

Serpent's Lair

(The Forgotten: Book 1)

Laura R Cole

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Laura R Cole

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please visit the author's website at LauraRCole.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
PROLOGUE

Screams echoed in the long stone hallways of the castle, resonating with horrifying clarity. They silenced briefly, then resumed again. Moments later another sound cut through the wailing; that of hurried footsteps and ragged breathing which increased as another pained cry was torn from a woman's throat. The runner skidded to a stop before a wooden door and pulled it open, causing it to squeal its protest in his haste.

"Your Majesty, finally you're here!" exclaimed Amelia as she wiped the Queen's forehead with a damp towel.

Gryffon raced to Layna's side and took her hand in his own. She squeezed it with such ferocity that he almost cried out in pain himself, but he bit his tongue. Her face was dripping sweat, caking her hair against the sides of her head, and her eyes blazed at him. He knew his wife better than to complain of his own discomfort at this particular moment.

"Just breathe," Amelia ordered the girl, who immediately complied, taking several short inhales and then a quick exhale. She threw her head back and let out another agonized cry and Gryffon's heart went out to her. If only there was something he could do.

"Push!" yelled Amelia, and Layna's grip on his hand tightened, her knuckles turning white with the pressure. She groaned through clenched teeth and strained, collapsing into an exhausted heap a moment later.

A new cry pierced the suddenly quiet room, a baby's cry, and Gryffon pulled against the hand still restraining his to try and catch a glimpse of their little one. Amelia washed the girl and swaddled her in a clean blanket before handing her to Layna.

The glowing pride in her eyes as she looked lovingly down at their daughter made Gryffon's heart soar. She gently put her finger into the baby's hand, "Welcome to the world, our little angel, Princess Phoenix."

She held the baby up for Gryffon and he beamed at her, tenderly taking her from his wife. The little girl had a birthmark on her right temple, in the shape of a flame. It was the blessing from the Three and her namesake, Adrastea who had been nicknamed 'Phoenix'. Layna moved over in the sheets and patted the bed next to her. The servants took their leave - though Gryffon hardly noticed, he was so caught up in his own happiness - and he lightly settled himself and the babe onto the bed with Layna.

This moment was perfect.

It was hard to believe the events which had led up to this instant, but Gryffon wouldn't change any of it for the world. Less than two years before, he had been a spy in the foreign country of Gelendan, having infiltrated the household of the vile Lady Jezebel in order to observe the dealings of her father. He had been unable to deny the incredible draw that he had felt towards Layna, who was but a maid at the time, and their friendship had blossomed into the bond that they shared today. Neither was complete without the other, and together they were an unmatchable force.

Their association had led them into a wild chain of events which culminated in a world-saving quest and the discovery that Layna was not simply the farm-girl and maid she believed herself to be, but actually the rightful heir and now Queen of Gelendan. Unfortunately, King Nathair, with the help of the Bloodstone containing the tainted essence of the dragon-god, Nuko, had made a mess of the country before he and Layna had become reigning monarchs.

It had been close to a year since they had helped rid the world of the evil presence of Nuko who had been poisoning their world with his dark ambitions, and the countries were still healing. His homeland, Treymayne, had been isolated from Gelendan since the Massacre in the Dark King's time by the magical barrier erected between them in the after-math. After he and Layna had helped to dissolve this barrier, reintegrating the two halves once more, King Nathair's forces had attacked Treymayne and exposed them to his use of blood-magic. There was a fair amount of bitterness at having the barrier removed, and given his and Layna's involvement in doing so, there were still some who were angry at them for it. They refused to see the necessity of the situation. If he and Layna had not done so, King Nathair might still be in power and even those in Treymayne would be feeling the effects.

Their marriage had helped the healing some, unifying the countries through their love, and the gala event that was their wedding - which Amelia had insisted they put on - was a much-needed celebration for the people after all they had been through. Most of the signs of blood-magic had been erased and the dungeons were currently over-flowing with those who had grasped upon its use. It was one of the few topics that he and Layna disagreed on. He thought that any who had fallen prey to the temptations of blood-magic should be punished, while Layna was under the impression that they were lost souls in need of help. Her faith in the goodness of people was one of the reasons that he loved her, but that didn't mean he thought she was right.

The baby cooed, cutting into Gryffon's reverie, and he brought his attention back to his family. Layna touched the child gently on the tip of her nose. "Little Phoebe," she purred, anointing her with this nickname, "you are the most precious thing in this whole world."

Gryffon couldn't agree with her more.

CHAPTER 1

Katya looked around at the barren landscape. She had retraced her steps to Fire Mountain, only to find that it had been completely changed by the explosion that they had fled after destroying the dragon-god, Nuko. She took out the Bloodstone and held it to her chest. It was the only memory she had of Nathair. Even after all this time, the strange connection she had felt with him had not lessened, and the pain of his death was still fresh in her mind. She stepped around a river of stone. It had run down the side of the mountain in a flow of bubbling liquid after the explosion and hardened into solid rock miles from its base. Nothing could have survived it.

Since escaping from the slave collar that had kept her mentally and physically imprisoned, she didn't know who she was anymore. She wasn't sure what memories were hers and which were remnants of what her captors had implanted within her. Her emotions had been completely blocked, and when they were released, she had needed to learn how deal with them. Her guilt and remorse over deeds she had been forced to commit while under its power haunted her.

She wiped away a sweaty strand of hair from her forehead. Her feelings for Nathair had been strong. Though her good sense told her that Layna had been correct, that she was only drawn to the man as a result of her over-working emotions combined with the enchantment of the mark to bring those with it together, it didn't make the feelings go away.

So she was stuck in a dark place. The words of the Oracle preoccupied her thoughts, echoing their eerie promise in her mind, " _Your soul is marred by many evils. The path to becoming whole once more will not be an easy one. Until such time as you are reunited with your missing half, those you cherish most will be fated to suffer..._ " Though she had helped Gryffon and Layna to save the world from Nuko's aspirations, even delivering the death blow to Nathair in order to do so, she was still no closer to finding out who she was, nor to finding her elusive other half. But at least she was beginning to come to grips with her emotions. She almost felt normal in that respect, so that was something.

She increased her pace to a jog and reentered the forest, heading back out towards the Ferryn Plains. She had discovered that coming up from Gelendan the wooded region was much thinner than from Treymayne. She emerged out on the barren side much sooner than she had when she'd first traveled this way. She passed quickly through the trees, alert for signs of trouble, and before she knew it was back out in the grasslands. She adjusted her direction and walked along the edge of the forest. She still wasn't quite ready to reenter society, nor was she eager to reunite with Layna and Gryffon while they still could be potential liabilities of her prophecy.

Suddenly she got an eerie feeling – as though she was being watched. Marak, her magically animated snake armband and closest friend, tensed on her arm. Her spine tingled, and the tiny hairs on her skin rose in alarm. She stopped her movement and controlled her breathing, listening for sounds. Slightly panting breathing came from behind and above her. Something wet and warm landed on her shoulder, and she stiffened. Moving slowly, she turned her head to examine the substance. The thick liquid was attached to more of the same, still dripping down onto her. She followed the long stream of saliva back up to a very large and hungry-looking mouth. She hastily wiped the disgusting slime off of her and wheeled around to face the creature.

It resembled the pictures Katya had seen in Karl's books on mythical creatures; something called a lion. Only this creature was most definitely quite real. It towered above her and opened its mighty jaws to let out a thunderous roar.

"Holy-" Katya swore, drawing her sword as she leaped to the side, deftly avoiding the swiping paw that lashed out at her. Luckily, the thing's massive size hindered its movement and she was able to dance out of the way with ease. Unfortunately, there was nowhere for her to go, so other than taking down the beast or scaring it off she had few options.

It didn't seem very likely she'd be able to scare it off.

She slashed at it with her sword and landed a glancing blow on its leg. Blood welled to the surface, wetting its fur and creating a dark stain. It growled in annoyance, but it didn't appear to slow any. It lunged at her again, snapping its teeth together mere inches from her face.

She side-stepped once more, bringing her sword around in another arc, and aimed for the jugular. The beast snapped its head around and caught the blade between its jaws, bending the sword in two. Katya's jaw dropped and she scrambled backwards on all fours from where the force of the blow had landed her. Marak launched himself off her arm and towards the beast. The thick fur hindered his movement and she saw him slithering harmlessly around in the thing's mane, searching desperately for an opening.

The creature leaped towards her again and Katya held her arms over her head, opening herself to the chaotic magic of the Plains in a wild attempt to control them enough to create a shield. The spell fizzled and died on her lips. The beast's considerable weight loomed ever closer, its paws outstretched to reveal razor sharp claws on the ends.

Katya sent a silent prayer to the Three, knowing its futility, and squeezed her eyes shut.

Then suddenly, the Bloodstone flared to life, and she felt a shield immediately go up around her. The lion creature landed on her, knocking the wind out of her despite the shield, and chomped down on her head. She thought of Nathair, hoping to find him in the otherworld, as she squeezed her eyes tighter, waiting for the lion's teeth to pierce her skull.

But instead of crushing her head, the jaws encountered a rock-hard substance surrounding it, thankfully keeping it intact. The lion bit down a few more times and Katya actually burst out laughing. It tickled. This had the effect of enraging the lion, however, which abandoned its efforts to bite her head and instead slashed at her again with its paws.

Katya took the Bloodstone in her hand and willed the lion to retreat. The thing did so grudgingly, pushing against the invisible wall forcing him off and away from Katya. As she did so, the Bloodstone burned into her flesh, but she didn't relent. She didn't know how long the shield would stay intact and did not want to risk the brute coming at her once again.

It finally reluctantly turned heel and fled, having decided that this meal was not worth the effort and Katya stopped the spell. She grabbed her hand with the other and looked in horror at the marred flesh there. The hand was burned to a crisp, and many lines – like veins of amber – crept up her arm.

Tears of pain sprang to her eyes and she shook her head clear of them in annoyance. Moving the hand was agony. She tried reaching for the power to heal it but the wild magic that prevailed here had blown away into the wind, leaving her nothing to work with. She tried drawing upon the Bloodstone again, but it seemed disinclined to come back to life.

"Are you alright?" yelled a voice, and Katya spun around. She hadn't heard another person for months, and certainly didn't expect to see any out here. The man was approaching quickly, a spear in his hand, and was dressed in brown and green clothing, obviously camouflaged for the forest. What was he doing out here?

"I'm alright," Katya answered, lowering her hand and ignoring the pain. She felt Marak winding his way up through her pant leg, and almost let a sigh of relief escape as he bit her arm, injecting her with a pain killer. He couldn't do much to heal it himself, but at least she wouldn't have to endure the torture.

The man – no, boy – came closer and Katya realized he was actually much younger than she had thought at first. He didn't pause as he came to stand directly in front of her and pick up her hand. Katya forced herself not to step back a pace.

"This doesn't look alright. Is this from the beast or from the magic you were attempting to use?"

"The magic, I think," she answered cautiously, not about to tell him about the Bloodstone.

He examined her hand closely and sighed. "I'd better get you back to the encampment to have a healer look at this."

Katya raised an eyebrow. There were more of them?

He looked around guiltily and bit his lip. "I think it was my fault that the lion attacked you. I had been stalking it through the forest and I spooked it into coming out here."

"You hunt those things?" Katya asked, astonished that the boy would attempt such a creature alone. She glanced around her hurriedly. _Or perhaps he isn't alone..._

He still wouldn't meet her eyes, and he dug his toe into the dirt. "I wasn't exactly _hunting_ it..."

"So you were..." Katya prompted, waiting for him to fill in the blanks.

He looked everywhere but at her face, but finally blurted. "The other boys dared me I couldn't get a tuft of his fur." Now he did meet her eyes, pleading with her, "Please don't tell the Elders...the other boys are always teasing me..."

Katya gave him a winning smile. "I won't tell."

"So what were you doing out here?" the boy asked.

Katya's mind raced.

His face suddenly lit up as he thought of something. "Are you from the Dena'ina tribe? Everyone else came ages ago, we thought you weren't coming."

"Plans changed," Katya answered vaguely, grasping at this explanation. It was better than any she had without giving away information she wasn't ready to part with. "Are we close to the encampment?"

"Sure, but since you're from the Dena'ina, I'll just bring you straight to the village, they'll be excited you're here." The boy skipped out in front of her, but then stopped and looked back at her as though just remembering something. Katya hoped it wasn't something about this Dena'ina tribe she just insinuated she was a part of.

He stuck his hand out at her, "I'm Lorcan, of the Myaamia tribe."

"Katya, orphan of the Dena'ina tribe." She took his hand and shook it, hoping that orphans were a universal constant. He gave her a slightly sad look, but said nothing about it and Katya breathed a sigh of relief. Better to refrain from mentioning names that she had no way of verifying when she had no idea how much these people knew about the other tribes. Plus, the more truth to her story, the easier it was to remember. Katya thought it was a fairly safe bet to assume that these tribes were the remnants of the mages who fled from the Dark King and the disruption of the magical barrier after the Massacre. That meant that they probably all had a fair amount of talent. She would have to watch her step.

She followed Lorcan back towards the forest and listened carefully as he rambled on at a million miles a minute about everything. Apparently the tribes were gathering for some big event that they had been planning. The tribes did not have much contact regularly, which was good for Katya's disguise, and it was very unusual that they were doing so for this ceremony, but it was some kind of spell that required special talents. He suddenly paused his narration.

"But why am I telling you this, you know it already and I'm sure they explained it all in the summons."

Katya nodded halfheartedly, disappointed that he had come to this realization before telling her more about this mysterious event. It had piqued her curiosity. Without the restraints on magic that Gelendan had placed upon its people, there was no telling what kind of advances could have been possible. Add to that the fact that this was most likely a community of high talents...

When they reached the forest, the boy moved with a speed that Katya had trouble matching and twice he had to pause and let her catch up. She felt a strange tingle of magic flow over her, but when she searched the forest for the source, she came up empty. Eventually, they came to a clearing where a large fountain was built in the shape of a woman pouring water with one hand through a pitcher into the pool below. Her other arm extended upwards, but was cut off at the elbow, the rest of the statue broken off and gone.

"That's Sheila Greyclaw," Lorcan announced proudly, seeing Katya staring at the statue. "She was the founder of our tribe."

Katya glanced around and saw a few small buildings and a corral of some strange-looking animals, but not much else and so far no other people. Katya wondered how big this 'tribe' of his was.

Lorcan skipped past the fountain and headed for an enormous tree. As he reached its base, he lifted his hand and tugged on a vine wrapped around it. To Katya's astonishment, it peeled back the bark in the shape of a door, revealing a spiral staircase within. Katya's gaze was drawn upwards and she gulped.

In the trees far above them were countless wooden bridges creating snaking pathways in the canopy, connecting many more tree-house buildings. They seemed to come in all shapes and sizes and looked to have been shaped from the very trees themselves as living buildings.

Lorcan motioned her inside the doorway, and as Katya entered, she got a claustrophobic feeling. It would be much harder to flee if need be from up in the trees. Her curiosity was ignited beyond her capacity to ignore it, however, so she followed the boy up the winding stairs and paid no heed to her own rapidly beating heart, nor Marak's tense presence on her arm.

Her breathing eased slightly when they were out in the open once more, though when Katya looked out over the edge of the suspended walkway she felt her stomach go a little queasy. She had never been necessarily afraid of heights - her work with Karl had often found her scaling walls and climbing up the sides of buildings - but she wasn't particularly fond of them either. And she had never been so high in the air with only a few feet of branches between her and the hard ground below. _Far, far below_. Katya closed her eyes as the ground seemed to waver beneath her, and she refocused on Lorcan when she opened them again.

He scampered across the first bridge and immediately onto the next, going around the building situated there, and Katya tried to catch a glimpse of the inside. She thought she heard the sound of laughter, but the windows were too narrow for her to see much of anything. As they rounded a bend, more of the city came into view and Katya finally saw the people. Most were dressed in similar fashion to Lorcan, wearing the colors of the forest, but some of the men and women were wearing more vibrant hues. All had the taste of talent around them.

Katya's unease grew. Lorcan was pausing in front of an enclosure and Katya felt the urge to go anywhere but back inside the confines of one of the trees. She didn't have a chance to make any sort of excuse, however, as the door opened right at that moment and a man stepped out.

He was wearing all brown, a soft tanned hide of an animal Katya didn't recognize, that matched his brown hair and deep brown eyes. He was carrying a rolled up parchment.

"Lorcan," he greeted the boy, and then looked over at her, asking rather sharply, "who's this?"

"This is Katya from the Dena'ina tribe, I found her out on the Plains."

"The Dena'ina tribe?" There was a strange undertone in the way he said it that Katya couldn't place, but her unease grew. Luckily, he was distracted by another subject. "What were you doing on the Plains?" the man asked him with a stern voice and Katya bristled.

"He was saving me from a lion," she informed him. "He must have heard the roaring or my screaming and he rushed to my aid." Lorcan gave her a grateful look.

The man raised his eyebrows. "Is this true?"

Lorcan nodded emphatically, "Uh-huh, good thing I was there too, I think there might have been another one coming." He looked as though he was concocting a much larger story in his mind to play out for the man and Katya shook her head slightly at him. Luckily he picked up on it and came to his senses in time to prevent the fabrication from escaping his lips. "But anyway, she got a nasty burn on her arm from the chaos so I was bringing her to the healer."

"You haven't even brought her to the Chamber yet?" the edge in the man's voice was back. He grabbed Lorcan's arm rather roughly and took him aside. Katya could still hear what he was saying. "You're not supposed to just bring strangers into the city. They need to go through the Elders first." He glanced back at Katya and said under his breath, "Especially a Dena'ina."

"I know, but she was hurt..." Lorcan glanced over at Katya, "And she's really nice..."

The man sighed and dropped his arm. "Fine, but make sure you stay with her and then escort her directly to the Chamber afterwards, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" Lorcan exclaimed, throwing his hand up to his forehead in salute. Katya wondered just who this man was.

He nodded acknowledgement of the salute and turned back to Katya, extending his hand. "My apologies for your less-than-formal welcome to the Myaamia tribe. My name is Slade and I'm the captain of the Forest Guard. It isn't often we meet one of the cave-dwellers, it's a pleasure to have you here. Please make yourself at home." There was something he wasn't saying, and the feeling Katya got from him was anything but welcoming.

With that, he gave her a stiff bow and headed off, leaving Lorcan to stare after him, an odd expression on his face. "He's my brother," Lorcan informed her with a touch of resentment. "Everyone always tells me I should be more like him, Mr. Perfect." A flush spread over his face and he looked down hurriedly, as though realizing he had just made such a comment to a stranger. "Um, healer is this way," he tried to cover up his blunder by changing the subject.

Katya didn't say anything, but let him lead her into the spherical room. Inside was much larger than she had expected from the looks of the outside and Katya felt a little less claustrophobic than she had feared. The exits still left something to be desired, however.

A gnarled old man sat at a table in the center of the round room, the surface of which was covered by flasks and bottles of all shapes and sizes. As Katya glanced around the room, she noticed that all of the walls were built-in shelves carrying more bottles of liquids, powers, dried herbs, and mage-stones. The room nearly radiated power from the inside, yet she had felt none of it when standing directly outside.

The man, who she presumed was the healer, looked up at their entrance. "Ah, hello again young Lorcan, what brings you here this time? Failed attempt at flying perhaps? Hmm? Or maybe that awful pet of yours bit you again?"

Lorcan's still-present flush deepened. "I'm fine," he said hurriedly, obviously hoping to stave off any more of the healer's suggestions. "This is Katya of the Dena'ina tribe, she burned herself while using the chaotic magic of the Plains."

The healer turned his attention to her for the first time and looked surprised. "A Dena'ina you say? I'm surprised you answered our call, given..." he trailed off, much to Katya's dismay, giving her no clue as to why they might have ignored the summons.

"I volunteered," she stated - that way she could either be going against or with the wishes of the tribe as a whole.

The healer didn't comment. "Well," he said instead, "Let's take a look at that burn then, shall we?"

Katya obediently stuck out her arm towards him and he took it in gentle hands. He inspected it closely, then left her to rummage through the shelves. He mumbled to himself and shuffled around the room, returning to her side when he had located the potion. She sucked in a breath as the cold liquid touched her skin, but its soothing effect was almost instantaneous.

"Thank you," she said politely to the healer and looked expectantly at Lorcan to take her out of here. The old man seemed a bit too knowledgeable about the Dena'ina and she wanted to avoid any questions he may have for her.

Luckily, Lorcan seemed just as eager to be out of the company of the healer as she, and the moment he was finished, the boy stood. "Well, we must be off, Slade told us we needed to go straight to the Chamber after you were finished."

He whisked her out of the hut before the healer could respond. The bridge-way creaked underneath them and swayed slightly at their passing. A few people nodded 'hello' to Lorcan and gave her curious looks. Before them loomed a great bulbous mass that looked to have been a knot in the tree. Or at least that's what she might have thought if it had been a hundred times smaller. Katya assumed it had been magically enhanced into the impossibly huge structure it now was, and the massive vine door left no doubt in her mind that at least that portion had been magically constructed. This must be the mysterious Chamber that had been spoken of. She was rather wary of exactly what was to happen to her there.

Lorcan paused at the doorway and turned back to her. "I'll have to leave you here, but when they're done, I'm in the Fifth Circle," he hesitated a moment, "if you want a tour or anything..." He looked down and turned away.

Marak gave her arm a few quick squeezes and she felt him winding down towards her wrist. She looked down at him and saw that he had something clamped in his tiny jaws. Katya smiled as she saw what it was.

"Lorcan," she called to the retreating boy.

He paused and looked back at her. "Yes?"

She took the tuft of lion fur out of Marak's mouth and held it out to him.

His confused look transformed into a broad smile as he realized what it was and he took it from her gratefully. He hurried off happily, no doubt on his way to show the other boys that he had succeeded in the task that they had challenged him to.

Katya looked over the side of the walkway, determining whether or not she would survive a fall. It was a long way down. Resigning herself to the uncertain fate that awaited her within the Chamber, she took a deep breath and stepped inside.

CHAPTER 2

Natalya squinted up at the bright sun overhead and sighed at the sound of her sister's retreating giggles as the girl chased after another adventure known only to her. "I swear, Alina," she scolded, "you're as bad as the cat...they say curiosity is what killed him you know - you should be careful!" She sighed again as Alina ignored this statement; but it had been worth a try. "Come on, we're going to be late!"

Alina glanced back at her, grinning impishly, as Natalya caught up to her where she was squatting by the stream's edge. Without warning she suddenly shot upwards, spraying water all over Natalya with her flailing arms, and then she bolted back along the path. Natalya shrieked indignantly and chased after her playfully, the warm sun drying her chilled skin. They raced along the path homewards, until finally Natalya outpaced the younger girl and caught her in a wet embrace. They both fell to the ground, laughing. Amidst the tangle of blond hair and damp clothes, Alina's fiery amber eyes darted past Natalya and she swarmed to her feet.

"Look," she cried, pointing over the hill. "I can see the square from here! Look at all the people!" Natalya clambered to her feet as well, following Alina's pointing finger to the throng of people gathering in the village square. Already carts were lined along the streets, the vendors bustling about setting up their wares as more and more people streamed in through the city gates. Festival times always brought in all of the people from the surrounding countryside.

Natalya smiled and started down the hill with Alina skipping excitedly beside her. Hurrying home to change out of now-wet clothes, the girls nearly collided with their mother, a beautiful woman balancing a tray of freshly baked meat pies, one of which Alina deftly nabbed on her way past.

Her mother slapped her hand away in reproach, but her broad grin told the girls she was in too good of a mood for this small indiscretion to be punished. Natalya followed her sister past the curtain that partitioned off the room they shared and pulled off her damp tunic, replacing it with her best dress as Alina bombarded her with questions.

"How many people do you think have come? Do you think there's anyone from Treymayne? Do you think we'll meet any of them? I bet they have all sorts of interesting things!" Natalya strained her limited knowledge of the proceedings to provide answers for her, but seeing as how the Festival of the Dragons was completely new to her too, she found she had little to offer. The festival was one that the new Queen, Queen Layna, had initiated in order to teach people about the events of the last few years that had led to her reign. Natalya didn't believe most of the rumors that were circulating about their new monarch defeating a real dragon god in order to assume the throne, but it still made a good story. And any excuse for a festival was a good one. Despite her doubts about the truth to the stories, Natalya was rather smitten with their new monarch. The Queen had made the time-consuming trek to come all the way to the border counties in the months after being crowned, including their own Hardonia, just to see all her subjects. She had made quite an impression on Natalya's young mind.

"You'll just have to wait and see," she told her sister affectionately, her vague answer hinting that she did know the answers but was simply keeping it from her to keep up the excitement rather than reveal the actual truth of her lack of knowledge. Alina was bouncing wildly around the room and Natalya laughed and waved a hand at her. "Come on, let's go mingle!"

She wiggled her eyebrows playfully and Alina let out a little squeak and took her hand, nearly ripping Natalya's arm off her shoulder in her rush towards the door. Outside, music was playing and Natalya could hear the deep baritone of the blacksmith, his slightly slurred speech indicating that his celebrations had started hours earlier.

Natalya saw their neighbor, Darryl, across the street with his father and she waved enthusiastically at him. He caught sight of her and, after a brief exchange with his father, he trotted over to them.

"Good morning, ladies," he took Natalya's hand with exaggerated gallantry and kissed it loudly. "You're looking lovely as always, Natalya."

Natalya batted her eyes at him to Alina's uncontrollable giggles and replied, "I thank you, kind sir. Would you do two ladies the honor of escorting us to the festivities?"

Darryl's eyes lit up mischievously and he jumped to attention, extending bent elbows to both girls, "It would be my pleasure."

Making their way towards the crowd, however, their escort charade was soon forgotten, as they whispered comments about strangers and townsfolk alike, laughing behind their hands.

"Look at that dress on Etta!" Darryl exclaimed, "I think she's forgotten that she's aged about twenty years beyond it."

Alina wrinkled her nose and all three laughed, watching Etta as she glanced around before applying another layer of powder to her face. The well-ripened wife of the apothecary had a death-grip on her youth, self-testing every youth potion and anti-aging cream her husband boasted in his shop.

Darryl nudged Natalya and pointed to the edge of the square where a stranger was leading a chestnut mare pulling a cart covered in a tarp to a currently unoccupied space. He was rugged-looking, suntanned and well-built, and was leading the horse with a trained hand, his alert eyes taking in the situation around him. A very large silver dog padded along beside him, his tongue lolling in the morning heat.

"He doesn't look like a merchant," Darryl commented. "What do you think he has under his tarp?" Both girls looked at him, Natalya with a bemused expression, but Alina with startled surprise. Natalya could almost hear the wheels turning in her over-active imagination.

Lowering his voice, Darryl continued, "I hear some people have shunned the Gods and taken to blood-magic," he glanced at Alina out of the corner of his eye, who was starring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the man now. Leaning towards his captive audience, Darryl went on, "Maybe it's his victims' bodies!" This last bit he punctuated by a fearsome growl as he grabbed Alina, who screamed and batted at him, glaring at him as he doubled over in amusement.

Natalya rolled her eyes at him, "Don't listen to him, Alina, he's just trying to scare you." Alina took another wary look in the direction of the stranger.

"And succeeding, I must point out," Darryl interjected smugly, earning him a jab in the ribs from Alina, who gave him a defiant look and then stuck out her tongue at him.

Natalya shook her head at them once again and curiously glanced back at the stranger, wondering just what he did have in his cart, only to find herself looking directly into his dark stare.

She flushed and looked quickly away, but luckily was saved further embarrassment as the festival bells sounded, drawing everyone's attention to the center of the square.

The priest stood on the platform built for the occasion, chanting the holy words of the Three, each verse telling of the creation of their world through the cleansing fires of the Gods. As the priest intoned the sacred story, he held out a stone for each of the three representations of the Kiani Stones which now stood encased in a statue in a maze of gardens made especially for them near the palace.

When he had completed the ritual telling, he continued with the story of how Layna had been switched at birth in order to protect her from a secret society bent on bringing back blood-magic and the ways of the Dark King. She had instead been brought up as a farm-girl in the country and later moved to the capitol to work as a maid in the household of the evil Lady Jezebel. There she had met Gryffon, who was posing as a noble though really he was a spy for Treymayne sent here to stop the impending threat of blood-magic.

King Nathair rose to power and Jezebel took her place at his side, starting the whirlwind of events that would lead to war with Treymayne, blood-beasts being reborn, and eventually King Nathair being taken over by the dragon god, Nuko, who manipulated him through a Bloodstone left behind ages ago. This same Bloodstone had been the catalyst for the evil of the Dark King's reign.

Layna and Gryffon had banded together to stop them from completely waking Nuko who would have torturously lorded over the humans until he grew tired of them and wiped them out. Together with a mysterious woman who had helped them and then disappeared, they sought out the help of the Three through the Kiani stones.

Only by all of them working together were they able to destroy Nuko by poisoning his blood and piercing his heart with the legendary sword, Leoht, which had also been the same sword to have stopped the Dark King. It was then that it was discovered that Layna was actually the rightful heir and she was put upon the throne. She and Gryffon married and bore a little girl named Phoenix. The Three blessed their child and the Kiani stones were placed into the trust of the new monarchs.

It was the first time that Natalya had heard the story in its completion and she was held rapt with the rest of the crowd. She sighed wistfully at the description of the love story between Layna and Gryffon, she gasped in surprise when battles were narrated, and she whistled loudly above the din when he recited the part where Queen Layna's lineage was discovered.

Since Hardonia was so far to the west, they did not see the effects of the blood-magic running rampant nor even the short-lived war with Treymayne, though they had heard the horror stories. Hearing about it all now seemed very surreal and Natalya still couldn't wrap her mind around it, even hearing it from such an authoritative source.

The priest ended his recitation with a proclamation of "Long live the King and Queen!" and Natalya, Alina, and Darryl clapped and cheered with the rest of the crowd, caught up in the mad rush of adrenaline that was coursing through the people.

Alina tugged on Natalya's sleeve, pulling her towards the carts. Alina was drawn to the brilliant colors of the yards of fabric being displayed on the cart of a trader Natalya recognized as Felix, a handsome merchant from the North, with a reputation of being able to talk the very shirt off your back.

"Look at this fine piece here," he was saying to a nodding woman who Natalya didn't recognize, "it once wrapped the magestone of the King himself! Lost during the Dark Ages, it has been passed trader to trader until it found its way to me. For the price of mere 100 coppers, it could be yours!"

The woman was looking at her coin purse doubtfully and glancing over her shoulder at a man by the smith's wares who could only be her husband, and Felix expertly threw out the last bone to seal the deal, holding out his hand with a flourish, opening it to reveal a glowing sapphire stone. "And this, of course, dear lady, would be included. I wouldn't want to separate the fine cloth from its charge." He raised his brow suggestively, nodding slightly at her inquisitive look and quickly folded and wrapped the cloth and stone, swiftly accepting the woman's payment and moving on to identify his next target.

Darryl snorted at the retreating woman, drawing Felix's attention. "Ho, Darryl, how are you enjoying the festival? Is your father set up with his jewelry? I keep telling him we should set up together, there's profit to be made in cloth and jewels."

Darryl nodded his greeting and responded with a wink, "Alas, Felix, my father is too honest a businessman for your dealings, it simply could never work."

Felix sighed his regret, but brightened as he spied Natalya and Alina, the merchant gleam back in his eyes. "And what brings you two fine specimens to my cart? I have everything a young woman could want, scarlet velvet to provoke the young men," gesturing to Darryl who smiled obligingly, "deep green for that mysterious look, or blue for a lovely evening gown. Well, my dears, what's your pleasure?"

Alina raised her arm to pick up a silky cloth and Felix's eye was caught by a glint of metal around her wrist. "Aha, what's this?" he asked triumphantly, sure he had discovered the way to this young woman's purse. "A beautiful bracelet, set with, what...firestone, hmm? Well, with that bracelet, your lovely face and this wonderful green velvet you're guaranteed to land any man you desire! Why, the King himself would be astounded by your stunning appearance."

Alina smiled at his flattery, placing a self-conscious hand over the bracelet, a gift from Darryl when he apprenticed with his father. Natalya and Alina both had one, set with their birthstones.

Natalya watched Alina stroke the cloth longingly and then turned her attention to Felix, "How much?" she asked, pointing to the cloth that Alina held. Felix immediately assumed his business-like tone and replied after a brief consideration, "For you, my dear, the bargain price of 20 coppers." Natalya knew this was probably still more than the cloth was really worth, but Alina's grin and the mood of the day made Natalya feel it worth the extra money. She nodded her agreement, dipping into her coin purse and withdrawing the proper amount. He looked slightly surprised that she hadn't haggled with him, but soon composed himself. As he wrapped the cloth, he picked up a remnant piece of deep blue and added it in saying, "And for you, a scarf of this would be lovely with your eyes."

Natalya smiled her thanks and they moved with the crowd to the next set of carts, looking over the assortment of shell knick-knacks and fishing supplies sold by her neighbors and the more exotic leather goods and wood carvings from the people to the North.

Mid-afternoon they found themselves at their father's cart as he peddled his baked goods next to the strange man the three had joked about earlier. Natalya stole a few quick looks in his direction and found that his cart was laden with an impressive collection of knives, both practical and ceremonial, and Natalya noticed that many had stones embedded in their hilts. Since Queen Layna had overthrown King Nathair, there had been a lot of exciting changes happening. Magic was becoming more widespread and the Queen had taken away the priests' control of the talent and set up a new training program that was available to all.

The embedded stones allowed the user to empower them with spells to help keep the blade sharp and true; Natalya had even heard that in battles one could empower them with healing spells to help with minor wounds. Gelendan had been limited in its use of magic for hundreds of years since the Massacre and the reign of the Dark King. Only recently - since the border to Treymayne had been opened - had they begun to see artifacts trickle through which were magically enhanced. Previously, it had been only the priests and the wealthy who could afford to own such things. So, a commodity such as a blade decorated by magestones was a rare find indeed, and the stranger found his cart well-attended.

As Natalya watched, the man demonstrated the blades, deftly throwing them against a nearby tree, showing the gathered audience how straight and balanced they were, and withdrawing them and showing the point to the prospective buyer to reveal no dents in the strong metal.

He carried them with ease, his well-practiced hands tossing the blades upwards to reposition his grip for his final throw.

"Natalya, are you listening?" her father's voices suddenly brought Natalya out of her observation and she looked guiltily at her father.

"She's all misty eyed for Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome," Alina teased with a jerk of her head in the direction of the blade dealer.

Natalya gave Alina a sour look but ignored the comment, instead turning her attention to her father. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "What were you saying?"

Her father gave her an impatient look but repeated his question, "I asked if you had seen your mother. She's supposed to be bringing more meat pies, but she hasn't been back yet."

"Oh," replied Natalya, "I haven't, but would you like me to go look for her?"

Her father seemed placated by her offer of help and he agreed, sending her off towards the house with instructions to get the meat pies herself if she did not encounter her mother along the way.

Natalya threaded her way through the tangle of bodies, and finally emerged out onto the street. It was now empty, except for a few hurried people making their way to or from the square on various missions like Natalya herself.

She made her way to their house and searched the kitchen, but found no evidence of additional meat pies. She concluded that her mother must have already been here, and they simply had not passed in the mass of people.

She hurried back, half-jogging, not wanting to miss the evening ceremonies. When she reached the square again there was a strange tension in the air, and the knot of people seemed to tighten as she tried to pass by them. Natalya quickened her pace, wanting to be back with her family and ask what had changed the mood.

She finally pushed her way through and found them, but as she laid eyes on her father she stopped short. His hands were clenched at his sides, white-knuckled and shaking, and before him stood Lord Morven. Morven was the son of the Baron who held lordship over the lands. He was slim and lanky, his dark black hair was slicked back, standing out in stark contrast with his white skin, pale from never having endured the beating rays of the sun during a day's work. He was cunning but cowardly, hiding behind the powerful veil of his father and now, apparently, the royal Knights, as a group of them stood with him. Natalya drew closer, confused. The Knights were a special group put together by the Queen and they didn't belong by the side of someone so vile. Her mother stood next to her father with the tray of meat pies in her hands and Natalya edged to her side.

Natalya could almost see the forked tongue as Morven spoke. "Well now," he drawled, the ends of his mouth curving slightly upwards, "apparently you are good for something. You've managed to breed a whelp worthy of being talented. I never would have thought it possible of you." His smile grew wider as he continued, "It's a shame I'll have to take her away. She looks so much like her mother."

Suddenly, the tray her mother had been holding dropped to the ground and all of the color drained from her mother's face as she stared towards the center of the square.

Natalya rushed to her side and dropped to her knees to try and gather the pies before they were ruined, but her mother paid her no heed. She simply continued to stare, one hand lifted to her mouth and Natalya saw a tear forming at the corner of her eye.

Natalya straightened and followed her mother's gaze, and the scene behind Morven finally came into view. To her horror, she saw Alina kneeling before three black riders, horses and cloaks bearing the emblem of the throne. The middle rider held in his outstretched hand a magestone that was glowing so brightly as he held it next to Alina that Natalya had to look away. A deep voice boomed from under the dark hood, making the hair on the back of Natalya's neck stand on end. Its eerie tones seeming to reverberate throughout her very bones and it made her blood run cold.

"She is one. Her talent is strong."

He clamped his hand around the stone, shaking as smoke snaked out from between his fingers and the smell of burning flesh filled the square which so recently had been buzzing with action, but was now so still you could hear a pin drop.

Morven, who had paused to watch the spectacle, turned back to her father, his sinister delight written plainly on his face. Before he had the chance to speak, however, her father's hand flew from his side and connected squarely with Morven's pointed nose. Morven staggered backwards, clutching at his face as blood streamed down his chin. The two burly men who followed Morven like shadows closed in, but Morven shoved them aside, anger blazing.

Natalya's mother clamped onto her father's arm, holding him back from attacking further.

Morven wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve and spit blood in the dirt at her father's feet. Her mother stood frozen, looking from her father to Morven in terrified anticipation. Morven glanced back at Alina and then fixed her father with an icy stare. "You'll be sorry you did that, Lyam," he looked back at Alina suggestively, " _very_ sorry."

He jerked his head towards the two brutes who were still hovering, ready for a fight, and they turned and followed with disappointment. The bigger of the two, with a crooked nose that looked like it had been broken one too many times, swaggered past her father's table and stuffed a meat pie in his mouth, staring fixedly at her father.

Then abruptly, he overturned the table, sending pies flying all over the ground. Her father closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but did not take the bait. When he opened his eyes he simply stared defiantly back at the man, his temples bulging. The man curled his lips into a sneer and walked over, bringing his face within inches of her father's.

