Up on the hill, Pelic sat and pondered his next move. He had to do something he really didn't want to. He had to take Graym away from the family he'd just reunited with. He knew how much he loved and had missed his family. But shadow beast had come to Maveta, and that means the city's not safe. Pelic knew Polan couldn't get in, but what about Taren and Velusia? If Taren came into Maveta with Terror, they could rip the village to pieces. And if Velusia got in. He didn't even want to think about what she would do. Pelic stood and moved to the house. It was time to get moving. Graym had to know what had happened here.
[WE SHOULD HURRY PELIC.] Mags said from his shoulder. [THERE'S NOT MUCH TIME.]
Pelic rose up and floated to the door. There he took his old wizard guise and knocked on the door. A beautiful woman answered the door dressed in a pink robe. What a vision she was standing there. Pelic saw why Graym fought so hard to keep Maveta free. He vowed then and there to give him all the help he could.
"I beg your pardon Lady." He bowed. "But I must see your husband. I am Pelic, a friend and we have trouble on the way."
"I'm Rose." She smiled. "Please come this way."
She ushered him in to the parlor.
"Can I offer you something to drink?" She asked.
"Tea if you please." Pelic sat down and folded his hands.
"Graym will be here in a minute."
Rose went into the kitchen to fix the tea. She met and kissed Graym in the doorway as he looked up and saw Pelic. His face went pale and he went in to see why he was here.
"Pelic. I haven't even been home for a whole day." He said. "What's wrong?"
"Shadow beast were in the village." He told him. "You know what that means."
"Yes. It means he's looking for us." Graym frowned. "We have to go before they come looking here."
"No, you can't leave us!" They heard from the door. There Rose stood with a tray of tea and biscuits. The tray trembled in her hands. Tears began to run from her face. Graym turned and went and took the try and put it aside. He took her in his arms.
"Rose." He said. "I have to take care of you all. That's the only reason I go."
" But why?" She ask. "What can you do?"
"I can help keep that monster away from you and the children." He looked into her eyes as she wept. "I don't ever what to see them sick like that again. No matter what I have to do, I'll keep you all safe."
Rose cried into his shoulder and held him tight.
"You promise to come home?" She said.
"I can't make that promise." Graym kissed her forehead.
"I can." Pelic told her. "I'll get him home. Even if I have to die. I'll send him back to you. That's my vow to you. The vow of a wizard. A powerful vow."
"Thank you." She said. "Both of you come back please"
"Kiss them for me my flower." He kissed his wife. "Tell them I love them, not good bye. Tell them I'll be home soon."
Together they walked to the door. There Rose watch her husband walk off. There she prayed for there safe return.
Pelic and Graym walked silently away and down the hill. Once out of sight Graym flexed his wings and he was back in his shadow form.
"So where do we go?" He asked.
[To the dragons at Settlement.] Mags said. [It's time to join the fight.]
"They will allow us to join them?" Graym asked.
[THEY KEPT THERE PROMISE DIDN'T THEY? MAVETA'S FREE.]
" Yes it is." Pelic waved his hand over his face and his form became pitch black and the cloak flowed in the wind.
"Lets get on with it then." He said.
His cloak opened and he and Graym took to the skies. It took them Many hours to reach Settlement, but soon they were flying over the growing city of Settlement.
[RAGE AND JANDAR AWAIT YOU IN THE MANOR AHEAD.] Mags floated along side them.
They landed in the center of town and looked around. Pelic had been here when they had just arrived. This was a totally different place. He was amazed at the progress they had made. Last time he had been here, they used tents. Now there were a few homes and shops and a park. The children had a small school being built, there were wizards teaching in the courtyard.
"Welcome back Pelic!!" Dreik stepped out to greet them. "Your mission I hear was a success."
The dwarf dressed in green leather held out his hand to them. Graym walked over and took his hand.
"I'm honored to be here." He said. "You and your brothers have saved my family from a miserable death. I can't thank you enough."
"It's our duty to do what we can for everybody." Dreik said. " Pelic , You look dazed."
"This city." He said. "There was no city when I was last here. This is wonderful!!!"
"It is isn't it." Dreik smiled. "Come, Rage waits for us."
Dreik took them on a tour of Settlement as he escorted them to the Manor.
[PELIC] Mags called from above their heads.
"Yes?"
[Free my body.]
Pelic opened his cloak and reached in. He found Mags body and carefully pulled it out. He set him down and stepped back. Mags floated down and entered his body as they watched. The cold little dragons body changed color, from a drab gold to a more vibrant color. His wings fluttered a little, his leg moved. Then breath escaped as he began to breathe. Seconds later he climbed to his feet and stretched his limbs.
