The Journery.... (2)

the male voice says over Wiz' right shoulder, bringing Wiz out of his private thoughts in a hurry. The insincerety in the words is unmistakeable. Max makes a mightly leap onto the bar and hisses loudly.

"An old friend could," Wiz says, giving Dartran a quick once over. "but we haven't been old friends since that incident outside Sir Corwin's castle."

"So who are you're traveling companions?" Dartran changes the subject quickly, and looks down the bar at the people beside Wiz. WizMick tries looking nonchalant, knowing the kind of trouble Dartran Can make. Dartran walks along behind the group. "Hmmm,look at this one," Dartran runs his hand up Jila's arm and down her back. "and this one." He says doing the same thing to Kaybe.

Jila closes her eyes and breathes deeply. Unfortunately, she's getting nervous and starting to forget Rae's lessons. Her heart pounds in her chest. *Just hold on a few more minutes. Don't react. He'll get tired of this and go away soon.*

"Oh?? Why not?" Dartran suddenly yanks Jila off the bar stool, holding her with one arm around her. "What are you going to do about it?

Chryse can do nothing to help her friend. Watching, she knows Jila is struggling to keep her power under control. She keeps singing, but changes the tone of the music to help Jila in whatever way she can.

Feeling the music change, Jila senses the magic surrounding her, helping her to contain her power. She's still struggling, but she knows that she won't be able to hold back much longer.

"I can be more fun than she is. Besides, she isn't feeling well." Kay bats her eyes at the large man. Scorpio sits, in shock, watching her mother behave this way. But then she remembers Jila's problem. Making a quick decision, she also gets up and moves toward the trio.

Stunned, Dartran finally lets go of Jila. Wiz quickly stands up and helps Jila sit down. Just then, Rae comes downstairs and walks over to the group.

"DARTRAN!" Wiz turns around quickly, "I'm not the trusting fool I once was at Corwins Castle. And you know how I can get when I lose my temper!" Wiz places his hand on Tira's hilt!

Dartran turns with a sharks smile on his face. "Well, well, the Wiz can act like a man. If I remember correctly you still bear the scars on your chest from when you last drew on a sword on me."

"This time I'm not alone grieving from Corwin's death with your little band of cutthorats laughing and jeering at me." Wiz moves forward praying that Dartran doesn't see how weary he really is.

Dartran looks at the others "Wiz, Wiz, have you lost your sense of humor you know I wouldn't harm a friend of yours." Dartran moves slightly resting his weight on the balls of his feet.

Dartran give Rae a contemptous look turns and walks away. Wiz sits back down and starts taking deep breathes...the others looking at him with questions in their eyes.

Wiz looks at the others with a deep pain in his eyes, "Please, can we talk tommorrow I'm...I'm just not ready now" Wiz closes his eyes, JaeLithe wraps herself around his shoulders laying her head against his cheek. Max jumps into his lap curls into ball and starts purring loudly.

Chryse looked at Kay and Mouse. They gave her a thumbs up from across the room, to let her know everything was under control, for the moment at least.

Chyse turns to Jila & Rae "Have you seen Wiz this morning?" Both shake their heads and the others in the group reply with "No's" and head shakes.

"Well he'll tell us when he's ready, in the mean time my wallets pretty heavy with the coins I got last night." Chyse waves her purse in the air. "So let's spend some of it on a good breakfast!"

"Yo Barkeep...Martinus, let's have some food at this table" Chyrse waves cheerfully to Martinus as he's carrying food from the kitchen.

"Come on gang, let's eat I don't want carry all this weight around" Laughingly the Scoobs sit down to breakfast with only an occassional glance out the window.

Rae cutting herself a slice of cheese replies with a grin. "Hopefully he's back under the rock he crawled out of last night." The others start laughing...

in a hot bath, Mouse wanders downstairs to meet up with the rest of the Scoobies. Rested and relaxed, she slides up to the table and sees what there is to eat.

