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To Dream of Darkness

A story by DoggyStyle57

Chapter 39, Written February 2012

===

Chapter 39 - The distant shore

The morning after Valentine's Day, Lord Pennington seemed fully recovered. He was rather chagrined at having passed out, however. He sat in his study with Sarina, as she explained what had happened, and why that meant she must leave.

"So you see, father, as much as last night was enjoyable for all of us, it would be most unwise for us to continue. I do not wish to be the cause of your death," Sarina said. "The time has come for me to continue my journey through my own life, and leave you to yours."

"Deuce it all, Sarina!" he replied sullenly, "That would have been a very sad Valentines gift for my little girl, wouldn't it?" He sighed deeply, and then continued, "It isn't an easy thing for a man to admit that he's getting to an age where he should start tapering off his love life, but I suppose you are right. You gave me some incredibly special experiences, and I don't want that to end. But every father must eventually face their child leaving the nest, and so must I. If ever you come this way again, please say you'll stop to visit? Even if we share no intimacy, I would appreciate your company, and seeing your pretty face around the place again. I love you, my child - as a lover does, and not just as a father should."

"I cannot promise that I will return, father. My travels are likely to take me to the far side of the world, and perhaps out of this world entirely. But if fate does lead me back here, I will seek you, never fear," Sarina said, holding the old fox's hand. And though she knew it was a lie, she said the words she knew he hoped to hear, "I love you too, daddy! And I always will love you."

"What of that Chinaman you brought me? What am I to do with him?" Lord Pennington asked.

"He will not be your responsibility, father. He understands that his inability to speak anything but Chinese is a hindrance to him here, and he has chosen to return to Hong Kong. I will take him there, on my way. I had hoped he would be able to serve you, but the language barrier was something that hadn't occurred to me," Sarina said.

"When will you go?" he asked.

"In three days time, after I have settled some other business, and purchased a few special supplies. We will leave from the magical workshop that I rented on this visit. The rent there is paid for through the end of March, just in case I need a safe place to return to, on short notice. I will inform the landlord today that I won't be renewing the lease beyond that," Sarina said.

"May... may I ask you to come to me on these last few nights? Even if it is just to cuddle with me until I fall asleep?" Lord Pennington asked hopefully.

Sarina smiled, and said, "Of course, father. I think we can manage that much, and perhaps a little more, as long as you don't over exert yourself."

===

Three days later, in the late evening, a carriage was hired to take Ashley, Lu Chen, Lord Pennington and Sarina to the magical workshop.

"Mistress has no luggage?" Lu Chen asked, as he struggled with his two large portmanteau cases that contained his own clothing and travel necessities.

"Mistress has magical means for making her luggage so small as not to be noticed. Rest assured, I carry far more luggage than you do, Lu Chen," Sarina replied, careful to actually reply in Cantonese, and not to allow the carriage driver to overhear her comments via her language gift.

When they arrived at the workshop, the carriage driver was asked to wait and take Lord Pennington home again. Then Sarina unlocked the door, and gave the keys to Lord Pennington. "Lock up after us, and return the keys to the landlord, please, Uncle Thomas. Do come in though, and see us off."

Once inside, Sarina double-checked some notations and calculations that she had worked out in advance, before casting the portal spell. The portal itself hardly moved at all at the far end, since Sarina had been able to apply the necessary corrections to the calculations, based on her earlier attempts. As the portal opened, daylight streamed into the room, and they could see a partially cloudy blue sky and some rocky terrain through the portal.

"Daylight?" Lord Pennington asked in confusion, as it was quite dark outside, with the street lit only by gas street lamps. "Amazing! Where does that lead to?"

"Hong Kong island, in China, nearly half-way around the world. That is why we are leaving while it is night here," Sarina said. "You first, Lu Chen. Just walk through that oval of light as if it was a doorway, and drag your cases with you."

"I am frightened, Mistress! My feet will not obey me! I knew you did magic, but never have I witnessed such a powerful supernatural event!" Lu Chen said apologetically.

"Silly boy! There's nothing to it! Follow me then, and let a girl lead the way!" Ashley said in Cantonese, as she took the handle of one of Lu Chen's cases and dragged it behind her, through the portal. "Come on! It doesn't even tingle! Come here, boy!" as she stood on the other side, with wind ruffling her hair and the fur of her tail.

Hearing Ashley speak his language shocked Lu Chen into action. "Y-you speak Chinese!" he said, as he dragged his case and headed through the portal.

"Yes, I do. It has been a long time since I visited China, but I did learn the language while I was there," Ashley replied with a grin.

In the workshop, Sarina kissed Lord Pennington on the cheek, and said, "Keep safe, father. May your life be long and pleasant."

"Take care of yourself, Sarina," he replied, with a tear in his eye. "Farewell."

===

Sarina stepped through the portal, and it closed behind her.

They were atop Victoria Peak, and Lu Chen was standing there, gazing down in wonder at the harbor. "Such a miricle! To travel so far in just a step! But I must believe what I see. That can be no place but Hong Kong below us. I never went to the top of this peak before. There are no easy paths or roads that lead up its steep sides. Ahhh... How will I get down from here, Mistress?"

