“THE DESERT heat is said to be good for a person.” Jolella released Farrell’s hand once they landed on the wall. “I’ve not figured out, however, how I benefit.”
“I agree. The heat saps my energy even when I’m sitting quietly.” Farrell noticed movement to his left and saw Penelope flying toward them.
“You never sit quietly.” Peter released his grip and moved out of reach.
“Where is this patch of…. Blessed Seritia!”
“What?” Farrell twisted and saw Jolella staring in the direction of the anomaly.
“What do you see?” Penelope asked and moved next to the priestess.
Jolella didn’t answer right away. “I….” She tilted her head to the right, and after a few moments looked up. “I’ve stared at the plains hundreds of times and never seen this before. It’s incredible.”
“Do you know what it is?” Farrell moved to the other side of her.
“No.” Jolella shook her head but never took her eyes off the desert. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, but it’s clear Blessed Seritia has touched it.”
“Interesting that you can see something,” Penelope said. “For me, it’s what I don’t see that makes it out of place. It is a small oasis of barren desert amidst a sea of magic.”
She looked at Farrell with a questioning glance. “Which do you see?”
“Both.” He switched between his regular vision and his wizard’s sight. “When I look at it as a wizard, I see the shimmer of magic everywhere except that bit of ground. But with my normal sight, I see… I don’t know what I see, but the spot looks different than the land around it.”
“May we go down so I can inspect it up close?” Jolella asked.
“Is that safe to take them outside the city?” Penelope asked and glanced at Farrell.
The high priestess laughed. “Whatever else it is, that plot of ground has been touched by Seritia. I can’t see any danger to us.”
“I’ll take Peter, if you take the… take Jolella,” Farrell said to Penelope.
“Are you sure it is okay for me to come?” Peter asked after the others flew off. “I feel a bit out of place.”
“Of course.” He held out his hand. “Take advantage of the opportunity to be a part of history. When the war is over and your name is in the ballads, everyone is going to be jealous.”
Jolella had removed her sandals and was walking around the affected area. She made a complete circle before she stepped inside. With her eyes on the ground, she walked toward the center. Twice she stopped and twisted her feet in the sand.
“It’s as I thought.” She faced Farrell and motioned him to come closer. “This… it’s… amazing.”
“By the Six, stop talking in riddles!” Penelope slapped a hand over her mouth and lowered it slowly. “My apologies, Holy Mother. That was wrong of me.”
Jolella showed no sign the outburst bothered her. “Think nothing of it, child.”
Farrell and Peter laughed, earning a glare from Penelope.
“To answer the question,” Jolella said, drawing everyone’s attention. “I don’t know what it is, but I’ve only felt this before when something was touched by the goddess. She created this, though I don’t know what this is or why She made it.”
She knelt and put her left hand in the dirt. Twice she let the grains flow between her fingers. The third time she held up the handful of soil. “Feel this, Chosen. Even away from the ground, Her presence remains.”
Farrell moved closer, and she reached for him. Her hand passed through his, and she started to fall. “Blessed Mother!”
When Farrell tried to grab Jolella, his fingers grasped only air. “What in the Eight…?”
“No, Chosen, He had nothing to do with this.” Jolella picked up another handful of dirt and tossed it at his chest. It sailed through him and landed behind him. “Interesting.”
Farrell touched his chest, and it was as solid as ever. “That’s not the word I’d have used.”
The priestess ignored him and turned to their companions. “Would you two please join us in the circle?”
“What circle?” Peter asked. “I don’t see anything.”
Without thinking, Farrell grabbed his staff and started to trace the edge of the affected area.
“Clearly you can touch some things, just not each other.” Penelope stepped over the line Farrell had drawn. Peter quickly joined her.
Farrell planted the end of his staff in the dirt and reached out to touch Peter. His hand stopped on his friend’s shoulder. He repeated the test on Penelope and got the same result.
Penelope tried to grab Farrell but could not. Her attempt to touch Peter was successful. “I hate mysteries.”
They spent the next few minutes trying any combination they could find. Everyone made contact with Penelope and Peter, but no one could touch Jolella and Farrell. On a whim, Farrell grabbed Peter’s arm and asked Penelope to take the other. When she did it, he shook his head.
“Jolella and I appear to be the only two affected.”
