"Two days." Msaka thought as he emerged back onto the plateau. "What am I going to do here for two days?" He glanced across the plateau, noting the other buildings that he had not yet visited. "Later. I have had enough of this place for now." he thought, and began walking toward the city gates, avoiding people along the way as best as he could. Descending the stairs to the lower plateau, he passed the guards. They gave him stern looks, but said nothing, and he walked down the final few steps to leave the city.

Once outside, he walked to the bank of the river, a short distance away from the city walls, and stood there watching it flow, trying to decide what he could do to pass the time until the sorceress had completed her research. Exploring the rest of the city was the only thing he could think of, and that wasn't particularly appealing. Not a single person save the sorceress had any magic whatsoever, and many of them seemed to dislike him on sight. The feeling was mutual.

Msaka began casting spells, directing them at a nearby boulder when necessary, allowing the sensation of magic use to flow through him. It was relaxing, and took his mind off the problems he was likely to face. When he felt his magical reserves becoming drained several minutes later, he sighed and ended the barrage. It would not do to exhaust himself completely, in case of trouble.

Removing his pack, he sat down by the riverbank, and rested for a while, gazing into its flowing waters. He was growing tired, the result of the walking he had done in the last few days, and the small amount of sleep that morning. He lay back and closed his eyes, using his pack as a pillow, soon drifting off to sleep.

Night had long since fallen when Msaka awoke, the stars and moon shining faint radiance down on the area. He sat up, yawning, and looked around. No sign of movement, though the lights of the city could be seen in some places, above the tops of its walls. Similarly, a few lights could be seen from the farms to the north, though they were not as bright.

Msaka considered what to do next. The inhabitants of the city would be sleeping now, and that would not change until morning, so returning there didn't seem particularly useful. On the other hand, he could at least report what had happened so far...

Msaka stood, and searched for a relatively clear, flat area to work in. It took several minutes, but he found a suitable location not too far away. Picking up a small stone, he began using it to trace the lines of a pentagram in the earth. A small one, but it would suffice. Several minutes later, his task complete, he stood back from the now finished diagram, and began the intonation of the Ritual of Sending.

The ritual magic was more draining than normal spells, and certainly took far longer to cast, but no normal spell would suffice for this. He proceeded through the words and gestures of the spell, directing it to contact the shaman. As he completed the spell, the pentagram's lines lit with light that extended high into the sky, and the image of the shaman formed within it.

"Well?" the shaman asked, never one to waste words.

"I reached the liontaur city this morning." Msaka replied, "There have been no serious difficulties so far. The liontaur spellcaster is researching where to find a suitable heart. I did not tell her of the other two things, in case she manages to figure out what they're to be used for. Once I know where to find the heart, I will go wherever that may be. I will ask other people about the other two things as needed, but I won't mention more than one thing to any person. It will be two days, she said, before she will be able to give me an answer, so I will have to wait at this city until then. That is all for now."

"Good." the shaman nodded, "If you can find out anything more that might be useful to us, do so. Otherwise, continue as you have been doing."

The image of the shaman faded away, and Msaka performed the final portion of the ritual, which ended the magic. He spent a short time eliminating the pentagram from the ground. It was not really necessary to do it, but someone might find it and connect him with it. Then there could be questions as to what he had been doing, and while he could answer truthfully that he had simply been speaking to the shaman, it would be more bother than it was worth, especially if it made the sorceress suspicious.

He went back to where he had left his pack, sat down, and ate some of the meat and fruit he was carrying in it. There was not enough left to last for two more days, so once he had finished eating, he stood and readied to change that.

Msaka extended his arms in front of him, holding his hands as though he were grasping a branch or pole. Magical energy swirled around his hands, extending out from each side of them. It quickly coalesced into the shape of a staff, and he lowered his arms, gripping it firmly.

Msaka intoned a spell, pointing one end of the staff at the ground in front of him. A package of food, wrapped in large flat leaves faded into being at the spot pointed to, brought from its previous location in his hut. Msaka repeated the spell, summoning another package. "This is more than I need right now, but it is better to have too much than too little." he thought.

He opened his hands, allowing the magical energy the staff was formed from to dissipate, and the staff disappeared. He crouched down, and stowed the food in his pack.

Msaka suddenly froze, hearing a noise nearby. Someone was approaching, and trying to remain quiet as they did. Whoever it was, they must have seen the light from the ritual and decided to investigate. Not wanting a confrontation, he picked up his pack and intoned another spell as quietly as he could. The faint light from the sky disappeared around him, the area plunged into pitch blackness.

He crept away quietly, careful not to trip over anything. Hushed voices sounded from the area behind him, their language and accent indicating they belonged to savanna tribesmen. Even more reason to avoid them. If they were from the tribe his people had almost gone to war with last year, it would spell real trouble.

Fortunately, the voices soon faded into the distance, whoever it had been unable to track him in the dim light. Msaka kept going, heading toward the city gates. At least within its walls, they would not be able to try anything against him, if that was their intent.