They didn’t go straight to Gwinthrayle’s home, because Justin remembered one more detail, one more loose end to tie up; and so a side trip was made to a location not far from Gwinthrayle’s home: a certain stone house in an overgrown clearing and what lay immediately in front of it.

“So this is what it looks like from the outside,” said Melvin as they again settled upon the earth.  They all looked up at the ten-foot-high smokestack-like structure, which looked for all the world like a tree grown from the earth, but made of stone instead of wood.  It was a bit difficult for them to associate this outer view of the thing with what they’d gone through in its interior; but even so, they’d be satisfied just to get what they’d come for and go.

Two of them went about it immediately: Willis went inside the house to retrieve his pack where he’d taken it off, and Justin found his lying just outside the house where it had fallen off.  Both seemed to be mostly undisturbed, their contents intact.  Gwinthrayle took into custody one item left there by Uhrstegg: his viewscreen-pendant, which he evidently felt he didn’t need once he had the Stone, or else he simply forgot it.  The others continued looking up at the cylinder and the surrounding area, mostly in silence; until Madeline had an idea which she described quietly to Johnathan.

“We really appreciate your making this side-trip for us, Gwinthrayle,” said Justin.

“It was no trouble at all.  Now, if everyone has what he came for, we may continue on to my home.”  They all glanced at the still form of Uhrstegg, slumbering away peacefully.

“Actually, Gwinthrayle,” said Madeline, approaching him, “there is something else.”  She described her idea to him, after which he nodded in agreement, actually smiling in approval at its appropriateness.  The others gave it resounding approval as well, and so Gwinthrayle prepared to carry it out.

Johnathan, though, interrupted him.  “Allow me,” he said; and so, using the Stone’s power in a way he’d seen Uhrstegg do, made a “slice” through it, going all the way around its circumference; then, making sure it was aimed properly, simply willed it to tip over.

“Tim-berrr!” Willis shouted as it fell to earth with a resounding crash.  All looked around at each other again, feeling a strong sense of satisfaction, especially since it was the Stone’s power that had created the prison and now that same power rendered it harmless.  With this done, all felt, they could truly leave.  There was a brief debate over whether or not to leave the house as it was, or to raze it to the ground; and they decided that, just perhaps, someone might decide to fix the place up and move in there, as Uhrstegg had talked falsely of doing.  They all took a brief view of the base of the once-prison, the five who’d been trapped there regarding it silently, noting the areas where they’d scraped the dirt away trying to find a way out, and the area where they’d gathered the dirt with some of Sithpha’s pictures still visible.  Justin looked over to Uhrstegg, and couldn’t help feeling irked; he’d have preferred him to be awake while the cylindrical prison which had almost killed him and his friends was toppled.  When everyone was ready, they again gathered together for Gwinthrayle’s transportation spell, which carried them away for the remaining leg of their trip.

In minutes the familiar tan-and-silver edifice came into view.  “It still amazes me,” Johnathan remarked to Madeline and the rats, “how this place can feel so much like home to me every time I return to it.”  As they came in lower, Sithpha noted with delight that Dinilom and the children were waiting for him under the pavilion just outside the side entrance.  Gwinthrayle brought them down to it, and the Rusay family all came together with relief and joy.

“I’m all right, Dini,” Sithpha assured her, “just like Gwinthrayle said I’d be.”  She didn’t need to hear details just then; she just embraced him tightly and planted her lips against his.  Johnathan and Madeline couldn’t help staring in surprise for a moment; he’d seen humans kiss like that before, and though they themselves used their mouths to express mutual affection, it was never quite like that with them.  They looked at each other, knowing what had to be on each other’s mind: maybe this was something they could try out for themselves sometime.

Dinilom noticed the sleeping form of Ghormfisk which Gwinthrayle “floated” inside the house, bound for the treatment room, and actually expressed concern for him, as did her children; something the others found a little surprising, until they remembered that when the family had seen him last, two days ago, he was still the seemingly-harmless “big lamb” who’d lived and bonded with them over the past several weeks.  “It’s true, isn’t it?” she asked as they entered the room to be placed on one of the examining tables.  “He really was ill?”

“Indeed he was,” answered Gwinthrayle, “and now we hope to cure him of his illness, or at least minimize its effects upon him.”  After being placed on the table, the two sorcerers began their work as the others all looked on, some wondering if it could truly be done, others speculating on what had made him this way.  At this point, all were curious to hear his story; though some, especially the three rats, seriously doubted if they could truly forgive him.

After a few minutes, the two sorcerers appeared done for the time being.  “Now we will wait for him to awaken,” confirmed Gwinthrayle.  “It may take an hour, perhaps more, but by then he should be much more pacified, and ready to talk.”

“If not,” added Birantha, we should learn his story one way or the other.”

Everyone else went back outside to the pavilion, and for the next hour they were deep in discussion, which at times became quite spirited and lively.  They described for Dinilom and the children how their confrontation with Uhrstegg/Ghormfisk had gone, told more stories drawn from past experiences, and generally got to know each other better.

During the hour, two of the large flying creatures Madeline’s expedition had seen before came by, settling for several minutes in one of the higher trees.  Justin described how they’d been shadowed by a pair of them, possibly the same two they saw now; but Johnathan and the Rusay family confirmed that mhys’haspas are indeed harmless, and strict vegetarians.  At one point a small group of creatures emerged from the forest, ones the four hadn’t seen yet: tysthals, rabbit-sized though putting them in the mind of deer at first glance.  Smaller flying creatures, miniature cousins to the mhys’haspas, darted to and fro through the air; all of them were known generically as wilfajads.

Eventually the conversation returned to Ghormfisk/Uhrstegg, with more speculation about his story.  In the process, one important detail, voiced by Justin, came to light: “If he came to Earth with the Stone, just before Johnathan found it; and then came here to Lahaikshe with it and Johnathan…what was he doing in between?”

“Hey, that’s right,” said Willis.  “That was…what, a year and a half?  If he was there all that time, he must have been up to something.”

