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The loud ringing of his alarm woke Susila, though he felt unusually groggy. Glancing at the clock, he understood why when he read 5:00. Groaning with disgust, Susila slammed his claw down on the alarm's off button, rolling back over to return to his dreams, the fact that the effort of rolling was more difficult only just barely trickling through his still sleeping mind.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Susila was suddenly staring directly into five bright violet eyes.

"Jeez!" Susila shouted, falling out of bed, "Aaron, when are you going to learn not to startle me!"

Susila then noticed the jiggling sensation that had swept through his body when he landed. Looking down, Susila beheld the damage that his spell from the previous day had done to his figure, six inches of fat spilling over his waistline.

The fact that this didn't bother him as much as it used to was bothersome in itself. But Susila shook it off, redirecting his gaze to the grinning serpent that was looking over him from his bed. Aaron was the size of an anthropomorphic snake this morning.

Another voice caught Susila's attention. "I asked Aaron to wake you if you ignored your alarm, Mister Flores," Lord Grentail announced from the doorway of Susila's room.

The smiling dragon was accompanied by a tired-looking Tawny, who was nursing a cup of coffee; Melissa, who seemed as happy and active as ever; and Photine, who was avoiding looking below Susila's face.

Trying not to show his embarrassment of being seen in his pajamas by his coworkers, not to mention his significantly grown paunch, Susila yawningly greeted, "Good morning, everyone. What's with the early rise?"

Tawny gave Susila a knowingly sympathetic look, but it was Melissa who answered. "Hurry and get ready, Susila!" the chef encouraged, "It's your first outing with us, so we need an early start!"

Susila then remembered the gryphon and his message to Lord Grentail. "Wait a moment," Susila said, "We're all going?"

Lord Grentail nodded. "Everyone but George," he affirmed, "I can't very well go on this trip without my bodyguard, my chef, my butler, and my apprentice, now can I?"

"Won't George be lonely by himself?" Susila asked concernedly as he stood, feeling the burden of his extra weight pulling all over his body. His belly would have sagged out from under his shirt if it hadn't resized itself to cover his body as he moved.

Lord Grentail shook his head. "George prefers his privacy," the dragon assured Susila, "And he hates being away from the garden he works so hard to maintain."

Susila nodded, feeling reassured. "Alright everyone," Aaron announced, "Let's give Susila some privacy while he gets dressed."

The spirit ushered everyone out, but paused at Photine, who was still staring intently at Susila's midsection. Thankfully, the monitor was busy gathering up his clothes, so he didn't notice her gaze.

"Photine," Aaron said gently, "Let's go." The bird wrenched her eyes off of her coworker, shaking her head as she closed the door behind her.

Photine let out a sigh as her line of sight was cut off from Susila. The others had already left, except for Aaron, the spirit looking at her with a concerned expression.

Straitening herself, Photine took a deep breath. "What is it, Mister Mortis?" she inquired as she strode past him, not exactly wanting to hear his answer.

"If you're interested, you could always ask him, you know," Aaron stated frankly as he followed behind Photine.

The spirit's forwardness was nothing new to Photine. "You know full well why I can't," Photine said as she straightened a painting that had been knocked crooked, carefully making sure not to open her wings as she stood on one claw.

"I know full well why you think you can't," Aaron corrected her, "I've been trying to get you out of your blasted shell for centuries, and now that you're finally interested in someone, you can bet your fiery feathers I'm going to make sure you don't let this opportunity slip past you!"

Photine held back a groan of frustration as she made her way down the main hall, checking that everything was in place before she left with her Lord. "You act like I haven't ever been interested before," she said, not sure why she was even continuing this conversation.

Aaron had no qualms with releasing his frustrated groan. "That was before the Sotherlinds even reentered the world!" the spirit exclaimed exasperatedly, "When are you going to let yourself find happiness again?"

"I'm perfectly happy here," Photine assured Aaron.

The serpent snorted. "Happy and content are two entirely different things," Aaron clarified, "I may not experience the same emotions as you material creatures, but we're similar enough for me to know that."

Photine stopped in her tracks. "You claim to know my emotions?" Photine said, her voice deadly calm, "Then you know I feel this way every time I see someone around me get a more ample frame."

