structure and examined the gash on Muolithnon’s head then placed his hand upon it. After a few moments he removed his hand and the wound was noticeably smaller. He said, “It will heal. It will heal.” He cleared his throat and rested his weight on the bed frame, then continued, “I must rest. Leave your master there to sleep in my bed. In the morning we will discuss this further.”
“And Bel? Do we leave him there?”
The old wizard slumped into his chair in front of the fire, slowly closed his eyes and exhaled. “It’s as good a place as any.”
Chapter 3
Ulysses or Odysseus
Bel’s eyes peeled open and his vision slowly cleared. Looking around at the hovel he didn’t immediately know where he was. And then it came to him. He was in Nes’egrinon home. Bel tried to stand up but couldn’t move.
Seeing Kerlith sitting at the table, playing with pebbles, dancing them in the air, he called out, “Hey. A little help here?”
Kerlith looked over at him and said, “You have to wait for your master. He pinned you down.”
“I can see that. I can’t move.”
Kerlith smiled. “You really screwed up last night. Typical. What’d you do?”
“Poison.”
“Hahaha. They’re dead. What’d you think that would do?”
“I don’t know. I saw your master lying on the floor unconscious. There were too many of them. I just thought I should do something. I wanted to help.”
Nes’egrinon bellowed from across the room, “You wanted? You wanted? Here you do not do what you want! ”
Kerlith looked down. “Bel, I think your master is awake.”
Bel tried to twist his head toward the direction of the old wizard’s voice but from his position he couldn’t see him. “Master, I am sorry. I have only been here a short while and I have already gotten you upset with me. It will not happen again.”
Nes’egrinon rose from his chair, walked across the room and stood over Bel, his eyes barreling down into him. “You have yet to see me angry. Just don’t do something stupid like that again.” He reached down and placed his hand on his staff and said, “” then removed the wooden stick from Bel’s body.
Bel stood up dizzily, placing his hand on the door frame for support. “Master? What happened to me?”
“You did something stupid. You had no clue what you were dealing with and you threw yourself into the middle of it, waving your stick around like you were an idiot trying to save the world. All you Fifth Years are alike. Running around waving your sticks like you know something when you don’t have a clue. A good way to get yourself killed. And worse yet, a good way to get me killed. Now that’s something that I don’t want to think about. Some idiot kid running into a fight and getting me killed. I certainly don’t need that right now.” The mage walked back to his chair and sat. “Of course, most people are stupid so you got that going for you. At least around here anyway. Maybe it’s me. Do I attract stupid people or something?” The mage looked at the fire and continued rambling, “Anyway, Fifth Year, don’t let it get you down. You didn’t kill yourself and you didn’t get me killed. You just did something stupid. We’ll leave it at that for now.”
Bel coughed up mucus, swirled his finger in his mouth and looked at the black goo mixed in with his saliva.
Nes’egrinon exhaled in frustration then said, “Apprentice? Err, what’s your name? Kerlith, right? Tell the Fifth Year what you know about ghoul-kind. I’m tired of talking.”
Kerlith looked at Bel and for once in his life felt sorry for him. They had competed in everything at Lasaat and he loved to see Bel fail but for once Kerlith decided to defend him. “Bel, I know they didn’t teach us much about the dead at Lasaat. I learned everything I know about them quite recently. Even my master has little experience with them. We are defenders of the mountains, the land of the stonecutters. Our magic is of crystals and