Johnathan nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his whiskers.  “And if he could turn invisible, he could have been walking among us all that time…providing he was able to mask his scent as well.”

“Maybe,” suggested Sithpha, “he was doing like he did with me, when he messed with my mind, making me do things I didn’t want to…”

All conversation ground to a dead halt.  All five temporarily-displaced Earthlings looked at each other, each certain the others had the same idea.  “Jenner,” they all said, almost in unison.  All recalled recent discussions they’d had in which Melvin had voiced his long-standing suspicion that some outside force could have changed Jenner for the worse.  Now they all looked to Melvin, who sat in stunned silence as he weighed the implications.

“Mel?  Are you okay?”  Willis put his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“I’m…yes, I’m okay.  But if that’s true…if Uhrstegg really did affect Jenner that way, it’ll change so much of what we believed to be true.”

“For better or worse, though?” pondered Johnathan.  “If Jenner wasn’t really to blame for his actions, if they could all be put on Uhrstegg; and if his actions were the result of some mental disorder…”

“I guess we’d better wait to hear his story first,” Justin said decisively, “before we pass any judgment.”  He couldn’t deny, though, how deeply the idea was affecting him as well.  After all the blame he’d placed on himself for not seeing Jenner’s dissent of the Thorn Valley Plan and Nicodemus as nothing more than rhetoric, and for not being able to prevent Nicodemus’s death, this would indeed affect almost all they knew about Jenner.  They tried to steer their discussion toward less weighty matters, but the genie was out of the bottle, they all knew.  All were more impatient than ever to hear Uhrstegg’s story and had to resist the temptation to go inside and pester the two sorcerers about his progress.

Sooner than they expected, though, the point became academic.  When Gwinthrayle came out to the pavilion to inform them that Ghormfisk was awake—and docile—nearly the entire group leaped to its collective feet.  “He’s said little thus far, and he’s still a little bewildered and disoriented, but he has all the appearance of being willing and able to talk to us,” he told them.  “Birantha’s with him now in the sitting-room, giving him food and drink and keeping him calm.”  He led them all inside.  “Now, in his present state, he may still be unpredictable, so allow us time to insure that he’ll remain calm and be receptive to a large audience.”  Madeline unexpectedly found herself relating; she was reminded of her and the children’s arrival in Thorn Valley, and her anxiety over their being mobbed.  It occurred to Justin that, only this morning, he likely wouldn’t have believed Uhrstegg deserved such treatment after all he’d done; and now, he not only was interested in hearing his story, but was starting to believe it would reveal him to be much less the villain he’d been pegged to be.  And what it could reveal about Jenner…but he pushed the thought back for now.

Soon the entire group was waiting in the hall, outside the same sitting-room where Dinilom and her children were briefed upon their arrival yesterday.  Everyone kept mostly silent as per Gwinthrayle’s request; but after only a minute he admitted them inside, instructing everyone to come in single file and sit quietly.  Each one saw Uhrstegg, or Ghormfisk, sitting on a sofa beside Birantha, eating a th’ving and appearing quite calm, expression largely impassive.  Sithpha and family entered first, but when Johnathan, Madeline and the three rats followed he grew noticeably more tense, though they all were careful not to appear confrontational.  Birantha reassured him that no one meant him any harm and all of them were only there to listen.

Ghormfisk’s eyes darted back and forth across what now seemed like a sea of faces, all looking upon him with expectancy.  “You may begin anytime you’re ready,” said Gwinthrayle as he seated himself beside him.  It seemed unclear whether that time would arrive soon, as Ghormfisk continued looking around nervously.  His eyes briefly settled upon the red amulet hanging from Johnathan’s neck, though he showed little visible reaction to it.  The three rats exchanged glances.  Though they’d been assured that there’d be no trouble, they wondered if checking their blades at the door, as Gwinthrayle had requested, was such a good idea. 

A good two minutes after everyone was seated, Ghormfisk looked ready to say something; then he buried his face in his hands.  “I’m…sorry, I’m…so sorry I…caused you all such pain…”  He looked up, face streaked with tears.

Dinilom and her children looked ready to go to him, to try to comfort him; but the others weren’t as ready to believe his apology was for real.  “Ghormfisk,” Gwinthrayle said gently, “you did tell me you wished your story to be told.”

“I did,” he answered quickly, “and I will.  I…know it will help.”  He took a few more seconds to compose himself.  “My name is… Ghormfisk.  It always has been.  And I have wronged all of you.”  He cast his gaze slowly from one side of the room to the other, addressing everyone individually by name, including the children.  When he was finished, he said, “There is so much I need to say, so much more than an apology.  I will try to explain—the best I understand myself—my actions, which I realize have brought all of you here today.  It’s…hard to know where to start.”

“Perhaps,” suggested Madeline quietly, “you could begin with your home, where you come from.”

 “Yes…thank you, Mrs. Brisby, I will.  Although…that home isn’t really home anymore, it doesn’t really exist anymore.”  Everyone’s eyes widened at this.  “The world I come from is called Ihrvass, existing in another universe, another dimension, just as Lahaikshe lies in one, and your Earth in another.  Its people, my people, are…called the Sut’hrim, and it is...was a world ruled over by the…basest, most short-sighted fools in all of creation.  I will not trouble you with the details, but suffice it to say that it was a combination of almost-constant warfare, often over the most asinine, pettiest arguments imaginable; and the most arrogant disregard for the consequences of plundering our world’s natural resources.  There were always those who spoke out against such activity, but they were written off as alarmists, crackpots, even called disloyal or unpatriotic.”  Relating this had clearly made him more agitated; and his audience could already feel a pang of sympathy, provided his account was all true.

