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Chris The Lurking Fox *************** <i>March7, 708 CR</i> Julianwas woken in the morning by an insistent tugging. At first he thought that someone wasphysically pulling on him, but as he slowly recovered his consciousness herecognized a distinct feeling that was slowly becoming familiar, that of hisbond to Lucy being stretched to its limits. Ashe expected, the young mage’s bunk was empty, and seemed to have been that wayfor some time. Groaning, he managed toslide off the bed that had been provided in the barracks’ common restarea. The cracks in the windows, allshut against the winter chill, still confirmed to him exactly what he suspected. The sun was still several hours from its ownwaking. The moondog shook his head andran his fingers through the fur at the top of his head as though he still hadhuman hair. How someone so young couldbear to sleep so little and survive was well beyond his understanding. >>>> I Hate people who get up so early. ;) Ittook him little time to prepare himself for the day. Years with the wizard Nasoj had drilleddiscipline through his skull like a well-rehearsed catechism. Whether it was to gain favor with hissuperiors, or to seek opportunities to assassinate the man he claimed to serve,he had always taken pains to make brutal efficiency his most noteworthytrait. He never should have bothered; itwas rumored that the dark wizard never slept. Even if that claim was false, his rest was taken behind magically sealeddoors, doubtlessly leading to more and more numerous and sinister traps to fellthose who managed to step beyond. Hetook a moment to be certain of where the bond led, but his initial guess wasaccurate. She had returned to the roomwhere the ermine assassin would be kept until they discovered a way to reversethe spell that now bound him. Or,perhaps, until they admitted that there was no solution. Heshook his head. Cynicism was too easy atrait to cultivate in the company of the Keep’s enemies. While he sometimes regretted thecircumstances that had forced his abandonment of that post, he never onceregretted the opportunity to live amongst friends again. Thedoor to the room was shut fast when he arrived, and Julian rapped on the woodensurface twice to alert Lucy to his presence. He could not detect any movement on the far end of the bond they shared,so he gently pushed the door open and slipped inside. Theroom was a little chilly after the stove had been left cold for the night, butthe chill was quickly being banished by the fire. Lucy had already prepared for the day, itseemed. Themage herself was standing at the table in the center of the room. She glanced up casually to observe who wasentering, but it seemed that she had already determined the answer using theirmutual bond. She turned back to the cageon the table shortly, watching its small inhabitant sniffing about warily. “Irealized after last night that we forgot to find food for him yesterday,” sheexplained before Julian had ample opportunity to ask why she had returned atsuch an hour. “Thankfully I know a fewthings about what ermines eat, and the average Keeper’s diet is varied enoughthat finding something that he can safely eat was little trouble.” Juliannodded and watched the trapped creature for a few moments. It seemed that the ermine was wary of beinghanded food without having to hunt for it, but he was slowly beginning togravitate towards the food out of desperate hunger. “Don’ttreat him too much like a pet, or he might come to you expecting food evenafter we bring him back,” he cautioned with a touch of sarcasm. Lucysighed and shook her head softly. “Please, do not even joke about that,” she muttered. “I know you were not at the Keep at the timeof the Curse’s original casting, but after witnessing it myself, I find itdifficult to tolerate even honest jokes regarding it.” Julianplaced a paw on her shoulder to comfort her. “I am sorry for upsetting you,” he apologized. “Youcouldn’t have known without living through it,” she responded in a lowwhisper. “The curse was meant to be thefinal blow to the Keep before Her defenses could even be fully brought to bear,and as such it was intended to be very, very final. Nasoj is not one of those fools who standsabove his enemy and gloats as they die to give them an opportunity to kill himwith their last breath. Should anyoneunder his command try to do such a thing, I am certain that he would impalethem both with the same spear.” “Youcredit him with the quality of mercy,” Julian said with some chagrin. “With what I know of him, the two would begfor something as kind as a spear before they breathed their last.” Lucyhissed bitterly. “When the Curse struck,the effect was instant. For a few briefmoments I was aware enough to be confused. Then, nothing. There