The soldiers and adventurers began to build up their tents in the protected area. Although there was an attempt to do it orderly, the many different groups of people made that fail and everyone put his tent wherever they wanted. In between every other group of tents small campfires sprung up. I was being cared for and was getting more in the way of everyone else instead of actually helping them, so instead I took a step back and watched as the campsite began to grow.

I may have been able to put together the standard tents on earth, but the constructions I saw here differed wildly and I was out of my element. There were many different ways people put their shelter together. Some used a few short sticks to hold up very narrow and low tents which were just enough to crawl in and sleep. Some didn't even bother at all and just laid out their stuff. With the weather being as it was, they would be in for an uncomfortable night.

The only group of people who had a halfway uniform type of tent were the subjugation soldiers. And even those contained a few better accommodations, held up by long branches with a height of over two meters. Those tents would probably be used by more than one person at once, though I wasn't sure if the prince had such a large tent of his own.

A few soldiers began digging a little trench around the camp to create a way around the camp for the water that ran down the mountainside. Various enchanted lamps were placed around the site and even up at the cliff to light up any animals that might approach. We had traveled almost the entire day and had only just arrived here before dark. Even in the twilight and while it rained everything around the camp was easy to make out with the amount of extra light the lamps provided.

After a relatively short while Lieutenant Riley came over and led me to one of the large tents. It was used to accommodate some of the female soldiers, but I had a separated section for myself. I wasn't able to stand upright, but was still able to stand if I bent over a bit. The space was more than sufficient. I put what little baggage I had carried inside and returned to the adventurers.

Most of the camp was set up when Richard and I were invited to have dinner with the rest of the staff of command. He might have brought along own food, but was still happy to eat a proper meal. I basically had to take up the offer, because I didn't bring anything with me.

For all the material that had been brought along, chairs were not among them. We met in one of the large tents, big enough for ten people at once and high enough to stand, but the only thing that stood for decoration was a large stump of a tree that served as a table. It wasn't enough to sit around it, but at least it held a large pot of stew. We hadn't been here long, so someone in the advance team must have prepared it beforehand.

Lieutenant Riley and another soldier handed out bowls of the stew and then we sat on the ground. The tent may have been up for an hour or two, but the ground was still very wet and I didn't want to sit so low either. So I followed an idea and stood up. Then I concentrated on the ground and pulled together the earth until it was a nice block. It was still wet, and without a direct look at the water inside, I couldn't easily control it. But the game I had played with Arienne came to my advantage now. I let some energy seep through the block and I became able to better perceive the water inside. I drew it out and let it flow into the ground.

Quite proud of my creation I sat down again and joyfully started on my meal. The others hadn't talked much even before, but a heavy silence made me look up.

Prince Nelantis: “That is a very good idea, I will also make myself a chair.”

He stood up and began to form the earth. He seemed to struggle a bit, but was able to build the ground into a similar block to mine. Richard looked at me and grinned.

“Can you make another one?”

Of course his chair wasn't the last, and in the end the prince and I created a circle of surrogate chairs. Captain Ravon had tried his hand at it, but I could see on his aura that he was hardly capable of such magic. In the end the prince helped him out.

It had been a while since mana had been an issue, but the work I had done with the earth just now had drained my reserves more than almost anything I had done lately. I was still happy to be able to accomplish such a feat. I also took some silent satisfaction out of the fact that the prince had to sit on a wet chair.

Once we were all done eating we began to discuss more relevant matters.

Prince Nelantis: “We are very close to the monolith now, about half an hour of walking. There have been some light attacks on our scouts, but most beasts are keeping in the distance and keep watching silently. There will probably be a coordinated attack sooner or later. We have to post a strong watch tonight and be prepared for a large scale fight. For that we will split everyone into four large shifts of at least ten. Everyone else can go to sleep, but should be prepared to fight on short notice.

The shifts will be mixed of my own soldiers, the towns guards and the adventurers. There should be at least one mage and one healer on each group, so we will have to organize them accordingly. One of my soldiers will have the command over the shifts.

