<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><style></style></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1>Here is the next story in the automaton series. It is mostly tying up some loose ends and yet asks more questions. It takes place right after Chasing the Dawn which you can find here http://metamorkeep.com/story/Chasing_the_Dawn.php<o:p></o:p> I hope you enjoy!<o:p></o:p>Chris<o:p></o:p>The Lurking Fox<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>What the Dawn Reveals<o:p></o:p>by Christian O'Kane<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> It was a subdued group that reassembled back at the guild several hours later. The Automatia department had a large room that served as a classroom and a meeting room. It was only a few steps from the workshop and it was there that they gathered. The fires had been extinguished but there was still the lingering smell of smoke in the air and oddly - the scent of fresh cherry blossoms.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha, Caroline and Idette were the last to arrive. All three looked worn, battered and bruised. Their clothes were torn and burnt in many spots and all had bandages in various places.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Any information on the lion?" Carlisle asked nervously.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We tracked him as far as Southbourne," Misha answered in tired tones as he placed his bow and quiver on a convenient table. "Before we were ambushed and lost the trail."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Ambushed?" Joeline asked excitedly. "By what?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Several dozen Summonings," Idette answered. The woman had a large bandage covering her scalp and part of her face. "Strange magical creations."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha carefully sat down in a seat."They weren't really seriously trying to kill us but they did delay us long enough for them to escape."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Are you all right?" Carlisle asked as looked at the new arrivals.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "A little battered but all right," Idette picked several feathers out of her hair.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "This was well planned," Caroline said. The otter placed her bow and quiver onto a table and sat down next to Misha. "And well timed. They must have been months studying the department and the guild."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Who did it?" Carlisle asked. The man's shoulder was wrapped in bandages and he was resting in a softly pillowed chair. "And how? How did they get the lion?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "They used a control spell and simply walked the automaton out," Misha explained and moved the fingers of his left hand in imitation of someone walking.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Simply?" Carlisle got up and walked over to Idette. He examined the wound on her head closely. "First they would have had to sneak into Mages Hall and past the wards and spells. Then they would need to get past the spells guarding the whole department. All without setting off an alarm or being spotted by one of the two or three hundred mages on the property."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> A look of realization suddenly crossed Joeline's face. "What if there already was a soul inside the lion when we obtained it?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Already inside?" Carlisle turned and looked at the girl. "You mean a soul had already been put inside the lion BEFORE we got it?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> She nodded her head. "That makes sense and it would explain how they got control of it so easily. No need to get past the wards and alarms to get inside. They were already there. We brought them inside."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "It would also explain how they were able to know when the lion was alone and vulnerable," Caroline was checking a small gash on Misha's arm and spoke without looking up. "They were already inside just waiting and watching." She looked toward the head of the department. "Didn't you examine the lion when it arrived?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We did but we did not get the chance to do a full examination," Carlisle explained. "We had just started to when we discovered Salona."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The search and assembly of Salona distracted us all," Misha snarled. "They took advantage of that to steal what they could."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Why?" Caroline asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Carlisle turned to look at the otter morph. "What?" The mage asked slowly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Why go to all the trouble of sneaking the lion in, just to steal it back?" The otter asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Her answer was several seconds of stunned silence and baffled looks from those around her.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What exactly did they get?" She asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "A fully assembled lion automaton," Idette answered slowly.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "One WE helped assemble," Alton commented with a scowl on his face. "I even forged some of the parts myself."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Four animation spells, two metal reinforcement spells, and five spells for enhancing the senses," Carlisle said. "But the worst loss is that the lion had a power cell."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What is a power cell?" The otter scout asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "It's a storage container," Carlisle explained and gestured with his hands as if holding a small ball. "It holds the magic and energy that actually powers the automaton."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Salona and Madog use a power cell?" Caroline asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "No. A power cell simply stores energy that is put into it," Misha said with a shake of the head. "They use something far more complex. They actually generate their own power. It's why Madog is always eating various metals."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The way an animal or person eats food to gain strength?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Exactly," Carlisle replied. "Thankfully we didn't install one in the lion."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We don't know how to make such a system yet," Joeline admitted with a laugh.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Even so that cell is a valuable prize all by itself," Misha said. "It can be used to recharge a failing spell or increase the power of a new one."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Caroline shook her head. "So they created the lion just to steal some spells? That doesn't seem right. Seems a lot of effort and work for just a few spells."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Carlisle nodded his head. "An excellent point. Then why did they go through the entire elaborate charade?