When I woke up, I was much refreshed. I was starving, but my mom would have a fit if I showed up looking like a vagabond, so I took a shower and shaved, then examined my armor more closely so my dad wouldn’t have a fit. When I had fixed the dents and scrapes I received the night before and my armor was in good shape again, I put it on telekinetically. It was a very handy power to have at times like this. I held up both my helm and Mordon’s helm and thought about which one I would need. Mordon’s helm was very flashy and distinctive, but it also had the ability to give its wearer true sight. I would definitely need that when facing Xerith, as they could be hiding in any guise. I set my helm down, put Mordon’s helm on, and walked out of my suite to the throne room.

  I sat in the Amber Throne, as I still thought of it, even though I knew it changed color with danger, and focused my thoughts on Kromwell. It still showed only a gray haze instead of a vision of him. I got the same results when I focused on finding Raynold, Mordon and Ismaera. That could not be a coincidence. I had the feeling that all of them were cloaked by the same type of magic, maybe even all of them being somewhere in Fellton. I thought of Bran and saw that he and Elle were talking in the living room as the table was being set for breakfast. All the places were being set, too, so they must be expecting me and Mira. My stomach rumbled. I would truly hate to disappoint them.

  Focusing the Throne on Mira only got me a gray haze, so she must be in the cabin on the Unseen Blade. I scouted the dock the ship was moored to, and it looked like there was no one close by. I caused a portal in the throne room to open on the deck of the Unseen Blade close to the door to the cabin, then got up, grabbed my shield, and stepped through into the rain on the rocking deck. I walked through the door and down the short hallway to the captain’s quarters, then knocked.

  “I was about to give up on you,” Mira said as she opened the door. She was ready for action, dressed in her dark clothing and wearing her sword and daggers. “Did you bring any food?”

  “Better. We’re about to have a Smith family breakfast.”

  “Oh, that does sound good. Ready, Bandit?”

  “I’m always ready for a Smith breakfast!” Bandit said, smiling.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mira asked, looking significantly at Bandit’s tulip petal dress.

  “Oh, yeah. I’m not furry enough.” Bandit quickly transformed into her thirty-pound raccoon alter ego.

  Mira picked her up and cradled Bandit in her arms. I turned and walked out the cabin door into the rain with Mira following. As soon as Mira secured the door, I put my hand on her shoulder and teleported us into the room Bran and I shared growing up. I didn’t want to teleport into the living room just in case I teleported right into someone. I wasn’t sure what would happen if I did, but I was sure it wouldn’t be good. I also didn’t want my young nephews to see obvious magic use from me. I was still under a death sentence if it was discovered that I was a Mordonian Sorcerer, after all. We walked down the stairs and entered the living room to the excited chatter of the Smith family. Nora rushed over right away.

  “Mira, dear! We’ve missed you so much!” Nora exclaimed as she wrapped Mira in a warm embrace. “Good morning, son,” Nora said as she gave me a hug. My armor made it a little awkward for me, but not for her. Paltry things like armor don’t ruin hugs from a mother.

  “Glad to see you two have patched things up,” Dortham said kindly. He gave Mira a gentle hug, which she almost disappeared into. “It seemed like I was losing two of my kids for a while there.”

  “Well, I haven’t shot him yet,” Mira said with that little impish half smile I liked so much.

  “Cool helm,” Bran said to me.

  “It’s Mordon’s. It’s important that I have this today.” I didn’t want to even say out loud what the helm could really do in case the little ones repeated something to someone they shouldn’t.

  Samirah and Bethan were putting the food on the table as we greeted each other, but Juleen must have been working with the Bakers. By comfortable tradition, we all sat at the table together and began helping ourselves to the food. We had eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, and toast in front of us, and we could all eat a huge amount of food. I had a feeling that fighting was unavoidable today, which was why I was armed, and I had to be careful not to eat too much, no matter how good it was. Bandit had a little dish of her own and was happily devouring a sausage link with both paws. Breakfast progressed with small talk for a while.

