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The third installment of my story. I hope you've enjoyed thus far.

-3-

The second leg of the journey passed much like the first, but Laimonuit answered many of the questions and clarified many of the misconceptions Ethelred had about magic. Magic was primarily concerned with converting one form of potential energy to another through regents.

"So why don't we just use the energy from the sun?" Ethelred asked, genuinely confused. "Because we don't have a reagent yet for that. Believe me, people have been trying to find a reagent for that for centuries now. The number of crackpots claiming to have such a thing is ridiculous." Ethelred smiled, "Oh, ok. That's good."

"Even if there were such a reagent," Laimonuit smiled, "the reagent would be expensive and difficult to make, making it only available in small quantities to very powerful wizards. Also, it would probably be unstable and inefficient. No use worrying about that. But anyway, tomorrow afternoon, if you're interested, I could teach you some basic but powerful elemental magic. It'll have to be small enough for your reagent to be able to handle it--don't want to break that yet--but it'll be sufficient for your defense in grave peril."

Ethelred smiled. The walk passed slowly, but toward the second hour after midnight, by Laimonuit's reckoning, they approached the hulking shape of the Roughwood forest. It was an old forest, filled with many ancient trees similar to oak and pine, sturdy trees, stout trees that had been standing for centuries at this point. The trees, though it was dark, hardly seemed ominous or malevolent, but rather peaceful and at rest. An owl hooted in the distance, and the crunching of leaves under the feet of small animals was also heard.

No particularly dangerous predators lived in the forest--not ones at any event that would mess with a houyhnhnm. They stood at the edge of the Roughwood forest before Ethelred whispered, "Follow me closely."

As the dawn approached, the party started to see deer, and one of the dwarves, Nahlem, managed to shoot two quickly, against the wishes of Ethelred. But the dwarves all cheered at the feat. They had been deprived of meat for days and had begun to miss the stuff, and fresh venison is hard to pass by.

With the coming of dawn, the group halted, and Alehem and some of the others began to skin the deer to be stewed. The two deer were put in an ingenious collapsible pot that the dwarves had invented for the express purpose of carrying. It was a metallic cauldron made of a silvery metal that Ethelred vaguely remembered was called pewter. But it was a large cauldron, one that could fit the two skinned deer carcasses in it along with some vegetables that the party had found.

"I thought there was to be no fire," Ethelred inquired, worried about who might see them. "Relax," chuckled Nahlem, "That was just on the open plain where you could see a fly from a mile away. We're now under cover. Nobody's gonna see us!" Ethelred rolled his eyes skeptically.

While the stew was cooking, but after the dwarves had finished thanking and congratulating Nahlem on the job well done, Ethelred approached the dwarf, who sat cleaning his arrows. "So, Mr. Nahlem, how did you come to know Mr. Bellem?" Nahlem sat down and smiled, "My dear boy, the bow string is not the only kind of string I can pull. I play the guitar--and shame that I didn't bring one with me--and I have a wonderful voice I am told. But Mr. Bellem heard me playing one night, and he asked me what I did for a day job. I told him that I didn't have one then. And he looks at me and says, 'Would you like one?' And I look at him and say, 'Yes, sir, I would, if I can bring my guitar and play it.' He looks at me like I've grown another head and replies, 'No shit, genius, of course! I wouldn't have hired ya unless you were a musician.' My father died in an orcish raid when I was young. Left four kids to his wife. I'm the oldest, and was but a boy at the time. My youngest sister barely reached the drinkin' age this year."

Ethelred looked painfully on the dwarf, "I'm so sorry." The dwarf looked up at him, "It ain't your fault, my boy. The orcs, brutish thugs they are, killed him, not you. But they live in the lands east of the mountains, where the remaining powerful dragons are. They've been a menace to the dragons for many years now."

Ethelred frowned, "I see. Are there any orcs in Brarhapa?" Nahlem looked up, "I wouldn't think so. Might be one or two. But they don't travel much. They're shepherds and cowherds by and large, haven't much use for big cities or learning. They're similar in some ways to your people, except that you send many of your goods to markets. The orcs have little love or trust for the dwarves, but you houyhnhnms trust and respect the dwarves in our people's many years of alliance, or so have I found."

