Part 53 (1/2)

Lasidious smiled as he patted the wolf on his back. ”It's hard to put one over on Sam with his superior intellect, but I don't think it will be as simple as you think. There's a twist, I a.s.sure you.”

”When can we meet again to discuss the second piece of crystal?” Mosley inquired.

”In 10 Peaks.” Lasidious plopped into his chair. ”Remember, you're forbidden to a.s.sist the people of Grayham.” The G.o.d of Mischief disappeared.

Without a word, the wolf also vanished. When Mosley reappeared, he was standing in Brandor's royal dining hall. Sam, Shalee, BJ, Helga, and the General Absolute were discussing who Sam should choose as his new advisor. The general did not enjoy politics, and the role of advisor was laden with political engagements. Michael did not want to be pulled away from the day-to-day dealings of the army, so he had requested to be excused from consideration. To be the king's advisor would require a much heavier involvement with the Senate.

Sam had agreed to the general's request. This left the king with a decision to make. Who would be his advisor? Sam was pleased when Mosley showed up. Now, he could ask the G.o.d for his opinion. ”Mosley, it's good to see you. What brings you here, My Lord?”

”I bring news of the first piece of the Crystal Moon. I've come from a meeting with the G.o.ds. You'll need to take your army to Scorpion Island.”

BJ and Michael spoke at the same moment. Realizing he was not a proper part of the chain of command, BJ held his tongue and yielded.

”Thank you, BJ,” Michael acknowledged. ”Lord Mosley, the lake surrounding the island is a doomed body of water. It's haunted by the mist mares. No one has ever set foot on the island, except for one man, but Barutomus has long since pa.s.sed. From the writings of his exploits, the island is infested with giant scorpions. He wrote: they have a king with a poisonous tail over two and one half paces long. You cannot simply approach beasts of this nature. It will be impossible to find the crystal without taking heavy casualties.”

Everyone at the table turned to BJ to hear his opinion. ”I agree with the general, but I'm more concerned about the mist mares.” He turned to Sam. ”The army can surely fight the scorpions and win, but the mist mares are spirits. Neither sword nor any other weapon known to our kingdom will defeat the beasts. They traverse the top of the water and slay anyone that attempts to cross.

”For reasons we don't understand, the mares don't come ash.o.r.e. No one has ever seen them anywhere other than Lake Zandra. They look like ghosts, and from what I've heard, they breathe a mist that ends anything it touches.

” Some stories call them demons, others shades, and still others, spirits. No one has dared study their nature except from afar. The people of the kingdom avoid the lake at all costs, and even the hippogriffs and the griffins fly well above the water. To fight these beasts would doom us all.”

Sam stood after hearing each man speak. He looked at Mosley. ”Is this all you know?”

Mosley shook his head. ”No, but this is all I can divulge. Anything more, you must figure out on your own.” Just like he did in the Hall of Judgment, the wolf rose up and placed his front paws on the edge of the table. He then looked down and motioned with his snout for everyone to adjust their attention to the top of the table. The scroll holding Lasidious' riddle appeared.

Sam shrugged. ”Well ... I do like a good puzzle. Let's open this bad boy up and see what you've brought.” The king rolled out the parchment and read it aloud, Water mist mares of Zandra, Beautiful, yet deadly.

A soul reflection, Their nature is in war, Governing the lake from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e.

Sam lifted his head after reading the scroll and scanned the room for clues. He had an idea what the answer was, but wanted to see if anyone else had a guess. He smiled at the commotion and watched as everyone pa.s.sed the scroll around the table. After a while, he reclaimed the scroll and queried for answers.

Michael was the first to speak. ”My King, none of us has an understanding of its meaning.”

Shalee reached forward. Sam's mug slid across the table and into her hand. She took a drink. ”Sam Goodrich, you stop this right now, and tell us. I know you know. You figured it out as soon as you read it. Stop toying, or I'll...” The sorceress tapped the b.u.t.t end of Precious on the floor and smiled at her lover. The message had been delivered, warning Sam of a future b.u.t.t-zapping.

Other than Shalee, the only people in the room who understood what her actions meant were BJ and Helga. They laughed, and then BJ said, ”You have to admire your queen's spirit, Sire. Only she would threaten her king in a meeting of this magnitude.”

”Agreed,” Sam replied as he winked at his radiant, pregnant wife. ”She's a handful.”

Michael and Mosley looked at each other with blank stares and then shrugged while Sam pulled Kael from his sheath and addressed the sword. ”I wonder. Do you know the answer?”

”Don't be foolish, Sam. Of course, I do,” the blade responded as it pulsated a shallow red, annoyed by the audacity of Sam's question.

”Then tell us,” Sam retorted.

”If I must! But the parchment clearly states that the power of the mist mares is in a soul reflection.”

”What do you mean by a soul reflection?” Michael questioned.

Kael sneered, ”Only an imbecile would not know what a reflection is.” The blade pulled itself out of Sam's hand, floated across the table and hovered in front of Michael. ”Who are you, mortal? You're not my master. I have not given you permission to speak to a sword of my caliber. Utter another word and it'll be your last.”