  “So, does anyone want to tell us what in the world is going on?” Dortham asked, changing the tone to more serious matters.

  I knew about everything from watching Mira for so long through the Amber Throne, but I let her tell this in her words since this started and ended with her.

  “Well,” Mira started, “I was contracted to deliver a message to General Magren Redfield in Mithram. He’s the commander of the king’s army there. I was also supposed to assist him in finding the source of an insidious magical influence on the king. The king’s been slowly going crazy and turning on his own family. It seems to me it won’t be long before he executes someone in his own family, too. I found out that Chamberlain Ilsalen is a Xerith and has an enchanted wine goblet that he whispers dark suggestions into. The king takes those ideas as his own as he drinks wine through the day.”

  “Wait. A cursed wine goblet?” Elle asked.

  “Can’t you just steal it?” I asked Mira.

  “I haven’t had a chance. Instead of confiding in the general, I first sent him a tricky message to see where his loyalties really lie. Somehow the Xerith found me where I was hiding and ambushed me last night.”

  “Was that just dumb luck?” Elle asked.

  “I never ran into anything on the rooftops before,” Mira said. “There were a bunch of them that converged on the one place the general would have to exit the keep if I wanted to follow him to see where he goes. They outsmarted me. The assassins probably all came from the Temple of the Overgod, which is where I saw the chamberlain come from. I don’t know if the chamberlain knows that I know about the goblet, but the general or someone watching the general definitely wants me out of the picture. If he’s guilty, I think he won’t want to be exposed as a traitor, but he’ll probably try to assassinate me again. There were no soldiers on the docks to try to commandeer the ship this morning, which is significant. The general, if he’s guilty, must not know that I know about the goblet as well, or there would’ve been some kind of action at the ship this morning.”

  “Hmmm. Yesterday the prince informed the council that the Executors are coming to Stonekeep,” Dortham said. “That’s no coincidence. They’re coming from their temple in Aerie with a large contingent of guards, he said.”

  “Do you think the prince knows what I am?” I asked.

  “I think he knows one of you four, either you, Bran, Elle or Mira is a Mordonian,” Dortham said. “He’s been looking the other way for a long time now, though. The destruction of the ogres showed him that the sorcerer’s not someone to be trifled with, and the silence since then has shown him that the sorcerer’s not bent on usurping his authority. I think he contacted Mira in order to get the unknown sorcerer’s assistance secretly and indirectly. He also probably mentioned the Executors to the council to warn me, and thus to warn you. The prince is no fool.”

  “So, he doesn’t want the Church of the Overgod meddling in Mithram’s affairs,” Mira guessed. “That can only be a good thing. He’d be a lot less pleased with them if he knew they were responsible for the plot to usurp his father’s throne.”

  “Let’s not forget that the Xerith are the ones running the Church of the Overgod, and their goal is to deceive and manipulate,” Elle said sternly. “Their time is coming to an end if I have anything to say about it.”

  “All right. So, what do we do first?” Bran asked.

  “We have to get that goblet. The sooner, the better,” Mira said. “I think the king starts drinking after lunch. I don’t know if there are other goblets that are used to enchant him, but I know we have to remove that threat for good. The chamberlain keeps the goblet locked up in the wine cellar near the kitchens in the royal wing. I can get to it there. I can’t do anything about the enchantments that have already been cast through it, but without drinking the suggestions from the goblet, maybe the king will return to normal.”

  “It’s worth a try,” I said. “I don’t know anything about getting rid of curses. The Xerith in the palace need to be rooted out, and I think I can do that without doing too much damage if I’m lucky. I can see their true nature with the helm.” I tapped the adamantine helm sitting on the table next to me for emphasis.

  “If the general’s a traitor and the Xerith infiltrators are removed from the palace, then they won’t be able to use the king’s soldiers to help them at the Temple,” Elle said. “We should crush them there before they can do any more harm.”

