Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

traipsing off into the Darkwood in search of the Demon Prince himself? We wouldn't last five minutes out there!'
    'We've got to try!' said Julia. 'It's our only hope now.'
    'Wait a minute,' said Rupert. 'I hate to suggest it, but how about another teleport spell? If he got it right, the Warlock could take us right to the Demon Prince.'
    'No,' said the Warlock quietly. 'I don't have enough magic left to power that kind of spell.'
    The dragon!' said Rupert. 'He could fly us over the Darkwood!'
    The High Warlock looked at him. 'You've got a dragon? Here?'
    'Sure, said Julia. 'He's sleeping in the stables.'
    The Warlock shook his head slowly. 'Nobody tells me anything.'
    'The last time I tried, I couldn't wake him,' said Rupert. 'Maybe you can, sir Warlock.'
    'It's worth a try. But I'll need to rest first.'
    'Very well,' said King John. 'I suggest we all get whatever rest we can. We'll meet again in an hour's time. Unless, of course, the demons get here first.'
    'You always were a gloomy bastard, John,' said the High Warlock.

    The Warlock sat alone at the bottom of the main entrance steps, brooding over the empty wine bottle in his hand. Only a few hours ago, he could have called up another bottle just by thinking about it, but now .
    . . He sighed glumly, and put the bottle down, carefully out of his line of sight. He remembered the drugged wine the servant had brought him, and smiled wryly. Maybe it was time he gave up drinking wine. Right now, he'd settle for a good brandy. He wistfully considered raiding the King's wine cellars, but decided against it. The demons could come swarming over the walls at any time, and he had had be ready for them. He sighed again, and then glanced up as King John appeared before him.
    'You look terrible.'
    'Thanks a lot, John.'
    'Your hair's gone grey.'
    'That's what being sober does for you.'
    King John smiled in spite of himself. 'You're losing your magic, aren't you?'
    'Looks like it. It's hardly surprising. I've cast more spells in the last twenty-four hours than I'd normally cast in a year. And fighting off the poison took a hell of a lot out of me. Now, every spell ages me a little more. I can feel the winter in my bones, and I'm starting to forget things. I hate it when I can't remember things.'
    'I know,' said the King. 'I feel the same way, sometimes. But in a way, it's a kind of blessing. After all, we both have things we'd rather not remember.'

    Julia unstrapped the long silver scabbard from her back, and studied it thoughtfully. It looked different, now that it no longer contained the Infernal Device. The silver itself seemed dull and lustreless, and the ancient runes set deep into the metal held no meaning at all. Julia hefted the scabbard in her hands, and then threw it away. It fell among a pile of discarded weapons left by the returning army, and from a distance, it was just one more scabbard among many.
    Julia leaned back against the inner east wall, and closed her eyes. It felt almost sinful to be resting when everyone else was racing crazily around the courtyard, but until the Warlock decided he was ready, there was nothing for her to do. So she sat down, leaned back against the wall, stretched out her legs, and had a little rest. She let one hand drop to the sword at her side, and smiled slightly. Rupert had given her that sword a long time ago, or so it seemed, and it had done good service by her. Which was more than she could say for Wolfsbane. She'd never been happy with that sword in her hand. She could have hung on to it, rather than letting it vanish into the earth along with the creature it was killing, but she'd chosen to let it go, and still felt she'd done the right thing. Wolfsbane was more than just a sword; much more. It was alive, and it was aware, and it had wanted her mind and her soul. And Julia knew that if she had used the sword long enough, it would have had them both. At the end, she'd given up the sword because she'd wanted so much to keep it.
    She heard footsteps approaching. She opened her eyes just long enough to recognise Harald, and then closed them again.
    'I see you've got rid of the scabbard,' said Harald. 'Probably a wise move. According to some legends, the Infernal Devices can never be destroyed, and if they're ever lost or thrown away, they will eventually find their way back to their scabbards.'
    'You believe that rubbish?' asked Julia, not bothering to open her eyes.
    'I've seen a great many things recently that once I would never