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| - The wood was stacked, and now, with the help of Kyle's flame breath, a fire was blazing. Solena had a pot of oatmeal simmering, and the four men were now out preparing the sows to be sold to Selom the butcher later that day. Silas loaded hay into the cart so that the hogs could have a comfortable ride, and Jonas and Ezra were feeding them one last time. Kyle was fixing up the cart with his magic touch, as well as keeping the barn warm. "Father," asked Ezra. Jonas looked at him. "I'm not your father, you know, although I wish I was" he said. "You've been like a father to me for so many years!" Jonas smiled. "All right then, what is it you want, son?" "How long have you and Kyle known each other?" "We in the court called him Fardin," answered the farmer. "He's been around a lot longer than any of us." "He looks like a Wizard," Ezra remarked. "You think so?" said Jonas, looking in Kyle, or Fardin's direction. The old man winked. "Few have ever seen a Wizard, for they are so rare nowadays. They keep well hidden, coming out only when the powers of darkness are at their peak. As for Fardin, I've never heard his full story, but I've a feeling there's more than can be told in the time we have." He stopped suddenly. "He's the wisest fellow I know, however. Has he told you much?" "Pretty much the whole history of Armesia." "Then you know who Elgira is?" "Yeah, he was my ancestor." "Well," Jonas began, "When the Union of Four Kingdoms first arose, a Wizard was sent into each to guide the kings. One called Sardion was sent with Elgira to help him to govern wisely, which he did. He was the personal advisor of many of the kings of Armesia, but he disappeared into the histories of the kingdom. I do not think any have heard of him since. At any rate, he would have proven an invaluable ally when Nardek arose," he said, shaking his head sadly. "We were all forced to flee when Nardek rose to power, although we managed to rescue your mother. She died shortly afterwards, but gave birth to you first." Ezra felt a sadness welling up inside him. "I wish I could have known her," he said. Jonas nodded and put a hand on his charge's shoulder. "I wish you could have too," he said. "She was an Elf, one of the fairest and wisest creatures around. Both she and Kyle helped your father be the best monarch he could be." "What are Elves like?" asked Ezra, curiously. Kyle took over from there. "They have pointy ears, as you probably know," he said, "And they're the fairest of the natives of Gaela. They're quite tall and have long hair. Some have beards, but usually they are clean-shaven. They have many different colors, and they hide their prominent features well, which makes them quite difficult to identify. They're very wise, which is what made them so hard for the Dark One to corrupt." "I heard from stories at the tavern that they're arrogant and extremely dangerous, and that they'll kill anyone who comes near their forests," remarked Silas. Kyle snorted. "A filthy lie spread by Nardek!" he said indignantly. "Elves are actually quite humble, and they welcome travellers. But they are very cautious, and don't want any servants of the Dark One coming inside their borders. And as for woodsmen who come to cut down and burn forests...I needn't go into them. At any rate, these people in the village seem a bit ignorant of the world outside their mountains!" "Lord Ceeziak isn't," said Silas. "He told me that he was once a knight." "Aye, and one of the best!" said Kyle in admiration. "I remember when that one was just a boy. I taught him everything he knows about fighting! He and I came close to killing a Vampire once." "A Vampire? Aren't those bloodsucking creatures that live in coffins?" asked Ezra. "I've heard stories about them." "Another example of just how ignorant these folks are," sighed the old man. "Vampires don't suck blood; nor do they live in coffins. They are similar to liches, but far greater in power and terror, controlled utterly by darkness. Most are quite bat-like, but they can take other forms if they wish." Suddenly, a bell began to clang. Jonas whirled around. "Breakfast, everyone!" he said, dropping his pitchfork and making his way toward the door. "We'll finish up later." In a flash, Kyle was in front of him and out the door. "Last one inside's a dead goblin!" he shouted, running for the house. The other three looked at each other. Jonas grinned. "That's Fardin, all right," he chuckled. "Aside from His Majesty, he had one of the biggest appetites in the palace!" The goblin army was on the move again. Oruk had allowed them three hours of rest the previous night, not nearly enough for all the running they were doing, and yet, fueled by Oruk's black magic, they were able to keep going. Accompanying the goblins were about forty Gurkles, tugging the great seige engines. The Gurkles, as they were called by Dwarves, were huge, lumbering war-beasts that somewhat resembled rhinos. They had two horns on the edge of their snouts, a single horn between their eyes and thick skin which prevented damage by fire or arrows. As they pulled the great war machines, they let out great bellows which could be heard for several miles. "We're approaching the Brama Pass," shouted Oruk from the head of the army. "It's a good thing it's winter, otherwise the grizzlies would get us!" A bitter wind was blowing from the north, and the distant crashing of the surf on the shore could be heard. "Come on," urged the lich, "Get movin'! We'll be there soon!" The goblins riding the Gurkles urged the huge monsters onward by jabbing sharp pikes into the animals' backs. Unbeknownst to any of them, a short, stocky man with a thick beard was watching the army's progress from the foothills. "Curse them," the Dwarf said under his breath. "What in the name of Bushis are they doing here? I must warn my people!" And with that, the Dwarf ran back to the cave entrance from whence he had come. Having eaten breakfast, Jonas and Silas drove the cart down the cobblestone road which ran through the village of Cirta, while Kyle and Ezra rode in the back. The pigs had been very uneasy about being carted away, but Kyle had calmed them with gentle words. Ezra watched the magician curiously, and felt compelled to question him yet again. "Where did you acquire your powers?" he asked, as humbly as he could. "No non-lich I know of can ignite flame inside his very lungs!" Kyle turned and looked out at him from under his bushy eyebrows. "Great are the mysteries of the world, young man. Some you cannot fully comprehend. Be content to know that my powers shall protect you for as long as the Guardians protect these shores." With that, he continued walking behind the cart, dismissing any further interrogation for the moment. They stopped in front of the butcher shop, and then went around to the back. There they saw Mursho, the butcher, surrounded by hundreds of delicious-looking cuts of meat. When he saw them, he gave a large grin. "Jonas!" he exclaimed. "Goodness, them's the finest looking swine I ever did see!" He came out into the open air to examine them. "You sure did a fine job of raising these here animals! I'll give you seventy-five crescents for them!" Jonas' eyes bulged. "I couldn't accept that much!" he said. "I'll make it more if you persist," the muscular butcher said, looking Jonas squarely in the eye. Finally, the farmer had to give in. "Oh, all right," he said. "At that price, you might as well have my wagon too!" The two men laughed heartily. Leaving the shop, Jonas looked back at Kyle. "We've got to get back to the farmhouse. There's a feast tonight at the castle, and we don't want to be late!"
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