Ian watched Vale leave with some reluctance. She was a safety net of sorts, and now he felt alone. He turned away from Vale. He had to put his discomfort aside and deal with the issue at hand; getting home. He sifted through all the questions that were vying for his attention.

The Seer smiled at him, and looked over Ian’s shoulder. He raised a frail hand, and flexed his fingers. A faint whistle behind Ian caused him to turn, and he barely avoided the bone-white staff flying into The Seer’s outstretched hand. The wizened elf flashed a mischievous grin as he walked towards a large runic circle etched faintly on the floor.

“Let me show you a picture of the problem that we face,” He said, tapping his staff on the edge of the sprawling rune. The symbol ignited, and purple lines of power radiated out from the rune. The lines ran across the floor like an electric current being fed into a circuit, and new, smaller, runes blossomed around the central circle.

Ian found himself enthralled in the dazzling display. The swirling runes came to life in a myriad of colors, shapes, and sounds. Each one feeding off the last to form a complex and mind-boggling pattern.

“You see,” The Seer spoke up, “in your world, magic is mere fantasy,” He said as he, and his staff, moved around the circle. The Seer spinning, dipping, and tapping the unadorned wood as though it were his partner in a sophisticated tango.

Tap-tap-swish.

“Here, however, magic is a binding force. It can create,” The dance increased in its intricacy. It was a surprising display of agility and poise from one who appeared so frail. Tap, “Or destroy.”

Tap, swish, tap.

“It can heal as easily as injure,” As he spoke the glow intensified. Several of the runes peeled away from the floor, and hovered a few feet off the ground. He’d danced his way back to the center of the circle, now holding his staff above the main rune which was pulsing faintly. “It is both volatile and steadfast, predictable and chaotic, everywhere and nowhere. Though above all else, magic strives to create an enduring balance. To harmonize with the world around it, and find its place in the natural flow.”

Tap.

The runes flashed and a ripple of power rushed out from the brightly glowing runes in response.

Ian shielded his eyes from the intense flash. When he was able to look again, the magic circle and runes were gone, and two translucent were spheres hovering before him. The first sphere was easily identifiable; Earth. Ian felt a rush of longing as he gazed at his home. The realization that this may be the last time he saw it hit him. Powerful emotions of loss, regret, and anger welled up inside him. He forced his attention away from Earth and those troubling thoughts. The voice of his father echoed in his mind as he looked to the second globe. No sense in wishing for change, make it happen.

The second sphere was nearly three times the size of the Earth, with vast oceans, sprawling deserts, colossal mountains, and lush forests. The images on both were so vivid and lifelike he even saw the weather patterns. A roiling mass of clouds came in from the sea and a storm formed along a southern coastline.

“Is this happening now?” Ian asked as he paced around the alien planet.

“Indeed it is,” The Seer said.

Paragore had three major continents. The first was a monstrous upside-down U shape. The middle portion of the U was a band of deep blue glacial ice that connected the eastern and western sides. The other continent was coated in dense green forests and sweeping grasslands. The last continent was a bit of a mystery as it had a dense fog resting over it. Almost like it had been blurred out intentionally.

“Where-” Ian turned to ask, startled to see The Seer standing beside him.

“Here,” The Seer said distractedly, pointing to a spot on Paragore. He was busy scrutinizing the Earth.

Ian followed the elf’s finger. The digit rested upon a vast forest on the western part of the U. Ian spotted the mountain range he’d used as a marker yesterday. The chain of rock cut through the forest leaving a jagged gray scar in its wake.

“Thanks. So, then how do I get from here?” Ian asked, his hand moving to point roughly at D.C. “To here?”

“Difficult to say, as the distance between worlds is in constant flux. Your only option would be to travel through the Nebulus, which I believe is how you came to arrive in the first place,” The Seer replied, leaning back from the image of Earth. “I cannot view your arrival. In fact, I cannot see anything about you over the last several days, nor anything about the days to come. That is part of the reason why I find you so very intriguing.”

The Seer let go of his staff, but it did not fall. Instead, it remained standing between the two planets of its own accord. The elf clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels a few times. From his expression, it was clear that he was musing over Ian and the oddity he presented.

“Ah,” Ian replied, as though he understood the significance of what The Seer had said. He avoided the uncomfortable scrutiny by turning his attention back to Paragore. He imagined that there wasn’t much unpredictability in The Seer’s life.

“What about you is special?” The Seer asked, giving a voice to his thoughts, “Why is your path invisible to me?”

Ian hesitated, he knew he needed allies to get through this, but he had no idea if he should reveal everything. He gave the eldery elf another look, and with a sigh decided truth was the best option. Ian described the events that had led him to this point, leaving out nothing. He included the details about Anders, the way that he’d felt, the thoughts that he’d had, everything. Fearing if he left out the smallest detail, it may make the difference between getting home, and being trapped forever. The Seer took it all in without comment, only a gesture now and again for Ian to proceed.

