The realistic adventure

Just something from Samovar, that you may not have heard: 

The Candlemaker

   He plied his trade in the village, and gathered wax, from the bees, and plants, not forgetting the fat of animals, used for those candles of the lowest price. Whether beeswax or bayberry, tallow or cinnamon, the man was widely acknowledged a master. Walking the path to his workshop, among the trees and bushes which he had cultivated, he would note them all. He could make simple votive candles, in large numbers, while tempering other wax for sculptures, and even casting. He had a secret method for making wax from tar pitch, which was very desirable, but had to be expensive, due to the work involved. His candles sold for prices which rivaled precious metals, if they were the most decorative, scented, carved, and layered examples. He even had a method of putting the most volatile wax in the center of the candle, to extend its life, scent and appearance. They were all works of art, but some were simple, and some complex.

He lived alone, and simply, in spite of his income. His house was spare, and his victuals simple. He spent all of his money on research, or buying the esoteric ingredients for his works of art. He was never satisfied with his best, because he always felt that he ‘could have done better’. That was almost his downfall.

“I need a pure candle,” the old woman told him, “And price is no object.”

“Price is always an object,” Chandra, which was the old man’s name, answered.

“Show me the candle, and name your price,” the old woman, who had, as yet, given no name, responded.

Chandra took a box, which had been within a cavity inside the wall, near the floor. It was cold to the touch, and required two keys to open. There, within the lockbox, was a wrapped candle, one of three. Chandra took it out of the box and carefully unwrapped it. It was as clear as crystal, and shone softly, from it’s waxy nature.

“This is one of three,” he told her, “As you may see. It is the purest, and most valuable, having taken me almost a year to craft, one drop at a time. I had to cast it, as if it were bronze, once I had the substance, and I tested a small amount with a fine wick. It burns cleaner than a lamp, and will last a full day.”

“Hmmm,” the old woman seemed to look at the candle with both her eyes, and her mind. “It will suffice, inasmuch as the clarity will lend itself to the process with which it will be involved.”

“ I would charge an imperial, and two royals as well,” Chandra told her, “If you had them. Otherwise, I have other candles you might like.”

The old woman fished into her pouch, and retrieved three coins. These she handed Chandra, and told him, “Here are three Imperials, for the worker is worth his hire,”

Chandra was wide eyed with astonishment.

“Who are you,” he asked her, “To carry a year's wages for a master tradesman, three times over, in her pouch?”

“ I am called Tara Sandera,” she told him, “And am of the house of the Moon. My wealth is of no consequence, when compared to my magic.”

Chandra found that he could not speak. He had no words for a person he had been taught was a Goddess, and a dead one at that. She had to be a dozen centuries old, at least. Tara reached out with a fingertip and touched Chandra, so that his voice returned. He said only what was foremost in his mind.

“ I would give you all of the candles,” he confessed, “For the price you have paid. They are little enough for one such as you.”

“I would very much like that,” Tara told him, “And here is a small token of my appreciation.”

She handed him a book, scarcely larger than his hand, and thin. Still, it was the gift of a Goddess, and so he eagerly gave her the candles.

“Do not skip around in the book,” she warned, “For it is designed both to teach and to provide practice, that you make no dangerous mistakes.”

“I shall follow it faithfully,” Chandra promised, “And strive to learn each page, before turning the next.”

“See that you do,” she answered, “You would not look good in feathers.”

Opening the Book

No one entered the shop in the next few minutes, and so Chandra could tend to his various waxes. His Candelilla was coming along nicely, with the addition of some Palm Wax, to make it harder. His oils were reducing nicely, with Sunflower, Soybean and Rice, being on the hearth. By using the Husks and seed of the plants, it was possible to extract a wax of unusual qualities. The Rice Bran wax was almost as good as the Hardest Palm wax for extending candle life. The Caltrop wax, from the spiny plants that grow in the sand, with almost no water, would provide a scent that cannot be copied. Chandra checked on these, and other waxes, which were either more common, or less. He tended to focus on the more esoteric, but not rarest, because of his nature. When he'd made the rounds of the various cauldrons and steam boxes, Chandra took time to actually look at the Book he had been given.

It was, as he had already noticed, a small thing, without any adornment, and not even titled properly.

"The candles proof against darkness"

was hardly a title, and more of a description of any truly useful candle. This observation would come back to haunt Chandra, as he learned more about his precious candles.  

Just the cover, plain as it was, held Chandra's interest for some minutes, until a customer interrupted him. It had, as an illustration, several different candles inscribed, behind the writing. They were not clearly shown, but what you could see of them left Chandra in a quandary. He had never observed such forms, in wax, and especially not for use as candles. He was about to open the cover, when the small bell, above the door, informed him that someone had come in.

"Chandra?" an overly solicitous voice called out, "How do you fare? Are you well this fine day?"

Under his breath, and out of the earshot of any customer, Chandra breathed, "Oh fuming grease!" because he recognized the voice. It was Field Marshal Grimp, and that boded no good, for anyone or anything in Chandra's world. The man was a menace, with his constant desire for some "weapon" made of the heart of a candle. What did he expect? Oh, well, it was only another customer, and they couldn't all be wonderful. Maybe Marshal Grimp only needed watch candles, this time.

"Commander of the Watch!" Chandra dredged up as much joviality as he could summon, "How may I serve my good friend, on this auspicious day?" Every day was auspicious, to  Marshal Grimp.

"I have come seeking the 'bright candles' which you produced for the midsummer's festival, this last solstice",  Marshal Grimp told him. "I have an idea that they might be useful on the field of battle, to illumine targets for the archers, ballistae, and other siege engines."

"I can understand your thought, but must provide you with some insight" Chandra opined, knowing already it was useless, "They cannot be used as directed light, and only provide a bright circle of illumination."

"Yes, yes," Marshal Grimp dismissed the information. "I have a notion that, thrown well in advance of the troops, the bright glow of your special candles could be a positive advantage. I'll need some dozens, to test my theory."

"A candle tends to go out, when thrown, but the local smith , one Harlen Glenforge, was able to make a casing for the holiday lights, which held their flame when they were fired into the air by arrow." Chandra hoped the smith would get more work than he could do, by this admission, even though the design had been Chandra's. Anything to buy time to make the dangerous candles Marshal Grimp  sought. When one fulminated candles, cyanide often resulted, and that could seriously ruin the day of whomever was making the thing.

"Also I would require silver, for the compounding, and that makes the candles expensive." Chandra had an instant where he thought back to the candles he had recently sold, and wondered if he would have been so callous, had they been going to a warrior.

"Two Gold each?"  Marshal Grimp answered, "I'll pay that, if they work."

How about a dozen, at a single gold for each," Chandra bargained, "And if they prove satisfactory, the full price of two gold royals would apply?"

"I can live with that contract," The Marshal  said, "And I'll be off to the Smith, for candle holders of the proper type."

"See me in two weeks," Chandra finished, "If all goes well, I should have them ready."

Chandra knew he could easily make the dozen in nine days, but wanted a few more, just in case, and to avoid risk.

"Excellent!" Grimp  agreed, "I'll get the candle holders and begin preparations. These will be the greatest addition to warfare in an age. I'll be so famous!"

With various local buyers, and a few friends who wanted something just a bit special, Chandra had no time to return to his small book that day. It was evening, and he had closed shop, before he had even a moment. He has also made more than a usual amount of Profit. He went to his 'safe' to store the day's proceeds.

The Safe was actually a stone box, sealed after the fashion of a 'puzzle box'. Chandra had learned the making of it from a buyer who came from some unbelievable distant land, and spoke with an accent of unrecognizable origin. A push here, and twist there, and then to raise the back , now he could slide the entire thing forward, and the top would open, of its own accord, the twin tambour doors rolling outward and revealing the interior.

Inside were, mostly, things he had accumulated of personal value. There was a carved locket, the face of which could still touch his innermost heart. There was a portrait of his parents, which was done by an itinerant artist, when he was just a child. Here a jar of blossoms, carefully dried and sealed, because of their rarity. There was also a coin holder, and this was his current most important object, as he had much to store in it. Several gold coins, beyond the three Imperials he had gotten that very morning. 

Imperials... he considered. Worth a hundred royals per each, an imperial was something most men would never see. He realized that he had, in his 'safe' almost exactly four hundred gold royals worth of currency. He might not live to spend so much, but if that rare herb salesman came by, Chandra would make some candles of legendary reputation. That returned him to the Book, which he had yet to open. He decided that, when he was not reading it, and studying, he would keep it in here, both so as not to have it stolen, and also because somehow he thought it might be dangerous. With idiots, like  Marshal Grimp, trying to make a weapon out of beeswax, the thought had merit.

He debated simply putting the book in the safe, and waiting till morning to try and open it, but somehow he found himself looking at the cover, again. He suddenly realized that, once in the capitol, when he had gone there for supplies, he had seen one of the candles on the front. It was a 'watchman's candle', and the making of it was reserved to the mages in the royal house.

 “Well, maybe that had just changed”, he thought.

He was suddenly sobered by the responsibility in his hands. What might lie within this small tome could spell fortune, or ruin, for whomever perused it. He put the book in the safe, and decided to take it out in the morning, for fresh eyes and mind, to scan it. He went to bed, oddly troubled, but not knowing the source.

Of Nightmares

A black sky, shot with lightning. A cry of some creature, best left to myth or legend, but nonetheless real. Sounds of soldiers, and horses, in all directions, these coming without reason, or explanation, just into his mind. He must be dreaming, Chandra decided, since he was nowhere near his bed, and had no knowledge of having moved. But the reality of this dream, or vision, if such it be, was unnerving. He felt himself there, and knew that he held the reins of a horse, and that he was involved in something dangerous. Beyond that he was without knowledge.

Off to his left there was a lantern, but it was distant enough to not provide any real illumination. Still, with that tiny light, he could see something emerging from the trees, before him. He recognized it as 'the enemy', without knowing who, or what, that might be. Without a thought he reached into his pack, between his shoulders, took something out, struck the end of it on the ground and threw it, like a dagger, at the approaching foe. It blossomed into a fiery torch, and struck its target, setting the entire figure ablaze, and giving light to where it had emerged. There were more enemies revealed, but they seemed to cringe from the light. Those around him were firing arrows into the oncoming troops, but he had a moment of shock when he realized that the things approaching were neither human nor animal. The creatures convinced him that he was in the grip of nightmare, because only such a situation could have anything like this in it.

Again, his automatic response took over, and he fired an arrow, with a long, thick, candle attached, high into the air. As it rose, the candle began to produce a trail of light, which became small, as the arrow reached its pinnacle. Then the tip of the light burst into brilliant light, and seemed to float to the ground. The light was too bright to view directly, but illuminated the entire scene below. The soldiers were able to engage, and destroy, the enemies, instead of falling to them, in the darkness. It was the deciding factor, and made the engagement successful, instead of a disaster. Chandra wondered at what he had seen, and was surprised to suddenly awaken, in his own bed, drenched in sweat. He was convinced that he had experienced a nightmare, of epic proportions, and then realized that he still had his bow with him. This was disconcerting, because he hadn't owned a bow in years.  He also was surprised to see his guard cat at the foot of his bed.  Nothing would bring Alexa to his side, save an actual danger that she could perceive.  He was closer to that cat than to any person, and sometimes wondered if that was a good thing.  Today he felt that it was.  Alexa had come to defend him against a nightmare, and that was friendship like he had never known.

  He almost never bathed in the morning, but today he had to do so. He was as worn out as if he'd actually been in a battle, and found both mud and stains from the woods, on his hands and feet. It wasn't a good feeling, to know that he'd been a part of something so outre', and had no explanation. He decided to take a 'sick day' and study his book. When he went to the 'safe' to get it, he was almost shocked to find that it was in the pocket of his nightgown. 

  He simply dressed in casual clothes, went downstairs to the front door and hung out the sign saying, "Gone seeking supplies", which always kept away well-wishers, and then went back to his upstairs room, to read.   Alexa was territorial, when he was away, and so no one would likely come to the shop.  Most people took a look at her fangs and claws, and found that they had pressing business elsewhere.  

  The Book's cover no longer captured his attention, and so he opened the first page. It said, by way of title, "creating magic wax". This was followed by a short paragraph on the preparation of the instruments needed, and Chandra was surprised to find that he had all the needed items on hand. The procedures for readying those instruments were, in spite of the brevity of the book, extensive, and Chandra decided to begin the process. He got out the instruments, and took them downstairs, since they were rather elite, and not things he used on a daily basis. Only the Mortar and Pestle duplicated items he used often, but he had a new set upstairs, and decided to use it, so that it would be pristine. He wound up his dipper, because it ran continuously, and made dipped candles without his interference. The device was clockwork, and made remarkably similar candles, so long as the wax was full, and the wicks were in place.

He used to worry that the process of making candles had such a foul stench, until he learned of the sealed option, and how to prevent the smell from escaping into the neighborhood. Needing a breathing tube and mask to go into the "making room" with the cheap candles, was not pleasant, but it was better than having to live further outside of town. Even as careful as he was, he still didn't live near anyone, the aroma being a bit much for most people.

  He began the preparation of the wick holders and the molds first, as it seemed to be the most involved, and thus would take the longest. After a few hours, when the process was going on, and he had time, he worked on some molds, and his 'boiler'. When the process for the wicks was done, and time permitted, he started work on the various implements to test the wax, and determine temperature. Compounding instruments, whether cutting, shaving, grinding, or brewing the herbs, were next. 

This was followed by something he'd not done before, processing fungus/mushrooms. Chandra didn't even know that you could use those two items to make candles. It would seem there was much he did not know, since he found that the 'blades' he needed were different from those he had, and that he would have to fabricate some of them, since there wasn't anyone in the area who dealt with steel blades that precise and small. He put the first page of the book down and noticed it was time for dinner. He'd been at study for probably nine hours.

After he ate, he cleaned up and prepared for bed. He'd done nothing but study and work on his equipment all day, but it had been tiring in a way he'd not known since he was an apprentice. His learning curve was almost flat, after all these years, but he knew it would deepen, over time. In the meantime he needed some sleep. He lay down, and worried, briefly, about nightmares. Then it was morning.

Tomorrow may never come

Someone was at the door, when he got downstairs, and it was a man he knew. The innkeeper Sabros.

"What did Marshal Grimp  want, yesterday?" he asked Chandra, "He went straight to the smith after he left your place."

"Yesterday?" Chandra came back, brilliantly, "It seems like two days since he was here."

"Nope," Sabros affirmed, "I went to the temple the day before yesterday, and yesterday was on my way here, and saw Marshal Grimp , so I suddenly remembered I had some inventory to sort."

Chandra was silent, for a moment, while he adjusted to having lived a day when nobody else did. He knew that temple day was the same for everyone, and it had been the day before he saw Marshal Grimp , but he had a day after that official  came by that suddenly seemed not to exist. He decided not to discuss it.

"You out of candles for the Bar, again," he asked Sabros, since that was likely.

"Not this time", Sabros answered, "I was talking to the Priest, and he's going to let me pay tithe in items, since they need wine and candles. I just need some of those votive things you make, for the temple."

"They're not cheap" Chandra told him, "But I've got a batch I just finished, because the Temple is a regular customer."

The barter took a couple of minutes, since the price was pretty much standard, and the innkeeper knew it, but there was a Brandy involved, and Chandra needed a good Brandy, just now. When all was settled, Chandra saw one of his distant neighbors nearby and realized that he could call today a day of collecting ingredients, again, since yesterday didn't happen. Ms Catror went to town on second day, without fail, and she was off to market. That meant Chandra had a 'gift day', from the Goddess. He didn't know why, but he wasn't going to waste it either.

He spent the day, as the phantom day before, trying to get to the end of the first page. While he did not succeed, he did get around to setting up his very small forge, out behind the house, in his shed. It burned coal, and could be counted on to produce the steel he needed, giving him the needed blades in a couple of days. That was reassuring, since learning the procedures on this page, and practicing them, was proving one of the hardest things he could remember doing. It finally took him about nine days to reach the end of the first page, and re-read it, just for good measure. He practiced every procedure, until he could perform it without reading, because he felt he might need to make ingredients when he did not have the book at hand.

