, then it would be possible I suppose."
"Lavos however does not have a compatible energy type to refuel the Sun Stone or it would be a simple matter indeed! The source would have to come from another with elemental energy. The only two things that possess the power of the elements are the elements themselves and the Enlightened Ones. Without the power of the Enlightened Ones though, the elements themselves are spread too thin to provide a suitable source of energy in a short period of time. Thus the only suitable source at this time is an Enlightened One with significant magical prowess, comparable with the king's. Not even you possess that your majesty."
"But if you could find such a person, would it work?" asked the queen desperately.
"Yes, it would be possible. However," stated the guru as he rose from his seat, "finding a person with the required amount of energy, and willing to go through with the ceremony, is as likely as finding another Sun Stone."
"I understand," stated the queen sadly, "I wish to think in private for awhile. Please use whatever resources you need. You have my approval for anything that falls under the command of Zeal."
"Thank you your majesty, we will do our best," bowed Belthasar before turning stiffly and walking away. Meanwhile, looking down at the green and blue scenery of Zeal, a plan was forming in the queen's head.
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While dark forebodings played games in the Queen's mind, no such thoughts were encompassed in the minds of Lana and Glenn. It was a sunny day, the air fresh and crisp, both were of sound health and clean, and no one was trying to kill either of them. So far, it was a fine day indeed!
"Is yon city our final destination?" asked Glenn as the city of Kajar shone out of the Zeal horizon like a white marble beacon. During their walk Glenn avoided asking why, or how, they were here. Instead he made idle observations, initiated conversations when silence lingered for more than a few minutes, and appeared generally content with the entire scenario. Lana found that more than a bit odd but decided not to press the issue. The first question about where they were going made the mage-hunter realize that Glenn was concerned, just very good at keeping a cool façade.
"Nope," responded Lana, "We are, however, headed towards the palace library on that mountain." The swordswoman pointed to the obscenely high mountain with a white palace atop and Glenn nodded in understanding.
"Then thou seeks shelter?" asked Glenn again as he eyed the slowly setting sun. The glowing rays stretched out to touch the clouds and found them just out of reach. Darkness would arrive long before they reached the palace grounds.
"Not a bad idea," nodded Lana, "The city is called Kajar by the way." The mage-hunter volunteered the information freely hoping that it would ease the knight's curiosity. Though she'd just meant to just say the name, she continued to talk as if a floodgate had been opened. "That's where most of the magical research for Zeal is conducted. Well, not the city itself, but the laboratories that sit right next to it. It's a pretty big city actually, largest population density anyways. They really do great magic there, this one time I remember seeing……"
"Remember seeing?" Glenn prompted after Lana had mysteriously lapsed into silence. Her voice had been full of such wonder and excitement when she'd started. Now the swordsfrog detected her mood plummeting quickly.
"It's nothing," muttered Lana, picking up the pace of their walk. Neither said much of anything to one another; Glenn waiting for Lana to calm down, and Lana trying hard to tell the difference between what were, and weren't, her memories.
The two reached the outskirts of the metropolis just before the sun touched the clouds seeming to set them afire, its' golden fringes flickering orange patterns across small pieces of the horizon. Lana's mood seemed improved and Glenn was glad that whatever previously clouded her mood was gone.
Robed figures crowded the walkway that wound between the sometimes tall, and sometimes squat, marble buildings that were the mainstay of Zeal architecture. Some bustled here, some pushed forward there, and some appeared to have grown tired of the crowded streets as they sailed overhead. Vendors hawked wares with loud voices and colored signs that floated in the air with moving pictures demonstrating their products. Other vendors had shops that floated in the air, rope ladders giving access to those that couldn't fly.
With all the strangeness it was not surprising that none paid the frog-knight any attention, nor did they try and avoid his presence; he was just another body in the crowd to them. Despite the lack of any reaction, Glenn stuck close to the mage-hunter. This had been the first time he'd been around so many people since he'd left Guardia all those years ago. The crowd, while seemingly not hostile, presented too many targets to take on at once if his presence did elicit a violent reaction. Too many times had one outburst turned a seemingly docile crowd against him. He felt vulnerable, very vulnerable.
"Mayhaps thou knowest of an inn for the night?" asked Glenn as they walked down the busy street.
"Why would I know…," started Lana as she looked back to Glenn then stopped short and starred straight ahead again. "Never mind… There should be one up ahead, just follow me." The brief improvement of her mood was washed away and it seemed that whatever he'd said had upset her again. So he silently followed as they pushed past colorful shops, bright banners, loud vendors, and countless Enlightened Ones. At last they broke from the main road and entered into a small alley.
It was lit with plentiful magical lamps that were hung at regular intervals. A good thing too since the tall buildings blocked out most of the natural light that made its' way down to the alley floor. Glenn compared it to a forest, seeing as he'd spent a great deal of time in one these past years; there were some that lived at the top of the "canopy" and some that lived at the bottom on the forest floor. His description was more apt than he realized, doors and entrances were placed in buildings where there was no visible ladder or stairs up to reach them. The varied and many signs were less grandiose than those on the main street and most simply had glowing text proclaiming their name.
Lana didn't hesitate as they entered, so neither did Glenn despite how much he wanted to stay and stare straight up just to see how high it went. Perhaps another time, he thought to himself, or once her mood has passed. They glided by several others in the alley, most offered the two time-travelers a brief nod, if anything at all, and none seemed to see the two as more than another two Enlightened Ones.
