[Story] Quest of Twelve: 27/04/08 or 04/27/08 - Chapt. 20 [PG-13]

[Tapewolf]

Oh goodie... now we start to get a handle on what's going on 

[Gabi]

Heh, thanks. Well, I'm liked you liked the information. Don't worry, llearch, I'm sure next chapter will prove what you're thinking.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I doubt it, somehow. Not unless you're planning on proving that people suck, and that makes for a terrible story....

[Gabi]

Ok, let's see if it has anything to do with that or not.

Chapter 14: Burning feelings

The Wilmslow twins convinced the group to stay at Shadowy Meadow for a few hours, arguing that a pause and a good meal would help them face their journey with renewed energy rather than being a waste of time. Gallead wasn't hard to persuade; he wanted to know more about Jamie and the way she and her family lived. And Mariel was very interested in the way they handled magic, which had many points in common with her ways, but also had many differences. She wanted to find out if they were just differences of form or if there was anything she could learn from the ways of witches that could be useful for her. Plus, she wanted to find out how two human girls who were merely a year older than her had developed such great skills in protection magic, when that domain was so elusive for her. This led to a long conversation between her and the whole family, and the conclusion was that, since not everyone had the same potential to accede to each domain (and that was the main reason why there were many spells which could be cast in different ways), mastering protection magic would be harder for Mariel. That didn't mean it would be impossible for her to achieve that; she had time on her side and was perseverant enough to eventually accomplish any goals she set for herself; but it would be best for her if she started investigating other domains first. In this respect, when she informed the sisters of her failed attempts of enhancing her shield, and showed the protective weapon to them, Jamie suggested she used light magic to turn it into a reflective shield and make it deflect any energy attacks or even have them bounce back. In return for this, Mariel told the witches many of the things she had learned from Primrose and Selinur. There was no time for anyone to learn new spells, but in the end they all had more knowledge and ideas than they'd had before.

When the time came for the travelers to depart, Jamie asked them if they would return after their mission was complete. To which Gallead promised that at least he would, and asked her to stay safe and protect that part of the forest until then. Finally, the group left. Though Gallead didn't stop looking back until Shadowy Meadow was nothing but a shadow in the distance. Only then, Erin broke the silence.
"Now, will anyone explain..."
"Why we trusted them?," Timper interrupted her.
"How did you know what I was going to say?"
"I'm getting to know you. Besides, I actually have the same question. I know that Mariel trusted them and she seems to have a powerful intuition about who deserves her trust. But I agree that everything went too fast to make any sense. I wouldn't have opened up so fast to anyone, and I'm the one who told you everything I could do on the way we met."
"That doesn't make sense; in which way didn't you open up?"
"In the way Mariel did... Or Gallead."
"There was something special about her..." Gallead said in a way that showed more evocation than self defense. "The way she looked at me, the way she talked... It was as if I could see through her. And I loved every bit of what I saw."
"Now you'll say you could get lost in her eyes forever," Erin laughed.
"It's possible," Gallead replied.
"Oh, I can't believe this!"
"I don't expect you to understand me," Gallead told her. "Though it would be great for you if you could. But you and I are very different. I'll never be such a good fighter as you are."
"Just clear this out for me. Do you fall in love with every pretty girl you meet?"
"No, of course not!"
Gallead shook his head, sighed and then continued.
"It's not something I can explain. It had never happened to me before. I don't know what it means, if it means anything at all. Our races are not even biologically compatible, and I don't really know if I'll get to see her again. I could die in this quest for all I know. But..."
"But?," now it was Eric who asked, proving that their conversation had exceeded the limit of the small group who was carrying it out.
Gallead paused for a moment, thinking.
"But I really want to believe I'll see her at least once more," he finally said. "Ever since I left the Valley, I've dreamed of having a place to return to after each journey. Now I feel I've finally found one. It could be an illusion. Maybe she doesn't feel the same way and she was just surprised that she found creatures she hadn't seen before. But something inside me tells me otherwise and I want to believe it. Call me crazy if you want; I have no way to show I'm not."
"You're not crazy," Eric told him. "I think I know what you mean."

The air was filled with silence, while the minds of the travelers were anything but. Mariel, Eric, Gallead, Erin, Timper... even Pura. All of them were too concentrated in their own thoughts to utter a word. Until the silence was finally broken by the cracking of a heavy tree branch, which shot itself to the ground, nearly smashing the smallest ones. Luckily for the group, they all reacted fast enough and evaded it.
"Umm... what's the chance of that being an accident?," Pura wondered.
"Normally, high," answered Erin. "These days, I'd say close to null."
"I'll look around," Timper said, taking the shape of a small bird.
"Me too," Pura decided, flying in the direction where the branch had come from.

It turned out Erin had been right, but it was neither Timper not Pura who found that out. The attack revealed its nature when the trees around the group began to close in.
"Dassels?," Eric asked no one in particular.
"Too powerful," Timper responded from above. "Either we're facing hundreds of them or we're up against something bigger."
"Please let it be something bigger," Erin yearned. "A hundred Dassels are more irritating than a hundred flies."
At that moment, one of the tree roots rose from the ground where Erin was standing. The faerie flew away from it and lifted her arms, pulling her sword out of the air.
"I've never enjoyed gardening, but I guess it's time to do some," she announced.

Erin began to swing her sword and slice the attacking branches as if they were made of paper. Eric and Gallead did their part, while Mariel, Timper and Pura tried to locate the source of the attack, each in their own way.
"They're driven by magic," Mariel finally sentenced.
"Then try to find who's causing it," Erin told her.
"I'll watch your back," Eric offered, getting closer to her in order to stop any trees from reaching her while she was concentrating.
It was easier said than done. The trees wouldn't give the group a break. It was as if the whole forest was against them. They attacked with their branches, roots and trunks, and they also used their bulks to restrict their mobility, not missing a chance to surround one fighter and isolate him or her from the rest of the group. The first one to be trapped was Gallead, whose sword wasn't as thick and hard as those of Eric and Erin, and needed more blows to get the same job done. Gallead managed to cast his agility spell before the trees started pressing him, but couldn't find an opening that was big enough for his sword to pass, and the trees didn't allow him the time to create one with his weapon. He had no choice but to escape through the treetops, leaving his sword behind. When he materialized again, he encountered a 6-winged, thick-muscled Timper, who soon became aware of his predicament.

"Something's making them stronger and more resistant," Timper said. "sheer strength won't bring them down. You'll need a good sword to cut them and stop them. One like Eric's."
"Eric's sword is too heavy for me," Gallead replied. "I could lift it, but I can't fight with it."
"With Eric's sword, maybe. But with a sword that helps you, you'll do a great job."
Saying this, Timper stood on Gallead's hands and assumed the shape of a reinforced steel sword. Gallead decided not to ask any questions, and to try out Timper's plan. Timper was heavy in this form, but Gallead's agility spell helped him swing him faster, and the false sword added the extra impulse Gallead needed to slice the tree trunks and make them fall. Things were beginning to look good for them.

Pura was the next one to be surrounded by thick trunks, but the trees could never press hard enough to prevent her from sliding through small open spaces, and the branches could never move fast enough to hit her. All they could do was try to block any possible openings before she detected them, but it was still easy for her to get out. Staying out was the hard part. She was beginning to tire from flying so fast without stopping for even a second. And she wanted to do something useful, not just keep escaping until her friends could put an end to the threat. So she did the only thing she could think of: she soared above the treetops and made a rain of light fall on the group of trees that had been trying to get her. Most of their leaves sizzled and burnt from the excess of light, but the wood was unaffected. Realizing there was not much else she could do, she decided to look for Eric and help him detect any unseen threats. But before she could find him, she spotted something else.

At that point, Erin had been left alone. She would have had no problems getting rid of the trees, if not for the fact that they kept coming, no matter how many she cut down. They had managed to push her away from the rest of the group, and now she could see no signs of any of her friends. Moreover, it looked as if a half of the forest had gathered around her and was trying to crush her. Well, half the forest would be an exaggeration, but there were easily 40 or 50 trees dedicated to her alone. They were closing in... getting too close for comfort. Too close for their own good. No sentient being could be found anywhere around. Erin was on her own. No friends, no witnesses... no constraints.

When Pura found Eric and Mariel and informed them of her discovery, they all made their way to the spot she indicated. They arrived too late, though. By the time they reached it, the shining point on the ground that Pura had seen had lost its brilliance and turned into a simple puddle of melted glass. The attack had ceased, the earth around the glass was dry and most of the trees of that area were burnt. When Gallead showed up, they asked him if he had any idea of what had happened, and he told them that he had only seen a huge fire. He had blown strong winds to encase it and stop it from spreading, until it had eventually died out. No one knew what had caused it, except maybe for the two members of the group who were still missing.

Timper had been separated from Gallead a few minutes earlier, when, while trying to cut down a tree, another tree had hit the ferwill and pushed him back. Gallead had got up quickly, but the trees had moved to block his way and, when he got to the spot where he'd left Timper stuck in a tree trunk, the shifter had disappeared.

"We need to find him!," Eric urged the others as soon as he heard Gallead's story. "And Erin too. They could be in trouble."
"The magic is gone," Mariel informed him. "I think it was this glass thing that was controlling the trees. I can't believe it caused so much damage to the forest. I wonder who or what is responsible. In any case, I don't think Erin and Timper are in danger right now. Maybe they're just lost."
"Timper doesn't strike me as being the kind who gets lost," Gallead said. "I'm sure he'll find us before we can find him and Erin. I think we should all stay in one place, to make it easier for them to locate us. We'll miss each other if we move."
"What if they're hurt, or unconscious?," Eric suggested, concerned.
"We're talking about Erin here," Pura replied. "I'm not sure if there's anything in this world that she can't endure. And Timper seems to be quite tough too. We should give them some time to find us before we start looking for them. They can't be too far."

*************************

Jumping back a few minutes, Timper was pinned to a tree trunk, while several branches were trying to beat him up and break him. He was too hard to be easily broken, and he could get harder; but that wouldn't stop the trees, nor help his friends. He was worried about them. They were all out of sight, and at least one of them was unarmed. He decided to take the risk and look for them. So, he shook his metallic blade to break loose, let himself fall and regained his original shape.

Evading the trees in the best way he could, Timper initially followed an erratic path marked by the available spaces. But then, the unexpected smell of smoke and burnt wood determined his course. Suspecting that yet another threat had risen, he decided to investigate the source of the smell. For that, he turned into a luysher: a small, semi-transparent air being, and the fastest form he could use without breaking a promise and unleashing a possible tragedy (as unlikely and senseless as that sounded, he didn't want to be responsible for the consequences if Pura's words were founded). He managed to avoid most attacks and endure the few that connected, and as the air got hotter and harder to breathe and the sound of flames became clearer, the trees ceased their movement. Timper didn't understand what was going on, but he had the feeling that the fire had something to do with it. The flames soon became visible, as they embraced a wall of trees right in front of him. He stuck to the ground to avoid being burnt, and walked past them. Once on the other side, he followed the fire to its source, and his eyes met a scene he'd only seen illustrated in old books.

There it was, the origin of the fire. It was a faerfliye, with a head crowned in orange flames and a short golden dress that shone in different tones, reflecting the oscillating light. A female faerfliye, with a pair of transparent wings that were definitely a lot more resistant than they looked, and a pair of legs that... no, no time for that kind of thoughts. She was still releasing fire; she could burn everything in the area if she didn't stop, and she didn't seem to be in a state in which the idea of stopping would come to her mind. This uncontrolled display of power was a proof of that. Flames burst out of her hands with the fierceness of a beast being unleashed after years of captivity. And Timper could be wrong, but that beast didn't seem to care about who or what stood on its way. It would advance and devour, and if it went too far, guilt would consume its creator more than anything ever had. For, though much about her remained a mystery, especially now, he did know her that much.

"Please, stop! Don't do this to yourself!," Timper shouted, but the fire faerie could only hear the sound of her own flames.
He tried to think of something that could make her stop, but every idea he could think of would either be useless or make her hate him. Finally, he came out with a very risky, crazy plan. He transformed into a neini, a creature most vulnerable to fire, and pushed the air with his green wings to ascend to the faerfliye's side. When he was in her range of sight, he urged her to stop once more.
"It's over," he said. "The threat is gone. Now please stop!"

The flow of fire was cut abruptly, and the flames on Erin's head died down, her orange-ish golden hair falling back on her shoulders and her body sliding down at a slow pace. Her eyes showed nothing but shock. Timper followed her to the ground, returned to his normal shape and contemplated her in silence. Until she finally spoke.
"Timper..."
"Are you alright?," he asked her.
"No, I'm not!," her attitude suddenly changed. "What are you doing here? You... you could have died! And what... why... What the hell are you doing here?!"
"I trusted you, I knew you wouldn't hurt me. And you're welcome."
"What am I supposed to thank you for?"
"I stopped you from burning the whole forest."
"Burning the whole forest? Don't be ridiculous! I was going to stop as soon as the trees stopped attacking."
"They stopped about 5 minutes ago," Timper revealed.

Erin paused for a few seconds, reflecting.
"You've seen me," she finally said. "You know what I am."
"A faerfliye," he confirmed. "What's wrong with that? You know what I am too."
"You don't understand!"
"Then help me understand."
She made another pause, then shook her head.
"I can't. Just... just leave."
"Erin, please. I want to understand you. That's all I... Ok, since it has come to this, explain yourself and I'll tell you what I've been hiding all this time. A secret for a secret. That has to be fair."
"You have a secret?," Erin questioned him. "What are you talking about?"
"You were right about one thing when you met me. I wasn't being completely honest. But I had to keep something to myself. If I hadn't, you would have sent me away immediately."
"And now you'll reveal your secret because...?"
"Because I have nothing to lose anymore. If I don't speak, odds are you'll kick me out of the group to protect your secret. If I do, there's a chance you may understand me."
"Don't jump to conclusions about me. Speak."
"Ok..."

Timper took a deep breath and paused for a moment, trying to find the words and the strength to say them. "The truth is that, when I met you, I wasn't on a quest to help the people from the wastelands. I'm in this now, 100%, but back then I was debating whether it was best to go there and check what was going on or head elsewhere and wait for things to calm down. But when I saw you, things changed."
"How did they change?"
"I can't explain it. There was something about you that drew me in. You were a mind-blowing puzzle, and -sorry, I must say this- a beautiful one at that! The more I saw you, the more I felt the need to know you better."
"Let me get this straight. Are you saying you decided to go on a quest that might cost you your life... because of me?"
"I had to try. My life would be worthless if I weren't willing to take a risk when it's worth it. That's the way the greatest discoveries are made. What kind of explorer would I be if I turned my back on something like this?"
"'This' being?"
"Pardon?"
"'This' being me, the quest or the mental challenge you get from having me around?"
"Everything, actually."
"I can't believe this," Erin shook her head and laughed.
"I'm sorry. You must think I'm a fool now. In my defense I can say... it was worth it; for as long as it lasted. Everything I found out about you was a delightful surprise. You have even more in you than I originally thought. And call me egocentric, but I think it helped you too. You've opened up a lot since I met you, and shown sides of you I'm not even sure you knew about. And they all made me wish I could stay by your side."
"I never said you can't," was Erin's unexpected reply.
"Pardon? Did I hear well?"
"I must admit this is a bit... unsettling, but now I know you can keep a secret, and... I don't want to say anything I'll regret later, but I do feel having you around is doing me well."
Now Timper's eyes couldn't be wider.
"Don't take me wrong," Erin clarified. "I'm not going to go Gallead any time soon... Not ever, in fact. But I've lived many years and no one has ever treated me the way you do. And, for some reason, that allows me to do and say things I wouldn't have before. It's like I can be myself around you and it won't matter. I somehow feel... free, or at least a bit closer to being free." She paused for a moment and then added: "now I guess I am a fool."
"Why are you always so hard on yourself?," Timper asked her, walking one step closer to her, still refraining from touching her.
Erin sighed.
"I guess I'll have to tell you. Let's do this: if you haven't changed your mind about me once I've told you what you want to know, you can stay with us. But there's a good chance I'll only bring shame to myself and you won't have any desire to be anywhere near me again."
"I really doubt that's a possibility, but please go on."

"Ok. As you may already have figured out, I'm a wastelander. Only it was not a wasteland when I lived there. I grew up in Shantar, one of the two faerfliye cities that were constantly in war against each other."
"The other was Holtar, right?"
"Right. Then, if you've heard about those cities, you must know that the war went on for many centuries. This resulted in Shantar and Holtar making some of the best weapons in the world, but it also made life very hard for those who lived there. I was one of the kids who lost their parents in the war."
"Sorry, I didn't know."
"It's ok. That was a long time ago, and too many things have happened since then. I was raised in a community house with other orphans and the whole city looked after us. They gave us everything we needed, including a huge dose of physical training. No wonder almost everyone ended up growing into warriors. I was never the most sociable creature, but I had two good friends in the house: Allen and Wilson were their names."
"So, what happened?"
"What happened was that finally the 3 of us ended up joining the army because that was the normal course of things, but the closer we got to the battlefield and the more news we got about the war, the sicker we all grew of it. I was all for fighting for what I believed in, but all I could see there was meaningless slaughter. And there were no signs of either side having a chance to win, so it would probably go on forever. Allen saw this and deserted. He ended up being arrested, and they made Wilson lock him in until he decided to rejoin. He was a bit crazy, you know. When he came back, he said it had been nice to have a friend watch over him."
"That's weird."
"That's nothing. There was one night when things changed drastically, and for the worst. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to get some fresh air and fly around a little. I was only a few meters off the borders of the city when I found two suspicious shapes. I hid myself to watch, and found Wilson talking to a guy from Holtar!"
"A secret meeting between both cities?"
"Sort of. Or so I thought. There turned out to be outsiders involved, but back then I didn't know what to make of it. I intercepted Wilson when the other guy left and asked him what that was all about, and why he hadn't told us about it."
"What did he say?"
"He said he'd found a way to end the war, and told me to trust him. Something didn't smell good, but he was a friend, so I let him go and only decided to watch him closely. That was a huge mistake, but my biggest mistake came later."
"Why? What happened?"
"Well, a part of what happened, you already know. We were invaded. Both cities. An army of creatures we'd never known came in and, while we fought to repel them, we were missing too much information to succeed. Most of them turned out to be shadows. You'll never imagine what it feels to see those you know fall helplessly, their very essence stripped away from them. I hope you never get to see that. And then the shadows took their bodies and attacked us, like zombies. Few things could be worse than that, but there was something worse. Among the attackers was Wilson. It was not his body taken by a shadow; you could see the difference in their eyes. It was him, acting by his own free will. He kept raving about ending the war once and for all and destroying those who caused it... he had turned against his own people. Even against his friends."