[Ahhhh!!! that feels so good!!!] He sent to all of them.
Flexing his wings a few times Mags jumped into the air. Once a day wasn't enough, Mags missed being alive and being with the rest of them.
[Tell Rage I will join you after I take a flight.] With that he flew off over the trees.
"Come on." Dreik said as they walked off toward the Manor.
"Rage." Jandar said as he walked into their study. "We have a problem."
Rage had been studying the maps of the area where Polan's army had last been camped. He put down the map and looked up at the handsome man he called love.
"What is it?" The Red Dragon asked.
"The Firestaff is missing." Jandar told him.
"What??" Rage jumped from his seat. One of the talismans is gone? How can this be?
"We have to find it!!" Rage stepped up to Jandar. "It has to be here somewhere."
"No Love." He said. "Someone took it. I haven't miss placed it or lost it. Someone took it from the vault. One of us took it."
"Well we know it wasn't a dragon." Rage said. "None of us could do this.
"Then who?" Jandar asked. He came over and stood by Rage at his desk.
At the moment the door opened and Dreik came in with Pelic and Graym.
"Were both so glad your both safe!" Rage smiled as he shook their hands. "Welcome to Settlement! How is Maveta?"
"Safe thanks to you." Graym said. "Thank you for all you've done."
"All we've done is free one city and take a step towards freedom from Polan." Rage said as he shook their hands in greeting. "We have the world to free still. And we still need your help. Pelic, you've done a great job. Wheres Mags?"
"He's out flying." Pelic said. " Enjoying has body. He's the one that helped most. We couldn't have done any of this without him."
"Sit, please." Rage told them. "We have another problem now. One of the talismans has been stolen. We have to find it."
"You know what this means?" Pelic said. "Someone here's working for Polan. Working against you."
"You mean us Pelic." Jandar smiled
"That means we have a traitor here." Dreik sat down. "It has to be one of the many exiles that have wandered in to Settlement. I can't see it being one of us."
"I'm calling Cutter." Rage said. " He needs to know."
[Cutter?" He sent out.
[Yes Rage?]
[Come to the my office please.]
[I'm on my way.]
"So what can we do to help in Maveta?" Rage asked.
"You've done so much." Graym said. "How can we ask anything else?"
"Nonsense." Rage said as he sat back down. "We're sending supplies and help to Maveta, to help get them back on their feet."
Jandar ushered them to chairs where they could get comfortable. Graym took a backless seat so his wings wouldn't be cramped. He wanted to get to know the two leaders of Settlement and to help them all he could. Settlement seemed nice. He knew Rose and the children would love it here.
"He doesn't want these abilities Polan's given him." Pelic said. "He thinks he's cursed."
"You could do so much good with what he gave you." Jandar said to Graym. "You could help bring him down with the powers he gave you. I think that makes you something special."
"But look at me!" Graym said. "I'm a horror!!"
"You!!" Jandar stood. He spread his arms and howled as the change began. Jandar took his were form. Graym jumped back and knocked over his chair in fright. The sight of Jandar's fangs and claws threw him off and caught him by surprise.
"I am a werewolf mage." Jandar said. "My mate is a dragon. We know vampires and have all kinds of friends people call monsters. But I'll tell you something. Whats in your heart and your deeds make you a monster, not what you are."
"Besides." Pelic said. "You don't have to look that way anymore. And I know there's no evil in you."
As they talked there was a knock at the door. Dreik answered the door. It was a tall forest elf dressed in tan leathers.
"Cutter come in and join us." Rage welcomed him as he came and sat at the table. He introduced Pelic and Graym.
"We have a problem." He told Cutter. "One of the talismans is missing. It has to be found."
"I have a few ideas." Cutter told them. "Who knows where there kept?"
"Almost everyone that's close to us." Jandar said. "We have no secrets here."
"Yes we do." Cutter said. "There are things we don't want Polan to know. Like where we are."
"Nonsense." Rage said. "He can't get in this city."
"No, But his warriors can." Cutter pointed out. "Did you ever think of that? An invading force can get in. And we all know Polan's army is strong. What happens when they're at our gate?"
"We fight." Rage stood up his anger flared. "We have plenty of warriors here to. We can match his army. And our magic is as strong as his."
"Rage." Jandar said. "We don't use death magic."
"So?" He pounded his fist.
"So death magic corrupts. It takes away all your compassion. Without compassion you care nothing about life. And he can't lose a warrior to death, he just brings them back to fight on. He could even make our dead warriors fight for him" Jandar stepped up to his mate. "Or you or me. That's not us, Rage. It never will be."
