‘I have justconstructed something that I’ve always desired, a headband ofpower. Not as powerful as I’d like, but not too bad either. Eachprecious stone held in the band is a powerstone that holds a power.If I can control my anger I can use the powerstones embedded in it.If I cannot the band will probably melt and fall onto theground.’
Then he reached intothe body shell, retrieved a ring and passed it to Miranda. ‘This isour contingency plan. It’s a ring of teleport. If anything goeswrong you touch me and teleport us back to the teleport marker nearthe ruin.’
‘I can’t believe I’mactually stupid enough to be here with you, wizard. You might beprepared to throw your life away, but I’m not prepared to die yet.Let’s get out of here - the place is just too creepy.’
‘Let me tell you astory Miranda. Many years ago a young apprentice wizard visited asmall town in a wild area on a woody world, not unlike this one. Inthe middle of a bitter winter when food was scarce a pack of wolvescame into the village one night and attacked and killed a manoutside his front door. The next day the villagers organised a wolfhunt and followed the tracks of the wolves for a league beforecoming to a cave. They went to enter the cave and found anincredible feeling of fear and doom emanating from it. No one wasgame to go in, so they all went back to the village.
‘Three days later thewolves returned and killed another villager, a child this time. Thevillagers had a meeting and decided to get a priest from a nearbyvillage to help them with the fiendish wolves. They returned to thecave, the priest cast a ward against fear on the group and they allwent into the cave, and after a bloody fight killed all the wolves.Every one was happy and excited - until they wanted to leave thecave and discovered the feeling of fear and doom was near theentrance, and their ward against fear had worn off.
‘Nobody was prepared toleave the cave until the priest had prayed to his god for anotherprayer to ward them against fear again. When they were protected bythe priest they all left the cave, found nothing dangerous outsideand returned to the village in high spirits. The young apprenticewizard was with them and when he lay down to sleep that night hefound he couldn’t rest. What had happened in the cave just didn’tmake sense. So the next morning, while all the village celebratedtheir bravery in the inn, he returned to the cave.
‘The feeling of fearand doom still emanated from the cave but he plucked up his courageand ran inside and created light in there to look around. There wasnothing obvious, other than the dead wolves. So he used his magicsight and noticed a glow from a nook in the wall. On investigatingthe nook he found a small amount of gold, a dagger and a leatherbound diary.
‘The journal belongedto a hermit who had lived in the cave for years. Amongst theentries in the journal he found the reason for the feeling of fearat the entrance to the cave. Each winter when food grew scarceanimals went to the cave and tried to eat him. While he was youngand strong he had no problems, but as he became older and weaker hewas afraid that he couldn’t keep them out. So he took most of hisremaining wealth to a shaman and asked him to make an amulet offear. The shaman did this and he returned to his cave and hung itat the entrance.
‘The young wizard thencarefully went back to the entrance and after a short search foundthe amulet and destroyed it. There was no longer any fear withinthe cave. That young apprentice wizard was me. I learnt that daythat fear was a weapon, a defence and an illusion. Had we been ableto overcome our fear, we could have killed the wolves and the childwould not have died at the village three days later.’
‘And had there beenmore wolves in the cave when you crept back by yourself, you wouldhave been killed,’ Miranda commented drily.
‘Perhaps and perhapsnot. Life’s a calculated risk. No risk, no gain. Are youcoming?’
‘I’ll come to theentrance with you and guard your back while you enter,’ she said.‘One fool out of the two of us is enough. You talk to me throughthe mindlink. When you’re dead I’ll know what I’m up against.Besides, if there’s a lot of dead in there the air will be too badto breathe. Your slime body might cope better than mine.’
They walked togethertowards the cave entrance. When the feeling of fear hit themMiranda wavered for a few seconds, falling to her knees andgrabbing his hand.
‘This is madnesswizard!’ she hissed, but stood up shakily and continued onwardswith him, her body visibly trembling. At the entrance to the cavethe air was really foul, and the feeling of fear unbelievable.Miranda passed out.
‘Damn, I’ve pushed hertoo far,’ he thought. ‘She’s probably right. I’m too stupid to knowwhen I’m wrong,’ so he picked her up in his arms and walked back tohis body shell. She came around and said,
‘By the Lady, that pooof yours stinks,’ and found herself in his arms. She glared at himso he quickly put her down.
‘You’re right Miranda.I’m sorry. I’m stupid. I shouldn’t have forced you to come along.It’s a bad idea. Let’s go back to the ruin.’
‘No, wizard. I thinkthat you’re right. We need to know what’s happened. We can’t justlet this lie. I think it’s the stench that got me, not the fear. Ifwe could get some fresh air into the interior of the shrine I justmight be able to make it.
Aquitain stood thinkingfor a few moments.
‘Maybe there is a wayto get some air in there.’ And he felt inside his body shell forthe crystal sphere that the elder air elemental had given him.
‘This should be quiteexciting. I got this thing from Whooshoo, who said if I ever neededany help from an air elemental then this would