"Just give me an excuse to break you, old man." When her father only continued to stare, the man snorted contemptuously and turned his back on him, following Morven who watched the exchange with amusement. Morven swung himself up onto his horse and urged it towards Alina.

He grabbed hold of her arm and wrenched her up onto the horse behind him. She jerked her head as if coming out of a daze and then her eyes widened as Morven spurred his horse, her lips forming a silent 'oh' as she realized what was happening. The horse stamped its hooves and broke into a gallop, and Alina shot a frightened look at her family, her outstretched arm growing smaller as they bore her away.

Natalya dropped the tray again and sprinted to her father's side who was still staring straight ahead. Her mother tugged on his sleeve, "You have to do something," she wailed, "We can't just let him take her!"

Her father's blank eyes shifted onto his wife. "What would you have me do? I cannot defy the nobles, or the throne." He shrugged his arm out of his wife's grasp, and letting his gaze fall downwards, he moved away. The crowd parted for him, murmuring to each other in hushed tones.

"Father!" Natalya shouted, but his steps never slowed. Her mother had sunk to the ground, her weeping face covered by her hands. Natalya bit her lip, her breath quickening. She looked back down the path where Alina's terrified face had been moments before, the dust not yet settled from the horse's hooves.

Without thinking, Natalya suddenly burst into a run, shoving by people who exclaimed their indignant surprise. She kept running long after the dust had settle in the horse's wake and her breath came in ragged gasps.

As the sun sank below the treetops casting long shadows under the gold-tipped trees, Natalya sank to her knees, rocking back and forth sobbing. "She's gone. She's gone. How can she be gone?" Natalya closed her eyes, grasping the stone at her bracelet as if willing Alina back through it. The stone remained just a stone. She threw her face towards the sky and screamed her frustration, lashing out at everything around her. Her hand connected with a jagged outcropping of rock and a sharp pain shot up her arm. Blood welled from the wound and the pain shocked Natalya back to reality. She sat back on her heels and clutched at her hand.

She sat there for some time as numbed shock swept over her. Finally, she dragged herself back to the city and arrived just as the bells were ringing, signaling the end of the evening ceremonies. Through tear-swollen eyes, she watched the people around her packing up their wares in a subdued tone. They kept peeking at her out of the corner of their eyes and whispering behind their hands to each other.

Natalya felt suddenly very alone, and as tears threatened to come to the surface again, she turned hurriedly away from the prying eyes and ran smack into a very solid body. It grunted and put a hand on her shoulder to steady them both. Natalya looked up into the face of the Treymayne trader and mumbled a quick apology, wiping at her tears impatiently. He wrinkled his brow and caught her hand, examining the cut.

"That looks bad," he said, a slight accent betraying his foreignness, "I could wrap it for you."

Natalya snatched her hand away, trying not to wince as the cut reopened in the process. "I'll be fine, thank you," she said briskly.

"Suit yourself, he answered, returning to his task of wiping each of the blades clean. Natalya looked around at the townspeople who now had a scandalous tone to their whispers, and she could almost hear them as they told each other how unseemly it was for her to be consorting with the outsider. The borders to Treymayne had been opened less than two years ago and though seeing them was becoming more and more commonplace, it was still recent enough to fuel gossip. It was one thing for them all to talk with him in order to buy his highly coveted blades, but gods forbid she speak with him.

She felt a sudden rush of hatred for them and spitefully turned back to the man. "Actually," she admitted, "I could use your help. I'm Natalya."

He looked back at her, a curious look upon his face at her sudden change of heart, and shrugging, took hold of her hand once more.

"The name's Hunter," he replied absently as he opened a case and started cleaning her cut. They stood in silence whilst Hunter finished cleaning and wrapping her wound, adding a large glop of something moist and foul-smelling to the gauze which, to her horror, he proceeded to place on her wound. It squished around her fingers and caused a tingling sensation, but it didn't sting as she had feared. She asked in ill-disguised disgust, "What is that?"

He looked at her, a cold smile playing on his lips, and answered, "Us primitive Treymaynians, you know, we use dirt to cure everything; haven't you heard the stories?"

Natalya felt a flush burning up her neck to her cheeks and stammered, "I didn't mean..."

He shook his head and dropped her hand which had been in a suddenly tighter grip. "Sorry, it's just been a common reaction. I had hoped when coming here..." he trailed off.

Natalya nodded, mutely, glancing away in embarrassment and again they stood in an awkward silence.

"It's a poultice of comfrey, goldenseal, and aloe. It will help soothe the pain and keep away infection while it's healing."

Natalya gave a weak smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Hunter was saying as a wave of nausea over took Natalya. She doubled over and groaned, clutching her stomach. Hunter once again steadied her and ducked down to examine her face, a look of concern across his. "Are you alright?"

Natalya breathed deeply and nodded, "I think so, must just be the sight of the blood," She lied as inside her mind raced. Something was wrong with Alina, she could feel it.

Hunter's gazed fell to her bracelet, which she suddenly realized she had in a death-grip, and she forced her cramped hand to release it. She hastily excused herself and raced home, bursting through the door to find her father with his head in his hands at the table, a half-finished bottle of Rosewine in front of him and her mother waving her hands around in a frantic huff as she screamed at him.

"We can't just let that monster take our little girl, hasn't he done enough?" Her mother immediately fell silent upon her arrival and stomped over to the sink, picking up a rag and scrubbing away at the dishes with a vengeance.

"Father, Mother," she panted, winded from her sprint, "there's something wrong with Alina, I can feel it!"

Her father raised his eyes to her, half-closed, and answered morosely, "Alina is gone, there's nothing we can do. We cannot argue against the divine judgment."

"They can't just take the talented anymore, Queen Layna changed all that. It must be a mistake!" Natalya persisted.

"There's nothing to be done." He turned back to the bottle, taking a long swig before getting up from the table and stomping outside.

Natalya looked expectantly at her mother who was still scouring the pan until Natalya feared she may rub a hole straight through the bottom. She avoided her stare. She huffed exasperatedly; obviously her parents were not going to do anything about it.

"Fine," she said curtly and left. If her father wanted to drown his sorrows in the bottle and her mother clean her troubles away, Natalya would just have to take matters into her own hands. She went to pack her bags.

*

Hunter watched the young girl leave the square, her auburn hair flowing out behind her. He felt a wave of pity wash over him. The scene had dredged up painful memories, and he roughly shoved them aside in his mind. There was no use thinking of things that he couldn't change.

These events were disquieting, however. Though he was not privy to all of the new laws that the Queen here in Gelendan was passing, he had at least believed that her intentions were good and the proclamations that had been made in her name here today did not seem to follow her same ideals. His uncle lived in the capitol, Naoham, and he always spoke highly of the Queen. Hunter grunted his disproval. Another example of corruption in the government.

He watched the townspeople around him through veiled eyes. They had mostly been civil to him, though he was sure that was in no small part due to the wares he was peddling. But still, there was a prevalent aura of distrust. He had caught more than one of them staring at him. A precarious peace may have been established between the neighboring countries, growing stronger by increased trading, but they weren't yet allies. Hunter hoped to help change that.

The sun was beginning to dip past the edges of the trees on the horizon, casting a golden glow on the square. The merchants were packing away their carts as people slowly dispersed towards the other festivities and Hunter followed suit, wrapping each of the knives gently, and firmly securing the tarp over the top. He put his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle, and a huge dog instantly stopped sniffing the ground and perked his ears in his direction. He broke into a trot that brought him to Hunter's side in seconds. Hunter smiled and ruffled the fur on the dog's head affectionately. "Good boy, Weylyn, what have you been getting yourself into today, hmm?" The dog just cocked its head, licking Hunter's hand who laughed, "Up to no good, no doubt."

He finished hooking the latch which secured a wooden slab over the top of the cart to prevent thieves overnight and hooked a lock around the wheel to stop it from being rolled away. It was also protected by several charms, but Hunter felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

He wandered the empty streets for a few minutes before finding the entrance to the tavern. As he opened the door he was accosted with the cacophony of voices and the stench of ale. It seemed as though half the town had squeezed itself into the tavern and Hunter was hard-pressed to find an empty seat, finally settling down at the end of the bar. A pretty barmaid hurried over to take his order and after the usual flirty banter, he ordered ale and watched as she made her way to the back, deftly sweeping out of the way of wandering hands and chiding the culprits with winks.

She returned shortly with his ale and he took a sip, surveying the room. The table in the center of the room was surrounded by several burly gentlemen who were swinging their mugs around and singing in slurring voices to the amusement of those around them.

Hunter was surprised to see quite a few women. Most were hanging around the outsides tittering to each other behind upheld hands, but a few were matching drinks with the men and joining in the animated conversations.

As Hunter's eyes fell on the corner table, he was also surprised to see Natalya's father, nursing a beer by himself as the people around him nervously glanced at him and gave him plenty of space. He seemed oblivious to the rest of the room and just sat there staring blankly ahead.

Hunter's observation was interrupted by a sudden voice beside him, and he saw a red-haired woman slide into the seat next to him, her freckled face flushed prettily from drink.

"You're that man from Treymayne selling blades at the festival today," she stated, leaning in so close that Hunter could feel her hot breath, which smelled strongly of spirits, against his face.

He smiled obligingly at her and agreed, "I am indeed, my lady. Hunter Riley, at your service."

The girl giggled. "Well, Hunter Riley, whatever are you doing in Gelendan?"

"Why, I can't have your country not have a taste of my fine blades," he answered, only half in jest, and she went on pelting him with questions about himself and Treymayne. She listened intently despite the appalled looks she got from several of the more conservative women who glared at Hunter if he met their eye, until the door opened and a gangly-looking boy entered. At which time, Hunter was suddenly forgotten completely as she squealed and rushed over to the boy, planting a wet kiss on his cheek.

Hunter watched in amusement, left alone again to observe the room. He saw that another man had entered the tavern, and it was none other than he who had caused the scene earlier. Natalya's father - who Hunter now knew was Lyam Kelwyn, a local baker, thanks to his overly-talkative, if brief, company - was glaring at the new man with unveiled hatred.

The new arrival, seeing Lyam, smirked and sauntered over to his table. He said something to the man and Lyam snarled a response. Hunter was too far away to hear what the words being exchanged were, but as the conversation grew heated, the volume of the voices increased.

Suddenly Lyam pushed the bench back from the table roughly, leaping to his feet and shouting, "It is NOT an _honor_! You took my daughter from me!" His previously composed front had vanished with the ale in his mug and he looked to be on the edge of hysterics.

Hunter saw the evil sneer on the other man's face grow and a hush spread over the crowd of the tavern. The man made a comment, too low for Hunter to hear, but whatever it was sparked anger in Lyam's eyes and he lunged at the man.

There was a collective gasp from the tavern patrons and Hunter lurched to his feet, his hand flying to his tunic to grasp the cold metal of a knife hidden away within the folds. When he reached the tumult, the man had recomposed himself after the unexpected attack, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, and was getting ready to reciprocate.

Hunter came up behind the man and threw his arm around the other's neck, resting the blade gently across the delicate skin above his jugular so that the cold of the metal would reveal its nature.

"This man's had a hard day, why not give him a break," he said into the ear of the man, whose cheeks flushed so red that Hunter was afraid he might catch on fire. The man dropped his fist and Hunter relinquished his grip, allowing the man to turn and face him and Hunter received the tongue lashing of his life, ending with, "Do you even have any idea who I am? I ought to have you hanged for this!"

Hunter looked the man over. He was slightly taller than Hunter himself with dark hair tussled from the encounter, and as his gaze fell to the man's waist, he instantly knew his blunder. Hanging from his belt was a sword and scabbard with a house emblem, a tell-tale sign of highborn, noble's mercenary, or government official. In Treymayne, commoners and nobles were given more equal status than here in Gelendan, a fact that had temporarily slipped his mind and which could potentially be a costly lapse. He belatedly realized the significance of himself being the only one to come to Lyam's aid, and decided that this must be the lord of the land – given his haughty attitude and the deference shown to him. Hunter's earlier assumption that he was just one of those who the Queen supposedly sent to collect talents appeared to be erroneous. Although, had he been thinking more clearly, even one sent by the Queen should have been given wide berth.

"I apologize, my lord, I did not realize. I simply wished to spare this man more pain and quickly put an end to a possible brawl." Hunter's practiced hands made the knife disappear back into his tunic as he bowed his head slightly at the man, disgusted at having to show respect towards a man so obviously undeserving of it, but not wanting to create an even larger scene and more trouble for himself.

"And just who do you think _you_ are, that is it your duty to do such things?" the noble demanded, but before Hunter could answer, the young redhead he had been talking to earlier interjected, "He is from Treymayne, my lord, and does not know our ways. And anyway, he will be heading north on the morrow."

Hunter tried his best to look contrite. He hadn't been planning on leaving the market quite so soon, but given the circumstances it probably was the best idea.

The lord narrowed his eyes and scowled, but replied with, "Fine. I'll let it slide this time, but if I ever see you here again..." he trailed off, his words dripping with malice and loathing and Hunter bowed his head at him again graciously, moving aside so the lord could pass unhindered. The man did so, stalking out of the tavern, with his two brutish men in tow.

The redhead pulled him aside, the adrenaline seeming to have sobered her greatly as she was no longer fumbling over her words. "Morven Venium is a dangerous man to cross," she informed him, "he's the son of the Baron and convinced the world should revolve around him. And he holds a wicked grudge, so I suggest you do as I told him you would and depart in the morn."

"Thank you," he said to her in earnest and, seeing that Lyam had slipped out, then asked, "Is there bad blood between those two?"

The redhead looked at her feet and seemed reluctant to answer, saying cryptically, "The two have always clashed," and leaving it at that.

Hunter saw he would get no more answers out of her and the people seemed even less inclined to be around him now, so he took his leave of them. Once safely upstairs, settled somewhat comfortably on his straw bed, he invoked a charm in the hilt of a blade which would alert him to another presence and tucked it under his pillow. Closing his eyes, he let sleep wash over him.
CHAPTER 3

Katya's eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness of the interior of the Chamber. The vine door swung closed behind her with a resounding thud and Marak squeezed her tight for a moment as though jumping at the sound. Looking around the large rotund room, she saw that it was filled with rows of people sitting in benches around the outside. News of her arrival must have spread fast. There was a column of light filtering in from a circular window in the middle, and it illuminated a disk shape on the floor in the center of the structure.

A woman in long flowing robes and braided hair that extended past her waist flitted over and ushered her farther inside.

"Welcome, Katya of the Dena'ina tribe, we are honored to have you here." She gestured towards the circle of light and Katya obliged her, going to stand within it. The brightness shining down on her made it more difficult for her to see the faces around her.

That was likely the purpose.

The woman was staring at her expectantly.

"I fear that I was a bit of an outsider, even with my people," Katya confessed after an awkward moment, hoping that this would explain her lack of knowledge of whatever procedure they were expecting her to perform.

The woman gave her a sympathetic smile and relaxed almost imperceptibly. "That would explain why you answered our summons." Katya stored away this information. So the Dena'ina tribe was not friendly with the others. Lorcan had done a greater service than he knew by suggesting she was from this tribe. The woman continued. "The tribes have had limited contact since the time of the Massacre, so there are certain precautions that we need to take in order to ensure that you are not a threat to our way of life. One can only imagine what would happen if news of our survival reached the Lands of the Lost."

Katya nodded when the woman paused, giving her a solemn look. She could only assume that the Lands of the Lost were Gelendan and Treymayne. Did these people really treat them as though every inhabitant was 'lost'? Her curiosity grew and she refortified her mind shields, masking her talent further. Since traveling among the Ferryn Plains, she had learned to 'bury' part of her talent within her so that it was not affected by the chaos. It had the side-effect of making her talent appear much less than it actually was to those around her. She had also become quite adept at subterfuge while under the influence of the collar, and many of those skills would come in useful today.

"Please hold your hands outstretched and repeat after me."

Katya obeyed and watched intently while the woman placed several herbs within her palms. Another person came forward, though Katya could not tell if it was a man or a woman, and stood ready with a pitcher poised above her hands. Steam rose from its mouth and Katya eyed it warily.

"Mein'i Anja, jenta fam'bra..." the woman orated and Katya tried her best to imitate the completely unfamiliar words, wondering just what it was that she was saying. As she concentrated on the task, she was taken by surprise when a boiling liquid was poured out onto her hands. She fought not to withdraw them and gagged as a noxious odor rose to her nostrils with the steam.

Distracted by the words, the pain from the heat, and the smell, Katya almost stumbled backwards when she was hit by wave after wave of mind-probes thrown at her from all directions. The first few were automatically deflected off her mind shields, but she let a few penetrate, seemingly unconsciously, to reveal only what she wanted them to know. The effort made her perspire uncontrollably, and Katya was glad for the steam already coating her face with moisture and covering the effort.

Katya sank to her knees, exhausted by the drain of energy required to meet the attacks, one after another on her mind. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to repel another invasion, they stopped. Someone helped her up from behind and the herbs were pried out from her hands, which had clenched shut around them.

She met the woman's eyes before her with apprehension. These were some of the strongest mages she had ever come across save Layna and Gryffon and, of course, Nathair. She feared they had seen through her disguise.

The woman was smiling, however, a satisfied and friendly smile and Katya relaxed slightly.

"Thank you for enduring the Ordeal so graciously, Katya of the Dena'ina tribe. We welcome you to the Myaamia tribe." More people rushed forward and Katya was draped in a robe, had a wreath of flowers put over her head, and was handed a beverage which she drank thirstily once determining that it was nothing more than sweetened water.

She was ushered farther inside the gigantic bulb, into an adjoining chamber, and seated around a massive table. Again the furniture seemed to be grown directly from the vegetation around them and as she sat she could have sworn that the leaves seemed to close in around her, making the chair form perfectly for her. People filed in from the room beyond, presumably those who had been seated on the benches encircling her during the Ordeal, and filled in the rest of the places around the table.

Food appeared, brought by young children who skittered in and out in the blink of an eye, and the woman who had directed the Ordeal took her place at the head of the table, raising her glass. As she did so, silence descended upon the room and all eyes turned towards her.

"It is a wonderful day here in the Myaamia when we can say for the first time since the beginning that a representative from all of the tribes is present in one place. Since the Dena'ina found their caves, the Dakelh took to the water, the Kanza wandered the Plains, and the Gwich'in created their paradise, never before have we hosted such a diverse group." As she spoke the names of each of the tribes, a handful of people rose their glasses or cheered as their name was called. It appeared that Katya was the only one who had only one representative present. The different tribes could be easily distinguished from one another by their dress. She glanced surreptitiously down at her own garb and realized just how much she stood out because of it. Perhaps that had been why Lorcan immediately assumed she was from the Dena'ina – the only tribe whose style of clothing he hadn't seen. It was lucky indeed he hadn't realized the true implications.

The speaker turned and addressed Katya directly. "I cannot tell you how pleased we are that you have chosen to join us. The Dena'ina has been estranged too long. It is unfortunate that your expertise cannot be used in the ceremony, but we have already integrated our powers I'm afraid and it would be too late to try and catch you up. It will be a momentous day, nonetheless, for all of us and fear not, your contributions will be necessary and appreciated in the days to come. There will be much work ahead of us. Only by working together may we accomplish the common goal." She spoke for several more minutes, but Katya was too lost in thought, wondering what ceremony there was to be performed and what the supposed common goal of all of the tribes was. She kept an ear open for any pertinent information, but it seemed that everyone already knew what this 'momentous occasion' was already and only spoke of how wonderful it was.

Katya finally extricated herself from the event and was shown to a visiting quarters. After the woman who had shown her the way had left, Katya gave the room a brief looking-over before she wandered out onto the walkways. She silently slipped through the shadows, flitting in and out among the many enclosures, trying to get some clue as to the type of people she was among.

Eventually, she figured out the pattern of the set-up and she found her way to where Lorcan had said he'd be in the Fifth Circle. He was the closest thing she had to a friend in this foreign place, and so far he had seemed the least dangerous. She found him standing amongst a group of youngsters proudly puffing out his chest which, as Katya looked closer, she realized now held the tuft of fur in an amulet around his neck.

She smiled and waved, distracting his attention away from the swarm of onlookers.

"Katya!" he greeted her, ushering her into the circle. It closed in around them and she felt momentarily overwhelmed. Several girls covered their hands and giggled, and she could have sworn that at least one glared at her. Apparently the episode had turned Lorcan into an instant celebrity among the children.

He grabbed her arm and held onto her possessively. "This is the woman I saved from the lion," he told them all proudly.

"Hello," Katya gave the group a collective greeting.

"He really saved you?" one girl asked, swooning over him.

"Um, yes, he really did."

"Wow, that's so brave."

"Yes, it was," she agreed before steering the conversation away from Lorcan's heroism, "So the ceremony is going to be pretty exciting, huh?" Katya stated, hoping to pick up on some more information about it from the children.

"Oh, it's all the adults have been talking about for months now," said one boy with a slight air of annoyance. "They've gathered together a special circle of mages to perform it who think they're pretty special."

"Too bad you arrived too late to be part of it," one of the girls hovering near Lorcan commented, sounding not at all sorry for her.

"That just means you'll get to sit with me to watch it," Lorcan shrugged, oblivious to the pout the girl put on at his words.

A gong sounded, echoing through the treetops, and the children scattered, squealing excitedly.

Lorcan grinned broadly at Katya, "And you got here just in time."

*

Lord Telvani strolled through the hallways of the palace contentedly. He had sustained no few loses of late, what with the dissolving of the Order – a secret group which tracked those who were marked as the Dark King's descendants and kept blood-magic alive, and which he had been in the very highest ranks of. Not to mention the costly loss of his right-hand woman, Ranis. Her failure had definitely put a damper on his plans. Regardless, the situation had finally now been salvaged.

His quick-thinking had led him to stand behind the claim of the new Queen to the throne which had automatically gained her trust. Not that it would have been hard to earn it anyway; the woman was determined to see the good in everybody, a trait that was not very practical in politics. Though it had taken him a fair amount of time to recoup, he felt reasonably certain that the new group that he had put together would serve its purpose. The Faithful were already infiltrating the Knights, a force that the Queen had put together for the purpose of educating and patrolling the countryside so that blood-magic would not take hold.

_Ironic_ , he thought, smiling to himself.

One of his servants came scampering over to him, and Telvani paused and waited while the man bowed deeply before him. As he raised himself back up, Telvani waved a hand, giving him leave to speak.

"News has come from the Faithful in Hardonia, my lord," he sputtered and Telvani cringed.

It probably wasn't good news. _So much for my happy musings_.

The servant went on, "They report that the lord there, Lord Morven, did not follow the proper procedures." The man's eyes darted back and forth. "Apparently he holds a fair amount of bitterness towards one of the commoners there. The man-in-question's wife is said to be the most beautiful woman in the region and though Lord Morven courted her with lavish gifts and expensive offerings, she chose to marry this commoner instead, who is merely the town baker. It was a slight that Lord Morven took very personally." The man was rambling on, and Telvani waited with diminutive patience for him to get to the point. "So, when the trackers discovered that the man's daughter was one, he found himself unable to resist the chance to publicly humiliate him."

Telvani didn't like where this was headed.

"Lord Morven declared to the entire town, who was gathered for the Dragon Festival, that it was a new proclamation of the crown that children with strong talent were being gathered together for a divine purpose and that they should feel honored that their daughter would be among the first to be chosen."

Telvani nearly shook with anger. _So much work has been put into rebuilding, all to be wasted by one foolish man's pride?!_ The corners of his mouth turned down and he clenched his teeth.

"How long do they celebrate the festival in Hardonia?" he asked finally.

"Three days, my lord, today was the first."

"And do most of the people who travel for it stay in town?"

"Most do, my lord." The man's voice wavered.

Telvani stared down the long stone hallway in thought. The servant waited. Eventually the lord spoke again. "Then there is no helping it," he sighed. "Order in the elite guards."

The servant paled. "Is that necessary?" he had the gall to ask. "It will not guarantee that all who heard it will be silenced."

"No," agreed Telvani, humoring the man's audacity, "But they won't be talking about _that_ anymore, now will they?"

No sooner had the servant scurried away than the Queen appeared in the hall with him, followed by her usual entourage. Surprisingly, the King was not by her side, typically the two were nauseatingly inseparable.

"Lord Telvani," Queen Layna commanded with her tone that he stop and speak with her.

He gave her a tolerant smile. "Yes, My Liege?"

"I have been getting reports about a new group that has been going around the countryside in my name," she began in a stern voice and a tiny bead of sweat formed at his brow.

_She couldn't possibly have tied me to them_ .... "Oh? What are they doing?" he inquired, feigning concern over their activities, and hoping her answer would be one of ignorance. He was in luck.

"We haven't been able to figure that out," answered Garrick in the Queen's stead.

Telvani fought hard to keep his lip from twitching. It irked him to no end that the Queen put up with such insolence, but her face was serene besides the faint look of disquiet.

"But I don't like it," Layna asserted, "Amid our recent problems with the Order, I'm wary of any sort of group that bands together for an unknown cause. Especially when it's groups of soldiers of the throne who are acting under the crown's protection."

"I'm sure it's nothing," soothed Telvani, relieved that this seemed to be the extent of her information. At this point it sounded as though she believed they had rallied together themselves. "But I will look into it for you. I'll make it my top priority."

"Thank you Lord Telvani, you've been most helpful."

"It is my pleasure, Your Excellency," Telvani bowed and turned away, not bothering to wait for her dismissal. Brought up as a commoner, she had no clue the respect that was due her station, and he wasn't about to give it to her if she didn't even know to demand it.

"Telvani," she called after him, and he paused again, hoping his irritation didn't show. Her stare was suddenly intense, her sharp gaze seeming to penetrate into his very soul. An after-effect of having hosted the gods. It was unnerving and Telvani immediately lost his haughty attitude, checking to make sure his mind-shields were in place. "There've been several loads of prisoners that have gone missing or their paperwork has been misplaced. Do you know anything about this?"

Was it his imagination or did her tone have a hint of accusation? "Missing prisoners? No, no I haven't heard that, but it is disturbing news." The Queen was much too involved in matters she should be leaving to her underlings. He had hoped that with her pregnancy that it would have allowed him more leeway to conduct his dealings unhindered, but even in this delicate state she had tramped all over the countryside and kept visiting the prisons hoping to educate and rehabilitate the inmates. And having the baby around was no better, half the time she just brought it with her to meetings when it should be being brought up by its nannies. "We can't have that, now can we?" he appeased her. "Which ones?"

"There have been a number of instances," Garrick came forward and handed him a scroll and she continued, "and I believe that at least a handful of high-profile nobles who were involved with blood-magic are among those who have disappeared. We need to locate them right away."

Telvani unrolled the list and briefly looked it over. It was fairly complete. Maybe only one or two had been missed. She certainly was doing her homework. He raised his eyebrows as he read down the register, "Lady Edlyn, Lord Farthen...this _is_ serious." He would seriously need to warn them to go further into hiding.

He looked up to find the Queen watching him attentively.

"Well," he pronounced, rolling the parchment back up and hitting his hand against the end of it, "you've given me quite a lot to look into. You must excuse me as I am eager to get to the bottom of this straight-away. These are some very disturbing events."

Queen Layna nodded to him and he bowed again, quickening his pace away from her so that he would not be called back for another round of questions.

He hastened to his suite and commenced to furiously writing several letters. When he had finished, he folded them and dripped wax onto each from his candle, watching the surface harden just a bit before pressing his ring into them.

He called a servant in to take the messages away with instructions where to send them. He needed to both alert those who they had already freed to lay low for a while, and to inform the Faithful in the prisons to halt their missions for the time being. He needed to tread carefully where the Queen was concerned. She was smarter than she looked, despite her foolish trusting nature.

Once that task was accomplished, he made his way to the Hall of Records where he spent the afternoon poring over the reports. To any observers sent by the Queen, it would appear that he was indeed looking into the disturbing news she had just brought him. In reality, he was scouring every page for records that could link him to any of the dealings. He had brought with him a special ink that covered up the previous markings to match the color of the page, making it look as though nothing had been written there before. He only had to use this twice, and even those were distant connections.

When he felt as though there was nothing linking him to any of his projects, he pushed the chair back from the table, scraping its legs across the floor. He received a few pointed looks for the grating sound, but he ignored these, returning the ledgers to their spots and rubbing his tired eyes. Too much focusing at words two feet from his face. He needed to get outside.

He strolled out into the gardens, enjoying the cool breeze as evening settled in, and the solitude of the night as most of the other people had retired inside. His reverie did not last long, however, as a servant soon rushed out to find him.

"Lord Telvani," the man stopped before him and bowed deeply, waiting until he was acknowledged before standing to relate his message.

"Yes?" Telvani granted him.

"The King and Queen request your presence in the throne room immediately, my lord."

Telvani sighed. "Very well." He followed the young man back towards the palace with annoyance. It would be so nice to go one day without having to interact with their Majesties.

When they reached the throne room, the huge wooden doors swung inwards to receive him and he slowed his pace to a cautious walk. The King and Queen both sat at their thrones; it was unusual for them to take such a formal position to receive him, and lords and ladies lined the path to them. He walked among these, searching their faces for some clue to the purpose of this summons, but they all wore looks of curiosity. Apparently they had no more idea than he did, but had simply gathered to be the first to spread the court gossip, or were here for their own matters to be settled by the Queen.

The noble class had gone through a great upset when Queen Layna was crowned, between many of them ending up in jail for their involvement in the Order and blood-magic, and Layna's inclination for those of the lower class who she had exalted to noble status, things were still working themselves out to get to a new normal.

He reached the dais on which the thrones stood and kneeled before it.

"Rise," King Gryffon spoke first. "Lord Telvani, we asked you here today about a matter of great importance."

Telvani remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Queen Layna spoke next.

"I brought several matters to your attention this morning," she said and looked at him expectantly.

He nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"Additional information that has just come to light, combined with your actions since learning of these issues..." she began in a voice that told him that she knew.

Telvani began to sweat. The only thing now would be finding out just how much she knew. He steeled himself for the final blow as she opened her mouth to speak again...

But then suddenly both monarchs tensed simultaneously, and the Queen burst from her throne. She broke out into a sprint down the hallway with the King at her heels. Lord Telvani felt a rush of relief, even if that relief would probably only prove to be momentary. He entertained the notion of fleeing while they were preoccupied, but found that too many of the guards' attention was on him. It would be fruitless, and would only solidify his guilt when he did not yet know how much they knew. He still had the chance to talk himself out of it. So instead he followed the King and Queen curiously, trying to maintain a semblance of propriety while keeping up with the racing couple. Most of the courtiers followed suit.

They headed towards the nursery and Telvani wondered if perhaps all the fuss wasn't just that the baby had taken a fall and set off the parent's wards. How disappointing that would be. Although if it was a bad enough fall to kill the child perhaps it would be useful. He had originally hoped to gain access to the girl in order to groom her to be his protégé and then do away with her parents once she was under his thumb. But not only was the child kept securely under unbreakable wards at all times, but the King and Queen proved too powerful themselves to assassinate.

Not that he hadn't tried.

When they reached the doorway to the nursery, the Queen skidded to a halt, causing the King to run into her. She let out a strangled cry and rushed inside and Telvani picked up his own pace to see what was going on. The bodyguards pushed past him and raised their swords, ready for a fight. This served to further pique his curiosity. What was going on?

As he rounded the corner of the doorway, the child came into sight, glowing in a faint blue light and hovering above the floor. Telvani raised an eyebrow. _Well, this is interesting._ Both her parents were frantically throwing spell after spell at the enchantment, but surprisingly none were doing any good. The Queen rushed forward and tried to physically remove the child from the glow, but it only gave her a nasty shock and repelled her backwards. Telvani bit back a malicious smile.

The glow around the little girl grew steadily brighter, and the King and Queen's efforts increased accordingly, but still to no avail. The non-mage bodyguards stood around awkwardly, their swords falling to their sides uselessly, and those who had talent added their strength to their charges'. Finally, a loud *pop* was heard, and little Phoenix disappeared.

Queen Layna and King Gryffon stood staring at the empty space for a long moment. Then they gathered their immense combined strength, ready to follow the child wherever she had been taken...

...when they were unexpectedly struck down. Their legs gave out beneath them in unison and they crumpled to the floor. Telvani winced mockingly as the Queen's head collided with the ground with a resounding thud. Lucky for her there was a thick carpet in the nursery for the child's own falls.

Telvani stood still, looking around warily, aware of the possibility of an attack on his own person. The guards stared dumbly at the scene, and one raced into the hall to raise the alarm. After a tense moment during which no more magic could be felt, he tentatively moved forward and examined the two prone bodies. He held his middle and pointer finger to the Queen's neck and felt her pulse, strong and steady, though her skin was ice-cold. He repeated this for the King with similar results. He could sense a faint glow around the two of them as well, akin to the one which had just appeared around their child.

_Some sort of stasis spell perhaps?_ Unable to take them out completely, so whoever did this froze them and surrounded them with wall upon wall of illusions that they would never be able to find their way back to reality on their own? _How delightful_. Someone had gone and taken care of his problems for him. Of course, stealing the heir could mean he had an unknown foe, and one who could incapacitate the two most powerful mages in the country. _Possibly problematic, but potentially very useful – also not immediately relevant._ It would all depend on who this person, or persons, were and what their plans were.

Collecting his thoughts, he stood and addressed the nearest guard. "Put these two in their bed in the royal chamber and post guards at the door. No one is to go in or out except by my command, understood?"

The man looked doubtful for a moment, but given the circumstances had the sense enough to agree to this. Several other guards helped him to move the limp bodies and Telvani turned to the rest of the spectators. Luckily, it was only guards who had made it into the room and he ordered the door shut.

"No one is to speak of this to anyone," he ordered, "not even your wives, or your mothers, or even your _dogs_. If word gets out that the King and Queen were attacked, it could both jeopardize our investigation into the matter and cause a panic within the populace. Neither of these will help us protect the King and Queen."

The guards listened with rapt attention, their eyes wide. As he finished his tirade, they all looked around at one another and then back to him, nodding. When they all had agreed to this – and given their oaths – he smiled, ordering them back to their posts. He strolled out into the hallway where many of the courtiers had followed, though many were turned away if they weren't high enough rank to be in the hallways that led to the royal nursery and chambers.

To those who were assembled he stated, "The Princess Phoenix had a bit of an accident, so the King and Queen will be indisposed for the remainder of the day. They have left me to carry out the rest of the business for today." He gestured towards the throne room and led the procession back to the rest of the crowd still mulling about.

He made his way straight to the thrones, lifting his cloak out around him to better sit and lowered himself into the Queen's throne. He smiled.

"Now, what was next on today's agenda?" The lords and ladies exchanged glances with one another nervously, unsure of what to make of this sudden change. Then someone spoke up.

"I have a grievance against my neighbor's livestock using my grazing land which needs to be remedied."

Telvani dove into the work of wading through the nobles' disputes. It was tedious, but worth the credit he would get for having so swiftly dealt with the emergency and having made the day still run smoothly. He would have to make a showing in front of the Council to keep any power he may immediately gain from this, but for the moment, seeing as how the Council was not in session, the country was under Telvani rule.

He smiled grimly.

*

Hunter clicked his tongue at his mount, urging it to move faster, but the stubborn beast clomped along at its own slow pace. His cart hit a bump and rattled, drawing his attention behind him to make sure his cargo was safe. The sun was not yet at its peak in the sky, but he had been traveling since dawn, forced to leave earlier than he otherwise would have liked. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the light and searched the surrounding landscape for a good place to stop.

Spotting a grove of trees ahead near the road, but far enough away to not attract unwanted attention, Hunter gently pulled the reins to move the mare towards it. She turned obligingly, bumping the wheels of the cart up over the edge of the ruts of the well-worn road. To his surprise, the area also held a natural spring and after he unhooked the mare, he led her to it where she drank greedily.

He tied her with a lead long enough for her to graze and get to the water as she desired, and he rummaged through the cart until he found a bag of provisions. Taking out a half-loaf of bread and an apple, he settled down to enjoy his lunch, facing towards the road to observe any passers-by that may happen along.

Weylyn suddenly appeared out of nowhere in typical fashion, and plopped himself down at Hunter's feet. He watched Hunter's hand intently as he ripped the bread apart, ready to snap up any crumbs that might fall. Hunter tossed him a chunk. It was gone before it hit the ground.

He had just finished his apple and was about to toss the core away when a faint sound of many horse's hooves was carried to him on the wind. He felt a tingle go down his spine and he quickly moved the mare further into the camouflaging foliage, and he crouched beneath a large tree. Weylyn growled softly, his hackles rising.

After a few tense minutes, the source of the clatter could be seen. Hunter counted at least thirty armed men on horseback galloping towards the town of Hardonia. It was a border town, on the west of the country along the ridge to the untamed lands, and bandits were well-known for raiding. However, this wasn't just a group of the noble's mercenary coming to protect them from bandits.

Hunter stiffened as he caught sight of the symbol emblazed upon the warriors' shields. It was the same one that the men who had taken the young girl yesterday had displayed. In the wake of the passing troupe of men, Hunter weighed out his choices. There was no reason for him to go back and investigate, and little he could do, but he also had few pressing matters to attend to. He wasn't meeting his uncle in the capitol for another few weeks, so he could afford to take the time to satiate his curiosity. The taking of the girl yesterday had also painfully resurfaced memories from long ago he had hoped to have forgotten forever. But seeing the young woman being dragged off...when she had looked back at her family, growing smaller and smaller in the distance...The face which displayed agonized fear was not that of the little girl he'd seen earlier playing in the market, but rather it was _hers_.

He put the clamp on the wagon wheel roughly and hauled a few branches on top of it to keep it unseen and set the magical wards on it. Then, tearing the mare away from her goodies, he mounted and steered her back towards the town. She looked back at him, seeming annoyed to have him change his mind as to the direction they were heading, and clomped forward.

Though she was not hauling the cart along behind her for this journey, her pace did not quicken, and Hunter's trepidation grew as wisps of smoke started snaking up towards the heavens in the distance. He clicked his tongue again and nudged her in the ribs, but this only had the effect of stopping her altogether. Hunter sighed exasperatedly and coaxed her forward once more.

The small wisps of smoke soon became large billowing clouds and Hunter had a horrible gnawing in the pit of his stomach. Keeping a keen eye out for the soldiers' return, he led the mare as close as he dared take her, then tied her up to make the rest of the journey on foot. Weylyn had trotted along beside them, but now shied away, disappearing into the forest.

His own pace was quickened as he drew near to the town and the sound of shrill screams, men shouting, and the clashing of swords could be heard. The smoke was so thick it almost blotted out the light and the acrid smell grated on his lungs. There was also a rancid undertone that burned his nostrils and made him want to wretch: Burning flesh.