A tear slipped down Erin's eye. Timper had the feeling there was something she hadn't said yet, but before he could do anything, she dried her face with her hand and continued.
"Allen tried to stop him, but in the end he failed and Wilson killed him. I couldn't take it anymore and I... I..."
"What?! What did you do?!" Now Timper was starting to get scared.
"I flew away," Erin revealed. "I was too scared and confused and horrified. I couldn't even think. I just escaped before Wilson could see me and flew for hours... days... weeks. I really don't know how long, I wasn't even thinking. Later I scorned myself for that; now I think I would have lost if I had fought, I was strong, but I couldn't defeat an army of shadows on my own. But still, I shouldn't have saved myself and let my city fall. I'll never forgive myself for that."
"So, what would you rather have done? Died in a futile battle, making your death the only change in the result?"
"The way you put it, I would have been pathetic no matter what I'd done."
"No way, Erin. Your life is worth too much to waste it like that. The fact that you're now fighting to make things right proves it. There was nothing you could have done back then, but there's a lot you can do now. And you're doing it."
"I can't believe it. I thought you'd be ashamed of me by now, but instead, you're praising me."
"I only give praise when it's deserved," Timper said. "...And every now and then I give a little extra praise to myself too."
Erin chuckled, unbelieving. She would have never guessed she'd be able to laugh after letting out what had been burning her from the inside for 8 years. What powers did Timper have?!
"Are you sure you're real?," she asked him.
"Absolutely. That's my motto, remember?"
"Oh, yes, I'll never forget that."
"So, what did you do for the last 8 years?"
"Well, after I escaped I flew straight until I collapsed... It turned out I fell in a restricted area in the middle of Isthum, a lurian village. When the lurians tried to lift me up, I woke up and saw something I wasn't supposed to see. So the lurians took me in. They said they'd help me recover from whatever it was I'd been through, though I knew they only wanted to make sure I wouldn't let out their secret. Still, it was good to be a part of a community again. The lurians learnt not to ask questions and gave me everything I needed, and in return I offered them protection and helped them with the heavier tasks. I spent most of the time out in the forest, training to take the uncontrollable emotions out of my system, and hoping I'd eventually get strong enough to take on Wilson and the shadows. Some time later I met Eric and Mariel, and then the massive attacks began and I knew it was time to go back and finally make things right. You already know the rest of the story."

"Wow!," Timper exclaimed.
"No, don't tell me I've left you speechless because I wouldn't believe it. You always have something to say."
"I guess you've thrown more at me than even I can find a good reply for."
"Well, it's relieving to know you don't hate me after this."
"Never! Trust me, Erin, one day you'll learn to see yourself as you really are. And that day nothing and no one will be able to stop you."
"We'll see. I hope you're right. So... what shall we do now?"
"That's a tough question." Timper stopped to think for a minute. "Ok, I don't know what we'll do when we have to face the rest of the group, but first would you please allow me to find out something? Consider it professional research."
"Do I want to know what you're trying to find out?"
"It's simple. I want to know how strong faerfliyes really are. Is it true that you're stronger than massennes?"
"Oh, so that was it!," Erin laughed. "Yes, we are, at least in average."
"Would you mind if I checked how strong I can be as a faerfliye?"
"Go ahead, if it helps you do a better job as an explorer. Actually, it would be interesting to see what you'd look like as a faerfliye."
"Alright, then. There I go; I hope neither of us gets disappointed by this."

Timper's jacket opened behind his back, to make room for the new pair of transparent wings, while his hair began to turn from black to bright orange. No other change occurred.
"Not bad," Erin sentenced. "Though your clothing still looks rather awkward."
"I usually change my clothes when I have to fit in, but that's not the case now," Timper said. "The thing is... I don't feel any different. Except for the wings. The wind is tickling them a little. Did I do anything wrong, or is this the way I'm supposed to feel?"
"I don't know," Erin replied. "You're the shifter, not me. Why don't you try lifting a rock or something? That way we'll know if you did it right."
"Good idea. Too bad I won't be able to shoot fire, that would have been nice. You looked awesome, by the way. Hey, wait! I have a better idea."
"What's gotten into your mind this time?"
"I can test my strength against you."
"Are you sure? I'm a trained warrior, not to mention I've been a faerfliye all my life. Even if I've been hiding it for the last 8 years."
"Not in battle. A game. We can get that trunk over there and hand-wrestle. Let's see how much of a fight I can put up."
Erin chuckled again.
"You're getting weirder by the minute."
"Relaxing once in while is good for health. Come on, it won't hurt you."
"You're a lost case... But what gives? Let's do it."
"Shall we do it with our left hands? I'm ambidextrous, I'll have more of a chance if I'm up against the hand you don't hold your sword with."
"I can hold it with either hand if I have to, or with both at the same time. But no, let's do it right and use our right hands. I'm not willing to have everything your way, you know."
"Whatever you say."
With that, they both took their positions and the competition began. The struggle lasted for about 2 minutes, and there were moments in which it wasn't clear who would win. But in the end, Erin prevailed.

"Alright, I accept my defeat," Timper sighed. "Just please don't start that old speech about the copy being unable to defeat the real thing and all that stuff."
"The real thing?," Erin laughed. "You know... the difference between reality and illusions is that real things are much more complex, harder to understand, challenging... usually harder to deal with. But when you become aware of reality, you fight hard in order to never be trapped by an illusion again. As far as I can tell, it doesn't get more real than you are."
Timper couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had that been a compliment? From Erin?!
"But you'll have to learn how to put those muscles to good use," she continued, standing up. "Or else you'll never stand a chance against a trained warrior."
That was more like the Erin he knew. He would have been scared if she had changed drastically all of a sudden.
"That will be hard," he answered, getting up from his position and reverting to his original form. "You wouldn't want me to transform into a faerfliye in public, right? That could give away your secret."
Erin paused for a moment to think.
"You know... I think they already know my secret," she finally said. "Jor has to, at least. There's no other explanation for the things he said, and he has seen the place where I was born. I guess keeping it from our friends will only hinder us. It's already been giving me trouble. I believe it's time to stop holding back. That is if you can tell the others what they need to know without having them hate me for that."
Many kinds of thoughts circled inside Timper's mind at that moment. While he was wondering how anyone could possibly hate Erin, he was also appalled and flattered at her sudden decision to trust him. But the thought that won his mouth was...
"What?! I've gone through so much trouble to find the truth about you, and now that I've found it you decide to let it out?!"
Erin laughed. It was an honest, clear, heartfelt laughter; the kind of which Timper had been dreaming of hearing come from Erin's mouth. It was literally a dream come true.
"What can I say? It seems I'm real enough too."
She turned around and started walking away.
"Where are you going?," Timper asked.
"To get the others, of course. And you'd better help getting the group back together. We're on a quest, remember? There's no time to waste!"
And with this, she took off.

[Tapewolf]

Nice to see Erin open up there.

[Gabi]

Sorry for the extremely long delay, and many thanks to llearch for reopening this topic.

As I read this chapter again to revise it (I think I fixed most phrasal verbs on this one), something made me laugh. D&D fans could well assume all the trouble in this chapter was caused by a D20. While I didn't actually roll a dice for this, you'll see what I mean when you read it.

Also, there's a lot of foreshadowing on this chapter.

Chapter 15: New-found links

Minutes passed and there were no signs of Erin and Timper. The group began to worry, and decided to search for them. All but Mariel parted in different directions, while the young elvin waited at the meeting point in case they showed up. In the meantime, she tried to find a way to do something for the forest. She couldn't stand watching the destruction that had just fallen upon it. Most of the vegetation in the area had been burnt or cut down during the battle, and there were no signs of any animals around. "We need to be more careful, or else we'll be no better than the forces we're fighting against," she sentenced. But how? How could they defend themselves without causing pain and destruction to those around them? There had to be a way...

Then she remembered the books she had brought along. She hadn't had time to read much since the journey had started. Now was a good time to see if she could find any useful spells. She skipped through the pages of a book and then another, until a picture of a blooming tree caught her attention and she stopped to read that page more carefully. Vegetal magic: one of the most basic forms of Life magic. Why hadn't she thought of that before? At least there was a way to make up for the damage they had caused.

2 hours passed before anyone returned to the meeting point. That gave Mariel the time to get the handle of a basic plant healing spell and apply it on several trees and bushes. She couldn't revive dead trees and wasn't proficient enough to regrow severed trunks and fallen branches, but she managed to heal most superficial burns and cuts. And all in just 2 hours! She reckoned Vegetal magic would be something interesting to explore in the future. It might even help the group on their quest eventually.

Then, a sword came floating in the wind at high speed.
"Watch out!," Mariel cried.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Gallead said, regaining his original form. "Wow, you've done all of this?"
"I've been trying to heal these trees, yes."
"It's amazing!"
She looked at him and smiled. She remembered how Primrose used to say she was a prodigy. She wasn't really sure if that was true, but she was glad she could do things well. They'd need as much power as they could get.
"So... you haven't seen them, have you?," she asked Gallead.
"I'm sorry. I managed to find my sword, but Timper and Erin seem to have disappeared. I was hoping someone else would have found them by now."
"I hope nothing bad has happened."
"Have you tried using your magic?"
"To find them?"
"Yes. Like you did at the cave, you used your magic to reach us all."
"Oh, that only works if you're close enough. And even if you are, if the person doesn't want to be found then it will be hard to make it work."
"Why wouldn't they want us to find them?"
"I don't know, I was just telling you how it works. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't. They must just be further than we thought."
"Or closer," Gallead said, pointing up.

Mariel looked at the sky and saw the shapes of an eagle and a faerie flying above her head.
"I'll get them," Gallead offered, and took off again.
Erin and Timper were caught in a small private tornado. Erin tried to fight it, but Timper helped her calm down.
"Easy, it's just Gallead," he told her. "Mariel's waiting for us below."
"I wish I had the an eagle's sight," Erin sighed.
"You have me," the eagle said, winking.
"What am I getting into?," Erin murmured, shaking her head while she let the wind carry her down.
"You're here! Where have you been?," Mariel greeted them when they landed.
"Talking," Timper said. "Lost track of time."
"You got us all scared."
"Sorry, but you should know better than to get so worried about us," Erin told her. "Not many things can blow the air out of me. Certainly not some plants."
"But... the fire?"
Erin and Timper looked at each other.
"We'll explain that when the others are back," Timper promised. "I take it they're searching for us?"
"I'll see if I can call them," Mariel offered.

It didn't take a long time before the group was reunited. Pura showed up right away as soon as she received Mariel's call, and Eric ran as fast as he could, taking only a few minutes to join his friends. Erin decided to let Timper do the talking and watch carefully in case he said anything that made her look bad. She was surprised at how good his words were to her, and how well the others took the information. The first one to make a question was Eric.
"Why didn't you tell us before? Were you afraid of us?"
Erin shook her head.
"Leave it to you to ask annoying questions. I should have known you'd come up with one."
"And I should have known you weren't going to reply," Eric shot back. "But I thought you were finally opening up."
"I've opened up more than I ever thought I would. Let's just not try to undress my deepest emotions right now. I have my reasons for doing everything I do. They may be right or wrong, but they are."
"Sorry, I won't bother you again."
"Where do we go from here?," Gallead inquired.
"I guess we'll continue on the same path," Timper said. "Finish what we started."
"We'll have to make new plans and get more training," Eric suggested. "Get comfortable with teaming up with each other, and know the range of our powers and everything we have. Is anyone else keeping a big secret we should know about?"
An awkward silence settled in, broken only by Erin.
"I think I know everything about our weaknesses and capabilities. I have that covered."
Pura descended and sat on a rock.
"Indeed you do," she said. "I must thank you for that coverage."
"If anyone has any secrets, that someone is likely to blow them on their own anyway," Erin replied.
Not many understood what Erin was going on about. Timper had some suspicions, but he decided to trust Erin. He wouldn't get anywhere if he didn't.

The group used the interval to have something to eat, and then set off, not wanting to waste the remaining hours of light. Everything seemed to be going fine until Mariel announced that something strange was going on. At that exact moment, a small creature jumped down from a tree and planted itself in front of the group. The skin of this being was completely white, while the loose, full-body suit and conical hat resembled the clothing of a clown or harlequin, except that they were made entirely of shiny black silk. The creature's gender was impossible to determine until it spoke with a thin, yet male voice.
"Good travelers, will you please help me?"
"Who are you?," Eric inquired, still a bit startled.
"My name is Meinor. I live in a small village near the river."
"You're far away from home," Erin said. "We have passed the river a long time ago."
"Am I? I don't understand much of what's going on, but... You need an explanation. I'll tell you as much as I know."
"What race do you belong to?," Mariel asked.
"He looks like a mannur," Timper noted. "Speaks like one too."
"He's right," Meinor confirmed.
Gallead smiled to himself. When Meinor looked at him, he manifested his thoughts.
"You must have found out a lot about us by now, right?"
"What do you mean?," Eric asked him.
"Mannurs can sense the feelings of others," Gallead explained.
Erin clutched her teeth. She wasn't too comfortable with that information.
"Don't worry. I won't intrude in your lives or anything," Meinor told her. "I just need help."
"What kind of help do you need?," Queried Mariel.
"I need you to help me find my partner... And my home."
"It's not common for a mannur to get lost," Timper remarked.
"I told you I don't know what's going on. Kyra and I were walking through the forest and then we found a tunnel on the ground. It hadn't been there before, and Kyra wanted to explore it, so she went inside... and suddenly I stopped feeling her! I looked for her, but she was gone. And I suddenly ended up in a part of the forest I'd never seen. I was about to crack from despair, until I found you. I felt you were all trying to do good things, so I thought you could help me."
"Do good things," Eric laughed. "A very simple way to describe what we're all here for."
"I really don't think we're here to find a lost creature find his way home," Erin said. "He'll find it sooner or later and we've lost too much time already. We shouldn't forget our true objective."
"Come on, it won't hurt to help," Eric insisted.
"How do we know it's not a trap?," inquired Pura, taking Erin's side for the first time. "We've fallen into one before, I wouldn't want that to turn into a habit."
"I don't think it's a trap," Gallead stated. "Mannurs wouldn't generally hurt others on purpose, since the pain and suffering they caused would bounce back to them."
"That rules out most cases, though some beings actually enjoy suffering," Erin pointed out. "Still, if it were a trap, he'd probably have thought of a better story to tell us. This one's just too stupid not to be true, so I'm guessing he does need help. Either that, or the trap would be too simple and we'd get out of it easily."
"Why are you so defensive?," Meinor questioned.
"Experience," Erin replied.
"If he was transported from another part of the forest, maybe the river he mentioned isn't even the one we passed by," Pura noted. "How do we know where he's supposed to go? And how did he get here in the first place?"
"Did you feel anything strange before finding yourself here?," Mariel asked Meinor.
"Nothing. I just walked into the tunnel to search for Kyra and all of a sudden I was here, standing on a branch of that tree."
"It's got to be magic," Eric sentenced. "Isn't it, Mariel?"
"I can't think of any other explanation," the elvin responded.
"Does it work backwards too?," Pura wondered. "I mean, if we go up to that tree, will we appear at the entrance of the tunnel?"
"I'm not sure. Meinor, you didn't feel Kyra when you got here, did you?"
"No, no signs of her," Meinor lowered his head with sadness.
"You both walked into the same tunnel, but the magic didn't bring you both to the same place..." Mariel rubbed her head, thinking. "This could be hard. It may take time to find out how the spell works."
"Should we really use our time on that?," Erin questioned. She seemed to be more irritable and anxious since she and Timper had reappeared. "He's not hurt, nor in danger. He's just lost. He and his girl can find their way home on their own, and we can't let our enemies gain terrain."
"But there's magic involved," Eric reminded her. "Our enemies must be causing this. It must be part of a bigger scheme. If we break the spell now, it's a win for our side."

Erin sighed. She should have known that. What was causing her to get distracted like that? She concluded it might be the fact that the mannur wouldn't stop staring at her. Weren't there more interesting things out there to look at? Just as she had those thoughts, Meinor turned his sight off of her and fixed it on Mariel.
"What's that sensation? Is it magic?," he asked her.
"It's shifting," she replied, without losing her concentration. Then she turned around. "There's more than one point."
"What does that mean?," Eric asked her.
She turned to look at him.
"It means that the spell is active on more than one place," she explained. "I don't quite understand it yet. But I can feel the magic on more than one spot, and I think the location is changing. If only I could reach into it and... Aahh!"

While Mariel was speaking, a hole opened on the spot where she was standing, swallowing the earth below her. She began to fall, but instead of landing on the bottom of the pit, she disappeared.
"Mariel!," Eric shouted, rushing to the place where the elvin had just been.
Pura flew past him and launched a ball of light at his chest to stop him.
"What are you doing?!," he yelled at her.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't think of another way to stop you," she apologized. "You were about to do something crazy. You've heard what they said. If you get in there, you won't find her. You'll just appear on any other place and then you'll be lost too. We need to think logically."
"We need to find her!"
"I hate to say this, but that could be hard," Erin said. "She's the one who knows the most about magic. Without her, we have no way to trace the spell to wherever it is it took her. I hate to admit this, but even I took her for granted."
"There's a way," Eric said, determined.
"Yes, there must be," Pura supported him.
"No, there is one. I may not be an expert in magic, but I've felt Mariel's magic many times. I've even helped her with it a few times. If she uses it, and she will, I'm sure I will feel it and find her."
"But what if she's too far away?," Pura questioned. There was worry in her voice.
"Wait," Gallead said.
"Wait for what?," asked Pura. "For her to find the way back?"
"No, I'm feeling something."
"But you can't use connection magic! How can you be feeling something?"
"Is it Mariel?," Eric asked with hope.
"To both of you, I don't know. Wait here. I'll go and check."
"I'm going with you," Eric decided.
"Then I guess I should go too," Pura sighed.
"No, I think you should wait here," Meinor told her.
"Why? What do you know?," the lurian asked.
"It's just a feeling," he said, while Eric and Gallead rushed into the unknown. "But I think there's nothing for you where they're going. The ferwill's mind may be confused, but his heart knows what he's after, and so does your charge."
"How did you know Eric was my charge?"
"That's the kind of feeling you have for him. Aside from friendship. Besides, I know lurians train warriors of other races to fight for them. Though I can't imagine the reason. There are many things about your race that I don't understand at all."
"We're a mysterious kind and we'd rather remain that way," Pura replied. "But if you're sure he'll be alright, I'll let him go."
"He's already gone."
"I can still reach them."
"Oh. Right. You're fast. Don't worry, he has more confidence and determination than I've ever seen on anyone before."
"Yes, the little big guy is admirable in that respect."
Pura's voice reflected a smile of pride.

*************************

Gallead guided Eric up to the entrance of a cave, and then made a sudden stop.
"What is it?," Eric asked.
"I don't know. I... I suddenly stopped feeling it. It came from inside this cave."
"What were you feeling?"
"Warmth... a welcoming sensation. It was like magic, or maybe something even more powerful."
"What can be more powerful than magic?"
"By the way you came rushing at the first chance of finding Mariel, I believe you have an answer to that question."
"Pardon?"
"It doesn't matter now. It's gone."
"We should go into that cave."
"I'm not so sure. Things didn't turn out well the last time either of us went into one."
"Don't tell me you're afraid of caves just because one cave you entered was enchanted."
"No, but this one's enchanted too. At least I felt something coming from inside. And now that it's gone, it could have changed into anything else. If we go in, we don't know what we would find."
"We won't find anything at all if we don't take the risk," Eric pointed out. "You can back off if you want. I'm going in."
"I'm going with you. The aim of all this might be to separate each of us from the others. Let's not give them what they want."
"Alright, then we'll go in together."

