Dark Tidings

Chapter 23 - Get Thee Behind Me, Stan

"Whew, whew, whew," whistled Madrick.

Their traveling urgency had dissipated now that they'd crossed the border which marked the limits of Mifal's kingdom.

"Let's dance again," he said as his feet performed another little shuffle.

He was dog-tired and his feet ached but his mood was light and happy.

"We're free. We made it," said Tung.

"Well, yes and no, but let's not get complacent."

"Oh, come on, we're free. Time to make dreams."

"Walk, Tung, we'll celebrate as we walk."

After a few more days they reached the sea and that put a watery stop to their southerly trek. Now they faced a new dilemma; should they head east or west? Madrick had made all the decisions so far, so a frustrated Tung decided it was about time he had a say.

"We've seen no sign of any pursuers for ages. I reckon we've left Mifal's men far behind so we're probably running from shadows. As far as I'm concerned it's time to have a rest. I really don't care whether you agree or not. I'm staying put and if you don't want to stay with me, you can go off on your own merry way. There's an inviting alehouse over there. I, for one, am going to accept its invitation. I'm booking a room and taking a break."

"The big sign says it's called the Traveller's Rest, Tung, which is actually quite appropriate."

Five days later they were enjoying their fifth day's stay at a rather pleasant little, secluded seaside tavern. It wasn't terribly busy and, as time passed, the homely atmosphere gave both men a feeling of calmness and safety; the warmth of the log fire, the mulled wine and the busty barmaids saw to that.

They'd traded some silver spurs, which Tung had created, for seven night's board and all the food they could eat.

"No ale's to be included in the package," said Madrick.

"I'll have ale in my package," insisted Tung, "the old man can do what he likes with his."

"Ale for both of us then." There was no point in him going without alcohol if he couldn't make Tung do the same.

So far there'd been no problems. Eat, drink moderately and be merry was the order of the day. The world seemed good, although Madrick had an unshakable niggle that there may be a nasty surprise just around the corner, however a couple of tankards of ale and a hearty meal was usually enough to dampen any niggle, even the most unshakable one. But only one thing would get rid of his niggle for good.

"Create the next spell," said Madrick.

"No," said Tung, "we're safe here and spells hurt my skull."

"Please, for me, let's have the next spell ready up your sleeve, or to be more precise, in your head... just in case."

"I hate you, Madrick."

The usual batch of useless spells were enchanted and subsequently dissipated but, after Tung had described his latest creation, Madrick couldn't contain himself.

"Oh, oh, oh," he said as his feet shuffled and shimmied. "You've just created the ultimate escape spell; the perfect spell should we ever be cornered by our pursuers. Now, you have the Time Shift Spell in your brain."

"And what's that when it's at home?"

"This spell will transport us both, if we're touching, into the future," explained Madrick. "Our time transportation could be a matter of days, or weeks, or even years but whatever the time period, we'll confound our enemies and be long gone, literally. There is one small problem though."