At last they came to an open entrance with a sign that hung over the inviting arches proclaiming this, "The Mage's Retreat". There was a lone robed figure outside that stood erect and tall, though his face was hidden by the dark shadow created by the hood he wore. Normally this would have been a sure sign of someone suspicious, but Lana walked right up to the figure, causing its' head to slowly turn and regard her smaller form.
"The road inside lies open…" started the figure with a deep gravely voice but trailed off. Immediately Lana picked up where the hooded figure had left trailing and finished it with, "To those enlightened enough to stand with the clouds."
"And when that enlightenment become too great of a burden?" asked the figure without moving his body or head further.
"Then you must make your way to the Mage's Retreat," finished Lana with a slightly annoyed look on her face. Glenn simply wondered how long she'd lived in this magical city, and why she'd left in the first place. Questions for another time, he thought to himself, as the lone guardian stepped aside and allowed the two to pass.
"Don't ask," stated Lana after the doors had closed behind them.
"Perish the thought," stated Glenn with a serious look on his face. The mage-hunter caught the look and her hardened features softened as she took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry Glenn, it's not your fault I'm angry," she started, "That was just their advertisement slogan, and they like to think the little jingles are some great secret password. Almost every hotel has one of those things, or something like it anyways."
"Very well m'lady," stated Glenn, "Though I hope 'twas no fault of my own that caused thee a sullen mood."
"No," sighed Lana, "Just bad memories."
"Anything I can perchance assist thee in?," asked Glenn. Lana smiled and turned back around to lead them even deeper into the Mage's Retreat, "Perhaps another time", she said over her shoulder.
Lana took the lead several floors up before pushing out from the column of light that had drawn them higher and higher up. Glenn had tried to ignore the fact that they were flying and instead focused on keeping his head on his shoulder. The almost failed attempt at an exit, and the resulting face-first landing on the floor, didn't help the frog-knight any. Rising and brushing himself off, he found the mage-hunter was already walking further down the hallway. Jogging a short distance he caught up to her and then resumed his relaxed pace, hoping perhaps that she'd not noticed his blunder.
"Have a good landing?" slyly queried the swordswoman as she scanned back and forth from door to door.
"Mine fortunes were good, the floor was there to break mine fall," responded Glenn without missing a beat, "Though I doth think it might have a hidden agenda."
"I see," responded Lana with a sagely head nod, "The floors are revolting after all."
Glenn simply threw her a questioning look in response and stated, "I'm not sure I understood that correctly." The mage-hunter only smiled in return and said, "Don't mind my corny jokes." Talking the sudden attack of bad humor in stride, the swordsfrog pretend to closely examine the nearest wall as they walked.
One did not have to look for beauty in this inn though as the Mage's Rest was as opulent as the rest of the kingdom. Grey metallic doors stood out from the white marble walls of the "Mage's Retreat" but both were equally detailed with exquisite embossed patterns and art. The floor and ceiling were made of the same marble except with a slight rose-colored hue and inlays instead of embossed patterns. The interior of the building was circular in nature and they'd almost walked all the way back to the starting point before Lana stopped suddenly. Approaching the nearest the door mage-hunter gently placed her hand against it. A blue light emanating from a jewel at the top of the door way blinked twice. Glancing back down the hallway to the other doors, Glenn noted no other jewels were alight.
"Room for two, one night only," she stated. The door flashed brightly for just a brief moment before Lana removed her hand. "I do have to hand it to them though, getting a room is a lot easier here," she admitted. Lana placed her hand back on metallic door it slid upwards into the ceiling and allowed the two time travelers entrance. "These doors will open when one of us places our hand on it, but only for us since we are the only two that touched it when we rented the room. So don't worry about losing the key!"
"How do we pay?" asked Glenn, puzzled that no money had exchanged hands in return for the room. The mage-hunter only waved it away and responded, "They'll collect a sum before we leave. I have no idea how I'm going to pay them yet though."
Glenn simply nodded and bowed slightly while motioning to the entrance, "After you m'lady." Lana put on a mock show of amazement and pranced grandly into the room as if she was in fact a queen.
"Why thank you sir knight," she said in a husky voice, "I proclaim this the land of Lana!" Turning back around to Glenn she still saw the serious look on his froggy-face. Walking over and bending down to his height she took a corner of his mouth in each hand and stretched his stoic look into a smile, "Come on, smile Glenn!"
"Knights do not smile," remarked Glenn, "Tis against our code of stoic chivalry." Lana let go his face with a slight frown. "Doth fall under the same clause that instructs us to make dramatic entry poses and stand against setting suns." Lana stood and put on a stoic face as well.
"Very well sir knight," she stated, "I will follow your proud example!" Both held the tight lipped, hard-eyed face seconds longer before breaking into smiles and laughter. Who knew one of history's premier swordsmen would like subtle, and often inane, humor almost as much as the mage-hunter.
"I am gladdened by your brighter mood," commented Glenn as the two walked through the rented room. In the center, which sloped downward on all sides like a shallow bowl, there was a tall fountain of flowing water that produced a soothing sound. Pillows surrounded the fountain and the feathery seats, combined with the babbling sounds of water, would make a comfortable place of relaxation indeed. Several beds of polished wood and intricate carvings lay off to the side on a flat raised portion of the room. Plump looking mattresses were in each bed frame and several exotic potted plants dotted the room, along with more small magical lamps in each corner. In an open archway next to the bedding area Lana discovered the bathing area. Beyond both the fountain and living area was the balcony with a lone lamp-post.
