‘We’refortunate that the High Wizard didn’t lock it in his safe room. Idon’t know how to get in there.’
She unwrappedit and showed it to the Newman. ‘Is this it?’ she asked in anexcited tone.
The Newman tookhold of the exquisite gem-studded sceptre made of precious metals,examined it carefully then pushed a gem recessed into its shaft andthe sceptre elongated into a spear. He pushed a second gem and itshortened to form a sword, a third gem returned to its sceptreshape and he said. ‘Yes. This is it. Beautiful isn’t it?’
Alin Amberspoke a word of stunning and the Newman froze like a statuecompletely paralysed but still able to see and hear. The sceptredropped to the ground with a dull thud. Alin pulled out a knife andcut half the small finger off the Newman’s left hand wrapped it inclean cloth stowed it in his pocket and began chanting more arcanewords in high Draconic. There was a surge of magic, the Newman wascovered with a dull green glow as he changed shape, shrank to ahalf of his former height and his skin went tough and stony likethat of a gargoyle.
‘By the Powershe looks ugly.’ said Jaztrix.
‘You willremember nothing of tonight.’ said Alin Amber and chanted a furthercomplex string high Draconic and the Newman’s memory went blank andhis vision went strange.
Alin Amberpicked up the sceptre placed it in a dimension bag and then andJaztrix disappeared into the night leaving the alien lookingcreature where he was.
The countrysidelooked strange and dangerous. He was confused.
‘How did I gethere?’ he thought. The paralysis faded and he could walk again. Hewandered along the edge of the building and found a doorway into abarn. Inside were the weirdest looking animals he had ever seen. Heheard someone coming. He hid behind a bucket. Why were the bucketsso large here? In came the ugliest, most malign looking creature hehad ever seen holding a lamp. He was terrified.
The creaturechecked the other creatures, looked around but didn’t see him thenleft. He didn’t know what to do. Everything looked so unfamiliar.Maybe he could hide in here for a while. Watch what happened andthen decide what to do. Why couldn’t he remember how he got here?In fact, who was he?
**
The following eveningwas one of those beautiful spring nights, warm with a gentlebreeze, causing a slight rustle in the trees. The moon was nearlyfull, the perfume of the flowers around the little cottages on theedge of the village of Twin Towers wafted around the village.
The usuallaughter and singing from the Ugly Bear inn was absent insteadthere was serious civic meeting in progress. Several pairs ofguards kept vigil walking the streets. Some small water elementalschased each other around the fountain splashing water here andthere.
Aquitain in theform of a purple-scaled little person wearing a small pack on hisback fashioned out of chaos matter appeared just outside HighWizard Featherdown’s tower. He walked to the door and tried to gainentry but found the door locked and the password had beenchanged.
The doorknobstated that the wizard was not home and could the caller pleaseinquire about his whereabouts at the Ugly Bear Inn. He was tired,not feeling sociable and not overly keen at wandering into the inn,as he was unsure as to how popular strangers were in the town atthe moment. He had an aversion to visiting Quab, the town’s druidat the Sanctuary on the edge of town as he had died there a fewdays ago so he sat down resigned to waiting.
A hidden pairof eyes watched him for a couple of minutes then slipped off to theinn. A few minutes later, High Wizard Featherdown dressed in asimple brown tunic, left the inn and walked towards the tower. Ashe approached Aquitain noticed the deep purple glow of his eyes.The wizard was wary and alert as if expecting someone. He steppedinto the moonlight where he was clearly visible and the wizardtensed a little.
‘Hello, whatcan I do for you?’ asked the wizard.
‘HelloFeatherdown, it’s me Aquitain.’
The High Wizardasked him a couple of questions to verify his identity and thenrelaxed a little.
‘By the Powers,you’ve shrunk. Come in, come in. Are you hungry, I can get the innto provide some food if you like?’
‘No.’ repliedAquitain, ‘but thanks for the offer. You’ve changed the password onyour door.’
‘Yes I will bechanging it daily from now on considering what’s been happening.’replied Featherdown. ‘Come inside.’ and he whispered a password andthe door opened. They entered, walked to a teleport circle and weretransported to the entertainment room, a large circular roomcontaining several lounges sitting on lush purple carpet.
‘Take a seatwhile I call for some hot tea.’ he said and disappeared.
Aquitainremembered the first time he had been here as an emotionlessuntested Logicon. The awesomely beautiful tapestry on the wallshowing heroic Newman warriors locked in battle with horriblemonsters had only been of technical interest to him then.
Now it camealive. He had emotions again and they had been thoroughly tested inthe last couple of days. Now the scenes truly captured hisimagination. He could hear the yells, war cries, guttural growls,metal crashing on metal, shouts and curses. He could almost feelthe hot flashes of fire and smell the magic in the air. His mindwas filled with horrible piecing screams, acrid smells of burningflesh, sweat, blood, steaming entrails, fear and exhilaration.
Aquitain torehis mind away from the vision in the tapestry.
‘Damn. I’llhave to be more careful.’ he thought. ‘The tapestry has some sortof compulsion magic on it to enhance the senses and feelings of theviewer.’ He blanked his mind and mentally chanted the mantra ofcalming to calm his now turbulent feelings.
The wizardreturned with a steaming mug of hot brew and sat opposite him witha somewhat serious expression on his face.
‘You justarrived at a propitious time. I had a meeting with worried townspeople and we were having difficulties. I closed the meeting andtold them we would resume again tomorrow night after they had givenmore thought to my proposals. I suppose you don’t know what’shappened in the last couple of days and have come here to findout?’
‘That’s itcompletely. I know
