Suddenly Mage Stone was upside down 30 feet in the air with a blade at his neck. Zack floated next to him with a fire in his eyes as he glared him.

Zack breathed out barely audible words, “You brought me here? You are the reason I am not with my family? You are the reason a close family friend is dead?”

Mage Stone lost much of his joviality. He started to stammer out an answer, but Zack raised his hand and the mages mouth clamped shut. Mage Stone’s eye went wide as he tried to open his mouth. He brought his hands to his face as if he was going to pry it open.

Zack yelled with rage, “You fucking brought me here? Why, why did you do that?”

Zack floated away slowly as he flexed his hands and clearly making an effort to calm down. Mage Stone slowly put his hands down and floated upside down in the air.

After a long moment Zack turned back to him and said, “Are you part of the Veneficus Sicari? Did you kidnap my dad?”

For the first time Mage Stone looked nervous, he said, “The Veneficus Sicari? No, of course not. They have been extinct for centuries.”

Zack instantly appeared next to Stone with a menacing look on his face, “No, no they are not extinct. They kidnapped my father 7 years ago!”

Mage Stone looked taken back, “From Earth? How? That doesn’t make sense. How would you know they were Veneficus Sicari? For that matter how do you even know of that ancient cult in the first place.”

Zack knew he should not have said anything but could not help himself, “Paxton the Wizard.”

Mage Stone stared for a moment and then said, “Now you have brought up two things that have been extinct for centuries.”

Zack’s face turned red with anger, “Do not call me a liar. I shared with the Wizard what happened when I watched my dad disappear into a puff of black smoke.”

Mage Stone clearly losing confidence in his situation said, “You talked to the Wizard? You saw the black smoke of the Sicari?”

Zack replied, “Three guys with jet black hair, pale ashy skin, and blood red eyes.”

Mage Stone looked astonished as he struggled to make sense of Zack’s words.

Zack realizing the Mage Stone was clearly caught off guard, he gently set him back down on his feet.

Mage Stone immediately sat down. He said, “There is so much to process. I see now I don’t know as I once thought. I apologize for the mysterious evasiveness when I met you a moment ago. I am really not your enemy. I came here to help you. Queen Aadici sent me.”

With this Sophie, Teesa, and Marko pulled out their weapons. Mark brought down his axe on Mage Stone’s head. Zack reacted with lightning reflexes as he caught Marko’s Axe blade in his hand sparing the mage’s head.

Zack calmly said, “Everyone needs to calm down, Mage Stone you are not helping your cause. I have personally had to repel two different incursions by Queen Aadici’s army in the past hundred years.”

Mage Stone’s face lit in understanding, “Um yes, there is a lot to cover. Needless to say, Queen Aadici is not actually in power. I should say she wasn’t in power. She is, rather was, being held against her will by Mage Hogant. She is not even the original Queen Aadici.”

It was Zack and the team’s turn to look bewildered by the Mage’s words.

Sophie interjected, “That is exactly what I would say to save my own neck. I call bullshit on master mage Stone’s story.”

Zack put his hand out to stop Sophie from continuing, “What do you mean she is not even the original Queen Aadici? Who is she?”

Mage Stone replied, “Four women have played the role of Queen Aadici after the actual queen was murdered.”

Mage Stone continued, “The current Queen Aadici is her third cousin Esmerayne Aadici. When news broke of Hogant’s death, Esmerayne quickly asserted her authority. Her personal guard round up Hogant’s minions as sent them to the dungeon. She may not be the queen as we traditionally understand it. But she is most certainly the queen in name and power. She has been held captor by Hogant and his thugs. Lucky for her the news of Hogant’s death reached her first. She took full advantage of it and seized power back.

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Zack stared at Stone for a second. He turned and ushered his team away from stone who was still stuck in place on the forest floor.

Zack whispered, “What is your take on this guy and his story?”

Sophie replied, “This guy was once in the top five most powerful mages on the planet. I am not sure how true his story is. As much as I want to be done with him. I remember my grandfather speaking highly of him.”

Zack nodded as Teesa spoke up, “I think he is telling the truth,”

Marko snorted and asked, “Why?”

Teesa replied, “My father was once in the merchant guild and had a chance to do business with the Queen years ago. He was mistakenly led into a room with the queen and when there was a fire at the castle. Some say he helped save her life. Two days later when those who helped save the queen were called to the capitol to receive commendations. He told me years later that the woman on the throne handing out the commendations was not the same woman he saved two days prior.”

Sophie asked, “Why didn’t he say anything or ask questions?”