Walking straight for the balcony area, and promptly discarding the overly warm robe, Lana was greeted to the sight of the city of Kajar caught in transition from day to night, commonly known as sunset. She'd half expected to see the field of clouds from here but realized they weren't high enough up, or close enough to the edges of the continent, for that to happen. A pity, Glenn would have liked them. Lingering several minutes on the beautiful view, letting the slight breeze play with her long hair and foreign memories arise new in mind like teasing bits of a bigger puzzle. The mage-hunter finally snapped back to the here and now when Glenn joined her on the balcony.
"Tis indeed a beauteous sight," he commented in awe. Here and there small lights were activating of their own accord as the need for light increased with the main, natural, source of it vanishing. The white marbled buildings turned an orange hue, almost like the clouds did, and the entire city seem to change colors; from bright orange, to a darker red-orange, and then finally a light purple as the sun was completing its setting.
"M'lady," began Glenn, "I doth have a few questions to ask. If thou does not mind that is."
"Go ahead," she responded, "It's probably better I answer them now than later. Though some I won't be able to answer, I hope you can understand that there are things I just can't tell you."
"Indeed," stated the frog-knight, "Very well, I shall respect your wish of privacy. Mine first question doth be; do you hail from his fae kingdom?"
"No," she stated before pausing in uncertainty, "And yes…. It's complicated. The truth is this is the first time I myself have ever been here."
"You seem to know your way around rather well." responded Glenn clearly confused.
"Memories," she stated, "Again, it's complicated. They aren't my memories, but I have them anyway. The person they belonged to had been here before, so I know my way around from his memories. That's the best I can explain it."
"Memories that are not your own you say?" asked swordsman with a questioning glance, "Very well. Mine next question is; what doth be our purpose here, what are we to be searching for?"
"I'm looking for information about a magical curse placed on me," she stated, "It can…take control of my body and make me do things that I don't want to do." A brief cloud of emotions passed over her face at remembering the mystics and the old hermit she'd killed. Glenn noticed the flicker of emotions in her eyes but said nothing.
"Anyways," she continued, "The palace libraries are supposed to contain some books on the subject so that's where we are headed."
"And it doth lie on the peak of the mountain you pointed to?" asked Glenn in response. Lana nodded an affirmative and the frog-knight accepted the information.
"If doth your purpose be of learning from books, is not a laboratory a place were knowledge is discovered and kept?" asked the swordsfrog after thinking about what Lana had said earlier, "Mayhaps this laboratory has something on the subject you seek."
"You're….right!" exclaimed Lana, a light bulb going off in her head, "I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" Reaching down and giving the knight a big hug she quickly ran back inside to grab her robe and threw it over her shoulders again.
"Let's go!" she exclaimed brightly. Glenn shook his head and sat his sheathed sword down next to his bed.
"I doth think I shall retire for the day," stated the swordsman, "Unless, of course, you are in need mine presence and skills." A brief frown passed over Lana's face but quickly evaporated behind a grin as shrugged.
"I don't know if I can defeat the horde of books without your mighty blade present but alas I shall try!" stated Lana, placing the back of her hand on her forehead in a mock posture of despair. "Seriously don't worry," she stated once her act was done, "I'll be fine and you probably still need rest from the past few days anyway. I'll be back before midnight, sleep well Glenn."
"Good hunting," he replied and she quickly touched the door and left. "A magic curse," muttered Glenn to himself, "We doth have more in common than I thought."
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Lana breathed in the refreshing night-time air as she strolled down the streets of Kajar. Magical lanterns had replaced the sun-light and allowed those out and about a clear field of view. Even with the coming of night the streets remained crowded, the ceaseless pace of the day extending into the night. As she bumped and pushed her way farther and farther down the walkway, the traffic slowly eased until it was light enough to walk without the fear of randomly bumping into someone. With the main city behind her she was almost to the research labs that made Kajar famous, in this time period and in the history books at the Chronopolis.
Thinking about the time station made the mage-hunter wonder why an Observer hadn't stopped her yet. Surely they must be picking this up on the scopes, especially with the number of people they had monitoring this particular time period. Still, time was kind of large, and maybe they were undermanned as well. It made her slightly uneasy knowing that if she was going undetected, then who else was doing the very same thing? How many time crimes were being committed without an Observer there to stop them? How many time crimes had she already committed? Shaking her head vigorously to clear out these thoughts, she was already here so there was no use in regretting her actions. Instead she decided to concentrate on her goal.
While her original intent had been the palace library, the laboratory and library here might hold something that could not be found on the high mountain. Surely, with all the research done here someone must have studied the Black Wind. Even if it was a brief overview, someone must have taken note of it. That was her hope anyway and, well, she was already in town and might as well try her luck. Any lead, no matter how small, could uncover the mystery.
Approaching the large dome structure, surrounded on all sides by small pods clumped along its' base like extra growths, Lana again thought of the time station. The dome was at least as big as the bio-dome, probably bigger, and she wondered if perhaps Belthasar had modeled it after this once he'd seen it in his travels of time. Though it wasn't as large as the city of Kajar, the fact that most of the laboratory's residents stayed in the dormitories provided made it very city-like.