Aaron moved beside the crimson bird. Photine was looking down at her claws, her body shaking to a degree that would have been imperceptible to a mortal. Aaron lifted Photine's face with his tail, seeing the tears of shame and frustration that she held back.

"You and I both know this is different," Aaron stated, "Susila is neither slovenly nor dispassionate. He has a good heart, and one that I know would be open to your secrets."

He had opened the floodgates. Photine pulled Aaron into her embrace, letting her tears out. "Oh, Aaron!" she wept, "I can't outlive another lover, I just can't!"

Knowing she wouldn't want to be seen like this, Aaron pulled Photine and himself between the Material and Ethereal worlds, where they would have absolute privacy. The spirit stroked Photine as she cried, and before he thought better of it, he softly said, "You won't."

---

Susila was wandering the halls of the manor, exploring it freely for the first time. He was wearing a new apprentice's outfit, made of fiery orange silk, the sleek material feeling luxurious against his scales.

As he walked, he appreciated the various works of art present in the manor's west wing, which he discovered was filled with living quarters. He wondered how large the Grentail family must have once been for so many rooms to go unused.

Susila hadn't seen Photine or Aaron since his wakeup call, but he assumed the spirit must be helping her with some task that required his experience or strength. Though, now that he thought about it, he doubted Photine needed any help with manual labor. The image of the butler moving the four hundred pound dining room door single clawed came back to him, as did Lord Grentail's statement of not being the only creature from the Sotherlinds in this manor. George had obvious draconic ancestry, that much was clear, but Susila hadn't noticed anything about Photine that said she possessed any racial magic.

Susila shook his head. "You shouldn't pry," he scolded himself, "She obviously has her reasons for being private."

"What was that?" a tired voice asked from behind the monitor.

Turning around, Susila saw Tawny, the night watchman still nursing her cup of coffee. "Oh, hello Miss Brown," Susila said, "I was just thinking out loud."

Tawny nodded, her sunglasses slipping down her muzzle. "Lord Grentail said to grab your trunk," the bat reported, pushing her glasses back up to her eyes, "We're leaving soon."

Susila nodded, heading back to his room. To his surprise, he found his trunk had already been packed, and then he realized who was responsible. "Thank you MADAM," he called up to the ceiling, which flickered in acknowledgment.

As he lifted the trunk, he noticed that it felt incredibly light, despite its load. Recognizing this as another perk of living with a wizard, Susila was thankful not to be anymore overburdened than he already was.

Making his way quickly to the front door, Susila was pleased to see Aaron waiting there. "Ah, Susila!" Aaron said as the monitor reached them, "Good to see you're ready. I hope you're more awake now than you were earlier, because I plan on taking this trip as an opportunity to give you a proper and uninterrupted lesson on the finer points of magic."

Susila smiled at that prospect. They were soon joined by Melissa and Tawny. The bee more than made up for the bat's lack of energy, chatting away the time as they waited for their Lord to arrive.

A few minutes later, Photine brought Lord Grentail in a flash of light, causing both Susila and Tawny to flinch. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!" the dragon ordered enthusiastically before the monitor and bat even had time to recover.

Lord Grentail led his servants outside, the wide doorway brushing both sides of his frame as he moved briskly through it. Waiting for them was a much larger version of the vehicle that had first brought Susila to the manor.

Beside the vehicle was George, who was leaning on a rake that would have been comically small for anyone but him. Lord Grentail knelt next to the gardener and placed a claw on his upper left shoulder. "Hold down the fort while we're gone," he said, "We should be back within a month. I look forward to perusing the new additions to the garden you'll have by then!"

The draconic ant nodded. "You take care now," he replied, patting his Lord on the belly, "Make sure Melissa doesn't let you starve."

Lord Grentail laughed heartily. "You needn't worry about that," he chuckled as he stood, dwarfing his gardener.

Turning back to his servants, Lord Grentail beckoned them. "Alright, pile in!" the dragon ordered.

Photine was the first to enter the vehicle, followed by Melissa and Tawny. When it was Susila's turn to enter, he couldn't help but gasp at the sight.

The vehicle was larger on the inside. Much larger. At the rear end of the vehicle was a pool that could have fit twenty people comfortably, and in front of that was a spa that could hold Lord Grentail's bulk, along with all of his servants, without spilling any water. A few feet in front of the spa was a miniature theatre, with six seats, each sized for a specific servant. Towards the front of the vehicle was a miniature library, filled with tomes of arcane knowledge and other topics with a table in the middle. And at the vehicle's front were five opulent beds, also specifically sized for Lord Grentail and his servants.