He was also careful because he remembered the warning which came with the book, not to skip pages, or proceed before he understood each part fully. It was odd, to Chandra, that he should spend so much time on this small book, since it was nothing to him, save a way to learn more about his chosen profession. He often reflected that he did not make candles half as well as he knew how, even though he had been known to concentrate deeply, on some particularly artistic endeavor. This book, though, seemed to have captured some portion of his spirit, and would not allow him to pause in his study. He noticed that, whenever he turned a page, it allowed the next day to arrive, but until such time, the same day repeated, and not just once. When he reached the portion concerning the composition of the central wax portion, of a magic candle, he had difficulty in following the intricate instructions, and found himself using more than a small portion of his waxes, trying to formulate a central column. Only the fact that he couldn't get past the day allowed him to make enough attempts, since he would have been without resources in a week, had they not simply 'not been used' each morning. He spent time making several different types of centers, until he finished a day with seven complete. Then he felt able to move to the next page. He had dozens of candles, but they were all ‘practice types’, and unsuitable for sale.

This kind of event was the usual, but he had to force himself to work on other projects, while he studied. The bright candles had to be made, and replacements for the Church votives. He also had the usual household variety candles to make, and he found he also needed some festive design types, for such things as birthdays and anniversaries. These called him away from study, on occasion, but he never spent more time than he was forced to, in such activity, because if he didn't do them at the 'end of a page', the labor would be a waste, as the next day it would not have been done. Still, he managed to do everything he needed to do, and not ever put the book down, for any great length of time. He seemed to find strength from the very activity which tired him so deeply.

He had reached a kind of plateau, in what he was studying, on the day the Marshal  arrived. He was seeking the 'special candles' which were supposed to be such a revolutionary aid to warfare. Chandra had finished a box of them, and there were even two kinds. One which contained silver salts, and another which was made with quicksilver. Making such, since Quicksilver is very toxic, used some of the information he had recently learned. Especially since the salts were extremely sensitive to friction, and had to be handled very carefully.  Once inside the candles, the various fulminates were fairly safe to use. The candles were very slow to burn, normally but with the salts inside, they burned much more quickly. By adding some of the burned dolostone metal, they were brighter, but a peat oven and rust were required to yield the metal, and working with it was beyond difficult.  He was thinking that a “floating lantern” with a tether, might make the arrangement more practical, but needed more information on the device. The Marshal Grimp  had heard of such things, and paid for the candles, leaving almost at the run, to seek a manufacturer of 'floating lanterns'.  Chandra wished him luck, not expecting that he would have any.

Chandra was almost ready to begin a new chapter, but felt, somehow, that he needed more comprehension of what he knew already. He wondered if starting over would be a violation of the rule not to 'skip around', and then remembered that the book was designed to both "teach and provide practice" and so starting over, so long as he didn't skip anything on his path, should be permitted. He was not anxious to go forward, without more practice, because of the feather thing. He didn't know what that was, but it was enough to prevent his straying from the rules. He looked at the book cover, and it was now covered with candles he could recognize. He realized that he should know how to make some of them, but he also knew that he was not able to make anything shown on the cover of the book. He spent some time just studying the cover of the thing, and finally opened it. It hadn't changed, but he had, and so it seemed all new. It took him a day for the first page, and as much as a week for some of the subsequent ones. Only two days passed, for the rest of the world, but he spent over two months in study.

Learning New Things

When, finally, Chandra came to the Chapter he had yet to begin, he was struck by something odd. Until now, he had learned only things related to making candles. He was a chandler, by trade, and had years of experience, but the things in this book were all new. He wondered, since he'd spent over a year, of his subjective time, learning this much, just how long would it take someone who knew little, or nothing, of the candlemaker's art, to arrive where he was? Only a few weeks had passed, according to the calendar, since he began his studies, but since he had repeated so very many days, it was over a year of subjective time, which had passed. He supposed that a novice would have required years, just to arrive where Chandra was now, and he had yet to encounter anything "magical" in the work. At least nothing beyond the usual magics involved in candle making.  He’d had to know most of them before moving from journeyman to master, years ago.  Granted, there were many ‘refinements’ in the methods, but nothing actually new.  It was just complex procedures for making waxes, candle shapes, and the various additives which could alter the consistency, burn characteristics, and durability of a candle, or even wax for molding.

He was surprised, then, to turn the page and see simply the title of the next section. There, centered on the page, were just the words, Magical Wax. No explanation, no subtitle, just those two words, and yet they spoke volumes, due to the information he had already acquired. First of all, the title page, inside the cover, was almost the same as this.  He also knew that wax came from the essence of life, and even from death. He was aware that Magical meant something very different than he would have imagined even a few months ago. Suddenly he thought of the progression inherent.  First was creating magic wax, and now Magical Wax.  He might actually be at the point when he could create that substance, whatever it might be. He contemplated those words, and as he did so, the background seemed to materialize, behind the title. It was an intricate montage of wax figures, wax sculpture, and wax representations of plants and animals which looked almost real. There were also candles. Large candles, small candles, long candles, short candles, candles for every sort of activity, including warming a chafing dish. Then, in the back of the scene, he noticed candles which were most unusual. He realized that they could melt metal, and be used to forge implements. He thought that he might need such, in order to make some of the accouterments of his rapidly expanding skill. He was more than right.

In the morning, Chandler was not surprised to learn it was yesterday, again. He was used to the routine, by this time, and found himself simply 'going through the motions', as he readied himself for the next chapter in his studies. He made sure the shop area was tidy, and nothing out of place, which wasn't hard, since he'd already done it once, and the various items just seemed to leap from his hands to their appointed places. He was done with his last customer before lunch, and knew that no one would be arriving until the next morning, so he got out his book, which was locked away, again, and settled down to begin.

The title page was alive with illustrations, at his new chapter, and the title itself now said, "Magic Waxes and their compounding". This was more of a change than he had experienced, prior to this, and gave him a kind of veiled hope. He turned the page.

When the day came to a close, he had gone back to the title page, at least four times, to look at what was there. It was never the same, and so finally he just studied that leaf, until it was burned into his memory. It was too late to try and turn the page again, so he cleaned up and went to bed. Morning was yet another yesterday, and so it almost flew by, since it had become familiar, after two previous experiences. When he found the title page again changed, he didn't even reach to turn the page, but began to go over, in his mind, the changes he had observed, learning quickly that he was being taught on a deeper level than he had supposed.

By late afternoon, and some hours of contemplation, he had begun to see just what the Title Page images were saying, and the interrelation of the various types of candles, together with their constituents. He detected a thread of connection, between those which were representations, and those which were reproductions. The candles themselves began to fit into categories, according to the section of the illustration into which they fell. He started to see the objects as extensions of their inspiration, and the candles as energy, garnered from reality itself. It was an eye-opening experience, and one he would never forget. He saw what made something magical, or mundane, depicted in candles and wax. He was becoming a candle maker of things esoteric. It was as if he'd begun an entirely new subject, one built on everything he knew, but different in the most fundamental of ways. He saw that a candle could actually 'be' the thing it represented, and act accordingly, in patterns of light. The darkness dispelled by a candle became a tangible force, one which he would combat, from now on.

During the night, after his epiphany, Chandra had another of the vision-like nightmares, in which he saw so many strange things and heard so much he did not believe, that he couldn’t make any sense of the story, when he finally awoke.  He felt that he had been watching something in the future, this time, but he had almost no idea what it had been.  Something involving him, and dangerous, was about all he could remember.  He breakfasted, and went to his shop, only to find it crowded, with potential customers.  He checked the sky, and it was still barely sunrise, so he didn’t feel that he had been late, but he seldom had this many in a day, and not all so eager to be first in line.  It soon became apparent that all of them wanted the same thing, a candle which would last the night.  Chandra had such things, but they were expensive.  Still he quickly sold all he had, and began to look for an alternative.  He called the crowd to order and began to speak.

  “I can provide you with candles which will last for hours,” he began, “And if you are patient, I can give them even longer life.  Can anyone give me an explanation as to why the darkness of night is suddenly so unpleasant that it needs a constant candlelight?”

After everyone tried to speak at once, Chandra settled on the Cabinetmaker as a spokesman.  He had slightly more sense than most of the others, and was well-spoken, so that he might even make sense.

   “I can only tell what I know,” the cabinetmaker, whose name was Lowry, began, “ And that is that the night is no longer as empty, as in days gone by.  Shadows have become things, and nightmares ride among the stars.  I’ve not slept, well, in a week, because of them, and sometimes I awake in the darkness to a feeling that I’m not alone, in my own room.”

   After some minutes, it seemed that everyone agreed, mostly, with what he had said, and wanted something to keep the darkness at bay, insofar as they might.  Chandra thought, seriously, for a few moments, and spoke.

  “Ms McClary,” he addressed one woman he knew, “If you’ll be so good as to put the kettle on, I’ll go to my workshop and see what I can find to banish the Mares of Night from my neighbors. I’ve nothing on hand, but perhaps I can find something in my stores that will do.” 

  After locating the tin cups, and the Tea, Chandra went back to his workspace, and began to go through every leftover he could locate.  He found some holiday candles, made for the Wassail groups, when they went to sing, and those were long lived. He went through his ‘practice’ candles, and found many which would serve.  He also found some wickless tapers, which he had made, years ago, and never used.  Adding some Palm Wax, and molding these together, he found that he could quickly make a long, hard, candle, which, while not as bright as some, would last for a very long time.  He set his automatic candlemaker to dip these, six at a time, and went back to the front.

   “I have some candles which were leftovers from other uses, and I’ve come up with a way to make a candle which will last over half the night”, Chandra told them, “And have an idea to go with it.  If you light it, and go to sleep, and then, when you’re awakened, use it to light a more common type, you should pass the night without complete darkness ever coming over you.  When the moon returns, in a few days, the blackness of a moonless night will be a thing of the past, for a few weeks, so you’ll have time to get another few of the long-lived candles, if you feel the need.” 

  Chandra spent the day compounding the long-burning candles, with a twist to make them last even longer, and by late evening was bereft of almost all his common wax, every trace of tallow, and most of the more expensive types of harder stuff.  He’d made what was practically a fortune, but would have to spend most of it to resupply his shop.  He was even short on wicks, now.  He warned his customers that on the morrow he would be off to buy waxes and plants to make them, and not to expect to see him for at least a day.  He would be forced to go to Ruthair, where he could get the items he needed.  It was half a day's journey, but the closest place with a large market. There was no joy found in those who heard him, but they all understood that he had to have ingredients, were he to make candles.  It was just that the dark had become a fearful thing, and he had the cure for it.

To Market, to market

 

Morning saw Chandra off to Ruthair.  He had to hitch up his two horses, after retrieving them from the local stable, and then put empty bags and crates in the wagon, so that he could vary what he bought, and keep it separate.  He also had to deal with several youngsters, who wanted to ride along.  Some were trustworthy, and some were not, but the easiest path was not to take any of them.  Better safe, than sorry.  He made the road before the sun was much above the horizon, because he wanted to make the city before noon.  It took two to three hours travel, depending on conditions, and he had learned that conditions were almost never perfect. Still, Chandra was not upset.  He had a box of coin, under the driver's seat, and some in his pouch, in case of bandits.  He also had a couple of boxes of tallow candles, for trade goods, which would cover for his empty wagon, and further allay thieves.  He had a spot of good luck, though, since Marshal Grimp was going to the City, to check on his supply of 'floating lanterns', and that was an armed escort, at no charge.  It was well before noon when Chandra got into the city, and he wasted no time in finding that section of the market where the things he needed would be most likely.  

   It was never certain, where the best items would be, Chandra had learned.  You might find herbs in one stall, and nut shells somewhere else altogether.  Actual waxes were even more unlikely, but bayberries, grapeskins, oils, and various other ingredients might be anywhere.  Chandra kept his eyes open, and his mouth closed, because he wanted to hear what was going on, not converse about it.  He learned that a caravan, from far to the east, had come to town, a few weeks prior, and began to seek out the Palm oils/seeds which were rare enough to almost excite him.  Imagine his delight at finding a merchant selling almond husks, and thorn bush woods.  The berries from the thorn bushes, while cheap, were not rich in wax, but the wood was.  Chandra would have some excellent product, from this one stop alone.  He located desert willow, Yucca, and Agave, in short order, and went on to find Cinnamon Bark, and  the waxy berries and stem juices that yield a natural lacquer, from the Wax tree.  By mid-afternoon, Chandra had also found, and purchased,  some waxy succulents which resembled roses.  Ropeplants, goatnuts, rice bran, and some myrtle, together with wax vines, also added to his load.  Then he came across some tar pitch, made with evergreen ash, and got more than a little of that, so that he was only slightly happy when he found beeswax.  Wax was everywhere, today, he thought, and then he came across a seller of exotic herbs and spices.  He spent far too much there, but got some things which he had only previously encountered in his 'book'.  Then the wagon was full and the sky was growing dark.  He went to a combination tavern and inn, which was safer than some and cheaper than others, and got  a stable area for sleeping.  He couldn't leave his wagon and horses unaccompanied,  since there was always that rare chance of someone recognizing the value of some of it, and stealing from him.  He wasn't that concerned over the loss of value, but he knew that he'd never find some of the items in the market, until another of the rare caravans happened by.  

Night passed peacefully, since the stable was lit, most of the time, and the comings and goings of travelers continued for hours, and began early.  Chandra slept, off and on, but was fairly well-rested in the morning.  He paid for his lodgings, and the care his horses had received, not to mention some extra grain to get them home, and was ready for the journey home.  Then came the Marshal Grimp. 

   "Chandra, old fellow," came the salutation, "I'm delighted to locate you, this day, because I've a problem which I'm hoping you can assist me in solving."

   "What could I possibly do for you, in this distant environment?" Chandra answered, "I'm half a day from my shop, and have nothing but supplies in my wagon." 

   "It's something of a quandary, I fear, " the Marshal told him, "I was able to get a book, concerning the floating Lanterns, but no one I can find is able to read it."

   Chandra could hardly refuse to look at the work, and was surprised to find that it was in the trade language of the East.  He'd learned that years ago, in order to purchase the rice bran and waxy succulents so vital to his craft.  He would have a tough time making his better goods, if he suddenly couldn't get Palm nut wax.  He must have been still a bit tired and sleepy, because he informed Marshal Grimp that he could read the book.

   "Too right, then,!" the Marshal exclaimed, "You'll be able to work with the smith I've contracted, and the paper maker, who will create the lanterns!  I'm delighted." 

  Chandra had a moment to wish that he were also, "delighted", and then had to paint on a happy face, to keep the Marshal in good spirits.  Marshal Grimp, in bad spirits, was almost a curse upon the land.

   "I've a load to take back," Chandra said, with what seemed genuine regret, "The goods I've purchased need to be processed, and product made.  The locals are beating down my door for candles." 

   "Well, then I can be of some service," the Marshal intoned, with inflated self-importance, "I've just made a purchase of Candles, for my troops, and they came with some 'exotics' for which I've no use.  You can have them, for your services." 

  It is a testament to his long years of labour, and having to conceal his emotions from customers, that Chandra made no sign of the Joy he felt.  The candles he had just acquired, no matter how rude, would not be tallow, and would contribute to his project beyond words.  It almost made him forget that he was about to have to work with a papermaker and a smith.

The marshal insisted in taking these people with the party.  The papermaker, who came, complete with a laboratory on wheels.  With her came two assistants, a young man, and a slightly older girl. In all, there were enough wagons to represent a miniature caravan, and the Soldiers were glad of it.  Supplies were plentiful, and mounts would not have to over exert themselves. Only the absence of the smith puzzled Chandra, until the Marshal informed him that the Smith would meet them, back near Chandra’s home village.  Ahamel might have to change the population sign, if more people kept coming, Chandra thought, with amusement. His little village was only barely large enough for its own church, and had to depend on several nearby settlements at that.  Still it was home, and he was glad to be going there. Any time he had to travel, he seemed happiest at the end of the journey, when home appeared before him. Hours passed slowly, and the day was warm. In spite of having a woman in the group, Chandra almost dozed, since the horses were following others, and needed little direction.  He almost considered getting out his book, but then was worried that someone besides him would see it. He still felt it to be an object of real danger, if abused.  

So the journey continued, and Chandra was soon bombarded with questions about the paper lantern instructions.  He read parts of their book, sometimes several times, and the Papermaker seemed unsatisfied.  He was surprised to find the woman to be inquisitive and commanding.  She was enough of a puzzle to overcome his usual ‘distancing’ of the opposite sex.

  “It wants specifics”, she complained, “It tells the basic construction of the device, but omits the instructions for the paper to cover it.  This is unacceptable.”

  “Mistress Pyrus,” her assistant responded, “Perhaps those instructions are more to the back of the work, after all the paper is needed only when the device is complete.”

