"Why haven''t you run away? I''ve not been holding your chains since the field of poppies back there."


    "No reason to run away my lady," ZooLock answered.


    "Stop calling me that."


    "Why''s he call you that?" GhoulSpawn asked.


    "He thinks I''m a god. Or goddess. The Thullids call me The Elder Brain. I''m supposedly... I don''t know. They think I''m an ancient Jelly Fish living inside this Elf body of mine."


    "Are you? You did say you were a Thullid."


    Quaraun stopped talking to think. He tried thinking about what the black cat had said. He tried thinking about everything ZooLock had said before they reached the Witch Pond. He tried to think about everything GhoulSpawn had said these 3 days trapped in the storm with them.


    "Gremlin," Quaraun said. "Unicorn what did he say to us?"


    "A five o clock curfew. King Stephen and his thin Gypsies. Tiny houses on the beach. Apple orchards. You being the father of two evil kings. Ongadada. Twighlight Manor. Don''t go near Black Tower. Stay away from HellBorne. Trouble brewing ahead. Sun Elves are dead. White rocks are bad. Trapped souls. My grandson is gonna murder me. He had a headache. Humans take over the planet. You''re gonna die. He loves you. He''s here with the cats to stop HellBorne. Don''t follow that road. Don''t trust ZooLock. If you see GhoulSpawn, don''t let him go back to Black Tower."


    "If you''re lonely you can stay with us. We all like you," Quaraun said to GhoulSpawn.


    "Why the concern?" GhoulSpawn asked.


    "I get the feeling you''re unhappy there and that you''re happier here with us."


    "I''m the only High Elf among the half-Elves. The others are all common Elves and Wild Elves and Wood Elves and the like. I''m the only one not half-Human too. They pick on me. I''m... I always had servants. I... I''m not... I''m not good at d..do..doing things. At all. Basic every day things they do every day... I... I''ve... I''ve never done them before. They''re all half Elves, but their Elf parents were Common Elves, not aristocrats. Not royalty. Wood Elves mostly. They know how to do things. Farming and building and crafting and working with their hands. I try to help and end up getting in the way. I''m more bullied there by them, then I was by the Sun Elves. I just want to belong some where."


    "You can belong with us."


    "Aren''t you both wanted for murder?"


    "Yes. We are."


    "You live on the run."


    "That''s true."


    "You don''t have a place to live. Don''t you just, live like this. Camping out in whatever abandoned building you find."


    "Yes. And taverns. And inns. Brothels. Sometimes we stay with friends. There''s a Leprechaun travels with us sometimes. He has a Vardo. We live in that when we''re with him. I have a tent. We set that up and sleep under the stars. It''s not a bad life, living on the road like we do. You can stay with us. Travel with us. We don''t mind your company."


    "You''re a full blooded High Elf."


    "I was raised by Demons in a Human village. My lover is a Faerie. I''m not like other High Elves. I don''t mind other races, including half-Elves. And I don''t like seeing you unhappy. And I like talking to you. It doesn''t happen often that another High Elf to talk to. Please consider travelling with us."


    "I need to go back home. I''ve been gone too long already. HellBorne will be furious."


    "Then you will not come us?"


    "I need to go back."


    "Do you mind then, if we travel with you?"


    GhoulSpawn couldn''t think of a logical reason not to travel with them, seeing how they were walking on the road leading back to his village and he would have to walk this direction any ways. And so they finished packing their things and set out for GhoulSpawn''s village, rather then turning back as the black cat had advised. They walked for about an hour with nothing of any significance happening to them, following the path around Witch Pond, until they came to the other side. It was once again becoming windy as dark clouds hung low in the sky.


    "Looks like it gonna rain again," Unicorn said.


    "I hate being wet," Quaraun said as he looked up at the storm clouds.


    "We are on the other side of Witch Pond," ZooLock said. "Look there is the witch''s house we saw from the other side. Perhaps we can stop there until it passes?"


    "I don''t want to stay at a witch''s house," Quaraun mumbled. "Did that before. Mariasma. And look where that got us."


    "Where did it get us?" ZooLock asked.


    "She killed me dead," Unicorn said. "Him had to resurrect me all over again. Now I a VampiLich."


    Thunder crashed near by. Quaraun''s foot long ears laid all the way back, down flat against his back.


    "I hate being wet," he said again.


    A sound at his feet, caused his ears to go back up. The water, in the shape of a hand, rose out of the pond and grabbed hold of his ankle, pulling in forward n the slipper moss.


    "How is it you had to resurrect him again if he is a Lich?" ZooLock asked.


