After an awkward series of moments, tears rolled down Payne's face as the fairy-demon began to speak in the language of the Ancient Mystics.

George knew what was happening, so he allowed Payne to continue to chant. Eventually, the warlock watched as a ball of energy emerged from Payne's chest. The sphere moved across the lair and pa.s.sed through Kepler's fur, penetrating the jaguar's body and then merged with his heart.

The color of Kepler's heart and the blood coursing through the jaguar's veins changed from black to red. The transformation was more than the demon-cat could withstand. Kepler collapsed to the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

George watched in amazement as the fairy-demon's body began to shrink. It was not more than a few moments before Payne was once again his normal size and smiling like a child.

The fairy-demon looked up and said, "Master got food for Payne? Why Kitty sleep? Payne go to Athena? Athena feed Payne gooder."

George smiled and rubbed the top of the fairy-demon's bald head. "I'm glad you're back. You don't have to call me Master anymore, little guy. Call me George or even Dad if you want. You can call Athena whatever works best for her. Why don't you go into the house, and let her know you're hungry."

"Payne go now." The fairy-demon closed his eyes to teleport, but nothing happened. He tried again, and still nothing happened.

George picked Payne up off the floor. "Why don't you fly, buddy?"

"Okay, George." Payne fluttered out.

The warlock took a seat next to Kepler and rubbed the cat's head. "Sleep it off, Kep." He lowered his forehead against the bridge of the cat's snout. "There's no way I could've ended Payne. He's like family to us, for h.e.l.l's sake. What's the matter with me, Kep? Payne didn't do anything wrong. This garesh is getting way too deep for me. I've got to get us out of this mess."

George stood, moved to the side of Kepler, and then rubbed the cat's back. "Let's just stick to the plan. We'll find a way out sooner or later. We'll just take care of the family, and stay the course until an opportunity presents itself. We need to know more before we can make a change. We need the upper hand."

The Spirit Plains, Western Luvelles Krasous took a deep breath. He adjusted his breastplate and then tied his spirit-bull to a tree. As soon as he finished petting his mount, the bull dematerialized and became a ghostly figure.

"I'll be back, h.e.l.lzgat," Krasous said as he turned to look across the rolling plains filled with vibrant colors. "I'm not sure how long this is going to take, but I'll be back."

After his visit with the Wraith Hound Prince, the Argont Commander dreaded the idea of meeting another spirit. The problem was, he was not sure where he should go since the Spirit Plains spanned a vast area.

To his knowledge, or anyone else's knowledge in the white army, Shesolaywen, the Spirit King of a race of souls called The Lost Ones, wandered aimlessly across the plains. Shesolaywen had no castle or any kind of a home to speak of. The spirit simply wandered, and the bad part about it was, the Spirit King would not show himself unless Krasous was alone, naked and vulnerable.

The ghostly spirit-bull snorted as he watched Krasous undress. "Hey! Keep your eyes to yourself. This is bad enough without you eyeballing me," Krasous grumbled as he gave h.e.l.lzgat's shadowy form a slight grin.

Somehow, the Argont Commander had to find Shesolaywen and manage to keep the spirit from possessing him long enough to read from the Scroll of Canair. The scroll would capture the Spirit King's essence inside its parchment. Krasous would then need to take the scroll to Lord Dowd. And Dowd would need to read from the scroll once the moment arrived for the armies to fight on the Battlegrounds of Olis.

The Entrance to the Source's Cave The Following Morning The morning was crisp and frigid. Since his arrival on Grayham, George had not seen a significant change in the weather, but this Peak was different. The air felt as if a new season was approaching, and all the warlock could do was a.s.sume that it was the third piece of the Crystal Moon that had been added to the others that was causing the change in climate.

To his surprise, frost had buried its chilly claws into the steep cliffs surrounding the pool where Fisgig's perch rested on its island of dirt. He was going to need a heavier tunic. I suppose I'll have to create something to handle the cold, he thought, but it's going to need to make a statement to complement the power I have now.

George could only laugh as he lifted his right hand and allowed a flame to burn within his palm to provide warmth. After a few moments of allowing his mind to wander, he pulled his head out of the clouds and refocused on the task at hand. He needed to finish what he came for and then hurry home before anyone realized he was missing.

Scanning the walls surrounding the pool, he chose a spot above the entrance to the Source's cave. He lifted his hands and concentrated. His magic reached inside his mind to retrieve the effect he was after. A portion of the cliff pulled away from the rest and remained suspended above the entrance. The rest of his thought commanded the magic to release the stone as soon as Gregory Id exited the cave.