He snuck in the side, slipping into a house on the edge of the square. A muffled scream alerted him to another presence, and he searched for the source. He found it beneath the bed, the voice belonging to a little boy no older than four. Hunter knelt beside the doomed hiding spot, holding his hand out to the boy and urgently whispering, "This way, we need to get you out of here."

The little boy's eyes were so wide they were nearly round, and he was clinging to a ragged stuffed bunny. The noise of men shouting from outside grew nearer, and the boys eyes darted towards the door before he hastily scrambled out from under the bed.

Hunter grabbed his hand and led him back the way he had come in, hoping to sneak him out and hide him in the woods until whatever was going on had ended. The side room was already up in flames and the blaze was licking the edges of the surrounding rooms. Hunter let go of the boy's hand to push the window up, peering outside to make sure there was no one to observe their escape.

The front door abruptly burst open and Hunter whipped around, raising his sword. A woman stood there, staring at him with intense eyes and Hunter let his guard down in surprise. The little boy rushed forward, arms outstretched, before Hunter could stop him. He seemed to watch in slow motion as the woman's stare dulled and a dribble of blood ran down out of the corner of her mouth. Then Hunter noticed what he had missed earlier: A point of a sword sticking out of her abdomen.

He watched in horror as the tip of the blade withdrew as the man behind her raised his foot and kicked her body forward off it. Time sped up again and Hunter surged forward while the solider noticed the little boy and grabbed for him.

There was a tense struggle before Hunter got the upper hand, and he hastily took advantage of his opportunity. Abandoning his sword in the close quarters, he withdrew his knife. He swiftly rammed the blade into the man's ribs where his heart should be. _If this man even has one,_ he thought angrily. He pulled the knife out roughly and let the man's now-limp form fall to the ground, clutching at the wound as it drained the life from him. Hunter felt little remorse for the loss of a life so cruel that it could stab a woman in the back and go after a child.

He looked around for the youngster and spied him a few feet away, his head tucked into his chest where he was tightly grasping the stuffed bunny. Hunter touched him gently on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here," he whispered, trying to block the boy's view of his dead mother.

The boy raised his head slowly, and Hunter's breath caught in his throat, his heart constricting painfully. The once-brown bunny was soaked bright red and the boy only had enough energy left in him to look imploringly into Hunter's face before collapsing sideways, his neck slashed open in a ghastly gaping wound.

Hunter let out a quick breath and turned away, the image of the boy's dying face burned in his mind. Outside, he heard the stamping of many hooves and men shouting orders to get back into formation. After gently closing the child's staring eyes and wrapping his tiny arms around the cherished toy, Hunter slunk to the front window and looked out, ignoring the flames which were growing increasingly hotter and closer.

The soldiers were remounted and already trotting out the front gates of the town. Hunter carefully stole out of the house and into the next, searching it for survivors. He found only death and destruction. He searched the entire town, but found only more of the same. Several people were still taking their last breaths, but their wounds were severe and they were so far gone that the only thing that Hunter could do for them was cast a sleep spell to shorten their suffering. Men, women, and children cut down in ferocious and calculated murder. The square was littered with bodies.

As Hunter's stomach grew strong enough for him to examine some of the carnage more closely, he discovered that there was also a smattering of bodies belonging to men dressed as bandits. Upon closer inspection, however, Hunter found it hard to believe that they were any such thing. Or at least, that they had anything to do with the raid that had happened here today. Hunter thankfully was not very knowledgeable about death, but even he could tell that these bodies were hours, if not days, dead before the townspeople. They had been brought here to stage the scene.

Hunter felt a rush of anger towards the Queen. He had believed yesterday's event to have been an odd occurrence that did not seem to fit with her policies, but these new circumstances put a different spin on things. Perhaps she realized what the stigma of her actions would be and killed them all to cover it up. She was no better than the others. The people, or at least the commoners who were the majority of people, had been excited to have a monarch who was not raised as a noble and would understand their plight. And the Queen had seemed to, blurring the lines between the classes as Treymayne had done years ago and seemingly increasing the standard of living for most in the kingdom.

And all the while collecting talents for her personal use. Hunter snorted contemptuously. He should have known better than to believe anyone in power would be able to keep it from going to their head. He opened one last door on the edge of town and stopped short when he heard a moan. He pushed aside a table which had been overturned and spied a man's boots under the rubble. Tossing aside chairs, cloths, and other debris, he finally managed to dig the man out.

It was Lyam, the father of Natalya and the girl who had been taken. He was trying to drag himself across the floor towards the kitchen. Hunter hastily fetched a cup of water from the sink and gently poured it onto the man's bleeding lips. Lyam tried vainly to drink it in, but most spilled down his chin, mixing with the dribble of blood oozing out the corner of his mouth. Then he pushed Hunter away, intent upon getting to the kitchen once more.

Hunter looked around in confusion, and then spotted what Lyam must be trying to reach. The body of his wife lay sprawled on the floor behind the large wooden table, which had been overturned onto her. He lifted the large man with difficulty, trying to ignore the ragged painful breaths the man took as his wounds were aggravated, and moved him to his wife's side. The man glanced at him gratefully and took his wife's hand in his own.

He coughed and more blood appeared. After a moment, he looked into Hunter's eyes with such intensity that he found unable to tear his gaze away. "Tell my girls I'm sorry and I love them."

Hunter held him, helpless, and watched as the fire in his eyes died and his form grew heavy in his arms as it limply slumped. At least the old man died believing his children to still be alive. Hunter carefully laid the corpse on the ground and sighed, looking around the burned-out house. He noticed a scrap of a blue cloth poking out amidst a tangle of debris and he closed his eyes, his face pointing skywards. He had a flashback of the young girl he had helped bandage carrying the fabric, freshly bought at the festival.

All of them dead. Why? Hunter gave the town a last look over, but deciding that there was nothing else he could do, snuck out as carefully as he had come on the off-chance that someone had been left behind to take care of stragglers. Finding his way back to his horse, he patted her neck affectionately, glad to be in the company of the living once more. She leaned into his caress; soaking up the attention, though Hunter hardly noticed.

The eerie death-filled silence of the ravaged town haunted him. The young boy's eyes still seemed to stare at him. The mother's last look before she faded away. He had seen death before; he had served in the army during the short war that waged between Gelendan and Treymayne before Queen Layna took over and made peace. But even when they had been up against the bloodbeasts, Hunter had not witnessed such brutality. Women, children, animals had all been slaughtered, the buildings burned, everything of these people erased.

Hunter moved abruptly away from the horse and was violently sick upon the ground next to her. She picked up her feet indignantly and shied away. Dry heaves wracked his body long after his stomach was emptied, and he sank to the ground.

"Why?" he asked the heavens, then letting his gaze drift back towards the ruined town he whispered again, "Why?"

*

"Time for what exactly?" Katya asked.

"The Arrival."

Katya stared blankly at him. She was dying to ask 'the arrival of what?', but the look in Lorcan's eyes and the slight question in his answer told her that this was something she should already know so she kept quiet. The speakers at the dinner had kept referring to this strange event as well, but no one there had cared to fill her in on it either. Apparently that had already been explained in the summons. The fact that the grand feast that she had attended hadn't all been prepared at a moment's notice of her own arrival was comforting. She had been a bit nervous about the fact that all those mages had already been in attendance at the Chamber and an entire meal lain out within hours of her coming. Apparently, that had all been due to this Arrival, and not hers.

"So," she began instead, "shouldn't we be..."

"Getting to the Chamber?" Lorcan's eyes lit up with excitement now. "Come on!" He grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her to the lower levels, making their way towards the large room Katya had spent time in earlier that day.

"It is too bad you don't get to be in it," Lorcan lamented, "That would be pretty neat. But you got here too late, and besides, my brother said-" he cut himself off as if realizing he had been about to mention something that he shouldn't and she grilled him for more.

"He said what?"

Lorcan squirmed, obviously not wanting to tell her, but also feeling unable not to now that he had let it slip that there was something to tell. "He said that the Elders don't really trust you," he told her rushing to explain, "It's just been so long since we've even had contact from your tribe, and I guess a lot of people are still upset about what happened. I just barely found out about the incident." He looked embarrassed and looked away.

"We all make mistakes," Katya said quietly, wishing she could ask what the incident was. "Hopefully I can earn their trust and still help accomplish the common goal."

Lorcan's mood lifted again and he nodded enthusiastically. "I'm sure you will. My brother says there will be lots to do!"

He pulled back the door she had gone through only hours before and held it open for her. She entered again and was surprised at the sudden change in the décor. Lights now illuminated the entire room, lighting up the rows upon rows of seating around the outside, which were filled almost to capacity.

Lorcan took her hand once more and darted through the crowd, getting several nasty looks from some of the older members of the tribes who he pushed aside in his hurry. Katya gave them apologetic looks as she was pulled past them.

He found them seats next to some of the other children, squeezing in next to a pretty girl with flame-red hair who gave Katya a sour look before positioning herself between her and Lorcan.

People stood in the middle of the chamber, arranged in a circle around a large symbol which had been drawn upon the floor. A gigantic sand time-piece stood in the rear of the room near where the opening to the adjacent rooms were and the last grains of sand were just rushing through the glass into the bottom of the container.

The magelights suddenly dimmed and the circle of people entwined hands. Katya could feel them all draw upon the power and was impressed with their combined strength. Four stones were laid out on the floor and Katya could see that the circle was using these to focus and meld their power. She watched curiously as they molded their talents together, using a technique Katya had never before seen performed. The power seemed to feed upon the link, growing exponentially stronger as each person added their own. When the shared power reached its peak, they focused their attention on the symbol that had been drawn on the floor. Katya could tell that it was some sort of transport spell, but this must be much more complicated than just that. When she, Gryffon, and Layna had performed one, all that had been required was a simple circle, this was much more detailed. They were doing something specific on the other end of the connection. Katya strained her magesight to see.

They sent a spell through, too quickly for Katya to dissect, but its aura felt aggressive. Whatever it had been, it was an offensive spell. Katya's brow furrowed. Just what were they up to? Several tense seconds passed and despite the numerous onlookers in the room, the silence was deafening. All eyes were watching with rapt attention, Katya's included.

All at once, there was an audible *pop* and a bright flash of light blinded her. As her eyes slowly adjusted, a baby's wail filled the room, echoing off the round walls.

A wild cheer went up from the audience, and Katya glanced at the faces around her. All were ecstatic. Apparently the Arrival had been successful. She looked back down into the symbol and saw that a child had appeared in the middle of it, and was the source of the wailing. Having experienced such travel before, Katya was distinctly aware of the discomfort the poor thing was probably feeling right now and she felt for it. She felt the urge to rush forward and comfort it, and got a bad taste in her mouth when one of the women from the circle - Katya recognized her as the woman with braids who had performed her own ceremony - reached out and hugged the babe to her chest.

When the baby had quieted, the woman held it out to the crowd, spinning around so that everyone could see and triumphantly shouting, "We did it!"

The people around her cheered enthusiastically once more, Lorcan included, and Katya forced herself to smile and clap with the rest. _Where did the baby come from?_ This had not been what she was expecting. _Not that I had any idea of what to expect at all...but still, a baby?_

Katya was dragged along behind Lorcan who seemed to be able to navigate through the throng effortlessly, a fact that she was grateful for as the crowd flowed out of the Chamber at a rate that Katya found suffocating. They were swept along with the swarm to the upper levels of the settlement.

If Katya had thought that the dinner earlier had been extravagant, it was nothing compared to the celebrations that had been planned for the culmination of this event. Apparently preparations had been being made for months and the people were more than excited to finally get to see them in play. Music burst forth from the trees and lights sprang to life, making the trees seem like a wonderland of dazzling jewels. The crowd started dancing, jumping up and down to the deep beat of the drums, and the platform beneath their feet throbbed with the weight.

Katya grabbed hold of the nearby railing in alarm. Lorcan's laughter rang out above the din.

"It won't collapse, I promise!" he shouted to her, "They've been magically reinforced so no matter how hard we stamp on it, it won't break."

Katya smiled meekly at him, but was not convinced by his reassurance. It still felt as though the weight of that many people jumping up and down on a thin layer of boards was sure to come crumbling down, sending them all to their deaths far, far below. Katya started to feel sick and she put her other hand on the rail as well, closing her eyes until the feelings passed. The feeling of total confidence she used to have while wearing the collar was one of the only things she did actually miss about that time.

"You look like you could use some wine," said a voice in her ear, fairly shouting to be heard above all the noise.

Katya opened her eyes to find Lorcan's brother, Slade, standing next to her and holding out a drink. She took it warily, never having been one to imbibe alcohol, preferring to remain sensible with her abilities intact. The unexpected fear of heights compounded by the bouncing frayed her nerves, however, and she took a sip with a small smile. The wine flowed easily down her throat, warming her and sending a tingling sensation throughout her.

She saw Lorcan give Slade a bitter look out of the corner of her eye. Katya had not failed to notice the interest that seemed to be growing in the young man for her, and she had no desire to fuel any such notions, especially in someone so much younger than herself. Though she had enjoyed his company and found his guidance to be extremely useful, perhaps it was time to make it clear to him that her own interests ran more towards grown men.

"Thank you," she said a tad flirtatiously, a feat she had mastered during her time with Karl when she had discovered that a pretty face could loosen many a tongue with the proper application of charm. Her seduction had sealed more than one man's fate at the end of her blade or by Marak's bite.

"What do you think of our celebration?" he asked, a new sparkle in his eye. His earlier unwelcoming tone seemed to have vanished. Perhaps she had imagined it. Or perhaps he had had a bit too much of the wine already himself.

Katya gulped. "It's a bit overwhelming for me I'm afraid, especially being so high up in the air without solid stone below us," Katya knew from Slade himself that the Dena'ina tribe were cave-dwellers, so being afraid of heights fit right in with her disguise.

He laughed, a deep rumbling, and Katya was surprised by the thrill it sent through her. She quickly attributed it to the wine. "I would imagine it's probably quite a change from your usual accommodations"

"You could say that," she agreed, and felt a twinge of regret at the hurt look upon Lorcan's face. Knowing his relationship with his older brother, no doubt the pain was a double-shock. Katya felt immediately guilty, but reminded herself that it was better than letting him create more of a fantasy for himself.

She spied the redhead that had given her the dirty look for entering the Arrival with Lorcan and then sat between them, and waved the girl over. She had been hastily introduced by Lorcan and she wracked her brain for the girl's name.

"Raina!" She shouted enthusiastically, waving at the girl, who raised an eyebrow at her.

Wearing a slightly skeptical and wary look, the girl made her way through the crowd to them, though her expression softened as she spied Lorcan with them.

"Sorry," Katya pretended to apologize, putting on a girlish flightiness she had seen many a lady use to feign ignorance and get away with something, "but I know so few people here, I guess I get a little excited when I see people I know." She gathered her into their little knot of people. "You and Lorcan are friends, right?"

The girl looked at Lorcan with a look of such admiration that Katya felt the urge to slap him upside the head for never having noticed it before. He thought that no one paid attention to him before the lion incident. Katya was sure that this girl had been pining away for him for some time.

"Uh, sure," Lorcan said, and seemed to really look at the girl for the first time.

Soon they were immersed in conversation and Katya caught Slade watching her as the two of them moved off into the mass of people.

"That was nice of you," he commented. "I thought you could use a hand getting him off of you, he's been following you around like a lost puppy since you got here. But it looks like you had it under control."

Katya gave him a thin-lipped smile. She may not be interested in Lorcan the way he thought he was in her, but he was still her friend. "He's a good kid, you should cut him some slack."

Slade looked ready to argue, but stopped himself, and smiled instead. "I suppose I can be a little hard on him sometimes. It's hard to be the head of the Forest Guard and also have a little brother who's constantly getting in trouble. I don't want people thinking I'm playing favorites."

"Hmm," Katya agreed distractedly, taking another sip of wine and looking out across the walkways at all the people, swarming this way and that through the treetop village.

"So you weren't involved in the Dena'ina incident?"

She glanced back at him quickly, nearly choking on the drink. "No, I'm a bit of a loner."

He seemed to relax further. "I know the feeling," Slade commiserated, "I'd rather be out on my patrols than back in the city most of the time. No one to bother you out there."

Katya smiled, glad he was latching onto this aspect of that line of questioning rather than the more dangerous routes he could have taken with it. "Definitely, I've spent most of my life depending on no one but myself."

"Pretty liberating," Slade said. "Have you spent a lot of time on the Plains and the Barren Lands?"

"A fair amount in certain areas, yes. I've been doing a lot of traveling lately. You?"

"Some, we spend most of our time in the forest here, but there are some things we need to collect and occasionally we'll go out to use the magic."

Katya was insanely curious why they would go into chaotic magic to use it when they obviously had tamed the magic and bound it into each of the buildings here. Why risk using unstable power when you had stores of solid magic at your fingertips? But she didn't ask. Instead, she steered the conversation towards more ordinary topics and found herself spending the rest of the evening in Slade's company. She surprised herself by actually enjoying it.

After several trips back to get more wine for himself, though Katya declined any more when her glass was empty, Slade leaned in close to her.

"Want to go take a look at the baby?" he whispered.

Katya was curious despite herself. "We can do that?"

"Well," he drew out the word, "technically we can't, but I can get us in." He gave her a lop-sided grin.

The wine was beginning to go to her head, though she had only had the one glass of it and it further fueled her desire to go with him. Maybe she would get some answers out of him. She nodded. "Let's go."

He grabbed her hand and they wove through the people, suddenly exiting out onto an empty path. Katya's ears rang from the noise of the party which dimmed slightly as more and more buildings appeared between them and it, blocking the worst of it.

Slade came to a doorway and reached into his pocket and withdrew a key. He held it up for her to see and smiled smugly. She humored him with a smile of her own.

He inserted the key into the lock and clicked it open, pushing the door inward and holding it for her to enter. She did so cautiously, looking around with interest. The room had been decorated with a childish theme, obviously meant as a nursery. Despite the created ambiance of childhood, Katya thought it possessed a feel that was not at all innocent.

She tip-toed to the cradle and looked inside. The tiny child lay sleeping peacefully, and Katya once again had the incredible urge to pick it up and hold it tightly to her. Above her right temple was a birthmark in the shape of a flame.

"Who's there?" came a woman's voice.

Katya hastily withdrew, slipping silently back into the shadows. She found Slade's hand and he guided her back to the back door and they slipped out before the woman had a chance to turn on any lights and discover them. When they were safely out of the door and Slade had locked it behind them, they broke out into a run and Katya laughed. The baby had given her a rush of happiness that she couldn't describe. Slade squeezed her hand and slowed his running, turning to face her. He drew her towards him and his lips found hers. Caught up in the moment, Katya kissed him back, drunk on the wine and the adrenaline.

Alarm bells suddenly went off inside her head and she ended the kiss abruptly. The Oracle's words echoed once more in her head. Until she found her missing half, those closest to her were bound to suffer. Her first love had died. Until she could unlock her mysterious past and figure out what about it made those around her die, she couldn't afford to care about anyone.

Chalking up the bad judgment to the curiously strong wine, she pushed away from him and nearly ran back to her guest quarters, closing the door behind her and not bothering to look to see if he had followed.

She collapsed onto the bed and threw an arm over her eyes. What had just happened?

CHAPTER 4

Natalya made her way back to the inn's stables, discouraged. She had scoured the town for someone who might be able to guide her to the capitol, but so far no one was headed that way and no one was willing to travel with her even part way. None of them believed that she wouldn't be a nuisance on the trip.

She sighed. To make matters worse, she still had the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that Alina needed her help. Her plan was to make it to the palace and request an audience with the Queen. She was sure that if she just explained the situation, Queen Layna would make it right. Natalya had the honor of being present for one of the Queen's speeches and the impression that the woman had made on her had been extremely favorable. Natalya had no doubt that the woman would hear her plight and help her resolve it. There must be a good reason for her taking the talented, Lord Morven was just not a good choice for her Knights. Natalya could not blame her for not being able to personally oversee every hiring choice made in the entire country, and there was bound to be a bad apple or two. Once she made it to the palace to see her, everything would be fixed.

However, getting to the palace was proving to be more challenging than she had originally thought. Questions raced through her mind, but no answers followed and she sighed into the darkness. The sound of muffled laughter reached her ears as she passed the tavern, abruptly growing louder as the door burst open and a young man came stumbling out. The thick stench of ale filled Natalya's senses, and the bright light from the tavern cut across the dark street like a blade. Inside Natalya could see that the room was bursting at the seams with drunken customers, clanking their mugs together and singing off-tune.

The door banged shut again and Natalya was left once more in the abandoned street, save for the lone patron calling it a night.

She stood for a moment, watching the drunkard stumble his way down the street until he finally fell into the doorway of the inn.

Resuming her walk, she came to the stables and silently slipped inside. It was pitch black, but she didn't hesitate as her feet found the familiar path around piles of hay, and running her hand along the wall she found the latch. Flicking it open, she pulled at the door and entered.

"Hey, sweetie," she said as a warm nose snuffed at her outstretched hand and gave a soft whinny. Natalya stroked the soft neck and buried her face in the mane of Ebony, the family's carthorse. She felt a little guilty for having taking him with her, but her father wouldn't need him again until much later in the season when he made his trek to the farmer's markets in the fall, so hopefully her parents would forgive her for it. Besides, they would probably be too busy killing her for running away to worry about punishing her for taking the horse with her.

A light appeared at the far end of the stables and Natalya could hear voices growing louder as two men stepped through the doorway, the first carrying the lantern. He was a stable hand Natalya recognized as David, the one who she had bribed to let her stay with her horse in the stables, and he was followed by another man who looked vaguely familiar. As he came closer and his features sharpened in the light, she almost gasped as she recognized him as the Treymayne man she now knew as Hunter, leading his chestnut mare behind him.

"I'll just need it for the night," he was saying to David, "I'm leaving straightaway with the sun tomorrow as I'm told it will take a full day to the next town."

"Oh, aye," agreed David in a gruff voice, "The trip's at least that. We're pretty spread out here, you've probably seen all the people that lives in this part right here in the square today for the festival. I have a cousin up in Eastman who comes down to visit every so often, who always complains about the trip. But I tell him, when you have a job like mine you can't just go dropping everything to go traipsing around the countryside to see him instead. Not everybody can do what I do you know, it takes skilled hands to handle some of the beasts that come through here. No offense to your little lady there, but we get some nasties. Let me tell you, this one hairy old brute..."

Hunter cut in as the man drew a breath to launch into his story, "Can she be ready at sun-up?"

The man looked unfazed by the interruption and answered, "Of course, old David takes his work seriously, like I was saying. It's a good thing I already picked up the shoe for you; I'll make sure I put it on right away. I have to tell you, you'll have a hard time getting out of the city that early. The trade master likes his sleep, you know, and you have to pass everything with him before we let you go. Especially with all the 'special' cargo you have there." He winked good-naturedly at Hunter who looked disgruntled and the man finished unsaddling the mare, closing up the stall as the horse settled in, munching on the straw happily.

The two men started moving away and Natalya heard David's fading voice take up the conversation once more, "So, like I was saying, this one old brute..."

Natalya stood, and was patting Ebony's flank when she had a sudden inspiration. She hurried back to the street and caught sight of Hunter handing David a few coins and excusing himself from the man's ramblings as he slid inside through the door of the inn.

Natalya quickened her pace even more and caught the door as it was closing. After slipping through herself, she looked around for Hunter. The common room of the inn was also a tavern and the stench and noise which Natalya had only had a taste of earlier now hit her full blast. She was disoriented for a moment by the commotion, but soon spotted Hunter as he climbed the stairs in the back.

She made her way through the crowd, ignoring the hoots and whistles and avoiding the wandering hands, and took the stairs two at a time, calling his name at the top. Hunter glanced up, the key to his room already posed in front of the lock. She closed the last few paces between them and stopped by his side. The shocked look on his face at her arrival was priceless. Another emotion flickered over it, but she couldn't place it.

"I'm coming with you," she stated defiantly.

He recovered from his surprise and raised an eyebrow, sticking the key into the lock, "Are you now."

He turned the key and pushed the door open, entering without a second look at her. But he didn't shut it behind him so she followed him in and repeated, "I'm coming with you, I need to get to the capitol."

"How's your hand?" he asked, unbuckling a belt which held a knife at his waist and tossing it upon the bed.

She raised her hand to look at it, his question derailing her, but then thrust it back at her side in frustration. "It's fine." She waited, but all he did was strip off his tunic to reveal a very tan and well-muscled chest with a white scar running the length of his ribs. She turned away and asked impatiently, "So?"

He didn't answer right away. "So what?"

She turned back towards him, forgetting her modesty, and said, "So can I come with you or not?"

He looked at her and said calmly, "I thought you already said you were." He stared at her a moment before sighing, and then he shook his head. "Look, I don't have time for this." He moved towards her as if to shuffle her out the door.

Natalya had a sudden inspiration and held out a hand to stop him from shutting it on her, saying excitedly, "I can get you past the guards even without the trade master, I'm friends with one of them." This was a slight exaggeration, as the guard to which she was referring had been a boy who Darryl had once, in passing, introduced her to, but Natalya didn't feel the need to share this particular detail with Hunter. "And I've got my own horse, so you'll hardly notice I'm there."

He narrowed his eyes and looked her over. Then he sighed again and ran a callused hand over his eyes, looking tired. "Be at the gate at sunrise and if you speed up the process, you've got yourself a deal." Natalya smiled triumphantly and he added quickly, "but only if my dog likes you."

Natalya squealed with glee, but promptly covered her mouth with her hand at Hunter's expression and showed herself out. She made her way out the back of the inn to avoid the commotion in the front room and settled down into the hay next to Ebony for the night.

When the first rays of sunlight cracked through the window, none too soon for Natalya, she quietly gathered her things. She brushed Ebony down before setting the saddle onto his broad back. She was pleased to see that Hunter's mare was still in her stall, and she whinnied softly as she passed. Leaving behind the promised money for David, she gently opened the door to the stables and slipped smoothly out.

The air was crisp and cool, the early morning light just peeking over the horizon and casting a golden glow on the town. Ebony shook off the last vestiges of sleep and stepped happily along beside her as she led him towards the gates.

The horse's pace quickened as they neared the gates; he knew that beyond them he was allowed to stretch his legs and gallop. She had to gently pull back on the lead to get him to wait while she entered the guard tower to try to talk her way out of Hunter's required trader interview.

More than ten minutes and many pleading words later, not to mention ten coppers lighter, she returned to Ebony successful, and found Hunter leading his chestnut mare with the cart alongside him, looking at her expectantly.

"They'll open the gate for us straightaway," she informed him with a trace of smugness to her voice and he nodded his thanks, seeming more relieved than she would have expected from simply not having to wait a few extra hours to leave, and not meeting her eye. He was slightly aloof, and Natalya refrained from speaking to him, picking up on his desire not to converse.

They rode in silence punctuated by yawns as the sun rose up above the treetops and breathed life into the sleeping world. After a while, Natalya couldn't take it anymore and she cleared her throat and attempted to make conversation. "So where's this dog that has to approve of me?" she asked him curiously, remembering the large dog which had loped about during the festival in Hardonia, but that she had not yet seen this day.

Hunter seemed to have to tear himself away from his own thoughts and answered, "Weylyn? He'll find us eventually. He wanders off all the time, I can never keep track of him. He always comes back though," he added almost affectionately.

"I see," she said, though she was beginning to wonder if it was in fact a good idea to be traveling with a man from Treymayne, a country which inspired so many stories which Gelendan mothers told their children at night to keep them in line. He had been awfully relieved at getting out of town without having to go through the trade master... _what else might he have beneath that tarp...besides rows and rows of knives?_ Natalya shook off the unsettling thoughts, there was no use second-guessing herself now. Her gut had given her a good feeling about this man, and she would just have to trust it.

She shifted her own knife beneath her dress. _And be ready just in case_.

"What brought you this far west? Or to Gelendan in general?"

He took his time answering, seeming unwilling to part with any information, but finally conceding, "I'm expanding my market. I hear it's good selling during festival season." He paused for a moment and Natalya thought that was all he was going to give her, afraid that talking to this man was going to be like pulling teeth. After a moment of thought, he confessed. "I'm also hoping to help repair relations between Gelendan and Treymayne. I'm actually from Gelendan originally," he told her, glancing in her direction to gauge her reaction.

She raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh?" prompting him to explain. She hadn't thought it was possible to go through the barrier.

"I was born and raised in Borden, up near the Ferryn Plains, when my parents decided that they didn't like what was going on here and defected to Treymayne." Her face scrunched up in confusion, wondering what he was talking about. He saw her look and explained, "I guess that up North the Bloodstone's taint was more apparent, it was very obvious – to my parents anyway – that things were going down a dark road. I'm not sure exactly how they did it, but somehow they managed to contact Treymayne and they helped us get through the barrier."

Natalya pondered this a moment. "What do you think about the King and Queen's story about their grand quest and ridding the world of the Sleeping God, Nuko? A little far-fetched, huh?" She gave him a conspiratorial grin.

Hunter's face hardened. "I don't trust any government. They are all power hungry and will say whatever they have to to get the people to follow them. This Queen's no different."

"How can you say that?" Natalya asked in dismay, her smile fading. "Look at all the wonderful things she's done, and she cares about the people, even I have seen her!"

He snorted scornfully, "Oh yeah, she cares a lot about her people. Especially the talented ones." He gave her a rather pointed look and Natalya deflated.

"I'm sure there's a good reason for it."

Hunter's expression darkened further. "There's no good reason for that," he said softly, and Natalya wondered if there was more that he wasn't saying.

"You're rather bitter, aren't you?" she commented wryly.

He gave her a look and shook his head, clamping his mouth shut. No matter how she prodded, she couldn't get him to speak again for the remainder of the evening. Whatever his experience with the government had been, it clearly had jaded him. Natalya wasn't about to let his tough luck ruin her optimism, however.

Before she knew it, the sun seemed to have dropped suddenly over the horizon as they found themselves at dusk without ever noticing the passage of time. Trees closed in around them as they entered a forest, the canopy blocking out the thin shimmer of light that was left.

Hunter seemed to finally come out of his bad mood and he turned in his saddle, reopening their conversation, "I have to tell you-"

His statement was cut short by a loud cracking noise and he let out a curse instead. Natalya looked curiously for the source of the sound and soon found it. One of the wheels on his cart was bent sideways at an odd angle. Hunter dismounted and stalked over to it, mumbling to himself in frustration and going over and kicking the wheel.

"I don't think that will help," Natalya couldn't stop herself from saying, and hid her smile behind her hand at the dark look Hunter shot her.

"We'll have to set up camp here looks like," he said in a tone that suggested he thought this prospect would frighten her.

She quickly surveyed the area around them and spied a suitable spot. Pointing to it she announced, "I'll set up over there while you take a look at that wheel." She threw her leg over Ebony and hopped to the ground, marching with him over to the place she had just pointed out. She unbundled her supplies and set them on the ground, tethering Ebony and heading back to the cart and unharnessed the mare.

Hunter watched her for a moment and then shook his head, turning his attention to the problem at hand. When he had finished inspecting it, he rummaged around in the cart for a few minutes, pulling out a tool from here and there stuck into the oddest places. Natalya watched him out of the corner of her eye, leading his mare over to where she had tethered Ebony and leaving her there to graze as well. When Hunter had gathered all his tools and had settled in to fix it, Natalya went off in search of firewood.

She took several trips back and forth, making sure that they had enough to make it through the night and then started filling her arms with kindling. Her search brought her farther away from the campsite and she eyed the forest warily as shadows danced through the trees in the retreating daylight.

Something made a snuffling sound and leaves and twigs broke under its feet. Natalya froze and listened. She followed the sound to her right and got out her sling, hoping it was something small enough to kill with the pebbles she had on her. She was a fairly good shot, having added rabbit to the family's stew more than a few times, but even the best shot could take down something only so big.

She snuck through the underbrush, emerging suddenly into the clearing from which the sound was coming, and she swung the sling in a circle, ready to let it fly. The animal lifted its head and Natalya swore as she realized too late what it was.

The wild boar grunted in surprise and rounded on her, charging at her with razor-sharp tusks slashing. She let fly the rock and it connected squarely, but bounced harmlessly off the thick hide. She scrambled out of the way and abandoned her kindling, throwing it towards the advancing beast in an effort to slow and confuse it.

She turned heel and ran. The boar shook its head, freeing it from the tangle of wood, and resumed its chase. Out of nowhere, another creature appeared, flashing from the side and latching onto the boar's ear.

A mixture of ear-piercing squealing and ferocious snarling filled the quiet forest and Natalya quickened her pace, swiftly leaving the commotion behind. After a few moments the squealing grew fainter as the beast fled and Natalya spared a look behind her. The boar's attacker loped towards her, and she increased her pace once more. She crashed through the underbrush and looked back once more to see how much it had gained to find that it was still simply loping along behind her, not charging as if to attack. She strained her eyes to see the things more clearly and saw that it was letting its tongue hang loosely out of its mouth as though relaxed. The razor-sharp teeth gleamed in the dimming light and Natalya had a pang of fear before she recognized the creature as the dog that had been by Hunter's cart at the festival.

She slowed and turned to face the dog guardedly. It slowed as well and side-stepped towards her. It drew its lips back in a frightening-looking grimace and Natalya sucked in her breath before realizing it was doing it in play. It dropped down into a bowing gesture at her feet, wagging its tail and she held out her hand to it.

It immediately started licking her with a vengeance. She laughed and ruffled the fur on its head. Once she was sure that the boar was not still hanging around, and feeling safer now that the dog was following her, she gathered up the abandoned kindling and made it back to the camp without further incident.

Hunter was still working furiously on the wheel and he barely glanced up when she returned. "Did you hear that pig out there?" he asked through a mouthful of some tool or another.

"What pig?" Natalya answered and proceeded to start the fire, smiling conspiratorially at the dog.

She had it roaring and a pot of soup already simmering over it by the time Hunter finally made his way over. She was in the middle of wrestling with the dog, and he plopped down next to them with a bored expression, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried not to smile.

She grinned at him. "So do I pass the dog test?" she asked, holding the dog's head next to hers and sticking out her bottom lip in a pleading gesture.

The combination of her pout and the dog's forlorn expression, which he had compliantly put on for her, broke through Hunter's walls. He chuckled, "Apparently so."
CHAPTER 5

Lord Telvani strode down the hallway purposefully. His steps echoed in the empty corridor, but still he paused and looked carefully around before sliding the tapestry at the end of the hallway aside and opening the door that was concealed there. He hurried down the secret passageway, pulling the hidden lever to remove the grate at the end.

The moon was covered by clouds this evening, and the dark shadows obscured his motion. Stealing through the streets, he found his way to an underground temple, masked by the front of a shop above. It was one of the last fortresses of the Order, as most of them had been found and destroyed by the Queen, and several he had been forced to give up himself in order to maintain her trust and confidence in him.

He knocked on the door to a side room and waited while its occupant shuffled around, the noise growing closer until the handle jiggled and the door swung open on creaking hinges.

"Lord Telvani," Lord Farthen greeted him quietly, a far stretch from his usual boisterous demeanor.

"Lord Farthen," Telvani nodded to him and entered, shutting the door behind him as Farthen laboriously made it back to his chair. Apparently not all of the prison guards felt as charitably towards the prisoners as the Queen did, and Farthen had fallen ill after becoming weak from one too many beatings. There were also a fair amount of them who disliked his treatment of women as well which added to his mistreatment. "How are you feeling?"

Farthen slumped gratefully into the plush cushions and gave Telvani a weak grin. "I'm growing stronger every day, thanks to you. And no thanks to that conniving Queen of ours," he nearly spat the words out and Telvani smiled grimly.

"Well, I have some news that will interest you then."

"Oh?" Farthen sat up straighter in his seat.

"The King and Queen have," Telvani paused, deciding how much to tell Farthen, "fallen ill." The light in Farthen's eyes seemed to brighten. "I have a unique opportunity to gain power by their incapacitation as I have been their chief advisor all along." He did not mention to Farthen that he was fairly certain that this particular title had come perilously close to being stripped from him when the attack had come. It made it that much more essential that he solidify Farthen's support and aid in order to cement his own power should they suddenly wake from their frozen stasis.

"And how can I help with this?"

"I need to know where we are with the project." Though Farthen's physical body had been damaged by his stay in prison, there was nothing wrong with his sharp mind and Telvani had immediately put him in charge of the project upon his 'release'.

"Well, it seems as though our cocky friend Morven may have done us a small service, even if he did go and blab about collecting talents." Farthen paused and gave Telvani a sly smile. "Everyone's talking about how Hardonia was just raided by bandits; slaughtered the entire town I hear," he commented dryly.

"Indeed," Telvani commiserated, "but I haven't heard anyone talking about the unfortunate speech that Morven gave the day before, have you?"

"Not a peep." The two exchanged knowing glances. Farthen was quite clever, a little too much so for Telvani's liking, and he was glad he was on his side. Not only did he immediately assume the correct reason for the action taken in Hardonia, but Telvani sensed that he was amused by it. Though Telvani knew it to be necessary, he would have preferred to avoid wasting lives.

Farthen went on, "The girl he sent us, though slightly traumatized by the short amount of time she spent with him, has proven to be most useful nevertheless. Her progress has already surpassed all those brought before her, and I am confident that she will succeed where the others have not."

"How soon can we implement the next stage of our plan?"

"I don't know for sure. It's not an exact science," Farthen answered, a slight tone of wariness in his voice. No doubt unwilling to make promises he wasn't sure he could keep. He was a snake of a man, but he was rather cowardly when confronted. Telvani used this to his advantage.

"You have two weeks," he told him sternly, "and I will expect the ball to be in motion. We can afford to waste no more time."

"Two weeks?" Lord Farthen squeaked out, "that's not nearly enough time for what you're asking!"

"Two weeks."

Lord Telvani made his way back to the palace and entered the room of his head mage, which was currently directly adjacent to the King and Queen's chamber so that he could monitor them.

"Any change?" Telvani inquired, striding to the side of the oak desk where the older man sat pouring over a large volume cracked open on the desk before him. A candle was burnt down almost to the bottom beside him, the wax dripping down and gathering on the holder below.

The man looked up at him through his spectacles and scowled. "Nothing!" He exclaimed exasperatedly, as though this was a bad thing. Telvani was perfectly content with the current state of affairs. "And I can't find a blasted thing that explains what in the Gods' names happened to them either! I can find no traces of an ongoing spell that would be feeding their stasis to keep them frozen like this. I can only assume that the colder temperature of their bodies is what is making their heartbeats so slow and keeping them alive despite not eating for weeks, but that's ALL I can do: Assume. I have nothing!"