   “Let us hope,” Pyrus said, “For without the proper type of paper, the device will be too heavy to rise, on it’s warm air.”

   Chandra was not opposed to translating ever more of the work, since he was learning as much as he shared, in so doing.  He found the lattice for the paper lantern to be fascinating, and could think of several ways to improve it, while he translated the current instructions.  He knew, for example, that certain woods, notably the wax wood, and even some of the Briarwood, could be made flexible and was strong enough to support the paper lanterns.  By using a compound of dolostone metal,bauxite, and extreme heat, he knew that there could be fashioned a base, for the lantern, which was both lighter than wood, and flammable.  That way the lantern would simply burn up, when its task as a light was ended. It seemed wise not to risk having such a tool fall into enemy hands.

   Chandra was not vocal, about his ideas, because he disliked making weapons.  He couldn’t stop himself from having innovations, but he could avoid making them known.  Also, he felt that the studies he was making into candlemaking, might benefit from this extra knowledge.  After all, a floating lantern was amazing, but if it be ‘magic’, then it would be fantastic. Also, the treatment of the metals, in this instruction book, were advanced beyond anything he knew. He would have to make some candles for them.  He wondered at the source of the manual, because it was both very simple and quite advanced, as if the author, or authors, wanted to reveal only as much information as was required to construct a primitive floating lantern, for some purpose of their own.  Chandra disliked puzzles, almost as much as anything he encountered, both because they usually had questionable origins, and because he could not ignore them. Once he had enough information, he found himself unable to let the problem alone, until he understood fully what was up.

For the rest of the way to Ahamel, Chandra translated, and the young male papermaker apprentice, named Ulysses Bond, handled the horses.  Chandra was amazed at the amount of knowledge the Mistress had, it was almost encyclopedic. Pyrus was sharp and skilled, that much was evident. 

   “So the binding agent is actually in the solution,” Pyrus said, after a lengthy passage had been read, “That would mean it has to dry in the shape you’re going to use, or it won’t fit properly.”

  “As far as I can tell,” Chandra answered, “From the instructions, but somehow I feel as if something vital is missing.”

  “I agree,” Pyrus said, “There has to be more information, but it’s been left out.  I suspect that’s on purpose.”

   “I can’t think why,” Chandra answered, “ One could scarcely make the finished product, outside of this application, with such a spotty procedure.”

   “To keep the secret of the paper,” Pyrus returned, “Making such paper is almost an art, and those who have the right of it make their fortunes by not sharing the formula.”

   “Then we have a concern in common”, Chandra told her,  “I would know the formula, for I need to make the center of this thing.  How flammable is it? How does it stand up to wind, and is it porous? Will it fall apart if exposed to moisture, or can I count on it to keep my candle mostly dry?”

   “We SHALL protect the interior, because the light is vital.  Once we’ve had some time with this ‘smith’, I suspect we’ll be able to research this elusive paper shell”, Pyrus said, “Then, once we’ve unlocked the secret, we can modify it for porosity, and perhaps make it waterproof.” 

  “I’ve some research to do on the central light,” Chandra admitted, “Once I know how much flame I’m allowed, I’ll be able to adjust the heat and light, accordingly.” 

 “I’m getting anxious to meet this metalsmith,” Pyrus told him, “The device is practically jewelry, and that worries me.  A common blacksmith won’t have the skills to make something that delicate.”

   They were less than an hour out of Ahamel, and had already passed one of the cluster of villages which surrounded it, when a figure on a white creature that gave meaning to the words “Noble Steed”, approached them. 

  “Well,” Chandra remarked, on seeing the creature, “Here’s yet another surprise.”

  “I am the Jewelsmith Amanatra,” the mounted Elf, for indeed it was such a creature, spoke, “I seek the Marshal of Ahamel, and the surrounding lands.  We have business.”

  “That would be I,” Marshal Grimp spoke firmly, but without the normal cheery tone he was wont to use. “I should like to introduce to you, Chandra, a master of candle making, and Pyrus, a Senior Mistress of the Papermaking art.  They have the instructions which I mentioned to you, at our last meeting.”

  “May I see them?” Amanatra asked.

  “I’ve been translating for Pyrus,” Chandra explained, “As the instructions are in the trade language of the east.  I learned it as an apprentice.”

  “Hmm, this was written by someone who sought to conceal a great deal of knowledge,” Amanatra observed, looking at the work, “It has a great deal of information, but withholds as much as it gives.  Fortunately I can fill in the gaps.” 

  Chandra was hard pressed not to laugh, at the remark, but Pyrus was not so reserved.  She laughed, out loud, and remarked, as soon as she caught her breath.

  “All that work, for nothing,” she said, “Someone tried to conceal all of the art involved in this device, and you know the process.  That’s hilarious!” 

  “The writer will lose sleep,” Amanatra admitted, “Should he find that I’m involved. But if my suspicions prove true, he deserves the loss.” 

  “I was almost certain that the writer had intentions which were less than honorable,” Chandra said, “To work that hard not to tell the makers exactly what they were doing, seems a subterfuge, to my mind.”

  “I find myself overjoyed at the company I shall be keeping”, Amanatra suddenly revealed, “I had feared the worst, and now find the best.  It is a good day.”

 Chandra found himself agreeing, in spite of the fact that Pyrus was a woman. 

A new family

  For some reason he did not understand himself, Chandra brought the other workers to his home, directly, without any stops.  He showed them the shop, the workplace, his Quarters, which were left over from an Inn and had more than enough space for everyone, and he even showed Amanatra the Forge in the shed.  It required some minutes, but was well worth the effort. Amanatra was more than slightly knowledgeable concerning the Chandler’s art, as was Pyrus. They were both impressed beyond words at the workshop they encountered.  

   “Here is a place I would love to work,” Pyrus told him, and I have everything I need to set up shop outside.”

  “I hear you”, Amanatra agreed, “I would scarcely need anything beyond what is already here.”

  “It’s settled, then,” Chandra decided, “The pair of you, and your apprentices, shall board here, and work, so that we need not worry about security.  I’ve a cat.”

  Not working inside of his Laboratory?  Chandra expelled some breath he didn’t even know he had been holding.  He’d have something like privacy, at least in his research.  They would probably use what had been the ‘back room’ of the inn, for common work, because it was almost empty, save for some storage.  In fact, as soon as everyone had met, and become know to the cat Alexis, they could unload any supplies they needed in common into that place.

   Alexa took to Pyrus, somewhat, and that was a good thing.  Then the cat met the elf, and it was a mutual admiration society.  They loved one another, instantly. Amanatra asked to be able to care for the animal, as partial payment for staying in Chandra’s home, and Chandra agreed.  Normally he would never had considered it, but Alexa had never loved anyone but Chandra, the way she took to Amanatra. It was enough to make anyone smile, watching those two together.  It was as if they had both waited, all their lives, for this meeting. Something in the back of Chandra’s mind found this thought unsettling, but it wasn’t about the Cat, or the Elf, and he ignored it.

  While the others settled in, and got set up, Chandra got out his book.  Upstairs, in his study, he began to peruse the second page in the wax chapter.  He was so deeply involved with it that the sun set, while he read. He finally put it down, and went to check on everyone.

  Pyrus and Amanatra had outdone each other on a meal.  It was made of some of his simple provisions, but was wonderful, all the same.  Chandra could not remember when he had eaten so well, even if the strange dumplings, which seemed to be wrapped in rice paper, were new to him.  He thanked one and all, for the provender they had transformed into a meal, and got some smiles and laughter. He promised that they would go to market, as soon as they could, and buy actual food, so that they could eat.

   “I hate to see you spend money you don’t have,” Pyrus told him, “I’m certain I can assist you there.”

  Chandra was ready for such a remark, and reached into his pocket.  He took one of his Gold Imperial sovereigns out,and dropped it on the Table.

  “If it come to more than that, I’ll take you up on the offer,” he told her.  Even Amanatra’s eyes had sparked when the coin appeared. It was enough to feed them all until well after winter had come and gone.

  “I’ll make a list,” Amanatra remarked, “Of the things we can use for food.  It will have to be things that will last, and which we can enjoy, for as long as possible, because we need to concentrate on this work.  I suddenly believe it to be much more important than I had first realized.” 

   “I have to agree”, Pyrus put in, “This had been a minor undertaking, but as it proceeds, it seems linked to some purpose we do not know.  Too many coincidences, and I do not believe in those. Something, or someone, is involved with this, beyond anything we know.”

Without any understanding of the reason, Chandra took out his book, which somehow was still with him, and lay it on the table.  Then he recounted the story of it’s arrival in his life. He realized, as he told them, the tale, that both of the others were a part of whatever greater Plan the Goddess had been hatching, when she came to him, so long ago, and yet so recently.  

  “I had felt the influence of the Goddess on you,” Amanatra remarked, “But I never guessed that you were working for her.  It all makes sense, now, and I’m amazed at her, again. She always knows what will happen, and makes plans before it does.”

  Pyrus reached into her blouse, and retrieved a golden symbol on a chain.  It glowed, softly as soon as it reacted to the book. The book also glowed, and the connection was unmistakable. 

  “I have followed the Goddess all my life,” came the revelation.  “This necklace came from my Grandmother’s Grandmother, and we have been a household of Tara Sandera since time immemorial. She is my patron Goddess, and I’m honored to work in any endeavor which came from her.  I am amazed that she still gets out though, the woman must be two thousand, if she’s a day.” 

  "This is all well and good," Chandra acknowledged, "But it won't keep us fed, and provide us with the things we need for our labor.  Those we have to buy."

    Conversation flared, with each person contributing, because food can be difficult, when you're speaking of three cultures, and one of them is actually Elf.  Beyond that, only Chandra knew what items they might be able to locate, in the area, and he was hampered by a lack of expertise in the two other fields.  Pyrus noted that her female apprentice was almost a journeyman, and could locate most of the mundane items they would need.  While she had little hope for the Boy, who traveled with her, he was good with horses, and strong.  They could count on him to help load and unload, and drive the team.  

  "It's a good thing Alexa is here", Amanatra put in, "She's as good as a squad of regulars, in guarding our residence."

  "I've always found her to be something which kept the casual thief from stopping by," Chandra agreed, "She's territorial, when I'm gone, and regards this place as her lair."

  "And she's beginning her cycle of regeneration," Pyrus put in, "She must've been impregnated decades ago, but the cycle is one which can be dormant for many years.  Perhaps the arrival of Amanatra caused her to begin.  He is , after all, a new male." 

  "I blame myself," Amanatra said, "I should have been more distant, because I well know that having enough males in a pride can bring on a female's cycle." 

  "Well, I'm thrilled, myself," Chandra's emotion seemed genuine, "I've wished she could have kits for most of the time I've had her, but until now she never seemed even interested."

  "We can worry about that in the fall", Pyrus put in, "When she comes to term." 

   With so much information, and so little time, Amanatra and Pyrus were in a rush to go to the market, but Chandra stayed them.

  "There will be a monthly market", he told them, "At the end of this week.  Since there was a caravan in  Ruthair,  when we were there, they'll likely be one here, for this gathering.  If not, we'll at least get goods from other markets, and some will be worth the wait."

  The delay, chafing though it might be, seemed a good idea to the others, and so it was decided.  They'd get by on the victuals they had, until end of week, and then go to the local market, while it was filled by a monthly influx.  It would also make them less suspicious, buying food and perhaps some clothing, while pursuing 'other things'.   All three took the time, beginning almost immediately, to start setting up their 'shop', for construction of what had become a very clandestine, and important lantern.  Pyrus found herself spending time with Chandra, because they both used the boilers, and pots, and because they each enjoyed conversation with the other.  Amanatra was busy going through the coal, and sorting the peat, for use in the forge, even as he marveled over the array of ores which Chandra kept on hand.

"I wonder if I might make use of some of these," he asked the candlemaker, "As they're exotic and hard to come by, generally."

"That Chromite comes from the tannery", Chandra told him, but is unsuitable for their needs.  It makes a steel that won't rust, among other things.  The corundum I got from a jeweler, and so you might find it useful.  If you get it as hot as a kiln, it bleeds a metal that's lighter than tin.   Most of what's in the bin, is of little use to me, because it's either not what I wanted, or of poor quality.  That magnetite is a prime example.  It was sold to me as lodestone, but is almost without the attractive properties one would expect.  It appears to have some impurities as well, which are almost never found in normal ores."

"This lodestone came from a meteorite," Amanatra announced, "And it contains an amazing concentration of rare earth metals."  I should think it almost priceless, and will be certain to make something extraordinary, by using it." 

So the conversations went, until Chandra retired to study his book.  He had not remarked on the tendency of the book to 'stop time' while he studied, since he did not expect the others to notice that event.  He also took pains to explain that he had some candles to make which were long burning, to satisfy a sudden need by the local populace for light, during the night.  Both of his new companions were interested in this knowledge, and could remember at least one incidence of it having occurred before.  It had been a harbinger of trouble, to both of them, and Chandra was suddenly interested in getting on with his studies.  He could only hope that something in the small book he possessed would be beneficial against such an occurrence.

Chandra was still stuck on the page he had been trying to understand, before he went to Ruthair, and it simply would not condense in his consciousness.  Finally he fell asleep, and woke still in his chair, book in hand.  He rose, and went down, seeking some morning beverage.  

"I hope you slept better than I",  Pyrus told him, from the stove, "I found sleep almost as fleeting as rain in the desert."

"I never suffer from sleeplessness," Amanatra broke in, "But last night I seem to have made an exception." 

"While I must admit I slept, " Chandra returned, "I fear I did not rest.  I feel as though I were unburied, but in need of it." 

Pyrus laughed, a tiny bit, and put the kettle on.  She had  been going through the various teas, and found some black beans which were most curious to her.  Chandra explained that those were the nuts of 'nutbrew' from the mountains to the far southwest.  They would have been too expensive for him, but he won them in a game of chance, and still had them.

"If you will allow me", Amanatra said, "I can use those beans and  promise you a morning drink that will chase away all the fog you have ever had, in your mind, and make you glad of the experience."   

Well, that was not to be missed, and so Amanatra was left to the mortar and pestle, and the kettle, until, in mere minutes, he presented a drink as black as the pits of tartarus.  He explained that it wanted sweetness, to combat a bitter flavour, and that some liked it best with a bit of cream, to reduce the acid it contained.  Chandra had several types of sweetener, including honeyleaf, and he also had a small cupboard in which nothing EVER spoiled.  Therein he kept things he considered to be too valuable to waste.  One of these was a pitcher of cream, which he liked with oats, or even rice, on rare occasion.  Now it was put into the dark drink, of all three, turning it from black to the color of aged gold.  It seemed to comfort the soul, as it was drunk, and conversation began, concerning the upcoming market.  The three craftsmen began to assemble their work, and mix the precursors to what they would be doing, so that the day shot by, until Marshal Grimp arrived, in the early afternoon.

"Glad to see the three of you settling in, " he informed them, "I'm fatigued from our journey, and will go to the inn, for the night.  I'll call in the morning."

Two of the three people in the room were deeply puzzled, and Chandra was aware that he had some explaining which he badly needed to do.  He wasted no time in telling the others that his book would not let him go to the next day, until he had mastered a page.  The other two simply told him to retire to study, and not to stop until tomorrow came.  It took two more days, and the pair had time to sort out everything they had, and begin to look for what they would need.  Amanatra was delighted at the rare minerals, but broken hearted at the poor choice of coal.  He brightened some when Pyrus was able to locate some blue coal in her things.  It had been left over from an unusually hard winter, when she had been above the great plateau, in the barbarian lands.  It got cold there.

When the next day finally arrived, and both Amanatra and Pyrus had spent more than a few hours working with the cryptic instruction book,  Marshal Grimp finally rode up.  He looked the eyes of age, and death, warmed-over.  Pyrus and Chandra met him at the door.

"Sleep evades the entire village, so that people are dozing in the day and working at night, " Marshal Grimp told them, "It's as if night time is an enemy and everyone is at war with it."

"The very thing which sent me to the market at Ruthair, in the first place," Chandra told him, "Everyone in the village was having nightmares, and wanted candles to keep away the darkness". 

"I would suggest you work that into your schedule," the Marshal said, "Because otherwise this place is going to fall into very small fragments."

"Between that and the project you have, together with the annual celebration at hand," Chandra answered, "I've more than I can do.  That rarely happens to me, since I try to prepare for the future, when I can." 