With a wry smile, George vanished. When he reappeared, he looked down at the giant jaguar who was still sleeping in his lair. George thought, I wonder how long you'll be out. Taking on Payne's power must have been quite the jolt to your system. "Sleep it off, big guy," he whispered.

George climbed out of the lair and made his way inside his house. As it turned out, Athena had fallen asleep. He took off his clothes, crawled in bed beside her and snuggled his way into a comfortable position. After kissing the nape of her neck for many long moments, he rolled her onto her back and then positioned his head on her shoulder just above her bosom. He allowed the beat of her heart to be his lullaby as he drifted off to sleep.

Later that afternoon, Athena, Mary, Brayson and George worked together to finish packing for an evening George would ordinarily call h.e.l.l.

George rolled his eyes. I hate camping, he thought.

"What's bothering you, George?" Athena said as she put a few corgan sandwiches inside a sealed, wooden container that Brayson had created for the outing. As she opened the lid a slight chill could be felt on her hand. She enjoyed the magical cooler as she looked up to listen to her husband's response.

George was trying to put on a happy face, but he knew Athena could see through his facade. "Nothing that I can't handle, babe. Are you sure we should be doing this? You're getting close to having the baby. Sleeping on the ground might not be so wise."

Brayson gave George a look and watched as Athena put a finger on George's chest to push him against the kitchen table. She maneuvered as best she could to accommodate for the roundness of her belly and then leaned in to give George a kiss. "I know you don't like doing this kind of thing. You can always stay home if you'd like. I won't be angry if you do. But I'm going to enjoy it."

"Nonsense," Mary said while walking past Brayson and pinching his backside on her way to the pantry, her bare feet gliding across the hardwood floor. "George, you listen to me. You'll just have to..." She paused. "How do the people from your old Earth say it again? I think you said it was ... suck it up, and stop acting like a wimp."

Everyone laughed at George's expense. A few moments later, Mary continued. "This will be our last chance to do this kind of thing before the baby arrives. Put on a happy face, and let's have some fun."

Mary had to open the pantry more than once to get the effect she was after. The environment inside changed to the atmosphere necessary to keep items chilled. She walked in and retrieved a dozen vestle chick eggs and a large tub of greggled hash. Upon shutting the door, she turned to look at George. "I don't see that frown turning upside down, Mr. Nailer."

Brayson had to laugh as he watched the warlock continue about his business without responding. "Do you despise calling nature that much, George? I may have a better idea. Instead of calling nature, why don't we go to the Foot and stay with the giants. At least there, you'll forget the roughness of the environment. The giants have interesting homes. I'm certain we'll be able to stay with their leader. I'm sure you'd find it educational to meet Grosalom. He's an enormous man and carries a ma.s.sive presence about him."

George shrugged. "Well I'd hope so. You just said he's a giant. Duh!"

The thought of meeting Grosalom reminded George of Kroger. He still regretted the Peak when he turned the gentle ogre to stone. After a moment, he continued to fill a jar with corgan milk and responded. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad to meet a few giants. I think I'd enjoy that."

Athena smiled and pulled her husband's hands about her waist. With her back to him, she looked over her shoulder. "Thank you, honey. Imagine how big their mattresses will be. We'll be able to roll over and over and over before we find an end."

Map of the Area Around the Foot That evening, after teleporting to the Foot, Brayson made their introductions. The group had to sit more than 50 paces away from a ma.s.sive bonfire while seven, 30 pace tall native-looking figures danced around the flames. Their weight caused the ground to quake with each thunderous step.

Noticing that the environment was dangerous due to the size of their hosts, Brayson used his magic to protect the group from being smashed by a wayward foot.

As George watched Grosalom's tribe of feather-covered rain seekers move about the fire with paint-covered faces and rattles cut from the tales of giant serpents, he could only marvel. Everything in this part of Luvelles was enormous. Even the remnants of the serpents that were draped across a large, wooden tripod-the top of which had to be at least 50 paces at its highest point-made the structure seem miniscule, and the snakes' tails and their heads were resting on the ground on opposite sides of the tripod.

Holy garesh! They have to be over 300 feet long. I bet they're at least six feet thick, George thought. I bet they'd give Sotter nightmares if he lived on this world.

George's eyes settled on Grosalom's home that reflected the light of the bonfire in the distance. d.a.m.n! They live in giant teepees. I bet that thing has to be at least 200 feet tall and twice as wide. This place is sick. This is worth roughing it.

Grosalom looked down at his tiny visitors and spoke in a booming voice. He ordered the dancers to stop. The ground stopped shaking as the heavy footsteps subsided.

