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"Lazarus, are you awake?"
He opened his eyes and saw Cindy and then Grace looking down at him.
Cindy said, "You were screaming Merlin's name."
"I was talking to Merlin and then he mentioned some Guardians."
"Guardians?" Grace said.
Lazarus was trying to recall his dream, but he couldn't. It was like other dreams he’d had before. When he was dreaming, he could see and feel everything vividly, but when he awoke he only remembered parts of his vision.
"I don't know," Lazarus said.
"Is it important?" Cindy asked.
"Maybe not. If this Guardian business was important then I think I would remember."
Grace said, "Maybe if you get more sleep you will remember."
Shannol came toward them. "Are you okay, Master Lazarus?"
"Yes," Cindy said, "he is fine. He had a bad dream."
Shannol looked at Cindy but waited for him to speak.
"I'm fine," Lazarus said. "I had a bad dream, but I'm fine now."
Shannol said, "Dreams are potent things. Don't take them lightly. I will go back to my sleeping area. If you need anything, Master Alphas, speak to any of my soldiers."
Cindy said, "Yes, we will."
Lazarus looked up into the sky. The stars almost seemed so close that he could fly into the cosmos. He closed his eyes and his didn't have any dreams that night.
***
THE NEXT DAY, AFTER a small breakfast, they started traveling toward the waterways in the west.
Shannol sent several scouts ahead at mid-morning. She didn't want to take any chances.
They stopped several times and waited for the scouts to come back. It was mid-afternoon when the scouts finally returned. It took longer than usual to give their reports. Lazarus was thinking about the orc wizard, Bruen, and wondered if he was following them.
The two scouts were an elf and a dwarf. The dwarf walked over to Shannol. He looked a little disheveled and his armor had twigs and leaves all over it.
"Captain Shannol, we stumbled into an orc patrol. We almost were discovered but we hid."
"How close are they?"
"A quarter of a league from our position. I suggest we move away and circle back," the dwarf scout said.
"Master Lazarus, what do you think?"
Nobody said anything for a while. All he heard were the sounds of the horses snickering and the birds chirping. They were waiting for his opinion, and he didn't know what to say.
Lazarus nodded. "Will we lose time if we travel another way?"
The dwarf replied. "Yes, a day or two at the most."
Lazarus didn't like this, but with the group of soldiers they had traveling they needed to be careful. He looked at the other Alpha Mages, Professor Jacobs, and Della. He shouldn't be selfish.
"Okay," Lazarus said, "we will go with your recommendation. Let's travel a different way."
Royce growled. The Alpha Grog was in his guise of a panther and it seemed odd this creature could talk.
"Royce, what do you think? Go ahead," Lazarus said.
"Maybe we should take a smaller group with us" Royce grumbled.
Shannol said, "Master Royce, do you mean we should travel with less people?"
Royce growled. "It is only a suggestion. If we travel with less people, I can scout ahead and guide us through the forest."
"I understand your logic, but when we get to the Wilden Forest we’ll need soldiers to protect us."
Shannol looked over to Lazarus, who still wasn't sure what to do.
"Let's play it safe. Let's move in another direction. When we get to the Wilden Forest will the orcs have followed us there?"
Shannol said, "No. We will be safe from them, but there're other things we have to watch out for."
Lazarus nodded, but something nagged at him. Maybe going that route was wrong. His doubt almost made him change his mind about where they were going. He wanted to go on this journey with only the Alphas. His intuition was plaguing him with indecision.
Cindy said, "Lazarus, I'm agreeing with Royce. Maybe we can have a smaller group. I do feel like we are running out of time."
"Grace, what do you think?" asked Lazarus.
Her face was half in shadow from the light of the bonfire. She looked at him. "I'm not sure," she said. "I want to find Merlin, but we have to be careful. We don't know this place."
Lazarus waited. Grace paused and as usual took her time before she would voice her opinion. "We need to make haste. I think the Vvong is already on our Earth." She looked away. Lazarus knew she was right. If they didn't hurry and get Merlin, when they got back to upper Earth it could be overrun by Vvong creatures killing and taking all their magic.
"Okay, let's do this. Cindy, can you create ten large bird creatures?"
"Yes, I can create those birds. I just need some of your magic," Cindy said.
"Shannol, I need you to pick six people, and that includes yourself, to go with us. We also need to condense our supplies. We will take to the skies and bypass the Wilden Woods," Lazarus said.
Shannol looked at him. "Yes, Master Lazarus, I'll do as you say."
The elf captain bowed and walked back to her soldiers. Professor Jacobs heard the exchange and came forward. He was near the edge of the bonfire and Lazarus didn't see him.
"Lazarus, I can tell you didn't include us in your plans. I can count."
Professor Jacobs was taller than Lazarus, but the professor was skinnier and almost frail looking. Della was close to him, hovering at the Professor's right side.
Lazarus had to be careful how he spoke to him. "Professor, I like that you want to come with us, but it is getting dangerous. We need to move faster. I want you and Della to go back to the Capital."
Professor Jacobs looked at him. He seemed almost not to hear him. "I have gone this far. I want to go with you."
"Please, Professor, I don't want you to get hurt. Even with Della, we cannot protect you," Lazarus said.
"I still have Merlin's amulet. You might need it," Professor Jacobs said.
"You are right," Lazarus said, and knew he already had the amulet in his possession. He could feel it around his neck. It magically came to him. He continued. "But Professor Jacobs, I can take it. The amulet is already around my neck."
The professor felt around his pockets and then around his neck. His face flushed red and he turned away and walked off. Della was left looking at him.
"You're right, Master Lazarus,” she said. “I'm a warrior, born and bred. You're making a tactical decision. And we don't contribute to this mission. I'll talk to the Professor. He will be fine."
"Thank you," Lazarus said.
