“Go back?” Max almost shouted it. “What do you mean, go back? Have you seen what’s back there?”
“Yes,” Janet said, “an army. But there is something even more dangerous even than that.”
“More dangerous than thousands of soldiers all infected by the darkness, armed to the teeth with swords, spears, bows, and arrows?”
Janet nodded. “Much more dangerous, but I could only see once you were close enough. The army is holding a fragment of the dark portal, a dark shard.”
“A shard? From the dark portal?” Max was struggling to keep up. “How is that even possible?”
Janet hesitated. She scratched her head, her wild red hair floating around her hand. She gesticulated as if she were about to explain and then paused again.
“Just keep it simple,” Max said.
“How simple?”
“Simple enough for me to understand.”
Janet started, hesitantly, uncertainly. “When the portal was opened up to Eveirea, the black diamonds that powered the experiment were taken with you. When you exited the portal, the diamonds were scattered across the world like dark shards of the portal itself. I think it might be why the portal did not close once you’d arrived. The dark shards are keeping the portal open. And it’s why I am still trapped here, in the portal, somewhere between Earth and Eveirea, or possibly in both places at the same time. And it’s time that is the most interesting factor in the equation. Space seems to be preserved in all locations, but time is not absolute, and there is no place that can truly be said to be now. So what I think has happened . . .”
Max raised his hands in frustration. “I said keep it simple. I think you forget, we’re not all science geeks.”
Janet stopped talking and was visibly taken aback.
“I mean that in a good way, Janet,” he said apologetically. “You are probably the smartest person I’ve ever met.”
Janet folded her arms and turned a shoulder to Max. “Haven’t met many people, have you?” she muttered under her breath.
“I’ve met enough,” Max said. It was true most of them had been the gangsters he’d been forced to work for. None of them had been particularly smart. Some had been more devious than others, but none of them were what Max would have called intelligent.
“Well, I’m not smart enough to get out of this empty blackness,” Janet said, “so I’m going to have to rely on you. And job one is to get the dark shard out of the hands of that army.”
When Max last saw the black diamonds, they were part of the transport experiment, a collection of industrial diamonds being used to power an experiment. A storm and heightened solar activity had activated the experiment while he and Janet were fighting over a bag of industrial diamonds that Max was attempting to steal for his gangster boss.
“So if I get that dark shard, you’ll be free, and the portal will close?”
Janet let out a sigh of frustration. “You will need to gather all of the dark shards. Only then can you close the portal. Only then can I be freed.”
Max looked back along the ridge path. Somewhere back there, hidden in darkness, on the edge of the forests below the ridge, was a huge army. Max was happy to be walking away.
“What should I do, march in there and ask for them to give me their dark shard?”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Janet said. “The holder is drawing power and strength from the darkness. The dark shards are bringing a dark influence to the world of Eveirea. Any who find them are corrupted by darkness.”
Max stood up and stared back into the dark distance. Anita was standing on the path and turned to look at him. Elderon got up and leaned on his staff and watched Max lost in his thoughts, in a trance.
Janet began to shrink and fade away. “Get the dark shard, Max. I’ll direct you to it when you get close, but you won’t be going too far wrong if you head directly into the middle of that army.”
“What are you looking at?” Anita said following Max’s gaze into the dark.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Jahrod stood up and looked too. “There’s nothing there, nothing following us, young Mage. We can go on our way in safety.”
“There is something else,” Elderon said. “Tell us, Max. What have you seen?”
Max sighed and bowed his head. He was no hero. He didn’t want to take on an army. But he enjoyed Eveirea, and maybe if he wanted to stay, he would have to take on some difficult tasks. But taking on an army? That was too much. He shook his head.
“What?” Anita said softy and placed an arm over his shoulder.
“I have to go back.”
“We picked up all the loot of those Deadtide scouts.” Jahrod leaned on his axe.
“To the army.” Max raised his chin. He knew what he had to do; he just didn’t know if he was going to make it out alive. “The army is being corrupted by darkness. They carry a dark shard, a fragment of the dark portal. I need to take back the shard.”
“You are developing quickly, Max,” Anita said, “but you are not powerful enough to take on an army on your own. Not even Elderon could defeat them all on his own.”
“I don’t need to defeat them. I just need to take back the shard. Maybe with the dark shard gone, the darkness that corrupts them will dissipate.”
