Staff of Shigmar: Chapter 4, Part 3

28 March 2026

What a beautiful fall morning, a good time to read the next installment of our epic fantasy, Staff of Shigmar: Book 2 of The Redemption; we will see the chosen escape from Shigmar and begin their journey north, seeking the tomb of Shigmar. (13 October 2014) We remind all readers that this book, Staff of Shigmar, as also the first book, is free for download from Smashwords! Glossary links: Book 2, Book 1

Chapter 4, Part 3

“We must be very careful here,” Klaybear whispered to the others. “Even though we only see one kailu on duty, there are many others in this building, including a lesser master. One shout from the person on duty, and everyone in the house will be here in seconds.”

They stood taking turns looking through the spyholes in a concealed hallway of the kailu teleport house. One spyhole looked into the room where the telepad was inscribed on the floor, a second into the hallway outside the teleport room, and the third, into the outer hallway of the main floor. The concealed hallway led down into the sewers to the doorway Tevvy had discovered earlier. The concealed door out of this hallway opened into the outer hallway, then they had to pass through a second door to enter the hallway adjacent to the teleport room.

“It is laid out well,” Tevvy noted, “making it easy to defend, but we should have no trouble getting past the kailu on duty, if someone can distract her for a moment.”

“Who is on duty?” Klare asked.

“Your friend, Sutugno,” Klaybear noted.

“Oh, no,” Klare said, her brow wrinkling. “I don’t want to get her into trouble.”

“She won’t remember anything,” Tevvy said, taking a very small vial from one of his many pockets, along with a small, feathered dart.

“You cannot knock her out,” Klare said.

“Of course not,” Tevvy replied, “this will only distract her.”

“What do you mean, distract?” Klare asked. The three wethem were watching through each of the spyholes.

“She will sit down in her chair and experience a pleasant daydream,” Tevvy replied.

“For how long?”

“I thought five minutes should be enough.”

“Someone has just come down the stairs,” Klaybear, who was watching the outer hall, whispered. He turned from the spyhole. “Someone must come down and check on the person on duty every fifteen minutes.”

“That should be plenty of time,” Tevvy said. “As soon as the person goes up the stairs, we will go out, Klare can knock on the door to speak with this friend. Get her to turn away from the door, and I’ll deliver the dart. She’ll grab the dart from her neck, but become distracted before she realizes what it is. Be ready to catch the keys, as they might slip from her fingers, and help her into her chair. Signal us when you can see that she is no longer paying any attention to you.”

“She’s just gotten up and gone to the door,” Blakstar, who was watching the hall outside the teleport room, reported. “I think he said that it was the four-thirty check.”

“One of us should stay here,” Thal said, watching the telepad, “until we get the door open.”

“She is going back to her chair,” Blakstar noted.

“And he is going back to the stairs,” Klaybear added.

Tevvy dipped the small dart into the vial carefully, then put the vial away. “Ready?” he asked.

“Wait!” Thal exclaimed. “Someone is appearing on the telepad,” and after a moment, “it’s the Headmaster.”

“She is going to unlock the door,” Blakstar added. “There must be a signal when someone teleports in.”

Klare and Klaybear both nodded.

“He’s come through,” Blakstar continued, “and she is writing something down. Now she is sitting again, and,” Blakstar paused, “I think he just put her to sleep.” The kortexi turned away from the spyhole. “He just looked straight at me, and beckoned me to him,” he finished, looking slightly puzzled.

Tevvy did not hesitate an instant. “Quickly,” he said, moving to and opening the concealed door into the outer hallway, “while we have a chance.”

They moved out of the concealed hallway and down the outer hall; Tevvy closed the concealed door softly behind them. When they turned the corner, they saw the Headmaster opening the door and waving them forward.

“Hurry,” Myron whispered, “we don’t have much time.” He held the door open until all five of them had entered, then closed the door. He handed the keys to Klaybear, who opened the door to the teleport room. “How did you know?” he asked, handing the keys back to Myron. The others filed into the room.

“Not here,” Myron said, “you take the others through, and then I’ll wake Sutugno and follow you.”

Klaybear nodded, and followed the others to the telepad. “Everyone needs to touch me, and I’ll transport us through.” He waited until all had surrounded and put a hand on him, then he held up his silver symbol and invoked the teka, transferring them instantly outside of the walls. They stood in the pre-dawn darkness, surrounded by trees; they heard the sound of horses moving nearby.

“Klaybear,” came a voice out of the darkness, “is that you?”

“Rokwolf?” Klaybear replied, “what are you doing here?” They all stepped off the telepad to make way for Myron’s return.

“I’ve been sent to aid you,” Rokwolf replied, and Klaybear noticed the hint of both sadness and bitterness in his twin’s voice. Klaybear stepped toward the voice in the darkness, opening his arms to embrace his twin brother.

“What has happened?” Klaybear asked in twin, their private language.

“I lost my command,” Rokwolf replied in the same language.

Klare interrupted their embrace, pushing her husband back so that she could embrace her brother-in-law. “Klaybear,” she said, “you two are doing it again.”

Rokwolf held Klare for a moment, then apologized. “Sorry, sister,” he said, “it is an old habit, not easily broken.”

