The cat backed up as George drew closer.

"Kepler needs kisses. Oh yes he does. Come here and give Daddy kisses. Daddy-George loves his Kepler so, so much ... oh, yes he does."

The Barbarian King laughed as he watched George chase the ma.s.sive p.u.s.s.ycat out of the room.

GEORGE left the city of Bloodvain, teleporting with Kepler and one of the tigers to Lethwitch. His wife's pregnancy is causing emotional distress. Rather than leave in the morning, George has decided to pamper Athena to reinforce his love for her. They will not teleport to the city of Champions until Early Bailem the following Peak.

SAM'S hippogriff landed in Cottle. Soon after, Michael ordered the army to march.

When preparing for their journey, Shalee gave Helga the mask she took from Double D. Shalee has also given Helga the other half of a pendant necklace. The ladies are wearing them around their necks and have been giving each other frequent high-fives while traveling with the army.

LASIDIOUS is on his way to the world of Luvelles. He is going there to speak with the Head Master, Brayson Id. He will appear to the Head Master in Amar's image, Brayson's good friend and old Mystic Learner. There are many details that need to be discussed, and planning the future is in order to create diversions to keep the G.o.ds' attention.

BJ sat on Sam's throne and was pretending to be the king. He had asked everyone to leave the room, and then he lowered into the chair to get an idea of how Sam must feel. As it turned out, he pushed his luck a bit too far. He asked for his meal to be brought to him in the throne room. When the large woman arrived, she scolded BJ and pulled him by his ear into the royal dining hall and sat him down. BJ tried to object, but the woman, almost 20 seasons his senior, instructed him to be silent and eat his dinner without further trouble. The advisor ate without objection.

BJ would fall asleep that night and have wonderful dreams of Helga. In his visions, they stood near a brook that peacefully cascaded down a small embankment into a shallow pool. Sam was standing in front of them with Shalee standing to Helga's left as her matron of honor. To BJ's right, Michael handed BJ the rings. The ceremony was short, but lovely, and the kiss between BJ and Helga to celebrate their union was full of promise. It was the best dream BJ ever had.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Grayham Inquirer

CHAPTER 36.

May the Best Man Win 5 Peaks Have Pa.s.sed SAM, MICHAEL, SHALEE, AND HELGA stood on the sh.o.r.e of Lake Zandra. It was not long after the water had been disturbed that the mist mares appeared. They were majestic, and numbered around 140. They looked like wild spirits, and they ran across the top of the lake with a graceful deadliness.

As the sun dropped below the horizon, the true color of the glow surrounding the water mist mare's bodies magnified. It was an angelic blueish-white, and this color and glow extended into their eyes.

The absence of the sun seemed to effect the intensity of the mares' screams as they threatened the army.

Shalee grabbed Helga's hand. "They don't look like any kind of demons I learned about as a child. I think they're gorgeous."

"I agree, Child. But they make me nervous."

Shalee nodded. "They're a bit p.i.s.sy. I can see why folks are afraid of them."

Sam walked past Shalee with Michael at his side and pointed toward the water. "Their hooves never touch the surface, and they all have reflections. So much for this being easy."

"I noticed, Sire. What would you have me do?"

"I'm not sure. Nothing for now, I suppose." He paused. "We might as well set up camp and establish a post to monitor the mares through the night? I want to know everything we can. We may be here a while."

"Yes, My King."

After camp was established, Michael ordered six men to throw rocks into the lake. The disturbance angered the mares. They charged the banks and stopped just before the water touched the sh.o.r.e. They breathed an icy mist that took the shape of flames in the direction of the men.

Sam patted Michael on the back. "It's a good thing you ordered them to stay back. They'd be frozen right now if they hadn't." The king pondered the situation. "Tell the men to stop throwing rocks, and have them observe for a while."

Michael did as instructed. Eventually, the mares settled down. When calm, they sounded like any normal horse. But every now and then, a monstrous shriek penetrated the night from a mare who stood isolated about a hundred paces away from the others. During the next short period of moments, Sam and Michael noticed that one of the other mares left the herd. It moved across the water to take this isolated mare's place. It was as if they had their own version of the changing of the guard, and further, Sam noticed that both these ghostly horses were stallions, not mares.

"It appears water mist mares is not an accurate description," Sam pondered aloud.

Michael put his hand to his chin. "Agreed. But water mist stallions doesn't have the same ring to it."

Sam shrugged. "I suppose. But no matter what they're called, we still have a problem."

By the height of the next Peak, Sam believed he had a solution to the problem.

The Northern Sh.o.r.e of Lake Zandra The Peak of Bailem that Same Peak George, Kepler, and the accompanying tiger arrived on the sh.o.r.e opposite Sam's army. Kepler disturbed the water and rushed away from the edge. They waited for the mist mares to appear, but nothing happened.