"I'll be happy to assist the candlemaker", Pyrus interjected, "Since he needs to be able to give his full attention to the lanterns, and this darkness thing will probably interfere.  It might be a hindrance for all of us, in fact.  The constant clamor of customers would surely hamper our labours."

"I'll not argue with anything that gets this place back to normal," Marshal Grimp gave in, "I can't even rely on my troops, if they can't rest."

"I'll begin at once", Chandra told him.

After some idle conversation, and the obligatory refreshment for a guest, Marshal Grimp departed.  Chandra lost no time in uncrating the candles which had come to him as a product of joining what they had all begun terming "The lantern Quest ''.  They were leftovers from a shop which had specialized in unusual candles, and some were real finds.   There were the usual Bayberry, Palm and Soy candles, together with some rice and even other types of common plant, but there were more.  Candles made with wax that would only barely melt, filled with a gelled oil.  There were those made from essences, refined from rare blossoms and leaves, not to mention those made from roots and who knew what else.  Chandra was amazed at the variety, and that was saying much, considering he'd been a Chandler for years, and had recently studied a tome with much in the way of unusual information.  Tallow candles could be varied, but these 'specialty candles' covered almost every type of plant Chandra had ever seen, and some that he'd only read about.  Both  Pyrus and Amanatra were fascinated, since they had more than a casual acquaintance with herbal lore, and yet these candles were outside of anything either of them had previously imagined. 

"I never knew some of these even existed", Pyrus said to Chandra, "It's amazing that such things can even be."

"I'll have to admit,"Chandra told her, "I had heard of pillar candles that were gel-filled, but I'd never actually seen them, and especially not scented, as these are.  These must have cost a small fortune, as candles go."

"I've seen such," Amanatra remarked, "But they were in the sacred halls of Goldenwood, and rare, even there."

Chandra had turned beyond the title of his new chapter, and was inundated with composition and technique, but he realized that he needed more study.  He would have to learn how to blend these various candles, and impart their essences into a harder, more durable light.  He knew the mechanics of what he needed to do, but not the esoteric portions, the why and how of constructing candles which held back the darkness.  He needed more study.  He showed the other two how to 'render' those ingredients he had, to create a basic wax for his coming processes, and they were more than happy to begin the processes involved.  It was not hard work, but it was exacting, and would take more than a day or two to finish.  Then Chandra retired to his study, to, well, study.  It was vital that he know more.

Two weeks passed, before tomorrow came, and the food kept simply 'being there' along with ingredients for Pyrus and Amanatra to process.  The two apprentices were kept busy, with sorting and separating, not to mention carrying the same things from the wagon and barn into the house.  There was an overload of remains as well, but Pyrus was far from upset, since much of what remained, after the wax extraction, was fibrous, and would go well, into her compounds for paper.  Amanatra was quite simply overjoyed, because the wood remains were compactable, with peat, into an excellent material to use in the delicate forging processes he faced.  He even began creating molds, those which needed no wax, and preparing to cast the skeletal structures which would allow the lantern forms to be created.  It was a multipart process, and he wasted no minute.  Finally Chandra came downstairs to begin the actual work, on wax.

 After some hours of sorting, and setting up a half dozen double boilers, Chandra began a constant discourse on what he was doing, without a  perorate in sight, as much to codify his actions as to explain them.  He found that if he spoke aloud, about what he had learned, it was easier to remember.  Pyrus and Amanatra, for their parts, just absorbed what they could, and spent time fetching and carrying.  The two apprentices brought water into the shop, almost without pause.  Steam and scents filled the air, until everyone but Chandra was driven outside.  It was a moment in time, and the molds for candles, which included every single mold of Chandra's possession, which was even remotely useful, were filled apace.  Chandra then turned his attention to 'twisted candles' which required taking some of the unusual specimens and heating them, so that they could be 'woven' into larger examples.  It was amazing how many candles grew, under his efforts, but then again his efforts were beyond the mundane.  Chandra was making a magical wax, and it was making more of itself, as the candles emerged.  As candles hardened, they were removed from their molds and taken to the barn.  The molds, at first, were immediately refilled, until there was no more wax to use.  There were a forest of candles, and a cat, in the barn.  Alexa had quickly realized the healing, soothing, nature of the aroma given off by the candles, and wasted no time in obtaining a nap, of epic proportions, in the barn.  The rafters already had a place of her preference, and it was there that she took refuge.  Finally, as the sun began it's slide to evening, Chandra sat on the steps and leaned against the Newel Post.  

"That's it then," he announced. "Until we can make another trip to market, that will be all the candles of this type that we can make." 

"We have no shortage", Pyrus told him, "And those giant Pillar candles could light a village".

"And we have dozens of the smaller, room suitable, sizes", Amanatra noted.

"We've enough for a couple of weeks", Chandra admitted, "And if they do their job, we may not need another bastion, such as this.  Even the forces of darkness will tire of never being able to enter.  Let's just hope they give up without a fight."

"Hence the pillar candles", Amanatra remarked, "Of the largest size.  There is nothing so comforting as having a wall of protection, when you fight the denizens of evil.  I remember such an event, from when I was younger.  The Dragonwars had many cases of evil making its way, fueled by the darkness, into places which were usually more brightly lit."

Chandra decided that he would avoid questions about Amanatra's age, since the Dragon wars had ended some centuries past.  Well, he had heard that Elves were long-lived, and so shouldn't have been surprised at the age of his new companion.  Still, it was a tiny bit hampering, to be cumbered by the knowledge that your family history was shorter than the life of someone you knew.  Chandra suddenly felt much younger, by comparison, and that knowledge gave him a kind of peaceful joy.  He'd been feeling old, of late, and now realized that he wasn't.  He and Pyrus were young lovers, compared to Amanatra.  That idle thought almost made him blush, since he had not sought female companionship in many years, since his love  had gone.  That event had made of him almost a monk, in his celibacy.  But, Pyrus was a handsome woman, there was no denying that, in spite of her concealing it by garb and a touch of makeup.  She almost seemed to be avoiding her own looks.  Well, he could think about that later, right now there was work to be done.

The group decided that, since they had  more than a wagonload of candles, It would be a good idea to take them to market, in a day or two.  In the meantime, Chandra was going to arrange for transport, for those items which wouldn't fit in the wagon.  He wondered at a source, for such transport, since the pillar candles were going to be a challenge.  

"Ahoy the shop," came a voice, "Is there a papermaker by the name of Pyrus about?"

"Daniel?" Pyrus said, loudly, "Have you come to torment me, or just to be obnoxious?"

"Sister Dear", came the answer, "I've come with a delivery, because you bought it and it's yours.  I can't have it cluttering up the family home, and father is complaining, in his senility."

"What on earth have you brought, then?" Pyrus inquired, "As a brother, you've always been more use as a pack mule, after all."

"I've brought a cart full of barrels", Daniel  said, "A merchant in a brightly coloured cloak, with a hat from a bad play, brought them, almost two months ago, and I've been chasing rumors of your whereabouts since that day." 

"I'm astonished that you weren't robbed, killed, or got drunk and lost', Pyrus answered him, "You've never been famous for making a journey unscathed."

"Well," Daniel explained, "I got in with some of the Nushire guard, and went with them to the old road, where I learned that you'd gone west.  So then I found a Knight's patrol, going to Cambrick, and traveled to the cross roads.  The innkeeper there told me you'd met up with Marshal Grimp from this region and gone with him.  I got a bit of luck then, as there were some soldiers on their way, with news for that gentleman.  I've only just left them, in the village yonder, and they watching that Marshal of theirs turning a lovely shade of purple, with rage at the news they brought."

Chandra had risen from the Porch steps, as Daniel drove his wagon up, and now collapsed back.  Marshal Grimp, in a bad mood.  Chandra scanned the skies, to be certain there were no hailstones, lightning, or a horde of Dragons, overhead.  Marshal Grimp was bad enough when he was being obsequious, but in a foul mood, he could frighten goblins.  The change in his personality was something to see, but from a distance, since close contact could be harmful to your health.  He turned to the young male Apprentice, and said, tiredly,  

"Ulysses", which was probably the largest word the boy knew, "Go into the kitchen and open the highest cupboard.  On that shelf you'll find a dusty bottle of Cognac.  Wipe it clean and bring it to the table.  We're going to need it."  Chandra was certain that Marshal Grimp would be here, just not the timing. 

"I'll be seeing to the goods," Daniel put in, "Because I'm not planning on staying."

"Your plans just changed," Pyrus announced, "You're going to help us haul our goods to market, in two days, and then you can go wander the earth, if it suit you." 

Daniel must have been well acquainted with his sister, as he made no response.

Clearing the yard, and getting ready for the assault took several minutes, but was finished none too soon, as Marshal Grimp came in, looking all the world as if he were hunting Hobgoblins, and with so much attitude in his demeanor that Alexa was on the porch, even though no one had seen her arrive.  She was obviously aware of Marshal Grimp's normal moods, but this was a special case, even for him.

The Battle Looms large

"Well, my good candlemaker", Marshal Grimp said, and I leave out the invective, "We have a disaster of legendary proportions, which has come to our very doorstep, and will be the death of us all.  Save me, I should say, since I will show the enemy an entirely new concept in opposition, and melee.  I am, it suffices to say, not happy."  The entire speech was much longer, and turned the air slightly blue, in its enunciation, but that was the gist of it.

"The candles are ready, and we have a few designed to back up a force of arms," Chandra was to the point, and trying, desperately, to deflect what was obviously an almost blind rage.

He, and his companions, were not anxious to have any part of what was sure to be an incredible  burst of unpleasantness.  They were, in this instance, wise.  Daniel was on the far side of his wagon, and as silent as death.  

"Come down from your mount, tell me what you can, and drink a spot of Cognac," Chandra told him, knowing that he would do that anyway, and wanting to have offered.

"I shall, and devil take the rest" Marshal Grimp answered, "Now as to the news."

  The taking of seats, and distribution of cognac, while only Marshal Grimp partook of that spirit, took a few minutes, but did nothing to calm the Commander.  He was angry, upset, filled with some undefinable emotion of dislike, and generally pissed off.  Wine seemed a good idea, and only Chandra, Pyrus, and Amanatra, were across from the Marshal, who drank his first snifter at a single gulp, and poured himself another.  The Cognac was potent, but Marshal Grimp didn't seem to notice.  He was beyond anything approaching normal behavior.

"I have just," he began, "received a sealed document, brought by a squad of regulars, all the way from Chevalier.  It bore the King's seal, I mean the seal of Egbert the wise himself, and it was practically a  book." 

He paused, and if any other speaker had been making the discourse, it would have been for effect.  With him, it was just a pause.

"I opened it, at once, of course, but then noticed that it was to be confidential.  I went into my tent, to read it.  When I had sat down, and had my pipe before me, I started reading.  I cannot reveal all that was within, but I can tell you that an evil force is en route to our region, and the Knights from Lackland are coming to meet it.  We will probably be the point of intersection, and I've been given orders to find a suitable position for defense.  I don't know how to defend against dark forces, but I would assume it is much the same as any other warfare, only more dangerous.  I've considered several possible locations, as I rode over, but I think these 'lanterns' which I had commissioned would be a good addition, regardless of where the conflict occur." 

"If I may be so bold, Commander," Amanatra spoke up, "I have fought the darkness before, and perhaps can be of some assistance in the location.  You need a broad, treeless space, high if possible, and where the dark ones need to climb to reach you.  Beyond that, the pillar candles we have just finished will provide light and power to your men, since those of the dark will attack you at night.  They dislike the day but will attack the light when darkness has fallen.  Thus the pillar candles will at once increase your strength, and at the same time draw the enemy to your chosen site for conflict."

"That is the first good news of the day," The Marshal told him, "I'm very glad that you people worked so quickly, at the task I assigned.  Now as to the lanterns, we shall need at least two dozens, as soon as you can manufacture them.  No longer than two weeks at any rate." 

"Tomorrow we shall go to market, and purchase what we need for the project", Chandra told him, "With Pyrus having just received her shipment, in that wagon you saw as you arrived, we shall be able to begin immediately." 

"I'll depend on it," Marshal Grimp downed his third cognac, rose and mounted, without seeming to have traveled the intervening distance, and rode away, with his men scrambling after him.  He looked a different person, as he did so.

"That magical cognac has, again, saved the day", Chandra remarked, as the Marshal left, "If only its effects could be permanent."

"The effect pales rapidly, if maintained too long," Amanatra remarked, "It appears to inspire, and can make a leader much more efficient, but over time is wearing, since it contains no real inspiration."

"A potion of inspiration would be worth king's ransom", Pyrus put in, "But would inspire wars between nations for its secret." 

"All that aside", Chandra looked worn, and somehow tired, "We have to prepare to go to market on the morrow, and purchase as much as we can find."

It was a day of lists, and searching what they had, and almost frantic effort.  There was also some conversation as to the reason for this unprecedented incursion.  It  was something out of a fantasy, or a children's tale, not a reality, until Amanatra finally told what he knew.

"Long ago," He began, as they broke for tea and biscuits, " Before I was born, there was a war begun, between those of the light and the dark.  It was fought by men, Dwarves, Elves and every other member of humankind, including even the Gnomes.  The Darkness was home to what we now call monsters, and have pushed into those tales told around a fireplace, or to frighten children.  We no longer believe these creatures to be real, but they are.  Goblins, the Orckind, and Umfs, were among the most numerous, but Hobgoblins, and Trolls, were not scarce.  They live beyond the mountains to the west, and by that I mean the mountains which are widely regarded as the end of the world.  The world does not end at these mountains, but the light does.  Beyond them you will find evil and darkness, along with the lord of that realm.  I have few details, as I was a child when the war ended, of less than fifty years age,  but I can tell you that Dragons exist, and much of the dark.

"About two decades ago", he went on, "There was an incursion of that darkness, which we Elves believed had been banished.  It came from beyond those mountains and crushed a Barony in the Far West, named Samovar.  Rumor has it that only a single member of the entire Samovar family survived, but we know that one of the Baron's wives, an Elf-mother named Jana, did not perish.  She had been in Byredale, at the time, and was spared.  That Woodland, which itself borders the Great Mountains, has been under siege since that day, and the creatures of the dark are about.  Never, in the centuries since the Dragon Wars, have there been creatures in the land, as there are now.  If these denizens of the Darkness now threaten us, it is a dark day indeed.  The majority of them eschew the light, finding it painful, but some travel in daylight without difficulty, although they are hooded and do not expose their skin.  They travel on lizards, and the mounts you have all heard of in your childhood, such as two-headed wolves,  Horned lions, and black elk, who are carnivorous, you may be assured.  I know little more than this, since I've been away in the region of Magic Isle, for many years, and have not heard more than could be gleaned from the rumors in Goldenwood, a place well removed from Byredale and Brightwood.  I hope the rumors were exaggerated, because if they were not, we may be in for more than we can resist.  Such monsters come in packs and hordes, with little or no reason in their minds.  They live to destroy and devour, and none can tell the reason.  Only death will stop them, and they can neither be bribed nor turned from whatever goal they may have."

"Well, at least we have something important to do", Chandra noted, "It's a pleasant change from the past couple of years, frantically trying to figure out what was going on." 

"I hadn't considered", Pyrus said, "How hard all of this had to have been for you.  In fact, your life hasn't been all that wonderful, since you were visited by the Goddess."

"I've never been a fan of change", Chandra admitted, "And yet it seems that my life has been nothing else, for so many months."

"Perhaps I can show you some 'less unpleasant' change", Pyrus suggested, "Come with me". 

Another Market excursion

Some hours later, when Chandra and Pyrus rejoined the others, they began setting up the equipment, in the barn and the Shop, to actually create the Lanterns.  The frame had to be done, for a single unit, before the paper could be fitted to it, but the basic slurry for the Paper was well underway.  The apprentice, Cassandra, had crushed over a dozen various types of fibrous material, and Pyrus was able to select eight or so, for the base.  The slurry was more of a challenge, but Pyrus had several types of cement which she intended to use.  A couple of oils, one from goobers, and a fluid from  distilled rum, which was almost a pure alcohol.  The use of an alcohol, with the goober oil under pressure, produced a substance which could increase the strength of paper, without a great increase in weight.  If the slurry was heated, and agitated into a mayonnaise, it would then be suitable for introduction into the fibre layer, and drying could be undertaken.  The fineness of the paper produced depended on the type(s) of fibre used, with Hemp and rice fibre being highly useful.   The trick, which Pyrus knew well, was to use the longest possible fibres, including silk and amber treated wool, to have a paper that could be as thin, and yet as strong, as possible.  When she learned of the Spider-silk, which Chandra had stored away, it went into the pulp mixture.  The other substances, which came from every source imaginable, including sand, rocks,  compost, and even plain dirt, from the right place, were different to every papermaker, and Pyrus had several compositions she used.  The one she had settled on, for this application, was easy to dry and tended to assist in flatness of the finished product.  She had both apprentices at hand for the work, so that they could learn as much as possible.  The apprentices found her much easier to work with, on this occasion, and could only ascribe it to the importance of the work.

