THE VROL TRILOGY (45 page)

"Jennie! What a pleasure to hear your voice.
I assume that you slept well, my child?"

"Yes, quite. Thank you, but I'm afraid I
have nothing decent to wear to the feast tonight."

"Oh dear, are you telling me that you own
indecent clothing? I would have never thought."

"Draaaaagh! I didn't mean that. What I mean
is - can you set me up with something…stunning? I mean to ask a
certain guy to dance."

There was a momentary
silence, and when Jennie was just about to think out his name
again, Draagh responded,
"Of course my
dear! Of course! What color do you prefer? Tell me what it is you
would like."

As Draagh and Jennie continued their
telepathic visit, Liliana sat up, stretching and yawning as she
looked out the window, noticing it was the end of the day.

"Oh no, Jennie! We missed breakfast! We were
going to eat breakfast together!" to which she made a sad, pouty
little face.

Jennie finished her silent conversation with
her mentor and teacher, and then sat down on the edge of the bed
while ruffling up the girl's hair, and then trying to put it back
into place.

"I have something better! We're going to a
party - how does that sound?"

"I am to attend a party?" she asked
excitedly, but then appeared to become a bit sad.

"I've never been… and, I have no pretty
dresses."

"Aw, don't you worry, sweetie. I
already set us both up with something to wear. Now, the party isn't
for a few hours, so let's grab something to eat, ok?"

"Ok! Yay!"

The two quickly dressed and left Jennie's
room, with the older of the two seeing something colorful out of
the corner of her eye.  As they moved down the hallway Jennie
looked back, only to see the pink ribbon that her little friend had
tacked to her door. She barely noticed it before, having been so
preoccupied with the preparations for the full moon, and was almost
completely concentrating on herself.

The child probably has nothing, yet she gave
me that.

Jennie was suddenly overwhelmed with
sentiment, and turned her head slightly so that her young friend
wouldn't see any potential tears. After recovering and controlling
her emotional near-outburst, she smiled and took the little girl's
hand, going to the mess hall - having made a decision that would
change her life.

###

Max woke up, rolled over and almost fell out
of his bed, being so close to the edge. Grabbing the large post of
the great wooden frame, he steadied himself and then sat up
straight. He had eaten a bit before going to sleep, but was
famished and wanted to have a snack before getting ready for the
party.

He went to his washbowl to splash some water
on his face, but stopped and looked at himself in the mirror. He
had somewhat changed since arriving in the Rhönen Dominion. His
face was a bit more chiseled, especially around the jaw, and his
chest and shoulders had expanded out quite well. Best of all, his
stomach was a rock. He was never more fit in his entire life, even
though he was always naturally strong for his size. He ran his
hands over his well-defined abdominal muscles, impressed with their
formation. All of the abdominal workouts he had done in his life
never got him the results he was looking at in the mirror. He
clumsily tried to fix his hair, which hadn't been that length since
he was a youth, always having kept it regulation-short and
befitting of a military officer during his adult years. Now it was
longer and tended to hang in his face, but he rather liked his new
look.

Must be all the protein
I've been consuming
, he thought to
himself.

Not knowing what he was going to wear
for the party, he went to pull out the dress whites that Draagh had
conjured for Donus' birthday party, but was shocked to see an
attractive blue leather outfit, made of a soft, almost
metallic-looking scaled hide with which he was unfamiliar. It had a
v-neck collar and appeared to have been exquisitely tailored. Best
of all, the jacket and trousers fit him like a glove.

"
Draagh, did you make this for me?
"
Max thought, mentally calling out
to the old mage.

He listened, but his grandfather didn't
answer.

###

Out on an open, grassy field walked an
immortal being - someone as old as time itself - heading toward a
collection of trees. There was smoke from a campfire wafting up
through the leaves, and the smell of freshly cooked hares permeated
the air.

Looking up at him from her seated position on
a fallen log was the recently banished Alea.

"Alea, how good it is to see you, my dear,"
said the old mage.

"Hullo, Draagh. I assume you defeated
Vladros' forces?" she rhetorically inquired.

"Yes, oh yes. We did indeed, yes, but may I
ask… how did you learn of Vladro's attack? You were not privy to
that information earlier, were you?"

"Oh no. Not at all… I happened to run into
someone after the attack had already begun. He was quite… quick to
spill the beans."

She then looked at her former lover with
intense sadness, as her eyes welled up a bit.

"I do not know why I did what I did. It was
like I was…"

"Yes my dear, I know. You were being
controlled - in more ways than one. Although Siegfried was only a
minor-mage, and not a very good one at that, he did excel in the
art of suggestion."

Alea wiped her eyes and busied herself, as
she took a cast iron pot off the fire, stirring the stew within
that she had recently crafted.

"I only wish I could go back and correct my
mistakes. That poor girl… what did I do?"

"The heart easily leads us astray, as it
relies not on logic, nor reason, but on illogical emotion."

Alea bowed her head, saying, "There is no
hope for me, then. Oh, the water has come to a boil. Would you care
for a cup of chamomile?"

"That sounds wonderful. There is nothing
quite like a cup of late-afternoon tea while watching the beautiful
sun set out here in the wilderness."

He gazed out at the beautiful landscape as
Alea prepared them their afternoon beverages. Accepting his cup and
taking a sip, he continued, "You do make a fine cup of tea, my
dear."

"You flatter a poor woman. It is but a cup of
tea, nothing more."

They finished their tea, with Alea offering
him some hare stew, which he declined in polite fashion, not
wanting to spoil his appetite as the hour of dinner approached. He
then told her of the battle, and how a little lycan girl disobeyed
orders and saved the entire castle through her actions. Alea was
especially happy to hear of Jennie's brutal slaying of Ryder
Johnson, and also of Max's defeat of the vampire king.