“Well…eventually,” he continued, “just within my lifetime, all this led to the entire world, our Ihrvass, reaching such a state of utter depredation that…the entire world population was reduced to only some 1800 people…”  Ghormfisk paused, clenching his eyes shut, pained by the memory.  His audience could scarcely believe it, some even thinking he could be exaggerating to gain sympathy, but all silently waited for him to resume.  “Every one of them, every living Sut’hrim on Ihrvass,” he managed to say, “settled into the one small area left that was habitable, with the last arable land, and even that was gradually shrinking, to be eventually overrun by the surrounding desert.  Those of us who practiced the mystic arts were few and far between, and I’d become the only one left following the death of my mentor and teacher Strohair.  We’d already given up our Ihrvass for lost, and were working on a last, desperate plan to leave our own world, searching the dimensions for a suitable world in which our people might resettle.  The ideal one would be one in which there weren’t an intelligent, sentient species that already held dominance.  The search was long and difficult, and time was running out…first for my teacher, and for this last outpost of my people, who, within a matter of months, we’d estimated, would no longer be able to survive there.

“Only days before Strohair passed away, we found the most suitable world that we’d come across thus far, with a mild climate, natural resources rich and plentiful…the one possible drawback being that there was already an intelligent sentient species there, though with a population that was far from overrunning their world and that had appeared to be much more respectful of it.  That world…was Lahaikshe.”

He paused, acknowledging the surprised reactions of his audience.  “Yes, we set our sights on this very world.  We—or rather mostly I, since Strohair was very ill by this time—carried out tests for the series of spells that would relocate our people.  Rocks, other inanimate objects, all made the trip successfully.  By the time my mentor had passed on, though, I…had misgivings about my ability to carry through the entire procedure myself.  But times were getting desperate, and I knew I had no choice but to apply what I’d learned, and…hope for the best results.  I was certain, so certain…that since the tests were a complete success, I’d have as much success with people.”

He paused, closing his eyes, inhaling deeply.  “The day came, when everyone, the whole community, all that remained of Ihrvass’s people…were gathered, prepared for the Great Migration, as we’d taken to calling it by then, which would signal a new life, a new beginning for everyone.”

Ghormfisk’s audience was greatly absorbed in the tale by now, but none more so than the rats and mice from Earth, who were astounded at the parallels to their own people’s recent history: both groups forced by circumstance to resettle elsewhere, with the same word—Migration—used, at least as translated by Gwinthrayle’s spell.  But this was on so much a greater scale, with so many more lives at stake.  Some still inwardly questioned whether his account was the absolute truth, but none were ready to dismiss it and him completely.

“All was in readiness.  Everyone, all 1800 of us, every Sut’hrim was gathered in what had been an arena for sporting events.  I stood before them all, briefing them on what they could expect.  There was no dissention, none who wished to remain; all looked forward to the new lives they would embark upon.  As I spoke, my attention was especially drawn to one woman who stood at the forefront of the crowd with her two children beside her—a widow, I assumed—and it seemed as if I were speaking to them and only them.  I found it made the preparations easier, because it reminded me of my ultimate goal and what it was all really about.  The moment came, and I set the spells in motion, by now confident that all would go as planned.  They began to take effect, and a glow surrounded everyone.  In a matter of seconds, it reached peak intensity; and then it was gone, along with…all of the people.”  For a moment Ghormfisk appeared unready to continue; then he said, “I immediately checked to see if they’d reached Lahaikshe, using the viewscreen that is similar to Gwinthrayle’s…but none of them were anywhere to be seen, in the location that we’d chosen.  I could only assume that they’d appeared elsewhere in the world, but a spell specifically geared toward locating any Sut’hrim turned up…nothing.  They…they hadn’t made it to Lahaikshe.  They were just…gone.”  He clenched his eyes shut.  “And I…I was responsible.”  Again he lowered his face to his hands, sobbing.

Gwinthrayle and Birantha both consoled Ghormfisk, and the others looked at each other in shock; some, like Madeline, looked ready to break down themselves.  There was little, if any, doubt remaining about the veracity of his tale.

When he looked ready to continue, he said, “I want to…thank the both of you…”  He indicated the two Rusay sorcerers.  “…for enabling me to relate this tale.  In some other place, under different circumstances, I probably would not be able to tell it this easily; because…well, you’ve already heard this much of it, it’s such a tragic, painful story to tell.  But it very much needs to be told.”  Later, the two would explain more thoroughly how this—being able to relate such a tragic tale without being emotionally overwhelmed, even when its speaker was at its center—was part of the healing effect and the rejuvenating properties that prevailed here.

There was a question on the lips of some of them, and Johnathan almost voiced it aloud; then he remembered the advice they were given, to hold their questions until after Ghormfisk had finished his account.

 “I had…every reason to believe the procedure would go correctly, but all I could think…was that I and I alone was responsible for the deaths of 1800 people whose lives I had wanted to save.  My mind…could not cope, it could not take the strain of being responsible for the deaths of so many.  I was traumatized so badly that…my mind split in two, developed a second personality, with a name you all know: Uhrstegg.  He was the one who had done this: Uhrstegg, not Ghormfisk, had sent all of these innocents to their doom.  Uhrstegg, the self-centered, wily trickster who lived to manipulate and deceive, to use others as pawns, game pieces for his own amusement, with no regard for their feelings.  This personality retained all my mystical knowledge but pledged to use it in malicious and reckless ways with no concern for the consequences.  He had…completely taken over—at least for the time being—but he…I was completely alone now on Ihrvass.  What was I to do now?

“I set about resuming work on trying to reach Lahaikshe myself, certain that I could accomplish this task easily, giving scarcely any thought to what so recently happened to my fellow Sut’hrim.  I was…completely detached emotionally from the event by then, only concerned with finding some new group of people to manipulate and exploit; and, knowing of Lahaikshe’s indigenous population, I thought this was as good a place as any.  I soon perfected the spell, and left Ihrvass behind without another thought.

“Upon my arrival on Lahaikshe I found myself on the edge of a forest near a road, which had many Rusay traveling upon it, by carriage or other conveyance, or on foot.  Almost immediately I sensed that there were those who work the mystic arts here, who would surely know many secrets, perhaps possess artifacts that I believe could help me in whatever cause I chose to indulge myself in.  And before long, one came along, on this very road, one whom I sensed would suit my purposes.  Perhaps this was why I’d appeared at this particular location.  This man, in a haisk’ve-drawn carriage, was one you know well…one sitting beside me now, in fact.”

