The Eye Of Luvelles Part 4

Lasidious forced a smile to remain on his face. "I promise. Do you have any other questions before I continue?"

"Payne no remember your name."

"My name is, Friend," Lasidious said, forcing another patient smile that showed his teeth. "Payne, you won't see me again after this. The human you'll be looking for goes by the name George Nailer. I'll show you where to teleport."

"George Nailer. Silly name. Payne make fun with name. Payne see no human before."

"No. You're to be his goswig, remember? Goswigs don't make fun of their masters. Goswigs call the one they serve, Master."

"Master? Yuck! Payne no want to say that. Payne want friends. I like George gooder."

"It's better, Payne!" Lasidious snapped, his patience having run its course. "You like the name George better. That's how you say it. You need to listen when people talk, and you need to learn how to speak with intelligence."

"Ebbish nay! Don't be mad to Payne."

"Do you want friends or not?"

"Yes." The fairy-demon lowered his red head the way any child would when scolded. He kicked a small rock. "Payne want friends."

"Then perhaps you should choose to call George, Master. If you don't, he may not want you around. It's up to you. I personally don't care anymore."

"Ummm ... all right ... fine, ebbish nay ... stop yelling to Payne. I hate him's name. It's stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. He better feed Payne gooder!"

"I'm sure he'll feed you well, but you better get going." Lasidious touched the fairy-demon's head and gave him a vision of Kebble's Kettle. "This is the inn I told you about, and this is what George looks like."

"Yuck! Human ugly!"

"Payne, focus. The jaguar's name is Kepler and here's how the cat looks. You best get going."

"Kepler. I like. Him have red eyes. That's shev. Nice kitty."

Lasidious had to smile. He knew Kepler hated the word 'kitty.' This meeting was going to be fun to watch. "Payne, your whole body is red. How can Kepler's eyes be shev?"

"Payne don't know. Just 'cuz. Well ... ummm ... yeah, just 'cuz, Payne guess."

Lasidious' patience was gone. "Just be good to George. You want him to like you. If George likes you, you'll have a new friend ... and food."

"Yes. Um ... Payne want George-"

"His name is Master! Concentrate, Payne!"

"Ummm ... yeah. Uhh, yeah, yeah ... Master to like Payne. Food gooder. Payne go to George ... umm ... to Master. Thanks, Friend."

"You're welcome, Payne." The G.o.d of Mischief vanished.

Payne devoured a few more mouthfuls of elf before he disappeared.

CHAPTER 2.

A Whole Lotta Gla.s.s GREGORY ID STOOD FROM his bed and walked across the transparent floor of his bedroom chamber. As always, he enjoyed the sight of the torrent waters that rushed beneath the gla.s.s under his feet. "A glorious morning," he said as he closed his eyes and listened.

Gregory Id and his Goswig, Mykklyn Now, fellow soul ... allow me to tell you about Gregory Id and his city of Inspiration. One of Luvelles' wonders, Inspiration was created by the White Chancellor through the use of his magic. Every structure, no matter how large or small, was made of gla.s.s and Gregory's bedroom chamber, located on the lowest level of a 120 pace tall shimmering tower-palace was no exception.

Inspiration was created at the base of the cliffs south of Crystal Lake-Western Luvelles' largest body of fresh water. The area the lake covered was so vast that it could have been named a sea. The water cascaded down the cliffs and then coursed its way underground toward the city. After it rushed beneath Gregory's tower, it surfaced and flowed through moats that Gregory had made out of faceted crystal rather than ordinary gla.s.s. The water then continued on to Lake Lavan.

Gregory was an elf of average height who was known for his strong will and charisma. His long hair was sandy-brown and covered his pointed ears. Deep blue eyes accented a smooth complexion, and he was beloved throughout the Kingdom of Lavan. It was his kindness and his charitable uses of magic that served him well while creating a relationship with the people.

On many occasions, Gregory used his power to create homes for the less fortunate-the less fortunate being those who were unable to command magic. Though Luvelles was mostly populated by elves, halflings, and spirits, it was not a magical world in its entirety, despite the magical nature of these races. Even though the air in some areas smelled of magic, not everyone was capable of summoning its uses.

Fellow soul ... enough telling. Let's push forward.

Gregory stopped in front of the mirror that stood at the foot of his bed to study his naked body. After looking over his shoulder to ensure he was alone, he turned back around and flexed. He shook his head, disappointed and then shouted, "Mykklyn, I would like to wear my green robe today! Please bring it ... and my yellow belt, if you don't mind!"

