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THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST

Synopsis: Jessie and Surd discover their roles in the production.

"THE INNER LIGHT", chapter 2

by Eric R. Umali

"Falling: Jessie"

Jessie awoke in bed. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, figuring that the events she'd just experienced were all a dream. She looked around her bedroom. Stone walls. Tapestries. Torches and candles.

"So much for the dream theory."

Jessie climbed out of the bed, finding herself in a heavy cotton shift, instead of her usual nightshirt. There was a heavy wooden desk in the corner, near the window. A pile of hardened wax on its surface indicated it was often used well into the night.

There was a knock on the door. "What are you doing still in your room, my lady?" said a gruff female voice from the hall.

*My lady?* "Who is it?" Jessie called back.

"Oh, she's still half-asleep, doesn't recognize her own nurse," the voice muttered. "It's Estella, dear, your nurse!"

Jessie opened the door and a middle-aged, heavy-set woman entered. She had graying red hair that was set off by her youthful green eyes. Her clothes were heavily brocaded, and she wore a cap with a veil hanging to the back.

"You're not even dressed, milady."

"I... didn't get much sleep, Estella, I'm sorry." Jessie patted herself on the back for that one. But then, she was always quick on her feet. Estella proceeded to help Jessie into her clothes.

"It's not surprising, with the late nights you spend studying," Estella said. As the woman proceeded to dress her, Jessie became aware of something very strange. She was shorter. And less... developed. As Estella took a dress from a nearby chest, Jessie picked up a small silver hand mirror.

She gasped at the sight. She must have been no more than eleven. Estella placed the dress on her-a pale rose-colored affair with gold braiding. She wore a simple white blouse underneath, stockings and light leather shoes. A plain gold necklace went around her neck, and a matching braided headpiece and veil completed the ensemble. She looked closely at the necklace. A medallion with a raised design of a dragon hung from it.

"You'll be expected downstairs presently, milady. You know how teacher gets when you're late."

"Yes, thank you, Estella."

The nurse left the room. Jessie admired herself briefly, then went over to the desk. On top sat a pile of parchment and a quill pen. She recognized the notes on the paper as her own handwriting. Next to these sat a huge leather-bound book. She opened it up.

The pages were intricately illuminated, and had beautiful illustrations of dragons and unicorns and other creatures that were obviously done by hand. She recognized most of the text as Latin, but some passages were in a language she'd never seen before. Jessie picked a section. She shut her eyes and tried to recall the scant Latin she'd picked up on their last trip to Rome. She looked at the page, and read it beginning to end. She moved to another page, then another, and she could translate it all. The strange passages still mystified her, though.

Not wanting to cause a scene, she went downstairs and made her way to the study. Waiting for her was a tall man in dark robes, paging through an even more impressive tome than the one in her chambers. He looked up. The man had strong features and quick, questing eyes. A long rust-red beard reached to his chest. He shut the book with a slam.

"So, the noble lady has deigned to honor the simple Professor Bentonus with her presence."

"I'm sorry, professor, but..."

"That's enough. We will just have to work either a little faster or a little longer." He re-opened the book to a page marked by a silk ribbon. "Do you remember the history lesson from last week? Don't say anything, I already know the answer. All right, then, to recapitulate, the original philosopher's stone..."

And so Professor Bentonus began a two hour lecture on the key to alchemy. Jessie sat in rapt attention, and continued to throughout his lessons. They ended sometime just after dusk. By then, her mind was filled with facts and figures and analyses of spells and incantations. She had thought she'd learned about magic before on a few archaeological expeditions with her mother, but she was really getting an earful now.

She went upstairs to prepare for dinner.

"Jessie-at last!" She nearly fell over from surprise.

"Hadji? What's going on? Where's Surd? Where's Jonny?"

"I'm sorry to tell you, my friend. You are trapped in Surd's modification of an RPG module..." he explained the situation for her as he had Jonny.

"And that would make me...?"

"You are the Royal Lady Jessamyn, cousin to the king. You live in a small castle in the north of the kingdom, and are being trained as a mage by the most powerful wielders of white magick that can be found. It is in preparation for some great destiny you are to fulfill."

"I'm a spellcaster? So what happened to Jonny?"

"He is quite far away, but he wanted me to tell you he's going to find you. I would say more, but my time is running out."

"Thank you, Hadji-I'll do my best. Jonny and I will be fine."

"Goodbye, Jessie..."

She sighed, then went back downstairs.

**********

On the other side of the kingdom, in a cave near the sea cliffs, sat a wizard. He was surrounded by candles and torches. Open books were everywhere, and he worked at a small table. The wizard impatiently ground foul-smelling herbs with a mortar and pestle. Pouring steaming liquid into the cup, he drank the potion down.

The wizard's body shuddered violently. Regaining control, he wiped his lips and returned to his work.

"Soon," he muttered to himself, "soon I will begin amassing power. This world may be primitive, but the mystical power I can access will be immeasurable. And I will bring that power to the real world. Soon..."

Jeremiah Surd laughed quietly to himself as he set his plans into motion.

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT: SWORDSMAN

Tell me what you think so far. Whenever you get around to it, that is. So I'll expect responses sometime around Labor Day, then?