Little time had passed since sunrise, but Grodin, Tarun, and Shon stopped and removed their packs so that they could retrieve the small bundles of wrapped cloth that held the Kraken’s Embrace prepared for each of them. None of them felt very hot yet, but Grodin instructed them not to wait too long before using the seaweed, since their own bodies would be unable to cool themselves naturally.

As soon as Shon had unwrapped his Kraken’s Embrace and smelled its powerful odor, he wondered if he wouldn’t just prefer the heat. He followed his uncle’s and Tarun’s example by removing his traveling cloak, lifting up his shirt, and wrapping the long length of seaweed around his torso, just below his ribs. The first time the plant touched his skin he inhaled sharply from the unexpectedly numbing cold against his bare skin. As he continued to wrap it around his skin, breathing through his teeth as he did so, his stomach muscles contracted involuntarily, and he worried that his movements throughout the day would cause the Kraken’s Embrace to slip and fall off of him. As his torso adjusted to the cold, however, he discovered that his fears were unfounded due to the slightly sticky surface of the plant.

After wrapping the Kraken’s Embrace around his middle four times in a downward spiral, the piece came to its end, and Shon was able to lower his shirt. He reached for his traveling cloak, but then realized that it would only get in the way when he applied the other piece of seaweed to his head. The thought suddenly seemed twice as unpleasant as the seaweed around his torso. He looked around and saw his uncle wrapping the plant around his neck and forehead, like some sort of backwards scarf.

As soon as Shon placed the Kraken’s Embrace against his considerably more sensitive neck skin, he believed himself unable to bear such a sensation. Not only could he feel the cold of the plant in the crick of his neck, but its slimy, shiny outer skin clung to his skin as if it wanted to be absorbed into his body. When he first felt the unsettling sensation of the plant’s natural adhesive on his neck he began to peel it off, but that was accompanied by a slurping, sucking sound that Shon found even more unpleasant than the stickiness, so he continued to wrap.

When he was done his entire neck was covered, and then, following a trail up his right cheek, it continued to wrap around his whole head above they eyes. Shon did not know how long the unpleasant experience had taken him, but when he looked up he saw Tarun and Grodin waiting for him with their cloaks and packs already returned to their backs. Shon hurriedly donned his cloak and pack, embarrassed that he had apparently made such more of a fuss about the process than the others.

They then began walking again, and Shon was so grateful for the comfortable temperature of his body that he did not even take note of when the smell stopped bothering him.

At Midday Grodin told them that they should rest a while to eat and to give their feet a rest. Though there was nothing in sight to sit on besides sand, they were all grateful for the chance to rest from the monotony of walking. They each removed their packs and retrieved individual pouches filled with nuts, dried fruit, and some small, round cakes that Grodin had baked two days earlier.

Shon looked down at one of the water sacks on his belt as he ate, and thought about taking a drink just out of habit, though he really didn’t feel thirsty at all. Tarun saw Shon inspecting his water sack, and it prompted his memory.

“Grodin,” said Tarun as they ate, “you said before that the water sacks we carry are in case we encounter a mirage, and that you would explain that more to us later. Is now an appropriate time to discuss what you meant?”

“Thank you, Tarun,” said Grodin, “I had almost forgotten, and it would be better to tell you now rather than during an actual encounter with a mirage, which would be too late.” Grodin took another handful of food into his hand, and then shoveled it into his mouth before tying the pouch closed and placing it back in his pack.

“There’s not a lot that’s known for certain about mirages, but I’ll tell you what is known, and what opinions I’ve formed for myself. First of all, it’s generally accepted that mirages are creatures that are magical in nature, which have only been encountered here in the Endless Desert. It is also generally accepted that they can assume forms other than their natural ones, that they are dangerous when encountered, and that their only known weakness is water. Everything else I will tell you is my own opinion, and may be argued by some, but I tend to believe quite strongly that I am right.

“I’ve spoken with several people who have survived encounters with mirages, so my opinions are not unfounded. For instance, I believe that mirages are vulnerable to water because their bodies are composed of sand. Except that this sand is much finer than the stuff that we are sitting on right now, and it has a silvery appearance. Those I have spoken with say that a mirage in its natural state appears to move very fluidly, which leads me to believe that this fine sand is always moving, which is also what makes them vulnerable to water.”

