Ambrosia Software Web Board: The Kul'Shar Legacy, Part 2: Inversions - Ambrosia Software Web Board

Lemenath silently pushed the folds of the tent inside and entered into the warm dome. The planet's sun was beginning to creep above the horizon, and the light shone through small cracks in the fabric, illuminating everything inside with a dim orange light. Ranari sat huddled in a corner, in the sweet bliss of sleep, an expression of happyness on her face.

Lemenath silently padded over to the sleeping elf, and kneeled down beside her. He brushed aside a few stray wisps of hair that had fallen and managed to relentlessly tickle her face. A hand placed itself on Lemenath's shoulder, startling him.

"You show great compassion for her." Kwon said, indicating Ranari with a nod of his head.

"Perhaps," Lemenath smiled for a moment, then turned back to the Ronin. "Do you think..." He paused a moment, contemplating what he wanted to say, "Never mind." Kwon smiled slightly while Lemenath sat, momentarily at a loss of what to say. Finally, he spoke, "Hergat tells me there is a hidden danger here. He thinks its causing trouble, though he doesn't know if its trying to hurt the Shomani or us."

Kwon waited a moment, pondering with this new bit of information. "I sense no threats here."

"I didn't see anything that would indicate there is trouble either," the elf replied. "But...it would be nice if you could keep an eye open."

Kwon frowned a moment. Lemenath turned and concentrated on making himself a comfortable place to sleep upon. Before he closed his eyes, he heard Kwon's voice saying "I always do."

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

The canopy overhead grew steadily thicker as they were lead deeper into the forest. By the sound, it seemed the storm had finally broken, and the rain had begin to fall heavily; but little of it now reached the travellers, much to their collective relief. "Not much further now," Charon called back to them, encouraging their flagging spirits still further.

The change, when it came, was startling. They had been trudging along a hidden trail, increasingly dense bush surrounding them on all sides. The path Charon chose lead them close to the trunk of an enormous tree, at least fifteen feet in diameter; Flynn's sparse forest lore told him it appeared to be something like a Redwood. Ahead of him, Charon veered around the tree, out of sight. Flynn rounded the tree and stopped dead in his tracks, catching his breath in surprise. Only Moonshadow's almost instantaneous reactions prevented her from walking into him.

Beyond the tree was a great clearing, filled with tents and huts, cooking fires, and people. The canopy high above had been skilfully extended, by weaving living branches together, and encouraging them to grow in new, useful directions. Some of the larger trees, like the one they'd just skirted, even had dwellings built in them, high off the ground; these houses had a far more permanent look about them than those on the forest floor. In the centre of the clearing was another great Redwood, even larger than the first. A spiralling staircase had been constructed about its trunk, leading to a circular platform high above. Rope bridges extended from the platform to the other treehouses; that seemed to be the only way to reach them.

Moonshadow gave Flynn a shove. "Wake up, you; you're blocking the path." Flynn nodded absently, and began to walk slowly forward; all the while, he never stopped gazing around in rapt wonder, trying to take it all in.

"This is one of our main encampments for this time of he year," Charon said, as they approached where she was waiting for them. "Normally, we are forbidden to bring strangers here; but you are a special case." She paused, and indicated a handful of people that were approaching. "If you will go with them, they will show you to huts where you can sleep tonight, and see that you are given dry clothes and hot food. I will come when the elders send for you."

"Thank you," Flynn smiled. "I look forward to learning more about this place." The group followed the foresters as instructed.

----------

A sort time later, Troyen found himself one of a large group of people seated around a large camp fire. As promised he was warm, dry, and was just finishing off the most welcome hot meal he'd ever had.

Sighing in satisfaction, he allowed his gaze to wander about the camp once more. He was as much in awe of this place as Flynn was. His parents had always been city dwellers, and his experiences with the Defenders had been of purely clinical environments, plastic and steel; he'd never before seen more than a handful of trees together in one place. The scale of this great forest was something completely beyond the bounds of his imagination.

Flynn, he noticed, on the other side of the fire, was clad in the same style of soft green tunic as had been left for him; but like the rest of them, he hadn't relinquished his swords. He still wore them strapped to his back, arrayed fan-wise for easy access by either hand. The effect was quite incongruous.

Several of the foresters began to collect the cups and dishes. a few of the younger people, most around Troyen's own age, sauntered over and sat down nearby, chatting amongst themselves. Troyen stared at nothing in particular, not wanting to appear rude, but at the same time not feeling a part of the scene, and not wanting to intrude.

"Hi, I'm Eisha. Can I sit there?" Troyen brought his eyes into focus, and looked up at one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen; she was indicating the space beside him.

"S-sure," he stammered. She smiled, and sat.

"What's your name?" she queried.

"Oh yes; we haven't been introduced. I'm Troyen."

"Pleased to meet you, Troyen." Eisha then proceeded to introduce the others that had joined them.

"Where do you come from, Troyen?" one of the young men asked.

Troyen took a deep breath, and began his long tale. He told them of his life as a young boy, and his recruitment by the Defenders. He told them of the hunt through the installation, and his capture by Flynn; he spared himself nothing, painting a bleak picture of deception and betrayal, from which he'd been rescued by one he'd thought was an enemy.

"So you finally made up your mind about them?" Eisha prompted, as he seemed to run out of things to say.

"Yes, I suppose I did," he replied, surprised that he hadn't noticed. "I've seen them in action several times now. I suppose what made it clear is that they care about each other, and about the people they find themselves with. When we thought Mia had been killed, we all felt such a fury; we'd have taken on twice as many elves if we'd had to, to avenge her death."

"'We'?" Eisha prompted again. "You count yourself one of them now?"

"Hardly, " he answered.

Eisha seemed surprised. "Why not?"

Troyen took a few moments to think about the question. He absently noticed Charon approach Flynn and speak quietly into his ear; Flynn got to his feet and followed her into the shadows.

"Well, it's kind of hard to describe... It's just that they're all so - heroic. I guess I look up to them a lot, but I could never fit in, in their world." The thought gave him pause. While he'd obviously been feeling that way for some time, he'd never before admitted it, even to himself.

"What was it like, passing through the gate?"

"Did Flynn really call the skyfire?"

The questions continued to come, and he only half registered as Moonshadow looked surreptitiously about, and slipped off into the shadows after Flynn and Charon. He answered question after question about his life and interests. Eisha hushed a few of them that were probing too deeply into his private life; it gave Troyen a warm feeling inside to have her protecting him like that. He wasn't used to being the centre of attention, and he found the whole situation peculiar. He suddenly realised that, by chance and circumstance, he'd become something he'd never dreamed of being.

He was a celebrity.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 03-20-2002).]

Hergat grunted in dissapointment as he slid around another tent. The sun had broken the cage of the horizon and sat mercilessly in the sky, sending firey rays of heat that beat down relentlessly on the mortals below. The village was alive and awake, most of the Shomani either enjoyed the sun or ignored it. Preperations were being hastily made, the elders had predicted a sandstorm would stike later that afternoon.

The former assassin paused in the shade of a half-disassembled dome, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He had been observing the Shomani, looking for some sign of the menace he felt the previous night. Muttering a curse about his decision not to bring water, he stood up and continued down the sandy path, winding between tents. Turning a corner, he saw Anzor emerging from one of the tents, who quickly spotted Hergat.

"There you are," Hergat sighed in relief before the Shomani leader could speak, "I've been trying to find you. I'm concerned about my friends, will they be safe in this storm?"

"I'll send a few men over once they are finished securing the children." Anzor replied, his frown removed.

"Many thanks," Hergat bowed and repeated the sign of respect he had seen the cat-people give the headsman. Anzor's face remained expressionless as he turned and returned to the task that had been interrupted. Hergat sighed inwardly, he had handled that encounter well. Chastising himself for letting the headsman catch him twice, he hurried onward.

Hours later, the sun had shifted into the middle of the sky and despite a reluctant struggle to remain there, it moved on, marking late afternoon. Hergat had not discovered anything unusual, and be began to doubt that there was anything amiss at all. He was heading back towards the tent with his friends when the first strong gust of wind hit.

He stumbled to maintain his balance and noticed the sky had turned dark. The sun that had seemed so cruel before seemed a blessing in comparison with the ominous feel of the storm clouds rapidly engulfing the sky. Hergat staggered onwards, knowing that failure to reach safety would result in serious danger. The few cat-people still outside were hurrying to their shelter as well, a bad sign for the outlander.

Finally, through the blowing sand, he saw his destination and thankfully slid inside, sealing the tent behind him.

The day passed slowly, full of an everpresent howling and a small fear that the tent might not hold up. The wind and beating of the sand against the fabric of the dome prevented anybody from sleeping, and made the overall mood that much more miserable. Once, during the storm, the four thought they heard strange sounds, but they died away quickly. Hours passed, and yet the storm showed no sign of abating.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

The wind continued long after the storm had calmed down, making an eerie howling whistle through the air. The group was startled when suddenly a Shomani burst into their tent.

"The elders want to see you," he growled and waited for them to rise. Hergat exchanged glances with Lemenath, both wondering what the elders could possibly want with them. The four left the tent, only to be blasted by the wind.

A glance outside revealed some of the effects of the storm, there was an additional two feet of sand and the occasional drift that would rise even higher. A few sheets of sand occasionally would be blown across their screen of vision, but most of the sand remained on the ground. The wind was cold, and managed to pierce even the toughest of clothing, chilling everyone instantly.