  “I agree,” Bran said. “Jeron, we should do some scouting from the Throne, so we know what we’re up against.”

  “You’ll need help,” Elric said. “I’ll suit up and go with you to deal with those snakes at the Temple.” Elric was a good brother, and I nodded my thanks.

  “Count me in,” Darek said.

  “I’ll be there, too,” Dortham said. “This has become a family affair, I think.”

  Nora held her hand over her mouth and looked worried. “You be careful,” she said to all of us.

  “Don’t worry, mom,” Bran said. “They don’t know what’s coming for ‘em.”

  “All right, then. Let’s suit up,” Dortham said.

  No one could say the Smith family wasn’t made of stern stuff. I was proud to be one of them.

  -----

  Twenty minutes later we assembled in the living room. My brothers, Elric, Darek, and Bran were all waiting with Elle, Mira and me as Dortham finally came down the stairs in his armor. I had told them about striking for the corrupt core of the Xerith in the center of the shapeshifters’ torsos, so everyone but me was armed with a sword and shield. Being armor smiths, we all had the best plate armor available.

  “About time,” Elric said to Dortham.

  “I think my armor shrunk,” Dortham said testily.

  We had a chuckle at that. We shared a look then. We had all said our goodbyes to the women who were staying behind. Each of us nodded.

  “Put a hand on me,” I said.

  When I was certain everyone was linked to me, I focused my will on teleporting us all to the roof of Stonekeep Castle. I immediately attuned the newcomers to the golems of the keep using Mordon’s helm to prevent unforeseen accidents. To my surprise, Grath Warsong was already there and was leaning against the side of the portal that led into the keep. The rain didn’t seem to bother him at all. He was arrayed in his customary golden scale armor and great helm. His shield was leaning against the stone and his huge mace was on his belt.

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  “Imagine my surprise in meeting you here, Jeron.” He grinned amiably.

  “Well I, for one, am surprised to see you here,” I said. I had the feeling the Geas had something to do with his appearance here, but I held back from talking about the Geas with my family to keep the Warsongs’ secret. He must have felt the danger I faced last night.

  “Well met, Master Warsong,” Dortham said. They were acquainted already from business dealings at the smithy over the years.

  “Lord Warsong sends his regards,” Grath said to Dortham. “I hope I’m not too late for the festivities.”

  “I’d say you’re right on time, Grath, and you’re most welcome,” I said as we grasped forearms as warriors did.

  Dortham, Elric and Darek had never been inside or on top of Stonekeep Castle before, and they looked warily around them at the turrets spaced evenly around the roof with the adamantine golems standing silent watch there. The large block of stone that held the portal leading into the keep was close at hand and I activated the portal with a thought. I stepped through the portal into the illusion of the meadow with blue flowers and sunny day. Everyone followed, and I led everyone to the right and took the portal to the lord’s level, then walked straight ahead through the huge golden double doors as they opened for me by themselves. Everyone filed in after me.

  “Sorry about the mess,” I said.

  In the midst of the splendor of this throne room with the radiance of the Amber Throne reflecting its golden light, I had set a small table next to the throne, which currently was covered in crumbs and dirty dishes.

  “Spend much time here?” Mira asked.

  “It would have been more time if the throne was equipped with a toilet,” I said as I sat down in the Amber Throne. “Don’t touch the stairs to the dais,” I said to everyone. “It’s deadly danger.”

  I focused the magic of the throne on Chamberlain Ilsalen. I saw him in the royal apartments supervising servants who were removing King Korban’s breakfast. The king must be hung over to be getting up this late. I had the throne project the images I was seeing so everyone else could see, too. I next focused on General Redfield and saw him in his quarters with a guard inside the door. I moved the viewpoint outside the room and saw another guard outside the door.

  “I see he took my advice about posting guards,” Mira observed. “That’s a shame.”

  “I can’t tell through the scrying magic, but I’d bet that they’re all Xerith,” I said. “I can take three with no problem. It’s the ones I don’t see coming that are the real trouble.”

