Jess flushed as she made herself a second sandwich, realizing that of course Professor Rens had understood the significance of what had occurred. He was a master enchanter, and that wave of utter destruction had stopped literally at her feet. At least he was gracious enough not to probe her with endless uncomfortable questions, for all that his gaze was intently locked upon her.
Jess found herself focusing the entirety of her attention upon the rather delicious fare. The soft crusty bread was an excellent counterpoint to the sharp cheeses that filled her mouth with such a burst of rich, tangy flavor. Washing it down with creamy fresh milk was heavenly. She smiled happily and sighed when her sandwich was naught but crumbs upon her silver plate. "Professor Rens stocks an excellent larder," she acknowledged to Alex's bemused smile as he gazed at her plate, having thoughtfully made her yet another sandwich which she was all too happy to devour.
Alex took advantage of the time Jess and Malek spent savoring the tasty fare to lay out the maps he had pulled from the shelves, opening up the tome as well. “And here, my friends, is where we suspect our treasure is to be found.”
He smiled then, his gaze both bemused and solemn. “Your worries about having to act as King's Killers aside, you very well may end up journeying into the Shadowlands proper, where your foes are far more likely to be twisted monstrosities than enemy agents. Now try to keep awake, Jess. I know how you love lectures, but you may find this background information useful.”
Jess flushed, grinning in sheepish embarrassment, determined to focus at least as hard as her annoyingly gifted shieldbrother upon their friend’s lecture. Alex then proceeded to read a particularly dry passage about some ancient tower that appeared only on the night of the full moon. Jess tried to keep her focus on her friend’s words, but his pedantic tone nonetheless sent her into a slight doze, and she rested her eyes for just a moment, and felt an icy chill wash over her.
It felt almost as if she were sinking into a frozen lake of chilly dreams, catching a glimpse of an ancient tower on a windswept grassy hillside. It was a tall structure, soaring many stories above, made of brilliantly polished limestone that seemed to give off an eerie glow in the moonlight. She thought she could see the silhouette of a town far below, firelight flaring from various unshuttered windows below, and faintly, she could hear a scream so terrible it chilled her to the bone.
“Jess, wake up! I know Alex goes on, but it wasn’t that bad,” Malek chided, elbowing Jess up from her stupor.
Jess shot Malek a peeved look. “What are you talking about? I wasn’t asleep.”
Alex gave her a curious look. “Jess, I swear I heard you snoring. Anyway, from what I was able to deduce from these writings, I think I’ve been able to determine where that tower can be found.” He then picked up a quill and carefully attempted to match up map names to his notes, scratching his forehead, fingers hovering just above the map. “Damn, I swear I had this marked down.”
Jess with a sigh plucked the quill from his fingers and marked a spot half an inch from where it had been hovering.
Alex blinked. Checked his notes, looked again, and smiled. “You were paying better attention than I thought, Jess. The sleeping saint. Bravo!” He grinned.
Malek gave her a curious look. “I swear I heard her snore.”
“Okay, first of all, I do not snore!” Jess huffed. “But anyway, it was obvious where it would be. All you have to do is look at the map. A tower clearly belongs right there. And there is a town near the structure. Pomell, I think it is called. And I’m guessing some people have turned up missing or dead?”
Rens favored Jess with another of his discerning gazes. “Yes, indeed. Quite true, dear Jess. And if you will pardon a wizard his curiosity, how did you come by that tidbit of knowledge?”
Jess shrugged, trying to look casual. “Didn’t Alex mention something to that effect?”
Alex shook his head slowly. “This is an old tome, Jess. The towns it mentions are ancient. Many have had their names changed or were abandoned altogether. I was attempting to triangulate what’s mentioned in the legends with where reports of missing townsmen are coming from, and my deductions aside, I think your pick is at least as good a place to start.”
“Oh,” Jess said, suddenly feeling awkward as everyone stared at her. “Let’s just call it a lucky guess, then?” She gave them all a winning smile.
Rens grinned. “Fair enough, dear Jess. Now, let us finish our repast, and plan for our trip to come!”