"Who would have ever guessed?" a graceful lioness responded as she entered the room. "You're predictable," the goswig growled. "I'll have them brought to you. It's tiresome. Watching you wear the same attire is far from inspiring. There are moments when I find it difficult to believe you were the creator of this striking city. How could you dress in such drab?" The lioness turned to saunter from the room.

Gregory stopped her. "Mykklyn ... on second thought, let's change it up."

The lioness smiled. "Wonderful! What will it be?"

"How about I wear my green robe and instead of my yellow belt, I'll switch it up and wear my black one?"

The lioness rolled her eyes. "May the G.o.ds fall over in awe ... His Boringness switched to a black belt! You best be careful. You're stretching your boundaries with this decision. You might find yourself venturing too far out on a thin limb. What will people say about your boldness?"

The lioness shook her head. "Green and black it is. One of these Peaks I'm not going to allow you to dress yourself any longer. I'll force you to run around without clothes on if I must. At least this would be a change and far less boring."

Mykklyn growled as she left the room. It was not long before she returned. A servant entered behind her with the chancellor's clothes.

The female elf, heavily wrinkled from her many seasons, lowered her head in the chancellor's direction. She was wearing the same lavender and black garb that all Gregory's servants wore. Her voice was weathered. "Shall I have your normal prepared for breakfast, Your Grace?"

Mykklyn jumped onto the gla.s.s table and lowered her heavy, golden, fur-covered body into a comfortable position. As the lioness listened to Gregory's response, she pa.s.sed one of her sharp claws along the symbols of white magic that had been etched into the surface of the table. "Perhaps you should try something new. Perhaps a bergan egg, with greggled hash, corgan blood steak and some poppel bread would be a delightful change."

The chancellor shook his head. "No. I'll have my usual. Why must we do this every morning, Mykklyn? I have enough to worry about." Gregory turned toward the mirror and adjusted his belt.

The lioness snorted at the chancellor's vexatious response and turned her head to look at the servant. "We do this because he's boring."

After watching the older elf smile, the lioness redirected her gaze. "I'm trying to fix you, Master. You have a perfect eye for beauty when it comes to this city, but you're sad when it pertains to matters of dress. You should be setting a precedent, but you're predictable. Even your diet is predictable." The goswig looked back at the servant. "Isn't that right, Lawarna?"

Lawarna nodded. "Your goswig is correct, Your Grace. Eating the same meals every Peak seems farcical."

The lioness chuckled. "See? You're broken, and you didn't even know it."

Gregory placed his hand on Lawarna's shoulder. "Please ... just bring me my oats, and let's get the Peak going."

The chancellor's brow tightened as he looked at his goswig. "I have to meet with my brothers at the Peak of Bailem, and there are things I must do before I go, so stop bothering me about what I eat."

Mykklyn jumped down from the table. "We'll fetch your breakfast, Your Predictableness." The lioness placed her paw on Lawarna's foot. They vanished.

Gregory sighed, "What would I do without her?"

Meanwhile, the Village of Floren Kebble's Kettle Mary shut the door to her room on the fourth level of the inn and kept her eyes focused on the teleportation platform as she walked to the end of the balcony. The light-brown haired, hazel-eyed woman had been summoned to the front desk of Kebble's establishment to retrieve yet another gift.

After appearing on the lower level, Kebble watched Mary approach and then handed her a box. "This makes 15. Are you excited?"

"You know I am." Mary untied the bow and removed the lid. She smiled. "It's perfect. I love light-blue." As always, the Bailem dress was just her size. "Kebble, why won't you tell me who is sending these?"

Left to right: Athena, Susanne and Mary "I'm sorry, Mary. I've been sworn to secrecy," the rosy-cheeked elf replied.

Mary pulled the dress close to her heart. "I don't like secrets, Kebble. Whoever is sending these best be worth the wait."

"Oh, he is, Mary. Kebble would never lie about that."

The stay at Kebble's inn had been pleasant for the most part, but Mary was glad the moment had arrived to move on. She had not ventured too far beyond the front porch because of her son-in-law's request. George had said it was not safe to go out until he had been informed that the moment was right. The air within the village smelled strange, and something as simple as sitting on the porch made her nervous. It was also strange that the atmosphere had a purple haze and further, it was odd to see her homeworld cross the sky and disappear behind the horizon.