This part of his account already sounded familiar to most of his audience, who had already realized that this had to be the moment, already heard from Gwinthrayle’s side, when the two had first met up.

“Once we were able to understand each other, I was able to convey to him that I was an interdimensional traveler without the means to return home.  I could tell he was skeptical of my story but he offered me a ride anyway; and at length he told me that there was one, living some distance away, who might be able to help me to get home.  I’m sure he’s told you much of this already, so you probably know what happened next.  I pretended to be simply lost in thought until I put upon him a spell which put him in a catatonic state—not unlike, I’ve since realized, the sleep-spell he put on me today.  With this spell I was able to extract information from his mind, and I learned that he indeed knew the sorcerer he spoke of—Birantha—and that he possessed something that he believed would be of great interest to Gwinthrayle.  I quickly devised a plan, one which made use of an ability which, in my old life, I rarely used, but one I would come to use quite extensively.

“This was a disguising spell which enabled me to take on Gwinthrayle’s appearance, and which I hoped would be enough to fool even his fellow sorcerer.  I quickly found that a spell to take me there instantaneously did not work in this dimension, but I was able to master quite readily the spell of transportation by air, one I believe most of you are familiar with.  I was able to stay out of sight until I had reached Birantha’s abode, whereupon I simply knocked upon his door.  He admitted me without hesitation, truly believing it was his friend he allowed inside his home.

“I had no definite plan in mind; I simply allowed Birantha to tell me about, and show me, recent developments in his life; and I, in turn, using the information I’d gleaned from Gwinthrayle’s mind, was able to do the same for him convincingly.  Among other things, he told me of an amulet—a potentially very powerful one, he said—that had recently come into his possession.  He told me the entire story of its origin, which I’m sure you all know by now, of the two brothers who’d sought out a sample of the mystic ore from which the Stone was made, and how the one who’d survived the trip gave it to Birantha, and then later died himself.  Birantha told me all he knew of it, believing I was Gwinthrayle; and though I still had no specific plan, I decided I had to have the Stone for myself, especially after hearing that someone not ‘chosen’ by it could gain control of it.  He trusted Gwinthrayle enough to show ‘him’ where he kept it, and to leave me alone with it; and when I had the chance, I took it and left.  He hadn’t expected me to just leave without a word, and though I could have maintained the pretense a bit longer, I didn’t want to take the chance that he’d detect the Stone on my person as I left.

“As it was, I knew that Birantha—possibly with the real Gwinthrayle accompanying him—would catch up with me before long, so I made my way to a forest glade that I’d hoped was remote enough to buy me adequate time to carry out my takeover, which I found to be astoundingly easy.  All it required was the right inscriptions, some easily obtainable materials, and an incantation spoken with just the right cadence and pitch and in the right frame of mind…and all the amulet’s power was now mine to command.  Or rather, Uhrstegg’s.”

Ghormfisk paused, having reminded himself and others that these were the actions of his erstwhile second personality, even though he narrated them as if there had been none—something he was finding quite surprising.  To emphasize the point, he added, “I’m sure you’ve noticed that I hadn’t killed or done any serious injury to either Gwinthrayle or Birantha or anyone else, although I could have.  This was an aspect of my Uhrstegg persona, that though he enjoyed manipulating others, committing deliberately cruel or violent acts was not in his nature.  Though at the end, when I…Uhrstegg was goaded into wanting to crush you all…that proved to be the exception.”

“Now…I had just completed the process when I sensed that one or both sorcerers would soon catch up with me, so I knew that I’d have use the Stone’s transporting capability to take me away from there quickly.  I realized that whatever plan I might have for it, it should be elsewhere, since I knew the two sorcerers would continue to seek me out.  So I decided I should flee to another dimension entirely, where I had already become aware they wouldn’t be able to follow.  I carried this out just as they arrived on the scene; at the time, I felt gratified that they had arrived just in time to see me leave and be unable to prevent it.  I had felt like laughing in their faces.”  Ghormfisk paused, looking back and forth.  “No offense to either of you.”

Once assured there was none taken, he continued: “But what happened next changed—considerably—any plan I thought I may have had.  My destination was not any dimension in particular, only one with conditions hospitable to life, comparable to Lahaikshe; for now, I mainly wanted to elude the two sorcerers.  But when I entered this new dimension, the effect upon me was…unexpected.  I became weak, dazed…stumbling about, unable to focus on my surroundings…”

Welcome to the club, Johnathan wryly thought to himself.

 “I knew this effect was possible, but it didn’t end with the weakening and disorientation.  Apparently it was the shock, the sudden change, that caused…The only way I can describe it now is: my mind changed itself.  It brought out my other personality, which was, in some ways, closer to my original one and still called itself Ghormfisk.  But this one…I now had no mystical knowledge or powers, or at least I never tried to make use of them when this persona was dominant.  Plus I now had no idea where I was or how I got there, remembering nothing about Lahaikshe, the two sorcerers, or the Stone.  I was aware of a flowing body of water, some rocks, vegetation; but because it was completely unfamiliar, I was frightened beyond measure.  And when I heard someone approach, all I could think to do was hide.  I crouched down behind some thicker vegetation and waited for the stranger’s approach.  He came into view: grey fur, only a tunic for clothing, large ears, a tail…”  He paused, looking toward Johnathan; he and the others from Earth had already anticipated this corroboration of Johnathan’s own story, and felt a great sense of the two halves of the story coming together.

“Yes, it was Johnathan Brisby, and I watched as he stopped in his tracks, as if he’d detected my presence.  I almost ran right then, but then I saw him reach down and pick up something; I’m sure you all know what it was.  I almost forgot my fear and caution as I watched him examine the amulet; I was held there by a fascination I couldn’t explain.  One thing I realize now is that one of my personalities would retain only certain bits of knowledge and memory from the other, and most of the time each would regard the other as a different individual entirely.  Right then, though, I felt some vague connection with the Stone, though I wasn’t consciously aware that it was what had brought me here, or that it had anything to do with me; I had no more idea what it was than Johnathan did.

