Chihon laughed at the drawing. "I think there may be something around here that we're meant to find."
Lorit used the light from his staff to illuminate the figure of the Wizard. As the golden light struck it, the figure started to glow. The arm of the Wizard gradually changed position until it was pointing to the wall on Lorit's left.
"Over here." Lorit turned to the blank wall where the figure pointed. It looked like an ordinary rock face inside the cavern. He examined it closely for signs of any hidden opening mechanism, but there were none.
"Indica mihi quem latet" Lorit intoned, commanding the stone to reveal to him that which was hidden. The cliff face took on a fuzzy appearance, as if the stone itself were vibrating so quickly as to become invisible. It shimmered and then started to shift. A passageway opened in front of him, taking on the shape of an arched doorway, complete with capstone and decorative brickwork.
The chamber that lay beyond the archway was more crowded and disorganized than Zhimosom's study. There were books strewn about, haphazardly tossed on shelves and the floor. A large chair sat behind an ornately decorated table upon which rested a pair of human skulls, each with a single candle protruding from the center of the stained ivory bone.
"Incendo ignio," Lorit said, willing the flame into existence. The candle light chased away the darkness and a mist formed on the seat of the chair. Lorit gathered his power around him, ready to fight or flee, depending on the threat. He barely let himself hope, growing more excited as the mist took the form of the old Wizard.
"Ah, Lorit, you made it," Zhimosom said.
Zhimosom's eyes were looking at something next to Lorit, so he shifted his gaze to see what it was. There was nothing there.
"I am happy to see that you have made it this far, and having done so, you already know that I am either dead or victim to some other unfortunate circumstance that hampers my ability to assist you.
"I have arranged for circumstances to lead you here so you can carry on my work," the Wizard continued.
Zhimosom looked around at his desk as if distracted. "Oh my, I hope that it's you, Lorit. But then I guess I have no way of knowing, do I? Well, no matter." Zhimosom's eyes went vague for a moment, then focused near on Lorit once again.
"I have arranged matters for you to carry on my work. Yes, that's it," he muttered to himself.
"I have hidden the Summa Purus Magicae here, in my secondary study. It will reveal itself to you only when the time is right. If not, it will remain hidden no matter how hard you look.
"The fact that you are witnessing this means something has befallen me. I may be dead or incapacitated. That should be of no consequence to you. It has come to my attention that one of the Wizards on the ruling Council is secretly in league with the Temple of Ran. He has been working with them for some years, thwarting our plans and feeding them information on promising young Wizards.
"I made this message just before going to confront him. While I am confident that I am in no danger from any ordinary Wizard, one that is in league with the Temple may prove to be a challenge. I hope I am equal to my challenge as I am confident you will be to yours.
"Should you prove equal to the task, please don't waste time trying to find me or resolve my predicament. Your first task will be the elimination of this threat from the Council, and from this mortal realm.
"Fare well and good luck." The Wizard looked down at his book once more, frowning.
"That is, assuming you are Lorit." The Wizard looked around his study almost in panic, and then settled down.
"Oh, lest I forget. You will need all the strength of your pairing to handle this threat. Should I be unavailable to guide you, know that the power you share is more than just a cooperation of your magic. It is a merging of your essence, a joining of your life forces. As you grow together, you will become as one person inhabiting two separate bodies. As your union deepens, so will your powers.
"Go now, and complete my quest," the old Wizard said as he turned to mist and faded away.
Lorit turned to Chihon. "What was that?"
"I don't know. How can we become as one person? Do you think it means the way we shared our vision back in the library?"
"I'm not sure. But it’s clear we still have more trials ahead," Lorit said.
He shuffled through the books, looking them over one by one. There were stacks of them and they were dusty and worn. One particularly thick book had the engraving on the front that indicated it was filled with powerful hexagrams. He had enough experience with these spells to be wary.
Sitting at the table, he opened it and leafed through it, muttering to himself as he read. He reached a page that bore an engraving so complex, he could barely make out the lines of the figure.
