Every time John feels he has begun to gain a grasp on the nature of this world, something new appears. Still, manners are manners. Best to make a good impression on this strange, small man.

  “Hello. I am-”

  “KILL THE SMALL FREAK!”

  Yael leaps at the small toad man. His massive form slamming down on the tiny space the toad man occupied and a large amount of space around that.

  “Where did that slimy coot go!”

  Yael screams as he tries to find some scrap of the toad man’s crushed body.

  “Ah, you again.” The toad man speaks from behind John. “Do you ever tire of failing?”

  “I said kill the hermit! Stick to the plan!”

  John finds himself stuck between them.

  “When did we agree on that plan? When did we even discuss that?”

  “Get him now before he-”

  “Before I what?”

  The toad man is now standing above Yael’s head. When did he walk there?

  “You vex me magic mini man. Just ask your worthless riddles.”

  “All in time. You have not introduced me to Johnathan yet.”

  John whips his head to the toad.

  “How did you-”

  He is no longer at Yael’s head. A voice comes from on high, dangling his amphibian legs off a chandelier.

  “I know a lot about you Johnathan Cromtwell. Who you are. What you are. Where you come from. When you crossed over to my domain. What I do not know is why.”

  “I’m not here of my own choice. I was forced here by-”

  Now the voice comes from below as the toad pokes at John’s bare feet with a small staff.

  “An amulet of the Pentastar Alliance. Yes, yes. I am aware. I suppose you could not have known it would take you here. After all that is not the purpose of such a trinket. So how did it get you here? Hmmmm…”

  John pulls his foot away.

  “Listen, I don’t care how I got here. I want to know-”

  “How to get back.”

  The toads' voice echoes from around a corner. He walks around while lugging a large, heavy tome.

  “Here is all we know of the stars. Try and find your world.”

  John takes the tome and begins flipping through its pages. The text is unintelligible. A sequence of stars and triangles of different colors. Luckily there are illustrations of whole worlds. All in different shapes, colors and biomes. He has to flip almost through the entire book until he finds the familiar shape of the continents of Earth.

  “Here, this one.”

  “Ah, Erphe. That is a shame.”

  “What? Why? Did something happen while I was gone? Is this the future? Or the past? Am I even in the same plane of reality?”

  The toad slams the tome shut, its sudden echo snapping John out of his panic.

  “Nothing of the sort. I assure you that the only thing to change on Erphe is that you have been gone for nine days. This is unfortunate because there are no means to travel to Erphe. Or at least there is not meant to be.”

  John holds his chest, breathing deep to calm his rapidly beating heart.

  “Then why am I here?”

  “That is a question even I cannot answer.”

  The toad takes the tome. John blinks, and the tome is gone while the toad remains.

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  “Hmmm, you are an odd sort. Tell me Quartanyael, why have you taken this Hammuan as your companion? You seemed so set on finishing your quest alone last I saw of you.”

  Yael crawls back to his feet.

  “John, show him.”

  John stands there, not knowing what he expected to do.

  “The thing, show him.”

  Yael gives up trying to explain. He lifts up as pew, walks over to John, lists its wooden form above him, and drops it. John instinctively raises his hands to catch it, and does so. Something this size should weigh a hundred pounds or more.

  “Marvelous. An impressive display for one such as you. I was not aware Hammuan possessed such strength.”

  “We typically don't. This is new.”

  “Curiouser and curiouser.”

  The toad paces, deep in thought.

  “Perhaps he is the one.”

  “The what?”

  “Never you mind. Not until I see if you can solve my riddle.”

  The toad disappears once again. Vanishing between blinks. Another blink and the toad returns, now with a table upon which there are three goblets. The toad speaks.

  “Before you are three goblets. Drink from the first, and you shall live. However, all those you care about shall die. Drink from the second and you shall die. However, all those you care about shall live. Lastly, the third goblet. Drink from it and both you and all those you care about shall die. However, countless lives you have never met shall live. Which Goblet is the correct one to drink from?”