“Suddenly, though, I had other concerns: Johnathan looked up abruptly, and I could see him smelling the air, and I realized that he could come close to discovering me, and I couldn’t allow that; I was still fearful of these new and unfamiliar surroundings, and though he certainly didn’t appear at all menacing, I was reacting on little more than an instinctive level.  So I turned and fled toward the deeper vegetation without looking back for several more minutes, until I’d taken cover under a log.  After I’d calmed a bit, I briefly pondered what I’d just seen, and wondered if that pendant that furry creature had found did have something to do with me, since it seemed as out of place as myself.  Then I noticed some of the creatures I was sharing this space with: crawling arthropods that were much larger than any I’d encountered, and it frightened me so much that it triggered another change: Uhrstegg’s personality returned, and now he…I took stock of my predicament.  My biggest concern was the Stone: it had brought me to this new world, but now this other creature had it.  I realized that as I was stumbling about in a daze upon my arrival, it had fallen off from around my neck, and then…’he’ had let it fall into another’s hands.  Determined to get it back, I headed back toward the creek.  Somehow I was able to remember the way there, and that Johnathan was walking alongside the creek, and once there I even recalled the direction he’d come from.

“So I continued on in that direction, and soon a huge, and I could already tell old, building came into view.  I went inside, alert to anyone who might see me; then I remembered my old spells of invisibility and concealment.  I’d also realized how important it might be to conceal myself by scent as well as by sight and sound, so I brought to bear the full range of spells to do so.  I entered the building, positive I wouldn’t be detected.  Sure enough, I could hear some activity going on in there, and I made my way to an upper level to see Johnathan with some larger creatures—some of you rats—but what riveted my attention most was the Stone around Johnathan’s neck.  How to get it back without being detected, I wondered; and then I witnessed a most unexpected sight, one some of you know well: it glowed red and slowed the descent of a rat who was falling.  I realized what must have happened; I had learned from Birantha that this was possible—the Stone ‘choosing’ a worthy bearer—but that it was this creature, and that I had, in effect, delivered it to him, I found frankly astounding.

 “At that moment I abruptly altered plans.  For the time being I would remain concealed, observing these creatures, and learn about them; I’d already surmised they weren’t the dominant species here and that they were carrying on activities they wanted to keep secret from the species that was dominant.  I heard the one known as Jenner remark on the power the Stone must contain, and that Johnathan intended to show it to another called Nicodemus; so I followed him, still invisible and undetectable by any of their senses, and ‘met’ the leader of the rats in their colony beneath the rosebush.  I learned details of the Rats of NIMH’s origins, enough to convince me that I should carry on in this fashion and learn all I could about them.

“That first day, I’d been so absorbed in all this that I’d literally forgotten to eat or sleep; and when I finally tore myself away, I realized I’d need an actual place to stay.  I found a treestump just off the farm and used my abilities to hollow it out, making it into a compact but very adequate home for myself.  I gathered some food, having learned what was edible from my observations, and made myself as comfortable as possible.

“The next day I resumed operations, continuing to go about undetected; and over ensuing weeks learning more and more about these creatures, their everyday lives and future plans.  I still had no specific plan, content for the time being to simply observe; at times daring to use a disguising spell to move among the rats as one of them.  Sometimes I would slip slightly in refreshing my spells, and one of them would catch a momentary glimpse of me, which would always be dismissed as a trick of light and shadow; or sometimes one would briefly catch my scent.  But none of them, over the entire time I was on Earth—around a year and a half—was ever able to confirm my presence.”

 “But my Ghormfisk persona would not stay buried.  Uhrstegg was in control most of the time, but on occasion Ghormfisk would be in charge; and when it happened, he—rather, I still retained no mystical knowledge and would retreat from my fellow creatures and the world as much as I could, not living in the hollow-log home Uhrstegg had made for himself but in the abandoned burrow of an animal, living very much as one.  I now consider myself lucky that when the change in personality occurred, it was never while I was among the rats; otherwise I surely would have been found out and captured—though, I’m certain, not harmed.  On more than one occasion, Uhrstegg’s persona would resurface while I was in the burrow; and I’d suddenly wonder angrily why I was there, in Ghormfisk’s filthy hovel, and then I’d make my way back to my treestump home and resume my plans concerning the Rats of NIMH.”

Some of those whom he’d walked among looked at each other uneasily, knowing where his talk of “plans” must be heading but dreading hearing about it nonetheless.

Ghormfisk recognized their unease and said, “And…after several weeks, a definite plan was starting to form; and I know you may not want to hear about it…”

“…But we do need to hear about it,” finished Justin.  The others all agreed and encouraged Ghormfisk to continue.

“Very well.  For those first few weeks, I really wasn’t especially concerned with getting back the Stone; I was content to allow Nicodemus to retain it, as he did most of the time, and Johnathan to come to test it, all with no interference from me.  It was when your Thorn Valley Plan began taking shape that a plan of my own did likewise.  I would ‘sit in’ on your council meetings and observe how Jenner emerged as the biggest dissenter of the Plan.  I knew of a spell which would work with a subject’s emotions, taking one or more of them and fanning them to a greater, even extreme degree.  It would work with positive ones like love or hope, but also with more negative ones; and as I watched Jenner denounce the Plan more and more…I decided I had my subject.  I put the spell on him, and watched as he slowly became obsessed with fighting the Plan and trying to sway your fellows toward his opinions.  And all of this—and more—was purely for the sake of what amounted to a game.  I said earlier that Uhrstegg lived to manipulate, use others as game pieces for his amusement, and this was the result.”

The news had the expected impact upon the rats and mice.  All looked at each other, stunned; but Melvin had grown noticeably more tense.  Johnathan, who sat next to him, noticed his right hand become a fist, then grow more relaxed.  Johnathan touched Melvin’s arm, looking concerned, and the rat looked over to him, managing a small smile and nodding.

