The Woodward Academy, Year 8

Chapter 4: September

"Oof!" the man screamed as Vivian tackled him from behind a tree.

"Callamandian Army," David snapped.  "Do not move.  You are being detained."

The lump on the ground spread his hands out away from his body, turned his head to one side so he could breathe, and didn't move.

"Go ahead and frisk him," David told Vivian.  "Just so you're aware," he said to the man, "there is a centaur archer pointing an arrow straight at your temple.  You so much as twitch the wrong way and your brains will be mush before you can blink."

"Uh-huh," the guy said without moving.  He was barely breathing at this point.

"No papers," Vivian said.  She handed the man's wallet to David.  David opened it to find his wizarding license.

"Mr. Jones," David said.  "That would be rather suspicious, if your first name wasn't Arcturus.  Who are you, and what are you doing here?  You can get up now."

The man moved very slowly, knowing that the wrong move under these circumstances would be fatal for him.  The soldier in front of him was scary enough; he knew what a centaur archer could do to him.

"I'm just a shopkeeper," the man said.

"What the hell are you doing running around the forest, then?" David demanded.

"Trying to figure out where the hell I am.  I just bought a SkyRider, and I was zooming along, having a grand old time, when I fell off the damn thing!  Tivaru know what happened to it, but I also haven't got a clue how to get home."

"And you thought sneaking around was a good way to stay alive long enough?" Vivian asked.

"Figured it was safer than singing at the top of my lungs.  I don't know if there are weres in this forest or anything."

"But you were willing to fly through it," David replied wryly.

"Over it.  I was flying over it.  Didn't figure they'd manage to hit me with an energy ball at the speed I was going..."

"Uh-huh.  Just for your information, the weres have employed huge were-raptors in their military.  Big as you and me, in hybrid form.  Bigger than a condor in bird form.  They could take you right off your SkyRider.  You might want to consider playing in a safer location."

"Right.  If I can ever get the hell out of here..."

"Where do you live?" Vivian asked.

"Winding River."

"Long way from home," she said.

"Yeah.  Gonna be a damn long walk.  Especially if I'm going in the wrong direction!"

"It's that way," David said, pointing.  Just then, a screaming noise was heard.  David had heard it before, and so simply waited for the noise to stop.  When it did, he looked over at a tree, where a falconswift sat, waiting with a message.

Vivian retrieved the message this time, and handed it to David.  He read it quickly, and then disintegrated it.

"You might as well walk with us," David told the man.

"What's up?" Vivian asked.

"That was a recall order.  One of the other troops captured another courier, and they need me back at the center."

Vivian nodded.  "Is transport on its way?"

"Already waiting.  Come on," David said to Mr. Jones.  "We'll give you a lift back to Winding River."

"Thanks.  I wasn't looking forward to spending the next three days walking."

David snorted.  "You'd have had to walk damned fast to make it back in three days."

 "I'm sorry, I'm not at all familiar with this particular royal home... where are we going?" David asked the young girl guiding him.

"To the residential wing, sir.  That's where the king is at the moment."

"Oh.  Is this a normal residence for the king, or are they using someone else's home for the war?"

"This is a small retreat home for the royal family, sir.  They come here on vacations, normally.  They are here now to be closer to the war effort."

"Not necessarily the smartest move," David muttered to himself.

"Sir?"

"Oh, um... nothing."

"Yes, sir," the young girl said, smiling to herself.  She led him into a sitting room off of which were several doors.  At a desk in the room was what looked to be a very overworked secretary.

"Paladin Stroud, ma'am," the young girl said.  "To see His Majesty."

"Through that door, Paladin," the secretary said, motioning.

David started that way, then held up.  "Wait a minute... is the king still in bed?  I can wait until he's up..."

"That is the queen's bedchamber," the secretary told him.

"Uh... I think I want to disturb him even less now..."

The young girl giggled.  The secretary glared at her, and she retreated.  David wished he could do the same.

A middle-aged man, who had been standing unobtrusively off to one side, approached.  "You need not worry, they aren't..."

"Involved in touchy diplomatic discourse?" David offered.

The man rolled his head in agreement.  "The queen is ill.  The king is not leaving her side today.  As he needs to hear what you have to say, you are directed to enter.  And, as you must go in there, and I'd rather not, could you please take this with you?  It's a potion for the queen."

David sniffed it.  It was foul.  "She has to drink all of it?"

"Yes."

"Poor woman."

The man smirked, then motioned David toward the door.

David walked over and knocked on the door.  It was soon opened by a guard.  It was the first guard that David had seen who was female.  A quick glance told him he didn't want to tangle with her.

"David Stroud to see His Majesty on military business," he said.  The guard nodded and stepped clear of the doorway so he could enter.

David walked over to the bedside, where the king sat, watching over the queen.  She was ashen and seemed to be babbling to herself.  David bowed, but the king merely grunted.

"Before I begin my report, the healer outside requested I give this to the queen.  It's a potion for her."

"Good luck giving it to her," the king said morosely.

As David tried to feed her the medicine, the queen twisted and cursed at him.

"What is the matter with her?" David asked.

"Ocasitis," the king replied.  "It causes delusions, dementia, and causes her to utter vile things.  Her mind is fevered with horrid thoughts and her body is using up resources faster than she can take them in."

"Is this dangerous?"

"If it isn't dealt with soon, it could destroy her."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" David asked.

"We can discuss this after your report.  You might as well give up on the potion."

David looked at the queen, then he pulled out his wand.

"Paralio!" David intoned.  The queen froze, unmoving.  He poured the liquid into her unresisting mouth, and then said, "Peractus."  The queen swallowed reflexively, then coughed and cursed him roundly for his insolence.

"Please don't take it personally, Paladin," the king said, distraught.

"I understand, Your Majesty.  She's not in her right mind at the moment."

The king nodded, then coughed to get his emotions back under control, and said, "Go ahead with your report."

"Yes, sir.  Two days ago, one of the scout company's troops caught another courier from Vrudena.  This one was carrying new information regarding portals.  What we feared is true: they are, in fact, looking for a way to make a portal in Senesty."

"Do they have any hope of that?" the king asked.

"I have no idea, Your Majesty.  I haven't had the time to sit down and do any of the calculations involved."

The king nodded.  "Do you anticipate finding out any more information from these couriers?"

"No way to know that, sir, but in my personal opinion, which isn't worth much, I don't think we're utilizing the scout company to best effect by trying to track them down."

"You want to stop entirely?" the king asked.

"No sir... but right now, we're using up half the company's manpower on it.  I think two or three... no, I'd even say five... troops at a time should be sufficient, for what information we're going to get."

The king considered, then nodded.  "I'll talk it over with Arkigo Schwarzkopf and see what he thinks, but I think you're probably right.  Why do you devalue your own opinion so much?"

"Sir, I'm no military expert.  I survive on common sense, my combat training... and the fact that they can't kill me."

The king grunted at that one.  "You have no idea the tasks the army wants to put you up to."

"Oh, I think I could guess at some of them.  Why aren't they?"

"I won't let them.  First off, it would be harmful to you, mentally, to do some of the things they have come up with.  That is, if you are not, in fact, a murderer, which I don't sense you to be.  And second, I cannot guarantee that there aren't Vrudenan demighosts, and frankly I don't want to give them any new ideas."

David grunted.  "Well, I appreciate your concern for my mental health, sir.  Unfortunately, if things don't improve soon, our situation may dictate that some of those missions need to happen."

"I'm aware of that, believe me.  I will leave them as a last resort, I promise you."

"Thank you, sir."

"I will also have the scribes start pulling together everything we have in the records concerning portals.  Maybe there is information in there that we don't yet know about."

"I'd be very careful doing that, sir," David warned immediately.

"Why?"

"We know the Vrudenans are looking for information already.  If you go digging, it puts that information in more hands, makes it easier for them to find it."

The king nodded.  "I will discuss this, too, with my advisers."

"Yes, sir.  Sir, can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"No ghost protection devices in here?  I thought you were worried about spies."

"I had the devices removed for your visit," the king replied.  "I will not leave her side, and I trust you to know whether or not we're safely alone."

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have anything more to report concerning the courier?" the king asked.

"No, sir.  I'm not really sure why they wanted me to report to you directly."

"They didn't.  I did.  And the reason is because I need a favor."

"Sir, I work for you.  You hardly have to ask me for favors.  Just give me an order, and I will follow it."

"This is not that simple, Paladin.  Nor is it related to the safety of the kingdom, so I can't justify asking you through channels."

"What do you need of me, sir?"

"The queen doesn't have long left if the cure is not administered soon."

"Why aren't we administering the cure, then?" David asked.

"Because we don't have the one necessary herb."

"And you'd like me to go get it?"

"Yes."

"Of course, no problem."

"It's not as simple as you think, Paladin.  The herb is guarded by the Garthok."

"The... what now?"

The king smiled briefly.  "The Garthok is fifteen feet tall, has huge tusks and razor-sharp claws, can do magical damage by spitting an acid-like substance out of his mouth, can perform terramandy, and is almost impossible to kill.  In fact, no one ever has killed one."

"Well, sir, I can go in ghost form..."

"No, you can't.  The location of the herb is in one of a very few places in Dugerra where Haven is not accessible.  And the Garthok's magic can harm you in ghost form just as easily as solid.  And he can sense you, even if you're invisible.  The Garthok is a very nasty creature."

"Sounds like it."

"Will you do it?"

"Sir, if you had any doubt about my answer, you would have made it an order."

The king smiled slightly.

"Where am I going?"

"That is the other problem," the king said.  He pulled out a map.  "You're going here."

The spot to which the king was pointing was hundreds of miles inside Vrudena.

"Boy, this trip sounds like more fun by the minute.  I think I'll go now, before you tell me I have to walk there."