Eric took Gallead's hand to make sure that both of them arrived at the same place. He was rather disappointed when they crossed the entrance of the cave and found out they were inside... a cave. He looked back to check if anything at all had happened, and he noticed the cave went on for as far as he could see. So, they had been transported after all. The question was: was that the same place Mariel had been taken to?

Eric didn't have much time to ask himself questions, for rocks suddenly began to fall from the top of the cave. He jumped forward instinctively, while Gallead assumed a more ethereal form until the threat was over. There was no use in fighting falling rocks. An opening was made on the roof of the cave, and the travelers could soon see what had caused the stones to fall, as a huge creature with brown skin that resembled an arid mountain made its way into the chamber where Gallead and Eric were standing. The creature stood upright. Its two legs were the size of large tree trunks, and its two arms, with no fingers at their ends, matched their length if not their width. Its face wasn't easy to distinguish, but its eyes could be inside the two small caves on the front of its head, and using some imagination the stone-like protuberance below them could be its nose. There was nothing on that face that resembled a mouth or ears, let alone eyebrows.
"Hmm... You don't think this creature is friendly, do you?," Eric asked Gallead without much hope. When he was forced to jump back to avoid being hit by the pillar that conformed one of its upper extremities, he replied to himself: "thought so."
Gallead took out his sword, but the light blade couldn't even scratch the giant's thick skin. Eric's reinforced sword wasn't doing much better, leaving barely any marks where it passed. The creature didn't show any signs of pain or fatigue. It was time for a change of strategy.
"Gallead, up!," Eric instructed his friend while planting his sword into the ground.
Gallead understood the message and took off right before the base of the cave began to shake. The monster was about to land a punch on the merial, but the earthquake caused it to trip and dig its fist -if it could be called that- into the ground instead, with such strength it had trouble taking it out again.
"Nice move!," Gallead commended Eric, becoming solid again.
"Yeah, but I don't know how many of those I can pull out. Using that much power is exhausting."
"Then let me help you."

Gallead placed his left hand on his chest and the right hand on top of it, then did the same on Eric's chest. Eric felt his strength flowing back to him, his heart returning to its normal, relaxed pace, and his lungs getting filled with fresh air.
"How did you do that?," he asked.
"Healing. One of the two spells I know," Gallead answered. "And I guess I'll have to use the other right now."

Gallead's greyish skin became lighter for a second, and then he gave a huge leap forward and to his left, carrying Eric along with him, just in time to avoid another blow. They might have held the creature back for a while, but it would take a lot more effort to bring it down. Luckily for them, the massive monster wasn't as fast as it was strong. Eric's natural agility and Gallead's boosted mobility helped them avoid the most dangerous blows. Even when the beast stomped on the ground, causing a shockwave. They managed to jump up right in time. And when the right pillar did touch Gallead, he transformed into wind before taking serious damage. However, they were beginning to feel tired, while the creature looked like it could keep going forever, and none of their efforts to hurt it or stop its attacks had given satisfactory results. That was until Gallead made a connection.

"This creature has no hands or claws," he pointed out.
"I can see that. But it punches hard," Eric replied.
"No, I mean... what would a creature need them for?"
"Hold a sword? Write?"
"That too, but without hands or claws, you can't climb!"
"Oh!," Eric open his eyes widely in realization. "I get it. Fade when my sword hits the ground."

Gallead nodded and ran to the side, blowing a gust of wind at the monster to get its attention. As soon as the creature turned around, Eric took the chance to sink his sword right between its feet. At that moment, Gallead faded from sight, and strong tremors created a massive crack on the ground where the monster was standing. Caught by surprise, the brown giant tried to cling to something solid, but to no avail. Giving up, it fell helplessly into the depths. The breach opened was so wide, even Eric fell into it shortly after the monster. The two were too close together. The merial had known that would happen, but there was no other way to get his opponent trapped. He had stayed close to a solid wall, though, and stuck his sword into it to prevent himself from falling any further. However, what he had not prevented was the beast enduring the fall without much harm and beating on the walls of its new prison, making them shake. If it kept going like that, Eric's sword would break loose and he would fall inevitably. He tried to climb up, but every stone he held on to eventually cut loose and rolled down to the bottom. He didn't dare take his sword out of its place before he could find something firm enough to hold him.

"Let go," Gallead's voice said from above. "I'll get you."

Trusting his friend, Eric pulled back his reinforced steel sword and let himself fall. His fall didn't last a second, however, as a strong whirlwind lifted him up and deposited him on the surface.

"Thanks," Eric said as soon as his feet touched the ground and he could see Gallead's face again. "I owe you one."
"No worries. We make a good team."
"Yeah. What was that, anyway?"
"I don't know, but it reminded me a lot of the trasks we fought before. Strong, earth-based or so it seems, incredible resistance, no signs of reasoning..."
"It does seem like Jor's doing, doesn't it?"
"Yes. I wonder why he's after us. I'd never seen him before the trasks attacked."
"Neither had I, but Mariel said he was the one who attacked the lurians. So I guess we got in between him and something he wants. Either that, or Erin really pissed him off during their night watch."

Gallead laughed, but his laughter was short-lived. A sticky white fluid suddenly popped out of one of the cave's walls and wrapped the hand that held his sword, solidifying immediately. He turned around to find the source of the attack, but only to have more of that fluid shot at his face, and then at each part of his body, trapping him completely. When he tried to transform into air, he found his prison to be so tight and complete that he had no way out. Eric wasn't any luckier. He received the same attacks, and was soon encapsulated into a solid, white container. He could hardly even breathe, and the little air left for him wouldn't last for too long. How could they have fallen into that trap? How had it all happened? It was then that both Eric and Gallead heard voices inside their minds. The voices were not quite the same for each of them, but the message was. "Don't give up now."

*************************

Minutes earlier, when Mariel touched the ground, she found herself inside a long, dark tunnel. No light came from above and, aside from the pile of dirt which had fallen with her, there were no signs of the place where she had been mere moments earlier. She reckoned that, while trying to analyze the spell, she had attracted it to herself. She also realized that her friends didn't have much of a chance to find her; she'd have to find her way back on her own. That wouldn't be easy. The spell had acted too fast, not allowing her the chance to understand how it worked before it dropped her. Now it was no longer active on that location. That meant she'd have to walk through the tunnels using her magic until she could sense it again. At least the lack of lighting wouldn't be a problem for her.

Mariel walked along the quiet tunnel, her sight assisted by a sphere of light which floated a few centimeters above her right shoulder, and her magical perception guided by a seeking spell. Wouldn't she be surprised, when after a not very long walk she found the first signs of magic, and these turned out to belong to a seeking spell much like her own! She followed the trail. Something told her she had nothing to fear about the user of that magic. Moreover, as both seeking spells intertwined with each other, the resulting pattern began to seem familiar. The elvin sorceress ran towards the source of that magic, and once her orb met an equal form of light and they both illuminated the dark figure sitting at the end of the tunnel, she concluded, with a broad smile, "great minds think alike."

"That's what my sister always says," the black-haired witch laughed, standing up. She, too, had been feeling Mariel's presence as she got closer. "Though she and I didn't think alike when I thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at the magic-filled hole which had sprouted out of nowhere. But it can't be that bad, if it helped us meet again. I can't believe you're here too! I didn't expect to see you again so soon. I was hoping I would some day, but I thought it would take longer."
"Yes, it's a surprise. It's good to see you again too. Though it would be best if we weren't both lost."
"So your friends aren't with you?"
"Not right now. We were together, but then I tried to track down a spell and, it ended up tracking me down instead and bringing me here."
"But they're fine, right?"
"Yes, everyone's alright. Gallead thinks about you a lot."
"He does?"

Jamie's face lit up at the mention of Gallead. She wished she could see him again, have him by her side. When she first saw him, she had been amazed at his sight just because he was a ferwill. But that feeling was long gone and had been replaced by something much stronger, something she could hold on to while she waited for the silent war to end and she and her family did thier best to protect the part of the forest they lived in. The way he had looked at her... she felt she could keep gazing into those eyes forever. They made her feel special, important, loved. They brought her peace, hope, and many things she couldn't put in words. She could almost feel him at that moment, as she thought of him... Almost?

"What is it, Jamie?," Mariel asked, noticing the change in her expression.
"Gallead's getting close," the human replied.
"Really? How do you know?"
"I don't know, but I can feel it. He's about to reach a portal and get here. He'll find us."
"That's great!," Mariel cheered.
"Oh, wait..." Jamie's smile slowly slid away from her face. "Too late. The spell has moved again. I can't feel him anymore."
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to get back," Mariel encouraged her. "If we work together, we'll decipher this spell and revert it."
Jamie nodded, and they both tried to trace the spell once more. It took time; it had already left the tunnels, and they had to combine their efforts to lead it back to them. It was a kind of magic neither of them had encountered before. And they failed to understand it. They did, however, manage to see through it at one point. They saw the walls of a better lit cave, and small creatures (or large insects) stuck on them. They saw the insects open their mouths and release some thick, white liquid. And then they saw nothing else, but they felt something: shock, frustration, fear. They didn't know why those visions had come to them, but they knew what they meant. Eric and Gallead were in danger.
"Don't give up," both girls whispered instinctively.
Only then each of them realized the other was seeing and feeling the same things. They looked at each other and asked no questions; there was no time for them.
"We need to help them break out of those prisons," Mariel said.
"Yes, but how? We're not even there!"
"With our wills unfurled."
"What?"
Jamie didn't quite understand Mariel's answer, especially since she had never heard her song, but Eric reacted to her words.

"Mariel?," the warrior spoke out inside his shell.
"I'm with you," came the reply. "You need to get out of there."
"Gallead, can you hear me?," Jamie tried.
"Jamie! I can hear you," the ferwill answered. "But how?"
"The spell connects different places," Jamie explained. "We used it to help us connect with you and Eric."
"We? Who are you with?"
"She's with Mariel," the answer came from outside. "They're working together."
"You got it right!," Mariel cheered. "As always."
"I wish I could get the way out of this prison right like that," Eric groaned. "I'm stuck! What's it made of?"
"Something that came from the insides of some big, grey bugs," Mariel replied.
"How do you know?"
"I saw them attack you. There was magic around them."
"Hidden by magic," Eric concluded.
"What was hidden by magic?," Gallead asked.
Jamie provided the explanation.
"Why can't I hear what Mariel says?," Gallead questioned.
"I guess I could only connect with you and Mariel could only connect with Eric," Jamie told him. "The spell is strange and tricky. We couldn't neutralize it, we couldn't bend it... All we could do was ride on it and make use of what was already there."
"Are you saying there was already a connection between us?"
"If I said 'yes', would you be surprised?"
Gallead thought for a moment before responding.
"I'd think everything's beginning to fall into place," he finally replied.
"Makes sense," said Eric, who had heard Gallead's words. "I guess that connection isn't meant for us to say goodbye before the air runs out. Is there any way we can get out of this bug-made cocoons?"
"If they're natural, they should respond to erosion," Gallead suggested.
"What's that?," Eric asked.
"Wearing them away."
"What's what?," Mariel inquired at about the same time.
"Erosion. Gallead has already answered."
"You didn't know?"
"When was I supposed to learn it?"
"Hmm... I guess this is as good a moment as any other. Erosion could work, but it might take too long."
"Mariel says it would take too long," Eric told Gallead.
"Eolic erosion alone could take ages, but a sword could help make it faster."
"Good idea!," exclaimed Jamie.
"What language are you speaking?," Eric wondered.
"Eolic erosion means erosion from the wind," Gallead explained.
"Ah, I should have guessed. That sounds good, try it and help me out if it works."

Gallead's cocoon was attacked from the inside by the force of an enclosed whirlwind and the sharp point of the Swift sword. It took less than a minute for the dense material to give in, letting the sword cut an opening around the sides. The upper half of the shell was pushed away and a strong wind came blowing out of the capsule. More fluid was shot from the walls, but it fell to the ground as it was released. There was no way to hit the wind.
"You've done it!," Jamie cheered. "Now blow on the walls. Send the bugs away, that should give you the time to help Eric."
Without stopping, Gallead followed Jamie's advice. He couldn't see the bugs, but he felt them cut loose as he blew all along the walls of the cave. Once he was sure he had all of them, he tossed them away through the hole opened by the earth giant like a hurricane. Then he made his sword spin around his friend's prison to cut an opening and release him.

Eric had never been more delighted at taking in a breath of fresh air. He thanked Gallead as the ferwill assumed his normal form and offered him his hand.
"I'd never done that kind of precision work in wind form before," Gallead admitted. "I'm not sure if I'd be able to do that again."
"I know you would, but let's hope you don't have to for a while," Eric said.
"The bugs are coming back!," Mariel warned Eric.
"A cave-in could stop them," Eric thought out loud.
"A cave-in would block our way out," Gallead said, guessing what was going on.
"We can make another," Eric assured.
"Ok, I'll trust you with this."

Eric lifted his sword and hurled it against a side wall. Once it got stuck there, he grasped it with his hands and used it to channel as much magic as was left on him. The walls began to shake, then the ceiling, and Eric took out his sword and ran just in time before the hard rocks gave in and collapsed. Once the rambling stopped, there was no light left in the section where he and Gallead were standing.
"Did that stop the bugs?," Eric asked. Fighting invisible enemies was not something he enjoyed.
"Yes..." Mariel said. "No, wait! Some landed on your side!"
"How can we stop what we can't see?!," Eric growled, frustrated.
"They're not gone yet?!," Gallead joined him.
"A glare could daze them," Mariel suggested.
"I don't know how to do that," Eric told her. "And even if I did, I don't think I could cast another spell right now."
A string of white fluid was shot at him. It hit his shirt, but he managed to jump away before getting hit by another attack.
"Gallead, can't you crash them against the rocks or something? I'm running out of options," Eric said while evading another attack.
"I don't think that would work," Gallead replied, also jumping from one side to another to avoid being trapped again. "Nothing I did could stop them before."
"Trust me, Eric. You don't have to use a spell on your own," Mariel insisted. "Just channel my magic like you've done before."
"All the times I did that, I was standing still," Eric pointed out. "I can't concentrate on channeling your magic and dodging the attacks at the same time."
"It will be just a moment," Mariel said. "They won't have time to hit you."

Eric decided to trust Mariel and, after warning Gallead to close his eyes, stopped moving for a moment. A new string was shot at him, but before it connected, he felt Mariel's light surge through him. He let it out, and the whole cave became brightly lit. It was too bright to look. Eric had to close his eyes too, and even so he could see the light through his eyelids. If that didn't stun the bugs, nothing else would. Fortunately for him, when most of the light faded away and he opened his eyes, he realized it had worked even better than he expected. Not only were the bugs dizzy and circling without direction, but they were also visible! They looked like grey crabs the size of his fist, only with 6 legs and no pincers or antennae. Their eyes were small black circles on the front of their shells. Satisfied, he turned to look at Gallead, but he couldn't find him.
"Gallead's searching for something Jamie felt," Mariel said, guessing his thoughts. "It may put an end to this whole mess."

And so he was. The ferwill blew through the darkness, wishing he could see where he was going. But he trusted that he'd know it when he'd found what he and Jamie were seeking. The space became narrower, and he managed to spread across it, feeling every rock, every drop of water, every little fungus and every crack on the stone walls as he passed. If he and Eric hadn't been in danger, it would have been an enjoyable experience. Finally, he encountered something sharper. It felt like a big, icosahedral crystal.
"That's it," Jamie's voice told him. "I can feel it. The magic's coming from that crystal."
"Does that mean that if I break it, the spell will be broken too?"
"I think so."
Gallead stopped to reflect.
"What's the problem?," Jamie asked him. "You don't think it will work?"
"I'm wondering what will happen if it does work," Gallead reply.
"I think we'll all go back to the places we were at before this all started."
"Will the connection be broken?"
Jamie didn't answer right away. Gallead could hear her take a deep breath and sigh.
"It will," he deduced. "You said you used the spell to reach us. That means you won't be with me anymore if I break this crystal."
"That won't happen," Jamie said. "The connection spell may break, but the bond between us won't. I will be with you, and you will be with me. We'll be supporting each other all the time, giving each other strength until we meet again. And we will meet again."
The answer wasn't as comforting as Gallead would have wanted, but he knew what was the right thing to do. So he decided to trust that Jamie was right when she said they'd meet again. She'd always been right so far, and if they both managed to live through the war nothing would stop them from fulfilling what they both wanted. Both of them thought what they felt was crazy; they weren't even biologically compatible, he was elemental and she wasn't (and neither of them had shifter blood to stop that difference from being an obstacle). But it was truer and stronger than anything else they'd ever felt. It was worth following it to its last consequences, breaching all the obstacles to make a safe world for that feeling to grow in. To see each other's faces again. To do things they'd never done... together. Trusting that feeling, Gallead lifted his sword and swung it against the crystal, shattering it. At that moment, a bright light came out of the shards and installed itself inside the Swift sword. When the blade stopped glowing, the sword felt even lighter than before. Before he could figure out what had happened, Gallead felt the air around him slowly begin to change, light making its way to his eyes.

"He made it," Jamie smiled, feeling the spell being slowly lifted like a wave leaving the shore.
"It was nice working with you," Mariel said. "I hope we can do that again some other time. Hopefully under better circumstances."
"I hope so too. Oh, wait! Before I go, there's something I need to tell you!"
"What is it?"
"We've been scouting the forest with connection, feeling the magical energies. We've found out that Shadowy Meadow's not the only focus of resistance. There's another to the northeast. Look for it, you may get help there."
"Thanks. Your family's doing a great work keeping the evil forces from spreading to the south. Please keep it up!"
"Will do."
Mariel saw Jamie's image become transparent, until it finally disappeared. Then, light descended towards her. It wasn't a magical light. It was sunlight. She was back.
"That was a nice trip," she joked.
"She's back!," cheered Pura right before getting down to where Mariel was and flying in fast circles around her head.
"It's nice to see you again, Pura. Though you're making me dizzy," Mariel told the lurian.
"Oops! Sorry!," Pura said, stopping behind her friend's neck.
"No problem. Now it would be great if someone could help me get out of this hole."
"Oh, now she'll want a ladder and all. The things I have to do for you!," Timper joked before serving as a means for the elf to climb up.
Meinor was no longer with the group. He and Kyra were probably together again, standing wherever it was that he had come from.

In the meantime, Eric and Gallead had appeared together at the mouth of the cave from which they had originally been transported. Understanding that the spell was broken, they made their way to the spot where they had left the rest of the group. They had lots of questions, but only one was spoken, possibly the most shallow one.
"You healed me at the cave, but I thought you had said you could only heal yourself with magic," Eric said to Gallead.
"Yes, I had yet to try it on others. But I'm glad it worked," Gallead replied.
Those were all the words they spoke before meeting the others. For all the other questions, they felt they would find the answers later; neither of them had them at that moment.