Teesa laughed, “Two reasons. One, he is not an idiot. No good would come from calling out an imposter on the throne. Two, he was given a small piece of land and a minor title near Vinstra. It was the most money he had ever seen. He took it and our family and left the capitol.”

Zack nodded, “That does kind of corroborate the mages story.”

Marko with a gleam in his eye turned around and asked the mage, “You say. There have been four women playing the role of Queen Aadici since the original. Tell me, how did Hogant get rid of the queens?”

Mage Stone replied, “Usually in a scheme where the queen was almost killed like an assassination attempt.

Marko continued, “In what circumstances were these assassination switches attempted?”

Mage Stone took a moment and responded, “Well, one time the Queen was pushed from a high tower only to be saved by a construction work on scaffolding outside the castle. Another time the queen was poisoned by a foreign ambassador. The third one was disposed of in a fire that wrecked a third of the castle.”

Stone stopped talking as he noticed the group just stared at him with disbelief.

Zack released Stone from his confinement. Stone was not ready for that and lurched forward on the ground.

He looked up at the group and asked, “Are we friends again?”

Zack growled, “At this point I am not going to kill you. However, you better be very forthcoming to all my questions.”

Stone looked hopeful now that he wasn’t bound and floating upside down thirty feet in the air. “May I ask a serious question?”

Zack looked at him with impatience, “What.”

Stone stood up and brushed himself off, “You have no reason to know this, but I am easily in the top 10 most powerful people on this planet. Virtual unkillable by any mortal, wizard or not on Eagan.”

Zack looked at him with a sense of annoyance and slight curiosity.

Stone took his look to mean he should get to the point.

Stone continued, “All this is to say I have been a mage for a very long time. Yet, I was utterly powerless to you. I had not one recourse, none of my magical defenses worked. I was completely at your mercy. I know you are different; we were counting on that when we brought you over. However, none of us expected you would be this powerful.”

Zack looked even more annoyed when he growled, “You have a question?”

Stone steeled himself and asked, “You really are a wizard?”

Zack spat back, “You literally called me a wizard when we first met.”

Stone responded soberly, “I mean a real wizard, like a wizard, wizard. Not just some conjurer of illusions who happens to use a little natural magic. You are a full-blown wizard. Like Paxton the Wizard.”

Zack was unsure how to respond. He looked at his team with a questioning what the fuck look on his face.

Teesa blurted out, “He is stupid powerful and easily could put down any mage on this planet. If that makes him a wizard so be it.”

The team turned to look at Teesa with their eyes raised. She responded, “What, tell me I am wrong.”

Stone, having regained his composure, spoke up, “Of that my dear lady, I have no doubt.”

Zack felt a measure of pride and some emotions stirring at Teesa’s comments. Ah no, I am not going to fall for another strong-willed woman just because she has my back, and a phenomenal ass. Get your shit together Zack. You are a tough bad ass wizard here to find your dad and kick some ass.

What Zack did not know while he gave himself a pep talk to man up; he was smiling like an idiot at Teesa the whole time.

Shaking her head, Sophie broke up the awkward moment by asking Stone, “Why are you here again?”

The question brough Zack out of his moment of tough guy meets junior high crush. He shook his head remembering he was still pissed at Stone and wanted some questions answered.

Stone said, “When Queen Aadici that Hogant had been killed. She sent for me. She asked me to find who had killed the mage. She wanted to know if you were someone she could ally with as her kingdom currently did not have a Master Mage.”

Zack replied, “You already knew I killed the mage didn’t you.”

Stone replied, “I had an idea it was probably you. You, being the person we brought over from Earth.”

Zack asked, “Did you tell Queen Aadici what you suspected?”

Stone replied, “No, I barely know here. I was close friends with her grandparents. However, she is ignorant of the effort to bring you from Earth or even who you might be.

Zack said, “So she is just trying to make powerful friends? Is she a good person?”

Stone smiled and said, “I think yes on both counts, I think. Like I said I only knew her through her grandparents and the little interaction I have had with her.”

Stone said, “Listen, I know you must have a ton of questions, heck I have a ton of questions for you. However, sitting in the forest is probably not the place to have this conversation. Would you and your team be willing to come to Shoreview as my guest?”

Zack looked back at his team. They all nodded.

He said, “well that is interesting as we are headed to Shoreview. We can join you. However, I want answers and if I don’t get them, I will not be happy.”

Stone let out a nervous laugh, “Of course, of course I will be happy to answer your questions. We are not far as I have access to the Queen’s portal. We can be there in moments.”

Zack motioned for Stone to lead the way. Stone used ritual to pull up a small door. It was more of a large rectangle that glowed on the edges. He looked back and smiled and then stepped through the portal.