The group staggered around the village, a bad sign that they weren't wanted in the village. Finally, after fighting the gusts of wind, the four outworlders found themselves outside a rather large, tan dome.

"They await you." Their escort said simply as he took up a position outside the door, fingering a rather nasty-looking spear.

Not knowing what to expect, but having a small feeling of dread growing inside them, the group entered inside the tent. It seemed smaller on the inside than it did outside, but it was well-lit. A group of six Shomani sat in a circle, and the group recognized Anzor easily. Two more Shomani, one male, stood next to the elder circle, yet stayed away in a respectful silence.

"The storm is almost past," Anzor spoke. "And then our mourning can begin." The feeling of dread tightened into terror as they sat down where Anzor indicated, under the watchful gaze of the elders.

"During the storm, the tent that held many of our children collapsed. Some did not survive," Anzor continued in a grim, controlled voice, though his face betrayed no expression.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ranari whispered.

Anzor's voice took a slightly harsher tone, and the four could hear the anger being hidden in it, "A closer inspection of the tent reveals sabotage. Someone wanted to intentionally harm the children." The headsman turned to the two Shomani currently standing. "These two saw your human friend around the tent before the storm."

"He was there, we saw him by the rope!" The woman burst out, but quickly fell silent.

Hergat was well aware that all eyes were on him, and he made sure to be careful what he said next, "I feel sorrow for your loss but I assure you, I did not cause..."

Anzor cut him off, "You are friends with the elves, are you not?"

Hergat restrained himself from seperating Lemenath from Ranari, and replied, "Yes."

"We want to talk to you." Anzor turned to the others, "You are free to return."

Lemenath strongly wanted to say something to help Hergat, but he knew these people distrusted elves and a statement from him might do more harm than good. Instead, he clenched his jaw and stood up as if to leave. It was then that he noticed Kwon still setting.

Appearantly Anzor had noticed him too, as he said, "We gave you permission to leave."

"I chose to stay. I want to help." Kwon spoke. The Shomani leader and the Ronin engaged in a brief battle of will, before Anzor consented.

"Very well, if you don't want to leave you may stay." Lemenath sat down again silently thanking Kwon.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

Moonshadow stealthily crept along behind Flynn and Charon. It wasn't that she minded Flynn being alone with the woman, it was rather that she was exceedingly curious about this place, and how these people lived. Or so she kept telling herself.

There were many things that puzzled her. These people seemed to exhibit skills that were almost a match for a woodland elf; but how had they learned such things? Admittedly, Trinias displayed many of the same attributes, but he was a special case - wasn't he? She couldn't be sure. Explanations were needed. In the meantime, she resolved that it was a bad idea for any of the group to get separated from the others, and alone with any of these foresters. Especially Flynn. With Charon.

Charon lead Flynn to the great central tree, and up the spiralling stairs. Moonshadow waited until they were on the opposite side of the trunk, glanced about quickly to be sure she was unobserved, and hurried over. She began to climb, carefully keeping the thickness of the trunk between Flynn, Charon and herself.

On reaching the platform, Charon took Flynn across one of the rope bridges. Moonshadow crept to the top of the stairs, observing which way they went. Once they were once again out of sight, she silently crossed after them, turning in the direction they'd taken.

The foresters had taken the time to build more solidly here, constructing broad wooden bridges between trees. Charon and Flynn travelled quite some distance, passing by dwellings and halls of varying sizes, before reaching a pair of large double doors. Charon knocked, waited, and upon hearing some reply, opened the door and took Flynn inside.

Moonshadow halted out of sight some distance back, and chewed her lip nervously. She couldn't see any way to get inside that room, so she'd just have to settle for listening at the keyhole. She pressed her lips together firmly as she made up her mind, checked once more that she was unobserved, and ran lightly up to the doors. She leaned lightly against them, pressing an ear up against the thick wood. From that position her view was somewhat obstructed; she'd have to rely on her elven hearing to warn her if someone was coming.

"We have heard the reports of Charon and the other scouts," a deep male voice was saying, "now we would like to learn more about you. Please, tell us your whole story, in your own words." Moonshadow smiled in satisfaction; at least there were more foresters in there than just Charon. She listened more intently, as Flynn began to speak.

Much of what he told them she already knew, but there were parts of his story that she'd never heard him speak of before. Much of it he'd probably only recently remembered, and the subject simply hadn't arisen in conversation; nevertheless, she felt somewhat disappointed that he was sharing it with someone else first.

For the first time, she heard him speak of the death of his mother; in childbirth, giving birth to his younger sister. Recounting the event evidently pained him, and she wished she could be there to give him some comfort; but given these people's paranoia about elves, she dreaded revealing her presence. He continued on, relating the story of his trial and acquittal, followed closely by the death of his sister. He recounted a few adventures he'd had on his own, before taking employment with Boralis; they were also new to her.

The story was more familiar from that point, telling of his years with Boralis, forming attachments with his friends. That lead to the events that sent them to Cythera, and their time with the Seldane. Moonshadow perked up as he began to tell of Boralis' betrayal. That was also a story that she had yet to hear, and that was related more personally to her; she'd faced Boralis once, herself.

"What are you doing here, young lady?" Moonshadow gasped, and whirled about guiltily; she'd heard no sound of anyone approaching.

Nor was that surprising, she realised, as she beheld who had spoken. The woman was dressed forester fashion, as were most of the people Moonshadow had seen: tunic and breeches of mottled green, that blended in well with the undergrowth, if the wearer stood motionless. There was a quiver of arrows on her back, and a bow in her hand. Her hair was almost as white as Moonshadow's own, but it was the silver of old age. Her eyes were still sharp and penetrating, and she had the air of one who had a good deal of authority.

She was also, beyond question, an elf.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

Once permission had been given for him to stay, Kwon subsided. It wasn't so much that he considered Hergat a close friend, but, like all the Ronin, he had a strong desire to see justice prevail. These proceedings might well heve been carried out in a just manner - from what he sensed of Anzor, he considered that likely - but nevertheless, the situation had the potential to turn into a 'kangaroo' court. It was far too easy to quickly lay blame at the feet of an untrusted outsider.

Kwon considered all he knew about Hergat. True, he was an assassin, who'd come to Cythera with the intent to kill Flynn; but that was in a professional capacity. Someone had contracted him to do it. The question 'who' raised itself in his mind once again, but he supressed it - it had no bearing on this case. No matter what he was or what he'd done in the past, Kwon found it difficult to believe that Hergat would kill for no reason - and certainly not children.

Ranari glanced aside at Kwon briefly, and was surprised to see a tear roll down his cheek. She'd forgotten, once again, how sensitive the strange little man could be to the events around him; she supposed that must mean he was sensitive in other ways, too.

"Are you all right?" she queried.

Kwon slowly drew a deep breath, exerting his utmost control once again. "I shall be all right," he replied. "It is just that - the death of children cuts too close."

"What do you mean?" Anzor asked, gently; the small man's emotional response had touched a chord in his own heart.

"Near the monastery where I trained, there was an orphanage. I spent a great deal of my time there, helping out how I could with the manual labour, and entertaining the children. One day - something happened. Many of the children were killed. I was greatly saddened." He focused his eyes on Anzor. "Is your family safe?"

"My daughter, Mia, is not here; otherwise she might have been in the tent, caring for the younger children. I am thankful that she was not there, but I worry; I fear she went off with your companions." His face took on an expression that approximated a wry grin. "She could talk her way out of - or into - anything, that girl."

"If she is with them, my sister will look after her," Ranari assured him.

Anzor stared at her searchingly for a few seconds. "Said of any other elf, that would give me no comfort; but your sister must be very special, to be arr'ahnsha to Flynn." Before Ranari could ask what he meant, he turned and took his seat with the other elders. "Now, let us begin. This case demands swift justice."

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I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 03-21-2002).]

Moonshadow struggled with a sudden sense of confusion. "You're an elf!" she exclaimed. "I thought these people hated elves!"

"For the most part, they do," the older elf chuckled warmly. "You must be the one Charon told me about, that they brought in with the man they're calling 'the Lightning Rod'."

"Uh, you mean Flynn? He's in there; they're questioning him." Moonshadow pointed over her shoulder to the great doors behind her.

"I see. Well, you might as well come with me; we should talk." Moonshadow looked back over her shoulder uncertainly, reluctant to leave Flynn to the mercies of the foresters without at least being close enough to aid him, should he need it.

"What, can't bear to leave him for even a minute?" Moonshadow blushed deeply; the old elf's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh! Well, don't worry about him, they won't hurt him," the old elf continued, chuckling once more. "The only thing he's in danger of is being lionized to death."

Before Moonshadow could form a reply, the other woman had bounded off up some nearby stairs. Moonshadow took one last, lingering look over her shoulder, and hurried after her.

------

"Please, take a seat," the grey haired elf said as Moonshadow bobbed down through the low entrance. The area inside wasn't large; but it was open plan, and seemed much roomier than it might have been. A small stove in one corner was lit, rapidly bringing a large copper kettle to the boil.

"Right, first things first - names," The elder elf stated. "What are you called?"

"Moonshadow."

"Pleased to meet you, Moonshadow; I'm called Niamh*. I suppose you want to satisfy your curiosity?" Moonshadow nodded. "Very well. As you can see, I've lived for a very long time. I'm one of the few people left alive on this world that can remember its Golden Age; all the races lived in harmony then, there was none of this nonsense about one race dominating another."

