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nothingness…
        “Now,” she said, “I will diminish the winds.”
        But at that moment, the dragon moved out of its obscurity and cranned its neck over the edge of the gorge, swung it directly in front of Jake. Jake grabbed hold of that thick, long trunk and held on as the wind was cut from under him. The dragon swung its head around, bringing him back onto solid ground once more.
        She reached quickly into the air and began stacking layers of it over her head in hopes of creating a second wind that would carry her prey away far more speedily, long before the cunning dragon could think to rescue him.
        But he was running for her.
        She backed away, stacking the wind.
        But he was coming too fast…
        She would have to leave and come back later to mount her second offensive.
        She lifted into the air.
        He clutched at her bare feet! Held her! Pulled her down,..
        She struggled, lacking and hitting and clawing since her magics were no good against him. But he held on, taking her punishment and slowly exerting more and more force to tame her. He was such a powerful man, his arms like cords of wood, his muscles like knotted lengths of steel. He pulled her onto the ground with him, dragging her across his lap. Lifting her robes to bare her smooth, lovely rump, he began spanking her.
        “Stop it!” she shouted
        He spanked her again.
        She caused lightning to strike the peak of his burly head, but her powers were useless against him. The bolt dissipated into brilliant sparks and did not harm him.
        He slapped her harder, stinging her with his heavy palm.
        She caused a shower of sharp-toothed rodents to descend upon him, but the rodents fled and did not attempt to gnaw his flesh.
        She brought heavy rains, but he did not get wet.
        She brought hail.
        He was not bruised.
        He spanked her harder, harder still.
        She began to cry.
        “Who gave you your immunity?” she howled.
        “The Sorceress Kell, a stronger Talented than you.” He grinned, slapping her behind again.
        She caused boulders to drop upon his head.
        The boulders turned to dust and blew away.
        “That old bitch!” she moaned of Kell.
        “She is a good woman, a good sorceress,” he corrected her, slapping her reddened flesh even harder. “She is wise and all-knowing, not just a temperamental, Talented little snot!”
        Finally she realized that fighting only brought on more spanking. She went limp and did not try to harm him either with her magics or her feet and hands. When he saw that she was out of reserves and that she had surrendered, he stood, dropping her into the dust, letting her go. She jumped to her feet, spat at him, lifted into the air and sailed quickly out of his reach, constantly muttering the vilest threats she could summon from her throat to her lips.
        He stood, laughing.
        She hurried away into the wind, lost in the darkness, shrieking curses to the four corners of the night…

Chapter Five: INTO LELAR
        
        The dawn came with a million fingers and pried away with golden nails until the darkness had been levered out of sight. The sky slipped from ebony to amber and from amber to green. The green soon was streaked through with blue. The blue came to dominate and the day was then completely upon them.
        Jake ate breakfast from his knapsack, feasting on the fruits and dried meats that Kell had prepared and packed for him, washing down the cheese and tough, dry bread with short swigs of sweet wine from his canvas canteen. Kaliglia satisfied himself with devouring half the copse that Cheryn the witch had hidden in the night before.
        “I should thank you for saving my life,” Jake said after finishing his meal.
        The beast turned to face him, a small berry bush half-munched in its great maw. It chewed for a few moments,