Telvani held up a calming hand. "All that needs to happen is that they stay this way. While they are incapacitated but still alive, I am able to rule in their stead. If they perish, then the status quo will be changed."

The man was still looking disgruntled.

"No change is a good thing," he persisted.

"I suppose so, but it is still frustrating. I did not even know that something like this existed, and still we can find no mention of it or find any clue as to who did it."

"But neither have we had any opposition to our taking over the country. I would think that if it was the plan of whoever did this to take over Gelendan, that they would have made some kind of move by now. Or made contact for a ransom."

The mage looked thoughtful. "Unless the target wasn't the country or even the monarchs," he began, "But rather the child herself." He paused, rubbing his pointy white beard. "Think about it: She is the child of the two most powerful mages we know of and was further blessed by the gods. Whoever controls her would be most powerful."

Telvani thought about this revelation, though really he shouldn't be surprised by the idea since he had entertained similar notions in the past. He just hadn't the means to accomplish them. "If that is the case," he commented finally, "Then we can assume we have at least another few years until the child's talent has any chance of emerging. We will have time to find out who they are." He scrunched his forehead. "But then why leave the King and Queen in a stasis like this? Why not just do away with them?"

"Maybe it's still as we've thought all along, simply that they were unable to overcome them. There is the possibility that I've been contemplating that the frozen state is actually a defense mechanism, designed by the combined power of the monarchs as a reaction to the attack rather than the attack itself. Perhaps it was meant to kill, but it couldn't."

"But then, they could wake up." Telvani sighed. "We'll simply have to continue playing the game, sending out search parties as though actually concerned for the little whelp and trying desperately to find a cure." He had needed to come up with some reason for the people to explain what had happened and why he was needed to run the country. He had decided it best to tell them about the kidnapping and make it seem as though the stress of it had caused the monarchs to fall ill and be unwilling to carry out their normal duties. People assumed that he was merely carrying out their wishes.

"It is the safest route, my lord, if not the easiest."

"Alright," Telvani said in resignation, turning from the man. "Carry on."

His next stop was the Council chambers, where the members were gathered once again. He had been required to inform them immediately about the situation, seeing as how there had been too many witnesses present who were not under his control. Luckily, he had managed to get them to agree to allow him to be the acting monarch until they could all discuss and think about their options, and until more about the state of affairs could be learned.

Nothing new could be said about the position they were in, and he could only hope that he would be able to convince them again to let the situation ride as it was.

He had spread the rumor among the staff that the King and Queen were ill, and that their condition was contagious to discourage any curious onlookers from getting too close and determining just how grave the situation was. Telvani had also managed to put a regime of mages and healers who were loyal to him in charge of maintaining twenty-four hour supervision of the monarchs and therefore was able to make it seem as though even though they were ill, they were still able to pass along their will through him. It made the Council much more willing to let him run things thinking that he was running them with the consent of the Queen behind him.

He knew her well enough to know what she would like done to continue the charade, but he was growing tired of continuing on with the same pointless projects that the Queen was so eager to pursue, and more than ready to start putting his own plans into motion.

_Two more weeks_ , he reminded himself. He had no doubt that the Council would insist upon a public proclamation of what had happened, and he did not think that he would be able to convince them otherwise. Nor would it be very smart of him to try. It would make him look like he was enjoying running the country behind their backs. _Gods forbid_. He smiled to himself. It _was_ rather nice not to have to listen to her constant rambling on about the good in everyone. And maybe a more formal search for the child would prove useful. Having the whole country up-in-arms about the situation would rally them to support the government, unifying the country against the unknown foe. That was how he would have to spin it. There was promise in this yet.

CHAPTER 6

Katya wandered the treetop bridge-ways with far more ease than she had weeks ago. She was becoming used to being so high off the ground and could even look at the forest floor far below her without becoming dizzy now. Since the Arrival, the tribe had gone back to normal, or what normal apparently was for them. This did not include wild parties every night, for which Katya was grateful. The wine they had served had made her a little too uninhibited for her liking and she was lucky that she hadn't blown her cover.

The child had been whisked away into that special building that had been constructed specifically for it, where she had seen it the night Slade snuck her in. The place seemed to constantly have some kind of magic seeping out through its innards. Katya couldn't decide whether it was the child who was emanating the power, or if the power was being used on the child. She hadn't been able to get much more information about the mysterious project that the Arrival had set into motion, both because she was supposed to have already been briefed on it and had to therefore be careful about how much she asked, and also because her adopted tribe, as she had begun to think of it, was still on the outs with the others.

That was another mystery she had yet to unravel. Many people held her in curious indifference, but a few were downright hostile towards her. She assumed that this was due to the mysterious 'incident', but none cared to explain it to her; they just passed her by with angry looks. Though Lorcan had implied that her help would be needed with the baby, she hadn't been asked to join in any meetings on the matter, or even invited to see the child. She half-wondered if this weren't due to the incident as well. Then again, it didn't seem like there were many of the people initially involved with the child's arrival who were even still here. In fact, it seemed that only a small group of mages was actually routinely in and out of the child's chamber – and all of these were from the Myaamia.

In her effort to find answers, she had stumbled upon a special community building where several of the elders were housed together in order to provide extra care for them and it had given her an idea. She had befriended an old man there and was currently trying to pry information out of him. Lorcan had let it slip that the man was somehow connected to the 'incident' with the Dena'ina, and she hoped she could more easily get him to part with the information without arising suspicion.

By claiming ignorance of the event due to a personal pilgrimage she had supposedly taken, she was able to get some answers out of the man. She had also used a half-truth, that she was missing many of her childhood memories, which had proved to be useful in more ways than one as well. Though she had all but given up on his actually telling her what the incident was, she found that she now came here for other reasons.

As she entered the hut once again, she smiled at him, sitting in a chair in the corner, where he was currently verbally abusing one of the women trying to get him to eat. Though he was physically younger than she would have expected to be in such a place, his bitter attitude and crotchety remarks made him seem to fit right in. She half-wondered if their tenuous friendship was not simply because she was the only person able to tolerate him.

"You again," he greeted her with his usual sarcastic dig, shoving a cup back at the woman who was kindly trying to get him to take it, and spilling the tea down her front. The woman rushed away on the verge of tears and Katya gave him a reproachful look.

"Was that really necessary, Gareth?"

He grunted in reply. She pulled up a chair next to him and picked up a roll from the basket that the girl had left and handed it to him. He took it and shoved it in his mouth, smacking his lips loudly and not bothering to close his mouth while he chewed. Katya rolled her eyes at him.

"So I was telling you yesterday – when you fell asleep on me – that during my journey I came across a large smoking mountain. When I passed it once more soon after, it had completely changed. Do you know anything about it?"

"Obviously, it's a volcano. What do the Dena'ina teach their children nowadays?" He grunted, "Though I suppose after the incident..." She sat forward expectantly, but he just stopped his sentence short and she relaxed back into her seat, discouraged.

Katya had once before tried directly asking about what exactly the incident was, but he had thrown a terrible fit that not even she could stand and she refrained from making any mention of it unless he brought it up himself. "What's a volcano?"

"It's where the Dragon Gods drew upon the power of the land to cleanse it with their fires. It made the spot permanently spill fire onto the earth."

"But why is it different now? Do you know what happened there?"

"We don't know exactly, but we felt it. There was a large battle of magic, more than we could have imagined possible, and an evil taint." His tone grew dark. "It is what prompted the organization of the Arrival."

"Why?"

His wrinkled eyes narrowed at her. "We are a cynical bunch, the Myaamia. Always planning for the worst." He seemed content with that answer as if it was any answer at all. She sighed inwardly.

"Do you think we can try accessing my old memories again today?" Though she had been skeptical about allowing the tribesman into her head to gain access to the lost portion of her mind, she felt a strange kindred spirit in this man and sensed he did not completely approve of what the rest of his tribe was doing. Whenever he spoke about the Arrival, his voice took on a monotone quality like he was simply reciting what other people wanted to hear.

Gareth sighed dramatically. "If I _must_ ," he drawled as though it really pained him to help her, but he couldn't hide the gleam in his eyes at the prospect of having a project to work on. Katya had no doubt that sitting in this place day after day would drive any sane person mad, especially since he didn't seem as if he belonged here at all. He shuffled around in his chair and made room on the floor in front of him. "Sit down," he ordered her and Katya complied, unfazed by his demanding attitude. She had quickly learned to ignore it.

She settled herself cross-legged and rested a hand on each of her knees gently, touching her thumb to her middle fingers and closing her eyes.

"Good," grunted Gareth, "now open your mind to me."

Katya did as he asked and felt his now-familiar presence inside her head. His aura floated past her conscious mind, ignoring her thoughts and recent memories, until it came to the void that contained her oldest memories. He told her that he could tell that they were there, but they were shrouded. It was more than she had ever been able to determine. Apparently he had been a mind-healer, helping people deal with traumatic events with listening and guidance, and in the worst cases, magic. Katya couldn't imagine the grumpy old man before her as a patient and attentive listener. Seeing as how he seemed to be well-respected by the tribe, however, she assumed that at one time he must actually have been so. Something must have happened to have changed him so dramatically.

She mentally grabbed onto his essence inside her and hitched a ride into the darkest depths of herself. Darkness closed in around her and she recognized the harsh world she had lived in for so long. It had taken a lot to forgive herself for the many assassinations she had carried out under Karl's control, and the burden of this reality still hung with her. She suspected that Gareth had silently eased these memories for her as well, because ever since working with him she could look back upon them with a much calmer sense of acceptance. She couldn't change what she had done or what had been done to her, but these events had shaped her into the person she was today. Luckily, these were vague feelings rather than actually re-living the memories, so Katya felt confident that any residual pieces of her mind that Gareth saw himself would not clue him in to the fact that she was not from the Dena'ina as she claimed to be.

Gareth did not pause at these painful feelings this time, pushing through farther and deeper. Katya cringed inwardly at memories that floated to the surface, punishments at the hands of the priests and from Karl, atrocities she'd seen performed on other servants within Karl's manor at a tender young age, and worse things. Still Gareth pressed on.

An image formed and Katya recognized it as a town obviously belonging in Gelendan and could not be mistaken for somewhere on the Plains or beyond. She quickly jerked her mind elsewhere, and she saw the clearing below the Myaamia village. The statue stood before her in its full glory, Sheila holding the stone up to the heavens in triumph while pouring the life-giving water into the fountain. The memory blurred and Katya was pulled once again into the swirling thoughts of her innermost self.

Then she saw it. It was like a black hole in her mind, an area that was simply devoid of anything. She drew closer and was immediately pulled into the swirling vortex of nothingness, cascading her wildly out of control. Images swam before her, but they moved too quickly past. Caught within the hurricane blowing around her, she couldn't concentrate on any single one.

Then one image stilled and formed before her, a face. A young boy...

Gareth's presence tugged at her and she was pulled from the void, the memory dashed like a reflection on a pool as the surface is disturbed.

"I almost had something!" she exclaimed, annoyed at having been drawn out of the memory before it could take shape.

Gareth snarled back at her, "You can't just go diving head-first into there." He glared down at her, but Katya could have sworn she saw a look of concern flicker across his withered features. "It could pull you in and you'd never come out. You'd find your lost memories alright, but they'd be the last ones you'd ever have."

Katya shivered. Now that she was back in reality, the memory of the dark place within her was frightening. It was hard to imagine that such a place existed in her mind. She wasn't sure she wanted to remember. But that face...it wasn't a painful memory, it evoked happiness. Whoever he was, he had made her happy in her childhood. And it was a step closer to finding out who she was, who her parents were, and why they had abandoned her. It was worth risking her sanity to find out.

"My apologies," Katya soothed, "I let myself get carried away, but I saw something that time. A boy's face was beginning to form."

"Yes," Gareth nodded his head and raised a gnarled finger to his lips. "I could tell there was something there, your heartbeat suddenly quickened." He looked down at her, his expression intense. "Describe him to me."

Katya closed her eyes, willing the image to burn onto the back of her eyelids. "He's young, maybe four or five. He has brown hair and big brown eyes." As she concentrated, the image seemed to solidify. "His hair is a little curly and he has freckles on his nose." The more she tried to focus on him, the clearer he became, until suddenly the image burst into motion and she was watching the boy dash out in front of her, trees sprang into being and he stepped lithely over a root obstructing the path. He paused to turn to her and beckon her, 'Come on, Katya! Let's go!' Then it faded away.

Katya gasped at the unexpected memory and smiled broadly. "I remembered! I remember playing with him in the woods. We must have been friends."

Gareth was smiling at her as well, a genuine smile that was all too rare in her new-found companion. They spent a fair amount of the remainder of the morning trying to recapture the memory, but it refused to resurface. Katya was still ecstatic. It was more than she'd ever been able to accomplish on her own.

On the way out from Gareth's company, she ran into Slade. She had been avoiding him since the night that he had kissed her and had, until today, been successful. Now, however, he had planted himself squarely in her path and she had no other choice than to walk directly by him.

"Hello, Katya," he greeted her, arching a brow as if daring her to try and avoid him now.

"Slade," she inclined her head towards him, walking briskly past.

He fell into step beside her. "I haven't seen much of you lately, what have you been up to? Visiting the old people?"

"Yes, I found I prefer their company to the company of some of the younger people."

"Ouch." He walked silently with her for a moment. "I'm heading out into the Barren Lands to gather some of the ingredients that the Elders need for their task."

"What?" Katya was dismayed. The Barren Lands were dangerous, and no matter how she tried to deny it, or how much she avoided him, she was beginning to develop feelings for this man. _Which means he's going to die._ She couldn't let him go out there alone. "I'll come with you. You shouldn't go out there by yourself."

Slade laughed. " _You're_ going to protect _me_?" He paused and put a hand on the railing a little too purposefully – Katya got the feeling that he was posing for her.

Katya stopped too and turned to him, giving him a contemplative stare. Then an idea hit her. Perhaps she could distract him from going out at all. In the Barren Lands she couldn't control the outcome, but if she challenged him to a fight, perhaps the distraction of a challenge by a woman would be enough to make him forget his plan to put himself in real danger. A few bumps and bruises wouldn't kill him. And perhaps she'd invite Lorcan, it might help mend the strained relationship there. She hadn't mentioned what had happened with Slade, but he'd seemed to simply know. Luckily, Raina seemed to be keeping him busy, but that didn't help quell the hurt of being over-looked in favor of his 'perfect' brother once more.

"You don't think I could?" she asked innocently. Let someone else gather the ingredients, someone who didn't have a prophecy that they would suffer because of Katya's affections. Her own time in the Barren Lands had been relatively uneventful, at least if you didn't count what happened at Fire Mountain, but whether that was pure luck or due to Marak's special abilities to keep monsters away, she didn't know. She didn't want to tempt fate sending him somewhere that had the potential to be so hazardous to his health.

He gave her a flirty one eyebrow raise. "I'm the reigning champion in the fighting ring, do you really want to open that can of worms?"

"Oh, I really do," she answered in a soft voice, moving in seductively.

He cleared his throat and swallowed before resuming his haughty grin, "It's on, then."

*

Hunter glanced back at Natalya riding behind him and immediately felt a twinge of guilt. He still had not told her of the atrocities which had been committed on her townspeople, and did not know how to bring it up to her now. Her optimism was trying on his nerves, especially with the secret he held from her, but the pity he felt for her would not relinquish its tight grip on his heart, so he was stuck traveling with her.

Aside from her stream of optimistic comments, she was actually quite easy to travel with. She carried her own weight and even made many of his chores easier. And Weylyn certainly seemed to enjoy her company; he was her constant shadow. When the poor thing finally learned the truth, he wasn't sure how she would take it.

They rode into Bethel as the sun was hitting its zenith in the sky and their attention was immediately drawn to the square where it seemed the whole town had gathered. A man was standing atop the podium in the middle of the square and shouting for quiet. Hunter caught Natalya's eye and by silent agreement they made their way to join the crowd rather than continue on to find the inn.

As the mass of chattering people quieted around him, the man cleared his throat and unraveled a large scroll. After a moment, he began reading, "It is our sad duty to inform the citizens of Gelendan that the unspeakable has happened. The jewel of our Queen and King, the Princess Phoenix and heir to the throne, has been kidnapped." A collective gasp sounded throughout the crowd quickly followed by people shushing one another to hear the next words. "And furthermore, both the King and the Queen have fallen ill as a result. Lord Telvani, the Queen's most trusted advisor, will be communing with her daily to carry out her wishes while we make it through this terrible crisis. The Queen asks that you, her people, stay strong during the ordeal and that you help in finding the traitors behind this attack. If anyone has any information that could lead to the recovery of the Princess, please come forward." He paused and looked around, but everyone was looking at their neighbors blankly, and not coming forward so he continued, "Lord Telvani further requests that any bearing the talent to come forward immediately in case you are able to help cure their ailment."

Hunter's eyes narrowed. Natalya looked like she had been stabbed through the heart and Hunter was glad that he had decided not to break the news about her town and her parents. She turned to him with wide eyes.

"How could this happen?" she implored him and he simply shrugged. It happened all the time. Nobles kidnapping children and killing each other off to gain more power. It was politics. And now, there was an even broader search for talents being conducted, and the people themselves would be surging into the capitol to volunteer themselves. The fact that it was this Lord Telvani who had actually made this request spoke volumes to Hunter. Perhaps Natalya had been correct in her unwavering trust in the Queen's intentions. If she had 'fallen ill' it may very well have been Telvani who caused it and was now using this as a way to gain support for himself.

"This is terrible," a woman next to them wailed, "First the bandit attacks and now this?!"

Hunter quickly nudged Natalya out of the square and away from the gossiping people. She definitely didn't need to hear about her family in the wake of this tragedy. And certainly not from idle gossip. She listlessly complied, letting him lead her to the inn while staring blankly ahead.

When they had made it to their room, she was still in a trance. He guided her to a chair and she plopped down in it and sighed.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I was going to bring my sister's kidnapping to her attention and she would fix it, but if she's sick and can't see anyone..." She had begun to refer to the incident as a kidnapping which, given the turn Hunter's thoughts had just taken, now sounded a lot more plausible.

"We're still a ways to the capitol," he soothed, "she may be better by the time we get there anyway. There's no use worrying about it now, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

She looked up at him. "Does that mean you're going to help me?'

He sighed, now he'd done it. "I guess it does," he finally concurred, "My uncle works out of the capitol and knows the Queen, he'll know what to do."

"Your uncle _knows_ the Queen?" Natalya asked incredulously. "Just when were you going to tell me this?"

"Well, he doesn't like to be bothered, and he tries to stay out of politics. He hasn't spoken to her much since she was put on the throne, but he traveled with her during her journeys."

"What's his name?"

"Charles."

"Charles?! _The_ Charles from the stories!! I can't believe you didn't mention this to me before!" Natalya jumped up from her chair and hit him squarely on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"I have so many questions for him!"

"Which is why I didn't mention it before," mumbled Hunter, too low for her to hear, while rubbing his arm. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the news of the King and Queen, caught up in the excitement of meeting his uncle. Hunter had lost touch with his father's brother since they had moved to Treymayne, but when Charles' adventures had brought him into Endlyfta he had looked them up. He had then contacted them again a few months ago about running some merchandise back and forth for him, saying he was getting too old to make such a trek himself anymore.

Hunter had only met him briefly when he was in Treymayne and meeting up with him in Naoham would be over two years since seeing him. Hopefully he would remember what he looked like.

Natalya was still rambling on about all the questions that she would ask Charles and despite himself, Hunter had to admit that he wouldn't mind knowing the answers to some of those questions as well. In light of recent events, he was suddenly a lot more interested in the truth behind the stories of how Queen Layna ascended to the throne.

He had assumed that they were wild tales, exaggerations of the actual events, but perhaps they weren't as far-fetched as they seemed. He had witnessed first-hand the effects of blood-magic, and though he hadn't actually been in one of the units that was attacked by the King in his dragon form, he heard enough accounts from those who had and saw the carnage for himself. It was enough to convince him that Nathair could indeed change his shape. Whether or not he was an actual dragon god was another story.

"Did you ever see the dragon?" Natalya asked him, eerily echoing his own thoughts.

"No, but I have no doubt that it was real. I don't know if it was just a man who learned how to change his appearance or if he was actually getting strength from a true dragon god though."

"I don't understand how a god could be evil," Natalya stated.

"According to Queen Layna, they aren't gods at all, merely ancient beings who have such infinitely long life-spans and such great wealth of power and knowledge that they seemed so to us. They don't want to be considered gods, especially given the fact that one of them, Nuko, was so fallible."

"I know, but how long have we been worshiping the Three? It's hard to just change your thinking to suddenly be that the gods you once prayed to are actually the dragons we thought were just representations."

"True, and in Treymayne we used to actually be able to send a prayer down the Great River and for matters of importance we would get a response. Somehow it's different knowing that the prayer was being heard by the essence of three dragons bound here in stones, rather than sending it off to some unimaginable force."

"Different bad or different good?"

Hunter pondered this a moment. "I guess both. People certainly view it both ways, I've heard arguments for both sides."

"I wonder what kind of effect that will have on the countries?" Natalya speculated with wisdom beyond her years. "You know, religion has played a large part in people's everyday lives for a long time now, and recently we've been told our gods are not gods, the priests who we used to trust to explain the gods will to us have been largely intertwined with the secret society the Order that was plotting against most of mankind, and our new Queen not only hosted the essences of three of the gods in her head, but then had the strength to defeat one."

"I don't know," Hunter answered truthfully. "The people need something to believe in."

Natalya pondered this and chewed on her lip. "What do you think of the Queen?"

Hunter chose his words carefully. "I like a lot of her policies. I'm not completely sold on the story she's spreading, and I'm always a little wary of governments in general."

"But you're coming around," Natalya stated confidently, a grin appearing on her face.

*

A knock sounded at Lord Telvani's door and he called out for the person to enter. One of the manservants appeared and bowed low to him. He had had to teach them all how to display the proper respect once more after the Queen's own sad lack of enforcing it.

The man straightened and spoke. "Your presence has been requested in the throne room, my lord, by one of the emissaries from Treymayne, Lord Masterson."

Masterson was one of the Triumvirate of the Ieldran of Treymayne, their equivalent of the three most important people on their council. Rather than employ the use of a monarch to have the final say, these three people's vote counted more than the rest should there ever be anything that required them to intervene in order to come to a decision. He was not someone Telvani could make excuses not to see.

Telvani sighed. He had been in such a good mood too. "Very well, I shall receive him shortly." He gathered his royal cloak around him and set a circlet on his head. It wasn't one of the royal crowns - the Council had not let him take one of those \- but he had procured a lesser one so that those with whom he interacted would see that he was the ruling party here.

When he was settled onto his throne in a fitting manner, he waved for the guards to open the large doors to the throne room to allow the emissary to enter. Lord Masterson strode in and stood before him, inclining his head slightly.

"Lord Telvani," he greeted him and jumped right into the matter at hand, "The Ieldran is becoming concerned with the length of time that Their Majesties have been ill. They believe that it is time to consult with the Kiani Stones to determine a course of action and they have sent several healer mages to look at the King and Queen in order to help speed up their recovery."

Telvani thought he heard the hint of something not being said. Like perhaps that Treymayne was not entirely comfortable with how he was running things. The Kiani Stones were at the King and Queen's castle, just outside the city. It was also where their bodies were currently under his mage's supervision. He himself had concentrated his operations in the old palace in the heart of the capitol of Naoham in order to keep as many people away from the Monarchs as possible as well as be more involved in the goings-on. The Queen enjoyed letting the Council run things for the most part while she focused on her pet projects, but Telvani liked to get his hands dirty with every aspect of politics.

He could see no way to get out of it. "Very well," he said after a few moments. Treymayne had come up with an impressive army in the wake of Nathair's attempt to overthrow them, and they remained diligent in their upkeep of their safety despite the Queen's new peace with them. "I shall arrange a ceremony for this afternoon in order to properly consult with the stones, and you may send your mages here. I will have a representative from my staff currently overseeing the Monarchs' recoveries depart immediately to meet with them. They can discuss the illness and what your mages might be able to offer in the way of aid here, without risking infecting your people. Is this acceptable?"

Lord Masterson bowed again, "It behooves us as your allies to offer you what help we can, we shall offer it in the manner you have requested."

He didn't leave.

"Was there something else?"

"Yes," Lord Masterson said slowly, "we have gotten reports about talents being asked to come forward and join together. Forgive us if we are a bit suspicious of this."

Lord Telvani gave him his most winning smile. "I can assure you that any talents coming forward are doing so of their own free will and are doing it for the purpose of finding the Princess and a cure for the King and Queen. We have absolutely no desire to create any turmoil between our two countries now that we have finally allied ourselves. I give you my word."

Hours later, Lord Telvani looked out over the vast swarm of people that had gathered for the Kiani Stone ceremony. News had apparently traveled fast. He had announced that he would be calling upon their wisdom in order to find a way to help the King and Queen and it seemed that everyone in the city had attended. He, of course, knew that the stones no longer embodied the essence of the Three. When the crisis with Nuko had been alleviated they had told Layna and Gryffon that they would be leaving the world. He supposed there was a remote possibility that they would get the same sort of cryptic response that Treymayne had when the stones were positioned at the source of the river and the Three's essences answered. But he doubted they would get any answer at all.

It was too bad that Treymayne hadn't insisted on keeping the stones, but seeing as how Layna had actually bonded with them, and both countries felt as though Gelendan was in greater need of healing, they had allowed her to move them into her palace gardens. If Treymayne had just kept them, he wouldn't have to bother with asking and then worry about getting some sort of cryptic response. But, a cryptic response could be interpreted any way he wanted it to be, he supposed, especially backed up by his many 'experts'. Therefore, he wasn't overly worried by the possibility.

He stepped out of the tent that had been set up for the occasion and a loud cheer went up through the assembled crowd. He smiled thinly. Raising his arms for silence, he waited patiently while the people quieted, first falling silent in the front where they could see him, and then finally all the way to the back. They stood expectantly, waiting for him to initiate the ceremony.

He walked forward slowly to the statue into which the Kiani Stones had embedded themselves, and held out his hands towards them in a gesture of askance. The stones shimmered and danced in the light of the statue, which even now seemed to burn with an eternal flame.

"Great dragons of the past," he addressed them, not as the gods that they had once been worshiped as - the Three - but as the beings of infinite wisdom and power which had revealed themselves to Layna and humbly told her that they only wanted to help guide other races, not rule them, "In the wake of Nuko's final extermination and with the country on the brink of entering into a golden age of peace and prosperity, unseen since before the Dark King's era, a terrible incident has occurred which we request your assistance in remediating. The King and Queen, while ushering us into the new age have been struck down with illness and their precious babe and our Princess has been stolen. Please advise us."

The stones did nothing for a long moment and Telvani watched them smugly. Though it made him feel rather foolish to have gone through the ceremony for nothing, and to be speaking to rocks, it was worth it to be able to debase their reputation and turn people against the Queen's views. Though even she had not claimed that they would answer if asked a question, and in fact, was trying to make the people understand that they wouldn't, she didn't seem able to comprehend that you couldn't just change the people's faith like that. Rather than accept the truth of the stories she was trying to portray, the details that most of the people latched onto were thing like the fact that the Three used to answer via the Kiani Stones. Treymayne had been receiving wisdom down the Great River for hundreds of years which was now known to be from the Kiani Stones, so the people just assumed that they would still be working like this. The fact that they did not answer a question of this importance would undoubtedly lead many to the assumption that they did not want the King and Queen to be cured rather than the truth that the dragons simply were no longer connected to the stones in the way they once were.

When he felt as though he had waited a sufficient amount of time, he addressed the throng of people once more. "The Three have apparently decided that this is something we shall have to deal with on our own. We will have to stop relying on the Gods' intervention and start making our own fates. By working together, we will come up with a cure for our beloved Queen and her King, and we will find our missing Princess! We have not made it through the darkness of the Dark King's reign and the recent bloodshed of King Nathair to now lie down and crumble before this misfortune. We shall persevere! Many have come forward already to help with this cause, but more still are needed. Until we find a cure, the more minds we having working on the problem, the faster we will come up with a solution."

He said a few more words of encouragement, and pointing out where the talented could present themselves. The culmination of the project would arrive before he would ever get to use any of them, but they would make themselves useful in the future. This first phase in his plan was only the beginning.

As he turned from the statue, he caught Lord Masterson's eye. The man had a haunted look about him and Telvani moved to ask what was the matter.

"I didn't believe it was true, that the gods had left us. So many years of sending prayers on the river and being answered..."

Telvani bit back a smug smile, forcing his face into a sympathetic facade instead. "Thanks to Queen Layna."

*

Katya met Slade on the bottom level of the village, much to her profound relief. Her fear of heights certainly would have given Slade an edge if they had been set against one another in the higher levels.

She stripped down to her sleeveless tunic and pants and he took his shirt completely off, showing off his chiseled physique. They circled around one another slowly, arms outstretched and fingers splayed. A crowd gathered round, including Lorcan who was watching with interest, his fingers interlaced with Raina's.

Someone rang a gong and Katya burst into action, rolling to the side to avoid any attack he might throw at her. Magic was allowed, but only dueling magic, nothing that could actually permanently harm the other and nothing that would disrupt their surroundings. A ball of dust exploded where she had been standing. So Slade had decided to start off with a magical attack.

She whipped her leg around in a circular motion and sent a burst of fire to explode in front of his face. She just nicked his foot as he jumped over it, sending him off balance enough for her to cartwheel into a standing position and land a fist in his face. She laughed at him, taunting him with her stance and was rewarded by an angry jab at her, followed by another blast of magic.

Marak was fairly dancing around her arm in excitement, but she wouldn't let him join in. This had to be a fair fight, lest Slade blame his loss on the snake's intervention. She backed up a few paces to give herself a moment to decide her next move, and was surprised when her foot suddenly ran into something solid.

She tumbled over backwards, catching herself at the last second and springing to her feet. She righted herself just in time to turn her head to avoid the otherwise knock-out blow Slade had aimed for her face. His fist glanced off her cheekbone, leaving a smarting welt, and she skipped away.

"Is that all you've got?" she jeered, ignoring the pain shooting through her skull.

He lunged at her again and pulled his arm way back, preparing for another punch. It gave her plenty of time to give him three quick jabs to his jaw. He stumbled backwards.

When he came at her again, he abandoned the punching, instead wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug. He dragged her to the ground and they wrestled for a few moments. His greater bulk gave him the upper hand and Katya felt her arm being wrenched into an uncomfortable position. If he got it all the way back...

She writhed and twisted in his grasp, breaking free just before it would have been too late, and pulling the muscle in her shoulder in the process. But she didn't pause to contemplate this, grabbing his arms and forcing them into the position he had been trying to put her in moments ago.

He stopped his wriggling and let his body settle onto the ground, sending out a puff of dust. He looked back over his shoulder at her and smiled.

"You're sexy when you're fighting."

Katya released her hold on him and started to stand. As soon as his arms were free, Slade was back in motion, coming at her swinging.

She backed away hastily, the wind from his swinging fists whooshing across her face with each step.

"Hey!" she exclaimed indignantly when he finally stopped his barrage.

He shifted his weight back and forth from foot to foot, his hands balled in front of him.

"Not over 'til someone yields, Sweet-cheeks." He held out his hands in a not-very-convincing apologetic motion and then flicked his fingers at her, sending out a spray of dust towards her face.

She shut her eyes and held her breath, but plunged straight into it, diving through and then out of the cloud. If he was still in the same spot, she'd take him down with her, and if not she'd be out of the dust and free to find him.

She connected with his head. He'd apparently ducked down assuming she'd do the same, and the two of them went rolling away from the dust cloud. She jerked his arm underneath him and wrapped her legs in a holding position around his own. Then she pressed her arm into his throat, cutting off his air supply.

"Alright, alright," he croaked, his windpipe under uncomfortable pressure from her forearm. She released the hold and stood, but pushed him back down onto the ground when he tried to rise. She left her foot on his chest menacingly.

"Do you yield?" she asked, unwilling to let him up before he actually surrendered.

He glared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes and sighing. "Yes." He glanced over at where Lorcan stood, his delight written plainly on his face. "And you needed my little brother's help to fend off the lion?" he asked incredulously, panting on the ground underneath her foot. She smiled and extended her hand to help him up.

"I guess he's just better at some things than you," she retorted, catching Lorcan's eye and giving him a wink. Slade clasped her hand and hauled himself to his feet, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

He shook his head at her, "And I guess you were right to think you could protect me in the Barren Lands. Shall we get to it then?"

The crowd dispersed now that the excitement was over, with Slade only receiving a smattering of friendly heckling about being beaten by a girl. There were enough women fighters here, however, that any who made such a comment soon found themselves facing their own challenge.

"Get to what?" Katya asked when she had his attention again.

"To your escorting me out into the Barren Lands," he responded.

Her elevated mood dropped. Apparently her plan to distract him enough to let someone else do that particular job hadn't exactly worked. But at least she would be accompanying him, though she wasn't sure if her being physically close to the person would make it more or less dangerous for them. She tried to clamp down on any feelings she had for him instead, mentally telling fate she did not cherish this man.

"I guess so," she assented.

Out from underneath the trees, the sun beat down on them mercilessly, and it wasn't long before Katya started to sweat. Though she had spent weeks out here finding herself, she had gotten used to the shade of the forest and her body protested this new torment.

Fire Mountain loomed in the distance, its massive form standing out against the flat horizon.

"So what are we looking for?" inquired Katya, her stomach starting to tie itself into a knot. Between the memories associated with the place and the possibility that she could be repeating history, she was not happy.

"Can't tell you," Slade shrugged.

She gave him a look. "Alright, so where are we headed?"

He pointed. Katya followed where he indicated and her breath caught in her throat. He was taking her to Fire Mountain itself? _Why?_

"Why there?"

"Because that's where what we're looking for is."

She sighed, her frustration overcoming her fear of the prospect. "You're really not going to tell me what it is?"

He grinned at her. "Nope."

The grin gave her a suspicious twinge in her heart and she pushed it down, trying to dampen her developing feelings. She watched his retreating back as he set off in front of her, resolutely _not_ enjoying the view.

Just as he stepped around an outcropping of rocks, a large snake slithered out from a hole and darted directly for Slade's foot. It clamped down on his boot, the mouth nearly encompassing his ankle and he let out a howl.

Katya rushed forward in alarm. She'd killed him! This was what she got for allowing herself the pleasure of his company. She drew her knife and stabbed it into the creature's head. It writhed for a moment or two, then stilled. Hastily she pried open its jaws and threw it away from them.

Helping Slade to the ground, she tore off his boot to examine the wound, trying to determine how she was going to get the poison out. It was probably half-way to his heart by now. She grasped at the chaotic magic around her, trying to gather enough to slow its progress, but it kept slipping away from her. She used her knife to cut away part of her tunic and used it to wrap around his leg, tying it tightly to try and slow the spread. Sitting back on her heels, her mind whirled with what else to do.

She finally looked up at Slade's face to find him watching her with a small smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused, "Aren't you the least bit concerned about the poison that's about to kill you?"

He reached down and untied the tourniquet she'd just put on. "It's just a green snake, they're harmless. Their bite is completely safe. Other than the nasty puncture wounds that is."

"Then why did you let me do all that?" she demanded, furious but more so overwhelmed with a sense of relief for his safety.

"And stop you from cutting your clothes off?" he said rhetorically, standing. "Come on, we have a ways to go yet."

Katya watched him with disbelief. He wasn't even limping. It made her like him even more. _Stop that...next time it won't be harmless._

After several hours of walking they came to the base of the mountain, and she found herself exhausted from the stress of trying to make sure nothing happened to him. Though there had been no other incidents, just the threat of them was enough to cause her distress as she mentally wore herself out imagining all the gruesome possibilities.

Katya scrunched up her face in confusion as Slade marched around the outside of the mountain. Finally, he stopped as he came to the area where the cave entrance had been, before the top had exploded and sealed up any entrances that once existed.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, afraid of what his answer might be.

He looked hesitant to tell her, but in the end his desire to show her how much he knew won out over his good sense to keep it to himself and he explained. "There was a battle here, we felt the backlash of it more than a year ago. We've been searching the battleground for some time, and we have finally located the area inside the mountain where it happened. We've been coming out here a little at a time, mining our way in."

"What for?"

"One of the sides was a great evil, an evil that shouldn't be on this world. We're looking for its heart."

Katya swallowed hard, forcing her hand not to fly to the pouch sewn into her tunic where the Bloodstone lay. It had been where the dragon god, Nuko, had stored his essence and when reunited with his body, it had taken its place in his chest. It had to be what Slade was talking about. It seemed to pulse at the mention and she watched Slade carefully to determine if he had noticed anything. He was simply still looking at her expectantly, waiting for some kind of reaction to his big reveal.

"You're looking for something's heart?" she repeated, furrowing her brow. "What do you want a heart for?" she tried to put disgust into her voice, as if she believed it to be an actual organ he was looking for.

He shrugged. Katya couldn't tell if he was just trying not to give away any more information, or if he really didn't understand what he was getting into. "The Elders need it for their spell. They say it has unique properties that they need."

Katya's own heart chilled. The Elders wanted to use the Bloodstone? In all her time with them she had gotten the feeling that they abhorred the idea of blood-magic and the Dark King. They seemed extremely bitter about the whole affair. And now they wanted to use the same magic that had caused their exile?

She supposed maybe they would...after all, they _did_ steal a child.

Slade hooked into the power, using the unique method Katya had seen the tribe employ to tame the wild magic for use. He bored in through the rock, not physically removing it, but searching with his power. Katya opened herself to the power as well, not to add to his search, but to mask what was beneath her clothing. She sat herself down to wait. At least she didn't have to worry about him finding it.

He gave up before long, as taming the chaos drained a person's energy faster than using magic normally would, and they started the trek back. Katya was surprised that they hadn't set up a camp out here to continuously mine for it, but she didn't want to ask about it and give them any ideas. She would have to speak with Gareth again soon and find out if he knew anything about it.

Though he was no longer privy to the goings-on of the tribe through any sort of official capacity, he always seemed to know everything anyway. Katya had gotten the feeling that at some point he had been an important part of the tribe, and this was the reason that the others gave him free reign to act the way that he did.

Just before they left the Barren Lands, Slade suddenly stopped to collect a plant from a small oasis of vegetation.

"What's that?" she asked.

"What we came out here for," he replied, his tone clearly indicating that she was to reveal nothing else to anyone. That explained why there wasn't an official expedition out here. Whatever the Elders wanted the Bloodstone for, they weren't sharing with the rest of the tribe.

When they reached the forest once more, the sun was setting and Slade bid her goodnight, leaving her to her uncertain thoughts. Going to Fire Mountain once more had dredged up all sorts of unhappy memories. She also felt a strange pang of guilt for the emotions that were swirling around in her head regarding Slade. The memory of Nathair was too recent.