"The same way we got up here. Magic. Where down there would you like us to go?" Sarina asked. "The cricket fields? The street in front of the bungalow my father and I lived in when we were here? The harbor road?"

"The harbor road, Mistress. There I may seek employment on a ship, or with the many merchants that work there, and I can find a room to rent. And thank you, Mistress!" Lu Chen replied.

"It is I who should thank you, Lu Chen. You have served me well. I want you to accept two gifts from me, in parting," Sarina said, as she handed the wolf a cord necklace with a small silver fox's head pendant on it, and a small leather pouch. "Keep that necklace with you, and I can use it to find you, if I return this way again. The pouch contains a monetary gift, to get you started in a new life here."

Lu Chen put the necklace on at once, and said, "I shall never part with it, Mistress!"

Sarina opened another portal, to the harbor road near one of the more popular piers for merchant ships. Lu Chen walked through it, dragging his two cases behind him, and she closed the portal as soon as he was through it.

"Was there really any magic on that necklace, Mistress?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, but it was only a very simple protective charm that my real father taught me," Sarina replied. "It doesn't do much, but should at least repel insects like fleas and other fur parasites from him. It may allow me to locate him, though, since I can seek that charm spell, which should be rare here."

Sarina cast another new portal spell, and opened a portal to Shanghai, maneuvering it to open in an alley behind Richards' Hotel and Restaurant, in the British Concession area. They went through the portal, and went around the corner and into the hotel, to obtain a room.

"I am Lady Sarina Randall. I require a room for myself and my maidservant," Sarina told the clerk at the desk, being careful to only be heard in English, for the moment, to get practice in controlling just how she was heard by others. "I will pay in advance for two weeks. A room with one bed, a fireplace and a cot in the room for my maid will suffice."

"Yes, My Lady," the clerk replied in English, though oddly accented with Chinese. He told her the price, in British pounds, and Sarina paid in Chinese silver coins, getting the exchange rate correct without any assistance. "Ah? My Lady is at least somewhat familiar with China? Or will you require a guide or escort?" the clerk asked.

Sarina switched effortlessly to speaking in Cantonese Chinese, and replied, "I have come here from the Hong Kong colony, and this is not my first visit to Shanghai. I know my way around, thank you, and will require no escort other than my maid."

The clerk smiled brightly, and said, "Of course, My Lady. Here are your keys, and I will send a servant up with the cot and bedding shortly. Just up those stairs, to the third floor, and it will be the last door on the right. Thank you for staying with us!"

===

Once they were in their room, Sarina produced one of her smaller chests, and took from it the maps that she had purchased on her previous visit, in the guise of 'Feng Wu'. She studied the largest map, which gave her a good idea of the direction and distance to Nagasaki Harbor, but which was frustratingly vague in any details about the island of Japan itself.

"I didn't know you spoke Chinese, Ashley," Sarina said, as she compared that map to another, smaller one.

"You never asked. I speak quite a few languages. I served a Chinese sorcerer about 120 years ago, in a city not far from this one. Over here," she said, as she pointed at a large sea port, north of Shanghai.

"I suppose it would be too much to hope for that perhaps you also speak the language of the people in the Japans? Or that you may have served one of their mages at one time? Do you have any knowledge of that island or its people?" Sarina asked.

"No Mistress. When I was last in China, serving that mage, that island had long since closed itself to foreigners and foreign trade. They were as much an enigma 120 years ago as they are today. Isolated, and forbidden. The mage I served had little interest in that nation. I do not know of any sorcerers from that land who sought the aid of creatures from my realm, either," Ashley stated. "I suppose I could go back to Hell for you, and ask the entities that I know if that have any information. But I have no direct knowledge of that land."

"That will not be necessary. Can you learn a new language quickly? Or would you be as unable to understand and speak to the people of that land as poor Lu Chen was in England?" Sarina asked.

"When I am bound to serve a sorcerer, knowledge of their native language and the languages that they cast spells with comes with that binding. So I can read, understand and speak any language that you have actually learned," Ashley replied. "But your special gift with languages is beyond that, and all I can do with that skill is to 'go along for the ride', and listen to your surface thoughts, to hear what you hear, as you hear it. So as long as I am with you, I will be able to understand what you can hear and understand. Also, if you think of a suitable reply that you wish me to make in that language, I can say those words, like a trained parrot, reading the needed information from your surface thoughts. I did something similar when we were with Lord Pennington together that one night, so I could sound to him like his sister."

Sarina rolled up the maps and put them away, hiding the chest on her necklace once more. "That will have to do, I guess," she said. How long do you think it would take you to actually learn their language?"

"Several years, probably," Ashley said. "It would take me just as long as it would take most people of your realm so much time to learn a new language. I have no special way to do that any faster."

"Rest in the fire for a while, and refresh yourself. I am going to get myself a meal in the restaurant, and then I plan to nap on and off for most of a day, to get used to the time difference here," Sarina instructed. "Then we will see how we shall proceed."