“Lucky guess, my arse,” Malek muttered playfully and Jess grinned.
“So, now that that’s settled, why are we chasing down this tower again?”
Rens blinked, nonplussed, even as Alex frowned in consternation. “That’s where the Wand of Dreams was reputed to have originally been forged. Its powers are no doubt amplified there, and if one of our enemies was planning a bit of mischief, as like as not he’s done the same research we have, and knows that this ancient tower is the perfect place to work his vile deeds. Didn’t I mention that in my lecture, Jess?”
Jess grinned. “I must have been asleep for that part of it. In other words, noble declarations aside, apart from some tales of missing townsmen, we are completely guessing that the Wand of Dreams might actually be within this tower near Pomell. We are just loosing arrows in the dark, hoping we hit something.”
Alex laughed. “Exactly, Jess. This is all just a shot in the dark. But with the Guild soon to be on our heels for any clue as to its whereabouts themselves, this might be our best chance to find it before they do.”
Jess nodded and focused on her food while her friends hammered out the details, blinking with fatigue as Malek helped a yawning Jess stumble back to her quarters, Twilight loping ahead, declaring his intention to scout for danger, the events of the past day having made it all too clear that they could no longer take their safety for granted.
Alex, for his part, had joined them; the three chattering gamely about future dreams and the humorous follies of their fellows, even as they worked their way down pristinely maintained hallways to the suits reserved for noble students like themselves, all serious talk carefully avoided. “Don’t forget, guys; tonight’s a circle night. Standard time,” Alex reminded them as Jess yawned before her rooms.
“I’ll make sure she’s up, no worries,” Malek assured their friend.
Jess blinked. “Oh that’s right, I was out for a bit, wasn’t I?”
Alex grinned. “Indeed you were my friend, one of many things we all should catch up on! Rest well. I’m guessing you are both tired, so I’ll knock when its time.” Jess gave a sleepy nod and was about to retire when she felt Alex’s soft squeeze upon her arm.
“That’s twice you’ve saved my life, Jess.” Soft dark eyes pierced her own. Jess blinked and smiled, giving her slender friend a fierce hug.
“That’s what friends are for, silly Alex! We have each other’s back when the chips are down.” Jess winked. “Besides, it’s not like in saving you I wasn’t also saving myself.”
Malek nodded. “You know we always have each other’s back, Alex. It’s not about keeping score; it’s about being there for each other, through thick and thin.”
Alex nodded solemnly, his smile encompassing both. “We have your backs too, you know. Whatever happens, we’re here for you. Me and Jera both.”
Jess felt a tear trickle down her cheek, ringing softly as it bounced upon the tiled floor. She favored the solemn-faced young man with a heartfelt smile, suddenly too choked up for words. Tenderly, she kissed his cheek before darting into her chambers, Malek's soft chuckle following her within. Suddenly exhausted, she found herself back in her comfy bed, without the slightest interest in removing her fine clothes or mithril mail, and with a silent plea to her door to make sure it was guarding her properly, Jess let herself drift deeply into the land of nod.
Jess woke with a start to find a pair of fiercely bright sapphire eyes peering intently into her own.
“Interesting adventures we have been
having this time around, have we not, my mistress? And now off to chase down a certain Wand of Dreams. It’s time to get up, Jess. Our friends will soon be convening their midnight get-together.”
After a moment’s startlement and what passed for a cat’s chuckle, she proceeded to hug her beloved Twilight close, stroking and caressing his fur as he purred.
“I love you, silly cat! And how did you sense something was wrong in the first place?”
Twilight tilted his head in arrogant disdain of Jess’s choice of words. Or perhaps it was so she could better scratch under his ears and chin. “I am hardly a silly cat, my dear Jess. Rather, say I am a lord of cats, beloved of elder powers, and various mortal agents as well. Or perhaps I am but the remnant of an ancient god, fierce and terrible, who once bode the end of all things, before angels soared the heavens and man walked the mortal realms.”
