Southern Grayham The City of Brandor The King's Castle Mosley appeared in the bedroom of Keldwin Brandor. With the king sleeping, the wolf's green eyes settled on the shallow glow that emanated from a pile of embers inside a circular fireplace that was located at the center of the room.

The chamber was s.p.a.cious and sculptures of previous kings stood in every corner. The stone walls between these six figures were covered with tapestries, weapons and shields, and large, heavy, wooden shutters had been left open to allow the night air to infiltrate the room.

The wolf took his eyes off the fireplace and moved to look out one of the windows. From this position, located at the top of the highest tower, Mosley could see the city of Brandor's longest street that led away from the castle. Thousands of torches lined both sides of the street, and they lit every storefront until it ended at Brandor's arena, which acted as a beacon. The glow from hundreds of torches that lined the top of the structure softened the darkness of the night and the vista appealed to the wolf's senses.

Mosley moved to stand at the foot of the king's bed. He scratched at the footboard and waited for Keldwin to wake up. When he did, the king leapt from his bed, grabbed his sword, and prepared to strike.

"Easy, Keldwin! I'm not here to hurt you. I trust that I've found you in good spirits. How is your son, Aaron?"

Hearing his name, Keldwin looked through the fading light and waited for his eyes to adjust. "Mosley, is that you?"

"It is. I have come to speak of important matters. I request that you get dressed, and gather the leaders of your army. Please meet me in your throne room."

"Since when do you give orders to a king? No one has given you permission to call me by name. What on Grayham possessed you to think that entering my chamber was permissible?"

Mosley continued to push. "Keldwin, you would be wise to join me in the throne room. I'm not the wolf you once knew. I now command a vast pack. You may come or not, but I shall be there nevertheless. I intend to speak with your army."

"I'll have you flogged, wolf! How dare you talk to me this manner! Guards, remove this pest from my room!"

"The guards cannot hear you, King of Brandor. This 'pest' is no longer just any wolf. I've been given immortality. I am now one of the G.o.ds. I would appreciate it if you would choose to conform. Please gather your men, and meet me in your throne room."

"Mosley, you bore me with your lies. You, a G.o.d? Ha! Since when would the G.o.ds want the likes of you to join them? Leave me to my rest, and I may forget you had the arrogance to enter my chamber."

"I'll leave as you request ... but..." Mosley smiled within as he finished his statement. "...But I suspected that I would need to seek out a better man than you to listen to what I had to say." Mosley sniffed the air in the room. "The air is stagnate. It smells of a king's weakness."

Upon hearing the insult, Keldwin attacked. He lifted his sword and brought it down across the top of the wolf-G.o.d's back. The blade pa.s.sed through Mosley's body as if it had hit thin air and collided with the stones of the floor.

The king watched in horror as Mosley turned to face him. The wolf growled and exposed his fangs. His dark fur stood at attention on the back of his neck as he maneuvered Keldwin into the open arms of one of the statues of the past monarchs.

Once the king's royal b.u.m had been pressed tightly against the sculpture, Mosley snarled, "Keldwin, you can do as you choose, but I would think twice before you turn your blade on me again. I am the new G.o.d of War, and you will respect my authority. Gather your men and bring them to the throne room. I, and the others, wish to speak with them."

"Others? What others?" Keldwin demanded Mosley moved toward the door and sniffed at the stones on either side. Once satisfied he had his mark, he lifted his leg and released a continuous stream while he looked up at Keldwin. "The other G.o.ds, of course." Mosley vanished.

It took a while for Keldwin to recover, but eventually, the king managed to get dressed. When everyone had made their way to the throne room, the group consisted of the king, his son, Aaron, the General Absolute, Justin Graywind, and the G.o.ds: Mosley, Helmep, Alistar, Keylom, Calla, and Bailem.

Bailem stepped forward to introduce everyone. He kept his beautiful, white wings close to his back and adjusted his robe to a better position around his portly belly. "This conversation is private for those of us in attendance. We cannot be heard by anyone outside this chamber. We can speak freely." The G.o.d of the Sun focused his gaze on Mosley. "You should tell the king why we've come."

