Jenn was just shaking her head, knowing it was impossible. Edwyrd didn’t know however, certainly with Tizzy’s assistance he could do it as Tom. He’d already done it once. The only question was whether he could do it and maintain his Edwyrd form. He thought for a moment.
“Rupert, give it up. Edwyrd can’t do that.” Jenn said. “No one can.”
“Actually,” Maelen spoke up, “that’s not entirely true.” He was gazing most speculatively at Edwyrd as he said this. “A truly skilled Spatiomaster or Astramaster could.” He was clearly trying to discern the limits of Edwyrd’s abilities and talents. “I already can tell that our friend Edwyrd knows some astramastery.”
Edwyrd glanced out of the side of his eye at the healer-seer. He wasn’t sure exactly what the man meant, or what he was up to. He didn’t know anything about astramastery or spatiomastery or whatever it was called. All he knew were his demonic powers, and not even most of them. He finally spoke up.
“Well, if I knew where to go that would be cool enough, something I can presumably get from Rupert,” he was making this up as he went. Bluffing, sort of. While he was sure he could really do it, he had to make it look as if he were doing it as an animage. That made it tricky because he still wasn’t sure how an animage would do this stuff. “Plus if I can arrange some sort of link with Tizzy,” meaning get Tizzy to summon him in Freehold, “I might just be able to do it.” Maelen nodded as if what Edwyrd had just said made sense. Edwyrd was glad it made sense to someone.
Jenn shook again. “No. It’s too dangerous. Can’t do it. Not worth the risk.”
“Jenn,” Rupert said tiredly, “it won’t involve the big demon.” He grimaced at his stretching of the truth. “So, you have nothing to worry about. My cousin is very competent. He brought me back, and he helped you guys destroy the pirates.” Maelen glanced at the boy as if to correct him on the pirates, clearly, Maelen knew what really happened, but the seer just shook his head slightly and let it pass. Jenn was still shaking her head.
“Jenn,” Gastropé intervened. “You know I don’t like demons any better than you, but if Rupert and Edwyrd think this will work, I’m willing to try. Having been through the Abyss more than once and lived, I’m willing to try again.” Jenn still shook her head unconvinced.
“I think,” Maelen told Jenn. “That our friend Edwyrd here can do it. I’ve seen what he’s done so far, and if he is as good at other areas of Animagic as he is at pyromastery and healing, then we have nothing to fear. If he says he can do it, I believe him.” Edwyrd wasn’t sure whether to thank the old man for the vote of confidence or ask him why he was so confident.
“You are all crazy. The Rod is certainly better than the Abyss. As I said, if it comes down between burning at the stake or my soul burning in the Abyss, I’ll take the stake.”
“Are you willing to let the rest of us burn at the stake too, Jenn?” Rupert asked. “Because we need to do this together, if you burn we all burn. I know I’m not too fond of the idea of guaranteed death at the hands of the Rod.” Jenn looked at him sourly. She just sat there for some time; no one said anything.
“You really don’t play fair, do you child?” Jenn asked Rupert, she smiled sadly as she said it. “You little demon you,” she shook her head as she said it, indicating it was a joke. Edwyrd was just glad she didn’t know the truth of it.
That decided, Edwyrd took a little more authority on himself, “Tizzy,” the octopodal demon looked at him. “How long will it take you to fly to Freehold?”
“How far is it?” Asked Tizzy. “Oh, and where is it?”
“Just follow this road through Yorkton up the pass into the mountains. The road leads directly there, it’s the first large city after you exit the mountains. A little over four hundred miles.” It was interesting, Edwyrd noted, that people in Astlan seemed to use miles as their base unit of distance. There didn’t seem to be any logical reason why a completely different culture would use the same base unit of distance as his own. It was also rather strange everyone spoke English. It was also strange that he’d never noticed this before. It seemed too fortunate for simple coincidence. He looked over at Tizzy, needing to know the demon’s answer in order to formulate a plan.
The little demon bent its head as if thinking. “Say, six hours. Six hours. Yep, that’s about it,” he looked maliciously at Jenn who was nodding, “give or take a day or three.” Jenn looked up and glared at the demon. “OK, maybe six hours then. Give or take a half.”
Actually, Edwyrd decided, listening closely, he wasn’t sure it was English. It didn’t quite sound like what he thought English should sound like; however, he couldn’t seem to determine what was different. Was it all somehow translated in his brain? Part of the demonizing process? Did he just think he was speaking in English rather than Astlanian? Did his brain just substitute furlongs, kilometers or leagues or whatever with the word miles?
At the moment he guessed it was irrelevant. What was important was that they get out of the way of the Rod. First, he should take care of that and then he’d worry about whether they were actually speaking English. “Fine then,” Edwyrd said as he stood up and walked over to Tizzy. “Let me establish a link to you.” He put his hand on Tizzy’s head and bent down to whisper in the demon’s ear.
“When you get there just summon me by my full name, Thomas Edwyrd Perkinje, I’m sure you’re familiar with what’s needed?” Tizzy just snickered and nodded.
“The link is established; when you get there, just concentrate and I’ll open a doorway for us.” Edwyrd said, standing up and speaking so everyone could hear. Tizzy nodded to them all and suddenly lifted off into the air. Waving a hand in farewell the demon sped off to Freehold.
Edwyrd looked around at the others, “Well, we’d best be preparing ourselves. I think we should try to make the translation in about five hours. We want to be sure and be there when Tizzy calls.
“Rupert,” Edwyrd said, “I’m going to need you to show me where to take us.” He winked secretly at the boy.
The five hours passed quickly. Or so Edwyrd thought, he had no clock to judge the time by, but Maelen seemed to know. They rounded up everything they had, as if they were preparing to take to the road again. After a bit of disagreement, Gastropé got his way and they loaded the donkey to bring it through also. Jenn complained about her and Gastropé not being able to cool everyone and the donkey, but surprisingly it had been Maelen who’d overruled her. The seer claimed that as part of something he called ‘Body Mastery’ he wouldn’t need a cool spell, and that he could probably extend himself to cover the donkey as well, if not the entire party. Given the idea, Edwyrd added that he could cover Rupert and himself, so Jenn and Gastropé need only worry about themselves.
Naturally, Edwyrd had no idea how to extend protection to either himself or Rupert. However, given that he intended to be returning to his own home, and that Rupert also being a demon wouldn’t need any protection either, he felt it a fairly safe claim. In fact, last time, he’d forgotten completely about how hot the Abyss was. Apparently, this cool spell thing was what Jenn had been afraid of running out of power for last time. Also, he was pretty sure Jenn had never done the cool spell on Rupert either, the kid had made a beeline for the outside as soon as they’d arrived. He only hoped she didn’t remember that fact.
As the time for departure arrived, Edwyrd had everyone gather around the fire. As they did so he began to concentrate on the fire. He melded his mind with the fire, just as he had done with the last gateway. He didn’t go all the way and become flame, rather he held back, holding the Edwyrd form intact. He imagined the flame burning a hole in reality, charring a small opening between the veil between the Abyss and Astlan. It was a hole in the flame, a hole that opened up into his cave. Wider and wider, he imagined it, spreading his hands apart to force it wide enough. When he’d done so, he closed his eyes, concentrating all his will on making the hole real.