She glanced out her window and squinted through the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of somewhere beyond the forest. It was tempting to just up and leave. Everything was getting so confusing since coming here, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. Not just the confusion in her own mind either, but also in the events going on around her. None of the tribesmen seemed able or willing to give her any answers. Most seemed oblivious to the Elders actions, and those that knew anything guarded their knowledge for no obvious reason – even about insignificant matters.

_Most frustrating_.

CHAPTER 7

Natalya followed Hunter through the crowded streets of the capitol city, Naoham, in awe of her surroundings. She had never seen so many people in one place before. She had thought that the festival at home brought in a lot of people, but it didn't compare to how packed together they were here. The number that had come to the festival was probably present right this very moment, bustling around this one street corner.

Weylyn slunk about around her feet, obviously unhappy about being in such a crowded place, and Natalya was surprised he had followed them in. Usually, he left them for the forest whenever they reached a town.

She focused her attention on Hunter's retreating back as she realized she'd unconsciously slowed in her appreciation of the spectacle. As they came around a bend, he suddenly halted and rapped on a door. Natalya's gaze was drawn up towards the sign which read, 'The Woodsman's Children'. Odd. She thought Hunter had said his uncle was a merchant.

The door opened and several young children immediately surrounded them, asking questions. Weylyn was similarly surrounded, but unlike his tense demeanor towards the people on the streets, he seemed to be at ease with the kids descending on him. In fact, he seemed to relish their attention. Soon, he disappeared farther into the rooms with children climbing all over him.

When Hunter was finally able to get a word in edgewise to the ones that remained that he was Charles' nephew, several of them went scurrying off to fetch him.

"Ho there, Hunter!" said a gruff-looking man, emerging from the center of the house and surrounded by yet more swarming children. "How went the sellin'?" He held out a hand to Hunter who took it and pulled the older man close for a one-armed hug.

"Your blades are extremely popular, Uncle. I don't know how you got your hands on such fine merchandise."

"I knows people," Charles answered, putting a finger next to his nose and tapping it. "Besides, I gots to find some way to keep the money flowin', there's lotsa mouths to feed."

"Who are all these children?" Natalya asked, looking around in dismay.

Charles laughed heartily. "These are my charges. Ever since I decided I was too old to go lolly-gagging 'round the country-side anymore, I decided I needed me some company. There were far too many children left with no'on else after King Nathair's draft for the war, so the Queen asked if I would trouble myself to oversee a children's home. I got to name it myself," he added proudly.

"The Queen asked you?" Natalya squeaked, remembering what Hunter had said about him being _the_ Charles from the stories, and all the questions she had for him popped back into her head. Hunter interrupted her before she could voice any, however, and she gave him an annoyed look.

"We've heard that the King and Queen have fallen ill, is that true?"

"Aye," Charles nodded, "somethings awry with them anywho, though I'm not exactly sure what it is."

"So the Queen's still not able to speak with her subjects?" Natalya asked dejectedly.

Charles gave her an appraising look. "Why do you need to do that?"

"One of the Knights took my sister and said it was because the Queen was collecting talents, but I have a feeling that there's something wrong with her and no one else in any of the towns we've been in have heard about that particular new policy."

"Neither have I," Charles said, lifting a brow, "And that don't sound much like Layna." He chewed on his cheek in thought. "You should talk to Amelia," he told her finally, nodding his head slightly.

"Who's Amelia?"

"She's technically the Head of the Household for the royals, but she acts as a personal advisor to Layna as well. She's been a part of the royal staff fer ages and was close to Layna's biological parents. You'll get a real answer outta her, not like the propaganda that Lord Telvani is spreadin'. I never trusted 'im." He narrowed his eyes. "Somethin' fishy going on if you ask me, but no one ever does."

"How would I talk to Amelia?"

"Best way'd be to go in through the servant quarters. Since the King and Queen went ill, Telvani moved the staff to the old palace here in the city. I can get one of the children to bring you in, we're always makin' deliveries so it'll be no problem. You goin' with her?" he directed the last part towards Hunter.

He looked undecided for a moment, but finally answered affirmatively.

"Well, then. Let's get our business conducted and I'll getcha all set up. 'Fraid you'll have to take care o' yerselfs for the evening as I have a prior engagement so it'll be a good time to see her anyways. I'll meet up with you on the morrow and we'll do some proper catchin'-up."

They brought the cart around to the back of the building and Natalya helped unload the wares, which was a much lighter load than she had seen displayed in Hardonia. Obviously he had been very successful. The two of them talked shop for a while and Natalya entertained herself by watching the passers-by. She tried to ask Charles questions several times, but every time she did so, Hunter would interrupt with something about the business before she had a chance to get it fully out.

When they had wrapped up their deal Natalya closed in, hoping to be able to hear some of the stories, but yet again Hunter cut her off. Before she knew it they were headed towards the palace following behind a young boy. As soon as they were on their way, she forgot about Charles with the prospect of going to the palace and speaking to someone who worked with the Queen and who might have some answers as to where Alina had been taken.

When they reached the quarters that their guide informed them was Amelia's, they knocked on the door gently. A woman's voice called out from within that she would be just a moment and, as promised, moments later the door opened.

Amelia was a kind-looking old woman with beautiful silver hair adorned with white streaks and a permanent smile upon her face. She greeted the young boy warmly before turning her attention to the two of them. The woman had perfect manners.

"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, ushering them inside and onto a plush couch there.

Before either of them could answer, there was a commotion outside the room and Amelia looked up in alarm. "Quickly," she said, standing and motioning for them to do the same, "Hide back here and don't make a noise." She held open a curtain next to the window which revealed a secret area beyond. They hurriedly obliged, though confused, and stood silently in the dark. A cacophony of clattering metal against metal drew closer.

The door banged open and many metal-clad feet clanged into the room.

"Lord Telvani," Amelia stated calmly.

"Amelia, you are under arrest for treason."

Natalya bit back a gasp.

"What act have I committed that has been treason, my lord?"

"I received news today that you snuck past the guards and went into the King and Queen's chamber with intent to harm them."

Natalya pulled on the back of Hunter's shirt, and she vaguely saw the outline of his head shaking warningly at her. She itched to do something, but his body was between her and the opening, and she didn't know what she could do anyway.

"I would do no such thing and you know it!" she protested and started to say more, but her voice was suddenly muffled as she was dragged away.

They waited until the last sounds of the procession were far down the hallways before emerging from the secret place. The young boy looked up at them with wide eyes.

"We should get out of here," he whispered. He led the way quickly out the back and as soon as they got back to Charles' place he disappeared among the multitude of children.

"What was that?" Natalya exclaimed to Hunter.

"I don't know," Hunter replied, looking pensive.

"You don't think she really tried to hurt them do you?"

"No..." Hunter answered after a moment, "I think that there is something going on here."

"What?"

"I don't know that either. Let's unpack and think about it for a while, maybe when Charles gets back he'll have some advice."

They made themselves at home in the guest quarters they had each been shown to earlier. Once they were settled in, Natalya joined Hunter in his room.

She plopped herself down onto his bed and kicked her feet up behind her, resting her chin on her hands. "How am I going to find my sister now?" she pouted.

"I've been thinking," he said slowly, "that we really should still talk to her while we can."

"Who, my sister? If I knew where she was to talk to her, I wouldn't be looking for her."

"No," Hunter paused to give her an annoyed look, "Amelia."

"Amelia? What do you mean while we can? She's been arrested!"

"Details," Hunter grinned at her and got to his feet, heading towards the door. "Come on."

She followed him compliantly, wondering what on earth he was up to, into the busy street. "Where are we going?"

"They won't have had time to transport her anywhere this afternoon, so there's only one prison in the city she could be in."

"So, what?" she asked, "We're just going to waltz into prison to see her?"

"Getting _in_ to the prison won't be the hard part," Hunter commented as he blatantly snatched a necklace off a vendor's cart as they passed. It was in full view of a guardsman who assumed a look of affronted astonishment. Natalya's eyes widened in surprise as Hunter grabbed her hand and started running, with the guard shouting for them to stop and closing in at an alarming rate.

"Oof!" exclaimed Natalya as the man's much large bulk crashed into her and her lungs compressed painfully as he used his mass to detain her. Hunter slowed his own gait, as though reluctant to leave her, and another guard leapt out of nowhere to take him down.

The whole upheaval lasted under a minute and Natalya had a moment's appreciation for the efficiency of the guards. Unfortunately, they were efficiently putting _her_ into jail. She gave Hunter a withering look, but he just grinned wolfishly back at her.

They marched the two of them through the streets towards the palace and Natalya caught sight of many a nasty look thrown her way. As they reached the tower that served as the entrance to the prison, it took several minutes to catalogue them into the system of criminals and they were led down into the cells below while they were processed. They were paraded through the massive cellar of miscreants, several of whom hooted and hollered at her as they passed. Natalya was surprised to note that none looked malnourished or mistreated, however.

When the guard had left them unceremoniously in the cell to their own devices, she turned to Hunter. "I hope you have a plan."

"Always," he answered, and pulled a metal strip out of his shoe. Though they had been searched on their arrival, seeing as how they were only being detained for an attempted petty theft, they hadn't been especially thorough. As he gently placed it into the lock, wiggling it around carefully, he continued, "If Amelia knows something that Telvani doesn't want people finding out about, she won't be in a cell next to anyone else. Most likely he's thrown her into one of the cells deepest in that are reserved for people who are never expected to leave. They throw them down into a pit and lower food and water down to them."

"Lovely," Natalya commented, watching with interest as he cocked his head to the side and listened to the tumblers of the locking mechanism. "Can a lot of people do that?" she asked, wondering just how secure the place actually was.

"Not many." He concentrated on the lock for a moment. "Once we get out of here we're going to have to make sure that no one notices us wandering around. Unfortunately, other than the guards there's not supposed to be anyone walking around free down here, so we'll really just have to blend in with the background. The other prisoners will likely be our biggest threat. Especially with them reacting to you the way that they did. Maybe you could go rub some dirt all over your face and mess up your hair a bit?" he said hopefully.

Natalya dreaded rubbing dirt from the inside of a prison cell on her skin, but she did see the reasoning for it. Leaving him to his lock-picking, she forced herself not to think about all the people who had probably bled or urinated, or... _stop that!_ She scraped up a handful from near the corner adjacent to the outside of the cell that looked to be the most fresh and held her nose as she smeared it onto her face. She used a lace from the wrist of her tunic to tie her hair into a pony-tail, tucking it into the collar of her shirt. She added some straw stuffed into her shirt for good measure.

Hunter glanced back at her and did a double-take. "Nice work," he applauded her.

Natalya was glad she couldn't see herself in a mirror.

The lock finally clicked, and Hunter slowly swung the door open, stopping as it began to creak. Looking down the hallway, he motioned her out with him. They marched down the passageway with purpose, hoping that the other prisoners would glance up only long enough to see two men who were supposed to be there and not wonder why they weren't wearing uniforms.

Luck was with them and they crept through the passages to the bowels of the dungeon where the very worst criminals were kept. Here, there was more evidence of suffering, despite the lack of torture or abuse there was still bound to be disease and the effects of lack of sunlight in such a place.

Moaning could be heard in one of the cells and Natalya hated to look, but morbid curiosity drew her gaze into the dark depths of the small room.

"What are you looking at," rasped a man's voice before lapsing into a shuddering cough.

"Nothing, I..."

"Just thought you'd stand there and gawk at the prisoners did you? Think you're better than me just because I was thrown into jail for no good reason, do you?"

"No, I don't think that, mister..."

"That's Lord Carlon to you, peasant!"

"Come on," Hunter urged her, "before his shouting draws attention." They hurried along farther into the dankness until they came across a room with a slit in the floor, hardly big enough for a person and covered by a grate. They edged their way to it, and peered down in.

"Hello?" Natalya called softly, barely believing that a person could survive such a horrifying environment. There was no answer and Natalya was convinced that they must not have the right cell, either that or the woman was unconscious. "Hello?" she called a little louder, just to be sure.

"Is someone there?" a woman's voice called, vaguely familiar.

"Yes!" Natalya exclaimed a trifle louder than she had meant to and immediately lowered her voice at Hunter's reproachful look. "Amelia?"

"Yes," the answer came hesitantly, untrusting.

"We're friends," Hunter assured her, but the woman did not reply. "We're the ones who had come to see you earlier today."

Silence.

"We think Telvani's done something with the King and Queen which is allowing him to do all sorts of horrible things," Natalya said desperately. She needed this woman to have answers. After all this time searching for her sister to no avail, and to track the answer down into the center of the prison only to be turned away..."They took my sister," she said, her voice breaking with sadness, "they said it was because the Queen wanted to collect all of the talents near her for the protection of the country, that it was an honor and we should gladly let them tear our family apart." She spat the last part out bitterly and fell silent, afraid she would break into tears if she said more.

A water drop reached its breaking point above them and fell, making a tiny splashing sound somewhere far below. Natalya sighed and turned away.

"He calls them the Faithful," the voice said, full of resentment. "They are under no authority of the Queen. In fact, I haven't even been able to see the King or Queen for weeks now. Lord Telvani claims that they've been ill and that it's something contagious that makes it unsafe for any but his mages to see them. But that's not what's happening. He's done something to them. I snuck in and found them, lying in their bed, cold as ice and barely alive. They are under some sort of spell, or they've been drugged, or something, I don't know. I planned to confront Telvani about it publically once I knew more about it, but he must have somehow found out and concocted the story about my trying to hurt them in order to cover up what is really going on."

"Do you know how he did this to them? Or how to help them? What about the people who were taken, where can we find them?"

"I don't..." Amelia paused. A pregnant silence filled the air and Natalya could fairly hear the wheels spinning in her head. "But I know someone who might be able to help. Go to Katrina at the old Alamanni house. She is friends with the Queen and now runs a network of informants for her. She's the one that helped me find out about the Faithful. If anyone can find out what's going on, it's her. And tell her that I sent you. Here." Something flew up through the grates in the hole and Hunter's hand darted out to grab it. He opened it to reveal an insignia ring in his palm. "This way she'll know it's true. And tell her what's become of me. I don't want her thinking I'm simply avoiding her." She laughed ruefully and Natalya felt a stab of guilt for being unable to get her out.

Something clattered in the outer hallway, and Hunter jumped to his feet. "We have to go," he hissed.

Amelia stayed silent. Natalya uncurled herself from the awkward position she had been in to try and see down into the hole, and stood next to Hunter. He looked around and put a finger to his lips, then motioned with his index and middle for them to move out to the left. They raced silently back through the halls and towards the exit, when Hunter suddenly put a restraining arm on her and beckoned her sideways.

Natalya glanced to where he was indicating, and then looked back at him incredulously. He wanted her to go back into the prison cell they had just broken out of? He widened his eyes with a look of 'come on then' and she followed him in, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Why are we back in here?" she whispered to him.

"It's much harder to break out of prison entirely than to break out of one section and go to another. It'll be better just to wait for them to release us."

"How do you know they're going to?"

He just smiled.

Moments later the guard arrived back at the cell and jammed the key into the lock, swearing softly to himself as it stuck for a moment before clicking open. "Out you go," he ordered them. He did a double-take at Natalya's dirt-caked face and raised a brow, but refrained from commenting. He marched down the hallway and they obediently followed him into the guardroom.

The vendor from which the necklace had been stolen sat at the table there, face red with anger. The moment they stepped into the room, Hunter assumed a pathetic voice, whining, "I am sooooo sorry that I took the necklace, sir. You see, she dared me that I wouldn't do it and I let my pride get the better of me," he blubbered, "I was going to return it later and pay you for it, I swear! I just didn't want to look bad in front of a girl." He sent a fearful look over his shoulder at the prison beyond. "But after even that short time in _there_ ," he jerked his head towards the jail, "I will never, ever do something so stupid again."

Natalya watched in amazement as the vendor's face slowly returned to a more normal color. He glanced over at her, and she immediately closed her mouth which had dropped open, and nodded soberly.

Hunter gushed, "It is so amazing of you to meet with us here before dragging us off to court," he turned to the guard who had relieved them of their belongings when they had arrived. "May I see my coin pouch to give this kind gentleman money for the necklace?"

The guard grunted and, at his superior officer's nod, handed Hunter his pouch. It looked suspiciously lighter than it had when they arrived. Hunter took it gratefully, pretending not to notice the missing coins. He rummaged around and withdrew a handful, dumping it on the table before the vendor with shaking hands. He was quite an actor. The pile of money was a good three times as much as the necklace was worth and the merchant eyed the money greedily.

"Is this enough to make you forgive me?" Hunter pleaded with him. The gleam in the man's eye and the slight smile playing on his lips revealed that he was more than pleased with the outcome of this unfortunate situation, but he was holding out for more. Hunter pretended to be frantic, as though afraid that he wouldn't accept it and they would be charged, and he flung a few more coins on the table.

They spun around on their rims in front of the man, and then finally dropped down onto the table. "Well," drawled the vendor, reaching his meaty hand up to sweep the coins into his own purse, "I suppose I could forgive you this once since you seem so repentant and all, but don't let me catch you near my cart again, you hear?"

Hunter nodded enthusiastically as though the lesson he had learned today had really hit home, and the vendor smiled, satisfied. "Let them go," he waved a hand at them dismissively, "hopefully it'll teach him to know better than to let a woman get him into trouble."

The guards shrugged and escorted all three back onto the street. The vendor spoke to Hunter with a stern tone of one scolding a child and the pompous attitude of superiority. Hunter nodded and listened attentively, as though lapping up the man's words. When they were out of hearing of the guards and the merchant had bustled off back to his stall, Natalya turned to Hunter.

"How did you know they would release us?"

"I'm not saying I've had experience with your justice system before," Hunter replied, and took a deep breath before spitting out, "but I've had experience with your justice system before. In cases like this they always allow the two parties to mediate to see if they can't come to an understanding themselves so that the Justice of the Peace doesn't have to bother themselves with it. And, money speaks louder than words. That vendor just made out with far more than he ever would have gotten selling the necklace. Plus, the hubbub probably attracted more customers just to find out the gossip of what was going on."

"Hmph," was Natalya's only reply. She looked around the foreign streets, not even sure that she would have any idea how to get back to Charles' anymore. "So any idea where this Alamanni house is?"

"Nope, I'm afraid that's a question I do not have an answer to."

*

"Is she ready?" Lord Telvani demanded of Farthen the second he walked in the door. Lord Farthen looked up from his desk and scowled at him.

"I've not had enough time for what you want," he complained.

"I don't care, the time to act is upon us. The Treymayne Ieldran is getting suspicious and no doubt they will bring their suspicions to our Council who will have to do something about it to appease them. We need to have the project underway before they find out the true status of the King and Queen."

"And what if we can't?"

"That is not an option. Have it prepared for tomorrow." He turned to leave, expecting Farthen to carry out his wishes whether he liked it or not, but the man stubbornly continued.

"The latest group has run into some further complications. We've succeeded in at least not simply killing them outright, but there seem to be," he paused, "other risks involved."

"I don't care about the risks, I care about the results," Telvani bellowed, turning back to him. "Are they able to do it?"

"Well, yes, but-"

Telvani cut him off, in no mood for more excuses. "Then we do it tomorrow."

He slammed the door behind him. He had worked too hard for this to have it all be destroyed because Lord Farthen needed more time to feel comfortable enough giving him a definite answer. He stomped to the tower and looked out over the landscape below. The walls of the castle that Farthen had commandeered to conduct his experiments spread out over the land and closed out the world. His gaze wandered to the courtyard below where several people meandered about with no real aim. Perhaps a better description would be that they kept things _in_.

He left Farthen and his staff to make the preparations. There were things that he needed to accomplish back at the palace, but first he needed to make another stop to check in with the mages watching over the King and Queen. It would be just his luck to have them wake the day before his plans made their waking irrelevant.

The carriage ride was longer than he would have liked given the number of arrangements he had to see to before the day was out, so he used his time to plan. Once they had completed the project tomorrow, he should have the entire Council at his command. When this was accomplished, it would be an easy thing to oust the Queen, though he would have to be careful going about it. Even if the Council all agreed to put him in her stead, the majority of the people still saw her as a savior: The woman who had been one of them and who stepped in to stop the evil Nathair from continuing his war on Treymayne and bringing back blood-magic.

He sighed. Those had been the days. Free to run things behind the scenes as he saw fit. Now that he was a more public figure, he had to play by certain rules. And he didn't like rules.

So undermining the Queen's reign was sure to be a laborious process, though discrediting her to the point of her own people wanting to dethrone her would go a long way to making up for all her whining. Already he had put the base of several scandals into play for when they were needed.

As they rode up the long pathway up to the Queen's chosen castle, he looked out over the maze of gardens that housed the Kiani Stones. It was a shame that their essences had been removed from them after Layna hosted the Three and moved the stones to their present location. If only the Order had known they were there before Layna had gotten her hands on them...

The carriage slowed to a stop and Lord Telvani stepped out, his shoes crunching the gravel below. Servants rushed to greet him and several guards nodded as he passed, his own entourage closing in behind him. He went immediately for the bedchambers and left his guards in the hall to enter that of the King and Queen.

He drew aside the curtain around the bed - and froze, his heart nearly stopping in his chest. They were gone.

"Lord Telvani," the voice of his head mage sounded muffled and Telvani whirled around. The man was carrying a mound of sheets which he was trying to maneuver in order to speak around, but he was not having much luck.

"Where are they!?" Telvani demanded. "Have they woken up?"

"What? No." The mage glanced at the empty bed and realization dawned on his face. "Oh, no, I was just getting tired of staring at that awful color all the time since you have me here day and night, so I wanted to change it. And since you won't allow any servants to step foot in here," he lifted the sheets, indicating that he was forced to do it himself. His tone revealed the annoyance he felt over this.

Telvani felt the color rise in cheeks in anger. "Where are they?" he roared, and the man cowered before him.

"There," he said simply, pointing to the corner of the room where Telvani now noticed two people were laying. He strode over to them and peered down at their faces, feeling their skin. It was as cold as ever and their breathing was so slow as to be hardly noticeable.

Lord Telvani's own breathing resumed. Rotating back around to face the mage once more, who was now struggling with the sheets, he growled, "My head mage and you can't figure out a way to use magic to do that?"

The man paused his movement and looked thoughtful. "You know, I didn't even consider it. I don't usually have to bother with these things you know," he gave Telvani another sour look.

He watched as the man finally got the bed remade and he levitated the two back into it. When they were properly situated, Telvani addressed him again.

"Make sure that there is no change between now and tomorrow. I don't want any glitches in the plan. If anything happens and they wake up," he arched a brow, "take care of them."

The man looked at the two of them doubtfully. "I'm not sure I can..." he began tremulously, but shut his mouth at the look Telvani gave him when he looked up. He gulped and glanced at the two once more.

Telvani glared. "You'd better hope they don't wake up then."

*

Katya took the tea that the woman was holding out for Gareth and she bustled off gratefully, glad to have someone else dealing with the grumpy old man for a change. Katya watched her go, and then turned her attention to the tea. She poked her finger into it.

"Hey!" Gareth complained, "I have to drink that! I don't want your grubby fingers all over in it." He tried to grab it from her, but she moved it out of his reach.

"I think they put something in it that makes you sleepy all the time," she said in a low voice, glancing around to make sure none of the helpers were near.

"I have to drink my tea," Gareth said in a strangely monotone voice, and Katya now looked at him in alarm. Focusing her magesight on him, she could see that her keeping the tea from him was causing a particular flare-up in the powers surrounding him. There was obviously some sort of enchantment on him to keep him drinking whatever was in the tea.

She dumped it out and went to the center of the room to where a table was set out with a pot of tea and other foods for the inhabitants that liked to graze throughout the day. She refilled the cup with plain water after examining even this closely with her talent, and returned to his side.

He was getting more and more fussy, the power causing a pressure, and she handed him the cup. Despite it not being the tea it was supposed to be, this seemed to calm him, releasing the trigger of the spell and it sunk back into his subconscious.

He seemed to forget the entire episode immediately, never commenting on her revelation, but he did stay awake for their entire session which was a vast improvement. She also felt that they made some excellent progress.

"There!" he exclaimed triumphantly when he had withdrawn from her mind. "I think we've almost unlocked your deepest darkest secrets, my dear. Just don't complain to me when you find out you're really your uncle's child or some such nonsense."

"I won't," Katya assured him and rose to leave.

"I think you just need something to trigger it and it will all come back."

"Thank you," she told him earnestly and laid a hand gently on his shoulder. He looked uncharacteristically glad for the contact for a moment – but only a moment. Then he brushed her hand away.

"Off you go now, can't have you wasting all my time."

She smiled at him and left him to his afternoon, though the fact that the helpers in the place were apparently keeping him subdued was disturbing. She supposed it could have been simply for his own good, but she had a rather strong aversion to other people controlling one's mind...

Later that afternoon, she found herself once again in Slade's presence. She had found that no matter how hard she tried to avoid him, he always seemed to be around. Not to mention the fact that he was constantly putting himself in danger. It was better for her to be near him to protect him...or so she told herself.

He was pointing out all of the different plant life to Katya on a walk, but she couldn't concentrate on his words. She was too distracted wondering what the Elders were up to with their plans for the Bloodstone. She had asked Gareth about it, but he surprisingly did not have any answers for her, which made her even more concerned. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. No one who sought out the Bloodstone had good intentions.

"Do you know why the Elders want the heart?" she asked Slade suddenly, interrupting his lesson on the latest vegetation in front of them.

He stopped short and turned to face her. "Why do you ask?" he responded warily.

"Because I don't think they know what they're looking for. Either that, or they're up to something very, very bad."

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "I thought you didn't have any idea what the heart was."

She made a guilty face.

"What do you know about it?" he asked, his tone masked.

"Enough to know that it's not something you should dig up and use. It's dangerous and it's evil. It's made more than one man do horrible things."

"The Elders would never do something evil. I'm sure they have their reasons. I should never have told you what we were looking for."

"Please, Slade, they have to be stopped. The Bloodstone has almost destroyed the world twice now, we don't need more people messing with it."

"The Bloodstone?"

Katya cursed the slip. "The heart they're looking for, it's Nuko's heart, the Sleeping God, one of the original dragons..."

He stared at her blankly. "You know an awful lot about this Bloodstone."

"Yes, and I know that it's not something good people should be looking for."

"Why do you know so much?"

"What? That's not the point, the point is that you need to convince the Elders that it's dangerous and just to leave it alone!" The stone was growing hot in her pocket. It was mostly quiet nowadays since being pierced by Leoht and Nuko himself banished from the world. However, just as there were some remnants of power left within it, every now and again Katya felt as though she could sense His presence as well. Now was one of those times, and as the stone suddenly pulsed, a bright white light flashed outwards from its hiding spot, immediately drawing Slade's attention.

She swore. _Bloody Nuko, even after he's gone..._ Slade was staring at her pocket.

"What's that?" he demanded, reaching towards her. Sighing, she reached into the folds of her clothing and brought it out. It shone eerily with a bright red light.

Slade's eyes widened. "Is that..."

"Yes."

"How did you..." his brows scrunched together. "Did you find it when I took you with me that one time and somehow sneak it out without me knowing?" he accused. "I could have been the one to have found it!"

"No," Katya protested, "it was never there for any of you to find. I've always had it." She looked skywards and nodded her head to the side. "At least since the incident at Fire Mountain."

"You've always had it," Slade repeated incredulously.

She looked him square in the eye. "And you cannot tell the Elders," she ordered. "It is not a tool to be used in whatever experiment they are doing. It's bad enough they're stealing babies..."

"Who are you?" Slade interjected with an affronted look, "you're questioning the wisdom of the Elders? And you have the _Bloodstone_ ...with your very own name for it?"

"It's not important," Katya growled. "Promise you won't tell."

Slade's eyes darted back and forth, focusing first on one of her staring eyes and then the other. She tried to tame the magic around them enough to see what he was feeling with her power, but between his own strength and the lack of stable magic, she couldn't tell. Finally he spoke. "Fine. I promise." He clenched his teeth together. "I'm not feeling much like walking anymore, let's go back."

He strode out ahead of her, not bothering to look back and see if she was following. She did so reluctantly, not completely satisfied with his agreement of her views.

When they reached the village, Katya looked up at the fountain forlornly. The statue's broken arm made her seem lacking, missing the final piece. _Just like my life_. She sighed, but then furrowed her brow as a memory popped into her head. An image floated to the surface; that of the statue. But in this image the arm was complete...and holding a stone in her hand up to the heavens. She didn't have time to contemplate this as Slade reached the bottom of the staircase and her thoughts were pulled into the more pressing matters at hand.

He pulled open the door to the stairway that led above and held it open for her, but did not say a word, nor did he look at her. At the top, she headed for her quarters and he branched off, heading towards his area without even so much as a 'goodnight'.

She spent the night half expecting the Elders to come knocking at her door, but when the first rays of sunlight streamed in the windows with no disturbance she let herself relax a tiny bit. She hoped that Slade would be able to convince them that the Bloodstone wasn't something to be trifled with without telling them where he got the information. She had already told him that she had done a lot of traveling; she could always say that she had heard stories. _And somehow ended up with it because_ ...she snorted to herself. Even this group of people who kept secrets as a part of their daily lives would demand an answer of how she had obtained it.

As she was pulling on a fresh shirt for the day, someone knocked. Katya turned the knob slowly and opened it.

Slade stood there, looking like he hadn't slept at all, and he gave her a small smile. "Forgive me?" he implored. "I was a bit overwhelmed yesterday and may have overreacted a little."

She opened the door wider and gestured for him to come in. "So you believe me?" she asked in hushed tones.

"Yes," he agreed, "but I don't know how we're going to convince the Elders that this Bloodstone of yours isn't what they want. They've already determined that it is what they need for their spell and it will be very difficult to convince them otherwise."

"Even if using it could spell the end of everyone?"

"'Could' being the operative word there. To make them completely abandon the plan they've been working on forever, we'd have to convince them that it will. I need to know everything. Who are you?"

Katya didn't answer, but bit her lower lip.

"You owe me that much," Slade persisted, "Is Katya even your real name?"

She sighed. He was right. He knew she wasn't who she said she was. She needed to tell him the truth. Or at least some of it. "Promise you won't tell?'

"I promise."

"Yes, my real name is Katya," she paused and took a deep breath, "but I'm not from the Dena'ina tribe. In fact, I'm not from any tribe at all."

"What do you mean?" The alarm was plain to hear in his tone and Katya quickly backtracked.

"I mean I don't really feel that I belong with the Dena'ina or any tribe. I haven't been active in any tribal dealings for as long as I can remember. I've spent more time with the Myaamia than any others. My memory problems are real, I don't know what happened to me as a child...but for as long as I can remember I've been on my own," this was sort-of true, she had only had herself to rely on. "I've been wandering around the Plains and the Barren Lands and happened to be at Fire Mountain when it exploded." Also basically true. "I came across the Bloodstone after the fact, and my journeys took me close to the Lost Lands and I heard stories about what it was. I didn't want to just leave it for anyone to find. It sounded too dangerous, so I've just been carrying it around."

"That's it? Why did you come here?"

"Honestly, I just happened upon you. When Lorcan appeared on the Plains I wasn't expecting there to be anyone around, and when he suggested that I must be here for some Arrival, I just agreed with him. I know it was wrong, but it was nice to be accepted."

Slade growled, "Lorcan, inviting strangers into our village." He seemed to catch himself. "I don't mean..."

"I understand. I did lie to you, and I'm sorry."

"So what else do you know about the Bloodstone?"

"Not much," she lied, "Just what I heard: that it is the essence of the dragon god, Nuko, who the new Queen in the Lost Lands vanquished so he couldn't spread his evil. That the evil within it is what caused the Dark King to do what he did, and that it needed to never be used again."

"That's it?"

"That's it," she confirmed.

No sooner had she done so, than people suddenly stormed into the room, filling it to the brink. Katya looked around claustrophobically. She gave Slade a dismayed look. "Why bother promising you wouldn't tell?"

Slade stared at her with dull eyes. "You already proved to me that you can outfight me, so I had to get you back to the village. After I told them, they wanted me to find out what else you knew. Sorry, but I do believe in the Elders. And I don't believe that you've been telling us the truth." He didn't look very sorry. He looked rather smug.

"We know all about you Dena'ina," one of the people said. "We've known all along you couldn't be trusted. I can't believe you had the gall to come here at all."

Katya felt many binding spells being placed upon her, and she didn't bother trying to resist. There were simply too many of them. One of them wrenched her hands behind her back and tethered them together. One of the Elders, the woman with braided hair that seemed to be the leader, reached into Katya's tunic and withdrew the Bloodstone, holding it out in front of her with awe written plainly on her face. Katya watched her with disgust, the power lust in the woman's eyes plainly evident to Katya, but apparently everyone else in this place was blinded to it.

The woman tore her eyes from the stone and she looked elatedly around the room at the onlookers. "We'll perform the final spell tomorrow." She waved a hand towards Katya. "Get her out of here."

Katya snarled at Slade as they led her out of the room, even as her heart was breaking, "How could you?! I trusted you!"

"Your mistake," he replied coldly.

*

Hunter and Natalya had chosen to call it a night after breaking into the prison and hoped to catch Charles when he returned from his business. He still wasn't home by the time both of them were too exhausted to stay awake any longer, however, so they retired to their rooms and slept.

Hunter woke with the sun and padded out into the hallway, listening for signs that other people were awake. Someone was already rattling pots and pans in the kitchen so he threw on his clothes and descended the stairs.

The events that had occurred in Hardonia were troubling enough, but the more entangled within the intrigues he became, the more worried he grew. It had been his hope when accepting this job from Charles that a greater Treymayne presence in Gelendan would help mend the tense relations – not to mention it being a good excuse for him to be back here – but it seemed that it was the government that was still in need of mending. Queen Layna had done her best to eradicate the snakes within the country, but apparently not well enough.

Charles looked up from the breakfast he was cooking, in quantities that made Hunter's head spin, and smiled at him. "Morning, Nephew. How was your visit with Amelia yesterday?"

"A bit too exciting," Hunter responded, taking over the stirring of the porridge in order to free one of Charles' hands. "She was arrested."

The egg that Charles had been cracking on the edge of the frying pan spattered all over the place. "What?!"

"We had just arrived when a group of soldiers marched in with Lord Telvani and arrested her for treason on the grounds that she had been caught sneaking into the King and Queen's chamber supposedly to harm them."

"That's nonsense!"

"That's what we thought too. Luckily, Amelia had hidden us before it happened, so we were able to get out without anyone noticing that we were there at all. Then we went and visited her in prison."

"You went and visited her..."

"In prison, yes. She told us that she suspected that Lord Telvani had done something to the King and Queen and when she snuck in to see them, they were in some sort of stasis, either magic or drug induced. She recommended that we go see Lady Katrina and at the old Alamanni manor. Do you know where that is?"

Charles was mopping up the spilled egg with his mouth gaping open. He closed it and shuffled the fork around in the eggs, scrambling them. "I do, and she's right. If there's anythin' to know those two'll know it. Katrina and 'er husband, Aaron, are good friends of the Queen." He paused for a moment, staring at the eggs. "Leave it to Layna to have gotten 'erself into more trouble. That girl attracts crazies." Then a second later he mumbled, "How do _I_ get myself into these things?"

Natalya joined them at that moment, and the three of them went over the story once again in greater detail and they discussed their options. Natalya was understandably stuck on how to get more information on where her sister was, but Hunter thought the more relevant questions were those pertaining to getting the Queen back into control before more horrible things happened. He would never say it to her, but he had the feeling that her sister may already be dead. Given the type of people who had taken her...

Charles chose not to join them in speaking with Katrina and Aaron, saying that there were other people he needed to bring the news to, but made them promise to tell him everything they learned. After following his directions to get to the manor, they walked up the long pathway in, past two stone lions guarding the towering archway, and knocked on the front door.

It opened to reveal a plain-looking young woman, carrying a babe on her hip. The child watched them through giant blue eyes. It rather unnerved Hunter.

"May I help you?" the woman asked, looking back and forth between them.

Hunter cleared his throat, "Yes, please. We're looking for Lady Katrina and Lord Aaron?"

The woman cocked her head to the side, "Are they expecting you?"

"No," he paused and glanced at Natalya who was already fishing around in her pocket for the ring that Amelia had given to them to prove her involvement in their being here. "But we were sent by a woman we believe they know, Amelia. And my uncle is Charles who says he knows you too."

The woman's eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know Amelia?" Natalya had finally found the ring and she held it out in front of her victoriously. The woman's eyes flicked to the ring and then widened. She opened the door all the way and ushered them inside quickly.

Clicking the door behind them and waving another woman forward to take the baby from her, the first woman turned back to them. "I'm Katrina. Where did you get that?" She took the ring from Natalya's outstretched hand and examined it closely.

"From Amelia," Natalya answered in a slightly quizzical tone, as though she thought this should be obvious.

Hunter filled in the rest of the answer for Katrina. "We witnessed her being thrown into jail because of voicing doubts about the King and Queen's states, doubts that we happen to share. So we got ourselves thrown into prison and went and talked to her."

"Bloody-" Katrina started to swear, then caught herself. "You got yourselves thrown into prison?" She surprised Hunter by laughing. "How resourceful. Where was Amelia exactly, do you think you could describe the exact cell?"

"Yes," Hunter said slowly, "But it wouldn't be easy to get at her, he's thrown her in the lower levels, in one of the pit cells."

Katrina's face fell.

Natalya was looking between them with a confused look and Hunter enlightened her, "It's where they put prisoners who will never be coming out."

Natalya's face formed an 'o' and her eyes grew wide. Though he had told her this previously, it apparently was only now hitting home what exactly that meant. "So we just left her in there to be..."

"There was nothing you could do," Katrina assured the girl, and Hunter was grateful for her understanding. He had been a little worried that she would have been upset by their lack of ability to help her friend escape, but really there had been nothing they'd been able to do without getting caught and all three of them ending up in the one-way cell. Katrina bit her lip, thinking. "We'll figure out a way to get her out, don't worry," she stated decidedly and turned her attention back to the matter at hand. "Is that why she sent you here? For an escape?"

"No," Hunter started but Natalya cut him off.

"My sister was taken by one of the Queen's groups of Knights because she was talented. Lord Morven said that the Queen was collecting all of the talented near her and it was an honor for my sister to have been chosen to join her. But something is wrong with Alina, I can feel it."

"Where was this?" Katrina asked, her face a mask.

"Hardonia," Natalya replied and spilled out the rest, finishing with, "I knew that if I could just get to the palace and speak with the Queen, she'd see that Alina belongs at home."

