James Ward - Pools of Darkness

"Ah, now there's a warrior," Evaine said admiringly. "You're a beautiful cat, Gam, but you're a darn nice looking human. You'll get used to this shape again in no time."

Gamaliel said nothing, but followed his mistress out of the woods. They joined up with the road and saw that it was frequented by farmers, peasants, and pilgrims. The road wasn't crowded but was certainly busy.

Evaine kept her eyes open for anyone with horses to sell. She passed on a few nags, but eventually spotted a pair of horses that looked healthy and well cared for. Before approaching the owner, she cast a quick mind-reading spell that allowed her to learn whether the horses were stolen.

She negotiated with the horse trader for a few minutes, reading his thoughts and learning that the horses were indeed in good health. They were his own and were for sale simply because his family needed the money. Evaine negotiated a good price, and in a few minutes, horses and money had traded hands. She and Gamaliel mounted the horses and galloped down the road.

By nightfall, the pair arrived at the ferry that would carry them over the Moonsea to Phlan. A nearby inn had a vacant room for the night, a luxury Evaine welcomed after a week in the woods. She and Gamaliel stabled the horses, got themselves settled, and prepared for a comfortable night's sleep.

"We made it, Gamaliel. We'll be in Phlan tomorrow. It should be easy going from here on in."

Gamaliel replied with a peculiar purr that never sounded quite right coming from his human body.

Ren stood in the streets of New Phlan, staring out at the Moonsea. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his forehead as hard as he could, wishing he could wipe away his confusion. Phlan was gone, Shal and Tarl were gone, and the new city council wanted him for a lackey. To make things worse, two druids who claimed to know him were following him around like baby ducks.

After leaving the council chambers, he had spent the past hour wandering the alleys of New Phlan. As often as he tried to change the subject or lose the druids among the tents, they always caught up to him or managed to turn the discussion back to the pool of darkness.

The ranger opened his eyes. Two faces stared at him quizzically. Ren groaned.

"Look, I know I owe you a favor for getting me out of the council meeting, but I work alone." Ren was thoroughly irritated and couldn't believe the pleading sound of his own voice. But at the same time, he felt as if he belonged with these two druids for some odd reason. To his displeasure, he remembered he'd had the same feeling the first time he met Tarl and Shal.

Talenthia took Ren's hand. "But Sylvanus wants us-"

"I know, I know. You've told me a hundred times. I don't mean any disrespect to your god, but he'll just have to find another mission for you. I don't have any grand plan. But when I decide what to do, I want to move fast. You'd just slow me down." Ren shook his hand free, striding toward the corral. A workout with Stolen might help him to clear his head.

The druids followed. They had been ordered to help the ranger, and help him they would-whether he liked it or not.

The trio hurried through the alleys. Everywhere they looked, people begged from their makeshift tents. The citizens who had once been lively and energetic were now lethargic and dispirited from hunger and sadness. It was more than Ren, Talenthia, and Andoralson could bear.

As Talenthia watched Ren's reaction to the poverty around them, she tried to reassure him. "Ren, we know how you feel about these people. We all want to help them, and the best way to make these people happy is to restore Phlan. You have that power, and we're here to help you."

Andoralson clamped a hand on Ren's shoulder and stopped him. "This isn't any easier for Talenthia and me. We have been directed by our god to help you. We intend to follow our orders."

Ren paused, weighing what the druids had said. Maybe he was being too stubborn. He could see these two were powerful priests of their sect. They seemed as if they could take care of themselves. Would it hurt to have some help?

"All right. I can't think of a solid reason to refuse your offer. If you agree to follow my orders, we'll work together." The ranger rubbed his forehead again. "Do you have any idea where old Phlan went?"

The cousins exchanged troubled looks. "No," Talenthia began, "we tried to use our magic when we first heard of Phlan's troubles, but something is blocking our spells. Sylvanus wouldn't have sent us here if answers weren't forthcoming. We found you easily. Andoralson and I both believe that we'll link up with another to aid our quest."

Ren rolled his eyes but said nothing. "Let's head for the corral. I need to look in on my horse. Do you have horses there?"

The druids grinned at each other, sharing some secret joke.

"No, we don't have horses. We move about by, uh, other means. But I would love to visit that big horse of yours. He's a beautiful beast. I'd like him to tell me a few things about you." Talenthia's eyes sparkled as she teased Ren. The ranger made a face. He knew that druids had the ability to speak with animals.

"Talenthia, we have more important things to do," Andoralson scolded.

She pouted at her cousin, but grabbed Ren's arm. They all walked toward the river. On the way, Talenthia explained that she had talked with dozens of forest creatures about the disappearance of Phlan, but had learned nothing.

Cooking fires burned outside the ramshackle tents. The companions took their time walking to the corral, but as they approached the raft landing, an argument attracted their attention.

"But I'm not staying! Can't you get that through your thick skull?" A petite sorceress dressed in a green tunic and deerskin leggings was losing patience with Lord Wainwright and his squad of guards. A tall barbarian warrior at her side was saying more with his posture than with words.

"I'll bet she's a powerful spellcaster, Talenthia. Do you notice the rhythm of her voice and the way she pronounces her words?"

"I do. And do you notice something unusual about the barbarian? I can't put my finger on it, but there's more to him than meets the eye. He's ready to spring to defend her any second."

All this was lost on Ren. From his vantage, all he had noticed were the sorceress's long braid of red hair and her dazzling green eyes. He laughed a little as he watched the scene unfold. "This must be a bad week for that poor knight," Ren chuckled to Talenthia. "First I gave him grief, and now that sorceress, who looks like she could blast them all to cinders if she wanted, is doing the same thing. I wonder if I should give the knight a hand, just to make up for my rough treatment yesterday?"

The argument grew louder as everyone watched. A crowd began to gather, but onlookers made room for the trio in front of the pack. Many of the people recognized Ren from the previous day. Whispers went through the crowd pointing out Ren's presence, and the onlookers' attention was split between Ren and the ongoing argument on the raft. The ranger would never have acknowledged the attention he was getting, but in Phlan, he was truly a figure of awe.

The sorceress was now speaking to the knight in simple sentences, perhaps thinking that his thick brain needed some help. "These are pack animals. They need to carry my supplies. How can I load them up if they're in a corral a mile away from the supplies I'm buying?"

The sorceress had a point, but the Wainwrights weren't known for their grasp of logic.

"Mistress, you must do what everyone else does. Corral your mounts and bring the supplies to them. Your man here looks strong enough to carry any number of supplies. Now be a nice little wizard and do as I say." With that, the knight put his hands on her shoulders to forcibly guide her off the raft.