***
At first they did little talking and instead concentrated on stuffing down as much stew as they could. Fortunately, there was enough to satisfy everyone. It consisted mostly of sunbeam mushrooms and a few plants Kelden wasn't familiar with, set in a thin broth. It was not well flavored aside from the tasty mushrooms--lacking spices--but it was far better than what his food maker had produced. Theodus did not eat, but his sour expression, and the fact that he still brandished the mace, indicated he probably wouldn't have eaten Dameon's food even if he'd been hungry.
Thayan sat hunched over the table, slurping down stew as quickly as he could manage. He didn't look at the others. He reminded Kelden of an animal--eating swiftly so no other beasts could steal what he had. Kelden pitied him and felt disgust toward the seers, wondering why they sometimes delivered such harsh punishments. It made Dameon's arguments seem all the more convincing.
The silence was odd and tense, and no one seemed to want to break it. But when they had eaten their fill, Dameon leaned back and patted his belly. "A good meal--wasn't it, my friends? So what should we talk about?"
Thayan gazed coldly at him. "The exit out of here, maybe?"
"No need to be hasty," Dameon said, a hint of warning in his voice.
Thayan glanced toward the tunnels.
Fearing Thayan was considering trying to leave, Kelden quickly added, "So how did you end up here?"
Thayan stared at him as if he were insane, and Kelden was overwhelmed by the strangeness of the situation. This was a former Ulden student, someone who'd always looked down on the likes of Kelden, and now they were on the same level--and it was a lowly one. How would Thayan react to not being superior? To Kelden, it seemed Thayan would be hopelessly lost and bitter.
"You tell me," Thayan said. "The last I knew, I was hanging from the West Gate, about to be worm food."
"I didn't mean that," Kelden said quietly. "What I meant to ask was how did you end up being thrown out of Valganleer."
"I wasn't technically thrown out," Thayan reminded him. "I was sentenced to death. I did a horrible, evil deed. Beyond your imagination." His words were mocking, his blue eyes icy. He folded his arms across his chest and bowed his head.
"Thayan might not want to talk about it," said Dameon, in a soothing voice. "I can understand that. But I will tell you this, Kelden--Thayan is no villain. His crime was no worse than my own, though the seers did not see it that way. He is not a Blue World sorcerer, or a conspirator of evil intent, or anything of the like. Thayan is, I believe, a good lad. I know it in my heart."
Thayan glanced at Dameon, and for a moment his eyes lit up with surprise and gratitude. Then he bowed his head again, retreating into himself.
Kelden exchanged a glance with Theodus, and the Dar fiend rolled his eyes in disgust, as if he knew exactly what Dameon was up to.
Thayan muttered something Kelden couldn't hear.
"What did you say?" Kelden asked.
"I said what about you?" Thayan repeated in an unnecessarily loud tone, sticking his hands to his mouth in bull horn fashion. "What did you do to get kicked out?"
I was kicked out because I have the demon Credesar inside me, Kelden thought, wondering how Thayan would react to such a statement. Kelden shrugged. "I'll tell you some other time, maybe. It's a complicated affair."
"If you say so," Thayan said, glancing at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "Must not have been too bad, though, since you've got your Dar fiend with you and the seers obviously just let you walk out."
Kelden said nothing, wishing Thayan would change the subject.
"I shall tell my story, then," said Dameon, "though it may bore Kelden, since he already heard it."
"I think I know your story," Theodus muttered. "Tossed out for making use of Halstarion technology, no doubt."
"Quite right," said Dameon. And then he proceeded to relate to Thayan all he'd told Kelden. Thayan did not raise his head, and his face never changed expression. But something was going on as he listened. Kelden could sense it. Strong emotions were running through Thayan's mind.
Suddenly, Thayan met Dameon's gaze. "Did I hear you right? You can actually topple Valganleer?"
