The Summoners Journey

AGAIN, I WAS STARTLED INTO A RESPONSE. "YOU KEEP SAYING I HAVE THIS BIG DESTINY. WHO ARE YOU TO SAY THAT?" HE CHUCKLED SOFTLY. "LIKE I SAID, MY NAME IS OTHELLO. WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW IS THAT I AM A WOOD ELF. THAT IS HOW I KNOW ABOUT YOU. THROUGH MANY HOURS OF MEDITATION THE GODS HAVE SHOWN ME YOU. NOW IT IS TIME TO RUN TO THE WOODS, TO BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY." HE LED US OUT OF THE STORE THROUGH THE BACK WAY. NOW HERE WE ARE STUCK IN THE LILY WOODS WITH AN ELF! ON OUR WAY TO... WE HAVENT FIGURED THAT ONE OUT YET. WE WEIGHED OUR OPTIONS AND THEY WERENT TOO GOOD. SINCE DEWPORT WAS ON THE COAST WE CONSIDERED STEALING A SHIP, UNTIL WE HEARD THAT THE MAGES GUARD WAS TRACKING ALL INCOMING AND OUTGOING SHIPS. SO THERE GOES PLAN 1. PLAN 2 WAS TO HIDE OUT 'TILL THEY LEFT, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE PROVISIONS ENOUGH TO LAST THE WEEK, SO NO DICE. OUR ONLY OPTION LEFT WAS TO KEEP RUNNING INTO THE LILY WOODS.