*************************

Far away, a tall figure stood before a metallic door with geometric patterns carved on it. His bright, golden eyes were contemplating either the door, or their owner's thought, or both. Straight, shiny black hair crowned the head those eyes belonged to, and the rest of the body was covered in white and golden robes. The elf turned around when he heard footsteps behind him, and his gaze was met by a pair of shiny turquoise eyes which gave an expression of excitement to a face framed in wavy golden hair. That hair fell down to a pair of shoulders covered by a white cloak, and he did his best not to look below them, but his instincts failed him. The sight was too good to be true. He forced himself to shake that sensation away and speak in a harsh tone.
"Nice work. But that dress doesn't suit you."
"Of course it does," the female replied. "I noticed the way you looked at me."
"I was just examining your appearance. And I owe you no explanations."
"Then don't give them. I never asked for them."
"You're good," he admitted. "Very good at what you do. But it's all just smoke and mirrors."
"You know it's more than that," she replied. "I've got a grip on how things work around here. I've done a good job; otherwise you wouldn't have called me to this place."
"I might have underestimated you. How much have you found out?"
"A lot, actually. It's amazing how much Jor and Wilson talk when they think they're alone. I'm also surprised someone as powerful as Jor would let his guard down like that. I would have thought he'd notice me. But it seems he's only on the watch for magic."
"I'll make sure to scold him. One of our enemies could have done the same thing you did. We can't afford becoming vulnerable. Not now."
"Not ever."
"True," he said with a smile. "I like the way you think. That's why I have decided to show you something I'm sure you haven't seen yet. Right behind this door lies the answer to all our calls. Our greatest source of power and the reason why we can never be defeated."
"That sounds too good to be true."
"I understand your skepticism. I actually cherish it. But because of the way this artifact works, it will never be broken; it can only add to its own power, feed itself from everything it takes. But before I show it to you and tell you how it works, I need to know something. Are you ready to join our group and take our quest to the last consequences? Are you willing to claim ultimate power and use it to get revenge on the world that turned its back on you? Or are you having second thoughts?"
"How can you be asking that? How could I have second thoughts? They took everything from me; there's nothing left in the world as it is that I would want. And they wouldn't think twice before smashing me to bits, so why would I?"
"Alright, then. By the time spring comes, you'll have the power to shape the world to your liking. Now I'll open this door and show you..."

Haggaus -for that was his name- was interrupted before he could finish the phrase, by an angry faerfliye who burst into the chamber, nearly knocking the door down.
"Wilson! What could have happened to cause such anger in you?," Haggaus questioned.
"Jor's recruit in trial screwed up, that's what happened," Wilson replied, literally catching fire.
"Easy. You won't achieve anything by burning this place to ashes. Why don't you tell me the exact events as they unfolded?"
"I'll tell you the exact events as they unfolded," Wilson mimicked him, putting out the flames on his head. "He felt a possible threat on the south-east and decided to try and destroy it on his own. He ended up being repelled instead, by an army of warriors and sorcerers gathered in a fortress called Twocastle. He sent the magical version of a cry for help and Jor's on his way to pick up what's left of him. But he said his condition seemed bad. Orb of Souls kind of bad."
"I'll be the one who decides that. Jor doesn't even know how to use the Orb, and apparently doesn't seem to know how to choose his candidates either. When he brings him, I'll give the merial one last chance if he can endure the treatment. But if he fails again, it will be the last time he does so."
"Speaking of candidates, is she the one you've been training?"
"Yes, and let me tell you that she knows much more about you than you know about her. You'll need to learn to be on the watch for her now that she'll be our partner."
"So you have promoted her."
"Yes. We're four now."
"Make that six. The whisterels I chose have done an impressive work. I hadn't seen a more perfect act of destruction for years. They complement each other amazingly."
"If it's a perfect act you want to see, you should see me on the stage," the female said.
"You'll have time for your hobbies later," Haggaus dismissed her, not turning to see the signs of the rage his words provoked on her. "Now I'll let you take a look at the Orb and then we'll get back on business. We need to do something about that fortress... What was its name?"
"Twocastle," Wilson answered. "And I think I know exactly what we can do to bring them down."

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

Now... how well does the metaphor hold when a sword gets a boost by breaking the dice?

[Tapewolf]

Interesting, particularly the part at the end.  I have to confess it was heavy going, though.  Have you considered splitting it up into smaller, more frequent chapters?  It might help cut down on the gaps, and it is certainly more digestible than a huge chunk of text.
Don't get me wrong, it's well-written but I think you might be pushing the limits of what is comfortable to read in a web browser.

Perhaps it's just me being pressed for time, but I had to read this chapter in two halves... and forgot to carry on until I saw the plug in CJP 

[Gabi]

Oh, sorry. I thought that might be it.

Ok, I'll try to keep that in mind and split the long chapters into smaller ones (and make up some way to keep the numbering for those who have read the ones on TPM). If I recall correctly, though, chapter 16 isn't very long. I'll have to check.

I'm glad you liked it, in any case. Thanks for replying.

CJP? What's CJP?

[Tapewolf]

CJP? What's CJP?

Shorthand for 'Chronicles of Jakob Pettersohn'...

[Gabi]

Ah, right. Well, I'm glad it worked.

[Gabi]

Here's another chapter! ^^

Chapter 16: Change of Course

Everybody had a lot of questions about what had happened. They discussed them during their night stop. Not the least intriguing of those questions was what that had been all about, but since they couldn't answer that one yet, they moved on to others like what had happened to Swift when Gallead broke the crystal, how many different places had been connected by that magic and whether there were more hidden portals around, what the creatures who had attacked Eric and Gallead were, and last but not least, what was the place Jamie had told Mariel about, and whether they should go there instead of heading straight to the wastelands or whatever was lying in the north.
For most of the questions, the group found no answers, so they decided to stay on the watch. Mariel assumed that the creatures had been altered by magic, but since she hadn't been there, it was just a theory. It was likely, though, since none of the experts had managed to figure out what they were; not even after Gallead had drawn them on his notebook and Eric confirmed the likeness was remarkable. About their course, they argued for a while, but the opinion that prevailed was that they should check out the place Jamie had mentioned, as they could learn more about what they were up against, restore their energies and maybe even add new numbers to their ranks (needless to say, not everyone was in favor of that last part, but half the group trusted the Wilmslow family enough to believe that whatever they could find there would be good, and two out of the remaining three considered it was worth trying).

"I'm the most experienced of us," Erin complained once the decision was taken. "How come we never get to do what I say?"
"Well, the rest of us have agreed," Mariel told her. "If 5 want something and 1 wants something else, and we can't do both at the same time, I think it's fair that we do what most of us think is best. Or we could keep discussing it until we all agreed, but that could take forever. Believe me, I know. My parents have spent whole days and nights away from home for that reason."
"I think we've done well so far," Eric commented.
"By chance," Erin remarked. "We've been relying on luck and last minute inspiration too much, and working too little on improving our teamwork. Ok, I agree with you about going to the northeast instead of straight to the north; we're not ready to face the shadows anyway. But we should work hard on getting ready. We don't even know what we have on our side right now."
"What do you mean?," Pura asked.
"I'm talking about Gallead's sword," she explained. "Something affected it, right? But how? And how will that affect us next time we battle? And Mariel is learning new spells; is there any chance they could help us against our enemies? And even me; you've never seen me use fire - except for Timper, that is. You all should get used to it, so that I could use it in battle without watching out for anyone accidentally getting in the middle, nor worrying about anyone getting distracted from the surprise. I say we need a training session before we go anywhere."
"Alright, we can have one first thing tomorrow morning," Eric agreed.
"I think now would be best," Erin countered. "We've been lucky so far, we've never been attacked by night. But we should be prepared in case it happens. The more battles we win, the more attention we draw to us. One day they will come for us, if they're not working on it yet."
"Makes sense," Eric said. "Is everyone ok with it?"
"I'm sleepy," Pura objected. "But I'll do my best. It's true, if they come for us, they won't wait for us to wake up. But let's make it short or else we'll all be sleepy tomorrow."
"You act like a little girl," Erin told her.
"I'm not in the mood for arguments now. Bite your tongue and let's start."
"Same pairings as before?," Eric asked.
"No, let's try something different," Erin suggested. "We must be ready to adapt to changes, as well as work with any of the others. So... I know. Eric against Timper, me against Gallead, and Mariel against Pura."
"Strange, but interesting," Timper commented.
"I won't last a second," Gallead flinched.
"If you can't handle a friendly match, why are you even here?," Erin questioned him.
"You may be good at fighting, but you know nothing about motivation!," Pura scolded her. "Don't listen to her, Gallead. Her tongue is sharper than her sword and, unlike her sword, she can't hold it. But she means good. She won't hurt you, and anyway, you're quite hard to hit for all I've seen and heard. I think she wants to be the first one to see what your sword can do."
"Don't provoke me or I might stop holding my tongue for real," Erin warned the lurian. "But, for a change, your words have been useful this time."
"Please don't start it again!," Eric yelled. "I don't know what the problem is between you two, but you should sort it out. How are we supposed to defeat our enemies if some of us keep fighting against each other?"
"It's just some minor tension," Erin said. "You could call it a tactical disagreement. Other than that, we're fine. You're right, we should focus. Shall we start now?"
"Ok, I'm ready," Gallead declared.

No further instructions were given. There were no fixed rules, so the practice would be over when they considered they'd had enough, and they were free to do whatever they wanted. They already trusted each other enough to know nobody would cross the line.

Oddly enough, Erin was the first one to be surprised. Gallead easily avoided all the blows she directed at him. She deduced he'd taken the chance to use his agility spell while she and Pura were arguing; she had to give him more credit than she'd thought (and pay more attention in the future). She took out her sword to try it against Swift. Gallead's light sword moved incredibly fast, and almost took Erin's weapon out of her hands. Hadn't it been for her strong grip, he would have succeeded. She tried a different approach, and flew up to the top of a small tree to put some obstacles between her and her opponent. Swift slashed through the branches as if they were made of air, but as soon as that happened Gallead ceased his attack.

"Sorry, I got carried away," the ferwill said. "I won't let that happen again."
"What? The branches?," Erin questioned. "They'll grow again, there are more important things. Stay focused. A moment's hesitation in a real battle can cost you your life. Sorry to sound harsh, but I'd rather you didn't learn that the hard way."

Erin was apologizing for her rudeness before anyone made any remarks about it. That was a first. Gallead understood her good intentions and nodded, getting back in motion.

In the meantime, Mariel was having a hard time trying to hit Pura. The lurian moved faster than anything she had ever seen, except maybe light itself. She could throw as many light balls as she wanted without getting tired, but so could Pura and, while Mariel's landed far away from their target, Pura's were quite accurate. Speed had never been the elvin's strong point. She could work on improving it, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never hope to be as fast as Eric or Gallead, let alone Pura. She'd have to change her strategy if she wanted to get a hit in. She tried a glare, but her opponent turned out to be the only one not affected by it. After most of her companions reminded her to focus on her own match without interfering with the others (Gallead was the only one who took an understanding role, and Mariel was disappointed that even Eric was unforgiving this time), she promised not to use that spell again without a warning. It had been useless anyway; apparently Pura could see through intense light.

"If you're going to attack someone with their own element, go for an intense attack that can actually do some damage," the teacher advised. "You may harness light easily, but it's not the same as being a light elemental. Unlike you, I have a natural resistance to it. You'll have to find a way to get through that, or refrain from using light against me at all."
"Now I see why you were chosen as Eric's advisor," Mariel said with a smile. "You do your job very well. Alright, I guess I'll try some new tricks."

With this, Mariel pulled her shield out of her backpack. It was so glossy, it reflected all the images around it like a mirror.
"Have you spent hours polishing it or used a spell on it?," Pura queried.
"You'll see," Mariel smiled.

Teacher and sorceress resumed their practice battle. Pura kept firing shiny projectiles, but this time Mariel didn't counter with light balls of her own. Instead, she only covered herself with her shield. Surpassing even her own expectations, the enchanted artifact absorbed all the light and deflected it back to the sender as fast as it had come. Not even Pura could react fast enough to avoid it.
"Wow, I'm impressed!," the lurian exclaimed, her voice showing some agitation. "As I always am whenever you're involved. That was a good spell! Had it been anything other than light, I'd be lying on the ground by now."
"Thanks. I could try another new spell, but I'm exhausted. I guess I took too long trying to hit you and dodge your attacks before I decided to try this. Maybe next time I can try the new tricks first. Can we call it off for now?"
"Sounds good to me. I was getting tired myself," admitted Pura.

So, Mariel and Pura retreated to the camp and watched the still ongoing battles from the distance. Timper was doing a nice job evading as many blows as he could by taking different shapes at the right time, but Eric was clearly dominating the match. Unlike the others, the two of them didn't have any long range attacks to use against each other, so they stayed close together most of the time. Timper's disadvantage came not only from the lack of fighting experience compared to Eric, but also from the fact that he didn't have any weapons except his own body. Luckily for him, he was good at improvising, as he showed when he turned into a spider, his small size and the darkness of the night sheltering him from Eric's eyes, ran quickly to the spot Eric was about to step on and took the form of a hard and pointy spike, breaching through Eric's shoe and piercing his skin. Eric reacted fast, however, taking out his foot and hitting Timper with the flat side of his sword. Neither the sword nor the spike took much damage from that, which was a sign that at least one of them would have to do something different if they wanted the training session to continue. Once more, it was up to Timper to provide the change. When the next blow came, this time from the side, the shifter released his hold on the ground, transforming into a sphere of steel. The impact sent him rolling away, and he took advantage of the distance to try out his own new trick. Arms and legs sprouted out of the metallic sphere, followed by a red-haired head, a torso and a pair of transparent wings. When the faerfliye charged against Eric and actually managed to pull his reinforced sword out of the warrior's hand, the shock was enough to break even Erin's concentration. However, Timper had to request for the session to finish, as Eric, before losing his grip, had swung his sword in a way the explorer hadn't predicted, forcing Timper's palms towards the edges. So, in spite of succeeding to disarm his opponent, the shifter had cut his own hands in the process.

If seeing Timper take the form of a faerfliye in front of the others hadn't been enough of a shock for Erin, watching him pull off exactly the same maneuver she had used when she'd first trained against Eric definitely was. She concluded he would never cease to amaze her, hardly realizing that she'd never said that about anyone before.

"Are we done too?," Gallead asked his training partner.
Erin shook her head, landing back into reality.
"We've barely even started," she said.
She let her hair ignite, and launched a fireball against the ferwill. Gallead barely managed to evade it in time, but he was readier for the next one. Instead of trying to block the attacks with his sword, like Eric did, Gallead summoned strong winds to blow the fire away before it could touch him.
"Not bad," Erin pronounced. "But how much can you handle?"

The fire grew in intensity, and so did the wind. The forces looked evenly match, but in the end, it was Gallead who stood firmly on the ground, and Erin who was airborne, with nothing to hold on to but the air itself. The air currents eventually became strong enough to blow her away. All the spectators were stunned at the thought of Gallead actually beating Erin, but things changed when the faerfliye placed her body in a horizontal position, holding her sword firmly with both hands ahead of her, and cut through the wind at an incredible speed. It looked as if, instead of repelling her, Gallead's wind were pulling her towards its source! Gallead was forced to fade immediately in order to avoid the living projectile, and when he reappeared, Erin was ready and pointing at his chest with her sword.
"Now we're done," she said, letting her sword disappear in a blink.
Gallead sighed and let himself fall on the ground.

"Wow, Erin, that was impressive!," Eric cheered. "How did you do that?"
"I can still pull some tricks out of my air-bag," was her puzzling reply.
"I should have imagined you still had some secrets," Timper commented.
"Have fun figuring out that one," she dared him. "Tell me if you give up, I might explain it to you if I'm in the right mood."
"If this is a game, give me all the pieces and I'll solve the puzzle."
"Right now what we all need is to recover and sleep. How about 6 shifts again? The ones who lost can take the 3 last ones, so you can sleep first."
"Evasive as ever. Ok, I won't oppose. I'll take the 4th shift if you take the 3rd."
"Whatever, but after my shift I'll be going back to sleep right away. We have a long way ahead of us. We don't even know how long."
"When did we ever know?," Timper laughed.
"I think I can lead us to the place Jamie mentioned," Mariel offered. "If her family could feel it, I think I can too. It will just take some concentration."
"Ok," Eric agreed. "Rest now so that you can be fresh in the morning."
"Let me heal your foot first."
"It's fine, it was just a small puncture."
"We'll have to walk all day tomorrow. Learn enough humility not to hinder yourself."
Eric was impressed at the way Mariel managed to keep smiling and sounding sweet even when she was scolding him.
"Alright, can't beat your logic," he gave in.

[Tapewolf]

"Not bad," Erin sentenced.
You might want to change that to 'pronounced'.
Good chapter though, and about the right length.

[Gabi]

Pronounced? Thank you. It's hard to find the right words sometimes, especially in English.

[techmaster-glitch]

Heh, reminds me of a quote, but i can't remember where it's from:
"The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

[Gabi]

Interesting, but... have you read the chapter or just the comments, techmaster-glitch?

[Tapewolf]

Pronounced? Thank you. It's hard to find the right words sometimes, especially in English.

Well it goes both ways... you've taught me a few things yourself

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

"For most of the questions, the group found no answers, so they decided to stay on the watch."

By "on the watch" I guess you mean they're remaining alert. I'm not sure that's quite the right phrase to use there, though. Sadly, the correct phrase is on the tip of my tongue... but I'll be damned if I can remember it right now. :-/

I'll sleep on it and get back to you tomorrow, hopefully. In the mean time, I enjoyed this chapter - even if I'm somewhat late with the comments :-]

[Gabi]

I appreciate your comments, and I know you were away when I posted it. And no one on the other forum where I'm posting this has replied yet.

[Gabi]

First split-up chapter!

Chapter 17-1: The Maze

The night was quite uneventful, to the group's benefit. Actually, the only thing that caught anyone's attention was the fact that, by the time Erin woke Timper up, she was wearing a thick woolen coat. When the shifter took a look at her, she quickly told him it was getting cold.
"Did you pull that out of your air bag?," he asked her.
"Don't be silly, only my sword can be stored that way," she replied.
"Then where did you get it from?," Timper kept on inquiring.
"It was in a pocket on Eric's pack," she explained. "Most of my stuff is there."
The answer seemed to satisfy the explorer, until she turned her back on him to lie down, and he saw the coat had an open space around her wings and a little above them, and a vertical row of buttons below. The upper button was left open to make room for Erin's wings. The coat had clearly been made for someone whose wings were placed on a slightly higher point of her back. Most likely not a faerfliye, as the members of the same species tended to have their wings on the same place.
"You couldn't get one that fitted you?," Timper investigated.
"I could, but I preferred this one," she replied sarcastically. "Of course I couldn't, I left Shantar empty-handed."
"Oh. Sorry."
"No problem."
"Where did you get it?"
"You're beginning to sound more and more like Eric. That's scary. I'm tired and it's your turn to watch now, so goodnight."

With this, Erin went back to sleep. Timper let her go, but he kept on thinking. From what he knew of her history, she'd had no chance to get that coat after she left Shantar. Unless she'd got it from a neini village, but neinis had thinner wings and would need a smaller opening for them. A dassel's wings were further apart from each other, so the hole would have been wider, and they weren't so high up the back either. And there were no other winged faeries in the area where she'd been living. Something just didn't make sense. Unless...
Timper began to formulate a theory. It was crazy, but he'd seen stranger things (Timper himself being one of them). He began to test many things he'd seen and heard from this new point of view, and things that had been impossible to comprehend suddenly began to make sense. If only he could prove it! He had the means, but he was not supposed to do that. It could cost him the trust of those around him, including Erin's, which he'd worked so hard to earn. He didn't want to take that risk. Some things were more important than professional achievements.