"This doesn't make sense," the jaguar announced. "They should've arrived by now. These creatures are swift, and their prowess dominates the lake."

George walked down to the water and sent a rock skipping. "I don't know where they are, but I know I can teleport us to sh.o.r.e if they come for us. Let's get going and make a run for it."

Kepler growled. "Exactly how do you intend to run across water?"

"Duh! Not literally. Just watch."

Kepler grumbled as the mage touched the water. A raft made of ice formed. Once they were aboard, George lowered his hand into the water and conjured a powerful wind that erupted from his fingertips. The big sheet of ice glided through the water toward the island.

Back on the Southern Sh.o.r.e Michael ordered the army to prepare the boats for crossing. All that remained was for Sam and Shalee to figure out the problem with the herd.

"Shalee!" Sam shouted, "Come here for a moment! Do you see the stallion that keeps itself isolated?"

"I do."

"Good. Use your magic to hold it in place. I'll use my bow to disturb the water beneath it. Let's see what happens."

Shalee tried to snare the beast with her power, but she failed. "Tarnation!"

" What's wrong?"

"I can't reach it. It's too far away. I need to get closer."

Sam looked across the beach, lifted his hands to his mouth and then shouted. "General, have the men throw stones into the water down sh.o.r.e! I need them to keep the herd's attention while the queen moves toward the waterline!"

"Yes, Sire!"

The herd took the bait, and Shalee was able to make it to the water's edge. During this series of moments, the stallion was in range, and the sorceress' magic was able to trap it.

The ghostly horse cried for the others. They charged.

The speed of the mares forced Shalee to teleport to avoid the herd's deadly mist. "Goodness!" Shalee yelled once she reappeared. "That was close! I felt the chill!"

Sam shook his head. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I don't want to get you killed ... or the men. Perhaps I should take us all home. I don't want this crystal badly enough if it means losing you."

Shalee grabbed Sam's arm and led him away from the men who were nearby. "Look, we both know we need this piece of the crystal to save the worlds. It was just a close call, that's all."

"That's all? How can you be so nonchalant about it?" Sam reb.u.t.ted. "We've already lost the rest of our families. I can't lose you, too."

Shalee's firm tone was covered with a smile. "Sam, this is our life now. You need to buck up and get the job done. We have nothing to go home to if we don't find a way to fix this."

"I know," Sam admitted. "But if you get hurt-"

"I won't," Shalee insisted. "So stop worrying, and trust me."

"You say stop. It's not that simple. Look at me, Shalee. You're the only thing keeping me sane these days. It's one thing to sacrifice myself, but to sacrifice you and all these men, I don't know if I can do that. No! I know I can't do that."

Shalee's voice softened. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Sam's cheek. "I understand how you feel, but you're stronger than you realize. Ba.s.sorine saw that. I see it, too. You and I were selected to come to Grayham for a reason, so let's be strong. Let's do it together."

The sorceress smiled. "Let's show everyone why the G.o.ds chose us."

"Do you really believe we're that strong?" Sam queried.

"I do. But even if we aren't, we still need to figure this mess out, or nothing else matters. We've got to get that crystal, Sam." The sorceress lifted Sam's chin with her fingertips. "I have some news that will cheer you up."

Sam took a deep breath. "And what would that be?"

She winked. "The stallion is still bound by my magic."

Sam smiled and then took a deep breath. "Since when did you become a leader? I'm so impressed with you right now."

Shalee grinned. "Well, duh, I'm like the hottest queen ever. Did you expect anything less out of the bombsh.e.l.l that is me?" She laughed to try to relieve the tension.

Sam shook his head. "I love you. Only you could say something like that and pull it off."

Shalee snapped her fingers. "You know it." She looked at the lake. "Now let's get to work."

Sam lifted his bow and aimed at the water beneath the feet of the bound stallion. As soon as the arrow penetrated the lake's surface, the herd shimmered. With the stallion's reflection being disrupted, it caused the rest of the herd to lose form. The king waited for the water to settle, and as soon as the stallion's reflection regained its shape, the rest of the herd solidified.

"Did you see that, General?" Sam shouted. "Get over here, and watch this!" Again, Sam shot his bow and again, the herd shimmered. "General, the herd is effected when the water beneath that stallion is disrupted. I want the archers to aim for that spot, but don't hit him."

"Yes, Sire!"

Soon, the herd of mist mares no longer had the power to maintain their form and faded into nothingness, leaving only the segregated stallion.

Sam looked at Shalee. "Okay, okay. Now that we've got only the one horse to deal with, how long do you think your magic can hold him there?"

Shalee sighed. "Not long enough for the army to cross, and we still have to get back."

"That's not going to work." The king put his hands on top of his head and scrutinized the situation. "Okay, okay. The stallion is unable to come on land ... so, what if we bring it ash.o.r.e? Maybe it'll lose its power."