The king chuckled.  "Good luck, Paladin.  This will not be an easy task.  Remember, the Garthok may not be able to kill you, but it can hurt you... perhaps as bad as you were hurt last year.  If that were to be the case, the queen would not survive long enough for you to recover."

"Understood, sir.  I'll be on my way as soon as possible.  Oh.  Is there a map or some kind of resource that would show me where the barrier between Haven and Earth is thin enough to pass?"

"I will have something delivered to the communications center.  It will be there before you are."

David nodded.  "Thank you, sir."

"Good luck, Paladin.  Please, do your best."

"Yes, sir." 

"Out here?  There's nothing here," the cab driver said.

"Don't worry over it.  My phone says this is the right place."

"It's your neck.  That'll be twenty-eight fifty."

David handed the man thirty dollars, told him to keep the change, and got out of the cab.  He headed immediately into the trees, so that the cabbie would drive off.  Once he was sure he was alone, David faded to ghost form, then faded into Haven.

"Ugh.  I hate this place.  Well, let's get over to the Dugerra side."

After a short trip through Haven, David faded himself from Haven into Dugerra.  He had not wanted to make the entire trip in Haven as it would take too long, whereas in Earth, he could take a plane.

Now, he just had to walk about two miles before arriving at the canyon that held the herb in question.

And the Garthok.

It took an hour for David to cover the two miles to the entrance of the gorge.  It wasn't a large area, and the pathway into it was barely big enough for him to squeeze through.

How did a fifteen-foot monster make it through that?  Well, maybe it's bigger at the other end.

David had little time to consider it, as, standing not twenty feet from him was a gigantic beast.  It was fifteen feet tall with a huge head.  Two huge tusks pointed upward out of its mouth.  Its green eyes glared at him dangerously.

The creature seemed to have no neck, but its arms were long and spindly, with nasty claws on its fingers.  Its main body was muscled and heavy, and its legs looked strong.  The creature had claws on its toes, as well.  It wore no clothing of any kind, and that was mildly disturbing to David, since it meant that... everything was visible.

Not that he had much time to consider it.  The Garthok immediately screamed in rage, and launched a blast of acid-spit at him.  David ducked out of the way, but he heard the acid sizzle against the rock wall of the gorge.

David drew his sword and moved to a clear spot where he could face off with the creature.  He didn't know exactly how to go after this beast; he'd been told it was almost impossible to kill it.

Well, surely if I stab it enough times, it'll die...

With that thought in mind, David leapt at the creature, slashing with his blade.  He was highly surprised when his blade bounced right off the Garthok's hide.

The Garthok swatted at him, sending him flying into a nearby pillar of rock.  David smacked his head as he fell to the ground.  He knew that was a dangerous place to be, so he quickly struggled to his feet, woozy and disoriented.

A quick caput calitatem, and David's head was clear, but he was no closer to a solution for how to attack this beast.  He put his sword away; it would clearly not be of use.

Forming an energy ball, he blasted it at the Garthok.  The ball impacted, and David saw some minor singing, but the Garthok swatted the energy away as effortlessly as he had David himself.

The Garthok let out another scream, and more acid flew through the air.  David slipped behind the pillar of rock to avoid it.  Some of the pillar started to fall on him as the acid ate away at its support.  He ducked and ran, moving to another point of cover.

The Garthok started to move in, and David took that moment to use his terramandy.  He lifted some of the pieces of the pillar and directed them at the Garthok.  They slammed into the Garthok's side, causing him to stagger and screech in rage.  He charged David, and David had to slip out of the path of the beast.  He fired an energy ball at the creature's back, and that pushed it to the ground, but did little else.  Not wanting to get caught in a trap, David backed away from the Garthok to think up a strategy.

David's strategizing nearly got him into trouble, as the Garthok launched a loose rock directly at his head.  David saw it just in the nick of time and swiveled out of the way.  The rock sailed past and impacted the canyon wall, embedding itself deep into the rock.

David pulled his wand and blasted the Garthok with valk tohutu for several seconds.  When the bolt of lightning faded away, the beast was merely scorched, but even more angry.

"Well, fuck," David growled to himself.  He tried his favorite fight spell.

"Kiskissippet!"

The little zaps of electricity annoyed the Garthok, but they weren't about to do anything more.  It did give David a chance to consider his situation, though.

Pulling his staff, David enlarged it, and then used it as a vaulting pole, launching himself feet-first at the Garthok.  He impacted the beast's chest, which knocked the Garthok back a few feet.

Unfortunately, the Garthok had the presence of mind to grab David just above the knees.  He lifted David over his head and flung him as hard as he could.  David whizzed straight toward the rocky side of the canyon.

"Pon charelo!" David screamed, holding his arms so that his palms were touching his sides.  He quickly slowed to a stop, descending toward the ground as he did so.  He didn't have the ability to land on his feet, but he was able to roll back to a standing position pretty quickly.  He was, however, winded and shocked at being tossed like a rag doll.

He blinked in shock as he realized the Garthok was charging him, arms outstretched.  David looked left and right quickly for the best escape route.  He didn't really see one, as the part of the canyon he was in formed a small alcove.  Looking up, he spotted an overhang.  He quickly blasted an energy ball straight up.  The rock ledge cracked and fell downward.  The Garthok ran right into its path, and it smacked him firmly on the head.

The Garthok staggered, then fell to its knees.  David, not wanting to give it a chance to recover, blasted at it with three energy balls in quick succession.  None of them did a damned thing to the beast.

The Garthok lunged, grabbing David around the midsection.  Its claws dug in, puncturing David as it gripped.  With a mighty whip of its arm, David was once again sent flying.  He wasn't quite fast enough with the spell this time, and he smacked into the side of the gorge before he finished slowing down.  He collapsed to the ground, his ears ringing, his midsection hurting, and his body generally sore.

David rose from the ground and put his hands on his knees.

"Like I need this shit?  How the fuck am I supposed to beat this bastard?  But if I leave without the goddamned herb, then the queen is going to die.  I can't let that happen on my watch..."

David turned to the beast, and in sheer aggravation, he said, "Don't you get it?  I need the goddamned herb to save the queen!"

The Garthok rose to its feet and turned to David.  David tensed for the coming charge.

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

David knew he must have hit his head too hard.  I'm hallucinating.  That's it.  I've gone completely nuts.

"You are talking about the queen of Callamandia, correct?"

David shook his head repeatedly.  He even cast caput calitatem on himself.

"Are you planning to answer me, or just stand there with a confused expression on your face?"

"SINCE WHEN CAN YOU FUCKING TALK???" David screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I think I was about... oh, two or three at the time.  Been quite a long time since then... couple hundred years, I expect."

"No one said you were a god-damned self-aware being!  I thought I was fighting a goddamned monster!"

The Garthok shrugged its arms - it had little in the way of visible shoulders - and said, "Well, you didn't ask, did you?"

David glared at the creature.  "You... did attack first, you know.  I didn't exactly have a chance to ask."

The Garthok bobbed his head in agreement.  "True.  I have learned, throughout the years, that it is much safer for me to do so.  Many men have come here, seeking the herb.  They want it for its monetary value.  I tend this herb, I grow it, I care for it.  None of them cared about that, they merely wanted the herb.  And so they would try to kill me.  Many times I was seriously hurt."

"Bullshit," David said.

The Garthok considered, and then said, "Okay, I was really annoyed."

"That, I believe," David said, still trying to regain his equilibrium, still trying to catch a breath he didn't need.

"In any case, I learned that those who came here were not going to be my friends."

"And did attacking them first increase the number of friends you have markedly?" David asked sarcastically.

"Not really," the Garthok admitted.  "But I got less annoyed."

"Hah," David snorted.

"You said you were trying to save the queen," the Garthok said, returning to his original question.  "You are working for the royal family?"

"I'm a soldier in the army," David said.  "A scout.  The king asked me to take this on as a favor to him."

"What is the matter with the queen?"

"She has... what did he call it... Ocasitis."

The Garthok let his head droop.  "You may already be too late."  He waved a hand at David and said, "Come with me."

The Garthok led David deeper into the canyon.  It soon opened up into a much wider expanse, which was covered in green.  The herb was covering the entire floor of the canyon.

The Garthok reached down and, with his claw, harvested a dozen plants.  He carefully picked them up and bundled them into a small sack he had nearby.  He handed the sack to David.

"I give you this because I am a loyal Callamandian citizen, and I don't want the queen to die any more than you do.

"I would ask you, however, for a favor."

"Okay..."

"Continue the myth.  If men consider me an unstoppable killing beast, they are less likely to bother me."

"I can do that... or... there's another possibility."

"And that is?" the Garthok asked warily.

"You and I can come to some kind of business arrangement."

"Business arrangement?"

"I'm a potion maker.  The reason people want your herb is to make potions with.  If you sell the herb to me, in whatever amounts you feel comfortable with, then I can produce the potions that the people would be after.  I get more money, people get the potions, you get left alone... plus... well, I doubt you have need of money, but surely there's something you'd like..."

"A roast pig."

"Sorry?"

"A roast pig.  I haven't had one in more years than I can count.  If you want my herb, you must bring me a roast pig."

David smirked.  "I think that can be arranged.  I would offer to shake on the deal, but... um... I like my hands where they are."

The Garthok let out a rumbling chortle.

"What is your name?" the Garthok asked.

"David Stroud.  Yours?"

"I am Garthok."

"... you don't have a name of your own?"

"Yes.  I said, I am Garthok."

"I thought you were the Garthok," David said.

"In the same sense that you are the David Stroud, yes."

"In that case... what is your race called?"

"Also Garthok, as there is only one of me."

"Then, how did you..."

"I am a fairy," Garthok explained.

"A rather unusual one, from my experience," David said with a grin.

"Not all fairies are sweet young ladies," Garthok replied.