Once everyone had taken a seat around the fire, the giant leader continued to speak in a whisper-a voice that still seemed commanding to his guests.

When the conversation ceased, Brayson turned to the others to translate. "Grosalom has prepared a place for us to sleep. He said it would be best for us to ride with his daughter, or it'll take us all night to get there. She will return in the morning to bring us to breakfast."

Once agreed, they climbed into the female giant's palms. The ground beneath them moved swiftly as she walked. With each footstep, they marveled at the sound.

Arriving at their destination, she lowered them to the ground. Brayson shouted as loud as he could to thank Sheswyn for her generosity. After watching her depart, the group turned to look up at their teepee.

George used his power to lift the group off the ground and lowered them onto the wooden platform that the structure rested on. As they walked inside, they noticed how thick the hides were that covered the teepee. They imagined how large the animal must have been to carry such a remarkable skin.

The mattresses that had been scattered across the floor were made of the same hides and had been stuffed with some sort of wool. As if the fact that one of these beds would sleep two of these giants was not impressive enough, they had to marvel further at how thick the mattresses were. Beginning at the floor, they stretched to a height of nearly 10 paces.

George looked at Brayson. "I've got only one question."

Brayson smiled. "You like this place, don't you?"

"I do. But that has nothing to do with my question. What I'm wondering is ... if everything is so big here, what about the bugs that can crawl onto the mattresses? How big do you think they are, and how do you think we should handle them so we can get some sleep?"

Kepler's Lair The Next Night George appeared inside Kepler's lair after spending the Peak with Brayson and the girls. "Wake up, Kep," George said as he waved his hand to remove the darkness.

Kepler covered his eyes with both of his front legs as he buried his head beneath them. "George, you've got to stop doing that," he moaned. After a moment, the cat pulled back one of his legs and looked up at George with one eye. "What do you want?"

The warlock shook his head in disbelief. He closed his eyes and then reopened them. Sure enough, Kepler's black coat had changed color. His fur was white, and his burgundy-red eyes were more vibrant than ever. His new look was captivating. "Holy garesh, Kep. What the h.e.l.l happened to you?"

"Not now, George, I'm tired. I've been out all night learning what I can do with my new power."

"Sit your big a.s.s up," George barked. "Let me take a look at you."

The demon-cat lifted off the floor and posed. "I know ... I look amazing, right? I'm pleased with my new appearance. I am a refined Master of the Hunt."

"You look better than amazing," George responded. "Athena is going to garesh herself when she sees you. How are we going to explain this?"

Kepler licked his chops. "I don't know, but when I awoke yester Peak, I looked like this." The jaguar changed the subject. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you."

"Yeah ... sorry about that. I thought it was best to let you sleep. When I left, you were still out of it, and you were still black. Brayson took me and the girls on a calling nature trip."

The demon-cat chuckled. "I bet you hated every moment of it."

"Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Brayson took us to a place called the Foot. There are some enormous s...o...b..s there. Apparently, the white army has requested the a.s.sistance of the giants during the war. Their leader is a ma.s.sive guy named Grosalom. We've got to go there one of these Peaks. You've got to see how stinking huge everything is."

Kepler yawned. "Perhaps, perhaps not."

George frowned. "Well, don't get excited or anything. I'd hate to get your blood flowing."

The demon-jaguar rolled his eyes. "I hope you're here for a reason, George."

"Of course, I am," George replied. "But first, I bet your new power is what caused the change to your fur. I think we should tell the family that you used your magic to make the change."

A surprised look appeared on Kepler's face. "Does the family already know I have Payne's abilities?"

"Yeah, I told them last night."

"Do you really think that was wise?"

"I had to say something. Garesh! It's not like someone turns white every Peak, you know? I told Athena I made Payne give you his power because I wanted to make sure he didn't accidentally do something to hurt Garrin while he was playing with him."

Kepler thought a moment. "Don't forget. Payne still has natural abilities."

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten. I'll figure it out later."

"So you lied to Athena again."

George cringed. "I know, right? But it was only a half lie. I know I'm justifying it, and I'm not okay with lying to her, but how else was I going to explain the c.r.a.p that went down? I didn't see another choice."

Kepler pondered George's explanation. "I want you to know I have access to your thoughts. I understand how you feel about lying to Athena, and I know you're telling me the truth. It's clear to me that you love her and the family. I have to admit, I was surprised when I learned that Brayson was growing on you. But the thing I found most puzzling was your love for my companionship."

George smiled. "See? I told you I loved ya, ya big dumba.s.s."

Kepler groaned. "Ugh ... perhaps I may feel the same way on some very minor, extremely insignificant level. Don't get excited about it. I would still rather devour you than let you hug me again."

