Chapter 10: The Curse

In a flash of white light, the Bretheren Arcanum appeared in a field of tall grass, so tall it was over Dregan’s head by a few good inches, under a clear, starry night sky.

&"Is everyone okay?" Dregan asked instantly.

"I think so," replied Orko. "But what happened?"

"And where are we?" Vivi added.

"That was planar magic," Dregan said as he peered around. Thankfully, all their items were next to them, in the exact same positions as they had laid them down to rest.

"None of us pressed a side," Vivi observed. "Did they go off on their own?"

"If they did," Zentarou commented a bit bitterly, "then whoever made them is a pretty pathetic mage."

"I agree, it's unlikely," Dregan mused, "but perhaps it was a trap of sorts. For instance, if the queen didn't speak a command word every day at a set time, the planar magics within the cubes would activate on their own."

"In that case, make what I said 'a very ingenious mage.'"

"It's not been long enough to call Natar," said Vivi dismally.

"But we can speak to him!" Orko pulled out the emerald. "Natar, can you hear me? We've got trouble."

:I can hear you: echoed in all their minds. :What had happened? I sense planar magic.:

"Something happened with the gate cubes we have," Dregan answered.

:Gate cubes? Did you get those from Queen Tsar'kris' tower:

"Yes." Vivi's tone was meek, echoing the sinking feeling all of them were getting.

:Foolish! Those cubes were what trapped her and her servants there in the first place! They're cursedAll four gulped. :If she ever tried to use them to escape by keying a place to a blank side, or even tried to leave the plane in any fashion, the curse would cause her to jump randomly to a new plane every eight hours.:

"Can we get rid of them?" asked Zentarou, looking as if he'd like nothing better than to throw it away.

:No. I remember hearing her say that they still transport the bearer, reappearing within their possessing, no matter what when the allotted time is up.:

"Can we break the curse?" asked Orko bleakly.

:I don't know.: They all heard Natar sigh. :Although I can be called in one hour, I won't be able to carry you into my realm for a while after that. I'll tell you when I can carry you, but until then I'm afraid you're on your own.: Dregan took the emerald.

"No problem. After all, we got out of the tower. Plus I'm sure after all the adventures we've had, we can handle anything. You get some rest." The dragon obeyed, and they all felt his presence in their minds fade away. Dregan handed back the emerald, looking a bit annoyed with the dragon's tone, then looked at Vivi, smiling kindly. "Hey, Vivi, is everything okay?" Vivi was looking down, and shuffling his feet uncomfortably. He didn't answer the elf mage.

"Vivi," Zentarou consoled, "don't feel bad or anything."

"Trolly-molly," Orko agreed, "none of us could've known what would happen, and we all agreed to take a gate cube."

"Probably a good thing we did. Otherwise, some of us could have been left behind when the rest got pulled." Dregan gave Vivi's shoulder a squeeze. Vivi looked up, and the Dunedi smiled.

"Natar didn't know," Zentarou mused, "but that doesn't mean there aren't others who might know, or that there isn't a way. We'll just have to find the right person to ask."

"A sage or a caster, like the Sorceress from my world," Orko added. "Somewhere there must be someone who's smarter than that dragon." He looped an arm around Vivi’s neck. "Cheer up. Everything will be fine."

"O-okay. I'll try."

"Good." Dregan peered around, standing a bit on tip toe to see over the grasses. "I think I see light over there. Might be a town."

"Lead on, Dregan," Zentarou quipped. To the others he muttered 'softly' - in other words, Dregan was still able to hear, even if he wasn't an elf with elven keen hearing, "That way he can cut the path clear for us, and we just follow behind and get it easy." Vivi seemed to smile a bit, or at least that's the impression they got from his eyes, as Dregan playfully scowled, turning.

"Don't forget who's the most powerful mage here," he joked. "Lets go."

"Yes sir," Zentarou replied, obviously attempting to make Vivi laugh for as soon as Dregan turned his back again, the cat made a face at him. It at least got a chuckle out of Orko. They all heard Dregan mutter playfully,

"Just like having younger brothers. Kest, Ev, I now know how you feel." Zentarou and Orko laughed out loud, Dregan joining in. But Vivi just gave a small chuckle. He just feel like this whole mess was his fault, his responsibility. "Better cheer up, Vivi," Dregan called over his shoulder. "Don't make me resort to how my brother Ev cheers me up, when I have those nightmares." The elf drew his sword as he finished speaking, and began to cut a path clear with the others following. Vivi didn't comment in response to the elf's statement. "I will. Last warning."

"What does he do?" Zentarou asked curiously. Dregan peered over his shoulder, grinning.

"Hey Vivi." Vivi looked at him, and Dregan's grin widened. "Thupy kaplarmp." The Dunedi got the desired affect, as Vivi - and the others - laughed. Even Dregan couldn't help but chuckle himself.

"Wh - what was that?" Vivi giggled.

"My brother, Ev, began making up words or using my familiar's natural language to make me laugh, to break my depression after I had one of those nightmares. Believe me, hearing a big guy like he is, saying things like 'rompy' and 'permp' can get anyone to laugh." Vivi agreed, as the new words made him giggle again. "Much better." And the elf returned to cutting a path. They walked in that manner for about half an hour before Dregan told them: "I think it gets shorter up ahead." Indeed, the tall grass became shorter and sparser, until Dregan was able to sheath his sword, and they reached an area akin to a savannah plain; grasslands with a few sparse trees, and seeming empty as far as they could see, save for a faint glow on the horizon.

"Well, it's people," Zentarou commented. "We've got a long way to go." Dregan rubbed at his eyes.

"I could've sworn it was closer," he mumbled.

"You're tired," Orko consoled, following with a yawn. "We all are."

"Even I feel it," Zentarou added. "We should try to find a place to rest."

"This place is so open." Dregan looked around. "I don't see any sort of shelter, and given that my crystals are limited, I don"t dare cast to create any."

"I feel the same way, but if you can give me one more hour of reverie, I can finish it and keep watch while you three sleep."

"Okay." Dregan again looked around, then pointed to a tree nearby. "There's as good as any." They headed over, and Zentarou got comfortable against the trunk. They watched as his breathing slowed to a near stop - Vivi leaned close to the cat's face to reassure himself that he was indeed still breathing - his eyes became unfocused and half-lidded, and he slipped into reverie.

"Wow," Vivi whispered. "And after four hours of that he's wide awake?”

"Yep, that's reverie." Dregan sat down against the tree as well. "We've got an hour to wait. Hope all stays peaceful."

"Me too." Orko floated up into the lower tree branches, as Vivi leaned up against a nearby stone. The desire for sleep was overwhelming, however, and the silence and warm air were soothing. Dregan's head lolled onto his chest, and Vivi's eyes fluttered closed. And Orko was soon to follow them, too exhausted to remain alert.

Within fifteen minutes, all four slept, oblivious to the world.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Zentarou slowly blinked his eyes, taking a deep breath and slitting up a bit. He looked around as his companions and chuckled

"Sleepyheads. Oh well, no harm done." He got up and stretched, then decided to walk around a bit to take the stiffness out of his limbs that always seemed to follow reverie. Absently eyeing the fruit in the tree they had settled under, and wondering if it was edible, he strolled around to the other side of the tree...

... and found himself grabbed by two very strong, armored men. Before he could make a sound, a gag was forced into his mouth, and a cord bound around his muzzle. His hands were roughly tied behind his back, and a rag pressed over his nose. A fragrant, sweet smell filled his nostrils, and he blacked out.