  “See if you can see the wine cellar,” Mira said.

  “Where is it?” I asked.

  “It’s behind a door close to the kitchens.”

  I quickly found the wine cellar and saw the enchanted wine goblet on the shelf.

  “So far so good,” Mira said.

  I shifted my focus to the place where the ambush took place last night. I could see the damage done to the buildings, which still stood, but there was no sign of the dead Xerith.

  “The ambush site. They cleaned up every trace that the rain didn’t wash away,” I noticed. “I’ll have to remember to fix that place up later.”

  Lastly, I focused on the Temple of the Overgod in Mithram. It appeared that there were guards posted at the main entrance that were keeping people out today. The postern gate was securely shut. It appeared to be a thick, iron-banded door that was barred and had two guards posted inside. I whipped the viewpoint of the scrying magic to the main entrance of the temple again. The building was one big room above ground, and it was filled with temple guards and mercenaries.

  Darek whistled. “They must’ve hired every fighting man in the city,” Darek said.

  “They’re expecting trouble. Today,” Dortham said with an arched brow.

  “We can take them,” Grath said confidently.

  “The trick will be to take them without losses,” I reminded him.

  “They have bowmen there, and I’ll bet the temple guards will be protecting their spellcasters,” Bran observed, pointing.

  There was a staircase on the right-hand wall of the main sanctuary that went down to where the priests must live. On a whim, I moved the viewpoint down those stairs. Sure enough, there were a couple of large rooms that had more men in it. These men were different from the others upstairs, though. Then I saw one with a very thick, chitinous arm with a scythe-like blade protruding from the end. When I looked harder, I could see more mutations to the human form scattered throughout the men in the room. There must have been fifty of them in there.

  “That looks like the unpleasant surprise they have for us,” I said.

  “If those guys fell on us from behind while we were engaged with the mercenaries and priests in the sanctuary, they’d chop us up for fish bait,” Dortham said. “Show me the sanctuary again.”

  “Yep, that’s their trap,” Bran said. “See the placement of their forces?”

  “The columns are pretty close together,” Grath said to me. That meant he wouldn’t be able to transform into his true draconic form without bringing the roof down. I nodded in understanding, still not wanting to mention it to anyone else.

  “All right,” I said. “So, for this to work, we have to have the goblet already and the Xerith in the palace need to be found and killed or they’ll probably kill the king before he knows what hit him. The Xerith masquerading as the general needs to die or he’ll use the palace guards to reinforce the temple on some pretext. Mira, this whole thing is your mission. How do you want to handle this?”

  “The first thing to do is to stop a civil war,” Mira said. “I need to get the goblet first, then we can plan out the rest of it after that.”

  “All right. I can open a portal there. Are you doing this by yourself?” I asked.

  “Yeah. It’ll just take a second.” Mira moved over to the portal on my left. “Ready when you are.”

  I focused on the wine cellar where the goblet rested, then opened the portal in the center of the room. Mira stepped through, crossed the room, and took the goblet from the shelf. Suddenly a dark blur of motion came from behind a large barrel of ale and stabbed Mira in the back with some kind of a tentacle with a dagger-like bone at the tip. I was shocked, and I wanted to help, but I had to stay in the throne to control the portal. Mira dropped the goblet as she staggered against the wall. The dark figure seemed to recoil for another strike. Grath ran for the portal a little ahead of the others. Mira gathered her feet under her, drew her shortsword with lightning speed and leapt straight at the shapeshifter. The Xerith struck again, this time with a solid blow to her chest that ripped through her shirt and vest, but couldn’t puncture her new chainmail. Mira had closed the distance almost immediately and ran her sword through the Xerith’s humanoid chest as it struck her. In a spray of dark ichor, it fell to the floor and squirmed repellently. Mira stabbed it again as Grath went through the portal. Grath hit it hard in the chest with his enchanted mace, and the shapeshifter died twitching.

