Back in King Sigus' palace, Pellus sat beside the bed on which Vattus lay dying. The old wizard had not slept in several days, plagued by worry for his friend. He was about to nod off when his eyes shot open.

"The Rubitar is released from the sea!" he exclaimed, feeling it's long-missing presence once more. He stood and dashed to his desk where the book containing the spell to break the Rubitar's bond with Vattus rested.

He retrieved the book and re-seated himself next to his friend. Vattus who had not moved or uttered a sound in two days had begun to quiver and moan. Quickly Pellus turned to the appropriate pages of the tome and began to chant the lengthy spell.

Gunta was pulled back onboard the barge and his harness removed. He continued to cling tightly to the large gemstone as Herman lifted the glass helmet from his head.

How was it down there?" Herman asked as he placed the helmet on the deck.

Gunta shook his head.
"Very scary. The water's really murky, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. It took all my concentration to see that damned thread. Worst of all, there were some big beasts swimming around me. I couldn't see but a fin here and a tail there, but they kept bumping me. I kept expecting to be eaten by something. I'm just glad that's over with and I'm back where it's safe."

As if on cue, two Deev materialized behind the soldiers on the winch and ran them through with their swords. Gunta tried to run with the Rubitar only to find himself face to face with Hurras. Gunta's back was up against the wooden crane and he remained momentarily frozen.

Hurras eyed the Rubitar he held and hissed.
"I'll be taking that!" He thrust his sword into the soldier's gut and as Gunta collapsed grabbed the stone from him.

Herman reacted quickly. He unsheathed his spider-glass sword and ran toward Gunta. The crane stood between him and the three grinning Deev. Hurras took the time to taunt him.
"You lose, hedgehog! We have the stone, your bodyguards are dead and in a moment you and your little friend will be too!"

Winnie shouted to his brother cryptically.
"The crane is made o' wood!"

Instantly Herman remembered the wooden post where he had first tested the sword and swung with all his might. Hurras laughed at the seemingly futile effort. His laughter ceased as the blade sliced through the crane and his midsection in a single sweep causing him to release his grip on the stone, which bounced across the deck and fell once more into the harbor.

Philus, who stood next to Hurras stood stunned as the blade continued through his commander and then through his own chest. The two Deev crumbled dead to the floor. The third Deev, Bergrat, stumbled back in shock, and as a defensive reaction, transmuted instantly to smoke. His momentum caused his cloud to fall off the edge of the barge, where the Deev-smoke landed in the sea, dissolving instantly into the vastness of the deep blue. It was all over in less than a minute. Three men and two Deev lay dead and the third had simply ceased to exist. Herman collapsed to the deck in horror. Winnie sat down next to him. Herman spoke in broken fragments.
"Villains!...Poor Gunta...so much pointless death...all for nothin'!...all for nothin'...the Rubitar is lost."

Several things happened simultaneously at that point in time. First, Colonel Taois, who along with the three other Deev aboard the dory waiting to extract the spies and the Rubitar from the barge, chose that moment to re-integrate into their Minge forms so that they could see what was happening on board the barge.

Taois raised his spyglass and looked the hundred yards across the bay to see the two hedgehogs seated among the bodies of the dead Deev and soldiers. Confusion and frustration played on Taois' face. He ordered his Minge to take up their oars and make for the platform. At the same time, the two boatloads of palace guards who were awaiting the order to return to the barge and watching the seas for suspicious activity noticed the dory beginning to move.

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the guard, Remus, who was charged with commanding the two squads took up his spyglass. First he looked at the barge, three hundred yards off. He could make out very little except Herman sitting by the crane, seemingly unperturbed and calm. Next he focused on the dory heading in the direction of the barge. He could see the uniforms of the Minge warriors.

Jumping into action, Remus quickly got the two boats into the water to intercept and investigate the suspicious craft. The two boats whizzed through the breakers on a path directly toward the dory.

Taois was alerted to their approach and cursed his luck. If the Deev were intercepted in a small boat in the middle of open water by such a superior force, they were lost, their powers would be useless. Forced to make a snap decision, Taois ordered his crew to make for the northern shore where foggy moors stretched for many miles. If the soldiers were foolish enough to pursue the Deev on land, where they could transmute freely, the battle would have a different outcome and the palace guard would be annihilated. The dory changed course and the two rowboats with the dozen gaurds onboard followed in pursuit.