“But uncle,” inquired Shon, “why would water hurt them just because they are made of sand?”

“I didn’t say it would hurt them,” corrected Grodin. “I have never heard anything to suggest that mirages can even feel pain. But they are vulnerable to it.”

“I don’t understand,” said Tarun. “What is the difference?”

“Come next to me and I will show you,” replied Grodin as he unstopped one of his water sacks. He let just a few drops of water out of the sack, and then replaced the stopper. As the water seeped into the sand on his right side, Grodin picked up some sand on his left side with his left hand. “See what happens to the sand in my hand as I open my fingers just slightly? It quickly sifts through as if my hand were hardly there.”

He then used his right hand to lift the sand with the water spilled on it. “As I sift this sand, however,” Grodin continued, “the wet part does not pass through. It has become clumpy and solid. I believe that water has the same effect on mirages.”

At that moment, a memory flashed into Shon’s mind. “Uncle Grodin,” Shon said, “the night that Tarun first arrived, when he saved me from the gamblers, someone in the crowd splashed him in the face with water.” As Shon spoke these words, Tarun shivered unconsciously. “There was so much going on at the time that I didn’t think about it then,” Shon continued, “but it really was a strange thing to do. Do you think that they did that because they thought Tarun was a mirage?”

“That sounds likely,” Grodin replied. “I’m not the only person who’s heard the idea that mirages are vulnerable to water, and the way Tarun walked out of the desert like that, beating up those men and not saying a word… Well, it’s easy to believe.”

“So if we see a mirage,” said Shon, “we should squirt it with water, or pour it on its head or something?”

“Squirting is much more advisable since it would probably kill you if you were close enough to pour water on the creature’s head,” said Grodin. “It is also important to understand why mirages are dangerous.”

“I thought that mirages were dangerous because they kill people,” Shon said sarcastically.

“Yes,” continued Grodin, ignoring the sarcasm, “but why do they kill people? There are some creatures in this world, like imps for example, who kill merely because they enjoy the pain and suffering of other. Most creatures, however, kill for only three reasons. They kill because they want to eat what they are killing, because they are trying to kill something that wants to eat them, or because they are protecting their territory from intruders. For a couple of reasons, I believe that mirages attack only out of a territorial instinct.”

“What reasons?” Tarun asked.

“Everyone I have ever spoken with who has survived a mirage attack has said that the bodies of the slain were never eaten, nor was there any attempt to eat them. Truth be told, we don’t know what they eat.”

“Then its possible they could just eat the pain of their victims, isn’t it?” Shon asked. “Or even eat their souls as they leave their bodies?”

“Excellent question!” Grodin said with a smile and surprised expression. “There are some magical creatures who seem to feed off of certain emotions, the way that spectres and phantoms feed off of fear for example. However there are two other observations I have gathered that lead me to believe that this is not the case.”

“Please continue then,” said Tarun.

“As I said before,” said Grodin, “mirages are able to change their shape and appearance when they encounter other beings. I believe that they can only assume the form of things they have actually seen. They have no imagination to create a unique appearance. I also believe that somehow they are able to choose from things they have seen, in order to choose the form that will be the most frightening to the intruder. If they were trying to feed off of the beings they encounter, it would make much more sense to first assume a form that would seem attractive or welcoming.”

“Unless,” interjected Shon, “they are like spectres or phantoms, and they feed off of fear.”

“Yes,” continued Grodin, “and that leads me to my last observation. This observation is backed by the most evidence. Every time a mirage has attacked a group of intruders, it always leaves some of them alive. It is almost as if it wants to leave witnesses to warn others to stay away. If they were feeding off fear, why not kill everyone? Why allow any prey to return to warn future prey to stay away?”

“So you are telling us,” said Tarun, “that if we stay out of a mirage’s territory, we should be safe.”

“That is my hope,” said Grodin. “I would much rather avoid these creatures than attempt to splash water at them. For all of my information gathering, I have never experienced one firsthand. I’ve spent considerable time during the last several days going over all of the known locations of mirage confrontations, and I’m confident we will avoid all known mirage territory. I just worry about the territory we aren’t aware of.”

