Chapter 1

I was grateful for the added time before our departure for the capitol. Tristain agreed with me that Tamara was too young for the journey to Rowen. It went unsaid that I could use the additional time to recuperate. My wounds from the battle were long since healed, but my spirit and stamina were not.

Without my wives to help, my grief would have been almost unbearable. Orloff had been more like a father to me than the man who adopted me on Earth. I missed his counsel and his advice, but most of all, I missed his friendship.

The loss of so many friends hit me harder than most. I suppose it was because I had never experienced much in the way of friendship, before coming to Gelan. Losing even one of them would have been terrible, but I had lost so many! Petra and Nancy had both been close to me, especially Petra.

I think consoling Chloe had been therapeutic for both of us. Petra had been her best friend, and she missed her very much. I wasn't surprised when she asked me to do her a favor. Neither were my wives. They supported her request, and I had no problem granting it. Chloe wanted a child, with me as the father. She would name it after our mutual friend, whether it was a boy or girl. Since we had usually called Petra "Petey", it would work either way.

Between practicing my sword forms, my magic, and exercising, I spent as much time studying as my wives would allow. The side effects from the spell I had cast, and its aftermath, had opened new possibilities. I was no longer afraid to try almost any spell I found in the library. Even the ones in Fleintor and Rohani's journals were no longer out of reach. That isn't to say I was not cautious, as I most certainly was. I had to be for a couple of reasons. First, some of them could cause serious damage. Secondly, I was still coming to terms with my newfound capacity to channel power. Destroying the keep was not out of the realm of the possible, if I was not careful.

Amy, Robin, and Chloe were a great help in this. So was Sally, though she could not do magic. Amy was not actually casting spells either, as she was too far along in her pregnancy to risk it. I still worried about what the spells she used defending the keep might have possibly done to our child, no matter how much Robin tried to reassure me.

I was never the over talkative sort, but I knew I was worrying the people closest to me by my silence. I tried to explain that it wasn't all because of being sad, though that played a part. I had a lot to think about, and more to plan. I didn't want to tell them how frightened I was about the future, but I thought it was necessary.

I didn't believe our troubles with the Pe'Noth were over yet, nor did I believe for a second that Yenin had been among those slain on the battlefield. Those that we had captured reinforced that belief. All claimed he had not made the journey, preferring to stay home and train wizards. The questioning also revealed that most of the trained people they had, were sent to attack us. Many more, who were not yet ready, were left behind.

I knew that we would have to deal with them again. Perhaps it would be years from now, but we needed to be ready. My silence was a result of contemplating how to go about it. Most of the others felt I was wrong. They actually believed that what had happened on the glass plains would cause Yenin to give up any thought of conquering Gelan. When they proceeded to say they were more worried about protecting me than they were Gelan, I almost went ballistic.

Sally saw it first, and quickly explained "As long as you live, my mate, Yenin will not attempt to invade. However, he will not hesitate to have you murdered in order to do so. It is this that we fear above all else."

I struggled to regain my composure, before calmly replying "I think you are wrong. I also think that Yenin is an egotistical bastard, who now believes that he needs to come here personally to deal with me. When he does, he will bring every fighting man he can muster, along with every mage with enough power to light a candle. What he will NOT do, is give up. He's not the type to do that. As for having me killed, that hasn't worked out so well for him up to now. I doubt if it will serve him any better in the future."

"Danny", Robin protested, "You aren't indestructible! Look at what has happened to you so far!"

At that, I instructed them to stay put as I stepped away about twenty feet away. When I turned, I asked Sally to throw something at me. She shrugged, and picked up an apple. There wasn't much velocity on it, but it bounced away when it was more than five feet from my chest. Amy was the first to catch the implications of that, and followed it up with a toss Roger Clemons would've been proud of. It had the same result. Chloe just gasped "What the fuck?"

"I solved the shield problem", I explained. "Nothing larger than a sound wave can reach me, unless I allow it."

