Max couldn’t cast shield, he didn’t have one active. He had prepared a Fireball instead, and Elderon didn’t know he’d learned it and added it to his Mage Book. Elderon had told Max that the Fireball spell was dangerous. That had appealed to Max, and when the chance came to learn it, to add it to his collection of spells, he had taken it.

“Maybe we should try and see what we’re up against,” Max said.

“Whoever or whatever they are, they are very elusive,” Anita said. “My Wilderness Lore senses something nearby disturbing nature. I know that something is stalking us, following us, watching us, but they are staying out of sight and just on the edge of my perception. Identifying them will be difficult.”

“We should split up,” Max said.

“That’s a bad idea,” Elderon said. “We are much safer sticking together.”

“But until we can identify the threat, we don’t know how at risk we are. We should spread out and try and close in on this stalker. Surround them and discover who or what they are.”

Max impressed himself with this plan. Although he really just wanted to avoid having to show Elderon his Mage Book, this did actually sound like a pretty good plan.

“The young Mage has a point.” Jahrod leaned on his axe. “We can stay within shouting distance of each other and keep the party together. I, for one, would like to know if whatever stalks us wants to meet us or eat us.”

Elderon considered this and rubbed his stubbly chin.

“I can use Familiar Sight to extend our search range,” Anita said. “I will take one flank. Elderon, you take the other. Spread out as far as possible. Max and Jahrod can move up the center. We will surround this stalker using the pincer formation.”

Anita drew a picture in the dirt at their feet with the tip of her spear. She drew two curved lines like the horns of a bull. Then she drew two straight lines in the middle of the curved lines. “Max and Jahrod will be here, moving forward, while Elderon and I curve around the flanks. We’ll trap this stalker.” She jabbed the ground with her staff, and a little flash of fire flared off the spear tip with the impact.

Elderon looked at the plan, looked at each member of the party. His eyes rested on Max.

“You are the most vulnerable, Max. It’s your choice.”

Max looked at the plan drawn out on the ground, looked to the small thicket they were heading into, and finally looked up at Elderon. He nodded.

“The plan is good. We split up and surround the stalker.”

Elderon nodded. “Ok, but first . . .”

>  

>

> Elderon casts Protection from Evil.

>

>  

Max felt the Protection spell surround him.

“Ok, we go,” Elderon said.

Anita ran off to one side as Jahrod headed forward toward the thicket. He moved quickly and quietly for such a heavy-set fellow.

Elderon frowned at Max. “Don’t get lost.”

Max smiled. He drew his catapult and took an enhanced bullet from his bullet pouch. He tossed it up in the air and caught it, snatching it out of the air as it fell back down. “Don’t worry, Elderon. I’ll be careful.”

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Max ran off toward the tangle of bushes and trees. He could no longer see Anita to his right. He turned left, and Elderon had vanished from sight as well. Up ahead, he knew Jahrod was heading straight forward through the thicket. Max veered off slightly to his right. He felt sure his friends would be listening for anyone calling for help. It gave Max a feeling he wasn’t used to, knowing that there were people nearby who had his back, friends he could rely on.

As Max came to the tree line he slowed down. The thicket was a small area, and somewhere in here was the stalker that Anita was sure had been following them. Max scanned left and right, hoping Anita and Elderon were in position.

Max caught sight of the heavy foliage above him. He knew he could move about high above the ground in the branches of the trees. If this stalker was in fact a predator looking for its next meal, then Max was sure he’d be safe off the ground. He climbed up a tree easily. He was not used to climbing trees because most of his climbing experience had been high commercial buildings or residential buildings, climbing to high windows where no one would expect a thief to gain entry. That job had never made him feel good about himself. Stealing always left a hollow feeling inside, but climbing was an adventure, and he always enjoyed that.

But climbing trees, this was not only fun, it was easy. The rough bark, knots of wood, branches—it all made for an excellent climb. He practically flew up the side of the tree.

Moving slowly from branch to branch, trying not to make too much noise, Max scanned the ground. He had a pretty good view from up here even though the branches and leaves were thick all around.

And then Max spotted something like movement on the ground in the distance. He wondered if it was Jahrod, but the dwarf should be moving along the line away to Max’s left. He looked more closely. The bushes that covered the forest floor gave good cover to any stalker. Again, Max saw movement. A bush rustling.

And then a sudden movement as something dashed out of the bush and ran. It moved like a wolf, appeared low and dark gray. Max was reminded of his first day here in Eveirea when a wolf had chased him up a tree. Now he was up a tree chasing a wolf.

And then, as the dark gray wolf moved further off, bushes shaking, the figure dashed off so fast that it was impossible to get a clear sight of it. As Max followed it, he saw a sudden flash of red. And then, all was still and quiet.

Max sat and watched the spot where he’d seen that flash of red. This was not the first time he’d seen something like that. That first day in Eveirea, that first encounter with the Death Crows, he was sure he’d seen a flash of red in the tall yellow stalks, and he had seen it a few times since.

“Janet,” Max said. He said her name gently, softly, with hope that she would appear.

The small point of white light appeared next to him, a dazzling pinprick of light surrounded by a black outline that looked solid and heavy. The white point of light grew steadily until Janet was floating next to him.

“Max. I think I was asleep. I didn’t know I could sleep. Although there is no time here, I was so tired. I dreamed we were together . . . in a barn . . . sleeping in the hay.”

Puzzled, Max said, “I was asleep in a barn in the hay.” And then he remembered what had happened in that barn, how he’d been joined by the farmer’s daughter. He blushed. Could Janet have seen him lying there in her arms?

Then Max thought he detected a hint of embarrassment on Janet’s face.

“What were we doing in the hay?” Max said.

“Just sleeping,” Janet shot back quickly, almost too quickly.

Max thought she was beautiful. He had never met a scientist before. He thought they were all dusty old men, a bit like Elderon but not as exciting.

“Can you try and do something for me?” Max said.

“What?”

“Can you look ahead, see anything out there in the trees, see if something is stalking me?”

Janet appeared to peer into some distant space.

“Yes. There.” Janet pointed. “A dark figure, but they seem able to hide themselves so I can’t get a clear view. But they are watching you.”

Max looked at the spot where Janet was pointing. At that exact moment, he saw spells fly in on that location from either side. One was the Summon Roots spell he’d seen Anita cast on a couple of occasions. The other was like a glitter bomb that sparkled in the air and drifted down like glittering silver snow.

In the midst of these spells, the figure appeared. A tall dark robe with a red fringe. A dark, pointy beard. The glittering snow stuck to his robes and showed his position while the root tangle held him.

Jahrod jumped out of a bush before the figure, just on the edge of the glitter rain and the Summon Roots spells. His axe ready.

But the figure looked up at Max and smiled. Max saw the figure speak, his lips moving, but he heard the voice like a whisper right next to his ear.

“Hello, Max. At last, I’ve found you. You are safe now.”

Then the figure lifted his arms high. A white sphere spread out from him, and the Summon Roots spell and the Glitter Rain spells were swept away.

Elderon and Anita stepped in on either side. Both were smiling, and Elderon walked forward, his hand outstretched in friendship. “Gorgoron, you old snake. What are you doing here?”

Gorgoron took Elderon’s hand and shook it warmly, smiling. Then he pointed up into the trees directly at Max.

“I’ve been looking for him.”