George chuckled. "Well, at least that's a starting point." He elbowed the cat. "Come on, man, just admit it. You know you like me more than you're letting on, don't you?"

The demon stretched. George watched his muscles ripple beneath his coat as he did. Once finished, the giant cat responded, "Let's change the subject. I want you to know I understand everything that's going on now. I like what you're planning on Harvestom. I think-"

George stopped Kepler before the demon could continue. "We should save this conversation for later. You never know who's listening. Besides, I've got something to show you. I've been working on mastering it for the last few Peaks."

George looked into Kepler's eyes. After a moment, the giant cat understood what was happening. He returned George's thoughts with a few well-placed thoughts of his own. This is intriguing. We can speak without uttering words now. I like this, George. We'll never need to watch what we say from now on. Imagine the messages we could exchange while standing amongst the family.

George answered back with a few thoughts of his own. I totally agree. But about Harvestom ... I'm going to take you with me when the moment is right. Your new look will make quite the impression. We should use this to our advantage. If I'm going to be Lasidious' supposed prophet, we should look the part.

I'll create a new tunic. I think it should be white with burgundy trim to match your eyes, and I think that we should drape a black chain around your neck that has a pendant with a large gem at its center. I think that would look sick, don't you?

Kepler cringed. Why would you want me to look sick? I feel fine.

George rolled his eyes. Sick means good, Kep. Come on, dude, keep up.

Kepler thought a moment. You say the strangest things.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I think the gem should match your eyes. I also want a staff to complement the overall look. We need to look tasteful. Oh, oh, oh ... and let's create a black saddle for you to wear and lace it with more burgundy gems. No matter where we go, we'll look sick as h.e.l.l.

The jaguar grinned. I like this idea of looking sick. It'll be a powerful statement while dominating territories.

Agreed. You'll be the most disgusting looking kitty in all the land.

Kepler growled and stopped their mental conversation. "You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you? You just had to say it."

George held up his hands. "You're right, my bad. I'm sorry. Look, we've got a lot to talk about." George began to communicate telepathically once again. So, I think we need to... The conversation continued.

The Cave of the Source The Next Morning Brayson and George appeared outside the Ancient One's cave. It took only a moment for Brayson to notice the large mound of rocks that had fallen from the cliffs above the entrance. Both men headed for the scene. Brayson used his magic to lift the stones and push them clear of the entrance.

To George's surprise, Gregory was nowhere to be found beneath the trap he had set only Peaks earlier. Somehow, the White Chancellor had managed to avoid being ended, and this changed everything.

Realizing a new plan was necessary, George reacted. "I wonder what happened here. We should go inside and see if Gregory's in there. Do you think he survived his encounter with the Eye? We should ask the Source if he came out of the chamber."

Brayson was still studying the face of the cliff. "This is strange. I must come back to take a closer look. Someone powerful is responsible for this. These walls are protected by magic. For them to break apart doesn't make any sense."

"It makes sense to me," George replied without hesitation. "I bet it's more of Mieonus' handiwork. I'm sure she's angry because I told her I won't do her dirty deeds." The warlock paused. "But why would the G.o.ddess do this? Now that I think about it, you're right ... none of this makes sense."

Brayson touched George on the shoulder. When they reappeared, they were standing in Gregory's throne room. Brayson located one of the handmaidens and asked if the chancellor had returned. Once confirmed, the Head Master sent the elderly woman to retrieve Gregory, and then he turned to face George. "At least we know he's alive. With the Eye's gift, he'll be able to help us spread the word of our lord. We should sit with him so you can explain everything. I'm sure he'll want to help."

George thought to himself, Maybe the rocks missing Gregory won't be such a bad thing after all. I should be able to manipulate this inconvenience into something beneficial. George smiled. "You're right, Brayson. Your brother will make a fine addition to our cause. If he sees things as we do, I'll ask Lasidious to make him a disciple."

Brayson nodded. "First, let's find out how strong his magic is. That way, you can tell Lasidious how effective Gregory could be."

Kebble's Kettle The Next Evening George and Kepler appeared outside Kebble's Kettle after spending much of the Peak preparing their new look. The moment had come for the warlock to take Shalee to Brandor. George was wearing a new, elegant tunic, and he was sitting on a black saddle that was lined with garnet gems. His staff matched Kepler's black chain, and at its top was a gem made of the same mineral as the gem he had set at the center of Kepler's pendant.

As soon as Shalee saw the pair, she stood from her seat at the far end of the porch and took a step toward the railing. Her voice was tentative as she spoke. "Is that...?"