"While we were in our cells I could feel her
strength. She was fearless and confident, even after having
received such brutal treatment at the hands of those rotting pigs."
Then, looking down to the ground, with complete remorse she said,
"I should have been put to death - to betray one such as her
deserves no less."

Draagh gave her a kindly expression
that didn't abandon his air of sadness at her misfortune. He did
feel for her, but one must make choices in life - and she chose
most unwisely.

After finishing their tea, Draagh stood up
and stretched a bit, only to have his eyes meet with Alea's.

"My Lord, there is something I wish for you
to see."

She didn't look as sad anymore - it was more
like she had business to attend to.

"And what would that be, my dear lady?"

Alea motioned for the old mage to follow her,
as she walked to a grouping of trees 200 meters away. As they
approached, he detected the stench of death permeating the air in
the small wooded area. It was the scent of finality. Moving some
tree branches, she exposed the fly-infested body of Siegfried,
badly mauled but still recognizable, wearing a frozen look of
terror, with the meat on his legs nearly stripped clean.

"I should bury him, unless, perhaps you could
perform some magic and turn him to dust?"

"Ah no, my dear. I shall transport him back
to the castle, where Krynos shall hear of your deeds, and to know
that you have obtained retribution. May I ask - did he approach
you, or did you hunt him?"

"The latter, my Lord - he ruined my life, so
I gave him the gift of death."

"Was it quick, my dear?"

"No, not at all - he was still alive and
conscious when I started eating his second thigh, although he was
screaming," she responded with a complete lack of emotion.

Draagh raised his eyebrows and pulled out his
pipe, lighting it and looking out at the open western plains as
Siegfried's corpse lay still, with only the chirping of birds and
the buzzing of flies disturbing the peaceful tranquility of their
surroundings.

"My dear, I realize that you were not at
fault for what happened. Siegfried was a manipulative traitor and a
fool, and he is now most deservedly dead."

Draagh looked down at the corpse, and then
returned to his pipe and thoughtful gaze out over the open
plains.

"Yes, he is quite dead. There is no doubt
about that, but let me ask you this - if you had the chance to
start your life again - to make amends for your errors, but perhaps
somewhere else, where things were familiar but you were unknown,
would you do it?"

"It is but a dream, but yes, my Lord. I
would."

"Then stand up, my dear. Let us take a
walk."

Draagh and Alea walked back to her campsite
where he instructed her to gather any clothing she had, as she
would not need the rest of her items. Finishing that, they went out
to an open area where he waved his hand and created an infoscreen.
Almost immediately afterwards, Socrates appeared and floated by,
waiting to assist. Alea looked on, wearing a face of complete awe
as the sentient mage intelligence access portal had a quiet
conversation with his master. After a short while the preparations
were complete and Draagh was ready to present Alea with a parting
gift - a form of thanks for her company during the cold nights, and
for her service to his friend's crown for so many long years.

Draagh put his arm around her shoulder and
set his staff to the ground, causing lightning to shoot out and a
massive sphere of energy to surround them. A thundering boom
signified their departure.

Alea looked around, startled, as it appeared
they were back in the castle courtyard - most certainly where she
was not allowed to be, as she had suffered Krynos' eternal and
irrevocable banishment. People she had known all her life were
walking around, going about their duties with not even one seeming
to recognize her.

Draagh merely looked at her and said, "Follow
me please, my lady."

As they walked toward the courtyard square
she hurriedly whispered in his ear, "Are we invisible? No one pays
notice to our…oh no."

"Ahhhh, Draagh, my good friend! Excellent to
see you!"

Krynos approached the couple as Alea stopped,
frozen in place, wearing a look of absolute helplessness and almost
believing she had been betrayed yet again. For one to return after
banishment was to invite death under lycan law, and she had neither
desire to die on that particular day, nor any time in the near
future.

"Krynos, my brother. It is also good to see
you! I have brought a friend. Alea please meet Krynos, king of the
Rhönen Dominion. He is a great friend of mine, and I have brought
you here as I feel this place is best suited to your
abilities."

Terrified and completely confused, Alea
played along and nervously curtsied to the king and said, "My Lord,
it is my honor."

Krynos gazed upon the woman, appraising her
stunning features. "Ah, my dear. A woman as beautiful as you should
not be nervous in my presence. All are welcome in my kingdom," and
turning back to Draagh, he asked, "My friend, what else brings you
to my castle?"

"Well, I am short of time, as pressing
matters are at hand, but you see, it was quite a sad series of
events. Alea is from the other side of the continent, and a cabal
of cannibals ravaged her village. I managed to arrive in time to
save a few of the poor souls from loss of reason, and found her
hiding under the blacksmith's lifeless body. So, being without a
home and suffering from temporary memory loss, she needed a new
land in which to proffer her skills. I brought her to the only
place where I knew she would be well taken care of. You see - she
not only has excellent abilities in training new lycans, but also
with waking team duties. I learned this by reading the village
mayor's documentation. As an added benefit, she retains sapience in
death form, which can be useful during the full moon. I do believe
she can fill you in on the rest… once she has recovered, of
course."

Krynos gave Alea a kindly
grin, while conveying an air of strength and understanding for her
supposed
loss
.

"My dear lady, your talents would be most
welcome here. Please wait while I fetch one of my commanders - he
shall guide you to your quarters. At tonight's feast in the honor
of the birthday of my top commander, Donus, I would like to hear
stories of your adventures. That is, if your memory serves you. If
not, it will simply be a pleasure to have you in our company."

Draagh smiled, and looked upon the perplexed
face of his former lover, but then turned to Krynos.

"My friend, before you depart to call upon
your aide, I would like to ask - did you take my advice and rid
yourself of that troublesome minor-mage, Siegfried?"