Herman had finished his lamentation and pulled himself together. He spoke to Winnie confidently.

"We got to get the Rubitar back. I'll signal the shore and we'll get us another volunteer and some help and start over. We can't be wastin' no more time, Vattus is dependin' on us!"

Winnie glanced back to the shore.
"Where'd they go to? There ain't no one there, Hermie!"

Herman stood up and ran to the opposite side of the barge straining to see where his escort had gone. He scanned the harbor and saw the two boats racing through the water after the Deev-filled dory. They moved further and further from the platform, oblivious to Herman's yells and frantic waving. Herman turned and hung his head.
"We're all alone, liddle gaffer. They're chasin' something and we're runnin' out of time, just like poor Vattus."

As soon as the Rubitar fell back below the sea, Pellus knew. He could feel it's presence slip from his consciousness. Vattus who had become agitated when the stone was recovered, went totally still once more. His breathing became slower and more labored. His heart began beating at an incredibly fast pace, but very weakly. He was once more on death's door, only now, the door was beginning to open and he was on the verge of entering. Pellus leafed through the tome, back to the beginning of the spell and prayed he'd have another chance before he lost his friend forever.

Herman was still watching the pursuit across the harbor. The palace guard were gaining, but the dory was getting close to land. He knew that if the fleeing vessel housed the Deev, that they would be safe once they reached shore and prayed that his escort had the good sense not to pursue them across the moors. His attention was snapped by his brother calling to him.
"Come on, Hermie! We ain't got much time!"

Herman turned and his jaw dropped in shock. Winnie had tied the harness to his own body and the over-large helmet rested on his spiky head. He held the bell rope in one hand and the finding-globe in the other. The lead weights were wrapped around his small ankles. He stood on the rail of the barge, directly over where the Rubitar had fallen back into the sea. Herman shouted.
"Don't do it Winnie! That helmets not made fer ya, hedgehogs ain't meant to go under the sea, you'll get yerself kilt!"

Winnie ignored him.
"You better start pumpin' or I'm gonna have a tough time breathin'!" he called to his brother. Then he jumped overboard and quickly sank beneath the surface. The hose uncoiled and fed itself out, as did the harness rope as the winch turned quickly, unmanned and damaged from Herman's sword strike.

Herman rushed over to the winch to try and stop his brother's descent. As soon as he grasped it, it flew out of it's brace which had been split in two during the fight. The winch and rope flew across the deck as it's line continued to play out. Thinking quickly, Herman re-secured the bitter-end of the rope to the crane body so that it would not be lost to the sea. He quickly ran around the crane to his bellows and began pumping. The hedgehog sighed in relief when a small trail of bubbles broke the surface. He considered grabbing the rope and pulling his brother up, but decided to give Winnie a chance. His worry increased after a few minutes of silence. Then the bell rang once.

"Thank Targas!" Herman yelled to himself, "He's on the bottom."

Winnie had second thoughts about his decision almost as soon as he jumped off the barge. What seemed like a good idea was quickly tinged with regret as soon as his body touched the freezing water. His reaction was instinctive and regrettable. He curled into a tight ball as all hedgehogs do when faced with an unexpected assault. His helmet was almost dislodged by his contortion and as he continued to sink, water began to fill it. He straightened himself out. The water was halfway up the interior of the helmet and only the tip of his snout was above it.

Herman had not yet begun pumping air and as the small beast sank, the increasing water pressure slowly pushed more water into the helmet until even his snout was submersed. He held his breath desperately. Just as he was about to be forced to inhale the sea, Herman began pumping. Gratefully, the water was pushed from the helmet and Winnie was able to breath once more. He took several deep breaths, then his feet touched bottom. A wave of relief sweep over the small hedgehog. It didn't last long.

It was murky and dark, a cloud of sediment encompassed the small beast after it was disturbed by his landing. Something bumped into him solidly, sending him stumbling. He righted himself and gritted his teeth and spoke aloud to himself.
"Enough! I'm doin' this and nuthin's gonna stop me!" He said with grim determination. He found his bell rope and tugged it once firmly. Winnie pulled the globe up to his helmet. He could see the thread pulled slightly to the right and moved in that direction. Suddenly, a large shape came directly at him. He could see an open mouth, easily large enough to engulf him. Although it was dark, there was no mistaking the rows of bright white teeth aimed at his head. He jogged quickly to his left to avoid the leviathan.

