more importantly from those without the proper training to discern the purpose of any given item. Some items were apparently very potent and dangerous, but there were no labels explaining what they could do. It was agreed that careful and deliberate cataloguing of the items within that wing was of the highest priority.
Still other rooms were designed as laboratories. Lucky was especially excited about one in particular that he’d picked out to serve as his new workshop. He was nearly giddy with the possibilities it presented. It had clearly been used in the distant past by a practicing alchemist. It was well stocked with glassware and had plenty of table and shelf space as well as bins of raw materials. A few of the ingredients were even still viable.
Other rooms were laid out as classrooms and lecture halls. A few were sleeping rooms for wizards who were working late and needed a few hours of sleep to clear their heads. Small meditation chambers were interspersed here and there, and a number of cozy little study rooms where a wizard could be alone with his books and his thoughts were tucked in between the larger rooms.
A few rooms were set up as small cafeterias, meeting rooms, and storage rooms.
One hall in particular generated significant comment and discussion. It was lined with eight rooms, each with a heavy gold magical circle inlaid into the floor for containing summoned creatures. Within two of the rooms, creatures from the netherworld remained imprisoned even after all these years. In both cases, the demons were excited to see the descendants of their captors and made determined attempts to breach the magical circles. Fortunately, the containment fields held. Unfortunately, the creatures resorted to inhuman shrieking that sent chills into all within earshot.
Alexander discovered that he could erect a shield where each hall met the central Hall of Magic. He felt better knowing that no one could get to those rooms without his permission.
Chapter 6
A hearty dinner awaited them when they emerged from the Keep. There was a great deal of lively discussion and storytelling about the discoveries that had been made. Much had been learned, but, as was to be expected, there were now many more questions than before. The new questions, however, were more specific, and those who raised them had clear ideas about how to go about finding the answers.
With Isabel at his side, Alexander sat quietly and listened to the wizards recount the wonders of the Keep. Once dinner was done and darkness began to settle, he started to feel anxious about the summoning that would soon take place. It was a vital part of his plan—he needed the assistance of the fairies, but he had no idea what to expect from the reclusive little creatures. Until today, he had only heard about fairies as legend and story. They were the stuff of his childhood imagination and now his entire world might depend on the aid of a magical creature that, until very recently, he didn’t even believe actually existed.
He was lost in thought when Mage Landi quietly approached.
“Lord Alexander, may we speak about the summoning?”
Alexander looked up absently for a moment before the present came back in a rush. “Please,” he motioned to a nearby chair, “sit and tell me what to expect.”
“I’ve made preparations on the other side of the paddock,” Mage Landi said. “Lucky has provided me with the required fairy dust, and I’ve done the preliminary work. This is a bit of a delicate process for a number of reasons, so I wanted to confer with you before we begin.”
“Anything I can do to help,” Alexander said. “Keeping the Sovereign Stone from Phane is vitally important.”
“The presence of the scourgling poses a problem,” Landi said. “Fairies are creatures that exist both in this world and in the aether. Within the aether, a demon that is in this world is represented as a rift that leads to the
Still other rooms were designed as laboratories. Lucky was especially excited about one in particular that he’d picked out to serve as his new workshop. He was nearly giddy with the possibilities it presented. It had clearly been used in the distant past by a practicing alchemist. It was well stocked with glassware and had plenty of table and shelf space as well as bins of raw materials. A few of the ingredients were even still viable.
Other rooms were laid out as classrooms and lecture halls. A few were sleeping rooms for wizards who were working late and needed a few hours of sleep to clear their heads. Small meditation chambers were interspersed here and there, and a number of cozy little study rooms where a wizard could be alone with his books and his thoughts were tucked in between the larger rooms.
A few rooms were set up as small cafeterias, meeting rooms, and storage rooms.
One hall in particular generated significant comment and discussion. It was lined with eight rooms, each with a heavy gold magical circle inlaid into the floor for containing summoned creatures. Within two of the rooms, creatures from the netherworld remained imprisoned even after all these years. In both cases, the demons were excited to see the descendants of their captors and made determined attempts to breach the magical circles. Fortunately, the containment fields held. Unfortunately, the creatures resorted to inhuman shrieking that sent chills into all within earshot.
Alexander discovered that he could erect a shield where each hall met the central Hall of Magic. He felt better knowing that no one could get to those rooms without his permission.
Chapter 6
A hearty dinner awaited them when they emerged from the Keep. There was a great deal of lively discussion and storytelling about the discoveries that had been made. Much had been learned, but, as was to be expected, there were now many more questions than before. The new questions, however, were more specific, and those who raised them had clear ideas about how to go about finding the answers.
With Isabel at his side, Alexander sat quietly and listened to the wizards recount the wonders of the Keep. Once dinner was done and darkness began to settle, he started to feel anxious about the summoning that would soon take place. It was a vital part of his plan—he needed the assistance of the fairies, but he had no idea what to expect from the reclusive little creatures. Until today, he had only heard about fairies as legend and story. They were the stuff of his childhood imagination and now his entire world might depend on the aid of a magical creature that, until very recently, he didn’t even believe actually existed.
He was lost in thought when Mage Landi quietly approached.
“Lord Alexander, may we speak about the summoning?”
Alexander looked up absently for a moment before the present came back in a rush. “Please,” he motioned to a nearby chair, “sit and tell me what to expect.”
“I’ve made preparations on the other side of the paddock,” Mage Landi said. “Lucky has provided me with the required fairy dust, and I’ve done the preliminary work. This is a bit of a delicate process for a number of reasons, so I wanted to confer with you before we begin.”
“Anything I can do to help,” Alexander said. “Keeping the Sovereign Stone from Phane is vitally important.”
“The presence of the scourgling poses a problem,” Landi said. “Fairies are creatures that exist both in this world and in the aether. Within the aether, a demon that is in this world is represented as a rift that leads to the
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