Ethelred smiled, "And we do indeed, even if we think you a bit loud and rambunctious, we know you are kind folks, eager to help others in a jam. You also bring tales of foreign lands and exotic things that most of us homely folks don't see but once if ever." Nahlem smiled, "I'm glad there are those who are still awed by our stories. The elves are never moved by anything we say, and this disappoints me at least, if I'm to be frank. The elves think they have seen all there is to see. And why shouldn't they? Their magic is more advanced than any other race's, and they have most of the dragons in the palms of their hands."

And here he stopped, seeming unsure of whether to go on, but he eventually seemed to decide not to before he muttered, "Or so it's rumored anyway. I've never seen a dragon myself. The only ones among us who have are Alehem, Bellem, and Laimonuit the elven clerk." Ethelred frowned, still no one would tell him of the fate of the dragons, and that secrecy made him rather cross.

While he was deep in his thoughts, Ethelred missed Nahlem's getting up to eat and was only aroused by the dwarf's joints creaking as he sat down again carefully with the bowl of hot stew. Ethelred had never eaten any meats before, nor was he about to start. He took out his bread rations and ate a bit before he went to bed.

He awoke with a start to Laimonuit's gentle touch, "Ethelred," the elf called gently, trying not to wake the others. It appeared to be mid-afternoon, perhaps about three and a half or four hours past midday. Ethelred smiled, knowing immediately what Laimonuit had in mind for the two of them to do. Ethelred rose to his feet silently and trod carefully after the elf, who seemed to make no sound walking through the forest.

When the two companions had walked perhaps 200 or so yards from the main camp, Laimonuit murmured to Ethelred, "Have you brought something to eat?" Ethelred nodded and brought out the remaining ration of his day's worth of bread. Laimonuit gestured approvingly. "Good, eat all of that before we start. I shall be doing no magic, so if you need anything to eat before we get on the road to keep your strengths up, I can give you a piece of elven bread for you to try. It is nourishing, but not particularly caloric--so it will keep you on your feet, but it won't sustain your magic as well as your own bread will. Bear that in mind when you practice. Ideally, something like oatmeal cooked in milk would be the best for your kind of magic, but I'll have to get some good ideas from Master Echenwell when we return to Brarhapa, because these things are more up his alley, so to speak, than mine. Anyway, let's begin, shall we. Do as you were doing that night you burnt yourself. Make a ring of lightning."

Ethelred stood, unsure whether he wanted to make the ring, but he took out his Eischomyuir stone and set to focus. This time, the ring of lightning came faster and more easily to Ethelred. He realized that the nourishment before practice had invigorated him. But as soon as he had formed the circlet, Laimonuit continued, "Now, see if you can push the ring toward the oak right there!" Ethelred nodded, seeing what he tree Laimonuit was pointing toward. He angled his hand such that the ring was parallel to the tree and tried with all his will to force the ring toward the tree.

The ring fizzled. Laimonuit chuckled, "Ah, I see I'm putting the cart before the horse. You have to keep the ring focused as you push it forward, otherwise, it'll do that. Remember that and try again. You'll get it. Don't be discouraged." Ethelred smiled wanly, and formed a new ring in about 3 seconds. Laimonuit laughed, a mellow, beautiful sound, prettier than nearly any Ethelred had heard, "Now, shoot it at the tree." Ethelred turned, took aim, and focused his will at the tree. He felt the energy trying to dissipate as he pushed it slowly toward the tree. And as the lightning got farther and farther away, Ethelred felt it getting more and more wild. But he kept hold of it, and finally, he hit the tree twenty-five yards away. Laimonuit cheered as Ethelred collapsed to his knees, panting and exhausted. He was now famished, as if he hadn't eaten in a day, a feeling he hadn't had since his childhood.

Ethelred collected his breath and stood, his muscles seeming about ready to spasm and collapse. Laimonuit stood over his pupil, checking his vitals. When Ethelred had recovered and was sitting on a nearby log, Laimonuit began to talk to him again. "I think that's enough for now. That was fine for a first attempt at magic. I remember the first time I did tried a spell. I nearly fainted, and I wasn't relying nearly as much as you are on the body. Mine was from nearly being overwhelmed by the number of thoughts and feelings that were flowing through my mind. Nearly drove me mad the first time. We'll have to work on conditioning you though, a body-dependent mage has to have, you know, a good body. You'll have to be strong and stout, like that oak tree that you just scorched. You barely burnt off the bark, but that was merely because trees are not good conductors of lightning. Use that on a coat of mail and you could kill a man quick."