"Nor can they throw me fifty feet across a canyon," David agreed.

"I am sorry about that."

"No harm done."

"Seriously?" Garthok asked, shocked.

"I'm not a human.  I'm a demighost."

"Ahhhhh," Garthok replied.  "In that case, I don't feel quite so bad."

"Gee, thanks!" David said with a grin.

Garthok chortled again.

"Anyway, I will see you again... as soon as I can.  With the war raging, it may be some time."

"There is a war?" Garthok asked.

"Yes.  And now, come to think of it... you're in Vrudena!  Why the hell are you loyal to the Callamandian royal family?"

"I live here because my herb will only grow here.  I emerged in Callamandia.  The Vrudenans do not know I am here... and I'd like to keep it that way, if you please."

"Any Vrudenans I run into aren't likely to survive the encounter," David told him.

Garthok nodded.  "You should go.  With Ocasitis, every minute counts."

David nodded in reply.  "Thank you for the herb."

"Remember the roast pig when you return," Garthok reminded him.

David nodded, and then asked, "How about some pants, too?"

Garthok cocked his head as far as he could and asked, "Now, what would I do with those?"

David chuckled and waved, then made his way out of the canyon.  He now had to consider how to get home, as he could not go through Haven, as he possessed the herb. He considered sending it to his Conjuring Room, but he wasn't sure about doing that.  Would it affect the herb?  On the other hand, trying to make his way out of Vrudena on foot would take forever, and would probably kill the queen pretty effectively.

Shit.  Damned if I do, damned if I don't.  Well, there is one other option... I don't like it, but it's the only thing I'm sure is safe, herb-wise.

David knelt down on the ground.  He did this to help his concentration.  He breathed deeply, centering himself and trying to push his mind outward.

...Cupcake, I need you.  It is a long trip, my friend, and please be careful...

He felt the recognition in his mind; he knew she had heard him.  He would now simply have to wait.

 "Right down there, girl," David said to Cupcake.  She winged her way down into the courtyard of the king's Cormatsen home.

Guards immediately surrounded the pegasus.

"Off your mount or you will be hexed!" one of them demanded.

David was unfazed.  He just stared impassively at the man.  "I wouldn't recommend that," David finally said, "That is, if you don't want to explain to the king why you've ended up destroying the herb he sent me to get."

The guard paled as David slipped down off Cupcake.  He turned to the pegasus.

"Thank you for your help.  You can go on home now.  I can catch a normal ride back up to the center when I'm finished here."

Cupcake nickered, then nuzzled him affectionately.  Once she had done that, she stepped back and leapt into the sky.  In only a few seconds, she was out of sight.

"You should have taken the herb down to the palace," a man said.  David recognized him as the healer who had given him the earlier potion to give to the queen.  "We need to have the herb turned into the healing potion for the queen.  No one here's qualified to do it..."

"I'll do it," David said.

"How very charming of you to offer," the man said, "but this potion is very tricky, and-"

"And I am probably better at making potions than anyone in the palace.  I am a level 1 Potions Master in the Royal Potions Guild.  Perhaps a little less condescension, and a little more knowledge of who you're dealing with, would be useful to you."

The healer paled slightly, then coughed, "Yes, well..."

"Go away," David said.  He turned to the page who had been waiting patiently while David talked to the healer.

"Find me a workroom," David told him.

"We've already set one up, sir," the young boy told him.  "If you'll follow me."

David did so.  In a few minutes, he was set up and began crafting the potion.

 "Your Majesty, really.  This needs to be checked.  The queen's life is at stake.  What if he's made a mistake?" the healer questioned with a sneer.

"For the sake of not ending up back in jail, I'll pretend I didn't hear that," David said quietly.  The king heard him, and chuckled.

"What did you say?" the healer demanded.

David looked at him.  "I am a Level 1 Potions Master.  I do not make mistakes.  Further, I have checked this potion six times to make sure that it came out correctly."

"And I'm sure you were thorough, for your age, but..."

"Excuse me, how old are you?" David snapped.

"Twenty-four.  So?"

"So I'm a year older than you, you arrogant little prick.  Now get the hell out of my face before the king needs a new healer... and I end up in jail."

"You can't talk to me that way!  I am a member of the Royal Court!" the healer snapped.

"Your Majesty, with permission?" David asked.

The king merely nodded.

David spun so fast that no one saw him move.  The healer was lying on the floor, bleeding from his nose and his ear.

David reached down and picked up the healer, who was now whining about the pain he was suddenly in.

"I'm not sure how you wound up a member of the Royal Court.  I do know you don't deserve the position."

"I-" the healer started to say.

"Shut up, or I will render you incapable of speaking.  Permanently."

The healer snapped his mouth closed, and David shoved him backward.

"Maybe you're a good healer.  I've seen no proof of that.  I know I'm a good soldier, but I have pretty much run out of patience with assholes like you who think their shit doesn't stink and they fart rainbows.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do, and you are in my way.  So, get out."

"I will not!" the healer shouted.

David, not looking to the king this time, motioned to the female guard at the door.

"He's leaving now," David told her.  She did look to the king for confirmation.  The king nodded slightly, and the healer was hauled, kicking and screaming, out of the room.

"How did you ever learn to move that fast?" the king asked.

David snorted.  "Goliath would have ducked that move and sat me on my ass, Your Majesty.  Why do you employ such people?"

"Though I do, theoretically, have the ability to hire anyone in the kingdom to work in the Royal Court, I too often must depend on people with agendas to bring people to my attention.  Rest assured, that particular hire will be revoked soon enough."

David grunted.

David paused for a moment, then realized something, and turned back to the king.  "And, Your Majesty, I do apologize for my language... but you did give me permission to be... less than diplomatic."

The king laughed.  "Don't concern yourself with it.  You have no idea how often I would love to tell people what I really think.  I envy your ability to do so."

"Yes, sir.  Not caring what most people think can be very liberating at times."

"I'm sure.  Now, you did say you had the potion complete.  Are we sure it will work?  I'm not questioning your ability, but no one's tried it on her..."

"This isn't a new potion, Your Majesty.  Ocasitis is fairly new as an illness, but others like it have cropped up before, so this potion was created to work on those.  It has already been shown to be effective on Ocasitis, as well.  I'm confident this will work unless what she has isn't actually Ocasitis."

The king nodded.  "Please, then, get on with it."

David pulled his wand.  "Paralio!" he intoned.  The queen immediately froze again.

"Cheating again, I see," the king said.  He was talking so much mainly because he was nervous for his wife.

"She's going to fight me if I don't do it, and I don't have a whole lot of this potion to spare."  David drew the potion into a pipette and stuck it into the corner of the queen's mouth, letting the potion dribble in a little at a time.  He did this over and over again until it was all gone.

"Peractus," he said, and the queen snarled and thrashed at him immediately.  Then, slowly, her movements calmed.  David leaned over her, looking into her eyes.

"Your Majesty, can you hear me?" he asked her calmly.

Slowly, the queen's eyes came to rest on him, and he could tell she was trying to focus.

"Who are you?" she asked, confused.

"Does she not remember you?" the king asked worriedly.

David held up his hand to indicate they needed to wait.  "Is your vision clearing?" he asked the queen.

The queen blinked several times, and brought her hand to her head.

"Does it hurt?" David asked.

"Can't... think..." she said.

David gently placed his hand on her chest and said, "Caput calitatem."

The queen's hand came down immediately, and she blinked a couple times.  "Wow," she uttered.  "That was a strong one."  She looked up and saw David.  "Oh!  Paladin Stroud.  Why are you here?"

The king rose from his chair to be at her side.  He took her hand and looked down at her.  "David retrieved the herb necessary to save you, Sweetheart."

The queen turned to look at David.  "Thank you."

David smiled and nodded.  "Just doing my duty, Your Majesty."

"A bit more than that, as usual," the king proffered.

"As you say, sir.  If you have no further need of me, I'll take my leave.  I'm sure you two would like to be alone."

"Remain here at the residence for now," the king ordered.  "I will want to speak with you later."

"Yes, Your Majesty.  If I remain much longer, I will need a room for the night."

"Just ask the page."

"Yes, sir."  David bowed to them both, and then left the room.

He was immediately accosted by the healer and two other members of the court.

"You will leave this house immediately," one of the unknown men said.

"By whose authority?" David asked.

"By mine!" he snapped.

"And... who the hell are you?"

"Chad Quitaine.  I am the Supervisor of the House."

"That's nice, Chad.  When you outrank the king, let me know.  Until then, go fuck yourself."

"How dare you disrespect my position!  Remove him at once!"

The third member of the party seemed to be a guard.  David just looked at him.  "You really want to tangle with a combat soldier?"

The guard looked at David, then Chad, then David again.  He then turned back to Chad.  "You remove him."  With that, he left the room.  David turned back to Chad.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to remove me?  Or do you only have the balls to order others to do your dirty work?  For the record, I wouldn't recommend attempting to have me removed.  First off, I'd plant your ass in the infirmary.  Second off, the king would have you jailed for attempting to usurp his authority, as he told me to remain in the residence.

"Now, Chad, I would suggest that you get out of my face before I do to you what I did to this asswipe.  And, rest assured, I'll let the king know what kind of people he has working for him."

"How big of you, to tattle," the healer said.

"How small of you, to think you should be able to get away with being an ass without any repercussions," David replied.  "Consider yourself lucky."

"How's that?" Chad asked snootily.

"I'd rather deal with you directly.  You probably wouldn't survive that."

With that, David turned to the secretary and asked, "Where can I find the page?"

"I'll ring for her for you, Paladin."

"Thank you very much."

"You do seem to have a knack for running afoul of... well, not authority figures, but..."

"Bureaucrats, Your Majesty.  I can't stand them.  Arrogant, smarmy paper-pushers who actually think they're achieving something useful, when their only real role in life is to make everyone around them miserable."