The family had become restless while waiting for this Peak, and a change of environment would be more than welcomed. Countless individuals of questionable character had checked into the inn over the past 115 Peaks. Many of these individuals had traveled with intimidating beasts.

Mary hurried back to her room. She put on the new dress and stood in front of the mirror in the washroom to bask in the glow of how it made her feel. It was not long before she was interrupted by George knocking on her door.

"Mother!" the mage shouted through the wood. "We need to get going! I hope you're ready!"

"I am! Come in and carry my bag!"

George opened the door. "Ahhh ... now that's just the sweetest thing ... another dress," he chided with a hint of sarcasm. "You look stunning. I think someone is trying to get on your good side. I wonder when you'll meet this admirer."

Mary moved close and whispered in his ear like a child, "I don't know, but I hope he's handsome."

"Who said it's a man?" George joked. "What if it has more than two legs?"

Mary turned up her nose. "I would never!"

Amused at her response, the mage nudged her with his elbow. "I'm just messing with ya. I'm sure he doesn't have hooves ... or even claws."

As they left the room, George headed toward the teleportation platform, but Mary hesitated and took a few moments to lean over the railing of the balcony. This would be the last chance that she would have to look down at the dining area and the bar below.

She had never become accustomed to how the walls and this railing felt. As Mary pa.s.sed her hand across the railing, she could feel the tiny hairs that tickled her palm. The heart of the structure could also be felt as its pulse shot through the railing like an artery. She pulled her hand away and thought, How unsettling.

Many nights she had watched the diverse characteristics of Kebble's patrons from this very spot, and on one occasion, she had seen something that frightened her. A man had perished. The cause of his demise remained unexplained, and it was as if n.o.body cared, as if the gentleman was expendable-almost as if he had been expected to expire. One moment, the man was laughing, and the next, he was burning from the inside out. She would never forget his cries as his body reduced to a pile of ash.

Everyone had continued eating, not bothering to give his remains anything more than a casual glance. Kebble was the only one who seemed to care, but Mary did not know if it was because Kebble was a good elf, or if his actions had more to do with the fact that it was his establishment, and this was just another mess he had to clean up. Despite her confusion about the short elf's rationale that night, she had become friends with Kebble, and she would miss him.

Mary took one final, mental snapshot before she made her way to the teleportation platform. When she reappeared near the front desk on the main level, she said, "Goodbye, Kebble. You've been a gracious host."

The chubby elf removed his pipe and kissed the top of her hand before bidding her farewell. "I shall miss you, Mary."

"And, I you. You've been wonderful. I do hope this isn't the last series of moments we shall see each other. I haven't made any other friends since our arrival."

Kebble smiled and then winked. "Ohhhh, I think you're about to meet someone special, and I'm sure this won't be our last conversation. I want details of your adventures when next we meet."

"My, my! That sounds promising. I do hope you're right. I promise to keep you informed."

"Goodbye, my lady."

Payne was enjoying the morning sun as its rays fell across the village. Sitting on top of Kebble's roof, the fairy-demon lifted his face into the air and absorbed its warmth, all while he bounced one of his legs. Waiting for George to exit the building was hard for him to do, but as usual, the fairy-demon had created company.

Payne had torn off one of his fingers and allowed it to morph into a small rabbit. The animal had a perfect cotton-tail and gray fur. Its nose twitched as it spoke. "Stop shaking your leg? The human will come out soon."

"Payne know ... um ... Payne know this, stupid rabbit." The fairy-demon growled.

"Who are you calling stupid, idiot?"

"Payne no idiot."

"You're the one bouncing your leg all over the place."

"So?"

"So relax. This George will come out."

"No say relax. Payne not need relax. Shut up! Ebbish nay!"

The bunny scratched the back of one of its long ears. "I'll say whatever I want."

"No."

"Yes, I will. And you are an idiot."

"No, no, no ... no! Payne not ... um ... not an idiot. You make Payne madder."

The rabbit pretended to shiver in fright. "Forgive me. Whatever will I do? I best run and hide. The mighty fairy-demon is angry."

Payne ground his teeth, "Stop! Or Payne-"

The rabbit turned, lifted onto his back legs and raised his front paws in defiance. "You'll what?"

"Payne do this." Payne grabbed the animal and lifted it toward his mouth.

"What are you doing?"

"Eating. Ebbish nay. And you think Payne stupider."

"If you eat me, you'll lose a finger."

"Oh! Um ... yeah. Payne forgot. Then ... then ... Payne will-"