-----------------------------------------------------

*We came upon a rather large seeming hut in the town square.

"Is this an inn?" I asked my companion.

"Finest in the area," he said, winking to me knowingly.
"The purveyor and I go way back. We used to be in the same guild."

We walked through the threshold, which was a small arch with tanned hide hanging from either side forming a curtain. that hung to the ground. The smell of smoked meat and the chorus of drunken laughter enticed us to see what this mysterious establishment held in store.

"What sort of inn is this?" I asked Lazarus.
"The sort of inn operated by a fellow trickster; a mage. My apprentice, in fact- a sort-of jester of spirits, if you will." Lazarus smiled and pointed to the other side of the circus of a room.

There sat a man. Well, he seemed to be floating, really.
He sat about a foot above his seat, sipping a skin of what I could only assume to be wine of otherworldly quality.

"Ah, Lazarus. My old mentor! How are you doing these years?"

"Oh, Ormus, you were never one for subtlety, were you?"

"Subtlety is either a virtue, or a veil, my dear Teacher.
Was that not one of the lessons you taught us:
'He, who hides himself away
is either a coward or a master:
he, who reveals himself wholly
is either a fool or a master.'"

"Very good, Ormus. You study well.
However, it is the virtue of Balance
that you could never quite grasp," chuckled Lazarus.

"Perhaps my balance is simply different from yours, my Teacher," replied Ormus.

"Perhaps you are right...
Have you any rooms for my companion and myself?
We seek a child, foretold to be a Great One.
We require shelter and good company before we set out proper."

"Indeed you do,
and indeed I have!
The restrictions of dimension are no obstacle of a disciple of yours!
Suffice it to say that room can be made.
Who is this lovely one, with whom you travel? Why is she here?"

"My name is Dhorna," I said.
"If you think me weak, you bitterly underestimate me. If you think me cold, you sell me short. Yet, I know I've much to learn, and I find much mystery in Lazarus and in our quest. That is why I am here. Though I know I am easy on the eyes, do not relinquish the idea that I may be hellish to the heart, whether 'tis by steel or emotion. I can fend for myself."

"A pleasure to meet a maiden of such strong spirit." Said Ormus.

"There's much more than meets the eye, Ormus. She is no mere companion; she is a worthy warrior and a skilled scholar. Not just anyone would be called for this quest... she must have.. the gift of the Ancients."

They both looked into my eyes
and I felt a slight shift in reality, itself.
Such power was with these two
and, they seemed to think was with me, as well.

"Before you retire for the night," said Ormus,
"I must insist that we sit and drink and discuss things bygone, and things yet to come!"

-----------------------------------------------------
Lazarus looked up from his tea with a look of surprise.
At first, I was anxious and a bit fearful,
but his words quickly lifted my doubts:

"Ah-ha!
That scoundrel convinced me
it would take longer to get here!
I suppose that's a decent use of trickery..
at least I'm pleasantly surprised and not dead, or worse: disappointed!"

He looked at me and nodded knowingly.

"Scoundrel! I almost thought it would arrive too late!
See, I spoke to a friend on the desert coast-
well, he's a bit more of a jester I once tried to banish, really, but a friend, nevertheless!-
about some possible leads for finding this child.
He agreed to draw me a map based on his research.
However, the only thing is that this map
is shrewdly coded.

You see,
though I may be more frail now than in my youth,
I've certainly learned a thing or two
and I'm afraid I must accompany you,
for what do you make of this map?"

He showed me the scroll
and it seemed to be a sketch of the Kingdom with symbols for places and landmarks. Some parts were even upside down and there were several burn marks where the Volcano is. In the corner was an ink flurry I could only imagine to be the signature of the artist.. it seemed to read.. 'Scoundrel.'

Was 'Scoundrel' his name, or a title? A joke?
Certainly seemed to be fitting, regardless.
Clever little ******, I figured this trickster fella to be.

Seven locations were encircled in deep red,
but only three had an icon of the sun stamped with a golden ink.

"Seems like a treasure map."

"Of sorts..
a mad map drawn by a mad man for a mad quest.
Quite apropos, indeed.
The encoding would prevent those of impure mind from finding the child, should the worst happen to the bearer of this map. Leave it to a scoundrel to think to safeguard a map to the Chosen One against foul play. Wisdom can be found in such impishness as his, so long as the darkness doesn't break you. It takes one to know one, I suppose. Hah."

Lazarus turned to me and sat up straight, clearing his throat.

"Now, should you allow me to come with you,
I can decode it based on the clues we come across,
that is, unless you wish to make it on your own."

His expression was stern, yet infused with wonder and anticipation.

"The choice, my dear Dhorna, is yours."

---------------------------------------------------------
*"I know enough to know I don't know enough."
I blinked and looked at the floor.
Were the rumors true?
What could this mean?

My nerves were oddly settled as he handed me my tea.
This tea had a fragrance so familiar, yet so.. exotic.
I couldn't quite place it... The steam rising from it was.. hypnotic.

"What do you know, Lazarus?"
I asked after a moment of silence.

"This child is a key, of sorts. He knows yet not of his power.
Some figure him to be the fountain of youth incarnate.
Others wish for him to be a clairvoyant seer, mailable unto their ends.
I'm not certain, but I've had dreams of this child since I was but a boy."

Lazarus paused and ran his fingers through his beard.
He sighed an unsettled sigh, heavy with burden.

"We set out tomorrow to find his family.
We must ensure that he fulfills his destiny,
whatever that may be.
We must be careful, though.
There is sure to be a terrible darkness seeking this child as well."

---------------------------------------------
I knocked.

A minute passed.
The slight chill bit mercifully
at my cheeks and down my spine.

Silence.

I knocked again,
somewhat more frenzied,
now ever so lightly shivering.

Silence.

I tried the handle:
it was locked.

It was cold.

So cold.

"What a strange thing,"
I murmured to myself,
"that a cabin would be here,
unattended,
in this surreal place.
Could this be a dream?
Perhaps a vision?
No.. I must be awake... right?"

A creaking then came
from within the cabin:
"Patience," boomed out
a voice both deep and distant,
"all shall be made abundantly clear in due time, mortal."

Had I awoken something
better off left dormant?

My heart felt as if it were racing and standing still at the same time.

A faint glow now emanated from the window in the door.
It flickered with the rhythm of a candle in mild wind,
but was persistent enough to stay aflame, nevertheless.

The glass was too foggy to discern a figure within.

A metallic rattle
echoed within my now startled mind:

The handle slowly turned,
and, for some reason,
I had the tenacity
to simply await it's opening:
Somehow, I was eerily calm.

"Hello," said a voice
that alone had more character
than anyone I'd met
in all my vast travels.

"Do you take your tea
with cream or sugar,
or just leaves in some water?"

Inquired the figure
cloaked in white
who I could only fathom to be
the Oracle I presently seek.

---------------------------------------------
It was slowly growing darker; the rain, more intense.
The sole idea of that distant cabin kept me going
as I traversed this wonderful jungle of a thicket
in awe of the sunset
so well juxtaposed by the downpour.

By now, the canopy was luminescent
with colors of dusk,
and I was hypnotized
by the sounds and smells
of this unusual deluge.