"So, Jila, what was with that guy who tried to manhandle you last night?" Mouse asked. "I wanted to plant one of those frypans on his head, but I was uncertain just how carefully you were holding it together, and I didn't want to distract you too much."

*Pavement?* he wondered. *I was in the mansion! What the frell am I doing here, and........ where the hell is here? What the hell happened?*

"Twig?" the angel said, moving to the heap and carefully moving trash away, to reveal the whisp resting on a discarded banana peel. "You okay?"

"NO! I AM NOT OKAY! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED. I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO THE SPA! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU BRING US? LOOK AT ME, I'M COVERED IN THIS........ GOOO!"

"That's right! The last thing I remember is 'porting' to the spa." The angel looked around at what appeared to be some kind of alley. "Only....... I don't think we made it to the spa," he added. "Something must have interfered somehow with my Jaunting, but What the heck could have happened to send us HERE? Whereever here is."

"Well, you need to figure out just HOW we got here and HOW you're gonna get us BACK!" the whisp said. "But first, you're gonna get me some new clothes and shoes!"

"Alright, alright, Lay off!" the angel said. "But then we're gonna take a look around. I don't know how we got here, but if we're here, chances are good that someone else from the mansion is here too. Maybe they know what happened."

Fragrant bowls of nut porridge with cream and/or syrup (both for me thanks), fruit, and freshly made bread with REAL butter. The Scoobs eat and talk, wondering what Wiz will tell them this time.

"A frying pan huh?" Jila chuckles, "I think I would have liked to have seen that Mouse. Or at least the look on Dartran's face when nobody was swinging it."

As they continue to eat and talk things go on in the tavern as usual. Martinus is behind the bar once again. (It's not that he doesn't trust anybody else to be there but....) His wife, Marta, is in the kitchen, as she is every morning, and their three teenage children clean tables and pick up dishes.

"Excuse me sir." A male voice says at the bar. "Would you know a place in town where I can barter for some clothes for my small friend here?"

"Don't worry Spy." Mouse says, grabbing a few of the fruits and the rest of the loaf of bread. "We'll grab some of the leftovers and meet you there. Martinus can tell us where you went."

Spyral turns back toward the bar and grabbing Twig a little roughly, heads out into the street and then into the direction Martinus had told him.

The Scoobs gather the few things that they Can take and pay a fair sum for the breakfast, leaving a good tip for Martinus And his family. Thanking him for the hospitality, and apologizing for the slight problem the night before, they ask where their friends had gone. Martinus gives them the same information and they head out the door.

Wiz spots the Angel comin' out the door. "Hey Spy, what in @#%& are you doing here?" Angel turns around and sees Wiz coming towards him with a white dragon on his shoulder and cat by his side.

"Max! Leave it alone!" The cat looks at up and begins to casually clean his paw keeping one eye on the Whisp and the other on Wiz. Wiz turns to Angel, "It'll be alright, Max is just curious he won't harm it. Oh, and by the way what is it?"

"I'M NOT AN IT, I AM TWIG!" The Whisp relies vehemently, "And don't forget it and that goes for you to cat!" The Whisp glares at Max who just sits with a cat "smile" on his face.

"Umm, Spy it's like this..." Wiz gives the Angel the complete tale leaving out only the part about Dartran. "So you see we're going to need all the help we can get. Maybe that's why the Powers sent you to us. I've always believed that the "PTB" maintain the balance between Good & Evil, so one can't overwhelm the other. Perhaps that's what keeps Armageddon away, who knows. I'm just damn glad your're here!"

The Angel looks at Wiz and a slow grin spreads on his face. "I'm your Angel...I need a sec.' though. Come on Twig lets get you some clothes we've got ourselves a real quest to follow!"

with Spy and Twig, Kay looked at Jila and Mouse. "I am frankly relieved that we have another Scoob along with us. It looks like we could use all the help we can get. "

as Twig takes her time choosing between outfits. Finally, not able to stand the waiting, she picks up an outfit and shoves it at Twig. "Just put the thing on. I am not wanting to stay here one minute longer than necessary!"