    Quaraun wasn''t listening to ZooLock, he was in a trance, staring down at the water.


    "Are you alright?" GhoulSpawn asked.


    "The water entices me."


    "Entices you?"


    "Something is trying to pull me into the water."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    GhoulSpawn looked at the water.


    "There''s nothing there."


    "There''s something there. Something invisible. In the water. Crawling over the edge. Grabbing at my feet. Trying to pull me in. Trying to drown me."


    "There ain''t no ''ting there, Quaraun," Unicorn said.


    ZooLock inched cautiously closer to the water, leaned over the edge and brought one of his large fish eyes to the edge of the water.


    A purple blue bolt of lightening flashed across the sky.


    "Nope," ZooLock said at length. "I sees nothing."


    "You can not see an invisible entity," Quaraun said. "I don''t like this place."


    Another crack of thunder smashed through the air as the winds picked up.


    "The water is gettin'' choppy," Unicorn said. "Ya should nae be so close to the edge."


    "Water that entices you in until you drown," Quaraun whispered.


    "Come, ya drown from falling in and being crashed under the waves iffy ya does not come back from the edge."


    Unicorn forcibly dragged Quaraun away from the pond.


    The thunder claps were growing louder, the lightening flashes bigger, and the wind was howling fiercely now. Angry black clouds, blotted out whatever sun light there had been. In the near distance the sound of ocean waves crashing on the shore could be heard. The strong smell of seaweed and crabs filled the air.


    Quaraun thought for a few seconds. "We are in an enchanted forest."


    "Is it is Faerie Forest," Unicorn asked.


    "You''re a Faerie, can''t you tell?"


    "Usually, but I does nae sense no Fae in these woods."


    Quaraun nodded.


    "It doesn''t feel like Faeries. I''m Faeries sighted, I can usually tell if there are Fae around. Can you tell if there are any Fae around," Quaraun asked GhoulSpawn.


    "Hmm... that''s a good question. There''s no way to be sure, to be honest."


    "Implying everything else you said was a lie?" Quaraun pointed out.


    "What?" The remark caught GhoulSpawn off guard.


    "No one who is telling the truth, ends a sentence with ''to be honest''. It means everything else you said was a lie."


    "I don''t lie," GhoulSpawn hung his head in shame. "That''s kind of my problem I can''t lie."


    "I''ve noticed. You keep trying to lie and you act like someone''s cast a spell on you that prevents you from lying and you just blurt out the truth while trying to lie."


    "Yeah, something like that," GhoulSpawn said quietly.


    "What happened?"


    "To what?"


    "Why can''t you lie?"


    "I... uhm... well... it... I ..."


    "GhoulSpawn... why are you trying to lie about why you can''t lie?"


    "I don''t know."


    "You''re trying to hide something from me, aren''t you?"


    GhoulSpawn didn''t answer.


    Quaraun thought some more then looked at GhoulSpawn.


    "You said something about Chaos Magic before. And you keep talking about Chaos Demons. You''re a Chaos Wizard, aren''t you?"


    "Yes."


    "Do you work with Chaos Demons?"


    "Uhm... I... uh... sort of."


    "Chaos Demons would explain a lot."


    "What a Chaos Demon?" Unicorn asked.


    Quaraun shook his head and took another drink.


    "They create Chaos everywhere they go. They can''t help it. They''re not from this dimension, their bodies react to the gravity or something. I don''t know. I''ve never tried to do Chaos Magic. It''s dangerous. Energy goes mad around them. Things start happening at random and half the time they don''t know they''re causing it. It''s common for Sorcerers and Demonologists to summon Chaos Demons than hold them captive


    Quaraun paused and looked back at GhoulSpawn again.


    "Are you a Sorcerer?"


    "Kind of?"


    "Kind of... question mark? You don''t know?"


    "My father was a sorcerer. I... I... I learned magic from him, but I... he... uh... he..."


    "Killed Unicorns. You''re father was evil, wasn''t he?"


    "Yeah. He''s dead now. A group of wizards killed him. I think. I don''t know. I''m trying to find him."


    "The Guild?"


    "I don''t know. I wasn''t very old. They burned all his books and scrolls and... they... we... they killed all his children too. I''m the only one who survived. My mother protected me. They spared me, because she was an Elf and they said I was young enough to not know what he was doing so I wouldn''t be able to do the stuff he did."


    "I''m sorry. The Guild has been killing a lot of wizards and their families. Usually without any real evidence to support their reasons."


    "My father was evil. Nations rejoiced on his death."


