THE FOUR SECTORS WARS - Sample Chapters

FIVE

The gnome's voice exploded over the silence: "Linara!"  

He had a head that was easily half the size of his body. His chin hung down his chest like a stocking hung from a fireplace mantle at Christmas. His skin was punctuated with warts and carbuncles and even more exotic growths.  

He couldn't possibly be a day under six hundred, as there were six hundred year old trees nearby that didn't look half as gnarly. He looked like he belonged there more than the forest itself. As if the latter were but a distillation of him, the stones arising from his calcified and arthritic body, the trees from knotholes in his skin. 

Linara smiled in response. The gnome introduced himself to Raikin: "I am Pithius, God of sorrow. It is my job to take all depressed souls and reincarnate them as elements of the natural world so the magic of Hitara can nurse them back to health." 

"A fancy term for midwife if you ask me," Linara said, in some good-natured ribbing. 

"And who asked you?" Pithius barked in mock protest. He gave her a big hug and spit on her forehead as if it were the greatest gift anyone could give. "For good luck." 

"We came to you for schooling in magic, not for good luck," Linara said impatiently. 

"I assure you, good luck is worth more than all the magic in the world." He flopped down on a log as if holding up his mighty head on two feet was not something he was prepared to do a moment longer. "Take the good fortune of finding this fallen tree just when I needed it. Besides, if you perform magic in Bolotaire, it will age you, a couple years for each spell, at least. I heartily discourage it, being as you two look like such lovely youth. Pity to squander it in such a way."  

"Bolotaire! But I thought we were in Rimron," Linara protested. 

"'Fraid not, my dear. Rimron is over the county line thataway - about twenty klicks to be precise."  

She checked herself in a small circular mirror she pulled out of her waist pouch.  

"What's the mirror for?" Raikin asked. 

"I use it for my light magic. Though, right now it's for checking to see if I've aged any." She gave him a stern looking over as well. "We don't look any worse for wear, so we must have landed in Rimron, and just walked in the wrong direction. I thought for sure I knew the area well enough not to get turned around in the woods." 

She returned her attention to the gnome. "How is it I know you from Rimron?" Linara asked, perplexed. 

"Because at the time you were lost and had no idea where you were and I kind of let you think you were still in Rimron because honestly it's rare that I meet a new friend."  

"Nice way to treat your friends."  

"You will recall I did all the magic conjuring for you and wouldn't hear of your protests to the contrary. So in my own devious way I protected you from a fate worse than youth." 

"Is that why you look like you're at least six hundred?" Raikin said, realizing the comment was not likely to land the way he intended it.  

"Oh, we have a comedian amongst us. I'll have you know I'm at least eight hundred because I've cast at least four hundreds spells times two years a piece. Though I lost precise count at around three hundred and sixty."  

"So how old are you really?" Linara asked. 

"Oh, about twenty or so."  

"What do the extra years do to you?" Raikin asked, drawing dirty looks from Linara. "Well, you asked me to be more scientific about things! Seems like a valid line of inquiry."