The first run of paper, made that same day, turned out a translucent sheet which was almost as durable as parchment.  Pyrus was thrilled and both Amanatra and Chandra were amazed.  Neither had ever seen paper so thin and strong.

  "It needs to be as thin as possible", Pyrus told them, "Because the lantern floats on a cushion of warmed air, and the lighter the lantern the higher and longer it can be aloft". 

"The same is true for the Frame and candle base, but speaking of that, what type of Base will we need?  Will the candle support itself, or do we need a holder?"

"The brighter the candle, the hotter it must be", Chandra told them, "If we intend to produce a large amount of light, we need a soft, quickly-burning, candle.  But the paper will ignite, if the flame is too hot.  To provide the heated air, and make the lantern float, we need a longer lasting candle, but one which supports itself, and can retard weight.  I'm experimenting with various fulminates, to see if one of them might hold an answer."

"l'll make you a framework that is as light as the paper it holds", Amanatra answered him, "And that means you can have a platform to hold the candle, which is more durable".  

Chandra suddenly brightened and almost laughed, then he said "And the light dawns, said the candlemaker..."  to which both Amanatra and Pyrus had to smile, "I've the idea of a century, or more.  Let us use a candle which needs very little support, and is bright, with a very narrow flame.  We can then put a reflector at the top, so that the brightness is directed downward.  If the two of you can invent a reflector, of wire and paper, in a day, I can make a candle that produces an 'upward light' with a hard casing, so that it can have an open space below, and around, it." 

The group had been working for hours, and yet they worked until the sun set.  Chandra took one of his newly made candles into the yard behind the shed, and lit it.  He then went back to the others, who were reclining behind the shop.

"This candle should be more than bright enough for our needs, and you can see how it burns with very narrow flame..." he went suddenly silent, as the candle became as bright as daylight and sent a column of flame higher than the building behind them. 

"Perhaps", he mused aloud, "It should be longer burning, as the end part seems to be a trifle much."

After the laughter, and a general agreement that the candle tended to be more than the lantern could stand, Chandra and the others went inside, for a meal and some much needed rest.  Chandra was fairly certain that he could correct the problems with his new construction, since it had actually not done too badly when it first started burning.  It was probably a concentration of the salts which he had used to enhance  brightness.  The Mercury might not be needed, after all.  Night fell with everyone in good spirits, and the nightmares seemed to have moved away from the new candle, possibly startled.

Morning was early, but everyone made it to the yard while the sun was still rising.  The Wagons were mostly full, and that meant only a trifle of loading to be done.   By full daylight, they were on the way to town, and Daniel was following Ulysses, and that, according to Pyrus, was a case of "the blind leading the blind."  Fortunately, Amanatra was riding ahead, on his horse, because he wanted to purchase a pack animal, in town, since he was almost certain that the two wagons would not be sufficient to carry all the supplies they would need.  

"Can't think what he's planning on buying," Pyrus told Chandra, "I was fairly certain that we had room for everything, once Daniel wandered in." 

"He's never said what unusual items he might require", Chandra responded, "I'm thinking he may need something unusual, or perhaps something he's not mentioned, for the forge."

The trip to town was not a long one, but unloading was a chore, for all concerned.  It quickly became less of one, when the customers for candles began to  queue up.  It looked as if half the village, and the surrounding countryside, was suddenly in line to buy candles.  They were serious, with everyone buying as many candles as they could conveniently afford, and then buying more.  Chandra wished he could have afforded to charge less for the wares, but then he wouldn't have been able to buy supplies to make more.  Pyrus put up a sign which indicated a maximum single purchase, and Amanatra made certain that everyone in the square, who wanted to make a purchase, had the chance.  When everyone had a chance, then people were able to enter the queue again, for so long as the candles lasted.  In the end, they ran out of every candle which anyone could afford, and even the local Priest had bought a case.  Chandra wondered at this, until someone informed him that the priest was lighting the outer areas of the Church, for sleeping places to be used by the poor.  The darkness was indeed being avoided, by all who could do so.  

It was still morning.  That was surprising, considering the volume of customers they had served.  The three closed up their stall, and set out to spend both their earnings, and more than a small amount of funds which they had brought.  Chandra had supplied the other two with some gold, so that they wouldn't have to impoverish themselves, but Amanatra was away, as soon as he could leave, and off to the stables by the river.  He returned with a pair of Thralz, who were of good disposition, even though it was almost noon, by then.  Finding one of those pack reptiles, with a good disposition, was not a common occurrence, because the things were known for having bad tempers.  Amanatra just seemed to have an eye and talent for animals.  He scarcely paused, instead going off with the pair into the depths of the tradesman plaza.  By mid-afternoon, when the entire group was famished, Amanatra returned, with a cart filled by a small forge and coal.  It kind of put a damper on conversation, for a moment, but food, and the need thereof, soon had everyone talking again.  They found a cafe with tables they could push together, and sat for a meal which was notable for its size and quality.  Hunger seemed to have come with them, and they ate as if they hadn't eaten well in weeks, which they hadn't.  The large cart was full of supplies for Pyrus and Chandra, with some which had been added by merchants who had seen Amanatra on his travels.  The smaller wagon, which had been brought by Daniel, was quickly filled with foodstuffs, as the day wore on.  No one, least of all Daniel, was anxious to go hungry.  Cassandra found Cream, and that was appreciated, while Ulysses located a group of farmers who had a wide range of produce.  Even in summer, there were fruits and vegetables at market, because talented farmers know how to produce goods whenever nature allows.  The fact that Ulysses found them was a feather in his cap.  He was a very likable young man, and so it brought a smile to one and all.  

As they went back to ready themselves for the journey home, Pyrus spotted some scrap wood, for sale.  It was hardwood, from the cabinetmaker's shop, and she pounced on it.  Fibre from hardwood was never to be missed.  While they were stopped for her, Amanatra nudged Chandra to the right.  He had seen a 'find', but didn't want to advertise how much they might want it.  Powder from jewel polishing.  It contained carbonaceous chondrites, which only those two would know.  The rare stones which fell to earth, on occasion, contained minerals which could not be found in more common sources.  They also could contain crystals, which Chandra knew would enhance the Magic he was going to need to use.  He bought all there was, just by asking for a lower price for buying "in bulk".  It appeared that he bought it all in order to pay less for each unit of volume.  No one would know that he had bought something of use to a mage.   Amanatra also bought some Tripoli there, since he guessed, and was right, that it had been made from the same carbonaceous earth. He would use it in the polishing he did, of a magical nature.  Only Chandra, therefore, would know that Amanatra used magic, although Pyrus had probably deduced as much.  Everyone knew that making paper required at least some magic, and so she didn't discuss it.

The trek home, short though it was, took almost everything that the group had left.  They unloaded the wagons and Amanatra simply put the cart in the barn, since there was enough to unload already.  The Thralz found the cat, and the three of them located a suitable resting place, since they were animals known to co-exist in nature.  Thralz scavenged from the Cat, and the Cat enjoyed a peaceful daytime sleeping location.  It would be fine.   As soon as everything was unloaded and put away, insofar as was absolutely necessary, sleep became a priority.  Even with a larder filled with groceries, no one bothered to prepare a meal.  They all got ready for sleep, with only Pyrus taking pause for anything.  She took a chunk of wax, which she had bought that day, which was of tallow origin, and wrapped it in a piece of paper she had stored away.  Then she dipped the whole thing in scalding hot water, after which she stood it in a bucket of sand.  As the water left the top edge of the paper, she lit it on fire, explaining that it would burn till morning, and perhaps discourage the nightmares.  With all the candles burning in the village and roundabout, she was more than certain of her claim.  It worked well.

Making a lantern

Morning dragged the trio out of bed, each their own pallet, but the apprentices were not awake.  Had the project been less vital, the apprentices would have probably been up first.  Daylight found the Elf and Chandra unloading his forge, and getting it set to begin making the lantern frames.  Pyrus was, by then, boiling four pots,  because she needed time for the ingredients to render.  As the apprentices arose, they  began to play catch up, with their Mistress.  Grinding, measuring, weighing, and filling double boilers were among the lesser tasks they faced.  Precise inlaying of sieves, along with filters for the slurry, were harder.  Pyrus even praised the Market at Ahamel, for the wide variety of goods she had obtained.  It seemed that everything was well under way, but then Marshal Grimp had to come by.

"How soon can I expect a Lantern to test?" he asked them, without preamble.  Chandra, alone, was unsurprised.  He had dealt with Marshal Grimp before, and knew what to expect. He answered for the group.

"Well", he spoke conversationally, "I figure that we can get one turned out before the snow comes, if all goes well.  Now if you're in a hurry, that means you'll wait for our word, and not be around bothering us.  With too much bother, it might take till the Harvest Festival to get one done." 

"I'm not smiling," Marshal Grimp answered, "In fact I might just be upset, except I know from experience that it would slow you down.  I'll station a guard here, and you can send him with word, when you're ready."

There was some conversation then, and beverage with scones, so Chandra had time to be certain he understood what had really happened.  When the Marshal had gone, Chandra lost no time illuminating the others.  He explained that Marshal Grimp feared that the people he had working would encounter either spies, or interference, or both.  At about that moment, Daniel noted that he needed to get his wagon and team home, and Pyrus actually agreed with him. He left with alacrity, gone before anyone would have expected it.  He took nothing but his team and wagon, not even food.  He was anxious to depart.

"Man's useless in a crisis", Pyrus told the others, "In fact, he's useless when he even suspects that a crisis might arise.  He left because he has a danger sense, and no power known could have kept him here.  We know, from his behavior, to keep sharp, because he's never been known to be wrong." 

"That's not the best news I ever got", Chandra admitted, "But forewarned is forearmed, and we can make a few preparations to keep out the riff-raff." 

"We lack time to make any real preparations," Amanatra put in, "We'd need a week, what with having to begin work on the lanterns post haste."

"I'm sure you're right", Pyrus agreed, "Still we'll do the best we may."

"I'll spend the first day studying", Chandra told them, "If you two can work without me for that long."

Smiles were suddenly everywhere, since they knew that Chandra could give them days, by using the book's ability to repeat days.  They could, in point of fact, make some sincerely discouraging preparations, given several days in one, to do it.  The day, for the Papermaker and the Jewelsmith, went as they had supposed, but the Candlemaker was in his study, trying to learn more of his art.  It took him nine days to turn a page.   During those nine days, since he didn't have to study non-stop, he actually cooked and cleaned, so that the four others neither starved nor smelled badly.  He lost sleep, and set out materials for candles, while he was musing, because that required almost no thought after the years he had spent as a simple candlemaker, before the coming of Tara Sandera, and the end of peace in his life.  While he studied, he began to understand the materials he had, which were unknown to him, only a few days ago.  In addition he learned about things he would never have expected, from the fact that salt could be transformed to a substance which burned explosively in water, to a deeper understanding of which substance could be made to burn, as a candle additive, and which were simply dangerous.  This also allowed him to understand explosive candles, and how to make them, with the added bonus of how to make candles which would burn with a brightness beyond endurance, and how to extend the life of such.  He might have been tempted to turn a page, at one point, but needed to make a candle, and see just how the information worked, first.  It wouldn't burn, and so he went back to the book. He found a bit on handling quicksilver, and it encouraged him to modify his protective equipment. He could then use the same rig for extraction of other substances.  After a day of reexamining the work, he was able to determine what he had done wrong, and added the proper amount of water to the central area where the odd metal lay.  It burned like the light of the sun, and by using a small enough amount, while reinforcing the outer shell, he could make the super bright candles he needed, for the lantern. He wished he could modify the heat they produced, in order to increase their brightness.  He took the time to fashion two, and test both, because he remembered his failure behind the shed.  He finally had something he was reasonably certain would do the job he wanted to do, and so he turned the page.  He had a blank page before him, and so went back to see what he had missed previously.  It turned out that he had not actually seen everything in the work he was studying, since he had been so intent on the candle he needed.  He took the time to learn, and seriously master, candles which were almost impossible to extinguish, since that was part of what he had been viewing.  His last test candle had been ready, at late evening, and so he suspended it above a bucket.  It burned through the twine which held it and fell into the bucket, completely submerging itself in the water there.  When he retrieved it, it was still lit. 

Chandra had learned, in the second Chapter of the book, how to make candles of incredible heat, which would melt metal, and be used in forging.  Candles which can melt metal are good for casting, but leave much to be desired for subsequent forging.  Making an alloy is vital, but shaping and tempering are no less.   Chandra, therefore, had to adjust the temperature of some, to what Amanatra judged to be the best for tempering the metals which they used.  This was exacting work, and required many trips to the book, to perfect.  As a result, by the time the next day dawned, they had a dozen of each type they would need. Chandra had also learned how to adjust the temperature of his candles, when they burned.  Now he had to learn how to apply that knowledge to the ultra-bright candles he was making for the lanterns.

 Then, at last, he turned the page.  Morning got there all too soon.

The guard had put up his tent well away from the shop, because he had heard rumors of how bad candlemaking smelled.  In the case of Tallow works, and unskilled craftsmen, that was almost always true, but in this case he needn't have worried.  Still, Chandra and his companions did not disabuse the guard of his prejudice, since it put him far enough away from the shop that he did not know of the repeating days. Chandra was also surprised at the lessened stench of his tallow equipment.  His recent learning had given him the expertise to make tallow candles with better results and less waste.  That meant less stench, and the candles he made in the shop, proper, seemed to either mask or drive away the foul smells he could not avoid.   The Guard was startled, as on what was, for him, the next day, the people from the shop began installing traps and deadfalls, to make any thief or assassin take pause.  The exact nature of the barriers were lost on him, since almost all of them utilized magical protections.  Amanatra had outdone himself, perhaps because he knew what might come, but Pyrus had only done slightly worse.  She had two apprentices, and they had outdone themselves as well, with Cassandra proving to be well versed in preventing intruders.  She had grown up in a location where thieves were common, and her parents had taught her many things.  One of those skills was how to make a yard a dangerous place to invade, and she hadn't forgotten what she learned as a child.  

The installation of the barrier, complex as it seemed to the guard, was actually easier than the activity going on at the house.  Morning followed evening, as, inside the shop, Chandra was working with Pyrus while she made paper.  He learned, from her, just what it took to ignite the paper she was using, and how much resistance it had to heat, generally.  The drying effect was perhaps the most dangerous, but too much moisture was as bad.  Chandra had to figure a way to use the water he needed, without too much steam, and yet still provide the light which was so critical.  It was a problem that pulled him both ways.

"This is a twisted knot", Pryus said to him, "It curves around on itself like one of your wax economical candles."

"You are the genius of us all!" Chandra kissed her, "I should have thought of it myself.  Twisted candles!  I can use the same technique with the wick of these oblique loafs, and at just the right turn, I can put the pyrotechnics, to yield light.  The light will fluctuate, but so will the heat, and the Paper will be safe from spontaneous combustion."

"What of the warmed air?" Pyrus asked him, "Will we have enough?  The lanterns float on it, after all."

"The flame won't be extinguished nor will the heat fade, to any great extent", Chandra explained, "It will simply be a case of the lantern rising, sinking and rising again, as the light varies.  More light as it rises, and less light as it sinks.  Now as to the platform, we won't need much, just a circle on two crossed wires would be enough." 

At that moment, Amanatra entered, carrying an armload of materials, which included measuring tools, marking instruments, and brown paper for designs.  He looked at the candles which Chandra had before him and simply asked which was the choice.

"It's become your show", Chandra answered, "At least until we know what we have to work with.  Pyrus has created a paper that is almost mirror-like, by itself, and I've a candle that won't catch it on fire, or at least I hope that will prove true."

"I'm working with spring steel, of a very light composition", Amanatra told them, "It should be more than strong enough, and yet elastic enough to allow the paper container to be attached with tension."

"We can use a spiral", Pyrus put in, "So that, as the warm air expands, the lantern will grow, slightly, and when the air cools, it will contract with it, to maximize the heat retention."

"I need more information", Amanatra said, "What is this about heat fluctuation, and what will it mean to the light?"