The mage-hunter scoured out the nearest entryway into the dome and didn't have to look too far to quickly find one. Approaching the entranceway caused the magical doors to part and a draft of cool air quickly escaped the confining dome. Stepping in, the door immediately closed behind the mage-hunter just as a floating face resolved into view. The visage was that of a young man with flaky red hair, old enough not to be considered young but not old enough to be considered old. No body appeared to accompany the floating head and Lana quickly masked her initial response of shock.
"How can I help you tonight ma'am?" asked the face with a pleasant smile. Before answering the mage-hunter quickly scanned it for an aura and discovered it wanting. Instead of the usual details all that appeared was an outline of the floating head, no emotional signatures or patterns. That meant it resembled the holograms on the Chronopolis, just a projection of an image.
"Yes actually, I'm looking for the library," she stated, "It is open isn't it?"
The face smiled again and answered, "Of course, it's always open. You cannot put an open and close time on the gates of knowledge after all. What subject are you looking for? I can probably direct you to the appropriate section."
"Well," said the mage-hunter hesitantly, "You wouldn't happen to have anything on 'The Black Wind' would you?" That was the only name she had to go on, hopefully it would be enough.
"Hmmm," stated the youthful floating head as he made a thoughtful face, "We have some located in the fiction section and one entry in the 'unsolved magical anomalies' section. Will that suffice?"
"Well, it's a good place to start," agreed Lana, surprised that he had found anything at all. From what she understood Janus had been the only one to call it the Black Wind. Well Schala hadn't anyways, though that didn't mean those before her hadn't. How far back did it go was the question.
"Very well," stated the flame-haired head, "I've taken the liberty of collecting the books that bore mention of the subject and they should be appearing next to you about now." Almost as soon as the red-haired face finished, a stack of books materialized next to the swordswoman. The stack was pitifully small, only 3 books, for dealing with a subject that seem to hold so much mystery and power. It disappeared a few moments later and the voice continued.
"I've had them sent to the reading center and they will be there upon your arrival. Anything else today ma'am?" This was perhaps the most polite and helpful Enlightened One she'd ever meet. Actually, thinking on it, everyone she'd met since arriving had been more than kind and courteous. It was odd then that the history books painted them as vain and arrogant individuals. Perhaps the history books were wrong too? Or maybe she'd been overly lucky with those she'd encountered.
"Thanks, I just need to know how to get there," stated Lana. The face smiled again, "Just follow the floating arrow, it will guide you through the complex. I'm the duty librarian so if you need me just say Lucas out loud and I'll be with you as soon as possible. Enjoy your stay at the greatest knowledge suppository in the known universe."
With that the head vanished with as much theatrics as it had appeared, none. In its' place was a glowing arrow that slowly started to move down the right passageway of the corridor. The swordswoman took the hint and followed it. The faster she walked the faster it floated, the same went for slowing down, so she picked a comfortable pace and let her gaze wander to the rooms she passed.
It guided her down the corridor for some time before taking a right turn that opened up into a large room. At first Lana thought it empty, but upon walking in a bit further she saw what produced the need for such a large and open space. An exact replica of the galaxy was held suspended in mid air. Not suspended, she thought to herself after noticing the miniscule movements the planets made along their correct course, just moving very slowly. Robed figures also floated and spoke in gruff voices, talking and arguing about some inane detail probably, as the galaxy went about its' business around them. In accompaniment others pointed, some nodded sagely, and a few furiously wrote in open notebooks.
The arrow led her out of the room from a door on a wall opposite the one she had entered and the spectacle disappeared from view. This new room contained all manner of beakers and vials that were filled with chemicals and who knew what else. Here too robed figures talked, argued, and played with the various chemicals. They seemed to pay her little attention, almost as if she wasn't there, and then that room too was left behind. They passed through several more rooms, all with experiments and equipment beyond her understanding, before reaching a large area filled with tables and chairs.
Unlike the previous rooms, no one talked or argued here but simply read. The robed figures here read silently with those that did not stay in the self-contained laboratory-city. Whatever their occupations they were all equally welcome at the laboratory, so the saying went, and they were all equally silent too. In fact, her footsteps sounded painfully loud in the awkwardly quiet room and she quickly softened her footfalls. At last the arrow guided her to a table that did indeed have the promised stack of books sitting purposefully atop the polished wood surface. The floating arrow faded away once she touched the table and soon Lana was left alone amongst the sea of Enlightened Ones.
Taking a look around at all the faces etched with concentration, the mage-hunter sat down and spread the three books out before her. The first was approximately a half inch thick with a thin leather cover and the etched words, 'The Legends of Zeal'. Second was a three inch thick volume with an equally thick cover with gold inlaid words proclaiming this was, 'Unsolved Magical Anomalies: Volume 21'. Last was a small, very thin, paperback with faded words and printed letters that said, 'The Zeal Bloodline: A collection of researcher's observations and conjectures'.
It was either start with might-be-true stories and then read something based on fact, or factual information followed by might-be-true stories. Neither way seemed better than the other so, closing her eyes, Lana randomly grabbed one of the books and began reading.