As Lord Grentail followed Susila in, the monitor asked, "Did you make this?"

The dragon grinned. "I did," he affirmed, "I call it a Mobile Motel. I've actually patented the enchantments required for this particular design and have sold over a dozen like it to other Lords."

The monetary value of High Magic once again reaffirmed, Susila realized that if he learned to be a wizard, he could also make a living off of it.

As Aaron entered the Motel, Lord Grentail called out, "Everyone's in, MADAM. Let's get this trip started."

"Of course, Lord Grentail," MADAM's voice answered from the front of the vehicle. Susila was surprised to hear that MADAM was coming with.

"Come on, Susila," Aaron said, wrapping his tail around the monitor's arm and leading him to the small library and sitting him at the table. Lord Grentail had already pulled out several books and was laying them out in front of Susila.

As Lord Grentail sat, causing his chair to protest loudly, he asked, "Shall we get started, then?"

"My Lord Grentail," Photine's flutelike voice came from behind Susila, who turned to face the bird, "Would you object if I joined in this lesson?"

Lord Grentail seemed pleasantly surprised. "Of course, Miss Emberplume!" he stated happily, "Your knowledge is more than welcomed."

"Thank you, my Lord," Photine said, taking a seat next to Susila. As she sat, the bird and monitor locked eyes for a moment, before they both blushingly looked to the books that Lord Grentail had prepared.

Susila felt elated that Photine wanted to join in his learning. As the day went on, it became clear that she knew as much, if not more about magic than Lord Grentail, a fact that greatly surprised Susila. Aaron's knowledge still seemed to dwarf that of the bird and dragon combined, which was to be expected of an immortal being as old as written history. Lord Grentail was even able to give Susila the lesson in the Spiritual Language he had wanted to give the previous day.

MADAM was able to work in concert with Melissa to make lunch, which was foot-long subs, each tailored to the eater. Aaron had Susila cast the Caloric Energy Storage spell after lunch, which resulted in Susila gaining another half an inch of padding and needing to rest before his lessons continued.

In the mid afternoon, Susila was surprised to hear MADAM say, "We are nearing our destination, Lord Grentail."

Looking up from the tome in his hand, Lord Grentail said, "Thank you, MADAM. Get your trunks everyone, we're about to land."

Susila felt a little confused. "Land, sir?" he asked.

Lord Grentail grinned. "You didn't think this was a land vehicle, did you?" the dragon asked, indicating a window that appeared behind Susila.

Looking out, Susila suddenly felt dizzy. The Motel was nearly a hundred feet in the air and descending rapidly. He hadn't felt the vehicle take off, but Susila realized he wouldn't have in the controlled environment of the Motel. Still, he had never enjoyed flying.

Aaron handed Susila his trunk. "Don't put this down, now," the spirit said, "We're going to be in a jungle, and you don't want to lose your luggage."

Susila nodded, and a few minutes later, he felt a slight bump. "We've arrived at the ruins," MADAM announced as the door of the vehicle opened. There were several rosy flashes of light, and everyone was suddenly wearing one of MADAM's rings.

Lord Grentail stood, hoisting his pack over his shoulder. "Alright, everyone," he said, "Stick together. We don't know what sort of enchantments to expect from these ruins, but we should be prepared for anything."

With that, Lord Grentail led his servants out of the Motel. As Susila stepped out of the car, a wave of heat and humidity washed over him. Thankfully, MADAM's climate control kicked in quickly, but it still surprised Susila that it would be this warm in August.

Susila looked up to the ruins that rose above their party. A massive pyramid rose nearly seventy feet into the air, several people working at its base. Some of them were busy clearing out the forest that was slowly taking over the ruins, while others were studying the pictograms that dotted its surface.

"First enchantment of note," Lord Grentail stated, drawing Susila's attention away from the ruins, "Weather is set to a permanent heat and humidity. Roughly ninety to ninety five degrees with humidity of seventy to eighty percent. Aaron, would you agree?"

The spirit nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a figure split off from the workers in front of them. "Well I'll be," the leanly muscled white tiger said as he approached, shaking his head and smiling, "If it isn't Lord Anaxagoras Grentail. And here I thought they'd be sending me an expert."

