and land in the muck beneath him.
Fred faced forward and frowned. He wasn't going to let that happen again, not if he and his clothes had anything to say about it. The sticks at his waist glowed. The oppressive smell of the marsh was weakening and his castor powers were growing. Fred grabbed his stick and it transformed into the staff. A tree in front of him threatened to rearrange his face, and he pointed the top of his staff at the plant while he focused on memories of Ned's fireball trick. A fireball like Ned's shot out and struck the branch, obliterating it with heat. With no interference he could keep his pace, but the guards were still catching. There was only one thing to do, so Fred shut his eyes.
Without a focus he shot straight up through the overhead branches and into the clear sky. His back cracked at the whipping motion that forced him upward, but the trick freed him from the pursuit. The guards and Leader couldn't stop that abruptly, and Fred opened his eyes to see them huddled in a circle and putting on the breaks. He pointed his staff down at them and shot off a blast of barrier magic. It wrapped around them in a dome shape and they pounded against the walls, but they were trapped and would remain so until Fred left their sight.
Hywel floated up beside Fred and whistled. "Nice casting," he complimented the young man.
A proud smile slowly spread across Fred's face. "It was, wasn't it?"
"Don't get cocky, young castor," Hywel scolded him. "We need to find Ned and do what we need to do with that treasure."
Fred looked at the band in his hand. It was square in shape, but not perfectly wrapped around itself. One corner had the start of the bent rod, and it looped in the square and the end stopped close to the beginning so there was only a one-inch gap from start to finish. It was solid and heavy. Fred had no idea how to use it, nor even what it was.
The pair flew off to the point where the marshland changed to drained farmland. They found Ned riding through the green fields around the edge of the marsh. His horse and Fluffy behind him traveled at a ridiculously fast speed that made their flying look slow. They just passed over the last of the scraggly trees when Fred felt something twinge inside of himself. He was twenty feet in the air, and his face drained of its color. "Um, Hywel, how long has it been since you gave me that dust?"
"Oh, about half an hour. Why?" Hywel asked him.
"Because I think it's-" Fred didn't get to finish before he dropped out of the sky like a heavy, fleshy rock. Fortunately Fluffy sped ahead and stood under him so Fred fell five feet less, but his stomach knocked hard against the firm dwarven saddle. He was still wheezing when Ned rode up and took the square from him. "A job well done, Fred. I couldn't have done it any better myself." Fred hoarsely gasped, and Ned shook his head. "No, no need to thank me for bringing Fluffy. He was glad to get out of there."
Fred was about ready to strangle his master when Hywel flew between them. "What do you make of that treasure? It looks like a normal bent rod."
Ned turned the treasure over in his hands. "It looks normal, but there may be something to it," he absently replied. Ned furrowed his brow and held out the square in both hands. He dropped it and the metal struck a rock that lay on the ground of all farm fields. A deep thud resounded through the air, and Ned smiled. "Each of these treasures resonates with the stone of its region. This one has a deep tune to destroy the stone." He picked it back up and examined it again. "It seems we have a four sided triangle instrument." Fred rolled his eyes. As if the world wasn't weird enough.
"So we need to have the stone hear that thud, and it will break? What then?" Hywel asked them.
"Then the stone will shatter, and Dirth and the City of the Stars will be safe," Ned assured him.
"So long as no one has touched the stone?" Hywel added. "Wouldn't that wake it up?"
Ned shrugged. "I'm not sure
Fred faced forward and frowned. He wasn't going to let that happen again, not if he and his clothes had anything to say about it. The sticks at his waist glowed. The oppressive smell of the marsh was weakening and his castor powers were growing. Fred grabbed his stick and it transformed into the staff. A tree in front of him threatened to rearrange his face, and he pointed the top of his staff at the plant while he focused on memories of Ned's fireball trick. A fireball like Ned's shot out and struck the branch, obliterating it with heat. With no interference he could keep his pace, but the guards were still catching. There was only one thing to do, so Fred shut his eyes.
Without a focus he shot straight up through the overhead branches and into the clear sky. His back cracked at the whipping motion that forced him upward, but the trick freed him from the pursuit. The guards and Leader couldn't stop that abruptly, and Fred opened his eyes to see them huddled in a circle and putting on the breaks. He pointed his staff down at them and shot off a blast of barrier magic. It wrapped around them in a dome shape and they pounded against the walls, but they were trapped and would remain so until Fred left their sight.
Hywel floated up beside Fred and whistled. "Nice casting," he complimented the young man.
A proud smile slowly spread across Fred's face. "It was, wasn't it?"
"Don't get cocky, young castor," Hywel scolded him. "We need to find Ned and do what we need to do with that treasure."
Fred looked at the band in his hand. It was square in shape, but not perfectly wrapped around itself. One corner had the start of the bent rod, and it looped in the square and the end stopped close to the beginning so there was only a one-inch gap from start to finish. It was solid and heavy. Fred had no idea how to use it, nor even what it was.
The pair flew off to the point where the marshland changed to drained farmland. They found Ned riding through the green fields around the edge of the marsh. His horse and Fluffy behind him traveled at a ridiculously fast speed that made their flying look slow. They just passed over the last of the scraggly trees when Fred felt something twinge inside of himself. He was twenty feet in the air, and his face drained of its color. "Um, Hywel, how long has it been since you gave me that dust?"
"Oh, about half an hour. Why?" Hywel asked him.
"Because I think it's-" Fred didn't get to finish before he dropped out of the sky like a heavy, fleshy rock. Fortunately Fluffy sped ahead and stood under him so Fred fell five feet less, but his stomach knocked hard against the firm dwarven saddle. He was still wheezing when Ned rode up and took the square from him. "A job well done, Fred. I couldn't have done it any better myself." Fred hoarsely gasped, and Ned shook his head. "No, no need to thank me for bringing Fluffy. He was glad to get out of there."
Fred was about ready to strangle his master when Hywel flew between them. "What do you make of that treasure? It looks like a normal bent rod."
Ned turned the treasure over in his hands. "It looks normal, but there may be something to it," he absently replied. Ned furrowed his brow and held out the square in both hands. He dropped it and the metal struck a rock that lay on the ground of all farm fields. A deep thud resounded through the air, and Ned smiled. "Each of these treasures resonates with the stone of its region. This one has a deep tune to destroy the stone." He picked it back up and examined it again. "It seems we have a four sided triangle instrument." Fred rolled his eyes. As if the world wasn't weird enough.
"So we need to have the stone hear that thud, and it will break? What then?" Hywel asked them.
"Then the stone will shatter, and Dirth and the City of the Stars will be safe," Ned assured him.
"So long as no one has touched the stone?" Hywel added. "Wouldn't that wake it up?"
Ned shrugged. "I'm not sure
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