Ethelred smiled but felt rather faint. When he stood again, he nearly collapsed and had to sit back down again nearly immediately. Suddenly, Laimonuit remembered the elven bread that he had promised Ethelred. "Ethelred, wait here a moment," he advised as he went back to his pack to find the bread.

The bread itself looked very similar to the shortbread that Ethelred was familiar with, somewhere between that and a cracker. He smiled and nearly took a giant bite out of it when Laimonuit cried, "No, fool! You don't need that much! Just a corner here will keep you going until tomorrow. Don't just shove the rameka in your mouth!" Ethelred stopped, embarrassed by his ignorance and poor manners. He broke off a corner of the rameka and ate it all in one bite. It didn't taste like much, but Ethelred immediately felt strength return to his fatigued muscles. He felt indeed that he could now walk all night without rest.

Suddenly, the two heard a crash through the woods. They turned only to find Bellem standing before them looking grave, "Good, I'm sorry to intrude on your lesson, Ethelred, but we have important questions to ask you that will determine some aspects of our journey. Will you come counsel us?"

Ethelred nodded and stood, noticing no dizziness or nausea. He walked confidently behind Bellem back into camp. The other dwarves sat around the ashes of the campfire they had made for cooking the deer. Bellem smiled, "Ethelred, how much farther is it until we're out of the woods?" Ethelred pondered his answer for a few minutes. Usually, it would take his caravan about eight or nine hours to pass through the woods, but they were slower than the company of the dwarves, taking breaks to rest and eat. Ethelred guessed that they had been walking in the woods for about four or five hours last night, and that it would take them between seven and eight to cross the woods at their current pace, but probably closer to seven than eight. He relayed his estimates to Bellem, who took this into consideration before he then asked, "And how long is it from the edge of the forest to Brahrapa?"

Ethelred again had to consider. His family usually took between five and six hours, but again considering how quickly they moved, Ethelred guessed about 5 hours and gave that estimate to Bellem. "But, sir, please consider these are estimates. I'm not exactly sure--I've never measured the distance properly." Bellem nodded, "These estimates will serve our purposes just fine. So I reckon that if we leave soon, we'll hit the edge of the forest about a half hour after sundown. We'll wait for complete darkness, and then we'll head on to the city gates, which we should hit about two or three hours before dawn. Is that about right by your estimates, Ethelred?"

Ethelred agreed and the group packed its things and set out. On this leg of the journey, Bellem insisted that Ethelred tell him about the smuggler's entrance that he planned on using. "Well," Ethelred sighed, drawing out his crutch word, "It's not a particularly grand way to go in, but there's a tunnel that flows beneath the moat of the city that your own kind guard, as best as I'm aware, and no one really cares enough to take dwarven guards out. But we're approaching the city from the northwest, the entrance I plan to use is east-north-east of the city--dwarves built it, remember. So we'll have to allow for that."

Bellem nearly stopped, "Boy, why didn't you tell me that?" he hissed, seeming to seethe with anger, "that was important information that you withheld from us!" Ethelred's face flushed, "I'm sorry, sir; it honestly slipped my mind. I didn't think about that." Bellem muttered something under his breath that Ethelred was glad he didn't hear. He then called to his men, "Ok, boys, sorry about this, but we're going to have to double-time it for a little while. I've just gotten new information that might make for a bumpy ride." And aside to Ethelred, he huffed, "And how far away exactly is this tunnel?"

"Not more than a mile from the city gates, sir, near the edge of a small forest to the east of the city." Bellem seemed assuaged by this answer. After an hour, he called the double time off but kept his men marching.

Suddenly, the trees began to grow less densely, and a light as one at the end of a tunnel seemed to open up before them. They then crested a shallow hill and saw what from a distance appeared a small stone structure. Ethelred knew immediately, however, the walls of Brarhapa.