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Once Lana left on her sudden decision to visit the laboratory, Glenn was alone in the rented Zealian room. She had not left him on purpose; the frog-knight had feigned the need for rest and she had left him under the pretense that he would be asleep. He was not tired though; he just wanted to give himself, and Lana, some time to think. With him around she would try to hide whatever it was that bothered her, he would do the same with the feelings he was struggling to comprehend now. Both needed time to be alone, or at least separate from the other.
Glenn made his way to the balcony of their fine room, overlooking the city of Kajar as it finished the transition from day to night. Staring out over the tiny twinkling lights of the city, and seeing hundreds more reflected from the starry sky above, he decided to do the one thing he did too much of; sit down and think. Cyrus had always said that was why Glenn would make a good knight; he took the time to think a situation through. It was also the reason Cyrus had said he'd make a bad knight; he often thought too much for his own good. A double-edged sword his friend had called it. Words more true than his dead friend had realized at the time; the frog-knight knew the bite of his own weapon all too well.
"Cyrus," whispered Glenn, "I am truly sorry old friend."
There were times when the frog-knight swore he felt as if his friend were listening. It sounded crazy whenever he thought about it, Cyrus listening to him talk. The man was dead after all, stricken down before his very eyes even, but the swordsfrog would talk anyway. Perhaps just so that he had someone to talk to; even if that someone was dead and could not really listen. It didn't matter much to Glenn.
"If thee could only see this kingdom," continued the frog-knight, "Tis indeed a land of fae magic and wondrous sights. Mayhaps I can findeth a cure to release this curse and take vengeance on the fiend Magus." Every time they talked he would say something like this, something to assure his friend that Magus would get what he deserved and the land would be well once again. He'd been doing it ever since he'd talked aloud to his dead friend, but the words always lacked conviction.
The normal promise of vengeance seemed especially hollow today though, perhaps dwarfed by the enormity of the past days' events, so Glenn quickly moved to other subjects. "I hath met a lass," he commented with a smile, "Nay, not that kind of lass Cyrus. Twice now she hath saved mine life, mayhaps even mine wits. Her blade is as quick as any of the land, sharper than mine own old friend." Thinking back the past day, he was unsure if he would have been able to take down the mystic ambush. Certainly he'd been unable to defeat the lone creature that Magus had sent after him. Lana had handled both.
"But she does not know the way of war," said Glenn almost sadly, "Tis still innocence behind her eyes. I fear for her." He could picture her now, soaked in blood in the clearing and crying that it had not been her. The killing had disturbed her greatly, had stolen away some of the innocent light she still held dearly. But it was that light, her light, which made him smile, "Her presence doth ease my burden somewhat, I find life easier to think on when I think of her. Tis a feeling I'd not known before." Silence responded as it always did, but Glenn continued on regardless.
"I doth fear she is in danger though," he said with a frown, "And I cannot see the enemy. This place doth be so far above anything, I feel akin to driftwood in the great sea compared to the magics that doth work here." The frog-knight sighed and continued, "I asketh thee to aid my failing courage so I am able to protect her." Silence again, there was always silence, but he felt just a tad better about everything. There was no doubt in his mind that Lana would be in danger, and he would be there to save her without question; just as she'd done for him.
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Thankfully they had invented the index and glossary systems because an in-depth search through all three books for mention of the Black Wind would have taken days. Instead it had been only three hours but already she'd extracted the small amount of information from all three books. What little there was anyway, even scanning the rest of the book for any mention of the subject proved fruitless. The mage-hunter had learned three things though, one from each book ironically enough, and she'd written them down on the piece of parchment she'd requested from Lucas. He'd appeared as promised and a second later she'd had her materials.
Fact 1: Entry from 'Legends of Zeal'
And the first king did look out over the people of Zeal and said to them, "The Black Wind says we must rise to the clouds and so it shall be done! It speaks to me of light, of hope, of a brighter future! To do this it has given unto me a stone from the sun, a stone of incredible power, to accomplish this task. Let these be the last days that our people walk upon the earth!" And so Zeal and the Enlightened ones did leave behind the earth's surface for the promise of the sky.
Whether this legend was true or not, the mage-hunter had no idea. If it was then it seemed the first person to have had the ability was the first King of Zeal himself. The next entry expounded on an idea that Lana was already tossing around in her head after reading the first book.
Fact 2: Entry from 'Unsolved Magical Anomalies: Volume 21':
Listed under Anomalous abilities present in select individuals:
Temporis loquor: This ability seems to be passed down in the Zeal family bloodline. Exact effects are unknown but may include: precognition, temporary periods of enhanced elemental powers, unusual blackouts, enhanced magical perception, and periodic delirium. Those questioned about the ability claim to know things in advance and can feel a presence speak to them. Several have claimed it is the voice of a higher being, though the King has denied such rumors. Ongoing study has been banned under the command of King Zeal.
Also known as: Black Wind, Zeal Madness
Lana already had an idea that it might be passed down the Zeal bloodline. What that meant about her, she wasn't so sure. There was always the chance that she was a long, long, long lost descendant of the royal family. And what about Fnorm, she defiantly wasn't related the royal family. Or perhaps the book was wrong, maybe there had been more occurrences of it but none reported. And why had the King banned further research into it? In any case the third fact seemed to add one more interesting question to ask.