  Mira picked the goblet up from the floor and crossed through the portal. Grath walked through at a slightly slower pace, still glowering at the Xerith’s remains. I closed the portal immediately and got up to see Mira. She was already surrounded by my brothers.

  “I’m all right,” she was saying.

  I could see the silvery bluish metal links of the chain shirt I made for her showing through the big slashes in her vest and blouse. She was rubbing her chest despite the protection it offered.

  “Have I told you how much I like this armor?” Mira quipped.

  “Are you all right?” I used my magic to repair her slashed clothing.

  “Thanks. I’m fine.”

  “Are you hurt at all?” Elle asked.

  “I’ll be a little bruised in the morning, but I’m fine. Really. Let’s focus on the general,” Mira said.

  Glancing at the goblet, I was dismayed. “There’s no magic in that goblet, Mira.”

  Mira used a very foul curse. “I’ll bet the chamberlain has it.”

  I sat back down in the Amber Throne and focused on the chamberlain. He was still in the same room as the king, and the goblet was on a table close to the gilded sofa where the king was reclining with a book. There were two other servants in the room flanking Chamberlain Ilsalen.

  “Looks like the king’s safety is our priority. I’ll handle the Xerith if someone will get the goblet and cover the king,” I said.

  “How many Xerith are in the room?” Mira asked.

  “I dunno. I have to be there in person to see anything out of the ordinary with the helm.”

  “All right. I have dibs on the goblet,” Mira said. She studied the vision. “They look completely relaxed. I don’t think anyone’s discovered the scuffle in the wine cellar, and Ilsalen has the key. I need my heavy armor and crossbow if you can wait.”

  I nodded, then brought the scrying magic of the throne to bear on the area around the wine cellar again. The door at the top of the stairs was still closed and no one in the nearby kitchen seemed to know anything had happened.

  “Sure, no alarm has been raised. Gear up.”

  Mira manipulated the little mithril cube and opened a portal in front of her. “A little help, please?” She asked Elle.

  Elle and Mira disappeared into the gray portal. The first thing I did was to open another portal in the wine cellar and physically go through to make sure there were no other cursed items there. It was all clear. Next, I checked on the general and the temple since the girls were still busy. The others discussed a battle plan for the temple as I held the view above the center of the temple sanctuary. This would be a red day. Elle and Mira exited the grayish cube portal about ten minutes later.

  “You know, Mira,” I said, “we’re going to have to keep our identities secret when we deal with the Xerith in the king’s presence, or we could have an army show up at the smithy. Do you think you could whip up an illusion for that?”

  Mira thought about it for a moment and grinned. “Sure! Mr. and Mrs. Weaver coming right up.”

  Mira took a pinch of wool out of one of her vest pockets and cast a spell on me as I sat in the Amber Throne. I looked down and saw that I looked like an old man in common clothing with a shallow baking pan in my left hand where my shield would be and a wooden spoon on my belt in place of my mace. Very flattering, I thought with some sarcasm. Mira concentrated on another spell and suddenly she looked like an old woman in a brown homespun dress, the ancient counterpart to my new identity. She had quite a sense of humor in dark circumstances, I thought as I had a quick chuckle.

  “Ha! You look just like them!” Bran said, grinning.

  “I don’t care what I look like, so long as it’s not me,” I said. “How long will this last?”

  “A while,” Mira said. “I’ve never timed it.”

  “Good enough. So, you’re going to get the goblet and cover the king, and I’ll handle the Xerith, whichever ones they may be, right?” I asked.

  “That’s the plan. Ready when you are,” Mira said.

  “All right. Everyone but Mira stand away from the portal. They can see through it. Though hazy, the king may be able to pick out faces,” I said. “But be ready just in case.”

  When everyone was in position, I focused the magic of the Amber Throne on King Korban again. The room was just as I last saw it with the two servants flanking the chamberlain against a wall about twenty feet from the king, ready to serve. I opened the portal on my left to a place close to the king’s sofa and commanded that it stay open. I rushed over to the portal as Mira was hobbling through, both looking and moving like a very old woman.