”Whoa, whoa, whoa, Kael! Take it easy,” Sam urged as he retrieved the blade. ”Let's put you away. We'll talk about this later. These people are our friends.”

”No, Sam. They're your friends. They're beneath me.” The blade grew hot before Sam could sheathe Kael, and the king was forced to release him. ”Please stop wasting my moments. Figure out who you are so things can be the way they used to be.” The blade lowered itself into its sheath without saying anything further.

Shalee gasped. ”What in tarnation did he mean by that? Pull him back out and make him tell you!”

Sam shook his head. ”It's probably best to leave him alone. Besides, we have a riddle to solve.” The king paused to gather his thoughts. ”What Kael was referring to is the sole reflection of the mare that is created by the water beneath its feet. In this case, the word 'soul' has two meanings. It's a play on words. The first is literal. A soul is actually casting the reflection. So BJ was right. The mist mares are spirits. The second meaning was a clever way of saying, only one mare casts the reflection that holds the power of the herd. So the word 'soul' means both soul and sole. I believe the problem we will be facing is how to determine which mare is responsible for casting the reflection that will allow us to destroy the herd.”

Mosley looked up from sniffing the corners of the room and announced, ”I bid you farewell.” The wolf vanished.

BJ looked at the group. ”I swear, the G.o.ds meddle in our lives too much. I liked life better when I didn't have to worry about such things.”

Sam walked around the table and put his hand on BJ's shoulder. ”Just think of how interesting your life will be, now that I've decided to promote you to the position of my advisor. You'll have to deal with the G.o.ds and the Senate.”

Helga screamed, jumped from her chair, ran around the table, and pulled BJ from his. She hugged him as Michael looked at Sam. It was easy to see the General Absolute had a question. Sam motioned for him to speak.

”Sire,” Michael said, careful to choose his words. ”I'd like to understand your decision. I mean no offense, but what qualifies a teacher of weaponry to perform the duties of running a kingdom?”

Sam pulled his chair out and took his seat. ”Let's just say I believe he'll do a good job. I'm making my decision on a gut feeling. I'm sure you know what I mean.” Sam sat forward. ”When you're in battle, and the fighting is chaotic, it's your instinct that helps you make decisions. You know and trust these feelings, despite what anyone else thinks. This is what I'm doing. I want you to support my decision, and understand it's my instinct that is telling me BJ is right for the position.”

Michael stood from the table and bowed. ”Shall I prepare our advance on Zandra? The Scorpion King's island is small enough that we should be able to take just one legion to hunt for the crystal. I'll prepare the army and leave the problem of the mist mares to you.”

Sam agreed.

Michael added, ”I'll send word to Branson, the legion leader of Cottle, to be ready within 3 Peaks for our arrival.” Michael continued to lay out a plan and finished by saying, ”Does Your Majesty agree?”

Sam was impressed with Michael's quick decision-making. ”It sounds like a fine plan, General. BJ will stay behind and run Brandor in my absence while Shalee and I go with you to retrieve the crystal. If there are no further questions, I say we adjourn.”

Helga jumped up from her seat. ”What about me, Sam ... I mean, Sire? I also have abilities that could be useful. I did train your wife to use her magic. I should come with you ... in case there's a magical emergency.”

Sam laughed. ”A magical emergency, eh? Well...” He would have objected, but he watched Shalee give Helga a high-five and knew it would be a waste of his moments. ”I guess it's settled. Let's get moving.”

Ancients Sovereign 2 Peaks of Bailem Later Lasidious appeared in Yaloom's home. The Mischievous One wanted to find out what the G.o.d of Greed was planning to do with the scroll he had been given.

”What do you want?” Yaloom snapped.

”I want to know when you're going to tell George about the scroll. I've watched you for the last 2 Peaks. All you've done is sit here and look at it. What's the problem?”

Yaloom looked in the direction of his waterfall. He placed his hands on the railing as he looked down at the pool filled with s.h.i.+mmering gems. ”I can't figure out the riddle's meaning. This bothers me.” He lifted his hands and played with the ring on his pinky. ”I'll give it to George as soon as I figure it out.”

Lasidious became enraged. ”Are you stupid? Only you would allow your incompetence to stop you from giving George the moments he needs to go after the crystal. Meanwhile, your chance to win this piece is fading. Sam is on his way to the city of Cottle to meet with his army and march on the lake.”

Mieonus appeared. On this Peak, she was stunning, dressed in a short, yellow gown that complemented her olive skin. She pushed her brunette hair clear of her face. ”I've been telling him the same thing, but he won't listen. I agree with you, Lasidious. He doesn't need to know the scroll's meaning to allow George to see it, but he won't move from this spot.”

Lasidious shouted, calling for the Book of Immortality. It was only a brief moment before the Book appeared. ”I've decided to take the team lead away from Yaloom and give it to Mieonus. He has the wit of a slug, and he doesn't have the ability to lead this team to victory.”

Before another word could be said, Mieonus ran across the room, s.n.a.t.c.hed the scroll off the table and then disappeared.

Yaloom's expression was cold. ”I have a notion to-”