Fact: Entry from 'The Zeal Bloodline: A collection of researcher's observations and conjectures'
Date: 10th Generation of the Zeal Family
The Zeal Bloodline seems to have several abilities that those of normal Enlightened blood do not. First is the enhanced ability to manipulate elemental energies and magics. This does not extend just above the ordinary but the difference between a Zealian's magic and an average Enlightened One is of such scope that it would be ridiculous to even compare them. This enhanced ability only extends to those born of Zeal blood of course; those married into the family do not have any enhanced magics. The offspring of the two will and it is unknown if the mixing of the blood degrades this ability or not.
The Second ability is that of what the scientific texts call 'Temporis loquor'. Though I've frequently heard it called The Black Wind from my time spent with the royal family. They would not indulge my curiosity about it however, instead politely smiling and suggesting that perhaps I find another field of study. Intrigued I instead prodded with renewed interest but learned nothing of much worth. However it does seem to go hand in hand with the enhanced magic's, none married into the family claim this strange ability. Therefore, I surmise that either the Black Wind is the cause of the heightened elemental magics, or that it is the result of such a mighty magical power.
:Authors inserts: Upon conclusion of my studies the King issued a ban on all further investigation into the material. This is a travesty to the world of science and knowledge and I hope that our appeal meets with success.
So it did seem others before Janus had called it The Black Wind. Why hadn't Schala? Whatever the case three things seemed clear; The Black Wind was what prompted the start of Zeal, it is passed down the Zeal family line, and it only appeared in those with great magical ability. Lana had neither any great magical ability, any at all outside of reading auras anyway, nor, as far as she knew, was she a descendant of the line of Zeal. Either the books were all wrong, or didn't contain all the information. There was one thing that bugged her as well, the ban on the research by the King.
Looking at the date of the last entry, the tenth generation of the Zeal family, she quickly scanned her head for the correct date correlation. If there was one thing a would-be-Observer had to be good at, converting a civilization's date into the standard date ranked chief among them. "Let's see," whispered Lana softly as she scribbled a quick formula down, "It'd be somewhere around six thousand B.C. That's one old book. And six-thousand years before Lavos destroys Zeal too. Not exactly up-to-date information. So no one, outside of perhaps the royal family, has been allowed to research The Black Wind for six thousand years. No wonder there's no general knowledge on it."
Despite the old info, Lana had a chance to discount at least one of the so-called facts. It was time to enlist Lucas' help again, but somewhere else this time. Last time she'd called his name aloud in this room it seemed as if her voice had echoed on forever and had also gained the attention of the ears' of the all the Enlightened Ones. So, in order to avoid any further embarrassment, she found the nearest exit into another room and once inside spoke his name aloud again. "Yes ma'am?" asked Lucas' floating head once it appeared.
"I was wondering whether you can scan for magic from where you are," stated Lana with a skeptical look on her face, "And if you can, can you also tell our powerful that magic is?"
"A remote scan is not possible from my current location but if you want I can direct you to me and perform the scan in person," stated Lucas, not sensing anything at all wrong with the question. "Is there a particular item that you are interested in scanning?"
"No item, just myself," stated Lana as casually as possible. This did seem to surprise the floating head and he quickly hid the raised eyebrow and puzzled expression behind his usual smile before responding. "Very well, follow the arrow again and I will see you momentarily."
"Thanks," responded the mage-hunter as he disappeared again. Once more it was time to follow the floating arrow.
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It was pure luck that Glenn had heard the faint scrapings from his improvised bed outside on the balcony. He had always been a light sleeper, you had to be when any moment an enemy might attack, and so the faint sound stood out from the background noise and caused Glenn's eyes to immediately open. Before him he still saw the city of Kajar and noted nothing out of the ordinary. Straining his ears to hear whatever it was that had awoken him Glenn almost let his guard slip before hearing the faint sound again. Metal scraping metal it sounded like, and coming from near the door of their room.
Creeping slowly inwards, avoiding going down into the pillow pit and keeping to the bed platform, he grabbed his sword and made his way to stand just to the right of the door. The frog-knight supposed it could have just been Lana coming back from the lab. But she wouldn't need to scrape at the door; he remembered she said that it would open to their touch and only their touch. That meant someone was trying to get in that did not belong. Now that he was closer to the door, to the source of the sound, he could more clearly hear the scraping noise. It wasn't periodic like he had thought before, but rather a continuous scrape as if someone was carving into the door with a metal stick. Then it stopped.
He felt the door to their room rise slowly upwards into the ceiling and heard soft foot steps. Preferring to question the intruder than outright kill him, the frog-knight quietly drew his sword and held it so as it strike with the flat of the blade. Seconds ticked by as he waited for the intruder to show itself. Each second seemed like an eternity as he waited for the fight, adrenaline already pumping into his system. Deciding to take the initiative himself he stepped into the open door frame and let lose a swing. The flat of the broadsword met empty air and the swordsfrog blinked several times in confusion.
"Impello Flamma!" yelled a voice behind the bemused frog an instant before something heavy struck him across the back. A rough force threw him forward. Instantly he turned around, seeking the source of the attack. A figure phased into view, his stealth magic apparently spent. The short form seemed to be made of a rolling dark mist and a pair cold and calculating blue eyes shined like the jewels above their room's door. Glenn thought perhaps the man a ghost, his form constantly flowing and shifting, and the temporary confusion allowed another attack to slip in.
