Sorcerer… Cyborg???

The next few days of Kothar and SImon's journey back to Ursten were monotonous. They fell into a routine, where they would spend hours riding, only stopping for breaks and to feed and water the horses.

On their previous journey's together, Simon would go on long monologues about his research into ancient civilizations, passionately expounding to Kothar the new discoveries he had made. But not this time.

Simon spent most of his time staring into the small campfires they lit at night, more often than not cooking one of the vibrantly colored squirrels that were more numerous than flies in the jungles.

They would camp off the roads, the jungle was so dense, with plants of all shapes and sizes competing for the tiniest bit of light, that camping even a few meters off the road, one would be virtually invisible to any passersby.

The only issue was finding a clearing to camp within the thick undergrowth, but that was a problem easily remedied, their razor sharp blades became machetes, and between the pair of them they could easily clear a campsite.

The days passed by in a blur, and soon enough the tangle of the jungle fell behind them, and their horses gained speed as they left the soft, muddy ground behind. Kothar and Simon sped across the baked earth of the borderlands, with only the occasional bush, or stunted trees to liven up the landscape. Once in a while they would, spot a lizard, basking high on a rock, or a flurry in the dirt as a creature burrowed away and hid.

They rode into Janul in the gloom of twilight, their horses as dusty as their clothes. The return journey from Ranuth to Janul had gone by much faster for Kothar, not having to worry about an unwieldy train of wagons, and hastened on as they were by the threat of pursuit.

Simon wore his hood low, Janul was close enough to the border with Ranuth that it would not be out of the ordinary for a spy to recognize him and report back to Kalun. Their stay in Janul was short, only staying long enough to gather provisions for the journey back to Balin.

They left Janul in a few hours, skirting around the massive forests that carpeted the horizon.

Now that they were well and truly back in Ursten, the pair's mood brightened, and a liveliness returned to them.

"Feels like yesterday you went traipsing off into Janul Forest." Simon reminisced, reining his horse in to have it trot next to Kothar's.

"A lot has happened since." Kothar thought back to the days where he was still struggling to hit rabbits with his bolt spell, now he could open a portal beneath them, having them fall right into his palm.

"You've grown a lot nephew, and you'll only grow stronger. But remember, don't get caught up in the pursuit of becoming stronger, sometimes it's okay to stop, and admire the flowers, or a beautiful lake, or mountain, or whatever is around you." Simon's voice grew wistful.

"I'll keep that with me always, Uncle." Kothar replied in his usual, serious voice, which deepened day by day.

The lush green plains around the capital stretched out as far as the eye could see, they were only a few soft clouds that tumbled through the sky. It was a picturesque morning, perfect for SImon's triumphant return to Balin.

The streets of Balin were as crowded as usual, messenger boys darted in and out of the constant stream of carriages, horses, wagons and porters. Simon and Kothar both smiled after their hard journey, drinking in the finely carved buildings, and the top of the shining keep in the center of the city.

"Where to?" Kothar asked Simon.

"We'll go to see your parents, Ophil must be worried about me." Simon replied.

The large stone house looked almost the same as always, Ophil had obviously been hard at work, with a cascade of multicolored flowers hanging down from vines she had planted on the roof.

The guards that had been posted outside the door during Kultas' rebellion were absent, and Kothar deftly unlocked the tall wooden doors.

"Anyone home?" SImoncalled out as they entered.

The clatter of running footsteps rang through the house, and Ophil's face peeked out from the landing above, leaning over the railing.

Seeing Simon standing there, with Kothar alongside him, a loud gasp left her lips, and she rushed down the stairs, enveloping the pair of them in a massive hug,

"I thought I'd never see you again." Ophil sobbed out, tears streaming down her face.

"I thought the same." Simon's voice cracked, and he began to tear up also.

"And you, what are you doing away from Trinquile?" Ophil realized her son had accompanied her recently imprisoned brother.

"Well… I heard Uncle Simon was imprisoned, so I thought I'd give him some help." Kothar explained meekly, Ophil holding him at arm's length, staring at him intently.

[I never thought I'd see the day where I'd see you so afraid of another person, and I never expected that it would be your Mother.] Silane gave a soft laugh as she watched Kothar reassure Ophil that he had never been in any real danger.

Kothar began to tell her about their journey, and explained how careful he had been, as well as explaining that he hadn't been spotted by

"Alright young man. Just don't be reckless, it's fine so long as you know what you're getting into." Ophil finally relented, and bustled the pair of them into the kitchen, where she quickly set out a basic meal of cold cuts, bread and cheeses.

"The pair of you must be tired and hungry, eat, wash up and get some rest. Tam will be wanting to talk to you once he gets home tonight." Ophil ruffled Kothar's hair, and continued setting out more food for the pair of them.

That evening, Tam returned, to find his son and brother in law waiting for him.

"What in the-" Tam dropped the pile of papers he was carrying, and wrapped Simon in a heavy bear hug,

"We thought we'd lost you, Brother." Tam's voice shook with emotion.

"I guess this rascal broke you out of there?" Tam grinned, as he put two and two together and saw his son sitting there innocently.

"He did indeed, and he did a great job of it." Simon replied.

Kothar got a bear hug of his own, his feet leaving the ground, but thankfully, his father didn't pick him up and swing him about as he liked to do.

"Good job son." Tam said simply and joined Ophil and Kothar on the sofas around the roaring fireplace.

"Okay. Both of you fill me in on what happened at Ranuth. The city's gone up in flames and no one in Kalun or Ursten knows what happened." Tam's voice turned serious, and looked to the Kothar and Simon, noticing how their faces fell as he mentioned the fire.

Kothar and Simon slowly explained what had happened, Tam's listened patiently, his face as still as a mask, only showing a hint of surprise when they started to tell him about Berge, and the aftermath of his release.

Once they had finished their story, Tam crossed his arms, and sat silently for a while.

"Here's what we're going to do. Kothar, since you weren't seen by anyone in the palace, we're not going to mention your part in this to anyone. The fewer enemies you have, the better. Simon, we'll head to the keep tonight, and confer with Rotan, we'll see what he has to say about all this." Tam slowly set out his decision, and then looked at the pair of them.

"Anyone unhappy?" Tam asked.

Simon and Kothar only nodded in assent.

Now that the business was out of the way, the four of them enjoyed the warm fire and pastries from one of the many bakeries in Balin, chatting all the while.

Kothar told them about what he had learned at Trinquile, and Tam complained about a business partner in his new foray into cargo carriages. Laughs filled the cozy living room, the warm, vibrant tapestries and rugs only adding to the atmosphere.

"How could he!" Kothar awoke with a start, he had slept immediately after Simon and Tam had gone to see Rotan, he rushed out of his room, wondering what had made Ophil yell.

"Dear, he had to do it, we can't get pulled into another war. Please try and understand." Tam was in the foyer of the house, clasping Ophil's hands and pleading with her.

"Look at you, buying into Rotan's ****. You know he's never liked Simon." Ophil yelled angrily, turning away from Tam.

"That was when we were kids, you know he does everything for the kingdom." Tam consoled Ophil, who stood firm, arms crossed, tapping her foot furiously.

"What happened?" Kothar called out, coming down the stairs.

"I'm sorry son, it's Simon. Rotan banished him last night." Tam answered Kothar, his face twisted up in a grimace of guilt and sadness.