"Keldwin, your G.o.d, Ba.s.sorine, is no longer. I have taken his place. We haven't come to make demands, but we are here to inform you of events that will soon occur. You'll need to strengthen your army to its full potential and make ready for war if you are to survive. There is an enemy building, the likes of which this world has never seen. For now, the threat is minimal, but it will be powerful."

The king's brow dropped between his eyes. "Does this have something to do with the closure of the temple?"

Mosley nodded as a wolf would. "The Crystal Moon has been stolen, and its pieces have been scattered throughout the worlds."

"Who took them?" the king demanded, forgetting the company he was keeping.

Alistar was the one to respond. He pushed back the hood of his robe. "Lasidious has decided to mold the fate of the worlds. Two pieces of the crystal are to be placed on Grayham, and the G.o.ds have been divided. Three of the crystal's five pieces must be secured, or the worlds will change and Grayham will fall into darkness."

"And if we capture these pieces?" Keldwin responded, seeking a glimmer of hope.

Mosley answered, "If we succeed, the world will be without suffering, and your bloodline shall continue to rule the grandest of packs. You should prepare for war. The pieces need to be rejoined to keep the worlds from sure annihilation. I'm certain you have felt the tremors of the ground beneath your feet."

The General Absolute spoke out. "Sire, I would like the opportunity to speak."

"By all means, General."

Justin faced the G.o.ds. "There have been no tremors in Brandor, Lord Mosley. The ground beneath our feet has remained still, but reports of this shaking have made it to my ears from Angels Village and the town of Lethwitch. If these tremors relate to matters of war, then this will require my full attention."

The general walked forward and approached the G.o.ds as if they were mortals. "I have received word from the village of Angels that their ground shook on two occasions. It was said to be a short series of moments, and no damage was done. I also received similar word from Lethwitch, except the shaking lasted much longer. You said an evil builds, yet I have no reports of this from my runners. Our only foes are the barbarians to the north, but we haven't been at war for many seasons. I've heard nothing of a plan to attack."

Bailem stepped forward. "I can understand you're skeptical, General, but I can a.s.sure you this force does strengthen itself, and it will make itself known without warning. Like we said, the G.o.ds have been divided. The threat is real."

The leader of the king's army rubbed his head as he moved around the room, his biceps bulging as his arm moved back and forth through his long hair. "Your point has been made. Every man will be called into service to prepare for battle. How long do we have before we see the first signs of this movement?"

Keylom stepped forward, his hooves clapping against the stones of the throne room floor. "General, this answer is unknown."

The king moved to take a seat on his throne. He grabbed a wooden goblet filled with ale and took a drink. "You would ask me to call every man in my kingdom into service and wait for an undisclosed period of moments? The finances for such a calling would be tremendous, and it would ruin the kingdom's economy."

The G.o.d of the Harvest responded. "Keldwin, your crops are due to be harvested in 45 Peaks. I'll bless the soils of your land. Your crops will be bountiful. You can use the finances from such an abundance to fund your preparedness."

The king thought a moment and then took another swig. "It would take three full harvests to make this kind of coin. I would like to know your intentions to address this issue. Without your help, Brandor will have to take its chances and wait for the first sign of war."

Alistar's response was swift. "Send word to every farm, village, town, and city. When the crops are harvested, they are to plant again before morning. If they do this, I'll bless the soil. The following morning, their crops will be grown again. This will continue until three full harvests have been gathered. I a.s.sure you, they'll be abundant."

The general interjected. "This is good news, but how will the people transport this abundance to Merchant Island? They don't have the means."

Once again, Alistar answered. "General, I'll bless an area of soil outside of each populace. You can use this area to plant Garanto Trees. They will grow through the night and become tall and strong as if they have grown for hundreds of seasons. Use the wood from these trees to build harvest wagons. Use them to carry the harvest to the coastal cities of West Utopia, Haven, South Utopia, and Carlosam. Once there, use the king's fleet to transport the harvest to Merchant Island. You will also need to build barns to store that which you are unable to carry in one trip.

