"I mean this... Ahab failed to get a new heart."

"Again," Leo said, "What do you mean?"

Raynark leaned back in his chair and gave a heavy sigh. He stood and paced back and forth while rubbing his hair in a frantic manner.

He seemed to come to a decision once he stood still then sat down again.

He said, "Long ago, when I didn't have this bald spot, Solomon had a son, named Ahab."

Leo's eyes opened wide.

"Now Ahab wasn't always as corrupt and wicked as he is now. Demons. Peh! I'd sooner kill the boy if I knew he would turn and create a mess like this."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because... Solomon insisted. He insisted that Ahab would get a new heart one of these days. He insisted that with his wisdom, he could convince Ahab to repent and turn from his sins, and the path he was embarking on."

"You see, Ahab started dabbling in the dark arts when Solomon was still king. Back then the city was called Solomon's city of wisdom. Oh, it was glorious. Solomon used his wisdom to feed the poor. He reduced crime; Solomon didn't kill. All he needed to do was discern the nature of the problem, and fix it."

"Heh. Once there were two women who shared a house. They both had children. The first woman's child died, so she stole the second woman's child and claimed it was her own... Of course, n.o.body knew that, not even Solomon. Until he said, 'Cut the baby in half and give one half to each mother.' The real mother pleaded in tears, 'Please don't kill him. I don't care if he's not mine. Just please, let him live. So the case was solved."

"How?" Leo said.

"All Solomon had to do was decree that the baby would go to the mother that cared for the child's life. Plain and simple...."

"Anyway, Solomon was a great king. But his only mistake was his wives. If he didn't have as many children... if he had paid more attention to Ahab..."

"You see, Ahab was the crown prince. He had everything... He had everything except for his father's wisdom!"

"Why was that important?" Leo said.

"Because of the demons. Ahab was crushed by the expectations placed upon his shoulders, the expectation to surpa.s.s Solomon, to carry on his legacy. 'A dragon's son' they called him. 'A dragon can only have a dragon as a child,' they said. It crushed him."

"But. Instead of telling you, I'll show you."

"How?" Leo said.

"With magic."

A magic circle floated in Raynark's hand. It was the void circle.

Leo felt drowsy. His eyelids drooped, and his balance left him. He felt like he was sailing on the Grand Sea (even though he had never been sailing before). He heard Raynark say something before falling asleep.

Raynark said, "You'll awake on the morning of the fifth day. Leave the city and wait for light to descend from the sky. You'll know what to do from there, because-"

Leo couldn't hear the last part as his consciousness drifted into the world of Solomon and Ahab, drifted into the abyss of dreams and nightmares.

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The clouds rolled above the inn, growing ever darker.