"A bit harsh, but well-stated," the king replied with a chuckle.

"Sorry, sir.  I've dealt with too many of them in recent years."

"I can only imagine.  Worked for at least one, I hear."

David grunted in amusement.  "I do wonder what's happened to Wilson.  He was assigned to the Ramius Division."

"Oh, dear.  That area has been completely overrun."

David nodded.  "Sir, how is their current push toward Bolmont going?"

"Oh, very well.  For them, that is.  They're about a hundred miles short of the city now."

"Shit.  Oh, sorry, sir.  I'm not used to having to be polite in my conversations.  My comrades... well... their language is as crude as mine is."

The king grunted.  "No worries, David.  I think you've earned some leeway.  You've just saved the queen.  Now we both owe you our lives."

"You don't owe me anything, sir.  I was just doing my duty."

"Hmph," the king said in response.  "I have some work to do, even on a Sunday.  I will see you in the morning.  You will have breakfast with myself and the queen."

"Yes, sir.  Thank you."

"Good night, David."

"Good night, Your Majesty."

"Good morning, Your Majesties," David said upon entering the dining room.

"Good morning, David," the queen said to him.  "I hope you slept well."

"I slept just fine, ma'am.  How are you feeling today?"

"Much better, thank you."

"Glad to hear it.  Sir?  Something the matter?"  The king was glowering at a paper in his hands.

"Just a report from the front, Paladin.  Nothing..." the king stopped, then snorted.  "I almost said nothing to concern you, but given your post, I guess it very much does concern you."

David sat down and was immediately served by a young lady.  Before him was a breakfast that would have kept him fed until the following week sometime.

"Thank you very much," he said to the lady, who nodded with a smile.  To the king, he said, "Nothing truly nasty, I hope."

"Just a continuation of our bad luck."  The king shook his head.  "I don't really believe in luck.  We're just getting our heads handed to us because we're not up to this task."

"Sir, your army is every bit as good as the Vrudenan forces.  But they have three times as many troops to throw at the problem," David reminded him.  "That means we... by which I mean you... have to be a little more creative to keep them at bay."

"You would know about creative," the king said with a grin.  "Tell me, how did you kill the Garthok?"

"I didn't," David said simply.

"But... the herb..."

"The Garthok and I... came to an understanding."

"An understanding?" the queen queried.

"Yes.  We each understand that we don't want to get seriously hurt over a stupid little plant," he said with a smile.  "I managed to get the herb out of him... but I wouldn't recommend sending anyone else back there, sir.  Had I not been who I am, I wouldn't have survived the trip."

The queen frowned at that.  "Were you hurt badly?"

"No.  But, as I said, that's because I am who I am.  I have learned how to stop myself from getting seriously hurt in a fight, and, of course, he had no chance of killing me, so..." David shrugged.  "I was fine.  Most other people, certainly would not be."

"Well, thank you.  Did you have to fight any weres to get to the herb?" she asked.

"No.  I cheated."

"Excuse me?" the king asked.

"It's the reason I asked you about Haven, sir.  I traveled through Earth, then crossed from Earth to Haven, and Haven to Dugerra.  I never saw any Vrudenans.  On the way out, I asked Cupcake to bring me."

"Cupcake?" the queen asked.

"The pegasus I'm bonded with, ma'am."

"Oh, I see.  Good morning, Christa.  It's about time you got up."

David turned to see Christa walking to the table.  He quickly rose to his feet.

"Lady Aberlin," he said formally.

Christa snorted at him.  "You didn't do that at school," she told him.

"I wasn't sitting at the royal table at school," David replied.  "Speaking of school, why aren't you there?"

"Hello?  There's a little war going on?" she replied.  "I'll go back when this mess is over."

"You... might not be able to wait that long.  Sir?"

"Should this drag on too long, I will have to take the chance."

"What are you two talking about?" Christa asked.

David turned to her.  "You can't stay in Dugerra past the age of twenty-five without citizenship.  You don't even have your license yet, let alone citizenship..."

"Oh, but, c'mon, you can't really think this war is going to last that long..."

"I don't claim to have any idea how long it will last," David said.

"Speaking of that," the king spoke up, "Have you gotten any new visions?"

David tried not to snort at the king.  "Sir, I've had no chance to do any divining in the last few months.  Trying to settle my mind enough to actually perform the task is almost impossible right now."

The king nodded.  "I guess I can understand that.  What, exactly, is your full position within Scout Company 1?"

David had a strong suspicion that the king already knew this, but answered him anyway.

"I am head of Troop 12, and also the sub-unit commander for the eastern sub-unit, stationed at ANFCC-East."

"You're already a commanding officer?" Christa asked in shock.

"A sub-unit commander," David emphasized.  "I have no command authority.  My position is administrative, except where the security of the facility is involved.  I do have charge of the guard force."

"And you still conduct missions?" the king asked.

"Yes, sir.  Troop 12 is in the regular rotation with all the other troops."

"And I also hear you've gotten co-opted a few times by I-Squad."

David did grunt at that.  "Yes, sir.  The ba...er, um... the officers there keep trying to turn me back into a cop."

The king suppressed his grin, but Christa giggled.  Her mother smiled at his slip, as well.

"How is the war going, from your perspective?" the king asked.  "I get reports from the commanders, but you are... well, actually, you're usually beyond the front lines, aren't you?"

"Often, yes, sir.  As to the war, it's going... poorly.  We're not getting clobbered, but we're losing almost as many soldiers as they are.  And as I mentioned a while ago, they have three times as many as we do.  We cannot sustain a fight that way."

"I hate to put you on the spot, but do you have any suggestions?"

"Sir, I'm not a military strategist.  I'm not even a military tactician.  What I know, I learned from Lord Woodward."

"A man who never had his castle taken away from him in the last war," the king pointed out.  "So?"

David sighed.  "Like I said earlier, sir.  Get creative.  Play to our strengths.  Find and exploit their weaknesses."

"Like you did with the werecats," the king suggested.

"Yes, sir.  That operation cost only one life - one of theirs, not ours - and now that intelligence unit is completely out of the war.  It was a weird operation, I freely admit... but it worked."

The king nodded.  David was wearing the medal he'd gotten for instigating that particular operation.

"I assume that, if you come up with any other interesting ideas, you won't keep them to yourself?" the king asked.

"I will make sure it goes up the chain of command, sir," David promised.

"Good man.  And, to let the world know you're a good man," the king said, motioning to one of the pages that was standing near the doorway.  The page came over to David as the king continued.  "The crown is hereby awarding you another crescent, for saving the life of the most precious person in the world to me."

David looked down to see his new pin, which contained three chevrons and two crescents.  He took the display from the page, and nodded his thanks at him.  The page retreated once his task was finished.

"Thank you, sir," David said.  "It was hardly necessary, but I am honored to receive the acknowledgment."

"You've earned it, Paladin.  You are certainly living up to that title."

"I try, Your Majesty."

The king nodded.  "After breakfast, you may return to your normal duties.  I dare say if things don't turn around, your presence at the communications center may be sorely needed soon."

"Yes, sir."

"You're keeping safe?" Christa asked.

"I'm a soldier.  Keeping safe is not my job," David replied.  They were walking through the courtyard, alone.  The only people present were a couple guards, who weren't watching them.

"You can try to stay safe while doing your job..." Christa offered.

David snorted.  "I try, but the two are usually incompatible."

Christa frowned.  "I know this is gonna sound lame, but... I miss you."

David turned to her in surprise.  "I... well, I don't want to sound cruel, but I didn't think you thought that much of me."

"I didn't realize I did, either, till the summer.  I mean... I'm not in love with you... I don't think... but... I just... I miss you.  Especially after the festival, we were pretty good friends.  I don't have a whole lot of those, as you know... and I sure as hell ain't making any new ones now."

David nodded in sympathy.  He turned to her, and they embraced.  It wasn't too long before they were kissing.  After a little while, they knew they had to stop, as David had to leave soon, so they didn't have time to play.

"I notice you didn't say you missed me, too," Christa teased.

"I've been far too busy to think about missing anybody," David admitted.

"I know.  By the way, I did really want to say thank you for what you did for Mom.  I can't really think about what would have happened if she'd... you know..."

David nodded.

"I may grind my teeth at being under their thumbs all the time, but..."

"They're your parents.  You still love them."

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help."

"Besides, the extra crescent looks spiffy, right?" she teased.  Then she said, "Hey!  You're not wearing your pin!"

"It's not allowed on military uniforms," David explained.

"Hmph," she said.  "How are people supposed to know they're dealing with somebody special if you can't wear your awards?"

"Don't you think there's enough clutter on this monkey suit already?" David asked.

Christa giggled.  After a moment, she settled.  "Seriously, though... I know I gave you a lot of shit last year, but... you really do deserve the crescent."

"Thanks, Christa.  You know, if you get to missing me too much, you can always join the army..."

Christa paled at the thought, then realized he was teasing her.  "Bastard," she said with a grin.

David kissed her again for a long moment, then stepped back.

Coming to attention, he gave her his best salute.

Christa was shocked, and didn't really know how to respond to that.  She did her best impression of a salute, and then they both relaxed.

"Good luck, David," she said quietly.

"You, too.  But really seriously, you could always write me a letter or something, if you wanted."

Christa smiled.  "I just might do that."

 "What... another one?  Can't you ever go to see the king without getting an award?" Vivian asked David.  He was hanging his new medal on the wall of his office.

"Jealous much?" David said with a grin.  He knew she was teasing him.

"Hah," Vivian barked.  "I don't want to have to do the kinds of things you've had to do to get those medals.  I'm perfectly happy with my meager two slashes."

David smirked.  "Did you need something?"

"Oh, shit, yeah.  The vocator's on the portal for you."