Rae draws him slightly aside and mutters, "I'm not sure how many times you've been around the circle, Wiz, but I DO know how these things work. Please, just... look, I sometimes get this gut instinct on things and it kind of takes over. It's better to just go along with me when I get pushy."

"Yeah, but she's keeping quiet for now." Rae sighs. "Look, let's just do our best to stay out of cities. Away from anyone who might now any of us."

Rae nods slowly. "I'll see if I can't find one. I need a good idea of the political situation, too. If we're about to walk into a war-zone, I'd like a little advance warning. I'm sure you know that there's a goblin rebelion in the works?"

Wiz leading the way. Toward the middle Twig is still grumbling about Rae and the outfit she picked for her. Spyral rolls his eyes in exasperation and walks on. Rae and Jila are in the back of the group, continuing Jila's education and keeping a rear guard. Chryse walks ahead with Wiz, sometimes scouting a bit ahead and asking the inanimate objects what they have seen recently. The other girls are in the middle with Twig and Spyral, trying to find out what Scorpio's power is. Max stays close to Wiz, Honey stays close to Kay and Scorpio, Jaelithe flies ahead, and Pandora flies behind, and every single one of them has all their senses tuned to sensing danger.

"Hey, I CAN speak for myself you know, " interrupts Twig. Clearing her throat and facing Scorpio, she answers, "I'm a Whisp, we have our own special powers that being in another land isn't going to affect."

Scorpio nods. "ok, I guess I can see that. But what if I don't have any powers at all? Wiz's powers were lessened when we got here right? And what about Rae?"

The group slowly stops moving as Wiz and Chryse consider a fork in the road. Rae comes up to the front and asks what the problem is.

"Well, the right fork, it would be less dangerous for us normally, but Chryse said that the boulder over there said that an armed troop of goblins headed that way yesterday. The left fork will take us to a rather large town, but it will also lengthen our trip by 2 days. It's a choice of two dangers. What do you think we should do Rae?" asks Wiz.

"There were at least 25 goblins in the troop. Boulders don't count very well, so it could have been less, but it's probably more. Goblins like crowds. And they were very well armed" said Chryse, she pointed to fresh scratches on the boulder. "They sharpened a lot things on this rock."

"If you are all through, I think we should follow the right fork. The goblins may be down that way, but a day is a long time. I think we'll be ok." decides Rae.

"Just a sec'..."Wiz turns to the others, "Let me try something" Wiz pulls out his Blue Crystal and starts to concentrate. After a few moments Wiz shakes his head, "Well at least I haven't lost that! I was able to see down the road abit, there is a Goblin troop ahead with at least 5 - 6 bowmen. I don't think they'll be a problem if we stay off the road. We'll have to head East along the road but if we stay in the forest we should be Okay"

The others head off towards the forest with Pandora & JaeLithe flying ahead to scout. Chryse moves over to Wiz. "Wiz remember the last time we were in this forest...that large oak! Do you think we'll run into anything like that ahead?"

"Chryse I'm not sure, but if with keep alert we should be able to avoid most stuff. Also pass this along to Rae privately, there was something in that Goblin troop I couldn't see. Sort of a blank space, like I was looking through a dirty window but I knew there was something behind it. You and Rae stay on guard you two will probably be the ones to buy us the time we need to get ready to fight."

Chryse smiles back and waves Rae over, Wiz catches up to the rest. "Hey everyone, keep alert in this forest and practice the gifts you've been given. We'll keep going 'til sunset then make camp. Oh and ummm...who's volunteering to cook...I would but I like you guys and I don't want you to desert." Wiz smiles at the others "I think that's one of the reasons Max dosen't really pack alot of food for me to cook."

"Shaa! You know ME! I can handle ANY scarfing situation, but I DON'T do CLEANUP!" the whisp replied, flitting over to where the food was being unpacked.