Ghormfisk continued: “It truly, honestly pains me to say this now, but I enjoyed standing back and watching my machinations play out over the following days and weeks.  Not only was Jenner actively denouncing the Plan and Nicodemus, he’d also become estranged from his family, to the point where he eventually moved out of his family’s quarters, and did not seem to care even as another replaced him.  I know that he was your friend and ally from years past, and I’m truly sorry now for all I’d done to him; but at the time, it was all just…amusing to me, as if you were all just test subjects.  I’d been aware that you, or rather the Original Twenty rats and two mice had previously been exactly that—subjects for experimentation—and were adamant that you would never allow yourselves to become such again; and that, it pains me to say, just made it all the more entertaining for me.”

The comparison had already occurred to some of them, but hearing Ghormfisk describe it in this fashion was certainly raising hackles now.  They’d promised Gwinthrayle and Birantha they’d keep their emotions in check until Ghormfisk had finished, but it was especially difficult for one of them; others besides Johnathan were watching Melvin’s reactions now.

“I think you should know, Ghormfisk,” he said now, quietly but with smoldering anger, “that Jenner was my father.”

Ghormfisk’s eyes widened.  “Then you have my most humble apology, Melvin.  It is true that I gave no thought to the emotional impact my manipulations caused in those who knew and loved your father.  As Uhrstegg, I was incapable of pity, empathy, love…but believe me when I say that before that…shattering of mind that I suffered, I was not that way at all; just the opposite, in fact.”

“Let’s keep in mind, everyone,” said Johnathan, “that before that happened, he was trying to find a new home for the remnants of his people.”

“I know, Johnathan,” said Melvin, noticeably calmer.  “I just thought…he should know that about me.”

“Thank you, all of you,” said Ghormfisk.  “But I must warn you that my initial…treatment for Jenner was only the beginning.  I had recalled how he’d remarked upon the Stone’s potential power when he’d first witnessed it in action through Johnathan, and I wondered what it would be like if he actually could take control of it.  So I passed on to him the knowledge of how to take it over for himself to command just as I had done for myself back on Lahaikshe.  I figured there would come a time, quite soon, when he would  have the chance and I’d be there to witness it.  But Nicodemus kept the Stone well protected and hidden, and on the occasions when Johnathan would come to test it, it would always be done out of Jenner’s sight.  The two of them had begun to suspect that Jenner would try to steal it, especially after work on the Thorn Valley Plan had begun in earnest.  This, apparently, was in reaction to a premonition on Nicodemus’s part; I had overheard past discussions they’d had on the subject, so I was aware that he’d experienced them before.  So they, or actually Nicodemus, was doing his best to keep it hidden from Jenner.

“I decided to put on Nicodemus a spell similar to that which I’d put on Jenner.  He had a certain amount of mystical knowledge, though not to the degree of myself, as far as I could discern, in addition to other abilities that seemed to have come upon him following the humans’ treatments.  I believed that he could disrupt my current or future plans, and I’d suspected that he was beginning to detect my own presence.  Plus I believed he was learning more about the Stone than I was comfortable with, though I was never certain exactly how much he knew; to try to read his mind might reveal my presence before I was ready.  So…I was able to get physically close enough to put a spell on him, similar in effect to the first one I’d put on Jenner.  As I’m sure you know, he was aging more quickly than the rest of you, and with this came the normal effects of aging, including lapses in memory.  The spell exploited these effects to the point where he forgot much of what he did know about the Stone.  I’m certain that he may have forgotten the specific events of the day Johnathan found it; all that seemed to be left were Johnathan’s intention to give it to his mate someday, and that it should be kept away from Jenner, though without the specifics of why.  In addition, he would not be aware that he’d forgotten anything.  Apparently, any private conversations he’d have with Johnathan or Justin would not reveal any such discrepancies.”

Nicodemus’s friends and colleagues, though not shocked, were certainly dismayed by this news.  Still, ideas were starting to form about further ways this forgetfulness spell may have affected him.

“So…over the ensuing months, your Thorn Valley Plan was well underway; Johnathan spent most of his time with his family; the Stone was still in the custody of Nicodemus and Justin.  All this was over a period of a year and a half.  I guess if there was one good thing one could say about my Uhrstegg persona, it was that he was very, very patient, content to watch all of this unfold slowly.  This was partially by necessity; near as I could determine, most of the spells I’d worked in that particular realm were slow to take hold and fully develop.  But, as I said, there were still periods when the Ghormfisk persona took hold, so that I’d be hiding away from everything and living like a mere animal.  One such period lasted several weeks.  Another of those periods ended only one day before that fateful night Johnathan knows well.

“On that night, as Uhrstegg, I placed myself among you to see what I’d missed while I’d been away—and exactly where I’d been away to, I wouldn’t have been able to say; nor did I care that much, such being the nature of this condition I’d suffered.  I’d expected Jenner to have made a move for the Stone by then; so I decided to try a spell that I hadn’t yet tried in this realm: that which I employed to impersonate Gwinthrayle, but this time Nicodemus was my subject.  The procedure was mostly the same, except that he never saw me before I put the sleep-spell on him.  I extracted information from his mind and learned that there would be a major outside operation that night which would call for Johnathan to perform his cat-drugging duty; and more significantly for me, that he’d had a premonition that Johnathan would need the amulet with him as he performed it, though specifically why Nicodemus didn’t seem to know.  I had only a few minutes in which to do this before Johnathan arrived to meet with Nicodemus, whom I was able to conceal in his living quarters while I met with Johnathan, who never suspected me.

“I’d planned on using the opportunity to make it easier to bring the Stone into Jenner’s hands, but after learning of Nicodemus’s premonition my plans changed: I was curious to learn why he believed Johnathan would need it that night, since I was aware that he held it so rarely, and never while he performed that duty.  So after he left with the Stone, I dropped the disguise, looked in on Nicodemus—who would awaken very soon—and resumed my invisibility spell, though in my haste I’d failed to renew the one to conceal my scent.  I tailed Johnathan from the Guard office all the way to the farmhouse, where I made my own way into the kitchen.  I witnessed him, still bearing the amulet, fall short of his escape route and retreat to the broom closet with the cat in pursuit.  I followed, by now realizing that this could be the source of Nicodemus’s premonition: that this was the night that he might fail in this duty and face death by the cat.  But I also knew something Johnathan may not have been aware of: that with the Stone, he could use it to take him to safety, away from the cat, just by wishing it so.  I decided, on the spur of the moment, to try to get the Stone away from him and let the cat have its way with him.  But it proved to be not so easy; Johnathan fought back the cat with a pin he’d found, and when I tried to take the Stone, he put up resistance to me as well.  Soon I noticed it glowing.  Good enough, I thought; might as well let it take us both to safety.  But where it took us, as you now know, was someplace unexpected.

