Arriving at night had been helpful, as fewer people had been around to encounter, and they had spent until morning getting a feel for life on Earth. The need for sleep and a quiet base for further exploring had led to this hotel and Joe, who was in town for business. The right spell had resulted in Joe going about his day job while the wizards slept in his room with the “do not disturb” sign on, with breaks for exploring, then Joe dutifully returning to them for the night. Tomorrow would include trips to Anna’s condo, Eric’s place, and the home of Ryan’s family, with much information falling into place. But one subject Soliander most wanted to know, he found nothing on, so he returned to the inquisition to ask directly.
“What do you know of Merlin?” he asked.
“Merlin?” Joe asked with a frown.
“The wizard.”
Hesitating, Joe asked, “You mean the legend guy? From Arthur’s Court? Knights of the Round Table? That’s just a myth.”
Soliander scowled in frustration, for his spells had rendered Joe helpful, and yet here he was not being so. It suggested the information was beyond his reach. “From what year is this myth?”
“I’m not sure. The 11th century maybe.”
“And it’s… the 21st century?”
“Yeah. It’s after 2000.”
Soliander stepped back. “A thousand years.”
He had half-expected something of this sort, but not nearly that long. It explained the weathering at Stonehenge, which he was curious to visit, but it could wait. Matt’s memories were quite clear on that one, being so recent. He asked Joe about the myth but learned little until Joe offered to look it up on his laptop, so they did. But for all the legends, there was nothing about Stonehenge in them, or Quest Rings, and no mention of himself, Eriana, Korrin, or Andier. And while Morgana appeared in quite a few of the tales, he found nothing about the Ellorian Champions. Or Merlin’s Pendant. Or faerie creatures vanishing along with magic to their own world. It was as if none of it had ever happened.
Soliander sighed in frustration. No answer would come soon, he realized, so he turned his mind to practical matters. He wasn’t sure how to go about acquiring his own credit card or smartphone to pay for things, and with cash still acceptable, he soon magically robbed a nearby bank by turning himself invisible, casting himself inside, and removing a small fortune in bills before leaving. Similar stunts helped prepare himself and Darron for further escapades, but with the Stonehenge Four, as he had learned they were called, gone on a quest, he had time.
He had seen news reports of Matt vanishing on camera, and the stories about Anna’s disappearance, the others reportedly missing as well. The footage of Matt had been important for understanding one thing—they weren’t going voluntarily. The expression of surprise on Matt’s face had made it plain. This came as no real surprise. After Everon’s betrayal, he and the others hadn’t been doing it willingly either. The real question now was how the four Earth friends had been substituted for them. He had wondered if Korrin, Andier, or Eriana had somehow done this, despite it being improbable, but now he knew they had not.
Like him, they had railed against the forced quests and having to pretend they were happy to solve someone else’s problem for them when no one could solve theirs—how to escape the quest cycle that only Everon and Diara knew was undesired. His friends would never have forced others to take their place even if they had known how, and if Soliander didn’t know, they couldn’t. He was the wizard who had invented everything about the Quest Rings–with a little help from Eriana for the healing elements—until Everon altered them.
His curiosity about them had only increased on learning of the quest on Rovell. They had somehow defeated the Lords of Fear, who had earned their nickname. The victory was impressive and unexpected. They seemed a threat to anyone up to no good and had surprised him twice now. This warranted respect and caution, maybe a little more reconnaissance. Had his old friends somehow trained them, or were they just getting lucky? It took more than good fortune to defeat the lords.
Aeron had suffered a loss of pride, and Garian had recovered from his wounds. Kori’s severed arm had grown back with supernatural help, but there was no way to restore Lord Voth’s previously handsome appearance. Soliander liked him better this way anyway. An undead knight who looked like a normal man wasn’t nearly as frightening as one with bones and bits of charred flesh hanging from him.
The quartet had been suitably concerned about their future well-being after the failure, but they didn’t have to explain what happened. He had seen their collapse himself, right until the moment “Lord Korrin” had slammed his sword down at the orb. After that, he lost contact, but he knew what must have happened, and the Lords of Fear had confirmed it. The slave Orb of Dominion had broken, leaving only the master. And now the subservience that had ensnared two kingdoms of the many to come had been lost. He frowned as he gazed over at a black velvet cloth atop a round object. When he caught up with these supposed Ellorian Champions, he would make them reveal what they had done with the other orb’s pieces.
The moment he sensed he had returned to Earth, Eric dropped into a defensive crouch and scanned around him. Then he relaxed and straightened. He was alone. And he had arrived where he’d expected—back at work, which was predictably deserted. He once again wore his karategi, its white pants and jacket too bright for his comfort as he