"No." He said as he took Jandars hand. "Your right. We'll never be like him. Will we?"
Just as Jandar was about to answer, there was another knock on the door.
"Enter! The door opened and a tall dark figure entered.
"Blink!!" Jandar called out."Come in, join us. This is Graym and Pelic. Friends from Maveta. A country we freed from Shadow."
Blink greeted Graym with a hand shake then turned to Pelic. He looked at the dark man in the gray cloak and stopped with his hand held out. The look on Blinks face gave them all a start.
"What is it Brother?" Rage asked.
"Where did you get that cloak?" Blink held up his hand to quiet everyone. Pelic turned from one to the other.
"It's a part of me." He said. "Polan put it on me. It doesn't come off. Why?"
"It was my gran sires." Blink said. Rage caught his breath. None of the others knew what that meant.
"What's that mean?" Jandar asked. Neither Rage or Blink spoke. They just stared at Pelic.
"Rage!!"
"That cloak belonged to Dusk." Rage told them.
"Who is that?" Jandar demanded.
"All shadow dragon eggs come from another shadow dragon." Blink said. "You and Rage will not create one. Only Shadoe or I can. My sire was Grim. Like me he was a very serious dragon. He kept my egg near him until I hatched so there was no chance of me being corrupted. Then he picked the human for me to merge with. This was my intent all along with Shadow. He warned me of what could happen if the wrong person merged with my egg. Dusk, my grand sire merged with an assassin thief from Winterhaven. One of the best assassins of the time. Death was his job and he did it well. His name was Wyn Touchet. He stole gran sires egg while his sire was being attacked. He lost that battle, that's why Dusk was never taken back. Wyn Touchet merged with Dusk. And then started the worst war in dragon history. The cloak was made by a sorcerer for Wyn to hold his enemies. The same sorcerer that made all of the talismans. He ended up in the cloak until the end of the war when he was freed. Now here it is, on your back."
Pelic was horrified by the thought of what he wore. He wanted it off but that's not going to happen. But what would happen? He'd felt no influence from the cloak, other then the cold that it seemed to radiate. He felt no evil from it.
"Is there any danger from the cloak?" Pelic asked.
"The cloak amplifies whats in your heart. On Dusk, it tortures anyone he put in there. I don't feel that evil in you." Blink told him. "Has anyone ever touched the cloak? Or been in it?""
"I have." Graym said. "I was wrapped in it and Pelic flew off with us in the cloak."
"What did you feel while inside?" Blink asked. He had moved over to sit next to Pelic and examine it. His sire had told him long ago about it, but he'd never thought he'd see it in life.
"It wasn't cold." He said. "I felt fine."
"This is a dragon talisman." Blink told them. "I don't think Polan knew what it was, or he would never have given it to you. Do you know how he got it."
"He conjured it when he made us into this." Graym spread his wings to show them the feathers that lined his arms and his wings. He told them all the things he could do and about the shadow beast. They were impressed.
"And Pelic?" Dreik asked. "What did he do to you?"
"Polan tried to make my heart as dark as his." Pelic told them. "You know he infected me with his poison and took control of me. His intention was to use me and my magic as a pawn to kill as many of you as he could. You saved me from that fate so I will fight against him. Mag and I went to spy on him. Once there he made me one of his shadows like Graym. He conjured this cloak and bonded it to me. I have control of the shadow beast over all, even Polan. I can fly and become as a ghost and pass through walls. I can move through shadow, but not like Blink and Polan can. I see things in shadow. Things that were imprisoned in the cloak and images that have a connection to me. I also have my cold touch. It can paralyze in seconds and kill if I hold on long enough."
"You both have been changed by Polan." Rage told them "And there's no going back to what you were."
Graym had a stricken look on his face. This is not what he wanted to hear. He wanted them to tell him they could change him back to what he was. A simple farmer. Could he go home like this? would his wife and children run from him?
[Your family will love you no matter how you look.]
He heard in his head. Graym looked up as Shine flew in, back in his small golden dragon form. He dropped down to his shoulder and looked into his eyes.
[No matter what you look like. The people of Maveta will accept you always. You saved them from a horrible death. You scarificed much for them. Don't hide from them. You have to let them know.]
"Shine is right." Pelic said to his friend. "If I could find peace in Maveta, that's where I want to be."
"Your welcome there." Graym told his friend. "Always."
"So what next?" Dreik asked. " What do we do now?"
"Now we take it to Polan." Rage said. "We give him hell"
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