She ran into hermother’s room and took a silver pendant shaped like a flower, andhung it around her neck.
‘That should suffice,’she thought, hurrying back to the living room.
The spider hadtransformed into a woman wearing a camouflage cloak and equippedwith a magic staff. The Crin Enforcer wore golden scale armour andcarried two deadly looking short swords; the third person wasanother Crin, smaller than the Enforcer and equipped with chainarmour and a halberd.
‘We are readyPrincess,’ said the wizard who had been a spider.
‘Form for teleport!’she said, and they placed a left arm on her shoulder and nodded.Moments later they were outside the cave near the waterfall thenthey transported again to the marker near the hideout.
Immediately the areaaround them went black, but she could see perfectly through thegoggles of night vision. Her three guards rushed out forming atriangle around her about ten to fifteen paces from her. She turnedherself invisible. The three guards sounded an all clear and shestrode powerfully and purposefully to the hatch.
‘Sanson first,Allalanllea next then me, you stay and guard our backs,’ shecommanded using mindspeak.
The Crin Enforceryanked the hatch cover off and dived into the darkness then raceddown the corridor to the living room. There was nothing there.
‘It seems to be allclear, Princess,’ said the Enforcer, using mindspeak.
The wizard calmlystrolled in joining the Enforcer. ‘All clear Princess.’
Finally Miranda went inand walked through to the living room. Lying on the dusty floor wasa leg. She picked it up and hugged it.
‘So little left of abrave spirit,’ she said with tears running down her cheeks.
‘Leave me and guard theother exit, Sanson,’ she commanded.
‘Remain hereAllalanllea. Please swear to me that you will not reveal to mymother what I’m about to do.’
‘That is difficult forshe is the Queen, and you are the Princess,’ said the wizard.
‘PleaseAllalanllea!’
‘I am old and blind,’she suddenly said, ‘quite often I see things that are not there andsometimes don’t see things that are there.’
‘Thank you,’ saidMiranda then took off her mother’s silver flower pendant and beganchanting a prayer to the Lady of the Jungle. Following that sheinvoked the power in the pendant and continued chanting.
Aquitain didn’t see thegreen ray beamed towards him but he did feel his body disappear ina cloud of dust. There was a brief sharp pain all over and that wasit. He looked down to where his body used to be and he saw thefloor littered with bits of him. There were his two metal feet, hisarm and some bits of the gear that he carried. Alpha was also therewhen it should have been sitting on top of his head. I don’t likethe look of this, he thought to himself. He remembered the feeling.It was like when his spirit had moved from his newman body into theLogicon body. Then his mind began to wander and he began recallingevents from his past life.
An urgent message brokeinto his reverie: ‘Aquitain, join with me.’
He ignored Alpha andbegan to think of the recent past. His life had been normal forthat of a magical instrument maker. He remembered clearly how hislife had changed when he had suddenly become a shape shifter, andthen when he had become a Logicon. He’d had a brief but excitingfew weeks and now he was dead. He wished he could shed a tear forhis family and Miranda, but spirits have no tears to shed. Helingered, wishing that he had done more with his life.
Miranda chanted in anancient tongue totally unknown to Aquitain, but suddenly he couldhear her words loud and clear. Alpha moved around from behind thebarrel to listen and watch.
‘Aquitain, Spirit ofAquitain, I am calling you. Do not depart yet, for I wish to helpyou to live. As a druid and a friend, I humbly beg my gracious andloving mistress, the Almighty Goddess of Nature, the Lady of theJungle to give you another chance at life. I humbly plead that Shemight look into your spirit and use Her great wisdom to decide whatcreature you most resemble. I beg Her to create a new body for youto act as a vessel to hold your spirit. I ask you, the spirit ofAquitain, to accept this gift of friendship from me, your friend. Iask you, the spirit of Aquitain, to accept this gift from the mostgracious and infinitely powerful Goddess of Nature, the Lady of theJungle. I ask you Aquitain, to decide to once more accompany me inthe world of the living.’
As Miranda chanted withteary eyes, a green mist appeared in front of him. The mist slowlytook form. A large ball of green clay started to appear.Insubstantial and ghostlike at first, then as she continuedchanting, the ball became more solid, more real. On Mirandachanted!
‘Tain, my dear friend Icall on you to make your decision. You must now decide whether youwish to inhabit this body or not. If you choose not to return tous, it will not count against you in any way, in your afterlife. Imake this offer freely and in the true spirit of love andfriendship. Return to me if you will.’
Aquitain looked at thelarge green ball of clay and thought to himself.
‘So this is how they doit. I always wondered. I guess this is the moment of truth. Perhapsthe Lady will give me a newman body. That would be wonderful. I’mcoming Miranda!’ and he flowed his spirit into the green ball.
Moments later, the balltook the shape of a large brown bear. A little later again, agroggy bear rose to his feet and looked around.
He saw the face ofMiranda. At first she seemed horrified and screamed ‘Why Lady?’then in a more humble voice.
‘Forgive me, Lady, Iknow not your