“Yet you are not restricted from contact with us.” Penelope indicated herself and Peter. “Step out of the circle and let me try again.”
He crossed over the line and Penelope touched him. Peter and Jolella could also make contact. The only change occurred when he or Jolella were standing on the ground Seritia had altered.
“Clearly Seritia wanted us to find this, but what is it for, why has it been hidden until now, and why this patch of ground?” Farrell asked without expecting an answer.
“Why here is probably the easiest to answer.” Jolella turned to look at the city. “We’ll need to ask Randgar for confirmation, but I believe this is where Seritia appeared and told Amelt Jazor not to leave Agloth.”
“If you’re right, that raises more questions.” No one responded. Farrell ran through the “facts” he had and felt certain Seritia had created this area for a purpose. The timing of the disclosure told him it had some connection to Vedric’s plans to attack the city. Tying the two together, however, escaped him.
“Why create a place that isn’t protected by magic?” Peter asked.
“What?” Farrell hadn’t been paying attention.
Peter stared at his boots. “It’s probably nothing.”
“No, no, I don’t mean to suggest it was a silly question.” He waited until his friend looked up. “I was thinking about something else when you spoke. Say it again, please?”
“It’s odd, that’s all.” He swept his arm around the area. “Seritia had wizards put all those spells around the city to protect it. Why would She carve out a safe place in the middle of it for the enemy to stand?”
“I agree.” Farrell shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yes, it does!” Penelope pointed her staff at Farrell. “Step into the circle.”
He raised his shields and held his hand out. “What are you doing?”
“Showing you why Seritia created this place.” Penelope waved him back excitedly. “Go back a few feet.”
“Why can’t you just tell me?” He took three steps back but kept his defenses up.
“Lower your shields.” The end of her staff glowed green.
“By the Six, Penelope!” He pointed his staff at her. “Have you lost your mind?”
“No, Chosen.” Jolella moved into the circle but stopped before she reached his shields. “I think she is correct.”
“Correct?” He drew additional power from his armor. “She hasn’t said anything about what she thinks other than she wants to attack me.”
“Magic can’t touch you when you’re inside the circle.” Penelope lowered her staff. “Seritia didn’t create this for Vedric. It’s for you.”
The others made the leap from anomaly to weapon faster than Farrell could accept. “Assuming that’s true, why are you trying to strike me with your magic?”
“Because it can’t touch you.”
“What proof do you have?” He put the end of his staff back on the ground. “It’s wonderful to have a theory when you’re not the one being fired upon.”
“Magic doesn’t work inside the circle.”
“Yes, it does!” He sent a blue pulse through his shields. “See? Magic. Inside the circle. You’re wrong.”
“You can direct the attack at me,” Jolella said. Farrell tried to protest, but she held up her hand. “I’m sure she’s correct. Call it faith if you like. This area affects us both the same, so I’m certain I’m in no danger.”
Farrell didn’t have the absolute trust in Seritia that Jolella displayed, but he couldn’t let her take his place. Lowering his shields, he stared at Penelope. “Fine. Just don’t use anything too strong in case you’re wrong.”
“She is not wrong, Chosen.” Jolella moved closer.
Penelope directed a tiny ball of orange energy at him. It passed through his chest and fizzled out on the other side.
“Incredible!” He looked down and touched where the ball entered his body. “Use something stronger. That would have bounced off my chest.”
Penelope smirked. “Trust me now?”
“Just try—”
She fired a blast that would have burned a hole in his chest if they’d been wrong.
“Honorus’s Balls, Penelope! Do you realize what would have happened if you were wrong?”
He initially thought the horrified look on her face was for what she had done, but her eyes drifted to the high priestess. “You really need to watch your language, Farrell.”
Her snicker became a full-on laugh when Farrell turned toward Jolella.
“Sorry,” he managed before he averted his eyes.
Jolella didn’t respond, and when he looked up, he saw her holding in a laugh. Finally she let it out. She reached for his hand, but they were still inside the affected area.
“Though I’m not prone to lecturing, it would be more respectful to the Six if you’d refrain from swearing.” She glanced at Penelope. “That goes for you as well, Princess.”
“Of course, Holy Mother.”
FARRELL STUDIED the area until the afternoon heat forced him to leave. They hadn’t had any new insights, and he didn’t have a compelling reason to stay. Penelope took Jolella back to the temple while Farrell and Peter returned to their quarters.
