Staff of Shigmar: Chapter 15, Part 2

27 June 2026

Welcome back friends, fans, and followers, to another installment from the second book of our epic fantasy, Staff of Shigmar. We return to our heroes in Shigmar’s tomb, Thalamar just waking with the Waters of Life, as all have returned from the ice realm, although Tevvy has lost his vision. . . . (15 June 2015) 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 15, Part 2

“What happened?” Thal asked, looking around. “Last thing I remember was falling to the ground.”

Blakstar nodded. “We made it to the hill I saw,” he said, “and I found a portal stone, activated it, and we came back here.”

“Extraordinary!” Thal exclaimed.

Blakstar moved to Klaybear. “You’ll want to get out of those furs before you roast,” he said, lifting the kailu’s head and pouring the Waters into his mouth.

As Klaybear drank, Thal stripped off his furs, folded them and placed them on his cot. “The crates are gone,” he noted.

Blakstar nodded again as Klaybear’s eyes opened and the green kailu sat up. “Yes,” Blakstar agreed, “and they were replaced by a fountain of the Waters of Life.”

“Convenient,” Klaybear noted, after looking around. “I’m quite warm now,” he added, pulling off the hood and mittens.

Blakstar smiled and went to Tevvy. “What do we do about him?” he asked, pointing down.

“Try giving him the Waters,” Klaybear said, pulling off the rest of his furs and piling them on his cot. “Maybe pour some on his eyes to see if that helps.”

Blakstar squatted next to Tevvy; Klaybear crawled over to his other side, helping the kortexi remove the furs, then he held the awemi’s eyes open while Blakstar dripped some of the Waters into each of his white eyes. Klaybear cradled Tevvy’s head and opened his mouth, so the kortexi could pour the Waters in and drink. Like the others, Tevvy drank eagerly and kept drinking until the bottle was nearly drained. Blakstar raised an eyebrow at this, but Klaybear merely waited. When Tevvy’s eyes fluttered open, both could see that some of their former color had returned, but not all.

“Where are we?” Tevvy asked.

“Back in the tomb,” Klaybear said. “How are your eyes?”

“I think I can . . . ,” Tevvy started to say and sit up, more color returning to them, but then he fell back and his eyes went white again, “no, I cannot see.”

“What happened?” Klaybear asked.

“When I woke up,” Tevvy said, hesitantly, “I thought I could see your face, but then it all went black.”

Blakstar looked at Klaybear who nodded to the fountain. “What do you think?” he asked.

Blakstar looked at the fountain then shrugged. “It might work.”

“Tevvy,” Klaybear said, “let’s get you to your feet and take you to the fountain.”

“What fountain?” Tevvy asked.

“When we were returned to the tomb,” Blakstar said, “the crates of supplies were gone and replaced by a fountain of the Waters of Life.”

Tevvy stopped and grabbed both. “My gear?” he asked.

“On the cot where you left it.” Klaybear replied, after looking that direction.

Tevvy relaxed his grip on both arms and let out a sigh. “For a moment,” he said as they lead him to the fountain, “I feared we were in a different room.”

“Here,” Klaybear said, taking Tevvy’s hands and placing them on the rim of the fountain. “I’ll help you guide your face into the basin; put it in and open your eyes to see if direct contact with the Waters helps.”

Tevvy knelt by the rim and with Klaybear’s help, put his face into the Waters, holding his breath. After several moments, Tevvy threw his head back and looked into Klaybear’s eyes. For a moment, Klaybear saw that their normal color had returned, but as soon as the Waters ran out of his eyes, they turned white again.

“For a moment,” Tevvy said, “I could see, but now . . . ,” he left his sentence unfinished.

Blakstar looked at Klaybear, puzzled. “Why?” the kortexi asked.

Klaybear shook his head. “This is not normal snow blindness,” he noted. “Something else has happened.” He turned to Thal, who had just finished reloading the pouches on his belt. “I think you should check his mind,” he said to the white maghi.

Thal replaced his rod, and moved to the fountain. His eyes went distant. “Put your face in again and open your eyes,” he said after a moment.

The awemi stuck his face in again, then lifted it up, his eyes clearing again for a moment.

Thal spoke again. “I see nothing unusual; everything looks right; I don’t see any changes,” he finished, his eyes refocusing.

“The Waters start to heal him,” Klaybear said softly, shaking his head, “but fail. There is something else going on here,” he finished to himself.

“What should we do with him?” Blakstar asked. “I don’t think it would be safe to take him with us.”

“I do not think we can leave him behind,” Klaybear said.

“You said you thought Klare could heal me,” Tevvy put in, “why don’t you send me to her?”

“How do I know where to send him?” Blakstar asked.

“I’m not sure you can,” Thal said.

“Why not?” Tevvy asked.

“I think the teka of this place will prevent you from opening a door,” Thal said.

“You won’t know until you try,” Tevvy said.

“Again, how do I know where?” Blakstar repeated.

Thal shrugged. “Try focusing on Klare,” he suggested, “maybe that will work.”

Blakstar nodded and drew his sword, all his mind focused on Klare. He started to draw the circle on the floor.

“Don’t forget to draw energy from the sword,” Thal added needlessly.

The kortexi raised the sword and inscribed the gray shimmering arch in the air. The space shimmered once and they saw Klare kneeling next to her mother and sister; Rokwolf appeared to be frozen in the act of nocking an arrow. Thal reached out to put his hand through the arch but was stopped by something and could only touch the surface of the arch without passing into it. The three stood silently for a few moments, examining the arch, until Blakstar lifted his sword and the arch winked out.

“How peculiar,” Thal noted.

“What?” Tevvy asked. “Tell me what you see!”

“Blakstar opened the archway,” Klaybear replied, “and we saw Klare and Rokwolf, watching over Klare’s mother and sister, but we could not enter the archway. It looked like they were frozen in place, with Rokwolf trying to nock an arrow.”

Come back next week on Tuesday and discover the next realm our heroes must enter as they continue their quest to retrieve Shigmar’s legendary staff. Until then, get a full ebook copy from Smashwords for free! If you prefer print, purchase your copy from the link provided. Good reading!