Her cat flashed an enigmatic smile. “As to how I sensed trouble ready to manifest its terrible claws of bitterest folly? Nothing brilliantly precise, I’m afraid. I simply tasted the storm brewing in the air, so to speak, and had a fair sense as to its origins.” Her cat began intently grooming himself, and Jess was strangely certain her familiar, wise and terrible creature that he was, was actually embarrassed. “And my focus upon the greater storm made it all too easy to overlook all traces of the more immediate threat to your person. It’s the only reason why I didn’t sense the ambush waiting for us. And considering the dark compulsion they were under, it’s an unforgivable breach.”
Jess chuckled softly, giving her familiar a reassuring rub. “Considering the fact that if you hadn’t insisted we head there at full speed, half the school would probably be a pile of rubble, I think your lapse can be forgiven.”
Twilight gave a catlike shrug. “There is that. But enough about my insights and follies. Suffice to say that I am happy to serve one whose devotion to me is unquestioned, and who always treats her cat with the reverence he deserves.”
Jess nodded knowingly. “You want a fish.”
“You’re damn right I want a fish! I’m starving. Let’s go eat, Jess. And then, of course, off to your meeting.”
Jess yawned, stretching, noting only with the slightest bemusement her fine tunic and hosiery were a wrinkled mess, especially with the chain links pressing into them.
“You look dashing as always, my Jess. Come.”
“This from a cat,” Jess smirked and yawned, deciding she wasn’t really that concerned about her attire anyway. Rubbing her eyes, Jess gently touched her oaken door, feeling its warm fondness for her, if such could be felt by a door, and the assurance that no one was near. She also sensed what was almost a request. A plea even.
“Seriously?” she mumbled before blinking her eyes fully awake and gently feeling the well-polished grain with her fingertips. The exquisitely carved door had originally been rough-hewn oak per her father's insistence, after taking one disdainful look at the flimsy nature of most of the student doors, his voice turning almost deadly when one of the proctors had tried to assure the baron that his daughter didn't have to worry about the safety of her person at their fine institution. After castigating the terrified proctor like he once had troops that had dared to shirk their responsibilities and a later placating drink shared with the dean himself, her father had her door installed with a minimum of fuss, firmly declaring that safety trumped elegance any day, a sentiment even her mother had wholeheartedly agreed with.
Her door, quite naturally to Jess's way of thinking, had slowly taken on a grace and elegance she thought quite suitable for her quarters. What had once been little more than a secure barrier from the outside world had slowly transformed itself, becoming a well-polished work of exquisite craftsmanship, with delicate carvings of woodland scenes etched into its surface so finely one would hardly think they had been carved into it at all.
Jess knew that any number of admiring professors and fellow students thought her a master woodcarver, some outright asking why she had performed so abysmally in her mandatory classes pertaining to the higher arts. Jess had merely smiled and remained silent, prudently choosing not to enlighten them as to the true nature of the artistry in question.
Jess nodded in satisfaction as she gently touched the myriad scenes inlaid within the door, compelled at last to hover over the exquisitely carved oak tree in the center of the largest woodland scene, her finger gently caressing the disproportionately large acorn dangling from one of the oak tree’s leaves. So large and real to life it looked that Jess was hardly surprised when the perfectly formed acorn popped out of the door entire and into her hands. With a solemn gaze Jess gently stroked the door and nodded, and she almost thought she could sense the door quivering with happiness.
Twilight yawned. “I take it we will be a bit late to the meeting?”
Jess shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I did promise.”
Twilight nodded. “Always best to keep your word, my dear Jess. But come. Let us stop at the kitchens on our way.”
“Of course!” Jess grinned, snuggling her familiar’s lush, silky fur, savoring his purr of approval. And a short time later, with a fortifying sandwich in one hand and gardening supplies liberated from the rooftop garden in the other, Jess made her way to the tree line some distance from the college, feeling the contented ebb and flow of life within the rustling leaves of the arboreal kingdom stretching high above her. She grinned in happy contentment, feeling in some curious way that walking through peaceful trees in moonlight was as true to her nature as anything could possibly be.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it Twilight? I love the woods at night.”