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What if they couldn't finish the lion?" Beatrice said. "When we got it the lion wasn't finished. My father had to craft several of the parts himself."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Carlisle's face brightened in realization. "And we had to recast many of the spells on it."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "They couldn't finish the lion themselves so they tricked us into completing it for them," Idette snarled.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Who are they?" Jolette asked in clipped tones.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The Arenul Ceen," the head of the automaton department shot back.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We cannot confirm that yet," Cecelia countered. Speaking for the first time. The woman had been sitting quietly in a corner till now.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "It's always them," the mage commented sarcastically.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The historian shook her head. "We cannot be certain of that."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "If not the Arenul then who?" Idette asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Excellent point," Carlisle commented. "There are few people with the skills needed to control the lion. And fewer with the ability to build the lion. Seriously. That limits it to the Arenul. Unless there is some other group out there that we don't know about."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That is an option we must consider," Cecelia commented. "Even if it seems a bit extreme. But at the moment we simply do not have enough information."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Carl," Misha asked. The vulpine had pulled up the bottom of his shirt and was examining his left side. Even through the fur a good sized bruise was visible on the skin below. "You said whoever is controlling the lion was an automicant like you and me. How did you know that?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I talked to him." the man explained. "While he had me pinned to the ground. When he saw Salona he was completely distracted and complimented me on the good work we did. Actually called me by name!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "So that means he knows you," Caroline said. "And you know him."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I know many people," Carlisle answered slowly. "And talked to many fellow mages about automatons."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "But not all of those are Automicants," Salona added, speaking for the first time. "When you leave out the pretenders and those only casually interested who is left?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "That does shorten the list considerably." <o:p></o:p> The door opened and Demarest slowly walked into the room. The mage's usually clean and neat clothing were tattered, torn and had a large splatter of mud across it. The right sleeve was gone, only ripped shreds at his shoulder told of where it had been. The arm exposed was covered in a large bandage from shoulder to wrist.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Are you all right?" Cecelia asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What happened?" Carlisle asked slowly. "And who did you fight?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I had a minor altercation with a representative from the Arenul Ceen," Demarest said slowly as he sat down next to Misha.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The vulpine leaned close. "Did they get to the vault?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage turned and glared at the fox.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I know how people like that think," Misha explained. "I have the axe. I've run into greedy fools before. And I had the chance to speak with Madog."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "No," Demarest said slowly. "They didn't but I was forced to activate certain, safety procedures. The vault is secure."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Did you get any prisoners?" Caroline asked. "Someone who can answer questions."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage gave a shake of the head. "No."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Their leader?" Carlisle asked. "The one who hired them?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "He escaped," the head mage answered in clipped terms. Then a smug look crossed his face with a cruel smile. "He learned not to cross a guild mage."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Misha leaned close to the mage. "Who was HE?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> For that the Headmaster had no answer.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>*******************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> A lot of people had seen Headmaster Demarest slowly walking through the city and then through the hallways and corridors of the guild. The mad chase through the streets had left chaos and confusion in its wake. The Guild lawyers would be spending days calming down irate people and paying for repairs.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The city was alive with rumors and gossip. The most popular rumor was that Elvquelin mages had openly attacked the Guild. The pillar of blue smoke rising from the Automata department had been seen all over the city and lent credence to it.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Demarest made no attempt to deny the attack. Guild officials openly told everyone that someone had attacked the guild, stolen things and tried to destroy the entire department. They didn't specifically say it was the Arenul Ceen but the rumors spreading did say so.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Sir William Targhe's next meeting with the leader of the Marigund mages guild was a lot calmer than his previous one. The personal representative of King Alfred found the Headmaster staring at a badly damaged room that had been the main workshop of the Automata department. "How are you?" He asked in way of greeting. "Was anyone killed?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The headmaster nodded his head in greeting and gave a short bow. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. And thankfully we had no deaths."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> William looked at the room. Most of the damage seemed to be limited to a few benches and tables burnt. "What was lost?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The worst lose was the automaton lion but we are not sure if anything else was stolen. Master Baldren is still taking account," was the mage's answer.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Any permanent losses?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "No," the mage responded as they looked over the damaged room. "Baldren was careful to make copies and secure the most valuable items tightly. All we really lost was the lion. That alone is a serious loss."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Rumor is that the Arenul Ceen did this. Is it true?