A period of calm followed. That, added to the fact that Mariel was more certain at each passing moment, was a clear indication that they were on the right path. They wished they knew exactly what they were looking for, but Mariel was sure she'd know when she'd found it, and the others trusted her with that. That was until she lost track of the energy she was following.
"What does that mean?," queried Eric as soon as he heard the news. "Is the resistance point gone?"
"I don't know," Mariel replied. "I just don't feel anything anymore."
"Anything good or anything bad?"
"Both. Neither, I mean. There's nothing at all."
"We weren't transported somewhere else, where we?," asked Pura, flying around to make sure everything was in the same place as it used to be.
"I think I would have felt it," Mariel replied. "But how can I be sure? If I don't feel the point, I could be missing anything. I don't understand what's going on, has my magic stopped working?"
"Don't despair," Erin told her. "Something's going on, and we'll find it out. We just need to be careful."
"Your magic has never failed you and it has no reason to start now," Timper added. "My guess is that either something is blocking it, or magic doesn't work here for some reason. I've heard of places that were protected against magic. Like ancient temples, or places where treasures were hidden. This could be one of them."
"Yes, I've heard that too," Gallead agreed.
"Then I think we should keep walking in the same direction," Eric suggested. "If that's where we last knew the point was, it must be still there. We'll pass by whatever it is that's blocking Mariel's magic and she'll be able to feel it again."

As nobody else could think of a better plan, the group followed Eric's suggestion. They kept on walking until the scenery around them changed abruptly. They were no longer in the forest under the cloudy sky, but inside a large room with golden walls and columns.
"Oh, no, not another transporting spell!," Eric complained.
"Transporting spell?," an undefined voice echoed out of nowhere and everywhere. "Not quite."
"Who are you?," Eric inquired.
"I'm the gatekeeper," the voice responded.
"Show yourself!," the warrior demanded.

An image began to form in front of the group. It was completely transparent, and about Eric's height. Exactly what it was, was unclear. But it had arms and legs, and an oval head that seemed too big for the body that held it, with no face.
"You needn't be so impatient," the figured said.
Now the voice clearly sounded as coming out of the transparent creature, and it sounded male, though it was low and still had a slight echo.
"What are you?," Eric asked, puzzled.
"I'm my own creation," came the even more puzzling reply. "I have no name for it yet. But I do have a purpose, and it is to safeguard the path to Twocastle. Only those who manage to bring the two keys can proceed to the sacred fortress."
"Twocastle?," Eric turned to Mariel. "Do you think that's the place we were looking for?"
"It could be," the elvin replied. "It does sound like it."
"Are the six of you up to the challenge?," the gatekeeper questioned.
"We are," Eric replied decidedly, without turning to look at his companions' expressions. "Where are the 2 keys?"
"They are behind these doors," the figure answered. At that moment, 2 doors appeared on the wall behind him. They were both red, with golden arabesques on them. One of them barely surpassed Eric's height, while the other measured only 20 centimeters (or about two thirds of a foot).
"Of course, it's not as easy as crossing the door and picking up a key," the gatekeeper warned the group. "You'll have to look for them, and there will be obstacles in the way. Also, no more than 2 can cross each door. Otherwise the keys won't show themselves."
"Sounds like an interesting challenge," Eric judged. "Alright, Mariel and I can go together."
"That won't be possible," the gatekeeper said.
"Why not?!," Eric questioned, no longer liking the whole idea.
"Because your friend is taller than both doors."
"She can lower her head to pass."
"It's a rule. To pass through one of these doors, you must be shorter than it. You won't get to Twocastle by disobeying it."
"It's a stupid rule."
"It's alright, I'll go with you," Pura offered. "I'm good at searching and avoiding obstacles, I can help. Let's do things the right way."
"Yes, listen to your guide. She's wise."
"How did you know that she was his guide?," Mariel questioned. "And how did you know I was Mariel, when we never gave you our names?"
"He looked at you when he said your name," the gatekeeper explained. "And I assumed she was his guide because lurians are known to guide young merials on their first journeys."
"Risky assumptions, but correct ones," Timper pronounced, still thoughtful. "If Pura goes through the larger door, I guess that only leaves me and Erin to pass through the other."
"Assuming the faerie by your side is Erin, that's right," the figure replied.
"What will Mariel and I do?," Gallead inquired.
"You can wait here until your friends return with the keys."
Nobody seemed too sure about the sense of the whole thing, but they agreed to try it out. The gatekeeper suggested both pairs headed off at the same time to make things faster, and so they did as soon as Mariel asked Eric to take care, and he promised to do so.

The 'large' door led to a corridor with beige walls and floor. After walking a few steps, Eric and Pura found more corridors sprouting from the sides.
"It's a maze," he sentenced.
"I can check all the paths and see which one's the right one," Pura offered.
"What about the obstacles? There could be traps."
"I can fly and I'm fast. I'll avoid the traps easily."
"What if you get lost?"
"I also have a good sense of direction. It's a requirement to be a guide. Don't worry, I'll be fine. If I don't find anything in 5 minutes, I'll be back."
"Ok."

Pura zoomed out, and Eric sat down to wait. Every now and then, she saw her pop out of one of the corridors and dash into another. After a while, she stopped in front of Eric.
"Second one on the left," she said. "I didn't find the key, but it leads to a hall full of mirrors, while the others lead to dead ends or back here. I didn't find any traps except from some spikes and arrows. The arrows were nasty, but I dodged them all. I guess most traps must be activated by stepping on certain spots, so you should be careful."
"Thanks, Pura. You've done a great job," Eric commended her.

The merial followed his guide's indications, and slowly walked through the corridor. He could soon see a pile of arrows lying on the floor. They had to be the ones fired when Pura had passed. She tried flying through that area again, but nothing happened, so the two concluded it was safe to walk through. Then came a section where no traps had been activated. They reckoned it was the best place for a weight-triggered trap, so they both examined the floor with caution, watching out for any tiles that weren't tightly fixed to the others. That way, they managed to evade all threats until they reached the hall of mirrors Pura had mentioned.

"We'll have to be careful not to get lost here," Pura warned Eric. "All paths mirror each other. If we split up, the multiple images may confuse us. I do have a good sense of direction, but I'm not completely sure I'd pass this test on my own."
"Let's not split up, then. Stay close to me, I'll leave marks on the floor with my sword so that we know where we've already been. We'll keep looking down and ignore the mirrors."
"But what if there are traps behind the mirrors?"
"Then we'll evade them. What choice do we have?"

*************************

In the meantime, Erin and Timper had to explore another maze, only that this one was sensibly colder than the other. It looked as if the white walls were absorbing all the heat from inside.
"Are you alright?," Timper asked Erin, who was pressing her arms tightly around her chest.
"I could be better. Have I mentioned I don't like this place?"
"This is the first time. I was actually wondering why you hadn't yet. Want a better coat?"
"Do you have one?"
"Not exactly."
"Oh, no, don't you dare! Don't tell me you're not feeling cold yourself."
"As a matter of fact, I am. I'm trying to think of a form that can endure the cold, and walk through this small corridor at the same time. I wouldn't have that problem if I were a coat and you were carrying me."
"Of course you wouldn't. I'd be doing all the work and you'd be enjoying it from the most comfortable seat. Not to mention the other implications. No way."
"Who said anything about implications?"
"You don't have to. You're male, that's enough."
"You offend me. You know I respect you more than anything or anyone. I'd do nothing that would make you feel uncomfortable."
"Remember that next time you're about to ask me a question I'm not supposed to answer."
"Have I done that many times?"
"A few. My own secrets are mine to keep or reveal, but those of others I just can't tell."
"I respect that. That's one of the things I like the most about you."
"How so?"
"It means you can be trusted. And as you must know, that's a quality you don't find everywhere. And a very valuable one."
Those words managed to pull a smile out of Erin's mouth. But that smile was soon blurred by her shivering.

"Can't you make a fire or something?," Timper suggested.
"Not one that could follow us as we walk. Unless you'd like to transform into a torch."
"No, thanks. I'm not too keen on getting scorched."
"Well, maybe there is something we can do."
Saying this, Erin lifted her arms and let her sword appear in her hands. She instructed Timper to place his hands near the sword, without touching it. When he did so, the air around the blade raised its temperature, warming up the hands of both.
"How does that work?," Timper queried.
"This is an incandescent sword, it's made to amplify heat. In large proportions if you use it correctly."
"Wow! So that's how you did that!"
"How I did what?"
"When you were training. You heated up the air around your sword to disperse it and give you impulse at the same time, right?"
"Busted. I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later."
"That's an amazing sword. I've never seen any others like it."
"I think they only made them in a few places, and most of those places no longer exist. Jor has a spade which works the same way. At least as far as storage is concerned. It must be some kind of amplifier too, the ones who made these weapons never left anything unfinished so it has to be good."
"Why would a weapons expert make a spade?"
"They made weapons and tools, anything that could be used to take advantage over the enemies. Except that they sold the same weapons to both sides, so they didn't really give anyone much of an advantage. It was more of a loss if you didn't have them."
"Some way to do business! Didn't anyone ever turn against them for working for both sides?"
"Many wanted to, but at the end of the day, they liked their weapons too much to live without them."
"I see."

The heat of Erin's sword allowed the two to keep walking, but the air around them kept getting colder. They expected to find some obstacles, but hadn't foreseen that their surroundings as a whole would be one. They advanced through a long, freezing corridor until a wall came to their encounter. No openings could be seen to the sides, and they'd already seen everything they'd left behind. Erin could barely keep her arms stretched enough to hold her sword, and Timper wasn't doing that much better.
"Please, tell me this is not a dead end!," Erin begged. "We must have missed something. The key has to be somewhere!"
"I could see no fissures on the walls," Timper replied. "But for some time now the floor has been sounding hollow. I guess all we can do is break it and see what's below."
"Whatever it is, I hope it's warmer than this place. Let's see how hard this floor is."
Erin dug her sword on the floor, which immediately let out some steam. She shook it, but the material didn't crack beyond the width of the blade.
"We need a spinning sword," Timper sentenced.
"What's that?"
"It's my own creation. Useful for opening trap doors and making holes on a hollow floor like this one. It wraps around the material as it cuts through it and, when you pull up..."
"Don't tell me, show me. I'll listen to how it works once we're out of here."
"Alright."

It didn't take a second before Erin could see the sword in front of her. Its blade described a spiral much like a corkscrew, only bigger and much sharper. The hilt was a simple black cylinder, separated from the blade by a circle of black wood.
"And this is supposed to work? How?," Erin questioned.
Actions were the sword's reply, as he began to spin around, digging deeper and deeper into the frozen floor, until the sound of falling rubble below revealed that he had reached the other side.
"Oh, I see. I guess I'm supposed to pull you back now, right?"
"If you don't mind. It would be a lot more effective," the voice came rather muffled from the floor.

Erin couldn't figure out how it was possible for a sword to speak, but she preferred not to pump his ego by asking him. Instead, she just took the handle in her hands and pulled up, taking out a large chunk of the floor along with the sword. Timper began to turn in the opposite direction from which he'd been spinning in order to detach himself from the material. Once free, he took his normal form and made a funny reverence.
"Now, what was that for?," questioned Erin.
"Don't artists do that when they finish an act? Nevermind, now you know why I'm an explorer and not an acrobat or something. But it worked, didn't it?"
"Yes, good job. Sorry if I don't applaud, but my hands are freezing. Let's get down there. Whatever we find can't be worse than this place."
"That depends," noted Timper, kneeling down to look through the hole. "What do you prefer? Cold or water?"

[RobbieThe1st]

First off, very nice story. Well designed, and its long(so, it will take me an hour or two to finish reading it tomorrow ). Keep up the good writing!

Chapter 6 or 7:

"I was just doing the same as you, so if my comment was uncalled for, so was yours," Erin stroke back.

Perhaps thats supposed to be 'shot'?

------------------------
edit 1:
"Hold on to your innocence, Pura," Erin smiled. "You as much as the kids."
^ Something in the last part seems a bit wrong ^

"Wise decision," Jor complimented him. "I'll dig a hole on the ground, it's the safest shelter in this area."
^ Should be 'in'.^

Many times Jamie thought that might be the reason why she, who had shiny black hair, could feel the invisible forces around her better than her brown-haired sister could (*times when Mildred would invariably point out that she had more common sense than Jamie, which was probably true).
^ Words around the * need changing/adding to. ^
------------------
edit2:
Until the silence was finally broken by the cracking of a heavy tree branch, which shot itself to the ground, nearly smashing the smallest ones.
^ Itself should be removed, and the bold section needs to be reworked. ^

"I'm not going to go Gallead any time soon... Not ever, in fact.
^ Sorry, I don't know what you meant here. ^

When he was forced to jump back to avoid being hit by the pillar that conformed one of its upper extremities, he replied to himself: "thought so."
^ Not sure what you mean here either. ^

"You needn't be so impatient," the figured said.
^ Simple spelling mistake, easy to fix ^

Once free, he took his normal form and made a funny ?reverence?.
^ I don't know what you mean. ^

Well, I think thats all the errors, and, having read the entire thing to date, I have to say its been a most engaging story. Keep up the good work!


-RobbieThe1st

[Gabi]

Thanks, Robbie! For both the comment and the correction, and also for reading my story. The hard thing about writing in a foreign language is that I'm not very familiar with some expressions and sometimes I don't know what the right one is.

I've fixed it now. I'm glad you like the story so far.

[Tapewolf]

Good stuff.  I must have missed that Timper could assume inanimate forms... I thought he could only turn into creatures.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I don't think that that item was all that inanimate... ;-]

[Tapewolf]

I don't think that that item was all that inanimate... ;-]

He was talking about turning into objects like torches and cloaks.

[Gabi]

I don't think the word 'inanimate' could ever apply to him. But yes, he can. Quoting his own words on chapter 10...

"As for my abilities, as a shifter I can turn into any living being or any solid object; but if I turn into living creatures I can only do it well if I've already seen the species before. Otherwise I'd have to put too much imagination into it and it wouldn't come out right. When I transform into something, I gain all its physical properties, but not other special abilities. So if I turned into a heerynaut I would be able to breathe underwater, but not control the water around me. Now, as an explorer I have great knowledge of this area, I adapt easily to my surroundings, I am a good observer and I'm good at improvising. And personally, I like inventing things, I don't know a thing of magic but I can find ways to defend myself against it, I have a good memory and I'm a fast learner. Well, generally, at least; it didn't work when I tried to learn a magic spell, but nobody's perfect."
When he saw the faces of the group, he added: "I know modesty is not one of my virtues. If it were, I'd be practically perfect."

[Gabi]

I guess I can post the rest now.

Chapter 17-2: Revelations

While Mariel and Gallead waited at the hall, the gatekeeper talked to them about unimportant things like how the winter was coming; and when the guests asked why they hadn't seen that place before entering and why Mariel couldn't feel the presence of Twocastle from there, the guardian answered, showing some pride in his still low voice, that the Temple of Trials was enchanted with many spells. Finally and inevitably, the sorceress asked the gatekeeper who had made the rules about the doors.
"A merial wrote them," the creature replied. "Does that irritate you?"
"Do you want it to irritate me?," the elvin shot back.
"Hmm... Not particularly. I was just wondering, since there's this rivalry going on between elvins and merials. I figured an elvin like you wouldn't like the idea of abiding by a rule a merial wrote. But then again, you and your friend seem pretty close, so maybe you two feel you're above that conflict."
"I don't like the sound of this," Gallead commented. "Gatekeeper, why are you harassing her?"
"I'm not. When have I done or said anything offensive?"
"It's the tone in which you speak to her. Has she done anything to you, or are you the one who has prejudice issues?"
"You're ready to jump at me and defend your friend. What for? I have done nothing. How well do you know her anyway? You can't possibly know her well enough to fight for her."
"How would you know that?"
"Calm down, please," Mariel asked them. "Both of you. We were just talking. Gallead, I appreciate your help, but I can defend myself. And you... You are angry for some reason, aren't you? I don't think I've done anything to trigger your anger, so what is it? If anything's wrong, maybe I can help."
"Not everything works that way," the Gatekeeper told her.
"Can I at least try? Do you have a grudge against elvins, or is it me in particular? Or is it something else?"
The gatekeeper's transparent body was shaking like a bubble about to break.
"Of course you think you can sort it out," he spat out. "Why wouldn't you? You're an elvin. You're wise and knowledgeable and powerful beyond anyone else's comprehension, right? Or not, even more. You're even wiser than most elvins because you're above even their prejudice against merials, and you're a source of pure goodness, so how could there possibly be a problem you can't solve?"
"Why are you attacking me?"
"I am attacking you?! I'd done absolutely nothing to you until you came by and decided to ruin everything!"
"Ruin everything?," Gallead questioned. "The only thing she did was walk in like the rest of us and talk to you!"
"Oh, my!," exclaimed Mariel. "He's not talking about today! It's a trap!"
"Oh, well, you've found me out. Took you long enough, didn't it? You don't seem to think too clearly when your pretty connection magic is blocked. Too bad it's already too late to help your friends. This will be just between you and me."

Gallead had never seen the merial sorcerer named Kharchek, but from what Eric and Mariel had told him, and his own experience at the cave of illusions, all evidence pointed to him. He took his sword, trying to be ready for anything, but before he could even start casting his agility spell, a lightning bolt came his way, straight from the gatekeeper's hand. He barely managed to avoid it by throwing himself to the ground. He rolled over, trying to get up, but another bolt came and he was forced to fade into the air as the only way to avoid it. At that moment, a hole opened in the ceiling, and the air in the room was abruptly sucked into it. When the hole closed itself, the only things that remained of Gallead were his bag and his light sword, lying on the floor.

"What part of 'just between you and me' didn't he understand?," the transparent one roared.
Mariel stared at him, trying her best not to show fear while holding her shield firmly with both hands; she had taken it out during the rumble.
"What have you done to him?," she inquired.
"Oh, don't worry. He's much better than you will be soon. Can't hurt the wind, can you? With such a defense, no wonder he'd eventually use it. But I expected him to wait at least a little longer! I didn't even touch him with my bolts. Of course, if I had, odds are he wouldn't have been there to try his little trick anymore. Either way, I'd win. That's the way I like it."
"You..." Mariel began, but another thought took precedence. "What have you done to yourself?"
"Oh, this? It's a long story, and I'm not planning to tell it to you of all people."
"Did you destroy your own image to get stronger? You'd give everything up to get more power, wouldn't you? Even your essence."
"You think you know me. You have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway, soon, none of that will matter. I can't believe I have to go into so much trouble over a little girl."
While he spoke, Kharchek slowly picked up Swift from the floor.
"I thought Eric was your enemy," Mariel questioned him, keeping an eye on the sword.
"That little kid would be weeping over his father's body if you hadn't come to his rescue. I have eyes everywhere, I know how things happened. He's the one who has a grudge against me, not the other way around. But don't worry, I'm not leaving him alone to mourn you. I'm working on getting rid of him as we speak. Bah, this sword is too light. Can it really cut through things? There's not enough metal to channel lightning here, let alone anything else."

He tossed away the light sword, announcing he'd do things the old-fashioned way. He charged up an unusually large sphere of light and aimed it at Mariel, but the elvin's shield absorbed all the energy and sent it back, to the shock of both the attacker and Mariel herself. The sphere passed through a jelly-like substance, spreading all over it with flashes of light, before finally reaching back into the air, split into rays of different colors which blasted against the walls. Kharchek was shaken, but still standing.

