“Saul, a troop of soldiers are coming!” Brand called. They were on the roof of the Thane’s tower. Saul had been working through a sword drill with Zorea, practicing the footwork she’d lacked in the previous fight, and Brand had been sitting at the edge of the roof, running a sharpening stone along his own blade. Now, he stood and sheathed his sword. Saul looked down on the village and saw a troop of Xornian soldiers approaching, riding on raptors.

Today was the day. A month had passed and the waning crescent moon was about to begin. For days, they had all felt that there was something building, some tension in the atmosphere that was pushing them toward the next step in their adventure. They were excited and keen to get on, but they had to wait till nightfall. Now, they all hurried down to the village to see the newcomers.

The troop of soldiers was under the command of none other than Elman Tell, a hearty old soldier who was an old friend of Captain Jerryl, the officer in charge at Harkin’s Holdfast in the north.

Jerryl had sent secret messages to Elman about Saul and his mission, and he’d assured Saul that Elman was a man who could be trusted. Elman was the queen’s armsmaster, a very high rank in the army, and the man whose job it was to act as liaison between the military high command and the royal court.

He was a soldier, but he was also a skilled diplomat, comfortable on the battlefield or in the council chamber.

Elman eyed Saul with interest. Saul knew Jerryl had given Elman a secret message, explaining some of the background about who and what Saul was.

For his part, Saul examined Elman with interest, too. He was a big man with a bald head and gleaming golden side-whiskers in a very old-fashioned style. Tall and fair, with keen, light blue eyes, he looked nothing like the other Xornians.

Saul was interested to find out what his story was. How was it that a man who was so obviously not a native had come to the high rank of queen’s armsmaster in the Xornian army? But he would have to wait to find out.

He took Elman back to the Thane’s tower, where they took the report of Drennet, the officer in charge of the portal guard.

“No activity, sir,” Drennet said respectfully. “But I’ve made good use of the time and have made sure to send soldiers around on scouting parties near Jillin. There are some odd things going on in the woods around. Strange sights reported by my scouts, bright lights in the trees, and noises like monsters on the prowl, though none of my men have actually found anything solid to report.”

“All right. I’d like you to call the soldiers off now, Drennet,” Saul said. “I have some business to attend to at those standing stones, and I don’t want an audience. If I’m right, there will be no need for a guard on them after tonight.”

Drennet was a soldier through and through. He nodded once. “I’ll see to the orders, sir,” he said, then saluted and left Elman and Saul alone.

Elman looked at Saul shrewdly.

“Saul,” Elman said after a moment. “You don’t mind if I call you Saul?”

“Please do,” Saul said. “I understand you’re a friend of Captain Jerryl?”

“That’s right,” Elman said. “Saul, Captain Jerryl of Harkin’s Holdfast and I are very old friends. We trust each other. He sent me news about you in his letter when he sent the evacuated villagers of the holdfast down to Blackrock Castle to ask for reinforcements.

Saul nodded. “I know he did, though I don’t know what was in the letter.”

Elman chuckled. “I don’t want to keep any secrets from you. Jerryl told me some very interesting things, things he asked me to keep to myself. I have done so.”

“What did he tell you?”

“He told me that you’re a mage who could work without channelers,” Elman said. “And he told me that you were able to do the most amazing things with magic. He told me that you were…an old soul as the legends call it. I know Jerryl wouldn’t say such a thing unless he was certain of it. But he told me something else. He told me you are to be trusted, that I should trust you as I would trust him. I’m prepared to do so.”

Saul reached out and shook Elman’s hand. “I’m happy with that,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, a friend of Jerryl is a friend of mine. I looked for you at Blackrock when I was there. I was sorry not to find you.”

“I was over the river,” Elman said. “I’ve been south on a quiet mission for the queen. My two chief scouts were on a mission, too. I met them on the road, but I came on ahead, though I expect them through here before very long, later today, in all probability.”