Dameon smiled mischievously, stroking his busy beard. "Into rubble, lad. Into rubble! My bomb is more powerful than Valganleer Tower. I know it has never been done before--the destruction of a Legaran fortress. But I'm telling you right here and now that I can do this. Of course, now that all of you know this, you cannot leave here and just go on your merry way. But I needed to tell you about it, because I feel you can help me in my goal. You will see."
"You're insane," Theodus said. "And it will bring you to ruin."
Thayan sat quietly for a few moments. Then he said: "And why should I believe you? You could just be some crazy old man. I've seen the junk lying about in here. It doesn't look like you've put anything together right. And how can a bomb work without a Bardopolus vortex field? It takes at least three seers and their links to generate one, so I've heard. And that's just not done anymore."
"I don't need some overblown vortex field," Dameon sneered. "My bomb does not use sorcery. It's not the sort of device you are familiar with. It uses pure science, and it's much more powerful than a vortex bomb." He grinned in apparent delight. "You are in my lair now, and the rules of Valganleer do not apply here, Thayan."
"I don't believe you," Thayan said. "How can you have a bomb more powerful than one the seers could create?"
"Oh, but I do have such a weapon," Dameon said slyly. "And I can prove it. I can show it to you, young man."
"Then what are you waiting for?" said Thayan. "Destroy Valganleer. If you don't mind, I'll even give you a hand."
"I've heard enough of this!" Theodus hissed, his bat ears twitching fiercely. "Would you so eagerly take the life of all the innocents within Valganleer? What about your friends, Thayan?"
Thayan shrugged, then nodded. "I guess I wasn't thinking about that. I just know how much I hate the seers. But you're right. It's not the answer."
Dameon glared at Theodus, then turned his gaze back to Thayan. "Not the answer, you say? But it is. This is a time of war, my friend. Casualties will occur, and the innocent will suffer. But once it's all over with, a new age shall begin."
"You have no right," Theodus said. "You are a madman and a coward, and you will never succeed in your plan."
Kelden said nothing. Theodus spoke true in condemning what Dameon was contemplating. But what could be done to change his thinking? How far gone was Dameon after a hundred years in isolation with only his books and devices?
Dameon grinned. "You can't stop me, Dar fiend. I can kill you without any trouble, and my bomb is only a month or so from being complete. No, I'm afraid there is nothing you can do to thwart my plans."
"We shall see," said Theodus. "Unless you kill me, I will report you."
Dameon rose from his chair and pounded the table so viciously the heavy stew kettle jumped into the air and came down with a splash. His arms were like logs, his shoulders massively wide. He was truly a bear of a man. The others seemed overwhelmed. "I can tear you apart!" he growled. "You just watch your tongue."
Then, seeing the troubled expression on Thayan's face, Dameon sighed and sat back down. "But there is no need for violence," he added, with a forced smile. "I am a rational and civilized man, and in due time I will change your minds."
"Never," Theodus said.
"What needs to be done to complete your bomb?" Kelden asked, seeking to gather as much information as he could to gain an advantage. He knew the plot to destroy Valganleer had to be stopped, but he wasn't sure just how he could do it. He had no time to linger in these caves and try to change Dameon's mind, and yet he could not afford to ignore this threat to so many innocent lives.
"Sadly, I am missing a vital component," Dameon answered. "I searched for many years and was unable to locate it. Now, finally, I have translated Halstarion writings that indicate where this device might be found. I
t is a long and dangerous journey."
"So you're going to travel?" Kelden said.
Dameon's eyes narrowed. "I was planning to, yes."
"Then maybe you could journey with us," said Kelden. "If, that is, what you seek lies in the direction we are going."
Theodus' eyes widened. "Kelden! How could you suggest such a thing? I, for one, will not travel with this monster and help him complete his quest. I cannot believe you would even suggest it."
"It would give us time to change his thinking," Kelden said. "Otherwise, we have to continue our journey and leave him to his...devices."