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> A shrug was Demarest's answer. "Had you asked me that two hours ago I would have said it most certainly was. But my temper has cooled and I am not so sure. I need to investigate this more before I decide what really happened."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Understood," the knight responded. "King Alfred sends his regards and his condolences."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Demarest bowed deeply to the knight. "Thank you. That means a lot to me and the guild."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The knight leaned closer to the mage. "What happened Morvyn? I have heard some disturbing rumors."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The mage turned and looked at a group of men and women who were carefully cleaning up the debris. "The theft of the lion I can understand William. It is a valuable prize and it was a most well planned operation. Done fast and with a minimum of damage and injury. But what truly angers me is that they went after the vault itself."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Sir Targhe's body stiffened as he glared into space with a face as hard as stone. When he spoke it was in a soft voice that carried the undertones of great anger. "So that rumor is true. Did they get in?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "No," the mage answered in clipped tones. "Thankfully they didn't get close. And those involved were punished."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Any prisoners?" William asked.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "No. At least nobody who could be helpful to us. The attempt was well planned to allow for the possibility of prisoners," the mage said slowly. "Still the fighting was intense. Remind me to officially thank Madog for his help."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The metal fox?" Targhe asked, surprised.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "He was most helpful," the mage answered. "He probably saved my life."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The knight gave a wry smile. "The little metal fox continues to amaze and confound." Targhe was silent a moment before talking. "On a related subject. I had a long talk with Father Harson before coming here. He explained about Cassandra and her family."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Blackmail and kidnapping," the mage said with a shake of the head. "That is most troubling. Guild people have been attacked, injured, property stolen and destroyed and the Vault itself assaulted. I did not think the Arenul would do such evil."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Man's evil never fails to surprise me," Targhe commented. "We cannot be certain as of yet that it was them. I will have my people look into the issue."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Thank you," Demarest said. "The guild owes her a great debt for her warning. It prevented a serious catastrophe. We will do whatever is needed to help them all." <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "What happens next?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "We will tend to our wounded and repair the damage. The vault and its contents will have to be moved," the mage answered in a calm tone that masked his true feelings. "Then we will see to who was responsible. Whether the Arenul or not."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "I understand your feelings," the knight said slowly. "But do not act in haste. And please," he stepped closer to the mage. "Please remember the royal decree against feuding with the Arenul."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Demarest shook his head. "I do remember and I have not become head of the Guild by acting in haste or out of anger," he said in an oddly calm voice. "First the situation with the Vault must be dealt with."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Targhe relaxed visibly. "Where will you put it? Where will you put the vault?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p>*******************<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p> Prince Caranthir V. Aegidius was as his title suggested a member of the house of Aegidius, the royal family of the Sathmore empire. That meant technically he was in line for the throne. Unfortunately he was tenth in line for the throne behind two brothers, one sister and six nieces and nephews. But he had never taken seriously any chance of gaining the throne. He had since an early age shown an aptitude for magic and had been sent to the Arenul Ceen to get a proper education.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Arenul Ceen translates to the rather unimaginative name of Institution of Magic. He had proven to be a good mage and an even better administrator and had risen through the ranks of the massive institution. Still it was obvious to everyone where this was going and no one was surprised when he was officially appointed as the Doyen or leader by his brother, emperor Prætextatus Aegidius.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The daily, mundane affairs the the Arenul Ceen were easily handled. Previous Doyon had set up an efficient if over bloated bureaucracy that ran itself fairly well. But the Aegidius family had not ruled for so long by being lax and inattentive. Still the prince found time for special projects. The results of one such project was now in front of him.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> A full, life sized metal replica of a lion rested on a large table in the center of the room. The automaton was made of gold, silver, bronze and a dozen other metals and was a masterful replica down to the fur and whiskers on its metal muzzle.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The prince rushed over to where the automaton rested. He stopped just short of it and examined the feline closely but kept himself at arm's length. "Beautiful, he's absolutely beautiful. They really did some fine work on him. We'll learn so much from him!"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Indeed we will," the metal lion responded. "I can truly feel the difference."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "The operation went well?" the prince asked. "Are you all right? Anyone injured or killed?"<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> "Not really," the metal lion said. "The alarm was raised a lot sooner than expected but it was a contingency we had planned for. A little fighting but we limited it to some minor damage and only a few small injuries."<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Suddenly a figure moved out of the shadows off to the left. The creature that walked into view looked like a lion with the same tawny colored fur. This feline was obviously male but was missing the thick black mane of a lion. It was also larger, far larger. He was four feet tall at the shoulder and weighed at least eight hundred pounds. The massive feline slowly walked toward the prince. "There was only one small problem," the cat growled.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>End part 1<o:p></o:p></div></body></html>