Coaldon said in an excited voice, “It is time to go. We have many miles to travel before sunrise. Your horses are in the barn. It would be nice to stay, but Crossmore will be in a foul mood in the morning.”
Each person was provided with a horse to assist in their escape. Everybody mounted their horses except Topple. Coaldon looked at him asking, “Are you going with us?”
Topple smiled as he responded, “I have some business to attend to before I join you. I need to borrow the Gem of Watching for a short time. Hilda, Cando and I need to have a short visit with Crossmore before we leave Neverly. We will join you once we have completed our task.”
Coaldon nodded as he handed Topple the Gem of Watching.
Coaldon then said, “Hilda, thank you for your hospitality. You are a part of our team. Your help has been important to our success. Please remember to fire off the skyrockets and to pay Robbet for his services. Pacer, please lead the way to our new destiny? Until we meet again.”
Pacer selected a route to the east that would draw the least attention and leave a poor trail to follow. He realized they needed to set a modest pace to allow Magee and Norbert to adjust to the physical demands of riding horses. After several hours the group heard a distant boom. Turning, they saw several beautiful fireworks blossom in the distant sky. To their surprise, a third rocket burst in the sky forming the shape of a dragon. The red dragon flew over Neverly several times before it burst into a cloud of red and green balls of fire.
Pacer said, “The dragon must be Topple’s handy work. I knew he would add something to frustrate Crossmore.”
Coaldon knew Crossmore was angry when his sword jumped in its scabbard. He realized gaining distance from Neverly was their best defense.
When the morning light greeted the travelers, Pacer decided they should take a short break and eat a meal of hard bread and honey. Pacer invited Earthkin, Brother Patrick and Coaldon to join him for a conference. As the men huddled together, Noel joined the group.
She looked directly into the eyes of each man, “I may be a woman, but I do expect to be involved in decision making.” The men laughed at Noel’s boldness and happily invited her to join them as they discussed their next move.
Brother Patrick began the discussion by saying, “By now Crossmore should have discovered that Noel has escaped. He is probably having a temper tantrum. I know Topple will compound Crossmore’s problems somehow. I believe Crossmore will send out scouts in all directions to locate his lost prize. I assume he will focus most of his attention west and south of Neverly. But once he has had time to consider all possibilities, he will look in our direction. Our journey to the mountains will take several days. We will face greater danger every hour. I suggest we ride all day to increase our distance from Neverly.”
Pacer responded, “I agree with you. We might consider going north, traveling through the rugged hill country. It will be longer, but less obvious.”
After seriously considering the suggestion, Earthkin looked at the group saying, “I do not believe Magee and Norbert can handle the hardships of the hill country. We need to go directly to the mountains as fast as we can travel. Once we are in the mountains we will have the advantage.”
Coaldon looked at Noel, saying, “Crossmore will destroy anybody or anything to capture you. After listening to this conversation, I say we go directly to the mountains. I see no advantage to taking a side trip. Crossmore will use all the power in the Empire to catch us.”
All members nodded in agreement.
Coaldon continued, “Pacer, do you know of a place we can safely spend the night?”
“Yes, I do.” commented Pacer, “We need to start now if we plan to be there before dark. I suggest we place several blankets on Magee and Norbert’s saddles to help prevent saddle sores. We can not afford to be slowed down by anything.”
With their horses moving at a steady pace, the group looked at the hazy outline of the Sadden Mountains in the distance.
As the group traveled across the wide expanse of grass and woodlands, the scene in Neverly was a picture of turmoil. The fireworks had initiated widespread assault outside the city. The well coordinated early morning attacks had been directed at army outposts. The Imperial soldiers were so poorly prepared for an attack, they were literally defenseless. The rebels did not want to kill, but only to create disorder. Many soldiers were hurt, but few received serious wounds. Several barracks and military camps were burned to the ground; weapons had been taken; and the pride of the burly, arrogant soldiers had been crushed. It became a silent joke among local residents that the soldiers had received most wounds on their backsides because they ran away from the fighting.