"Make sure you have the people stock their homes. This will a.s.sure your men that their families are fed while they're away. The harvests will give your economy enough coin to sustain this calling. You may also harvest enough trees to rebuild the run-down areas of your kingdom."

Alistar pulled a map of Southern Grayham from beneath his robe and then continued. "Your first harvest is not for 45 Peaks. This gives you the moments necessary to build the wagons."

Alistar circled a number of key areas on the map with the tip of his finger. A mark was left behind. "I'll take my leave to bless these areas. You should plant the trees quickly." The G.o.d waved his hand across the wall behind Keldwin's throne. Bags of every kind of seed appeared, each bag clearly marked. "I will place similar bags throughout your kingdom. You will find them inside the royal storehouses." With that, Alistar vanished.

The king stood from his throne and walked to Mosley. "It appears there's work to be done. Forgive me for my earlier temperament."

"Wise King," Mosley responded as he reached up with one of his back paws to scratch his neck, "I'm sure I would've displayed similar arrogance if someone claiming to be a G.o.d woke me from my sleep." He smiled, wolfishly.

With that, all the G.o.ds left for Ancients Sovereign.

CHAPTER 22.

Minotaur Just Outside the Town of Lethwitch AS THEY SAT AROUND the fire within the Enchanted Forest, George informed Amar of the trouble he was having controlling his new power. However, he tried to steer the conversation to keep the focus on Amar. The manipulator did not want to give anything away that would cause him to lose whatever advantage he might have over the mage.

Kepler understood what George was trying to accomplish. At one point, the cat winked to show his support as he licked himself clean by the fire.

George was relieved when he learned that Amar would be helpful while learning to control his new power. Kepler's skeleton warriors would no longer be necessary.

Amar had grabbed 10 rats from the cellar of his brother's store before coming to the forest and threw them into a small cage. One by one, he pulled them out and gave instruction.

It took only four deaths before George had his first success. He was able to limit the transformation to a single leg. The rest of the rat had been spared a solid death, and George watched as the rodent hobbled off into the forest.

Kepler lifted his head from between his legs and stopped licking himself long enough to comment. "It appears you're getting the hang of it. You just might be able to keep from killing us now."

George rolled his eyes and then pulled another rat out of the cage. During this series of moments, nothing happened. He smiled as he tossed the rat into the air and watched Kepler s.n.a.t.c.h it up in his mouth. A crunching sound could be heard as the rat's bones snapped beneath the demon's heavy chomp.

Amar had to dodge as a squirt of blood shot past his face. The mage frowned. "This is a new robe, George. I don't want it soiled. I have no desire to smell as foul as my brother."

Kepler stood, walked over to Amar and sniffed. "You're human ... you will always smell foul."

George snickered. "Knock it off, Kep. We're here to learn, remember?"

Kepler growled and lowered to the ground as George reached into the cage and pulled out another rat by its tail. He lifted it into the air without changing any part of it.

"That's good," Amar praised. "But can you change its heart without turning the rest of it?"

"I can try," George responded with a questioning look. "But how will I know if it worked?"

"Because it'll fall over dead, simpleton," Kepler sneered. "It is, after all, the heart you're turning to stone. In case you don't know, it's a major organ." The demon shook his head. "How could you possibly dominate territories when you ask such inane questions? Perhaps I should a.s.sign you a t.i.tle. How shall I say it? George, The Ludicrous."

Irritated by the cat's remark, George smirked, shook his head in disgust and then redirected his attention to the rat.

The critter's eyes widened, a look of pain appeared on its face and then its body started to convulse.

Moments later, George tossed the dead rodent onto the ground and stared directly into Kepler's eyes.

Kepler gave a half-hearted grin and once again licked himself, mumbling between licks. "Give humans a taste of power, and they feel invincible. Remember ... we're allies, George. Your power does you no good if I swipe your head from your shoulders."

George searched for a cutting response. "Well, aren't you a brave, little kitty?"

Kepler lifted his head from between his legs. His eyes flashed a deep, burgundy-red before he responded, "It would be prudent to change the subject."

Satisfied with Kepler's irritation, George watched Amar cut the rat open to witness his handiwork. Sure enough, the heart was the only thing that had turned to stone.