CHAPTER 2

SO HERE WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, BEING LED BY A STRANGER (AN INCREDIBLY HOT STRANGER, BUT STILL...), AND LOW ON SUPPLIES. TALK ABOUT WEIRD SITUATIONS I SAID TO MYSELF. YES IT IS WEIRD ARY, BUT IT'S GOING TO GET MUCH, MUCH WIERDER. I SWEAR IF HIS VOICE WASN'T SO DAMN CALMING I'D'VE HAD A HEART ATTACK RIGHT THERE. I LOOKED AT HIM. SO NOW YOU'RE THE VOICE IN MY HEAD OTHELLO? WHAT'S UP WITH YOU? ALL I GOT WAS A SLY SMILE FROM HIM. I SIGHED. MOM LOOKED AT ME. "I KNOW HONEY, IT'S A MUCKED UP SITUATION WE'RE IN, BUT WE'LL MAKE IT OUT." AS USUAL MY HAIRBRAINED MOM WAS BEING HER CHEERY OPTIMISTIC SELF. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO OPTIMISTIC MOM? ALL OF OUR LIVES ARE RUINED NOW. NOTHING IS EVER GOING TO BE THE SAME ANYMORE!" MY ANNOYING BROTHER JAK CHOSE THAT MOMENT TO SPEAK UP. "AR, COME ON, IT'S NOT THAT BAD. AT LEAST WE GOT TO MEET AN ELF. GREAT THE OTHER OPTIMISTIC FOOL DECIDES TO SPEAK UP NOW. ALL I GOT WAS A MENTAL LAUGH FROM OTHELLO. "HEY, WHERE'D OTHELLO GO," JAK SUDDENTLY ASKED. I LOOKED AROUND AND REALIZED THAT OTHELLO WAS INDEED NO LONGER WITH US. LOOK UP. IT WAS ODD AT HOW FAMILIAR HIS VOICE WAS ALREADY, AND HOW IMPULSIVELY I DO WHAT HE SAYS, OR THINKS, OR WHATEVER. WHEN I LOOKED UP I GASPED. THERE HE WAS IN THE TREETOPS HANGING DOWN ON A HONEYSUCKLE VINE. "I'M GOING ON AHEAD TO TELL EVERYONE THAT WE'LL HAVE GUESTS TONIGHT. PLEASE STAY ON THIS PATH AND KEEP GOING EAST. IF ANYTHING SHOULD HAPPEN ARY, JUST SUMMON." I TENSED. "BUT WHAT IF I SUMMON SOMETHING WORSE THAN WHAT APPEARS" I ASKED ANXIOUSLY. HE LOOKED AT ME OBSERVINGLY. "GOOD THOUGHTS ARY, KEEPING THE MIND PURE KEEPS THE SUMMONS PURE," HE REPLIED SIMPLY. I COULD ONLY STARE AS HE BLEW ME A KISS AND TOOK OFF, SWINGING THROUGH THE TREES. MY MONKEY MAN. I SURPRISED MY SELF WITH THAT THOUGHT. ONLY IF YOU WANT ME TO BE. HIS REPLY SENT A CHILL DOWN MY SPINE, AND ALSO ANOTHER FEELING I'D RATHER NOT TALK ABOUT HERE. "OKAY GUYS LETS GO," I SAID. AFTER ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES OF WALKING I LOOKED BACK TO SEE, TO MY SURPRISE, THE REST OF MY FAMILY LAGGING ABOUT TWENTY PACES BACK. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO RUN BACK TO THEM WHEN A GROWL SOUNDED FROM JUST AHEAD. ALL OF A SUDDEN A GIANT RED AND BLACK WOLF JUMPED FROM BEHIND A TREE AND A BLOODCURTLING SNARLE ERUPTED FROM IT. OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD, I THOUGHT. GOOD THOUGHTS ARY. I JUMPED AS HIS THOUGHTS TOUCHED MINE. OKAY GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, UM, ANGELS, SHEILDS, GUARDS, GUARDIAN ANGELS! EVEN AS I THOUGHT IT I FELT THE FAMILIAR PAIN OF THE SUMMONING AND FELL OVER AND CONVULSED. I LOOKED UP WITH MY SWEAT DRENCHED FACE TO SEE A GLIMMERING GOLD ANGEL BETWEEN ME AND THE WOLF, THE ANGEL LOOKED FROM ME TO THE DOG AND BROUGHT UP PEARL WHITE SPEAR AND WITH A SUPERNATURALLY POWERFUL VOICE SAID AN INCANTATION. "THUNDRUS INCANE ASPAKE!" AND WITH THAT SAID I HEARD A ROLL OF THUNDER. A STORM CLOUD CAME DOWN AROUND US AND A STREAK OF LIGHTNING SHOT OUT AND IMBUNED ITSELF INTO THE ANGELS SPEAR AND HE STRUCK THE WOLF DOWN WITH AN ALMIGHTY SWING OF HIS ARM, A RESOUNDING KABOOM OF THUNDER AND A FLASH OF LIGHTNING. WITH ONE LAST LOOK AT ME THE ANGEL SAID, "MY NAME IS NERO. I AM YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL.CALL ON ME IN TIMES OF NEED." WITH THAT NERO PULLED OUT HIS BRILLIANT WHITE WINGS AND TOOK OFF. WHILE WE ALL (MY FAMILY HAD SNUCK UP ON ME) STOOD THERE IN STUNNED SILENCE I HEARD THE SOUND OF HOOVES APPROACHING. I SIGHED IN RELIEF WHEN OTHELLO CAME INTO VIEW WITH AN OLD TIMEY BUGGEY PULLED BY FOUR HORSES.HE PULLED UP BESIDE US. "ALL ABOARD!" HE JUMPED DOWN AND BOWED. "COME ON HURRY UP!" I WAITED WHILE MY FAMILY GRATEFULLY CLIMBED IN THE BUGGY. "DID YOU SEE ALL THAT," I HAD TO ASK. HE GAVE ME A LOOK OF ADMIRATION. "YES, AND IMPRESSIVE ARY." I COULDN'T HELP BUT TO SMILE WIDELY AT THE COMPLEMENT. "BUT IT DOSENT HAVE TO BE SO PAINFUL. YOU CAN MASTER IT TO THE POINT THAT SUMMONING COULD FEEL PLEASANT." I SNORTED. "I SUPPOSE YOU'RE THE ONE TO TEACH ME", WAS MY SARCASTIC REMARK. IF YOU WANT, MY LOVE. AGAIN THOSE SPECIAL FEELINGS HE GAVE ME RAN UP AND DOWN MY BODY. I'M YOURS. I WAS SURPRISED BY HOW MUCH I MEANT THAT STATEMENT. HE LOOKED AT ME WITH SUCH AFFECTION THAT I BLUSHED DEEP CRIMSON RED. HE RUBBED MY CHEEK. "YOU LOOK SO CUTE WHEN YOU BLUSH." I SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED STRIPPING DOWN RIGHT THERE AND JUMPING ON HIM. BUT HE PULLED AWAY AT THE LAST SECOND AND SAID WITH A BRANDISH, "NOW, ON TO MEET MY FAMILY!"