Dark Quest

"She's a lovely young girl, Jenneva.  We need to learn where her abilities reside and develop them.  I suppose she's off playing?"

Jenneva looked around and realized that Shanor was nowhere in sight.  "No, I can't imagine that she would be far off.  She seemed to follow you wherever you went.  I'm afraid I played you up rather well, Egam."

Egam followed Jenneva down the hall looking for Shanor.  They checked the garden and the parlor and still no Shanor.  After searching the entire house they returned to Jenneva's study.  "I'm worried, Egam.  She has never gone off before."

"You don't suppose she heard us talking and is distraught that I am taking you away from her, do you?" asked Egam.

"No," Jenneva replied.  "She knows that I would never abandon her.  Besides, she thinks the world of Master Egam and was so excited that you were actually here."

Jenneva slumped in her chair and began to fidget.  Suddenly, there was a pounding sound echoing through the room.  Jenneva looked toward the hallway and saw that the door to the room was open and no one was there.  Egam leaped out of his chair and ran to the Door he had brought and opened it.  Shanor was standing there crying.  She ran through the door and threw her arms around Egam.  Jenneva came over and comforted Shanor.  "What happened, Shanor?"

It took a few moments for Shanor to gain control.  Finally, she said, "I didn't want you to lose Master Egam, so I wanted to try the Door for him in case it didn't work.  I went through and closed the door behind me.  I was in a very strange place.  It was a large cave and there were no exits.  I figured that this must be Master Egam's home and that the Door worked, so I figured I would come back and tell you.  When I tried to open the Door it wouldn't open, so I tried the other Doors.  Two of them, I just walked through and came out the other side.  The last one took me to a strange room filled with books and flasks.  It was sort of like Jenneva's laboratory only much smaller.  Then a man came in and he was angry.  He started yelling at me and I got scared, so I ran back through the Door and slammed it shut.  He started pounding on the Door and I was afraid he would break through.  Then I came back to this Door and tried it again, but it still wouldn't open, so I started beating on it."

Jenneva gave her old Master a quizzical look and Egam explained.  "The Door is a two-way device, but it has a safety feature.  If you don't want to allow access to your side for some reason, you can just close it.  If your side of the Door is closed, no one can come through, they can only knock.  Shanor must have gone through to Lord Habas.  He had no way of knowing who she was and figured someone had discovered my cave by accident.  I should go through and assure him everything is okay."

Jenneva held Shanor while Egam stepped through the Door and disappeared.  Within moments he reappeared with Lord Habas.  "Shanor, this is Lord Habas.  He is an old friend of Jenneva's and mine and he means you no harm.  Shanor, you must learn that loved ones can be counted on at all times.  I really appreciate what you were doing for me and I know it took a lot of courage, but it is better for everyone if we are honest and forthcoming with one another.  I told Jenneva of my plan to use the Door because I trust her and wanted her to know exactly what I was doing.  You have to have the same kind of love and trust in us."