Niamh paused then to take the kettle off the fire. "Would you like some tea?" Moonshadow nodded once more, and Niamh set out two cups.

"Anyway, then something began to happen: the elves began to forget about nature. They became more interested in gadgets and machines. Oh, I'm sure those things have their place; but people, and even races, do too. An elf's place is to be at one with nature, but most of us forgot that. Instead, it was left to the humans and shomani to care for the things we elves ignored. They struggled at first, since they can never be as in tune with the lifeblood of a world as an elf can; but they did well, none the less."

Niamh sipped her tea for a while, staring vacantly into space. Moonshadow patiently waited for her to continue.

"When other elves started abducting humans and making slaves of them, I knew it was time to leave. Things had just gone too far. Someone had to show the humans how to protect themselves, so I made my way to the nearest forest. I allowed myself to be caught by the humans, who were even then starting to build the woodland community you've seen here. I managed to convince them that I wished only to help, and began to train them in the ways of the forest. I've trained several generations now, and they've come to think of me as part of the scenery. They've become quite good rangers, really," she finished, proudly.

She lowered her cup, and her gaze suddenly resumed the intense, focused gaze that Moonshadow had first seen in them. "Now, young one - what's your tale?"

Moonshadow bit her lip, wondering just where to begin.

------

*Name graciously provided by Moonshadow

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I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

"Restricted access for us, confinement for you. Well, I suppose that isn't too bad considering we've mostly confined ourselves anyway," Lemenath sighed.

"Did you notice anything pecuilar about the meeting?" Hergat asked his friend. The two were standing outside their tent, ignoring the mournful chill that howled through the village.

"Yes, I think. Most of the elders were neutral, but there were two that struck me as odd," Lemenath remarked. "Halshan seemed to believe you were innocent."

"Yes, I owe him my thanks. He reduced the penalty on my behalf. But then, there was Morla. She seemed determined to condemn me to my fate," Hergat sighed. He was already tired of this night, all the Shomani troubles had been dumped on him. Then again, he remembered being near the tent, but he wasn't clear as to what he had been doing. It might have been an accident, and Hergat could indeed have been responsible for fifteen deaths.

The wind whistled on, throughout the night...reflecting the solemn silence of the land.


------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

Salmaris' senses hungrily drank in the sights, sounds and scents of the large encampment. Although her people were a starfaring race, she'd been born after they became stranded on Cythera, and never had the opportunity to explore. Now she'd had the chance to observe other cultures in their native environments, and she was finding it totally fascinating.

She suddenly became aware that Mia was staring at her again. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?" she queried.

Mia glanced down at the ground, blushing in embarrassment. "Forgive me; but I've never seen anyone like you before. What race are you?"

"My people come from a different world than the others; it's called Fera-Sanga. I was born on Cythera, though, and have never left it - until now."

"How did you come to be there?"

"Well Mia, that's a long story..."

----------------

Leandra leaned back languidly against a tree, enjoying the feeling of warmth and a full stomach. She watched Troyen on the opposite side of the large fire, laughing with his group of admirers; she was somewhat amused at the change that had come over him.

She suddenly realised that someone was missing.

"Where are Flynn and Moonshadow?" she asked, after a quick glance around.

Wolmark, sitting next to her, opened one eye. "Hmm? Oh, Charon came and took Flynn away somewhere, and Moonshadow trailed along behind."

Leandra snorted. "Figures. Well, if anyone can protect him from that woman, Moonshadow can."

Wolmark opened his other eye, and turned his head to face Leandra. "What are you talking about? Charon seems like a perfectly nice person!"

Leandra grinned. "Just like a man; you can't see what's going on right under your nose!"

Wolmark could only stare at her in complete confusion.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

"It's a rather long story, really..." Moonshadow said at last. "Though I can cut it short for now. But first..." She got up and walked over to the window. She closed her eyes for a short moment, forming the spell that would allow her to see through the physical world and sense mental patterns.
Niamh watched, with increasing surprise and fascination, as the other elf's eyes turned silver and she began casting a second spell. A tiny ball of light appeared, hovering over the palm of her white hand. Moonshadow magically guided it through the humans' settlement, until it had reached a certain person. Those people seemed friendly enough, but it was still possible he might need help.
Niamh frowned, an worried expression on her face. She wasn't sure what exactly the stranger had cast, except that it was a more complex spell, but she was very sure that all the elven race had lost its magical abilities long ago. This young woman had just provided more proof to the group's claim not to be from this world. Yet, magic could not only be used to do good things, and Niamh would not let anybody endanger these people. "What are you doing?" She asked, and part of her suspicion must have shown in her voice, for the young elf jumped and looked at her guiltily.
"I'm sorry if I... scared you or something." Moonshadow said, closing her eyes. When she opened them again they had returned to their normal, amber color. "I..." She glanced out of the window. "I was just... looking for Flynn. I'm not intending to harm anyone."
"I see." Niamh smiled. Apparently, the other elf was also just looking after somebody she cared for - though in a somewhat different manner. "I was just not expecting this - somebody using magic."
"Somebody... or an elf?" Moonshadow asked, recalling what she knew about elves on this world.
"Both, actually." Niamh replied, looking at Moonshadow thoughtfully. "Sit down, please." She indicated a chair, smiling wryly. "I don't suppose your spells require you to keep staring out of the window all the time, do they?"
"No, of course not." In fact, the spell didn't require any attention. It was more like a security measure which would inform her if Flynn got into touble - 'trouble' as defined by herself. "I just... ah well, never mind." She walked over to the chair soundlessly, politely waiting for Niamh to sit down before she sat down herself. "I guess I should now try to satisfy your curiousity, shouldn't I? My friends and I come from a different world... several different worlds, in fact. Myself, I was born on a world named Fir'dha - World of Ice. We live in clans, inseperable through necessity - nobody survives alone, nobody leaves. Nobody ever sees flowers or trees or morning dew. I left, because I wanted to see what our world... what it should look like." She paused for a long moment, remembering. "I left through the void, a portal that leads through other worlds, and landed on Cythera. I spent years, just learning to understand humans.... Anyway, Cythera is the place where I met my friends; still, if I'm not totally wrong, only three of them, Talm, Katze and Sideline, were born there... everybody else comes from other places."
"But how did you come here?" Niamh inquired curiously.
"Well... Cythera seems to be a place that draws the strangest people, and not all of them have good intentions." She proceeded to tell Niamh about the appearance of Hergat and his friends, how they had all ended up getting captured, their escape and their intention to find a way back to Cythera through theportals, their promise to help the Shomani... despite her efforts to keep the story short, she still spend quite some time explaining what she considered important. "You said you're one of the oldest elves alive on this world... don't you know something about the location of the portal?"
***
Ranari was frustrated. Not only that, but she was also helpless, and that frustrated her even more. After having returned to the tent, she had tried to sleep, but found that she couldn't. It was not the heat... it was what had happened to the Shomani's children. How could anybody do such a thing? Everybody knew that a child's life was sacred, and nobody in their right mind would possibly commit such a monstrosity. She considered the human capable of many things, but she was sure he was not insane. That, in turn, meant that he might be right about what he had said the other day.
Ranari almost desperately wanted to do something, but while the sun was still blazing in the sky, she couldn't go out. She was forced to wait for the night - and she hated having to wait.

------------------
As l lay in my bed staring at the sky I asked myself:
Where the hell did the roof go?

Flynn found his way back to the fire, feeling dazed and bemused by the council's questioning. He sat down next to Wolmark, and stared vacantly into the flames.

Wolmark was about to ask him what had happened, when Leandra poked him sharply in the ribs; he looked at her in surprise. Leandra shook her head slightly; Wolmark shrugged, and settled back against the tree.

Flynn was puzzled. He'd more than half expected to be questioned about the lightning strike, since the rangers that had brought them here seemed so caught up by the event; but instead, the council had been more interested in his past life, and how he came to be here on their world. Only briefly, at the end, had they touched on the phenomenon; Flynn had explained about the sword's ability to store electricity, and his belief that, being drained, it attracted a new charge from the nearest source available - the storm. He was largely unnaffected, but only because the sword absorbed most of the electricity.

The council had seemed satisfied with that explanation, thanked him for his willingness to speak with them, and allowed him to leave. Charon apparently had something further to discuss with them, so he was left to find his way back on his own.

The only really disturbing thing about the whole incident happened just as he was leaving the chamber. The elders were speaking quietly among themselves, and so low were their voices that he couldn't make out most of it; but as he opened the great doors, one word reached him clearly: 'prophecy'.

---------

Leandra glanced up at the thick canopy overhead. It was hard to tell from beneath its dark shadow, but it seemed to her that the storm had passed, and the sun was shining. She climbed awkwardly to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Wolmark queried, as she dusted herself off.

"I think the rain's stopped; I want to take a look around."

"Feel like some company?"

"Sure," she smiled. Wolmark clambered to his feet. Leandra gazed around, picked a direction that looked interesting, and they slowly wandered off. Flynn, still thinking deeply about the meeting, absently got to his feet and followed them; but he wasn't really taking in any of the scenery.

They soon found themselves on a worn path, heading roughly northwest out of the camp. Leandra and Wolmark were walking slowly, chatting about any inconsequential thing that took their fancy. Flynn was so lost in thought that he failed to notice he'd left the path. He gradually became aware of the russet carpet of pine needles crackling underfoot, evidence that this land was in the depth of its autumn months. He topped a small rise, looked up, and caught his breath in surprise - the sight that met his eyes was as breathtaking as it was unexpected.

