Finally, we were able to unload the prisoners, and, although it may be too late, we can finally return to the castle and destroy what remains of the artifact and portal. This town is home to the well-known arch-mage, the same one responsible for the protection of that castle.
The prisoners made quite a scene when we parted, and I was glad when it was over. The town, on the other hand, was quite interesting, particularly an enormous structure made of multicolored glass, formed into the shape of a phoenix. I never imagined such a spectacular object could exist.
The home of the arch-mage was bare and efficient, precisely what I would expect of one with such power. I believed this was the first person in power I had met in the world of man with any level of competence. However, it turned out that, although he was willing to send a group of knights to help us, he would not do so himself, lest his village be attacked. This thought was accompanied by a speech that implied there were several people in the world of equivalent power, none of whom would ever help us, since they all had their own homes to protect. Such foolishness from a mage famed to be many hundreds of years old surprised me. The greatest threat the world has seen in four thousand years in approaching, and these people of power are willing to stand aside and watch, focusing all their attention on insignificant regions of the world.
Last night, I made a startling discovery. Several days ago, I accompanied the samurai on my flute in some musical story from his native land. I suppose I must have been rude to him in some way afterwards, for he confronted me about it last night, and asked me what I would do with my life after my mission was completed. What shocked me was that someone had told him of our mission without consulting with the others. Not knowing how much damage had been done, I transformed myself into an albatross, sought out the others from above, and demanded to know how much they had told him.
It was the Empty Hand who had done the deed, and he turned my accusation back on me. Our master told us not only to maintain secrecy, but also to seek allies, and the Empty Hand believed that the Infiltrator and I have made that part of our mission impossible. He suggested that the samurai would make an ideal ally, having already fought against the Enemy's armies.
I was taken aback by such vehemence from a man who had until now calmly and quietly accepted the decisions of the majority, but some of his words rung true.
He only told the samurai that our Enemy was the Red Warrior, and nothing beyond that. Still, he may have endangered our mission. I can only hope that his high opinions of the man are justified. The Infiltrator agreed that the samurai would make a good ally, and I accepted their judgment, on condition that I be the one to tell him of our mission. The greatest danger here is that the Enemy will be able to watch us through the samurai. I must find a spell that can protect him…