was nothingbut oblivion as I became an outcast in my own body, forced to lie and wail as ababe while unfathomable chaos unfolded about me. With the defenders gone, Nasoj’s horde beganto overrun the walls. “Weall know the story from there; the countercurse was forged and the defendersfought back with all of their desperation and rage until the day was won. Many stories are hidden in those few words,but in the end I found myself thrust into an entirely new world.” She paused for a moment beforecontinuing. “In the early days therewere many stories about what the Curse could do, and of the limits of the countercursewere barely understood. Whisperssuggested that some were never saved by the counterspell. Some said that some Keepers had left andwandered forests as mere beasts, others lost in Kyia’s halls as strangers intheir own bodies, a few more weeping in nurseries… Never did I determine if there was any truthto the rumors, but with no chance of recognizing his face, it was a week untilI found my father.” Julianwinced. “I am sorry to hear that. At least you did find him at the end of itall.” Lucynodded. “Yet there are others who werenot so fortunate,” she admitted with evident sorrow. “Those who died in the battle could tell noone who they were. There are unmarkedgraves by the hundred to their memory, but many still do not know what becameof their loved ones in those days. Someeven still hope in those terrifying old rumors, thinking that perhaps theirloved ones wander about the forests in ignorance of their pasts, perhaps to beawakened at the end by the return of some lost memory.” “Couldthe Curse truly do that?” Julian asked. Lucyshrugged. “The exact nature of theinterplay between Curse and countercurse is unclear to me. The tangle of their weaves is so complex thatI have heard it said that even the pantheon would have difficulty unbindingit. Is it possible that there are thosewho have remained fully Cursed? Perhaps,but I have never seen one myself.” >>>>>No one is sure exactly what the curse does or its limits. “Areyou certain?” Julian asked. Lucy beganto answer, but then followed the moondog’s eyes to the cage at the center ofthe table. The realization of what hewas saying struck her like a boulder from the sling of a trebuchet. “Nomark of outside magic besides the Curse and countercurse, and yet he remains ananimal… Could it be?” She danced about the table, shifting hervision to see the magic that bound the former assassin. She saw nothing that she had not seen on theday before, but now at last the pieces seemed to be falling into place. Shequickly refocused her vision on the physical world. “If what you suggested is the case, no amountof prodding will reveal any anomalies in the magic that binds him,” sheexplained. “We need to start approachingthis from another angle. Do you think youcan find Balrog?” >>>NOW they are getting somewhere. Juliannodded. “As I understood, his entirepatrol is resting in the common bunking area. They should be easy to find; Balrog at least is distinctive enough to bevery recognizable.” “Gofind him. I don’t know exactly how tohandle this, and the more magically-inclined minds we can fit in the same room,the more informative our discussion may become.” Juliandid not wait for her to say anything more. He quickly departed from the room in search of the human mage, whileLucy began to rummage about in her pack in search of something. The moondog was correct in his conclusion; hewas able to find Balrog with very little delay. The bunks in the barracks were actually quite empty with so manydeployed to secure the valley during the time of the quarantine. Balrogwas quick to prepare and Nathan, woken by his companion’s stirring, was readyeven before the mage under his command. Julian also notified Alex of the breakthrough, but the lynx took histime to wake up, and even as Julian left him sitting on the edge of the bed hewondered if he would simply lie back down as soon as the moondog stepped aroundthe corner. It was not vital for Alex toaccompany them for the discussion, however, so Julian did not bother to checkon him again before leaving with Balrog and Nathan in tow. Theyfound Lucy waiting for them, a pot of tea sitting incongruously atop the woodencage in the center of the room. She hadevidently not been expecting Nathan to join them, but a fourth cup joined thethree she had already prepared in moments, all filled with the same dark liquidthat perfumed the air around it. Julianand Nathan took their cups with nods of gratitude, while Balrog sniffed at hisskeptically before taking a sip of his own. He nodded approvingly and echoed the gratefulness of the others beforehe stepped back from the table to enjoy it with the others. “Iheard that you had some sort of breakthrough,” he said. “What