Below him, at the base of a small valley, lay a long lake. Even as open as it was, not a breath of wind stirred its surface; it was as if he was looking into a mirror. The forest continued around both sides of the valley, eventually ending at the bases of three tall mountains, situated about the farthest tip of the lake. The snow capped peaks were reflected sharply in the glasslike water, making it appear that three huge, diamond shaped pieces of granite were floating in the middle of the sky.

As if that wasn't enough, some quirk of the light and the parting of the clouds suddenly bathed the central peak in bright rays of sunlight. It became a mountain of gold, flanked by two of granite grey. Flynn had never seen anything like it in his life; he found it impossible to believe he could ever see anything so extraordinary again.

---------

Niamh's eyes took on a glassy appearance, as she delved into ancient, long undisturbed memory. "The portals? The gates? yes, I have some vague memory of them. It will take some deep thought to recall what you need, but I think I'll have it by the time you return with the friends you left behind." Her focus returned to the present, and her mouth quirked into an amused smile. "Now tell me, young Moonshadow, is there any truth to these stories I've been hearing about a lightning bolt?"

"Yes, actually."

Niamh's eyebrows rose sharply. "It wasn't an exaggeration? Quickly, tell me all you know!"

Puzzled by the urgency in Niamh's tone, Moonshadow related her knowledge of the diamond sword, and her guess at the reason for the lightning strike and Flynn's survival - surprisingly close to Flynn's own suppositions.

"So it was nothing to do with him? It was the sword? Eru'esse, the prophecy! Those superstitious fools are going to read far too much into this!" She rushed to the door, then paused to look back at the bewildered Moonshadow. "I have to see the council immediately, before they do something rash; I'm sorry, I'll have to leave you to make your own way back." With no further warning, she vanished out into the dim light of day.

---------

Wolmark glanced back along the trail, and noticed Flynn sitting on a log off to one side, staring intently into the distance. Wolmark turned back to join his friend, but Leandra caught his arm.

"Leave him be. He's in one of his fey moods, there's only one person whose company he'd welcome right now."

Forestalling any further protest, she dragged the now unresisting Wolmark on down the trail, toward the nearby shore of the lake.

---------

Flynn sat, alone, drinking in the marvelous sight that confronted him.

"This is the kind of spot I'd want to build a home," he thought to himself.

That thought triggered other thoughts; fantasies of settling down, and raising a family. He imagined children playing near the lake, shepherded by an ever watchful woman that had to be their mother. He realised with a start just who it was he was envisioning, and sighed regretfully.

"Stop dreaming," he told himself disgustedly, beginning a very familiar argument all over again. "She's a wonderful person; too good to get saddled with a warhorse like you. Besides, she's an elf. She'll live, what, a thousand, two thousand years? You're human! Sure, Kronos said the Ronin will live as long as elves, but what proof do we have of that? Only time will tell for certain. And if he's wrong? Would you really be willing for her to suffer through losing you so quickly?"

He shook his head, and sighed once more. "Besides, what makes you think she would even be interested in you that way? No, it's pointless. I'm not prepared to risk her friendship, pursuing something that can never be."

He stared out over the calm lake once more. Somehow, it seemed to have lost much of its appeal.


------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 04-04-2002).]

Moonshadow remained where she was for a few minutes, thinking. She had spent quite some time here and if Niamh was going to see the council, then that meant Flynn would surely be somewhere else by now. Maybe even with - no! The winter elf shook her head vehemently. Her spell had not been triggered - yet. She tilted her head, concentrating. A small voice inside her insisted that it wasn't right for her to be spying like this, that it wasn't her business, but she simply ignored it.
Flynn was not in the human settlement; and what was more, he was alone. He didn't seem to be feeling well, though.
Now, should she join him or not?
That decision was easily made.
How to get there?
That wasn't quite as easy.
The simplest thing would be to teleport there - but that would make it appear as if she had been looking for him.
Walk there, maybe? No, that would take so long.
Moonshadow went to the window. Some of the humans might be wondering at a white falcon, so what? She wasn't doing anything bad - spying, spying! She resolutely told that inner voice to shut up, and chanted the incantation that would transform her.
***
The familiar cry of a bird of prey dispersed the last traces of Flynn's reverie. He knew the bird without having to look up, but he did it nonetheless. Wings spread, the white falcon was gliding down towards him in wide circles, using the air currents, and Flynn knew she was enjoying the view just as much as he had a few minutes ago. It must be even more breathtaking from above.
After one last look at the lake - it seemed perfect for a bath - Moonshadow decided to land. She would have smiled if it had been possible in bird form when she saw Flynn raising his arm in expectation. She perched down comfortably and began to arrange her feathers. Then she realized what she was doing, and suddenly felt extremely lucky to be in bird form. They didn't blush. She hopped of his arm quickly, transforming in mid-air, and landing with her back turned to have a little time to regain her composure. When she turned around to face Flynn, she suddenly didn't know what to say any more. After a moment of insecurity, she simply said the next best thing that came to her mind. "How was your meeting with the council?"

------------------
Life is relative.
I am relative.
This is probably relative, too.
Too bad I hate my relatives.

Lemenath sat up, alarmed. The chilling air seemed so unnatural for this place, and something had been alarming enough to waken his senses. Aside him, Ranari was dozing, enjoying the cold air while it lasted, and Kwon was across the tent, seemingly asleep.

Lemenath waited a minute, holding his breath, trying to detect anything that would be cause for alarm. Hearing and sensing nothing immediate, he lay back down, only to be jolted to his feet as he heard it again. It was a scream, coming on the wisps of the wind, and one that was suddenly choked silent.

The elf made his way to the tent flap, intending to find out what was wrong, when suddenly Hergat entered, sheathing his knife. Seeing Lemenath's troubled face, Hergat indicated outside, "I heard something and went to investigate." Lemenath scowled, as if he was trying to make sense of it all. He didn't have the time.

The tent flap was roughly shoved open and Morla appeared, with two other Shomani.

"The human there, he's the one," She said in an unpleasant voice.

"What now?" Hergat growled.

"You were seen around the scene of a murder. In our land, murder is considered a crime," she stated the last with a hint of her distate of the outlander.

"Why would you accuse this one?" Kwon asked, appearantly he hadn't been sleeping as soundly as he had appeared.

"Look at his arm," Morla pointed at Hergat's left arm, which had a slash of red blood on his skin, mingled with dirt from the aftermath of the storm. She had no need to indicate his dagger, that too was stained with recent blood.

Lemenath let out his breath slowly, this situation was grim. For some reason, he felt as if Hergat was innocent, despite the evidence. After all, he was an assassin, but that meant he killed when it was to his advantage, and angering these people didn't seem to fit. Besides, he didn't have enough information.

"Can we see the murdered body?" He suggested hopefully. The glance from the three cat-people was all he needed to know that it was a bad question.

"He's only trying to help," Ranari had joined him, appearantly she had awoken as well. "We promise not to touch anything, we just are concerned this might be settled unfairly.

"What more evidence do you need?" Morla grunted, but relented and led them out into the night. The group followed behind, at a brisk pace, as nobody wanted to linger in the chilled wind. They came to another one of the village tents, instantly spotting Anzor and seeing several other Shomani they did not recognize. One was weeping openly, probably the mother of the girl that had been slain.

She could not have been very old, hardly old enough to be considered more than a child. A deep gash cut across her neck, and her body layed splayed in a hopeless position, as if she had tried to fight her murderer. From the evidence around them, it seemed the culprit had only one objective that night, to kill.

"We think he is responsible," Morla stepped forward and showed Hergat's bloody arm, and knife. The gash on the arm appeared to match the blood on the feeble weapon the victim held in defense. Anzor frowned as he looked into Hergat's eyes.

"I cut my arm getting entangled in one of the tent cords. I don't know which one, its hard enough to see around here," Hergat said calmly, in a vain attempt to explain. "I had only her best interests in mind, I heard someone in danger and tried to help. I was entangled, and had to cut my way free," he indicated the knife as if he expected them to believe he cut his arm trying to get it out of a tangled rope.

"Nonetheless, we are placing blame all too quickly," Halshan stepped forward, none of the group had noticed him in the gathering crowd. "I propose we discuss this under better terms, after proper respect has been given to the fallen." He gave a respectful nod to the couple that were weeping earlier. Morla grit her teeth, but consented. The group were led back to their tent, under guard.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

The sun rose into the sky, the very same sun that was clearing the mists around the human village, all too far away. The normally busy and content Shomani village was silent today, mourning for the loss of what the group now knew to be Morla's neice. The four were now no longer allowed to roam free, but had at least three guards watching them, all the time. They seemed to be alert of everything that was being done, and everything that was being said, which gave the outlanders an uneasy feeling.

Hergat was allowed to stay with the others, but he had to remain chained to a post they had drove into the ground, to prevent him from causing more harm. He sat silently, seeing all and yet nothing. Lemenath felt pity for his friend, though out of remorse or understanding he did not know.

Then, it was time. Halshan appeared outside the tent, spoke to the guards, and indicated Hergat was to be taken. They walked over, undid the ropes that they never before had to use, and led him to the exit of the tent.

Out of an impulse that he still does not understand, Lemenath felt that he needed to be there, or all was lost for his old friend. He jumped to his feet and approached Halshan, indicating he wanted to ask him something outside. Once into the air, he spoke, "I would like to accompany him. Though I despise his acts, he was my friend and I at least owe him that respect." The words seemed to come with the wind, but with a nod Halshan confirmed his request.