David nodded, and made his way out of his office over to the comm room.

"Yes, sir?" David asked after sitting down.

"Got another fun-filled task for you," the vocator said.

"Let me guess.  I-Squad has another case for me."

"How'd you guess?" the vocator asked with a grin.

David groaned.  "Where is it this time?"

"Remus."

"That's... right in the middle of the fighting," David objected.

"Why do you think they don't want to do it themselves?"

"This is nuts.  They want us to risk our necks to find out why someone else got their heads handed to them?"

"The unit in question was important to the defense of the area.  They need to know how they were beaten."

"Joy.  I assume I'm totally on my own?  Even Vigax Hermany won't be joining me?"

"Correct."

"In that case, I'm going to need to take my troop.  I'll want the extra set of eyes."

"You handle it how you need to."

"How hot is this particular area right now?"

"Warm, but not boiling."

"Wonderful."

"See you in two days, Vigax."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, dear god, what is that smell?" Vivian gasped, trying to hold her nose and cover her mouth.  Giendia, likewise, looked ready to vomit.

"Ah, so nice not to have to breathe," David said with a grin.

"Asshole.  Sir," Vivian added belatedly.

They turned a corner in the road, and before them was the encampment where the slaughtered company lay.  The smell wasn't just that of rotting flesh, but the stench of human waste.

"You two wait here until you can't smell it anymore.  Yes, it will happen.  I'm going to check out what's happened."

"More power to you," Vivian coughed.  Giendia turned, stepped toward a bush, and puked out her breakfast.

Moving into the area, David could see excrement leaking out of the pants of dead bodies.  He looked for and found the latrine area, and saw watery stool, and plenty of it.

"Well, little doubt about why they weren't up to a fight," David said to himself.  "But was this coincidence, or a tactic?"

David knew there was only one easy way to figure out what had caused the camp's dysentery.  He went over to one of the smelliest victims, and knelt beside him.  He took out three test tubes, and then pulled his wand.  In the first tube, he levitated some of the man's stool.  He stoppered that tightly, and put it in a pocket.  He then took out his dagger, and slashed the man's arm.  Using a spell, he collected some of the man's blood into a second test tube.

The third test tube was for the man's stomach contents, which David managed to pull back up through his throat.  It was a nasty thing to do to a fallen soldier, but David needed information, and truthfully, the body wouldn't complain too loudly.

With his samples gathered, he continued to look around.  He wanted to see if he could find evidence of the weres hiding nearby, waiting for the effects of the illness, or if they had just happened upon an ill unit and taken advantage.

A lengthy search turned up nothing.  He found no signs of the weres nearby.  After an hour, he returned to the other two, who had not moved from the edge of the encampment.

"I told you to come join me," David complained.

"You told me to come join you when I couldn't smell it anymore," Vivian retorted.  "I expect to smell this for the next twelve years."

David grunted.  He then turned around.  For a long moment, he stood in silence.  He then moved his hands in front of him, his right hand in a fist, his left palm pressed against the "front" of his fist.  He then wrapped his left fingers around his knuckles.  He held that pose and bowed his head slightly for a moment.

"I'm sorry, brothers," David said quietly, mostly to himself.  In the next second, his hands shot forth and a huge gout of flame erupted from his fingers.  It encompassed the entire area before them, incinerating everything within the encampment.

Vivian and Giendia both cried out in shock.

"What the hell was that for?" Vivian demanded, once David had let the spell fade.

"I had to disinfect the area.  Leaving those bodies here would lead to the spread of disease."

"Wouldn't the disintegration spell have done just as well?" Giendia asked quietly.

"No.  I couldn't have guaranteed to have gotten all of the... er... 'stuff'.  I had to make sure the area was sterilized."

The other two nodded in understanding, though it was clear that none of the three had enjoyed watching their comrades' bodies being burned.

"Come on.  I have work to do.  I don't need to be here to do it."

"Your conclusion, Vigax?" Vocator Schultz asked.

"Biological warfare," David said bluntly.

The vocator paled slightly.  "Can you prove that?"

"I think so.  I found traces of Maliramo Juice in their systems."

"I'm not familiar," the vocator admitted.

"Maliramo Juice is... a training aid, if you will.  Let's say you have a garden, and there are animals that come along and eat the fruits and vegetables in your garden.  You spray Maliramo Juice on it, and when they eat it, it gives the animals terrible diarrhea.  It will do the same to any humans who might be stealing your vegetables, as well.  A simple washing will get rid of it, to make the food safe so you can eat it.

"Eventually, animals learn to avoid your garden.  Humans... are probably not that smart.

"In this case, I believe the Maliramo Juice was sprayed on some portion of the company's food supply.  How that was done, I can't even guess at; there's simply no information about that to be had.  I couldn't even start an investigation.  However, the effect was quite obvious.

"The Vrudenans poisoned the troops, and simply waited.  Probably about twelve hours, given what I saw at the camp.  They didn't need to wait nearby; Maliramo Juice has a well-established timeline of effectiveness.  They just went away, waited the appropriate amount of time, then came back and slaughtered our men.

"Sir, if we don't take the gloves off soon, they are going to win this goddamned war."

"I hear what you're saying, Vigax.  That's not our call to make."

"No sir, it's not.  And I've already made my case to the king directly, so I won't bother you with it further."

"Thank you for that," the vocator said with a grin.  "Get your report written up, and send it down here.  I'll get it sent off to I-Squad."

"Yes, sir."

"Just to keep you informed, the weres are about fifty miles from your position."

"Shit."

"That's about the size of it. Double the guard until further notice."

"Yes, sir."

"Carry on."

"Fuck," David growled as he went back to his office.  He would have to work up a new guard rotation quickly.

 "Are we ready to go?" Zyla asked.  David was back in Bolmont to take her and Grace to the Festival of Merlin.  The Vrudenans were still a threat, but they were clearly not interested in the ANFCC, so David felt that he could take the time off.  They had advanced another five miles toward the city in the last several days, and things were starting to get somewhat tense.  Still, the city managers had decided to go ahead with the festival.

Grace was bouncing up and down on her feet, excited.  Zyla looked down at her.  "You ready to go see all the magic?" she asked her daughter.

"Uh-huh!"

"It's gonna be so exciting!  Lots of things you've never seen before!" Zyla enthused.

"Whoa, back up," David said.  "Grace has never been to the festival?"

Zyla looked up at him.  "No.  Last year was the first year that we'd have considered taking her, and Joe was in the infirmary this time last year."

There was a brief, but noticeable, pause by everyone in the room at the mention of Joe, but David pushed through it, as there was something more important at the moment.

"We can't take her out there yet," David said.

"What?  Why not?"

"Because you're going to scare the shit out of her," David said bluntly.  "You don't use very much magic.  She's never been to one of these festivals.  She's not been exposed to the really flashy stuff.  You know what a Festival of Merlin is like; this could be a terrifying experience for her, especially with her... um... developmental lag."

Zyla had paled when he'd mentioned it, and now she frowned.  "What would you suggest?"

David thought for a second, then turned around and knelt down to be at Grace's eye level.

"You excited?" he asked her.  Grace nodded vigorously.

"Okay.  Before we go, I want to show you something.  Now, what I'm going to show you is going to be a bit scary, but you need to know that it won't hurt you.  It's just a trick, it's not real.  Okay?"

Grace nodded her head, but she was clearly uncertain.

David took Grace's hand with his left hand, and then he pulled his wand, and faced the spot in front of both of them.  He turned his head to her and said, "Remember, it won't hurt you.  It's just a... a moving picture.  It's a trick."

"'kay," she said.

David waved his wand, casting the spell silently.  Immediately, a huge ogre appeared in front of them, growling and reaching for them.

Grace screamed and clutched at David, hiding behind him.  The ogre, of course, didn't approach.

David reached around and held Grace, but he also moved forward with her.  She tried to resist, but he was insistent.  When he was close enough, he reached out and passed his hand right through the ogre's leg.

"See?  Just a trick.  He's not really here.  Go ahead, you do it."

Grace very slowly, very tentatively, reached out with her hand and tried to grasp the ogre's knee.  Her hand, too, passed right through him.

Suddenly she was giggling, waving her hands inside the ogre illusion back and forth.

David chuckled, then he waved his wand, and the ogre disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Grace asked.

"I put him away," David explained in terms she would understand.  "Gracie, you're going to see a lot of things today that might be kind of scary, but remember, that just like that ogre, anything you see today won't hurt you.  They're all just tricks, little games that people are playing, just to have fun.  Do you understand?"

Grace nodded her head.

"Good.  Now, if any of it scares you, you can hide behind your mom or me, and we'll keep you safe, but try to just have fun and watch the neat tricks."

"'kay."

David stood up and looked at Zyla, who was smiling at him.

"Now I think we can go," he said to her.

"Thank you," Zyla said.  "I didn't think of it, and you're right; she would probably have been very scared.  I just take it all for granted."

David nodded.  "Even I do, anymore, but I remember what it was like coming to this place seven years ago.  And she doesn't even have the advantage of watching fantasy movies on TV."

Zyla nodded with a smile.  She reached out and took Grace's hand, and the three left the house, ready to witness the wonder of the Festival of Merlin.

"She's already asleep.  She completely exhausted herself," Zyla said to David.

"And she had a blast... well, except for the dragon battle."

"Did you have to do that right in front of her?" Zyla asked a bit reproachfully.

"The other guy didn't give me a lot of choice.  It was either create my own dragon, or let his dragon eat you.  I didn't think Grace would appreciate that."

"No, probably not," Zyla agreed reluctantly.  "But how come your dragon looked so much meaner than his?"

David didn't say anything for a long moment.  Zyla finally said, "David?"

"Let's just say that my dragon's had more nightmares than his dragon."

