These were men who required no maps, the magical pulses forging themselves around Dave were enough to guide them to where they desired. Hand would stop them periodically to scan the area ahead, check there were no enemy operatives in the vicinity. There wasn�t much action for a long time, Leimar occasionally healing the odd blister, Bereus bending the odd tree out of their way; minor magics the only ones weaved as they strode to their destination. �Twas almost a tedious march, all told, and but for the purpose they were heading for they would have been quite bored.
That all changed as Hand pulled them up a mile from the source of Dave�s weavings, no longer his old tower, pulled down and �Sewing Machine� destroyed after the last time, but a small cave in the mountains. Here the land was already starting to change, Dave�s plans being set in action as soon as he was released. Here Hand and Bereus laid out the plan. A great sweeping storm of the cave was in order, mages flanking, cross assaulting and ambushing in elegant fashion to converge on the final cave itself and destroy Dave, and with him his evil plans. Leimar was not part of this grand offensive, instead he was a mobile medic, told to stand in one place and send out healing salves to those who needed it. Not an ignoble job, when you thought about it, especially for a boy, but hardly the glamorous swashbuckling any well adjusted lad hopes for.
So it was that battle was commenced, the six old mages charging forward, flinging off weaves and weave-artefacts in various directions, Dave�s men fighting back from their surprise, Murades and Hawbeegeebees exploding around each in a cacophony of colours and noises. Few on either side were really injured at all, as cowardly mages tend to focus on their own defence and worry about their attack second, but it all looked very pretty and aggressive. Leimar watched intensely, unspraining the odd ankle, reattaching the odd finger, that sort of thing, quite enjoying the sight. Hand leapt forward, flinging an �Orriball at a guard, only to be caught across the chest with a Flincher and thrown back by his own Vaposhield. Bereus slid into the open, firing herds of live bulls at his enemy, only for the ground in front of him to be turned to ice so that he slid on into a small tussock of grass, tangling himself; action was occurring.
Through all this meandered a figure Leimar recognise from his night�s study: Dave. Leimar called out to his fellows, but they were all enjoying themselves with their counterparts too much to really pay much attention. Indeed, no one really seemed to notice Dave as he slowly walked towards Leimar, beckoning him.
�Come boy,� shouted Dave, �I�ve something to tell you.�
�Never!� replied Leimar, �I�ll get you, you traitor!� and he charged straight at the evil mage, Slober following with equal menace, righteous power charging their strides.
�Stop being silly.� Chided Dave, stopping Leimar and Slober gently by his side with a short weave, �Don�t you want to know why?�
�Because you�re evil, that�s why! You want to destroy the world!� replied Leimar.
Dave smiled briefly, �Not quite, bit similar.� Casting a weave of halt across the whole battlefield the mages all froze in their machinations, explosions and flashes caught in the moment. A silence now pervaded. �That�s better,� said Dave, �couldn�t even hear myself think. Now, let�s sit down and have a brew.�
*
Over a cup of hot t. Dave talked.
�Boy, Leimar, do you think magic is good?�
�I�ll never help you, scum!� Defiantly replied Leimar, spitting at the older mage.
�I�ve just halted the world in its tracks. I am more powerful than you could ever imagine. Is there any benefit in being defiant?� asked Dave,
Leimar considered for a while, then realised the truth. Actually, that�s a bit of an exaggeration, he actually had his brain pattern changed by Dave so that he was more compliant, even super mages get bored after all.
�You�re right,� replied Leimar, �sorry. I�ve failed, I might as well admit it.� He hung his head. �What do you want to know?�
�Just answer my questions.� Replied Dave, �Is magic good?�
�Well, it�s really pretty, quite fun and stuff, yeah, it�s pretty cool.� Replied Leimar,
�No, boy, is it a force for good?�
�Well,� Leimar thought for a while, frowning, �of course� magic does all sorts of things� that�s why I�m training as a wizard, because it�s a great career, all sorts of opportunities, it must be good?�...