“I see,” The Seer said once Ian reached his conclusion. “Well, the easiest explanation is most often the correct one. I am reasonably certain that you were pulled into a recall spell. An object is sent out and once it accomplishes its goal, or in the case of this golem, is destroyed, the spell activates and pulls the object back.”

The Seer trailed off, mumbling as he started pacing back and forth, clearly in deep thought. The Seer’s feet carried him back towards his desk out of habit, it was where he did all his best thinking. A plan began forming in his mind and he looked up to relate the good news to Ian. What he saw caused him to arch an eyebrow.

Ian was playing with the planets. His head in Paragore and was swishing it back and forth, causing the whole planet to ripple. The detective wanted to give himself a momentary distraction from his woes. And when he poked the floating orbs he’d found them to be quite jelly-like.

“Ahem,” The Seer cleared his throat but could do nothing about the amused smile at Ian’s antics. Glad to see the man had found such a healthy way to vent his anxiety.

“Sorry,” Ian said, his face flushed red in embarrassment. He whipped back from the planetary replicas and stood at attention.

The Seer rose from his desk and closed the distance between himself and Ian. He reached a hand up to Ian’s head, “If I may?” He asked with a disarming smile. And before Ian could answer he’d already plucked a strand of shaggy blonde hair from Ian’s head.

“Ow. By all means,” Ian said with an undercurrent of resentment in his reply.

The Seer gave him a faint smile of apology before pulling the strand of hair taut between his fingers. A second later a small arc of blue energy flowed through the stand. Across the room, a heavy volume shook and rattled on its shelf. The book hopped free and flew over to the desk landing with a heavy thunk. It flipped open, and the pages rustled as though they were being rapidly sifted through by an unseen hand. As quickly as it had started it stopped and the book fell quiet. The Seer crossed back to his desk and began reading.

“Ah, of course. I should have known. They have been up to something lately...” The Seer looked up from the tome with a sad smile on his thin lips. “You have fallen victim to the proceedings of the Harlequin Court. They have a habit of meddling in the affairs of shall we say… less desirable worlds. In your case, a world without magic, which is practically unheard of. You and your partner were unfortunate that you came across the golem before the Court carried out whatever devious plan they had in motion. Though perhaps we are fortunate that you did. The recall spell on the golem activated prematurely…” His voice trailed off again as he began musing.

“So, I’m here because I accidentally set off a spell that some misbegotten Jester Court left behind?” Ian asked pulling The Seer back to the conversation at hand.

“Harlequin Court,” the elf corrected, clasping his hands behind his back. “And I can assure you the golem you stumbled into was intentionally placed there. I just cannot say why. But take heart, this gives us a very important clue on how to get you back to Earth.”

“Harlequin Court, right. And how does this help me?” Ian asked.

“Well,” The Seer replied, adopting an oddly familiar lecturing tone, “It is hard to say what their motives are. They are an enigma even to me. For the most part, they stir up chaos and havoc. But they do it in the shadows, hiding behind pawns and manipulating events to their perverse desires. Over the last several decades some of the major conflicts in this world have happened as a result of their manipulations-”

“But I thought your world had known peace for thousands of years?” Ian interjected.

“There have been no wars, it is true,” The Seer said with a measured shrug, “but peace does not mean there has been no conflict at all. Only that the world has not been consumed by war.” His tone grew a bit more serious. “The Harlequin Court is thought to have caused the collapse of several nations, the Order of Brass would know more. And be wary of mentioning the Court outside of this room, they have spies and agents everywhere, and it is not a commonly known name. Another word of caution, be on your guard for their symbol.” The Seer flipped over the book and tapped his finger next to a drawing.

The symbol was a faded compass rose, but rather than pointing due north it pointed to the northwest, mostly. A three-pointed jester cap sat above it, cocked to the side on the right. Ian’s mind flashed back to the battle with the golem. He remembered seeing that very symbol stamped on its forehead. It might have been dark, but he’d been very focused on those eyes slits when he’d made the shot that brought the monstrosity down.

The longer Ian stared the more the compass appeared to move. And each time it shifted he felt his sense of discomfort increase.

“Ah, it seems that your suite has been prepared,” The Seer said, turning his head towards the stairwell as Vale reappeared. “I know we have much still to discuss, but you’ve had a long and trying day. Besides, I require more time to think, and plan. Good evening, Gent.”

Ian still had so many questions, but he got the impression he was being dismissed. He made a polite bow to The Seer. The Seer inclined his head to the side with a genuine smile. As Ian walked past he took a last glance at the Earth. He felt the longing and loss once more and set his mouth in a determined line. He would return home, no matter the challenge.

“Thank you for your time, Seer,” Ian said turning back to bow.

“You are welcome young man. We will speak again,” The Seer replied. He flexed his fingers and his staff went flying back to the wall. The globes sank back into the floor soon after.