The elf followed behind the assassin, as they wound in a solemn procession to the elders' tent. Lemenath knew inside what he must do, but struggled to figure out how to do it, without getting them both killed.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

Ranari watched them leave, frowning. Yet, knowing that the Shomani wouldn't let her out of here, she remained seated. It would probably be best for her to wait and watch. She took the crystal she had used to track her sister, smiling to herself. Who would have thought that the spell she'd cast on Hergat so long ago in Cademia would actually come in handy some time? She leaned back, activating the spell to watch the scene, just like Hergat would see it. In case her assistance was needed, she'd be there in a moment.
***
Katze wandered through the human settlement, feeling more than a little lost. Not physically - she'd be able to find her way back any time. But the way these humans lived, hiding in the forest, was so strange. She'd been born and grown up in Cademia, and had only ever left that city if curiosity or need drove her. The idea that somebody might actually want to live some place other than a city was almost absurd, yet these people were apparently quite content. How very strange...

------------------
Life is relative.
I am relative.
This is probably relative, too.
Too bad I hate my relatives.

[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 04-11-2002).]

Kwon broke the awkward silence. "It is most odd. I do not sense any malice or hostility directed at us, or even Hergat, except that arising from the belief that he is guilty of these despicable crimes; yet I cannot believe that he truly is guilty."

Ranari turned to look at him, careful not to break the thread of the monitoring spell. That wasn't difficult; once activated, the spell was largely self-sustaining. Kwon wasn't looking at her, but seemed instead to be staring at nothing; his gaze was focused inward, testing the texture of his internal mindscape. "I understand what you mean, my strange... friend." The word felt awkward, addressing a human - but to Ranari's surprise, she found that she meant it. "It makes no sense to me that he'd do those things - but neither does it make sense that it could be one of the Shomani."

"I am not certain of that; aberrations have been known to occur. Nevertheless, Whatever of malice is acting out here, it is not focused on us or Hergat; we are merely convenient for shifting the blame, and distracting those that might otherwise detect the truth. But I have distracted you enough; I will let you return to your observation."

Ranari smiled to herself, as Kwon fell silent. She didn't waste time wondering how he knew about the spell; once again, his sensitivity to the unseen had succeeded in surprising her.

----------

Flynn looked up at Moonshadow's question, but couldn't quite bring himself to hold her gaze - it was too painful. "The meeting was... not what I expected."

Moonshadow sat down next to him on the log. "In what way?"

"Well, I expected them to question me on who we are, how we got here, what our motives are, things like that; instead, they just wanted to know my life story. They were obviously trying to keep an appearance of neutrality, but it was still clear that they were very interested in that lightning incident." Flynn frowned. "As I was leaving, I heard someone mention something about a 'prophecy'; that was rather disturbing."

Moonshadow glanced at him sharply. "Niamh said something about a prophecy, just before she ran off."

"Niamh?"

"Oh, I'm sorry - she's an elf, that's been training the human rangers for generations. You'll probably meet her later."

Flynn nodded, smiling in satisfaction. "Ah, yes - that explains a lot!"

He looked up again at the golden mountain, drinking in as much of the view as he could before the light could fade again; he was still smiling, but his eyes took on a whistful, almost sad appearance. "Someday, I'd like to find a place like this and build a home. Get married, perhaps raise a family." He blushed, realising he'd spoken his thoughts out loud.

Moonshadow looked at him with interest. "Do you have anyone in mind for this adventure?" She carefully kept her voice casual, trying hard not to betray the way her heart had begun to race.

Flynn winced mentally, but strove to keep his face expressionless. His resolve almost failed, but it was his nature to stay true to his decisions. He kept his voice flat and toneless, a compromise between total control and abondonment to his emotions. "No, not yet. I'm in no hurry; when it happens, it'll happen."

He breathed deeply a few times, using one of Kwon's techniques to reassert calmness. "It really is a beautiful sight, though, isn't it?" He received no reply; looking to where Moonshadow had sat, he discovered he was completely alone.

----------

Leandra and Wolmark were sitting side by side on a large rock, quietly enjoying the same view that Flynn was seeing, and each other's company.

After a long silence, Leandra glanced speculatively at Wolmark. While she'd been so fixated on Flynn, she'd never really noticed him except as a friend; now she was beginning to realise there was a lot more to him than that. "He may not be the up-front hero-type that Flynn is," she thought, "but he's sensitive, kind, thoughtful, and brave enough in his own way."

She edged a little closer. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

Wolmark panicked, and said the first thing that came to mind. "Uh, I was wondering what this 'Stone of Mikos' could be. It's name isn't elven or shomani; it must be something very ancient." Well, he hadn't lied; his mind was perfectly capable of thinking on several levels at once - and it would've been too embarrassing to admit what had been closest to the surface.

Leandra jumped to her feet, fuming. "Men! Here you are, in the midst of all this beauty, with - and all you can think of is THAT!?" She whirled about and stormed off back to the camp, leaving Wolmark to wonder just what exactly he'd done wrong.

----------

By pure chance, Katze happened to find herself wandering the same trail the others had followed earlier. In the distance, she spied a figure in white hurrying back down the path toward her.

"Moonshadow!" she greeted as the figure appraoched. Moonshadow made no reply, and seemed not to even register her presence. Katze turned to watch her go, realising that her face had been streaked with tears.

A sound from back down the trail drew Katze's attention. Leandra was storming up the path, scowling blackly, and muttering under her breath. Like Moonshadow, she seemed not to notice Katze standing there as she hurried past. Katze caught a brief snippet of what she was saying.

"There we were, amidst all of that, and he was thinking of nothing but that cursed stone..."

Katze stared after the two women, shaking her head in consternation, then turned to look back down the path they'd come from. "Are those guys totally blind? Someone needs to bang their heads together!" Nevertheless, she didn't quite feel up to the task herself; she regretfully turned to follow her two friends.

----------

Charon quietly emerged from the woods near Flynn; she'd been waiting there for some time, listening, and was mildly surprised that the elf-woman hadn't noticed her presence; she must have been too preoccupied.

"Flynn?"

Flynn jumped slightly, and turned to face her. "Oh, hello Charon."

Charon joined him on the log. "This is one of my favourite spots, you know. Anyway, the council has agreed that your mission is important, and you've been granted safe passage through the forest. I'd suggest you wait until morning; the day's worn on quite a bit, now."

"Thank you."

"You'll need a guide; that shomani girl won't know a thing from here on out."

"We'd appreciate it, thanks."

"I volunteered."

That finally got a reaction; Flynn raised an eyebrow. "We're grateful for any assistance you might give us; but why do you feel it necessary to come yourself?"

Charon seemed a little uncomfortable at the question. "Let's just say, I have a healthy respect for your group, and your mission; I want to help." She stood up abruptly, drawing the conversation to a close. "I'll see you back at camp."

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

"Outlander, you are brought here today so we can determine if you are guilty of serious crimes against our people," Anzor announced, bringing the meeting to a start. "What are the charges against this man?"

"He is charged with willing and repeated murder of our people, namely seventeen children," Calzor stated. The four elders and headsman were sitting in a wide circle with strange markings on it. Hergat was standing in the inner circle drawn on the ground, a much tighter spot, and if he moved out of it, there were several Shomani guards standing nearby, spears at the ready. Lemenath sat with the elders on the outer inscribed circle; Halshan had found a Shomani rule permitting the accused to participate in the trial.

"What proof do we have?" Lemenath asked, ignoring the scowl from Morla. It was a fair question he was allowed to ask.

"He committed his murders twice. The first was sabotage of the children's tent before the storm. We have multiple witnesses seeing him around the tent, and with a drawn blade. You don't deny this, do you?" Calzor continued.

"I don't deny I was near the tent, but my motives were different," Hergat replied.

"How so?" When Hergat didn't respond, Calzor demanded again in a slightly harsher tone, "And just what were you doing?"

"I was..." Hergat seemed uneasy to reveal his suspicions. He knew something had to be here, but if Kwon couldn't feel anything...maybe the evil was him. The thought frightened him, as he realized the consequences of that possibility, that his whole life might have led up to slaughtering innocent children. Banishing it from his head, he struggled against the tides of his mind to come up with an answer, but it was too late. His hesitation had been all the council needed. Morla nodded in triumph, then indicated Calzor to continue.

"Last night, he murdered a female, who happens to be related in blood to a member here now." Calzor turned to Lemenath, "We found this in the debris near the body." He held up a chain that contained a sole artifact hooked onto it. The artifact was simple, a tiny metal triangle with a small dagger inside, something small enough to be hidden in the palm of a hand. Hergat felt a sinking feeling, that was the pendant that he kept hidden from almost everyone, his access into the guild on Shinaris. It was most undoubtedly his, as it couldn't be freak coincidence that someone else would have one similar to it. In a futile attempt that confirmed his fears, Hergat silently searched the spot he kept his pendant, and found it missing.

Lemenath mentally reeled, trying to find a way to disprove this latest bit of evidence. "Couldn't he have dropped it last night? In the confusion and being 'escorted' back to our tent, one could have easily lost something so small as that."

"If this is not enough proof, what about the body?" Morla cried out suddenly, "He was seen last around her. The slash matches the type of cut his dagger would make. There was blood on his dagger, her blood. There was blood on the weapon she used to defend herself, his blood. How can he not have done it?"