"Hardonia..." Katrina's eyes darted to Hunter and he shook his head slightly. The woman obviously had heard of the events that had transpired there. "I know Layna very well," she said, and by her lack of title for the Queen it must be very well indeed, "and I know she would never authorize the taking of children, talented or otherwise. We've been suspicious of Lord Telvani for some time now, Layna had even asked me to look into his dealings back before she and Gryffon seemed to disappear off the face of the planet. She wouldn't tell me very much, she was too cautious about actually making accusations against him until she had proof, but I could tell she was beginning to wonder if she could really trust him." She paused and looked at both of them intently. "Please believe me when I assure you that the Queen had absolutely _nothing_ to do with what happened in Hardonia, and there must be something grave indeed to have kept her from rectifying this, and for her to have allowed something like this to happen in her name in the first place."

"Amelia seemed to think that some sort of spell had been placed on them, that they were in a sort of stasis, and not communing with Lord Telvani as he's claiming at all, but rather he's coming up with things on his own. We spoke with Uncle Charles about it this morning and he seemed to think that it wasn't necessarily Telvani who had performed the spell. He had some rather unflattering remarks about his lack of ability to perform such a feat, suggesting that he was now simply taking advantage of it."

Katrina digested this. "We have been getting reports of a strange surge of magic from deep within the Ferryn Plains. At first we attributed it to the natural fluctuations that occur out there, but it has been far too concentrated for simple coincidence. We had been considering the possibility that there is someone out there connected to Princess Phoenix's kidnapping."

"Do you think there's someone up there who could have pulled this off?"

"If these levels of magic are being caused by people...yes."

"Why haven't you gone and investigated?"

Katrina sighed. "There are too few that I know well enough to be sure that they are loyal to the Queen and not to Telvani. He infiltrated the palace at the highest level, and though I would wager that most would be loyal to the Queen if they knew the truth, I can't risk them believing lies that I don't even know exist that may sway them towards doing something that would help Telvani's agenda instead. Layna came into power after the people lost faith in their leader, being frightened into submission instead of led by a gentle hand. She's had a hard road earning the people's trust." She pursed her lips. "It is also dangerous to go out into the Plains, especially looking for something that wields that amount of power. For all we know, it could be some sort of magical beast. And besides, Telvani's been watching us like hawks knowing we are close to the Queen, no doubt he would spring at the opportunity to defame us the moment we stepped foot out of the city. For such an uncertain mission, it carries far too much risk with it." Her tone was tinged with despair.

Hunter chimed in, "I grew up in Borden, right on the edge of the Plains. My father and I used to venture in all the time to collect plants. I know it well enough to keep out of harm's way."

"What are you suggesting?" Katrina asked, hope springing up in her voice.

"Perhaps we could go and investigate for you," he offered, "It sounds like it is important for you to be here to keep the loyalty of the people and protect the Queen's name," he paused and glanced at the woman in the corner who was sitting on the floor playing with the baby, "Not to mention other reasons you may not want to put yourself in harm's way."

"Why would you do that?"

"I know firsthand what people might begin thinking about the Queen if we don't get her back soon," he admitted, "After seeing what I've seen and hearing what I've heard, I believe that the monarchs don't know what's going on, and now that there is something terrible that is preventing them from knowing anything at all. Queen Layna was doing her best to do right for her people and we need to get her back into a position to be able to do that again before it is too late."

Natalya was watching him with a broad smile upon her face. All her optimism about the Queen had been correct after all and he had just admitted it. He ignored her.

Katrina's wheels were already turning. "I know a few of the royal mages, and since they are not part of the group that Telvani assigned to watch over the King and Queen it's probably a safe bet to assume that they are not ones that he trusts. At least one of them is for sure on the Queen's side. I can ask him before bringing any others on board."

"What are the mages for?" Natalya asked.

"To get you to the edge of the Plains," Katrina answered, "time is not on our side and wasting it traveling there could be disastrous. I have a feeling that everything is going to come to a head soon. Telvani is getting pressure from the Council to see a change with the King and Queen and the people are getting restless. I'm afraid that Telvani will feel pushed into doing something drastic."

"Like what?" Natalya asked innocently.

"Like killing the King and Queen," answered Katrina ominously.

CHAPTER 8

Lord Telvani arranged the candles around the pattern drawn on the floor. He withdrew a dagger from his cloak and held it against his palm. Steeling himself for the pain, he whipped it quickly across his flesh, parting it with a quick stinging sensation. Blood welled up in the wound slowly and he dipped his finger from his other hand into it.

He pressed the red-tipped finger onto a necklace that he picked up from a basket on the table next to him and placed it into the first point of the six-sided star that was drawn in black chalk on the floor.

It glowed for a moment and then dulled. He picked up the next item from the basket, this time a handkerchief, repeating the blooding process and adding it to the next point. He did this four more times, one item for each of the Council members and took a step back when he placed the last item. Instead of just the one lighting up as has happened with the rest, the entire pattern blazed and fire sprang to life on the lines.

Telvani smiled. He waved a hand for the girl to be brought forward and the young woman that Lord Morven had discovered was escorted by two of his guards towards him. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, a side-effect of the drugs they had given her to keep her complacent.

They guided her hand onto the candle and her fingers wrapped around it obediently. The candle was a bright red, dyed that way from the blood of those Telvani had already spilled for the doing of this spell. She lifted it from the table and started chanting as she dripped the hot wax onto her already scarred arm, burning the flesh beneath it. She hardly batted an eye now, though the first experiences had been more unpleasant to watch. Contrary to Lord Farthen's sadistic fascination with pain, Telvani did not revel in this necessity, but did enjoy the benefits he could reap from it.

He felt the power flowing into him immediately. The spell had been years in the making, stemming from the slave collars they had been experimenting with to control the specimen within the order – those who were talented and marked as the bloodline of the Dark King. Only now, instead of the spell being bound to an object that the subject had to wear, the spell would be bound to the person themselves, the focus object able to be hidden away, making it that much harder to detect and break.

The personal items from each of the Council members gave him the link he needed to find his way into their minds. He found the first with ease and forcibly thrust the spell into her subconscious. Her mind writhed and tried to repel him, but he drew more strength from the chanting girl and subdued her.

It was exhilarating. He moved on to the next, getting this one under control much faster. Then the third, fourth, fifth...on the sixth he drew the process out a bit longer. The man had been a particular nuisance, a thorn in Telvani's side, and he teased him a while so that the man knew he was being overtaken but could do nothing about it.

Suddenly there was a peculiar twinge and a surge of power entered Telvani. He glanced over at the girl, but there was no change in her posture. He shrugged and went back to his task. Once the final mind was under control, Telvani took another candle from the table and systematically poured wax onto each of the items, sealing the blood onto them.

When he was done, he blew out the candle and motioned for the guards to do the same to the girl's. She instantly collapsed and the guards carried her limp form from the room. When he was alone, Telvani gathered each of the items carefully and put them into a wooden box.

He hurried to complete the rest of the process, eager to try out the effectiveness. His first order of business would be to officially place himself as interim ruler. He had decided that the people weren't quite ready yet to have their beloved King and Queen die, so it would be easier to convince them that it was simply important to have someone nominated to fill their role while they were incapacitated and unable to perform their duties as they needed to. He could even say that their illness had progressed to a state where it was making them delirious and they could no longer be trusted to make sound decisions. So there was a need to appoint him to make them for them.

Farthen stood waiting in a corner of the room, watching the proceedings with lines of worry across his face. Telvani strode over and clapped him on the back.

"You see?" he congratulated the man. "There was nothing to worry about. And you thought you couldn't do it in time."

"Indeed," was Farthen's only answer, but his look of concern persisted.

Telvani refused to be brought down by the man's glum mood. He felt ecstatic. The minds of the Council members felt like dull hums in the back of his own mind, and they seemed to radiate energy into him.

He fairly skipped out of the room, barely containing the urge to sprint down the stone hallways. Not soon enough he was seated back in his carriage to make his way to the palace to meet with the Council.

Almost there...

*

Katya dabbed a finger to her lip and held it up to the window so that the moonlight shone down onto it. It was stained red; her mouth was still bleeding. For all the magic that was around in this place, they still had resorted to a good old-fashioned beating to try and extract information from her.

They already knew from Slade's betrayal that she wasn't who she had said she was, but that wasn't what they were interested in. They wanted to know everything that she knew about the Bloodstone, further reinforcing her feeling that something awful was going on.

The glow from the window suddenly dulled and Katya's head whipped up. Someone was blocking the opening.

"Katya?" Gareth's whispered voice drifted in.

"What are you doing here, Gareth? You'll probably get in trouble just for talking to me. Unless you're just here for information like Slade," she added bitterly.

"That double-crossing..." Gareth mumbled a few uncomplimentary names and grunted. "No, I wouldn't work for the Elders if my life depended on it. And I don't care if I get in trouble." He fell silent and Katya wondered why he had come. "I do have a few questions though...for me, not for the Elders."

"What questions?" she asked guardedly.

"The armband you wear, where did you get it?"

"How do you know about it?" she countered.

"After your fight with Slade, everyone was talking about it and several of the young women commented that you had a very unique piece of jewelry in the shape of a snake that seemed to come alive and dance on your arm while you were fighting. Is it true?"

Katya was caught off-guard by this inquiry. After hours of being drilled about the Bloodstone, she couldn't figure out why Marak would be of importance to him. Since she didn't know where she had originally gotten him, she saw no harm in telling him so. "I don't know, I've just always had him."

"Him?" Gareth repeated. "May I see him?"

Katya hesitated, but finally relented. If Gareth tried to make off with Marak, he could certainly defend himself. She held out her arm and pulled back her sleeve, positioning him into the moonlight for Gareth. He leaned in as close as the bars would allow.

"Hmm."

"Hmm, what?"

"Interesting design, you're sure you don't know how you came across it? Who you may have purchased it from?"

"Why do you care?"

"It's nothing, I was just curious. It's a very impressive piece."

Katya didn't believe him for a second and Marak was making faint vibrating motions. She wondered what he was trying to tell her. "Alright, don't tell me. Did you come all this way just to ask me about some jewelry?"

"No, I..."

"Yes?" she prompted, bracing herself for the real question, where he revealed that he was going to betray her as well.

"I just wanted to warn you not to tell them you aren't from the tribes."

They sat in silence a moment. "What do you mean?" she finally asked. She had already gotten the impression that telling them would be dangerous by Slade's alarm at the possibility – which was why she had backtracked. How Gareth might have known that she really wasn't, she didn't – she paused her thought as the realization struck her. _My memories_ ...

"I know you aren't a Dena'ina, nor from any of the other tribes. You're from the Lost Lands, aren't you? Or at least, you've spent time there. That will be enough for them." When she didn't immediately answer he went on, "Doesn't matter if you tell me or not, I know, but if the Elders find out..." he sighed, "It wouldn't be good. I'm afraid we've gotten a bit too fanatical about some of our beliefs about the Lost."

Katya didn't answer right away. "Thanks," she finally said, choosing to believe he was on her side. The pain from Slade's duplicity still stung, but she just couldn't see Gareth allowing the Elders to manipulate him into doing anything for them. Not willingly anyway...

"Have you been drinking your tea?" she asked, her thoughts wandering back to the control spell they seemed to have on him. Perhaps they could be using him after all.

"No," Gareth answered with disgust in his voice. "You were right about it. The day that you switched it for water my mind was suddenly much clearer. I was able to locate the compulsion spell they had on me to keep drinking it. Luckily, it was just herbs to make me more docile and compliant."

"They worked so well," Katya commented sarcastically.

"Very funny," he replied. "They had no right. I guess they still don't trust me."

"Why don't they trust you?"

He actually looked contrite. "I went a bit mad for a short time. But I was well justified. The things they do..." he stared darkly into the night. "I attacked the statue in the commons."

That jarred Katya's memory. "I thought I remembered there being a stone in the woman's hand the other day," she commented, "but now the arm is missing. Is that what you mean?"

Gareth stared at her for a long moment. "Yes, I blew the stone straight out of her arm. Her and her twisted ideals." He glowered into the night once more and then fell silent, not bothering to explain further. Katya was rather used to it.

"How would I have known she once held a stone?" she asked instead.

Gareth was thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps you picked up on some of my memories while we were performing the regression. Entirely possible, especially if you were trying to hide something from me and were attempting to make your memories more suitable for the part you were playing." He raised a knowing eyebrow at her.

She changed the subject. "So what's going on out there? Are they starting some new ritual now that they have the Bloodstone?"

"I don't know," Gareth shrugged, "the lot of them bustled off excitedly towards the child's chamber and they haven't come out yet. With the shielding on all of the buildings, there's no telling what they're doing inside."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Gareth thought for a moment, but all she got in reply was a grunted, "Hmph."

"Nothing good..." Katya supplied.

"I would say not."

*

Natalya stood impatiently in the garden waiting for the mages to finally be ready to transport them to the edge of the Ferryn Plains. Hunter had tried to dissuade her from going with him, saying that it could be dangerous, but she wasn't about to just sit and wait for someone else to fix things. The Queen was in trouble and she needed their help. And she couldn't help Natalya find Alina until she was properly back on her throne.

They had spent several days back and forth from Charles' house to the Alamanni Manor, and though it had tried her patience to have to wait so long to get on their way, it had finally given her some time to pick Charles' brain about his adventures with the Queen. What she heard only further solidified her respect for the woman. Natalya was proud to have her as their Queen and would do anything to help her in her time of need.

Hunter and the mages finally made their way over to where she was standing inside the circle, ready the moment they were, and she held out her hand to him. He took it with a fair amount of hesitation, which was understandable given the warnings they had been given about the uncomfortable nature of the spell. She was slightly surprised that he was willing to go on this mission, though he seemed to be getting more and more convinced that she was correct about the Queen, and did seem to want to help.

They took their places and Natalya squeezed his hand slightly as the mages started the spell. It was a gut-wrenching experience, as though all her insides had been taken out and then stuffed back in.

Bile rose in her mouth and she swallowed repeatedly to keep from throwing up as her feet found solid ground once more. Next to her, Hunter was looking rather queasy himself, and both took a few deep breaths before looking around. They were inside a room at an inn and a man was standing before them with his mouth hanging open.

He shut it quickly and nodded to them. "Magi Harnet said you would be arriving, welcome."

"Thanks," Hunter answered for them and they stepped out of the circle carefully. They would need it for the return trip. Natalya wasn't looking forward to it nearly as much now that she had experienced it the first time.

"These are for you," the man said, handing them each a backpack. "They are already filled with supplies so that you may set out on your journey as soon as you feel up to it. We have also readied a room should you feel the need to rest up for the night. They weren't sure how much the," he seemed unsure how to put into words the method of their arrival, "travel," he finally decided on, "would affect you."

Natalya looked up at Hunter and he shrugged. The experience had been unpleasant, but it appeared that he felt the same that it hadn't been so bad that they needed to rest first. "Let's go."

Hunter turned to the man, "You heard the little lady; I guess we'll be on our way immediately. Do you have any information to indicate where we might start?"

"There's a map included in your bags which marks the most likely area that you should start looking in. Unfortunately most of the landscape on the map is a guess as no one travels that far out there." He looked uneasy for a moment and stared at the two of them. "You do have something to defend yourselves with, right?" He didn't look very convinced of their abilities.

Hunter smiled thinly and Natalya prickled. She took out her knife and threw it against the wooden door, the blade twanging feet from his head. Once deciding she could trust Hunter and no longer needed to have the knife as protection from him, she had insisted that he teach her how he threw them.

Hunter gave her a reproachful look, but the man looked satisfactorily cowed. She ignored Hunter and retrieved the knife, tucking it back into her hidden sheath.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," the man said, ducking out the door and closing it behind him.

Hunter didn't say anything, but shook his head slightly. They looked quickly through the bags, making sure that they really had everything they would need. Hunter determined there were a few items missing that his time on the Plains had deemed necessary for their survival, so they made a detour into the town for the extra supplies before setting out.

Natalya felt a rush of excitement. Despite the dire circumstances, the adventure was exhilarating. Wait until she told Alina everything that had happened to her.

The excitement soon wore off as the day wore on and they did nothing but walk for hours. They had to pass through a fairly wide section of the North Woods here to even reach the Plains, and despite the stories she had heard of the horrible creatures lurking here, they ran into nothing.

Weylyn, Hunter's dog, somehow caught up with them though Natalya could find no reasonable explanation how he had been able to both locate them and make his way up here so fast. When she questioned Hunter about it, he simply shrugged. "He's always been like that. He'll disappear for days, like when we were in the towns, and then suddenly pop up when you least expect it. I'm surprised you didn't ask Charles about him."

"Why would Charles know about him?"

"Oh," Hunter said, "I guess I never mentioned; he used to be Charles' dog."

"No," she grumbled, annoyed that she had potentially missed her opportunity to discover the mystery of Weylyn when she had the chance to speak with Charles. "You never mentioned that." She patted the dog's head affectionately.

"I think that there was something about how he used to be one of the blood-beasts that Lady Jezebel had sent against Queen Layna and that she cured him somehow. He always did seem to be more than just a dog."

Natalya looked down at Weylyn with sympathy. He had been used by the evil Lady Jezebel for her blood-magic experiments? The poor creature. She dug out a piece of jerky from her pack and fed it to him.

"We're going to need that..." Hunter started scolding her waste of their rations, but stopped himself. "He does know how to get what he wants." He shook his head, pausing to let the two of them catch up so that he could pet the dog as well. "It was Weylyn that made us stop at your town you know," he told her, "otherwise I was planning on going straight through, but he kept nipping at the horse's heels to make her go that way. I thought he was just bored and bothering the horse, but..."

"Maybe he knew I'd need help," Natalya said, her innocent mind having no trouble imagining that the dog would be able to foresee such a thing.

They suddenly emerged from the forest into an entirely new landscape. The trees simply stopped and a grassland spread out before them. Natalya resumed her enthusiasm for the journey. Hunter's familiarity with the landscape allowed them to pass unhindered through most of it, though he several times had to stop her from stepping on a poisonous plant or divert her path away from a dangerous snake-hole. She got the sneaking suspicion that he was trying to shelter her from the Plain's dangers. When she caught sight of one of the "snakes" her suspicion was confirmed.

She had side-tracked to go and look at a beautiful flower that was protruding out from a group of rocks on a long stem when Weylyn had suddenly nipped at her. She was about to rebuke the dog when Hunter had pulled her quickly away.

"Snakes love rock nests like that," he told her, leading her with slight pressure on her arm.

She glanced back, sad to have not been able to appreciate the flower's beauty further, when it suddenly twitched. Her gaze followed the stem to its base where she was horrified to see that it was attached to a gigantic mouth set with long razor-like teeth. The 'stem' protruded from the creature's forehead, putting its prey directly in front of its mouth when they went to see it. And it was much, much larger than any snake; its pudgy body blending into the rocks. As it shifted, she saw that it was actually about the size of Weylyn, packed into a compact ball.

She swallowed hard. Hunter had her wait several times while he went on ahead, always coming back rather disheveled, and Natalya refrained from asking what he had run into. She decided she'd rather not know, though waiting for him to return while imagining larger creatures like the one with the flower bait was torturous, even not knowing. The confidence she'd felt in the safety of the inn, throwing her knife with such a cocky attitude, now felt false, and her cheeks blazed red with embarrassment.

They eventually could make out the dark shapes of trees in the distance, and it soon became obvious that they would be entering another forest area soon. But Hunter stopped them before they made it to the trees, suddenly veering off to the right.

"Over here," he motioned, and Natalya watched as he pulled back a swath of grasses to reveal an opening in the ground.

"Are you sure there's nothing down there?" she asked with trepidation. The opening was big enough for all sorts of nasty things.

"I'm sure. See all these plants here?" he asked, pointing out an area of short dense foliage of green leaves among the yellower plains grasses.

"Yes," she agreed, not sure what they had to do with the safety of the cave.

"These are chokeroot. They dampen magic. I know you don't have any talent so you can't feel it, but the Plains are wrought with wild magic, swirling chaotically about. Pretty much all of the creatures out here have adapted to live with it, so an area completely devoid of it makes them nervous. None would willingly enter this cave without being able to already sense what was inside. And the chokeroot makes that impossible for them. Come on." He led the way down into the dark cave.

Moments later, a light sprang to life as he lit a torch.

"Where did you get that?"

"My father and I used this cave when we came out here looking for ingredients. We also cultivated the chokeroot so that it would continue to grow in large numbers around it. It's nice to see everything is still here."

They made camp for the night and settled into sleeping rolls. Natalya blinked her eyes sleepily, but curiosity kept her awake. Weylyn came over and nestled himself next to her, and she stroked his head distractedly.

"How come people never speak of the forest beyond the Plains? I've only ever heard it described as a grasslands that goes on forever."

"I don't think there are many people who've ever come out this far," Hunter shrugged. "I often asked my father why we didn't simply continue on to make camp in the wood, but he was always insistent that this is as far as we would go. Perhaps the forest holds even more dangers." He seemed to realize that he was bordering on facts about the Plains he was trying to keep from her and he trailed off.

Natalya's weariness soon overtook her desire to ask more questions and she drifted into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of monsters all around her.

In the morning they set off for the forest, Hunter alert for dangers, and Natalya trying not to show her fear. They hadn't traveled far when they were suddenly surrounded by several large men. Natalya jumped at their unexpected appearance. They were dressed in camouflage for the woods, so she had never even seen their approach.

"Halt," said one of them, and she and Hunter obligingly came to a stop.

Hunter held up his arms. "We meant no harm. We are just passing through."

Natalya stared at the newcomers. She hadn't thought there were people out here. Were they more like Hunter and his father, collecting things from the forest? Maybe they had seen a group of mages hiding out, stealing Princesses. Surely they would've noticed. She didn't get the chance to ask the question, however, as more of them appeared around them.

The first man just grunted at Hunter's assertion and pointed in front of him with the long staff he was carrying.

"This way."

CHAPTER 9

Lord Telvani stood before the Council and smiled. All six of them looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. He could feel each of their minds wriggling in his own to break loose, but to no avail. Outwardly, they were serene and the emissaries from Treymayne did not notice a thing.

"The King and Queen's conditions have worsened," he stated, "And I'm afraid that they are no longer competent enough to perform their duties. Until such time as a cure is discovered, I ask that the Council officially appoint me as the interim ruler so that decisions of importance are made by a sound mind. The Queen has trusted me since her coronation as her chief advisor and I am confident that I can carry out her wills as she would if she were able."

The emissaries looked slightly taken-aback, especially Lord Masterson, who wore a concerned expression. Telvani had gotten the feeling that the man didn't entirely trust him. But, with the entire Gelendan Council backing him, there wasn't much he could do. Masterson looked to the members, waiting for them to disagree. When they spoke, however, the look of concern deepened.

"I think that is a very good idea," Elmira agreed immediately, looking thoughtful. _As if she had any thoughts left in her head_. "With the Queen as ill as she is, in and out of consciousness and delirium, it would be best if someone else took on the role of monarch for the time being, and I can think of no better candidate than you, Lord Telvani."

"Indeed," seconded another, followed by a third and then the rest the Council. Lord Masterson looked stricken. He'd worked with these people for over a year now, rebuilding the country, no doubt he thought he could have predicted their responses. _Not anymore, my dear sir,_ Lord Telvani thought haughtily, _not while they're under_ my _control._ And soon, everyone else would be too. He already had Farthen working on finding out just how many minds his own could control. The six had originally been thought to have been a stretch, but Telvani found it was easy and was eager to try even more.

Once the details of his appointment of interim leader were worked out to his satisfaction, Telvani gave the order for his carriage to be brought. He was slightly surprised, though he shouldn't have been, when it was the royal carriage that rolled up the cobblestone path.

Luckily, it was his same driver at the head of the upgraded carriage, so he was unconcerned when he ordered him to take him to Farthen's castle where the experiments were being conducted. The man knew he would forfeit his life if he chose to share his destination with anyone.

When he arrived at the castle, he strolled up to Farthen's study, not bothering to knock. The man looked up at him with a sour expression which turned to one of guilt when he saw who it was.

"Farthen," Lord Telvani greeted him, "I've come to discuss possible expansion of the project."

"It may be prudent to hold off for a bit on that," the man replied, putting down the pen he'd been scribbling away with.

"And why would we do that?" Telvani asked, annoyed. Things were going so well.

"There's been a new development," Lord Farthen said slowly.

"Which is?" Telvani prompted impatiently when the man didn't elaborate right away.

"Remember the risks I told you about before you performed the spell?"

"I suppose," Lord Telvani agreed.

"The ones you didn't want to hear about because you wanted to do it the next day?"

Telvani gave him a withering look.

"The earlier experiments who were successful performing the spell starting showing signs of some sort of affliction," Farthen explained carefully, "at first, it was just a fever and some night sweats, as though the spell had weakened their bodies and made them susceptible to illness."

Lord Telvani nodded, so far he had experienced nothing of the same and had every confidence that his own body could withstand a little illness.

"However," Lord Farthen seemed hesitant to continue and Telvani's worry returned, "it soon progressed into something far worse."

"Well, what is it?" Telvani demanded, definitely worried now.

"Once the fever took hold, sores broke out on their limbs which spread all over their bodies. Their bodies weakened further, not able to fight against the illness overtaking them. Then their eyes started filling with blood, turning the whites of them red and the colored center black. And finally, soon after their eyes turned red, they lost all control of their minds, becoming mindless blood-thirsty vicious animals and turning those they controlled mad. We've had to put three of them down already. It does not seem to be a fluke, but rather an unanticipated side-effect of the spell. We immediately reversed the spell in several others, destroying the items that linked them and it seems to have at least slowed the process. Time will tell if we are able to completely reverse it."

Telvani stood in stunned silence.

"It would be most prudent of you to break off your contact with the Council members," Lord Farthen said softly.

Lord Telvani's hands began to shake in anger. "How could you let this happen!?" he bellowed, "I just had the Council agree to put me on the throne! I can't just break the spell, I'll be ruined!"

"Have you shown any signs of illness?" Lord Farthen inquired meekly.

"No," he roared back in answer, "but I certainly don't want to wait until I do!"

"It is possible," Farthen suggested, "that it won't happen in your case. You are a much stronger mage than those in our experiments and we had saved the girl especially for you, who was also much stronger than the rest. Your two powers combined may have been enough to withstand whatever it was that went awry that caused this. So far, the girl hasn't shown any symptoms either. Though the amount of time it takes for whatever this is to take hold seems to vary depending on the strength of the mages, so..."

"How in the world did a spell cause this?"

"We are still learning the complexities of blood-magic, but we are looking into it. I call it the Bricrui, the poisoned tongue. I'm hoping to eventually come up with a cure. But for now..." he sighed, "The best thing to do would be to sever the ties. There is still no guarantee that you will escape the fate that the others have followed, but it is your best chance."

"My best chance to ensure that I am tried for treason and thrown into the dungeon maybe!" He glared at Farthen, wondering if the awful man had predicted this outcome from the very start. No matter how insistent he had been that they do the spell when they had, results in the experiments like this should have immediately been reported to him before he did it. "I want to see them."

"I don't think-" Farthen began, but shut his mouth at the look Telvani shot him, raising himself from the chair with much less effort than it had taken previously. How nice to see that he was healing.

He led the way into the bowels of the manor, not out into the courtyard where most of the people were kept. Telvani was struck by the sounds first. A low moaning crept up the stairway with eerie tones, sending a tingle throughout his body. One ended in a gurgling slurp and he felt his muscles twitch involuntarily at the wretched sound.

Then he could smell them, their sickening odor prevailing even before the wooden doorway separating them was opened. It creaked on its wrought-iron hinges, blocking out the moans for a split second. The stench hit him full force, and he gagged.

The first cell held a young girl, curled up in the corner in a nest of hay. She was rocking herself back and forth and emitting a soft whine. She had pustules oozing all over her face and as she glanced up at their entrance, she met Telvani's eyes with bright red orbs. His sharp intake of breath made her cringe, and she hissed at him.

He moved onward, looking in each of the cells with similar results, each at a different stage of the blight. The last cell was empty, its dark corners black voids of bleakness. Lord Farthen stood a few paces behind, watching Telvani silently.

He sighed and rested a hand on the bars. Lord Farthen lifted a finger and opened his mouth to speak, his eyes widening in warning. Faster than lightening, something shot out of the shadows, grabbing at Telvani's arm. Clawing fingers dug into his flesh, and Telvani flew backwards away from the snarling beast. It remained latched onto the sleeve of his tunic, trying to drag him back closer to its bloody grimace. Its teeth were stained with blood, and it was spitting and foaming at the mouth. The eyes of this one so deep red as to have been almost completely taken over by black.

The creature's fingertips ended in sharp claw-like nails and they bit into Telvani's flesh sharply as Lord Farthen rushed forward to his aid, and called over his shoulder for the guards. Together they were able to fight the beast off, batting its grasping hands away. The guards rushed in and subdued it, pinning its flailing limbs to the bars while another held out his hand, creating a magical ball of energy which he struck out at the thing's head.

It immediately went limp, and the guards let its body sag to the ground.

"We've been giving this one the latest cure," Lord Farthen told him, jerking his head towards the now-still form on the ground while drawing back Telvani's sleeve to examine his wounds, "It seems to have slowed the process. He's lasted much longer than the others, but as you can see..." he let the thought trail off. It was obvious that the 'cure' was no such thing.

He led Telvani back to the main part of the building and gathered the supplies to clean his wound. Telvani compliantly let Farthen guide him to a chair and gently probe the scratches, ignoring the pain. He sat silently while the man repeatedly dabbed his wound with a rag and then dipped the rag into the water to rinse. He stared at the swirls of red spreading outwards from the rag, slowly turning the whole bowl a reddish pink.

"Why did you not let me know about this sooner?" Telvani whispered, his anger disappearing, replaced by fear.

"We did not know the disease itself to be directly linked to the spell until after you had already performed it. And once we realized the seriousness, I thought it prudent to be able to give you at least some answers before breaking the news."

"I don't like the answers you're giving me."

"No," Lord Farthen admitted, drying the wound and placing a bandage over it, tying off the end, "no, I don't imagine you do."

*

Katya glanced up as Gareth's familiar voice sounded at the window.

"Hungry?" he asked her and Katya's stomach growled involuntarily in response. He chuckled, "I guess so, here."

His hand extended through the bars, holding a half-loaf of bread. "You are a god, Gareth," she told him in between bites.

"Hardly," he disagreed. "I have some news for you."

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

"We had two visitors today, two people from the Lost Lands."

"And the Elders allowed them in?"

"What are you; daft? No, no, they met with them on the ground level, moving a few people down below to make it seem as though that's where the real camp is, disguising the real number and location. They're also saying that they are just up here collecting plants, that they are from Gelendan and this is just a temporary camp."

"I see," Katya finished chewing the bit of bread she was currently working on. "What do the strangers want?"

"They're looking for a baby," Gareth informed her, and she sucked in her breath. "A baby with a very distinctive marking on her right temple in the shape of a flame."

"Oh no," Katya said, "is it theirs?"

"Worse," Gareth told her, "They claim that it's the Princess of Gelendan in the Lost Lands, the heir to the throne."

Katya choked, just as she was taking another bite. "What?"

"Yes, they say that the King and Queen were attacked and are currently in magical stasis, and that the baby suddenly disappeared the same day."

"The baby that they've been experimenting on is Layna and Gryffon's child?" Katya felt sick to her stomach. Could her curse be working long distance? Even though she had removed herself from their lives, had her friendship poisoned them?

"Layna and Gryffon?" Gareth repeated in surprise.

"Yes," Katya started, and made the split-second decision to tell him everything. At this point he had proven that he wasn't working for the Elders, "As you already guessed, I'm not from anywhere near here. My memory problems that you were helping me with are real, I don't remember my life before age ten or so, but as far as I can remember I lived in Naoham, the capitol of Gelendan."

Gareth seemed unfazed. "Go on."

"It's a long story, but I escaped from a life as a slave-"

"A slave?" Gareth interrupted her, his voice breaking. The concern in his tone both surprised and warmed her.

"Yes, there was a secret society called the Order which was experimenting on people they called 'specimen', people who bore the mark of the Dark King and therefore had special abilities to go along with it." Gareth sucked in his breath. Katya didn't know how much they knew or remembered up here so she elaborated, "The Dark King used the Bloodstone to make himself and his offspring more powerful and then put a mark into his bloodline so that those who bore it would be attracted to one another and breed an even more powerful offspring and so on and so forth."

"They are experimenting on people in the Lost Lands? Perhaps the Elders are not so wrong in their feelings towards them," he growled vehemently.

"Only the Order and a few unsavory individuals," Katya assured him, "Plus the power of the Bloodstone has been seeping its evil out into the world, poisoning the people."

Gareth paused in thought, and Katya waited patiently for him to form his question. "So are you saying that you have this mark?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "You can't see it because of the scar from removing my slave collar, but the Dark King's blood runs in my veins."

She could see Gareth shudder and she couldn't tell if it was fear or anger. "Whatever you do," he said forcibly, "do not tell the Elders you have the mark. With that on top of everything else...they will kill you."

"Kill me? Why?"

"It is a symbol of everything they hate. They blame the Lost Lands for the deeds of the Dark King and want to eradicate the world of his bloodline. The original Forgotten ones, that's what our ancestors called themselves when they escaped from the Dark King's death camps and fled to start new lives in the chaos, tried to stop his bloodline then by killing his two sons and making it look like accidents, but they didn't realize just how prolific he had been. He had illegitimate children everywhere."

Katya remained silent, letting him continue, intrigued.

"For a while, they tried to find them all and rid the world of the Dark King's taint, but there proved to be too many and too much interference from other organizations within the Lost Lands – possibly this Order you spoke of. They soon gave up trying to interfere with the Lost Lands' marked, but any children born to the tribe that are tainted are immediately banished." He sounded like the words left a bad taste in his mouth.

Katya took a moment to take all this in. "I will keep that in mind," she said slowly.

"So you escaped these awful people," he prompted.

"Yes, and I joined up with Layna and Gryffon to rid the world of the Bloodstone and Nuko, whose physical form was actually left here by the dragon gods in punishment."

Gareth made an appreciative sound, but did not contradict her.

"His dragon form was entombed in the Fire Mountain until such time as the other dragons thought he had learned his lesson."

"Lesson for what?"

"He apparently wanted to rule over us, whereas the rest of the dragons were content to help us along and then leave us to our own devices."

"How do you know all this?" Gareth's tone was curious, not disbelieving.

"We found the Kiani Stones, the essences of the Three, links to three of the dragons who helped to bring us to this world."

"The Kiani Stones have been found?" he asked in astonishment. "We have been separated from the Lost Lands too long, the Elders should know of this!"

"What?" Katya could hear the hurt in her own voice.

"Of course I can't tell them you told me," he was saying even as she spoke. "Would you have an objection to my finding a way for it to come up in conversation with the strangers?"

Katya thought a moment, letting her heart slow to its normal pace after quickening at the thought of his betrayal. "No, I don't see why not, would that change their minds?"

"It would help. How did you communicate with them?"

"They bonded with Layna and spoke to her in her head."

"They actually actively participated in events? And they chose this Layna, who is the Queen of the Lost Land to commune with?"

"Well, she's technically only Queen of part of the Lost Lands, Gelendan, but yes."

"This could very well change a lot of people's minds, and definitely make them think twice about having kidnapped her child. If only I knew exactly what their plan with it was...but please, go on."

"So the three of us traveled to Fire Mountain where Nuko's physical form was, and brought King Nathair," Katya's voice broke on his name, "because he had become the host of the Bloodstone. Both the physical form and the Bloodstone with his essence needed to be destroyed at the same moment to prevent him from gaining enough power to escape his prison. The Three had decided to intervene because it was their mistake which had allowed Nuko to interact with our world and spread his evil taint. Nuko secretly stored his essence in the Bloodstone, making it possible for him to make a deal with Nathair that if he reunited his essence with his body, they would share the powers that he would regain by doing so. Of course, this was a lie, and Nathair actually ended up sacrificing himself to give us a better chance at defeating Nuko. During the battle that ensued, the Bloodstone ended up being reunited with the dragon and Layna used the legendary sword, Leoht, to pierce the stone heart. I had to take it to use in order to transport the three of us out of the cavern before the volcano blew."

"You used it?"

"I did, but his presence was gone at that point and I think I used most of the magic within it up. There are some remnants still, and I used it a little more in the chaos to help stabilize the magic, but I don't think that I was being tainted. It makes me feel closer to Nathair..."

Gareth gave her a puzzled look and she instantly regretted the comment. "The collar made me feel things strongly and combined with the draw to others with the mark that is in my blood, I could not help my feelings towards him. I know he was a bad person, but in the end he did help save the world. I am not perfect either. The Bloodstone corrupted him."

Gareth didn't comment.

"Layna and Gryffon are good people. They don't deserve to have their child stolen, or to be attacked. We have to do something to help them."

"What can we do?"

"Do you have access to the strangers?"

"I do."

"They are looking for the baby, tell them where she is."

"I don't think that will help them. There are only two of them and an entire village of mages against them."

"Can you think of any way that they could sneak in?" Katya paused in thought, "Slade brought me in through a secret entrance to see the baby the first night it was here to show off." She had a bitter thought, wondering if he was doing that out of a real desire to spend time with her or if even then he had had another agenda.

"Yes," Gareth said slowly, "I know of it. Only a handful of us do. It was made for access for the growing and meant to be covered up, but somehow got overlooked. I suppose it's possible to get them in that far..." he paused, "but I have no idea what sort of enchantments they have in place to keep her there."

"I know what they had on it, what are the chances they'd have added new spells afterwards? How long have they been planning this? No doubt they already had the spells they were going to use all planned out and put them on her the second she arrived."

"That's probably true," Gareth relented, "and I suppose I could enchant something to help them break it – I don't believe either is very talented."

"I can't use magic while in here," Katya waved a hand around the cell, "but if I describe the enchantments, might you be able to come up with a charm to counter them?"

Gareth puffed out his chest. "I used to be one of the best mages in the tribe," he told her proudly, "these young fools can't make any spell I can't break."

They spent a fair amount of time wracking Katya's brain for the specifics of the spells that guarded the child, and coming up with counter spells for the charm. By the time the sun was setting and Gareth had to retreat to not raise suspicion at the community center, they had almost finished.

He folded up the parchment he had been using to keep track of the spells and supplies that would be needed for the final preparations, and got creakily to his feet. He gave her a passing wave and bid her goodnight, turning away. Katya retreated farther into her cell, but his voice called her attention back to the window.

"Katya," Gareth paused and turned back towards her, "Do you by any chance have a birthmark on your left hip?"

Katya looked at him curiously, "How in the world did you know that?"

Before he could answer, voices sounded and his shadow disappeared into the night. Katya was left wondering, and able to do nothing but wait.

