We had breakfast with them, an assortment of dried fruit and honeyed seeds, compacted into a bar. And more of the cookies from the barrel, one for now and one for later.
We said goodbye to the girls, and Davina, she gave Martin a long lingering kiss as they parted
Alice turned and beamed at me as we left, a radiant toothy smile.
Like the duchess's cat, only the smile was important.
Outside we waited a few minutes till a passing taxi picked us up and whisked us away through the city streets and onto the next stage of our quest.
The driver turned. "Holiday or business?" he asked.
"Business," I replied. "Off to Australia."
Magus sighed and shifted, laying back into the corner of the seat. I was content to sit and watch as the sights of suburbia flew past as we drove down 6th avenue. My contentment didn't last long, the day darkened and the ring on my finger started to tingle.
The driver leant forward and looked at the rapidly darkening sky. I turned and looked at Magus, he was sleeping softly, I could see a faint green glow emanating from his ring. I craned my neck looking through the window at the black clouds rolling in, robbing the day of its light.
The tingling grew as the roiling clouds split and lightening forked through the air, the thunder stirred Magus, I heard him mumble and shift his position. The rain hit us, coming down in stair rods as the driver slowed the car, I had an ominous feeling as the ring felt warm and heavy on my finger.
The lightning hit the car, drowning us in light and noise, Magus awoke with a start, our driver sat frozen in his seat whimpering 'Madre De Deos' and repeatedly crossing himself. A second bolt struck, ripping the roof wide and letting the rain flood in.
The green light of my ring was glowing brighter, forming a bubble that expanded to encompass me. I grabbed at Magus, catching his sleeve and dragging him over to my side as I opened the door of the car.
A third bolt struck the car, setting it ablaze as we fled from it, the driver running in the other direction. Magus was running alongside me as we headed over the pavement and up some driveway to the shelter of a clump of trees.
As we splashed our way through the streaming water a dark form started to materialise in front of us.
"Rankakopt," Magus exclaimed as the creature directed a bolt of blue fire at us.
My hand was up creating a shield in front of us but the bolt smashed against my pale green bubble, skittering over it as its fury was spent. My hand curved as I sought to create a power ball to throw back, but instead my fingers straightened and a bright sharp green beam arced out.
The creature roared as it struck him. His body started to glow, at first a dull red then as the beam continued to spear him he brightened to a dazzling white before exploding soundlessly, chunks spinning hither and thither into the torrential rain.
I felt Magus grasp my shoulder from behind, his grip strong enough to give him my attention.
"Magus," I questioned him. "What was that creature, what did you call it?"
I turned to fully face him, the sky beginning to brighten as the rains ceased and the clouds dissolved, the green bubble was dissolving around me as well.
"I'll answer that after you answer me this, how did you defeat it, what magic did you use?" he replied.
"That answer's simple," I said, still feeling the fading tingle in my finger. "The ring did it when I tried to use my magic. It added to my power, channelling it out ten times stronger."
"Didn't your tingle as well?" I asked, remembering the warmth of the one in my pocket.
He shook his head. "Not as much as yours obviously, a slight buzz which I associated with the presence of the Rankakopt, that was the beast you destroyed." He paused to look at me, then take my ring hand and look at that.
Come, he carried on. "We must depart this place, where there are Rankakopt there are sure to be Stobor and Ba Ah Arges, more servants of the Orm, master of the shadows."
His Wand was out, the incantation to open a gate on his lips.
"By the power of the ring I bear may a way to the world of Kallifonai be opened to me."
The hole appeared, hiding the burning taxi from sight. He propelled me through. We were in the familiar hall of his home, deserted as we arrived. I dropped our guises, shucking of the wizard robe and revelled in the freedom restored to my body.
Marcus straightened his robes and shouted out a servants name
We waited moments till I heard the hurried footsteps and a servant appeared from a side door.
