by Gregory Heal
“Rick? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine . . .” Richard held onto her tighter, fighting the urge to tell his wife about his conversation with Charles.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
As Skarmor touched down on the Elder courtyard lawn, Victor was already off, making his way with a barely contained eagerness to see Grand Mystra Cindergray.
Victor reminded himself not to get his hopes up, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted—needed—it to be true. If he was correct, the balance of the war would shift; in whose favor, though, was still unclear.
With a confident push, he opened the doors into the Elder Synod’s council chamber and strode up to the Well of Mystras. Victor chose Cindergray’s dye and squeezed a droplet into the well, watching the colored liquid plume out and illuminate. Reminding himself that he was in the hallowed Elder Synod chamber, Victor calmed himself and patiently waited as a bright light emanated from the central chair up on the dais. Before long, the light coalesced into the sitting form of Grand Mystra Cindergray, who smiled at his visitor.
“Victor. It’s good to see you.”
“Grand Mystra.” Victor bowed for a count of three seconds.
“What brings this unexpected but most welcome visit?” Cindergray asked.
“I saw the white buffalo grazing in the fields of Elysium.” Victor held his breath as he saw Cindergray recognize the code.
“Let’s hope we don’t scare it away,” he replied with the prescribed response and waved Victor toward him.
The terramancer ascended the steps to Cindergray’s chair and was enveloped in white light as he was transported to the Grand Mystra’s private office.
In the shadows, hidden behind a pillar, a dark figure slinked away.
As Victor felt his physical body manifest in the sanctity of Cindergray’s office, he felt more at ease. Cindergray let go of his arm and walked over to his desk.
“I’m glad Jennifer is safe on Camelore,” Cindergray said, interpreting Victor’s coded message. He sat down slowly, as if in pain.
“It was a close call, but yes. Draconex ambushed us after Jen received her totem from Mystra Hephalon.” Victor saw Cindergray tense up. “His dragon took her away, but she managed to escape.”
Cindergray was surprised. “How did she accomplish that?”
“On instinct,” Victor said, still impressed by Jen’s maneuver. “She used the moltic spell, letting the dragon carry away a mold while she landed in the cover of the Amaranthine Forest.”
“Merlin’s beard!” Cindergray exclaimed, standing up. Victor had never seen Cindergray so animated. He leaned over the desk on his knuckles. “Her nexus is more powerful than I had realized.”
“She amazes me every day,” Victor said with a proud smile.
“Even so, Draconex must be getting desperate if he showed his face. This worries me,” Cindergray said with a stone expression, sitting back down.
“I agree, and that’s why I’m accelerating Jen’s training.”
“Good, then I shall leave for Camelore to instruct her sooner than expected.” Cindergray played with his tasseled beard as he thought.
Victor swallowed hard. “There’s one more thing, Grand Mystra.”
Cindergray looked up from his desk. “Yes?”
A lump formed in Victor’s throat. “I have reason to believe Charles and Jocelyn Lancaster are alive.” His voice wavered as he said the names.
Cindergray froze in place; his skin turned almost as white as his beard. “That’s impossible.” His voice was barely a whisper. “You yourself witnessed their deaths in that horrific explosion on Ocuul.”
“Yes, but now I question what my eyes saw. Jen was sent a vivid vision earlier today from a telemancer who was being tortured by Draconex.” Victor walked closer to Cindergray’s desk. “She felt his pain and heard him say ‘Mintaka.’ ”
“Mintaka?” Cindergray still hadn’t moved since Victor voiced his unbelievable hunch. “One of the stars in the Orion constellation?”
“Yes—but more specifically, one of the three stars in Orion’s Belt.” Victor paused for a brief moment, locking eyes with Cindergray. “And also Jen’s middle name.”
Cindergray sat up straighter in his chair. “How do you know this?”