Zyla nodded slightly, but didn't say anything more about it.  It wasn't a good topic for discussion, and she didn't want to put David into a bad mood.  They'd had a good day, and for the first time since Joe's death, she'd actually enjoyed being outside the house.  But she worried about David; his mind just wasn't letting go of the darkness he was faced with every day, and she worried what it was doing to him.

Rather than think about it, she got up to begin making dinner.

 David was once again in Cormatsen, at the Royal Residence.  He was entering the throne room, with another official beside him.  As they arrived before the king, they both took a knee.

"Paladin," the king said, somewhat peeved, "would you cut that out?"  As David rose, the king said to the other man, "You can keep doing that."

David smirked, but tried to hide it from the king.  "You sent for me, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"The man beside you is one of my scribes.  While looking through the records for information about the portals, he ran across something else.  I'll let him tell you about it."

The man turned to David.  "It was a strange reference in an old manuscript.  The material was almost poetic in its nature.  It was stated very vaguely and figuratively.  It referred to a 'primal aegis', a force of nature so powerful that it cannot be conquered.  The manuscript claims - once you interpret it - that this device, once assembled, can harness elemental forces to protect from any enemy."

"Sorry, but exactly what is a 'primal aegis'?" David asked.

"We're not sure.  That is the term the manuscript used.  An aegis, of course, is some kind of shield.  In what way it is 'primal' is unclear."

David nodded, then turned back to the king.  "This is interesting, Your Majesty, but what would you like me to do with this information?"

"Mirelia is the oldest human kingdom.  Their records go back much further than our own.  We would like you to go to Mirelia and ask them if they have information about this 'primal aegis'."

"As you wish, Your Majesty, but may I ask, why me?  I'm not exactly a diplomat or a scholar..."

"No, but you have a few important qualities.  First, you can look after yourself, so you can go alone.  Second, you are known and liked by the royal family of Mirelia - they sent me a communique about you after you escorted Ambassador Stevenson.  And finally, you're known to be respectful of their religion, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the priestesses will get involved in any discussion of things this ancient."

David nodded.  All of that was fair reason to send him.  "So, you just want me to go, get whatever information I can, and come back?"

"No.  I want you, if at all possible, to evaluate the feasibility of assembling this 'primal aegis'.  If, that is, the Mirelians can give us any information.  If you see this as a possibility, then I want you to pursue it.  I am giving you leave from your duties in Scout Company 1 to handle this for as long as you feel you need to.

"Of course, they may have no information at all, in which case, yes, you'll just come back here, tell us that, and we'll move on.  If the Mirelians have no information, then we have no way to pursue it further."

"We could ask the gnomes..." David offered.

The king paused and considered.  "It's a thought.  If you feel it's worth the detour, you should stop in Gtharsis on the way back from Mirelia.  I will leave that up to your judgment, Paladin."

"Yes, Your Majesty.  Do I need to report on my movements while I'm gone?"

"There won't be a way for you to do so.  I am giving you authority to act on my behalf.  Please don't get us into a war with Mirelia."

David smirked, and the king chuckled.

"Yes, sir."

"That is all.  Good luck, David."

"Thank you, sir."

 The other nice thing about sending David, though he doubted the king had really considered it, was the lack of a logistical requirement.  David needed neither food nor water, and he could carry the amount of supplies he would need for Cupcake in his Conjuring Room.  He had left for Mirelia directly from his meeting with the king.

David wasn't about to risk Cupcake's life by flying over anything that might be a battle zone, which meant that he had to detour south of Bellamy before turning north toward Barafu, the Mirelian capital.  He decided, since he would be right next to it, to stop at Yamajilu, the temple of the water, to see if they had some way to communicate with their capital.  It occurred to David to wonder why the king had not communicated with Ambassador Stevenson regarding this primal aegis, but as he was already nearing the Mirelian border, he couldn't exactly go back and ask.

In short order, David saw the temple below him.  He had Cupcake descend and land within the temple grounds.  This caused quite a stir, but he wasn't about to wait in line.

As he slipped off Cupcake, two acolytes confronted him.

"Entering the temple in this manner is highly disrespectful," the senior one of them said.

"I apologize for that, but I am in kind of a hurry.  I need to speak with the head priestess."

The acolytes bowed.  "Come with me," one of them said.

David turned to Cupcake.  "You wait here... or... you know, look around or whatever, just don't fly away."

Cupcake nickered in amusement at him, and he turned to follow the acolyte.  It didn't take too long before he was led into a small chapel that he had not noticed on his first visit to the temple.  The acolyte led him down a hallway, and then into an office.

"She will be with you shortly.  Please wait here," the acolyte said.

David looked around at the decorations of this sitting room while he waited.  It was made of crystal that gave the impression of water.  He poked at it, just to make sure it was solid.

In a few minutes, the door opened again, and the priestess came in.  She was accompanied by a large water cat.

"Hello.  My name is Krysta.  I am the head priestess of this temple."

"I know you," David said.  "You were at Woodward Academy several years ago.  As was your friend... um... Huron!  Huron, right?"

The cat padded over and rubbed his head against David.  David scratched him between the ears, as he wanted.

"You are a student at the academy?" Krysta asked.

"Not at the moment.  I am an officer of the Callamandian Army, on a mission for the king."

"I didn't know that Callamandia intended to invade Mirelia..." she said.  It was only the slight smirk that let David know she wasn't really serious.

"Not that kind of mission.  I need to get into contact with the Mirelian government.  I wondered if you had the ability here to communicate directly with the queen's court.  I'd rather not show up unannounced."

"Why did the king not send notice of your arrival through the ambassador?"

"I'm not privy to that information," David said, shrugging.

"I see.  Yes, we do have the ability to contact the queen.  Can I tell her what the subject of your visit is about?"

David considered for a long moment, but the king had not given him orders to not discuss the search with others.  "In our research, we have run across mention of an old artifact, known as the primal aegis.  As we can use all the help we can get against the Vrudenans, we were wondering if building this primal aegis was possible.  Our records don't have any useful information on the construction of the device, and we were hoping that maybe you could provide more insight than we currently have."

"I see.  What was it called, again?"

"The primal aegis."

"I will contact the queen right now.  Please wait here, and I will return once I have finished talking with her."

"Thank you."

Krysta left, and David sat down in one of the chairs.  He spent the time practicing some conjuring while he waited for her return.  It didn't take a great deal of time.  He rose as the door opened again.

"The queen has asked me to extend to you an invitation to Katiyalu, the central temple of Mirelia.  She has said that she will meet you there on Sunday.  At that time, you can discuss the primal aegis with her and the other priestesses."

"Thank you very much.  Can you locate Katiyalu on a map for me?"

David produced a map, and Krysta uttered a spell, causing a dot to appear on the map.

"Can you make it there by Sunday?" Krysta asked.

"I believe so.  I'm traveling by pegasus."

Krysta nodded.  "A most pleasant way to travel.  Good luck on your journey."

"Thank you.  And I'd like to apologize for the manner in which I dropped in.  I didn't really have time to wait in line."

"Don't worry over it.  There are always exceptions to all rules.  One must not be so rigid that you cannot bend with the situation at all.  A proper approach to life is to be like water.  Water takes the shape of the container it resides in.  It doesn't let obstacles stop it from flowing, it just seeks a new path.  And, if it absolutely must, water will simply take the time to destroy anything in front of it.  Be like water."

David nodded, and bowed slightly.  "Thank you for your time.  I'll be taking my leave now.  I have a great many miles to go, and there are still a few hours of flying time today."

"Be safe."

"What in the world is that?" Jailla asked David.  David had let him out of his Conjuring Room when they'd arrived at their campsite the previous night.

"I have no idea," David said.  What they were looking at resembled a huge hurricane, sitting right over the temple.  Only there was no wind, it was lit brightly in the center, and the clouds were purplish gray.

"Can I help you?" the person at the entrance to the temple asked.

"My name is David Stroud.  I was invited."

"Oh, I see.  Yes, here it is.  Welcome, Master Stroud, we've been expecting you.  The High Priestess will be here shortly to welcome you."

"She's coming herself?" David asked in surprise.

"Yes.  She always greets important guests herself, when she's here."

"Color me important," David said quietly to Jailla.  To the woman at the gate, he asked, "How do I properly address the High Priestess?"

"Until she gives you guidance, you should refer to her as Revered Mother."

"Thank you."

The young lady nodded, and their conversation lapsed as they waited for the High Priestess to arrive.

In only a few minutes, David saw two women walk out of a building, and start walking down the wide stone path toward the entrance, where he stood.  With the two women were two animals.  One was clearly one of the shadow cats that guarded the temples.  He was unsure of what the other one was at this distance.

As they got closer, David recognized the other animal as a wolf.  The woman walking next to the wolf was rather short and slight, and seemed to have very light-colored hair.  The other woman seemed more average.

As they got closer, David thought he remembered the slight woman.  She looked like Princess Serena, who had visited Woodward Academy with Princess Krysta and Huron.  She had a wolf as a familiar, he remembered.

Finally, the two women grew close enough that David could recognize them.

"Revered Mother.... Um... Your Majesty... Um... Now I don't know what to call you!"

Princess Serena chuckled, and Queen Diana smiled.

"Welcome, David.  You may call me 'Your Majesty' if it makes you more comfortable."

"I wouldn't want to dishonor the priestesshood," David objected mildly.

"That you are concerned about it means that you will not," she told him.  "Please, come with us."

As they began to walk onto the temple grounds, David asked, "Is the queen always the high priestess?"

"No.  I was never intended to be High Priestess.  Things just... worked out that way."

"Oh.  Um... what's that?" David asked, pointing to the strange vortex looming over them.

"That is the Portalus Tivari."

"Say again?" David asked.