*

Hunter watched the people around him suspiciously. They were hiding something from them. Or perhaps, more than one somethings. Despite the fact that he did not possess much in the way of talent, he could sense the smell of magic on all of them, and though it was masked, he got the sense that these were all strong mages. Given the probability that these were the descendants of the mages who had fled after the Dark King's rule, it was very likely that they were all strong.

They claimed to simply be a group of traders who came here to collect goods before going back down into Gelendan. But Hunter knew better. These were no traders. Even their clothing was like nothing you could get anywhere in Gelendan or Treymayne, and their accents proved that their speech had changed from years away from the dialect that either he or Natalya had grown up with.

And the way they referred to the others in their tribe made it clear, at least to Hunter, that this small encampment was not the central camp that they claimed it to be. Natalya, on the other hand, had embraced them whole-heartedly, not seeming to give any thought to the fact that it very well may have been these people who had taken the baby. They were in the right area and definitely possessed enough magic to have done so.

"Hunter?" Natalya's voice broke through his wandering thoughts. "Have you heard a word I've said?"

"Sorry, what?"

"I was just telling you that I was asked to tell them the story of the Queen's rise to power. I got to get up in front of the lot of them and perform it just like a bard would!" She paused in thought, "They seemed particularly interested in the part about Queen Layna having the Three in her head. This one old man kept asking me all sorts of questions about it. They also wanted to know about the mysterious woman who helped Layna and Gryffon and then disappeared, but there's not much to tell." She pouted slightly, then brightened. "Do you think they know something about her?"

"I don't know," Hunter muttered, and that was just the problem. They didn't know anything about these people and Natalya kept telling them anything they asked. Why were they so interested indeed?

"Maybe they know where she is. Maybe she passed by here when she disappeared. No one's ever seen her again, so it would make sense that it was because she was way up here." Natalya had latched onto the subject.

He was just about to suggest to her that perhaps she not be quite so forthcoming with information when a whispered voice sounded from the shadows.

"Strangers," it hailed them.

Hunter looked around and then cautiously made his way over to the darkened space between two buildings where the mysterious person had decided to hide. He leaned up against the building as if just choosing that spot for a rest and stared outwards.

"Yes?"

"We recently had another visitor who knows of this story."

Hunter bristled. So the speaker had been eavesdropping. "Oh?"

"She carried what she calls the Bloodstone," Hunter heard Natalya suck in her breath next to him, "and when it was discovered, the Elders threw her into prison. They took it from her and are planning to use it for some sort of spell. A spell that involves the child you are searching for." Natalya nearly choked now, but quickly got hold of herself, covering the sound with a cough and crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

"Do you mean to say that these Elders have the child in their possession?"

"Yes."

"Is she here?"

"Yes, but in the main part of the village, not down here."

Hunter was confused a moment and then it clicked. His stare was drawn of its own accord into the canopy and he could just make out the bottoms of walkways, earlier dismissed as simply part of the trees. Natalya's gaze followed his, and they both stood there gawking as the immensity of the village sunk in.

The voice spoke harshly, "Stop looking up!"

"Why are you telling us this?" Hunter asked.

"That's none of your business," the voice snapped.

"It is if you want us to believe you," Hunter countered.

There was a short silence. "Fine. I like her and I believe that the Bloodstone should not be used. I also decided long ago that the beliefs of the Elders are not ones that I concur with. I don't want to see the child hurt, nor used for an even greater destruction."

"What is she being used for?" Hunter asked in alarm.

"I don't know, but whatever it is isn't good. The Elders have a long-standing grudge against the people of the Lost Lands."

Natalya finally spoke, "The Lost Lands?"

"It's what we call your countries, Gelendan and Treymayne."

"Can we get to her?"

"The baby is locked away in a special chamber, warded by many mages' magic. However, we have come up with a way to get you past them, if you are willing."

"What about the woman?" Hunter inquired, "Can we get her out?"

The speaker paused. "We spoke about it," he said and his tone indicated that the result had not been his first choice, "and decided that trying to get her out as well would be too risky. It would raise the alarm much sooner and make an escape almost impossible. You will only be able to rescue the child. I will find another way out for her. Will you help get the baby out?"

Hunter looked to Natalya who nodded vigorously. "Yes."

"Good." A gnarled hand of an old man extended out between the two of them carrying a small package. Hunter took it quickly and tucked it into his tunic. "These are charms which will disable the wards set to keep the child in the chamber and alert the mages to intruders. All you need to do is say the word 'invoke' when you are there and the spells will be ended. Think you can handle that?" he asked with more than a little sarcasm.

"I think we can handle it," Hunter retorted. "How do we get to the chamber?"

"I will guide you. Meet me back here when the moon has risen to its full height in the sky."

"Anything else?" Hunter prompted after the voice fell silent as a passerby strolled a little too near them.

"Your chambers will be guarded. Also in the package are several packets of herbs. These are sleeping potions. Slip them into the guards' drinks and they will be out until morning. The moment you have the child you will need to leave, so bring any of your possessions you wish to keep with you." The hand extended towards them again, this time bearing a necklace. It dangled from a long chain, ending in a large amulet of a dragon. "Take this and put it on the baby; it will help to camouflage its presence in the woods. If you are able to use a transport spell to get away quickly you would greatly benefit from it."

"We can't," Hunter said and was interrupted as the man grumbled.

"That figures."

"But we do have a contact as soon as we reach the border village who will perform one for us," he continued.

"Great, so you only have to make it across the open Plains to get to safety." The voice sighed and added softly, "This will never work."

"I know a cave we can get to in the morning hours. As long as we don't raise the alarm right away and can get to it, we can hide out there indefinitely until it is safe to continue on."

The man grudgingly agreed. "Alright, meet me back here tonight."

They heard a shuffling sound and the voice didn't speak again. Hunter looked to Natalya who was looking back at him guiltily. "I just told the kidnappers everything about us," she whispered, looking horrified.

"You didn't know," he shrugged, "And it can't be helped now. Hopefully we'll get her out of here before they can do anything with the information. But really, it's not like anything you've said is a big secret. It is what the Queen has wanted to have broadcast across the country."

Natalya didn't look convinced, but she let it drop. "What do you think they're doing with the Princess? Do you think she's okay?"

"I don't know," he answered darkly, "but whatever it is has at least one of them convinced that it shouldn't be going on. But she's alive and the sooner we get her back to her parents the better. They have much better resources to decide what's been done to her."

The rest of the evening passed slowly, and Hunter felt ever-present eyes on his back. Even when he couldn't see the people, he knew they were being watched. Natalya's personality had drastically changed since learning about the Princess, and Hunter could only hope that the tribe – as he now thought of them – hadn't noticed and become suspicious. The tribe treated them to a delicious dinner of a meat they called 'faelk' which both he and Natalya ate cautiously. Though he did not trust these people in the least, it would be too suspicious not to eat at all.

He nudged Natalya when they brought out the tea, however, and both managed to pour most of the liquid out onto the ground when their hosts weren't watching. Hunter felt unusually tired even after the small amount he had imbibed and was sure that it had been drugged.

He yawned dramatically and begged leave of their guests, with Natalya following suit, letting out a yawn of her own that looked extremely authentic. He hoped that she hadn't drank too much of the stuff.

They had luckily been put in the same small hut, though with different rooms, which made it easier for them to speak privately. No doubt the tribe did this to make it easier for them to guard rather than out of consideration for their 'guests', but whatever the reason, it worked out for Hunter.

He motioned for Natalya to go about her normal bedtime procedure and they extinguished the lights in the small chamber. After a few minutes, Hunter quietly slipped from his bed and peeked out the window, taking stock of their situation. There were two guards he could see standing solemnly on either side of the only door in or out of the place. He didn't see any signs of canteens or anything else they were drinking out of.

He tip-toed into Natalya's room hoping she wasn't actually asleep and made a small whistling sound.

"Psst!" Natalya's voice came from the corner of the room.

Hunter glided over to her and whispered, "I don't see anything that they're drinking out of; I don't know what that crazy man thought we were going to do."

Natalya held up two water skins. "I swiped them on the way in. Figured they wouldn't miss them for a few minutes and it would be easier to only have to sneak them out once." She took out the package the voice had given them and opened up the two small folded up papers just enough to pour the powered substance inside into each of the water skins.

She shook them up gently and raised it to her nose, inhaling deeply.

"Well?" Hunter asked.

"I can't smell anything," she held it out to him, "You?"

He took it from her and took a whiff. It smelled like water. "Think it's good. You want to put it back or shall I?"

"All yours," Natalya waved a hand at the door with an impish grin.

He took both skins and walked over to the door. Natalya went to the window and looked out. After a few moments she frantically motioned for him to open the door. He did so as quickly and silently as he could, leaning the two skins up against the wall next to the door.

"Now we wait," he commented.

"And hope they get thirsty before midnight," she added.

They each made their way back to their respective beds, but Hunter did not allow himself to sleep. Someone needed to stay awake to make sure that they didn't miss their rendezvous and he had told Natalya she should sleep.

When the moon was nearing its peak, he crept out of bed once more and slipped into Natalya's room. He gently shook her awake, surprised that she had followed his suggestion and actually slept, and they gathered their things. It was now or never. He would have preferred leaving Natalya somewhere safe while he got the baby and then met back up with her later, but the safest thing for both of them would be fleeing as fast as possible as soon as they had the Princess.

He opened the door a crack and looked out. Luck was with them, and both guards sat slumped against the wall, out cold. He opened the door wider and waved Natalya out. They slunk through the edge of the village to the place where the voice had said to meet him.

When they arrived, there was no one there. Hunter made a circle around the area to make sure they weren't just missing him, but there was still no one. He hoped that the mysterious speaker hadn't misled them. They spent a few tense moments sitting in the shadows waiting for the elusive man, until he finally arrived.

"Quickly, this way," he said with no preamble, hustling them along through the trees. They came to the base of a large tree and the man mumbled something inaudible, placing a hand on one of the many vines snaking around the massive trunk. He wrapped his fingers around the vine and pulled, pulling open a huge section of the tree with it. Hunter's eyes widened in surprise. Inside was a staircase which the man motioned them onto.

Natalya stepped inside, bounding up the steps with youthful litheness. Hunter followed behind at a slower pace to match the man behind him. Their guide seemed stiff and uncoordinated and it took them almost a full minute longer to reach the top where Natalya stood, waiting impatiently.

The man opened the door at the top and peered around the deserted pathways. Once he determined it was clear, he slipped out with Hunter and Natalya at his heels. He led them through a maze of twisting vine paths, coming to a stop in front of a large round nodule protruding like a giant knot from the tree.

"She's through here," he pointed to the solid wall of the apparent chamber.

"That's all well and good," Hunter replied a bit harshly, "but how do we get in there?"

The man gave him with a withering look. "I said I'd get you in, sonny, and I will." He waved a hand over the foliage and a glowing outline of a door appeared. He pressed his open hand against it and it made a soft clicking sound, swinging one side open as he released the pressure.

Hunter nodded to him, head tilted.

"You have the charm I gave you?"

Natalya held it up for him to see.

"Good," he grunted, "this is where I have to leave you. Like I told you before, invoke the charm once you go through the door, and it should allow you to pass through the wards to be able to reach and take the child. Once you have her, come back out this door. Then, you'll want to go down through the Third Circle and take a right at the healer's chamber," he stopped short, apparently seeing the lost look in both his and Natalya's eyes. He grumbled and grabbed Hunter's hand. "Here," he said and Hunter watched in alarm as his palm started growing warm.

Tiny lines appeared and Hunter realized that it was a map of the sprawling city, drawn onto his hand in magic. A miniscule arrow appeared pointing to their left.

"Once you have her, follow the arrow. It will point you the quickest way out of the village. The charm should prevent anyone from magically knowing that the child is gone which will give you the head-start you need if you are to succeed. If someone sees you, you will have a hundred mages awake at once to keep you from getting to the ground. I suggest you don't get caught." The man glanced around them a final time and then made eye-contact with them both. "Good luck!"

With that, he was off, leaving Hunter and Natalya to the task of rescuing the Princess from a city of mages. Hunter took a deep breath and looked at Natalya.

She looked worried, and was watching after the man. She glanced back at Hunter. "That's the old man who kept asking me about Layna talking to the Three..." she paused, "you don't think this is a trap, do you?"

Hunter was glad to see her thinking more rationally about their situation, and had entertained a similar thought himself, but decided it was worth the risk. "He seems to have parted with way more information than I would have expected if it were some sort of trap. And what would they be hoping to gain? Until he showed us up here, we thought the whole village was below, and had no idea they held the Princess."

She nodded slowly. "I'm just worried, now that I gave so much away."

He patted her on the arm. "No matter, we're about to rescue the Princess. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she said, shrugging and holding out the charm in front of her.

Together, they stepped through the hidden doorway, closing it but not latching it behind them.

"Invoke," Natalya whispered and the stone flared to life for a moment and dulled. "Did it work?" she asked.

"I don't know," Hunter whispered back. "I guess we'll find out." He strolled forward, waiting to feel the tingle of a spell or the sounds of alarm, but there was only quiet. Quiet, and the sound of light breathing.

They inched forward, alert for the presence of others in the room, but all seemed well. A cradle sat in the middle of the room and as they neared, Hunter saw that it held a little baby girl.

"Is that her?" Natalya whispered.

Hunter laid a gentle finger on the babe's cheek, turning her head slightly so he could see the birthmark on her temple. He nodded to Natalya and proceeded to swaddle the child in its blankets.

A light suddenly flicked on and Hunter looked into Natalya's horrified face. She was staring at the door – which was inching open – with a shocked expression, her feet seemingly glued to the floor. Hunter dropped the blanket and grabbed her wrist, hauling her forcibly with him as he dove over a dresser near the cradle. They landed in a heap on the other side, just as the door to the nursery swung fully open.

A woman stepped through the doorway and marched over to the baby's crib.

"Tsk tsk," she scolded the baby, "you've gotten yourself all tangled up again haven't you." She reached in to unfold the blanket from around her tiny body.

Just then, Natalya's foot caught on the edge of the dresser as she attempted to shift out of the uncomfortable position they had landed in, and it scraped the tiniest bit against the floor. It wasn't much, but the woman heard it.

"Who's there?" she called, her head whipping up. She peered around the room, searching for the source. Luckily, the spherical nature made the noise bounce and echo off the walls, making it difficult for her to pin down exactly where it had come from. She circled around the room purposefully.

Hunter held his breath as her feet appeared in front of the dresser, not daring to move his head to look up to see if she was staring down at them over the top. The feet moved closer as if to do exactly this when suddenly the baby let out a piercing wail and her attention was drawn to it.

She picked the baby up out of the crib and bounced her up and down to soothe her. As she did so, she kicked something on the ground. Hunter watched her bend down and pick it up, praying to the Three that she wouldn't glance this way while she was down there.

She retrieved the toy from where it had fallen and held it in front of the baby, who stopped crying to examine it with interest.

"Is that all it was?" the woman said in a baby voice, "I kicked your little toy? There now." She gently laid the Princess back down in the cradle and moved off, the light extinguishing at her exit.

Hunter let out the breath he was holding, and Natalya moved underneath him.

"You made my foot fall asleep sitting on it like that," she accused, rubbing the offending leg with a look of pain as the sharp tingles of blood rushed back into the limb.

"Sorry," he apologized, making his way back to the baby and quickly enveloping her in the folds of blanket once more. He readied himself for another dive should the little girl resume her bawling, but she just watched him with giant deep blue eyes as though she knew she should keep quiet.

Once he had the baby, they made their exit as fast as they could, following the enchanted map drawn onto his hand. Twice they had to backtrack and go around where a guard was patrolling the area, but they made it safely to the ground with no problems. Once they had a moment to pause, Hunter put the amulet that the man had given them over the baby's head, and handed her to Natalya so that he would be free to draw his sword if the need arose.

The trek through the forest at night was harrowing. The sounds of the nocturnal creatures were foreign to his ears, and they made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, but none accosted them. They made it successfully back to the cave where they had camped not long ago, and Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. The chokeroot around the cave should help mask their presence, along with the necklace around the child's neck. Hopefully, since the village was full of people able to use magic to track things, they would not be used to following a physical trail. In their rush, and in the dark, it had been difficult to mask their path. But since the tribe had no way of knowing that they were undetectable by magic, it should be the only method they would use to try and find them.

Or at least, so Hunter hoped.

Natalya was busy creating a nest of clothes for the baby and she set her down in it, touching her on the nose softly. "Everything's going to be alright now," she told the child, "We'll bring you home."

The baby yawned, stretching its tiny mouth out, and blinked a few times before settling in to sleep. She looked peaceful and healthy.

"She looks alright," Hunter commented, not sure how they would tell if they had done something magical to her.

Natalya nodded vigorously, and then looked up at him proudly. "We just rescued the Princess!"

CHAPTER 10

Lord Telvani glanced around in paranoia. He was sure that everyone around him could sense the amount of strain he was under. Controlling the Council members was becoming more and more difficult, and he felt the ever-present danger of the Bricrui overtaking him. Reports from Lord Farthen indicated that the disease had worsened, growing quicker in the final stages and eventually leading to the deaths of those it touched. He had also come no closer to finding a cure. The creature who had attacked Telvani had finally succumbed, dying in slow and painful agony.

Even with the access to every book of knowledge the Order had ever obtained, Farthen still had no idea why it had happened. Much of the knowledge of blood-magic had been lost after the Dark King had been overthrown in the book burnings that had followed. The Order had secreted away as many of the tomes as they had been able, but these accounted for only a tiny portion of the previous knowledge. Unfortunately, this oftentimes left those trying to use it today with incomplete information, and they were forced to experiment in order to recreate spells that had been used with ease long ago.

The spell to control the minds was such a simple one, and required so little actual blood-letting, that it seemed ridiculous to him that it should have such terrible repercussions. Yet there it was, he had witnessed the atrocious effects himself, and now waited every morning for the first onset of the symptoms.

He had decided that he would continue with the control spell until such time as symptoms did occur, _if_ they occurred. Until then, there was simply too much to lose. He had wracked his brain for an elegant solution to the mess he found himself, everything from killing off all of the Council members to hide his guilt, to using someone else to control them. But none of the answers would work. He needed the Council to be on his side until the people were fully behind him as well and he could finally do away with the King and Queen for good.

And even that was proving to be a chore. He had assumed that in their current states they would be vulnerable, but his mages had assured him that this wasn't the case. They were actually fully protected against physical as well as magical attacks. It was as though they were encased in some sort of protective bubble.

He passed a servant in the hallway. Had the man just looked at him with a disgusted expression? Was the illness showing already? He stopped and looked at his reflection in the shine of a shield hung on the wall. It reflected his face in pieces, the different angles of the metal refracting his image like a broken mirror.

Everything was falling apart...

*

Katya found she had a lot of free time on her hands. Other than Gareth's almost daily visits, she spent most of the day in solitude and silence. All she could do was wait for Gareth to report on the happenings outside. The realization that the baby the tribe had kidnapped belonged to Layna and Gryffon was terribly frustrating, but even the temper tantrum she had thrown in the cell after finding out had not caused any weaknesses in her prison. Instead, she tried to focus her thoughts elsewhere, seeing as how there was nothing she could do about that particular problem at present. At least the two visitors she'd conspired with Gareth to help rescue the baby had seemed to be successful. Gareth, of course, had not been given much information, but he reported a commotion in the chamber which housed her and they had heard of no arrests of the two. They figured that it could only mean that they were successful and the Elders didn't want the tribe to know.

She spent her time in meditation. It was a practice she had gotten into while she was under the collar's influence, finding even then that it had calmed her. Though the emotions of regret and remorse over the people she killed had been blocked from her conscious mind, it had not completely stopped her body from showing the underlying stress.

Now, she combined these sessions with lessons she had been taught by Gareth for retrieving her lost memories. Most ended in frustration, but many times she could at least picture the face of the little boy from the memory she had been able to uncover. It always left her with feelings of happiness. Though she couldn't remember why, she knew that he had been the source of great contentment in her young years, and she longed to know who he was and find him again.

Katya took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She crossed her legs and laid her hands on her knees in a relaxed position. She focused on her breathing. She inhaled and imagined a glowing white light filling her from all the goodness in the world. She exhaled and pictured the dark places within her being swept away in the river of light, and expelled from her body in a rushing torrent of a cleansing tide.

She repeated this process until her mind reached a state of total relaxation. Then, she focused her attention farther inwards, trying to paint a picture of the young boy in her mind, searching inside herself for details to complete him. She started with his vague countenance from her brief memory and expanded it from there.

Something else tugged at her memory. The little boy disappeared and a vague form appeared. Its outline sharpened and the contrast became clearer. As Katya watched in her mind's eye, the figure shaped itself into something that she recognized. A woman pouring water from a pitcher into a fountain below. But not a woman, the color was not right. She was made of stone. A statue. Katya's mind clicked, the statue of Sheila Greyclaw that Lorcan had pointed out to her on the lower levels of the village.

What was this memory doing amongst her lost ones again? Perhaps she had let her attention wander and had floated back up to the surface memories. But this one had the arm intact. She peered closer at the image burning itself onto the backs of her closed eyelids. Another figure shimmered and appeared, a real woman, weeping into the fountain.

And a man, standing over her with a stern expression, his eyes hiding pain. He looked strangely familiar. He lifted a hand and pointed. Katya's eyes followed, sweeping out over the vast forest. The view panned back to the scene before her where the woman was standing. She moved closer to Katya and seemed to tower overhead, holding her delicate hand out to her. A child's hand appeared before her vision and Katya stared at it in surprise. Her hand.

She took her mother's hand and together they walked into the forest. Katya's gaze was drawn backwards several times, to see the man watching them grow farther and farther away, but every time she glanced up at her mother, the woman was staring resolutely ahead.

A sound outside her window brought her back to reality and she carefully unfolded herself from the meditation position to go stand next to the window. She greeted Gareth hurriedly, eager to tell him the news.

"Gareth," she greeted the old man with excitement. "I made a breakthrough in my memories today!"

He was silent for a moment. "What kind of breakthrough?"

"I think that I may have actually been here as a child. Remember how I told you I knew about the fountain? I just remembered that my mother and I were here. I remembered my mother! I think maybe we were wandering around the forest and we happened upon this place, but I think we got turned away. Do you remember anyone like that?"

He did not answer right away. "No..." he began slowly. "Katya, I don't think you visited the Myaamia..."

"But I remember it! It wasn't just a memory from you, I could see my own hands!"

"...I think you're _from_ here."

Katya stopped short. "What?"

"It would explain why you were so easily accepted as a member of the Dena'ina. The forest wards should have tagged you as an outsider, but they didn't. No one can find the encampment without being led to it, and none but those born to the tribes can travel through without being flagged. And the ceremony in the Chamber on your arrival should have revealed you for an outsider. But once again it did not. That was one of the reasons it took me so long to figure out you weren't really from the Dena'ina. I couldn't figure out how you made it past all of the precautions. But they recognized you as one of the Forgotten, just not the Dena'ina."

"How could I be one of the tribe? Why would my mother and I be sent out into the forest if we were from here?"

"You have the mark."

Katya's mind raced back to what he had told her of the tribe's traditions. They exiled the children bearing the mark. "They threw me out?" she whispered, the pain worse than she would have imagined.

"They believe it is the only way to stop his evil from returning again," Gareth answered in a pained voice. " _I_ believed it. It is one of the reasons I no longer agree with what the Elders do. Their opinions had become clouded by hatred of the Dark King. I will never forgive myself for what I've done under this belief."

"It wasn't your fault," Katya assured him, guilt welling up in her at the pain in his voice. She felt badly for bringing up the subject. He probably felt as though he couldn't do anything against the whole tribe. She was glad that he did not seem to agree with it; however, she couldn't imagine throwing out a child simply because of a blood-line. The child couldn't help its ancestry, and bearing the mark did not mean you would grow up to be like the Dark King. Layna was living proof of that.

"Gareth," she asked him softly, "Do you know who my parents were?"

"Yes, I believe I do." he whispered back.

"Who?" she prodded urgently.

His shadow flitted away before he answered, leaving her in silence once more. In silence and in frustration. So close to finding out who she really was...

*

Hunter insisted that they wait in the cave for several days before venturing out onto the Plains to make their way back to Gelendan. Though Natalya could see his point, she didn't relish keeping the baby in such an unsatisfying environment. And they didn't have much in the way of supplies for the child.

Luckily, whoever had packed their bags had included powered milk on the off-chance that they would have come across her. They were able to mix this with water and give to the baby, but she didn't like it and fussed when Natalya tried to get her to drink it. She had taken it upon herself to care for the baby's needs, changing and cleaning it the best she could, and trying to get her to take some food. Hunter seemed fine with that arrangement, spending most of his time by the entrance to the cave, watching for signs of pursuit.

On the second day, a search party marched past them and further onto the Plains, and on the third they returned, heading back towards the village. When the fourth day had passed and no other party appeared, Hunter announced that they would be leaving the following night.

Natalya hated traveling at night. The short journey through the woods the night when they had rescued Phoenix had been terrifying enough. She was not looking forward to repeating it on the Plains, especially when she had the image of the horrifying creature with a flower atop its head fresh in her mind. She wished Hunter had been more successful in shielding her from its dangers.

She had to be strong for little Phoenix though. She needed to get her back to the Queen so that the Queen could then reunite Natalya with her family. She was sure that her own mother and father were going crazy with worry over her by now, and she wanted to be able to return with Alina safe and sound.

So the following evening when Hunter indicated it was time for them to head out, she voiced no complaint at the lateness of their travel. She simply helped pack up their belongings and steeled herself for the trip. She fastened the baby onto a sling she'd constructed on her back for easy carrying and followed Hunter silently to the cave entrance.

He spent a few moments observing the landscape before stealthily stepping out into the open. He stood in the spot for a full minute, waiting to see if anything would see him, before waving her out as well.

As soon as she was free of the cave, they took off at a run, wanting to get out of the open fields and into the North Woods as soon as possible. Natalya did her best to keep her stride smooth so that Princess Phoenix would not get beat up during the process.

They reached the woods without mishap, luckily seeming to avoid the perils of the Plains, and Hunter slowed to a more normal pace. She quickly checked on the baby, surprised by its lack of complaint during this whole ordeal, and found her fine. She was busy playing with strands of hair that had come loose from Natalya's ponytail.

The trek through the woods was no more eventful, and the three of them found themselves back at the inn where they were to be transported back to the city in no time. Hunter looked over at her when they were safely in their room once more and raised his eyebrows.

"We did it," she exclaimed happily, stroking the baby on her tiny cheek.

"Well, we're not finished yet," Hunter pointed out and Natalya rolled her eyes at him.

"All we have to do is bring her back to the palace, and once the mages here are gathered and can transport us back to the Alamanni Manor it will take no time at all!"

"Yes, but you are forgetting that the palace is run by guards and mages who are largely loyal to Telvani. No doubt seeing the Princess back alive is not part of his plan."

"I didn't think about that..." Natalya admitted. "So what are we going to do?"

"I'm not sure," Hunter shrugged, "I'm hoping that our friends Katrina and Aaron will have an idea."

Despite being the middle of the night, it didn't take long at all for the mages who were in charge of preparing the transport spell to appear in their room. Katrina had some very powerful friends it seemed. Not surprising, given her friendship with the Queen.

After the uncomfortable and gut-wrenching journey back to the Alamanni Manor, they found themselves surrounded by a mass of people. Hunter's guard went up immediately, drawing his sword in alarm. Had their plan somehow been discovered by Telvani's people and they were already here to intercept the Princess before she made it any further?

Several of the people nearest him drew their swords as well, and one man advanced on him. Hunter held his own in a blocking position, and Natalya protectively shielded the baby with her body while maneuvering herself behind him.

"Halt," commanded a familiar voice and the man stopped, though he did not sheath his sword, keeping it trained on Hunter. The crowd of people parted and Katrina stepped through.

Hunter let his sword drop down to his side at the sight of her and the men around him all relaxed, putting away their weapons as well.

"My apologies," Katrina said, "I wanted to be prepared for the worst, but I didn't think about how it would look to you to transport into a circle surrounded by armed men. Were you able to learn anything?" She searched his face for some clue as to whether or not their mission had been fruitful, and her eyes darted over him for sign of their success.

Natalya stepped out from behind him, and lifted the babe so that she could see. Her face lit up like a summer's day, her broad grin threatening to split her face. She rushed forward and reached out towards the child.

"May I?" she asked and Natalya reluctantly handed her over. She cooed at the little girl and looked up at Natalya and Hunter, a tear glistening in her eye. "I don't know what to say," she began.

"We're hoping you have some idea how to restore her to her proper place?" Hunter suggested, not letting the woman finish her expression of gratitude.

"Yes, of course," she responded, a more serious expression taking hold. "Telvani's somehow convinced the Council to formally place him in charge of the country during the King and Queen's ailment, so I would be scared to simply announce that we've located the Princess. There's no telling how he would respond to it." She looked thoughtful. "The mages we've been able to get into the palace where the King and Queen are being kept indicate that they believe the spell holding them to be one of their own making. That whatever attacked them put them in such a place that they now find it impossible to break free of. However, the love for a child is quite powerful indeed, and there is a chance that reuniting them with their little one may be the motivation they need to break themselves free."

"So now we just have to break into the palace and pray that the spell will break when she's near them before anyone else notices us?"

"Indeed. And I'm afraid we may need to beg your assistance again," she said and Natalya waited for her to explain. "Telvani knows that I am firmly on the Queen's side and probably suspects that she had me looking into his dealings before she fell ill. He will no doubt be on high alert for me entering the palace, or any of my associates. He does not yet know the two of you, so you may be able to enter through the servant entrance undetected. I don't suppose..."

"Of course we will," Natalya answered for both of them. Hunter nodded in response to Katrina's questioning glance.

"Thank you," she breathed.

They spent the next several hours hatching a plan to get them close enough to the King and Queen that they would be able to sense Phoenix and hopefully break themselves out of whatever enchantment held them. It was decided that they should rest for the night, and put the plan into motion the following day. The more time that elapsed, the greater the chances of the enchantment taking too strong of a hold – or of Telvani taking too strong of a hold – so they all thought that sooner was better.

No one had been able to think of a good excuse for bringing a baby in through the servant's entrance, so they had needed to be a bit more creative. Instead, they fashioned a carrying basket out of one that was meant for cheeses, slinging her into it so that she was suspended within and could lightly be covered with cheesecloth. Consistent with her easy-going nature that Natalya had witnessed on their trip, she did not complain even when she was put into the complete darkness of the basket.

They made it to the door without anyone giving them a second glance, but upon their arrival, they were held up by the guards.

"What are you bringing in?" one asked, eying the basket.

"Just cheese, sir," Natalya answered.

"Are you now," the man drawled, "Well, how do I know it's just cheese? Open it up."

Natalya drew the lid off the basket with slightly shaking hands, hoping that her quaking movements were invisible to the man. He seemed oblivious, more intent on what was in the basket.

Luckily, Katrina had the good sense to really put cheeses into the basket as well and Natalya watched with apprehension as the man reached in. His hand headed straight for the cheesecloth that covered Phoenix's head. Natalya held her breath.

Suddenly Hunter fell into her from behind, causing the basket to wobble under the man's hand and he jerked it back out.

"So sorry," Hunter apologized, getting a better grip on the basket he was carrying as though the load had set him off-balance. "Why don't you just give him a wheel so we can put these down somewhere," he suggested to her, "I'm sure we can explain the disappearance of one cheese."

She didn't need to be told twice, reaching her hand into the basket to find one of the real cheese wheels. Her hand brushed against the baby's soft skin and she hoped the child wouldn't make a sound. Once again, luck was with them as she remained silent.

Natalya handed the cheese to the man who examined it closely for a moment. Natalya could fairly see him salivating over it.

"I guess you're all set," he grunted, waving them through.

She let out a sigh of relief as they left the guards behind them, following the directions that Katrina had given them to maneuver through the palace. Fortunately, though rather disturbingly, there were many secret passageways winding through the palace which allowed them to bypass the inner guards. When they reached the doorway that led into the monarchs' private suites, however, they came across a problem. They were heavily guarded, not just by the guards, but by several men and women in mage's robes.

Katrina had promised that they would create some sort of disturbance to hopefully distract as many of the guards as possible, and would be close behind for back-up, but their plan still hinged on getting Phoenix in to where the King and Queen were before anyone knew there was something going on.

A commotion sounded down the hallway and Natalya heard the clomping of many running feet coming straight for them. She and Hunter glanced around frantically, searching for a place to hide. Hunter tried a door handle nearest them. It jiggled in his hand, but did not turn. They were trapped.

The footsteps came nearer, accompanied by shouting voices. "Intruders!"

Natalya and Hunter looked at one another.

They had failed.

*

Layna looked around in confusion. Where am I? Though she had only thought the question, the words bounced off translucent walls. Colors swirled around her with no definite shape or purpose. She exhaled and her breath formed a blue cloud in front of her, dripping icicles. She reached out to touch them where they hovered in the air in front of her, and they burst apart in her fingers. So cold.

Her head whipped up as a familiar sound pierced the icy walls around her and she searched for the source. But like a house of mirrors confuses the sight, her frigid prison masked its origin. She frantically thrashed about, not yet recognizing the sound for what it was, but knowing instinctively that it was something important.

It felt closer now, but the walls of her prison encased her, suffocating her. She gasped for air, but the icy breath she inhaled clamped down on her lungs. The more she struggled, the tighter her bonds became.

As she sank down in submission, something began to glow warmly in front of her, beckoning. She watched as it grew brighter, melting the ice from around her. Slowly, the pressure released, and she added her own fuel to the fire of warmth spreading outwards from it. Starting as a tiny ball, the glowing sphere grew wider and bigger, growing stronger and warmer as it did so. Rays of light burst out from the center, burning holes through the walls of ice.

A hand appeared from within the rays of light, held out to her expectantly. She clamped her own hand around it firmly, feeling the power grow strong within them as she did so.

It was Gryffon. Magic exploded around them, shattering the remains of the icy prison.

Phoenix was near.

*

Lord Telvani searched his reflection in the mirror of Queen Layna's palace. He had come here to check in on them, but couldn't draw his attention away from his own concerns. Since yesterday he had had a pounding headache, and he was feeling quite warm to the touch. The more he stared at his eyes, the more he thought he saw flecks of red within them. He was sure of it, he was touched with the Bricrui. It was time to sever the connection.

He would simply have to hope beyond hope that the safeguards he had put into place to protect himself from being implicated in the scandal would be successful. He had blocked out any memories that the six may have of him taking over their minds and any traces of their conscious states watching what he made them do, but emotions were harder to cover. Every time they looked at him, or interacted with him, they would feel the intense hatred he had sensed beneath each of their carefully controlled minds. It wouldn't matter whether or not they knew what exactly he had done, their opinion of him would be set in stone.

He looked closer, peering at blemishes on his face, wondering if they were the beginnings of sores. He grasped the amulet that hung around his neck, a dragon claw holding an amethyst gem for protection. Hoping that it would have staved off the disease, he had invested in it the day Farthen had broken the news. But it hadn't worked. Fear raced through his veins on the swift horse of his heartbeat and he felt an ever-growing urge to get to the items that connected him to the Council and destroy them.

He swirled away from the mirror and nearly ran towards the front of the palace, pushing past the servants and drawing strange looks from his guards who fell into hasty step behind him. He didn't make it past the hallway, however, when he was surrounded by several servants who had apparently been coming to get him. They refused to be pushed out of the way.

"Lord Telvani," one of them drew his attention, "There has been a riot in the capitol city. It appears that someone tried to break into the prison by blowing a huge hole into the side of it, and succeeded. Several prisoners have escaped and the city is in turmoil. It seems that several people being held there were formerly high ranking members of Queen Layna's court who have been missing for some time." Was it his imagination, or did the man's voice hold an edge of accusation in it?

"And is the city guard quelling this riot?" he asked in annoyance, trying to push past the man.

"They are requesting that we send aid. It also appears that the riot is heading this way. It would be most prudent to send every man we have available to the front wall."

"Fine," Telvani waved a hand at him, eager to be out of his company. The man's tone was irking his already frayed nerves.

The servant shouted orders to others who hurried off, finally leaving Telvani to resume his march towards his destination. Not two minutes later, however, he was stopped by yet another group of servants.

He rounded on these with anger. "What?!" he shouted.

"Lord Telvani, sir," a woman exclaimed excitedly, only slightly cowed by his tone. "Princess Phoenix has been found!"

His heart sank. They gave him no choice but to follow them back to the monarchs' suite, already packed full of servants and guards alike. He allowed himself to be pushed forward through the crowd, his mind whirling with possibilities of how her return might help him.

But when he entered the room, he saw to his horror that the King and Queen were awake, the Queen holding her baby possessively. His eyes darted around, searching for the mages and guards loyal to him that he'd stationed here to prevent this very thing. He spotted them in a corner, held within a dome of light by more mages who were most definitely not in his employ. His blood ran cold in his veins. He was finished. He needed to get away now and get rid of the connection while he was still a free man. He tried to back out of the room.

"Ah, Lord Telvani," the Queen's voice stung with a dangerous edge. She knew. She knew everything. "How kind of you to join us, I've been hearing some very interesting things about what you've been up to while we've been," she paused, her gaze drifting towards the bed, "indisposed."

A commotion sounded behind him and Telvani glanced back over his shoulder. The servant Amelia, who he had thrown into prison when she expressed her doubts with his actions, was being wheeled in on a chair. She glared at him as she passed with eyes rung by deep dark circles, further extenuated by her lackluster complexion, paled without the sun, and her gaunt skin stretched tightly over her high cheekbones. Even the relatively short amount of time in the lower cell seemed to have wreaked havoc on her.

"Hello, Telvani," she greeted him weakly, with a distinct lack of title.

"Amelia," he returned, his mood falling further still. The trouble-maker Katrina was pushing her chair over to Layna, who stood over the woman maternally and laid a hand on her. Telvani felt ripples in the power and watched as color rushed back into the woman's face, returning her to her normal appearance before his very eyes.

When Layna removed her touch, the woman stood from the chair, opening newly intense eyes to glower at him once again. "Telvani may not have been the one to have actually attacked you or stolen the child, but he did take full advantage of your conditions and lied to everyone, saying you were simply ill and still giving him your orders."

"The country still needed to be run!" Telvani stated, "Surely you can understand that."

Layna looked at him with one of her intense stares. "Do you know why we called you into the throne room that day?" she surprised him by asking.

"What day?" Telvani replied, confused. So much had happened since...

"The day we were attacked, to me it feels like it was earlier today. I wanted to ask you why you have been freeing prisoners and covering up dealings of the late Order."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered, his fear from that day returning in full combining with his new paranoia.