The three masters put their heads together, and came up with something which looked almost as amazing as it was.  The thing had a convex lens at it's top, and a spiral of flexible metal below it.  In theory, when the candle was lit, it would inflate the lantern, causing it to rise.  With the extra bright additive coming into play, the frame would reach capacity, and the candle lantern would soar to the limits of its tether.  Then, as the heat grew, the candle wick would pass the fulminated section, and the light , and heat, would decrease.  The lantern would descend, and then, when it had cooled enough, (hopefully) the next fulminate would engage, providing more light and making the lantern rise again.  If the gaps were exactly spaced, and the wax uniform, the lantern would rise and sink for hours, with a circle of light below it.  They took measurements, and each began to create a magic lantern, all working together, but separately.  It took the rest of the day, and the apprentices even got in on the task.  Wax doesn't melt itself, and Paper needs cooked ingredients.  Amanatra took hours making the rig, and made two, just in case.  He explained that it was easier to forge more metal than have to forge a second batch.  Besides, he told them, extruding spring wire was not a task to be performed on a constant basis.  It took more than usual skill and concentration.  It was dusk when the prototype was ready for the first test.

"So, do we need wine, for a toast," Cassandra asked them, "Or something stronger, to drown our sorrows?"

"Time alone will tell", Pyrus admitted, "But I've faith that this will perform well, if not perfectly."

The candle was not too hard to light, and the flame stayed well below the reclining reflector. Paper covered, it would not stand contact with the flame, but the light was displayed in a circle, around the lantern.  So far it was working.  The tether was hemp twine, double set, so that it would hold a pony, but that was just to allow for extra weight, should it be needed.  Slowly, at first, the sides went up, until, without warning, the lantern began to rise, although not steadily. It seemed that wind would be a consideration, but at the moment there was little enough not to be a problem.  The lantern continued to rise, and then the wick reached it's fulminated section.  The light expanded, into a circle of brilliance, and everyone was happy, the lantern rose all the way to the end of its tether and stopped, after a few minutes, as Chandra began to worry, the light started to recede.  The circle, which had been quite large, began to retract, but very slowly, since the lantern was descending at the same time.  It took more than a few minutes for the wick to reach its next point of brightness, but it also took more than the time expected for the lantern to descend.  It appeared that the wick was able to maintain some altitude, by itself, and so the lantern never got very close to the ground.  For several hours the rise and fall continued, and the light was more than enough to satisfy those who watched.  Wine was to be the drink, after all.  

"That was epic", Amanatra remarked, as he took a sip of wine, "I must confess to some trepidation as to the performance of the wire, since it might have had any number of problems."

"I'm just thrilled that the paper held up so well", Pyrus returned, "I was honestly worried that with all the movement it might fray, or tear."

"I'm still in shock that the wick behaved so perfectly," Chandra confessed, "It might have burned too quickly, or too slowly, or even gone out, when the fulminate engaged." 

"I've always been taught," Ulysses put in suddenly, "That if you do your work right, then you succeed."

"That may be the smartest thing anyone has said," Amanatra replied, "All evening."

"It occurs to me," Cassandra noted, "That we can use a different teather, and add a wind proof cage, to the candle, without changing the brightness enough to notice.  The lighter teather will allow the lantern to behave in the same way as it had been, and the wind proofing will ensure that the candle does not fail."

"I can make a candle", Chandra answered, "That will NOT go out in the wind.  It's even proof against light rain.  The weight of the teather line can be reduced, but only if, as I suspect, Marshal Grimp wants to add some bulk to the lantern."

Chandra was well aware that Marshal Grimp might want the impossible, because he usually did.  That was the reason for always testing things beyond the level requested.  Still, Chandra was not certain that he would be able to make exactly what he envisioned, and thought he'd best study some more.  He said as much to the others, and they, surprisingly, were agreed.  They wanted time to create more of the specialized paper, and Lantern frames, not to mention work on making them a bit more resistant to wind and moisture.  Not for the sake of the light and candle flame, but for the lantern shape and function.  It was a concern, that the lantern could be blown around and maybe the sides damaged, from unexpected weather.  Amanatra had some ideas for the shape and housing, while Pyrus was already modifying the recipe for paper, in her mind.  A few 'repeating' days wouldn't be a bad thing, just now.  

Chandra didn't wait for morning, but took up the book as soon as he returned to the shop.  It was late evening, and he was tired, but he felt that he needed to set himself a 'starting point' for the morning.  He decided to re-read the portion on making water resistant candles, and see if he might have missed something.  He wound up doing the last three pages over, constantly looking back, just to be sure he hadn't missed anything.  He had missed nothing, he noted, but now he actually understood what he had learned.  There was a 'last page' to the chapter he was on, and it seemed simple enough, so Chandra figured he'd peruse it, before sleep.  He began, and was utterly fascinated.  He couldn't seem to stop exploring the words on the page, and the complex diagrams along the margins.  It held him, as if he were enchanted, and he found his mind actually becoming part of what he was reading.  There were the first incantations he had encountered, and they did not lend themselves to easy understanding.  By the time he put the book down, and went to sleep, it was past midnight, and he knew an entirely new definition of exhaustion.  

A Trip for the Goddess

Pyrus crept into his study, just after sunrise passed, because he wasn't up, and that was unusual.  She found him asleep, in his chair, at the table, with page after page of diagrams and arcane symbols strewn about before him.  She slipped out, as silent as thought, and got Amanatra.  Together they entered and checked on their candlemaker.  Amanatra recognized the diagrams and symbols, but not the incantations in which they were involved.  This, he realized, was magic on the level of an actual mage, and not to be undertaken lightly.  He began to debate, in his heart, as to whether they might need some assistance of the arcane sort.  He knew of a mage who might be interested, and who was renown for his devotion to the light.  Eldrill could have been a famous and powerful mage, had he not been so opposed to any compromise with the darkness, which so permeates financially desirable magic.

When the tired candlemaker finally awoke, about ten or so, the others had arranged his shop for whatever he might need.  It was yesterday, outside the place, and so no one but Chandra had work pressing, but he did.  Pyrus was heating water, but the mixture she was contemplating was already compounded, so that it only had to be rendered into a decoction.  Amanatra had reached the point , in his activities, that he needed to await Pyrus' and Chandra's results, before continuing.  After Chandra had completed something, which was not easily identifiable, Amanatra picked his moment, and broached the subject of some "magical assistance".  It was not exactly a well-received idea, since Chandra had spent the last couple of years trying to ensure that his book was a closely guarded secret.  Pyrus suggested they put it in the hands of the Goddess, and that suited both of the others.  The question was, how could they petition her, since they had no idea where she might be, or how to contact her, had they known.  

"What we need", Amanatra observed, "Is expert advice on how to contact the Goddess."

"No problem", Pyrus told him, "I've known of the Goddess, all my life, and I know just who can answer any question about her.  At the temple, near my home, there's a woman who has made a study of contacting higher beings, and she follows the Goddess, just as I". 

"So we need to travel to your homeland, and visit a temple there?" Chandra asked, "I don't suppose that's a short trip, is it?"

"We can go to the portal at Nushire, and from there take passage to the Southern lands, near Goldenwood.  From there it's but a day's journey to my Home village", Pyrus answered.

So it was that the entire group left Ahamel, and journeyed, first to Goldenwood, and then to an odd village. The journey to the Portal, which should have been but a ride on the Ancient Road, was odd, in that they seemed to have attracted a follower.  Amanatra was certain there was someone following and said as much.  Ulysses, to everyone’s surprise, noted that the horses were unquiet, and that could only mean the presence of something unseen.  When they took the Portal at Nushire, to Goldenwood, Amanatra was relieved that the keeper was someone he knew, and would not allow their curious person to know where they had gone.  It was disquieting, but the trip from Goldenwood was accomplished in the company of other elves, and they disliked being followed, so it was unlikely.  It was with relief, however, that the group came to their chosen destination.

  Although small, in its demenes, the village was impressive in appearance.  The buildings were pristine, and looked new, being from a time before the coming of humankind.  They stood, unblemished, as they had for countless centuries.  Each one was a dwelling place for hundreds, if they be filled, and everything needed was there, for the taking.  Clothing, although far from fancy, and simple food and drink, was available.  There were beds, and lavatories, not to mention bath houses and gardens.  Nothing ever broke, for long, and the architecture was such as to promote peace and harmony.  No one could live inside one of the buildings on a permanent basis, since the places seemed to melt ambition and effort into a smooth life of contemplation. No one, while dwelling in one of the buildings, could seem to work at anything, preferring, instead, to meditate, and have their thoughts turned inward, to enlightenment and philosophy.  It turned out to be the perfect place for a huge temple, since that is exactly what the religious devotees wanted.  They lived within the tiny city and sought to become enlightened.  It seemed to work, but only with time and persistence. 

  The trees in this area were taller, Chandra noticed, and the undergrowth more floral.  It seemed as though every bush had blossoms, and every tree was old and strong.  He felt the ambience of balance, long before they reached the village, and even the animals seemed to share it.  Nothing moved with any real semblance of fear, but nature was apparent nonetheless.  It was like a yarn, told by an old and very wise storyteller.  There was an air of unreality about the place which extended well beyond the physical boundaries of the village.  The birdsongs were cheerful, and yet seemed muted, while there were no growls or sudden starts, from the brush.  Chandra was affected by the place, there could be no doubt.  Pyrus seemed almost immune, as would befit one who grew up in the place, but Amanatra was awed.  He seemed to sense more than the other two, and it moved him deeply.  He stopped talking, and moved as if in a holy place.  When the party reached the village, Amanatra was reluctant to enter it.

“I feel more here than I can see”, he explained, “And I worry that what lies within these buildings will be stronger than I can endure.” 

"There has always been a secret", Pyrus told him, "Something about the Goddess that no one ever discussed.  We often wondered, as children, what knowledge the Priests and Priestesses hid from us, and why some other adults disapproved of the Goddess, and any pretense of worship.  We children always studied our lessons and learned the histories, and it was actually fun, to wonder what it was all about."

"I sense something larger," Amanatra said, in response, "It's as if we, of humankind, are in the presence of something far more ancient than us, or even our race.  Something which goes back to what we would call, 'the beginning of time.'"

"Perhaps there is someone, or something, here", Pyrus mused, "To explain what this all means, and why it has such a strong effect, on everyone who comes to it."

"I'll simply be glad to learn the answer to our current dilemma", Amanatra admitted, "Do we risk possibly offending the Goddess by contacting Eldrill, or can we find guidance, of a more spiritual nature?"  

Amanatra was typical of the Elves, in not being enamored of "Gods and Goddesses".  Elves tended to put their faith in the world, and nature, instead of a personification of some Ideal.  He was hoping that this trip would lead somewhere besides to a chapel.  It was almost surreal when Eldrill met them, at the entrance to the building.

"I see you have come for advice," he said, without preamble, "Or perhaps even help."

"I seek to contact the Goddess", Pyrus began... 

"You have already done so," Eldrill answered her, "That's the reason I'm here.  You need some 'magical' assistance, and I'm your victim."

"Victim", Amanatra put in, "That seems a bit harsh."

"The undertaking you've begun has connection to many important things", Eldrill explained, "Not everyone is anxious to be involved in 'important things'."

"And you?" Amanatra returned, "Will you involve yourself, or is there another?"

"I am already involved, in Samovar", Eldrill replied, "And so cannot come.  I have, however, a perfect substitute, and the Goddess agrees."

Elves are not known for long speeches, but this was practically terse.  As soon as the travelers had their goods assembled, Eldrill brought a young-looking acolyte to meet them.

"This is Duegan", he introduced the man,  "He may be young, but in his three centuries of life he has become known as one of the finest magical investigators of his time. He should have everything he needs, in the supplies I have provided." 

Names were exchanged then, and a brief explanation of the problem.  Then Eldrill got the group's attention.

You folk can work out the details of this on your own", he told them, "For now I shall bid you adieu."

Eldrill raised his hand in what seemed a normal wave of good-bye, and the entire group, including Duegan, together with all of  their equipment and more besides, was at the Shop in Ahamel.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Unpacking was executed with an almost military precision, since even Duegan had been more than impressed with the magical transport.  Only a handful of the most skilled Magicians could use such transport, and even then, it was usually personal.  To be able to send a group halfway across the country, with a wave of the hand, bespoke real magic.  When they had recovered their wits, and most of the goods were put away, Amanatra took Duegan to the study, where the various diagrams, symbols and inscriptions were still somewhat strewn about.

"Here is lies the reason for your presence," Amanatra told Duegan, after they entered, "These symbols and diagrams are, in large part, familiar to me, but not in the context provided.  It seems an entirely new region of Magic, from anything I know."

"It is most interesting", Duegan told him, " Both the Major and Minor Arcaneum, and elements of both composite and degenerative magic.  It's like a book of instruction for creating something completely new.  I've never even read of any such. These incantations are novel, in the extreme" 

"Then we don't know what it creates?" Amanatra asked, "It would be nice to have some idea where all this leads." 

"Perhaps events have yet to unfold", Duegan suggested, "The Goddess is known for being able to predict the future, at least in general terms." 

"We can, in your opinion", Amanatra then said, "Continue work on the floating lanterns?"

"That's a revelation, in itself," Duegan answered, "Some of this magic is related to creating bright lights in the air."

"Onward and upward, then," Pyrus said, entering both the room and the conversation, at the same time, "I've a thorny problem with my improved paper, in that the fumes from making it can drive you insane, if you aren't careful."

"Quicksilver?" Chantra was the last to enter, since the apprentices were still stowing gear, "I've a cure for that problem which might work for you".

"You, a candlemaker, deal with Quicksilver?" Pyrus sounded unconvinced, "Whatever for?"

"Vermillion, for all it's toxic effects", Chantra answered her, "Is still used, and every candlemaker needs to be able to handle it.  It shows no trace, till the madness comes. And there’s always the Holiday Candle, which can be made to explode with some violence, when a quicksilver fulminate is used.  I’ve been making explosive candles for Marshal Grimp, for years."

"I should think that such a red candle would kill it's user," Pyrus said, "It is the vapor which kills, anyway". 

"I've a treatment which renders the quicksilver non-vaporous, but making the dye produces some vapor of its own, which has to be dealt with", Chandra explained, "The catch-fluid, and screen, which I use might be of some use to you".

"Let us explore this", Pyrus suggested, "Together".

 Setting up the boiler and press was easy enough, but Chandra explained that the fluid required both a tincture, and an extraction, to be added to tonic water.  The Tonic water was basically a bark decoction,  brewed with Honey-leaf plant.  The ingredients in the two additives were as esoteric as any Pyrus had ever known.  There was the dispersing agent, which permitted the amalgamation of the quicksilver, the greenish paste, which actually captured the quicksilver, and several other ingredients, which made the vaporous quicksilver less likely to pass through the fluid.  When making the two compounds to add, one brewed to an almost black state, and the other was brown, when ground to a paste.  The shade of brown was important, and Chantra took some time showing Pyrus how to achieve the perfect blend.  Then he showed her the chamber used for the passage of quicksilver vapors.  It was of his own design, because anything else might have made him ill.  He used a cover, which was a silver-copper-imbued gauze, because any quicksilver that escaped the capture-liquid would become an amalgam of silver or copper, or both.  The gauze was expensive, had to be fabricated, and was pretty much unique.  Chandra told Duegan of this, and the reason for using it.

"Might I examine a bit?" Duegan asked, "It seems to be something of interest."

Chandra presented Duegan with a cloth  which the Elf promptly wrapped around one arm, with the end extending to, and slightly through, his hand.  He poured a small phial of liquid onto the part in his hand, and sprinkled some powder onto the same hand, once he had closed it.  With a short incantation, he began to slide the material through his hand, and onto the table.  He continued this, for some minutes, until the table was piled with material, and his hand and arm, finally, became empty.  

"Most unusual", he remarked then, "I should have gotten at least twice that much.  This material of yours must be very pricey, to be so difficult to reproduce."  

"At the Bazaar in Chevalier", Chantra told him, "They said it couldn't be done."

"The Spell would have cost them a Grand Imperial", Duegan replied, "And that's probably more than even this cloth is worth."

"You've about ten imperials worth, which isn't even a scratch on a grand imperial." Chantra agreed, "I guess the ingredients to cast the spell must be nearly priceless."

"Not so much," Duegan answered, "But to find someone who can, and will, cast it, can cost more than gold." 

"I have much to learn", Chantra agreed, "As to the cost of spells."