"Find Yodla and Myrdlin, tell them I'm back and I need to see them," he commanded him.
He turned and hurried back the way he came. Another appeared at the entrance door to the lounge, at the bottom of the hall.
"Tell Sissy and Macteth we're back," his voice boomed down, commanding her likewise.
He started down as she scurried away, striding determinedly to the lounge and through the door, it too was deserted, I walked to a chair, we had nothing to do but wait on events. The green magic was of far more import than I originally thought.
He went and pulled a wall rope, no doubt frustrated by the importance of the event and the unready state of its reception. He paced back to me.
"The ring has chosen you for this fight," he stated, as I looked up to him where he stopped in front of me, looking down at my hand.
Yodla was the first to arrive and Magus immediately launched into the tale of our encounter, from the moment he woke to the crash of the thunder, the inside of the cab illuminated by the glow of my ring like a green lantern.
Yodla sat by my side as he listened, glancing at me as Magus paused for emphasis, Magus had been inside the bubble, his ring tingling as I defended us. It was a short tale to tell, and had to be repeated for Myrdlin who arrived to late to hear but the finishing words of the thing exploding.
Yodla sat with me as magus was drawn by the entrance of his wife.
"My dear your home," she said delightedly, her arms open to enfold him as she too dainty great strides to meet him.
As she hugged him over his shoulder she said to me as I stood before her. "Sissy is out shopping or something."
Her voice was still full of the happiness of her husband's return, yet disappointing me.
"Few is power given to," he said, drawing my attention.
"Chosen for this fight is the one who handles it best."
I was honoured, but I didn't know what the fight was yet, other than that was powerful magic we both had wielded. My weapon bettering his shield.
"Learned sir, what is this fight we face? Though it sound like a fight half won if we can keep the chicken headless."
"Ah," he nodded. "The whole is divided into the sum."
I sighed, I didn't want philosophical meanderings I needed to know the nature of those who would oppose us.
"Sir," I said respectfully. "What is the nature of the enemies we face, these Rankakopt, and their minions?"
"You're better asking me, tactics is not his forte," a new voice chimed in.
I looked up to catch my first sight of the third wizard, who must have arrived during our absence. He was standing curling his beard as he looked over at us..
"Thank you," I said, relieved that someone recognised my interests.
I stood, Yodla might be knowledgeable in the arts and crafts of magic but this was a learning curve for him as his analysis expanded his understanding.
"Dumbledore, pray tell what is this about?"
"There's a dark side to magic, as we have the Dragons they have the Orm," he started, I listened to his tales of ancient battles that stalemated, this was a bold new attack, taking advantage of the lack of someone wielding the ring.
They'd been complacent, waiting for the ring to choose for them, the good news was the next Rankakopt would be wary to step into the fray till he was sure it wasn't a death trap. We only had to clean out the roots of the network, an apparently more tedious than dangerous.
We would also be rescuing Alice, that news from Magus had excited him, she could be the mother of a new line of magicians. She's a rare and welcome thing, a female who can work magic, I still had her spell in the back of my mind though it was probable broken with the transition to this world. She'd had less than half an hour of the weeks I promised her.
Partway through his monologue refreshments had arrived, and we wandered over and I helped myself, scooping up a plate and piling the delicacies on it. We sat at the edge of the room, oblivious to the rest milling round Magus and his wife.
I sat back as he finished, full of small questions, questions that would be better framed when I digested the facts. Something I needed time to do. Dumbledore left me to my ruminations, going to feed his at the table.
I followed him over, pouring myself a hot drink before retiring to the balcony to enjoy the rest of the day whilst I waited for Sissie's return. From my distant chair I could still hear the low growl of the hubbub, conversations dissolving into tones of voice.
I was dozing in the sun, thinking, Uurf was the most vulnerable outpost, the race was predisposed with its lionisation of valour and bravery, that put people on the gravy train who knew how to exploit it, with culture letting it.