"You're not as fast as you used to be," noted Mariel, trying to hide her surprise about the effectiveness of her own deflection spell.
"But I am much more resistant now," her enemy replied. "And I'm bound to this place, so I control everything here. You're in my territory now, so there's nothing you can do... other than say your last words."

Quiet followed; the calm that comes when the important things are progressing in a plane that's not visible. Mariel could hear the wind blow fast through the columns, and feel a spell brewing around her. After her experience with the teleporting spell, she knew better than to track it down. But she still tried to figure out what kind of spell it was by inspecting the domains she was familiar with. Her first attempt was the charm: Connection. It made sense; as far as she knew, it was the domain Kharchek used the most. It was also the one she was best at handling after Light, so maybe she still had a chance after all. Her shield wouldn't help, because a connection spell was not a direct energy attack, but she still had plenty of magic to resort to, and a magical enhancer given to her by the mermaids. She hoped to get down to the root of the spell and neutralize it before it was completed, and if that failed, she could try a new trick and see if she could pull out a disconnection spell. The latter would be hard, so she put her hopes into succeeding in her first try. It looked like she still had time to act... But then again, why? What kind of spell could take so long to be performed? Unless... Unless Kharchek was tricking her again, trying to make her focus on something while the real action was somewhere else. It was time to snap back into reality and look around for any possible threats. But why was something that simple suddenly so hard?

"Connection trap," Kharchek's old voice whispered inside her mind. "As usual, you've figured it out, but too late. I thought it would be best if you knew the name of the spell that killed you."

Mariel couldn't hide her fear anymore. She hadn't been more scared in her entire life. Something was about to kill her, and she wouldn't even see it coming. It could be anything: a lightning bolt, a spell from her own domain, the roof falling on her, or even Gallead's sword. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She couldn't even feel her own body. All she could perceive was Kharchek's presence all around. He was having the time of his life. It felt almost as if she was inside him. Everything had his mark on it. Well... almost everything. Far behind, she could feel a faint spark of something her mind represented as light. It was falling, and all of a sudden it wasn't. It was safe, it was stunned, it was happy, it was aware. It was the one best thing she could hope to feel in a moment like this. It was Eric's presence. And he could feel her too.

When Kharckek saw Eric and Pura come back through the 'big' door, he just couldn't believe it.
"How?!," he exclaimed, too shocked to keep up his act. "You couldn't have possibly survived the maze! And even if you had, you wouldn't have returned without the key."
"Was there even a key inside?," Pura questioned.
"How did you know? And how did you come back so fast?"
"We have our own questions first," Eric declared, looking at Mariel's immobile figure. "Why are you doing this? What have you done to Mariel and where's Gallead?"
"You haven't even figured it out, have you? I won't be the one to tell you."
"You're right," Eric accepted. "It won't be you."
Saying this, he swung his sword against the nearest column with such strength that it made a hole in the gold-painted stone. Wind came out at high speed from the hollow inside, and circled around Swift, lifting it up before holding it with a greyish hand.
"He's Kharchek," Gallead warned Eric. "He's connected to this place and controls everything."
"He can't control everything," the merial argued.
"Why not?"
"Because of everything he didn't see and everything he didn't do. I say we test how connected to this place he really is."
Eric stuck his sword into the floor. Kharchek tried to stop him with a thunderbolt, but the metallic sword absorbed the electricity, sending it down to the earth. At the same time, a shockwave made the floor ahead of Eric shake, and the electricity somehow powered up the earthquake. Gallead rushed to Eric's side as a hurricane, carrying his Swift with him, but Kharchek had no way to move to the safe side, the tremors being implacable on him. His transparent body shook as much as the floor did, and soon he couldn't hold his concentration enough to keep Mariel trapped.

The elvin was delighted to regain contact with the physical world, but the scene she found told her it wasn't time to celebrate yet. She quickly addressed each of her comrades.
"Eric, I love you! Will you please keep that up for as long as you can? Gallead, Pura, could one of you bring Erin and Timper back? We need to get out of here fast! Whoever stays, try to destroy whatever you can, I think it will hurt him."
She didn't even stop to think of the effect her words would have. Her mind was deep into the battle she and her group were fighting, and the excitement of being free again. As Pura blasted off through the small door and Gallead hit everything he could with both his sword and his gusts of wind, she channeled her energy towards Eric, to help him keep up the earthquakes.

It didn't even take a minute before Erin and Pura emerged from the door, the faerfliye realizing how much faster she could move once the cold had receded and she knew where she was going. A small spider crawled out of Erin's hair, and leapt down to the floor assuming Timper's form. By that moment, Kharchek's attempts to attack had become weaker and scarcer, and the foundations of the building had begun to crumble.
"We need to get out of here," Gallead reckoned.
"How?, we can't go back the way we came without stopping the earthquakes and getting past Kharchek," Eric pointed out. "We'd give him the chance to recover and attack us."
"The ceiling has two layers and at least the first one is quite thin," Gallead said. "If we can open a hole in them, I can lift you up. Erin and Timper can take Mariel if Timper transforms into a faerfliye, and Pura can fly through."
"You got it," Erin nodded, flying up and hitting the ceiling with her sword until rubble started falling.
Kharchek tried to stop her, but with all the damage done to the building, he could barely stand up, let alone aim his spells against his opponents. Once she'd got through the first layer, she dug down to widen the hole. Then came the second layer. This one took longer, as it was harder and thicker, but the tremors cracked the stone and helped Erin with her task. In the end, light came down through the hole, and Erin returned to her friends' side to complete the operation.

Everything worked out as planned, and everybody got out. They landed on the back side of the crumbling Temple of Trials, and watched as it slowly imploded, turning into an enormous pile of rubble. Even after that, they waited, to see if Kharchek or anything else came out. Nothing happened.
"Is he dead?," Eric finally ask. "Have we killed him?"
"I don't know," Mariel said. "I can't feel him, but he was good at hiding his presence. I don't think an elf could survive that, but he was not an elf anymore. I don't know if it's even possible to kill him."
"But wasn't he connected to the temple?," Gallead pointed out. "If the temple was destroyed, then..."
"We can't have killed him!," Eric cried out. "We're not killers! I'm not a murderer!"
"He brought it upon himself," Erin tried to calm him down. "Was he even alive at all? He was a... thing. A shadow of what he used to be."
"He was alive," Eric contradicted her. "He could think and feel. He was evil, but he was alive. I caused the earthquake that brought the temple down. I killed him! And what is worst, I wanted him to die! I'm not better than him in any way."
"That's not true and you know it," Mariel told him. "You saw what he did to me. You're not a killer. You saved my life. I don't know if he's still alive or not, but suppose he isn't. Would you rather I had died in his place? Because I would have if you hadn't come to stop him!"
"I... I just wish things could be different."
"We all do," Erin said, in an understanding tone Eric had never heard from her.
"He's not dead," Pura suddenly declared.
"How do you know?," Mariel asked her with both fear and hope.
"I don't know, I just felt it. I don't know how, but what I felt... it must have been his presence. It's the same thing I felt in the cave and today at the temple. And it was... Taken away or something. It went somewhere, somehow."
"You can feel presences too?!," Eric inquired, his expression suddenly changing from beaten to astonished.
"I... I don't know. It seems I can, but I swear I didn't know it."
"That too?! Makes me wonder how many surprises you still have inside you!," Eric exclaimed.
"What?! Don't tell me you told him!," Erin scolded Pura, struck by the reason of Eric's comment. "I've been putting a lot of effort in protecting your secret since we left, and now you go and tell the biggest mouth in the world?!"
"Hey!," Eric yelled.
"There was no other way," Pura defended herself. "I can't keep a secret if it will cost me the life of the one being I'm meant to protect. Besides, I trust him. He has his heart in the right place and won't do anything that could endanger me or my people. He promised not to tell anyone, and I know he won't break his promise."
"I won't. But can there please be an exception?"
"There we go. Before a day passes, the whole world will know it. Remember when your crops were burnt and you said 'screw us'? It seems you've just granted yourself your own wish."
"I didn't even remember I'd said that. Give the boy a chance, will you? What is it, Eric?"
"Can I please tell Mariel? I know she won't tell anyone, and I wouldn't like to be keeping secrets from her."

Pura paused for a moment to think.
"Alright," she said in the end. "But only Mariel, and only because of what she said to you today. And go somewhere else to tell her. Some place where nobody else will hear you. Preferably at night."
Eric agreed to Pura's conditions, while the explorers couldn't help but feel left out and made the secret promise to tell the other as soon as either of them found out the truth.

*************************

That night, Eric and Mariel took the two middle shifts together to talk. They walked into the forest, always keeping an eye on the camp, and after Mariel told Eric what had happened in his absence, it was Eric's turn to speak.
"I was really surprised when I felt you and knew you needed me," he said. "And then when I saw you, I was really scared. Until I knew you wanted me to make a hole in the column, and then I knew you were still with me, and you'd be fine. But we've had experiences like that one before, haven't we?"
"Yes, we have. And I hope we have more of them... just under better circumstances."
"Yeah, me too," Eric laughed. "So, that was surprising, but not shocking. What was really shocking was what happened before."
"What exactly happened?"
"Well, Pura and I went through a maze filled with traps, and then another with mirrors, which was really tricky because we couldn't know what was there and what was a reflection, and then it became darker and Pura tried to shed some light, but the mirrors reflected more than we expected, so the place became too bright. It blinded me for a moment, and right then stones began to fall from the ceiling, so I had to run with my eyes closed and Pura serving as my eyes. We nearly got lost after that, but we made it into another chamber with no mirrors, and I thought we were almost there. Just a few hops over a few holes on the floor and the key had to be on the other side. But as soon as I touched the floor after my first jump, the stones gave in and I began to fall. The whole floor fell with me, so I had nothing to hold on to!"
"Oh, no! What happened? How did you save yourself?"
"I didn't."
"What do you mean?"
"I was falling down what seemed like an abyss, and suddenly something stopped my fall. I looked at what was holding me, and I couldn't believe what I saw!"
"What was it?," Mariel asked, excited.
"It was a faerie. Only a very big one. Bigger than me, about as tall as you are. And she had blue eyes. Like yours, but a bit darker. And pointy ears and lilac hair falling in curls down her shoulders. And her wings were big and transparent. Much bigger than Erin's, even in proportion. And pointy at the ends. She had a green dress with something like flowers made of cloth, and there was this bright light around her, the same color as her hair. And the look in her face... she looked worried, but she smiled when I looked at her. It was the smile of someone who cared for me a lot."
"Was it... Pura?"
"Yes! It took me longer to realize that because... well, I couldn't believe it. I didn't understand anything of what was going on. All I could say was 'how' and 'why'."
"And then?"
"And then she said 'what's a secret worth if I can't save you, little big guy?'"
Mariel burst into laughter.
"Yes, she still calls me that," Eric laughed with her. "But then she told me not to tell anyone and everything. When I told her you needed me, she took me back to the door so fast I couldn't even see where we were going. Then she left me on the ground and became small again before I opened the door."
"But if she has that power, why is she keeping it a secret? It could help her so much if she was free to use it whenever she wanted to!"
"I asked her the same thing while she was holding me. She said lurians have been keeping that ability a secret for ages in order to prevent enemies from attacking them. They think they'll be safe as long as nobody sees them as a threat, and nobody knows how to hurt them either. But Pura has been doubting that ever since their crops were destroyed."
"I see."
"I have one question now."
"What is it?"
"When you were freed from Kharchek's spell, before telling me to keep sending magic to the ground, you told me that you loved me. Did you just say that to encourage me, or was it the rush of the moment... or did you really mean it?"

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

oh, what a place to leave it!

That's just cruel! ;-]

[Gabi]

I'm alive! And so is this topic, thanks to Zina.

Chapter 18: Miranda

"I wish I could explain the state I was in," Mariel said after thinking for a while. "It was all about feelings because there was nothing else."

"Does that mean you didn't mean to say that? Was it true or not?," Eric insisted.
"Well, it was rushed... No one has ever taught me what love is and I've never felt it before. That kind of love, I mean."
"Love can't be taught, Mariel. It's something you feel. Do you feel it? I need to know because, if you don't, I don't want to imagine things anymore."

Mariel was stunned. Eric was being more mature than her! But then again, when wasn't he surprising? She thought carefully before giving an answer. Eric had always been open to her; he deserved the truth and not the ramblings of confusion and fear. Fear! What was she afraid of?... Betting her feelings and losing, maybe. Losing everything she and Eric had built together, something too big to even give it a name. It was a risk she wasn't sure she could take... but wouldn't she be throwing it all away if she said 'no' to Eric right now? She had always trusted herself and Eric for everything, even for things others saw as impossible. And so far she'd always been right. That had to mean something; that, and the connection the two shared. She'd have to trust that connection once more.

"When we're apart, I reach for you instinctively until something brings us together," she began. "When I'm with you, I feel safe even when everything else says I'm not. We've known each other for less than 4 years, yet I can't imagine what my life would be like without you. And I don't want to imagine it. The world changes when I think of you, and I'd like it to stay that way forever."

"I... I didn't know that," Eric confessed. "But... It makes sense. We've talked about changing the world together, haven't we?"
Those words helped Mariel relax a little. Maybe Eric felt the same way about her. She smiled and, as if playing a game, she dared Eric.
"Now you tell me how you feel about me. It's only fair."
"Well, I'm not as good with words as you are, but... I'd do anything for you. I've learnt that today. I'd even kill for you if I had to. I mean, I really hope I never have to, it would crush me. But if I have to choose between your life and the life of someone who wants to hurt you, then there's nothing to think about."
"Let's hope it never comes to that again," swooned Mariel. "I'd rather keep you in one piece."
"That's what you've been doing all this time."
"What?," asked Mariel, startled at the change of context.
"Keeping me whole."

Mariel smiled and rested her head on Eric's shoulder. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her.
"Do you think Pura knows it?," she asked.
"Well, maybe. I guess she does, she's more perceptive than I am."
"I mean... She let you tell me her secret and not the others. Maybe she knew before even we did."
"Yes... I think Gallead knows too. He told me something that got me thinking when I was trying to rescue you, before you ended up rescuing me."
"Now, which of the many times we've rescued each other would that be?"
Eric laughed, and Mariel joined him.
"When you were tracking the transporting spell and disappeared," Eric clarified.
"Oh."
"Do you know what's great?"
"What?"
"That after all we've been through, we can still laugh together like when we were kids."
"Well, I don't feel like a kid anymore," Mariel said. "But laughing like this is something I hope I never have to give up. If I'm turning into an adult, I'd rather not be as bitter and grumpy as those in the council."
"You know? You should be in the council."
"What?!"
"Really, you'd teach them a thing or two, and make Ayrus a better place for everyone. You'd help them stop arguing and do things for a change. You'd get to fix all the things that have been getting at you since I met you!"
"I'd never thought about it that way. I guess it would be a good idea, but I don't think the council would take me into account that much. They never have."
"Because you haven't proven yourself to them. And because they've always thought you were too young. But time passes and things change. You're growing up fast and you're saving the world. That has to mean something to them!"
"Maybe... You know, if they saw you, I think they'd start seeing merials in a different way."
"They'd have to do more than just see me. I don't look any different from other merials. But if I could convince them that intelligent thoughts are not floating 160 cm off the ground, and the merials at Harland could see how brave you are, maybe that meaningless grudge could end once and for all."
"And you said you weren't good with words? I wouldn't have thought of that metaphor," Mariel laughed.
"What met-... Ah, the one about the height. Hey, you don't mind my being shorter than you, do you?"
"Why would I? We don't choose our heights, and they don't make us better or worse. Do you mind my being taller than you?"
"Not as long as every centimeter of you stays with me."
"I think we'll have a lot to talk about. I don't know where we're supposed to go from here."
"Neither do I, but I suppose we'll find out together. Right now, I think we should go back to the camp. We're not doing a great job at watching."
"Oh, you're right! Let's go back."

Fortunately for the young elves, the camp wasn't attacked that night. Even the following day was uneventful, against everyone's expectations. Some began to doubt whether they were really on the right path, while the more suspicious ones thought they could be heading straight into another trap. The group remained alert, but everything around them seemed to be quiet. Maybe too quiet.

"Shouldn't we have come across a village by now?," Gallead questioned. "I heard many populations had settled in this region, but it's been a long time since we last saw anything moving other than birds, insects, spiders and rodents. And even those were few."
"That's true," Timper agreed. "It's strange that we haven't come across anyone since we left the fake temple. I hope this doesn't mean our enemies have already taken control of the whole region, or caused everyone to evacuate it."
"If they had control over this place, why would they let us walk freely through it?," Eric argued. "Why haven't we been attacked yet?"
"It would be too optimistic to suppose that, simply, no one lives around here, right?," interjected Pura.
"We're on the right path," Mariel assured. "I can still feel Twocastle ahead, if that's its real name. But I think something has happened here. I don't know exactly what."
"Something bad?," Eric asked.
"There was magic involved," Mariel explained. "There are some remnants of energy from it, but it's a kind of magic I'm not familiar with, so that's as much as I can tell."
"A kind of magic you're not familiar with? That sounds bad," Pura moaned.
"I actually handle just a few domains," Mariel told her. "I still have a lot to learn, so the fact that I don't know what kind of magic was used here doesn't mean it's too dangerous for us to cope with. It just means we don't know anything about it yet."
"Not even whether it's bad or not?," Pura queried.
"Not even that, I'm afraid."
"I guess we'll have to be ready for anything," Eric concluded.

The scenery didn't change for some time. The travelers were almost getting used to the emptiness of the area, and were already engaging in small conversations liked they used to. But the quietness didn't last much longer. After a group of thick trees and large boulders suggested that a small turn would be the easiest way to go ahead, the group ended up in front of what, to most, would look like a dense group of bushes with exceptionally big leaves. The explorers and Pura, however, knew what that place was.

"A neini village!," the lurian exclaimed. "So this place wasn't completely deserted after all!"
"How can you tell there's a village in there?," Eric asked her.
"Only neinis build this kind of vegetal cloaks to protect their homes and what's important for them. They have a way of making plants grow thicker and closer together, and they also make leaves grow bigger to hide what's below."
"You seem to know a lot," Timper commented.
"Hey, I'm a teacher, I'm supposed to know these things. Besides, there were some neini villages near Urthum, where I grew up. I even visited one of them once."
"Really? With your school?," asked Eric.
"Not exactly. More like... With a visitor."
"A visitor?"
"Long story. Why don't we go in there and see if there's anyone home? Maybe they can tell us what's going on."
"Not all of us can go in there," Eric pointed out.
He was right. If the size of the bushes was an indicator of what was below, he, Mariel and Gallead were too big to fit in the village.

"Ok, the 3 of you can wait here," Pura suggested. "Hmm... Maybe Erin too, otherwise the neinis could get nervous."
"Are you serious? Who will save you when you get in trouble?," Erin half-joked. "Why are you so excited anyway?"
"Come on, even you should appreciate the chance to talk to someone other than us after all this time. Besides, being in a neini village brings sweet memories."
"Will you tell us about them?," Eric asked her.
"Maybe. But later. Right now I want to find out what we're dealing with."
Saying this, she disappeared into the thick vegetation.
"She'll get in trouble. We should follow her," Timper said to Erin.
"I couldn't agree more," she said, and so the two penetrated the forest within the forest.