Rinzhak nodded his consent and turned to Hergat. "I concur. What more proof do you require?"

Lemenath sighed for a moment, and locked his eyes with Hergat's. Its not over yet, he silently told him, before answering aloud, "None."

"What shall we do with him?" Anzor asked the four elders.

"Give him the Uhm'rhá, he took lives, let his be taken away," Morla demanded.

"You're letting your niece cloud your judgement," Halshan politely rebuked. "What if instead, we were to give him to the Temple for judgement?"

"The temple isn't fully functioning," Rinzhak reminded him.

"The divine do not need a stone to make their will known. We can let them chose his fate." Lemenath silently thanked Halshan in a wave of relief. A moment of silence hung in the air, followed by another. Morla opened her mouth as if to speak her consent, when suddenly a violent explosion caused them all to jump to their feet.

The ground rocked mercilessly for a few terrifying moments. Hergat wanted to rush outside to see what the commotion was, but caught himself before he left his circle. Instead, he forced himself to sit down and grit his teeth in frustration. He could see the council was trying to hide their desire to leave as well, but they could not break the incantation they had carved for the council. Instead, Anzor beckoned to one of the guards to investigate.

The gesture was wasted, a Shomani male hurriedly entered babbling something about a ring of fire from the heavens. After a brief hesitation, Anzor did something Hergat didn't catch, and the spell of magic was broken. The seven quickly hurried outside to gaze at the destruction. Outside they saw what the shocked man had been trying to tell them. Several lines of scorched black lay scattered almost randomly about, heedless if they crossed through a tent or not. Several tents lay smouldering in flames.

"Over here!" One of the huntsmen called, indicating the ridge a short distance away. The seven, and a gathering crowd of other Shomani, hurried after, scaling the ridge with ease. Once upon the top, Anzor strode over to the huntsmen that had called to them, who pointed out toward the village. The elders turned, and stared in shock at what they saw.

From ground level, the scorched lines seemed to care not where they wound, who they killed, or what they destroyed. A view off the ground can begin to make sense of the randomness. The Shomani looked out over the black sign of dread that had been burned over their village.

Anzor turned in fury, "You have brought the wrath of the gods upon us. You will be slain at sundown, as a sacrifice for repentance." He stormed off with the other Shomani, Halshan waiting behind.

"What is that?" Lemenath asked Halshan.

"Its the sign of the underworld. Its lord has marked us." He said gravely. "I do not belive I can help you now."

Hergat nodded solemnly, still in a half-daze, "I appreciate your help." Halshan bowed and followed after the Shomani. There had been too much death in the last day.

Lemenath remained alone besides Hergat, who still was staring at the remains of the village.

"What have I done?" Hergat asked the wind. Even Lemenath was unable to console his friend on the answer.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

Early the next morning, the group gathered once more by the large communal fire; it seemed as though the entire village had turned out to see them off.

Flynn took a quick head count. Leandra stood some distance away, pointedly ignoring Wolmark; Flynn quirked an eyebrow in his direction, but Wolmark just shrugged, and looked confused. Talm was hovering about near Wolmark, trying to engage him in conversation; but Wolmark was too distracted to respond much. Katze was leaning against a tree, with Salmaris and her second shadow, Mia, close by. Sideline joined them just then, slipping up from goodness knows where; Flynn hadn't seen him since the council meeting, the day before.

Moonshadow appeared to be keeping company with an older elf woman, whom Flynn assumed to be the mysterious Niamh she'd mentioned the day before. For some reason, Moonshadow kept avoiding making eye contact with him; Flynn suddenly knew exactly how Wolmark was feeling right now.

That just left young Troyen; ah, there he was, hanging about with that younger group he'd been with the previous day. Flynn wandered over to him, and attracted his attention - no mean feat, since the young man seemed to be focusing mainly on the pretty girl next to him.

"Troyen, this could get pretty dangerous from here on out; there's no need for you to come, if you'd rather stay."

Troyen glanced briefly back at the girl, and gulped. "I'd rather see this through, if you don't mind," he replied, quietly. "I feel I have something to prove - to myself, if no-one else."

Flynn nodded, and smiled. "Right; we'll be setting off just as soon as Charon arrives." Troyen nodded, and returned to his new friends.

Flynn sat down by the fire to await Charon's arrival. He knew, without knowing how, that Moonshadow would make the same offer to Mia that he'd just made to Troyen; but somehow, he didn't think she'd be any more willing to take it than the boy had been.

-------

"You don't have to go to impress... us, you know." Troyen glanced at Eisha; he was almost sure she'd been about to say something else, and changed her mind. "I - we would like it, if you stayed..."

Troyen took a deep breath. "It's like I said to Flynn; I need to prove something to myself - that I can do the right thing, if given the chance. There's a lot that isn't right on this world, and I want to do something to help make things better - even if only a little bit." Eisha nodded; for a moment, Troyen half imagined she looked a little sad.

They stood there in silence, until they saw Charon arriving, in full travelling kit, and accompanied by another forester about her own age. "This is Damar," she said, introducing him to the rest of the group. "He'll also be accompanying us. That way, if anything happens to me, you'll still have a guide. Is everybody ready?"

"Yes," Flynn replied, hauling himself to his feet, and slinging his pack over his shoulders.

Charon set off down the trail, and the rest of the team fell into single-file behind her. Troyen, almost reluctantly, joined the rear of the line. He glanced back once at the ranger camp, and saw Eisha raise a hand in farewell; he returned the gesture, hoping he was up to this task - and that he'd survive, to return and see her again.

-------

As they walked, Katze edged up beside Sideline. "Where'd you disappear to last night?" Sideline glanced at her, and made an almost imperceptible shake of his head, and scratched one ear; 'not now,' he meant, 'there are too many ears'. Katze made an equally unobtrusive nod, acknowledging that she'd understood his signals.

"Oh, nowhere really," he said aloud. "I was just enjoying the fresh air."

They fell into silence, and Katze dropped back nearer to Salmaris and Mia - wondering just what Sideline could possibly have discovered in that peaceful camp, that he thought required so much secrecy.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

Lemenath watched solemnly as a procession escorted Hergat slowly towards the temple. He had learned in the short time before twilight that serious felons were taken to the Temple of Lights and sacrificed there, using their blood as a sign of repentance to the gods in a solemn ritual. The elf did not know if the missing Stone of Mikos would affect the ceremony, but Anzor was hiding any doubts he held.

"They're going to kill him," Ranari had walked up beside him. "If he's your friend, you know that can't happen." Lemenath turned to her, wondering what had caused her to find some crap of affection for the human. She met his gaze, until he lowered his eyes and drew his concealed belt knife. For a moment all was silent as he fingered the blade, idly tracing his finger along the engraved markings on the hilt and the twining gold wire that wrapped around it. He felt the blade, and tested its sharpness.

Lemenath gazed at the blade, thinking back on memories and good times he had with Hergat. He had come a long way since the first chance meeting on Sigma Outpost, and everything now was turning around on him. With a strengthened resolve, he sheathed his knife and locked his gaze on Ranari's eyes. She gave a small nod in reply.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

[This message has been edited by Lemenath (edited 05-16-2002).]

Flynn lay concealed beneath a sheet of canvas, staring out from the edge of the forest at the Elven city before him. It wasn't at all like he'd expected. It was a dull place, everything constructed in shades of brown. It appeared to be designed as a kind of fortress, with high walls, watch towers, crenelated battlements and minarets; in many respects, it reminded him of the castles from his homeland.

The storms had broken again sometime during the night, and even covered as he was, the dampness was seeping through his armour from the undergrowth beneath him. He hated to think how Moonshadow must be feeling, lying next to him, wearing only her usual thin clothes. He was about to voice his concern, but halted himself; with the way she'd been acting toward him lately, it would probably do more harm than good.

"You see what we face," Charon commented, from his other side. She motioned slightly, pointing at the trickle of people entering and exiting the city gates. "You won't get through those gates unless you're an elf - or a slave."

Indeed, the only humans they'd seen on the road that morning were in chains. Their clothes were threadbare and faded, and filthy besides. What they were wearing was probably all that they had. Their hair was universally kept short, either by law or custom, but the beards of the males were long and unkempt. The only male slaves without beards were those quite obviously too young to grow them. The slaves had one further thing in common: they all carried themselves with a slumped-shouldered, dejected air of abject hopelessness.

Flynn's face darkened at the sight. Charon glanced at him curiously; she apparently hadn't expected him to show such emotion over something her people had come to accept as a simple fact of life.

"Not my kind!" Charon looked past Flynn at Moonshadow, showing some surprise. Flynn himself was not surprised, either at the depth of Moonshadow's anger, or Charon's reaction to it.

"We're strangers to these people," he reminded himself. "They've lived with the fact of slavery for generations; we haven't." He put the thought aside, bringing another aspect of the situation to the surface. "Just when did I get to know Moonshadow so well? I'm sure I couldn't have anticipated her reactions this well when we first arrived here."

He shrugged, putting the problem away for another time. "We should report back," he murmured, and began to wriggle backwards, out from under the canvas.

-------

Sideline was leaning against a tree, only half listening to the discussion. He was thinking more about what he'd found at the forest village, trying to see its impact on everything. His attention was snatched back to the present when Moonshadow spoke up for the first time.

"Someone has to scout the city," She said, "and it's quite obvious that I'm the only one of us that can walk the streets openly."

Flynn, not surprisingly, was chewing his lip nervously. "I don't like it," he said. "You shouldn't go alone. What if I went with you, masquerading as a slave?"

