eye, Elerian saw a golden haze in front of him, running from the tunnel entrance on his right into the forest on his left, completely masking the forest road. Behind the haze, he saw the faint outline of Ascilius’s golden shade.
“An illusion spell,” thought Elerian admiringly to himself. “The sly fox has hidden the road and anyone who steps on it behind an illusion spell. We can march up to the gates of Galenus and the Goblins will be none the wiser.”
“How is it done?” demanded Elerian, both closing his third eye and sending away his ring as he stepped back on to the road. Visible now, Ascilius looked inordinately pleased with himself.
“The argentum in the roadbed contains the spell that casts the illusion,” replied the Dwarf complacently.
“How is it that we do not have to remain in contact with the metal in order for it to remain active?” asked Elerian in a puzzled voice.
“As long as we are inside the aura of the spell,” replied Ascilius, “it is able to draw power from us without us touching the glyph. As long as even one member of our company remains on the road, the spell will persist. When we all step off the road, however, the illusion will vanish.”
“What if some Goblin steps on the road now?” objected Elerian. “He will discover the secret immediately.”
“That is why speed is now our greatest requirement in this dangerous endeavor,” replied Ascilius, turning serious once more. Turning away from Elerian, he walked to the tunnel entrance, his craggy face now drawn into worried lines.
“The uncertainty of how this venture will end must make a heavy burden for him to carry,” thought Elerian sympathetically to himself as he walked lightly behind Ascilius. His empathy for Ascilius’s plight, however, did not prevent him from plotting how he might wring the secret of the spell contained in the glyphs from his companion. The prospect of learning new magic was enticing, but from past experience, he knew that Ascilius would not surrender his spell easily.
“He will withhold it as long as possible to torment me as soon as he knows that I want it,” thought Elerian to himself as Ascilius ordered his company of Dwarves to leave the tunnel, maintaining their triple line as they assembled on the on the road. “As usual, I will have to trick him into giving it to me.”
“Follow in the footsteps of the person ahead of you,” Ascilius warned everyone quietly as the lines of Dwarves walked past him. “You will be concealed as long as you stay on the road, but on no account is anyone to talk or even cough. A single sneeze could give us away.”
When Dwarves were all out in the open, Ascilius closed the tunnel doors, which vanished from sight. Indistinguishable from the stone around them, they fit so well in their setting that not a single seam was visible to give away their presence.
“Someone could search for years and never discover them,” thought Elerian admiringly to himself as he followed Ascilius to the van of the company of Dwarves. Ascilius reached into his backpack then, taking out a hooded cloak woven of linen and dyed in random patterns of green and brown. The company of Dwarves behind him all did the same. When Elerian reached into his own pack, he found a cloak made to his own size. The cloth was thin and supple, clinging closely to his slender figure when he threw it over his shoulders. Worn in the forest, it would blend in well, making him nearly invisible to the casual eye.
Once everyone was properly attired, Ascilius began to run north at a quick but measured pace with Elerian drifting lightly over the ground at his right side. The race to reach Galenus had begun. As he ran next to Ascilius, Elerian admired the clever road which the Dwarf had crafted years ago. It followed the ridge tops of the hills that stretched away to the north, but never came up high enough on the slopes to be visible against the skyline. Nowhere did it run straight, winding instead
“An illusion spell,” thought Elerian admiringly to himself. “The sly fox has hidden the road and anyone who steps on it behind an illusion spell. We can march up to the gates of Galenus and the Goblins will be none the wiser.”
“How is it done?” demanded Elerian, both closing his third eye and sending away his ring as he stepped back on to the road. Visible now, Ascilius looked inordinately pleased with himself.
“The argentum in the roadbed contains the spell that casts the illusion,” replied the Dwarf complacently.
“How is it that we do not have to remain in contact with the metal in order for it to remain active?” asked Elerian in a puzzled voice.
“As long as we are inside the aura of the spell,” replied Ascilius, “it is able to draw power from us without us touching the glyph. As long as even one member of our company remains on the road, the spell will persist. When we all step off the road, however, the illusion will vanish.”
“What if some Goblin steps on the road now?” objected Elerian. “He will discover the secret immediately.”
“That is why speed is now our greatest requirement in this dangerous endeavor,” replied Ascilius, turning serious once more. Turning away from Elerian, he walked to the tunnel entrance, his craggy face now drawn into worried lines.
“The uncertainty of how this venture will end must make a heavy burden for him to carry,” thought Elerian sympathetically to himself as he walked lightly behind Ascilius. His empathy for Ascilius’s plight, however, did not prevent him from plotting how he might wring the secret of the spell contained in the glyphs from his companion. The prospect of learning new magic was enticing, but from past experience, he knew that Ascilius would not surrender his spell easily.
“He will withhold it as long as possible to torment me as soon as he knows that I want it,” thought Elerian to himself as Ascilius ordered his company of Dwarves to leave the tunnel, maintaining their triple line as they assembled on the on the road. “As usual, I will have to trick him into giving it to me.”
“Follow in the footsteps of the person ahead of you,” Ascilius warned everyone quietly as the lines of Dwarves walked past him. “You will be concealed as long as you stay on the road, but on no account is anyone to talk or even cough. A single sneeze could give us away.”
When Dwarves were all out in the open, Ascilius closed the tunnel doors, which vanished from sight. Indistinguishable from the stone around them, they fit so well in their setting that not a single seam was visible to give away their presence.
“Someone could search for years and never discover them,” thought Elerian admiringly to himself as he followed Ascilius to the van of the company of Dwarves. Ascilius reached into his backpack then, taking out a hooded cloak woven of linen and dyed in random patterns of green and brown. The company of Dwarves behind him all did the same. When Elerian reached into his own pack, he found a cloak made to his own size. The cloth was thin and supple, clinging closely to his slender figure when he threw it over his shoulders. Worn in the forest, it would blend in well, making him nearly invisible to the casual eye.
Once everyone was properly attired, Ascilius began to run north at a quick but measured pace with Elerian drifting lightly over the ground at his right side. The race to reach Galenus had begun. As he ran next to Ascilius, Elerian admired the clever road which the Dwarf had crafted years ago. It followed the ridge tops of the hills that stretched away to the north, but never came up high enough on the slopes to be visible against the skyline. Nowhere did it run straight, winding instead
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