Even in the darkness, Klaybear could see the lines at the corners of his eyes, and the dark circles under his eyes. “What has happened?” she whispered.

“I was tricked by Xythrax,” he said, sadly, “and so left my assigned area. I was told that it led to an important young kortexi being captured and harmed by Xythrax.”

Klaybear exchanged a look with Klare. Klaybear turned to the others. “Let me introduce the rest of my companions,” he began, but Rokwolf interrupted him.

“The chosen?” he asked.

Klaybear nodded once. “This is Thalamar, son of Kalamar, white maghi,” he pointed to Thal.

Thal took Rokwolf’s hand and shook it. “Just Thal,” he noted.

“This is Telvor, son of Meekor,” he pointed to the awemi, “a scout.”

Rokwolf smiled. “Yes, I know him,” Rokwolf noted.

Tevvy nodded. “It has been, what, a year?”

“Yes,” Rokwolf replied. “And you have graduated from your father’s school, with honors, I heard.”

Tevvy smiled. “Oh that, well I was the first to graduate, and we both received honors.” He turned to Klaybear. “I spent a year training with the seklesem; it was your brother who trained me.”

“And finally,” Klaybear pointed to Blakstar, “this is Sir Blakstar eli kerdu ghebi, bearer of the Waters of Life, Sir Karble reborn.”

Rokwolf took Blakstar’s hand.

“Please,” Blakstar said, “just Blakstar; I’m not used to the rest of it.”

Rokwolf smiled in response to the kortexi’s discomfort. “I look forward to practicing swordplay with you; I understand that the style of the kortexem is different from our own.”

Blakstar nodded. “Yes, I would like to learn your style. Had I not been accepted into kortexi training, I would have come to Holvar and trained as seklesi.” Blakstar turned away, hearing the whinny of his horse and going to check on him.

A light flashed behind them, announcing the return of the Headmaster. In the flash of white light, Klaybear saw his twin’s face clearly for the first time; he staggered back, pain burning his forehead and hand, as he was hurled into the gyre of his broken vision.

Klare grabbed his arm; Rokwolf saw him stagger, so grabbed his other side. The mark on his forehead pulsed with angry red light.

“What is wrong?” he asked Klare.

“This happens each time he sees one of us for the first time,” Klare said, “since his trip to the sacred glade.”

“That mark on his forehead,” Rokwolf said, “it is the mark of Gar.”

“Yes,” Myron said, stepping up beside them, “and he, along with the rest of the chosen, but for you, Tevvy, and Klare, were imprisoned and placed under the sentence of death. The three of you escaped only because you were not there, but each of you has a similar mark, although you three are like Thal: the mark is inscribed in the patterns of your minds.” He turned and looked at Thal. “Help her with Klaybear,” he said, “he should come out of it in a moment.” He took Rokwolf by the arm and led him off to one side. “Do not chastise yourself for what happened to Sir Blakstar,” he said in a quiet voice, taking and holding Rokwolf’s eye. “You are not in any way responsible. Had you not been pulled out of position by Xythrax, both of you would have been killed, and the kortexi would have been damaged anyway. Also, he does not remember what actually happened to him, so be careful what you say. You were, like Klare and Tevvy, under a compulsion put in place and controlled by Gar; that is why you fainted when you put on the verghrenum. The bracers saved your mind by putting you into a kind of stasis. Fereghen Wothgart was informed of this, and so he sent you straight to me, who could repair the damage, with the help of several others.”

“How was this possible?” Rokwolf said. “I’ve never seen Gar.”

“I do not know,” Myron replied. “Listen to me carefully; there is little time. You have to lead the others away from Shigmar without the army on the other side of this hill knowing they have left.”

“Where are we going?” Rokwolf asked.

“North to Kalbant, I think,” Myron replied. “They now know where. One final thing: do not engage in any fighting. If it becomes a choice between fight and flight, choose flight, even if it takes you far out of the way. I’m sure they have been given this warning, but it also shows up in the records kept by the headmasters of the school. To retrieve the second key, they must be completely inexperienced, or they will not succeed. This is especially important with Sir Blakstar: he will want to fight but you must prevent him, even if you have to knock him out or put him to sleep. They can give you the rest of the story as you travel.”

Tevvy stepped up and touched Myron’s sleeve. “Headmaster,” he whispered, “there is something else you must know. I was captured by a group of Gar’s soldiers inside the walls of the city. They are hiding in the northeast quarter of the city, just north of the sewer grate. They have a cache of weapons; I think they mean to open the gate and let the attackers in.”

“I’ll let Master Ghreis know,” Myron replied, then turned back to Rokwolf. “There is a monument in the central square of Kalbant; I’d check there first.”

Rokwolf nodded and turned to Klare. “How is he?”

“Coming around,” Klare replied.

“Can he ride?” Rokwolf asked.

“By the time we all get ready to leave, yes,” Klare said.

“Then let’s go while we still have some darkness,” Rokwolf said.

Until next week, when we will post the next installment of our tale, where the chosen discover, as they travel north, that they have not escaped the notice of their enemies, who continue to attack them from afar. Get a full ebook copy from Smashwords for free! If you prefer print, purchase your copy from the link provided. Good reading!