"How grand it is!" he whispered to Bellem, who chuckled and retorted, "Just wait until you see Naxar-khelem, or even Nazar-elhim." Ethelred turned to see the dwarves chuckling amongst themselves. Here, however, they turned from their path to the east at Bellem's direction, following what appeared to be a deer path. As darkness approached, the company saw many deer, and Nahlem desired to hunt them for more venison, but at Bellem's command, he stayed his arrows. "What will we do with them, Nahlem? We cannot eat them because we cannot cook them because we don't want to risk a fire this close to Brarhapa. It probably wasn't wise to risk a fire when we did, either, but there, there was less risk of being seen." Nahlem begrudgingly conceded the point.

The trek around the city was a bit more tiring and tedious than the previous journey. Although the path to Brarhapa had been narrow, it was well-trod and well-maintained. This path was not so. There were thorny "sticker" vines, roots, holes, and brambles that had to be avoided if they were to maintain secrecy. The path also wound and wove, sometimes causing the party to lose sight of the city. This concerned some of the dwarves, but Ethelred knew exactly where he was going.

About two hours after nightfall, the group came to the edge of the forest, because through it ran a great highway, not merely a dirt path preferred by the houyhnhnms, but a cobblestone path preferred and built by the dwarves. It was broad and open, with no cover whatsoever. And even at this hour, travelers went back and forth along it. Here, Laimonuit spoke, "Ok, listen, everyone, we'll have to do this quick and quiet if we want to get across unperceived. I think I can do it, but you'll have to be quick and careful. Is everyone ready?" Everyone nodded.

So with Laimonuit at the center of the party, the group marched out, experiencing no interruptions or problems until Ethelred nearly fell on top of Bellem. The disturbance nearly caused Laimonuit to lose his concentration and the hold over all people's minds that he needed. Fortunately, the guards were unwary and the people were few enough that Laimonuit managed to get everyone across unseen.

"Idiot!" Laimonuit hissed at Ethelred, "You almost got us discovered!" Ethelred nearly snapped before he remembered Laimonuit's power, "I'm sorry, my hooves and shoes are hardly good for walking on uneven stone surfaces unheard. My people are not ones for stealth and secrecy. Forgive me!" Laimonuit had to stop and rest for a while to clear his mind, and while they waited, the others planned their visit to the city.

"Ethelred," Bellem called, gesturing to the houyhnhnm, "What is Brarhapa like? Where is the university?" Ethelred paused, searching deep in his mind to recall that information. "I think, sir, is in the northern part of the city. The main castle, though, sir, where our king lives, is in the center of the city." Bellem smiled, "We will approach King Rithelm in time, but the university concerns us more pressingly. The king may be powerful, but the clerks are wise. And wisdom will defeat power in the end, so we hope. Besides, there you will meet dragons! Let that enhearten you!"

No one had noticed Laimonuit's approach before he said, "And the king will be approached by the dwarven King Anchohelem's messengers in a short time if the king is wise and has gotten our message." Bellem turned, "And the king is wise. Therefore, if he has gotten your message, the king will send messengers soon."

The company went off again, and arrived at the place Ethelred had described about four hours before dawn. "Hm," Ethelred smiled, "we must have gone faster than I anticipated." But Ethelred noticed that Bellem's mind was not on him, but on the two dwarven guards at the entrance of the tunnel. "Anhelem! Drohanem! My how long it's been!" Both men turned at once, and in turn their eyes both shined. The three men embraced long and sweetly, as only good friends who have not seen each other in years do. But it was Alehem that Anhelem really embraced, "Dearest brother!" Anhelem called to Alehem. They began chattering amongst themselves in dwarvish for a while before Drohanem, an older dwarf, and more it seemed a father-figure to the younger dwarves eventually looked at the two non-dwarves, who felt quite out of place, like someone at a family reunion for a family other than his own. "And who are you two?" he asked jovially, seeming genuinely interested in who they were, rather than suspicious that they had some ill-intent.

Laimonuit spoke first, "I am Laimonuit, the clerk, and this is Ethelred, he is our guide through these lands. Though," and here he looked despondently toward Ethelred, "I suppose he is free now from our service, having fulfilled his contract with Bellem."

Ethelred turned and retorted, "Not quite, sir, I still have to guide you to the university. And even then, I hope you think better of me than to think that I would abandon you as soon as I could. I hope, sincerely, that you consider me a friend." Laimonuit beamed, "Well, I do, but I was unsure of how you felt, and too afraid, frankly, to ask. Many times have I been betrayed by those whom I have thought friends, only to be betrayed later. Such is the risk of friendship, I suppose."