"Well," the angel considered. "Goblins by their nature aren't very intelligent, but they tend to have a way of AQUIRING very nasty things that usually do nasty things to others. I'm wondering just what they might have that Wiz couldn't see. And if it's something we should worry about."

"I'm thinking it MIGHT not be such a bad idea," the angel said. If a few of us travel ahead tonite, try to get a look at what they have..... and if worse came to worse, I could always 'Jaunt' us out of there."

Twilight was starting and Twig was fussing around the food supplies getting dinner ready. IQ was gathering wood for the fire, Jila & Kay setting up camp while Scorpi and Mouse were walking guard.

Wiz signals Rae, Chryse and Spy over. "Spy, your idea of a recon is good one, you Rae and I will take the recon. We'll leave now while there is still a little light out. Chryse you'll stay and lead the others after us and be ready to bail us out if necessary."

"Chyse please, we need someone to guide the others your talents will be needed to protect them. I have to know that if we need help it'll be there! Please..." Chryse slowly nods her and walks back to the camp.

As the three head deeper into the forest the others watch nervously. "You think they'll be alright?" IQ asks Chryse who just continues to watch their shrinking backs with out answering.

"I'm sure they'll be fine and if they need us we'll come a runnin'!" Jila replies as she goes over to sniff Twigs cooking, Mouse, Kay and Scopi all agree as they bring their bowls over to the pot.

"Chryse, are you going to stand there all night this food smells great!" Chryse just shakes her head and continues to watch no longer really seeing the three.

"I've got a bad feel about this." IQ tells the others as he sits down watching Max's tail twitch back and forth as the cat watches his Wiz go away. JaeLithe sits on rock watching...like a statue.

"Cyanne. Keeper of the Kitchen. She's been pretty much AWOL. Back now, I guess. Welcome back, Cy!" she adds over one shoulder. "Back to work." Rae continues walking, but stops suddenly.

"Have it." Rae replies. "Just know how to get it, hmm? Look, you're clumsy and noisy. It's not your fault; it's how humans are. You can lead us better from back at camp."

"My eyes are closed. I can't... Oh my GOD..." Wiz staggered a few steps back and found himself staring into his own eyes. "What the frell?"

"You see what I see and hear what I hear." Rae tells him. "And our minds are temporarily linked. Can you handle this? It's safer for all of us, I think."

"Spy!" Wiz shouts, starting after her. As soon as he tries to focus his eyes, he experiences a peculiar 'double-image', which makes it hard to function.

Rae and Wiz stare together over a steep embankment. She has caught up with the party of goblins. And they have returned to thier camp.

and it's not bad for stew. She tells Twig this, and get's a slightly embarrassed, "Well, shaa... of course it's good. It's either this, or let "dingus" cook (Mouse gather's she's talking about Spyral, and laughs at the "dingus" remark) and I like my food edible."

Just then, a rustle from the wood sounds and the group turns, ready to defend themselves as Spyral, Wiz and Cyane come out of the wood.

"Hey! Cyane! Nice of you to join us!" Jila cries but then asks Wiz, "Well, what happened? No, let me guess. Rae took off on her own, right? Too dangerous? She can handle it by herself?" The rest of the Scoobies shake their heads in fruitless despair. "This is SO typical Rae... when this is done we're going to HAVE to go over team dynamics with her...AGAIN..."

"Hold up. But she left me this nifty gift < he explained the gift> and right now if I'm using it right, we are in BIG freeling dren..."

Wiz looks at the others "Let's move, one thing Rae didn't take into account is that this is a two-way street...sort of! When she's connected to me part of my aura reflects to her and who ever is looking for me will be led to her."

Everyone starts grabing their gear...Wiz looks at Chyrse and Spy. "Okay Chryse, take three you can count on in a fight head straight down the road as quick as you can. Spy, you and I will take the others the way Rae went. Keep your senses out & up I'm going to be slowed with this "double vision" thing.