Not until midmorning was order restored to Neverly. Crossmore’s elite Palace Guards rallied the troops to seek out and destroy the attackers. The rebels had disappeared into the west with the soldiers in hot pursuit. The city gates that had been closed earlier in the day were reopened. The city dwellers started to venture into the streets to gather information about the early morning’s events. As life returned to normal the final blow hit. Word leaked out that Noel, Magee and Norbert were missing. The city gates were quickly closed, people were herded back into their homes and soldiers began a house by house search of the city. By early afternoon the shaft in the East Tower had been discovered by guards searching the palace. It was not until later afternoon that the tunnel entrance into the old winery was found.
Crossmore’s frustration increased as he received each additional piece of information about the escape. By early evening, he had gained a good picture of the events of the past 24 hours. He decided to make a personal tour of the escape route to help him better understand his opponents. He looked down the entrance to the shaft from Noel’s room, walked through the basement, crawled through the hole in the winery wall and followed the tunnel to its end. Crossmore could not find Goo and Gor, anywhere in the tunnel. At one point in the passageway he found two dried globs of slime on the floor of the tunnel. This was all that was left of his dear friends. These two companions had been like children to him. He was amazed that the rescuers had destroyed the monsters. He assumed it had been the work of the great warrior. The emotional impact of Goo’s and Gor’s deaths was quickly transferred into a renewed resolution to avenge their destruction.
Crossmore decided he needed time to think. With slow deliberate steps, he climbed the long staircase to the safety of the West Tower. Upon entering the tower, he sat in his favorite chair, allowing the events of the day to filter through his mind. He needed time to think. He closed his eyes, relaxing into a quiet state of contemplation. The quiet void of his mind allowed ideas to surface in a free and random order. It was not long before memories emerged from the deep recesses of his mind. He remembered the discovery of a young half elf and old couple in Lost Valley, the escape of Topple, the destruction of Gurlog, the unusual gathering of people at the Monastery of Toms, his battles with the unknown warrior, the mental message he received about a rebellion and the well planned rescue of Noel.
Crossmore’s eyes popped open as the meaning of the sequence of events became clear. His preoccupation with being in control had caused him to lose track of what was obvious. Even though he had received news from all regions, he had not seen the big picture. Now he did. Brad was still alive; the Prince freely roamed the Empire; his opponents had the skills to rescue Noel; and the rescue party was within one day’s travel from Neverly.
As Crossmore’s attention was drawn back to his present situation, he realized the tower was flooded by moonlight. The large, orange moon was just rising from its cradle in the eastern sky. Crossmore finally understood why the activities of the day were focused west and south of the city. Noel’s escape team was heading east toward the Sadden Mountains.
He thought to himself, “My, this might get interesting very soon. It is premature for my little secret to be discovered. I must immediately send a cavalry unit to capture the group before they reach the mountains.” As Crossmore prepared to stand up, he dete
cted a stirring of magic around him. He quickly prepared himself to combat whatever magic was being directed at him.
While Crossmore had spent the evening evaluating his present circumstances, elsewhere Topple had been making plans to add an interesting twist to his life. Earlier that evening, Hilda and Topple, plus the transparent presence of Cando, had gathered around a table in Hilda’s home.
Topple said, “My nap today was wonderful. I have not slept so well in months. The escape went off as planned. I am most pleased. Now we need to discuss the reason for this meeting. It will not be long before Crossmore puts all the facts together and figures out what has been happening. He will even determine the escape party is heading east. We need to detain him for several days.”
Hilda responded, “Crossmore will not be easily delayed. What do you have in mind?”
Topple answered, “Have you ever heard of Triangulation Magic?” Hilda injected, “No. Is it a secret wizard thing?”
In a state of enthusiasm Cando followed, “I have always wanted to try a triangulation spell, but the magic was always too complicated and dangerous.”
Hilda showed frustration as she asked, “Topple, are you going to wait all day before you tell me about this magic?”
Topple sat back in his chair, looking at Hilda with teasing eyes, “Why would I want to tell a mere shape shifter about top secret wizard magic stuff? It might confuse your simple mind.”
Without warning Topple found himself lying on the floor with his chair sitting on top of him. With an injured look on his face, Topple removed the chair, stood up and sat down.
“How’s that again?” Hilda asked sweetly.