They all gasped when both apples disappeared from the floor and appeared in my hands. I took a bite out of the least damaged one, and went on. "A few things have become apparent since I've recovered more. Robin, you were more right than you can imagine when you guessed I was at least three times more powerful after I woke up. I'd say it was more like ten. However, that was the problem. Both the shield and teleporting required channelling more energy than most mages could handle.

"The shield is done by binding air. The weave is very delicate and extremely strong. I found that one in Rohani's journal. I think he was the only other mage that has been able to work it. There are still some major problems with it, but it will suffice for a personal shield.

What drawbacks?", asked Robin

"Well", I explained, "for starters, nothing can leave the shield, either. It is the same issue we have always had. In this case, the weave is stronger. If it is placed very close to he skin, we should be able to function as if it were not there at all. We merely need to leave one finger outside of it. As for the Teleportation spell, it is just an altered version of the one used to bring people from Earth. At first, I considered both of them to be of limited use. In the beginning, they were. A spell is not as effective if only I can use it. These are the sorts of things I have been studying, while secluded in the library."

"Hold on a second!", Amy blurted. "Are you saying that WE could do that too?"

"Not only you dear", I replied. "Several of our mages can do the shield spell. All it requires is some skill, and decent technique. Rohani used brute force to make his. This one requires a bit more finesse. Teleporting is a different matter entirely. It would take a very powerful mage to do that one. Before my misadventure, I doubt that I could have cast the spell. There are ways around the problem, but it would require some advance preparation."

"Like what?", asked an obviously curious Chloe.

"Think of it as a gate, or perhaps a door", I explained. "If someone powerful enough built that door, the power required to open it and step through would be minimal. We would need to put wards on them to prevent unwanted visitors, but they could come in handy. I might even install one in Pelantor. Sammel makes a very nice ale, and his mutton is excellent."

Tristain hugged Chloe and added "It will also make the visits to your friends and children much more frequent, I trust?"

"Most definitely", I agreed. "I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but that was the first thought that crossed my mind when I finally got it to work."

"Hey, hold on there a second!", Robin said. "I smelled mutton on you last night, and we had roast beef. You didn't eat much, as I recall. So, how's Sammel doing?"

"Very well", I chuckled. "He sends his regards, by the way. I had to test things, didn't I? What better way than to visit an old friend?"

No complaints were offered until they discovered I wouldn't teach them the spells unless they promised not to attempt them. Once they heard my reason, they calmed down. Being with child had its drawbacks, and they agreed to my condition. I had no idea what channelling enough power for a gate spell would do to them, even if they were somehow able to do so. Casting it had certainly drained my resources!

Chloe insisted I show her the casting by making a gate to her keep. She really needed to check on things there, but it was a long trip the old fashioned way. I also promised a gate to Tristain's private chambers. There would be others, such as one to Leo and Maire's home village. I was sure Kelso missed them, and it would allow them to visit once in a while. After I explained that this would have to wait until I had gained a bit more stamina, I took a bit to assure them that I was feeling fine at the moment. I then managed to get some time to myself, in order to think.

There was one thing I did not tell them about the changes in me. It had scared me at first, but had come in handy lately. I thought better than before. Perhaps some changes had also occurred in my mind, but whatever the case, solving problems had become a bit easier. A case in point was the shield spell. It was really a combination of several spells, but I had remembered them all enough to piece things together. A few added twists had brought things together nicely.

Teleporting had been different. The way Orloff had worked it had been quite inventive. He was the most powerful wizard on Gelan, but could only send small items to a place. Bringing a large item, such as a person, from a place had been problematical. He was able to work around this by charging the rings to capacity before sending them to their destination. It was this added power source that allowed him to bring Robin and I here.

We hadn't realized it at the time, but the three cardinal wizards had charged the rings used to bring the others prior to all of us bringing them here. That was why he had needed me to help transport Nancy. Without the ring, he wasn't strong enough to do it himself. The most daunting thing to me was that he explained that moving between planes was much easier than moving around Gelan. According to Orloff, the planes were in close proximity and it was like moving something from one room to another. He claimed that it was not possible for a mage to move even as far as the nearest village.