When Grodin finished speaking the three of them sat in silence for a while, pondering what had been said. After the moment of reflection had passed, Grodin looked up at the position of the sun, and exclaimed, “Well, we’d better continue on. We took a much longer rest than I anticipated!” Tarun and Shon tied closed their food bags, returned them to their packs, and the three of them prepared to continue their walk until sunset.

That night, after they had eaten their evening meal, they laid out their pieces of Kraken’s Embrace across long strips of cloth so they could release their heat into the cold night air. After that they untied their rolled up sleeping bags from the top of their packs, and laid them down with the thickest side against the desert sand. Because of Tarun’s unusual height, Grodin had commissioned the town tailor to add an extension to his sleeping bag. The outside of the bags were made from some sort of tanned hide that Shon did not recognize, and the inside was lined with wool. They would provide all the protection from the cold desert air that Tarun, Shon, and Grodin would need.

Once they had all laid themselves down into their sleeping bags, Shon became aware that the sun had only recently gone down and, despite his exhaustion from the day, he was not yet sleepy. “Uncle Grodin,” Shon ventured, “may I ask you a question?”

“You may,” came Grodin’s reply from the growing darkness.

“When we spoke of mirages earlier today,” Shon said, “it seemed that you knew so much about mirages and other magical creatures. Yesterday you spoke of magical plants as if you knew them as intimately as the roses and herbs growing in your greenhouse. You know of my desire to develop my magical talents and become a real wizard, but you have always acted ignorant of anything magical in nature. Why have you not taught me everything you know?”

Grodin let out a great sigh. “Nephew,” Grodin began, “there will come a day, and I believe it will be closer than it is distant, that I can reveal to you why there are so many questions of yours that I can’t answer the way you would like. When that day comes, I hope you will remember your questions, for they are questions borne of your wonderful intellect.”

Shon lay still and silent. His uncle had never admitted to deliberately avoiding Shon’s answers before, and he did not want an interruption from him to keep his uncle from revealing more. He knew that his uncle was deep in thought, because he could feel Grodin’s thoughts buzzing rapidly at the edge of his mind. He was tempted for a moment to try to focus on listening to his uncle’s thoughts, but Grodin did not approve of eavesdropping, magical or not, and Shon knew he could not live with the shame if he was found out.

At length, his silence paid off, but not in the way Shon expected. In the darkness he heard Grodin turn in his sleeping bag towards Tarun and said, “It seems my nephew has fallen asleep. Since I can’t answer his questions about magic, are there any questions I can answer for you, my boy?”

Shon was caught unawares by the instant flood of anger, excitement, and disappointment that flooded his mind. On the one hand, all he had to do was keep still and quiet, and he would be able to hear his uncle answer Tarun’s questions about magic, which he so longed to learn about. But on the other hand, why was Grodin willing to answer Tarun’s questions and not his? They were family after all!

For a moment, Shon’s indignation grew so intense that he almost arose to rebuke his uncle. But right before he did, he heard Grodin cough and clear his throat in a way that gave him pause. Shon decided instead to remain still and silent.

“I wouldn’t even know what to ask,” replied Tarun after some time, “Though I would like to learn as much as I can. Perhaps you would be willing to tell me the answer to Shon’s earlier question about why you have not taught him anything about magic before. It seems you know much more than he suspected.”

“That is a bit of an understatement, Tarun,” said Grodin. Shon could hear his uncle turn to lie on his back and look up at the stars. “No, I don’t think this is the right time for me to answer that question, even to you.” After he said this, Grodin lay silent for a while.

At length, Grodin let out a long breath and said, “I’ll tell you what, my boy. Since I cannot answer the question Shon asked, let me tell you of something else that will be important for you to learn if you really wish to understand this world of ours. Pay attention to my words, because I doubt you will learn this from anyone else. I will tell you of the current state of magic in our world.” At these last words, Shon could feel his heart begin pounding in his chest.

“Current state?” asked Tarun. “Is magic different now than it used to be?”