"I think you do," insisted Layna, and Gryffon glared at him from beside her.

"I can only imagine what else you've been doing without us here to stop you," the King put in.

"I've been trying to help you," Telvani disagreed, shaking his head vehemently. "Ask anyone, I've had search parties out looking for Princess Phoenix, I've had mages here round the clock trying to find a way to heal you, to bring you back." His tone was reaching an embarrassingly high pitch, but he couldn't help the increasing urge he felt to run away. His forehead felt hot and sweat dripped down his temple.

Telvani moved forward towards Layna to grovel at her feet, as at this point he was not above begging, but when he got close to her a light suddenly flashed around young Phoenix. Everyone's attention became fully focused on the baby, forming a defensive circle around her. He was pushed roughly out of the way and directly in front of the window.

He only hesitated a split second before hurtling himself out. Broken glass sliced through his arms and legs as he shattered the pane and went tumbling through the air. The ground rushed towards him at blinding speed, and he hastily shouted a spell to slow his descent. It worked not a moment too soon, so that he only wrenched an ankle after having just fallen several stories to the hard ground below.

He took off immediately at a run and was out of the palace gates before anyone could raise the alarm.

*

Natalya watched in horror with the rest of the room as the baby Phoenix flashed bright blue. She rushed forward, but was pushed out of the way by many hands.

A crash sounded to her left and her eyes flew to the remains of the broken window. She dashed to the edge, careful not to cut herself on the jagged glass, and peered below. Lord Telvani's body was falling limply to the ground, gaining speed as it got closer and closer to the ground far below. Her eyes widened and she turned back to the others in the room, trying to tell them that he had just jumped, but no one was paying any attention to her.

She looked back out the window with trepidation, not knowing what kind of awful sight she would see, only to find that he was gone.

The room was finally quieting down, Princess Phoenix still safely encompassed in her mother's arms. Natalya wedged her way back into the throng of people around the King and Queen and spoke up loudly.

"Lord Telvani just jumped out the window, but he's gone," she said.

Several guards ran to the window, their metal gauntleted hands crunching into the remains of the glass pane as they leaned out. One barked orders for a search to be started and many went rushing out of the room.

"Is she alright?" Amelia asked the Queen, who was still intent on staring into the baby's tiny face.

She didn't answer right away, her eyes so intensely upon the child that Natalya had to blink a few times to right her vision. She could have sworn the Queen's eyes had turned completely white for a moment.

"I don't think the light did anything to her," she finally answered slowly, "Perhaps it was simply a means of distraction so he could escape."

"How could he have survived the fall?" Natalya blurted out before realizing that she was being completely disrespectful to the Queen. She hurriedly curtsied and added, "Your Majesty," hoping that she wouldn't get thrown out of the woman's presence before she had asked about Alina.

The woman didn't seem fazed in the least, however, though she did glance over at her as though seeing her for the first time. Natalya quickly looked down.

"You came with Phoenix?" she asked her rather than answering her question.

Natalya didn't look up from the spot she had resolutely decided to stare at on the floor since the realization of who she was talking to had sunk in. "Yes, Your Majesty."

A gentle hand hooked itself on her chin and angled her face upwards, welcoming her to look at the Queen's smiling face. Before she knew it, Natalya found herself entwined in a one-armed hug, pressed up against the baby Phoenix's cheek as the woman – the Queen! – embraced her.

"Thank you!" Queen Layna gushed, tears of joy running down her face. Natalya, caught up in her emotions, felt tears welling up in her eyes as well and she hastily rubbed them away.

"Of course, Your Majesty," she glanced around to find where Hunter was standing silently behind the others and she pointed to him. "Hunter did too."

The Queen released her, following her pointing finger and proceeded to hug Hunter with as much gusto. His surprised expression was priceless, and he held his hands out awkwardly at his sides, unsure of what to do. Natalya noticed that Amelia was watching the proceedings with a disgruntled look, and she could imagine the older woman clicking her tongue at Layna to act more like a Queen. She giggled.

The sound drew attention and she cleared her throat, rocking back and forth on her feet, but Hunter gave her a relieved look as it also drew the Queen's attention off of him.

She moved towards the Queen again, intending to bring up the subject of her sister, when the aides and guards suddenly swarmed around and Natalya found herself ushered rudely out of the Queen's presence.

She tried to catch the woman's eye as she was being led away, but the Queen was too focused on Phoenix to see. She sighed and allowed herself to be escorted down the hallway to the front door. She had gotten so close, only to be thrown out of the palace.

But her escorts didn't pause at the front entryway, but rather turned sharply to the right and up a flight of stairs. Natalya's brow furrowed in confusion. Finally, they came to a stop before a large wooden door. The man opened the door and waved her inside.

"Your rooms, m'lady," he said formally.

"My rooms?"

He looked worried. "Are they not satisfactory?"

Her forehead scrunched further and she glanced quickly into the lavish room. There had probably been more money spent on the curtains than on her family's house. "They are wonderful, but I don't understand? I expected to be asked to leave? But please, can you tell me when the Queen's open court is? I really need to speak with her of a matter of great importance."

"You won't be bringing anything to her open court," the man stated and Natalya's heart sank. But he continued, "The Queen regretfully has much too many issues that need her attention immediately due to her absence and Lord Telvani's betrayal, but as soon as she is able she will no doubt be down to see you personally at which time you will be able to bring whatever issue you have to her attention. If you would like, you may inform me of your grievance and I will do my best to alleviate it sooner."

Natalya's jaw had dropped. Queens didn't just put up peasants in the palace and then _visit_ them in their rooms. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally finding her voice. She gave him as many details of her sister's kidnapping as she could and he promised that he would set someone to the task of looking into it right away.

She spent the next few days basking in the lap of luxury, content in the knowledge that the Queen's sources were looking into her sister's abduction for her. After all this time, she would finally be reunited with her family.

As she was going through the closet of fine clothes that had been brought for her, a knock sounded at the door. Natalya rushed giddily over to answer it. Since the first day when she'd been told that the Queen would come see her personally, every time someone knocked she got butterflies in her stomach.

It was Hunter.

"Enjoying your accommodations?" he asked her playfully and she realized she was still holding one of the fine dresses she'd been admiring.

"Very much, though I haven't yet had the chance to speak with the Queen. Have you?"

"Briefly," he admitted, and Natalya couldn't help a pang of jealousy from welling up within her, "But only because I am leaving."

"You're leaving?" Natalya asked, forgetting her jealousy as it was replaced by a feeling of sadness. She had grown rather fond of his companionship. "Where are you going?"

"I can't stop thinking about the woman we left in the prison of the tribes," he answered. "She's just as much, if not more so, responsible for the Princess's safe return." The jealousy was back, though for a different reason, but Natalya ignored it. He continued, "The Queen agrees that the tribe needs to be looked into further so I've agreed to put together a map and do some preliminary information-gathering until she can put together a more formal inquiry into the matter."

"Oh," she said shortly. She was rather hurt that he would abandon her quest for another. Especially to go rescue some mystery woman. She shook the feeling aside. Hunter had no reason to care about her or her sister, and yet he had allowed her to travel with him all this way and gone with her on the perilous journey to save the Princess Phoenix so that she could bring the matter to the attention of the Queen. He didn't owe her more.

"But when I get back, I promise I'll do whatever I can to help reunite you with your sister." He looked down at the ground for a moment, for some reason unable to meet her eyes. "After you speak with the Queen, promise me that you'll contact me?"

"How will I do that?" she asked, confused.

"The Queen is giving me a mirror which will reflect a spell that will allow her to be in constant contact with me during my travels. She'd agreed to let you use it."

"Alright," Natalya agreed, though still confused, "I promise."

"Thank you. And I really do want to help find your sister if I can."

She smiled at him genuinely. "Then I wish you the best of luck, and a swift return. But before you go...I have one question for you."

He raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"So was I right about the goodness of the Queen?" she asked smugly.

He snorted in response, shutting the door behind him. She'd known her unwavering faith in the woman would rub off on him eventually.

She put away the dress she'd been holding and went into the bathing room where somehow the servants always knew just when she'd get the hankering for a bath. Sure enough, there was steam rising off the freshly-draw water. She striped off her clothes and sank into the delightful bubbles.

Relaxing into the warmth, she let the water soothe away the last of her stress. Soon the Queen would be here to listen to her story personally and she would find her sister.

She would be reunited with Alina at last and they would be able to return home together.
CHAPTER 11

Layna stroked baby Phoenix's face and sighed. So much for starting out her reign on a positive note. Telvani's interference had caused even more destruction, and the people had suffered for her ill-placed trust. For every secret temple of the Order he had 'found' for her, there were two others that he covered up. The missing prisoners were all connected to him. He had been using her Knights as a breeding grounds for his new group he called the Faithful. And just when she had figured it all out, the attack had come, letting him run rampant in her name.

She could only hope that the people had not been too poisoned against her, when she could hardly forgive herself. While looking through the mess that Telvani had left them with, they had come across a report of a border town called Hardonia being completely wiped out. Though the corpses of several apparent bandits had been found at the scene, and it was originally attributed to one of the many attacks by the outlaws on the other side of the tamed lands, this now appeared not to be the case. Worse, was that a group of riders under her flag had been reported to have rode in towards the town and back out again the same day.

Unfortunately, this was the town that Natalya was from. When Layna had done some more digging, she found that Telvani had been the one to order the massacre in order to cover-up one of his Faithful's bragging natures. Rather than have the surrounding towns gossiping about how the Queen's men were collecting talents – the very thought that her name had been used in such a way made her sick to her stomach – he decided he'd rather have them all talking about how it was completed wiped out by raiding bandits so that it wouldn't attract her attention.

It would have attracted her attention either way and she mourned the loss of so many peoples' lives so pointlessly. Breaking the news to Natalya had been one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. The man who had traveled with her, Hunter, was not surprised by the revelation and the haunted look in his eyes when she had brought up the subject told her he knew more about it than he let on. She had tracked him down later and asked him about it before he had left, only to find he had witnessed the event first-hand. She had been mortified at the thoughts that he had assumed given that the men were wearing livery of the crown and that had been when she had really realized the extent of the damage that Telvani had caused. He had undermined her attempts to heal the country in one fell swoop. If only the attack had come moments later, after she had confronted him about his suspicious dealings.

None of that mattered now, though. Now, their only concern could be putting the country back together once again. Gryffon's ever-present optimism assured her that everything would be all right, but a similar outlook which she had witnessed in the girl Natalya seemed to have died with the news of her family's demise, and she had little hope of salvaging her reputation among those who were directly affected by Telvani's malevolence.

She needed to start the country healing one person at a time. She made her way to the guest quarters that Natalya occupied and rapped softly on the door. The girl called out for her to enter, and she slipped inside, indicating to her guards the need for privacy.

"Natalya," she greeted the girl.

"Your Majesty," the young woman returned, giving her a quick curtsey.

"As you know, I've sent people to clean up your hometown after the atrocities that Telvani committed there." A wave of guilt passed over her at the pain in the girl's eyes. "But I think it might do you some good to visit it yourself."

"How can I do that?" Natalya scoffed, but caught herself, "Your Majesty. I mean, how can I take the time to travel all the way there just to cry on their graves when my sister is still out there somewhere and may need my help? She's all I have left anymore..."

Layna ignored the girl's harsh tones; she felt she deserved them. "I would like to transport you there with me to personally oversee the plans for rebuilding. I know nothing can ever replace the lives that were lost there, but there are many in surrounding areas that need our help as well, and we may have the opportunity to help those if you are willing." There had been stragglers found in the surrounding areas of Hardonia whose houses had been destroyed, or their livelihoods ruined as a result of the destruction in the town. Layna would like to see these people aided to rebuild the town for their benefit. The dead had no more use of it, but she would do no such thing until Natalya made her peace with it.

Layna could distinctly remember her own awful home-coming after finding out that her parents had been killed. There wasn't much left, as a fiery explosion had wiped out any traces of their bodies or possessions. She couldn't imagine the pain of a similar scene involving the girl's entire town.

"I would like that," Natalya finally answered, much to Layna's relief. She fervently hoped that the happy and optimistic girl this young woman had once been would heal enough to eventually shine through the pain once more.

"I would also like to appoint you as the leader of a special expedition if you are willing," Layna added. There had been several reports that had been found to have been altered in the Hall of Records which indicated that Telvani was involved. She wanted to have a group of the Knights – once they were properly assessed to ensure they were not one of the Faithful – look into the reports. She would also be amending all the Knights titles to include Phoenix's name – the Knights of Phoenix – after reevaluating all the current Knights. They would all be personally interviewed by her and Gryffon so that there would be no mistake about whose side they were on. It would hopefully allay any fears that the people had concerning the nasty rumors that may be circulating about them due to Telvani's Faithful, showing the people that they were taking the betrayal seriously and taking steps to correct it.

"What kind of expedition?"

"We have been working feverishly to uncover the plot which your sister was caught up in," Layna began. The kidnapping of children, and of people in general, had been uncovered to reveal that it had been happening on a much grander scale than previously thought. Most of these abductions were people who would not be missed, else some sort of freak accident would occur to explain the disappearance, or a note be left telling people they had gone on holiday for a while. Most were much more secretive than the public abduction that Lord Morven had performed, ultimately resulting in Telvani's choice to wipe out the town.

She gathered her wandering thoughts and continued, "And though we have not been able to locate her yet, we have found several leads that need to be followed up on."

Natalya just waited, uncharacteristically quiet.

"I also want you to know that while reports indicate that she may be being used in some sort of magical experiment – and I won't lie to you; it probably involved blood-magic – every sign seems to point to the fact that she may still be alive. Most likely, he needed her simply for her talent."

Natalya nodded, her expression twitching at the mention of blood-magic, but the fierce determination in her eyes telling Layna that she at least had not given up on her sister.

"If you are willing, I'd like to put you in charge of a unit of the Knights of Phoenix whose sole purpose will be finding your sister. Every resource available to me will be available to you."

Natalya did not hesitate. "Yes."

"Excellent," Layna nodded once, "I will send in one of the aides in the next few days to go over the details with you. The Knights are currently being screened to make sure that they are all loyal to what is right and just before they will be ready to be sent out. In the meantime, are you up for a trip with me?"

Natalya finally met her eyes, the sparkle of strength within them getting brighter. "Yes," she said firmly, "I want to see it now."

"Very well," Layna nodded and bowed her head to Natalya, a gesture she was sure she would be berated on if Amelia was to see her. She was constantly reminded that she needed to act like a Queen. She didn't feel much like one before the atrocities against this little girl, however. "If you would please prepare yourself the journey, I will meet you in the courtyard in one hour."

*

"We have to get you out of here," Gareth's whispered voice woke Katya out of her uneasy sleep. When he saw that she was awake, he continued, "The strangers told a story about how a mysterious woman went with Layna and Gryffon into Fire Mountain and battled with the evil one, Nuko. The fact that you had the Bloodstone is enough evidence for them that you are this woman, which means they know you bear the mark. Kali has convinced the rest of the Elders that you had planned on using the Bloodstone and you need to be stopped...they plan to kill you."

"What? Use it? It was just a reminder..." Katya cringed at the painful memory that it was a reminder of.

"We have to get you out now," he cut her off, "Lorcan is standing guard outside, but I do not want to see him get caught."

"Lorcan is helping you?" she asked, touched at the boy's loyalty despite what she had put him through.

"He is a smart lad and knows a good heart when he sees one," Gareth smiled at her, "and he is youthfully innocent and a strong enough personality not to be jaded by the discriminations of his wayward elders."

He sprang to motion, working on weakening the spells that held the wooden bars in place and magically made them impenetrable. He handed her a saw which she dropped to the nearest bar, sawing frantically as he added magic to the spell. Her own magic was blocked by the cell itself, so the physical help was all she could offer.

"There's something else you have to know," he said between panting breaths. "The Elders just announced to the tribe that they have returned the baby to its parents – with no mention of it having been stolen by the strangers. I also figured out why the people were so excited about stealing a baby, I hadn't thought them that far gone, but apparently Kali has been telling the tribe that they took the baby in order to heal it of some ailment, and that's why everyone was so excited for the Arrival."

"Do you believe that?" Katya asked, still sawing at the bar.

"Not for a second," he growled. "But after they supposedly made it better, it was the plan all along to return it. Even the rest of the tribe was aware of this fact before the strangers stole it, so it's not just a cover-up for having lost it."

Katya swore. She knew it had been much too easy for two non-talented individuals to steal a baby from a village of mages. "Were they finished whatever they had done to her?"

"I don't know."

Katya remembered Kali saying something about being able to perform the final spell now that they had the Bloodstone. And the fact that they didn't seem at all concerned about getting it back...

The blade made it through the other side forcibly, sending the teeth deeply into the next bar, and as the vine bar broke, so did the enchantment on her. She added her talent to Gareth's and opened the door.

She rushed out and grabbed hold of him, embracing him spontaneously. He looked rather taken aback at her sudden affection, but returned the hug. Finding out that she had been tossed out by her own people had welled up the most uncomfortable emotions within her, and it meant the world to her that her friends would risk so much to help her. Together they raced outside.

Lorcan spotted them and held up a hand.

They paused.

He waited a moment before looking back at them and beckoning them to him hurriedly.

They ran across the unshielded platform and ducked behind the building on the other side. Katya held her breath for a moment, listening intently for signs that someone had seen them, but there were none.

"Go," whispered Lorcan urgently, "They just went around the corner so you'll have about a minute, I'll try and distract them from checking on you so you'll have more time to get away from here."

She gave him a quick hug and on impulse kissed him lightly on the cheek. His face turned beet-red and he smiled shyly. "Thanks," she told him sincerely. He waved for her to go, now grinning fully at her.

They slipped down into the passageway that led below and took the steps as quickly as they could. Slamming the door open at the bottom, Katya prayed that no one would be below. Luck was with them, and the ground encampment was empty.

"Stop!" someone yelled from above and Katya pumped her legs faster, pulling Gareth along behind her into the safety of the forest. He was gasping for breath, the years he spent sitting in the old home regretting his life having caught up with his health. She turned to help him when he suddenly went rigid. She caught his falling body and dragged him behind the shelter of a huge tree.

"Gareth!" she exclaimed, searching for the source of his attack. An arrow shaft was sticking out of his back, directly behind his heart. "Oh no..."

He coughed, "I can feel it working magic on me, I'll be gone before they get down here. You need to go. But Katya," he gasped and writhed in pain a moment. "Promise me, promise me you'll go to a cave near the edge of the hunting grounds. The one I told you about that my wife and I used to go to?"

Katya nodded, tears springing to her eyes.

"I left something there that I want you to have," he squeezed her shoulder tightly, "Please find it."

Katya watched him, the life fading from his eyes, and knew this would be her last chance. "Gareth," she whispered, "are you my father?"

He looked startled, and the wheezing intake of breath it caused made him cough. When he found his voice again, he looked down, ashamed. "Yes." Looking back up into her eyes, he entreated her, "Please can you forgive me? I was young and let the Elders convince me it was the right thing to do...by the time I came to my senses and followed, your mother was dead and I couldn't find you...I'm so sorry, Katya."

She kissed his forehead lightly, "Of course I forgive you," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "What was my mother like?" she asked in a soft voice.

"She was the most kind-hearted, selfless woman that ever lived," Gareth responded affectionately, "she deserved better. I loved you both more than anything. I'll never forgive myself for letting you go..."

"I forgive you," she repeated firmly.

Marak slithered down her arm and Katya watched the tiny snake, surprised by his motion. He slid off her hand and onto Gareth's shoulder. There, he laid his head against Gareth's cheek and the old man sighed contentedly, closing his eyes. Katya could sense a tiny thread of magic between them and she sensed that it was a moment she shouldn't interrupt so she waited patiently while whatever was going on finished.

Gareth finally opened his eyes and smiled, reaching up to kiss the tiny snake before setting him back on Katya where he resumed his former position. "Even from the grave she comforts me," he shook his head, a small glittering tear forming at the corner of his eye but offering no other explanation. He coughed again. "Promise me you'll go to the cave."

She nodded mutely and watched as the light faded from Gareth's eyes, rocking him back and forth against her.

Another arrow plunged into the earth mere inches from her leg and she sprung to her feet. She raced away from his body, refusing to look back. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, deeper and deeper into the forest.

When she couldn't run any more she paused, leaning up against a tree and sobbing into its trunk. How could life be so cruel? To give her the thing she cherished most – which she realized now was her family – only to then take it away from her again? All that time worrying about Slade when the real person she loved was right under her nose.

She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, looking around with blurry vision at the forest around her. She was close to the hunting area. Gareth had told her about it one afternoon when she had asked him to tell her about himself. Though he wouldn't explain what had happened to his wife – and Katya now understood why – he seemed to find joy in talking about her. Katya got her bearings quickly and headed for the cave she had promised Gareth – her father – she would find.

She entered the dark recess in the stone hurriedly, running her hand along the wall to find the hole that led to the back of the cave. Once she was far enough in that the light wouldn't be noticed from outside, she lit a magelight and sent it out in front of her.

It cast an eerie glow on the rock walls, its bluish light bouncing off the crags and crevices. In the center of the cave was an old fire-pit, where Gareth had told her that he used to meet his love – her mother – when they were younger. She passed a hand over the long-dead coals, wishing she could picture what they must have looked like. She longed for the memories she knew to be in her head, but remained locked away. She tried dredging up the image of her mother's face once more, but it was gone.

She searched the cave for whatever it was that Gareth had said he left for her, finally finding a bundle wrapped carefully in deer hide in small indent in the wall. She pulled this out and slowly unwrapped it. Inside was a beautiful stone. What was this?

She carried the stone to the cave entrance where she could look at it better. She reached into the cloth and held it up in front of her. As her hand touched the stone, it suddenly burst to life, sending out a spark of light. Images swirled within its depths and Katya gasped as she realized what they were.

She could see her mother and father – Gareth looking much younger and without the lines of regret that now etched themselves across his face. With them was a little girl – herself – who Gareth was twirling around in a circle. She saw her mother opening a gift from her father: Marak's tiny form slithering out of the box and circling around her slender arm. As she watched the recorded moments, frozen within the stone forever, her own memories slowly resurfaced. She could picture her mother's face smiling down at her as she kissed her goodnight. She could see her father as he proudly held her hand showing her how to use magic.

Gareth had given her the most precious gift in the world: Her memories back. She no longer had only the memories of the dark times in her life, she now could hold onto those she loved. There was another memory too, that of the little boy she'd seen earlier in her vision. As she focused on him, more images floated to the surface. She saw them playing together, laughing together, doing everything together, even performing a blood-bonded promise that someday they would be married. She could almost remember his name -

A twig snapped and she held her breath, whipping around to search for the source. The forest vegetation grew thick around the trunks, and it was difficult to see very far. She readied herself for a fight.

A man came into view, holding out his hands in front of him in a gesture of peace.

She was bombarded by more memories flooding into her head of the little boy with brown hair, playing in the woods. She had lived with him and his family as a child. When her mother had died they had taken her in and she and the little boy had been inseparable. Until the priests had come. He had tried to attack them, stop them from taking her, but he was no match. His youthful face grew older in her mind's eye, losing its childhood chubbiness, maturing and becoming more defined, and eventually ending as the man who stood before her.

"Hunter?" she gasped.

The man stopped short, surprised that she knew his name. "Who are you?" he asked.

"It's Katya, from when we were little."

He looked closer and his face broke into a wide grin as he whooped for joy. "Katya! It is you! You're alive!" He swept her up into a bear hug and swung her around in a circle. "I thought I'd lost you forever."

"No such luck," Katya joked, feeling as though they had never been apart for a second.

Shouts rang out from behind them and Hunter looked up in alarm. "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand, "Let's get out of here."

*

Natalya stood in the courtyard waiting for Queen Layna with butterflies in her stomach that had nothing to do with the prospect of another transportation spell. Though the nausea that traveling in such a manor was not at all pleasant, it was nothing compared to what awaited them on the other side.

She had made contact with Hunter as he had made her promise, and had grilled him about everything he knew about the massacre of her hometown. She found it hard to believe that he had known all along, and was still angry at him for having kept it from her. If she hadn't promised to contact him, she may not have been able to bring herself to speak to him again.

He had apologized profusely for keeping it from her, but said he hadn't known how to bring it up. When he had spoken to Queen Layna, she had insisted that she be the one to break the news to her, so Hunter hadn't told her before he left as he had apparently planned to. Once it was in the open, he told her in as much detail as she wanted, the entirety of his experience. Including having witnessed the death of her father. Natalya could barely listen as he recited to her what her father had told him. But it was strangely comforting.

Her whole town wiped out. Little Rion cut down after watching his mother be stuck through. She had recognized the significance of the stuffed bunny in his story immediately. The child never went anywhere without it. Natalya had even had to fish it out of the river once when he had wandered too closely to the rushing water and it had been pulled down with the current. Luckily, she and Alina had been close by and she had been able to get it back for the wailing child. The sun had dried it out, though Natalya felt that it always smelled a bit like fish after that. She smiled sadly at the memory. She hoped he was playing with his bunny in a better place now.

Perhaps Lord Morven had done them a favor by taking her sister. If he hadn't, they both may have been similarly cut down. Though they also may have been able to save their parents and their friends. Natalya broke out into a cold sweat. Layna had said that bodies that were able to be positively identified had been buried, but others that were still awaiting a name attached to them were being magically preserved until a family member or acquaintance could tell the officials who they were. Some had been too badly burned or mutilated to be recognized by any, and only the personal effects found on the body could help identify them.

She couldn't imagine looking at the dead body of her parents, or Darryl. Tears sprung to her eyes. She wasn't just mourning the loss of her parents, but the loss of everyone she had ever known in childhood.

At Layna's approach, she steeled herself for the transport. The woman had promised her that they would appear outside the town so that Natalya could enter at her own pace. It did not provide her with much comfort.

After the now-familiar tugging sensation, the landscape around them blurred and changed. Natalya felt a sudden rush of home-sickness which was made all the worse realizing that she would never again have a home to go to. It was gone.

She closed her eyes and took a few breaths, both to calm her roiling stomach as well as get a grip on the tears that threatened to escape before they took hold. Once she started crying, there would be no stopping it. When she opened her eyes, she could see the outline of the town. It looked peaceful. As they drew closer, however, signs of the horror that had gone on there began to emerge. Lines of buildings that used to be straight were now jagged due to parts of them having caved in, or been burned away. Black stains, evidence of fire, marred almost every wall. She gulped and paused a moment. Layna silently stood next to her, waiting patiently for her to continue on.

She forced her shaking legs to resume walking. They reached the village gates and Natalya had to pause once more. She stared straight ahead, afraid to look around her.

She entered the ruins of her hometown with trepidation. She hardly recognized it. The buildings had all been burned – several to the ground – and though the guards had been cleaning up after the attack, she could still see several places in the earth which were stained a darker color. She shuddered.

It seemed so surreal. She made her way down the familiar streets, searching for remains of anything that had survived the massacre; but there was nothing. She stepped over a fallen beam and her foot crunched on something. She bent down to pick it up and tears welled in her eyes. It was a piece of jewelry, a clasp, made with Darryl's symbol. One that he wore with pride on his cloak.

"May I see the graves?" she asked, not meeting Layna's eyes. The woman led her silently to where the temple had been, and then around the back. Stones upon stones marked the lives of those who had been identified. She walked up and down the rows, pausing here and there to weep at particular ones that she had known well. Among them were Felix, whom she had bought cloth from at the festival, Etta who had clung to her youth with her husband's potions, and her parents.

She knelt before her parents' graves, staring ahead with blurry eyes. If only she hadn't left, if only she could have done something to have prevented this! Her throat constricted, making it hard to breathe, and she involuntarily let out a shuddering wail.

She felt gentle arms around her and she sank into their embrace, not caring that she was soaking the Queen's robes. It was some time before Natalya was able to bring her breathing under control and she pulled away, wiping her nose. She looked at the large wet spot she had left on Layna's shoulder, but the Queen ignored it, giving her a concerned look.

"Are you alright? Should we go?"

"No," Natalya said, sniffing, "I'd like to see the people you haven't identified yet. They deserve to be recognized if I can."

The Queen simply nodded and moved to enter the temple. She paused at the door and looked back at her. Natalya squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, forcing her numb legs to march forward. She had seen a dead body only once before, when the old lady that lived at the end of their street had died in her sleep. She had been tagging along with her father while he made a delivery, and they discovered her in her bed. She had looked almost peaceful and Natalya had thought her to be only sleeping. When she had failed to rouse at her father's voice, Natalya had placed a hand on her arm. The cold hard flesh was a feeling she would never forget.

She walked into the large room, where she had spent many days listening to the priests' sermons on the Three. Now, however, it had been transformed into a morgue. Bodies lay in the pews, gentle blue light encasing them. The state of the bodies was nothing like the serene scene in the old woman's house. Wounds crisscrossed their lengths, some were missing parts or were badly burned. All had some tell-tale sign of the horrors that had gone on here.

Natalya sucked in her breath. Layna squeezed her hand and she held onto it tightly. She took a few moments to compose herself before approaching the first body.

It was a man she knew only vaguely, and could only remember his first name.

"That helps," the Queen assured her, "we have lists of people who were thought to be here and are missing, so we can narrow it down."

She moved onto the next, but it was so blackened and peeling that Natalya couldn't tell if it was even a man or a woman. She shook her head.

After a few agonizing identities, she came to stand before the body of Darryl. She was granted a small favor that his body was devoid of wounds, save the bloody hole in his chest where his heart was.

"He died quickly," Layna whispered behind her, apparently sensing her increased discomfort.

She clenched her teeth together and flared her nostrils as she inhaled. "This is my friend, Darryl Elsworth." She reached out to stroke his cheek. It felt devoid of anything, an empty shell that had once housed a friend. But now only a reminder to the living of what they had lost. She fished out the clasp she had picked up on the street and closed his fist around it.

"Will they bury him with it?" she asked over her shoulder.

"I'll make sure they do."

Natalya forced herself to look at every single body and though many were people she could not name, or who had only been visiting and she had never lain eyes upon, every one that she did give a name to gave her another bit of peace. They could be laid to rest.

When they exited the morbid building, Natalya breathed in the relatively fresh air outside, though still tainted by the acrid remains of the flames.

A wagon came rumbling into the square.

"What is that?" Natalya asked.

"Those are Charles' wards. Most lost their parents to King Nathair, either through his draft of the war or as punishment for defying it. People in the capitol were hit hard by his influence. Charles hopes that by bringing them out here and having them rebuild the town, they will learn that they can do something other than beg in the streets. City life is much different than out here, and without experiencing it yourself, people tend to assume that there is nothing else out there. No other way to live."

Natalya watched as the children jumped off the cart, and was surprised by their subdued tone. The bubbly natures they had displayed when she and Hunter had first visited Charles were gone. It had been easy to overlook then that these children had all gone through something horrible, but the respect they showed revealed just how well they understood the misery.

One of the smaller children spotted her and waved unobtrusively and Charles followed the boy's attention. As he caught sight of them, he made his way over looked down at her awkwardly.

"Don't know what to say..." he stated gruffly.

One of the children had followed him and she moved forward, wrapping her tiny arms around Natalya's waist. She looked down at the little girl in surprise. A boy joined her, his arms tightly gripping them both and pulling them all together. And then another joined in, and another, until Natalya was encompassed in a mass of children. She caught a tear in one's eye and hers watered of their own accord, welling up in sadness, but also in the overwhelming sense of comfort that these near-strangers had given her. Her tears coalesced and flowed freely from her, sharing her grief with these children who had all known their own hells.

The moment didn't last long, but the warmth it left on her heart gave Natalya a glimmer of hope that she could recover from this. It wouldn't be the end. She watched as the children dispersed, following Charles' barked orders to begin the reconstruction. None of them complained nor shirked away from the work. All of them had lost everything, but had not let their tragedies rule their lives.

She set her face into a mask of determination and put this behind her. There was nothing she could do to change the past, no matter how much she would like, but she could still save her sister. She just needed to focus on the future and on things she could change.

She caught Queen Layna's eye and nodded. She was ready to move on.

CHAPTER 12

Layna strolled to the curtained balcony and peeked down at the throng of people gathered below. She had announced that she would be making an appearance this afternoon and already thousands had gathered outside. She had never been one for public speaking, and when the subject was trying to make up for the mistakes of Telvani's betrayal...

She retreated and resumed her nervous pacing. The afternoon wore on until the time for her announcement drew near, and Gryffon joined her, holding Phoenix. He took her hand and squeezed it, a comforting gesture that never ceased to calm her. He had offered to make the speech with her, or even for her, but as the blood-heir and native of Gelendan, the people needed to believe in her. She gave him a quick smile and drew a deep breath, stepping out onto the balcony.

A cheer rose up from the crowd below, but whether it was one in her support or merely that their wait was over, she couldn't tell. She waited a few moments as they died down before spreading a spell outwards to help carry her voice to the farthest reaches of the mass of onlookers.

"My People," she began, and had to pause as once more the crowd burst into a flurry of excitement. She waited patiently as the cacophony petered out. "My People," she repeated, "since you gave me the honor of becoming your Queen I have strived to make Gelendan a better place." She gathered her thoughts and steeled herself for the next part. "But your faith in me has been tarnished by the faith that I had in another. Lord Telvani, who was my trusted advisor since my ascension to the throne, has been uncovered as a traitor to all of us."

A murmuring broke out among the amassed peoples and Layna had to wait several minutes to get the quiet she needed to explain.

"It has been discovered that he was part of the Order, the secret society that I told you existed for the purpose of breeding those with talent and possessing the mark, and furthermore had progressed this society into a new purpose. These he called his Faithful."

She closed her eyes and didn't bother trying to calm the outraged cries, feeling a similar emotion herself. When they had quieted to let her speak, she continued, "I feel as though I have walked into the serpent's lair," she admitted, hoping they could sense the despair she felt for not having recognized her mistake sooner. "The snakes of the Order ran far and deep, and I failed to see the one that was right under my nose, even as he committed heinous acts in my name." Her voice cracked and she was forced to stop. Gryffon appeared at the edge of the curtain, not far enough that he could be seen outside, but enough that his presence immediately allowed her to regain control of herself.

She sighed and it echoed over the amplified spell, her anguish resonating across the square. She took several deep breaths, but still couldn't speak.

Then another voice broke out, and Layna looked around to see who it was. Her eyes landed on a young woman who had climbed up onto the statue in the center of the courtyard and was waving her arms to the crowd for their attention. As Layna peered closer, she realized that it was none other than Natalya, who had brought her baby girl back to her. She quietly sent a tendril of magic towards the girl to amplify her voice as well.

"Listen!" she shouted and was visibly surprised by the volume of her voice as it echoed off the stone walls. The people quieted down and she cleared her throat. "I am possibly the last person alive from Hardonia." Her words silenced the last of the people talking. "Some of you may have heard that it was attacked by bandits," there seemed to be a feeling of agreement throughout the gathered people until she continued, "but that is a lie." A slight murmuring spread across the crowd. "In reality, it was a group of elite guards riding under the banner of the Queen, but following orders of Lord Telvani who were responsible for such a thing. His Faithful. And even worse, it was done to cover up the kidnapping of my sister, who was taken for Lord Telvani as part of his plan to gather high talents for his own experimentation." The murmuring was growing angry now and Natalya seemed to sense the change. "But none of this was done with the knowledge or consent of the Queen. Lord Telvani used her to do unspeakable things and she is standing before us today, in front of YOU today, apologizing for what HE did!" Her hands were going a mile a minute, expressing her conviction in her words. "Have none of you ever been swindled by a merchant, betrayed by a friend, or cheated on by a spouse? Are we all so perfect that we know the true person behind everyone we know? Is it so bad that our Queen _trusted_ one of her subjects? NO!" she hollered and was met by a smattering of applause. "Queen Layna came in after King Nathair had opened the flood gates of blood-magic being used again, started a war with Treymayne, and turned himself into a dragon and started eating people. _Eating people._ " She paused to let this sink in. "Queen Layna had to pick up the pieces from all that, and how did she do it? By visiting every corner of her country...personally. Even I met her. How many of you here today have seen her before, helping with her own two hands to clean up the mess of our country?" A cheer went up and was echoed through several areas of the crowd. But Natalya didn't stop.

"I, more than anyone, should hate her for allowing my sister to be stolen and my parents to be slaughtered," her voice broke and the swarm waited while she regained her composure. When she spoke again it was in a soft voice. "But I don't. It wasn't her fault. I can't hold her accountable for every action of every person in her kingdom. And yet this is exactly the standard to which she holds herself. She is doing the very best that she can, and I for one think she is the best thing to happen to Gelendan since the times before the Dark King. Who else can say they defeated an evil dragon?" Another cheer rippled through the crowd, growing louder as it spread. "Who else can say that their love for their husband is so strong that together they are the world's greatest mages?" The following cheer was louder this time. "Who else can say they withstood an attack by a circle of powerful mages out of love for their child and for their people?" Natalya had to wait several minutes for the applause to die down enough for her voice to be heard once again.

"Our Queen Layna, our King Gryffon, and our Princess Phoenix. I am proud to say that they are my sovereigns, and I pledge my loyalty to them. Let the Princess's namesake ring true throughout the land. We may have been burned more than once, but like the mighty Phoenix, we too shall rise from the ashes and become that much greater!"

The cheers that broke out were a wild frenzy and Layna felt a tear stream down her cheek. She had never expected such a show of support from the people gathered here, let alone Natalya, who had been scarred beyond repair by her failings. Gryffon did join her now, handing their baby girl to her.

Layna looked down at Phoenix held lovingly in her arms and glanced at Gryffon with affection. Then she held the baby high out in front of her, displaying Phoenix to her subjects. Yes, Natalya was right. Phoenix would rise out of the ashes of all the mistakes that had been made.

This action brought about even more cheers and someone started chanting, "Hooray for Phoenix! Hooray for Phoenix!" that spread farther and farther out across the crowd, nearly deafening Layna.

She caught Natalya's eye and smiled.

The girl smiled back.

Everything was going to be alright.

*

The scene reflected in the scrying glass of another, who watched the proceedings with interest, her eyes following the motion of the baby Phoenix as she was held in the air.

"Yes," she purred, leaning closer to the image, "Hooray for Phoenix. Let her usher in the new era..."

* * *
Continue the story in:

Bricrui: The Forgotten (Book 2)

Light the Reign: The Forgotten (Book 3)

BOOKS BY LAURA R COLE

The Eleventh World Saga:

BloodRunes Trilogy

Unleashed Fury

Those Who Fear the Darkness

Leoht

The Forgotten Trilogy

Serpent's Lair

Bricrui

Light the Reign

Connect with the author: www.laurarcole.com