Sam pulled Kael from his sheath and commanded the blade to protect him from ice, and then he started to walk.

Shalee grabbed his arm. "You don't need to go out there. You don't even know if Kael's protection is strong enough. Let me bring him to us."

Sam lifted the blade in front of his face. "Is your power strong enough to protect me?"

"Of course, it is!" Kael snapped, the pulsating of the blade was solid red. "But protecting you won't fix the problem. I hate to say it, but your female is right. Bring the stallion on land."

Hearing the blade's response, the sorceress sneered. "I don't like you, Kael. Why do you always have to be so rude?"

Kael's pulse reflected his response. "Because you and this expendable army are a waste of my moments." The blade pulled itself out of Sam's hand and returned to its sheath. "I long for the old ways. Find yourself, Sam," was the last comment the weapon made before the light of his pulse faded.

Shalee frowned. After a moment or two pa.s.sed, she snapped, "I wish you could get rid of that sword, Sam. Why would Ba.s.sorine give you a blade that's such an a.s.shole? His reasons are beyond me."

Kael responded from within his sheath. "And why Ba.s.sorine would ever waste Sam's moments with a useless wench is equally beyond me! Just focus your minds on the problem and stop bothering me with your senseless babbling!"

Shalee glared at Sam's hip. She raised her hand and thought about striking the blade with her magic, but after a moment, she turned toward the lake. The stallion began to float toward them. The archers adjusted their aim to keep the water beneath the beast disturbed. Everyone cleared a large circle for Shalee to set the stallion down. The men were careful to stay far enough back to avoid the stallion's mist.

As Shalee lowered the stallion to the ground, the creature cried out, filling the air with a horrid shriek. The scream was so loud, the men were forced to grab their ears. Shalee lost her concentration, and the beast fell to the ground.

As soon as the first hoof touched the sh.o.r.e, a brilliant column of light shot into the sky. Even though it was the Peak of Bailem, the beam could be seen in all directions equivalent to a three Peak ride on horseback.

The army was thrown to their backsides as a shock wave smashed into them. The rest of the herd reappeared and rushed off the lake's surface. Their hooves tore into the dirt as they raced through the ranks of the army toward the rolling countryside. Once they were out of sight, Sam called out to the general, "Michael ... it looks like Southern Grayham has its first herd of wild, ghost horses!"

Sam redirected his attention to his men and made sure no one was hurt. Once satisfied that all was well, he turned to face the stallion that was still bound by Shalee's magic. "Go ahead and let it go, Shalee. Let him join the others."

"Are you sure?" Shalee queried.

"Yeah, you might as well. He's not p.i.s.sed off anymore."

As soon as Shalee released the beast, the stallion gracefully trotted over to Sam and stopped in front of the king.

Sam's eyes widened. He had already commanded Kael to protect him from ice, but he gripped the handle of the sword just in case.

The stallion's eyes glowed as both king and beast lost themselves in each other's gaze. The horse silently communicated with Sam, and the king could hear the stallion's voice in his mind. "Thank you. Too many seasons have pa.s.sed since our entrapment."

Sam did not need to speak to respond. For whatever reason, he instinctively knew that he was able to project his thoughts to this creature, "My name is Sam Goodrich. I'm the king of these lands. Should I be worried about your herd roaming my kingdom?"

The stallion whinnied, "These lands were here long before you, young king. But you needn't worry. We shall run free and harm no one unless we're provoked. Now that we aren't confined, destruction is not necessary."

Sam nodded. "That's a relief." The king paused in thought. "I would be honored to have a beast as majestic as you as my mount. Could we come to an arrangement?"

The stallion was not surprised by Sam's request. "I serve no one, young king. But we both know you're not just any man. An arrangement can be made. Send two of your men after the herd, and I shall send two colts and two fillies as payment for our release. For you and your queen, my mare and I shall carry you from this day forth."

Sam desperately wanted to question the stallion, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Why did he say he knows I'm not just any man? And how did I know that I could project my thoughts to the stallion? Even Kael has been making remarks that I need to figure out who I am. None of this makes sense.

Since the king felt like asking questions would affect the stallion's belief that the horse knew who he was, Sam decided to wait until he had acquired the steed's trust. The mount was one-of-a-kind, and the king had learned to wait for the proper moment to satisfy his curiosities. For now, he would project a simple question. "What's your name?"

"My name is Cain," the stallion replied.

Before Sam could respond, Kael cut in. The weapon had also heard their cerebral conversation. The weapon's silent response was filled with excitement, "Finally! A companion worth your company, Sam!"

As the king looked down at his hip, the stallion bolted toward the countryside to rejoin the rest of his herd. The steed projected a thought as he ran. "I look forward to our seasons together, Sam!"