"Okay Chryse, make your choices...remember you may have to attack to distract them & buy us the time we need to get there. It is the only way to keep a full search from Rae, and when we stop I'll tell you all about Dartran and what he can do."

While the others are gathering their gear, the angel sets about readying himself. He reaches into his wing and pulls out his Archangel sword. Silver/White fire dances over the blade, as he hefts it before him.

"Remember our deal," the angel continues, as he wipes the swords blade with a white satin cloth. "You take care of me and mine, and I take care of you."

"These are just goblins," the angel reassured her. "It's a fairly large band, but it's nothing I haven't been able to handle before."

"It's the 'Before' that worries me," Twig replied, shaking her head slowly. "JUST goblins..... And the Dre'el were JUST supposed to be.."

The angel bowed his head for a moment. Then looked to the Whisp upon his shoulder. Perhaps his oldest and dearest friend. Her blue eyes glimmered as they stared back at him. Her face suddenly softened a bit.

*I know, Mousie, I know.* Rae sighs and re-emerges from hiding as soon as the goblins are out of ear-shot. *Wiz, it's a good thing that you can't SMELL what I smell.*

*Close your eyes and walk. You won't stumble. And wait exactly where you guys are. I don't want you near the camp. There are at least a dozen parties out as we speak. They'll smell Chryse a mile off. You know how goblins get with elves.*

*That must be where our dead zone is. I'm not going to be able to reach it undetected with that many goblins around. Stay, I'm coming.*

Suddenly Wiz drops to the ground clutching his head...the others turn as Spy drops to his knee next to Wiz. "What is it, what's happening to you?"

"Get Chryse & the others back...it's a trap! The Goblins know about Rae and the double vision spell. They're using it to split us up. We've got to get out of here now!" Wiz staggers to his knees as Angel darts after Chryse and her group!

"Man this is getting confusing..." Mouse tells Jila and the others. "Everytime we take one step forward we've got to run three steps back with somebody on our tail!"

"Let's just hope Spy gets to Chryse and the others before the Goblin trap is sprung" Jila looks anxiously at IQ & Wiz coming toward them.

"No, as you may remember I am Cyane queen of the amazons, nobody messes with me," She says whipping Xena-ish weapons out of her belt. "And i am an expert at stratagies and fighting"

"Well, first i say we run!!!" Cyane says taking off in the other direstion with the others behiend her. "then," she said mid run. "we regroup and stratagise!"

"We need to be wiser that our opponent, we neednt run into a trap, hello, the main idea is that it would be easier for them to get us if there is a trap." Cyane says, slowing to a jog."We regroup now"

"Wiz said you saw the band of goblins. Do you really think they know we are here?"asked Jila, glancing uneasily into the darkness surrounding them.

Chryse jumped up and looked at Rae and Wiz. She was even more jumpy than the others. "They are out there aren't they? Are they coming? Have they seen us?"

Jila says with a look of wonder on her face. Spy has gotten Chryse and company back together with the group, and they all look at Jila as if she's lost her mind.

"What do you mean we've been doing this the hard way?" Cyane asks, impatient to get moving. "There's no easy way to do recon and escape from ogres."

"Well, actually," Jila says starting to grin, "there is when Kay's here." Everybody turns quickly to Kay, who has the most priceless look on her face. It says "Who, Me???" "Kay stop it." Jila laughs "Your magic is the ability to stop time, and that's just what we need to do right now."

"Now listen guys," Jila starts, not knowing how what she is going to say is going to be received "I'm not all that conversant with war strategies but I know that this has a good chance of working." Scorpi, Kay, and Mouse sit down, while IQ, and Spy squat down where they are standing. Cyane paces with built up energy. "Here's my plan: Cyane and #2 will go with Kay find Rae. At the First sign of ogres Kay, shut down time. #2, make sure you have that invisibility cloak with you. Spy, I need you here. I know you'd love to go but that would leave only Chryse here to defend the rest of us until Wiz gets back on his feet."