"Impero maneo!" the voice intoned and Glenn felt a magic grip tighten about him. It quickly melted away. Determined not to get caught again Glenn jumped forward. His sword was out and held above him. The frog-knight pressed his advantage and delivered a vicious attack diagonally across his opponent's body. His blade passed right through his enemy causing no damage to the figure. He caught a glimpse of another shadowy figure descending onto the balcony, this one taller and thinner, but with the same cold eyes and misty form.
Using the momentum of the downward swing to his advantage Glenn went with the swing and rolled away from the short attacker into the pit of pillows by the fountain before the second figure could attack. A bolt of lighting struck the spot he had been just seconds before. They were attacking him with magic! Oh where was the Masamune when he needed it? He came up from the roll just in time to see a ball of fire headed his way. He instinctively cringed and held a flap of the cloak out before him like his trusty buckler. Bright light flashed and he was shoved backwards but when he opened his eyes he found himself undamaged. Though all the pillows were naught but ash and the fountain was cracked and leaking water; Glenn remained alive and unhurt.
The short man froze in astonishment. The frog knight did not question his good luck. He leapt on the man in an instant, chopping and swinging the broadsword with all his might. Still nothing appeared to injure the man's misty form. A lightning bolt from the taller figure struck him in the side. Again, instead of dying from such terrible magics he was simply pushed away. In mere moments he found his feet again. Using the frog legs to his advantage he jumped this time at the tall man near the balcony entrance. Intending to plunge the blade deep into his chest, his attack and body instead passed through the figure. Just managing to soften his collision against the balcony rails with a swiftly raised arm, Glenn turned around with annoyance in his eyes. He couldn't defeat what he couldn't damage; this was a frustrating foe indeed!
Glenn dodged another lighting bolt from the thin attacker while the short one ran in his direction. In transit the short one slipped in the leaking water of the fountain and landed face first in the pillow's ashes, sending it billowing upwards and buying him a much needed distraction. "So they can be touched, but why can't I touch them?" wondered the swordsfrog. Whatever the case it was time to take the fight elsewhere, the enclosed space did little for him and only helped his attackers.
Glenn jumped over a hastily thrown bolt but caught a fireball on full on, the force pushing him hard against the rails he was pinned back against. Glenn glanced above to see how far the next balcony was and pushed off with his powerful frog legs. It was slightly too high so he instantly his flicked out his tongue towards the lamp-post on the target balcony. It hurt, pulling yourself up with your tongue, but Glenn bore the pain and landed on the next level of the building. Wasting no time he glanced back over the edge to see the two figures jump up as well, easily clearing the height, probably through the use of magic, and landed perfectly on the balcony.
He squatted down, making himself shorter than the guard rail that surrounded the edge. The two figures landed square in the middle of the platform and Glenn reached out and grabbed the legs of the short man. His hands found the legs instead of mist. Quickly taking hold, Glenn yanked the short one off of his feet. His misty body fell forward with a heavy thud and Glenn put him in a choke hold. Bringing the short man's form between himself and the thin attacker, Glenn was able to buy himself a breather. Clearly unwilling to fire with his friend's body directly in the way of his target, the tall one backed up slightly. That left his short friend to struggle, kick and bite. But the frog-knight was made of sterner stuff. He had felt much worse that a few bites and punches and held the choke hold. Soon the short man fell limp in Glenn's arms.
"Mayhaps you wouldst answer mine question," said the swordsfrog at last, "Least I doth decide his body would look better over the side of yon balcony rather than on."
"You will die for this," stated the dark, clouded, voice from the tall man. Glenn brought his broadsword forward with the free hand and rested it against the short man's neck.
"It doth seem I can cause injury if mine actions are slow enough," stated the frog-knight with a deadly steel in his voice, "Mayhaps I can test this theory on this man's neck." The thin man seemed to stiffen.
"Ask," he stated simply.
"Why didst you and yon compatriot attack me in my room?" asked Glenn.
"We were not looking for you particularly, only following a strong magic signature that appeared here hours ago," stated the cloudy figure, "That is all I will tell you. If you need further answers to your questions then kill me and take them from my cold corpse."
"Lana," thought Glenn to himself. It had to be her! He certainly didn't have any fae or magical abilities besides that of his odd form. Before he could respond to the tall figure, it stiffened again and suddenly looked northward as if something had caught his attention. Turning its' attention back to Glenn it spoke again, "Do with him what you will, but we will find you again little frog. Then not even that cloak will be able to save you."
It jumped off of the balcony before Glenn had a chance to drop the short man's body, much less form any sort of attack. With the other attacker gone the frog-knight's breathing became a bit easier and he decided to see if the short one might have any clues. Taking a quick moment to search the man he could feel nothing inside of the misty form that encompassed his body. He could however clearly see, and examine, the hands, feet, and head. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary still, except that the man only wore one glove.
Examining it, the glove appeared normal on the palm area, albeit made of a strange fabric that resembled his cloak. On the back side of the hand however were moving shapes, arrows and circles. The arrow seemed to point towards the direction the thin man had looked before leaving. Taking the glove off, the figures and arrows quickly vanished. Deciding the risk of the unknown magical item was worth knowing where he needed to go Glenn quickly pulled it on. Before his eyes the glove shrank to fit his slightly smaller hand.