have you found?” Lucyexplained her theory as the rest listened. Even Nathan seemed to be able to follow the discussion without mucheffort, and that allowed Lucy to finish her explanations very quickly. Balrog took one more sip of his tea after shefinished, thinking through all that she had proposed. “Itdoes sound possible,” he decided. “To behonest, however, I had always thought that the stories of people remaining intheir fully Cursed forms after the countercurse had been cast were no more thanlegends. The nature of the interplaybetween the two spells would tend to favor the hybrid forms that we all wear.” Lucyconceded his point with a nod and a wave of her hand. “That may be true, yet all of us may adoptthe forms that the Curse originally forced upon us with little more than asimple exercise of will. Perhaps themagic cast two nights ago forced him into the form of an animal, and with nosimilar exercise of will he has remained in that state.” Balrognodded and twisted his beard over and around his thick fingers. “It seems almost probable,” he stated. “It is so far the only theory I have heardthat accounts for the lack of magical influence with more than a wave of thehand. The question that remainsunanswered, then, is why his mind was not returned to him. I think we can agree that this is the case?” Lucynodded. “I have seen many Keepers takeon the forms of animals for training exercises or purposes of utility, and thedifference between these people and a person whose mind is completely lostbecomes clear after only brief observation.” Balrognodded. “I have noticed the same in myown observations. If there is no magicbeyond what encompasses every other Keeper’s form affecting him now, then whyhas his mind not returned?” Therewere several moments of silence before someone spoke. It was Julian who finally did break thesilence. “I do not mean to bepessimistic about our chances, but perhaps his mind is utterly overcome. Perhaps there is nothing left.” “Isthat even possible?” Nathan asked, looking about the room. “Wouldn’t there have been signs before a man’smind simply collapsed?” “Onewould expect, yes,” Balrog admitted. “Still, with so little certainty about anything, we have to consider anyreasonable possibility. Perhaps…” He sighed, rubbing his forehead to stall fora few moments. “Perhaps destroying Lois’mind was the intention of the spell. IfNasoj or his allies could perfect such a spell, he could quickly and totallydefeat Metamor without even needing an army.” “No,that can’t be it,” Lucy insisted. “That,at least, we can confirm. Although Loiswas the only one to show long-term effect from the spell, all of us felt themagic. Whatever was cast that night, ithad a wide enough area of effect that it should have done the same thing to allof us.” “Youfailed to mention that before,” Balrog noted. He sighed and paced about the table, venturing closer to the stove thatheated the chamber while keeping his eyes on Lois. “That complicates matters even more, but I wouldsay that it makes your original theory even more likely.” “Thatis what I was thinking as well,” Lucy agreed. “If some people affected by the original Curse did not take their hybridforms, it would parallel the effects of this spell among our patrol.” “Ifthis theory is correct, is there anything we can do to save him?” Julianasked. “Lucy, did you ever hear whatbecame of the Keepers you mentioned after the Curse?” Thesmall mage shook her head with resignation. “Honestly, I have not even thought of the stories much since I found outthat my father was safe,” she admitted. “I never thought they would be important.” Silencefell over the room as everyone present attempted to think of a way to applytheir new theory. A few moments after ithad begun, the silence was broken by the sound of knocking on the chamber’sdoor. The lynx on the other side didlittle more than grunt to Julian as the moondog opened the door, and took thecup of tea he was offered by Lucy with barely a look, downing most of it in onegulp before wincing at the amount of unsweetened spice in the flavor. Lucy chuckled quietly. “Roughnight?” she asked. Hercommander regarded her with an exhausted glare. “Why should it be easier to sleep in a bed of leaves on the forest floorthan in an actual bed?” he asked. Histone was mournful, but was clearly meant in a very sarcastic way. “At least I’m up now. I’ll be more talkative once my brain joins mybody in wakefulness.” Hewas filled in on the speculation that had circulated about the room during hisabsence, and he listened while taking his time to finish off what remained ofthe tea in his paw. He nodded in quietthought as they regaled him with their theories, finishing his cup of tea justas Lucy finished her explanation. Hescratched at the fur on his chin for a moment before