the time of the Fae War, mages used to come here in search of the beginning of all magic. None who entered through the door, have ever came back with their sanity intact, so we were placed here to warn all those who came and to care for those who returned, though legends say they were few. The door has laid dormant—unopened for my entire time here, but we will hold true to our role. You many enter but beware of what lies beyond.”
“Must I go unaccompanied?” Bren asked hesitantly.
“While most mages did go alone,” the elder said haltingly, “Some did take people with them, and if records hold true, they fared better than the mages themselves.”
“So I may take others with me?” Bren asked again.
“Yes, but I ask that you pass on the warning I have given you about the dangers that lie beyond,” the elder said with a slight sigh.
Bren turned toward the door to the elders room but turned back just before he exited. “One more thing,” Bren said turning back toward Ren. “How did your people use magic? I tried and I was almost overcome by it when we first entered the Deadlands.”
The elder gave a hearty laugh. “It is true that the magic out in the Deadlands is wild and untamable, but there are other ways to get magical energy. While one cannot use the magic outside they can still pull it from gems.”
“I see,” Bren said feelings slightly foolish. Of course, it had to be something simple. That was the same reason that Faye could use her powers. She didn’t pull in magical energy, hers was completely internal, so she was unaffected. Gems by nature were crystallized magic and absorbed magical energy from the area slowly, so one could pull energy from them without having to worry about being overtaken.
Their escorts were waiting for them outside the building. As they walked the roads, Bren thought for a moment that they were being led back to the prison, but instead they turned down a side road and were taken to a rather large house that looked as if it had been built a century ago. As they entered, large clouds of dust billowed around, causing Hayao to sneeze.
Inside they found a host of women with long dusters cleaning. “Sorry lords. This building hasn’t been used in a long time, and we have had little time to clean it,” one of the ladies said, bowing over and over.
“I see why they had us sleep in the dungeon,” Bren said with a slight laugh before turning back to the woman who was apologizing. “Miss, it is fine,” Bren said, bowing himself. “It is not as if you knew that we were coming.”
Bren was led to a room in the northeast corner of the building. The room had a large four post bed that looked like it hadn’t been used since before he was born, but he did find all his effects waiting on him. He never knew how much he relied on his sword and staff, but now that he had them back, he felt much more relaxed.
“I see you’re already settled in,” Faye said from the doorway. “We’re going to help the ladies clean, want to join us?”
“Cleaning sounds fun,” Bren said, looking around at the thick layer of dust gaining him a punch and dirty look from Faye. “Honestly, I would, but I want to see how Cass is doing. That wound was pretty serious the other night.”
Faye narrowed her eyes then gave him a thin smile. “Well, I guess I can’t fault you for that,” she said after a tense moment. “You might want to see if Phena wants to go with you. She won’t say it, but she is worried about him. I thought that she was going to chew through the bars last night.”
“I will ask her,” Bren promised.
“If you ask her, she will refuse,” Faye said seriously. “You just need to tell her you need someone to escort you.”
“Yes mam,” Bren said, rolling his eyes.
Bren found Phena in the main room of the house. Unlike the others, Phena didn’t seem bothered by the dusty smell that permeated the building. “Phena,” Bren called, getting her attention. “I need to visit Cass, but he would be furious if he learned that I went unaccompanied in foreign territory. Seeing as how the rest of my guards have been laid to rest, I was hoping you would be so kind.”
“Cass would be at that,” Phena