Queen Diana chuckled.  "It is the gateway to the tivaru.  Or so we believe.  It's not like anyone can get up there to check."

"Seen any tivaru come through it lately?" David asked.

"No.  No one ever has.  It's a matter of faith."

David nodded.

"Now, Krysta said in her communication that you were seeking an item known as the primal aegis?"

"Yes, ma'am.  What we know about it is very limited.  We don't know what form it takes, what it exactly does... only that it could be helpful to us in the war ahead."

"Does the king have you chasing many tall tales?" Serena asked quietly.

"This is the first.  Should I take it from your words that the aegis doesn't exist?"

"We don't know at the moment," Queen Diana said.  "But it is the sort of item that is often more wishful thinking than workable thing."

"You say you don't know 'at the moment'.  Is there some way we can find out more?"

"Yes.  You will be allowed to relax in our serenity rooms.  We, meanwhile, will enter the central chamber and begin... well, in your terms, a divinatory session.  It holds a more spiritual meaning to us."

David nodded.  "Thank you for taking the time."

"Not at all.  We should always help our neighbors when we can.  Now, through here are the serenity rooms."

"I see a ping-pong table," David said, flabbergasted.  "And a pool table."

"Serenity comes in many forms," Serena said to him.  "Arasmir will stay with you, in case you need to go somewhere.  You should not wander this temple alone."

"Of course not.  I'll just wait here."

The two ladies inclined their heads to him, and he bowed, and then they left.  He watched as they moved further into the temple grounds.  In the distance, an ornate building stood, with a spire that rose into the sky.  It appeared to be directly under the center of the Portalus Tivari.

That's probably where they're going.

 It took four hours before the ladies returned to David.  They would not discuss the issue with him, however, until after lunch had been served.

"Is this a normal meal?" David asked.

"A bit upgraded, as we have a guest," the queen said.  "Why do you ask?"

"Was just wondering how any of you stayed as thin as you are, eating this much food," David said with a smile.

Serena blushed and the queen chuckled.  "This is our biggest meal of the day, usually."

David nodded.  The food was very good, though he obviously had no actual need of it.  He tried to walk the fine line between eating enough so as not to be ungracious, and eating so much as to look like a pig.

Finally, once they had completed lunch, the two ladies led him into a small garden where Arasmir was lying in the sun.  Jailla, too, had come to this garden, and was napping in a tree.

The queen and David sat on a bench together.  Serena knelt in the grass by Arasmir and petted him.

"We were able to learn a few more details about the primal aegis," the queen said.

"Do tell," David encouraged her.

"First, tell me, what do you plan to do with it?"

"I doubt anyone has formed any plan for it, Your Majesty.  Without having any idea what it is, it's hard to come up with any particular purpose.  I imagine they will want it to defend the king, wherever he happens to be."

"So your goal is not to use it as a battering ram.  Something you could safely hide behind and attack your enemy?"

"Your Majesty, I honestly cannot speak to the king's intent.  However, I haven't seen any sign that anyone is intending to counter-invade Vrudena.  Right now, our main concern is to try to keep them from killing all of us."

"But what is your own personal intent to do with it?"

"To give it to the king.  I'm merely acting on his behalf, Your Majesty."

"But what if it was in your possession?  Would you use it aggressively?  As a weapon, rather than a shield?"

"Ma'am, I have no need to be protected if I want to hunt my enemy.  I'm a demighost, and am in little to no danger.  Yes, there are spells the Vrudenans can use against me, even in ghost form, but I know how to protect myself.  If the shield were in my possession, I would use it to protect my comrades."

"You harbor no ill will towards the Vrudenan people?" Serena asked.

"I never said that.  I've already lost two people very dear to me in this damned war.  The Vrudenans are attacking us for no real reason we can fathom, other than that they can.  I think I'm at least a little justified in being... peeved about that.  Can I ask, what has this to do with the aegis?"

"When we do a seeing, we do not always see just what we seek to see.  The tivaru reveal to us what they think we need to know.  It has shown us things about your future that are... less than divine."

"There are things in my past just as dark, I assure you," David said with a frown.

"Yes, we know," Queen Diana said.  "My condolences on the loss of your love.  You are walking a path, Paladin.  The path you are currently on leads to darkness.  There is still time to change that outcome.  There are many crossroads ahead of you.

"But I can tell you, before this war is over, you will face the final crossroad.  If you choose not to deviate before that point, there isn't a recovery available."

"You're telling me people can't change?"

"I am telling you that if you step beyond that final crossroad, you will never desire to change."

"Can you tell me what that event is, or when it happens?"

"No, I cannot.  Truly, I want to do so, but I was warned in the most vehement manner that telling you would make things even worse.  All I am allowed to tell you is that you need to be careful.  You know the evil that lurks inside you, and only you can decide whether or not it will succeed in controlling you."

"Can you give me any advice on how to control it?"

"Unfortunately, you don't have time to heed the advice I would normally give.  If you had the time, I would recommend you attend one of our retreats."

"I'm afraid I'm not a religious person, Your Majesty."

"You don't need to be.  But the problem is that such a retreat takes up to six months, and, as I said, you do not have that time available.

"So, what I will tell you is this: do not hold on to the darkness that assaults you.  The darkness within, you cannot make go away, but the darkness from without adds to your danger.  You must learn to let go of the evil you confront daily.  I do not tell you that this will be easy.  It most certainly won't be.  I cannot say whether you have the strength to succeed or not; I don't know you well enough.

"I do, however, sense in you a person of light.  Let that person shine, and your darker self will gain no purchase in this world."

"Yes, ma'am.  I'll try."

"I wish you luck in your efforts.

"Now, as to the 'primal aegis', a more modern term for it would be an elemental shield.  It is... a wall, of sorts.  Made up of all of the various elements: fire, water, air, earth, and electricity.  It harnesses all of them to bring forth an impenetrable barrier that no one is going to get through."

"Does it actually exist?" David asked.

"Yes.  There is one."

"Do you know where it is?"

"It's not a matter of where it is.  It's a question of where its pieces are.  The shield was long ago disassembled, because the power it contains would allow its wielder to attack his enemies with impunity.

"We can only tell you where the first piece is.  We don't even know who can tell you about the other pieces, if anyone can."

"Well... anything's a start," David said.  "Where is the first piece?"

"It is in the possession of Ladon, dragon of the Northwest Forest.  He lives deep amidst the trees, in a giant cave.  We don't have an exact location for him, so you will have to search if you go looking for him."

"Is there anything more you can tell me?" David asked.

"No.  That was all our vision showed us in regards to the elemental shield."

"Well, thank you very much.  I should get moving if I have to make it up to the forest.  I'd like to get to the edge of it before having to stop for the night."

"Good luck finding the shield," the queen said.  "And even greater luck with your own personal journey.  Callamandia deserves to keep her paladin, and not be beset with a dark knight."

David bowed to both of them, and then turned to go.  He got only a few feet before he turned back.

"Can I ask a question?" David queried.

"Of course."

"Is she your daughter?" David asked, pointing to Serena.

"No," the queen said with a smile.

"But she is Princess Serena."

"Yes, she is.  All of the head priestesses of the temples are also princesses of the kingdom.  They are the 'tie that binds'.  As the head priestess is the Revered Mother, the queen is the Honored Mother."

"But the church doesn't control the kingdom."

"Not in the way you mean."

"And the kingdom doesn't control the church."

"Not in any sense."

"You are aware this is very confusing?" David asked with a smirk.

"To the uninitiated, yes," the queen said with a smile of her own.

"Well, okay.  So long as you're aware," David said, finally giving a full-blown grin.  "Good day to you both, and thank you again."

"Safe journey," Serena said.

"Good luck," Diana told him.

With that, David whistled to Jailla, and left the temple.

"So, do you have a plan for finding this dragon, or are we going to simply wander around?" Jailla asked.

David pulled out a map of the area, which he had brought with him from Callamandia.  "Okay, this is the area we're searching.  It's a huge space.  There's no way we could search this on foot.

"Luckily, we have wings to help us out here.  What we're going to do is to run a parallel search.  You're going to have to ride with me.  I'll cast a charm to protect you from the wind.  We will travel back and forth across the area, and any time I spot something that needs to be investigated, you're going to have to fly down and take a closer look.  Please be careful doing that.  Keep in mind, we're looking for a dragon, and we have no idea how cranky they may be."

"I'll try to remember that," Jailla assured him.  "How long do you think this will take?"

"It could take days.  The area is roughly a fifty mile square.  I figured to fly at around a half-mile up, so we can look at a roughly one-mile section of ground at a time.  That means fifty passes.  At Cupcake's cruising speed, that's twenty-five hours.  And that's in just one direction.  If we don't find it the first time, we'll have to fly the course in reverse."

"What would the point of that be?" Jailla asked.

"Cave openings tend to be on hills and mountains.  Often they're only visible from one direction.  We might pass right over top of it, but the opening would never have been in front of us, so we missed it.  Conceivably, we might have to fly all four directions, which would mean a hundred hours of flying.  That would mean about a week or so."

"Can you charm her saddle to allow me to cling to the back of it?" Jailla asked.

"I'm sure I can come up with something, why?"

"I could ride facing backward.  That would mean we would cover, essentially, twice as much ground with every flight."

"That's a good idea... so long as riding backwards doesn't end up making you sick."

"We shall see."

"Right.  Okay, let's do this."

"David, I think I see something behind you," Jailla said.

David sighed.  It wasn't at Jailla, but they had investigated over a dozen caves and depressions the day before, and none of them had turned into anything.

"Circle around, Cupcake," David said.  The peg nickered and pulled into a right turn.  David immediately saw what Jailla was referring to.  It was a very dark spot in the side of a hill.  From this distance, it looked to be a good forty feet across.

"Okay, go take a look," David said to Jailla.  "Be careful."