speaking. “So,if he was forced into the form of an animal and has lacked the ability tochange back, but was not magically prevented from it, could he not be similarlyforced into his hybrid form?” Everyonein the room fixed him with an incredulous look. Alex noticed after a few moments, glancing like a trapped deer at anassembled pack of wolves. “What? I know I’m barely conscious at the moment,but if our enemy can force Keepers into their most Cursed forms by means ofmagic, why could the process not simply be reversed?” “Thatactually makes some sense,” Lucy admitted. >>>>> Huh? “Youdon’t have to sound so surprised,” Alex griped, playing with the small cupbetween his claws. “I may not know howto cast magic, but I’m intelligent enough to make logical connections.” Julianchuckled and shook his head. “Is thateven possible? I mean, it makes sense,but I’ve never heard of it being done, or even attempted.” “Idon’t think it ever has been attempted,” Lucy confirmed. “It would be of barely any use to ourenemies, and the only people in Metamor I can see using it would be a pranksterhere or there, and I doubt any common urchin would have the magical experienceto even consider the attempt.” She pacedaround the room a bit in deep thought. Lois, still trapped in his cage, watched her go, likely hoping that shewould provide him with something more to eat before long. “If we did attempt it, it could return him tohis hybrid form, but what of his mind?” Balrogfinally spoke up. “Well, our theory sofar is that his mind was somehow weakened by the original spell. Perhaps, trapped in the form of an animal, itis simply more natural for him to think as an animal?” “Ican confirm that from experience,” Alex replied. “While not to such an extent as Lois isexperiencing, I can certainly say that instincts and animalistic actions arefar more natural when I take on my feral form. I don’t know if it is related at all, but I cannot see a change of perspectiveas a negative influence.” “Thequestion now is whether the attempt could harm him.” Nathan, who had been standing by the wall ofthe room listening in silence for quite some time, added his thoughts to thediscussion. “No,”Lucy argued with a shake of her head. “The question is not whether the attempt could harm him; the question iswhether it would harm him more than remaining as he is. With so little understanding of the spellthat was used against him, I can only assume that the longer he spends as ananimal, the less likely it is that he will be able to return to normal. If no one objects, I say that we should makean attempt a soon as possible.” Nathanscoffed incredulously. “You admittedmere moments ago that you do not even know if such a casting is possible. How can you go from that admission torecklessly creating a spell from scratch within seconds?” Lucy’sconfident expression soured as the wolf objected. “Just because I have never heard of the spellbeing used before does not mean that I do not understand the theory behind theCurse well enough to conceptualize such a spell with little trouble. You seem rather intent on preventing anypossible aid to Lois very suddenly. If Ididn’t trust you, I would suspect that you stand to lose something from thereversal of this spell?” Thewolf snarled at her implication. Despitethe clear difference in size and the advantage of strength heavily leaningtowards the wolf, Lucy stood her ground. The others in the room seemed frozen, waiting breathlessly for the twoof them to make their moves. Althoughthe moments stretched uncomfortably long, Balrog finally stepped between thetwo hostile Keepers. “Wegain nothing from this argument,” he barked, staring at the wolfparticularly. “We need to take action,or Lois could be lost for more than a few days. I will not allow that!” Nathancooled slightly, but made no move to apologize. Instead, he spoke tersely to Balrog. “We need to discuss these matters privately,” he said in a growl. Without waiting for his friend to acknowledgehis words he turned and stalked through the door. Balrogsighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am sorry,” he said, turning to the rest of the company in the room. “I do not know what he is thinking, but Iassure you he means only the best. Iwill go see if I can determine why he is so agitated this morning. Hopefully the matter can be resolvedquickly.” Asthe human stepped through the door to follow the wolf, the three remainingpeople in the room looked towards each other. “Shouldwe follow him?” Julian asked. Alexhesitated, but slowly shook his head. “Ibelieve you two have a casting to prepare? I suggest you begin, and leave the tension to the men who actually knowone other.” Cool! I can hardly wait to see what happens next! Chris The Lurking Fox
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