When Jedin woke up, it was still dark. He had wanted to have time to review his father’s spell book before they headed out. He dressed quickly and put all his things in order to leave, and then he pulled out the spell book.

He wasn’t really sure what he was looking for, but it just made him feel better and more prepared when he had studied spells that he might use. He practiced a few, but time was too short to study as many as he wanted before the sun started to rise and he had to meet the others.

After repacking his spell book, Jedin went out down through the old palace to the main entrance hall, where he met Kassadea and Jerith.  Kassadea looked rather worried, and for that matter, Jedin was too. Jerith showed no emotion, but that seemed to be what he did when something bothered him.

“Well,” said Kassadea as she fidgeted her hands in her skirts, “We ought to be off. No point in wasting time here.”

Jedin and Jerith nodded and followed Kassadea out to the palace yard. They took the stone path that wound around the yard to the stable. At the stable, the groom was there with their horses, and he took their packs from them and put them on the horses.

“Thank you,” said Kassadea, to the groom, having found that found that simple gestures of gratitude kept her and the servants happier. The groom nodded and smiled as the three of them mounted their horses and rode off.

They followed the road west then south again to the forest. The day was hot and Jedin was somewhat glad that they would soon enter the canopy of the forest.  Just before they entered the wood, he looked back to see the lake in the distance, and the snowcapped mountains in the distance to the north that surrounded Kassadea’s palace. How different things might be soon, thought Jedin as he sighed and turned forward.

Jedin’s father had told him about where the gates had been, and he had a good idea of where Moira might be, so Jedin led the group as Jerith looked for signs of Moira or any other travel here.

As they journeyed deeper into the wood, a dark feeling came over Jedin, as if all the evil in the world was centered in the wood; it sent a chill through his spine, and he could also sense Moira’s magic here.

“Moira’s near here; I can feel her magic,” said Jedin in a hushed tone. The others nodded and continued through the wood.

Suddenly, Jerith came to a stop. “The brush here has been disturbed within past day or so,” he said gesturing just ahead.

Jedin rode forward, and as he did he felt the impression of Moira’s magic sharpen. “There’s an active spell ahead,” he said softly.

“Do you know what it is?” asked Kassadea.

“I can’t see it; either it’s out of view, or she’s masked the spell…” said Jedin just as his horse reared up. “Whoa… it’s alright girl,” he said as he tried to calm his horse.

“What is it?” called Kassadea.

Jedin dismounted and stretched out his hand to where the horse’s nose had been before it spooked, and felt the expected feel of his hand being repulsed as if he had tried to push two loadstones together the wrong way. “It’s a magic barrier,” he replied.  

“Heh! This will be the easy part,” said Jerith as he swung his emerald sword at the barrier. It rippled, and light began to build up where the sword struck, and then it shattered. When the barrier fell, it revealed Moira outside a small house kneeling by a large rock that was surrounded by the three pages.

“Ah, I expected you would come, but you’re too late; I’ve completed the ritual. The seals will break, and I shall claim my victory,” said Moira triumphantly.

After Moira had spoken, she struck the stone with the Wand of Inheritance. Immediately light sprang from the pages and three gates opened around them.

“Moira, NO!” yelled Jedin.

“It’s over now Jedin. I serve the Dark Force,” said Moira in an oddly calm way.

Moira cast a spell with the Wand of Inheritance and directed it at Jedin. He was just able to produce a magic barrier which shattered as Moira’s spell hit it, the remaining force of the spell pushing him to the ground. Moira cast another spell, but this time Jedin reached out magically and grabbed her arm, sending her spell rocketing through the trees. Then Jerith swung with the sword, knocking the Wand of Inheritance from Moira’s hands. She blinked at what had happened, then turned and ran off for one of the gates.

“Quickly, we must stop her!” yelled Jedin. But Moira made it to one of the gates before they could do anything.

Jedin picked up the Wand of Inheritance and said, “Kassadea, I believe this wand belongs to you.”

“Don’t be silly, Jedin, that wand is no good in my hands; only a mage can use it to save us now,” said Kassadea.

“But the art of sealing worlds has been lost for nearly a thousand years. I cannot close the gates…” said Jedin as he looked down at the wand in his hand. Nor do I have the will to seal away my own sister, was the thought he left unsaid.

“Then we must follow Moira into that world and stop her,” said Jerith.

Jedin looked down again at the wand. He considered its power. Moira had been the first to use it in generations, and Jedin wasn’t sure he understood how to handle it, and he had never felt as inadequate in his life as he did then.