“But listen, Saul,” he said, leaning forward. “I wonder if you’d mind showing me some of your magic? I’ve not seen any real magic for years, and the things Jerryl told me you did at the battle… It sounds amazing. And what’s this about the standing stones on Sprite’s Corner Hill? Why have you needed an armed guard up there?”

“I’m happy to tell you about what we’re doing,” Saul said. “But as for the standing stones, how about coming along with me tonight? You can see what it is that I have to do at the portal, and you may get a bit of a demonstration of magic in the process.”

“I’d like that very much,” Elman said.

Saul grinned suddenly. “Very well,” he said. “Yes, Jerryl told me a bit about you, too, Elman, and I liked what I heard. He said you were a man I could trust, and a man I could rely on. I’m glad to have you along. You’ll see something interesting, at least I can guarantee you that.”

* * *

At nightfall, Saul stood on the hilltop with Elman, Brand, and Zorea all beside him. He could feel the excitement in his companions, the anticipation of the development of their magic from Zorea and Brand, and the excitement that came from seeing something unexpected coming from Elman. The connection that ran through them from the Squad magic pulsed between them, and Saul wondered if he might be able to bring Elman into the Squad with them.

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He glanced at the Squad options in his system, but there was nothing that he could see that would allow him to add another member, so he let it be for the moment. The idea of upgrading his Squads was on his mind a lot lately but, for now, he would focus on portal creation.

Elman watched with interest as Saul stepped up to the portal stones. Zorea came up with him, carrying the little bottle that contained the preserved blood of the Ambassador of Keljek. They had mixed this with refined grain spirit to keep it from rotting, and it had held up fairly well.

“Go ahead,” Saul said to Zorea, and she stepped forward, solemnly pouring the contents of the little bottle out onto the nearest standing stone.

There wasn’t much, but there was enough. The red liquid looked black in the light of the moon as it spilled down the rough edge of the stone, then Zorea capped the bottle, put it back in her pocket, and looked expectantly at Saul.

Saul glanced at the sky, and then activated the System options.

Portal Crafting Available:

Portal Stones: Present

Blood of the Enemy: Present (Time Limited)

The Waning Crescent Moon: Present

Select: Craft Portal Sigil

In the lower corner of his vision, the little hourglass that represented the time he had to work with dripped sand alarmingly quickly. He would have to act fast.

He drew a breath to warn Elman that they were about to vanish for a short while, but when he selected Craft Portal Sigil, he was immediately presented with a new option.

Sigil Crafting Workshop: Transport

Select: Travel with Fire Squad

Select: Add Temporary Squad Member: Elman Tell

So, here was the option he’d been hoping for earlier! He turned to Elman.

“Are you game for a bit of magic?” he asked. “There’s no time to explain, you’ll be transported to a different place with us. You might find it disorientating, but it’s perfectly safe.”

Elman didn’t hesitate for a moment. “I’m ready,” he said, his eyes sparkling. Despite his advanced age, this old soldier had his spirit of adventure intact.

Saul selected the option to add him to their Squad, then hit the Travel with Fire Squad option straight afterward.

With a sudden lurch, they were all lifted and hurled forward. Elman cried out in surprise and, a moment later, he was on his knees, retching, as Brand stepped forward and helped him up.

“Are you all right, Armsmaster?” he asked.

“By all the gods…” Elman groaned.

“Don’t say that!” Saul snapped, wincing. If there was one thing he did not like, it was the invocation of the gods that had betrayed him, and he particularly hated it while they were within the Workshop. The Workshop, and the System itself, were a form of magic that had nothing to do with those treacherous deities, and Saul wanted to keep it that way.

“What?” Elman grumbled as Brand helped him to his feet. “What’s the matter with the…”

“Don’t,” Brand warned. “Saul is very particular about the mention of…those beings. While we are here, just don’t say that word.”