  “Herbert, I told you to wash that goblet better!” Mira was saying with obvious disapproval.

  I walked through the portal with a bowed back, waving my “spoon” around in mock irritation. “Bah!” I said in my best “old man” voice, “You complain about everything!”

  “What the hell is this?!” asked the startled and obviously irritated king.

  “Where’d you come from?!” demanded Chamberlain Ilsalen.

  The chamberlain stepped forward as if to intercept Mira. Through the magic of Mordon’s helm, I could see that the chamberlain was indeed a Xerith with a rotten, demonic core. The two servants flanking him were regular people. I took a quick step forward to orient myself to the chamberlain but between the two servants.

  “Don’t you question me, boy!” I snapped.

  I raised the “spoon” at the chamberlain and focused my will. I hurled a very focused blast of concussive force from my upraised fist straight to the chamberlain’s core. The force of the attack hurled him against the marble palace wall with enough strength to smash him like a bug, knocking dust from the ceiling and buckling the wall by about six inches in the center. The Xerith reflexively tried to take some other form as it died. One arm became a spiked tentacle and a wing tried to sprout from his ruined back. Blackish blood covered the wall behind him as he sunk to the ground and was still.

  “Take that, whippersnapper!” I said loudly in my “old man” voice.

  It wasn’t a very good impression of an old man, but it would have to do. I didn’t have a future as an actor, anyway. I scanned the room looking for more assassins, but didn’t see any. Mira had already dashed across the room, her armor clanking but hidden beneath the illusion.

  “Begging your pardon, your majesty,” Mira said as she dumped the wine out of the goblet onto the richly carpeted floor. A little bit of black smoke rose from the wine stain, and it stained the carpet to a dark reddish black color.

  “What the…” King Korban said with a slack jaw as he watched the smoke rise from the stain.

  “I’m sure these fine gentlemen will bring you a nice, new goblet that doesn’t have a curse on it,” Mira said in her “old lady” voice.

  Just then, the normal goblet we had just brought out of the wine cellar was hurled through the portal, then bounced and skidded across the floor towards the two dumbstruck servants.

  “See there?” Mira asked. “Ask and ye shall receive. Good day, your majesty.”

  Not wanting to press our luck, we quickly stepped through the open portal, which I immediately shut.

  “Two down and one to go,” Mira said in her normal voice. “What’s our dear friend General Redfield doing?”

  I walked back to the throne, sat, and focused on the general. He was just springing to his feet to the sound of shouts of alarm. I opened a portal behind him against the far wall by his desk, then ran through the portal as quickly as I could. I could see his slightly demonic core and hurled a swiftly conjured spear of fire through his torso. The force of the attack made him stumble into the guard, who shouted and staggered a bit as he charged me.

  The guard was a Xerith, also, and attacked me with a swiftly drawn arming sword. I hurled a concentrated blast of force at the creature, which knocked it back against the wall with a resounding clatter. It was wearing real plate armor, though, and my attack didn’t kill it. I followed that with an intense spear of lightning that I hurled into its cuirass, stunning it, causing it to spasm and sprout tentacles from its previously human mouth. As it struggled to get to its feet with its limbs flailing in strange ways, I hurled as strong a spear of fire as I could right through its blackened core. It spasmed several times as it died in mid-transformation.

  The door to the general’s quarters opened and a soldier burst into the room. I could see it was another Xerith, so I conjured another spear of lightning to stun it and then hurled another spear of fire straight into its dark core. The shapeshifter tumbled to the floor, changing and twitching a bit in death spasms. I quickly took a look outside the door and saw no one else was there. I closed the door and walked back to the open portal. While walking, I happened to notice that when Xerith died, the forms they were taking started to run a little, like warm wax would. They smelled bad, too.

  Confident that the forces of darkness that inhabited the Temple of the Overgod would get no help from the palace guards, I stepped through the open portal to the safety of the keep.