Chapter7

The portal opened in front of the castle, producing Krynn and Grahn both. The king watched from his chambers above as they began their walk up to the gates, Grahn following closely on his Captain's heels talking in an animated manner. At this, Krynn spun on his heel, sword extended and pointed directly at Grahn's throat, yelling at his aide.

"Intriguing... our Captain seems a bit perturbed as of late. Methinks the stress is finally getting to him..." British chuckled at the thought. He turned to Koris, his most trusted advisor. "Any word from the Council?"

"Yes, milord..." the robed man replied. "It does not look well for us, sire. The Council of Mages refuses to get involved." Koris tugged at his long beard thoughtfully. "The Parliament of Magincia appears to be oblivious to the looming threat on our frontier. If we cannot enlist the Mages' help... we may lose the upcoming battle..." Lord British turned back to the window.

"Nay, my good sir..." He nodded at his Captain, who was still admonishing his aide. "He will help us win that battle."

"Milord? Krynn is a most brave and virtuous Captain - more than fit to lead your army to battle. But I fail to see how even he could overcome the odds..." Koris was puzzled.

"Heh... you see, old friend... it will not be what he does in life that carries us to victory. It will be his death and martyrdom that drives his men to answer the call."

"But sire..." Koris argued. "His men will never allow harm to come to him. If he is wise, he will stay back from the battle and command - like a true Captain... Minax's minions will never even reach him."

"Who says that it will be the Lady Minax's doing, Koris?" A cold stare crept into the eyes of the king. Slowly, he raised his glass as if to toast. "To our eminent victory..."

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The morning sunlight has just begun to shine when Kendrik finally emerged from his secret storeroom deep under Jhelom island. Kendra had found a nice place in the crook of a low lying tree to take a nap. "Wake up, sis... time to get moving..." Kendrik closed the trapdoor, spreading leaves and twigs around to conceal it once again.

"Mmmmph... not yet, Ken..." Kendra protested sleepily.

"Sorry, Kendra... we need to get going now. Word is out, I'm sure, that I've escaped. We need to get me reequipped quickly and find a place to lay low for a while. Now c'mon..." Kendrik nudged her arm gently.

"Alright... al... Ahhhhhhh!!" Kendra sat up quickly, losing her balance, and tumbled from her precarious perch in the tree to the hard ground below. "Oof!"

"Hahahah!" Kendrik burst into laughter, slapping his hand on his knee. "You OK, sis??"
Kendra leapt to her feet, crossbow unslung and aimed directly at the heart of the strange man in front of her. His hands shot straight into the air defensively. "Sis! It's me! Kendrik!"

Kendra stared hard into his eyes... searching for her brother. She simply didn't see him. "Prove it, bub." she threatened. "And do it fast..." Her finger tightened on the release.

"Fair enough," the man replied. In a flash of motion, the man disarmed her of her crossbow, removed it from her grasp, and held it pointing directly at her left eye. "Satisfied?"

"Y-Y-Yeah... sorry, Ken... I had to be sure." She relaxed once he lowered the weapon. Kendra was more than satisfied that the man that stood before her - strange as he may look - was her flesh and blood. No one moved that fast. No one but her dear brother. He handed her back the bow with a smirk that belied his disguise. "Mm... thanks."

"Let's go." Kendrik walked to where he had left Schmendrik tied up and fed him an apple. He mounted his steed with relative ease, even with the heavy robes he now wore. The dark, hideous brown robes were similar to that of a wandering healer. He pulled the hood up over his now bald head and started off towards town, stunned sister not too far behind.