Chapter 3

Aadin found himself waking up with a splitting headache and the plane spinning faster than it should be. He placed a hand upon his forehead and tried to rub away some of the pain, but it didn’t work. Looking around him at the familiar setting, he remembered where he was and why he was in Tomite’s room.

Glancing over at the windows, he saw that all the blinds were drawn shut and that there was no light streaming through the little spaces between the fabric. He didn’t know how long he had been out of it, but decided that it didn’t really matter. Sitting up he realized that some one had placed a blanket over him when it slide down his body as he moved.

Looking around, he quickly realized that Tomite was not in the room with him, nor was he in one of the adjoining rooms. He reached out with his energy and did a quick scan of the room, finding that Tomite had just left the room, and that he was coming back soon. As he waited for Tomite to come through the doors, Aadin magiked himself a cup of hot berry juice to help with the pounding in his head that had lessened slightly since he had woken.

Tomite entered the room after Aadin had taken his first sip of the juice and smiled at his friend, knowing what Aadin was going through. “How much does it hurt?”

Swallowing a few more sips and sighing in relief as the pain in his head began to lessen to an annoying pressure, Aadin looked his friend in the eyes, “It felt like my head was about to explode several times over, but now it’s only a slight pressure behind my eyes. I’m guessing that you’ve tried this on yourself?”

“Yes.” Tomite replied with a smile as he walked over to his friend before summoning a light glow so that Aadin could see better.

“So, what now?” Aadin asked as he finished off the rest of his drink and sent it away.

“We need to decide upon when you would like to make your trip through the levels and what it is that you will need to do.” Tomite picked one of his chairs, sat down in it and looked at Aadin waiting for his answer.

“I would like to leave as soon as I can. As to what we need to discuss, what else is there?”

“You already know that you only have a day to get through each level, which means that you can’t go off to explore since the sooner you get through, the safer it will be. Also, you can’t have anyone get too close to you or touch you for an extended period of time, since they will be able to sense your energy after only a few minutes of contact.”

“Ok. So I need to get through each level as quickly as possible and not let anyone touch me for any long period of time. Anything else?”

“Yes. When you come to the boarders, you will feel a slight sting, but this should protect you from any detection.” Tomite said as he held out a thin chain that held a small blue stone in the middle of it. “It’s a necklace that you should wear at all times, since you don’t know where the borders are at.”

Aadin got up and walked over to take the necklace from his friend. He looked it over, but there didn’t seem to be anything special about the small, circular stone, so he placed it around his neck and made sure that it was clasped correctly before tucking the stone beneath the neckline of his shirt. “Anything else?”

“I think we’ve covered everything of importance. It is already past meal time, and don’t worry, I told everyone that you had a bit too much of the wisp liquor, so you were sleeping in my room. It seems that your father was afraid that you might be planning on trying to get out of the marriage, but since I vouched for you, he is no longer afraid. I would recommend that you wait until the household has gone to sleep, and then taking the second pill before heading out.”

“Alright, and thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you my friend.” Aadin said with a smile as he looked at Tomite who was just staring at him.

“You would be in a fine predicamint without me here. Now, I suggest that you head to your room and change into some, less royal, clothing and head outside. Here is the second pill, take it once you are outside and away from here. If anyone asks what you are doing out so late, say that you are cooling your head and thinking things over. Got it?” Tomite asked as he held out what had to be the second pill to Aadin.

“Got it.” Grinning mischievously Aadin added, “And who knows, maybe I’ll bring you back a present.” Before he left the room laughing slightly at the look that had crossed Tomite’s face.

“Present? Yeah, right.” Tomite said as he extinguished the light that had been floating lazily about. “The things I do for you.” With that, Tomite began to chant silently, trying hard to make sure that no one realized what he was doing. Lucky for Aadin that he had put the necklace on right away, otherwise he might have been affected by Tomite’s sleeping spell.