Tomorrow we will head to the monolith and then set up barricades. We will have to adapt to the situation there, but hopefully we can set up a secure camp without interruptions. We don't know how long we will have to stay there, so the fortifications might have to hold up well. The scouts have detected large groups of different beasts traveling towards this direction. We might have to face a very serious battle sooner or later.”

The task of organizing the night watch was then delegated to Richard and the two captains. Before I could leave the tent I was stopped by the prince.

“Those three can manage the organization of the watch on their own. Would you like to join me in my tent for a glass of wine?”

“Thank you for the invitation, but I must decline. I am very tired from the long day and have to sleep soon. I have to be at my best tomorrow and need to be well rested.”

The prince seemed to be disappointed, but accepted my excuse.

“Perhaps another time then, once we are finished with this task. A good night to you Shalyne.”

Something not to look forward to.

“Good night.”

The night might have been very long while silently waiting for it to pass. I had a split opinion whether it was a good or bad thing that I had to head out again. I went into my own department of the tent and began to experiment on protection spells. I couldn't take too much time, but if I got something to work it would be nice.

I knew from the experience when I had played with my body like a puppet, that some signals were still carried over even to my energy form. I began to craft a net of ethereal strings throughout my part of the tent, that would send a shocking signal to my body if they detected movement. I didn't put them as an enchantment on the tent itself, because they might activate even if someone brushed against one of the walls while walking by in the dark. I didn't want to be falsely alarmed. I felt safe enough inside the large camp, but of course that was no guarantee. It would be better to be aware of an attacker before he even entered, but so I at least knew when I absolutely had to return and would even be prepared to draw some of Majal's wrath if need be. I didn't know how long the freely floating energy net would hold up, but I had to leave it at that for now.

I wrapped myself in the blankets I had been provided, and only then became aware how wet the ground was. After my practice today it didn't take long to get rid of the excess water. When I was done and comfortable I slipped out of my body. First I took a look around the camp. The people around here were all comparatively normal, if it can be called that way. Apparently there was no hidden powerhouse in the force, or if there was their ability to hide was truly spectacular, but I doubted that. The few magic capable soldiers and adventurers I did see were not exactly weak, but still within my ability to evaluate.

Next I observed the area outside the secured perimeter. A few animal scouts observed the camp from a distance, but there were no large groups of them nearby. I then flew up until I could see the monolith. I headed over there and as I got closer the density of beasts began to increase, though they were still spread throughout the area. It wasn't just bears or wolves either. It was difficult to describe with my current vision, but there were beasts with some similarities to mammoths, buffaloes and even a large swarm of rabbits.

They looked pretty weak, but I worried what they could accomplish when they attacked in an organized fashion. The animals exceeded our own forces by far, but that didn't have to mean anything. It didn't look like they were preparing for a fight this night, so at least my trip today might not leave me exposed to great danger. I gave out a silent sigh while I worried about the next day and if I would last through it. But worries didn't help me get forward, and I got on my way.

I just remembered to take a careful look for the huge aura that was living in this area. It was away in the far distance around the position of the isolated and most distant monolith. At least that one didn't seem to be either aware or interested in the events around the first monolith.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I then tried to find my way into the direction of the garden. First I headed a bit towards the south and then directly to the east. As long as the approximate eastern direction was right, I was sure I could make out the intensely glowing garden even if I passed it by in the north. I needn't have worried, the garden was something I couldn't easily miss. I arrived without even searching.

Majal was sitting still somewhere deeper in, her arms and legs crossed. She wasn't moving and just stared straight ahead. It wasn't difficult to see what she had planned. In front of her just beneath the ground a large amount of magic stretched out. I could easily discern the purpose, the moment someone unsuspecting stepped in he would quickly be enveloped by the magic and be captured. What actually surprised me was something else. All around her on the sides and at her back, not as easily visible, but still very obvious to me was another trap.

So she had actually expected me to find out about the trap, avoid it and then be captured by the 'hidden' other trap. This girl was getting more dangerous by the day, if I didn't have such excellent perception abilities I would sooner or later walk right into one of her tricks.

Naturally she would rage when her plan didn't work as intended, but I just couldn't bring myself to walk into it. So I flew down and sat in front of her, right across the trap and took a position similar to hers. Then I stared straight ahead right at her, trying to keep a smirk of my face. It wouldn't last long anyway once she got annoyed at me.