Charon laughed. "Sorry; but I doubt you could carry it off. Whatever you might be wearing, you'd still look just too darned heroic! Those elves would see through it in an instant."

Flynn stared at Charon in annoyance. "Well, who then?"

"You said the slaves wore beards?" Wolmark was thoughtfully stroking his own beard as he spoke; as the only one of them that happened to have a beard, he considered he was the logical choice.

"No!" Leandra exclaimed, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be mad at him. She looked embarrassed, and covered her mouth with her hand.

Damar grinned. He was still something of a mystery to them, since they'd only met him the day before. "No good," he commented. "The slave's beards are long and straggly; we don't have a month to wait, for yours to grow that long." Wolmark managed the difficult feat of looking both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"But she can't go alone!" Everyone fell silent, gazing at nothing, unable to meet Flynn's accusing stare.

"I'll go."

Flynn turned to face the quiet voice; Troyen flushed under his scrutiny.

Charon looked at the young man consideringly. "Might just work. He's young enough that they wouldn't wonder at him being clean shaven; and he's got that 'I'm out of my depth' kind of quality about him. Yes, I think he'll do."

"But you're awfully young, Troyen," Flynn murmured.

"I was old enough to be recruited by the Defenders; and I want to do this."

Flynn thought hard for a few moments. "All right. You can go."

"No!" Moonshadow objected. "I'll go alone; I can take care of myself!"

"You're not going alone, and that's final!" Moonshadow blinked at the vehemence of Flynn's retort. "Besides," he continued, "looking like you have a slave will help you blend in - and the boy can keep an eye out, while you're involved with other things."

It was Moonshadow's turn to chew her lip uncertainly. She had to admit, Flynn's argument made sense - and it would be nice to have company in there; even though the people in the city were elves, she doubted she'd have anything in common with them at all. She nodded reluctantly.

"Good," Flynn said. "So the two of you go in, try to find out where the crystal is - then what?"

"Then we do our job!" Katze sounded positively gleeful, as she grasped Sideline by the arm and hauled him closer to the circle.

"Um, yeah," Sideline added distractedly, then focused more sharply. "Yes; once we know where it is, we go in at night and grab it."

Flynn nodded again. "OK. Anybody have anything else to add?" Nobody did. He turned to Moonshadow. "You should make your preparations, and leave as soon as you're ready. The quicker you two are out of there, the better I'll like it."

Moonshadow nodded. "We'll need some more appropriate clothing for both of us - and a set of those chains."

Charon nodded. "Leave that to us." She and Damar slipped off into the forest.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 04-25-2002).]

Silence enshrouded the small group, as they awaited the return of Charon and Damar. Each seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, reluctant to risk inflaming the tensions that had arisen in the last few days.

Katze waited patiently for Sideline to look in her direction. Her patience was eventually rewarded; she held his eyes with her own for a moment, then made a slight motion with her head toward the forest, showing four fingers. He nodded unobtrusively; Katze checked that no-one was looking in her direction, and slipped quietly into the forest. Four minutes later, Sideline did the same - but in the opposite direction.

-------

Sideline found Katze leaning against a tree, well out of earshot of the rest of the group. At least, he hoped it was; he wasn't actually sure just how good Moonshadow's hearing was - but if anyone would know, it was Katze.

"What's the big secret? What did you find?" Katze asked, getting straight to the point.

Sideline paused for a moment, to gather his thoughts. "You know me, I was curious. They seemed a bit quick taking us in, and I wanted to know why!." Katze nodded; she'd felt a bit uncomfortable about that herself. "I wandered about the village for a while, just looking, until I found what looked like a library of sorts. There was nobody about, so I went in."

"What did you find?"

"Well, there were a lot of books about their history, but I didn't have time for that. There was one odd thing about the room, though."

Katze grinned, knowing he was getting to the point; 'odd things' are a rogue's business. "Do tell!"

"Right; well, in the middle of the room, in a clear space between the shelves, there was a flat stone propped up on a pedestal. It looked very old, and there was some text engraved on it."

"So tell me, already!"

"I can do better; I took a rubbing." Sideline pulled a folded piece of paper from an inside pocket, and handed it to Katze. She opened it carefully, making sure to keep it dry and unsmudged.

After the Golden Age will come a Black Age, when the very world will be turned upside down. Brother will turn against brother, friend against friend; the races will be torn asunder until all is chaos.

At the height of the darkness, a great power will be stolen from its resting place. The elements themselves will rage against this injustice; the sun will be blotted out, flames shall fall from the sky and smite the earth. Blood will beget blood, as the innocent perish.

At the height of the darkness, One shall come among you. The faithful must watch for this sign: look for the Lightning Rod, who calls forth the thunderbolt. Sky fire shall smite him, and he shall be unharmed.

The One and his companions will seek out the usurped power, and return it to its rightful place. The fury of the elements will be assuaged. The One will begin to set the world aright, bringing light into dark places. He will join his blood with the people. His descendants will continue what he has begun, until the world is set aright; then will begin a new Golden Age.

Katze blinked. She read the text again, then looked up at Sideline. "Am I reading this right? Flynn's supposed to stay here?"

Sideline nodded. "That's how it looks."

"Damn," Katze muttered under her breath. "This'll kill her..."

"One reason I didn't want it getting around," Sideline commented wryly. "We have to keep this under our hats. It hasn't all come true yet, and we won't know for sure until it does. But you know Flynn; if he gets it into his head that that's what he's supposed to do, he'll do it - no matter how much pain it causes him."

Katze nodded. "You can trust me on that; the last thing I want is for Moonshadow to hear about this."

-------

Charon and Damar returned, carrying clothes and chains.

"Where did you find those?" Leandra queried.

"We didn't 'find' them, we 'took' them," Damar grinned. "We waylaid an elf and her slave that looked about the right sizes, and took theirs."

"What did you do with them?" Flynn asked.

"We left them tied up in the forest," Charon replied. "We'll return their clothes and let them go once we no longer need them."

"Why didn't you set the slave free?"

Charon looked at Flynn, sadly. "It's been our experience that the slaves don't want to be freed," she replied. "They've grown up being slaves; it's all they've known, and they tend to be afraid of anything else."

Flynn shook his head in disbelief.

Moonshadow and Troyen took the clothing, and disappeared into the forest to change.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

[This message has been edited by Overmind (edited 04-27-2002).]

Flynn paced back and forth across the clearing, staring unseeingly at the ground; the other Ronin couldn't remember a time when they'd seen him so agitated. Most of the group were morally certain that they knew what had him on edge; they would have been very surprised indeed if they'd been able to catch a glimpse inside his mind.

Abruptly, he whirled and paced determinedly over to Charon.

"Take me to see the slave."

Charon looked at him in surprise, but nodded compliantly. "As you wish; this way." She lead him off in the direction she and Damar had returned earlier.

Several hundred metres away, they found a female elf and her male slave seated against two trees, bound, gagged and blindfolded. Both appeared deathly afraid. Flynn pulled the man to his feet, and lead him some distance away before removing the gag; the blindfold he left in place.

"Tell me your name," Flynn asked gently. The man flinched away from his voice, and whimpered softly. "It's all right, we won't hurt you. What is your name?"

"M-my name's Terrel, y'honour," the slave replied. Flynn's assurance of safety seemed to have had only a small calming effect on the man.

"Do you know what it is to be free, Terrel?"

"F-free? From what?"

"Don't you know you're a slave, Terrel?" Terrel's mouth opened and closed a few times; he appeared totally confused. Flynn felt the onset of frustration, but doggedly continued. "Wouldn't you like to be your own master? To live where you wanted, do what you wanted, never again fear that your mistress might have you punished for some slight, perhaps imagined, offence?"

Terrel's mouth opened and shut a few more times. "M-my own master? But - who would feed me? Who would provide my clothes? Who'd tell me when it's the right time to do things?"

"You would, Terrel!"

"M-me!? No, I couldn't! I don't know about any of those things! Oh, please y'honour, let me go back - my mistress takes care of me, I couldn't do any of that! Please, don't leave me alone!"

The man babbled on fearfully for some time. Flynn listened in stunned silence, trying desperately to understand how a person could be afraid to be free.

In the end, he had to admit defeat. Sadly, he replaced Terrel's gag and returned him to his place near his mistress.

-------

Moonshadow and Troyen returned, now arrayed in the stolen clothing. Damar eyed the young man critically; scooping up a handful of mud, he artistically applied a few smudges to Troyen's hands and face.

"There!" he exclaimed in satisfaction. "Now you look the part!"

The final touch was to lock the chains in place. There was an iron band that snapped closed about the neck; attached to that was a long, fine chain, like a leash, that could be held in the hand or attached to a horse or wagon. There were similar bands for the wrists, that could either be fastened to a matching belt, or by another chain that connected with the first. In the case of their prisoners, only the neck chain had been in use; that particular slave could apparently be trusted not to make a fuss.

Troyen eyed the collar with distaste; but he'd volunteered for this, and he wasn't about to back out. Damar snapped it closed, and handed the key to Moonshadow.

Moonshadow was almost unrecognisable. The stolen clothing was bright and gaudy, a far cry from the simple white she usually wore. The shoes were thick soled and made of hard leather; it was plainly unpleasant for her to walk in them, but there was no way to avoid it. Leandra looked down at them and winced, imagining the blisters she was going to have to treat later.