"The cost is measured in the life-force of the Caster", Duegan told him, "I shall not be able to cast it again this year".  

"I have noticed a drain", Chandra admitted, "When I study.  It can take days for me to be 'right' again, after a session with my book." 

Duegan was fascinated by the book's ability to 'freeze' time, and allow the same day to be repeated, seemingly forever.  It was something, like the incantations which Chantra had drawn, completely new to him.  He spoke with Amanatra , concerning what Chantra had learned, and then the conversation shifted , to Pyrus and the complex procedure she needed to perform.  Chandra tried to be as much help as he might, but there was an entire skill involved, not one easily mastered, and which took years to learn.  Amanatra assisted, and the apprentices as well, for the process of using quicksilver for papermaking was difficult by itself, and with the addition of the catch-basin, for the vapors, it became almost impossible.  Still, it was done, and the paper, almost a ream of it, was set to dry before dark.  It was a Herculean effort, by all concerned, and Duegan could not seem to satisfy his curiosity.  Even Pyrus was not able to avoid some of that emotion.

"What's that goo, settled in the bowl", Pyrus asked Chandra, when they were done, "It looks like thick blood."

"I simply call it 'red mercury'", Chandra answered her, "Because it's toxic, red, and liquid at room temperature".   

"Interesting name", Duegan put in, "Is it your own invention?"

"Not actually", Chandra answered, "A traveler from the far lands, beyond Magic Isle, and almost to SeaCliff, told me of encountering such in hat making, and I took the name because it was similar.  It also results from the same type of purification, since he was the one who sold me the recipe, which I modified for my use."

"He was a Mage?" Duegan queried.

"Again no", Chandra admitted, "He was only a maker of Hats, albeit for use by those of Magic Isle.  He had many procedures, and this was but one.  I bought several, and all of them have contributed to my candlemaking." 

"Well, then," Pyrus broke in, "Is this 'red mercury' good for anything?"

 "I may know someone who would buy it", Duegan remarked, "Let me communicate with him and see if he has any interest."  

Duegan moved to a private space,  as if he were doing something clandestine, and took from his robe a small, perfectly round, glass orb.  After some preparation, he spoke to it, but the words were inaudible, to any listener.  It appeared that they could only be heard by the orb, and perhaps magically, by whomever was listening to it, if such a person there be.  It seemed to become a conversation, after a moment, and continued for awhile.  Pyrus and Chandra checked the drying racks, and discussed with Amanatra just what the paper might endure.  Then Duegan moved back to them.  

"He seems excited, by the substance and the method of it's generation.  The "hatters mercury" has use in advanced spells, and this person seems to believe that your version, from my description, might be even more suitable". 

"I've no shortage of the stuff," Chandra said, "It's too toxic to discard, so I've got several urns full of it".

"I'm sure he'll take it all", Duegan said, "He's got a huge laboratory, and can find a use for almost anything."

"Whom are we discussing?" Amanatra suddenly asked, a tone of caution in his voice.

"Probably me", a voice responded, from nowhere, "Kur Lee, the Duke of Earls, Archmage of Samovar, at your service." 

He appeared, as the speech ended, standing in the room, looking for all the world like a seller of magical components, at a bazaar.  Plainly dressed, with a robe which had seen at least one too many spills, and not a trace of any finery, such as one would expect a Duke to wear.

Bows and curtsies were interspersed with "your grace', but the Duke just looked around.

"Did I drop that again?" he asked. "I was certain that I had it when I left the castle."

"Drop What?" Chandra asked, feeding the joke.

"Well, my Grace, of course," the Duke answered, "I noticed that you all mentioned it, and so I figured I must have dropped it." 

"Right," Pyrus said, "And I suppose you'll be wanting one of us to get it for you."

"That's OK," Kur Lee told her, "It usually turns up, wherever I am." 

The mood was lightened, but then everyone realized that the person who was in the room was, in fact, the Duke of Earls.  The oddly colored skin, the almond shaped eyes, and the fact that he had appeared without a single disturbance that anyone could detect.  His magic was said to have come from a land beyond the Great Mountains, which most believed meant, from beyond the end of the world, and as such, was unlike any they knew.  The truth of that was before them, since he was different from anyone they had ever seen.  Neither Elf, nor Dwarf, nor Human, nor even one of the smaller folk, this was something new.  Chantra was starting to feel that he had experienced about all the "new" he could tolerate.

"Now, someone said you had your own version of Red Mercury", the Duke said to Chandra, "Can we take a look at it?"

  Chandra brought out the catch basin, still in the condition it had been in after Pyrus finished with it.  Kur Lee pointed a wand at it, and light shone on the bowl.  He looked at the wand, made a low, whistle, and got out one item after another, from what seemed to be a cloak with infinite pockets.  He checked the red substance several times,  as though it were something impossible.  He began to query Chandra about what was going on, and when he heard the Goddess was involved, he almost Frightened the others to death.

  "Tara Sandera !" he shouted, "It's me!, Front and center!"

In but a moment, there was a shimmer in the Air.  Then a coalescence, followed by a materialization.  The Goddess stood before them, and she looked guilty.  

"What in Arr's beard is going on?" he asked, clearly angry, "Don't you know there's a War on?" 

"I never meant for you to be involved,"  Tara answered, " I thought we could do this ourselves, using the Old Magic.  It seemed a good idea, but then the enemy learned of the plan, and they're sending a horde to prevent it.  I simply tried to increase the power which would be used, so that the invaders would be stopped."

"Did you know about this?" Kur Lee indicated the bowl before him.

"I had no foreknowledge, and never suspected," Tara answered him, "Is that...?" her voice trailed off.

"It's perhaps the most powerful form of Red Mercury I have encountered,  outside of my own Laboratory", Kur Lee answered her, "And had it become part of these flying lanterns, you would have had a great deal more to explain, than tampering with the War against the Evil God."

"Red Mercury?" Tara said, clearly astonished, "That's a myth, there is no such thing."

"Oh it's real", Kur Lee told her, "And it's every bit as powerful as you may have heard.  With this in our arsenal, we can be sure that Fifnir cannot defeat us.  In fact, our forces will destroy him utterly, since this allows us more power than even he possesses."

"Perhaps this is a poor time to mention that I have urns full of it", Chandra said.

"I'll get my people here, and we'll transport all you have", Kur Lee assured him, "It cannot be transported magically, inasmuch as it's unstable at the most fundamental level."

"What of the invasion of the dark creatures?" Amanatra asked, "It might not be a wonderful idea for this substance to fall into their hands."

"I'll contact ArchDuke Gladriel, and see if he has anyone to spare, from the preparations." Kur Lee said, "Hopefully there will be time and troops enough to make this happen.  If not, it could be a very long war." 

When the Archduke was informed, it was, to put it mildly, not the best time.  He had a vast army under his control, and three more groups incoming.  The Elven army, the Dwarven Army, and the Defenders, from the small folk, were all joining his collection of those from all over New Home, and even from Duke Kur Lee's homeland.  He could neither send regulars, nor come himself, but there was another option.  The Lord High Executioner of Samovar, who had proven to be King of the Dark Elves from the Underearth, was not engaged, since his primary role had been the security of Samovar, and the armies present, and en route, made it possible for him to be "temporarily reassigned" to this duty.  The creatures dispatched to overwhelm Ahamel and prevent the construction of the flying lanterns, should be no match for the "Black Cat" and his troops.  They were not so numerous as an army of Knights, but were of Division Strength, and at least as deadly as any force of Knights in the Land.

"He will come from Chaloir, to the east," Kur Lee Told them, because he has learned that there are those, who have taken up residence there, which oppose the Archduke, and support the Evil one. He'll tend to them, as the rest of his men gather here."

"He's going to accost an entire cadre of raiders," Amanatra said quietly, "without aid, and quickly enough to meet his troops here?  That, in itself, is legendary."

⋯ § ⋯

About a Cat

 In the region above Ahamel , where small villages abound, there are storytellers and such, who amuse the children and teach them about life.  One of these tellers of tales is known to spend much of his time in Chaloir, a village where he once lived.  His stories are much beloved, and everyone knows him.  He is most admired for his fables which have a moral, but even some of his true stories have such.  Here is an example.

Come children, that I may tell you of the coming of that dark, unseen, cat, to Chaloir, the old man began,  "Those were dark days, in our fair village, when the blackguards of the Northwoods, had made camp, and did as they pleased, throughout the town.  All those who lived here, and were law-abiding, did hide themselves, as much as they could.  It was dangerous to be about, and that because of the raiders."

  "They were the worst kind of blackguards, and so the locals suffered greatly," He continued,  "Then, one night, the Black Cat came.  Soft as a whisper, and silent as the grave, he was simply here, without fanfare.  The raiders began to perish, at his hand, until they realized that he had come.  They gathered in their camp, where once had been the village green, and set themselves to resist, and if they could, to kill the Black Cat.  For his part, the Black Cat moved about, taking any who did not flee to the camp.

"He herded them, like evil sheep, into a pack, which was every one of the villains, and they made ready for his assault," the tension in his voice had every child's attention.  "They considered that he was but a single person, and so could not take an entire troop, alone.  Then he struck, and wrought Havoc among them. 

"And when I tell ye he wrought havoc," the storyteller went on,  "You may know that he did work at it, wreaking destruction, to the point that he wreaked havoc over all he surveyed.  Like a scythe in the field, which the farmer uses to harvest grain, the Black Cat passed through their ranks, so that they fell dead in droves.  None could resist, they could neither see, nor attack, that shadow. All either died, or were injured so direly that they could not resist capture. His speed, and skill with weapons was such that it frightened all who beheld it.  His movements were flawless, and no enemy could strike him.  It was as if he were somewhere to either side of their attack, and sometimes he simply moved magically, from one fight to the next.  He was everywhere, and nowhere, all at once.  Those who witnessed his work still shudder when they think of it.  The raiders would have fled, but wherever they turned, he was.  When no one was left to fight, he simply walked into the shadows and was no longer here. 

The villagers held a trial, for those few who lived, and they were executed according to the law, after witnesses and evidence was presented.  And this is the moral of the tale, that if you are evil, and do evil things, eventually justice will find you, and you will perish, if not alone, then together with your fellow evildoers."  

Some storytellers are better than others.  

Did you Let in the Cat

"Le Chat Noir, is a legend", Pyrus replied, "And yet, he lives, and is real."

So it was that men, of every stripe, came to Ahamel, and took up residence in every inn nearby.  They also pitched tents, where the Marshal provided them space, because there were several companies in the Executioner's Division.  When Black Cat arrived, it was as if he had been rain, or perhaps a dust cloud.  He was simply there, one morning, and asked for Nutbrew, along with the usual suspects.  Chandra had provided him a cup, before he saw that Kur Lee knew him and had offered him a chair by the fire.

No one knew what to call him, until one of his men entered, paid obeisance, and spoke.

"Good morrow, your Highness," the man said, "Shall I inform the troops of your arrival?"

"I spoke to Taska, as I passed her, and she knows to pass the word," The dark King answered, "You'll want to have your boys formed up, before noon.  The shadow informs me that the horde from over the Mountains is less than a day distant, and we want to be prepared, insofar as is possible."

The man, clearly a commander although unnamed, left immediately, seemingly at a slow pace, but gone suddenly, all the same.  

"The Archduke calls me Black Cat," he told the group, "And in private you should do the same.  In public I'll have to be 'Your Highness', just as Kur Lee has to be  'Your grace'."

"Just so long as you don't go to 'Your Royal Majesty', " Kur Lee put in, "And force me to become 'High Archmage, his Grace, the Duke of Earls'.  I might turn you into a normal creature, if you did that." 

After Black Cat's laughter subsided, the group got down to serious business.  They had been working with some Dwarven forgemasters, come from Samovar, and a host of jewelsmiths from Brightdale, who came from nowhere themselves.  There were hundreds of Lantern frames in process, but Chandra and Pyrus were woefully behind.  Black Cat listened to the reports of progress, and the lack thereof, and made up his royal mind.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours", he informed them, with a hundred each of Papermakers and Candlemakers, from my people."

Chandra caught his breath, audibly.  The Candlemakers of the Drough, or Drow if you prefer, were of a class unto themselves.  He had long desired to meet one, because they made candles he had only heard of and had never actually seen.  The thought that many of them were to come here, and work, was almost more than he could imagine.  Pyrus was less impressed, for she had dealt with the paper from the underworld before, and found it adequate, at best.  Still, she figured that many hands make light work, and there was much to be done.  For themselves, the apprentices were thrilled, since they had become worried that they might forget how to sleep, from getting so little practice.  

"I'm almost thinking I'll try for muleskinner's apprentice",  Ulysses remarked, "As I'm so often driving the wagon to the village to seek out pulpwood".

"Chandra didn't learn to drive a team", Cassandra  answered him, "By not having to do it.  Candlemakers, and papermakers both need that skill.  Before you joined Pyrus, I was constantly at the reins, taking things to and from places."

"I'm not complaining", Ulysses said, "Ar knows it's a break to sit the wagon, for a trip to one or more mills."

"You're actually learning," Cassandra told him, "Because you continually bring back better pulp, and the extra items you find have been quite useful."

"Oh," Ulysses suddenly remembered, "I got some jars of an oil that was new to me, today."

"How so?" Cassandra inquired.

"It was an oil, and the man said that he got it from the remains of a raid on a caravan," Ulysses answered, "He said nobody wanted it, and I figured that meant he didn't know anything about it.  I've come to realize, lately, that if something isn't familiar to me, it doesn't mean it isn't valuable."

"Just what," Cassandra probed, "Are we discussing?"

"Well," Ulysses said, sagely, "The fellow called it something like 'Leech Nut Oil', but I never heard of a leech nut, before."

"I've read of a fruit, called a Lychee Nut," Cassandra told him, "Perhaps that's it." 

The oil was almost clear, and nothing anyone had seen, until Kur Lee looked at it.

"Upon my word", he exclaimed, "And pretty much everyone else's as well, this is the cold pressed oil of the nut of the lychee tree.  The fruit is used as a confection, where I grew up, but it's toxic, unless you know what you're doing.  It remains to be seen what use we may make of the oil."

It developed that the rare oil was useful in making emulsions, along with another similar soapberry.  Nothing was a waste, and everything could be used, if it grew, or simply was, on the world.  Thoss was the world, and the world was opposed to the Evil God.  That much gave comfort to the Candlemaker and his friends.  

When the Black Cat, King of the Dark elves, returned, it was as sudden as his departure.  Here, and then gone into shadow, and now a shadow wavers, and a crowd leaves it.  They were all blindfolded, and some were nauseous.  Whatever method the King used to transport them, and himself, was not for the faint of heart.

"They will need a short time to acclimate", Black Cat told Chandra and Pyrus, "And to recover from the trip.  The shadow world is a quick way to travel, but it can kill you if you're not careful."

The Candlemakers were astounded, at what they encountered.  That surprised Black Cat, and by doing so, accomplished something quite rare.  Black Cat hadn't been surprised in centuries.  He got Kur Lee, immediately, since he wanted more information, and Kur Lee was a font of such.  

After a short conversation between the two members of royalty, Black Cat moved back so Kur Lee could take charge.

"First of all, I need some information of my own," he began, "Like how you are managing to repeat days, without any noticeable time spell."

"The book does it," Chandra told him, and then explained about not being able to go forward to the next day until the lesson completed.

"That's beyond any Magic even I know," Kur Lee responded,  "I'm going to have to bother "the goddess" again."

Some time quickly passed, as Chandra acquainted Black Cat with 'the book', and Kur Lee made inquiries and arranged for magical transport.  When Black Cat had taken a seat, clearly upset by what he had learned in simply seeing and discussing the Book, Kur Lee cast his spell.

"I don't know what you expect to learn", Tara Sandera said, as she appeared, "I've told you all I know."

"First, and foremost", Kur Lee argued, "Where did you get that book?"

"I just took a book from the Tar-Shieuld library, and magicked it to force the user to learn in order," she answered,  "I didn't have the in-depth knowledge of candle-making that I needed, and so I found one that didn't detect for magic, and cast my spells on it.  It was almost impossible to get them to take, what with the age of the book, and it's innate resistance."

"And how did you think", Kur Lee said, with exasperation in his whole demeanor, "That a non-magical book could resist your spells?  Spells from a senior ArchMagess, of the inner rank?"

"That never crossed my mind," Tara answered, "Many  of the volumes in that Library resist enchantment." 

"Which is why we're forbidden to use any of them", Kur Lee chided, "without its having been examined by a team".

