Chapter 7: Best-laid plans

Wanda, Snifflewort, Stirling and I made our way to where Gaia and Randalf were sitting and joined them.

"Ah, excellent well, Virum. I see you found Wanda and Randalf, but where is Will? And wherefore are Snifflewort and Stirling here?"

"I spoke to Will. He may still be in the fairy glade and might be trying to get them to help still. Snifflewort, Stirling and Wanda were sharing cookies and were still together when I found them. I thought that perhaps Snifflewort, also being a magic user could help, and Stirling wanted to help too. He had an idea of smashing the amber, which I don't think will work, but it might."

"Yea, yea, smash!" Stirling interrupted.

The rest of us chuckled.

"Hey, Stirling," I asked. "Can you do something for me? I need you to bring someone here that I forgot to talk to."

"Uh, ok. Who?"

"Tovias Faraday, the mage champion. You know who he is, right? He usually wears a grey cloak."

"Yea, yea, yea. I go get him." Stirling turned, making his way to the Order of the Sun encampment.

"And, Stirling?" I called out after him. "Be gentle. Don't drag him back here unless you have to."

Turning back to the others, I asked Gaia, "So, have you come up with any ideas as to how Gabriel's mind, spirit and soul can be taken out of the amber and put back into his body, which is now mine?"

"Well, Randalf and I have one idea, but it requires a lot of magic, and it might not even work. If we knew how Gabriel had put himself into the amber, it would be easier to know how to get him out."

"Ah yes. What is your plan, then?" I asked, eager to hear it.

Randalf replied in his steady tone, "First, we must place the amber in an acid solution to soften it. This should make it easier for Gabriel to get out. Secondly, we must chant a spell in order to call Gabriel out. Thirdly, we must have you hold the amber and hopefully Gabriel will move out of the amber and back into your body. However, as Gaia mentioned, this will take a lot of magic. What she didn't mention is that if it doesn't work, Gabriel might be stuck forever."

"If that's the case, perhaps we should wait until Tovias arrives. As he is Mage champion, perhaps he'll have something that will help."


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Meanwhile, at the Order of the Sun camp

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Tovias, Adria, and Aggie looked up to see Stirling coming to the camp. As he came, they could see he didn't have his club. Finally getting to camp, Stirling just said, "Tovias. Virum."

"What's that, Stirling? You need Tovias?" Adria asked.

"Uhh... Virum..." Stirling said, nodding his head in affirmation.

Aggie turned to Tovias, "Guess Virum needs ya for something and he sent Stirling. Dinnae know why he wouldn't talk to you himself, though."

"Is that it Stirling? Virum needs my help?" Tovias asked the troll kindly.

"Yea, yea" Stirling happily replied hopping and grabbing Tovias' arm, trying to drag him back to the Lunar Tribe camp where Virum was waiting.

"Ok, ok... I'm coming. Calm down, Stirling, before you pull my arm off!"

"Sorry," Stirling said apologetically, letting go of Tovias' arm.

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Tovias and Stirling arrive at the Lunar Tribe camp

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"Hello everyone," Tovias pleasantly greeted us.

"Oh, hey there," I said. "Glad you could make it. You see, I've got a quite odd predicament. As you might have heard, I'm Virum, but am somehow also Gabriel. I don't think you knew Gabriel, but many people here did. He was attacked by some Draco disciples and ended up dying, but before that happened, he transferred himself to a piece of amber. And then I somehow came into being. But now, we want to get Gabriel back to himself, without losing the knowledge that I've gained. Have you any ideas? You are Mage champion, after all."

"Hmm... that is quite a tale. It seems you need a way to merge the amber and whatever of Gabriel is in it with the body we're calling Virum. I think there may have been something similar in the Draco tome, but going the other way. That is, taking one's essence out of a body and putting it in an inanimate object. I don't know where or how Gabriel would know it, but it seems he did."

"Let's take a look at the tome, then." I stated. "Anyone have any objections?"

Everyone looked at each other, clambering in acceptance. "Yea." "Sounds good." "Alright, let's go."