We stared at each other for a while until a frown on her face appeared. I had to admit that she had a bit of patience today, but it didn't keep her frown from growing over time. Finally she just stretched out her hand and pointed right at the ground above the trap.

“Go there.”

I did as ordered and to no surprise the energy quickly enveloped me. It was a bit uncomfortable how it was putting pressure on my aura, but not too much. It was similar to being a few meters below the water, just energetically. The force behind the magic was certainly very strong, but if I went for it I should be able to free myself in a short amount of time. Majal's magic just wasn't that refined and there were weaknesses here and there where I could pierce the net and slip through.

Although I could have gone out I didn't. Whenever I was here my main goal was to spent as much time as I could in the least uncomfortable situation. This trap wasn't so bad really. Majal must have thought differently, like it was a punishment for me to sit still and be unable to play with her. She made it a point to pull over some small animals to play right in front of the place I had been caught at, making sure I could watch her play. I wasn't jealous though and even enjoyed her curious way of playing.

It would be a lie to say I understood what the purpose was and apparently neither did the animals. She just ordered them around in a fashion that I couldn't comprehend, sometimes joining them, sometimes watching for a short while. From time to time she looked over to me with what I took as a prideful look and then went back to her game.

This actually went on for quite a while but stopped abruptly when some strange bird flew over. Its aura was along the strength of the other animals around the garden.

“Master Crow!”

“Greetings Majal. What have you been up to?”

“I have a new toy! I caught her when she was flying around!”

She pointed at me. Toy seemed a fitting term.

“That's a curious one. You made quite a rare catch there.”

The crow eyed me intensely before turning back to Majal.

“I hope you're not 'breaking' her?”

“Of course not. She is very tough, I can do almost anything.”

She unwrapped the trap and then slapped me. My consciousness was contracted in itself and I barely saw faint images swirling by. I didn't exactly feel pain this time, Majal had only targeted my energy body. But my current body had suffered quite a bit. I felt hollowed out by the loss of a lot of my energy and the sudden backlash wore on my mind. When I found my bearings again I was still shooting through the air at great speed.

I let myself fly along for a few more seconds and finally put up the effort to stop the flight. It wasn't so much straining as an effort as the fact that I felt drained and without motivation at that moment. When I headed back to the garden I wasn't even angry, just resigned. I did take a bit longer than I could have though.

“See, I told you she would come back! Mommy said she can't be here all the time, but I can do anything I want with her.”

“Just be careful, she can still die. Then you can't play with her any more.”

“Okay, I will be more careful.”

“So, have you kept up your practice while I was away?”

“I...”

“If you can't control your power you have to stay here much longer. You said you wanted to see the world? Then you must be diligent.”

“I'm sorry.”

She actually seemed regretful. For a moment, before her eyes brightened up again.

“But I learned something else. Look!”

She began to contract her massive aura and hid it as much as she could. I had to admit she had improved yet a bit more since the last time I had seen her.

“That is very good! I wanted to teach you that skill a bit later on, but you actually learned it on your own. If you improve a bit more and manage your power better you can soon go out on a trip.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but we should get back to your training.”

She seemed to consider it for a moment.

“Can't you tell me a story instead?”

“Only if you work hard after that.”

“I will.”

“Okay then, what do you want to hear?”

“Tell me where you went this time.”

While the two talked I sat to the side and was astounded at the whole situation. Majal had changed into such an obedient girl from one moment to the next. I didn't know what to do right now, it was still night and I was supposed to be here, but was all but ignored right now. I wasn't sure if it was acceptable to listen in on them, but I wasn't sent away either, so I just rested close to them while the crow began to tell of his travels.

“When you fly to the southwest, that is the direction over there, there is a lot of forest at first. When you fly long enough the trees slowly disappear until there are only bushes and grass. If you fly even further there is nothing but gray rocks for a very long time. There are no animals, no water and no life. That place is very vast, but I flew right over it.”

“What is on the other side?”

“Even when I was still in that gray area I could already see the mountains rising up in the distance. You can see some mountains from here, but they are like dwarfs compared to those I am talking about. It is rather strange that in those biggest of mountains the small dwarfs are living.”