“It’s a bold plan,” Jahrod said. “I like it. If we move fast, we can find this shard.”
“Even if we do move fast and find this shard, we’ll be surrounded by an entire army,” Anita said pondering the problem. “We’ll never get the shard out of there.”
“No,” Max said. “We can’t do it together.”
“Yes, Max is right,” Jahrod said. “We call for reinforcements. Ralynn City will have to help.”
“No reinforcements,” Elderon said patting Max on the back. “Max will go alone.”
Max looked up at Elderon with a smile. He knew the old Mage hadn’t read his thoughts; it was simply the only plan that could work.
Anita and Jahrod began to protest, but Max smiled at them and calmed them, and they soon fell silent.
“It’s true,” Max said with a sad smile. “The only way we can get the shard is if I go alone. I have a natural ability to sneak unseen. My Hood of Sneaking and Ring of Shadows enhances my natural ability. I will use the cover of darkness. I will be able to move amongst them unseen and find the shard.”
“And we will go with Max and get him as close as possible.” Elderon said.
“Thank you, friends.” Max said. He took a fortifying breath and struck off into the dark, back along the ridge path toward the approaching army.
At day break, the army was again in sight, still far in the distance but closer to the dense forests between the high ridge and the eastern banks of the Salt River. Max could make out squares of infantry marching forward, banners fluttering in the wind blowing off the Salt River. In the center of the infantry formations was a line of covered wagons and one huge wagon pulled by a team of animals. Max guessed the shard would be with those wagons in the center of the army.
“They will reach the edge of the West Ridge Forest by night fall,” Elderon said.
Max sat down on the side of the ridge path. “I will rest through the day and prepare my spells.”
“I’ll go on ahead,” Anita said, “and make sure we are not surprised by any Deadtide scouts.”
“I’ll join you,” Jahrod said.
Max watched the pair jog off along the ridge path before taking out his Mage Book to check his spells.
>
>
> Mage Book
>
>
>
> Level 1 Spells:
>
> • Magic Missile
>
> • Detect Enemies
>
> Level 2 Spells:
>
> • Strength
>
> Level 3 Spells:
>
> • Shield
>
> • Fireball
>
>
His choices were still very limited. He double-checked his selection and then settled down on his Blanket of Comfort. The sky was a patchwork of blue sky with dark clouds rolling along. The wind was fresh, but at least it was dry. After a few hours, he was fully fit and ready for action. He checked his spells. All his selected spells were active now.
>
>
> Active spells:
>
> • Magic Missile
>
> • Magic Missile
>
> • Magic Missile
>
> • Magic Missile
>
> • Magic Missile
>
> • Strength
>
> • Strength
>
> • Fireball
>
>
Not that he would need any spells if his plan worked. As night began to fall, Max made ready. The party gathered on the ridge, ready to see Max off. Anita and Elderon were standing off the path and studying the army. Jahrod slapped Max on the back.
“Let me brew you up a drink before you head off. Something to keep you alert through the night.” He cut a fire pit with a few swift swings of his axe.
Max looked over the barren ridge. There was nothing to make fire with. He checked Anita’s Satchel and saw the bundle of sticks. Jahrod snatched it up.
“She won’t mind if I use this kindling to make you a drink.” Jahrod laid the bundle of sticks down and dug out his Flint Tool.
The moment Jahrod struck a spark, Anita came running. She scooped up the bundle of sticks off the ground. “No,” she hissed, “don’t touch this!”
“Sorry, Anita,” Jahrod said. “I was just going to make a small fire. The army won’t see it from here in this firepit.”
Anita put the bundle back in her bag. “It’s not kindling, Master Dwarf. This is so much more than that. I’ve had this since I first left my Druid circle to seek out the darkness that was affecting Eveirea. I will use it as a last resort, only when danger threatens to overwhelm me.”
The lights of the army campfires began to spring up as the army camped on the edge of the forest. The army moved slowly but edged ever closer to the Kingdom of Faregent. With the daylight failing, Max headed off down the slope to the trees at the lower end of the ridge.
He marched off with a confident stride, hoping his positive manner would instill courage in himself and the party he was leaving behind. He was sure his determined gait would convince the party that he could achieve his difficult task. The confident stride persisted long after the feelings of confidence vanished. Max soon felt alone.