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By Root 407 0

the same lines as you were through the eyes of my cat. My druid order is of the opinion that the pendant is dangerous and that it ought not to fall into the wrong hands. This is why, when Yaune and his army were turned to stone during the night, I stole his pendant—so the gorgons could not hand it over to their master. As you can see, Mr. Daragon, I’m a powerful druid, but I must not in any way be implicated directly in this affair. I’m a magician of the realm of nature and not a mask wearer. My role is to protect animals and plants, not humans. In this world, two powers are constantly clashing: good and evil, what we call the powers of light and the powers of darkness. From the beginning of time, since the sun and the moon shared the earth, these two powers have been in endless conflict. The mask wearers are humans chosen for their spiritual and intellectual qualities. Their mission is to restore a balance between day and night, between good and evil. Since it’s impossible to get rid of the sun or the moon, balance has to triumph. Mask wearers disappeared from this world hundreds of years ago. If Crivannia chose you, it’s because she wanted to make you the first of a new generation of warrior men. Your task is to reestablish a fair balance in the world. A huge conflict is brewing. Already the merriens have attacked the mermaids, and soon they’ll seize the oceans. Go as fast as you can to the woods of Tarkasis. Here is your stone back. I entrust you with Yaune’s pendant as well. It is for you to decide whether to return it to its owner or not. It’s your task, not mine. We will surely meet again. Now, may I have the answer to your riddle?”

“I’ll tell you, but before I do, explain to me what a mask wearer is,” Amos asked.

“I can’t answer you, Mr. Daragon,” the druid said sadly. “The more of them there are, the less it weighs: what is it?”

“Holes in a wooden plank,” Amos answered.

The old man laughed heartily and beat on his tummy.

“That’s a good one! Better than any of mine! I’d never have thought of it! Holes in a wooden plank! It’s obvious, the more holes there are, the less it weighs! Take the pendant and the stone. My cat will keep an eye on you. Good-bye and good luck!”

Still laughing, the druid headed toward one of the big trees and vanished through the trunk. Beorf, who had regained his human form, came near his friend and put his arm across Amos’s shoulders.

“I think we’re in trouble,” he said as he stroked the pendant with the tip of his forefinger.

Amos didn’t know what to do. The situation was beyond him.

“I’m out of tricks, Beorf. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this white stone. And I don’t know what to do with this horrible pendant. My parents have disappeared and I have no idea where they could be. I’ve been chosen as a mask wearer, a job I don’t understand.” He sighed. “According to the druid, my ivory trident is a powerful weapon that I don’t know how to use efficiently. And soon an army of gorgons led by an evil sorcerer will be chasing us. We’re in the middle of a capital populated by statues, and I feel sure that the gorgons will come back tonight to search the place. What is to be done to bring balance between good and evil? Is there a way to reverse the curse and bring the people of the realm back to life? They’re paying dearly for the theft of this pendant, and they don’t deserve to remain statues for eternity. I don’t know where to begin or what is the best way to get out of this mess.”

Beorf nodded. “Let’s try to analyze the situation calmly,” he said. “Your mission is, first, to go to the woods of Tarkasis. That’s what you have to do before anything else. If you leave with the pendant, the gorgons will follow you, and curse each of the villages you pass through. I believe that they can feel the pendant’s presence and power. We could try to destroy the pendant, but it may hold some power that we might need. In fact, the magician of darkness came here to retrieve his pendant, and we can’t allow him to leave this territory. I’ll leave signs of my presence and of his piece of jewelry.