Taken aback by this apparent lack of respect, Susila looked to Lord Grentail, whose full name he had heard for the first time. The monitor was reassured by the dragon's expression of pleasant surprise.

"Lord Dhaval Aniruddha!" Lord Grentail exclaimed happily, striding forward and clasping the tiger's claw enthusiastically, "You're the one who discovered these ruins?"

The tiger laughed. "I wouldn't say discovered," he chuckled, "More like tripped over. I wasn't exactly looking for the archaeological find of the century!"

As the two Lords caught up, Susila looked questioningly to Aaron. "The Lords Grentail and Aniruddha went to Mont Wyrm University together," the spirit explained, "They both took the same course in ancient cultures and haven't seen each other in years."

Susila nodded in comprehension. Lord Aniruddha turned to the rest of the Grentail party and motioned them forward. "These ruins are absolutely fascinating," the tiger stated, "And we've only been able to survey the outside. Some kind of enchantment is keeping us from entering the inside of the ruins."

Lord Aniruddha was suddenly interrupted by a sound similar to flesh hitting metal. Turning around, Susila saw Aaron rubbing his snout with his tail, a confused expression on his face.

"Well, this is a sensation I haven't felt in a while," the spirit said.

Lord Grentail raised an eyebrow. "What sensation would that be?" the dragon inquired.

Aaron shook his head. "Pain," he said flatly, still rubbing his nose, "I believe the correct response to this sensation is 'Ouch'."

It was the rest of the party's turn to be confused. "What in the world could cause a spirit pain?" Susila asked the question that was on everyone's mind, moving next to the serpent.

Aaron reached forward with his tail, which halted in midair as though coming in contact with a solid wall, a faint ripple just barely visible in the place where it stopped. "The second major enchantment of note," Lord Grentail said, writing in his notebook, "A ward against spirits."

Aaron seemed disgruntled. "I've never come across a ward this strong," he reported.

Lord Grentail and Aniruddha strode next to Aaron and Susila, examining the point at which the spirit could no longer advance. "It's similar to the enchantment that's keeping us out of the ruins," the tiger said, "But its radius is greater. Can you dispel it, Grentail?"

The dragon shook his head. "I know how to counter wards against material creatures," Lord Grentail stated, "I've never actually seen a functional ward against spirits, to tell the truth. These ruins just became more interesting."

Lord Aniruddha nodded. "Ancient Anthropomorphic cultures usually didn't even know magic existed," the tiger agreed, "For a culture to have forged such strong and long lasting wards such as this is unheard of."

Lord Grentail looked to Aaron apologetically. "Sorry, Aaron," he said, "It looks like you'll have to stay behind."

Aaron nodded disappointedly. "Don't worry," Melissa said, patting the spirit on the back, "I'll keep you company. I'm not really one for dark and stuffy spaces, anyways."

Photine stepped forward. "With your permission, Lord Grentail, I would also like to keep Aaron company," Photine asked, to which Lord Grentail nodded.

"Thank you," Aaron said, smiling gratefully, then turned to Lord Grentail, "Go ahead, I'll just stay here and get Susila's next lesson ready."

"I can't wait," Susila said, hoping to cheer up his familiar.

Lord Grentail nodded. "See you in a bit," the dragon said, "Alright, Dhaval, show me that next ward."

Susila, Tawny, Lord Grentail, and Lord Aniruddha proceeded deeper into the ruins. The inside of the pyramid was dimly lit by the lights that were strung along the walls, the darkness stubbornly refusing to give way fully. Pictograms and hieroglyphs dotted the walls, depicting farmlands and hunting grounds. As they walked, Susila swore he could hear the daily toils of the figures on the walls.

They stopped at an area where the air shimmered slightly. Dhaval placed his hand against the shimmering air, eliciting a ripple. "We haven't been able to advance any further than this," the tiger said, "Think you can solve that, Grentail?"

The dragon nodded confidently. Lord Grentail moved to dispel the ward, beckoning Susila to watch. The monitor intently studied the incantations and gestures the dragon performed as he worked on the ward.

"Save me."

Susila jumped, looking past the shimmering air. The voice had seemed to originate from the darkness beyond the ward, but no one else had reacted. Assuming he was letting the strange emptiness of the pyramid get to him, Susila didn't bring up what he had heard.

