5 October 2026
In today’s installment from the third book of The Redemption series, The Morgle Unmasked, we rejoin our heroes as they discuss re-entering the ruins of Shigmar to look for survivors. We also see more of the changes to Klare’s personality. . . . (21 March 2016) The full ebook version of this book is available for purchase from all ebook sellers. We remind all that the first book in this series, Chosen of the One, and the second book, Staff of Shigmar, are both free from Smashwords! Glossary links: Book 3, Book 2, Book 1
Chapter 3, Part 4
Klare looked at him a long moment before speaking. “I suppose,” she said finally, “and we might be able to find some supplies, since,” she nodded toward the garden where Rokwolf was working, “we need more than fresh vegetables, some flour would be nice, maybe some dried meat and fruit,” she added.
Klaybear turned to look toward his twin. “Rokwolf, how many people would you say survived and took refuge in the school?”
“I don’t know, exactly,” he replied, looking up. “Delgart and the other seklesem explored the ruins,” he stopped, thinking for a moment. “Quite a few, from the way he talked, why?”
“We should find a way to get in, and help them,” Klare said, her voice sounding surer, more like her old self, “and Klaybear wants to play with his new staff,” she added, a grin twitching at the corners of her mouth.
Klaybear looked down at her, surprised. “Play?” he said.
“That’s what you wethem do, whenever you get a new toy,” Klare grinned, but it looked strained.
“Actually,” Klaybear replied, “I was going to let you play with the staff, since you are the better healer,” he grinned down at her, but then his face fell.
Klare looked stricken; her eyes filled with tears. “I am so sorry,” she sobbed, “I did not mean . . . what a horrible thing to say!” She buried her face in his shoulder, shaking as she cried.
Klaybear held her tightly, stroking her hair, trying to hold back his own tears. Rokwolf stood and brushed the dirt from his hands, shaking his head.
“I’ll go into the sewers,” Rokwolf said in a soft voice. “Where should I look for a way into the school?”
“The bridge just inside the waterfall?” Klaybear asked and went on when his twin nodded. “To the east of the bridge, there is a passage running north and a gate that leads into one of the guard towers; you can try there. I do not know if they managed to clear the passageway out of the dungeons, but there is a ladder further down the east passageway the goes into the dungeon under the school.”
Rokwolf nodded. “I’ll go see,” he said. “You two should probably get something to eat while I’m gone. I imagine you are quite famished, not having eaten for three days.” He grinned and turned away, then laughed when he heard Klaybear’s stomach rumble.
Klare pushed away, lifting her head. “My dear,” she sniffed, “I have been derelict in my duties.”
“Derelict?” Klaybear replied incredulously.
Klare nodded, wiping her face with her sleeve. “I should have anticipated . . . ,” she began, but Klaybear interrupted her.
“Where are your verghrenum?” he asked, pushing back her sleeves.
“My what?” she asked, looking startled.
“The gold bracelets?”
“Oh, those,” Klare replied. “I must have forgotten to put them on after I bathed, why?”
But Klaybear did not answer her. “Rokwolf!” he shouted.
“What?” Rokwolf shouted back.
“Klare’s verghrenum!” Klaybear yelled. “She left them in the bath!”
“On my way,” Rokwolf replied.
“What’s wrong?” Klare tried to ask, but Klaybear picked her up and ran toward the stable.
“What are you doing?” Klare asked, confused by his urgency. “Put me down!”
Klaybear ignored her, having shifted his awareness, as he ran, to the mental, looking for any telltale sign. He shifted back when he did not see anything obvious, just as he came to and entered the stable. Rokwolf ran toward him, and Klaybear stopped and dropped Klare onto her feet, pulling back the sleeves of her robe and holding up her hands; Rokwolf slipped the gold bracelets over her hands.
“What are you two doing?” Klare asked.
“Anything?” Rokwolf asked.
Klaybear shook his head once, shifting his awareness again, so that he could examine her mind more carefully.
“What are you two doing?” Klare asked again, beginning to sound irritated.
When Klaybear didn’t answer, Rokwolf whispered. “Checking to see if Gar has tampered with your mind, again.”
“Again?” Klare said, surprised. “He’s tampered with it before?”
Rokwolf nodded but did not reply.
Klaybear sighed, shifting back. “Nothing,” he said, “although I’m not as good as Thal.”
“Who’s Thal?” Klare asked.
“We should probably have him check,” Rokwolf said, “just to be sure. Although, when I first put mine on, I passed out, because my verghrenum were fixing the tampering.”
Klare stamped her foot, looking furious. “Would you please explain what you are talking about, why you acted so strangely over a pair of bracelets, and who is Thal?” She looked from one to the other, and both flinched from the sting of her look.
Rokwolf laughed, but stopped suddenly, looking down at his bracers; Klaybear felt it also.
Klare looked at her bracelets. “Why are they growing warm?”
“Which symbol?” Klaybear asked.
“What do you mean?” Klare asked.
Rokwolf touched his bracers. “Tevvy’s symbol: we arranged the signal so that he could report to us anything that he finds out, so it means he wants one of us to contact him with the staff.”
“Who’s Tevvy?” Klare asked. “And how can we contact him with that staff?”
Klaybear sighed. “I’ll try and explain it all to you while we are getting something to eat.”
Klare bit her lip, and her eyes filled again with tears. Rokwolf turned and stalked from the stable and back into the cave with the garden to work until the light failed, giving Klare and Klaybear time to eat before they contacted Tevvy.
Klaybear took her in his arms and held her for several minutes, until her quiet crying subsided.
“It’s wrong!” Klare exclaimed, wiping her face with her sleeve.
“What’s wrong, dearest?” Klaybear asked.
“That I cannot remember what has happened,” Klare replied.
“Thal believes that we might be able to repair the damage with Melbarth’s rod,” Klaybear noted.
Klare frowned up at him. “There you go again! Who is this Thal? And this rod? And where is this rod?”
Klaybear touched her arm, then reached up and pushed back the honey-colored strand of hair that had fallen across her face. “I’ll start with the last couple of weeks.”
On Wednesday we will rejoin Tevvy, on his way south from Holvar as he meets survivors of a caravan recently attacked while traveling west through the Mariskal Until then, we remind all that the first two books of this series, Chosen of the One and Staff of Shigmar, are free from Smashwords. Get this book, The Morgle Unmasked, from the links provided. Good reading!
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