"What harm has there been?" Tara remarked, "He's learning the process, and nothing untoward has occurred".

"Except temporal manipulation, of the first magnitude", Kur Lee corrected her, "And the presence of information far beyond any possessed by a living soul.  The book has been in his hands for less than four months, and he's studied for almost three years, in that time". 

"That isn't possible", she fired back, "The information and spells were never there". 

"There's more in that book than in some volumes ten times its size", Kur Lee told her, "And the magic is from before there were creatures we know about, on this world."

"How is that possible?" Tara asked, "The controlled collapse of superposition is all the magic there is."

"But we don't know half as much about it", Kur Lee told her, "As we don't know".

From there the conversation got very technical, but the gist was that the Book, in the hands of Chandra, was an instrument older than history, and somehow Tara had 'activated' it, when she gave it to him.  What it might make of the poor Candlemaker, and perhaps those affiliated with him, was anybody's guess.  The Council of Magicians would have to find time, while waging a war against a God, to explore the danger, and might have to try and recapture the tome.  It would probably not be within their power to do so, but they might have to try.

And Now, Back to the Lanterns

None of this information was useful to Chandra, and so he wasn't told of it.  He only knew what he learned from his book, and that was more than enough.  The dark elf Candlemakers were in a state of almost ecstasy, because they were learning how to make candles that had not existed, among humankind, prior to this.  The waxes, which were magical, were of a nature previously undiscovered, as well.   The light given, or withheld,  by these candles had more effect on the surrounding space than just light.  It could inspire, calm, or even cause magical effects  that were known, like sleep, wakefulness, and concentration.  More than that, the actual type of light produced was variable, from moonlight to full daylight, and including reading and plant growth.  It was wonderful, to be a candlemaker in the shop of Chandra.

The candles which would be part of the flying lanterns, in addition to being temperature controlled, were designed to burn in wet, or windy environments.  They produced daylight, and were as bright as any artificial source known.  The only problem was that there weren't enough of them for the thousand lanterns which would soon need them.  Chandra was not certain how he would correct this problem, until he realized that the dark elves would soon be able to fashion the needed candles without direct supervision, and that meant he could study.  Three weeks later, when it was finally tomorrow, there were candles to spare.

Chandra was emaciated, exhausted, and seriously instructed.  Kur Lee, and practically everyone else involved, mandated that he rest.  Supplies were garnered, and the lanterns were assembled.  The force from beyond the mountains had yet to arrive, and so the candles were demonstrated for the warriors and Marshal Grimp, who almost had a religious experience at their function.  That stalwart Commander was now convinced that no force could oppose him, for long, and that he would be famous beyond dreams of glory.  He actually thanked Chandra, and agreed that the man needed a week or more to recover.  Since he wouldn't be required for the conflict to come, he was assigned the duty of resting and being cared for by a papermaker who volunteered to take the job.  Rest is easier in the care of someone who truly loves you.  

The Dark King's men, for their part,  were pleased.  They had enough light to disable the enemy, and yet enough darkness would be present for then to move through shadow and be deadlier.  Black Cat got a set of candles from Chandra, which he had made strictly for practice, while studying, that shed light of a nature most unusual.  Only Elves could see it, and Dark Elves could see it better than others.  Black Cat called it ultraviolet, or "Black Light", and to his troops it was like having a magic candle of their own, which they could place, for an ambush most terrifying.  

Among the things Chandra had made, for practice, were some of what he called "the candles of Nightmare".  They were taken from the nightmare, or vision, he had experienced so long ago, when all this started.  Others might not consider it such a long time, but for Chandra it was an age, and he felt it.  He spent what time he wasn't reclining trying to remember his childhood skills with the bow.  Everyone who came by took a moment to assist him, and gave a 'pointer' or two, without realizing that Chandra had become almost a sponge for knowledge.  He was practically an elven archer, in but a few days.  Then the darkness came. 

  There were a thousand floating Lanterns, and they all worked.  The candles were done, and in place, and Chandra was able to walk from his bed to the table downstairs, without help.  He didn’t tell Pyrus that last part, however, because her help had a familiar touch, which he enjoyed.  That was what caused him to take her to his safe, where he kept precious things.  He even showed her how to open the thing, and she found it fascinating.  When it was open, he got out his coin holder, and put some coins in, while taking out a couple.  She looked at what else was in the box, and suddenly asked a question which was more important than she knew. 

 “Where did you get this picture of me,” she held up his locket, ”Before my accident?”

 “I’m sorry to tell you this,” Chandra said, “But that’s an image of the only woman I ever loved, besides you.  She was killed, long ago.”

  “My mother made up the story of my Death,” Pyrus told him, “And changed my name, when I was so disfigured.” 

  “I’m puzzled”, Chandra returned, “I haven’t seen any evidence of disfigurement, in all the time I’ve known you.”

  “Magic cures, and time,” Pyrus told him, “They made me less difficult to look at, but as you can see, I’m nothing like I once was.”

  “I think I like you better, now”, Chandra confessed, “You’re more real and actually I find you more attractive.  The look your parents had you wear was always artificial, anyway.” 

  “Well”, Pyrus replied, “Does that mean I have to change my name, back to Cindi Lou?”

  “Oh God no,” Chandra said, “That was the only thing about you I didn’t like.  I’ll marry Pyrus, if you’ll have me.”

  “Oh, I’ll have you,” Pyrus answered, “In fact, I think I’ll have you before Lunch.  Come Here.”

The Battle

  When the Shadow, the scout of Black Cat’s force, came to Ahamel, and informed his King that the enemy was close behind, it was both a crisis and a relief.  A crisis, for now they must do battle, and a relief, because the wait was over.  The soldiersC were already entrenched, and the way had been cleared, with boulders and earthworks to deter a spreading of their forces.  Only one way was passable, without much effort, and so the Soldiers had rendered it a death-trap.   Beyond this, His Majesty’s troops had set places for themselves, in advance of the primary force, so as to make the invaders think they had encountered a defending force, and not expect the trap ahead.  The tactic of attack and withdraw was one Black Cat favored, and it would prove more than effective today.

  When the creatures, or more properly, Monsters, came into view, it was a sobering sight, no matter where you might have grown up.  They were nightmare things, misshapen, shambling, carrying crude weapons, and with skins resembling boiled leather.  Of every size, and all unpleasant descriptions, there were not even names for the things, in common use.  The few Elves, and half-elves, in the troops might have known Goblin, or Hobgoblin, and even Troll, and Orckind were often mentioned in legends, but some of these creatures had been lost to memory, over the centuries.  Now they had come, and would strive to kill the defenders, and the village, not to mention Chandra and his companions.  Chandra reasoned that he was not of any disposition to die, and would, therefore, kill them first.  To that end, he had loaded his saddlebags with the ‘explosive’ arrows, and was perched on the tallest location he could locate, near his shop.  It was actually a sizable hill, and towered over the surrounding area, for all that it had a flat top.  It was regrettable that Chandra did not see the similarity between it and the nightmare of his earlier experience.  He did, however, remember to bring as many of the holiday fireworks arrows as he had left.  With the shift to the flying lanterns, Marshal Grimp had neglected to pick up the second half of his order, and so Chandra declared a forfeiture, and took them.  He figured it wouldn’t matter either way.

  The sun was low, because the dark forces would not travel in full daylight, and would not attack until the sun had fully set.  This was actually a Godsend, for Chandra, since as a warrior, he made a great Innkeeper.  He was going to fire his arrows, and hope that they would be his total involvement in the conflict.  He had no idea of the efficacy of his armaments, when dealing with dark forces.  He also did not know that the table-top hill he had chosen was the ‘fallback’ position chosen by His Highness, for his main force.  It seems there is a reason for every action, even if we do not know of it.

  The sun completed its journey, and sounds of battle drifted from far away.  Chandra tried to ignore them, but then realized that he need to pay attention, so he would not be surprised.  He needn’t have worried, since his surprise was much earlier than an attack.  When the invading creatures finally overran the dark elf ambushers, and then broke into the clearing where the Lanterns were rising, the howls and screams were audible for miles.  Chandra had used a daylight form of lighting, and so the entire clearing was lethal to some of the attackers, while disabling the rest.  They could not overrun the soldiers, in the light, and so died by hundreds, and finally regrouped, in the shadows.  They had no idea that there were more lanterns, and Marshal Grimp counted on that.  He waited until the first lanterns were going out, to light the second wave, holding the last group for emergency use.  This was genius, in spite of having been the Marshal’s plan, and the creatures were surprised again.  Hundreds more died, but, not all.  As is true in the case of every real battle, all did not go as planned.  

  The second round of Lanterns could not last forever, even if more than half the night had passed.  The pillar candles were lit, and the battle became a group of soldiers attacking each of the horrors who faced them.  It was fortunate that the fortifications had killed so many of the monsters, since they were a match for several soldiers each.  In the crush of battle, some of the last of the floating lanterns were lit, to spare as many soldiers lives as possible, and some of the attackers fled into the darkness.  It was no large number, but they passed onward, unopposed, toward the village.  His Highness somehow signalled his troops, and they came to the hill where Chandra still waited.  

  “Well met Candlemaker”, Black Cat said, softly, “I hope you have some candles in reserve.”

  “Such as this one?” Chandra lit, and launched, his fire arrow, into the darkness. 

  Like a scene from his nightmare, it made a faint trail, and then burst, with the brilliant light floating downward.  The attacking creatures were caught flat-footed, and the troops of the Lord High Executioner were ready.  They had seen such arrows, in practice, and knew how to best use the effects of them.  The Goblins, Kobolds, Orckind, and Hobgoblins were quick to die, since His Highness had trained his troops to fight them, knowing that this time would come.  Chandra moved then, remembering what he had done in his dream.  There, in the near darkness, was a cluster of the evil things, and none of the defenders.  Chandra sent the first of his Explosive arrows into their midst, and parts went everywhere. 

  “You got any of those to spare?” Black Cat asked him.

  “Help yourself,” Chandra answered, knocking a second shaft, “The saddlebags are full.”  

  “Don’t mind if I do,”  Black Cat remarked, and took six.

  When he had visited the best archers he could locate, and given them two each, he was back, for six more. He kept this up, until one saddlebag was empty.  Chandra had perfected his ‘downslope’ shot, and was picking off groups as he could see them, but had to pause, every few minutes, to send up another ‘sparkler’ to light the targets.  He didn’t want to waste the arrows, but kept three in the air, at all times.  It gave him a wider scope for his shots.  Black Cat went out and circled in the darkness, to make sure that none of these potential targets escaped.  When Chandra was down to his last two sparklers, Black Cat returned.

  “I’m out of things to kill”, he noted, “You may as well save those last two arrows, in case there are more targets out there”.

  “I’m not sorry to hear that”, Chandra answered, “I was seriously beginning to wonder what I would do if I ran out of exploders”. 

  “As effective as they were”, Black Cat said, “You’d probably have been able to nap.  Nothing was going to rush the source of that kind of destruction.  I think you may have killed a hundred, all told.”

  “How goes the main battle” Chandra asked him, fearing the answer.  

  “This became the main battle”, Black Cat answered, “Some time ago.  I think the Soldiers have won, over in front of the village.  That would explain why we got so many stragglers here.  Goblins, and Trolls especially, don’t run from a fight, even when they’re losing.  There must not be a fight left to join there, just soldiers and light.”

“Then it’s over?” Chandra could not believe his luck, “I mean, we can quit?” 

  “You can quit”, Black Cat told him, “My men and I will scout the area, to make sure there are no ‘leftovers’.  These things never quit, and can only be stopped when they’re dead, or dispelled.  No rest until we’re sure, but that doesn’t include you and the Marshal, with his troops.  You folk have earned a celebration, or something.” 

  Chandra realized that he might not see the Dark Elf King again, and so he tried a desperate ploy.

And When the Battle’s Over

  “Sabros, down at the Inn, has come up with a bottle of wine from some winery called “The House of Leutain”, and it’s probably a few hundred years old”, Chandra remarked, “I figured you’d find it interesting, and so I bought it and put it in the wine cellar at the shop.  Don’t forget to stop by and get it, before you leave.” 

  Chandra knew that the bottle was from the underearth, and a product of Dark Elf manufacture, but he did not know that “The House Leutain” was Black Cat’s lineage.  The bottle was worth more to the Elf than any amount of gold, or platinum, for that matter.   It was more than certain that he would “stop by and get it,” and probably with a gift in return.  For now, it was time to go home, and wonder what might come next.

Epilogue

The candle maker was not certain of anything. He had headed for the workshop, only to be intercepted by both the Elven Jewelsmith, and the object of his affections, Pyrus. Both of them had versions of the battle, and the resulting joy in Ahamel, but the stories were quite different, because each had been in a separate location, and had passed through the village via different routes. Since there were only three ways to traverse the village, it was a trifle odd that they hadn't seen each other. The story each told provided insight to that, because of the jubilation. Pyrus confessed that anyone could have gone past her, during that chaos, and she might have missed them. Amanatra agreed, explaining that he had actually seen the women of the village, dancing in less than proper attire, while the men tried to join in. The village men turned out to be less skilled at dancing, or perhaps they were distracted by the sight of women in scanty attire. Whatever the cause, Amanatra was glad that there was much singing and laughter, since he would not have been able to avoid the latter, while observing the festivities. He had always believed that human men tended to be 'ungraceful' but this level of clumsiness was funny.

Chandra couldn't relax, because he sensed that this was not truly over. His worst fears were realized, when The Dark Elf King arrived, for the errant bottle of wine.

"I've been given a message", he began, "From the Archduke, himself. He would request your assistance in the coming war, beyond the mountains, together with your companions. Amanatra will find that the High Council of Elves seeks to offer him a commission, and Pyrus will find that Lorelei, the Duchess of Samovar, would make her Craftsman of Samovar, where paper, or any related product, is concerned. On Chandra, the Candlemaker, he would bestow the rank of Baronet, and title of Baron of Light, for the upcoming conflict. Chandra would answer to "The Duke of Earls" who is His Grace Kur Lee, of the forgotten city. You may give me your answer as soon as you decide what it will be".

This was a moment in time, and Black Cat got himself a decanter, to decant the wine. He knew he would have time to drink at least one glass, while this debate raged. He was more than right, in that Pyrus had a decanter, already partially empty, but with enough to pour a glass for herself and her friends who were not even offered a drop of the Dark Elf brew. Black Cat explained this,

" This is a vintage from my own house", he began, "And as such, it's not really intended for the 'upper world'. While it is a delight, for the Dark Elf who drinks it, it can cause mild hallucinations, disorientation, and even psychoactive episodes, in Humans and Dwarfs. It can even produce mild effects, in Elves not from the Dark Realm. While I would love to share it, I'd hate to spend the afternoon tending to your episodic reactions."

"For that", Pyrus spoke first, "I'm certain we're all grateful. We've a very important set of decisions to make, and need what few wits we possess, in full effect."

Her friends chimed in agreement, and then the trio began dissecting the offer they faced. A commission for Amanatra was about as grand an occurrence as he could hope for, since he was already a Knight. He would become a 'peer' of the elven society, which was, short of being royalty, as high as he might reasonably expect to ever be. This was not to denigrate the status of Baronet, for Chandra, since that title was an hereditary boon, and would include Pyrus, since they were only awaiting a suitable time to wed. With his designation, and Hers, there would be no dearth of perquisites, especially since they were designated a Trio, and had both Kur Lee and Lorelei as patrons. It would have been an easy choice, had it not included the War with the God of Evil. No one had ever, in living memory, encountered this being, and some considered that he actually was "a God". Not "The God" for anyone Chandra had ever heard of, but "a God" in many conversations. It wasn't a simple choice to make. Either have prestige, and some power, to go with status and even wealth, but to have to assist in killing "a God", to get it. The alternative was a good, if simple, life, but one without any trace of fame or fortune.

"Fame and fortune are fickle things," Amanatra pointed out, "We might win, and be written of, in the Histories, or we may fail, and be noted only on a tombstone, somewhere."

"We might also accept this challenge", Chandra added, "And find that we are not equal to it, so that we are never remembered, and have only shame for a legacy."

"I think our recent behavior is enough to prove that we are equal to this", Pyrus interjected, "We can only make a larger mark, on History, in anything we do. But the fact remains that we are tying our fate to that of the ArchDuke of Samovar, and that is, no matter how you look at it, something in no way certain. If he succeed, we are part of history. If he fail, infamy is our lot."

"Then", Amanatra said, softly, "We must ensure that he succeeds".