“Are dwarfs that small?”

“They are not really that small, just a bit smaller than she over there. What is your name?”

The crow had turned over to me.

“Yeah, what's your name”, Majal had to add.

It speaks for itself that she hadn't even bothered to learn my name until now. I saw no additional harm in giving it out so I answered with an honest: “Shalyne.”

The crow nodded to himself while Majal didn't really seem to care anymore and had already turned her attention away from me.

“You can address me as Master Crow.”

The crow then resumed his story, but this short exchange still left me feeling irritated. He was polite and even introduced himself to me. Although it remained at those few words, I considered it to be some acknowledgment to my presence and I continued to listen in without feeling out of place like before.

“Dwarfs are very industrious. They dig deep into the mountains and build huge cities there to smelt and forge the minerals into great machines. They also blow a lot of smoke into the air. I don't like to stay there longer than necessary and just passed through. Somewhere in the mountain range there is an isolated mountain where a friend of mine lives. He is a rock giant as tall as the trees around here, but he is as peaceful as that mountain. In contrast to the area around it that mountain is an undisturbed paradise of nature.

Now imagine how surprised I was when there was a huge operation of dwarves building a digging site there. I wonder why they”

“Dwarves are digging in the holy mountain?”

Suddenly Parangante had appeared next to us and interrupted his story. I was shocked by her sudden intrusion. It seems nothing really escapes her attention around this garden, I should be more careful in my exchanges with Majal from now on, though she didn't seem that interested in them so far.

“Is it a holy mountain? I don't know about that, just that the dwarves always left it in peace before. But I don't know any other mountains completely without any settlements aside from that mountain.”

“Typical. Dwarves.”

At that her presence suddenly disappeared completely, not a trace of it left. I must have taken it for granted, as it was always somewhere around here in the garden. Now I could make out her very definite absence. What was this about anyway, that she had to take go immediately. I put it in the back of my mind in case I ever came upon information about this mountain.

The story had been interrupted long enough for Majal to get other ideas. She didn't seem to care about the absence of her mother, perhaps it wasn't a single occurrence like it felt to me right now. The night had been so peaceful aside from that one heavy slap.

“Go hide!”

She turned around and looked away and I was back to the usual hiding game. Something was off, and I wondered what inspiration Majal had come up this time. At the last count I was hidden away and looked over to see what she was up to. The crow had taken a place on her shoulder and was staring right at me. Not just in the direction I had run to but directly at my position. Was my aura leaking? I checked myself and was quite content with the way I controlled my aura.

When I looked up Majal stood over me and looked at me. Not directly at me, but searching for my nearby presence which she couldn't really make out. Then she stomped on the entire area, although she did it lightly enough not to send me flying into the ground. The vibrations were enough to disrupt me and then I was grabbed.

“Ha!”

“You cheated.”

Extensive shaking followed.

“I found you fairly!”

I disagreed but didn't voice any more complaints. The crow intervened.

“Majal, you still have to learn how to do it on your own. You didn't even see her when she was right in front of you. Perhaps we should train your perception a bit for the next time you want to find her.”

Naturally when the two took a place nearby I stuck to them and listened in. Who would pass up the chance to hear the teaching a young goddess received?

In the end the lesson was pretty boring. It came down to some meditative practice I should have expected beforehand. Calm your mind. Watch your breath. Clear your thoughts. Then, when you are free of distractions look at what is. Rinse and repeat a lot. No wonder Majal liked skipping her training.

I didn't waste my free time and joined in on the practice. Boring doesn't mean one shouldn't do it. In a way I had an advantage as there were no physical distractions, but my thoughts were in greater turmoil than I had realized. It was no real surprise that I had a lot of pent up stuff to work through. I floated around in meditation and tried to clear my mind. Aside from short moments of peace I wasn't really able to get into the space. I still felt refreshed at the end, but hadn't even gotten to the actual perception training.

Majal's impatience was what brought the session to an end. I wouldn't really force a small child to do such training, but perhaps it was too important for someone of her might.

The crow flew off once she couldn't be motivated any more and I spent the remainder of the night with various games.