The reception wasn't as friendly as Pura had expected. The village was there alright, with all the small houses stuck to the branches like snails under the large leaves, but all the doors and windows were shut, and no one came out of the houses to greet the visitors. Neinis were known to be gentle creatures, but if there were any left in this village, they were too afraid to come out.

"You don't think picking a door and knocking on it would help, do you?," joked Timper.
"Maybe if we told them that we're here to help," Pura suggested.
"Do you even know what their problem is?," questioned Erin.
"No, but I'll help if I can."
"Is anyone here at all?," Timper wondered.
"I think so," Pura said. "I have a feeling we're not alone here."
"Your psychic abilities again?"
"If only you'd stop making fun of me, Erin! I'm serious!"
"Ok, it just feels strange that you've suddenly developed this sixth sense or whatever it is."
"It's nothing like that. And I didn't 'suddenly' develop it. I've only just started to pay enough attention to it. I didn't think my hunches meant anything, until they started to become clearer... more like certainties than hunches. It's like they've found direction."
"When did that happen?," Timper asked her.
"At the cave, I think," Pura reflected. "When I channeled Mariel's connection magic. I didn't know I could do that, but once I did it felt natural. I think that's when my own connection found a way to manifest itself."
"So you learned connection magic by channeling Mariel's magic?"
"I wouldn't go that far. I'm nowhere near Mariel's abilities, but I do think she awoke some potential I wasn't fully aware of. So please, when I tell you I have a feeling, don't tease me, ok?"
"I've never teased you," Timper said.
"I know, you're nice. I was talking to Erin."

Before Erin could think of a good comeback, Pura's perception was proven right. One of the nearest doors opened, and two young neinis came down. They were a male and a female, both with slender bodies, pointy ears, green, leaf-like wings and equally green hair.
"Who are you?," the male asked.
"We're travelers," Timper told him. "We've been on the road for a long time, and for some days now we have seen no villages and hardly any creatures. Until we arrived here."
"Are you explorers?," the female neini queried.
"I'm an explorer," he replied. "We all have different professions, but right now we're just passing by. We'd like to know what's going on here."
"If something's wrong, maybe we can help," Pura added.
"How do we know you're not with Miranda?," the male inquired.
"You have as many reasons to trust us as we do to trust you," Erin said. "On the other hand, you do sound reasonable for a change. I've spent too much time surrounded by beings who were too innocent for their own good."
"You wouldn't be including me in that group, right?," Timper tried to make sure.
"No, not you, don't worry. You're not too innocent. You're just... strange."
"Is that a good or a bad thing?"
"Just a strange thing," Erin avoided compromise. "Now, who's that Miranda you just mentioned?"
"I don't think they're with her," the female said to the male. "They would have attacked us by now. Miranda doesn't converse with the villagers before destroying their homes."
"Let me guess, is she someone who's been attacking the villages in this region?," Erin tried.
"She's a plague," the female neini said. "She destroys everything that crosses her path. Nobody sees her coming until it's too late. We've remained hidden and watched other villages fall. She usually floods them, though sometimes she just stomps on them."
"Yes, and she makes sure that everyone who survives knows her name. I've heard that, after every attack, she's said 'My name is Miranda; remember me'."
"Seems like someone is crazy for attention," Pura commented.
"Or just plain crazy," Erin said. "Why are these maniacs sprouting everywhere all of a sudden? And what is she? You said she floods villages; is she water elemental or does she use magic?"
"Both, actually," the female said. "She's a quirran, so she has great control on the water. But the things she does can't be just natural. We'd be able to take down an ordinary quirran easily, but somehow she has managed to evade all attacks. When they're about to get her, she dives into the water and seems to disappear. Then she comes out at any corner, crushing houses or anything she can find."
"Strange. I've heard of creatures who can blend with the water, but quirrans are not among them," Timper said.
"That's why we believe she uses magic," the male neini explained. "Before disappearing, she makes the water muddy enough to cloak whatever's below. And when her opponents try to reach her, she's no longer there. They have tried everything, even absorbing the water with the roots of the plants. But she always manages to produce more. Her resources never seem to end."
"How do you know all that?," Timper asked him. "Were you there to see it?"
"No, but I've talked to many who have escaped from her attacks. She's left lots of neinis and other creatures with no homes to return to."
"If she's so powerful, why did she let them go?," Erin questioned.
"I have no idea."
"Maybe she doesn't want to kill them," Timper said. "Maybe she just wants them to know her power and be afraid of her. It could be some twisted way of gaining their respect."
"Too sick and twisted, if that's the case," Erin commented.
"Yes, but it makes sense. If she tells everyone to remember her name and makes such a huge display of power without actually killing... maybe all she wants is attention. Maybe we're just dealing with someone with serious issues, but not truly evil."
"What do you mean she's not truly evil? She's destroyed entire villages!," The male neini questioned his judgement.
"We've been chasing Jor for less than that," Erin agreed.
"I was just contemplating a possibility," Timper defended himself.
"Or is it because she's female? Maybe that's why you're suddenly so understanding towards her," Erin suggested.
"Hell, no! Whatever gave you that idea?!"
"Well, you seem to like mysterious and dangerous women with a dark past."
"No, I like one mysterious and dangerous woman with a past that's not as dark as she sees it!"

Silence followed that statement.
"I mean..."
Timper tried to fix it, but it was impossible. The words were out.
"Maybe we should leave you guys alone," Pura suggested.
"It's not the time for that," Timper said, both to Pura and to himself. "We have an emergency to deal with."
"Are you really planning to confront Miranda?," the male neini asked. "She's too dangerous. Three alone won't be able to scratch her."
"We're not alone, we have friends outside," Pura said.
"And maybe you and your people could help too, since your homes are at stake," Erin pointed out. "Besides, she's water elemental, right. As strong as she is, you should have the means to hurt her badly."
"But we're not warriors!," the male neini complained.
"Neither am I, but I fight for the things that matter to me," Pura told him. "If you stay motionless, how long will it take for her to find you and destroy your homes? Hiding won't keep you safe you forever. Believe me, I've learnt that the hard way."
"You lost your home?," he asked.
"No, but we were attacked when we least expected it, and it will be hard for my people to recover from everything we've lost. That's one of the reasons why I'm here. The other is to protect and guide a young warrior."
"Where's that warrior?," the female neini asked.
"He's waiting for us outside," Pura said.

By that time, several neinis had come out of their homes and gathered around the strangers. They were all whispering to each other. Finally, one male neini who looked older than the first two stood out from the crowd.
"We've heard everything you said," he told the newcomers. "You must understand that what you're asking us to do is... complicated, to say the least. Will you please go back outside and let us discuss the matter?"

The three agreed and left the village. When their friends asked what had happened, they told them everything, answering all the questions that came up, and then the whole group sat down to await the neinis' decision. After an hour, Eric began to doubt they were really discussing what to do.
"I'm not surprised they're taking so long," Mariel told him. "Important discussions can take many hours... Even days. Especially if the whole village is involved."
"They wouldn't expect us to wait here for days, would they?," Eric asked, hesitantly.
"If they take longer than a day, I guess they'll first come to a temporary solution. Like giving us a place to sleep in the meantime. And maybe some food, so that we don't run out of vitals while we wait. That happened once in Ayrus when a stranger came to ask for assistance from the council. They gave him everything he needed for 3 days until they reached a conclusion."
"3 days?! What did he want that was so hard to decide?"
"I don't know, they wouldn't tell me. I was too young."
"Same old story again," Eric shook his head. "Makes me feel glad I'm not still at home."
"So you'd rather risk your life than be told you're too young for something?," Gallead checked.
"Well, if you put it that way, it doesn't sound too sensible. But here I'm doing what I know, and I know it's worth something. And you all see me as someone important, not just a kid who will eventually grow up to be someone. So that's what I like. It was time for me to get out and see the world... to be myself. Of course it would be best if the world wasn't in danger while I'm seeing it, but getting the chance to do something to make things right is great. It's all I've ever dreamed of!"
"It's good to see someone's enjoying himself," Erin grumbled.
"Maybe you should follow his example," Timper suggested.
"Can you picture Erin having fun? She just wouldn't be herself!," joked Pura.
"Don't be rude!," Mariel told her.
"It's ok," Erin said. "Pura wouldn't be herself if she were nice to me."
"Nice counterattack," Timper commended her. "But what's troubling you?"
"Why do you think something's troubling me?"
"It's in your face and the tone of your voice. I think I've become good at reading you."
"Then you should know the idea of confronting a being who has an incredible control over water isn't exactly a bright perspective for me."
"Well, it's not a walk in the park for me either, but none of us is alone. Even if they decide not to come with us, I think the 6 of us have proven we can face just about anything and come out on top."
"You're scaring me. You've been sounding like Eric a lot today."
"Well, maybe the boy is right about a few things. And I think you agree with him to a point. After all, why would we be here if we didn't think we can make a difference?"
"Is that why you're here? I thought..."
"Hold it. Who says I'm not trying to make a difference right now as we speak? I'm not only talking about the battlefield. Though yes, I do think we can make a difference there too. Otherwise I would have tried to convince the group to give up and take a nicer and safer route. But no route would have been safe in the end."
"You're full of surprises."
"Thanks, I'll try to live up to that."
"That's all really cool and I wouldn't like to ruin the beautiful moment," Pura interrupted, "but do we really have the time to wait until they make a decision? The forces of evil are growing stronger as we speak. I don't think we can afford to sit around and wait for 3 days."
"Those were exactly my thoughts," Gallead seconded her. "I think we should give them some time, but we shouldn't let them hold us back for too long. Otherwise our enemies may come to us on their own terms."
"How much longer do you think we should wait?," Eric consulted the group.

Fortunately for everyone, they didn't have to set a time, nor wait as long as they'd expected. At that moment, a delegate from the village came out with news.
Unfortunately, the news wasn't the best they could hear.

"We have agreed that we're not ready to go to war," the delegate said. "We're grateful for your offer to help us free this region from Miranda's siege, but none of us has any combat experience, nor even the proper training, and we're not willing to embark ourselves on what would certainly be a suicide mission, at least for some of us. All we can do is give you food and equipment for your journey, and reward you should you come back safe and sound."

The situation wasn't the best, but there was no changing it. The group couldn't drag the neinis into battle against their will, and in any case they wouldn't be helpful if they didn't believe in what they were doing. So there wasn't much of an agreement. The neinis gave the travelers some food and ropes (the only things in their possession that could be on any help in a long journey), while the others didn't swear to keep the village safe, but promised to confront Miranda if they crossed paths with her - which, by the way things were going, was virtually a certainty.

As the group left, few comments were made. They'd already had enough time to discuss the situation. Mariel made a remark about how they'd never known the names of the villagers, while Erin was deeply concentrated on her own thoughts, half trying to come up with a plan, half worrying about how to stay focused after Timper's declaration, how he'd dared say that in front of Pura, and how she'd eventually have to make a decision about the subject... one she'd never thought she'd have to make. Come to think of it, that perspective was scarier than a battle against a powerful quirran.

*************************

Not much further to the north, a blue-skinned woman with pink hair and a tight skirt and muscle-top, sat on a large rock, persistently hitting it with a stone the size of her hand. The stone wasn't as hard as the rock, so the constant beating was causing it to crack, and small pieces of it bounced away every now and then. The scene wouldn't have made much sense to anyone watching. Luckily for this woman, nobody was watching. Otherwise they might have seen the pain, confusion and frustration in her face. She didn't want that. That was why she'd cut herself off from her crew, to discharge her anger without being seen.

Sometimes not even she could keep the facade up. In spite of her whole life being a lie, something true remained hidden inside her, threatening to come out, and she dared not destroy it. Her feelings, although locked away from the outside world (the world was no place for the truth to show), were the only real thing she still had. That and her name. She wouldn't give that up easily; she wanted to keep the illusion that it was her doing something with her life... That while this was just another play which would end like all the others, something would be left when she got down from the stage to face the merciless crowds. That she would still be herself. As stupid as that might sound, it was all she had. She had been promised the world; she knew too much about lies to believe the dream would last, but power was a nice feeling. Being on top, on the giving end, was somehow rewarding. When things went well, that was. Barely an hour ago, she had been forced to stop and turn back. The guardians of Twocastle were too strong, and had a powerful combination of fighting skills and magic, topped with a dangerous quota of fearlessness. She hated when things went wrong. That forced her to reflect and look into herself, and that was the last thing she wanted. There was too much pain and confusion inside, and someone might find out that she was just another lie.

A strong hit, and the stone was cut in half. She looked up. It was time to go back. Crushing another village would be relieving, and then she could try to think of a new strategy to break through the defense line of Twocastle. After all, they didn't really know anything about her yet.

*************************

Once the group got back on their path, it didn't take long for them to find trouble. The first to detect it was Mariel, who warned the others that magic was being used, mere seconds before water began to slide towards them from the front. The water got mixed with the earth it crawled on, turning brown. Erin took off from the ground, and she and Pura flew up to see what was ahead beyond the trees.

"It's a quirran. It must be Miranda," Pura announced, descending first.
"Why would a quirran use magic to produce water?," Gallead questioned. "They can make it naturally."
"Maybe that's not what the magic was for," suggested Eric.
"I'm trying to figure that out," Mariel said, but the attacker didn't give her much time. Before she could detect exactly what the magic was doing, the quirran stood in front of them.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?," the attacker spoke in a demanding tone.
The water was already up to her knees, and Timper had been forced to shape-shift to prevent the last wave from smashing him. He was now floating in the air in the form of a neini, the first flying creature without a water weakness that came to his mind.
"Are you Miranda?," Eric responded with another question.
"So you have heard of me!," the quirran replied with surprise and a certain satisfaction. "Yet you defy me by walking into my territories?"
"This place isn't yours. Others live here!," Eric told her.

"Let me do the talking," Erin advised her young friend. Then she turned to Miranda. "I don't know what you want with this place, but you're blocking our way and we won't have that. So back off or face all of us."
"Are all faerfliyes so cocky?," Miranda rolled her eyes. "You're the third one I've seen and you're all the same. Ready to jump into a fight whether they do or do not have a chance of winning. Which in your case, you don't."

Erin was startled at her recognizing her species immediately, but she wouldn't let that intimidate her. She'd just have to be careful. Miranda had the element advantage and knew it, but there was no reason to suppose she'd also know Erin's fighting style. She still had a good chance. Plus she was not alone, while Miranda was.

Before anything else could be said, Miranda gestured with her arm and a brown wave was launched in Erin's direction. The faerfliye evaded it, and dashed forward. She expected the quirran to block her attack, but all Miranda did was put her arm between her and the faerie, which caused her cubitus to nearly break from the blow. Erin reckoned she might have overestimated Miranda's combat ability. But then a column of water towered towards her while Miranda was instinctively holding her forearm. The water pushed Erin back, proving that her current opponent was still a puzzle.
"How did she do that?," Erin wondered.

But before anyone could think of an answer, water began to sprout from everywhere, hitting each of them like whips. Seeing that things had become serious, Erin, Eric and Gallead unsheathed out their swords. Mariel and Pura, in the meantime, did their part by attacking Miranda with light balls. But the constant waves pushing Mariel from one side to another made it hard for the elvin to aim, and Eric finally ceased attacking to protect her.
"I'll be fine," Mariel said when Eric held her and stopped her from falling into the water. "Go help the others."
"I will if they need me," he replied. "Now I'd rather help you."

The attacks didn't stop. They came from everywhere. Gallead did his best to reach for Miranda, but the water kept pushing him back. He had to give up trying to make direct contact, and start repelling the water attacks with gusts of wind. There wasn't much Erin could do either; the attacks giving her no pause, she tried to make for Miranda as she evaded them, but wasn't getting very lucky. When she saw Timper, who was also evading attacks but seemed to have it much easier than her for some reason, she asked him why he wasn't attacking.
"If I try to attack, I'll become a target and be in the same situation you are now," he replied, trying to keep up with her movement. "I think I'll be more useful if I keep thinking. I'm trying to figure something out."
"What is it?"
"Something's not right. I've been trying to understand her actions and see a pattern, but some things just don't make sense."
"Just like you."
"Thank you very much!"
"You're welcome."
"No, really."
"Uh?"
"I have a theory. Hey, Pura!! Fly over her fast and release a light rain!"
"Done!," the lurian replied, immediately following Timper's command.

Only Pura was fast enough to reach Miranda and attack her before the columns of water could stop her, and since she was airborne, the currents didn't affect her. She released a shower of light on Miranda, who covered from it by diving into the muddy water. The attacks kept coming, if now at a lower rate, but the attacker was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?," Pura asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Erin supported her. "Timper, what was your plan? Do you know where she's gone?"
"Did she cast a teleporting spell or something?," Eric tried. "Or maybe one for hiding herself."
"I couldn't sense any magic," Mariel said. "She only used magic when she arrived. She could have set a portal, but that would have swallowed the water."
"Let me figure this one out," Timper said, diving into the water.
"What does he have in mind?," queried Pura.
"I wish I knew that half the time," Erin shook her head. "I just hope he doesn't get in trouble... one way or another."

[Tapewolf]

Finally caught up.  Nice to see this is still being updated, though I still think smaller, more frequent updates would be a good idea.
(And I must seriously try to get past that writer's block in CJP)

[Gabi]

Well... I don't know about shorter, but how's this for more frequent?

Chapter 19: Miranda, Act II

Knowing he would have to stay in the water for a long time, Timper took the shape of a small fish -a barb- to be able to breathe underwater and go unnoticed for as long as possible. He looked back to make sure he wasn't being followed, and was half glad and half disappointed to see no one was trying to go after him. "Better this way," he thought. "Any of the others would be too noticeable. She'd find them before we found her." He wasn't really sure what exactly his aim was and, as he moved through the water, he began to realize how improvised his actions were. He was acting on a hunch, driven mainly by his own curiosity. If he didn't find Miranda, she would escape and maybe attack again later, but not much else would happen. But what if he did? Would he be able to stand up against her on his own? He was no warrior. He could get lucky and outsmart her, but it wouldn't be wise to count on that. So why was he there?... Because he needed to know. He just couldn't leave a puzzle unsolved.

While he was swimming, the currents around him changed and he was suddenly caught in a whirlpool. "Too late for second thoughts," he said to himself, trying to devise a plan to escape the whirlpool and confront Miranda. Little did he know he'd mistaken the identity of his captor; but he found that out soon enough, when a male heerynaut stepped forward from behind a large rock. Some pieces began to fall together.

"What's a fish doing here?!" the heerynaut yelled. "Did anyone pull water from the river without looking what was in it, or do we have an intruder?"
"Ask our commander," another heerynaut emerged from a hole in the ground. "She insists on summoning water with magic. That's not the way and everyone knows it! Who knows what freaky consequences magic can have?"
"You weren't so biased against magic when you insisted on going for the pearl," the first one accused the other.
"And look where that's brought us! We used to be free to do our bidding, now we follow orders from a bunch of overly powerful clowns. And our commander is the worst of all."
"Then why don't you rebel against her?" Timper suggested, interested in the turn things were taking.
"It speaks!!" the first heerynaut shouted.
"I told you. Magic is no good," said the other.