    "I''m sorry. Did he work with Chaos Demons?"


    "Yeah."


    "You don''t know much about wizardry, do you?"


    "Not really."


    "Why Chaos Magic? Of all the things you could do, all the types of magic out there, why focus on Chaos Magic?"


    "I''m good at it. Sort of. Not so much good at it. I''m trying to gain some control over it. Have less Chaos and more normalcy in my life."


    Quaraun raised a questioning eyebrow, but didn''t comment of this for a while. Instead he went back to deep thought.


    "Is Chaos a problem for you?" He asked GhoulSpawn.


    "Yeah."


    "You know it is every time you show up that life for us goes to Hell, right?"


    "I kind of noticed that. I''m sorry. I try to avoid people. It''s why I can''t stay married. Weird things start happening and she''ll get scared and I just... I leave and don''t go back. Let her have a life without my bad luck following her around. I hate being alone, but people get hurt whenever I''m near them. I''m not doing Chaos Magic to... I''m not doing what other Chaos Wizards do,.. I''m trying to stop it... find a cure so I can live with people and not have to be alone any more."


    "You''re welcomed to stay with us."


    "I cause Chaos in your life."


    Quaraun shrugged.


    "I''ve got a Phooka here. I guarantee you can''t cause as much Chaos in my life as he does. You''re welcome to stay. Though I have no home and wander."


    "Why is that?"


    "Why do I wander? Never become famous. I can''t stay any where long. Disciples, worshipers, and cultists follow me every where. And I''m wanted by the Guild, so wizard hunters are after my head. I wish I had a place to stay. A house to live in again would be nice..."


    "That''s bad, " ZooLock interrupted. "Why did you do that!"


    "What? What did I do?"


    "You''re a wish granting wizard and you just said ''I wish''. Every time you say ''I wish'' something bad happens."


    "Oh dear. I do need to guard my words better. And I don''t wish for this house."


    "Did that erase your wish?" ZooLock said.


    "I don''t know, did it?"


    "Hmm... that''s a good question. There''s no way to be sure, to be honest."


    "Implying everything else you said was a lie?" Quaraun pointed out.


    Quaraun turned to GhoulSpawn.


    "You keep trying to lie to me."


    "What?" The remark caught GhoulSpawn off guard.


    "No one who is telling the truth, ends a sentence with ''to be honest''. It means everything else you said was a lie."


    "I don''t lie," GhoulSpawn hung his head in shame. "That''s kind of my problem I can''t lie."


    "I''ve noticed. You keep trying to lie and you act like someone''s cast a spell on you that prevents you from lying and you just blurt out the truth while trying to lie."


    "Yeah, something like that," GhoulSpawn said quietly.


    "What happened?"


    "To what?"


    "Why can''t you lie?"


    "I... uhm... well... it... I ..."


    "GhoulSpawn... why are you trying to lie about why you can''t lie?"


    "I don''t know."


    "You''re trying to hide something from me, aren''t you?"


    GhoulSpawn didn''t answer.


    Just there there was a sound at the door. The sound of someone coming home. Coming home to find that there were four very strange men, siting in their front parllor, uninvited. After a few moments of clattering at the door, the jingling of keys and scraping of shoes, the voices of to elderly women could be heard.


    "It''s already open."


    "What''s popping?"


    "Not popping. Open."


    "What?" Screamed the old woman.


    "Open."


    "Who''s doping?"


    "No not...Never mind. You forgot the lock the door again."


    "Who let a whore in?"


    "No. The door."


    "What whore?"


    "No, the lock."


    "Mr. Spock? Who''s Mr. Spock? I don''t know any one named Spock."


    "Look, someone unlocked it without a key."


    "On birds knees?" The deaf woman yelled.


    "No. I said, without a key."


    A few moments of silence passed, followed by more scuffling noises at the door.


    "Magic," whispered one old lady to the other.


    "What''d ya say?" the other yelled loudly. "Talk louder. I''m deaf ya know."


    "Perhaps I could help," Quaraun said as he opened the door.


    Both women screamed from fright.


    "Who are you? What are you doing in our house?" Demanded the younger of the two. By younger, she was about 80 years old.


    "Is that Mr. Spock?" said the deaf woman who was closer to 90.


    "I''m sorry for the intrusion. It was raining and there was no place else to seek shelter from the storm. Plus the water was inciting me to drown myself and I thought it would be nice to meet the witch who cast the spell on the pond."


    The two women chattered between themselves.


    The younger turned back to Quaraun.


    "Are you a wizard?"


    "Yes. We all are. All four of us."


    "The water compelled you?"