When Peter left to visit Nordric, Farrell took out one of the books Kel had given him. Nerti rested on a cushion, so he joined her. Rummaging through his endless pocket, he took out a bright red apple. “I saved this for you.”
“How long have you kept this from me?” Despite the accusation, she accepted the treat.
“Since last night’s dinner. I grabbed it before they cleared the table. I meant to give it to you today, but I forgot I had it until now.”
“Thank you for thinking of me.”
Farrell leaned against Nerti and read quietly. As he expected, the book was silent on the mysterious circle. Shortly after Peter returned, Greigel and two guards escorted a Ze’arderian carrying their dinner into their quarters. Farrell stopped the corporal before he could back out.
“Sit and join us.” Farrell indicated an empty seat next to Peter.
“Your Majesty.” He shook his head. “It would be—”
“Unseemly. Yes, I know, but I need to speak to you, and it would be even more unseemly if I forced you to stand there as I ate in front of you.”
Greigel looked unconvinced but relented when Peter pulled back the chair.
“How is the troop transfer going?” Farrell loaded a plate with meat, cheese, and bread and placed it in front of the officer.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” He hesitated, then picked up a knife and cut the meat. “Though I’m not privy to the kings’ thinking, I believe we are slightly ahead of schedule.”
Farrell selected a large wedge of a soft cheese and took a bite. “What of Jagwin and the rest of the guard? Are they going to wait for Miceral before coming over?”
“Captain Jagwin and three companies will wait for King Miceral. The other units have already begun to arrive.” He waited for a moment, then put a large piece of meat into his mouth and chewed quickly.
“Take your time, Greigel. I’m not in a rush.” He poured everyone some fruit drink. “Sorry, I didn’t request ale or wine. I want to keep my thoughts clear.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. The staff brought us a large cask of ale earlier.”
Farrell had his cup to his lips, but before he drank he put it down. “Your dwarves are eating, aren’t they?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. The temple has been very generous about seeing to our needs.”
“No, I meant they’re eating now.”
“Um… yes.”
“If you’d rather eat with them, you may go join them.” Having eaten with “the staff” for much of his life, he readily understood how much more relaxed he felt there than at his mother’s table.
Greigel looked at his plate and appeared conflicted.
“Corporal, you can go without offending me.” The dwarf’s uncertainty didn’t diminish. “I understand you have a duty to take care of your dwarves. I don’t want you to have to choose.”
“I should be there, Your Majesty.” Greigel stood up quickly. “We don’t want to offend the high priestess, and they can be an unruly lot without someone to watch over them.”
After Greigel left, they kept the talk to a minimum and focused on their food. When they finished, Farrell removed the Eye from his pocket.
“I need to check on Vedric’s army.”
Peter nodded, and Farrell got comfortable by floating near the table.
“Show me Vedric and his army,” he whispered to the stone.
Instantly an image of the ground in front of Agloth appeared in his mind. It moved rapidly north, following the trade road. With no point of reference, he didn’t know how far he traveled before the image stopped.
With the sun setting in the west, the enemy force cast long shadows to the east. Several companies of cavalry rode in front of a large army. The horses closest to the main body seemed skittish. Behind them, the mass of organized chaos churned and lurched across the ground. Farrell didn’t need sound to hear the grunting made by the army. No wonder the rear cavalry units were uneasy.
He soared over the vast host, moving toward the small group in back. Farrell easily spotted his half brother surrounded by what appeared to be his command staff and senior wizards. His long, black hair moved as he rode, creating a stark contrast with his silver armor and pale skin. The smug, confident expression made Farrell bristle.
He watched his sibling for a bit as he interacted with his subordinates. When he laughed at something they said, Farrell moved away before he did something he shouldn’t.
With some effort and a couple of false starts, he was able to put their distance from Agloth into perspective. He had the Eye show him where he and his party had reached the road days before. From there he estimated how fast the army moved in relation to a unicorn and determined the soonest they could reach the city.
Blinking, he set the gem down.
“Nerti, can you send a message to Klissmor and Miceral?” He did his best to keep his voice steady.
“I can.” She turned slightly on her cushion to face him. “What should I tell them?”
He stepped down, and Peter looked his way. So his friend could hear, he spoke out loud. “Tell them I expect Vedric will reach Agloth the morning after tomorrow.”