Then his vision swam with numbers, letters, glyphs, and pictures before clearing up a moment later and displaying a few words in the top corner of his vision, "Strong Elemental Energy Detected." Just under the words was a small compass-looking picture that had one hand, labeled with an N, pointing to north and another pointing in that direction again. 'Was it pointing to Lana?' Glenn thought to himself. Was it really her that they were looking for? If it wasn't then should he still follow? No, he would go. If it was the mage-hunter they were looking for, and he simply sat here and did nothing, he would never forgive himself. Springing from balcony to balcony on his way to down to the street below, the swordsfrog hoped his arrival wouldn't be too late.
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"Lucas?" asked Lana as she knocked on the open door the floating arrow had led her to. She could see inside the small room from her location and it seemed to contain only a desk in the back and piles upon piles of papers that sat on it. Various odd devices and charts lined the edges of the room, tacked to the wall or on stands, and it looked rather like a science fair gone wrong. Still, she hadn't seen any sign of Lucas.
"Right here," called out the young man's voice, exactly as it had over the hologram, and his hand stuck up from behind the piles of papers that formed a wall on his desk. He got up, standing only a little taller than Lana, and approached the mage-hunter. "Ahh there you are, I would apologize for the mess but I'd have to be remorseful for it first," he smiled again, "Anyway, are you ready for the scan ma'am?"
"I'm ready," she stated with a nod, "is there anything I need to do for this to work?" Another smile, that put it up to about twenty now, and Lucas responded, "No, just stand still and give me a moment."
"Aperio facultas," Lucas said aloud and quickly appeared bewildered. He took a moment to take a deep breath and repeated, "Aperio Facultas!" This time he said it louder and with more emphasis. Again he appeared as if something was happening that shouldn't be. "Ma'am, you don't happen to be wearing any magic muting items do you?"
"I don't think so…," replied Lana, unsure if what Arth had given her was magically enchanted or not, "How can you tell?"
"You're not from around here are you?" questioned Lucas with a sigh, "Either that or the guys thought it would make a great joke and put you up to this." Neither gained a good reaction from the mage-hunter and so Lucas smiled again. "Give me a moment ma'am and I'll see if I can find it."
"Aperio magus," this time he took a few moments standing and starring before responding, "Ma'am would you please take off your cloak. It appears to be blocking magic sent at you and at the same time hiding your own magical signature."
The mage-hunter removed the cloak, laying it on a chair that sat off to the side. "Ok, ready."
"Aperio faculta," said Lucas' one more time, this time his eyes opened rather large as he continued to stare. Decidedly too long for Lana's comfort and she waved her hand in front of his face, "Hello, anyone there?"
"S…sor…sorry ma'am," stuttered Lucas' before resuming his normal expression, "I can't actually obtain how high your level is, not with my spell anyway. Perhaps you should try one of the higher mages that work here, they can read higher magical attributes than I can."
"Wait, so you're saying I can cast spells," blurted our Lana before even realizing how funny that sounded in Zeal. Lucas either didn't recognize it being out of place or was still slightly stunned, whatever the case he answered.
"Having energy and being able to cast spells are two different things," he stated as he rummaged through a stack of papers he'd suddenly gained interest in, "What area do you specialize in if I may ask?"
"I… I've…I've only been able to read auras," admitted Lana, "I can't even light a match with magic to save my life." Lucas still rummaged without saying anything and then responded a few moments later.
"Interesting," he stated with actual interest, "You can't actually cast spells but you've so much elemental energy built up inside that you've developed enhanced elemental and astral senses!" He turned around with a smile again, though not the phony smiles he'd worn before but an honest-to-goodness ear-to-ear grin. The scientist in him was happy. "It's been theorized that could happen, but never before seen!"
"Ummm, can you dumb it down a bit," stated Lana with an embarrassed look, "I never did do to well in my magic theory classes after all."
"Well," started Lucas, "To put it simply your abundance of elemental energy gives you certain senses that normal people don't have. Since you've got so much energy, it means that it is easier for you to see energy in others. Think of the world on two planes, the material and the energy. Since you've so much energy you have a foot in both worlds and thus can see things as they appear in both states. Most things material have an energy component attached to them on the energy plane, but not true the other way around. There are many things that exist in the energy plane that do not have a material attachment. Belthasar discovered the Dreams, something similar to what I'm talking about."
Now he was taking fast, and in the magic-jargon again, while gesturing wildly. "Even those that cannot cast spells and must use items instead, indeed even the earthbound ones, have a type on non-elemental energy. It's never large enough to use for spells but it does seem to be unique and different for each being. I have theorized that is the aura reading you spoke of, picking up on the non-elemental energy! It all makes sense!"
"There's never been anyone with this much power that can't cast spells," he exclaimed again, "So we never really had a chance to test the theory. But, if it holds, it means that the more elemental energy you have then the closer you are to the energy plane. Eventually, with enough energy, you could even become an energy being yourself!"
Now Lucas was madly scribing his notes down. This was perhaps a bad thing, Lana was here not to influence history just to find a few answers. If they made an earth-shattering discovery because of her, well then who knows how much would be influenced. It was time to leave, before Lucas got more worked up and before he tried to take readings or call other scientists in.
"I'd say you're energy levels probably rival that of the royal family," he exclaimed while looking at a chart that she had to assume had something about energy readings on it.
"That's exactly why she's coming with us," said a dark, cloudy, voice from the entrance to the room, "Take the girl, kill the librarian."