| A Helping Hand |
| �I am curious. What think you of this wizard, Hollis?� Llywelyn asked softly, turning to his companion. The young warlock eyed the wizard standing at the edge of the Dark Woods and shrugged. �It�s hard to say from here,� he replied in soft tones. �He�s either very brave or extremely foolish to come here by himself, that much is certain.� The half-elf nodded. �Aye, �tis true,� he said evenly. Coming to a decision, he locked eyes with Hollis and said, �Bide here a moment more. When I am ready, I will call to you and then you may emerge to guide him to the Master. I shall follow in disguise.� �Sounds like a plan,� Hollis agreed. Lady Elayne had, after all, sent this wizard as her emissary. There was no telling what he was capable of. As Llywelyn moved into the thick underbrush, Hollis returned his attention to the wizard. Totally unaware of the scrutiny, the young mage ran a hand through his straight dark hair and sighed deeply. ** As Keenan stood at the edge of the Dark Woods and waited for the person who would guide him to see Lord Xanthos, he sighed deeply. Xanthos was the Elder of the Council of Dark Mages and he�d recently sent a missive to Elayne proposing an alliance. While Elayne didn�t really trust Xanthos, neither could she dismiss the offer out of hand. She had to at least make a show of considering it. To that end, she�d sent Keenan to meet with the man. Because he was her consort, he was the most logical choice. That didn�t mean Keenan had to like the idea. Going alone into the Dark Woods was probably not the brightest thing to do. Not only did it mean he�d have to put some faith in the safe passage that Xanthos had promised, it meant he had to face his terrible fear of trees. Neither thought gave Keenan any comfort. He knew what type of person Xanthos was. Elayne may not agree with the rules set forth by the Council of Good Mages, but Xanthos had a wanton disregard for life. He�d kill a man just as soon as look at him. It made him a dangerous enemy and a troublesome ally, since you could never fully trust him. A bird suddenly called loudly from the nearby bushes, startling the young wizard out of his reverie. Brushing a hand through his hair, he turned to face the forest in time to see a warlock emerging from it. The warlock had thick dark brown curls and large eyes of a soft brown that were set in a youthful, open face. He was only a little smaller than Keenan himself was, though he wouldn�t know how close their heights were. With the nearly perpetual illusion Keenan used to make himself appear both older and taller, very few people knew what he really looked like. Not even Phillip, Lord Elder of the Council of Good Mages, who knew nearly all his other secrets, knew his true identity or appearance, and Keenan aimed to keep it that way. �You�re here to take me to Lord Xanthos?� Keenan asked uncertainly. The warlock shuddered and glanced around. Turning back to Keenan, he said, �Yes, the Master sent me to guide you to him.� Turning back toward the forest, he added, �Follow me.� Keenan nodded and started after the younger mage, frowning slightly. He sensed something strange from the other. It only took a few moments for him to realize just what it was. The young warlock wasn�t truly a dark mage. Why, then, did he work for a man like Xanthos? Was he forced to, as Keenan had been when he�d first joined the Evil Mages? Once they were deep in the woods, Keenan paused and turned to look over his shoulder. He caught the barest of glimpses of a small animal with blue-black fur and frowned. �Who�s following us?� he asked, catching his guide by the arm. �Following us?� Hollis asked innocently. �Yeah,� Keenan growled. �I saw an animal behind us with blue-black fur. No animal has fur that color�it has to be a shape-shifter.� Hollis sighed and locked eyes with Keenan. �We didn�t know if we could trust you,� he explained. �My friend was just watching my back.� Keenan scowled. That statement clinched it in his mind. Dark Mages were incapable of compassion or caring. That made it impossible for them to have friends. For the warlock to call a shape-shifter his friend, he was, at most, an evil mage. Keenan released the warlock and nodded slightly. �I won�t hurt you,� he promised. To show the warlock it was safe to trust him, he let his carefully crafted illusion fall and revealed his true form. �My name is Keenan Meadows,� he added softly. �Hollis, son of Lord Kevin Bromley,� the young warlock said, blinking in surprise. �This,� he added, pointing to the a point behind Keenan, �is Llywelyn.� Keenan turned to face the shape-shifter and blinked in surprise of his own. Llywelyn was a half-elf, of the light variety. Light elves rarely practiced evil magic; they were almost never dark mages. Being half-human made it possible that Llywelyn was evil, but it was unthinkable that he was dark. �Ye have a familiar,� the half-elf stated softly. Keenan nodded and shrugged, but didn�t say anything. �This is why you come to the Dark Woods without fear. The Master cannot block your spells.� �Who said I wasn�t scared,� Keenan argued. �I�m terrified, but Elayne sent me, so I had to come. Lord Xanthos told her that her emissary had to come alone, so I couldn�t take anyone with me.� Hollis scowled. �The Master told Lady Elayne that her emissary had to come alone?� Keenan nodded and turned worried eyes to the warlock. �What�s wrong?� he asked nervously. �The Master must have some fell deed planned,� Llywelyn answered. �Otherwise, there would be no purpose in your coming unaccompanied.� �To Hell with that,� Keenan replied, growing angry. �Agreed,� Hollis said, nodding. �I�ll conduct out of the forest. He must have known she�d send you. She wouldn�t be foolish enough to come and, as her consort, you are the only other logical choice.� Keenan nodded and the trio started back out of the forest. As they reached the edge, he caught the warlock by his arm once more. �Come with me,� he pled. �When Xanthos learns that you didn�t bring me to him � and believe me, he will � he�ll punish both of you.� Llywelyn and Hollis eyed each other and then both nodded. Hollis whirled around to face the forest and called, �Regin!� From the echo his cry set forth, Keenan knew that the warlock had just summoned his familiar from wherever he�d hidden it. A moment later, a small ginger cat careened out of the forest and leapt into the pocket of Hollis� cloak. Hollis grinned and said, �This is my familiar, Pockets.� Keenan nodded a greeting to the cat and then frowned at Hollis. �You called him Regin,� he pointed out. �Aye, �tis his true name,� Llywelyn explained. Keenan grinned and looked at the cat. �A warlock cat!� he exclaimed. �I�d heard of them, but this is the first time I�ve ever seen one in person.� �A pleasure,� Pockets purred, snuggling down into the pocket. Keenan nodded again and turned to the two mages. �Let�s get back to the Dark Castle. I have to tell Elayne about Xanthos� trap and explain your presence with me.� Hollis looked a little uncertain and Llywelyn looked downright frightened. Keenan sighed. �She�ll protect you from him. I promise.� The pair nodded and then all four of them set off for Keenan�s home. Keenan couldn�t help but smile. He may not have gotten a new ally for Elayne, in fact he was sure that Xanthos was now an enemy, but he also knew that he now had at least two true friends among the evil mages. End |
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