When the image of Edgar's face vanished, Cassima concealed her pendant and turned confidently to the sorcerer, who was watching her with a slightly bored expression.
"Your name," she said slowly and firmly, "Is Jason."
The sorcerer was silent for a moment. Then his youthful face slowly metamorphosed into a mask of utter astonishment, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open.
"Oh my goodness!" he stammered. "In all my decades, no one has guessed that! You are right, Cosima!"
"It's CASSIMA," the queen said angrily.
"Right, right, right," Jason said shamefacedly, rubbing one side of his head. "I'm sorry I can't be more congratulating, but I never thought this day would come. But I will tell you what you first asked of me, about Shadrack. Come closer, my child."
Cassima got up, took a few steps toward the seated sorcerer and sat down beside him. Jason motioned for her to lean in closer to him, which she did.
"As powerful as Shadrack is, he has one great obsession that will ironically lead to his downfall," Jason whispered. "His life centers around this obsession to such an extent that just as some wizards put all their power into wands and talismans, Shadrack has placed his power within a single tiny object which is directly connected to his monomania."
"Hmm…" Cassima pondered.
"Of course, he wouldn't put this object where someone could just come along and pick it up. He would have hidden it carefully. Very carefully. But even without that piece with him, he is nearly invincible. Remember this and approach him as you would an unholy beast from the Underworld. That is all that I can say about him."
Jason rose to his feet and began speaking at a normal volume:
"You should be leaving now, my lady. You must continue on your quest."
Cassima silently agreed with him. She got up and began making her way towards the viny wall of the sorcerer's house. Before she parted the purplish tendrils, however, she stopped and looked back at Jason. A question had entered her mind, and it seemed like the sort that only a sorcerer could answer.
"Wait – before I go…"
She took her pendant out of her shirt and held it before the sorcerer.
"This pendant…could you tell me what kind of stone it's made out of?"
The sorcerer cocked his head, looking amused.
"Why…don't you know?" he chuckled.
Cassima shook her head.
"It's adventurine, of course!" he smirked.
Cassima stared quizzically at the young man, shrugged and turned to leave.
"Well…" the sorcerer muttered after her, "Farewell and good luck, Cassima."
Cassima spun around to correct him once again, but stopped in mid-word when she realized that Jason had actually pronounced her name correctly this time.
"Casi – What did you say?"
"Good-bye," Jason said. He shut his eyes and appeared to slip into a sort of meditative trance. Cassima took one last look at him, then pushed the vines aside and left his primitive house, carefully descending the warped tree and again setting foot on the dark, gritty soil of Ooga Booga.
Continue to the second half...
-or-
Proceed to the next section if you've already read both halves...