Theodus sat in sullen silence for a few moments, then nodded. "I suppose that much is true. At least that would give us time to deal with him. Perhaps I could simply strangle him in his sleep. Or maybe he will gain some common sense and see beyond his madness, though I highly doubt it."
Dameon chuckled. "Were we to travel together, it is I who would persuade you to see things my way. Do you want to take that chance?"
"I haven't agreed to travel anywhere," Thayan said. "Why should I put my life at risk? I have no reason to travel." He swallowed hard and suddenly looked stricken, as if he realized for the first time the full weight of his situation.
"Dameon nodded. "You can set off on your own, if you choose. However, you will learn nothing if you wander alone, and what is life but a path to knowledge?"
Thayan shrugged. "What is there to learn?"
"Sorcery," Dameon said. "And the powers of the old world. Come with me, Thayan, and I will teach you all I know of sorcery and the ways of the Halstarions. And my knowledge is formidable. It is the way of the future."
"Don't listen to him, Thayan," said Theodus. "The Halstarions all but destroyed the world when they created the worms."
"Why would you do that for me, Dameon?" Thayan asked, ignoring Theodus. "You don't even know me."
"Perhaps," said Dameon. "But I am a better judge of character than you think. I see great potential in you, Thayan. You remind me of myself when I was young. Do not hide from your destiny."
For a moment the two gazed at one another. The silence grew uncomfortable. Theodus took to muttering under his breath.
"Then we travel together," Kelden said, to speed things along. "I should tell you, Dameon, that the Thelaran keepers predicted others would journey with me. You are undoubtedly one of those they spoke of. And you too, Thayan. But they didn't tell what your roles in this quest would be, or even if you would survive. Maybe there was no way they could predict such things."
"The keepers are fair," said Dameon. "Too bad they exist in Valganleer--and must therefore perish in the flames of justice--but I trust their words. We are destined to find truth, my friends, even if it costs us our lives."
"I am not your friend," Theodus said. "And I will remind you of that as many times as I need to."
Dameon dismissed Theodus with a wave of his hand. "I wouldn't expect a Dar fiend to have an open mind about anything. But I assure you that your friends will see things my way before this quest is done."
"We need to leave soon," Kelden said. "And I cannot deviate even a mile from my route to Frindagan."
Dameon nodded. "Of course. At some point we must part ways. Yet knowing where Frindagan is--as I do quite well, since I journeyed there more than once when I was a seer--we should be able to travel together for at least six months or so."
Theodus grimaced. "Six months of listening to your vile ranting. How will I stand it?"
Dameon scowled. "I was thinking the same thing, Dar fiend. But together we stand a better chance of survival--though my sanity may be jeopardized thanks to you. As much as it pains me to say it, we need each other."
"I agree," Kelden said. "So the four of us need to start finding a way to get along. We can state our opinions and disagreements, but we must avoid the insults."
"Agreed," said Dameon.
"Very well," said Theodus, stomping away.
"And what about you, Thayan?" asked Kelden.
Thayan laughed mockingly. "What you do want--my pledge to be a good boy? Okay, I'll behave, Father."
Kelden hesitated, unsure of how to respond to Thayan's odd, bitter words. "Okay," Kelden said at last. He cleared his throat. "I think this will work. We can rest here until tomorrow. But first, I want my items back. All of them."
"Certainly," said Dameon. "I have my own supplies. I shall bring them to you at once, except for that bracelet, which I assure you is best left to me. Then I will show you that this cave holds some comforts, places where you can meditate and sleep peacefully until morning. Even the Dar fiend should find it to his liking."
"I won't be sleeping," said Theodus. "Not with..." He snapped his jaws shut, seeing Kelden's stern gaze.
"I will slumber soundly tonight, then," said Dameon, a twinkle in his eye, "knowing the Dar fiend stands guard, ready to protect me."
Theodus grimaced, but said nothing.