Happy Thor’s Day
Rogue Wizards Journal – August 20th, 2019
If you had told me three days ago I would be sitting in a cabin in some unknown location in the upper peninsula of Michigan and writing in a journal I haven’t touched in months, I would have told you that it was highly improbable. But here I am and the last 3 days has been something that definitely took away the boredom of the past couple of months.
Well, it hasn’t been completely boring as sexual activity with an attractive middle-aged pixie is always a treat. Just the right amount of energy and experience. Yes, Lunette and I are still a thing. It’s actually gone quite well other than I began to get alarmed at how much we weren’t paying attention to the situation or doing our research the first couple of weeks. We were having a lot of sex.
Eventually, though things evened out a bit and the nights with Lunette were a welcome end to a day’s work where we could change gears and just enjoy one another on all levels. She is a different woman since high school. More conscientious and far less stuck up. I am glad she is with me right now because the situation has gotten dramatically worse.
Three days ago, Amber knocks on the door. Lunette answers it and she hustles in without the normal ‘is it ok if I come in’. She informs us that the Lioness received communication from the Council which basically amounted to an accusation that she was harboring a fugitive, namely me. There must have been a leak and that means not all of the mages of House Venus are loyal to the Lioness. No surprise, but that meant this place being a safe house was over.
We were prepared for this and in a few minutes I had my magic books in my backpack, and I had changed into my traveling garb which was basically a pair of jean shorts, a dark grey t-shirt, and some trail boots. Lunette for her part has packed some potions in my backpack. She was going to shrink down in size eventually, so she had prepared a small outfit made of enchanted leaves and she also had a very small dagger to match. She kept this stuff in a small box in her back pocket of her cutoff shorts she was now wearing along with her pink t-shirt, so when she shrunk down she could put them on then by pulling it out first.
I cast some wards on the rest of the stuff in the room. Some things could only be opened by my direct descendants. Others would basically disintegrate if anyone tried to touch or use them except me. Not leaving anything for the bad guys. The real issue now was how to leave the mansion without being seen or having a fight.
Amber had our solution which as to get to the portal room. Basically, all these mage types equipped their bases with magic portals. They were expensive in terms of cost both to create and use, so they tended to be rare. But it would be smart fo the Lioness to be near one so she could get anywhere effectively in the world. The only trick was magic stones were required to power them and they were expensive to make and only lasted a couple times before depleted.
The trick to this portal, in particular, is it was in the second basement at the far end away from us and that meant finding away to get there without being seen. the second problem was wherein all creation to go once we used it. We had a little time so pulled out the map I had magically made of the mansion thanks to Nevermore and Lunette. I could look through Nevermore’s eyes and Lunette made him invisible and silent so he could fly about. Using what he saw I had made a fairly detailed map of the layout of the mansion.
The path through the upper parts was easy enough, the only thing was to slip past all the guards but Amber figured she could escort us where we needed to be. The second basement would be easily reached through the first level, but then things would get dicey. There was part fo the second basement that was beyond even Amber’s security clearance and one of those was the portal room which was only accessible to the Lioness and a few trusted others. We might have to fight their way through at that point.
“The second level has illusion countermeasures. Lunette’s power will be less helpful down there.”
“Yeah, but Lunette and I are good at fighting together, and if I go taking out some of these House Venus female superiority types, that’s a fine way to go. No offense Amber.”
“No offense taken. I think it is time for me to leave my house anyway. I was born into it, but I don’t agree at all with their ideals – I like men as more than playthings.”
“So you are coming with us?”, Lunette asked.
“Have to. They will know I helped you and they will have me executed for treason. Better to take my chances with you, and you need the firepower anyway. Things are going to get hot and you need someone hotter.”
She winked and I laughed. Lunette frowned.
“The real question is where to go once we use the portal?’, Amber’s question and it brought me to the one thing I had never thought of before. Lunette spoke.
“I know a place we could go to. A safe house I used to use. It’s a cabin in the upper peninsula and quite secluded. It is not going to be a permanent place, but it might buy us time.”
“Ok. that actually sounds good. Any chance it is occupied?”, I asked.
“No, it’s a family place and the only ones who used it was me and my parents.”