“Now we were both in the so-called Cavern of Change on Lahaikshe, dazed, weakened and disoriented from the trip.  My invisibility spell had fallen away in the transition, not that it was needed right then.  I made my way over to Johnathan in the blackness, but I found he wasn’t wearing the amulet, nor was it anywhere in that cave.  Once I’d determined this, I made my way out towards the daylight, all the while trying to reason what had happened.  Wherever this was, Johnathan certainly didn’t mean to come here; so why did the Stone send him here, and me with it?  To this day, this part of the experience remains a mystery; apparently to yourselves as well as me.  But once I’d realized I was back on Lahaikshe, I knew that I’d have to come up with a new plan soon, knowing there was a good chance I’d be stuck here a long time, if not permanently.

“But in the midst of all this…my Ghormfisk persona returned.  He…rather, I had no previous experience here; but while it was all new to me, it was somewhat easier to understand and acclimate myself to than Earth, because of everything being scaled down to what I was accustomed to back on Ihrvass.  I found myself considerably less fearful here, since much of it reminded me of my homeworld.”  Ghormfisk paused, sighing and looking wistful.  “I’d even found an abandoned stone house in the forest which I took shelter in.  I’m sure you all know which one by now.  I became, while living there, as much a recluse as I did on Earth, but at least I was in more comfortable surroundings.  While I was Ghormfisk, it never occurred to me to try to reach out to any of the native people, whom I know now would have been certain to welcome me, or at least not shun me or drive me away.  So I did little more than eat and sleep and explore the adjacent areas while I was living there; and in fact, I felt a measure of peace and contentment.  I would even reminisce about my homeworld; though of its final days, let alone what I had done, I gave no thought to, as I had no real memory of it while in that persona.”

Johnathan had already heard much in the narrative that he could relate to, and after these latest details, he found himself feeling an even stronger kinship with Ghormfisk.  Both of them had been the only ones of their kind on this strange, unfamiliar world, missing terribly all that was familiar to them.

“I lived this way for several months, not once lapsing back to Uhrstegg; until one day while I was out on one of my excursions in the area, I sensed the presence of another nearby.  I concealed myself and observed…you, Johnathan Brisby, apparently doing no more than I, simply passing through the area.  But somehow I knew that you were one I especially needed to avoid, and again I fled from you as I did some two years before, unnecessary as it might have been.  Back in the stone house, I still felt so rattled from the near-encounter that it triggered the change.  With Uhrstegg back in charge, he…I realized that I would need to move on from this place, recalling that I was back on Lahaikshe and that meant Gwinthrayle and Birantha would try to seek me out.  It’s only now that I realize why they hadn’t detected my presence in all those months: as Ghormfisk, I used none of my mystical abilities, which had lain dormant and apparently undetectable by them until then.

“I endeavored to seek new quarters, so I did my best to erase all evidence of my presence from the stone house.  I once again made use of my cloaking and disguising abilities, hoping they’d be enough to mask my presence from the two sorcerers while I came up with a new plan.  I left quickly and made a new temporary headquarters in a cave some distance away.  I quickly found that certain spells work differently in this realm than back on Ihrvass or Earth, or not at all, and I soon perfected the spell of transportation we all know.  I traveled, cloaked, to what I’d sensed to be a center of great power in the area, and found it to be what I’d suspected: the home of Gwinthrayle.  I recalled how my attempt to take the Stone from Johnathan had brought me here, and when I realized that he was now living there as Gwinthrayle’s guest, I felt great anger and frustration, deciding on the spur of the moment to direct my ire toward these two whom I perceived as my enemies.  I directed a bolt of mystic energy at his house and compound, but it made next to no impact.  I realized he must have anticipated such an attack and prepared accordingly, but I figured later that my unfamiliarity with working spells in this realm also factored in the spell’s ineffectiveness.

“Seething with anger, I retreated quickly, returning to the cave.  There, I managed to calm myself down enough to realize that it might be worth my while to monitor the Cavern of Change.  I’d reasoned that it was likely that this was the point where travelers from other dimensions, especially that of Earth, regularly appeared in this one, something I was able to confirm later.  With Johnathan the first one the Stone had ‘chosen,’ I knew the second one would be revealed sooner or later, and that one might come here—with the Stone—to seek him out.  So I made no more direct and foolish attacks, instead continuing to use my abilities at a minimum, mainly to keep myself cloaked as before.  Apparently this succeeded, since I continued my activities undiscovered and undisturbed.

“I fashioned a device much like the one I’d used back on Ihrvass, and the Orbs of Disclosure the Rusay sorcerers use, and a similar device used by Nicodemus, which I would wear as a pendant around my neck.  I used it to monitor the Cavern of Change from a distance, but this quickly become boring and tedious; so I added a feature to it, one that would alert me to any new arrivals to this world via the Cavern of Change by simply flashing on and off.  Having done this, I decided to explore this world further, ostensibly to see how I might manipulate these people for my amusement.  I arrived in the nearest town—Timphon—having already disguised myself as a Rusay.  At first I only observed the townspeople, getting to know their ways and customs.

“But it had an unexpected effect: my Ghormfisk persona returned, triggered, I believe now, by my being among these people with their kind and peaceable qualities.  My disguise fell away and I became fearful of my new and unfamiliar surroundings, ducking into an alley, looking for an escape route.  And that, as you probably know by now, was how Sithpha and his family found me.  Somehow their kindness and patience managed to win my trust, and I responded to them and allowed them to take me into their home.  I lived with them for the next few weeks, learning some of their language, becoming almost as one of their family, as I’m sure they’ve told you.  All the while I was wearing the pendant, looking like it had a simple piece of glass set in it, the true purpose of which I had no idea…until that day when it began flashing on and off, at first seen only by myself.

