The Umiran Amulet

Chapter Four: Party Crashers

Benny insisted on coming to their cottage at least once while they made preparations. The mage begged and teased and cajoled until the twins finally agreed to show him the suit they were intending to wear. "Wait here," Alastar said, and retreated to the bedroom to change. He pulled the suit out of the wardrobe he had hung it up in, and took a minute to stroke the silky fabric. A rush of sadness nearly overwhelmed him.

It'll be okay, Cary told him. We'll see him at the party.

Heaving a sigh, Alastar finally changed into the suit. It still fit like a glove, thanks to Cary's continued efforts to keep them in shape. He stepped back out of the room. "So how do we look?"

Benny whistled, eyes wide as he took in the suit of black brocade and elaborate silver embroidery. "Oh wow, you look great! Black really suits you." As did the cut of the vest and jacket, but Benny refrained from commenting on that. He wasn't sure how well such a remark would be taken. "It looks really expensive though. How in the world did you manage to afford something like that? No offense, but you two don't exactly look well off."

"It was a gift," Alastar murmured wistfully as he gazed down at the black and silver fabric. Benny nodded, and chose not to pry any further. Some gift, he thought to himself, mind turning back to their conversation a couple days before, and the twins' hint that they knew the king personally. They were proving more and more intriguing every day.

"I have a question for you now," Cary said as he took over. Benny gave him his full attention. "You know our intentions. You could have turned us in at any time. So why haven't you?"

The look Benny gave him was indecipherable. It was also the most serious they had seen him look since they had first met him back at the hospital. "I believed you about the demon," he said, "and I believed you when you said you think Undar is up to something with this treaty. If you're right, then somebody's got to step up and do something about it. If you're the only ones who can see it, it stands to reason you're the only ones who can really do that something. I'm hardly going to pull the rug out from under you now." Cary nodded, accepting his explanation.

Finally the day of departure arrived. Benny pulled up in front of their cottage in a horse drawn carriage—one that he had summoned, if the faint shimmer was anything to go by. "Oh my," Alastar gasped. "Did you conjure this yourself?"

"I did!" Benny chirped in affirmation. "What do you think?"

"This is amazing! I can only imagine the amount of energy and concentration it took for something this big."

Benny laughed. "It took a bit, yeah, but not really as much as you seem to be thinking." He popped open the door of the carriage and beckoned them inside. Cary stepped in, dropping the pack containing their suit and an extra change of clothes onto the floor. The plan was to stay at an inn close to the border (one that had survived Undar's persistent raids and remained in operation, by some miracle). He peered out of the window to watch curiously as the conjured horses began to trot once more.

"Are they also enchanted to know where they're going? I noticed you don't have a driver."

"Something like that," Benny said with a smile. "Maybe someday I'll share my secrets with you." Cary chuckled and settled into the seat opposite of him. Since they were magical horses, they could keep up a swift pace and not get tired, but it would still be a long ride to the border. "And don't worry, I packed snacks and drinks for the trip. I like to travel in comfort."

"I can see that."

Conversation was halting, but the silence in between was comfortable enough that neither of them felt compelled to speak anyway. Benny even dozed off at one point, and slept for a solid two hours. The twins didn't wake him. That the horses and carriage would last for the duration of their trip was a testament to Benny's skill and power—and the fact that he even had dozed off was a testament to how much he had downplayed how much energy it had taken to conjure them. They wouldn't disturb his much-needed rest. Though they hoped their reconnaissance mission would go according to plan, they couldn't rule out any hiccups, and Benny was proving a reliable and powerful ally so far.