“They announced it during Jen’s private baptism.” Victor’s eyes welled up as he remembered the ceremony. “When Jen was born, Charles told Jocelyn that their baby girl was their Mintaka . . . their shining star. Ever the astrologer, Charles said that he and Jocelyn were the stars Alnitak and Alnilam, and together their little family completed Orion’s Belt, which symbolizes the divine aspects of Will, Love, and Intelligence. Jocelyn was so touched by what Charles had said that they decided to give Jen the full name of Jennifer Mintaka Lancaster.”
“The timing of this is too strong to be a coincidence,” Cindergray agreed. “Who else was at Jennifer’s baptism and knows her middle name?”
“Both Charles’s and Jocelyn’s parents, who have all since passed . . . Simone Chen, who was Jocelyn’s maid of honor . . . and myself, Charles’s best man.”
Cindergray seemed to relax a bit. “Then Draconex will have thought nothing of that name’s significance. But it is unwise to assume.”
“Right. We mustn’t waste any more time. If there’s the slightest chance that they’re still alive, we need to find them. We owe them that much.”
“It will prove challenging and treacherous,” Cindergray pointed out. “It seems that Draconex has them, and we’ve no inkling as to where.”
Victor stood at attention. “Grand Mystra, I volunteer to lead the search.”
“What about Jennifer? Haven’t you just begun her training?”
“Yes, but Draconex is forcing our hands, so I regret to say that we don’t have sufficient time to put Jen through our orthodox training schedule. But she is grasping terramancy quicker than I had initially thought. Jen should be ready to begin the next plane within the week.”
“Desperate times . . .” Cindergray began.
“Desperate measures,” Victor finished. “I’ll tell the League, select my team, and report back to you.”
Cindergray stood and extended his hand to Victor. “Tell only those with whom you trust your life. Good luck, Mystra Huxley.”
“I will. Thank you, Grand Mystra.” Victor shook his hand, which still felt firm and strong. Twirling his staff, he left Cindergray’s office to recruit the first member of his team.
As Victor descended a tall spiral staircase, he prayed more fervently than ever that Charles and Jocelyn were still alive.
Who else could have sent Jen that vision? No other telemancer has been reported missing.
He walked the halls in a trance, more focused on his thoughts than where he was actually going. From pure memory alone, he made it to the mystras’ narthex of the castle. Digging deep into his memory bank, he went to the last office on the left. He hesitantly knocked on its large, mahogany door. There was a moment or two of silence. He lifted his hand to knock again when the door opened to reveal the mystra for whom he was searching.
“Simone,” Victor said warmly.
“To what do I owe this immense honor?”
The sarcasm in her voice made Victor second-guess his decision, but he needed someone of Simone’s caliber to make his mission a success.
“May I come in?” Victor asked as he absentmindedly rubbed his silver staff with his thumb.
Simone sighed and opened the door wide enough to let him in. She didn’t say anything, just nodded.
“Thank you.” Victor walked in and was astounded to see Simone’s office look exactly as it had before he was banished. “This place—”
“I don’t like change. You of all people should know that.” She brushed past him and went over to a window overlooking the east courtyard.
“Is that why you won’t forgive me? Because my status changed and you couldn’t bear it?”
“You were banished,
Victor, because you broke one of the highest rules of the Sorcery Guild,” Simone retorted coldly. “There was a time when I thought you respected the Guild. You were the one who changed, and it broke my heart.”
“Even though I saved Gavin—and probably everyone else down in the Pit—from Draconex?” He walked up behind her, afraid she would recoil if he put a hand on her shoulder. “Even if the right thing meant breaking that certain rule?”
Simone abruptly marched away from the window. “It’s much more than that, and you know it.”
Victor hung his head, knowing that he could not reason with her. “I didn’t come here to fight, Simone. I came here to ask for your help.”
“You’ve already used up my favor of goodwill.” Simone pointed at the door, alluding to Jen’s audience with the Elder Synod. “You may leave.”
Victor slammed his staff on the ground in irritation, blurting out, “Jocelyn and Charles are alive!”
Simone quietly withdrew her hand and put it to her mouth. “They’re . . . what?”
“Alive, and I need your help in finding them.” Victor stepped closer to her, but stopped when she held out a hand.