Amber nodded in agreement and we set out to the second basement.
Lunette basically made herself silent and invisible. We figured if it was only me and Amber I could look like I was being escorted to the Lioness who was usually in the basement. In fact, that was our cover story. The people in the mansion were used to me walking around as I would do that once or twice every day with Amber in tow so nothing unusual to alarm them.
We reached the stairway to the second level of the basement and paused to collect ourselves. I knew there were two guards at the bottom of the stairs. If the Lioness was in the second basement, we could get past them with our cover story. I had been in the second basement several times but this is where the invisible Nevermore had been the most helpful. If not we would have to fight past them.
The Lioness was in the second basement so they let us past, but that meant we might run into her and that would require some fast-talking. I wanted to get out of this place with as little noise as possible. I wanted to leave as many questions as possible after we disappeared as to where we were. Oddly enough, there were no guards at all on the second level and we walked pretty much in a straight line to the portal room. I was suspicious as fuck about this and so were my two companions. Lunette especially since she was visible and could be heard.
“Ok, I am going to shrink down. I smell a fight. She took out the small box from her back pocket and put it in my palm. She shrunk down and her clothes collapsed on the floor. She landed on my palm and after opening the box, got dressed and put the belt with the dagger around her waist. She winked at me and I smiled. She knew I had been watching. I picked up her clothes and put them in my pack.
“Ok, I am ready,” she said as she drew her dagger.
We opened the door to the portal room and were surprised – Only the Lioness was present in front of the portal which looked like a big looking glass about seven feet in diameter and a true circle ringed with a bluish gem-like material.
“I knew you would come here. I made sure Amber knew about the communication from the Council. They will be here tomorrow and you need to be gone.”
I was flabbergasted, “You want us to leave, no heads on a platter to save your sensual curvy ass.”
“Thanks for noticing. I do squat in the gym you know? But yes, I can give you this last kindness, I truly believe in a world where magic is everyone’s to use, but the time for revolution is not yet. You need to go and the portal is the best way to go without anyone noticing. Here.”
She walked across the room and handed me a blue gemstone pendant and necklace.
“This is the power source for the portal. It is fully charged so all of you can go with one shot. Whoever is picking the location need only to think of it and walk through holding the other two’s hands.”
“Thanks…you know you could gain some pretty good influence by handing us all over to the Council on a silver plate.”
“Yes, but I gave my word and that means something to me.”
“Thanks again. Janice.”
She looked startled at her real name. Then blushed.
“Don’t tell me where you are going, the less I know the better.”
She started to walk past me then stopped and leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Take care of Amber for me. She is special to me.”
Then she walked out.
Lunette took off her leaf clothes and dagger and put them back in the box. She grew back to normal size and I handed her clothes back which she deftly put on in a couple seconds. I put the necklace and pendant around her neck and she kissed me hard.
“Ok, each of you take one of my hands.”
I took her left hand in mine and Amber took her right. We walked forward, the mirrored surface gave way and we walked through like it was a vertical pool of water and BLINK.
Suddenly, we were in front of a cabin in the woods. A rather nice one with real logs and glass windows. The necklace was gone. It probably was still in the room we left right at the edge of the portal with the gem now spent of magical energy. We, however, we’re somewhere in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
These last couple of days have been uneventful. The problem is we are now out of the loop as far as information. The cabin is nice enough. Two bedrooms and an actual bathroom and a common area with a kitchen, small dining table and a couch in front of a fireplace all in one. Cramped in some ways but close to a lake. Down the path, a couple dozen feet is a small lake with a shed on the edge. It serves as both storages for the rowboat oars and as a sauna bathhouse. Food is canned or boxed so we all plan on going to the small town five miles away. No vehicle so we will have to make a day out of it and walk.
I took Nevermore out of his pocket dimension and let him fly about. So far no alarm bells. Well other than the U.P. is known to be a werewolf country. We can’t stay here for too long. But it will be a nice rest for as long as it lasts. For me, it is simply good to get outside and walk around. Neither the pixies or mages claim this part of the world as fully theirs, so it is somewhat safer. Time, I guess, to wait for a little and see what is next.
I remain,
The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.
Skaal!!!
The Grey Wayfarer 