“I know, dear Jess. I know. I won’t even tell you how many times you’ve told me that over the years.”
“Okay, how many times have I said that phrase? Not that many, surely?” Jess queried curiously, even as she followed her intuition, striding confidently through the woods to the spot she sensed best suited the little acorn nestled happily in her palm. Instinctively, her feet avoided stepping on any root, even as a path through the thick foliage seemed to open up before her, pointing the way to her destination.
“Nine thousand six hundred and sixty-seven times. But really, who’s counting?” Twilight quipped, and Jess chuckled.
“Seriously, Twilight. It couldn’t have been that many times, that would be once a day for almost thirty years!”
“Well, I didn't say it was all in this lifetime, did I?"
Jess snickered. “Silly kitty. Oh look, there it is. It’s perfect!”
Jess sighed in satisfaction as they made their way to a small clearing in the heart of the woods adjoining a small, pristine pond, the stars and moonlight reflecting brilliantly upon its surface. Walking almost as if she was in a trance, Jess found herself dropping the acorn near the water's edge. It almost seemed to sink in the rich loamy soil of its own accord. "Grow well, my little friend," Jess whispered softly, patting the earth gently before getting up, stretching her arms wide in a great big yawn, and heading back to the keep below, Twilight dutifully by her side.
“You did well, Jess,” Twilight purred. “And the glade was an excellent find. Curious, how I never stumbled upon it before. The air about the meadow is unusually warm, perfect for an autumn nap, and I do suspect certain creatures of an aquatic affinity might make their home there.” Jess could all but sense her cat’s toothy grin. “A topic worthy of further exploration, another time.”
“I have no doubt you will quite enjoy exploring your new fishing hole,” Jess mused fondly. “Just please be careful around our new friend.”
“But of course!” Twilight huffed. “When have I ever disturbed your plantings?”
Jess’s sigh was almost forlorn as she left the forest’s edge once more, the gentle aura of serenity imparted by the woods quickly wilting under all the worries and demands of her college life. Still, the thought of adventure and mystery excited her, and her troubled frown was soon replaced by an anticipatory grin. For the Circle of Midnight was already mee
ting, and who knew what useful bits of news and gossip her friends had to share? “Come, Twilight. To the meeting we go!”
11
Jess, fist still upraised to knock on the door of the all but forgotten library that served as their meeting place found herself abruptly gazing into Josie’s beaming face as the library door was opened for her, before she had even rapped the door. She smiled in sudden bemusement, caught off guard by her friend’s presence and gentle grace. Hair the color of honeyed gold fell in loose ringlets about her pristine silken dress of darkest blue, gentle brown eyes gazing warmly into her own. Jess felt her heart race with sudden longing.
“By the god's you're beautiful, Josie," Jess sighed. "If you didn't have Raphael, I'd want to claim you for my own."
Jess blinked, looking at Josie’s furiously blushing face, realizing how adorable she looked when she was flushed. “Oh crap, did I say that out loud? Must be more tired than I thought.”
Josie tittered a bit and gave her a friendly hug. “Good to see you too, Jess. Have some sandwiches and wine. It’s been a long day for you, hasn’t it?”
Jess nodded "Yup. But I've already napped twice. Damn, but my shoulders are still a bit sore, though."
Malek frowned in mock consternation. “Did one of those jackanapes actually land a blow upon you, sister mine? Less than half a score of those knightly louts, I would expect not a scratch! We shall have to hear what Eloquin has to say about that!” her closest friend in all the world teased.
“Say nothing!” Jess hissed, her frigid stare leaving a suddenly abashed Malek awkward and clumsy as he tripped over an angrily huffing Jacob whose elegantly cut doublet of deepest midnight hue was now coated with a rather exotic mustard. The ensuing laughter resulted in everyone conveniently forgetting, or at least having the grace to pretend to forget her shieldbrother's momentary slip; mentioning as he had things best left unsaid, so dangerous a game they played with oaths they could scarcely even remember.
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