Max walked into the make shift study that the additional rented inn room had become.

  He would be surprised if Mathew even recognized him. Still, he could not be sure how Phaedra felt for him. It was obvious that she did care.

  He was not sure if it went further than the care and concern a close friend feels. He hoped that someday he would find out and that it would go further.

  After all of the time training, after all of the time researching, Max would never guess that the possible solution to their conundrum would fall right into their laps.

  He had lost all sense of time. He watched the sun set. He watched the rise and fall of the season, certainly, but beyond that, the old gauges were long gone. It used to be the fields that he and his kin watched to determine just how much time passed.

  Enchoron and Phaedra laughed as they walked down the hallway towards Max’s bed chamber. He was surprised just how friendly the two of them were now after the display he remembered of seeing them arguing over his fate in the hallway that they now walked down.

  Max was standing in his doorway to greet them as they approached. The expression they shared said that they knew something new this day. Perhaps it was a breakthrough into their research? Maybe they sensed Max was skilled to the point at which they could no longer help him? “What’s new? We’re ready to move aren’t we?”

  Enchoron nodded and Phaedra shot Max a warm smile, the deep manly voice answered, “Indeed. Perhaps not in the way that we would have perceived, but that is the way of the world. For those that believe in fate, they would blame it for this opportunity. I believe though that it is more about the skill of perception that we have utilized throughout these past days.”

  “Get to the point old man,” Max, the studious pupil, smiled. All three knew the jape at the youthful mentor when they heard it.

  As she stopped moving, Phaedra’s hair fell calmly at her side.

  “Let me interject. There is a man traveling through the plane of War, very near to the area on the other side of Rotheburg. He knows of where we can find a Scion. Rumor has it, he visits one fairly frequently. Or at least he did until that Scions home was invaded by forces from beyond The Creator’s Realm.”

  Max nodded with understanding. He knew that name was used to describe the known cosmos that was made up of the fragments of that first Gods creation. “What’s his name?”

  “Pelos,” they both answered together. His mentor of devices continued, “he does not know yet that he will be aiding us. In fact, I will have to separate ways with you for the time being. You see, Pelos and I do not always see eye to eye. You will have a better chance of convincing or fooling him without my presence there to distract him.”

  “So you are staying behind? Why? I would rather have you along.”

  “You must be able to walk on your own two feet. Besides, I also need to wait here for your friend, Mathew. He has not abandoned you. I do believe, he is on his way here now.” Enchoron smiled sardonically.

  “What? How? When did you learn of this?” Max couldn’t believe his ears.

  Enchoron palmed his crystalline orb from out of his deepest pocket. He didn’t say a word, he just looked over at the orb and stared into its depths for a moment. “So I should stay here.”

  Max nodded in agreement, “That does sound like a good reason to stay behind. You aren’t running off to go do something sneaky that I should be told about are you?”

  Enchoron made wide waving motion with one arm towards the other end of the hallway. “On that note, I suppose it is time that I return to my studies. Take good care of him, you long haired beauty you!”

  Stolen story; please report.

  Phaedra shook her head. She showed just the hint of a blush. She muttered something under her breath that was an affectionate phrase for the robed man. She looked up at Max. “Are you all ready to travel my new man?” She tapped him with an enclosed fist.

  “I better start packing. I did not realize we would be leaving so soon.”

  “It’s been quite a while you know. You can’t stay cooped up in the walls of this city forever you know?” She followed him into the room as he turned to start getting his belongings together. “The lousy oaf is at least leaving you with this gift to help us along.”

  He turned back to her and looked down at her hands. They were held together in front of her body holding an object wrapped in soft, expensive cloth. He raised an eyebrow. He was pretty sure he knew what it was. He put down the clothes he had started folding. His hands shook as they started to unfold the cloth. Even the cloth was worth a good bit of gold, but what was inside was nearly priceless.

  Max practiced with this device. Even Phaedra was in awe of it then. Now she was excited to be the one presenting it to her. The last bit of the cloth fell away and revealed what Enchoron has affectionately referred to as a ray gun.

  They started to descend the steps of the tavern that led into the fog. Phaedra walked into the fog without more than a look back. Max was right on the edge. He stared as hard as he could and now amount of concentration could pierce the veil before him. He would have to take a blind step forward.

  At least he knew that she was already on the other side, they would die together if they did die. Somehow that thought was not all that comforting. Max shook his head to get rid of that image. Then, without even looking back, he stepped forth into the fog. The feeling choked him for a moment. He felt cold and hot at the same moment. All over his body, there was a tingling sensation like he was being pricked by a thousand needles all at once.

  He opened his eyes. The view was not foggy at all. The stone walls that surrounded the stone staircase were still there. They were worn with much more age. They were chipped and broken. There were even segments of wall up ahead that had completely collapsed. Those kinds of gaps in the Old World would cause the tower to tumble.

  “Come on. Hurry up! No time to waste. We need to get to a good spot to view the area from or we might miss our chance.” The voice was coming from out of sight, but definitely dead ahead down the stairs. Max moved at a near run to catch up. He was still being cautious, but he was using his arms against the walls to balance himself and make the speedy descent much easier to handle. He could see a massive source of light was making the hall up ahead glow. He rounded the final corner and saw Phaedra standing on the edge of the last stone step, looking out into the embattled terrain ahead. The sun here was bright and blazing like no season he ever encountered during his years in the hamlet. The heat from that distant source was intense. He saw meteorites shooting down through the sky, burning lines of fire all over the scene outside the tower. He saw another one of the towers up ahead, the upper portion that was in the other world was instead just a ruined pile of debris in this one.

  It would take him an age to try to understand the science behind how any of this worked. At least he had the knowledge of science to operate the ray gun at his side if all else failed. She smiled at him as she noticed him looking down and checking out the side arm.

  She pointed across the scarred, open ground. “Over that way is a good vantage point. Follow me. Watch for falling rocks...”

  They waited atop the ruin on the hill. During their time there, Max did see one of the meteorites strike home nearby, scarring the ground with a deep trench. This was a place where you had to watch where you walk. All those deep trenches and craters would give someone a bad day if they fell in without knowing it was coming.

  He saw a lone figure walking through the wasteland towards Rotheburg. The man was wearing strange clothes that fit his body like a glove.

  He also looked beat and tired through the shimmering humidity that was apparently commonplace on most of the War Plane. He stood up and pointed. His friend got up and came over, shielding her eyes from the brightness of the sun.

  She grinned, “That’s him. He looks like he’s been through the Burtox Den if you ask me.”

  “The realm of devils and darkness and cold?”

  “It was just an exaggeration? I’m not serious.” She put a supportive hand on Max’s shoulder.

  She hopped down off of the ruined piece of rock they claimed as their watch post. She offered to help him down, but he declined. He slid down the side of the rock and then let go in one swift motion, landing on his feet.

  The distant man spotted them long before they were upon him. He took a defensive position and seemed to be preparing for the worst. They both waved and kept their weapons sheathed. The soft voice of Phaedra rang out loudly, “Pelos, we are not hear to fight you or arrest you. We are here to talk. We are hopefully here to ask for your help if you will grace us with that. If not, we can always escort you to Rotheburg.”

  The figure peered out from behind a rock, he stepped back and thinking he was out of sight, he adjusted his suit and took in a deep breath.

  He then stepped back into sight from around the rock, “Well, what sort of help are you looking for? And yes, I’d certainly like an escort, just keep your distance until I am sure you are not just going to grab me and take me in.”