Topple looked at her saying, “My, Hilda, you have such a fragile temperament. I did not realize you are like a delicate pansy on a hot summer day. You just melt away when put under a little stress.”
Hilda’s face wrinkled as she prepared to release her next assault. As she prepared to speak, her mouth froze wide open. Her tongue suddenly stuck out of her mouth and began to flop up and down. Hilda jumped to her feet waving her arms in distress while yelling incoherent sounds. With one hand she grabbed her wagging tongue and with the other she grasped her frozen jaw. Hilda’s bulging eyes searched the room looking for help, when they finally rested on Topple’s smiling face. She abruptly understood the source of her problem. As she relaxed her tension, the paralysis of her mouth slowly disappeared and her wagging tongue stopped flapping. As she realized the humor of her panicked reaction, her anger was transformed into robust laughter.
She looked at Topple saying, “That is one of the best tricks I have ever seen. My response was absolutely perfect. You can be such a wonderful brother.”
Topple beamed in triumph. Yet, he didn’t see the purple wart appear on the end of his nose.
Cando found great humor at the perpetual sibling wars between Hilda and Topple. Yet, he also believed the group had something to accomplish, so he said, “We need to hear about Topple’s plan for triangulation.”
Topple looked at Hilda, as he spoke, “Triangulation is a powerful spell requiring three wizards to perform. In our case, I believe one superior shape changer and two brilliant wizards can pull it off. I will explain what each of us needs to do for the magic to work. This triangulation spell will cause the affected person to go into a state of hibernation for several days. Crossmore will not be hurt, though he is apt to be a little angry when he comes out of hibernation. By the way, if the spell fails to work, we will inadvertently reveal our location. A horde of Crossmore’s troopers will descend on us like a cloud of locust. Is everybody in?”
Cando and Hilda nodded in approval.
Topple carefully explained what each person needed to say and do for the spell to be successful. The three participants spent an hour practicing their individual role in creating the spell. It was dark when they were finally ready. While standing, each person took their position. They formed the shape of a triangle, standing one stride from each other. Each person raised their arms and touched the fingers of the other. In sequence, going around the triangle, each participant intoned a series of elfin words. This rotation of words completed a series of sentences. Even though each individual had limited power, the effect of triangulating magic allowed the spell to develop into a significant force. They could feel the surge of their combined energy vibrate in the room. With the wave of his hand, Topple sent the pulsing force directly at Crossmore. The old wizard was delighted when he felt Crossmore resisting the spell.
The old wizard grinned, “This is going to be fun. A scrapping battle with Crossmore will make my day.”
Once Crossmore realized he was being attacked by magic, he directed a lethal surge of energy at his attackers. The channel of magic created by the triangulation spell offered the conduit to direct his assault. As the three braced themselves for the counterattack, Crossmore’s magic hit them like a tidal wave. The triangle effect of the spell dispersed his attack among the three persons. This caused the power to be diluted into tolerable doses. As the pressure of Crossmore’s counterattack waned, Topple injected the spell directly into his mind. Crossmore forcefully resisted the assault, causing the two wizards to grapple for control.
Crossmore’s arrogance quickly dissolved as he lost control. Sweat ran down Topple’s face and his body trembled as he worked to maintain his edge. After a long grueling struggle, Crossmore could no longer resist the command of the triangulation spell. As he drifted under the influence of the spell, Topple slowly relaxed his control. When Crossmore finally succumbed to his fate, Hilda, Topple and Cando smiled in satisfaction at a job well done. The apprentices clapped in glee at the success of the magic. Crossmore would be out of circulation for several days, allowing the escape party to reach the mountains before he could interfere.
Hilda knew Crossmore would take action against her. Her direct attack on him would not go unanswered.
Taking this into account, Hilda said, “It will no longer be safe for me to live in Neverly; may I join you on your holiday trip to the mountains?”
With a broad smile on his face, Topple nodded in agreement. After Cando was safely tucked away in the Gem of Watching, the two walked out the door arm in arm. Topple and Hilda found great satisfaction in facing the future together. The two apprentices happily joined Hilda and Topple as they rode their horses eastward under moonlit skies. The brother/sister team would add new pages to the history of the Empire.
~ ~
Badda