Scene 1- The Mindbender's Hut

Inside the familiars find Sarah has moved Marta into the kitchen and is holding a large kitchen knife at the ready to defend them.

"Is...is it gone? Are we safe?'

Seeing the knife, Fenwick squeaks and darts under the cupboard. "Safe for now, yes. We's defeated it. But it's master flee'd and will come back and slits our throats." Two large eyes peek out from under the cupboard. "What must we do?"

Sarah puts the knife down on the table but hesitates to remove her hand. "I do'nae know wee warrior. Marta said the answer lies within her book here. I tried to look for answers while ye fought that beast, but I could'nae make sense of it. At least not right now, maybe with time."

"SQWACK!! Coco knows! Must find key, YES! Master did say, find key. Part of us , key is, but not all! Not all here! Black bird gone. Magic rock thing, GONE!"

It is then you notice that indeed, Teasel and Torbern are no longer inside the hut.

"Find them, must we? YES! Assemble key to the key. Then get other key from dragon. Key of Apotheoses. Only way to stop Kirius, master of Chimera. Kirius is godlike now. But not whole. He did not steal all of what he needed and now he is broken. Powerful yes, but in pain, vulnerable to the power of The Key. It will either fix him or destroy him. The ones who hold it may choose.

"So, find others, you must. Help the child I will. Learn, we will, how to use key to the key. Yes?"

"SQWAUK! No flesh, NO BONES!. Magic, souls, mind, tied to bones and flesh they are, but used they can be, to activate The Key, but taken from you, they will not. Used to save from suffering, lives of many."

The large white bird flutters down next to Diginus so he is looking at the book the right way. He cocks his head sideways and reads the page the book is open to. HE ruffles the feathers on his neck and his yellow plumage stands up, then he takes a taloned foot and gently turns back about twenty pages. Apparently this isn't the page he wants and he uses his wing to push another few pages over.

Now you see the design of a great device. It is simple in design yet intricate in detail. There are notes all over the page but they seem to be written in a code of some sort. One note however is in plain language.
"Rumor says the Dragon of Brass has the Key of Apotheoses in his hoard. If true, does it know what it has? Will it try to use The Key if it knows?" These words are clearly written in the same hand as the rest of the notes, but it is at a slant, like it was just a random thought hastily scrawled.

Diginus you recognize the drawing of The Key, your master has that tucked away somewhere you are sure.

"This device. I know where to find it. But first we must assemble the first key. And I don't think we can do that without Teasel and Torbern. Where have they disappeared to?"

"The raven flew ou' the window when the battle started. The lit'le rock creature followed, beyond tha'I can'nae say. They were too quick."

Fenwick shakes his head. "No no no! This is too much for poor Fenwick. Loud bird wants Fenwick's soul, but Fenwick does not have soul, little girl in market always used to say that when tooks her cookie." He claps his hands over his pouch, ducks his head and looks at Sarah guiltily. "Um, bought cookie I always bought the cookie. But now blackbird and Torbern Fenwick-friend have runs away with their souls for The Key. It too much."

Fenwick straightens out and sighs and hands the book to Dignius. "Fenwick always fetches."

"Fenwick, you're good at finding things, right? And you said you and Torbern have traveled together before. Think: where might he have gone? With any luck Torbern and Teasel will still be together. You can do it, Fenwick! You can help us find them!"

Fenwick nods at Dignius. "If Torbern is at the market, Fenwick will fetch him."

Fenwick approaches the teardrop and sniffs it. He then places his hand over the object tentatively waiting for a jolt or burn. If he doesn't come to any harm from that, he will then pick up the teardrop and then turn it around so it is pointing in the other direction and then release it, wondering if it will turn freely in his palm.

"We follows the stone. It must be a part of Torbern. Maybe his elbow." He looks at Sarah and Marta and ponders for a moment. "Best leave nearly dead one and flee. The beast may come back and eat everyone it finds." He nods grimly. "Or take her and do your best," the last, nearly kind words falling clumsily from his small mouth.

Fenwick heads for the door, beckoning Coco and Dignius to follow him. He holds the stone up to check the direction, and sets off.

"Wait," Diginus calls to Fenwick "We can't take Marta and Sarah with us...it may be too dangerous. But we can't just leave them here either. Sarah, is there somewhere safe for you to hide Marta? Somewhere no one would look?

Diginus wonders briefly if he should take them to the Sky Citadel. But it would be too long and dangerous a journey.

"I don'na know of any place secret, but me ma and pa will help. They are well enough to work thanks to Marta. Tha's the best I can think of right now. An' I've picked up a few tricks. I can set up a ward that should buy us enough time to get out if the beast comes back. But I think Marta meant he was after you lot. Whate'er happened t'her took her magic I think."

"Thank you, Sarah. Take care of her. And yourself!" Diginus waves to the two women before following Fenwick out the door.