"No your not, Wiz." Jila sighs. "Stop trying to kid yourself. I can feel your mental screams over here. If nobody has any objections.....?" Looks of concern pass through the group but the plan sounds like a good one. The three leave the group at a medium/fast pace, making sure that Kay can keep up.

"I'm going to do some scouting and make sure we're not being watched." Chryse checks her daggers, then looks around for Max, JaeLithe, and Pandora and finds them sitting with their human friends. "Come you three. No since sitting around when there's work to be done." Reluctantly the three animals go with her but keep looking back until they're out of sight.

With everyone away from Jila and Wiz, Jila starts thinking. *I can do this. I can control it. But Rae's going to Kill me when she gets back. But I can't stand hearing his screaming anymore. Okay, picture yourself as a battery charger.* Jila gets up, sits beside Wiz, and takes both his hands. Then she concentrates on trickling out magic energy into his hands.

Wiz stops and looks up. "Oh Lord No! Look, look at the moon!" The group stops and looks up at the sky, the bright cleat moon is changing it's turning a dull reddish orange. Slowly the color is coming over the moon as if someone is pouring blood on it.

"It's a Blood Moon, they're beginnig to start the Ritual of Azaroth in Acheron. The goblins must have been sent to delay us. That's got be Dartran's doing, I knew he was a bastard but I didn't think he would sell out Life."

Wiz pulls his Blue Crystal out..."All of you have to decide, we go to Acheron NOW using my Crystal. It may not even work, I'll need you to blend your strengths to give me the power. It will be dangerous I don't know what shape I'll be in after or if it'll work at all but we have got to try."

Wiz keeps glancing up at the moon. "Understand what we're going to do using the Crystal is not supposed to work...blending your auras to mine to work the Crystal would kill me. I hoping that you can give me the strength to move us and keep me alive. It may not work, it shouldn't work, but we have not choice. The Ritual must be stopped or we are all dead anyway, just slower and more horribly!"

Looking at the others, "Decide...and know I will understand if you don't. This may change you, this kind of blending, permanently! It is not an easy thing to chance, giving up what is essentially you." Wiz sadly looks at the others knowing in his heart that it will be true for some if not all.

Speaking softly Wiz starts to draw his runic circle, "We must go now...all that are going. May the Gods & Goddesses of all are beliefs protect us!"

"That's what must have interfered with my 'Jaunt' back at the mansion, and caused me and Twig to end up here as well," Spyral replied.

"I'm just concerned how that thing is going to interact with my 'Jaunt' THIS time, and where Twig and I might end up, if we try to go thru again," Spyral explained. "My 'Jaunting' is a innate ability. I had it LONG before I became an angel. That's part of what made me such a good thief, in my former life. But that crystal must enhance it somehow, without really meaning to. And throw it out of whack."

"If I can you can show me where we're going in that thing. Give me an idea of our destination, I can 'Jaunt' Twig and I there," Spyral said. "And anyone else who needs a 'lift'," the angel added.

And promptly gathered up the Scoobs around her and found Chryse and her crew on the way back to camp. She quickly explained to them all what Wiz had said about the Blood Moon.

The Scoobs ran back into the camp. Rae had also overheard Spyral's offer and his problem with the Blue Crystal. "Stop! We'll all go with Spyral. All of us, you too Wiz. You won't be hurt if you jaunt with the angel." She cried out.

"She's right Wiz, no sense in you making a sacrifice if you don't need to. Just let Spy know where we are supposed to go and he can take us all there." agreed Chryse.

The various Scoobs checked their gear, making sure they had everything. Cyane, Chryse, Rae, Spyral and Raegun checked their various weapons and made sure they were mentally ready for a fight. Jila took a deep breath to help control her jitters and her powers. Kay and Scorpio helped Wiz to his feet and supported him between them. Mouse kept Honey close to her. Pandora settled on Jila's shoulders while Max stood at Wiz's feet. Jaelithe flew around Chryse and eventually settled on her shoulders.