“Oh yes,” replied Grodin, “magic is constantly changing, and can no more be tamed or set still than a mighty river or rolling clouds. When this world began, magic was everywhere. It dwelled in every plant, animal, lake, and stone. These were times when the world was wild with magic. Unicorns ran in herds, flocks of phoenix would fill the sky, and every flower, bush, and tree would house some sort of fairy or nymph. But so much magic also made the world an unpredictable and chaotic place. This time is called the First Era, before the First Immortals came.

“There were hundreds of races in that time, and each race had two Immortals, a male and female who could not die, and they were the progenitors of each race. Each of these races tried to deal with the wild magic in different ways, under the direction of their Immortals.”

“Where did the Immortals come from?” asked Tarun. “And how did the First Era begin if there was nothing before that? Are we now living in the Second Era?”

“Let me answer your last question first,” replied Grodin. “The era we now live in is actually the Fourth Era. Though I’m afraid your other questions are much more difficult. I wish I could answer you, but the truth is nobody knows the answers to those questions. The First Era was thousands of years ago. Not even the oldest and mightiest trees were even acorns at that time. I’ve heard some pretty farfetched ideas that try to explain the origins of the First Era or the First Immortals, but nothing I’ve ever taken seriously. It is fairly well recorded what the First Immortals taught their children about magic though, and that is more pertinent to our discussion tonight.

“The elven Immortals, for example, taught their race to embrace the magic, and to live with the consequences of a force that could create destruction and chaos in an instant. The dwarven Immortals taught the dwarves to flee the magic by digging themselves homes in caves and mountains. The First Immortals of our race did not want teach their children to flee the magic, nor did they want them to live their lives in the uncertainty and unpredictability that the magic brought. Their answer was to introduce wizardry to their children.

“Just as today, wizards, sorcerers, witches, and other magic users were able to use the energies of the magic around them to do wonders far beyond their natural abilities. The people saw them as the way to control and tame the magically wild world around them, and wizards became revered by common man. The practice of wizardry began to spread to the other races of the world, and only First Immortals could keep their children under control and prevent them from pushing the boundaries of their magic.”

“So the Immortals were protectors and peacekeepers of the world?” asked Tarun.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” replied Grodin. “The First Immortals were teachers and parents of their races, but it’s said that they were cold and distant from their children. They had little care for the lives and conflicts of the world, but they were jealous beings and did not look kindly on anyone who tried to surpass their talents or teachings, so they made sure their rules were obeyed. All of that changed when they were overthrown by Lord Caster and the Second Immortals.”

Shon could contain his excitement no longer, and he reached out to Tarun with his mind. He’s talking about the Immortalium! The story of the rise of Lord Caster and his Immortals. Ask him to tell you more about that!

As soon as he had sent his thoughts to Tarun, he regretted it. Tarun was always so honest, would he give Shon away and tell Grodin that he was secretly awake? But when Tarun spoke his voice was just as even as before. “Can you tell me more about the Immortalium, Grodin? I’d like to hear more about Lord Caster.”

“The Immortalium?” said Grodin, and he coughed and cleared his throat in the same way as before. “Well if you’re familiar with that word then you have probably already heard the story. In any case, it is a very long story, and not one I plan to tell tonight.” In the darkness Shon felt his face grow red and hot, though the night was turning chilly. He knew he had risked too much in his excitement, and decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the remainder of Grodin’s lesson.

“Suffice it to say,” continued Grodin, “that when the First Immortals were overthrown it freed their children from the limitations that had been placed on them. As the power of wizardry grew, so did the pride of the wizards. And that pride did not go without consequences.

“Many wizards began to accumulate large kingdoms of men and other races, and with those kingdoms came large armies. Some of these kingdoms were ruled in justice and kindness, and their ruling wizards used their magical abilities to enhance the lives of their people, but most often the wizards regarded their subjects as fodder for their own personal ambitions.

“Just as they were amassing great power among men, the wizards continued to delve deeper into strengthening their magical powers as well. The wizards discovered that the magical energies that coursed through them also sustained their bodies, and gave them lifespan far longer than common mortal man, though they could not truly live forever like the Immortals. This elongated lifespan drove some mad. They found that instead of just using the magic that permeated around them, they could enhance their powers by taking magical energies from many creatures, plants, and other receptacles of magic.