"Look at this one," he said to Chihon. "It looks like this is a spell made to drain a Wizard's power. If I read this correctly, it's similar to what the Temple uses to extract power from a Wizard, only this simply drains him without taking it into the wielder of the spell.
"It looks complex." Lorit guided his finger along the text that described how the spell was used. He read the description aloud to Chihon. As he finished reading the spell, the ink on page became fuzzy, almost as if it was lifting from the paper. It rose from the page and started to swirl around like a cyclone of fine black powder, until finally it rushed at Lorit.
He swatted at it, afraid of what it would to do him, but it kept rushing at him until finally it threaded its way up his sleeve. He felt a stinging on his back, almost as if a thousand needles had pierced his skin. He twisted in his chair, but he couldn't reach the offending ink.
"What happened?" Chihon reached over and pulled at Lorit's shirt. "It's on your back. The same hexagram that was in the book. It looks like it's just under your skin."
"See if you can rub it off." Lorit pulled his shirt over his head.
Chihon rubbed at his back, gently at first, then rougher. "It's not coming off. It doesn't even smudge."
"Just leave it, then," he said. "We have to find the book. Zhimosom said it was hidden here somewhere and it would reveal itself when the time was right."
After a while, Lorit grew exasperated with the search. He was ready to give up. "We're never going to find it."
Chihon had been rummaging through a pile near the entry way. She held up a large leather bound volume. "Lorit, I think this is it." The book had a crest on the front, surrounded by the Wizard's script. He peered at it. It was indeed the Summa Purus Magicae.
It was closed with a leather strap ending in a brass clasp with a tiny lock on the end. The book was locked fast.
He probed with his magic, trying to feel the lock mechanism and spring the book open. It resisted his attempts.
"Let's take it up to the Sorcerer's stone and see if a little extra magic will open it," Lorit said.
They made their way back to the rock ledge. Lorit could feel the power emanating from it, recharging his internal stores. He focused on the lock once more, trying to wrest the tiny brass clasp open, but it refused to budge.
He reached out to Rotiaqua and quickly connected with her image. "Do you know how to open the book?" he asked.
"Certainly not. I didn't even know he still had it. I can't do much of anything with him gone like he is."
"We're going to face the Council."
"Be careful," was all she said before Lorit felt her fade out.
"Zhimosom doesn't trust the Council and we shouldn't, either," Lorit said. "I don't want to hand the book over to them. We could be giving it to the Wizard who captured Zhimosom, and where would we be then?"
"We have to face the Council."
"We don't have to turn the book over to them, but you're right, we do have to face them." Lorit reached out and took her hand, focused on the Council room while he gathered the power from the sorcerer's stone and transposed them to the Council chamber.
"We have located the Summa Purus Magicae," Lorit explained once the Council members had gathered.
"Have you figured out how to open it?" Neussul asked with a smirk.
"We have not opened it yet."
"Have you tried?" Neussul leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.
"Yes. We were unsuccessful."
Neussul leaned forward, placing his hands flat on the table. "The spells in the book are powerful, too powerful to be in the hands of a junior Council Member." Neussul reached out his hand.
"First we find Zhimosom. That was the deal," Lorit said, holding the book tightly in his arms.
"You are not strong enough to use those spells. That book belongs to the Council," Neussul said. Lorit could feel the pull on the book as the Wizard tried to force it from his hands. He focused his magic on it, trying to send it back to Zhimosom's study. He felt the spell take effect when Neussul shouted.
"Wait. If you pass the test, we will help you." Lorit thought he sounded desperate.
"What test?" Lorit asked.
"There are trials of courage, power and wisdom that every Wizard must pass to demonstrate their mastery. If you pass these trials, I will personally help you find Zhimosom."
Lorit looked at the Wizard. He had no reason to trust him, but he wasn't getting anywhere by himself.