Everyone around the fire-including the invisible G.o.d-praised George's success, though Kepler's cheer was forced.

Reaching into the cage again, George threw another rat to Amar for inspection. During this moment, he changed only the lungs as he had intended.

Again, everyone praised his work. By the moment George arrived at the tenth rat, his skill level was strong enough to change a specific claw. He lowered the rat to the ground and watched it scurry into the woods.

George turned to the group. "I think I've got the hang of it."

After a bit, George strolled over and sat next to Kepler. He waited until the demon was caught up in conversation with Amar before he reached out and touched Kepler on his leg.

The giant cat sprang over the top of the fire and landed on the far side of the clearing. He snarled, "That's not funny, George!"

The jokester rolled back onto the ground. "Oh, my h.e.l.l, Kepler! You should've seen your face. Amar, did you see his face? He freaked out and c.r.a.pped himself."

Amar looked puzzled. "I don't know what 'freaked out' or what 'c.r.a.pped' means, but it certainly was funny."

George rolled his eyes. "I hate this world."

It took a while before Kepler was able to calm down to laugh at his own expense.

Once the atmosphere settled, George poked the fire with a stick. "Kepler, if you wouldn't mind, would you go back to the cave and fetch Maldwin? Your brothers also need to know your warriors aren't necessary. While you're gone, Amar and I will go into Lethwitch and prepare to take a journey to Siren's Song. We'll meet up in Angels Village in 20 Peaks. After we reunite, we'll head west to the Latsky Divide and follow the river north to Siren's Song. I-"

Kepler interrupted, "Why are we going to the wisp's home?"

"For more power, of course."

This seemed to satisfy the demon. The journey to fetch Maldwin would give him a break from the humans. Without saying another word, the jaguar turned and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

Amar tapped the b.u.t.t end of his staff on the ground. A light appeared from the cube-shaped gem at its top. The mage doused the campfire with his power and then walked with George toward Lethwitch.

On the way, the mage informed George that his family had once served in the King of Brandor's court. Because of this, they would be able to fly aboard the hippogriffs to Angels Village. When Amar realized George had no knowledge about what the flying creatures were, he explained.

Lasidious decided he had seen enough. His pet creation was on his intended path.

The journey to Angels Village would only take 2 Peaks by air. George would be able to stay in Lethwitch much longer than expected, and this would also allow him to watch Sam's last fight. He would get a room at the inn where Athena worked and make sure he was there when she showed up.

When they arrived at the inn, George and Amar shook hands and parted ways after agreeing to meet at Early Bailem in 17 Peaks.

The lady behind the counter smiled as George entered. "Back already, I see. I don't believe we've met properly. I'm Susanne, Athena's favorite and only sister. I had the flowers taken to my mother's home. I'm sure Athena loved them. She's just south of here, visiting our mother's farm. My sister has never spoken of anyone the way she speaks of you. I hope you're worth it." A half-serious-half-questioning grin appeared on her face.

George smiled. "I wouldn't count on it. I'm a pain in the backside, and I wouldn't pay one Helmep for me."

Susanne smiled. "What're you going to do to keep yourself busy until she arrives?"

"I was thinking about going to the fights. Do you know when they start?"

Susanne turned and grabbed the local event calendar, a publication that was scribed once every 5 Peaks. "It looks as if they start at the Peak of Bailem, tomorrow. Is there a particular fighter you're interested in?"

"I have an old friend fighting and I want to watch. This will be his third fight. He won his first two."

"Could you tell him Athena has a sister? I have room for a strong man in my life."

"I will, but I'm not sure how his girlfriend would handle that. She's training to be a sorceress."

" Well then I want no part of him. I would hate to be turned into a vestle chick."

Unsure of what a vestle chick was, George responded as if he understood. "You're right, that would be terrible. Thank you for your kindness, Susanne. Will you tell Athena my room number when she arrives?" He reached out and placed his hand on top of Susanne's. "I look forward to getting to know you better. Hopefully I'll meet the rest of your family someday."

As George headed up to his room, he grinned. I definitely have it under control. Thank goodness she didn't change. That would've put a damper on my relationship with Athena.