Simone sat down in her chair.
“Look, I know how close you and Jocelyn were and how badly you took it when she disappeared. I fell into depression too.” Victor took another step closer. “But we have another chance to save them.”
“ ‘Save’?” Simone finally said. “Where are they?”
“Draconex still has them.” Victor shook his head. “But I don’t know where.”
Simone looked dazed. “What evidence do you have that they are alive?”
Victor knelt down in front of her and said, “Jen was sent a vision by a telemancer who was being tortured by Draconex. Before the link was cut off, she heard him say ‘Mintaka.’ Jen doesn’t know this, but that’s her—”
“Middle name,” Simone finished.
Victor nodded, so overcome with emotion he began to shake. “Please, we need to find them before we lose them for good.”
Simone stood up and walked back to the window. “In light of this unforeseen development, I will overlook our differences and help you,” she said. Victor picked his head up, widening his eyes in both surprise and relief. He made to thank Simone when she firmly denoted, “I’m not doing this for you, Victor. This is for Jocelyn and Charles.”
“That’s all I ask. In the meantime, keep this between us. If any Dark Watcher sleeper agent gets wind of this, our search will be for naught.”
“Finally something we can agree on.”
Victor let that verbal jab slide. “I’ll be back for the Sesquimillennial Jubilee. By then, I’ll have assembled the rest of our team.” He walked to the door to let himself out.
“You know where I’ll be,” Simone said as a goodbye.
“Thank you, Simone.”
Victor closed the door behind him, setting his sights on Camelore.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jen woke up from her nap and was unable to fall back asleep, so with a lot on her mind, she decided to get some air and walk around Camelore. The sun was at a steep angle as she emerged from her hut, turning the sky into a lovely royal blue. Lights were shining through a few of the surrounding huts: a sign that nighttime was approaching. As a brisk wind tousled her hair, she decided to visit Mira at the stables, stretching out her tight arms as she walked. Before long, she could hear the faint chirping of crickets and, as she got closer to Camelore’s only lake, the croaky calls of frogs and something rhythmic that she couldn’t quite distinguish.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta. Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta.
With a chuckle, Jen realized the sound was from rocks skipping across the lake. She traced the ripples back to the shore and stopped dead in her tracks when she discovered that Gavin was the one responsible for the rock skipping. Stuck in a mental tug-of-war between seeing Mira at the stables or returning to her hut, she was frozen like a deer in headlights. With the latter winning out, Jen turned to briskly walk back to her hut when she heard her name.
“Jen? Hey, Jen!”
Gavin had spotted her. Jen’s body tensed up as she mentally palmed her forehead, feeling embarrassed that she had been seen. She debated if she should pretend that she didn’t hear him, but her feet turned her around and her hand began to awkwardly wave.
“Howdy!”
Howdy?! Really, Jen . . .
“Want to skip some rocks? I found some really nice flat ones along the shore.” Gavin held up his finds like long-lost treasure.
“I don’t know. It’s getting dark and . . .” Jen motioned toward her hut, but her legs kept taking her closer to Gavin.
“Oh, come on! We still have more than enough light. Plus, you can’t get smoother water than this.” He leaned to the side and flicked a stone out over the lake. Ta-ta-ta-ta! It spun so fast that it skimmed on the water fifteen times before finally submerging.
“Okay, fine.” Jen laughed, coming to a stop by Gavin. Her heart raced faster the closer she got to him.
“Here you go.” He handed a few rocks over to her. “So what brings you over this way?”
Jen looked down at the stones, turning them over. “Just needed to clear my mind.”
Gavin flicked another rock across the lake. “Hopefully your training isn’t giving you second thoughts?”
“Oh no.” Jen wasn’t expecting to hear that and found herself flustered. “I’m enjoying it and learning lots. Vic’s a great instructor.”
Gavin nodded, turning toward her. “I trust him with my life.”
She felt her cheeks blush. “I do too.” She cleared her throat and threw a rock at the water’s surface. It skipped once before making a splash.