The whole ensemble was completed by a heavy, deep hooded, somewhat water-proof cloak. That was something else that was going to cause the winter elf severe discomfort, but again, it couldn't be dispensed with; Moonshadow's features, especially her eyes, were dissimilar enough from the local elven norm that she wouldn't bear too close a scrutiny.

Damar glanced up at the dark and brooding sky. "I never thought I'd say this, but these unusual storms might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Nobody's going to think twice about you keeping your face concealed by your hood."

Once again Leandra grimaced in sympathy, knowing how her friend was going to swelter in that heavy garment.

Damar turned back to Troyen, giving him some last minute instructions. "Remember, always keep your head down; never look anyone in the face. Always keep at least one pace behind Moonshadow at all times. Speak only when spoken to, and then only by your mistress. Someone else may ask you a question, but you answer only by her leave. Slump your shoulders, that's it; now try to look glassy eyed, um, try staring into space... yes, I guess that'll have to do." Damar took a deep breath, and sighed loudly. "Well, I guess you're as ready as you're going to get." He clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Good luck."

Moonshadow took hold of the chain, and lead Troyen to the edge of the clearing. She glanced about briefly, seeking some sign of Flynn, but he was nowhere in sight - and neither was Charon. Moonshadow frowned, but refused to enquire as to their whereabouts. She nodded to her friends, then they set out towards the road into the city.

------------------
I will classify my lieutenants in three categories: untrusted, trusted, and completely trusted. Promotion to the third category will be awarded posthumously.

Lemenath glanced around before emerging from the wall, becoming visible to anything that happened to be looking in his direction. Seeing no Shomani yet in sight, he left the safety of the ridge and hurried in the direction of the large building - the only building he had seen on this desolate world.

The huge dome rose above the landscape, cradled by four rounded pillars at each cardinal direction. The door seemed to greet the elf omniousely as he crept under the giant archway. He looked around the room, trying to remember it as it was when he had been here before. Ahead of him, across from the primitive structure representing an altar, lay the aclove where he and Ranari had sat, and where also lay the pedastal that supposively held the crystal.

On the walls sat a written insciption, glittering in a slight golden color, so plainly visible from the rest of the wall that Lemenath wondered why he had never noticed it before. It was written in some type of foreign tongue and carved its way around the chamber, encircling the main room. He stared at it, trying to make some sense of the ancient gibberish, then shook his head and surveyed the room for a suitable hiding spot. He found none.

In exasperation, Lemenath entered the smaller aclove, hoping to find a place where he could lie in wait. The pedestal stood empty, as if longing for something. Soon he promised it, then shook his head wondering what he was doing speaking to the stone. He turned away, looking at the walls and noticed that there was another inscription here. Sighing, making no sense of the obscure writings and finding nothing that offered any aid, he turned back to the pedestal.

He observed the design resting on the top, noticing the curved pattern seemed to embrace the empty gap where the crystal once rested. Lemenath traced the design idly with his fingers and then fingered the gap. For a rock, it seemed surprisingly smooth. He frowned. Was the pattern glowing an aqua color before, or was it his imagination? Confused, he backed away from the pattern and ran into the wall behind him. He looked up, the inscription seemed to be glowing brighter but only faintly.

Lemenath focused his attention back on the pedestal, the carvings were definately glowing brighter than they were earlier, and now several patterns on the crystal chamber glowed in response as some type of ancient magic struggled to free itself, trapped without the crystal. The elf became aware of the presence, and also of its unsatable lust to be free. The taking of the crystal had trapped it and filled it with an enormous hunger. Lemenath marveled at the sight as the magic spread throughout the chamber, but nothing extended beyond the room.

"What are you doing in here?"

Lemenath jumped, rebuking himself for letting Anzor sneak up on him. For some reason, the Headsman had travelled ahead of the procession, as they were not present. Probably to make preparations.

"Why are you here? What were you doing?" The Shomani demanded, rage evident in his voice.

******

Ranari crept inside the tent, noticing an absolute lack of guards, just like the rest of the village it was unusually empty. Most of the village was at the Temple of Lights, save the elderly and the young. The scars from earlier still burned in the sand, despite all attempts to cover them. The black sand had a heat of its own, like a fury, that writhed from beneath like a demon struggling to escape.

Then again, most of the village tents were taken down, the Elders had decided to move the village to their sanctuary, hoping to leave behind their troubles on this desecrated ground. Most of the Elders seemed reluctant to journey to a place they had not seen since the early days of their youth, a place that none of the younger members of the tribe had seen or knew about. A place they hoped could provide them refuge from the evils and horrors that plauged them.

Ranari found Kwon sitting cross-legged inside the tent. She moved as if to waken him, but he opened his eyes as she approached.

"Lemenath thinks something is going to happen to the village tonight. He wants us to be ready," she didn't try to explain it in words like he had tried to explain to her. She knew he understood, somehow.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."

[This message has been edited by Lemenath (edited 05-16-2002).]

Walking along the path towards the city, Moonshadow wondered how she was going to find out where the crystal was. She didn't think it was going to be easy. There were two possibilities: it was either common knowledge, or it was being kept secret. Either way, direct questioning would attract attention - which was what Moonshadow wanted to avoid at all cost. She wanted as little as possible to do with these people (she refused to call them 'elves', even in her mind).
"Why have you stopped? Do you want to attract attention?" Troyen's voice was just a whisper, barely audible even for her, but it had the desired effect. Reluctantly, Moonshadow set off again. "You know, in this weather, every sensible person would want to get home as quickly as possible." Troyen commented.
Personally, the elf would prefer getting soaked a thousand times over entering that city, but she quickened her pace nonetheless. 'The sooner we'll get this over with, the sooner I'll be off this unbearable planet, with its stupid climate -' whoever had invented deserts, anyway? '- customs -' an image of Ranari, held hostage in the Shomani village, appeared in her mind '- and -' At this point, her mental tirade was cut short by a warning call.
"Stop right there, stranger!" The speaker, a young man clad in a kind of uniform, stepped out of the guardhouse under the arched city gates. "Who are you, and what is your business?"
'That does it!', Moonshadow thought angrily, clenching her fists. "Who are you, to stop me so rudely and keep me from getting out of this thrice-accursed rain?" she snapped, venting all her frustration on the hapless city guard.
The man took an involuntary step backwards, looking anywhere but at the fierce stranger. "I apologize, Lady, but we have to-"
"- keep innocent passers-by from getting their well-earned rest by making silly requests?" She interrupted, her eyes ablaze. "I've been out there-" she half-turned back to point down the road "- for the last five days, surrounded by savages, plagued by this unnatural weather, just to be asked unnecessary questions when I'm finally nearing the end of my journey?"
For a moment, she was afraid she'd overdone it, but in her fury, she seemed to have displayed just the right attitude to pass as a city dweller.
The guard bowed apologetically. "I'm truly sorry, Lady, for this inconvenience. You may pass now."
Giddy with relief, Moonshadow entered the city, when she was suddenly called back. She turned around to face the young guard, and quite suddenly, she found herself wishing she had Ranari's talent of reading people's minds. Without any knowledge of their culture or even only this city, this talent would have proven useful indeed. What could he possibly want from her now?
"You... are not from here, are you, Lady?" He asked, glancing at her clothing.
Moonshadow shook her head, composing her features into a look of unconcern. "No. Why would that be important?"
"In that case, I am afraid I have to inform you that you may not enter the government district for any reason."
Moonshadow frowned. "Why?"
"I may not tell, Lady, I am sorry."
The winter elf caught herself just in time, abandoning the idea of a more fitting reply in favor of a few words of understanding. "If that is considered necessary, I guess I will have to obey... May I leave now?" she added after a moment's pause, unable to keep a sarcastic undertone out of her voice.
"Of course."
Without further comment, Moonshadow turned around and left, Troyen trudging along behind her. It was lucky nobody deemed him worthy of notice, or they might have noticed the look of surprise on his face. Whoever would have thought the normally friendly elf capable of such an outburst?

------------------
Wer denken kann, ist klar im Vorteil.

[This message has been edited by Moonshadow (edited 05-18-2002).]

"Why do you disturb the sacred ground?" Anzor repeated slowly, advancing on the elf. Lemenath ignored him, studying the inscription in the main room as if it held all the answers he needed. After a moment, he realized it did.

"ANSWER ME!" Anzor bellowed, all pretense at remaining calm gone.

"I thought from the beginning he might be part of this black plague," Morla spoke from the entrance.

"You should be leading the procession, not here," Anzor quietly rebuked her.

"I thought you might be in danger. We never should have trusted the elves," Morla glared at Lemenath while she spoke. Throughout the conversation he continued to study the inscription, only half listening to the two Shomani. He saw a chance to accomplish his goal, and turned to face Morla.

"I challenge you to testify before the alter, with Anzor as the witness." The question came as a complete surprise to both of them; Lemenath smiled, hoping they wouldn't call his bluff. "According to that," he pointed to the softly glowing lettering, "if one feels they are unjustly accused by another they can challenge them before the alter in a constest of wills. The outcome of the duel determines whether or not the accused is guilty." A duel, something that should buy time for the group to find the crystal, and something that shouldn't be too deadly.

To his chagrin, Morla accepted. "There is much about us you don't know," was all she said as Anzor, somewhat confused, struggled back to the procession to pick up two spears. Lemenath used this time to study the crystal chamber, attempting to figure out its inner workings so as to use every advantage he could.

------------------
"Travel with an alert eye and a drawn sword."