The water around Timper stopped spinning, setting him free.
"If we rebel, they'll destroy us," the second one said. "If we follow their commands, we'll be a part of what's coming. We'll be feared, and we'll take whatever we want from whoever we want. What are you, anyway? Where did you come from?"
"There's a simple answer to that," a female heerynaut came from behind.
Timper hadn't seen her coming, nor noticed any other possible hideouts nearby. But there could be a simple answer to that as well. Her voice, the look on her face... everything led him to believe that both explanations were one and the same.

"Where the hell did you come from?!" the first heerynaut exclaimed. "You're not one of us!"
"Now, now, easy. I'm with you," she told the others. "Though seeing how intelligent you are, things like these aren't worth explaining."
The two male heerynauts didn't reply, unsure of whether they'd just been complimented or insulted.
"Why are you doing this?" Timper questioned the female.
"Why?, why? Everyone has questions. It's not really worth asking, you know. Whenever you get an answer, either you won't like it, or it will be a lie. Or maybe both."
"You seem to be under a lot of pain," Timper told her.
"How would you know?"
"Your way of speaking... The look in your eyes. It's the look of someone who has lost all hope."

Timper wasn't expecting what came after his words: a direct punch on his stomach. The water cushioned the impact a little, but the blow was extremely accurate. Timper took the form of a heerynaut to level the grounds, and caught his opponent's arm in his hand, avoiding another blow.

"I thought a fish's stomach would be hard to find," he commented.
"Just like everyone else, you underestimate me. I would have expected better from someone like you, but that proves you can never expect anything. I know a fish's anatomy by heart; I studied it thoroughly for 'The Royal Conflict'. I take my parts seriously, but nobody cares, do they? All they see is a liar and a cheater."
"The Royal Conflict? Wasn't that a play?"
"You've seen it?"
"No, but I've heard of it. I missed it by two days when I visited a kindam village. The company had left when I arrived, though I heard it was great."
"Really? They said that?" her expression was beginning to change.
"Yes, they did. One or two did make some nasty comments that led me to ultimately leave the village to avoid starting a fight, but they all agreed that the cast did a great job. Were you in it?"
"You're trying to confuse me."
"Why would I?"
"Because I'm your enemy."
"You don't have to be."
"You two..." she said, turning to the heerynauts. "Leave."
"Who are you to give us orders?" one of them complained.
"I'm your commander, you idiot! Now leave before I mince you to pieces and feed you to the real fish!"

As she spoke, she assumed the shape of a shark and showed her subordinates three rows of sharp teeth. The heerynauts fled in fear, and Miranda was able to go back to her previous form and continue speaking.

"I'm surrounded by idiots!" she groaned.
"Why are you doing this?" Timper asked again. "You don't seem to be like Jor and Kharchek."
"Why not? Because I'm a shifter like you?"
"No, because you're talking to me instead of finding ways to kill me. Because you seem to be looking for understanding rather than causing a massacre. You haven't really killed anyone, have you? From what I've heard you've been scaring villagers and destroying their properties, but you haven't taken a life."
"That's my problem, not yours."
"Why is it a problem?"
"You know what? I'm fed up with you. I'm fed up with being analyzed. At least the others just scorned me and left me alone, but your pretense to help me and look so innocent and uninterested is killing me. Just go away!"

Saying this, Miranda held her breath and transformed into a massenn to deal another blow, this time considerably stronger. Timper would have to learn to predict her reactions if he didn't want to turn into her first real victim. When he regained his breath, he moved fast and grabbed Miranda by her neck, lifting her up. He took her all the way up to the surface, where he also turned into a massenn and took the fight to the air. At that point, the others saw them emerge. Most of them merely watched, but Erin joined him.

"What's going on?" she asked, blocking Miranda's fist as it headed in Timper's direction.
"Long story and I'm still missing half of it," Timper said. "Stop her attacks, but don't hurt her."
"Why?!" Erin questioned, looking at Timper as if he were crazy.
"I need to talk to her."
"Is she your relative or something?"
"No, just someone who shouldn't give up on the world just yet."
"Cut the lecture, will you?!" roared Miranda, launching a kick at the same part of Timper's body she'd been hitting all the time.
She could have aimed for a worse point, but Timper didn't know how much longer he'd be able to hold on if she went on like that.
"Stop it!" shouted Erin, mimicking Miranda's previous move, only with her as the target.

While Miranda was recovering from the blow, Erin rushed to hold her arms. Miranda tried to kick Erin back, but Erin blocked her with her own leg.
"I need an explanation," Erin demanded. "What's going on here? And why shouldn't I give this bitch what she deserves?"
"You'll need to do worse than call me names to get to me," Miranda told her. "I've heard them all, they don't faze me."
"I don't think you understand the position you're in right now," Erin replied.
"Yes. A position I can easily escape from."

Erin felt Miranda's arms slip from her hands, as her enemy's body got smaller and darker. Two of her wings changed their angle and the other 4 disappeared into her now hairy back. Her arms and legs transformed into thin and spiky appendages, and two extra limbs grew between them, out of the now iridescent abdomen. Her eyes grew bigger, and divided themselves into many cells. And so, the fly made her escape.

"Cursed..." Erin began, but she stopped herself when she saw Timper. Instead, she asked him: "what's with you and her?"
"What?!" the question left Timper startled.
"I'm not so naive as to believe you're protecting her because she's one of your own kind, so why do you want me not to hurt her in spite of everything she's done?"
"You'll think I'm crazy, but I don't think she's truly evil."
"No? Then what would you call her?"
"I don't know. She seems to be really frustrated and taking it out on the rest of the world, but she hasn't killed anyone. She limits the damage she causes. I think a part of her still wants to give life a chance."
"You're right, I do think you're crazy. I know what frustration is, and I'd never even think of going around destroying villages and threatening everyone."
"Not everyone reacts in the same way. Some are stronger than others."
"You're lying!" the fly exploded, transforming into a faerfliye and kicking Timper in a much worse place than before. "You want something from me! I can see it now. Why else would you pretend to care about me? You don't even know me!"
"That's the way with Timper," Erin replied.
She stretched out her hands and her incandescent sword materialized in them. A sign that she was taking this fight seriously.
"He seems to be attracted to troubled females, even if he doesn't really know them. He tries to help, even if he's not asked to."
"That's not true!" Timper shouted, but Miranda ignored him.
"Then he'd better drop it while he can," Miranda warned her opponents. "The only one who really did care for me is dead now. Everything I touch is cursed with pain and misery."
"Then how about I put you out of your misery?"
Erin held her sword down to Miranda's level, and flames erupted from her hair.
"Erin, no!" Timper stopped her.
"Now what?!"
"Give me a chance."

Timper's eyes were looking straight into Erin's. His appearance was still that of a massenn, but his eyes were his own, open and sincere. They spoke more than words could, letting Erin decipher the two meanings of his most recent phrase. The flames died down.

*************************

Back where the others were, the water attacks had slowly decreased in frequency, and had now come to a stop. The level of the water was descending, as if the battle was over. But nobody had seemed to do anything to cause that.

"What's going on?" Pura was the first one to ask.
"It seems Miranda's focus isn't on us anymore," opined Eric, who had began to watch his friends since the attacks to his group stopped. "But there's something I don't understand. Is that shifter Miranda? And if she is, how can she control water like a real quirran?"
"Magic," Mariel answered. "She used magic at least twice. But not for the attacks. I think she must have got help for that."
"I didn't know shifters could use magic."
"Anyone can as long as they have the potential and patience to learn. Timper and Erin have never learnt to use magic because it's not their thing, but other shifters and faerfliyes can."
"So, who has been helping Miranda?" questioned Gallead. "And where are they now?"
"I'll look around," Pura offered, setting off to just about everywhere.

She returned about three seconds later.

"I haven't found anyone yet," she said. "But I've found something incredible!"
Pura's comment attracted everyone's attention, and they all followed her to an area where the water level was the lowest. Huge, magenta-colored flowers were blooming out of the water. Each of their soft petals were as large as one of Mariel's hands, and the stalks -counting the part that was still underwater- were about 30 centimeters (or about one foot) tall.

"Heyiamar flowers!!" Mariel exclaimed in amazement. Her eyes were glowing with joy.
"I've never heard of them, but I take it they're something really good," Eric deduced.
"I'd never seen one before," Mariel told him. "Except in books, that is. They only grow in places where magic has been used persistently for several days, or in places with a very strong magical aura. They can heal any wound as long as they're fresh. Even mortal ones."
"I've heard stories about creatures regaining lost limbs with the help of those flowers," Gallead added. "I don't know if they're true, but in any case, finding one is a great achievement to say the least. And we have three here! It's amazing!"
"Is there any way to cut them and keep them fresh?" asked Eric, hoping the flowers could help them along their journey.
"I'm not quite sure," Mariel told him. "I didn't think of that before because I didn't really think I would find one. Let me check my books."
While she began to take off her backpack, Gallead answered the question.
"They can live for years while their roots are buried in the ground, but they die quickly when you cut them. If you keep their roots intact and with enough earth around them and enough humidity, you can keep them alive for a few weeks. Maybe a few months if you also use magic to preserve them."
"Wow, you know a lot!" Pura complimented him.
Gallead's cheeks turned a bit less pale than they normally were.
"Thanks. Well, I think I'm supposed to. It's my job after all," he said with a smile.

At that moment, the water receded instantly, and the conversation was interrupted by a loud scream. It came from the place where Erin, Timper and Miranda were fighting. The group hurried back to see what was going on, and found the female shifter lying on the ground, blood flowing out of her torso. She no longer had wings, and the fire-red hair she'd had as a faerfliye had now turned golden blond. Her eyes were closed, and there was no water left around her. Erin and Timper were still in the air, showing some bruises and red marks, but not nearly as hurt as their opponent. They looked as shocked as the others were. After looking at each other, the group's attention turned to a small pond -or a large puddle-; the only place where water could still be found.

"There they are!" exclaimed Pura, finally noticing the presence of the so-called helpers.
"What happened?" Gallead asked the fighters.
"We were half talking, half fighting, and then suddenly all the water towered through Miranda's body," Erin explained. "She was in the shape of a faerfliye, so the effect was even worse. Seems to me that she messed up and was betrayed by her own group."
"She had some heerynauts helping her," Timper said, descending to Miranda's level to check on her. "She called her idiots. I guess they didn't like it."
"No, you fool..." Miranda spoke out with a thin thread of voice, opening her turquoise eyes.
Timper was slightly relieved. She was still alive, and conscious. But barely.
"Any moron can take an insult," she continued. "What nobody can tolerate is deceit. Yet, everyone deceives everybody else. I lied to them, just as I lied to you. My whole life is a lie. It's ironic, the only times when I felt I was really myself were while I was acting. But the audience thought I was cheating even then."

She let out a long sigh, and tried to catch her breath again. In the meantime, the little water that remained disappeared. Mariel noticed a portal opening and shutting down in a second. The heerynauts had left.
"There's no peace for us, Timper. I'm not sure there's peace for anyone. I don't know how you did it, but... You must be deceiving yourself too. I did once, and lost everything."
She sighed again.
"It doesn't matter," she concluded. "I guess I'll find peace now."
With one last sigh, her eyes closed again.

"We can't let it end like this!" Eric blared.
"I know, it isn't fair," Timper agreed.
"Many things in life aren't," Erin told him.
"But it doesn't have to, does it?" Eric said. "She's still alive, isn't she? If we can take her to the flowers, she can heal and then she'll be fine."
"What flowers?" Timper's head rose abruptly.
"Pura found three heyiamar flowers not far from here."
"Really?! This is a miracle! Then we do still have a chance!"
"Are you sure that's what she would want?" Erin questioned.
"Let's at least give her the choice, " Timper said.

Still in his massenn form, he carefully lifted Miranda's body. Her breath was fainter with every passing second.
"We need to hurry. Where are the flowers?"
"Follow me," Pura told him.
"We'll regret this one day," Erin sentenced. But Timper pretended not to listen.

Once Timper reached the flowers, he placed Miranda on the center of the nearest one, returning to his normal form. The petals closed around her.
"This will take some time," Gallead said. "She has serious wounds. They won't heal easily."
"Right now I'm more concerned about the wounds this flower can't heal," Timper replied.
"We should go before she wakes up," Erin suggested. "We don't know what will happen when she gets out of there. I wouldn't count on her wanting to make friends with us, she'll still be the same bastard with one more frustration to add to the list."
"Expecting such a sudden change would be asking for too much of a miracle," Timper admitted. "But I hope she sees that not the whole world is as rotten as she got to believe."
"And what do you gain from that?"
"What is there to gain from anything?" Timper asked back. "From everything we're doing... What do we get? Satisfaction, peace... knowing that at least one little thing in the world will be better thanks to you... It may seem like nothing, but it's a lot. And for her, if she does eventually decide to give life another chance... it will mean everything."
"You're weird," Erin told him.
"Considering what your concept of normality seems to be, I'll take that as a compliment."
"Wasn't there anything personal involved?"
"Well, I must admit I did go through some of the problems she's had. Only I've had it a lot better than her, and I have more inner strength to handle those things. No one close to me has died, so I don't know how that feels. No one has ever been that close to me before anyway. Not until a short time ago. But I've seen you overcome some of the worst things, so I knew it was possible. I couldn't just turn my back on her when there was a chance I could help her and change her life."
"I should have guessed," Erin laughed. "You had to be a hero. Anything less than that would be too little for you."
"Well, at least you got your laughter back!"
"Am I on the same level as Miranda?" she questioned.
"Huh?"
For the second time that day, Erin's question startled Timper.

The rest of the group didn't intervene in the conversation. They knew this was something Erin and Timper had to sort out on their own. In the meantime, they took the two remaining flowers, being careful not to break the roots and to leave enough earth attached to them. Mariel enveloped the flowers in fresh pieces of cloth she carried for the most delicate herbs, and put in practice the vegetal magic she'd been learning to help them stay moist and healthy. Then, she placed them in a special compartment in her backpack.

*************************

A heerynaut entered a large chamber. It was the same who had originally attacked Timper. Haggaus was sitting on an armchair on the other side of the room. He looked down to meet the heerynaut's gaze. The water creature shivered, but tried to hide it.
"You called, sir?" he asked formally, preparing himself mentally for whatever might come.
"Yes," the elf replied. "Your group sent the distress signal and were transported back. However, your leader hasn't come with you. Why?"

The heerynaut hesitated, trying to measure the consequences of each phrase he could possibly utter. This only irritated Haggaus.
"Why?!" he roared.
"She was a liar!" the soldier finally said. "A deceiver! She was not a real quirran. She was a shifter!"
"And don't you think I know that, you idiot?!"
Haggaus's eyes looked like they could pierce through the heerynaut's thick skin and cut right through his heart.
"I'm sorry..." he tried to apologize. "But... if I may ask... Why weren't we informed of that?"
"You're informed only of what you need to know," Haggaus said. "You're executors, not generals. We make the strategic decisions and you obey. Now, where is she?!"
"She..." he began. He hesitated for a moment, but realized his silence would only make the elf angrier. "She received a fatal wound during a battle."
"Does that mean she's dead?"
"Most likely, sir."
"Most likely is not an answer. Is she dead or alive?"
"I... I don't know, sir."
"You don't know! And yet you left her alone to save your sorry lives?! Go back to where she is and bring her back! And if she's dead, I'll hold you personally responsible!"
"But..."
"But nothing! You have failed to fulfill your responsibilities. This is your last chance to redeem yourselves before I feed you to the Orb of Souls. Now get out of my sight!"

"Looks like one more of us has screwed up," Wilson came in through the back door when the heerynaut left through the front  one.
Haggaus didn't know how long he had been listening, but he wouldn't ask.
"I wouldn't count those things among 'us'. They'd better bring Miranda back alive and well. They're the most unreliable creatures I've seen. Even more so than Kharchek."
"I told you so."
"I thought your view of them was biased."
"You should know better. I've killed my own friends, my thoughts and actions are never biased."
"I may still feed them to the Orb even if they do bring her back," Haggaus said, still thinking about the heerynauts.
"Oh, please do. My army could use some extra raw power."
"Really? How would you use it?"
"I've been thinking... I think I have what it takes to get rid of Twocastle once and for all."
"Interesting. I'd like to hear your plan once Jor, Day and Night report back. And Miranda, provided she's still alive."
"Why are you so interested in getting her back? Can't she be replaced?" Wilson questioned.
"Once you find the perfect clay and manage to mold it to suit your needs, you don't want it ruined," Haggaus explained. "Besides, the winter has begun and we're still six even with her. We need to be twelve before spring, we can't afford to lose a valuable associate."
"Don't our armies count?"
"Brutes won't turn the balance. We need a solid group where each one of us can make a difference."
"Alright. Just one question."
"What is it?"
"While I plan the way to bring Twocastle down, Day and Night cut the access to it from the north, Miranda takes care of the south and Jor looks for new recruits, what are you doing?"
"I'm working on eliminating another potential threat."
"The ones who defeated Kharchek?"
"No, they'll come to us. We just need to make sure we're ready for them. No, I'm talking about a small meadow, many days south from Twocastle. There's a powerful magical field protecting that place, and I'm going to bring it down along with the people who cast it."
"And how will that help us?"
"I find it strange that you're asking. We'll gain unrestricted access to the southern part of the forest and prevent our enemies from growing in numbers. Just as we're halfway onto our goal, so are they. We must make sure we get there first."
"Are you sure it has to be that way? Twelve versus twelve by the equinox?"
"I am. It has always worked that way and the symbols on the Orb confirm it. Ease your doubts, Wilson. You're not used to relying on magic, but it's never failed me before. We will get that power. We know the rules of the game. They don't. We just need to make sure we make the right moves."

*************************

Erin rephrased the question to make sure Timper understood it.
"Do you see me and Miranda in the same way?"
"What?! How can you possibly ask that question?!" he replied, offended. "After all I've said and done... All we've been through together... How can you even think of that?"
"She's jealous," Eric explained, right before getting a warning from Pura not to intervene.
"I'm not jealous!" Erin yelled. "He can have babies with her for all I care! But he'll make a big mistake if he tries to get close to her."
"Erin, please, calm down. You're not so irrational."

Timper was somewhat scared by this sudden outburst, but it also made him feel better in a way. Erin was jealous. She tended to hide her emotions until they exploded; this wasn't the first time. This meant that, despite what she'd been showing so far, she did have feelings for him.
"You should trust him, you know he'd move the world to be with you," Gallead tried to temper her.
"And who said I wanted the world moved?" she blared.
"Gallead, please stop. I know you mean good, but you're making me look even worse," Timper told him.
"It must be an explorers' disease," Erin said.
"What?" asked Timper and Gallead in unison.
"Trying to mend things that either can't be sorted out or don't need to be."
"And what's the case now?" queried Timper.
"The case?"
"Yes, all this. You and me. Can't it be sorted out, or doesn't it need to be?"
Erin's face changed, a smile forming on it, almost letting a giggle escape.
"If you don't know the answer to that question," she said, "then you don't know me well enough."
With this, she took off, flying above and ahead of the group, keeping distance, but staying close enough to be seen. Timper didn't go after her. He just observed her, and admired her.
"I have a feeling I'll really enjoy learning more about you," he whispered.