After nearly half an hour, Lord Grentail seemed to become frustrated. "Ah!" the dragon growled, "It's no use. I can't seem to get around the ward."

Lord Aniruddha seemed disappointed. "I thought you said you could dispel it?" Dhaval insisted.

"Well I thought I could," Lord Grentail straightened himself, a confused expression on his face, "It's like Aaron said, these wards are unusually strong. I'll need a couple of days to figure out a way around them."

Tawny yawned loudly. "Maybe we should head back and compare notes," the bat offered.

Taking one last look at the ward he had failed to dispel, Lord Grentail nodded. "I think that would be best," he reluctantly agreed. Turning from the ward, the group made to leave.

"Save me."

Susila stopped and turned around. He swore he saw a shadow dart through the ward. Curious, the monitor moved next to the ward, squinting into the darkness.

"Please save me."

The voice was urgent and childlike. Concerned that someone may have become trapped by the ward, Susila turned and called out, "Does anybody else hear that?"

Lord Grentail, Dhaval, and Tawny turned around, concerned expressions on their faces. "Hear what?" Tawny asked, her keen ears swiveling around.

Turning back to the ward, Susila placed a claw against it. "I thought I heard a voice on the other--" the monitor began, but was cut off as the ward suddenly disappeared, causing him to fall through.

"Susila!" Lord Grentail called out, rushing forward. The dragon was blocked as the ward reappeared behind the fallen monitor.

Susila stood up and turned to look at the ward. Lord Grentail was saying something, but his voice couldn't carry through the ward.

"I can't hear you," Susila said, exaggerating his words so that Lord Grentail could hopefully read his lips.

Lord Grentail nodded in understanding, a worried expression on his face, along with that of Tawny and Lord Aniruddha. "Stay right there," Lord Grentail mouthed, "I am going to get Photine."

Susila nodded, starting to shiver in the cold darkness. With a reassuring smile, Lord Grentail turned and rushed down the hall, Tawny and Dhaval close behind him.

Susila sat down on the cold, hard floor, wrapping his tail around his legs and arms in an effort to stay warm. The monitor hoped they would be back soon.

"Save me!"

Jumping up, Susila turned and stared down the hall and into the darkness. "Who's there?" he demanded.

"Save me!"

The voice was more urgent than before, almost desperate. A shadow darted against the darkness, sending a shiver down Susila's spine. "Hold on, I'm coming," he said, worried that someone else may have become trapped.

Placing a claw against the wall, Susila made his way slowly down the hall. The darkness was almost complete, the spillover from the lights leading up to the ward growing dimmer has Susila went deeper into the ruins.

"Please save me!"

The voice's urgency had turned to desperation. Quickening his step, Susila only barely kept from stumbling and falling in the dark as the light from before the ward was completely extinguished by the darkness. "I'm coming," Susila yelled down the hall, "Hold on!"

"Save me!"

As he walked, Susila noticed the hall around him had started to brighten. Squinting farther ahead, Susila saw that a white light was shining through a door along the hallway.

"Please save me!"

The voice was definitely coming from that room. Taking his claw off of the wall, Susila rushed forward, turning the corner.

"Please save me!"

Looking into the room, Susila suddenly felt confused. There was no one there; the only visible object was an enormous, glowing gemstone on a pedestal at the top of a flight of steep stairs. "Hello?" Susila called out, "Are you there?"

"Save me."

The realization hit Susila like a ton of bricks. The voice was coming from the gemstone. It seemed less desperate now, like the sight of Susila had relieved its worry.

Curious, Susila cautiously moved forward, starting his climb up the stairs. Oddly, his extra baggage seemed to be lessened, but this realization only barely trickled through the monitor's curiosity.

As he crested the stairs, Susila looked at the gem in detail. It was perfectly clear, like the purest of diamonds, and glowed warmly.

"Save me."

A calm reassurance seemed to flow forth from the crystal. It was happy to see Susila. It was so lonely, but now it wouldn't have to feel that way anymore. Susila reached forward, almost unaware of the action. It wouldn't be alone anymore.

The moment Susila touched the gem, a light brighter than the sun washed over him. A moment of panic gripped him, but that was immediately overcome by a feeling of warm peace. As his consciousness faded, a last distant thought could barely be heard by his mind.

It would never be alone again.