Aadin put on his serious face when he sensed the first set of servants that were heading his way. He guessed that the rumor would have already started saying that he was furious with the situation that his father had placed him in. Never one to disappoint his fans, Aadin did his best to keep his features schooled in the traditional way while also exuding an aura of anger.

It was a talent that he had long since perfected, and it proved to still work when the two young girls that had been chatting happily away about who knows what, grew silent and moved out of his way, bowing and averting their eyes as he walked past. Sometimes it was good to have been born into the position that he held.

He continued on towards his room and only had to meet a few other servants who also gave him a wide berth like the first two had. He reached his rooms and did a quick check, making sure that no one had magiked any traps around the entrance or placed any physical traps to kill him. When everything was checked, he let out a sigh, wishing that this wasn’t something that he had to do every time he left or entered his own rooms, but assassins didn’t give you any secure place if they could help it.

As he reached for the doorknob, lost in his thoughts, he felt a slight tingle race up and down his spine. Looking around quickly, he didn’t see anyone casting a spell, and if it was anything serious, Tomite would take care of it. Shrugging the feeling off, Aadin walked into his room and quickly checked for any traps that might have been set inside his room.

Finding none, he walked over to his closet and opened the doors wide, giving a quick glace at all the clothing that he had. Some was for formal occasions of varying importance, others were for while he was at school, others for various sporting activities, and still more for his own casual use. Shaking his head, he couldn’t help to think how ridiculous it was that he should have so much clothing.

Rummaging through his more casual clothing, he tried to find some outfit that might be appropriate for someone that was of a lower class then he himself. It was difficult, but he eventually decided to go with a simple black long sleeve top that had a vine winding it’s way up the left arm. He choose a pair of simple black pants that he usually wore when going for a long walk, since they were casual and comfortable.

Standing before his full legth mirror, Aadin looked himself over, debating upon what needed to be changed and what should just be left as is. Finally he decided that the necklace should be his only form of jewelry, and then looked at his hair.

He had always hated how they always made him keep his hair well kempt, so he took his hands and just ruffled his hair. Looking at his unkempt hair, Aadin couldn’t help but to smile. No one would believe him capable of messing up his hair unless he were playing a sport, but here he was, messing his perfect hair up. It wasn’t until he had messed up his hair that he realized that everyone would be able to see the hole in his ear where there should be an earring.

Looking through his various ear accessories, Aadin finally decided that he should go with something simple and rather plain so that he didn’t draw attention to himself. He finally found what he was looking for in the form of a small stone that was a deep red, appearing almost black. He had received it as a gift from his mother before she had died, and thought that it would be fitting to take along with.

After looking over his appearance once more, he walked out of his room, not even bothering to look for traps since he had been doing a constant scan the whole time he had been in his room, which meant that it was unlikely anyone had managed to do anything outside his room without him sensing it.

He had to try hard to keep the smile off his face as he walked down the different hallways, avoiding as many beings as possible, before arriving to the front entrance. Looking around, he didn’t see or sense anyone, so without a moment more, he slid between the front doors, and began walking. As soon as he was far enough away from the entrance, he took out the pill that Tomite had given him and popped it in his mouth.

Aadin didn’t feel any changes, and could only hope that it would work as Tomite has said it would. If it didn’t, he didn’t even want to think about the consequences. Walking along a path that he had traveled several times, Aadin made his way towards the border that separated the eigth level from the seventh level of Abadon. He made sure to keep a constant eye out for anyone that might be following him, but he neither sensed nor saw anyone that might be following him.

In fact, Aadin didn’t see or sense anyone until he came to the border, where he crossed and found that there were a few people on the other side. The only strange part about the beings on the other side of the border was that they all appeared to be drifting in and out of sleep. Deciding that it would be better to move along and not try and found out what was going on, Aadin began walking in the general direction that should take him to the next border. He only looked back once, but it only helped to harden his resolve.