"This is the last time I listen to you," Lorit said. He was angry and wanted to take on Neussul right there, but Chihon laid her hand on his arm. He could feel her trying to impart a sense of calm. He embraced her touch and relaxed.
"Let the test begin, then. You will help us find Zhimosom once we are finished," Lorit said.
"I gave you my word, did I not?" Neussul said. He stood tall and haughty. "If you pass the test. Not many do."
"We will," Lorit said with more confidence than he had a right to.
Neussul stood up and leaned over the table. "The trials start at the Wizard's keep. You must enter there and face whatever it deems appropriate."
He sat back down and laughed. "Go now and good luck. You'll need it."
Lorit turned to Chihon and grasped her arm as they left the Council Chambers.
Test of Courage
Lorit and Chihon rested before the final test. After the dangers they had braved, Lorit was in no hurry to begin anew, but he worried about Zhimosom. He rested uneasily and woke early the next morning still tired.
They traversed the narrow ledge that led to the keep and entered the great hall wondering how the trials would begin, and what they should do to announce their intent.
"Let's stick together," Lorit said as they walked down the dusty aisles towards the library. "How do we know what the tests are? Where do you think they start?"
Suddenly Lorit found himself alone. He was in a hallway that stretched for as far as he could see in either direction. "Chihon," he called. "Where are you?"
He heard the sound of his voice echoing off of the walls, but nothing from Chihon. He reached out to her with his magic, but he couldn't sense her. She was gone.
Lorit panicked. He ran from door to door, opening each one and calling for Chihon. Finally, he spotted one that contained an arch that lead to a small room. Inside the room was the short stone wall of a well. It was as wide as Lorit's outstretched arms and filled to the top with the shimmer of water.
Lorit entered the room and looked in the well. The water was almost silver in its appearance, as it licked at the stone wall. "Incendo ignio." Lorit commanded the torches around the room into light so he could see better.
Lorit turned back to the well to see a short little man sitting on the ledge. He was perched on the edge of the wall, legs crossed and dangling over the edge into the water. "Looking for something?" he asked.
"Yes, I am." Lorit took a step closer. The little man shone with the glimmer of pure gold. His skin and his clothes were the same color, as if he had been cast from gold coins melted down for the purpose.
"And just what are you looking for?" The man smiled up at Lorit, his golden eyes reflecting the light from the torches.
"Chihon was with me and now she's gone. Can you help me find her?"
"I can help you find anything, if you have the courage to seek it." The man waved his arm over the water. "You can find anything your heart desires here, if you but have the courage to seek it."
"Anything?"
"Anything," the golden man replied. "Provided you have the courage to seek it. Not everyone does. Actually, almost no one does." He shook his head sadly.
"How do I seek the Sorceress Chihon?"
"You dive in and swim," the golden man said. "Simple as that." He snapped his fingers and smiled a wide, gold-toothed grin.
"Dive in?" Lorit unbuckled his belt and started to strip down to his pants in preparation.
"Dive in," the man said. "That's the best way, just dive in, and see where it takes you. It's always educational and sometimes you even find what you are looking for."
Lorit walked to the edge of the well. He dipped his hand into the water to test it. It was cool, but not cold. "Just dive in?"
"Dive." The golden man gestured to the water.
Lorit climbed up on the wall, took a few deep breaths, and dove into the water. It was cold enough to give him a shock on entry, but he quickly grew used to it, as he made his way down into the depths. Several feet beneath the surface, the well opened onto a wide channel extending deep into the mountain. Lorit could not see into the depths, but he was determined to follow this path.
He turned and entered the channel. He worked his way along, paying attention to his breath, counting out the time in his head. He estimated how long he could stay under water before he had to return to the surface for air. When he felt that he had reached his half way point, he turned around and headed back.
He broke the surface, gulping. His lungs burned with the relief of the air rushing in. He breathed heavily, recovering from his dive.
The golden man sat on the ledge. "Find her?"
"No, I ran out of breath," Lorit said, still panting.