His foot-paw became stuck, wedged between two pieces of rock. The beast struck him on the back and he tumbled forward. Water briefly filled his helmet until he again straightened his head and let the pumping air displace it. He was on his belly now with his helmet upright.

Winnie quickly scanned the murky depth, searching for his attacker. The creature was no where to be seen. He stretched out his paw to raise himself and touched something that felt familiar. It was smooth, hard, and large. He looked down. Joyously, he realized his hand had come to rest on the Rubitar, half buried in the silt. He thought quickly. Winnie took the end of his bell rope and wrapped it tightly around the stone. When he was satisfied, he tugged the rope three times sharply.

Herman was on the verge of panic. The bell rope had been jerking lightly and the big hedgehog was worried that his brother was struggling. Just as he decided to pull Winnie up, the bell sounded loudly three times. He reached down and lifted the harness rope while continuing to pump his bellows. With a powerful paw over paw motion, he began to pull his brother up. After what seemed an eternity, Winnie's helmet broke the surface. With one last heroic effort, Herman pulled the small hedgehog clear up onto the deck. He embraced his brother tightly, tears of relief streaming from his eyes.

He put Winnie down and wagged his finger at him sternly.
"That was real foolish, liddle gaffer! You're lucky you ain't kilt!" All the anger drained from his voice and he continued in a very gentle tone, "That was a very brave, but real dumb thing ya did. I was scared to death. Don't feel bad that ya couldn't find the rock, at least ya tried..."

"But I did find it, Hermie! I tied it to that there bell-rope," the little hedgehog said brightly.

"Ya did? That's amazin'. You're my hero, sure enough...," he grabbed the bell rope and began pulling it in quickly. Soon the Rubitar rested on the deck beside them.

Herman broke into a big grin and ruffled his brother's spikes, "Fine job, liddle gaffer. I may be mad at ye, but I'm right proud of ya too!"

Winnie smiled and put his arm around his brother's shoulder.
"I'm sorry I scared ya, Hermie."

"Ferget about it," Herman said brightly. He put on a mock serious face and looked down at Winnie, "Ya know...I reckon yer the only hedgehog on the planet what ever walked on the bottom of the sea."

Winnie smiled proudly.
"Do ya really thing so?"

"I'd wager on it fer sure, liddle gaffer."

Pellus could feel the Rubitar once more. He quickly glanced at Vattus. The dying magus was still breathing and his heart rate was more a quiver than a beat. Pellus opened the book to the spell and began chanting, taking care to speak quickly, but clearly. It was now or never and he knew it.

The Deev reached the shoreline barely ahead of the pursuing gaurds. Taois led his three Minge inland to the moors and then simply waited. On land now, the Deev had no fear. Taois was angry, he wanted to kill something. The vision of the large hedgehog mocked him and his fury increased. He hoped that King Sigus' men would attack him, so that he could enjoy the satisfaction of a small measure of vengeance.
The Deev stood on the crest of a small hill, fifty feet from the shore, clearly visible and waiting.

Sergeant Remus' boat reached the shore first. His crew disembarked and looked at the four Minge warriors staring down at them defiantly.

Two of the soldiers drew their swords and charged despite Remus' shouted warnings. When the attackers were within striking distance, the Minge disappeared into thin air, only to reappear behind the guards and strike them down almost effortlessly. Now it was the Deev's turn to go on the offensive. They began to slowly advance on Remus and the remaining three soldiers.

Thinking quickly, the Sergeant-at-Arms withdrew his men back to the rowboat and let it drift off-shore, knowing the Deev would not follow. The second boat was now approaching and Remus raised his hand to stop their progress. Taois stood calmly watching his foe, mere feet from his position, he smiled.
"Come ashore, human! There are ten of you, surely you aren't afraid."

Remus was angry.
"Silence, demon! We will not be taunted into your trap. You have failed, I will take comfort in that."

