He created thelink and saw the spirit aura of Alin Amber. He was a Yith. At thesame moment Alin Amber saw the spirit aura of Aquitain, heprostrated himself on the floor of the cage.
‘Forgive meLord. I did not know.’
Aquitain wasshocked. What was a Yith doing helping him? But he recoveredquickly. This might be a chance to find out some interestinginformation.
‘You did notknow what?’
‘I did not knowA.G. was your father.’
This was whereAquitain made the mistake. He could have asked almost anything andlearned a lot but he said. ‘Tell me about A.G.’
Alin Amberlooked up at him tried to talk, his eyes glazed and he fellunconscious.
‘Damn thoseGeas effects. Why is everyone trying to keep me in the dark? If I’man Agent of Chaos would it be too hard to let me find out what I’msupposed to do? Obviously not, I’m just supposed to wander aroundruining everyone’s plans without the slightest clue of what I’mdoing.’
Aquitain waitedfor a couple of minutes until Alin Amber became consciousagain.
‘Whathappened?
‘You blackedout. You must be getting a bit weak from hunger.’ lied Aquitain.‘Now how about you shape change to a small animal and leave thecage.’
‘I can’t dothat my Lord.’ he said ‘I’m in a dead magic zone.’
Aquitain cursedsilently and then came up with a new plan of attack.
‘Remember yourgoddess changed the antimagic field so that you could help me.’
‘That’s right.I remember now.’ He replied and then shape changed to a rat,escaped from the cage, and reformed as Alin Amber outside thecage.
‘We mustescape, my Lord.’ he said desperately. ‘I think the horrible spiritput my teleport ring on the table over there. We can use that toescape.’
‘Good. Pick meup and carry me, also pick up the small stone spider on the floorthen get the teleport ring and we’ll leave.’ said Aquitain.
Alin quicklypicked up Aquitain, searched around until he found the stonespider, grabbed it and ran to the table. The moment he picked upthe ring an alarm went off.
‘Quick teleportto this location’ said Aquitain and he gave Alin a mental pictureof where to go. Alin had no sooner activated the ring than themalevolent spirit returned. It yelled a string of obscenities in afeminine voice that sounded remarkably like Miranda but was toolate. They had escaped.
**
Time passed and thensuddenly Miranda’s vision returned. She could see again, hearagain, and feel again. The spirit had left her body. It was darkshe was in some type of crypt.
She could smellthe dead air, the smell of death. She felt around. Bars. She walkedaround hand over hand feeling for the bars. There were fourcorners. She was in a cage. She was about to use one of her druidprayers but felt the feeling of the anti-magic zone. It would be awaste. She would have to bide her time. Wait and listen and withluck after a while her eyes would adjust to the dark and she mightsee a little more.
‘HelloMiranda.’ said Slivver into her mind. ‘I am here to help you. Keeppositive and we’ll survive.’
‘Who are you?’asked Miranda feeling a little better that she wasn’t the only onetrapped. ‘Was it you that said that I didn’t kill the little girl.Where are you?’
‘Our fates seemto be intertwined at the moment.’ replied Slivver.
‘Sleep and gather yourstrength. I will watch over you and alert you if anythinghappens.’
Chapter 26 Warden ofMoonmist
Alin Amber materializedin a small room that looked like a cell. He could feel the drainingeffect of the dead magic zone. The door was wide open.
‘What have youdone? This is a dead magic zone we won’t be able to get out.’
‘Settle down.’said Aquitain using mindspeak. ‘We will be okay.’
‘How can youuse mindspeak in a dead magic zone?’ replied Alin with a surprisedlook on his face.
‘It must be mynew body. Put me down and follow.’
Aquitainmarched off down the corridor of the cellblock and noticed Llaloraxsitting in one of the rooms using a bucket of water as a makeshiftscrying bowl. So he went in.
‘HelloLlalorax, I thought that I’d drop back for a visit.’
Llalorax inLlanllean form was obviously concentrating so much on the bucketthat he hadn’t heard them come in. He looked up with a start to seea Newman holding a stone spider and a small crystal statue of aNewman standing on the floor. He quickly shifted to his Newmanshape.
‘Er … one ofyou is Aquitain I presume, but which one?’
Yllandrilsuddenly moved her legs. Alin Amber got such a shock that hedropped her on the stone floor.
‘Don’t yourecognize me you scruffy looking idiot of a mage.’ she said.
Llalorax wentrigid as he looked at the stone Llanllean then raced over andpicked it up.
‘Is it reallyyou? I thought you were dead. I buried your body.’
‘Well I’m not,thanks to Aquitain, although I’m not quite as pretty as I used tobe and I’m very annoyed with you. Aquitain, meet my husband, thearchwizard Llalorax, Protector of the Queen of the Elendari butcan’t protect his own wife.’
Llalorax lookeddevastated.
‘I’m sorry mysweet. I searched for weeks when you disappeared. I had the wholeclan and half the Queen’s troops searching for you and then youstarted attacking the villages and killing the people. I didn’twant to believe it was you. Finally you were killed in one of theattacks. They paraded your body in front of the Queen. It wasterrible. I think that’s when the Queen and her people startedlosing faith in me. My information sources dried up. Old friendsignored me but I never lost faith in you. Tell me whathappened?’
‘Llalorax, haveyou forgotten your manners? First look after your guests, withoutthem I would still be lost, then I’ll tell my story.’
Aquitain wasreally surprised with this revelation. He had spent days withYllandril and she had never told him that she was Llalorax’s wifeor about the attacks on the villages. Then again he had hidden muchof his past from her as well. Somanller had mentioned that rogueLlanlleans had been attacking villages but out of deference toLlalorax had not mentioned that it was his wife. No wonder Llaloraxwas powerless. This was a carefully planned plot to discredit himand it had worked.
He was about tointroduce Alin