“Hmph, very well,” Elman said, then looked around the space they’d been transported to in amazement. “What is this place?”

Saul let Brand and Zorea do the explaining. He liked Elman and wanted him to be a part of their secret; through the Squad connection, Brand and Zorea both knew this, he could tell. As Brand began slowly to explain to Elman that they were inside Saul’s magic System, and that this was a place where Saul could create and interact with his unique style of magic, Saul moved toward the great crystal anvil in the center of the room.

As before, the Workshop was different when there was a portal Sigil to be created. The first time he had done this, Saul had been with Zorea only. It was just by good luck—or perhaps fate—that they had fought an enemy by the portal stones at just the right phase of the moon and had stumbled on the portal creation magic.

That time, the normally cozy and enclosed Workshop had appeared as an open space, a wide stone circle covered in snow under a black, starry sky. This time, all was different.

Whether it was the presence of Elman Tell, or the fact that this was the second time he’d made a portal Sigil, the Workshop had manifested as a circular room with an enormous map painted on canvas and stretched across a wooden frame on one side, and the familiar shape of the crystal anvil on the other. Banks of windows gazed out over a landscape, impossibly far below as if they were suspended from a cloud, looking down on the world from the top of the sky.

“It’s Keldor!” Elman said, walking to the window and looking out, with Brand and Zorea at his side.

Saul moved to the window and looked out. The sand flowed steadily through the hourglass, but he could take a moment to admire the view. Below, he saw the whole land spread out below him, as if he was looking down from a cloud. There was the northern border of Xorn, the impassable sawtooth range, and there was the Dragon River that marked the border between Xorn and the Riverlands.

South of Xorn, the Riverlands were green and verdant, a patchwork of woods and fields dotted with villages and snaked across with winding roads. He saw the great Midwater river gleaming through the center of Keldor, and the bright yellow gleam south of the Midwater that showed where the Grainlands lay, guarded by the Citadel of the Bright Dukes.

Off to the west, the sun gleamed on the distant sea.

Elman had taken Brand’s explanation of the nature of the Workshop in his stride, and Saul smiled to himself as he saw the pleasure with which his friends gazed out from the windows.

He glanced at the hourglass. Time was passing, so he turned away from the window. Saul had a Sigil to craft.

The crystal anvil gleamed brightly with internal light as Saul approached. This beautiful addition to the Workshop had appeared for the first time at that crucial juncture when the first portal had been unlocked. Since then, Saul had managed to craft various unique Sigils at the crystal anvil. When it was time to craft another portal Sigil, the anvil took center stage.

Using the set of beautiful tools—also made from gleaming crystal—Saul held his hand over the anvil and drew from it a shimmering mass of unformed light. Then, sinking into the light trance that always accompanied this kind of crafting work, he set about carving a portal Sigil.

As he worked, he was dimly aware of his companions moving away from the windows and coming over to stand near him. Their emotions flowed to him along the Squad magic connections, drifting into his mind as smoothly as scents from a garden drifting through a window. He smiled, peace and excitement in his creation mixing as the Portal Sigil took shape under his hands.

As the last step in the process, he reached deep within himself and found the magic that was his alone, the unique magic that wasn’t from the gods, from the System, or even from the natural magic of the old world. This was the magic of Saul himself, the magic that was a part of his soul and could be accessed only by him.

He drew some of that magic up and placed it in the Sigil.

With that final step, the process was complete. There was a flash of blinding white light as power surged through the anvil and the Sigil took its final form. Saul lifted it and held it in his left hand, his right still gripping the crystal crafting hammer.

There was a moment of silence, then Elman Tell spoke.

“That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!” he said. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he gazed at the gleaming Sigil in Saul’s hand. “If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I’d have never believed it in a hundred years.”

Saul smiled at him. “You’ve seen the crafting,” he said, “but that’s only the start of it. If you think that was amazing, you’ve got a few more things to see. Come with me. We’re going to create a portal.”