Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,295

commander to join the cats at Zandra. Once Brandor entered the Serpent Kingdom, the commander was to circle east around the lake and attack with the Minotaur.

2 Peaks of Bailem Later

George collected Athena’s family and teleported them in small groups to Gessler Village. He paid the innkeeper enough coin to clear out the establishment. He intended to house her family there until he was able to recover from his massive, magical power drain. The journey to move Athena’s family to City View would take more than 12 Peaks.

Since the family would never set foot in Lethwitch again, George retrieved Maldwin from his mother-in-law’s barn. Kepler told the rat the moment had come for George to keep his promise. The mage was going to provide the rat’s family with a new home, and because of this, Maldwin’s nose twitched with excitement.

As George lay next to his wife, Kepler and Maldwin kept watch from the front porch of The Bloody Trough to ensure the family’s safety. According to the mage, the family would be leaving in the morning for City View.

George had just fallen asleep when the Mischievous One requested access to his dream. “Hello, my friend. I’m impressed by what you’ve been able to accomplish, but you’re needed elsewhere. City View isn’t where you should go to get your daughter back.”

Despite being sound asleep, the mage released a heavy sigh. “You need to kiss my ass, Lasidious! You couldn’t have told me this earlier? Look, man, I’m tired. I can hardly move. I need to get some sleep.” There was a long period of silence. “Bah! What do I need to do to get my Abbie back?”

As Lasidious looked at the image of George through the green flames of his fireplace on Ancients Sovereign, he smiled at the mage’s irritation. He passed his hand through the flames to refresh George’s soul. “I have replenished your strength. You can sleep during some other series of moments, my friend. I need you to go to Luvelles. There’s work to be done.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? What the hell, dude?”

The vision of Lasidious did not respond, so George continued to rant. “Why would I want to go there? I just got myself into a damn good position here ... just like you wanted me to, right?”

The Mischievous One nodded.

“But yet you still want me to bail? Man ... with a little more manipulating, I could own this world.” The mage paused in thought. “What about my wife? What about her family? What the hell would I say to them?”

“George, you’re forgetting with whom you speak. I have a solution to your problem. Your wife and her family can go with you. I have made arrangements for Kepler to go as well.”

“What about Kepler’s brothers ... and Maldwin? I just can’t leave them behind. Kepler won’t go without his brothers.” George frowned. “I promised Maldwin a home, and Keller has gone to get the rat’s family. Hell ... Koffler is delivering a message to the Barbarian King. This is a terrible series of moments for a change of this magnitude, Lasidious ... just terrible.”

“Do I detect a soft spot in that heart of yours, George? You don’t need to worry about Kepler. He’s a demon. As far as Maldwin is concerned, I will personally see to it that the rat’s family is provided a comfortable and secure home inside the cliffs of Latasef. I’ll make sure they’re protected and see that they are well fed.”

George nodded. “Okay, that sounds bad-ass.”

Lasidious grinned for a moment, and then his expression turned serious. “George, Southern Grayham will not be safe for you and your family. You’ll be a hunted man. I’d rather see you use your skills elsewhere. You’ve proven to be my greatest asset. You’ve masterfully manipulated this world, and your daughter will be with you soon because of it. It won’t be long before I have the power to release her.”

“You better not be gareshing me, man! How do I get to Luvelles?”

“You’ll need to teleport your family to Merchant Island. Find a man named Hesston Bangs. He’ll put you into a special container that will be carried by the Merchant Angels to Western Luvelles. Once there, I’d like you to travel to the village of Floren. You’ll need to find a family of witches who go by the surname Rolfe, from the Clan of Ashdown. They’ll have a baby living beneath their roof.”

The Mischievous One presented his brightest smile. “If you could be so kind