Jailla winged off, down toward the ground.  David watched through Jailla's eyes as he approached the darkness.  Jailla stopped at a tree near the entrance to what was obviously a cave.  A smattering of bones lay outside the cave entrance, hinting strongly that something resided within.

"I'm not sure I want to venture further," Jailla told David.

David grunted, then said out loud, "Okay, we'll be down in a minute."  To Cupcake, David said, "See if you can find yourself a safe place to land, girl."

Cupcake had already done that, and so she immediately began her descent.  In only a few seconds, she beat her wings fiercely to bring her forward motion to a stop, and then she dropped the remaining foot to the ground.  She started to walk through the forest, toward the cave entrance, which she had kept in view throughout her descent.

It didn't take long before they came to the cave.  David slipped off Cupcake.

"You stay here, girl.  Jailla, you want to remain out here?"

"If you don't mind," he said.

"No problem."

David pulled his wand and cast lux, then stepped inside the cave.

The cave was eerie.  Whatever minerals lined its walls, they sparkled black.  David was well aware that he wasn't too far from Modokaya, the fire temple, and so this could be obsidian, which would make the cave some kind of volcanic vent or something he didn't want to consider.  Or the black crystals could have been created by dragon fire.

Such pleasant thoughts you have today.

David moved carefully, looking at the ground before making each step, not wanting to trip over anything or step in something.  He didn't know what lived in this cave.  It could be the dragon Ladon, and that would probably be the most benevolent thing he could run into.

The cave turned ahead of him, and David was sure that he heard something around the corner.  His movements slowed even further as he approached the bend.

Finally, he cleared the turn, and there, lying before him, was a huge, dark green dragon.  It must have been a good hundred feet from nose to tail, and its body was at least five feet high, even lying on the ground.  It was massive, it was menacing, and it was glaring at him.

"Who dares disturb my rest?" the dragon growled.

"Excuse me," David said as politely as he was capable of being.  "My name is David Stroud.  I am seeking the forest dragon Ladon.  Would that be you?"

"What if it is?" the dragon asked.

"I've been told that you possess a piece of a device called the elemental shield... or perhaps the primal aegis.  If so, I was wondering if there was a way for me to obtain it from you.  Are you Ladon?"

"I am."

"And... do you have the... well, the thing I'm looking for?"

"I do.  Why should I give it to you?"

"Um... that's a good question.  Because I need it is pretty much the only answer I can give you, I'm afraid.  My nation is being attacked, and we are outnumbered.  We are seeking any assistance we can find to help us fight off our attackers."

"Come closer, human.  Who sent you here?"

"The priestesses of Mirelia sent me... um... if it matters, I'm technically not a human."

"I know that.  But you were, once, so it matters not."

"Oh.  Anyway, as I said, the high priestess told me where to find you, and that you had... something.  She didn't really know what you had that you might give me.  I don't know how to convince you to give it to me, either.  Is there something you would wish in trade, or is there some task I can do for you?"

"I have no needs, David Stroud of Woodward."

"Wha... how... how did you know I went to Woodward Academy?"

"I am a dragon," Ladon proclaimed.

"I deserved that," David said to himself, but Ladon heard him, anyway.

"Your name is known to us," Ladon told him.

"In what way?" David asked, curious.

The dragon raised one clawed hand and pointed.  "You wear dragon armor.  The Mononagu Clan speaks highly of you."

David looked at his arm.  He was wearing, as he always was, Kalagasakalayo.  He turned back to Ladon.

"They do me great honor, then."

"You should feel honored, human.  I will give you the Worldstone.  It is the first portion of the shield.  You have earned that."  Ladon spoke something in Draconish, and an amber crystal suddenly appeared in Ladon's hand.  Ladon extended it toward David.

Slowly, David reached forward and took the crystal from the dragon.  It wasn't very big, but David could sense power within it.  He slipped it carefully into an inner pocket of his uniform coat.

"You said this was the first portion.  Can you tell me where to find the other portions?"

"No."

"Can you tell me how many other portions there are, at least?"

"It is an elemental shield, human.  I will leave you to do the math."

David nodded.  Stupid question.  "Can you tell me... or, let me say, can you give me some guidance as to how I am to find the other portions?"

"You will find them the same way you found this one."

"But the priestesses said they only knew about you."

"This is true."

"Then..."

"Perhaps you should ask someone else."

"So... each piece is... 'guarded' by a different group of people?"

"You're not quite as stupid as an average human," Ladon said.

David knew this was high praise from a dragon, no matter how insulting it sounded.

"Thank you.  Is there any other advice you can give me... that you are willing to give me?"

"Be aware that I bequeath the Worldstone to you, seeker, and to you alone.  It is not to be passed on.  Also, each of the guardians will reassess your fitness to possess the shield.  Should your motivation change, seeker... you will no longer be able to find that which you seek."

"So Queen Diana was asking all that stuff about my intentions to decide whether or not I qualify to find the shield?"

"Perhaps it is relevant that you're no longer human," Ladon mused.  "Purity of heart is not required to possess the shield.  Purity of purpose, however, is."

David was about to leave, but then thought of something.  "You said the Worldstone is bequeathed to me.  So... in order to complete the shield, I must be the one to collect the other pieces?"

"Yes," Ladon confirmed.

"You probably won't answer this but I'm gonna ask anyway.  If someone else had come to you asking for it, would they have received it?"

"It is unlikely that anyone else would have made it past the priestesses," Ladon said.

"But... why me?  I mean... you know about my... um... struggle.  I'm certainly not the most righteous person who could wield this thing."

"You ask very draconic questions for a demighost," Ladon said with a grin.

"Should I take that to mean you're not going to answer me?" David asked with a corresponding grin.

"Perhaps," Ladon offered.

David nodded.  "Well, I don't wish to bother you any more than I need to, so if there's nothing more you wish to tell me, I'll take my leave."

"Good luck, seeker.  I have my doubts about whether you will be able to complete the shield."

David frowned.  He knew what the dragon was saying.  Does no one think I can beat this damned darkness?

Well, why should they?  I'm not sure I can myself.

"Paladin Stroud to see you, Your Majesty," a page said.

"Back so soon?" the king mused.  "Show him in," he told the page.

David entered the king's office, and bowed from the waist.

"Stop that," the king said.  "What have you found out?"  The king motioned David to the chair opposite him.  David felt this was a bit surreal; he was once again dealing with the king as if he were a normal person instead of... well, the king.

"Sir, the 'primal aegis' is better interpreted as the 'elemental shield'.  It is designed to harness all of the elements to form a barrier that is impenetrable."

"And, is this more than myth?"

"Yes, sir.  I already have the first part of it."  David withdrew the Worldstone from his pocket and held it up.  "I was given this by a dragon."

"And... what are you to do with it?"

"I haven't got a clue," David admitted.

"Well, perhaps if the weapons wizards look it over," the king pondered.

"I'm afraid I can't hand it over to them, sir," David said.

"Why not?"

"The dragon who gave this to me told me, in no uncertain terms, that it had been given specifically to me, and that I was not to pass it on to anyone else.  I have a feeling that until we find the other pieces, it won't do any good, anyway."

"You say this is the first piece... where do we find the other pieces?  And how many other pieces are there?"

"As to how many, there are five elements, so five pieces.  We have one, so four more out there somewhere.  As to how to find them... I don't know exactly.  What he told me was that each piece is guarded by a group of people who control access to its location.  I will first have to figure out who those people are, and then go and ask them."

"You said you will have to figure it out.  Is that just your assumption that I will assign you to find it, or..."

"No, Your Majesty.  The dragon told me that I will have to find the rest of the shield personally.  For better or worse, the shield has been... the word he used was 'bequeathed' to me, specifically.  I don't know why that is, or what weird coincidence caused you to send the one person who can supposedly collect the object to go find it, but that's what I was told."

"But you don't have any idea who to ask."

"No, sir.  I'm not even sure how to begin figuring it out."

"Did you stop by Gtharsis on your way back?"

"No, sir.  I wanted to get this information to you, first.  And... well, frankly, sir, I needed a break from the travel."

"So you flew, what, twenty-five hundred miles back here?" the king said with a chuckle.

David grinned.  "Kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, Your Majesty."

"True enough.  Do you think you could find the pieces, if you worked on it?"

"Given time, I think I can figure it out, sir, but I don't expect to be able to do it quickly."

The king nodded.  "In that case, what I want you to do is to keep working on it, but return to your duties at the ANFCC.  Though we finally managed to stop the weres on their push toward Bolmont, it got a little too close for my liking."

"How close did they get, sir?"

"Sixty miles from the city.  A lot closer to the ANFCC.  I want you back there to take charge of defense.  As to these other projects, the shield, and the portals... work on them as you have time.  I'm going to have them assign you an assistant up at the ANFCC to help with the research and whatever other clerical work you're dealing with."

"Thank you, sir," David said.  He didn't really feel he needed an assistant, but that wasn't something you say to the king.

"David... are we overtaxing you?  Be honest.  You have a lot more responsibilities now than a typical officer in your position."

"It's nothing I'm not used to, sir.  My schooling is still pretty fresh in my mind, and that's always been pretty crazy busy.  Plus, I sleep very little, so I do have extra time in my day to get work done.  Don't worry, sir.  I'll manage."

The king nodded.  "Good man.  I won't keep you.  If, in the future, you do figure out where another piece of the shield might be, put in a request for leave to go retrieve it.  I will task the scribes with looking for information about the shield, as well as the portals, which they've already been looking into."

"Yes, sir."

"I know you think it's dangerous, but if we don't have the information, it's almost as dangerous.  If they find out, and we don't know, that's bad."

"Yes, sir."

"Go on.  Return to your base.  And take a day or two off.  That's a... directive from the king."

"Thank you, sir," David said with a smile.

"Dismissed, Paladin."