“And again, I’m sure you’ve guessed what happened next: it triggered the change again.  Ghormfisk knew nothing of this pendant’s function, but Uhrstegg did, and…I grabbed Sithpha, believing I could make use of him somehow, and used the transportation spell to take us closer to the Cavern of Change, where I knew someone had to have arrived—someone I hoped would be bearing a certain red amulet.  I left with his family’s cries ringing in my ears, oblivious to all but my hoped-for goal: to regain the amulet for myself, by now almost forgetting all I’d done back on Earth and the lives I had disrupted there.  Now I only wanted to see what I could do with it myself, though I had no specific plan yet.  The one thing I was sure of was that these two sorcerers could do nothing to stop me, since I knew that commands I’d make using the Stone could override most, if not all, spells cast by them.

“During our flight, I checked the pendant and was rewarded with the very sight I’d hoped for: you four emerging from the cavern entrance.  I even recognized Justin right away, though I was surprised to see a mouse among them.  I needed a temporary base of operations, so I brought us to the stone house, which was still unoccupied.  I told Sithpha to wait till I needed him, then I continued monitoring the progress of the four newcomers.”  He paused, looking back and forth over his audience. “The rest I’m sure you all know well by now, or at least most of it.  I treated all of you so badly: stealing away a husband and father from you; forcing you to act against your will; manipulating your friends and allies back on Earth, and then leaving the four of you to die.  And you, Johnathan, in our last moments on Earth, trying to wrest the Stone and its protection from you, leaving you to face death alone.  I can say now—honestly—that I am glad that didn’t happen, that you survived; that all of you survived.  I must say again how sorry I am for the suffering I caused.  I hope you can all find it within you to forgive me.”  Ghormfisk closed his eyes, sighing and lowering his head.

Madeline got up and walked directly to him.  “If all you have told us is the absolute truth, then I forgive you, Ghormfisk.”

It took Johnathan a moment to overcome his surprise; then he remembered how well she’d played her part at confronting him earlier, while he was still Uhrstegg.  “The same goes for me,” he added, “despite everything.”  Sithpha and family readily voiced their agreement as well, though the three rats still had reservations; and none more so than Melvin, who sat in stony silence, arms folded.

“Ghormfisk,” said Justin evenly, “are you aware of what happened to us on Earth after you came here with Johnathan?”  Without waiting for an answer, he described how the spell on Jenner increased his lust for power until the end result was the deaths of Nicodemus, Sullivan and himself, and the near-deaths of so many others.  After hearing this, Ghormfisk regretfully admitted that, as Uhrstegg, he knew full well that this could easily have been the result of his machinations.  It was hardly a satisfying answer—as if he expected one—but Justin knew it would have to do.

“What about,” Willis brought up, “that whole town you grew from the earth?  What was the point of all that?  And why trap us the way you did, if that was all you wanted to do with the Stone?”

“There is…so much about Uhrstegg’s activities that I cannot definitively explain.  I think he…I eventually hoped to induce some of the local population to live there.  I was—possibly—trying to recreate a portion of Ihrvass here on Lahaikshe, and I’d become so consumed with it that I completely forgot those of you I’d trapped.  Before I did, I do clearly remember you, Mrs. Brisby, asking me why I was doing this; and I wish I could give you an answer more satisfying, to you or myself, than that it was an aspect of my condition, that it was…a whim on the part of Uhrstegg.  He…I was subject to wild mood swings and flights of logic that made sense only to him.  I can only reiterate…how sorry I am.”

It occurred to Justin how all of this resembled a legal proceeding; and how willing the “defendant” was to throw himself on the mercy of the court.  And yet…for all the two sorcerers’ assurance that Ghormfisk’s condition had been cured or at least brought under control, was he willing to pronounce him not guilty?

“There’s still something I don’t understand,” said Johnathan, “and that’s why the Stone brought him to Earth.  An hour after it fell into my hands, it had ‘chosen’ me, made me a conduit for its power, saving Derek’s life.  Pharsal set it to do this, to choose someone with the right qualities, and it turned out to be me, and later Madeline as well.  But I can’t help feeling that it was meant to fall into our hands, and only ours; and for better or worse, it was Ghormfisk that made that happen.  It just doesn’t seem like a random event.”  He fingered the amulet as he looked down upon it.

“And then it sent you and Ghormfisk here, when you were cornered in the broom closet,” said Justin.  “You only wanted to be away from there, to go someplace safe.”

“That’s right.  If it did act upon that wish, why send me to another dimension?  Why not just send me to my own home?  And that dimension happened to be this one, where it came from.  That can’t be coincidence.”

“Random event, or coincidence, or something else,” mused Gwinthrayle, “perhaps, with the Stone back in your hands, Johnathan, a more definitive answer may come forth.”

Johnathan looked at him, ready to ask “How?” but instead he looked at the Stone more closely; then he removed it from around his neck, studying it silently for a moment; then he turned to his wife.  “Maddie…didn’t you say that it seemed to you almost as if there could be…something or someone inside of it, like someone’s spirit?”

Justin felt his heart skip a beat.  “And didn’t we theorize that that someone could be Nicodemus?”

Melvin finally broke his long silence.  “We sure did.  Is it possible, Johnathan, that you—both you and Madeline, in fact—could find out for sure?”

“As the ones chosen by the Stone,” said Gwinthrayle sagely, “the answer could indeed be yours to reveal.”

The two mice looked at each other; then, sitting closer together so they could both lay hands upon the Stone, they closed their eyes, concentrating as one, the silent question on both their minds: Who are you?  If you are here, let us meet you.

After less than a minute both opened their eyes and looked at each other.  “Gwinthrayle…everyone,” Johnathan said decisively, “there is definitely someone in there.”

Madeline nodded.  “And…he told us: ‘I am ready to leave here…and reveal myself.’”