Gavin eyed her and smirked. “I’m gonna take a wild guess and say you haven’t skipped a lot of rocks in your lifetime.”
Jen giggled, then quickly composed herself. “What do you mean? That’s my championship-winning throw!” She mimicked the motion again before raising her arms in triumph. “It’s a trade secret.”
“I’m sure it is,” Gavin played along. He then showed her how he held the rocks. “Try it this way once. Put your thumb in the center, curve your index finger around the edge, and flick it away from you.” He let the rock go, watching as it skipped halfway across the lake.
“Okay.” Sticking her tongue out in concentration, Jen grasped the rock like how Gavin showed her and let it rip. It hit the surface at an angle, sending out a larger splash than her first throw, not even skipping once.
“Here.” Gavin stood behind Jen and bent down to her eye level, taking her arm. “You held it perfectly. You just have to make a few adjustments to your stance.”
When Gavin pressed his chest up to her back, Jen felt a strong jolt run up and down her spine. She could feel him breathing: steady and sure. She didn’t want him to let go.
Gavin continued, “Lean on the side of your dominant eye and pull back your throwing arm like you’re an archer pulling back a compound bow.”
Jen could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck.
He gently pulled her arm back with his. “And flick it in front of you like a frisbee.”
His strong hand felt like it was one with hers as he flicked her wrist, sending the rock spinning across the lake’s surface. It skipped several times before being swallowed by the water.
“How did that feel?”
Jen swallowed. “Perfect.” She turned to look at Gavin. The distance between them was inches, but she wanted there to be none.
After a sweet smile, Gavin finally let go of her wrist and went to the shore to look for more rocks.
Jen was shaking with adrenaline, kicking herself for not kissing Gavin just then. After letting out a quick breath, she found a large, polished stone next to him to stand on. “So, what brings you over this way?”
“This is my favorite spot on Camelore to think.” Gavin picked up a smooth stone. “And it’s near the stables.” He pointed off to his right.
“Do you like watching the griffins fly?” Jen asked. Maybe he knew Skarmor.
“I wait here for Mira to get off her shift, but the view doesn’t hurt either.” Gavin winked at Jen after finding an acceptable rock.
“Oh, you know Mira?” Jen uncomfortably shifted her weight to her other leg.
“Yeah, we’re dating.”
Jen felt as if she’d been sucker-punched in the stomach.
“How do you know her?” Gavin asked, starting the motion of throwing his rock when Jen let out an unexpected noise that caught him off guard. The rock flew out of his hand and rocketed straight into the water as he looked to see what was wrong.
Jen’s breath caught in her throat, causing her to cough, which made her lose her balance on the large stone she was standing on and slip down the steep shoreline toward the water.
“Jen!” Gavin reached out and grabbed her wrist, but instead of stopping her fall, her momentum pulled him down with her. Both of them plunged into the placid water, sending out an enormous splash that startled the geese and frogs nearby.
Sitting in two feet of water, with her hair matted to her face, Jen felt like dying.
“Well, we definitely didn’t skip, I’ll tell ya that.” Gavin peeled his soaked shirt from his chest and flicked his fingers, sending drops of water everywhere.
Jen looked at him through bands of wet hair. Without saying anything, she splashed him.
Gavin brought this arms up to block some of the spray. “Too soon?” he asked with a smile.
Before Jen could respond, she heard someone approach.
“Gavin?” Mira stood at the top of the hill, shocked. “Jen?!”
“I fell,” Jen said unenthusiastically, “and Gavin tried catching me.”
“You can see how well that worked out.”
Gavin was met with another splash to the face.
Chapter Forty
Stay strong . . .
That was the last thing Charles had sent to Richard just after he had sensed the imminent return of Lord Draconex. Trying desperately to not arouse any suspicion, Charles scrambled back to his tipped chair and returned to the position in which he had woken up before Draconex entered the interrogation chamber, with his bound hands behind the chair’s backrest. If he had waited another second, it would have been too late, for right as Charles returned, he heard the door handle turn behind him. Feigning unconsciousness, he closed his eyes and hoped he had made it in time.