  John stops to consider the options. Each sounds terrible. No matter what, someone must die.

  “Don’t bother.” Yael picks Lezzan splinters out of his teeth. “No matter which you choose, it's wrong.”

  “That is because you have not given the correct answer.”

  John reaches out to grab a goblet, only to pull back.

  “Who are you? Why do I need to answer such a hard question?”

  “I am no one of importance. Merely an old man with a long memory.”

  John goes back to the riddle. It is not much of a riddle, now that he thinks of it. This is more of an ultimatum. John makes his decision.

  “There is no right choice.”

  Toad man gets this inquisitive look in his eyes.

  “Is that your answer?”

  “No. I mean, sort of. I’m supposed to make the correct choice. But there is no correct choice. All cause pain and death. I don’t want to lose the people I love. And I don’t want to make other people suffer for me, even if I will never know them. I could act noble and say I would sacrifice myself, but I don’t know if I would. I don’t want to die any more than anyone else. None of these choices are really correct. Just different flavors of suffering.”

  Toad man grins softly.

  “As to which I would choose, I-”

  “That is not the point.”

  The goblets are whisted away into the nothingness that seems to be this toad’s ally.

  “The point is to know there is no correct answer. And you have passed that test.”

  “But,” John continues, more distressed. “What if I am forced to make such a decision? What will I do then?”

  “And that is why you passed my second and final test. Come. We have much to discuss.”

  John does not feel as though he has won anything. Though perhaps he learned a hard truth instead. Yael, on the other hand.

  “Was that all? This entire time, none was the answer? What a scam.”

  Despite his obvious annoyance, Yael followed the little toad as quickly as he could. John decides it is best to follow as well. He does not care to be left in this huge temple all alone. The toad makes his way to the altar and gives a prayer.

  “Give us strength so we may fight. Make us light so we may fly. Keep us healthy so we may prosper. Forge us strong so we may endure. Open us to the stars so we may see. Bring us together, so we may unite.”

  Five gems glow. The wall begins to open. A secret in plain sight. Behind the sigil, a new form appears. A white beak points out from the falcon-like head. The black hull is etched to mimic the texture of feathers. Its wings each had three colored bands. One each of yellow, blue and green. This was no beast of flesh but a machine of such incredible design. John remembered those new flying machines of the Great War. Crude contraptions of wood and cloth. This beauty could probably fly circles around them all.

  Yael is the first to find his words.

  “I knew you had a great weapon. I did not imagine one this grand. I could take the whole of Dest with this.”

  Our toad guide shakes his head.

  “No, you cannot. I’m afraid she cannot fly. Not anymore. Though with your help, she may just do so again.”

  “More tests I see. So be it. What must we do?”

  “What you both must do. This is not a quest that either of you can finish alone. Give me your oath. Promise by your honor and your soul,that you will accomplish this together. That you will face the evils that transpire against you side by side. Never faltering at the challenge. Never blinking at the fear. And will rise together to save all of the five words.”

  Yael rolls his eyes, yet kneels all the same.

  “I pledge, by my right as the true King of Volc’tav, to fight for my own sake and those of my subjects.”

  A blade appears in the toad's hand. One far too long and wide to have been his weapon. The blade is of shining silver and the handle eloquent gold. He places the edge on Yael’s right shoulder, then his left, and motions for him to rise.

  “I can agree to such. Now, Jonathan. Your pledge.”

  John hesitates.

  “I have already fought one war. I don’t know if I have it in me to fight another. I just want to go home.”

  The toad lowers the sword. Instead he held out his hand.

  “This is not the fate you wanted. It is the one you have. I cannot force you to pledge. So instead I ask you to promise. When the time comes, and it will come, that you will choose to do what is right.”

  It takes a moment, as every terrible thought of what could come to pass fills John’s mind. Then their hands meet. Shaking in agreement. One John did not yet know would change his life for a second time.