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For the next few months my father and I worked intensively on my mastering the rest of my heritage. I was stunned. The secrets were opened to me, and I absorbed them like a thirsty sponge. In only a few months I was surpassing my father, and we were both surprised and delighted. The secret to my success was adding science and worldly experience to my father's secrets. I found it easy to talk with and understand the magic creatures of the valley and I was able to penetrate more deeply into the mystery that was A'zork. As it said to me at our introduction, "I am power incarnate. I am not a teacher." With my wider knowledge, I was soon in more command of the dark power he offered.
But, good and bad, they come together. That summer a seriously dark cloud fell over our valley. We couldn't get good information at first, because the trouble started at the north end of the valley. What we heard was that Kalnichov farms were being burned and farmers killed. It took a lot of digging, but we finally found that the cause of the trouble was a retreating Turkish army. The news of the summer had been of wars between the Turks and the Hapsburgs in Hungary. It seems the Turks had not fared well, and some thousands had chosen to retreat into our valley.
When that word came south, my father did not think a moment before saying to me, "You must return to Florence as quickly as possible and seek aid." I agreed with him wholeheartedly, and two days later I set out on horseback with my four most trusted followers. We rode like the wind, and it was three days later that we topped a valley and I looked down and saw the blue of the Adriatic Sea sparkling below me. It was then that a new thought rushed into my mind, "Wait! Florence! Why in the world would anyone from Florence in Italy send soldiers to a small undistinguished valley in the Balkans?" I looked back, and realized my father had mind controlled me into thinking this was a good plan. Why had he done that?
I had four men with me. They were my most trusted companions from the valley. But, I was now so confused! "We stop for lunch here." I said, even though it was only ten o'clock in the morning. My men looked surprised at this odd timing, but I needed time to think. "The view is good." I said to explain my choice, and it was. As we had lunch, I thought, "My father wanted me out of the valley, and out quickly." I decided to use one of my newly learned spells to find out what was happening back in the valley.
My men, my friends, knew I had some special abilities, but not much about them. So when I told them, "I need some time undisturbed... a few hours." they were not totally surprised. We looked for a place to camp. The first place we found was just off the road down from the top of the pass. It was a good spot. Too good, in fact, because as we looked it over we found lots of trash. It was visited frequently, and probably by bandits. Further down we found a better site and set up camp there. We set up a tent for me; I told my friends I was not to be disturbed, and there I attempted my second Astral Travel.
"The Astral Plane is the plane of pure joy." my father had told me not a month before. "Which makes Astral Travel one of the more dangerous things you will do. When you enter, you will see the souls of many, many magic users who have lost their way among its wonders. The key to Astral Travel is to make sure, make double and triple sure!, you have a way back to your body." My father showed me how to make an astral cord, and I went on my first brief journey. Now, on just my second try, I was going to travel for real, and travel a long distance. I was going to travel back to my valley to see why my father had wanted me out so quickly! It wasn't easy to do in a hastily set up tent, but I managed to get double sure I would come back... as long as I wasn't disturbed... and I set out!
As I traveled to my valley, I saw many wonderful patterns in Astral Space. It truly was a delight to the eyes, ears and other senses. It was like a good meal with good entertainment, only more so, and very abstract. I did not see other travelers -- others moving along with a purpose and a cord. I did see many spirits without a cord. Each had stopped in a particular spot and was looking at some formation of the plane with deep concentration. According to my father, such spirits had found their special spot in the Astral Plane, and they would be content with watching that spot for thousands of years. Their bodies, however, would wither away quickly, dying of thirst, starvation or whatever aspect of neglect took them first. These spirits I saw were not good conversationalists, they were totally engrossed in watching their spot.
I saw a couple of very interesting spots on my journey, too. I was tempted to pause, but my astral cord tugged on me, and I kept moving on.
When I arrived at my valley, I saw disaster. (In astral form I could travel around the valley without being seen. I could watch and listen, but not touch or be heard when I talked.) What I saw was that the Turkish troops had allied with the Kalnichovs and moved south to decimate our end of the valley. With the raw military might of the Turks and the intimate knowledge of the valley of the Kalnichovs, the end of the Rostov reign had come in only a couple of days of fighting. Just three days after I left, the Kalnichovs and Turks had surrounded our home and taken it in just a few hours of fighting. When I traveled through my home, I found a Turkish commander was settling in, and he had a young Kalnichov noble as his advisor.
My heart was so sad! My father had foreseen this disaster, and sent me off! It was noble on his part, but I was not happy to have been treated like a helpless refugee! I was a powerful magician! I should have stayed and fought! I moved around the house and grounds for a while, just looking at the strangeness of my house being turned into a Turkish command center. The shame of it! I was also looking for a hope, a something that I could use to restore my family's home, my family, and fortune to the Rostovs.
I got a large spark of hope when I heard an orderly report to the Turkish commander. The orderly came in and spoke quietly. From his manner, it was clear he had bad news. He said, "We still have not found them, sir."
The commander got quite angry. "Not found them! How could you not find them! We surrounded this place quietly in the dark. Our spies were here watching days earlier, and they even saw the boy ride off with four companions. We know they were in here. How could you not find them!" He threw a glass into the fireplace in frustration. When he regained control of himself, he asked the orderly, "OK, you haven't found the parents, what of the boy?"
"The boy is on the road to the Adriatic coast, and moving fast. We have a detachment riding fast to catch him, but their group has good horses, and all in their party are good horsemen."
"And Turks are not good horsemen? I want news... good news... by morning. Dismissed." the Turkish commander continued his brooding as the orderly left quietly.
My parents have not been found! They are not killed! Now that was good news, indeed! I cheered, and I sneered at the Turkish commander. "Hah! My father is not some helpless peasant! You cresent-worshipping foreigner!" He didn't hear me, of course.
But... I wondered where he was? Then it hit me! There's a Turkish detachment chasing me! ME! as in chasing my body, that doesn't have me in it! Whoa! IF THEY FIND ME, THAT WILL BE QUITE DISTURBING! I started back to my body at top speed! If I didn't beat the Turks to my body, I would soon be just another Astral Watcher!
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