It was Taois' turn for anger.
"This is not over! I will personally kill you all. Especially that buffoon of a hedgehog and his dwarf companion. Next time I won't fail.  Give him that message for me, everything is secondary to me now until I lick his blood off my blade! Tell him Taois will not rest until he lays dead before me!"

With that declaration, Taois turned and took his Minge into the safety of  the moors without so much as a backward glance.

Remus watched the Deev leave. He addressed the crews of the two boats.
"Back to work! We're done here, let's head back to the barge.

When the rowboats reached the barge, they were shocked and saddened at the death of their comrades, but satisfied that their mission was successfully completed. They congratulated a humble Herman on his victory over the Deev and conveyed Taois' threat.

Herman, though angered, dismissed the Deev's rant and set about to transfer the Rubitar to one of the rowboats. Soon he, Winnie, and the magical stone were cutting through the waves on the way back to King Sigus' palace.

The recovery crew arrived at the palace and was greeted by a joyful King Sigus, who personally escorted Herman, Winnie and the Rubitar up to the high magus' quarters. Herman broke into a broad smile when he entered and saw a weak, but recovering Vattus, sitting up in his bed with Pellus sitting at his side.

The two hedgehogs hurried to the bedside and gave Vattus a warm embrace. Vattus squeezed Herman's paw and spoke weakly.

"Thank you my friend. I owe you my life. I was well into the realm of spirits when the door to this world reopened. I am not yet ready to converse with the maguses of old, though, and I must admit it, I was tempted. When I finally take that journey, it will be when I am ready and for that I thank you again."

Herman smiled weakly.
"You're welcome Vattus, but it were Winnie here that got the Rubitar back and 'e went to the bottom of the sea to git it."

Vattus stroked the little hedgehogs spikes gently.
"So much bravery in such a small package. You and your brother are two of the noblest beasts I have ever had the good fortune to know."

Winnie averted his eyes downward in embarrassment.
"Shucks, it weren't nothing. You shoulda seen Hermie fight those three minks, he was amazing. I wish we coulda saved those other fellas, 'specially poor mister Gunta, he was a right nice guy."

Pellus spoke.
"It is always a tragedy when fine men or beasts are killed by the minions of evil. Herman proved how vulnerable the Deev have become. For over five hundred years no Deev had ever been defeated and in the last few months your brother has eliminated six of them. That's a fifth of their entire number...remarkable!"

Herman looked suddenly angry. He turned toward Vattus and Pellus.
"About those smoke-demons...Their leader Taois said he ain't gonna rest till me and Winnie are dead. This is the second time that monster has tried ta kill us. We might not get lucky agin."

"What are you saying, Herman?" Pellus asked.

"I'm sayin' that I don't wanna wait till the time is best for him. I'm sayin' there's only four of 'em left here in Seth-e and they're on foot and on the run. They won't be expectin' us ta go after them. Me, Winnie, and yer rock ain't gonna be safe till we gets rid of those mink. What I'm sayin' is I'm goin' after them and put an end to this once and fer all."

Pellus looked aghast, but Vattus nodded sagely.
"I think you are right, but let us do this smartly. I am recovering quickly. Wait a day or two till I can accompany you. I'm sure King Sigus will let us have some soldiers." The King nodded in affirmation.

Vattus continued, "We'll take carriages to Port Saud, which is certainly where they are headed, and work our way back to Seth-e. Sooner or later we will run into them. I can offer a degree of protection with my magic. We will take your sucking machine with us. I would prefer to take them alive, enough creatures have died already."

"Count me in!" Herman said adamantly.

"Me too!" Winnie said brightly.

Herman looked down at his brother and shook his head.
"No, you stay here."

"He's tryin' ta kill me too Hermie! We need to stick together."

Herman looked into his brother's eyes and smiled.
"Pellus needs ya here. I ain't askin' liddle gaffer...I needs ya to stay here"

Winnie looked deflated and stood silent awhile. Finally he nodded slowly.
"Okay Hermie, I'll stay an watch out for mister Pellus, but I ain't happy about it."

Pellus stood.
"I'll see to helping King Sigus arrange to transport the Rubitar back to Aolas. Till then we'll keep it in the palace vault under heavy guard, we won't lose it again!" He made a shooing motion to every one in the room, "Now everybody get out and let the magus sleep! If he's going Deev-hunting he needs to be well rested."