“That is when the wars began. As the wizards began hunting magical creatures for their energies, the creatures fought back. There were several species of intelligent creatures who participated in the wars, but it was the dragons, in their fury and might, who lead the fight. At the same time, the kingdoms set up by wizards and other kings had grown so large and powerful that they began to hunger for expansion and conquering, so they began to war with each other as well.

“This was a time of tremendous conflict. There were dark malicious lords, terrifying beasts, armies so large they defied number, and heroes so noble, brave, and mighty that they became legend. All of that life and death, sorrow and triumph; it all served to increase the magical energies of the world. Magic is not evil, mind you, but it does thrive on conflict and opposition. Out of the extreme necessity for foe to progress beyond foe, it also became the era that would see the greatest advancement in magic, knowledge, and science. It is tragic to me that such progress could only come at such great cost.”

“But who won the war?” asked Tarun.

“The great wars had no winner,” replied Grodin solemnly. “The wars lasted almost a thousand years before there was any sort of truce. Nearly all of the most powerful wizards were killed, the greatest and fiercest creatures were slain, and the kingdoms had all laid siege to each other until only villages and towns remained. The majority of the magical creatures followed the remaining dragons north, to what we now call Dragon Country. The race of man did not resist when the magical creatures left, and with so much of the destructive and chaotic energies gone with them, man began to live in peace and predictability.”

“That sounds like a happy ending,” said Tarun.

“Yes,” said Grodin, “that is the lie that most of the world tells itself as well.”

“I don’t understand,” said Tarun. “How could all of the magical energies have left to this Dragon Country you mentioned? Aren’t we using magical plants on our journey right now? Shon used magic to speak to my mind when I first arrived, and aren’t there still wizards, sorcerers, and other magic users among men now?”

“Yes,” said Grodin, “there is still magic in our world. I did not mean to suggest that the magic had all gone. Indeed I am not sure our world could survive without magic, but the strength, power, and passion with which magic once permeated this world has not been felt in hundreds of years.”

“There’s something else I still don’t understand,” said Tarun. “Why did you say that the world believes a lie? Is it not good that dragons and other magical beasts live apart from man, and that man now lives in peace?”

Grodin let out a heavy sigh. “You ask a deep question,” he said to Tarun. “I will answer it as best as I can. Do you remember that I told you that magic couldn’t be tamed or stand still? This period of time is the era that has come closest to taming the magical energies around us. There are schools of wizardry that teach hundreds pupils at once to do nothing more than repeat the spells and enchantments invented by greater wizards of the past. They do not invent, create, or develop; only rehearse. The effectiveness of their magic grows weaker with every generation.

“All animals being domesticated must either retain their wild nature, or become something different from what they were. It is unclear whether magic will continue to tame and diminish itself, or if it will yet show the world how wild it can be. The borders to Dragon Country are not held as fast as they were when the wars were first over. Men travel north to seek more potent magic, and dragons and other creatures venture south for prey that is helpless to their might and magic. It is likely that there will yet be another war fought between those who would tame magic, and those who would see it remain wild. I only hope that if such a war does begin, that it will cause the return of heroes of legend who provided so much hope in the old wars.”

“You said that you doubted I could learn all of this from anyone else” said Tarun. “Why? The way you speak of these things, they sound like well-known history and common knowledge.”

“They should be,” replied Grodin, with a hint of a growl in his voice. He could picture his uncle making the same disapproving face he made whenever Shon said or did something foolish. “But most are either ignorant to the history of magic in our world, or they are in denial as to the current state of magic. Many visitors of Life’s Edge, for example, are wizards and mages traveled there to seek to discover ways to cast spells or other forms of sorcery in a place that is the more barren of life and magical energy than any other place known. All attempts have failed, however, and most abandon their attempts not long after arriving. Idiots.”

Shon was so surprised to hear his uncle call anyone and idiot that he began to laugh, and snorted in an attempt to stifle that laugh. “Ah,” said Grodin, clearing his throat one last time, “well, I think we’ve all talked enough for tonight. We’d better get some rest for another long day tomorrow.” And, having said that, he laid down, pulled the top of his sleeping bag over his head, and remained thus covered until morning.