Ethelred nodded grimly before Drohanem called the party together, "Listen, all! We should go through the tunnel if we hope to enter the city before sunrise. For that is what I assume you intend to do. Is it not? Then we must go now. But beware, you'll have to move softly. Enough moss covers the floor even for hooves to be muffled. But there is to be no talking, and torches will only be allowed up to a certain point unless...Master Laimonuit, you have the ability to conceal things from men's minds, correct? Perhaps a torch will be ok."

And so the party set out into the tunnel. It was indeed moss covered, cool to the touch and soft on the feet. It did indeed muffle the sound of the hooves on the stone, and made the trip easier. Drohanem had stayed behind to guard the entrance, and his shout could be heard all the way through the tunnel if danger should approach.

The tunnel seemed to drag on interminably. Even the light of the torch seemed incapable of piercing the gloom. The silence didn't help matters either, because normally the dwarves would have sung or told stories to break the monotony and gloom, but the enforced silence stifled the air around them. Then Anhelem had Bellem put out the torch. In the pitch blackness, everything was even gloomier than it had been with the light.

Suddenly, there came a muffled grunt, and the sound of a body hitting the floor. Ethelred turned, and in the gloom, all he could see was the dwarves turning and facing the gloom. Everyone stood stock still, crouching with shields raised. Ethelred and Laimonuit took two of the dwarves' shields and held them over Bellem's and Ahelem's kite shields, forming a shield wall in the direction from which they had come. Laimonuit constantly felt for presences coming from the direction that they had heard the body coming from. Suddenly, Laimonuit hissed loudly enough that all could hear, "Elves!"

Ethelred bowed his head, "Then Drohanem..." but he was hushed before he could go farther. The group made its way steadily toward the exit, but at a creeping pace. Many minutes passed, close to an hour, before they heard it: the twang of a bow and an arrow skidding off the walls. The group froze for a second before they tightened formation and continued their shuffle toward the exit.

Suddenly, another arrow came screeching off the walls, followed by two more. They hit no one in the dark, but the skittering set everyone's nerves on edge. Then, the shield Laimonuit held was hit by an arrow, but he held it firm. Then, someone took Ethelred's shield and attempted to swing it from his hands. But Ethelred's grip held frim after the initial surprise, and he yanked the shield back, but in the meantime, a second elf had attempted to jab his sword into the gap created in the shield wall, stabbing in. And in doing so, he hit the Bellem's helmet, and struck a glancing blow. Bellem fell, letting go of his shield.

And then all hell broke loose. Ethelred grabbed his kite shield and attempted to step back before he almost stepped on one of the dwarves passing under his feet. Without thinking, he attempted to grab for a sword and realized he had none. So he did the next best thing: he created a lightning ring. The lightning ring was so bright in the absolute darkness of the tunnel that it nearly blinded all who saw it at first, but the elves especially seemed blinded by it because they were facing it when all others on the front line had their backs turned. Ethelred hesitated no longer and grabbed at one of the stricken elves. He was going for an arm, managed to land a hand on the elf's torso. The elf gave a primal shriek before he collapsed. Ethelred could not see whether he was unconscious or dead.

But with the light extinguished and everyone now groping around again in the dark, everyone but Laimonuit and the remaining elf knew nothing of everyone else's location. Suddenly, all could hear the ring of metal upon metal or the thunk of metal upon wood as all now realized that the two elves were dueling in complete darkness. Suddenly, everyone heard another agonizing scream and curses. Ethelred charged another lightning ring before he saw Laimonuit standing triumphantly and waving his arms for Ethelred to put out the light, which Ethelred immediately did.

Then Ethelred remembered Bellem, who had been hit in the head with a sword. Laimonuit used his ability to search for life signatures to find the unconscious body of Bellem lying on the floor. "He's alive, but he seems to be losing vitality. Ethelred, can you carry Bellem?" Ethelred whispered, "Ok," and tried to hoist the dwarf like a baby. It required a grunt of exertion (a full-figured dwarf in armor is not light), but Ethelred had Bellem on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The group then rushed forward, on into the night, as quick as they could with their injured, leaving two dead elves in the passage.